Asides
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On Picture Book Admiration
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This year is the 50th anniversary of the outstanding picture book, The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats. There is so much to admire about this book. It takes the simplest of activities, a young boy taking a walk on a snowy day, and somehow makes…
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On Challenges for the New Year
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Staying home with 4 kids means that I never really feel like I finish anything. The dishes may be done for now, but more will magically reappear…sometimes within seconds of completion. Even if the homework is technically done, there is always more reading to do, guitar to practice or flashcards…
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On Being a Perfectionist
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I’ve never liked trying new things. I’m not sure at what point in my life it started, but I have strong memories of being a kid and shying away from things I had never done before. Playing a new game was never fun for me because I was too worried…
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On Civic Responsibility
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There is a famous quote that says, “When you go into court, you are putting your fate into the hands of twelve people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.” If that is the case, then I am really, really dumb because in my 36 years, I…
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On Editors, Agents and Contracts, oh my!
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Being a writer was never on the list of things I wanted to be when I grew up. I didn’t really consider myself a creative type, so it just didn’t seem like a good fit. Lawyer? sure. But a writer? I just couldn’t see it. Maybe that’s why it took…