Lou and David Sears

I’m venturing into the world of blogs today.  After attending a SCBWI Workshop yesterday in St. Louis, I felt ready to give it a try.  I’ve learned that it’s considered important in the world of writing and publishing. 

The workshop had general sessions which included how to establish an internet presence, speakers talking about the craft of writing, and you could sign up for small group sessions with an agent.   I had no idea what to expect in a small group critique session with an agent.  We were told to bring 9 copies of our manuscript and be prepared to take notes and basically not speak.  This is hard for me since I like to explain things, but I was ready to comply – that is until the agent opened the door with a question directly to me.  She wanted to know why my character would give away a beloved quilted bear that her grandmother had made for her.  I told her it was because it was based on a true story – I had given away a rag doll my grandmother had made for me.  (Yes, this was a stupid thing to do – but I didn’t want to lose my friend so I did it.  I’ve always regretted it and this book  is what I wish I would have done instead.)

Most of my stories are based on things that have happened to me or my family.  My first story is about a girl finding out about her roots.  I wrote it last year at this time while planning a trip to Ireland to explore my ancestry.