Thanks, Kevin!

I'm so proud to share this fabulous drawing Kevin O'Malley did for me! Long story, but the short version is, I bought an extra copy of GIMME CRACKED CORN & I WILL SHARE, a book he had dedicated to me. (I had helped with the title.) Scheduling complications kept him from being able to autograph it at the Va. State Reading Assoc. conference, so -- LUCKY ME! -- he did a drawing for me instead. How cool is that?!

I'm terrible about getting around to framing things, so I'm resolved to do that before it gets dusty, which happens with most of our family photos.

Kim Norman

P.S.
My "Author School Visits by State" website is growing by leaps and bounds! If you haven't checked it out yet, definitely stop by. Over 400 authors & illustrators are now listed nationwide, (Boy, that was a LOT of emails to answer!), and the site continues to grow every day. Click here: AUTHOR SCHOOL VISITS BY STATE!

For my Idea File

One of my favorite creative activities, (you know -- when it looks like you're doin' nuthin' but you can defend it by saying, "Hey! I'm brainstorming!"), is leafing thru publisher catalogs looking at titles. Then, without reading the synopsis, I jot down ideas that the title generates. Often, my ideas are totally different from the actual book I'm looking at. I scribble those thoughts in the catalog margins with a big bold
Sharpie marker, then go back and collect the ideas now and then, collecting them in an idea file.

Of course then I've got to WRITE the darned thing. But it's still great to have a huge file of ideas to comb thru rather than wanting to write something but having no idea what to write ABOUT. (My new grammar rule: It's okay to end a sentence in a preposition as long as it's all caps.)

Kim

Author school visits listed STATE BY STATE!

I've created a new website as a resource for educators, entitled Author School Visits BY STATE! There is no charge to be listed on the site, and I don't handle any bookings but my own. I'm just trying to offer a wide variety of authors & illustrators for educators to find in their own regions.

If you're an educator who has hired a great author or illustrator you don't see on my list, please email me and I'll add them under the state in which they reside.

kimnorman (insert @ sign) charter.net

Likewise, if you're a traditionally-published author or illustrator who does school visits, I'd like to add you to my list as well. (By traditionally-published, I'm not referring exclusively to large, New York publishers, or even ones that pay much in the way of advances, necessarily. I'm talking about regular royalties-paying publishers, no matter how small, who ask not a penny of their authors.)

I'd also appreciate a reciprocal link from the authors & illustrators who are listed, although that's not absolutely essential. The more websites & blogs that link to Author School Visits BY STATE, the higher its rankings will be, so it can do any of us some good!

Happy visiting!

Kim