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Feeding the Beast

2012-01-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

As a mom and as an educator, I know that whatever we choose to feed, grows. For example, study after study shows that if a child gets the largest amount of adult attention from bad behavior, then that bad behavior grows. To grow the attention, they grow that behavior. So we want to feed the GOOD behavior, the positive characteristics, the things we want to grow, right? You are all with me.

So I've been thinking about that concept in terms of my writing. My writing is definitely my primary art at this time in my life. Even though I love to paint and garden and write music and cook and other artistic things, my primary focus these days is on my writing. That isn't to say that my creativity doesn't ooze out in other areas of my life. Many of my loved ones would say that I'm ,er, creative in the way I approach lots of things. As an Odyssey of the Mind coach, I think about these things a lot. I brush my teeth with the opposite hand, etc. but still, I often find myself wearing thing. As an educator, I also know how important it is to 'feed the feeders'. Teachers need great instruction on a regular and ongoing basis to be great instructors. Writers know the importance of reading great writing, and believe me, I feed my art in that way. But lately, I've been trying to think of art in a more holistic way.

Years ago, when I was in high school, I was a total theatre geek. My life was like Glee, show choir, theatre, competing for parts in shows, performing...and I loved every bit of it. I knew all the words to Les Mis (should have applied it to Geometry proofs, in retrospect), Phantom, Miss Saigon; you name it, I've sung it at an audition. With an annoying amount of enthusiasm. I wrote my senior class song along with a lot of other corny ballads. Anyway, I still needed a job for gas money. I interviewed for a job at an art gallery. I interviewed with the artist/owner, and he said this to me, "You will be perfect for this job because artists are artists. Whether it's music or something else, we are all artists and we understand and appreciate each other." Wow. I felt so grown-up. He thought I would understand and appreciate all these artists? Well, he fed that beast, and I did. I loved that job and held a part-time job in that field for at least five years.

Now all these years later, I've been thinking about that. "We are all artists." And I've found myself, a la Julia Cameron, striving for art dates to feed my art. Rather than only reading, I've tried to feed myself with all kinds of art. In the past few weeks, I've revisited all my old favorite musicals. Whenever some kind of cleaning is in order, I break out the old musicals--Les Miserables always at the top of the playlist. "When the beating of your drum echoes the beating of your heart, there's a life about to start when tomorrow comes." Good stuff. Inspiring stuff. And it does triple duty in my art life. It takes me back to that teen-age place of pure art adoration. (Andrew Lloyd Weber is a genius, a genius!) My heart soars with the return to my first love, and that fuels me in a different way, in a place of joy. And lastly, the brilliance, the quality of this art, inspires my writing in a new and fresh way. It takes me to a larger place, a bigger perspective, which lets me write from a place of great love and thankfulness.

So on this Grateful Wed, I am enormously thankful to all the artists of the world. The artists in every category who have gone before me, who toil even now, and who will shape the future. I am grateful for the art teachers, the school art programs, and everyone who values creativity. I believe that I was born of a Creator, in his image, and the greatest thing we were all called to do is create. We have an inborn desire and talent for creating, and we will not walk in peace until we've learned to tap into our creative selves.

So Artists, yes, I'm talking to you, feed the beast. Find a way to enjoy a bit of art today. Soak it in. Even if it's a busy day, you've time to visit Pandora.com and enjoy a little Les Mis. It's good for the soul.

Writing Wednesday-Resolutions for Writers

2012-01-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

So it's the first week of January (okay, maybe the second), but in all fairness, I'm going to give us all until the end of this week to get our resolutions in check. If you're a writer, it is tempting to look back on the past year and dwell on all the things that didn't take. But the disappointing things are often things like 'passes' (aka rejections) that we can't control. It is ridiculous to set a goal of 'selling three picture books' because the actual 'sell' part is beyond my control. What IS within your control is to set a goal of writing three picture books and preparing them for submission. So here's what I can control: I can write every day. I can prepare and send a magazine submission every week. I can write twelve picture book manuscripts in twelve months. (see 12X12 in 12) I can do art pages every day, and art dates every week. I can attend at least two craft courses in 2012. I can read all the new books. I can brainstorm new ideas, and keep honing my work. I can nurture and encourage young writers, and pay it forward. So that's the spirit of my resolution list this year.

I have a few 'Writer Challenges' I'd like to propose for all the writers out there. Here are a few things you may want to consider for your resolution list:
1. Enter at least one manuscript contest this year. For example, Highlights has a fiction contest every January. The prize is $1000 or free tuition to a Highlights course. But again, your goal is to ENTER.
2. Participate in 12X12in12. This challenge is to write twelve picture books in twelve months in 2012, i.e. one completed picture book manuscript a month. A tough goal, but look what you'll have at the end of 2012 (in addition to being a year older).
3. Participate in National Novel Writing Month in November. (NaNoWriMo) There is no better self-directed, tuition-free growth and learning experience for a writer than NaNoWriMo. I try to do it every year, and I am always amazed at the results--even when I'm not a 'winner'. If you are serious about writing, you must participate in NaNoWriMo at least once.
4. Participate in PiBoIdMo--the Picture book writing equivalent of NaNoWriMo. In PiBoIdMo, you generate a picture book idea and rough outline a day every day for a month. At the end of the month, you have thirty picture book ideas and notes. It was a GREAT way to prep for 12X12in 2012. Another author sponsors a similar event that lasts a week if you want to start on a smaller scale.
5. Consider an accountability partner. My accountability partner and I email goals to one another every day and then accountability at the end of the day (basically, did I do my stuff or not). It is an enormous motivator to know that someone is noticing whether or not you accomplish your goals every day.
6. Read a chapter a day in some sort of craft book like BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott or ON WRITING by Stephen King or THE WAR OF ART. These books will inspire you and keep you on track.

Okay, fellow writers, I'm sending out the love. May 2012 be YOUR YEAR.

TERRIFIC TUESDAY BOOKS

2012-01-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a dear friend who shared some YA titles with me, I read three good YA novels over the past few weeks. I should have read them over Halloween because there was a definite ghost theme. However, I enjoyed them all.

The first one, DARK SOULS by Paula Morris, is slated for ages 12 and up. It would, in my opinion, be eligible the 'younger YA' category (because there's nothing too vile or graphic for middle schoolers), but the historic and literary references add a depth appropriate for older readers. The story is set in York, England where the protagonist and her family are on a short visit due to her parent's jobs. The timing is good because Miranda and her brother, Rob, have recently been involved in a horrible accident that resulted in the loss of Miranda's best friend. Oddly, Miranda also gained something in this accident--the ability to see ghosts--only no one knows it yet. York, England is such a fantastic setting that even if you don't get sucked into this fascinating story of historically relevant ghosts (and you will!), you will find yourself googling York as a future travel destination. While their parents are busy working in York, Rob connects with a local girl and becomes involved in mysterious happenings at her family's historic restaurant. Jenna becomes involved with some local characters, as well, although they are not all so, well, accessible. I truly enjoyed this fascinating read with its historical references, use of John Milton's CAMUS, compelling setting, and fresh premise. It was released last August, and I recommend you pick it up. I *suspect* it may be the first in a series, but it certainly stands alone. CHECK IT OUT!

Next, I read and looooved FRACTURE by Megan Miranda. FRACTURE is set for release TODAY, so I hope you'll run check it out. The protagonist, Delaney, and her long-time friend, Dexter, literally walk on thin ice, Delaney falls in, and after ELEVEN LONG MINUTES, Dexter manages to pull her out. No one survives underwater after eleven minutes intact, except, it seems, the miraculous Delaney. Miranda takes the 'boy next door' relationship to a new level when she adds the complication that 'boy next door' saved the girl and 'boy next door' has a girlfriend, and 'boy next door' is the first one to notice that Delaney may not be so intact after all. Interesting characters, believable well-drawn parents, and a prickly crowd of friends will hold your interest until the last page.

BREAKING BEAUTIFUL by Jennifer Shaw Wolf was my last read. Our protag, Allie, recovers from a tragic accident that resulted in the death of her boyfriend, Trip. The incidents and evidence of the accident just don't add up for some people, and the police and Trip's family won't stop asking questions. Unfortunately, Allie just can't remember. Mutual friends turn on Allie, somehow blaming her for Trip's death, and threatening notes appear in her locker--IN TRIP'S HANDWRITING. With the help of her friend, Blake, Allie slowly pieces together a recollection of the evening, but it contains a truth that no one wants to hear. Great read. I highly recommend you pick this one up when it is released in April (and I WILL remind you!).

Have a great week, and hope you have the chance to indulge in one of these great reads. All are suitable for gift-giving for that favorite teen in your life. (and by suitable for gifting, I mean, no extraordinary cursing, graphic sex or detailed violence) All three of these books will be well-worn copies in school libraries.

Happy New Year! Mommy Monday!

2012-01-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I left a quick message yesterday, but I wanted to do a proper New Year's post today. One of my New Year's resolutions is to get my blog in shape! About a year and a half ago, I decided to make my blog more about writing and books and less about my family and personal stories. However, I've heard time and time again that you miss that part of the blog (thank you),and in truth, I miss it, too. Here's the thing, the books I love and my writing life are all greatly influenced by my life raising four children and all the excitement that comes with it. SO I've decided to have MOMMY MONDAYS. On these days I will talk about my fam, and save the books and writing stuff for other days.

