Happy Thanksgiving!

It's that time of year again!  Time to stuff our faces with DELICIOUS food and give thanks for all the blessings in our lives.

I hope you have a lovely time celebrating with your friends and family, chowing down on turkey and pumpkin pie, and remembering all you have to be thankful for on this wonderful holiday. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Presenting the NEW BLOG!

Hello dear readers!

I want to officially welcome you to my new (and very much improved) blog!  I've tidied every page, cleaned up all that cyber dust, and am rolling out the party cannon to celebrate this occasion.

If you have a moment, I invite you to please take a look around.  There are some handy new gadgets on the side (like following me via email!), and spiffy new pages at the top.  And did you notice that new HEADER?

Yup!  I've officially thrown my hat into the illustrator ring.  Now what do you think about that, world?  ;)

At first, I played around with the title, "K. S. Powers, Writer & Illustrator," but it just didn't seem right.  While both terms accurately describe me, they don't describe all of me.  I added "Dreamer" because that's who I am at heart, and always will be.

So kick off your shoes, have some cyber punch, and click around 'til your fingers droop.  I hope you enjoy my new blog!

Happy Halloween!

Remember how I like to cram my dog into silly costumes where she can't see every Halloween?

Well, say hello to.... 

DRAGON PENNY!

Penny says, "This is even worse than last year!"

As utterly confused as she looks above, I promise Penny doesn't mind the costume the second the doorbell rings.  She looooooooves trick-or-treaters!

Penny says, "Spiderman!  And princesses!  And another Spiderman! I love this!"

And the moment the door closes, she stares at us like we're big meanies who just ruined all her fun.

Penny says, "Why'd you make all the Spidermans and princesses go away?"

Happy Halloween!

I hope you seize this opportunity to cram your favorite doggy, kitty, kiddo, or other unsuspecting victim into a ridiculous costume with googly eyes!

Penny says, "At least I can see again!"

Construction Zone!

Please excuse my cyber dust for the next few days.  I'm going to be spiffing up the ol' blog, and I have no idea what's going to happen.  As you can see above, I've got my rain hat on and plenty of caution tape, so I'm clearly prepared for any issues that may come my way.  Don't be surprised if I somehow blow up the entire internet.

COSCBWI Meeting October 2013

This month's COSCBWI general and illustrator meetings were combined.  With the big, awesome, super-exciting member exhibition coming up ON NOVEMBER 2nd, it was an opportunity to go over some last minute details.  The illustrators brought in their framed (and beautiful) pieces and participated in a little show and tell.  Then postcards and fliers were passed around so everyone could spread the word! 

If you don't already know about the COSCBWI Member Exhibition, it's a collaborative project between the COSCBWI writers and illustrators.  First, the illustrators created works around the theme, "Open A Book To Find The Road Less Traveled."  Then, the writers chose an illustration to write an accompanying jacket copy or book text.  The illustrations and writing pieces will be on display together at Amy Clark Photography Studios during the Short North Gallery Hop next weekend. 

I am sooooooo excited for the event and very much hope you plan to attend!  The Gallery Hop runs from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM, so do stop by anytime to mingle, enjoy some light refreshments, and see the talents of the COSCBWI members. 

You can find out more about COSCBWI (and the gallery event) at coscbwi23.wildapricot.org.  I hope to see you next weekend!
 

2014 N. Ohio SCBWI Calendar Contest

If you hadn't noticed, I'm still playing a bit of catch up around this blog after my trip to Disney and a busy Tax Season 2 at my office.  And one thing I didn't get to show you was...

My entry for the 2014 Northern Ohio SCBWI Calendar Contest!

This is the third time I've taken part in the lovely calendar contest that Northern Ohio SCBWI  holds in conjunction with their annual conference.  (And it was a wonderful conference this year!) 

This year's theme was, "Recharge, Reconnect, Renew."  When I considered those words, I immediately thought of how it feels to wake up after a good, long nap.  And who is the best napper in the animal kingdom?  Bears, of course!  This little fellow is waking up to find the winter snow melting away and spring flowers blooming at his paws. 

I always learn so much while creating my calendar entry each year.  I used this opportunity to experiment more with textures, draw a new animal, and practice painting fur.  This also forced me to tackle my least favorite subject matter: ROCKS!  (Not gonna lie.  Painting rocks always makes me feel like this...)

But despite all the rocks, this illustration was a lot of fun to paint.  It's always so encouraging to see how I've grown as a digital artist from year to year, too.  (You can see my entries from the prior two contests here and here.)

I am very thrilled to report that my piece was voted into the 2014 calendar!  There were so many beautiful entries this year, and I'm honored that my piece was chosen for the final calendar.  This year, my piece will be featured in the month of February.  (My past two pieces were both featured in July for the 2012 and 2013 calendars, so it's fun to be part of a different season!)  You can see all the winning pieces on the Northern Ohio SCBWI website.  Order forms are also available online.  (It's a great way to support a fantastic organization!)  

I can't wait to see everyone's illustrations printed in the calendar!  2014 is just around the corner!  :)

Note: Indiana Jones and rock images are not owned by me.  The images were found on Google, and I just put them together for a goofy little meme.  :)

COSCBWI Meeting September 2013: Meg Brown, The Thurber House

While I usually attend every monthly COSCBWI meeting, I actually missed September's due to my trip to Disney.  But don't worry!  COSCBWI's Assistant Regional Advisor, Andrea Hall, wrote up a lovely summary for your enjoyment:

This month's COSCBWI meeting featured a fantastic speaker from the Thurber House in Columbus, Meg Brown.  She is the Manager of Children’s Programming.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Thurber House, it was the childhood home of James Thurber, humorist, author, and New Yorker cartoonist.  Here is a statement from the website: Our mission is to celebrate the written word for the education and entertainment of the broadest possible audience and to continue the legacy of James Thurber.  The Thurber House has a myriad of programs for children and adults.

Meg explained that the Writer-in-Residence program allows an author to live in the Thurber House for one month. In addition to focusing on writing, it gives the author an opportunity to teach children at the Summer Writing Camp.  Interested authors must apply for the program, as only one Children’s Writer-in-Residence is chosen each year.  Further information is available on the website.

Other events at the Thurber House include "Evenings with Authors" and "Summer Literary Picnics."  The "Evenings with Authors" run from January-May and September-December.  Each one features a reading from an author, a question and answer session, followed by a book signing and refreshments.  The "Summer Literary Picnics" take place outdoors, where attendees can either bring a picnic dinner or purchase catered box meals.  Schedules for both events can be found on the website, as well as ticket information.

In addition, Thurber House offers writing programs for both kids and adults.  The children’s programs range in age from preschool to high school on a variety of topics.  Thurber House is always looking for enthusiastic new teachers, so if you’re interested in volunteering your time and sharing your knowledge with future authors, please contact Meg Brown.

It was wonderful to hear about so many great opportunities to meet new authors, work on our craft, and be a part of another superb writing organization.  You can find out more about their programs and events at: www.thurberhouse.org.

A big thanks to Andrea for writing up a great post!  You can follow her on Twitter @andreadawnhall.

If you'd like to learn more about COSCBWI, you can check out the website at coscbwi23.wildapricot.org  or "like" the group on Facebook.  I hope to see you at the October meeting!