Yesterday’s out-loud reading with my sons included Russell Freedman’s new WWI history, Jon Scieszka’s Spaceheadz, Claire Wilson’s biography of Quanah Parker, a selection or two from Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney’s Brer Rabbit collections, one of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, and maybe something else I’m forgetting.

It’s a pretty random assortment, but it’s also pretty representative of the sort of writing projects I’ve been bouncing among lately. There’s my John Dobson picture book biography, a nonfiction proposal for slightly older readers, a couple of middle grade novels varying wildly in theme and tone, and a pair of picture books aiming for pure silliness.

As a writer and reader alike, I do like having options…