So....for my first Mommy Monday, I wanted to talk about SANTA CLAUS. Yes, Santa Claus. As a mom and a writer of children's books, I think a LOT about the child's perspective of things. On Christmas day, my youngest son looked at my older son (who had apparently expressed some doubts about Santa) and said, "Santa is totally real. Mom would NEVER get us all this stuff." I had to laugh. He wrote the most darling note to Santa on Christmas Eve that ended with "Your the best!" Of course, I refrained from correcting the grammar and just enjoyed the sentiment because guess what? Santa IS the best.

A few years ago, a preacher friend of mine said they would never 'lie' to their kids and teach them about Santa. He said to me, "What are you teaching your kids when you tell them this big lie?"

It made me think. I mean, really, it's pretty incredible that as an ENTIRE culture, we manage to keep this whole Santa thing going. Generation after generation buys it because they WANT to buy it. I mean, who doesn't want to think that we're going to get rewarded for being good when all these people around us are acting like fools and getting away with it. Once when my daughter was in preschool, this little kid came up to all of the four-year-olds and said, "There's no such thing as Santa. It's your parents. They are the ones who give all the presents." The parents stood in horror as the children began to cry. Only one adult kept her cool and said to the kid, "No, Santa does bring presents to all these children, your parents have to get yours because you're too bad for Santa to come." ha ha ha It sounds harsh, but it saved a room full of weepy kids, and I, for one, wanted to break out in applause. Despite such incidents, we do, as an entire culture, manage to whip the children into a frenzy over this fat man in a red suit. Why is that? I understand why kids WANT to believe in someone who brings them cool toys. As a parent, I see the fun of it. But I come back to my friend's question, "What are you teaching your kids when you tell them about Santa?"

I thought about it a lot at that time because my children were very small, and we were taking every aspect of this parenting thing SO seriously and overanalyzing EVERYTHING. So my poor husband endured my consideration of this question. Was I going to screw up my kids by telling them about Santa? What WAS I teaching them?

I thought a lot about kids, who are concrete learners. They're not ready to grasp great big abstract concepts. They get what they can see and understand. They are very hands on, and they want to see everything. The idea of Santa is very visual. Even though they rarely actually see Santa, his image is everywhere--movies, sidewalks, books, and shopping centers. Stories about his lifestyle in the North Pole abound. Stories about his trusty sidekicks, the elves, are everywhere as well as intriguing tales of his reindeer. Kids love to draw Santa, laugh like Santa, play reindeer, and enact the whole thing. So here's what I decided.

Teaching your children about Santa teaching them this: there are concrete, real rewards in life for believing in things you cannot see. "Believe," we tell them, and they do. Santa is their first exercise in trusting that there is more to the world that meets the eye. It prepares them to believe in other things that they cannot see--the things that are the most important things in life.

God. Love. Kindness. Goodness. A Giving Spirit. Patience. Unconditional Love. These are all important concepts that we cannot see, but they enrich our lives once we learn to believe in them anyway.

Santa teaches our kids how to believe in things. And with concrete positive reinforcement (presents!), it rewards their faith.

Perhaps I'm justifying a long tradition, but I like to think that a belief in Santa hones my child's ability to believe and have faith in things he cannot see.

There are certain processes and things in life that we just have to have faith in. Like raising our children. We have to trust that loving them and nurturing them and respecting them and teaching them WORKS. We have to hang on and believe that it's all going to take. Because parenting is a LONG job, and it is usually a very long time before we know if we've done it correctly.

So perhaps Santa is for the parents, too. Perhaps, the jolly old man reminds us to BELIEVE in the processes that are hard for us--like hugging that teen-ager even when her arms are stiff at her sides and going out to the school even when the kids say they don't want you there and continuing to feed and clothe them even on the days when you want to do otherwise. BELIEVE.

Thanks, Santa.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's time for new beginnings, resolutions, and reflection. So here's what I'm thinking about today.

I'm assessing myself in the following categories. What worked well in 2011 at home, at work, and at play? What could have been better in 2011 at home, at work, and at play? What do I want to change in 2012 at home, at work, and at play?

Over the next few days, I will be exploring all these things, and I invite you to explore them with me. Changes will include changes in my blog, so I welcome all your suggestions, as well.

So stay tuned!

Support your Indies, but don't discount the other guys (pun intended)

2011-12-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

I am ALL about shopping locally and buying from your Independent bookseller. We've heard a lot about booksellers going under over the past couple of years. People have been making more of a concerted effort to support the bookstores that are left. We absolutely do NOT want to be a society without Independent bookstores. The promotion and communication of the reading public cannot be exclusively big box stores because there are LOTS of reasons why a big box store might promote a book or group of books that has nothing to do with the actual quality of the book. For example, you may or may not know that anyone can now download their book on Amazon for your reading pleasure. There are many good things about this feature, I suppose, for sharing purposes. Some of these books have developed strong readerships. But here's my concern about it, a person with a new kindle who goes online to download books may not easily discern between the books that have been through an editorial process and those that have not. For example, my cousin might download a book for 9.99 that looks interesting then find it to be full of typos, without plot points, and even incomplete (in one example). I searched teen books once and it led me to some self-published teen porn (in the defense of Amazon, it wasn't there the next time I looked, so they must have removed it). For the same $9.99 of hard-earned money, you could have purchased a quality piece of literature backed by a reputable publisher. Not that there aren't some good self-published pieces out there, there are, but it may be hard to distinguish the difference. And there are TONS Of good websites that review books, recommend new releases, give reviews and other things that promote books--people who aren't affiliated with a place that sells book. So educate yourself and others on how to find great books. So anyway, that's the Amazon issue for me.

But aside from that, I have no problem with the book-selling service Amazon provides. Sometimes the assumption is that we're all walking past our Indies and downloading from Amazon, but many of us don't have Indies anywhere near us. Perhaps, Amazon is the ONLY way for us to get books (aside from B&N, etc.) in a timely fashion. I love the Indies and support them every chance I get, but don't make us all into monsters if we receive a book on our porch every now and then.

Someone made a good analogy to me today. She compared books from Independent booksellers to organic food. Of COURSE, we'd all like to eat fresh, healthy organic food, but we may not always be able to afford it. When you take a kid with his allowance to Wal-Mart (yes, horrors) to purchase a book, it may be the difference in him getting a book or not. Perhaps this book will be the first step for a lifelong Indie supporter. It has to start with books. If we want a future full of readers, we need to acknowledge the value that readers are finding books in lots of places. Replace the negative big box press with better promotion of quality books, so that people KNOW how to discern the difference before they make their selection. Because nothing is more tragic than a young person reading a BAD book that turns him off when there are so many good books to be enjoyed.

So I challenge you: the next time you see a 'big-box bashing' online, comment with a book recommendation or an independent bookstore endorsement. Let's start a reading revolution. Let's send the love to all readers, no matter where they shop, and those of us with favorite Indies, enjoy, be grateful and promote them, as well. Creatively and in unexpected places, so the good news about books may be known to all.

Customer Service and Christmas Love

2011-12-13T06:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Business Owners,

It's Christmas, and at this time of year, I frequently patronize stores that are new to me, and I'm sure other people do the same thing. HERE"S YOUR CHANCE to wow customers and woo new ones. I have had countless non-wow experiences and these days they mostly involve someone talking on a cell phone while they check me out. That's not devastating to me as a customer, but the thing is, you've missed an opportunity to charm me and be appreciative of my business. Because let's be honest, there's a lot of people right now who will APPRECIATE business, right? So take a moment and be nice, say "Merry Christmas", thank me for coming in, (notice I came in!), and help me find what I need. It is one of the MANY reasons that I strive to buy local!! But I digress. I wanted to share with you a small moment I had this morning that will forever change my perception of a particular company.

I was on hold for an order (for maybe two minutes), but during that time, there was a message. "Your call may be monitored for our purposes--not yours--you are perfect just the way you are." A silly little tongue-in-cheek comment on a Christmas music-enhanced message, but I fell right in love with that company. Yes, it was that simple. I'm perfect just the way I am. Now, of course, I know they don't know me, and I'm NOT perfect just the way I am but still...it's a lovely sentiment to send out into the world.

So my point is this, dear Business Owners, it's not hard. Be sweet. Be personal. Be creative. Have a sense of humor! Share the love at Christmas, and you may find us coming around at other times of the year, as well.

Sincerely, A Potential Customer

Need for Children's Literature-Bigger Than Ever

2011-12-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

I believe that it has NEVER been more important to produce good, quality children's literature. Never in the history of time have children been so pulled in so many different directions. Children are more scheduled than ever before. Children less free than ever before. Children are stressed and prone to addictive behavior with their access to cell phones, internet, video gaming systems, and personal electronics. Many young people go to sleep with ear buds in their ears and wake up with their cell phones in their hands.

When do they have time to think? To dream? To have an adventure? To just be?

Being still with time to think and pray and reflect and imagine and dream--it's not a luxury. It's an important part of life. We all have to learn how to take our own pulse. We have to learn how to interact and love the people around us. We must be able to function 'unplugged'.

