Jaslyn wanted some advice on writing picture books. So, here goes. First: keep it simple! To write a picture book, you need a strong, clear idea (example: boy transforms his room into a forest to make a home for a salamander). Next, think in pictures. Imagine your story visually. Published picture books have 32 pages. That is approximately 16 double paged illustrations. If it helps you, make a mock-up of your book and sketch out the story before you write it. Finally, think about your audience. If you’re writing for very young children, keep your language simple and clear. See the story from their point of view. If you’re a kid - don’t worry; just have fun writing and illustrating your story!!

Lately, a few people have asked me for the name of Abby’s handwriting font in the Abby Hayes series. I wrote to Scholastic to find out. It’s AmbersHand.  Or Ambershand? I wonder who Amber is! Abby’s long-lost cousin, maybe?

I just returned from vacation. My husband and I drove down route 81 and the Blue Ridge Parkway (through Virginia) to Savannah, Georgia. We were hoping for beautiful, scenic views on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but mostly we saw a lot of stark, black branches rising up out of  heavy fog. We also experienced rain, heat, thunderstorms, cold, and more fog. But no snow or ice. As a lifelong denizen* of the Northeastern states, that’s always a plus.

In Georgia, I saw my first alligator in the wild (woo hoo!) and, further north, ghostly deer galloping through a misty forest at night. We stayed in a lodge at Peaks of Otter; the lake was drained and we had scenic views of mud and rocks.

It was a great vacation.

* denizen means inhabitant