New Co-RA For Southern Breeze!

We’re happy to announce that Sharon Pegram is joining Claudia Pearson as a Co-Regional Advisor for the Southern Breeze region!

Sharon has been a member of SCBWI since 2006 and she’s been helping out in various volunteer duties through the years, most recently as Assistant RA. She comes with a ton of all kinds of experience, and she’s eager to bring her talents to this new position. Chances are, you’ve seen Sharon Pegram at any number of Southern Breeze or SCBWI events, but unlike Claudia in her hats, she’s often in the background, getting her jobs done. So we’re pulling Sharon into the foreground so you can get to know our new Co-RA!

First, we want to know about Sharon, the SCBWI member. Are you a writer, illustrator, or both? What’s your genre, your specialty? What brought you to SCBWI in the first place? And what do you want to achieve, your hopes and dreams?

I write weird stuff for middle schoolers (science fiction and fantasy in the dreaded upper MG/ younger YA zone). I will only be called upon to illustrate if the market develops a sudden passion for stick figures. I started writing for children after I left my job as a school librarian to be a stay at home mom and learned about SCBWI in the Writer’s Digest Market Guide. I’m still pre-published, so my dream is to hold a book with my name on it. 

You’ve filled lots of different volunteer positions through the last 12 years! What drew you to volunteering, and ultimately led you all the way to the Regional Advisor position?

My parents are to blame for my volunteering tendencies. They taught, by word and example, that if you join a group and enjoy its benefits, you give back in some way. What led me to this position? I checked the “Yes, I’ll volunteer” box at my second Southern Breeze conference and did something like hand out Post-It notes at a book signing, and that led to becoming a Co-RA. Now no one’s ever going to check the box again! LOL But seriously, each larger job felt right by the time I came to it because it was building on the smaller ones that came before. 

What do you see as the strengths of our region and how do you hope to build on those strengths?

Southern Breeze’s greatest strength is its members: your talent, your hard work, and the community you build with your fellow writers and illustrators. And our volunteers are amazing! Every region has RAs, ARAs, and ICs, but we have so many dedicated regional volunteers in addition to those, the regional coordinators and local liaisons, etc. Having so much help greatly expands what we can do.

What do you see as the weaknesses in our region and how do you hope to make improvements in those areas?

We cover a lot of ground. First, geographically. Even with our local liaisons, it’s hard to get programming spread around the whole region. Second, we cover a lot of ground artistically. We all create for children, but we do it so differently! Writers and illustrators, fiction and nonfiction, PBs to YA and all ages in between, and all experience levels from beginner to multi-published. Balancing programming to support our many needs is an ongoing challenge. 

And finally, what about your hopes and dreams for Southern Breeze? What do you want to achieve as Co-RA?

I want Southern Breeze to grow, numerically of course, but also in diversity of our membership, welcoming all the storytellers and artists who live in our region. I want us to grow in community, supporting each other in this occupation that can feel so isolating and in this industry where it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. And I want us all to grow professionally, becoming ever-better writers and illustrators and better equipped to build successful careers in the writing business.

Thanks, Sharon, for letting us get to know you better! We wish you all the best as the new Co-RA of Southern Breeze! (And P.S. Sharon would love to get to know you better, so please drop her a line or say hello at our upcoming conference. She’ll be the RA not wearing a hat but possibly in the cool shades!)

Spring To Success With SpringMingle'19 and MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES!

Who doesn’t love a critique?

Palms sweating and stomach fluttering with butterflies as you sit down in front of the esteemed editor or agent about to pass judgment on you. Er, I mean your manuscript.

But seriously, a critique from a publishing professional can do so much more for you than feed an adrenaline habit. My first critique taught me to let my character tell her own story. My worst critique left me frustrated and angry…and ready to write the story that was in my heart instead of something I thought people would want to read. At my next critique, the editor wanted to read more of that story. And, yes, I met my agent at a critique.