So what does this have to do with books? Reading is a way to be still and give our brains a little respite from the world. Picture books are a way for parents to snuggle up to their children and share the gift of story, an interaction together, a discovery together, a shared experience. Picture books are tactile not just in the touching of the book, but in the touching of each other. Trust me when I tell you, a child in the back seat with an app does NOT have the same experience. Not that PB apps are bad. Not at all. But they're not a replacement. They're something different altogether.

I know many brilliant, talented and big-hearted people who are working hard to put quality books out in the market. Take a look, especially as you think about Christmas presents.

I especially appeal to those of you who have an 'Angel Tree' child for whom you are shopping. Don't forget to include a book. Chances are, that child doesn't have a book to call his or her own. Give him a wonderful book, worthy of re-reading, a book that has transformative power, as all the best books do.

Use It or Lose It

2011-12-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

So now here I am. The first day of December. A whole pile of PB ideas. Now where do I start?? It's exciting but overwhelming. I want to hole up in my office and write them all. So I need a plan of action. I'll get right on it.

For now, the following things are running through my head:
Will the world crash in if we don't send Christmas cards this year? (I think it might)
What am I going to make for dinner?
Will my eight-year-old ever stop tap dancing in front of the fire and learn his spelling words?
What did my dog eat to make him smell like that?
How can we go through so much toothpaste in a week?
Will it hurt the cat to eat dog food for one more day until I go to the store?
When should we get the Christmas tree, and where should I put it this year?
Where is the Advent Calendar? Today is the 1st, and I need to find it.

That's the real barrier to productivity. Myself! My own distraction. So that is why I start my writing day with art pages every day. Not only does it warm up my writing, but I write about all those neurotic things floating around in my head which seems to pacify them. Sometimes I jump right into my writing project, but things always go more smoothly when I've finish my three art pages. Thanks to THE ARTIST'S WAY by Julia Cameron for teaching me that nifty trick.

So I'm off to work now. Later than usual, but the fireplace is roaring, my son is at my side making his flashcards, and the cat is purring. I have no more excuses.

Last Day of PiBoIdMo

2011-11-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

It is with sadness and joy that I approach the end of PiBoIdMo. It reminds me that there are certain things that are so special the FIRST time you do them. You may continue to do them over and over, but that first time is magical. NaNo was like that. The first time I wrote an entire novel in 30 days, I felt like Captain America. I could take on the world. I could do anything. Like the first time you have a baby. It's, like, I am capable of anything. PiBoIdMo has been like that for me. 30 ideas in 30 days. And if you've been reading my posts, you know that I actually set the bar a bit higher. If there was ever an idea I didn't LOVE, it didn't count. I went back and re-did that day, so after today, I will actually have 30 project ideas (and good beginnings) that I LOVE. This whole experiment confirms the magic of the writing process.

When you're writing a novel, you write your 2000 pages a day or whatever you do, and it takes every ounce of you to do it most days. Truly, you open a vein and pour it on the page as Stephen King says. (I think it's SK--could have been Anne Lamott--I'll get back to you on that one) You feel fantastic. It's a feeling unlike any other, and if you're a writer like me, missing a day of writing is very difficult. It makes you moody, disconnected, and something inside is just pent-up. NOthing will cure it except writing. Occasionally my husband will come home to me in a mood, and he'll send me out to my office to write for a few minutes. It always works. Always. But back to my point. Most days when I finish writing I have NO IDEA what I'll write the next day. Even though it's a novel, and I often know the general direction it's going, the path is uncertain and the details like dialogue and character subplots are definitely uncertain. I try to think about it a bit before I go to bed each night, but I am generally clueless. Then LIKE MAGIC the next morning, BIC (the real secret of writing), it comes. It flows. And the story goes on. That's how it happens day after day after day until the story is told. Day after day, you have no idea where the next day's story is going to come from, but it keeps coming. It ALWAYS keeps coming. Now it's taken me ten years to realize that. Amateurs think they HAVE to stay up all night to write a good idea until it's gone(and honestly, lots of times we WANT to), but you don't have to. The creative juices replenish every day. It's a wonder.

So you see I KNEW this about writing novels. I KNEW that the process would always deliver in a longer manuscript. I had learned to TRUST THE PROCESS in writing a novel. But picture books? A new idea every day? And a really good one? Sure, I figured I could come up with some cute little story a day, blah, blah, blah, and I thought that by the end of the month, I might have a few keepers. I figured the exercise would be good practice in the structure of a story, etc. But it wasn't like that at all. It was just like writing a novel. I would go to bed, truly, WITHOUT A CLUE, every night. I would be SO excited about my newest awesome fresh and funny idea that I said to myself, over and over, "Well, the whole month is worth this one idea." But then they kept coming. Better and better. Last night, the second to last day, I may have had my best idea of all. Except there's still today...

So I am SO excited to get BIC this morning. I cannot wait to see what awaits me at the keyboard and sketchpad today because I now know that my next great idea is right around the bend. Don't get me wrong, all the ideas aren't great, but I push and reject and manipulate and play until they are great.

And you know what I think? I think that stinking Jane Yolen (LOVE YOU, JY!) has know this all along. And she may have even shared it prior to her 200th published book. But the thing is, you don't really know it until you KNOW it.

Thank you, PiBoIdMo, for a GREAT month. I am a different writer and a different person for these discoveries. While I am a little sad to see November end, I know it must. Because November must make way for the magic of December when I get to go back in to these awesome projects, and really make them sing.

It is no coincidence that the month of November also contains Thanksgiving. What a joy and an honor and a delight and a privilege it is to fritter about in the magical world of children's literature.

Living a Creative Life

2011-11-29T08:56:00.000-08:00

If PiBoIdMo has taught me anything (and truly, it has taught me a lot), but if I HAD to narrow it down to one thing, I would say it has reminded me of the importance of living a creative life. It is so tempting to follow the straightest distance between two points all the time. It's more efficient. It's 'smarter' most people would say. But living a creative life isn't about the most efficient way of getting things done, it's about the process. Creative living is savoring the steps, the movement, even the struggles that take you to the end point. What's so great about the end of anything, anyway? Why do we rush to finish things? If we're so anxious to finish something, why are we even doing it????

Okay, we have to do things like mop our floors and clean our bathrooms and sort laundry. There is some level of creativity that can be applied, but for the most part, we do just get it done. But such tasks should be the exceptions in our lives because there is an adventure in every thing. We just have to look for it or possibly even create it, but it makes the journey such a joy.

I'm reading a beautiful, beautiful book by Anne Ursu called BREADCRUMBS. The protagonist is such a creative, inventive soul. She sees the world and all its magic in such a special way, but the story heightens the juxtaposition of her stark reality and the creativity she longs for. The conflict is so evident in every painful moment of her day. Let's not be like that.

Thank goodness we're grown-ups and in our maturity and experience, we can choose the way we approach things.

Over the past month, I've become a better listener. One might even say eavesdropper because I really do overhear the darndest things, especially from children. And it's hilarious and delightful to see things from that perspective. Like my eight-year-old son's pronouncement, "Why would anyone want to go to a school called Yale? It sounds like a fish. If you can pick any school, go to a school with a good name. A cool name. Like Princeton. Then it's like you're the royal family because of the "Prince"--get it?" Yes, I got it. And I've chuckled about it for days. That's bound to appear in a book.

Over the past month, I've become a better observer. One might even say I stare more because more than ever, I have begun to notice the physical aberrations in the natural world. The one little leaf that refuses to fall off the tree. The raindrop that pools on the top of my car antennae. The squirrels who prefer one person's yard over another, and the cats who congregate on the corner by the church. I hear the birds calling to one another in the early morning and how the sound escalates just before the rain. The clouds move at a fantastic speed in the early morning, just as the sun rises. A deer walking down the sidewalk at the beach. There's a story in everything and I've learned to look for it and play it out in my head. Go with it. Be creative. Have fun with it. It may amount to nothing, it will probably amount to nothing, but enjoy the process.

So today, I challenge you to choose the creative life. Rather than complaining in your head about the obnoxious person slowing down the grocery line, tell yourself his story. Instead of admiring clothes in a catalog (clothes you probably don't need), ask yourself what kind of character would wear those clothes and in what setting would these clothes be grossly out of place. Wonder about things. Ask what if. Create backstories for everything and everyone. And make something special because of your unique touch whether it's an imaginative dinner or the way you place the clean towels on the racks. Wander a bit. Take the long way home. Ask your kids a crazy question and wait for their answers.

Shake things up, and I dare say, you will rediscover the sheer delight of simply living in this world. Then, and only then, will you begin to create your own special and unique contributions to the world.

PiBoIdMo

2011-11-28T17:31:00.000-08:00

For the first time this year, I participated in PiBoIdMo. I've enjoyed NaNo over the years, but this year, I decided to do something different. When I heard Tara Lazar's blog was sponsoring a Picture Book Idea Month, I was intrigued. The idea is to get a new picture book manuscript idea a day for thirty days. I set up a nifty little system with notecards and so forth, and set some goals. The idea is to get an idea a day, but I wanted to push myself a bit harder. (Because, yes, I am neurotic) First of all, my goal was to write a chapter book this month in addition to participating in PiBoIdMo. But my main PiBoIdMo rule was this: I would only include ideas that I LOVED. Just getting an idea would not be enough. So....I started out of the gate excited and raring to go. And it was HARD. Really hard. Because usually I get my ideas from everywhere BUT sitting around thinking of ideas. It was kind of weird to say, okay, now I'm going to think of an idea every day.

