I love to tell young writers about my own experiences writing for contests when I was in elementary, middle, and high school. I am so thankful for the teachers and librarians who encouraged me to enter, and fueled my desire to write more, and better, and to do the scary thing by entering again. I ended up winning scholarships to college, and some of the themes and images from those early stories found their way into my published books.

You can imagine my emotions when the head of the San Diego Writers Festival KidsWrite! contest messaged me to ask if I would be okay with them using my book, If You Get Lost, as the theme for 2024. I was utterly delighted and cannot wait to hear how the entries turn out!

Have any of you entered any contests recently? I’d love to hear about your courage and creativity!