Adorable Coloring Sheet is Here!

In this month’s issue of Resources For My Readers, you’ll find:

• A recap of my excellent experience visiting Thirsty Caterpillar.

• What I’ve learned from doing batches of book reviews.

• A behind-the-scenes look at the early steps of developing a book trailer for my next book.

• Dates and locations for my fall book launch and related events and appearances.

• A blast-from-the-past brochure from my very first writing conference (in 2004)!

• An adorable coloring sheet drawn from Adèle Dafflon’s early character sketches for Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!)—near the end of this post.

• Save the dates and deadlines, a book recommendation, favorite quote, and more!

Wow! Where did July go? It seems like I just put the final polish on the June newsletter, and here we are again! I will say that I do love looking back to see what I’ve accomplished in a month’s time. Here are some notable highlights:

• Write a (very scrappy) picture book draft and make several rounds of revision on two other picture book drafts. (Thanks again to the 12x12 Challenge. for helping me commit to getting my ideas onto the page and wrangling rounds of revision.)

• Collaborate with my agent (I love that phrase!) to re-work the titles on a couple of my manuscripts in prep for going on submission.

• I don’t yet have any promised updates on the Silly Society’s upcoming poetry anthology, but you’ll be the first to know when I do! Follow the project here.

• Continue connecting with folks interested in being advanced readers for Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!) and tapping them into the digital ARC. There’s still time to get an early look at this book if you haven’t done so yet. You’ll find it here on NetGalley (or send me a DM if you need to access in another way).

• Visit A Children’s Place Bookstore to hear author Barbara Herkert read her beautiful new book, Heronry (not to be missed —it’s my Prochovnic Pick below).

• Attend the SCBWI-Oregon summer picnic (thank you to all of the volunteers who make these gatherings possible).

• Host author Elayne Crain on the Birth Stories for Books series of my blog with an inspiring path-to-publication story for her very funny debut, There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter. Elayne's interview is packed with loads of behind-the-scenes details related to bringing a book from idea to publication and beyond—you won't want to miss a morsel of this one! (Plus, more guest posts and interviews are queued up and coming to the blog, soon!)

• Present a garden-themed story time at the brand new experiential bookstore in town: Thirsty Caterpillar. If you are in the Portland (Oregon) metro area, (Lake Oswego, specifically) and you haven’t been to this store yet, stop what you are doing and get there. It’s a beautiful space created and curated with vision and love — and with families in mind. I’ve not seen anything like it before.

• Lean into reading and writing reviews for a host of other authors’ books. (You can find me on Goodreads, here. Spoiler alert: I only review books that I love, so you’ll see that my average rating is 4.9ish. If I read a book that I don’t love, I simply move on). We all know that strong reviews are an important aspect of helping a book find its readers, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how helpful it is to me as an author to do batches of book reviews. Some of the things I’ve learned in the process include:

  • 1) There are LOTS of great books out there—I can’t possibly get to them all.

  • 2) I feel good when I take the time to tell others about a book that I love.

  • 3) Writing a succinct but meaningful review takes time and practice—the more reviews I write, the more efficient and effective I get.

  • 4) Writing batches of reviews puts me in a space where I’m likewise reading batches of reviews, which helps me get better at writing my own (and helps me get a better sense of what stands out for others when they read books).

  • 5) Writing reviews in batches helps me see trends in my own tastes and gain a better understanding of what stands out for me personally.

• At long last I’ve been diving into the early steps of developing a book trailer for Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!). So far this process mostly looks like studying the book trailer I created for Lucy’s Blooms, trying to make sense of the (terrible!) notes I left myself about the process, and slowly beginning to re-familiarize myself with using Keynote to build slides to create animations. It’s not lost on me that I could likely “ask AI” to build something of this nature for me. NOT GONNA HAPPEN, friends. This baby will be human made—and my brain will stretch and grow in the process! More to come when there’s more to share. Stay tuned!

• Polish my plans for storytimes and other book events for Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!)., and begin reaching out to bookstores, libraries, and other special spots to build my launch schedule for this new title (get in touch with me directly if you’d like me to visit your location). The best place to keep track of my schedule is the Upcoming Events section of my blog and/or the Save-the-Dates and Deadlines section of this newsletter. Subscribe and never miss an update.

Now, Until?: Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!) is available for review on NetGalley . (Comment below or send me a DM to obtain the digital ARC if you’d like to review, but are unable to access NetGalley.)