The first few days were kind of strange. I paced around my office, sweating, 'brainstorming', using all the techniques I use with my Odyssey of the Mind team. I wrote pages and pages of art pages trying to come up with something, anything! Each day I came up with SOMETHING, but early on, I wasn't getting ideas that I LOVED, so in my definition, I didn't have anything!

About the fifth day, it kicked in. I mean, really kicked in. All of a sudden the ideas were coming and they were coming on schedule (while I was in my office looking for them!). Then, the ideas began to overflow into my other time. I thought of phrases and characters at the dinner table, in the shower, and woke up with scenarios in my head. I threw all all my original ideas and replaced them with ideas I LOVED. Now, with two days left of PiBoIdMo, I can hardly wait to attack my ideas and write them in earnest. I'm sad to see it end. It has become a magical time to lose myself in creativity every day. Without the pressure to write the whole manuscript or even a draft, I could enjoy the process of fleshing out ideas and playing around until I loved it.

As of today, I have 28 ideas that I am so excited about that they're like puppies tumbling around in my head, climbing one over the other, vying for my attention. I can hardly wait for December when I get to immerse myself in all these great ideas. That's the major difference in NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo. With Nano, you can hardly WAIT for the month to end, and then you want to take a big break from writing. You want to take a big break from EVERYTHING because you've let the house fall down around you while you write 2500 words a day. Of course, you're proud and amazed that you've finished yet another manuscript, but still, you're burned out. With PiBoIdMo, I am excited and hopeful about moving forward. I am fueled rather than exhausted. Granted, the task was a LOT easier, but it was still an intense 30 day ride. And I heartily recommend it to all.

SO hold on to your seats, people, because I predict that the best writing I've done in years is about to happen as a result of PiBoIdMo. Thanks, Tara Lazar, and all the PB writers who posted daily inspirations and thoughts this month.

What if it had been a girl?

2011-11-21T06:11:00.000-08:00

I digress from literature this morning although it will most likely tie in.

I have been sickened, horrified, and deeply saddened by the situation at Penn State. Without going into any great detail because I know you know the deal, I have hoped and prayed that somehow, in this awful world of bad reporting, we would wake up to find it wasn't true. But it seems, as days and weeks pass, that it is. When I took a peek at my Sunday Times this morning (yes, this morning, no idea why I didn't get it YESTERDAY), I was caught by the title of Daniel Mendelsohn's opinion column "What if it had been a girl in the Penn State locker room?" That was all I had time to read. I took kids to school, cleaned up kitchen, etc., and that question still haunted me. What if it HAD been a girl? Without even reading the column (which I will), I am full of wondering. What if someone had stumbled upon a young girl being raped in the locker room? Would he have intervened? What if priests in the first Catholic church scandal had raped a girl instead of a boy? How would all these events have played out differently?

My blood runs cold as I think about this question. Because I am the mother of boys and girls. And both scenarios turn my stomach. But if I look long and hard at our culture, I have to admit that had these situations involved girls, things would have been different. Different how? I'm not entirely sure, but for starters, I think the person who saw it would have IMMEDIATELY intervened in the case of a girl.

WHY? And what message does it send our boys?

We all know that our society is troubled today by its lack of men. Real men. Men who raise the children they father and take responsibility for their families.

When we hide crimes on boys like this, bury them, turn our heads, are we sending a message that they just don't matter? That they should just 'man up' and 'shake it off'? Or are we just at a loss of how to handle such horrific things?

Are we missing a whole slew of men because of such injustice and head-turning? Men who might be great leaders, compassionate fathers, faithful husbands and justice-seekers.

I don't know, but I challenge you to consider this question today. What if it had been a girl?
And thanks to Mr. Mendelsohn for raising the question.

The only good that can come out of horrible events such as this one is LEARNING and AWARENESS and CHANGE in society.

All this time...

2011-11-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

It occurred to me this morning that with all the books I have read, I should be speaking about fifteen languages. Seriously, I could have been studying something, learning something, MASTERING something. I could have an array of party tricks that include reciting the book of GEnesis (gets 'em every time!), quoting whole scenes from Shakespeare, details from the periodic table of the elements, and otherwise alienating my peers (but with some warped measure of satisfaction). I could have been doing SOMETHING with all that time. Now don't get me wrong, it's not like I sit around reading all the time. I sneak it in--instead of turning on the television, in place of sleeping, while I wait for the dryer to finish, in the carpool line, while pumping gas, you get the picture. But with some planning and organization, I could have covered all the Rosetta stones, finally learned all the lyrics from RENT, and memorized every child psychology book in the library. My house could be immaculate and organized. I could have a freezer full of casseroles. My walls could have fresh coats of paint. I could have trained for a marathon.

But I didn't. I read. And read. And read. In little snippets and big chunks. On my kindle and at the library. Crappy paperbacks and dusty volumes.

Through it all, I really did learn something. I would even say I mastered something. Some might even call it another language as elusive as it can be. And I learned something the only way it can be learned, by reading.

I learned about story. About character. I learned about the poetry of great writing. I learned the deliciousness of the correct verb and the jolting ugliness of the wrong one. I fell in love with characters over and over again and learned the art of seduction. I have grown more firmly convinced that art is critical to our human experience, that stories can inspire and transform, and that children need great stories to become healthy adults.

So here I am. A master? Not hardly. But I'm a lot closer than I was ten years ago.

So when I sit down to write this morning, when the enemy of art tells me it doesn't matter, when I feel dejected and pointless, when I wonder if anyone will ever read my work, when I am tempted to quit because it just doesn't matter, I KNOW BETTER. I know that it does matter. That even if my writing never lands in the hands of another child, it has crafted me and my world.

Though even as I write those words, something inside of me SCREAMS because I know I am called to do this work. I wake up every day compelled to tell another story or to tell an old one better. To keep writing. To keep improving. To keep growing. To give my best work and nothing less.
I create to honor my creator.

Rhymes that Get you in Trouble

2011-11-09T04:36:00.000-08:00

So last night, we're all gathered around the dinner table. With daylight savings time underway, it is dark outside and cozy inside. We're all enjoying each others' company when my eight-year-old lets loose a zinger.
"I'm about to say something inappropriate," he warns.
"Maybe you shouldn't say it," his sister suggests.
"But it's really funny."
"Go ahead," I say. "We all know we shouldn't repeat inappropriate things, right?"
Everyone agrees even though I am modeling the opposite. But I"m curious. And we might need to address something, right? Of course, the other kids are dying to hear.
"It's okay, sweetie," I said. "You can say it."
He's grinning like a crazy man, excited to speak the forbidden words. "I'll give you a nickel if you tickle my pickle."
Of course, we all die laughing.
"Who said that?" I asked.
"Some boy on the playground said it to a girl. He got in big trouble."
I guess so.
So we lapse into a hilarious discussion about why it's not appropriate and so forth, the key phrases things like, "Only you should tickle your pickle and only in private" which, of course, had us all in hysterics. But he got the point.
Then we recalled my son's second grade year when he turned in the poem, "There once was a genie with a six foot weenie, and he showed it to the girl next door. She thought it was a snake, she hit it with a rake, and now it's only 2 foot 4." He had heard it somewhere (camp?), couldn't cough up the assigned poem (or didn't want to take the time...he was in the 'finish first' stage), and turned it in. His teacher called to read it to me, and I, of course, was mortified. The teacher thought it was clever and well-written, but not okay for school. OF COURSE. Not ONLY was it inappropriate, but it was also plagiarized!
These two funny stories got me thinking last night. Kids are drawn to the inappropriate, of course, because it's funny. And both of these poems were humorous and not dark or pornographic exactly. They weren't particularly sexual, especially to my son who didn't liken tickling his pickle to sex.
I like to think the kids were drawn to the rhyme. The perfect meter and rhythm, and I like to think that if they had a little more Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky in their heads, they might have recited those poems instead. So maybe I'm a total Pollyanna, but somewhere deep I want to believe that my boys just love poetry! And I plan to IMMEDIATELY expand their repertoire.
And just so you know, in spite of the above incidents, my boys are normal, sweet, well-behaved boys. I just had to say that. ha ha Have a GREAT day!

