Flying High

Laura Deal's YA manuscript, Wind Ringer, received 2nd place in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category and 3rd place in the Young Adult category of the 2004 Pikes Peak Writers Conference Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest.

A picture book illustrated by Phyllis Pollema-Cahill should be in bookstores this September. It's entitled A Goose Named Gilligan (Starseed Press) and is written by Jerry Hay, a riverboat laureate. It's based on the true story of Hay rescuing a goose caught in a fishing line and their lasting friendship.

Hazel Krantz' short story, The Hanukah Blizzard, will appear in the "Hanukah Catalog," a collection of short stories published by the Jewish Publication Society, to be published in July.

Donita Tompkins informs us of her new book, Dragonspell (WaterBrook Press), a trade paperback released in June. WaterBrook Press is a division of Random House.

Eugene M. Gagliano is happy to inform us that in May he received the 2004 Celebrate Literacy Award from the Johnson County Chapter of Wyoming's International Reading Association.

Penny Zeller announces a number of achievements. Her nonfiction article, "Luke's Legacy," published in Listen Magazine in April. It's about Luke Gibson, who attempts to reduce the alcohol and drug abuse in his small town. Two poems she wrote about children, "Warm Hugs" and "Christmas Anticipation," were chosen to be included in For Love of a Child, an anthology published in October 2003. The anthology is a Make-a-Wish Foundation fund-raiser book. Zeller also wrote four Devotionals, which ran under "On Course Devotionals" in On Course, August 2003. The article covers various topics of the Bible. Her nonfiction article, "What Ifs," which is about combating anxiety, published in On Course in March 2003. Finally, she wrote, "You're Under Construction," which published in On Course in February 2003. The nonfiction article is about how to be the best person you can be.

Julie Anne Peters' new YA novel, Luna (Little, Brown, 2004), is nominated for an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and was selected by Borders Books and Music for their Original Voices program. In a starred review from KIRKUS, "Groundbreaking, finely tuned realism about a transsexual teen. The first of its kind–-well done and essential for every library serving young adults." Peters says, "This is my first starred review in fifteen years, so it's a champagne cork popper."

"A Mystery in the Library," a story by Phyllis J. Perry, is appearing in the October issue of Library Sparks Magazine. It features Fribble Mouse, the hero of the Fribble Mouse Library Mystery Series, written by Perry and published by Upstart Books. Included with the magazine story are directions for teachers and librarians to assist them in conducting their own library treasure hunt.

Denise Vega's poem, "Tortillas!," appeared in the July 2004 issue of Ladybug magazine.

Claudia Cangilla McAdam is one of three winners in the 2004 Highlights Fiction Contest. The magazine receives hundreds of entries each year for this contest and it's an incredible honor to be a winner. Congratulations, Claudia!