July 30-Aug 2, 2026: SCBWI’s Virtual Summer Conference. Registration and info here.

Jul 31-Aug 2, 2026: 56th Annual Willamette Writers Conference. Event is in-person in Portland, Oregon and online. Details here.

Aug 2, 2026, 10 AM (ET): Public Memorial Service for author Jane Yolen, at the Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (I’ve heard word that this might be live-streamed as well).

Aug 7, 2026: Application deadline for Literary Arts Fellowship (recipients will be announced Feb 2027). Application and details here.

Aug 15, 2026: My neighborhood is hosting a big garage sale : )

Sept 1, 2026: Birth Stories for Books Interview featuring author Jena Benton.

Sept 4, 2026: Deadline to submit published works for the 2027 Oregon Book Awards. Details here.

Sept 30, 2026: Application deadline for Oregon Historical Society’s Holiday Cheer event, my absolute favorite book event of the year. (Event is scheduled for Dec 6, 2026). Application and details here.

Oct 8, 2026: Dawn will be featured in author Mary Boone’s, Six Questions with Kidlit Creators, blog series.

Oct 13, 2026: Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!) hits bookshelves. Preorder your copy(ies) now, wherever books are sold (support your local indie(s) as often as you can). See below and continue to watch this space for book launch events and details.

Mark Your Calendar for a Location that Works for You, and Make a Plan to Attend!

Oct 13, 2026, 11 AM: Book Launch event at Green Bean Books with a “Baby Shower / Book Baby Shower” theme!

Oct 16, 2026, 10:30 AM: Friday Storytime at A Children’s Place, Portland’s Oldest Independent Children’s Bookstore, Featuring Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!) and other books by Dawn!

Oct 17 or 18 2026, 11 AM: Dawn will return to the Story Garden at the beautiful Thirsty Caterpillar for a special, experiential story time. This is a ticketed event.

*More Dates and Locations Will Be Added Soon!

I’ve been going through and weeding out some VERY old files and recently came upon this brochure for the very first writing conference I ever attended (in 2004!):

This event was hosted by Linda Zuckerman; Susan Goldman Rubin was my assigned faculty advisor; Arthur Levine was the guest editor; and Marla Frazee was one of the illustrators on faculty. I arrived at the conference as an early literacy consultant, entrepreneur, and aspiring author, thinking it was my role to find and hire an illustrator and editor/publisher to bring my book vision to fruition—to note, this was long before self publishing was a realistic option.

A busy mom of young kids, I’d not yet read any of the Harry Potter books and had no idea who Arthur Levine was—but I did know and love Marla Frazee’s work in Seven Silly Eaters and Harriet You’ll Drive Me Wild, as those books echoed my life at the time.

I have so much gratitude for the folks in this photo. I’m STILL learning (and always will be), but this event (and every one of these industry professionals) helped me learn a few of the basics (and gently introduced me to the concept of critique), so I could eventually find my way in this nutty (but beloved) business.

Fast forward to today, over 20 years ( and 20+ published books of my own) later. I had NO IDEA how long it would take for my publishing vision to come to fruition, but I’m so glad I kept at it, and I’m encouraging you, wherever you are in your journey, to keep at it, too.

This past month my husband and I traveled to Golden, CO and got to enjoy some very special live music and other experiences. The highlights include:

TWO concerts with William Topley at The Buffalo Rose (an evening concert with his “local”/Golden band and an acoustic show over brunch the next morning). Topley is the reason that we traveled to Golden and the trip would have been worth it if we’d seen only him. He’s one of my favorite-favorites. BONUS: We got a signed copy of the sheet music for Drink Called Love. (I want to respect Topley’s IP, so I’m not posting a photo here, but trust me when I say it’s very, very cool.)

A concert with The Avett Brothers at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre (!), with Graham Nash opening. What. A. Venue. What. A. Show. This venue is everything you’ve heard about it and more. Put it on your bucket list. (And fun fact: A documentary featuring The Avett Brothers is currently available to stream via Kanopy at my library. Maybe at yours, too?)

And as if that wasn’t enough, the next evening we got to see the fabulous Head and the Heart at Red Rocks, with a new-to-us (and very enjoyable) performer opening, Evan Honer (NOTE: he’ll be playing in Bend, Oregon on Tuesday, Nov 10).