SWEPT UP by Diane Owens

2011-10-31T06:36:00.000-07:00

I have been writing for a number of years. Sometimes it's horrifying to admit how long I've been writing with such s-l-o-w results. But I digress.
One of the most amazing things about my walk as a writer is all the other awesome writers I've met along the way. Some of them have become dear and precious friends like Diane Owens. We met in an online critique group some years ago (not even sure how long ago??). In an online critique group, a different writer submits his or her work every week, and the other members of the group critique it. It's kind of like bringing out your new baby and asking other people to tell you what is the matter with him or her. Really. You've spent nine months (or more) growing, developing, nurturing, agonizing over this thing. You screw up your courage and throw it out there, then BAM everyone tells you what's wrong with it. (because that's pretty much their JOB in a critique group) Of course, they also tell you what's right about it, but you don't always hear that part. Not at first.
One of the most amazing, persisting and creative writers I've worked with in a critique group is Diane Owens. I always looked forward to her turn to submit, and I enjoyed all her work. There are many, many ways to be a writer in this modern society. The big publishing houses are incredibly selective (which is good), often slow (which can be hard), and very, very difficult to break into. Believe me, I KNOW. Many people have become discouraged with that process. Some writers even feel that they want to focus on their writing and not worry about the business part of it. They want to share their work, connect with students and schools, and enjoy their craft.
Diane Owens is that writer. She loves her local fan base, her many student-writer-admirers at the school where she works, and young people everywhere who have connected with her online. Her book, SWEPT UP, is her latest work, and I can see why all the kids love it. I enjoyed the story and concept from the first critiqued chapter, so it is soooo exciting for me to see this book finally in print! I am so happy and thrilled for Diane to have her book out there, and I am even happier to see how many people are enjoying it. It is satisfying to see someone travel the full distance.
Now let me tell you about SWEPT UP. A group of students begin their day in their school gym. They plan to have one of those mock communities for a day. Profit Town, they called it. Each student in the sixth grade would have a role. For one day, they would see if they could hold a city together. At most schools, it's a lackluster learning experiment for the social studies department, but at their school, it goes horribly wrong or right? Somehow the 'experiment' becomes a true life fight for survival when the students are locked in the gym sans adults. Except for one creepy Janitor.
Check out SWEPT UP by Diane Owens. You might want to leave the door of the gym propped open from now on.....

Recharging Creativity

2011-10-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

Today I'd like to talk a bit about creativity. I sincerely believe that every one is creative. I also believe that everyone needs to exercise that creativity in order to be healthy and productive. It's a part of our nature. We all express our creativity in different ways, just as we have different talents. I express mine through cooking, painting, and especially writing. To me, writing is the perfect expression of creativity because anyone can do it (yes, you can!), the tools are inexpensive, it is easily portable, and it is therapeutic. A lot of people journal, as do I, and that is a great place to start. I have a talented friend who teaches an AMAZING art journaling class. I would highly recommend art journaling. I spend most of my writing days on creative writing. I am trying to write something fresh and different and fun and unexpected. My thought is, if it's not fun to write, it won't be fun to read. So you could say that fun is the goal! I like to play around with picture books and short stories for children, and I use many techniques to spark creativity. I'd like to share one with you today.

I keep two bowls on my desk at all times. Whenever I think of a cool character for a story, I write it down and throw it in my character bowl. My other bowl is a setting bowl. When I come across an interesting setting for a story, I jot it down and throw it into that bowl. Sometimes I have a third bowl, and that is a problem bowl. When I think of a challenging problem for a character to face, I write it down and put it in that bowl. I currently have 50 plus items in each bowl. When I sit down to do my art pages in the morning (see Julia Cameron's THE ARTIST'S WAY--a must read), I choose a piece of paper from each bowl and spend 5-10 minutes brainstorming story ideas from that combination of things.

Here's an example. The other day, I pulled "Cartwheeler" out of my character bowl and "Closet" out of my setting bowl. I wrote about trying to cartwheel in a closet, being a closet cartwheeler, saving an old cart wheel in a closet, a cart wheel with a mind of its own-had to shut it in the closet, couldn't stop cartwheeling unless she hid in the closet, etc. Anyway, it's great fun, a good warm up for your daily writing, and every so often, the idea takes off into a great manuscript. Who knows? THE CLOSET CARTWHEELER might be on a shelf someday.

So get a couple of bowls, set them on your desk, and start collecting. You can write them all down (which I tend to do), but you can tear ideas from newspapers, magazines, and use pictures for setting ideas. I do have one picture in my setting bowl. It is of a really cool tree house. Wonder how my cartwheeler would do up there?

Have an awesome day full of creativity. It WILL put a smile on your face.

National Book Awards Mistake

2011-10-17T18:52:00.000-07:00

For any of you who have been dead and living in a hole today, I will catch you up on the case of the big mistake. One of my favorite authors, Lauren Myracle, had a book (SHINE) nominated for the National Book Award. And then it wasn't. You see they called her and said, "Whoo hoo! Your book is nominated! You rock! Shine is awesome. You have arrived as a writer!" etc. or at least those are the things that probably went through her mind. So she gets all excited, calls her husband, her mom, her high school rival, all her ex-boyfriends, and probably even her mother-in-law. She is affirmed at last. All those years of writing have paid off. She's a National Book Award finalist for goodness sakes. That's BIG.

Until (errrrrk---sound of needle scratching across record) Ms. Myracle gets another call. "Oops, actually, you're not nominated."

Um, yes, she was.

"It was a mistake."

OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH.

"Will you please pull your book from the list..." (and this is the BEST part) "For the INTEGRITY of the National Book Award?"

OUCH. OUCH. OUCH.

"Okay, we'll throw in $5000 to a good cause in your name."

And Lauren Myracle, quietly pulled her book from the list.

My heart breaks for her and the ups and downs she must have experienced this week. Here is the e-mail I would write her if she was my best friend.

Lauren, WHAAAT? Did I hear correctly? Your book TOTALLY deserves to be on that list. SHINE rocks. But it's okay to cry. And have a drink or two. Better yet, I'm on my way. But until then, "You is good, you is kind, you is important" (from THE HELP-awesome book and flick). Best Friend

The lameness of that email only PROVES what a difficult situation she is/was in. Her fans are sad for her and furious at the way it was handled. People are rallying on her facebook page and on twitter and suggesting that everyone read SHINE. (as I also suggest)

So join the masses in support of Lauren Myracle in this tough time. Read SHINE and say a little prayer for her tonight.

Lessons Abound

2011-10-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

I am so tired I just stuck my hand in my coffee instead of the bowl of peanuts I made for breakfast. Yes, it is PEANUT time. I have to do my part for the local farmers and enjoy the bounty of their crops. Yum. I just love this time of year when the smell of peanuts is in the air, cotton is in bloom in the fields, and trucks full of harvest clog the roads. There's a sense of order and season to it all.

I am tired because we stayed up late last night while our darling Norwegian girls made Norwegian pancakes for us. Then we all had to look at the NYC pictures again. It was hard to say good-bye to them this morning. They've been here just under two weeks, but it feels like much longer. They have taught our family so much and not at all the things we expected. I know their mamas will be glad to wrap their arms around them when they arrive tomorrow. I pray for their safe travels and seamless re-entry into their daily routine.

So now back to writing. I've been struggling with the process lately. Partly because I've been busy and partly because I feel like I'm at a crossroads. I have several beginnings that need endings (middle grade novels), some work that needs polishing (early readers), and some picture books that need creating. Of course, my house needs cleaning and there are countless other distractions about, but I KNOW I need to stick with my writing. Some days it is harder than others, and this WEEK it's been hard. However, I have been productive, just not like I'd like.

Enough about that.

The world of exchange students is very different than it used to be. When I was in high school and exchange students came, they had never seen American television, heard American music or seen any shots of America outside of pictures. They had no clue (or very little) about the daily life of Americans. Our girls came from Norway speaking better English than half the people in eastern North Carolina, listening to all the same bands and watching the same television shows my kids see. They knew quite a bit about American culture from the television although much of it was greatly exaggerated or extreme, as you can imagine. So in many ways, their time here was not as much of a jolt as it might have been 25 years ago. In some ways, that makes for a better experience because they can get past all the 'distractions' and talk about the deep differences and similarities of our cultures. I enthusiastically recommend you all to take a young person into your home if you have the chance.

WAYS EXCHANGE STUDENTS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

1. You have the opportunity to see the beauty and detail of your own country through their eyes which leads to more appreciation of the world around us.
2. Your family pulls together to host them. Everyone makes sacrifices to have two more people in the house. We have to cooperative and work together, and that is a beautiful thing.
3. Your children get awesome role models. These courageous, smart girls who aren't afraid to travel and experience new things--all with grace and gratefulness. It's good for your kids to see someone genuinely appreciative for things they may see/eat/experience on a regular basis.
4. You learn humility and are reminded of the old adage "Don't judge a book by its cover". Many of these students look and dress quite different from our culture. Many of them are heavily tattooed, wear different make-up and clothing. It would be easy to make a snap judgement.
5. You learn a lot about the government and daily lives of another country that, no matter how crazy our politicians have been acting lately, makes you appreciate democracy and non-socialized health care. We are so blessed to have such good medical care available to us in the U.S. Expensive? Yes, but at least it's good.
6. You get to fall in love and gain a renewed faith in the young people who will be our future.

I was tearful as I told them good-bye this morning. They'd taught me a lot more than I gave them. I felt so humbled and honored to have had them in our home. We promised to keep in touch and connect again. We invited them to come back during their gap year next year and talked of visiting them. But the reality is, we may never see them again.

Autumn Book Snuggling

2011-10-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

Unemployment rate is soaring...poverty rate is highest in years...government leaders act like preschoolers...Has there ever been a better time to escape in a book? In between helping our fellow citizens, of course. There are lots of great books out this fall, but today I'm going to talk about something else.

