Anita VP

Every new mother has heard it: “Nap when baby naps.”   Interestingly enough, I think that people have become wise enough to stop saying that to mothers with more than one kid.   Nap when baby naps doesn’t really work when all of your children don’t nap. Furthermore, am I to pay mortgage when baby pays mortgage?   Or in my particular case, edit dissertations when baby edits? Or write picture books when baby writes?   This is all of course assuming that Human #1 has either become self-sufficient or feral (or a combination of the two). The song that plays in my head is El Reloj – “reloj, no marques las horas” – clock, don’t count the hours.   Oh, how I need a clock that doesn’t mark the hours.   If only time could stand still, so I could get more done, write more, and perhaps most importantly of all fully relish this quickly fleeting moment of my kids’ childhoods. Reloj, “Deten el tiempo en tus manos” – Clock, hold time in your hands.   Please for me.

Since 1983, Mama Bear has been advocating for a less messy room.  They figured out which items, like Sister’s teddy, brought joy.  They sorted by category.  They purged.  There were emotions.  They tidied.  It’s all much better in the end. Mama Bear seemed to have a really different disposition than the sweet and adorable Marie Kondo.  But… it seems there is perhaps nothing new under the sun. I mean, I’m just saying…  (Not gonna lie though, I’m totally on another purging kick.) #AnitaVP #readmore #berenstainbears #mariekondo #sparkjoy #oldschool #picturebook #mamabear

The other morning , I actually googled “how to break a horse,” genuinely wondering if I could apply the same principles to tame my very strong willed almost-four-year-old firecracker.   I kid you not.   Alas, the application is limited.   (I now pat her mane nicely when I first see her.) Nonetheless, that sparked a thought in my mind: I surely cannot be the first person to have wondered this .   I also cannot be the first person to wonder if some books are actually parenting books, masquerading as “regular books” under the guise of other topics: -           The Prince -           How To Train Your Dragon -           The Art of War -           War and Peace -           Les Misérables -           Animal Farm -           Crime and Punishment -           Persuasion -           Don Quixote Perhaps soon my little imagined-to-be princess will learn this fox can spot the traps, her dad is actually my friend, and that even though she feels like life can be a li

When evaluating possible backgrounds for head shots with my photographer sister-in-law, I realized all of the fun options provided to me here “back home” in San Diego, as opposed to my “current home” in Colorado.   Bougainvillea has always been a favorite of mine – we even had a bougainvillea bush on our patio in the house where I grew up.   The color is hard to beat.   It really is its very own shade – bougainvillea pink.   (Quite frankly, if someone is unable to appreciate that phenomenal color then they are no friend of mine!) So I ask her, “how pink is your bougainvillea?”   And with a little education from my brother, I have learned that they are the most pink when they are dry and hot and have been in the sun a good deal.   The bracts (the pink parts surrounding the flower) thrive and are arguably the most beautiful in conditions most of us would deem to be unpleasant. Dry.   Thirsty.   Overheated.   Sun burnt.   Those certainly don’t seem like the moments when my creat

Because my husband is traveling the entire week for work, I decided to go home to San Diego for the week to get a little bit of help with the kids and enjoy some time with my family.   Clearly, I need all the help I can take.   The morning we left, Human #1 began having “learning opportunities” at about 4:00 am.   Yay.   After much rallying, I produce a special breakfast in the airport – a $7.00 peanut butter and banana smoothie that she was pretty excited about.   She takes one sip.   She now only wants water.   That is parenting – right there. I digress. Returning to my hometown always feels like a form of nostalgic cleansing.   I love where I live now, but home is always invariably home .   I miss the scenery and the greenery.   And rain, in San Diego, is necessary and cathartic. I read something interesting the other day and it pains me that I cannot find the exact quote to properly credit and share with you all.   But the quote went something like this:

As a mom, I am aware that I’ll always have a bias.   Chances are if one of my kids makes it, I’ll like it.   Thankfully for me personally, I think that my mom is inclined to like most of my manuscripts.   Perhaps some of it can be attributed to shared taste and sense of humor.   Another chunk to understanding points of inspiration.   If my mom didn’t like my picture book manuscripts, I think we all might be worried. But as a writer, I am currently on the journey of discovering how I move from “my mom likes my work” to “an agent also likes my work.”   (“My mom likes it” has zero pull in a query.) Last year, I connected with a retired Children’s Lit professor and she encouraged me to find an agent.   As a result, I began thoughtfully submitting manuscripts to a few agents.   Statistical probability indicates rejection.   And that’s alright. Despite the decided emotional up and downs of sharing my work with others, the still, quiet thought deep down is that there w

At present, I’m in process of writing a picture book manuscript about some backyard dog-squirrel shenanigans.   It’s full of inherent conflict.   Dog wants to eat squirrel.   Squirrel does not want to get eaten by dog. But how is that everyday conflict developed into a worthwhile story?   How does that story go from being letters and spaces on a page to being orchestrated to life?   I want my words to nearly be sung by the reader.   I want punctuation that functions like staccato marks.   I want adjectives that hum louder and louder like steady violins.   I want a plot and a meter andante that builds into a crescendo fortissimo! Yet, how do I get that?   That elusive literary crescendo?   Elbow grease may be part of the answer.   Join me on my journey today.   Online research and infographics are two of my favorite things.   They are often components of a writer’s elbow grease.   Here are some findings regarding creating conflict: The above infographic defini

Waking up early is for the birds.  And writers.  Rising early is key to beating resistance, i.e. whatever it is that keeps one from implementing his or her talents. And honestly: It. Is. Hard.  Especially with a young baby.  But… we all have our excuses.  Even though it is hard, let me tell you why I’m waking up early.  That brief bit of dark morning is the mental equivalent of a clean chalkboard.  Dark, empty, smooth.  Quietly, silently beckoning to be filled with new words.  Undisturbed and uninterrupted, the words flow most freely.  When the mind, the day, and the page are void of noise, ideas can peek over the horizon with steady beauty. Every other part of the day is inherently lacking the above-mentioned qualities.  The rest of my day will be lost to diapers, the kitchen island, and endless emails.  By evening, my brain will have morphed into an applesauce-like consistency.  And that’s alright, so long as I have captured those few morning moments to just write.

2018 was a very good year to us.   I found out on Christmas Eve 2017 I was expecting, so 2018 was filled with excitement from the get-go. Since that variety of happy anticipation is hard to top, where to start off 2019 then?   Let’s begin by stating the well-known fact that resolutions are for the birds and rarely successful .   But maybe it’s time for some projects. Using the rush of energy ushered in by January to accomplish a few tasks feels more productive than resolving to change this or that. I’ll organize my office and our files.   I am realizing that I’m too old to have file folders that are this embarrassing.   Lame, but necessary. Perhaps more interesting and important is my picture book writing journey.   The next steps in my project to author published picture books are sure to be filled with ups and downs.   Probably lots of downs.   And that’s ok.   But I’ll do it.   And I’ll share it.   I’ll welcome accountability. Pop back in to hear my stories a