Birthdays: Edward Stratemeyer (1862), Damon Runyon (1884), Jackie Collins (1941), Anne Rice (1941), Luis Sepulveda (1949), Robert Lawson (1892), Brendan Gill (1914), Donald Sobol (1924), John E. Mack (1929), Roy Blount Jr. (1941), Karen Cushman (1941), Kazuki Takahashi (1961), Tim Wise (1968)

Tip: If you’re attending a conference and have a meeting with an agent or editor, do *not* bring your entire manuscript. No matter what you do, they will not take it and if you push it, they really won’t take it and you’ll get a bad reputation (or they’ll take it and chuck it in the nearest trash can). Know your story so you can talk about it. Be professional.

Thought for the day: “My advice is the same to all. If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again.” – Anne Rice

Jumpstart: You’re going through your parents’ attic, clearing things out, when you find an old T-shirt of yours, a favorite from long ago. What memories does it bring back?