I have had a busy couple of weeks, and I want to tell you all about it. The past two weeks, we have shared our home with two precious Norwegian exchange students.

Before they arrived, my eight-year-old wondered, "Will we have to teach them about forks? Will they wear animal skins? Do they sleep in beds?" Needless to say, these things weren't issues at all.

They are darling girls, smart and witty and gorgeous. Their homeland has endured the horrific mass murders in Oslo last summer. This terrible incident has played a big role in the lives of these girls. For example, two members of their group scheduled to come to America on this trip were killed in the shootings. Eight young people in their senior class alone died. And one of the girls was there amidst the horror. It saddens me deeply to see the pain these young people have suffered. Yet it has also encouraged me to see the resilience and the courage of these girls. I feel honored that they have told us their stories and shared their grief with our family. What a gift to us all.

Anyway, after hearing all that and their dream to see New York City, you KNOW what I did! Yes, I loaded up four girls (two of my own and the two Norwegians), and we DROVE to NYC. Despite the fact that I promptly lost my wallet, we had a grand time. And I was so proud of myself for driving in NYC for the first time. All you city folks are probably laughing, but I have a giant farm car, and I just wasn't convinced it would fit in those narrow lanes! But it did, and we had great fun.

Tonight is their last night, and we will surely miss them. It has been a great experience all the way around. We have learned a great deal about Norway and heard a first-hand account of the shock and horror of a Norwegian Current Event. Sometimes we see these things on the news, and they don't quite digest. When you look a kid in the eyes who stood in horror before a shooting lunatic, you see the event quite differently.

It got me to thinking...you know, we all have a story. My neighbors, people in line at the grocery store, the man at the computer at the library...maybe it's not as horrific as her experience, but it's often painful. And sad. And disappointing. I am going to try to have more compassion for my fellow man, especially strangers. It's easy to love the people you know, but not to easy to love the jerk with the radio that breaks the sound barrier. Obviously, he's trying to get attention. And why would he need to beg for attention in that way? Because he doesn't get enough love and encouragement when he needs it.

What's your story? If you don't remember the story of the massacre in Oslo this summer (at a camp), google it now. And say a prayer for all of Norway.

Awesome Array of Picture Books

2011-09-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

I had a book study day last week, which is one of my FAVORITE and MOST PRODUCTIVE things to do. I spent a few hours in a bookstore perusing the back wall of picture books. You may or may not know that the 'back wall' can give you a pretty good idea of the hottest selling picture books. As Allyn Johnston, a S%S book editor, says, "A good picture book is a work of art." The first 'work of art' I'd like to mention is GRANDPA GREEN by Lane Smith. This precious and beautifully illustrated story conveys a lot of heart in few words and magnificent pictures. The narrator is a little boy telling us all about his elderly Grandpa's life, with the help of his Grandfather's gardening skills. Anna Dewdney is back with the fabulous LLAMA LLAMA HOME WITH MAMA. Dewdney hits yet another home run when Llama Llama stays home for a sick day. The heart and humor will delight every reader. I also adored the surfing story about PIG KAHUNA by Jennifer Sattler. This story is endearing and humorous; you will fall in love with the Pig Kahuna.

I was THRILLED to see that Amelia Bedelia is BACK. Pre-quels continue to be hip, and Herman Parish proves it with Amelia Bedelia as a child in AMELIA BEDELIA'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL and AMELIA BEDELIA'S FIRST FIELD TRIP. Giggles aplenty.

The best title award (although PIG KAHUNA was a close contender) goes to SUBSTITUTE CREACHER by Chris Gall. A charming story that feels like an early graphic novel (Remember Otto?). The fun creepy nature and detailed illustrations were a big hit with my boys.

So...that's a good start for you and your children or neighbors or anyone who will listen to you sing the praises of picture books. (BTW, GRANDPA GREEN would be a great gift for someone of any age.)

I'll let you get started on those, then I'll tell you about the rest in a day or so. Enjoy!

Pulled in Many Different Directions

2011-09-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

I used to think I was pulled between two different things: Working outside the home and mothering my children. Mothering my children and cleaning my house. Mothering my children and preparing meals. Then the kids would go to bed, and I would be pulled between time with my husband and laundry. Laundry and cleaning up the kitchen. Cleaning up and setting my work goals for the next day. Other times of day forced me to choose, as well. Meetings at church or dinner with the family. I could go on and on...

But then I finally realized, I am pulled in a HUNDRED different directions. And you may not believe it, but it actually made me feel BETTER. Seriously. Because when I look at all the things I am 'expected' to do in a day, when I look at them all at once, I can't do anything but laugh. Because there is no stinking way ANYONE could do that. So instead of choosing what I'm going to do, I'm trying to think more about what I'm NOT going to do each day.

For example, this morning I got up. I had a big writing deadline, kids wanted to eat breakfast, husband wanted to plot out the afternoon with carpools, etc., son wanted me to open a different bag of chips instead of taking the pre-bagged ones in his lunch, carpool partner needed me to go over schedule with her, daughter wanted me to help find her water bottle, other son changed his mind about breakfast, dogs needed to be fed, cat meowed to be fed, dogs wanted to go out, cat wanted to come in, humongous truck backing into driveway next door-needed to protect children, coffee spilled in lunch box needed to be wiped up...I could go on and on. And that's just one 10 minute period in a normal morning. Could I do all those things? No, so I had to adjust a few expectations, and then we all moved on. Choose battles you can win first thing in the morning!

Kids are swamped with options, temptations and choices. They need to see that it is OKAY to say, "Not gonna happen," and we need to let them know that sometimes. We even need to let THEM admit that they may or may not get to everything on their list in a day, an hour, or even at a birthday party. Or they will just grow up to be another generation of stressed-out, perfectionist-striving parents.

Once I realized that I wasn't always choosing between two things but a myriad of things, it felt much less like a battle of good vs. evil.

What Will Become of Us? SUPPORT OUR LIBRARIES!

2011-09-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, so maybe that's a LITTLE dramatic, but I am concerned about the future of LIBRARIES in small towns. I found out last week that our town library's ANNUAL budget for new books is--drumroll please--$500. $500! That just kills me! We have this awesome new librarian who is really working to grow the YA collection (which was basically nonexistent before) as well as continue the quality in other areas. For $500? A fund-raiser (or TEN) is definitely in order, but in a small community (population around 5,000) where lots of people are out of work, I don't know how much is out there. It's not like when our priest told us the church needed a new roof, and he said, "The good news is we have all the money we need for a new roof, the bad news is, it's still in your pockets." I don't know if the money we need IS in too many pockets, and honestly, many people are just trying to stay in their homes and feed their kids. In the short term, those things are absolutely top priority. But for the sake of the long term, this community needs resources like the library (no, our town does not have a bookstore) not just for books, but for internet access. And it's not just our town, small town libraries everywhere are struggling.

Just a little public service announcement this morning.

We are having torrential rain right now, then I am on to the library to write. Yes, it is my office some days, too. And not just my office, there's a bunch of people in there working on various things every day. But I digress.

THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOUR LIBRARY:
1. Donate your old books. Nice, recent hardbacks can be added directly to the collection. Older books can be sold as used books for fundraising.
2. Ask your library about used books sold as fundraising! Be a customer!
3. Join FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY or whatever support group your library has. A simple $10 annual membership, for example, can do wonders when multiplied by many members. Think about it, only 50 members would DOUBLE the annual book buying budget.
4. Thank and encourage a librarian TODAY. It's tough for them these days. Many wonder librarians are doing miraculous things with tiny budgets. Just a small word of appreciation can go a long way.
5. Patronize your library. You will learn other ways to plug in and help, but you will also be reminded of what an amazing resource your local library can be.

Writing Routine

2011-09-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

Now all the kids are back in school, most of the summer sand has been swept up, and now it's time to get down to business. I wrote some over the summer, but nothing like my school year schedule when I usually write 4-5 hours a day.

If you've never done it, let me tell you that working at home is hard. Working for yourself is hard. Trying to make yourself a schedule and hold to it is hard. When I'm writing a novel, I measure success by word count. I can set specific word count goals, and I either did it or I didn't. (but most likely I kept my BIC until I did it) But when I'm working on picture books or storyboarding with art, it is very hard to measure your success for the day.

I recently picked up a tip from the blog of the amazing YA author Sara Zarr (www.sarazarr.com). She measures her success by time. This doesn't sound like rocket science, but it wowed me all the same. You see, I love a timer. I set the timer when I'm cleaning my house (20 minutes in this room, 20 minutes in the next room, etc.). Otherwise, I'd get distracted and spend a week cleaning out a kitchen cabinet or drawer. I work well when I break things into small and measurable bites. I'm goal-oriented (obsessed?) when I work, and this small change in my daily goal-setting has worked well so far. I even have a cute little duckie timer that quacks when the time is up.

So that's what I'm doing these days. Trying to get myself back on track. But I was thinking, why BACK on track? How about MORE on track? Or maybe on a DIFFERENT track? Hmmmmmm....all I know for sure is I am working hard and plan to have a productive school year.

How about you? What are your best work habits? How do you manage your schedules? I know a lot of you write from home or work from home in other ways. I'd love to hear some of your best tips.

