Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) in November a success for linda dalal sawaya!

it is with delight that i completed the challenge of coming up with 30 picture book ideas in the 30 days of november for this national event.

not every idea for a story that i would write and illustrate was fabulous, but i am amazed and grateful for the exercise and discipline that produced so many ideas.

now, to sift through them, and discern which i'd like to focus my creative efforts on. a good time of year as we approach official winter, to stay cozy and warm, and write and sketch.

much gratitude to tara lazar, who organized this fun challenge!

here are two children's books i illustrated, both out of print: How to Get Famous in Brooklyn and The Little Ant. i have a number of written manuscripts in progress for books that i'd like to illustrate. now i'm totally inspired to fulfill this intention!

children's picture book writing challenge—i'm in!

PiBoIdMo, a children's book writer and illustrator response to NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month begins this month, and i've signed up to take the challenge! the acronym stands for Picture Book Idea Month: create 30 new picture book ideas in 30 days. oh boy! let the creative juices flow!

i'm back in the groove on my art and illustration work, and delighted to return to my children's book manuscripts in progress, and new ones about to be created. last month i participated in a 30 day picture book dummy challenge initiated by portland illustrator lee white via Portland Kidlit facebook group, which initiated finding one of my manuscripts written long ago that i intend to illustrate. the dummy is in progress! hooray! i didn't meet the deadline because i had a number of big deadlines and projects in october, but it's on my drawing table and the challenge sure jump-started me.

keep a watch here for updates on my progress.

two well-loved children's books i illustrated are long out of print, so i'm ready to dive in.

the first one i did, How to Get Famous in Brooklyn, is close to my heart with the recent superstorm sandy. i hope my friends and precious places in brooklyn have survived. harold underdown, friend and children's book editor and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books and major contributor to educating on the children's book publishing process, has been posting his news; he and family are hanging in there! not sure that roller coaster at coney island pictured on top left of my cover made it. here's an article with photos talking about the future of coney island.

photograph © Timothy Murray 2012 from Huffington Post article

The Little Ant, the second book i illustrated, a Mexican folk tale, is also close to my heart, and would have sold thousands more copies if it had stayed in print!