SpringMingle'19 registration is open, with critique opportunities still available, but manuscripts have to be submitted by February 8. Don’t miss your chance for personalized attention from a publishing professional. Your work will grow, and chances are, you’ll discover that those august sages are nice, knowledgeable people, eager to help you in your artistic journey.

A special thanks to Sharon Pegram, Co-Assistant Regional Advisor for Southern Breeze, who shared this experience with us last year--and we thought it deserved a re-run! Sharon writes sci-fi and fantasy and yep, you'll see her at SM'19 with her latest manuscript critique!

PLEASE NOTE: MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES ARE DUE FEBRUARY 8th! Don't delay--Register today!

                   Click HERE to register for SpringMingle'19!

Southern Breeze Goes to the SCBWI Summer Conference (And We're Dishing on LA!)

Every year, the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA beckons…and every year, I find myself following all the big doings from afar. But I know a couple of Southern Breezers who did make it to Los Angeles, so I asked RA Claudia Pearson, ARA Sharon Pegram, and IC Temika Grooms to give us the up close and personal rundown of their conference experience. Special thanks to Temika for putting it all in pictures!

(Bonus points if you can guess what character or book Claudia dressed up as for the big costume party!)

What was your don’t-miss-one-minute-of-it event/intensive/workshop session of the Summer Conference?

Claudia: Elana K. Arnold’s workshops on Increasing Tension and Writing through to the end, although Kevin Lewis’s Picture book Session was also outstanding. Both Elana and Kevin offered a ton of well organized info with solid examples.

Sharon: I learned a lot from Carolyn Mackler's workshop on what she's learned from writing novels for 20 years, and she made us laugh. Also, Lin Oliver at the Artists and Authors Ball with her face painted like a Picasso was definitely memorable!

And what benefits do you get from attending the conference, both for your personal professional growth, and for the membership here in Southern Breeze?

Sharon: The whole gigantic-ness of the experience recharges me professionally. I think it's impossible to marinate in that much creative energy and enthusiasm for three days and not bring some home with you. For our membership, I talk with regional leaders from around the country and the world about the programs they offer their members and how they do things, and that always yields some great ideas. And while I'm scribbling down my notes at workshops and key notes, part of my brain is always evaluating the speaker as possible Southern Breeze conference faculty.

Claudia: SCBWI offers an excellent community for professional writers and illustrators. I love touching base with so many wonderful authors, illustrators and acquiring professionals I have come to know over the years, and also meeting new people, like Ekua Holmes and Ibi Zoboi! Of course getting to meet Lois Lowery and Mildred Taylor are also huge highlights! These personal interactions make it much easier to evaluate and approach potential speakers for our own regional conferences.

Thanks for sharing, y'all! And P.S. Every year, I sulk a little bit, missing all the fun. But maybe it's a lot of work and no fun at all. What do you think?

EVERYONE A WINNER AT WIK'18: Critiques! (More Than Just Your Conference Thrill Ride)

Who doesn’t love a critique? Palms sweating and stomach fluttering with butterflies as you sit down in front of the esteemed editor or agent about to pass judgment on you. Er, I mean your manuscript.

But seriously, a critique from a publishing professional can do so much more for you than feed an adrenaline habit.

My first critique taught me to let my character tell her own story.

My worst critique left me frustrated and angry…and ready to write the story that was in my heart instead of something I thought people would want to read.

At my next critique, the editor wanted to read more of that story.

And, yes, I met my agent at a critique.

WIK18 registration is open, with critique opportunities still available, but manuscripts have to be submitted by February 4. Don’t miss your chance for personalized attention from a publishing professional. Your work will grow, and chances are, you’ll discover that those august sages are nice, knowledgeable people, eager to help you in your artistic journey.

Photo by Debbie Sanders

Sharon Pegram is a Co-Assistant Regional Advisor for Southern Breeze. She writes sci-fi and fantasy and enjoys good thrill rides, both literary and otherwise.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! CLICK :::HERE:::TO REGISTER!