There's a Lot in This Post (Martha Brockenbrough, Arthur Levine, Greg Pincus, and Me)

I have so many things I want to tell you today, but since I don't want to put you to sleep with too many words AND because I have an outline that MUST get done (or else!) I will do my best to move fast. Deal?

FIRST!

This brilliant friend of mine just sold her picture book. Blow the horns. Throw the confetti!

That is the lovely and talented Martha Brockenbrough (and an image I swipe from Jaime Temairik).

Martha sold her picture book to the freaking fantastic Arthur Levine. Personally, I think this a perfect pairing and I can't wait to hold the book in my hands.

Speaking of Martha...she's SPEAKING! Tonight! Yes, tonight at SCBWI WWA's professional series meeting. I wouldn't miss it, and actually, I'm doing my best NOT to; trying to figure out how to get back across Puget Sound later today to soak up all her grammar brilliance. Oh, and humor, because the girl is ridiculous!

Martha will be the opening act for this guy!

No, that's not George Clooney, but some might think so (just ask him). That is the wonderful Greg Pincus. And in the photo he's bookended by the beautiful Holly Cupala and me!

Yesterday, Greg presented a FOUR hour workshop on social media and it flew by and was over as quick as I suck down my first cuppa in the morning. Good stuff. If you EVER have a chance to listen to Mr. Pincus share his knowledge, don't miss it.

I think so highly of Greg that when I was at the SCBWI conference in LA doing my Team Blog thing, I armed wrestled Lee Wind to decide who would get to do THIS post-conference interview with him.

(The fantastic action shots were taken my the wonderful Rita Crayon Huang. You can see lots of her great conference photos HERE.)

Take that Lee Wind (xoxo)!

The cherry on top of going to any SCBWI event is seeing people whom I'd like to shrink and put in my pocket so I could play with them all the time.

I was able to snap a photo with a few.

Again, the lovely Holly Cupala and the amazing Bonny Becker (I attempted to inhale her talent as I stood next to her).

And a girl who always cracks me up, SCBWI WWA's assistant regional advisor Kim Baker.

Why am I blogging right now? That MUST be what you're thinking, right? Because, yes, I did say I would finish my outline this week OR ELSE! So, if you missed it in the comments, the "or else" is...

NO COFFEE OR SWEETS FOR A WEEK.

That's big for me, my friends. I'd better finish or my family is not going to want to live with me.

And, of course, I didn't get much done yesterday, given that I spent it in the city soaking up Greg's brilliance.

So, better get to it, eh?