What Does MAX Say and Lots of Surprises

When I grow up I want to be a writer just like...well it changes at least monthly but today it’s...Oh wait, I’ll tell you in a minute!

It’s December and Christmas is in the air filled with many traditions. But it’s unbelievably year’s end too though I’m not about to rush it. 

PiBoIdMo is sadly winding down after a November of intense jotting and filling pages and pages of of picture book ideas and chatting. I’m so excited about some of the ideas I came up with. I’ve actually completed a story from one of those sparks and will send it off to my critique friends for their ideas.

 Having completed the challenge made me a winner too, so went over and collected my badge. Looking at this really excites me to think that I have more than thirty picture book ideas to flesh out.

and...because my lucky # was drawn at the end of this little journey, I’ll be receiving a beautiful photo of my choice!  Tara Lazar kept us motivated for the month with all the posts and  guest presenters. I think that so much of what we know and learn is review and reinforcement. I met lots of new friends there too. I'm kind of sad it's over, but it's time to write!    

Speaking of winnings, I won another prize that I all I had to do was enter, at www.readerkidz.com . 
They're having a holiday giveaway and Stephanie Greene signed this and sent it quicker than a blink! How easy was that! It’s a delightful chapter book that I intend to pass on to a princess as soon as I finish “studying” it! 

A few more prizes that I received this week were

a home made rice pack

and hand crafted wreath

Beautiful surprises from beautiful friends.

Had the baby girl yesterday so the nieces could do a bit of shopping. She’s such a busy body,  so aware of what’s going on around her and here! I often read to her, but only have one board book that I leave out for us to “read” together. Yesterday, after her mom came home and we were sitting here chatting, my husband asked baby (she’s 14 months), “What does Max say?”

And she surprised all of us when she answered , “BANG!” 

The words and structure of the Max books by Rosemary Wells seem almost too simple. I wonder if maybe I try to write things too complicated and explanatory. I’ve studied all 58 words in Max’s First Word because our Marissa gave her uncle her first real answer to a question. A direct quote "right out of the book - "Bang!" 


And that takes me right back to the beginning. When I grow up, I want to be a writer like Rosemary Wells!   Now I guess I'd better get busy.