Events

Get ready for a brand-new, literary-themed celebration like no other – Prescott Valley Book Fest is on its way! With free admission, genres for all ages, and headliner Anne Hillerman, it’s going to be something truly special.

• 10am – 12pm: Picture Book Dummy Class Workshop (Adults) – Library Children’s Program Room
  Michael Hale and Tanja Bauerle 

Join us to celebrate the launch of Mortimer & Lily: Moose in Training by local author Kathie McMahon and local illustrator Tanja Bauerle! We will read from the new book, draw a moose together, and enjoy lots of fun activities for the family. Come and join the fun and enjoy the cutest Indy bookshop anywhere. 🙂 

Jimmy has moved on to fifth grade, so younger sister, Lily, has decided to take on a whole new set of adventures with Mortimer!  Presenting, the Mortimer and Lily series! In this first book, Lily and her friends form the Shamrock Squad to complete a community project for a school assignment. But how does Mortimer fit in? New story, new illustrator!

The Tucson Festival of Books is a two-day event on the University of Arizona Campus that celebrates books, authors, illustrators, and readers. The festival features more than 300 presentations, 250+ authors, and 200 exhibitors. There are book signings, panel discussions, food vendors, children’s and Science City programming, and dozens of free activities for all ages at the University of Arizona Mall.

Visit Our SCBWI sponsored SPARK Author Booth #377

If you are at the festival on Sunday, March 15, 2025, at 4:00 pm, stop by our SCBWI panel. Here is a little more information

Come and be inspired by renowned authors and illustrators, learn about the state of the children’s book publishing industry from panels of agents, editors and art directors, dive deep into your craft with TWO three-hour Creative Labs, and get your work in front of industry professionals! Register for the In-Person Winter Conference and receive a coupon code for $25 off the price of the VIRTUAL Winter Conference.

Flagstaff, Arizona, and Lowell Observatory will be hosting their annual I Heart Pluto Festival to celebrate the discovery of Pluto in 1930!

Celebrate this beloved icy body with science talks, the “Night of Discovery” special event at the Orpheum Theater with special guest Diana Gabaldon, and the community “Pluto Pub Crawl” on February 16 to kick off the festival.

On Sunday, February 18, 2024, Diane Phelps Budden (author of Needle in a Haystack) and I will be signing at the I Love Pluto Event. I will post more details as I get them. 

Stay Tuned.

The Picture Book Dummy – A Revision Tool for KidLit Creators

Webinar Series Presented by Tanja Bauerle and Michael Hale

The picture book dummy is the template in which you will tell your story. It does not matter if you are a writer or a writer/illustrator, if you want to someday see your work published, knowing how to create a picture book dummy is an essential part of the process. Learn how to create one and how you can use this vital tool to improve your craft.

This program will be presented over two Saturdays. It is geared toward picture book writers and illustrators and is designed to provide craft tools for creators at all levels.

You can attend the event live, but if you are unable to do so, you will receive a link to the recorded webinar within 72 hours after the session presentations are concluded. You will have 30 days from the date that the recordings are sent to you to view them. You will also receive an electronic handout which will include a list of vocabulary, sample story maps, tips on how to implement what was discussed during the webinar, as well as the sample texts that were mentioned.

Workshop Schedule:

Part 1 – Saturday, May 7, 2022 – 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

The Picture Book Dummy for Dummies: The Foundation For Creating Better Picture Books presented by Michael Hale

Picture books come in all shapes and sizes, but they are fundamentally the same. They are designed to be a delivery vehicle. An industry standardized template in which to tell a story. Understanding the mechanics of the picture book as a medium for storytelling is essential to every writer or writer/illustrator. Especially those who hope to be successful in this genre. Knowing how to create, revise and edit a picture book dummy needs to be part of your process. Learn how to create one and how you can use this vital tool to improve your writing.

Part 2 – Saturday, May 14, 2022 – 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

The Picture Book Dummy: The Writer’s Revision and Editing Friend presented by Tanja Bauerle

Picture book dummies are the domain of the illustrator. NOT SO! Learn how as a writer you MUST use this vital tool when crafting, revising, and editing your manuscript. This workshop will guide you through how to use a dummy to ensure that your story will function properly within the picture book format. Learn about page turns, pacing, rhythm, language, and more, in order to craft a manuscript that editors will love.

