The holiday season is upon us and Christmas is right around the corner. It’s time for another giveaway just in time for the holidays, and this time it’s something of mine.

I’ve been looking back on 2020 and thinking about it a lot. This has been a horrible year for many of us for so many reasons.  I want to acknowledge that, but I also want to acknowledge what we HAVE accomplished despite the horrors. Yes, there was a pandemic and all the insanity that surrounded it.  Yes, kiddos are struggling with learning in whatever form education has taken this year (and so are teachers!).  Yes, family drama has increased almost everywhere because we’re all caged up together nonstop now.  Yes, creativity has suffered for many of us creators.

And yet.

I look back on the year, on what I personally accomplished, and I’m surprised.  I created TWO brand new dummies that I wrote AND illustrated.  They aren’t perfect (works in progress), but that’s a TON of work right there alone!  I wrote 7 new picture book drafts (one of which is one of those dummies previously mentioned) this year.  I revamped my online portfolio, my website (AND my website portfolio), my SCBWI profile, and made a serious stab at being more consistent with my Instagram updates.  I helped to put on a first ever SCBWI Illustrators event with my Alaskan Chapter (and Hawaii) in November and was inspired by that same event to work more consistently on my art work than perhaps I ever have. My blog reached over 1,000 followers (a milestone I never thought I’d make).  Finally, I don’t know how many poems I wrote or submitted this year, but amongst others I had the nicest rejection letter from Irene Latham I’ve ever received in my life AND I had one poem published locally.  And that brings me to my giveaway. 

Photo credit Tim Mossholder

My published poem was in a local publication called “Alaska Women Speak” where only Alaska women writers are published.  My poem was accepted for the Summer 2020 issue with a fairy tale theme.  Somehow I managed to get TWO copies of it.  SO one lucky winner will get a copy of this journal with my poem and the writing of many other Alaskan women writers.

Just enter the rafflecopter here if you’re interested.  I will pick one random winner next week and there will be more giveaways to come. 

I challenge you to look back on your own year.  Was there any good that came out of it?  Tell me about it.  I’d love to know.

As always, thank you for following me, thank you for reading, and thank you for sticking with me on my journey. <3