February comes in like an ice cube and out like a...slightly melted ice-cube.

Hey, there! How has 2021 been going so far for you? Good? Weird? Full of binge-watching and eating? All of it? Same.

I had a (big) birthday at the beginning of January, which we celebrated in pandemic-fashion: scrambled egg breakfast made by my 9-year-old, lovely cards & gifts, lots of hugs (all within my “bubble”), silly & sweet messages from friends, take-out for dinner, a family zoom call with cake, and a crisp Gin & Tonic...all within the 4 walls of our house.

No lemons were harmed in the making of my birthday G&T.

(Lemon-dude c/o Maddie Frost)

Somehow, it magically became February. This month hangs in a funny position: it’s definitely winter, but you can just make out the outline of spring up ahead. And there is still a chance for glorious snow. We had a major (for the UK) snowstorm last weekend, which seemed to wash all the negative pandemicky lockdown feelings away for a day. It was refreshing.

A few things as we head into maybe-Spring:

• Last chance for Kidlit Creators SuperStack. Thank you to everyone who has already signed up for the Kidlit Creators SuperStack! I’ve had some great feedback so far about the 25 different kidlit resources in this bundle, including my online course, “Perfecting Your Picture Book.” This is the last time I’ll mention Kidlit Creators SuperStack since it’s disappearing today at 11:59pm ET, so now's your chance to grab it. The whole thing is only $49, and you’ll have lifetime access to many of the masterclasses, templates, eBooks, book marketing tools, coaching, etc. It also includes a special 30% discount code for my editorial services. Check it out for yourself HERE. I bought one for myself last week and I am still poring over all the amazing resources that are in there. 

• Valentine’s Day & Book Giveaway. My husband and I don’t usually celebrate Valentine’s Day. I think we exchanged cards that first year, but then decided it wasn’t for us. But this year, we’re going BIG for Valentine’s Day. In an effort to celebrate anything we can and make a day feel special, this year our family will not be opting out for February 14th. Chocolates for all! Hearts pasted everywhere! A Valentine’s Day playlist & dance party! Any other ideas? Please send them my way. We want to make a big deal for our kids, something for them to remember and to help brush away that ‘Groundhog Day’ feeling (happy Groundhog Day in the US, by the way!). Of course, we'll be reading books on L-O-V-E, like some of these I blogged about a few years ago. I also have a new picture book out called Love Around the World, which celebrates traditions of love in different cultures. And...I’m doing a book giveaway exclusive to newsletter subscribers! If you forward this newsletter to a friend and cc: me, I will enter you both in the drawing. I’ll pick a winner at random this Friday, February 5th at 5pm ET, so I can hopefully get the book out to a lucky reader in time for Valentine’s Day.

• Wicked ah-some. I am definitely looking forward to spring, with the publication of my next picture book, Lobstah Gahden, on April 6, 2021. The incomparable EG Keller and I co-wrote the story, and he illustrated it. It features two Bawstin Hahbah lobstahs, Walter and Milton, who are undersea neighbors and absolute rivals in their gardens, competing for #1 in the annual Swell Gahdens contest. That is...until trash starts to plonk down and ruin their precious gardens. They put the rivalry aside and team up to find out where the garbage is coming from. With an odd-lobstah couple, a wicked Boston accent, and ocean pollution, Lobstah Gahden might spark discussion about conservation and maybe teach your kids how to speak with a Boston accent (yer welcome). I’ve also started searching “lobster finger puppets” on the inter-webs so I can do some silly little promo videos to launch the book.

• Celebrate Yo-self! I recently had an epiphany that I never give myself a chance to celebrate success. Do you do this, too? Even if I get a book deal, or sign with a new editorial client, or see a nice review of a book I’ve worked on, I do a happy-dance for like a second and then say, “OK, what’s next?” It’s really not a cool thing to do to yourself. So, I started a new weekly tradition (and have roped my husband into it): on Friday night, we blurt out any exciting things that happened in the past week (big or small), pat each other on the back, and allow ourselves to feel happy and satisfied with our work. Try it out and tell me how you’re celebrating yourself. I’m now trying to figure out bigger ways to celebrate bigger “wins,” but that might have to wait until lockdown is over and we can go more than 5 miles away from home. But for Lobstah Gahden’s pub date, I’m thinking something along the lines of...

Since I'm vegetarian, a lobster cake will have to do.

Hope you’re all hanging in there and finding little celebrations in your daily lives. I’m cheering you on...

Happy writing,

Alli
 

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