Cost:

Member Rate: $25     Non-member Rate: $40

The Presenters:

Michael Hale has over 30 years of experience as a Creative Director, entrepreneur, writer, and Illustrator. He has illustrated many picture books and written two himself. His book, Bad Monkey Business was awarded a Spark Honor by SCBWI in 2018. He also serves as the Illustrator Coordinator for SCBWI’s Arizona Region. When he is not writing or illustrating, he devotes his time to coaching others looking to forge their own path in children’s publishing. You can see more of his work by visiting www.michaelhale.me. 

Tanja Bauerle, an award-winning children’s book illustrator, is originally from Germany but grew up outside Melbourne, Australia. She now calls Gilbert home, where she lives with her family and a menagerie of animals. Tanja holds a degree in Computer Animation and has illustrated several picture and chapter books. Her illustration credits include The Park Our Town Built, written by Diane Gonzales Bertrand, and The Adventures of Salt & Soap at the Grand Canyon, written by Lori Rome. Tanja is currently writing and illustrating several of her own picture books and is involved in several online writing and illustration communities. She is the Assistant Regional Advisor for the SCBWI Arizona Region. For more, visit www.tanjabauerle.com.

Every year Illustrator Day is a special day dedicated to our illustration members, and 2021 is extra special because we have two agents joining us! Hear presentations by author/illustrator Kate Garchinsky, Book Designer Taylor Abatiell, Editor Kandace Coston, and highly sought after agents Nicole Tugeau and Chloë Morgan. Whether you’re published or have just joined SCBWI, you don’t want to miss our annual event for illustrators.

Save the date. We will post more information as it becomes available.

Registration Opens June 1, 2021

Four noted illustrators reveal the epiphanies and catalysts that transformed their careers.

The 2021 Virtual Summer Conference, The Big Five-Oh, is a five-day historic event packed with inspiration, information, and connection, featuring an all-star faculty of 50+ speakers on 50+ topics. The conference includes:

● A full-day intensive for authors and illustrators preparing to launch their careers
● A full-day optional intensive for published authors and illustrators
● A full-day intensive just for illustrators included in the price of the main conference
● Over fifty craft-oriented and inspirational presentations each with a handout of takeaway points
● Panels of editors, agents, and art directors discussing what they’re acquiring and why
● Rare interviews with icons in the children’s book field
● The opportunity to pitch your book directly to agents and editors
● Online socials and engaging mingles
● The career-launching portfolio showcase for illustrators
● The opportunity to sell your books in our online bookstore
● A bonus day of peer-critiques

Join us in celebrating recent PAL book releases and hearing from the creators in our next SCBWI-AZ Author Showcase and Q&A on Saturday, July 24, 2021, from 1:00 pm-2:15 pm (Phoenix, AZ Time) on Zoom.

This event will spotlight Authors, who will introduce themselves and their books, and provide attendees the opportunity to get answers to their general publishing questions.

This free event will be moderated by PAL coordinators Laura Ellen and Dianne White.

KidLit Tools Workshop: Inside-Out: Creating Believable Characters Through Emotion & Sensory Detail

Emotion and sensory detail are important aspects of creating believable characters and experiences and engaging readers. But how do you do that? This workshop will provide key methods and tools for layering emotional and sensory detail into your novel that will add depth to your characters and their world. The first half of this workshop will focus on infusing the story with emotion. The second half of the workshop will provide exercises for including sensory details in your fiction, using all five (make that six) senses.

Sharon likes to put the “work” in workshop, so come prepared to do some writing!

Presented by Sharon Skinner, MA, GPC, CBC – Sharon Skinner holds a BA in English, an MA in Creative Writing, and is a Certified Book Coach and freelance editor. She is the author of eight published novels, a picture book, and a variety of short stories and poetry. Her core writing is SpecFic (fantasy, science fiction, paranormal,  etc.). She is an active member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and serves as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ.

Sharon has presented on a variety of writing topics, from grant proposal development to fantasy fiction writing. Her speaking engagements have included Phoenix Comicon, Tucson Festival of Books, ASU Piper Center, and SDSU Writers Conference, and she served as an Arizona State Library Writer in Residence for Scottsdale (2017), Mesa (2018), and Tempe Library (2019).

As a Book Coach, her mission is to provide book coaching with honesty and heart, to support writers in writing forward, improving their skills, telling powerful stories, and creating the best books possible.