Angie Lucas
Angie Lucas
Children's Author / Freelance Writer / Memory Keeper
 
 

 Reader, Writer, kidlit Author.

DSC08417-edited.jpg
 

You Might Like

Featured
The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
Read More →
Houston, We Have a Cover
Houston, We Have a Cover
Read More →
Picture Books Are For Everyone
Picture Books Are For Everyone
Read More →
 

From the Blog

From the Blog
Avoiding the Christmas Apostrophe Catastrophe
Avoiding the Christmas Apostrophe Catastrophe
Read More →
The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
The Story: How I Got My Book Contract
Read More →
Houston, We Have a Cover
Houston, We Have a Cover
Read More →
Picture Books Are For Everyone
Picture Books Are For Everyone
Read More →
The Countdown is On
The Countdown is On
Read More →
41 Weeks Later
41 Weeks Later
Read More →
12 Favorite Christmas Picture Books
12 Favorite Christmas Picture Books
Read More →
Softening Into Joy
Softening Into Joy
Read More →
Thanksgiving Activity: Thankful Thoughts Bags
Thanksgiving Activity: Thankful Thoughts Bags
Read More →
8 Great Journaling Tips + The 52 Stories Project
8 Great Journaling Tips + The 52 Stories Project
Read More →
 

Sharing Time

Insta Goodness

This week, @edillow and I will wrap up our year-long photo challenge by taking 18 photos on Tuesday the 18th. The theme: CHRISTMAS 🎄🎄🎄 . Join us in taking and sharing 18 photos that encapsulate the season for you: decorations, gifts, get togethers, lights, treats, cards, shopping, snow, ugly sweaters, nativities, music playlists, movies, and all! Even if you haven’t participated in #projecteighteen previously, this is a great excuse to document “the most wonderful time of the year,” as it looks for you right now. You’ll be so glad you did. . #projecteighteen
It’s crazy how much they change in a single year. ❤️🎄❤️🎄❤️
In January, for the first time ever, I set a reading goal in the GoodReads app, where I love to nerd out 🤓 and keep track of everything I read. My goal was to read 50 books by the end of the year, which is pretty ambitious, given that I have a toddler and a freelance writing gig. AND considering that my previous record—as a working adult and parent, anyway—was 36. (How do I know this? Because @goodreads told me! I ❤️ GoodReads.) . Anyway, I set that goal BEFORE the bottom fell out of my year, which happened about a week in. 2018 has been one of my most challenging on record, for reasons that aren’t mine to share. I’ll just say that my two closest confidants and dearest people on this planet, the people I turn to for matters large and small, were both blindsided by horrifically unfair challenges. Both of them at once. And others in our extended circle as well. My husband and I have been surrounded by more suffering and pain than we’ve maybe ever seen. We were and are doing our best to show up for those we love, even though we can’t fix it and we’re spread a little too thin, given the needs around us. . And yet...I set a goal. One that connected to my deepest values—lifelong learning, curiosity, inquiry, self-improvement, and compassion. And somehow, despite it all, I’m going to SLAY that goal. I’ve read 46 books, I’m nearly finished with two more, and I’ve got the last two waiting in the wings. I’m a bit stunned by it, to be honest. And grateful. And proud. . It turns out I NEEDED that goal, to give me purpose and keep me from losing myself in the suffering around me. This goal grounded me, helped occupy my racing thoughts, and kept me connected to ME, so I had more to give. AND, more times than I can count, I would find just the sentence, phrase, or passage I needed, just when I needed it. That’s the power of books. Of reading. Of sharing. Of connecting. . “Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard . What has reading meant to YOU this year? 👇🏻 . (Pictured: 13 of the 46 books I’ve read so far in 2018. 📚 Most of the rest are ebooks📱 or audiobooks 🎧. 😁😁😁)