Back at home, the music month rounded out with an amazing concert with one of our longtime favs, Blind Pilot at the extraordinary venue, Topaz Farm. It was “family night” at the farm, so that meant that on top of listening to the band, enjoying the beauty of the farm (you really must go!), and getting introduced to the lovely opening act, Sophie Bird), I got to watch kids and families doing their thing. Our spot on the grass was next to “Charlie” (a self-professed “cool, crazy girl”) and fam. (A character inspired by this kiddo is definitely making it into one of my books one of these days.)

Other happenings and highlights this month include:

• Enjoying a sunny happy hour at the Radio Room with my love.

• Gathering on a high-traffic street corner with joyful and peaceful folks to celebrate what is good (and bringing attention to what is not) in the 250-year-old experiment called the U.S.A.

• Hanging out with friends at the Maryhill Winery Tasting Room on the Columbia River waterfront in Vancouver, WA. It’s a beautiful spot and the service is fantastic. Definitely give it a try. (And leave yourself enough time to wander the revitalized waterfront—it’s spectacular!)

• Spending time with my mother-in-law and meeting my husband’s cousin, who was traveling through town, as they shared and recounted old family stories.

• Gathering with family, paddle boarding on the Tualatin River, and enjoying dinner out to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. (Bonus: Sightings of a Bald Eagle and a heron along the way—grainy photo of heron, below!)

  

As noted above, I was lucky enough to hear author Barbara Herkert read her latest picture book, Heronry, at A Children’s Place Bookstore this past month. The book is absolutely gorgeous (and the story behind how the idea for the book came to her — when she came upon a heronry in her everyday life) was absolutely captivating. Get your hands on a copy of this beauty.

“Everyone experiences grief, if you’re lucky.” Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert is no stranger to grief, and the grief he experienced early in his life influenced the kind and caring human being he is today. He talked about some of his deepest grief experiences with Anderson Cooper back in 2019, and reflected on the popularity of that interview recently as he wound down his beloved The Late Show. (A link to an article summarizing some of his recent appearances and interviews is here.)

Colbert’s quote particularly resonates for me as I approach the two-year anniversary of the passing of my mom. I miss her like crazy, I’m grateful for the time and memories we shared—and I do feel lucky that the relationship we shared is something to be missed. I’m currently writing letters to some of her past medical providers to express my gratitude for their care. Here’s one of my favorite pics of my mom, celebrating what would be her last birthday with us (at a donkey farm!) in 2024.

Here’s a sneak peek at a coloring sheet for Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!). created by the marketing team at Familius, and featuring the early character sketches by Adèle Dafflon for this book. The coloring sheet will eventually go up on the Resources tab of my blog, but newsletter subscribers get early access to download, print, and color, now. Enjoy! (Want to make my day? Share your colored-in sheets on your favorite social channel(s) and tag me, so I don’t miss out!)

Here’s a recent pic of my beloved, Pickle the Cat. She is a decidedly indoor cat, but she does get to take occasional, supervised field trips to the front porch to roll on the warm concrete in feline bliss. (The weird discoloration on the concrete is just that — it’s not as gross as it looks in real life as it looks in this photo!)

As noted in previous issues, subscriber fees are shared with a cause/organization I care about (rotated on a quarterly basis). The Oregon Food Bank was the first organization to benefit. Thank you to those who have participated in this way.

The Blanchet House was the selected beneficiary for the second quarter, and I’m going to put them on repeat for the third quarter. Their byline: A meal. A home. A future. They are on a mission to “alleviate suffering and provide hope for a better life by serving essential aid with dignity,” and believe that “everyone deserves food, clothes, community, and hope.” If you’ve found this newsletter helpful, please consider subscribing, or alternatively, donating directly to the Blanchet House (or another nonprofit with a similar mission of your choosing). Together, we can make a meaningful difference in this world, one newsletter, one book, one word at a time.

Stay tuned for next month’s issue, which will include:

• An update at plans underway for my fall book launch events and appearances.

• More fun “extras” for Mama’s Home (and Baby Too!)

• A pitch for Home Exchange (my favorite way to travel)

• And, more!

Thanks for reading! I welcome your thoughts and feedback. Disclosure: As an affiliate of Bookshop.org, I may earn a small commission from books purchased through the links in this post.

[Reminder: Typos are one of my super powers. I try to find ‘em and fix ‘em, but I’m rarely 100% successful! Know that they are not an indication of the level of care that went into creating this newsletter for you, but rather solid evidence that it’s human-made.]

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