Help Me Help Others with the Reach Out and Read Program!

As you all know, I am headed out to this conference Friday, the 19th. However, there are a few things I need to do before I get in the car and head that way! One of which, I need your help with!
All of the members of SCBWI are participating in the Reach Out and Read program and are encouraged to bring donations to the event this weekend. Below is a brief description the Kansas SCBWI Site gives of the overall program and it's purpose!

"Bring a new or gently-used book to our quarterly meetings, and we'll donate the book to Reach Out and Read. This program has 36 sites in the metro area and is administered through KU Medical Center. 82% of the books go to under-privileged kids. (The other 18% goes to siblings or hospital waiting rooms.) They look for books for 6 months-5 years old but also need new or slightly used books for the older kids.

- Doctors and nurse practitioners are trained to give advice to parents about appropriate books and reading activities that support their child's healthy development.

- Children get to take home a free, new, developmentally appropriate book at every check-up from birth to five years.

- Trained volunteers read aloud to children in waiting rooms, modeling for parents how to share books and tell stories, and engage families in waiting room activities surrounding books and reading."

* Quote from http://www.kansas-scbwi.org.

So, if anyone has a few gently used books, or is willing to purchase a few new ones to donate; I would be happy to deliver them to the drop-off site in Overland Park this weekend! I will be going to Wal-Mart and Hastings this week to purchase a few myself to give to this great program. But any extra donation from ya'll helps and would be greatly appreciated!

If you are interested in helping out, please contact me via e-mail or call me at 620-481-7992! If you don't have any books, and don't have time to go shop for some, you can also give a money donation and I will swing by and pick up new books with the donation before heading to the conference!

Thanks so much everyone!

Creatively yours,

Kat

Conference Countdown!

A Day and Lesson Never to Forget

On September 11th, 2001, lives across the world changed. Loved ones were lost, families were torn apart, and when the nation went to war; sons, daughters, moms and dads walked away from their homes...hoping they would return safely from the fighting. Seven years later, we still see the effects of that early morning tragedy. Many look back and still feel a great deal of pain. When I look back, it seems like it only just happened. It does not seem like seven years ago!

The most important thing that this day reminds me is to cherish the time you have with those you love. As we all saw, the unexpected can alter the lives of millions within a matter of minutes. We never know how much time we have, where our life paths will lead, and what events will occur causing roadblocks that leave us lost and looking for direction. So remember that on this day. Cherish what you have, and don't take a minute for granted. Life is unexpected just like the ending to a novel, you never know what the turn of the page will bring.

New Business Card!

On the sheet of suggestions for the conference that I am going to next weekend, someone mentioned that it is always good to have business cards with contact information, etc! I am excited to have an image of what mine are going to look like! I still have not received them yet (though I keep checking the mailbox neurotically), but they will get here soon! Yea! Hope you like them!

When your characters decide to rebel...

In the last few monthes I have been having trouble off and on working on my novel. I could not figure out what it was until the other night when I was fast asleep and had a dream. And it went a little like this!

In my dream I was approached one of my characters and she literally looked at me and flately stated, "I-NEED-A-NEW-NAME!" Whereupon I woke right up and said, out loud, "OK! That was rather weird! But a new name you shall get!"

So I am currently working on finding out what new name my character will recieve. It is a fun little diversion and I will announce her name later on with the others as I make more progress! I love that my characters are now demanding things from me in my sleep! True sign of a writer I guess! ;0)