October 2025

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Good News !

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Regional Events

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Houston SCBWI's former Illustrator Coordinator, Lisa Chow

*photo taken by Seal Photography

Lisa Chow's BEAR WAKES UP bought by Random House Studio

Farrin Jacobs at Random House Studio has bought, in a preempt, Lisa Chow's debut author-illustrated picture book Bear Wakes Up, about a bear who awakes early from hibernation, sees a world that looks nothing like the one he knows, and does what anyone does when confronted with a new and shocking situation: he panics. Publication is slated for fall 2026; Kelly Sonnack at Andrea Brown Literary Agency negotiated the deal for world rights.

The third and final book in the Merlin's Apprentice series released!

Susan McCaule's third and final book in the Apprentice series has just been released! If you haven't gotten caught up yet, here's where you can find each of the books:

- Book 1: Merlin's Apprentice: The Mage

- Book 2: Merlin's Apprentice: Warrior Rising

- Book 3: Merlin's Apprentice: Sword & Sceptre

- The Merlin's Apprentice Trilogy on Amazon

Lynne Kelly's Three Blue Hearts has been released!

Three Blue Hearts is finally here! You can now find this story about 12-year-old Max and his octopus friend Ursula wherever you like to get your books. Lynne is on book tour and looking forward to talking to readers at nine schools in three different states this week! She will also be on the Houston Life show on the 17th! Catch the show at 1pm on KPRC Channel 2 in Houston or on their website.

Lynn will also be at Blue Willow Bookshop at 4 pm on October 18th to celebrate the book release. There will be fun octopus facts and cookies.

Date:

Sat, 10/18/2025

Time:

4:00pm

Place:

Blue Willow Bookshop

14532 Memorial Drive

Houston, TX 77079

Have News? Share It With Us!

Submit author & illustrator news for the next newsletter by the 25th of each month via this form. Event submissions for member book launches and signings can be added to our regional calendar! Please be sure to include the date, time, and location.

#DrawThis Prompt!

The September prompt is: REPTILE!

Every month we develop a long list of potential #scbwiDrawThis prompts to choose one word or phrase that will challenge our illustrator members to dig deep and draw. Our goal is to find words rooted in a unique action, mood, point of view, or character theme. We also hope this practice will help you develop new art for your growing portfolios. Share your work with us! We want to see what you create!

#scbwiDrawThis

Illustrator Gallery

Adding your illustrations to your SCBWI profile is a great way to showcase your talents, build a portfolio, and connect with industry professionals.

Visit: https://www.scbwi.org/galleries to view the SCBWI illustrator gallery.

Events that look too good to miss

You can scroll through all virtual SCBWI events by clicking here

SCBWI Texas North: Virtual Fall Workshop with Julie Downing

October 18, 2025

2:00-3:30 pm CST

Premium Members: $25

In children’s books, characters are everything - and making them unforgettable is key. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll explore the essential elements of character creation. Learn how size, silhouette, and details combine to shape a character’s unique personality and appeal. To spark your creativity, a visual prompt will be sent out in advance. Using this as inspiration, participants can develop a character - through words, illustrations, or both. Whether you’re a writer, illustrator, or somewhere in between, this workshop will give you the tools to bring your characters to life!

Presentation: The session will begin with presentations on picture book characters, core concepts, and the creation of characters for storytelling.
Activity: Character sketching activities (traditional pencil/paper or digital) to apply the learning. An option to post the sketches online and receive critiques in real-time is available to the first 20 attendees who sign up!
Q&A: A live Q&A over Zoom.

Learn more here

SCBWI New York Westchester: The Empire State 24-Hour Children's Book Challenge

November 8-9, 2025 (registration closes November 7)

Free

This November, we’re kicking off a first-ever 24-hour New York kidlit creation marathon to get us ready for SCBWI's Winter Conference! Join kidlit writers and illustrators on Zoom to work on your any of your ideas with support, prompts, check-ins, from RT Volunteer hosts and other kidlit creators. Share your progress and maybe even create a little social media buzz! So please join us, it is open to all!

Click here for more info

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