This and that from the Writer's Front

1. Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to meet Kelly Herold, editor of Big A little a, and Edge of the Forest. Kelly and I "met" two and a half years ago when I began writing for her fab publication, but, until Saturday, we had never had the opportunity to match faces with names. Kelly spoke at the SCBWI-Illinois Chicago Southlands network program about blogging and making your writer self known on the Web. The talk was informative and inspirational. Way to go Kelly! Thanks for making the drive to Illinois, and inspiring me to expand my horizons with the following:

2. I created a Facebook account tonight. Fair warning, it's rudimentary, but it's a start.

3. Despite the short notice, I made yesterday's submission deadline for "My Resolution," a book in progress for Chicken Soup for the Soul. No word yet on whether or not the story made the cut. But I did receive confirmation that they received it. Felt great to bang out another short story in such a finite amount of time. God bless a deadline. It does a writer good.

4. Anticipating the Harvest Literacy Conference . Everything's packed and waiting at the front door. J and I are presenting on writer's workshops for youth and teens. Last we heard, the conference was sold out.