My wonderful team at Chicago Review Press forwarded me this great article at the nj.com site. New Jersey is home to Monmouth racetrack, site of one of Rachel's big victories, so I am very happy the...

Well, I know I'm trying to make these blog posts interesting and useful to any readers who might stumble upon them, but today I just gotta toot my horn! Because I got in the mail, the first physical...

Want to know what all the fuss is about? Watch this video of Rachel winning the Kentucky Oaks. It's one of the most fun races you'll ever see! Here is Calvin looking for his competition, which isn't...

Wimbledon, Indianapolis Raceway, Wrigley Field, Churchill Downs. Places like this, where epic sporting events happen, have their own kind of mystique. When you are there you can't believe you are...

The first time I went to a racetrack it was opening day at Keeneland track in Lexington, KY. I expected everyone I wanted to talk to would be there. It never dawned on me that there would be racing...

I've been meaning to write about the joy of Mondays for a while, so here goes! It has always struck me as funny (as in odd) how much people gripe about Mondays. I get it: the social stereotype is...

This is the third or fourth year I’ve gone to the SCBWI Illinois Prairie Writers and Illustrators Day at Harpers College in Palatine. I go because 1) it’s the main annual conference for our Illinois...

A few months ago I was asked to contribute to the Prairie Wind, the SCBWI Illinois Chapter's monthly newsletter. They have a section titled "Tales from the Front" in which people (usually first-time...