Judy Lindquist

I love decorating for Christmas! With dozens of bins filled with decorations and multiple trees to decorate with thousands of ornaments, by the time I am done, every nook and cranny of my house is decked out in holiday cheer. Decorating is a full day ordeal for me. Yes, the older I have gotten, the longer it seems to take, but it is a labor of love. Putting out beloved pieces or reflecting on the origin of each ornament is like a reunion with a life-long friend. The familia

The words on the computer screen stared back at me with a tone of accusation. “Out of Print”. I was not surprised. But the confirmation brought my disappointment full circle. As a traditionally published author, I have been blessed to work with two amazing publishers. One, a small academic press, and the other a local, individually owned, small press. The academic press published my two historical fiction middle grades novels, while the other had published my tw

At the grocery store this week I asked the cashier if they had gotten in their Christmas Stamps yet. When she said that they had, I excitedly asked for five books of the Christmas Stamps. “That’s a lot of stamps,” she responded. I agreed, but said that since it was only once a year, I was one of those stubborn people holding on to the tradition of sending out Holiday cards the old-fashioned way. No email greetings from me. No messages sent via text. I fi

There is no doubt that we are living in the midst of a national crisis. Who we are as a country and what we value, is up for grabs like never before. Every day, we are inundated with disturbing images, horrific stories, and reports of actions that would have been unthinkable a year ago. It is enough to keep us up at night and make us feel like we are living in a dystopian novel. Many of us are working very hard to keep some semblance of sanity in our lives and to keep our

I have been thinking quite a bit about authentic audiences this month. In terms of both elementary students and my college students. ...

Critique: The detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary work. That is the official definition of the word...

Happy Children’s Book Week! This is an annual celebration of books, children, and the joy of reading. It was first established in 1919,...

This is the time of year when homesickness rears its ugly head for me. Having lived in Florida for over 30 years, it truly is now HOME....

This fall I am teaching a Children’s Literature class at our local University. One of my favorite classes to teach, it is like a...

Banned Books Week wraps up today. This is a week designed to raise awareness of censorship and to celebrate the freedom to read. ...

Book Festivals are wonderful! A place for readers and writers to find each other and connect. I have had the honor of being part of...

This past week we had our first meeting of our Student Writing Club at my elementary school. This is a group of 4 th and 5 th grade...

These last couple of weeks I have been busy matching up university volunteers with classroom teachers at my school. Our school is a...

Last month I think I unknowingly conducted an experiment in my classroom. My students were participating in a Team STEM...

I absolutely love what I do. And one of the best things about my career is that I get to see artists in action- every, single, day! I am...

I am always amazed (and a little horrified) when I hear fellow writers say that they really don’t read. After all, books are our...

It doesn’t take too much digging into research on teaching to find that one thing teachers highly value is autonomy. Being treated and...

As the new school year gets underway and teachers are busy planning their instruction, writers of children’s books seem to focus on...

Although it is still summer according to the calendar, in many parts of the country, the new school year is getting underway. Teachers...

Today is my dad’s 89 th birthday. We celebrated yesterday as a family. There were 4 generations there, with his great-granddaughter...