And another question: what's the best book you read all summer?

Let's be more interactive, people, just to prove that technology has not created a culture without social skills.

Your child can learn everything he needs to know ON THE BEACH

2011-07-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

So enough of the helicopter parenting already! I sat on the beach yesterday while my boys had a ball and learned everything they needed to know about life. Really. I propose that children can learn everything they need to know AT THE BEACH. You heard me correctly, parents need only relax in the sand nearby and watch the magic. Here's some proof:
1. When something knocks you down (like a wave), get back up! Or you'll miss something.
2. God is an awesome creator. What better evidence do you need than the ocean?
3 . When you decide to do something, go all in. Sure the water's cold, but it's not getting any warmer.
4. Reading is important. Grown-ups model this desirable behavior all over the beach.
5. Having fun is important (like playing on the beach), but always take the necessary precautions (like sunscreen and drinking water).
6. Speaking of sunscreen, everyone gets a little in their eyes now and then, and it hurts. Lots of things hurt. But not forever.
7. Sure, Mom and Dad can get you a boogie board, but what you do with it is all up to you.
8. Always be prepared in life. (pack a cooler)
9. End the day sandy and tired, and know that you gave your all. Learn from your mistakes, and know you have a fresh start tomorrow.
10. Every person must do his or her part in the world. I.E. No running down to the beach empty-handed.
11. Take care of your things or the tide will take them away.
12. Your parents will always be here under the umbrella if you need them.

Fury by Elizabeth Miles-my psychic prediction and my salute to Dav Pilkey and Captain Underpants

2011-06-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

I find myself hummming the Time Warp song from Rocky Horror Picture Show as I write this blog. The fact that it is already the 24th of June is just mind-boggling to me. So now I write to you from the sunny Outer Banks, happily ensconced in the cottage for the summer. I've been reading and writing (yes!) and enjoying my family.
I have to confess that much of the reading I've done lately has been discouraging. Some 'awaited novels' from a favorite author or two did not deliver. Some 'hot new books' just didn't do it for me. Again, I'm reading in the realm of children's literature and YA, as well. So I was getting a bit discouraged as I had saved this delicious stack of books for just this time. Nothing was exactly horrible, just not great. Then I get the e-galley email from S&S. (Have I mentioned that I love Simon & Schuster?) And this is where my psychic powers kick in.
I just finished a GREAT YA novel called FURY by Elizabeth Miles. It will be released in August, and I would encourage you to be the first in line. Have you ever been naughty? And hoped no one found out? The furies will strike fear in your heart. In case you've not brushed up on your mythology lately, the furies play prominently in situations where someone needs to get what's coming to him, so to speak. Of course, the fact that they are beautiful and alluring gives me all more power....The story lines for the furies in the small town of Ascension are limitless, but the author sticks to a few deserving souls. For this book anyway...I can't wait to see more of the furies and more from Elizabeth Miles. I read it in one sitting. I've even looked over my shoulder a few times today...(cue spooky, tinkling laughter). And here's where my psychic powers come in: I predict that this book will be HUGE.
Please forgive me if my sentence structure is a little stilted today. I've been working on writing for emergent readers.
Oh, and one more thing. My fourth child and reluctant reader has FINALLY fallen in love with reading. To what do I owe this miracle? As much as I'd like to say Charlotte's Web or Because of Winn Dixie or Hatchet...I have to confess it's the literature of CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS. So I have to take my hat (or underpants?) off to Dav Pilkey who has made a reader out of my son. At last. God bless you, Dav Pilkey.

Sometimes it Happens by Lauren Barnholdt and Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-05-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Not so long ago, I reviewed TWO WAY STREET by Lauren Barnholdt. I enjoyed her writing very much, so I was delighted to have the chance to read the ARC (advanced reader copy) of her new book SOMETIMES IT HAPPENS. This book begins on the last day of school and ends on the first day of school the next year, so what could be a better summer read?
The books begins when our dear protagonist, Hannah, finds her boyfriend making out with someone else at the end of school party. Things only worsen when her best friend, Ava, suddenly decides to leave town for the entire summer. Ava sends her boyfriend, Noah, over to make sure Hannah is okay and helps Hannah get a job at the same diner where he works. Ah...you can see where this is going, eh? It's an age old story of inconvenient love, but it's told in a fresh, new way with lots of tension and interesting subplots. A great summer read for the late teen/early college set although there is some mature subject matter, as in most YA books. Lauren Barnholdt has a great voice and a good way with the sexual tension of teen-agers, as she showed in TWO-WAY STREET. Both books would be well-worth their extra weight in your beach bag. Now that I've enticed you, I am sorry to say that you'll have to wait until JULY! So here's another book to read in the meantime.

I recently read (and you can get NOW!) DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver. If you haven't seen or heard about this book, you will. It is a fascinating dystopian novel about society's desire to destroy the horrible, destructive disease called LOVE. Scientists had determined, in this society, that LOVE was the horrible cause of countless bad decisions, examples of destructive behavior, crimes, and a general lack of productivity. So every citizen must, on his or her 18th birthday, have a surgical procedure that innoculates you from love. And guess what? Our protag doesn't want to do it. It's a fascinating journey that will leave you wanting more at the end, and I am certain there WILL be more, dear Lauren Oliver, now won't there?
So after reading this awesome book, I went to the author's website to basically gush and embarrass myself about this brilliant story. While there, I discovered two exciting things: 1. Lauren Oliver has two new MG novels coming out! and
2. She is giving away free copies on her blog! So go and check it out for yourself, and maybe YOU will be a lucky winner. Go to www.laurenoliverbooks.blogspot.com . Check out the MG novels, but do NOT forget to pick up Delirium. It is a MUST READ for anyone who has done anything foolish for love.

Summer reading is cranking up, and I can't wait to share all the juicy details with you! Have a terrific week!

Recent Great Discoveries that I Want to Share

2011-04-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

When I discover interesting new things, I want everyone to know about them and just how awesome they are. So here's a little list I created just for you:

1. I try not to eat processed foods, white flour products, etc., but there are times when you absolutely must be prepared with a snack or you'll by a candy bar at the concession stand out of desperation. Am I right? So here's my two favorite new snacks to have on hand. They're not ideal, but compared to all the things out there, I think they're awesome. Ritz Crackerfuls (which I have loved since I tasted the garlic and herb flavor one) have a new flavor, Multigrain sharp cheddar. They are individually wrapped snack crackers with a cheesy middle. (probably 4X2--good sized) Listen to these stats: 5g of fiber, 2 g of protein, and only 2g of sugar per service. Not too bad. My other new favorites are the Nature Valley Granola Thins. They are crispy squares of granola that sandwich either peanut butter or dark chocolate. Both are delicious, and have 1 gram of protein, less than 10 carbs, 6g of sugar, and they are as satisfying as any candy bar with a fraction of the calories (90).

2. www.luxurylink.com. Check it out. Great place to purchase vacation packages big and small. Amazing values and all the destinations are awesome. Truly.

3. Throw a little ricotta cheese in your scrambled eggs! Yum. And good calcium to start off your day.

4. Crock pot for breakfast foods. Well, this was an unintentional discovery. We forgot to turn off the crock pot after dinner last night. There was a service of roast and gravy left in it, yum-oh. It made an awesome high protein breakfast this morning.

5. Wearing my glasses when I'm supposed to. It's amazing how they really work and my head hurts a lot less. Go figure.

6. Whole wheat pizza dough. I used to get it at Trader Joe's, now it's available everywhere, even at Wal-Mart. Takes the guilt out of pizza for dinner. Top it with a red sauce (without a lot of added sugar), sliced fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh real mozzarella--heaven.

7. Spring Grill food! Here's something I figured out that maybe you already knew, but it sure helped me. Marinate chicken wings in the marinade of your choice, then thread the wings on kebob sticks, so you can easily cook them on the grill. Why did it take me so long to learn this?

8. In charge of team lunch at school? Our athletic teams have two team lunches during the season where we set up a special table for, say, the members of the soccer team. We use tableclothes, and school color paper plates and napkins, and they have a special lunch right there in the cafeteria during their lunch time. Here's the tip part: Did you know chic-fil-et will deliver? They delivered a chicken nugget platter, a big beautiful salad, a big fruit platter, a platter of brownies, paper products, knives, forks, spoons, ICE, gallon jugs of lemonade and tea, and all dips and condiments for around 18 people--all for a little over a hundred dollars. It was so organized, brought right to the school cafeteria, and beautiful arranged on their plastic platters. Plus, there was enough left for everyone to have a quick salad and/or brownie after school if they wanted one. Not cheap, but not crazy expensive, either. And not the healthiest thing, of course, but the kids love it, and it's still better than other fast food options.

9. When I pick up sports carpool from school, the kids are thirsty and hungry, so I always try to bring them a small, healthy snack (see #1) and waters. I have FINALLY learned to just keep my cooler in the car, and when I go to the grocery store, I put the water bottles right in the cooler and the snacks right in the back of my car, so it's not a last minute scramble for anything except ice--which is the same price anywhere (unlike bottled water!). Again, maybe you all have been this together from the get-go, but not me.

So those are my tips for today. I hope they make your life a little easier. I have been a bit more overwhelmed than usual this spring, and I have begun adapting short cuts where I can. If you have any good ones, please share!

