Wonderstruck

Well, the past five days have been pretty awesome. Dan Santat flew out to Minnesota to speak at the MNSCBWI Fall conference on Saturday. I have been a big fan of his work for a long time now, so it was such a treat to meet him in person. Oh my gosh, he was super nice. Very clever, funny, and down-to-earth. He shared his journey to publication during his keynote at the conference and talked about how he found balance between work and family and that we all really just need to trust in ourselves. Absolutely wonderful!
He signed a copy of The Adventures of Nanny Piggins for my girls (this book is very hilarious, my kids love it so far) and also brought me this fantastic sketch of Paul Bunyan that I purchased from him online. I think he might need to raise his prices if he plans to deliver all of his art in person... haha
The fabulous Brian Selznick has also been in town (I know, right?). My friend Jen and I went to hear him speak about his new book, Wonderstruck, last night. It was really cool to hear about his process and all the time he spends researching everything that he writes and illustrates. He signed my copy of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, too. SUCH a nice man.
I have yet to meet a person who works in children's books who hasn't been friendly and kind-hearted. Sending out a great big thank you to Mike Wohnoutka for giving me great advice about the postcard I was planning to send out next because it simply isn't my best work. He really didn't have to take the time to talk with me about it, but he did. Thank you, Mike! Nicole Tugeau gave me great feedback on my current portfolio and I will continue to work hard and grow with every piece of art I make. I enjoyed meeting Dawn Frederick and Andrew Harwell, and feel energized by their enthusiasm for kid books. Thankful for family and friends, writers and illustrators, the people who make books and the people who read them.

You all inspire me every single day. xoxo