I met Suzanne Barchers, Editor, READ magazine and WRITE magazine (Weekly Reader Corporation) at the 2001 NC/NE Chapter SCBWI Conference.  Her talk was very informative.  She was warm and friendly, and invited me to send her a piece sometime.  Four months later, I sent a short story, "The Southern Belle and the Black-Eyed Pea," my Southern take on the old "Princess and the Pea" story.  Wow!  I was stunned to receive an offer within a week to buy one-time rights for publication in READ, the Weekly Reader magazine for senior high English classes.  "The Southern Belle and the Black-Eyed Pea" will be read by over one million students and teachers in 2003.  Another plus...READ pays very well.  What a thrill this has been for me!  And I owe it all to the 2001 NC/NE Chapter SCBWI Conference.  WRITE ON!                                   

                                                       Trish Holland   

I met Lou Alpert (Whispering Coyote Press) at my first NCNET SCBWI conference, which was at U of Dallas in '97(?).  I was able to get my manuscripts to her because of that.  However, I forgot because it turned out our kids were in class together, so I saw her many times after that.  She bought two of my books, Dancing with Daddy, and Grumpy Bunnies (now called Grumbly Bunnies because of copyright reasons). 

                                                   ~ Willy Welch