My lyrical picture book, The Edgecomb Jar, was a finalist in this year's Picture Book Party and resulted in my signing with my agent, Helen Masvikeni, of Megibow Literary.

Published in Dirigible Balloon, the poetry magazine for children.

My short story Racing Rules took second prize in the Owl Canyon Press competition.

I am experimenting with an app that lets me present back matter visually via the below link.

https://padlet.com/liz67206/the-edgecomb-jar-gbvhsh85h1q34d1g

Please let me know what you think about the Padlet. Is it useful? Interesting?

Growing up, the Japanese maple in my yard was designated as "the little kid's tree". The low branching pattern made this particular tree easy for even small people to climb. Chubby hands could grasp the thick bottom branch. With a hop and a heave, I was up, up, up, twelve full inches off the ground and into a world of my own.

I could be a princess in a castle or a firefighter on a ladder, or - if I brought a banana - Curious George. The change in elevation made anything possible. It felt like...

One of my goals is to write a children's book about death. I know, bad idea, right? But I've worked with refugees and displaced persons. I've seen children at their first funeral. I tend to write about things that are overlooked. It seems to me that very few books deal with the sadness of permanent loss.

Here are some things I've heard kids ask or say. Each speaker was less than eight years old:

Why are we putting her in the ground? Heaven is up.

I'm sick and tired of Trey being dead.

Can't we...