Back from SCBWI LA

 Last Thursday I flew to LA for the 45 SCBWI LA Conference. This was my 20th year -- and it was wonderful. I've made so many friends through this organization and there wasn't enough time even in 5 days to talk to everyone. I often stayed in the lobby where I could talk to more people. I roomed with Verla Kay who was a speaker at the event for the first time and she was soooo excited. Her Blue Board (www.verlakay.com message board) is so popular that she met many people who love to go there for writing information. Her talk on social media was great, too, and she was kind enough to use my book trailers for DEAD GIRL WALKING and DON't DIE DRAGONFLY as examples of hiring teens to create promotional book trailers.

I was lucky to talk to my agent a lot, too. She's eager to get my work-in-progress (midgrade science fiction) so I really should be doing revisions than blogging...but blogging is fun and part of my job, too.

For the Saturday pajama party, I wore a Tinkerbelle pj set and danced do a great band with a huge crowd of kid-writers-gone-wild. I was glad when the Princess & Pea costume -- complete with a bed and stuffed legs-- won first place in costume contest.

Judy Blume was a surprise speaker -- replacing John Green who had sudden gall bladder surgery. For the first time ever, instead of the speaker talking from the podium, chairs were brought out Oprah-style and Lin Oliver interviewed Judy as if they were talking in a cozy living room. Judy is gorgeous, by the way, rocking age 70+ like a diva.

So I had a great time and next year I'll do it all over again. Hope to see you there.