Highlights 2010 Fiction Contest

Do you have a terrific story from your childhood lurking in your head? Well, this is your chance to be published in Highlights Magazine and win $1,000! Highlights is offering three $1,000 prizes (or a scholarship to their fabulous workshops) to the top winners in this contest. Submissions must be true stories from your family, maximum 750 words and postmarked between Jan.1-Jan.31, 2010. Need a writing resolution for 2010? Here it is! Check out details on the Highlights web page. Good luck to all!

SCBWI NY CONFERENCE

The annual Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference in NYC will take place at the end of January. Only two more weeks for early registration. This meeting is chock-full of editors, agents and established children's authors. This is your chance to have your manuscript critiqued, rub elbows with the "go to" folks in the industry and get inspired! Check out the SCBWI website for registration information and the terrific faculty.

Everybody is a winner!

Lots of excitement in the schools, with the raffle for a gift certificate to Trappe Book Center. Eligible students must visit my website and complete a Q & A. On the day of the author visit, the fun begins! Students already know a lot about my writing and hands are in the air, eager to answer questions. School visits are a blast!

A Mamistad Winner!

Mamistad moms Priscilla and Tricia are the winners of the Tonight You Are My Baby: Mary's Christmas Gift contest! Thanks to all the mamis who entered the contest and joined in with lovely comments. Special thanks to Cynthia for coordinating the grand event! If you are interested in buying a book, it's available at http://www.amazon.com/, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ and many independent book stores. May you all have a wonderful Christmas with your little ones, and may 2010 be filled with blessings for all!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, MAMISTAD!

Such fun! The replies from the Mamis are flying in and everyone is trying to guess the magic number to win a signed copy of Tonight You Are My Baby. Will you be the lucky one? Scroll below this post and click "comments". Leave a note and your guess. Tonight You Are My Baby: Mary's Christmas Gift is the perfect gift to give yourself. Snuggle with your little one and read of the oldest love story - a mother and her baby.

School Visits Galore!

Wow! This has been a month of fun school visits. I'm meeting new friends at schools every day until December 22nd. Each school has been organized, welcoming and gracious. The kids are full of fantastic questions. Talk about high-tech and well-read! The fun doesn't end there - each school has generously presented me with a donation to our foundation, At Least Kids. This is a shining example of kids helping kids - in the spirit of the season. Fantastic!

Mamistad "Mother and Friend"

Another great giveaway! MAMISTAD is a fantastic group designed to bring first-time pregnant women together to share the struggles, joys and beauty of motherhood. In Spanish, Mami means "mommy" and Amistand means "friendship". This support network places moms together in a circle of friends to share their journey of motherhood together. MAMISTAD is offering a chance to win a signed copy of Tonight You Are My Baby. The perfect book for this wonderful group of women! You must be a member of MAMISTAD, leave a comment on my blog, and guess the secret number. The two closest guesses will win. One will be a signed copy of the book. Good luck to all!

Interview and Book Give Away

Check out Clara Gillow Clark's fantastic blog - and it's not just fantastic because she interviewed me for the December 1st entry. Clara has great guests and terrific information. She writes historical fiction for kids ages 10 and up. I'm in awe of anyone who can write historical fiction. I think it's fascinating, but the research alone is monumental. Clara and I became friendly through Twitter. Just goes to show that social networking can certainly be valuable, and also introduce you to new friends. If you leave a comment on the blog, you are eligible in a raffle for a signed copy of Tonight You Are My Baby: Mary's Christmas Gift.