Sara Lewis Holmes

***Advocate for better education for all children, but especially for two special groups:

---Military children, who change schools way too many times. I’m a member of MCEC (Military Child Education Coalition)

---Gifted children, whose needs are often minimized and forgotten. Some of the inspiration for Letters From Rapunzel came from my experiences advocating for the needs of my own two children in several school districts around the country.

***Advocate for military families, including several support organizations that raise money for scholarships for military families, provide crisis training, and offer social support.

***Longtime member of SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators)

***I also love: fitness (weight lifting and golf), theater (particularly Shakespeare), poetry, reading, outdoor active travel, and fairy tales.

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A Short Bibliography of Books that Inspire Me

A Sense of Wonder: On Reading and Writing Books for Children (Katherine Paterson)

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott)

Characters and Viewpoint (Elements of Fiction Writing) (Orson Scott Card)

Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom (Leonard S. Marcus)

Dreams And Wishes: Essays on Writing for Children (Susan Cooper)

Finding Your Writer's Voice: A Guide to Creative Fiction (Thaisa Frank)

Take Joy: The Writers Guide To Loving The Craft (Jane Yolen)

The Art Spirit (Robert Henri)

The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear (Ralph Keyes)

The Elements of Style Illustrated (William Strunk, Jr.)

The Rock That Is Higher: Story As Truth (Madeleine L'Engle)

Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art (Madeleine L'Engle)

The Courage to Teach (Parker Palmer)

To Know as We Are Known (Parker Palmer)

How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci (Michael Gelb)

99 Ways to Tell a Story (Matt Madden)

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