Another thing I had to do lately is write the author bio for the back flap of my book jacket. Ever had to sum yourself up in just a paragraph? It’s not easy to decide what details to include (former magazine editor ✔️) and what to leave out (excellent at spelling words backwards 🏆), not to mention trying to sound somewhat interesting—or at least not boring, which let’s face it, is more true in my case than I like to admit 😉—while reflecting the tone of the book. . I read a BUNCH of author bios while I was formulating mine. (See what a riveting life I lead? 😂) Some are straightforward. Others are silly. Some are cute. Others are quirky. And lots are a variation on the theme of the book they’re included within. In the end, mine leans toward the last option. Want to read my first draft? (Note: I have no idea how much this will change between now and when my book comes out. Publishing is not a game of speed. You take a step, wait 3 months, take another step, wait 3 months, make a few edits, wait 3 months...) Okay, here goes. This is the bio I submitted for My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon, a story about loss, grief, and hope. . “ANGIE LUCAS is a freelance writer who spent years working for magazines and marketing departments before finally getting brave enough to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a children’s author. She has never seen an invisible dragon, but she knows what it feels like to have one swoop in out of nowhere and refuse to go away. That’s how she learned the secret: even the biggest, heaviest dragons get easier to carry over time, especially when we have friends who understand. A graduate of Utah State University, Angie lives with her family in the Salt Lake Valley.” . What do you think? Nailed it or failed it? 🤣 And...if you’ve never written about yourself in the third person (he/she instead of I/me), you should give it a try! I’d LOVE to read yours. What fun, interesting, amazing, or quirky details would you include in YOUR bio? 👇🏻
12 Picture Books of Christmas GIVEAWAY: 1️⃣1️⃣ and 1️⃣2️⃣ 🎄 1️⃣1️⃣⭐️Room for a Little One⭐️ Another animal-centered nativity book, which I apparently can’t resist, this one features pastoral scenes and gentle prose. On a cold winter's night, Kind Ox welcomes Old Dog, Stray Cat, and Small Mouse one by one into the warmth of the stable. Then Tired Donkey arrives, carrying a most precious load. It’s just lovely. 🎄 1️⃣2️⃣⭐️Christmas Day in The Morning⭐️ Written by Pulitzer-prize and Nobel-prize winning novelist Pearl S. Buck, born in 1892, this story hearkens back to humbler times, when the gifts were simple and the chores were never done. A dutiful teenage son finds a way to give his hardworking dad a gift he’ll never forget. I imagine my own grandfather’s life looking a lot like this. 🎄 How to enter the giveaway: 1. Follow my page 👆🏻 2. Leave a comment, tagging a friend who might love either of these books! Heck, tag lots of friends—each in a separate comment. 3. I’ll select one random winning comment for today’s post. Both the tagger and the taggee will get one of these books—you decide betwixt yourselves who gets which title. 4. Come back for two new book picks tomorrow and enter again! (And don’t miss my previous five posts...) 5. ALL winners to be selected and announced on or around December 10th. . Rules: Must have a U.S. shipping address to win. Must accept that the prize book’s format (hardcover, softcover, board book, etc.) may vary from version pictured. Must NOT have a heart that’s two sizes too small. 🎄
12 Picture Books of Christmas GIVEAWAY: 9️⃣ and 🔟 🎄 9️⃣ ⭐️Wombat Divine⭐️ A little wombat who wants desperately to be important—by having a part in the nativity play—is disappointed to find he’s too heavy to be the angel, too short to be a wise man, too sleepy to be Joseph. But then he finds the perfect part... You’ll cheer for the innocent, earnest, childlike wombat, who just wanted to be special. And finds out that he is. ❤️ #memfox @kerryargent @hmhbooks 🎄 🔟 ⭐️Song of the Stars⭐️ Beautiful crackle paintings of nature scenes accompany the reverent, awestruck prose. From open fields and forests to seas and running rivers, all of nature can sense that something wondrous is happening. It's all-around magical and a delight to read. @sallylloydjones @alisonjay17 @zonderkidz @harperkid @harpercollinsch @harpercollinsus 🎄 How to enter the giveaway: 1. Follow my page 👆🏻 2. Leave a comment, tagging a friend who might love either of these books! Heck, tag lots of friends (each in a separate comment). 