Peter, the Knight with Asthma receives honor!

The Indiana Center for the Book, in association with the Library of Congress, awards books in various categories each year with the distinction of Best Books of Indiana. What an honor to have Peter... chosen as one of 3 finalists in the children's/YA category for the 2010 Best Books of Indiana award. I hope this is a reflection of the help this book can be for families (like mine!) living with asthma.

The Goodbye Cancer Garden--coming Spring 2011

Wanted to share the exciting news that my newest book, The Goodbye Cancer Garden, will be released in the spring of 2011 (published by Albert Whitman & Co.). This book was inspired by my own experience with breast cancer in 2009 and my family's shared journey of recovery. Wanting to bring help and hope, daughter Janie leads her family in planting a vegetable garden. As they tend it carefully and watch it grow, they're reminded that Mom is getting better day by day. Pumpkins provide the perfect finish. This picture shows my family with our own treasured pumpkin, as I was approaching the end of treatment. My prayer is that this story will help others traveling similar roads. Gifted illustrator, Kristi Valiant, is now hard at work on illustrations...it's going to be beautiful! More on this later.

On the Menu this Spring: Fables!

Please check out the March 2010 issue of Spider magazine, which includes publication of my fable, "No Ducks for Dinner." This is a feeding-the-ducks tale told from the duck's perspective. In his hunger for the finer things in life, Orville Duck lands himself on the menu! Will there be duck for dinner after all?

I'm looking forward to taking this story along for author visits this March and April to 1st and 3rd graders at The Oaks Academy in Indianapolis. It's been satisfying to see this story in print, as it was the very first piece I ever sold (in January of 2007!). And just in time for a stroll down to the canal with my 4-year-old, bread bag in hand...