WooHoo!

I just got back from my first ever SCBWI Summer Conference in Los Angeles, and besides all of the:

• inspiration and information to be soaked up "like gravy on a biscuit,"
• wonderfully creative, talented, generous, and adorable people,
• frivolous fun with friends old and new. . .

the best part of the whole conference is that my teen nonfiction manuscript about how to save the world got nominated for the Sue Alexander award!

So, now I'm feeling this awesome pressure and responsibility to GET TO WORK! (Along with an irresistable urge to break into my happy dance.)

Wheel-y cool!

What has more kid appeal than a gigantic truck that drives from town to town looking for tires to chomp? One that cleans up the environment at the same time! Here's one company's latest invention intended to help clean up waste tires in the U.S. and Canada.

KONO Magazine -- Bones of Steel article

KONO is a brand-new martial arts magazine for kids ages 5-12. My article about nutrition tips for healthy bones, "Bones of Steel," appeared in their May 2007 premier issue!

WeeOnes -- Extreme Treasue Hunting

Extreme Treasure Hunting, which introduces kids to the fun of geocaching, was the first article I wrote for children. It was accepted way back in April 2006, but finally made its appearance in the May/June 2007 online issue of Wee Ones Children's Magazine for ages 4-10.

FACES Magazine -- Riders for Health article

FACES: People, Places, and Cultures is a Cobblestone Publication for kids ages 9-14. I profiled an organization called Riders for Health for their March 2007 global health issue. By using fairly simple machines, Riders for Health has solved a complex problem. They use motorcycles to deliver medical supplies and services to regions of Africa with little or no infrastructure. Simply elegant.

KNOW Magazine -- Spot the spots

Scientists at ECOCEAN are using pattern-recognition software developed for NASA's Hubble Space Telescope program to recognize individual whale sharks, which are covered with small, white spots on a dark background similar to a starry night sky. I wrote a short news piece about it for the May/June 2007 issue of KNOW--The Science Magazine for Curious Kids.

KNOW Magazine -- The Scoop on Poop

Despite the not-so-glamorous subject matter, my short news piece for kids about San Francisco's dog poop recycling looks great! You can check it out on page 5 of the Sept/Oct 2006 issue of KNOW--The Science Magazine for Curious Kids (published in Canada, for ages 6-9).