It's Here! (...well, almost)

Here are a few of the illustrations for my early chapter book coming out this fall. (Miller Denton's Worst Week Ever!) Written by me, Sandra Byrd Lawson, Illustrated by Holly Abston, Published by Doodle and Peck Publishing.

Pioneer School

Last week, I was invited to read to the second grade classes at Pioneer School. What a great time we had!

I was asked to read my book, The Best Baker in the World! and to also choose another of my favorites to read. It was an easy choice. I read Brian, the Smelly Bear, written by Mark Chambers. It's written in verse and is about a bear that refuses to take a bath. Everyone thinks he smells atrocious, but he thinks he smells just fine. When his friends can't stand to be around him any longer, they trick him into taking a bath by telling him they have a tub full of mud. He sails into it discovering, all too late, that it's filled with warm, soapy water. Afterwards, Brian decides he likes smelling clean. 

It's That Time of the Year Again!

There are great things that happen in the month of November. The weather starts to cool down, the leaves change, Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season, my birthday, and the list goes on. Also, it's PiBoIdMo! Picture Book Idea Month, the month where you commit to one idea per day. It can be frustrating and rewarding, but I trudge on. I've actually come up with some pretty good ideas over the past two PiBoIdMos. Come December 1st, it'll be fun to look back over my notebook and see what crazy and fun possibilities I've imagined for stories! 

Christmas in....September??

Is it me or does it come earlier every year? The stores pushing Christmas, I mean. When I was a little girl, I couldn't wait until the day after Thanksgiving when the Christmas season officially began. Now, I don't know when it starts! Let me say, I love, love, love Christmas! It's my favorite, but at Wal Mart yesterday, I was a little bit disheartened to see them putting up the Christmas trees. For heaven's sake, people! Halloween decorations are in the opposite isle. I'm putting my foot down right now. I will not start Christmas until Thanksgiving afternoon. Then I'll jump on the bandwagon and plow ahead full force until Christmas Eve. I might shop on Thanksgiving evening (it's easy for my family because we have no extended family in the area and shopping gives us something to do). I will likely do the black Friday thing, as well. Until then, I'm closing my mind to Christmas...unless some cute ornament reaches out and snags me in passing.

Live with a happy heart!

I believe happiness is a choice we make. We choose to be thankful, happy, in love, etc. I hate to see people in a rut and constantly "down".  Do whatever it takes to pick yourself up and live like there's no tomorrow. We all have problems, but when I think about my problems, I always see someone else who has a life much worse than I can even imagine. Eat some chocolate, keep your chin up, feel God's blessings and enjoy your day!

Busy,Busy, Busy!

It's been like close to forever since I've posted on here, but life is busy! I'm in two critique groups with several manuscripts to critique each month. I'm also on Facebook, twitter, and Instagram. I'm working frantically on my MG Novel, One Kansas Winter, which I would love to have completed in the next 2 months. If writing were as easy as reading, I guess everyone would be doing it!

In my 'spare' time, I'm working on a family history scrapbook going back several generations. I'm not complaining. I love everything I'm doing...I just need more hours in the day. Most days, I have to pick and choose what I want to accomplish on that particular day. Blogging and tweeting take a back seat to finishing my novel. One day, I will have a great blog OR a great novel. I hope I juggle everything that long!

I won!

I entered a drawing for a signed piece of art from Salina Yoon on Tara Lazar's blog. (By the way, Tara's blog is awesome!!) There were three winners and I was one of them. I think I'm a pretty lucky person. I've heard people say, "I never win anything." Well, that's not me. I win fairly often and I hope my luck continues. Salina's new book is called Be a Friend and this is a character from the book. Check her out on Amazon or Google. She has over 150 books thus far. That's an amazing thing.    Way to go, Salina!

Picture Book Idea Month

So today is the first day in almost 2 months that I've gotten to sit down and do some writing. It's also the beginning of Picture Book Idea Month. I'm trying to be positive and so I'm saying, "This is going to be the best year ever for me!" If you love picture books, check out Tara Lazar's Blog and sign up. There's lots of information and freebies. Here's the info to get you started: taralazar.com

My Thoughts on Winnie the Pooh

When I was a little girl, Winnie the Pooh was well known and still is today. What makes such a great children's book? I have much to learn. I found these two books at an antique store in Guthrie, OK. I was so excited to read a children's classic. I'd seen Winnie the Pooh on television and read some books, but never the original. My first look inside the cover revealed that the initial copyrights were in 1926 and 1928. They were published in New York by E.P. Dutton and Co. The copies I have were reprinted in 1961. These are older than I am! It was fun to see the different writing styles and language from then until now.  For instance, now we say 'illustrated by...' These say "Decorated by Ernest H. Shepard." Everything we are taught about writing for children nowadays says to show and not tell. There is a lot of telling in Winnie the Pooh. There are also random words capitalized in the middle of sentences. I can't find any rhyme or reason for the capitalization. I know things change over time and I am struggling with changes in grammar rules just from my high school days.

The author A.A. Milne was an English writer (primarily a playwright) with one son named Christopher Robin Milne. He wrote the Winnie the Pooh books and the characters were based on the stuffed animals that Christopher Robin owned with the exception of Rabbit and Owl who were added by Mr. Milne. The stuffed animals are now on display in New York City.

A.A. Milne's quotes (of course, said by the characters) are some of the most touching words I've ever known. I can't read them without tearing up and turning into a blubbering idiot. Read them for yourself...               https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/81466.A_A_Milne

While reading the first book, I found some scribbles on two pages. I wondered about the child that used the purple marker. Was it a little boy or a little girl? Was it in the 1960's? Were they crouched on the rug in the living room in front of the television with jeans and sneakers. Did they get scolded for marking in the book? Where is this person now? How did these books end up at the antique store? I know my mind is a mysterious thing and when it gets going, the scenarios are endless. 

Confessions of a Junk Food Junkie

I bought a movie-sized box of Sugar Babies at the grocery store. Out of habit, I shook the box. Hmm. It didn't rattle. I was thinking "Bonus!" It must be filled so full it won't rattle. After I got home and anxiously opened the box, my heart sank. The Sugar Babies had melted into one huge glob and were stuck in the bottom of the box. It takes more than that to discourage a junk food junkie. It's taken me three days, but I've managed to eat most of them by digging them out with a knife. Next time I buy Sugar Babies, I'll know that if the box doesn't rattle, buy Milk Duds instead.