Patricia J. Murphy

I had the honor and pleasure of attending the ALAN (The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English) two-day workshop after the NCTE Conference in Chicago this year.

I felt like I had won the "golden ticket" to attend, but I had no idea what I was in for or the amazing teachers, librarians, and other book people I would soon meet. And, while I have been fortunate to attend ALA Conventions (with the most wonderful librarians) and SCBWI conferences (with the equally extraordinary fellow authors and illustrators), it has, however, been a while since I felt so connected or akin to book people as I did during those two days.

Here are just a few of the things I realized, learned, promised, and even pledged on my way through what I like to call my first ALAN YA LIT LOVE FEST: (more…)

Recently, I was asked to supply an artist statement with a teaching artist application. Being familiar with them, but not having one myself, I was flummoxed on how to begin writing one and what to include.

Since I have a bevy of wonderful artist pals, I emailed a handful of my visual artist friends who I thought would know more about writing these than me. Sure enough, I was directed by the talented Wendy Martin to look at Alyson B. Stanfield's web site: http://www.artbizcoach.com.

While I navigated through this amazingly thoughtful web site, I found a post or two about artists creating their own artist statements and tried writing my own.

Through this brief (and albeit, somewhat rushed) exploration, I learned that an artist statement is a living and breathing thing, that it changes as we change, and that I am to visit and revisit it every so often to refine it. Here's what I have so far... (more…)

Being INDEPENDENCE DAY and all, it got me to thinking about my own independence. Reflecting on the definition below, I wondered am I REALLY free from outside control--not depending on another's authority...and am I capable of thinking or acting for myself?

And, while I am certain that I could often answer, "YESSIRREEEE BOB" because I do make many of my own decisions, I am, however, rather dependent on others' opinions in work and in my personal life. (more…)

Welcome to my holiday greeting post! Here you can print your own copy of my holiday greeting (or greetings)and learn the secret (and not so secret) locations of the letters (and letter shapes) I snapped to create them. Enjoy!

To print your copy:
1) CLICK on your desired holiday image: "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"... (Below my headshot:)
2) PRESS print...
3) HAVE a "letter perfect" holiday!

My letter locations: drummer boy roll, please... (more…)

I’ve made a decision today re: my holiday gift giving this year. With 47 shopping days until Christmas, I have decided that I will be buying nothing but BOOKS, BOOKS, and more BOOKS for my loved ones and dear friends. (I do this often, but this year I will be making a conscious effort to support the book publishing industry that has been very good to me!) (more…)

Like many children's authors, I've become increasingly
"social" and "present" online for a variety of reasons. These include: (1) To connect with fellow writers, illustrators, editors, agents, librarians, teachers--and other lovely book people, and 2) To have an "online presence" which I have learned is crucial to keeping informed and to building my "brand".

So, as not to let my social media participation turn into "social media madness," I have adopted a few "usage" tips along the way. They are nothing fancy schmancy, (or should I say Fancy Nancy?), but they work for me. (more…)

As I recently announced, I've been invited to review children's titles for Chronicle Books! So, from time to time, as a member of Chronicle's Gold Review Panel, I will be reading and reviewing some of its latests releases. Below is my FIRST review. Let me know what you think of it:)

REVIEW #1:
Title: The Worse-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: GROSS Junior Edition, Chronicle Books, 2010.

Authors: David Borgenicht, Nataniel Marunas, and Robin Epstein, Illustrator: Chuck Gonzales (more…)

I have a habit of putting myself into situations where magical things occur. Perhaps, they are the places I go to or the powerfulness of my intentions, nevertheless, magical moments seem to happen--and often. It's hard to explain. But, I will try.

While many people may define "magical" differently, my definition would include something unexplainable or miraclous happening. As one of my favorite thinkers, Mr. Albert Einstein once said, "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." I choose the the latter. I do. It works for me.

At the recent Chicago Tribune Printers Row Lit Festival a few weeks ago, I experienced several magical or miraculous moments. Here are two involving two of my favorite authors... (more…)

We’re writers. We’re illustrators. We’re used to working alone--being alone. Sometimes, we actually enjoy the solitude to create. Other times, like the song says, we’re “People who need people.”

Lucky for us, we have the SCBWI to offer encouraging voices, career-building conferences, and boundless opportunities to learn from and push each other to levels only imagined.

But with all of this encouraging, building, learning, and pushing, I believe comes some responsibility. That is—a responsibility to give back, pay forward, and lend support to our fellow SCBWI authors/illustrators. Sure, many of you reading this story already support your fellow SCBWI members, but we can all do better—and benefit us all.

What follows is a smattering of suggestions on how we can all extend our reach and take our support to a higher level. In the true spirit of this story, I asked for some input (and support) from a few of my SCBWI friends. (more…)