Natasha Yim's Blog: KIDLIT RAMBLES

   I am thrilled to be announcing the launch of my new picture book, The Rock Maiden, a re-envisioned folk tale from Hong Kong. 





When her husband is lost at sea, Ling Yee climbs every morning to the top of a cliff to watch for signs of his return. Tin Hau, the Goddess of the Heavens, takes pity and turns Ling Yee and her child into stone so that they would mourn no more. Only then does 

   I am thrilled to be announcing the launch of my new picture book, The Rock Maiden, a re-envisioned folk tale from Hong Kong. 


When her husband is lost at sea,Ling Yee climbs every morningto the top of a cliff to watch forsigns of his return. Tin Hau, theGoddess of the Heavens, takespity and turns Ling Yee and her child into stone so that they should mourn no more. Only then does the

In addition to being a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), I am also a member of the Redwood Writers Club, the largest chapter of the California Writers Club. Since June of last year, I have taken over as the General Contest Chair for the club, overseeing all our contests. In 2017, our contests include Fan Fiction, Screenwriting, and Historical Fiction.

The

Happy New Year! Another year, another series of goals—writing or otherwise. Some people like plunging ahead without a specific plan and see where Life takes them. I admire that spontaneity. But for me, I prefer to have a road map. It keeps me organized and it provides a vision of where I want to go and how to get there. Sounds like outlining a novel, right?

For those of you who like road maps

   Last month, I talked about the power of conferences to revitalize your writing and boost your muse. Today, the topic will be on how writing contests can do the same thing. Are you feeling stuck on your project? Stumped for story ideas? Hit a creative brick wall? Writing contests can be the jumper cables to your stalled creative engine. And they're fun! Here are a few to get you started:

1.

With Robyn Murphy infront of our houserental on the Mendocino Coast.

   I attended the Mendocino Coast Writer's Conference during the first week of August—and came back inspired and refreshed, ready to tackle my writing. Editor Laura Atkins' Young Adult and Middle Grade workshop was fantastic. We had a lovely group of participants who gave specific, constructive yet gentle feedback on each

   Aaah, Spring! It's the time of rebirth, rejuvenation and renewal. I love this time of year, when the days get longer, the sun smiles down upon us (in California anyway), warm but not blistering hot, birds twitter in the early morning air...and I'm thinking this is as good a time as any for the rebirth and rejuvenation of my blog as well. No, I'm not changing anything drastic, but it's lain

Do you live in Mendocino, Lake or Sonoma County? Do you write for kids and teens? Join me at the first ever Mendocino County Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) "Casual Coffee"!

Okay, I'm taking the plunge! Yep, the NaNoWriMo plunge. If you haven't heard of NaNoWriMo, it's National Novel Writing Month, in which writers attempt to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I've long wanted to try this challenge, but never attempted it because:

a) 50,000 words is daunting
b) The rule is: start from scratch and write 50,000 words without looking back. When NaNoWriMo

   In my last post, I talked about the need for diversity in children's literature. Today, I'm going to back up a step — it doesn't matter much if books have diverse content if children cannot read them. Sept. 8 was International Literacy Day and Grammarly.com has a literacy campaign dedicated to supporting literacy around the world and putting books into the hands of children in need. The