Face Time -- blessing or curse?

Face Time might exist on all the smart phones...I have it through my iPhone.

I have never used it before yesterday, Christmas, when I got a FaceTime call from my niece, Sarah...and all my family gathered around her.

Let's just say for the future...should anyone plan to FaceTime call me...give me a text message 15 minutes in advance so I can prepare.

I spend Christmas in NYC...by myself...doing quiet things...like painting new pictures and sewing on my quilt...nothing that requires make up much less a cute outfit.

We can safely say I wasn't prepared for public viewing. : )

Thank goodness, I'd at least washed my face and brushed my teeth.

The beauty of FaceTime is that I could show my sisters the projects that I'd been working on...and more importantly, I could see everyone. I do love my family. And how wonderful it was to see them in real time.

I remember as a kid...Dick Tracy and his two way viewing wrist watch. The future is now!

Are you ready for your close-up?

The Best Thing About Being an Author - School Visits!

Working with Young Writer.

For the last three weeks, I've been doing a writing / illustrating workshop with 2nd graders at a wonderful school in Brooklyn, NY.

Through Behind the Book, a non-profit organization, I'm able to go and do what I like to do best...work with young people on writing and illustrating their own stories.

Illustrator in Action.

What a great group of students these are! And their teacher...wow! She did work above and beyond what was expected with her students. It paid off big time in how well the students wrote and illustrated their stories, understood structure, setting, characters, conflict, and more.

Because the students did such an incredible job of writing and editing their stories and creating wonderful illustrations, they had time to also write short biographies and draw self portraits.

Handsome Self Portrait

Now, Behind the Book will take all the stories and illustrations and create a book that the students can have in their classroom and school library.

Signing Books for All!

Behind the Book also made sure that every student received their own copy of "Not Afraid of Dogs," which I was very happy to sign for all my new writer friends.

The Muppets are Back!!

Last night, I went to see "Muppet Movie." It was just as wonderful as I had hoped. Filled with the same wonder, humor, kindness, and inspiration as their very first movie, "The Muppet Movie."

The story behind the making of this new Muppet Movie is equally heartwarming.

Listen to the interview on NPR with the movie's writer / producers, Jason Segal and Nick Stoller.

Then give yourself the gift of a movie night.

Here's hoping that one day we all find the Rainbow Connection.

Quentin Blake and the Process of Illustration

Check out this great 10 minute video of beloved illustrator and author Quentin Blake.

Quentin in Action