Birthdays: Mary Kingsley (1862), Conrad Richter (1890), Richard Howard (1929), Mollie Katzen (1950), Arna Bontemps (1902), Dalene Matthee (1938), Emily Gould (1981)

Tip: If an agent or publisher is charging you to print your book—run in the other direction. You should not have to pay, unless you’re getting the printing done by yourself.

Thought for the day: “Don’t forget—no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.” – Charles de Lint

Jumpstart: One Saturday in the fall, it finally happened… (use: peppermint, library, clock)