Region One,ESC, South Padre Island, TX. A few days ago, I attended the Region One ESC event in South Padre Island, Texas. The weather was beautiful. The event was packed with librarians and teachers from around the Rio Grande Valley. There were books galore from the different vendors attending. I enjoyed talking to teachers and librarians about my books and school visits. And by the way, the breakfast spread was amazing!

Region One, ESC, South Padre Island, TX

I write. I travel. I come home to write again. — Clyde Robert Bulla

Author venue. Getting ready to attend the Region One (Education Service Center) ESC, event in South Padre Island, Texas. I am looking forward to seeing some of my writer friends and illustrators there. The setting is fabulous and there will be hundreds of librarians and teachers browsing the many booths looking for books.

Tree leaves are starting to fall like snowflakes, piling up in my back and front yards. A reminder that fall is here and the crisp weather upon us. I’ve seen pumpkin patches all over my city. I already bought a big pumpkin to place by my front door. Love this time of year!

Pumpkin Land!

A list of Latino middle-grade books was recently published online to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September). Take a look at the Jump Into a Book blog to view the list.

Story Shares is sponsoring a “Story of the Year Contest” on their blog. The contest runs from August 23, 2016, through December 31, 2016. Stories should be for readers in middle grade, high school, or older. Click on the link above to find out how to submit and to view their guidelines. Good luck!

In my writing, as much as I could, I tried to find the good, and praise it. – Alex Haley

ESC (Educational Services Center) Event in San Antonio, TX

On Saturday, September 24, 2016, I attended the Educational Services Center, Region 20 conference, in San Antonio, TX, along with many other authors, booksellers, and publishing houses. First picture shows me with awesome authors Claudia Villareal and Tim Tingle. The second one is with my dear friend and fabulous middle-grade author, Diana Lopez. Hundreds of teachers and librarians attended this event.

AUTHORS AT ESC EVENT

AUTHOR WITH DIANA LOPEZ

Also in attendance were two storytellers from the Storybook Theater. The fun begins!

STORYBOOK THEATER

The story is not what happens; the story is who it happens to. — Peter Rubie, How to Tell a Story

Author School visits. It’s that time of year again. School visits! My schedule is filling up fast. I like doing school visits because the students’ reactions to my books and writing process energize me. These students inspire me to keep on writing. This is what it’s all about for me. Literacy and reading for pleasure as well. Reading is fun!

School Visit

Do you sometimes struggle with your writing whether it’s just getting the novel done or dealing with rejections? Here’s an interesting article by author Jenny Martin. She was interviewed on the Writer’s Digest blog, Guide to Literary Agents, by Chuck Sambuchino. The title of the article is “4 Pieces of Advice for Struggling Writers.” Martin lists the four: if you’re struggling to succeed (1) you’re in good company, (2) write the next book, (3) you need to get back up, and (4) you’ll be prepared when you DO succeed.

” I think [a good book] all starts with passion—a subject the author is passionate about exploring, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction.”  — James Cross Giblin

I am thrilled to announce that, Latina Authors & Their Muses, edited by Mayra Calvani and published by Twilight Times, took first place under the Best Latino Focused Nonfiction Book category at the 18^th annual Latino Literacy International Latino Book Awards ceremony . The event was held on September 8, 2016, at the Dominguez Ballroom of California State University, Dominguez Hills. Thank you, Mayra, for including me in this anthology with so many other awesome authors.

Writer and illustrator submissions. Boyds Mills is accepting submissions. Visit their website for more information.

It’s been a busy, busy summer. I had out-of-town family visiting for two weeks. We went to an art museum, a wax museum, a Ripley’s Believe It or Not, a bookstore, the movies, shopping, etc. Whew! Now it’s time to get back to work. I just came up with a new idea for a picture book and am reading some of the notes I’ve collected at various writing workshops to get the adrenaline pumping again.

AT THE MAYA EXHIBIT

MAYA EXHIBIT

Good news: A nonfiction article that I wrote just got published in the Sept/Oct 2016 issue of the national magazine Angels on Earth.

In the meantime, you might be interested in a KidLit.com post by Mary Kole on the topic, “Adding a Stance.”  She writes about not only world-building but about adding an emotional stance to almost everything you write.

On the same post, you might want to click on Writing and read about “The Evolution of Relationships,” in writing. Very interesting post.

Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar. – E. B. White

Maya Exhibit. Yesterday, I visited the Maya Exhibit at the Witte Museum here in San Antonio. It was awesome. If you’re in town, be sure to see it.

MAYA EXHIBIT

A few years ago, I did get to see the pyramids in Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula. I tried climbing the hundreds of stairs on the pyramid but didn’t even get halfway. Close by was a cenote, a water-filled sinkhole where sacrifices occurred. The area was surrounded by lush jungle.

Youth Writing Workshop. Yesterday I did a summer writing workshop for young students on the south side of my city. It was sponsored by the University of Texas, San Antonio. It was held on the grounds of the historic San Juan Capistrano Mission, which was built over 200 years ago by Spanish missionaries. It still stands and is today an active parish.  I have visited all five of our awesome Spanish missions in San Antonio. So much history unveils before your eyes when you tour these missions. The students in the workshop also learned the history behind San Juan.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO

Check out this outstanding guest post on the Cynsations blog. Author Lori Mortensen writes on the topic “Hooking Readers.” She writes, “The truth is, authors have mere seconds to capture an editor’s heart.” True, so true. Read the entire post to find out “what makes an effective opening hook.”

Here’s a short deadline if you have something ready and would like to submit a manuscript to POCKETS. The deadline is August 15, 2016 for their contest. Hurry and best of luck!

“Children need to feel they have a place, that they’re not some object, and that they have a designated and honorable role in a family where everybody contributes.” – Scott O’Dell

Book beginnings. Here’s a great post on the Mentorless blog titled, “Michael Arndt About The 5 Steps He Learned at Pixar to Write a Good Beginning.”

I’ve been busy doing research for a picture book about a circus and was delighted that a real one was in town. What luck!  I enjoyed watching the jugglers, clowns, trapeze artists, singers, and all the trappings that come with a circus. It had been years since I had attended one. Super exciting.

CIRCUS!

I also attended the Texas Library Association assembly meeting in Austin on July 9, 2016. See picture. Got to see fellow writers and illustrators. Always a fun time.

TLA ASSEMBLY MTG

I will be doing a young writers’ workshop in August. It will be at the historic San Juan Capistrano, one of the five Spanish missions in San Antonio. I’ve visited all five over the years and am always intrigued by the history behind these fabulous, historic missions.

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou

Agent Search.  If you are looking for an agent, which I am, here’s Sarah Laurence’s blog post, “Introducing My New Agent, Sara Crowe, and How to Find a Literary Agent.” In her post, she offers great advice on how to go about it. She notes: “If you’re looking for a literary agent, take heart from my story. Miracles can happen in the slush pile. This is such a subjective business. Finding an agent takes persistence as much as talent.”

As I write this, I have already sent out submissions to some agents. I am pitching a historical fiction YA with a Latina protagonist. Hopefully, I will get some responses soon although these things take time – quite a bit of time. Patience…patience…patience.

Chautauqua

A nonfiction story that was rejected years ago by a national magazine is being published this fall. I was genuinely surprised when I received an email from the same magazine that they wished to publish my article in their upcoming Fall issue. I had to dig through my files to find it again. Yes, it had been that long. Word of advice: do not ever throw any of your stories away. Even if rejected, they might just be rediscovered and published.

The most difficult task facing a writer is to find a voice in which to tell the story. -–John Grisham