South County writers and illustrators get helping hand from professionals

What do an avid fly fisherman, a mother of triplets, and an art professor who grew up in Australia all have in common? They each author and/or illustrate books for children and young adults and will be sharing their secrets with local south county writers and artists this month.

The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 21, at West Cottonwood Junior High and is sponsored by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). SCBWI is the only professional organization specifically for those individuals writing and illustrating for children and young adults. South county falls under the California region covered by co-Regional Advisors Erin Dealey and Patricia Newman. This is the first event of its caliber held in Cottonwood.

“We wanted to expand our programming to meet the needs of the increased membership in the area,” says Dealey. “By hosting local SCBWI events, we provide members with the opportunity to meet fellow illustrators and writers, and to learn from publishing professionals that may help launch their careers.”

The publishing professionals are stellar. Take avid fly fisherman and award-winning local Redding author Charlie Price, who just won Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award on May 8. Insiders call the Edgar the “Oscar” for mystery writers. Price, who penned his first novel at age 60, has had three young adult novels published with his fourth due out this year (Desert Angel, Farrar Strauss Giroux, New York). At the workshop, a down-to-earth Price will share his expertise with young adult authors in an interactive format, demonstrating what the back and forth of the revision process may look like, whether on one’s own, or with another individual, such as an agent or an editor.

Working with picture book authors will be author/editor Deborah Halverson. Halverson, who edited picture books at Harcourt Children’s Books in New York for ten years before leaving to write full-time, is now the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies and teen novels Honk if You Hate Me and Big Mouth.

The May 21 Revision Intensive is for anyone who has ever considered writing for children, especially those who have finished a first draft or dummy and are unfamiliar with what comes next. The workshop will be limited to 40 participants and, at the time of this article, had ten spots remaining. To register, go to: http://www.scbwi.org. For more information, call (310) 508-9366.