Tricks or Treats for Bats

This was a super fun coloring page to make. Bats are so darn cute and it was surprisingly fun drawing a bunch of bugs! In North America, bats feast on between 2-6 THOUSAND bugs a night! What a treat for all of us! Thank You, Bat Friends! Be sure to check out all the Bat Fun Facts on the Organization for Bat Conservation website. Special thanks to all the wonderful people out there who care for bats in real-life (like my friend, Jean!). I will leave the flies and beetles to the bats and hope for Milk Duds.  Please feel free to print this page up and share it with your friends (there are a couple more Halloween coloring pages on my website, too). Happy Halloween!

Blog Hop!

Last week, my wonderful and talented friend, Courtney Pippin-Mathur, was kind enough to tag me in a blog hop where I answer a few questions and then pass it on to a few of my kid booky friends.
Here goes:

What are you working on right now?
My website has been freshly updated and I have a new postcard that I am getting ready to send out. I have also been busy revising my diner dummy, and I have plans to dive into some of my other dummies and polish them up until they shine because I really would like to be a writer and an illustrator someday. I baked a Dr. Pepper cake yesterday and am working on a Halloween coloring page today.

How does this differ from other works in the genre?
This is a tough question and I don't really know the right answer... My hope is that when people see my artwork and read my writings, that they can see the real me in there somewhere.

Why do you write what you write?
I was lucky to be born into a family populated with very clever people. My kids and family and friends and coworkers all inspire me. Some of the little ideas have grown into bigger stories, so that is super fun! I am also writing all of my little jokes down and maybe they will turn into a book of Nina Jokes someday. Here is one I made up this weekend:


Where do you go to wash your yard?
The Lawndromat.


What is the hardest thing about writing?
Trying no to use too many words, or not enough words, and choosing all the write words! Right? haaa



Happy to tag my dear friends:

Andi Butler

Sara Weingartner

Christina Rodriguez

Cutie Marks

Yesterday after my kids came home from school, they were having a snack and watching My Little Pony. My eldest said that my cutie mark (if I were a little pony) would be Organization. I thought that was interesting, as I was sitting at my desk assembling folders for the upcoming MNSCBWI Fall Conference. Here is a pic from yesterday with my little helper, Gordy:

While I was essentially trapped at my desk chair by folders and papers and boxes and the dog, I guess I could see a bit of the method behind the madness. Of course, I am totally worried about missing things and making mistakes with all of the conference registration and folders. What if I forget to include someone's manuscript review time?!? So, I have been triple-checking everything, and I will just hope for the best. In my own life, I am not quite as organized, but I really wish I was. I read once that Albert Einstein had a very messy desk and he was a genius, so that made me feel a little better. I guess all we can ever do is do our best, and in the end, that just has to be enough. *fingers crossed*
Back to the ponies: We also discussed if we'd rather be a regular pony, a unicorn, or a pegasus. I knew that answer right away because being able to fly has been the superpower I have always longed for. If I were a pony, I would totally be Fluttershy. Not sure what my cutie mark would be, probably one for making up lame jokes...