Last post, I mentioned our slight difficulties in traveling to Orlando for the Florida SCBWI Mid-Year Workshop. No, I was not exaggerating. However, once on the ground, things went much more smoothly. The Florida folks put on a great workshop.
Florida SCBWI member Curtis Sponsler picked us up and kept us entertained while we waited through the storm for our luggage, and then drove us to the
Disney Coronado Springs Resort Hotel, where they have, among other things, alligators (in the lagoon, not on the menu)...
We met with the organizers and other speakers over dinner at the Pepper Market. We retired not long after from exhaustion.
Cyn went out early next morning to do her workshop, while I partook of the resort amenities: weight room, running track around the lagoon (where lives aforementioned alligator), and lap pool. Then I went to work...
That evening, we had dinner with the organizers and other speakers (and I'm too lazy to name and link everyone, but here are a few): Alvina Ling, Kathleen Duey, Stephanie Lurie, Brian Farrey, Alexandra Cooper, Adrienne Sylver, Christina Gonzalez, Alex Flynn, Dorian Cirrone, Joyce Sweeney, and more!
We saw a hatchling in the nest of a mourning dove and went to bed.
Sunday, after laundry (we didn't pack for the humidity :-)), we headed over to Epcot! Where we walked around the entire world in one afternoon. Dinner was at the
Japanese steakhouse and was both entertaining and probably the best meal we had while at Disney.
Next day, we went over to the "Downtown Disney" area, window-shopped at the world's biggest Disney merchandise store, and had lunch at the
T.Rex Cafe (which is by the same people who do Rainforest Cafe, but more prehistoric).
That afternoon, we escaped the heat and went to see
Shrek: Forever After. Dinner, at
Fulton's Crab House, was also quite good. Then we went back to the hotel and collapsed from exhaustion.
There's something very wrong when vacation is more physically demanding than work. Or maybe not...:-).
Cyn has a more thorough post
here.
Cat Calls by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Candlewick, 2010) is now available for free as an e-book from Amazon.com!
Reviews are starting to come in on BLESSED (available, January 25, 2011):
HOLLER LOUDLY, by Cynthia Leitich Smith, ill. by Barry Gott (Dutton, Nov. 2010). Once every few generations, a child is born into the Loudly family who is so loud that when he speaks, all people can do is say "Hush!" But poor Holler just can't help it -- and how come he's the only one people tell to be quiet?
We met with the organizers and other speakers over dinner at the Pepper Market. We retired not long after from exhaustion.
We saw a hatchling in the nest of a mourning dove and went to bed.
Next day, we went over to the "Downtown Disney" area, window-shopped at the world's biggest Disney merchandise store, and had lunch at the T.Rex Cafe (which is by the same people who do Rainforest Cafe, but more prehistoric).
That afternoon, we escaped the heat and went to see Shrek: Forever After. Dinner, at Fulton's Crab House, was also quite good. Then we went back to the hotel and collapsed from exhaustion.
Tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, so I thought I'd toss in some news about the graphic novel version of Tantalize: Cyn just received the sketches by Ming Doyle and they look terrific! Cyn's official announcement is here.
