Today's word of the day is Conference.

Years ago, I got some advice that went something like this: "If you want to write for children, you have to join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Attend the conferences. Meet people. Network. Get involved. Get informed. Get inspired. Volunteer. GIve back. But don't ever, ever, ever ( Read more... )

My word of the day is a-Twitter, a state of euphoria that you want to broadcast in 140 characters or less. Usage: When the Red Sox pulled out that 11th inning win against the Yankees last night, the fans were all a-Twitter.

I don't really get Twitter. It seems like a pointless waste of time, and not the fun kind like spider solitaire that ( Read more... )

Is it Earth Day already? It feels more like Groundhog's Day and I'm the one peeking out to see a shadow. I've been so swamped with things to do and not enough time to do it all.

Monday was Patriots Day which is also Marathon Day here in the Boston area. We staked out a spot on Comm Ave across from Newton City Hall within earshot of the Poland ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is reinvention. Every once in a while, you need to reinvent yourself to keep things fresh and current. For example...

In 2005, I got married. (Four years ago today. Happy anniversary, honey!)

In 2007, my first book was released. (Penguins! Doom! Yay!)

In 2008, our daughter was born. (And she gets more beautiful every day. Just ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is subtext, which is an important writing tool as well as the reason those new Comcast commercials have been bugging the heck out of me. You know, the ones with the cartoony fantasy town where Comcast cable service makes everything magical.

Click to view

These commercials feature imaginative details, an earwormy song, and a fun way to ( Read more... )

Last week I did a book signing at our synagogue's Purim carnival culminating with a dramatic reading of an all-new Purim story I wrote for the event, and guess whose photo graced the local newspaper on Tuesday morning. Go on, guess!

No, not me--my wife and daughter. It's probably because she's so much cuter and more photogenic than I am, and so is ( Read more... )

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Reproduced below is my latest post to the Spectacles group blog, which I recommend reading in it's natural habitat. I'm enjoying the group blog for the discussions being spun off and the ability it gives me to crack open a format that's wider than doing my usual "word of the day." For example, I can go off on a roughly drafted pseudo-angry pseudo- ( Read more... )

Today's word of the day is $8,539, the suggested retail price for the hardcover edition of R.R. Gupta et al's 463-page instant classic, Chemical Shifts and Coupling Constants for Silicon-29.

The reviews are awesome, and at that price it'll earn out its advance in no time. Free Super Saver shipping is available through Amazon!

via The Loom.

Today's word of the day is Spectacle, which is something worth viewing, as opposed to spectacles, which are something to view a spectacle through.

With a new baby in the house, I haven't had much chance to read any of the crop of books eligible for this year's ALA Youth Media Awards, so it wouldn't make sense for me to offer award commentary in a ( Read more... )