Peggy Archer
Children's Author

Are you looking for some inspiration in the month of November? Fall is winding down and colder weather is on its way. For me that means less outdoors and more ‘hibernating’ with the help of some hot chocolate to warm my insides. All of those ideas for books have been cooking in my brain, and I’m ready for some serious writing time. Here are some opportunities for brain boosters to kick off the cooler months ahead.

Picture Book Idea Month: PiBoIdMo
http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/piboidmo-official-sign-up-starts-today-right-here-right-now/

National Novel Writing Month: NaNoWriMo
http://nanowrimo.org/en/about/hownanoworks

tips from Writers’Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/how-to-prepare-for-national-novel-writing-month-nanowrimo

SCBWI Missouri Fall Conference
featuring Heather Alexander, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, and Quinlan Lee, Literary Agent for Adams Literary Agency
http://moscbwi.org/Events.html

SCBWI Illinois Prairie Writers Day 2011
featuring six agents, two literary agents and more
http://www.scbwi-illinois.org/Programming.html#2ndDate

I’ll be attending the Missouri and Illinois conferences, and plan to sign up and commit to PiBoIdMo. I hope to see you there!  Read More 

Yesterday I visited the Barnes & Noble Bookstore in St. Peters, Missouri where I read from my book, NAME THAT DOG, for storytime. I met some great kids and parents, and enjoyed talking with them. The kids got cookies afterwards, and I got two beautiful coloring pictures and a hug.

I love getting questions, and talking about how I chose the names for the dogs in this alphabet book of dogs' names. Always, there is someone who knows just exactly what I'm talking about, even thought the inspiration for my poems came from my own dog, Snickers.

Thanks to Shelley for organizing my visit there, and to Ginger for her help. It was extra special because my daughter from Minnesotta was there, too.

In two weeks, on November 5th, I'll be attending the SCBWI Missouri conference at St. Charles Community College in St. Charles. Speakers include Heather Alexander, Editor at Dial Books for Young Readers, and Quinlan Lee, Literary Agent for Adams Literary Agency. For more information about the conference and to register, go to the SCBWI Missouri website at: http://moscbwi.org/Events.html.
 Read More 

Happy Fall! In our part of the country the leaves are changing colors and scarecrows and pumpkins are appearing on front porches. Earlier this week I chased a rolling jack-o-lantern down the street!

This month the Children's Writer is calling all children's poets to enter their Poetry Writing Contest. Here's the scoop!

The winners in this contest will be published in Children’s Writer, the monthly newsletter that goes to almost 1,300 children’s book and magazine editors in North America. Along with the winning pieces, we’ll publish an article about the top-ranked entries and their authors. There are also cash prizes. The cash prizes alone are a lot of good reasons to write a piece and enter.

Current Contest: Poetry

The contest is for a single poem, collection of poems, or verse story for children of any age, to 300 words. Entries may be serious or humorous, and take any poetic form. Winners will be selected based on quality of verse—including rhythm, meter, word choice, wordplay, imagery, and the use of other poetic devices (rhyme, alliteration, assonance, or others). Above all, the winning entries will have appeal for young readers.

Entries must be received by October 31, 2011. Current subscribers to Children’s Writer enter free. All others pay an entry fee of $15, which includes an 8-month subscription. Winners will be announced in the March 2012 issue. Prizes: $500 for first place plus publication in Children’s Writer, $250 for second place, and $100 for third, fourth, and fifth places.

For more information and to enter, click on the image above or go to the contest website at: http://www.thechildrenswriter.com/af627/.

Good luck!  Read More