Good news everywhere

Good news everywhere...

! My roommate for the SCBWI L.A. conference sold her first book. Remember this: Valerie Patterson, author of The Other Side of Blue, because you're going to be hearing about it, come Fall '09/Spring '10. Get the whole scoop on the sale from her agent, Sarah Davies. I hope to be interviewing Val soon, about her first sale jitters and joy.

! Two new friends that I met in L.A. started blogging. From the co-blog Plot This:

Katie Anderson, self-confessed "yoga nerd," writes Relax into the Prose (go! look at that yoga/writing picture.)

and Sarah Frances Hardy confesses in an earlier post that she's the girl you wanted to sit near in Chem, 'cause she takes great notes, and yeah, she's right: here are her notes from Sara Pennypacker's breakout session on "Making Your Beginnings Shine." And don't miss her artwork here. (I love the line drawings.)

! My friend, Mac McCool, has an article about graphic novels in the new Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market.

! Jane Yolen is graciously offering lovely free bookmarks with her poem "Revision Takes Wings" on them. Check out the comments section of her interview at 7 Impossible Things for the details. Here's a picture of where I have mine prominently displayed on my desk: