School and Libraries and Creating

Today I sent my oldest 2 off to school, and even though it is blazing hot outside, I am thinking of all things fall.  And being in that train of thought makes me want to write picture books.  80% of the time I love writing middle grade fiction and fantasy, but come fall, I always want to tell a story meant for pictures.

Fall just seems the perfect medium for illustrations.

Maybe it is because I have such fond memories of storytime.  Now my mother read out loud to me, but there is something magical about your teacher reading to you.  I can still remember my first elementary library.

 It was dark with tall shelves and the books were all magical.  That memory is still the ideal for a reading spot.  I've always wanted to go back to that school and see what the library really looks like.  It was 27 years ago that I went to kindergarten, has that memory been glorified?  I am sure it has.

This is the entry of my school.  I went there from K through 3rd.

Autumn Memories

Autumn is here. It is my all-time favorite season. How about some stream of consciousness writing to pay tribute to Autumns past and present? Please join me if you wish.

...class lists, freshly sharpened pencils, shopping for new clothes, lunch boxes, chilled air, picking apples in Oak Glen, Santa Ana winds, ollie ollie oxen free, running from house to house trick-or-treating, the smell of wood burning, crunching leaves, walking to school, latest crush, yelling at football games, family gatherings, Grandma's rolls, Mom's mashed potatoes, mountain treks, acorns, pinecones, Utah snow, new students, counting the days until Christmas, breath coming out as fog, Gardner Village, carmel apples, hot chocolate, witches everywhere, good movies, deer, antelope, great sunsets...