February 2024

Join us in celebrating our Members' News!

Member News

Authors and illustrators, share your good news!

Book Store

Writer's Spotli ght!

Illustrator's Spotlight!

RACING THE CLOUDS

Blaming herself for the accident leading to her mother's opioid addiction, 13-year-old Sage visits her estranged grandparents in an attempt to fix what's gone wrong and learns about the complexity of family relationships, the value of forgiveness, and how to find her way through a tough situation with resilience and hope.

Sydney has a new novel coming out!

Our new PAL coordinator is excited to announce the February 2025 release of her middle grade contemporary novel, RACING THE CLOUDS, and is thrilled to be working with editor Meg Gaertner and the Jolly Fish team again.

Houston's Ann Rose of Tobias Literary Agency made the deal!

Can't wait to see the cover reveal!

It's Gold!

Lynne Kelly's upcoming novel, The Secret Language of Birds, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection. The book has also received positive reviews so far from Booklist and Kirkus.

Three Illustrator Members in Andrea Brown Literary Agency's Winter Lookbook!

Congratulations to our local talents!

To view the lookbook, head here.

Lisa Chow

Represented by Kelly Sonnack

Katie Wray Schon

Represented by Jennifer Mattson

Robert Paul Jr.

Represented by Jemiscoe Chambers-Black

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.

SELL YOUR BOOKS ON THE SCBWI WEBSITE!

Our annual member bookselling promotion is back. SCBWI BookStop is now open for you to create pages and let readers and buyers browse, buy, and enjoy your work. BookStop is open to all premium members – PAL, Full, Associate, Student, and Developing Nations.

Books published between January 1, 2019 - February 28, 2024, are eligible for BookStop.
A BookStop page is USD $25.

Bookmark scbwi.org/bookstop-faq to keep up on any new developments.

Writer Spotlight

Are you a published author? Would you like to be featured in one of our monthly newsletters and website? Get your bio & cutest headshot ready and complete the short application. Application is open now! Got more questions? Email Kaye!

Local Author Spotlight

Kacy Ritter is a fantasy geek and author of The Great Texas Dragon Race (Clarion/HarperCollins). She has lived all across the Lone Star State and holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas. Her upcoming release, Elvira Vance and the Marfa Monster Mystery, promises another tall Texas tale for middle grade readers and is forthcoming from HarperCollins Children's in 2025. Kacy's debut earned a starred Publishers Weekly review, was a Cybils award nominee, and was selected for the 2024 Spirit of Texas Reading Program by the Texas Library Association. She daylights as a marketing professional and loves writing at the intersection of fantasy and Texas Americana.

Illustrator Corner

Calling all illustrators! We want to feature you! Please submit your completed works to newsletter.scbwihou@gmail.com for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter.

February Featured Illustrator:

Paula Rodriguez

Paula Rodriguez is a Colombian illustrator living in the wild state of Texas. Her passion for illustration started in middle school when she used to draw short comics with her best friend during classes–often using the back pages of her math notebook as her canvas. As an artist and former ballet dancer, she always found storytelling captivating and the essence of creativity. Paula is a believer that true joy comes from a genuine connection with ourselves and embracing playfulness. For her, illustration is not only about inspiring children but also about helping adults reconnect with their inner child and honoring that connection. When Paula isn’t making art, you will see her walking with her husband and her dog Mango, playing video games, and spending time with her adorable nephews.

paularodriguezillustration.com

DrawThis Prompt!

The January prompt is: PEACH FUZZ

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! Share it often, online and in your member profile page on https://www.scbwi.org/galleries. We want to see what you create!

#scbwiDrawThis

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News and other information may be passed on without attribution; original artwork and writing are the property of their creators and may be reproduced only with written permission.

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