3. I’ll select one random winning comment for today’s post. Both the tagger and the taggee will get one of these books—you decide betwixt yourselves who gets which title. 4. Come back for two new book picks tomorrow and enter again! (AND enter the previous four giveaways too. There’s still time!) 5. ALL winners to be selected and announced on or around December 10th. . Rules: Must have a U.S. shipping address to win. Must accept that the prize’s boo format (hardcover, softcover, board book, etc.) may vary from version pictured. Must be willing to bring us some figgy pudding, and bring it right here. 🎄
12 Picture Books of Christmas GIVEAWAY: 7️⃣ and 8️⃣ 🎄 7️⃣ ⭐️The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey⭐️ When I first flipped through this one, I thought, “whoa, this is long,” and then I started reading and I was like, “I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying!” I often shy away from longer books at bedtime, but this one is worth the extra time. It was written by a school librarian who wanted to teach children about the true message of Christmas: hope. It melted my reluctant little heart. ❤️❤️❤️ 🎄 8️⃣ ⭐️The Night Before Christmas⭐️ This vintage title has a fabulously '50s feel, although the scenes depicted are from the time the famous poem was written (early 1800s): the dad in the story is wearing a dressing gown, the children have petticoats, and Santa has cloud of pipe smoke around his head. (Modern depictions of Santa tend to omit his tobacco habit.) I also love the format of the Big Golden board book. It’s fun to see this nostalgic art bright, and shiny, and larger than life. 🎄 How to enter the giveaway: 1. Follow my page 👆🏻 2. Leave a comment, tagging a friend who might love either of these books! Heck, tag lots of friends (each in a separate comment). 3. I’ll select one random winning comment for today’s post. Both the tagger and the taggee will get one of these books—you decide betwixt yourselves who gets which title. 4. Come back for two new book picks tomorrow and enter again! (And enter the three previous posts this week too!) 5. ALL winners to be selected and announced on or around December 10th. . Rules: Must have a U.S. shipping address to win. Must accept that the prize’s boo format (hardcover, softcover, board book, etc.) may vary from version pictured. Must have visions of sugarplums dancing in your head. 🎄
I’d like to interrupt the 12 Picture Books of Christmas GIVEAWAY to share my annual holiday card public service announcement! 🎄🎄🎄 . When Christmas card season rolls around, and you’re friends with a Lucas or a Jones or a Perkins, the age-old question inevitably pops up: do I add an apostrophe to the address label or gift card? If so, where does it go? . I’m going to say something BOLD right now. You NEVER need to add an apostrophe to someone’s last name on a gift tag or a Christmas card. Seriously, never. Don’t add one to your last name. Don’t add one to your recipient’s last name. Don’t add one if the last name ends in “s.” Don’t add one if it DOESN’T end in “s.” Just don’t. . Here’s the rule: If the recipient’s name ends in an “s” already and you want to make it plural, all you do is add an “es.” That’s it. No apostrophe needed. 🔔 TO: the Joneses 🔔 FROM: the Lucases . If that makes you squirm (which it might if you’re friends with an Esteves, let alone many Esteveses) try this method instead. 🔔 TO: the Esteves family 🔔 FROM: the Lucas family . If you’d like the FULL story about the Christmas card apostrophe catastrophe, I wrote a whole blog post about it, in glorious, excruciating detail! 🎁 My gift to you. 🎁 The link is in my bio! . 🎵🎄Have yourself an appropriately punctuated little Christmas...🎄🎶 . GIVEAWAY resumes tomorrow (Friday)! . #christmastime #instagrammar #punctuation #punctuationmatters #apostrophe #writersofig #writerslife #writer
 
 
 
 
 
 
DSC08440-2 copy.jpg