2016 TLA-Texas Conference-Had a fun time at the annual Texas Library Conference in Houston, Texas. Hundreds of librarians from all over Texas attended. There were sessions galore, vendor exhibits, author signings, panel discussions, keynote speakers, a Lip Sync battle contest, and a Texas Disaster Raffle with art donated by illustrator, Carolyn Dee Flores. But mostly, there were books, books, books. The next 2017 TLA-Texas conference will be held in San Antonio, Texas. My hometown!!

Art donation at TLA

Authors Lupe Ruiz-Flores and Crystal Allen

Revision – I just finished reading this guest post on the Cynsations blog on the topic of revision. Written by author Melanie Conklin, Using an Outline to Revise, it came just in time for me since I am in the process of revising big time. She notes: “… I went through the manuscript. As I went, I noted the scene setting at the top of the page, and jotted a very short list of the key plot points in each chapter. If there was a scene break, I drew a line, noted the new scene setting, and again recorded plot points. I made sure to limit myself to JUST the key emotion, action, and mystery plot points.”

Read the rest of the post to see if her revision process works for you.

SANTA FE, NM

And because April is National Poetry month, here is another post by Skila Brown on the Middle Grade Ninja blog, “How to Write a Poem in Ten Easy Steps.”

Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper, you can lose an idea forever. –Will Self

San Antonio Book Festival -The fourth annual San Antonio Book Festival, held on Saturday, April 2, 2016, was a huge success. The weather cooperated. It was a beautiful, sunny day with cool breezes keeping everyone comfortable. Authors and illustrators, both local and from out-of-state, did readings, were on panel discussions, and signed books.

Hundreds of book lovers converged on the grounds of the lovely Central Library for a day of literary inspiration. I bought books and had them autographed by some of my favorite authors. I also attended some authors’ readings before signing books myself. It was fun. Be sure to visit book festivals in your area.

San Antonio Book Festival

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” — Anton Chekhov