Have a GREAT day! It's a good time to start reading the HUNGER GAMES trilogy if you haven't already. Movie is in the works! I also heard yesterday that IF I STAY, one of the books I talked about yesterday, also has a movie deal. How cool is that? IF you're a mean mom like me, make your kids read the book before they can see the movie.

If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman, and Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

2011-04-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Boy, did I EVER hit the jackpot last week. I read two AMAZING YA books. Two? You may ask because, after all, I mentioned three above. I had read the companion book (the first book, to be sure) in the pairing a few months ago, and I think you should read them both together.

I know that I have the tendency to gush, and I think I should REMIND you at this time that I ONLY write about books I LOVE, so...GUSH ALERT! But these books are so gush-worthy, how can I not?
I read IF I STAY by Gayle Forman a few months ago and really liked it. Mia, a seventeen-year-old cellist is involved in a car accident that kills the rest of her family. Much of the book she is in a coma. Her boyfriend figures she is struggling with the question "If I Stay" because wouldn't it be hard to come back without your family. It was heart-wrenching and inspirational all at once, but as good as this book was, the story really isn't complete until your read WHERE SHE WENT, the follow up to Mia's story. I'm not sure what to say about this story without giving up the, er, story except that it takes place about four years later. I *really* don't want to give up any details about either book, but you MUST read it. I was literally breathless the entire book. I couldn't put it down. Not like I didn't want to/couldn't, but like I LITERALLY COULDN'T. The heart of this story was so intense and the characters so well-drawn that I actually wept with envy. Beautiful story. Take the two of them on your next vacation or better yet, get them for your next staycation (then you won't feel guilty about, say, missing the Acropolis or beaches of Hawaii because YOU WILL for this book). Also a great gift pairing for your favorite teen-age girl.

I also read BRUISER by Neal Shusterman. Someone described this book as "A great boy book that the girls will want to read, too". Absolutely. This book starts off with a seemingly simple storyline, but before long you are pulled into the complex mystery of Bruiser, the most lovable character I've seen in a while. Brilliantly written with characters you won't soon forget, I HIGHLY recommend Bruiser for teens everywhere. It will make them think twice about judging a person without getting to know them, and jumping to conclusions about kids 'on the fringe'. Oddly, I've not read much of Shusterman, but you can bet I want to read all his books now. Fantastic read. Another great gift book. (and remember, when I recommend a gift book, there's nothing offensive that would anger even the most protective teen mother who reads a portion of it out of context)

Also, it is National Poetry Month, so read some poetry today! If you want a good one to share with your kids, try LOVE THAT DOG by the great Sharon Creech. They are sure to love it (and you will, too!).

A Glimpse

2011-03-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

It's so easy to get caught up---caught up in your daily chores, work, responsibilities, bills, driving carpool, preparing meals....And let's be honest, I often get caught up in stupid things like facebook pics of someone else's vacation, the new Garnet Hill catalog... But lately I've been trying to get caught up in the moment. After a week with my family on vacation last week, I realized how much I miss just hanging out with my kids. Granted we can't all just hang out all the time, but we do have a lot of short moments together in a day. We eat breakfast together every day, dinner together every night (I'm kind of a family meal Nazi that way), but how often is my mind already on the next thing? Or maybe not there at all? So I'm working on that. Even right now with you, my readers. I am thinking of you :) and sending you a great day!

I am also trying to WRITE but it's kind of like treading water. I'm writing a lot, but it's going in a lot of different directions. But that's okay, I suppose. As long as I'm working, right? But sometimes I feel like I should always have a goal, be working toward something, but then I think, I am! I am working on being a better writer, and isn't that enough?

(cue Billy Joel) I'm in a Lenten state of mind.

Daylight Savings Time has thrown us for a loop, as always. You'd think we'd learn by now and practice up or something. Maybe a more intelligent mom would move the kids up ten minutes a day for a week, so everyone can FUNCTION the first few days of DSL. We did change all our clocks the first day which was a FIRST for us, so I guess we're making progress after all.

I started the most AMAZING book: THE PARIS WIFE by Paula McLain. It is sooo good (about falling in love with Ernest Hemingway). I only just started it, but I can't wait to get back to it. More on that one later! Also Judy Blundell (What I Saw and How I Lied) has a new book out today, I believe. I look forward to that one, too.

The Book Reveiw section of the NYT had a great little review on Sunday about all these new girly books out. SILVERLICIOUS (sequel to Pinkalicious and Purplicious) is out and there's a new book called TALLULEH's TUTU that has the most beautiful illustrations I've seen in ages. I need to make a bookstore pilgrimage soon to take in all these new titles.

Take care, and pick up a good book today.

Modern Parenting Thoughts

2011-02-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

So we've encountered yet another stage of the maturation process in the Koppelman house today. My OS came downstairs in a shirt that looked eerily familiar. I said, "Is that shirt clean?" and instead of his usual, "Mom! It's fine." He said, "Why wouldn't it be? Do you think I'm disgusting?" I blinked a few times and then just gave him a hug. I can't believe my little boy doesn't want to be disgusting any more! They grow up so fast.

I'm trying to enjoy and savor every moment of this family, but time seems to fly by. Tonight we have a college meeting at school for parents and students in the 9th grade. On one hand, it is exciting as the kids transition through stage after stage. Some stages, of course, are better than others, but I'm always grateful to see them emerge with their character intact. Ideally, I pray that they grow into better, stronger, more insightful, spiritually connected people with each stage, but then I think that takes adversity. It really does. I mean, how much character and growth can a kid actually get without adversity? Of course, you can't create adversity, but it makes me realize how we can't completely protect them from it, either. So if I protect them too much, I am actually shielding them from adversity and therefore, character development!

A counselor friend told me something really valuable one time. He said, "Good parenting is when the world teaches your child the hard lessons, and you are there to pick them up and send them back out again." In many ways, that seems to be the antithesis of today's parenting. Modern parents seem to be all about sheltering and protecting, which is necessary, of course, but to what point and what end?

My YS left the house today in a completely unmatching ensemble of clothing--from his socks/shoes all the way through his pants and shirt. He actually began the day matching but after an unfortunate incident with dog food, he had to run up and change into the new and unmatching look. If it had been my first child, I would have gone back up with her to match the perfect thing. (which was a constant source of conflict between us--unnecessary conflict, I see now) For the middle two, I probably would have mentioned the unmatching-ness, but for my YS, I thought, "Does it matter?" In second grade, do the boys really need to match? Maybe the girls are into matching at this point, but the boys? So I let him go, happily, and he had more time to throw the football with his brother this morning than he would have if I had interfered with fashion advice. So I think I did the right thing. But who is ever sure? I can tell you this, though, if he comes home having learned a 'hard lesson', I will pick him up and send him back out again.

So tonight I will go and hear about the rigors of college preparation for my 9th grader, but I will take it all with a grain of salt. Because I forced those cute clothes on her, maybe I'll lay off on the cute college. Or if I've learned anything at all (from my own experiences or at least, Shakespeare), I'll forbid her from attending my first choice college pick for her. That should do the trick.

And I just might honor the request of the other three kids who will remain at home during the meeting--and let them have their favorite request- a yellow dinner, even though (horrors!) it contains no green vegetables. (Mac and cheese, pineapples and corn)

Because here's the thing I know about myself. I am a perfectionist. And in the true spirit of perfectionism, I am trying to improve myself by trying not to be such a perfectionist. OR neurotic. Or helpful. Depends on who you're talking to. And if I can get it through my thick skull that God has a great plan for my kids IN SPITE OF ME, I can relax and enjoy them a whole lot more.

Parenting is complicated, but fun. Don't miss a minute.

Some Days are more Interesting than Others

2011-02-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

So I have to tell you guys the truth, while I am mostly an upbeat person (stop laughing, honey), there are mornings that I wake up, and, well, let's just say things are not in perfect alignment. I don't want to be like this, but occasionally I am downright unpleasant. It's like a nasty monster invades my body, takes over, and all I can do is watch in horror. Well, this morning was one of those mornings. Not to mention the fact that the dishwasher didn't run properly last night, so I had a pile of dirty dishes from dinner LAST NIGHT. I fell asleep without putting a VERY IMPORTANT load of clothes into the dryer, so panic ensued. When I went to make breakfast, I found us to be, amazingly, out of bread, milk, and eggs--the perfect storm. Not to mention the fact that I had pledged last night (as I have many nights lately) that TODAY would be the day I'd really start to eat healthy. (Too bad I wasn't going on a starvation diet, it would have been the perfect time!) So we found the shoes, the glasses, the missing bookbag (uh, yes, how do you lose a bookbag again?), the box of Valentine candy for teacher (yes, he 'forgot' it yesterday), and I shuttled the boys out the door. I hurriedly cleared the breakfast dishes (as much as possible considering the whole dishwasher scenario, and slumped against the wall. Whew. I'd done it again. Gotten them up and out. I glanced at the clock, 7:43. OH, YEAH! I was scheduled to have my picture taken at 8:00 for my agency website, and you can just imagine how I looked.

I rushed upstairs to shower and shortly after I got out of the shower, I heard my dogs barking. He was early. Albeit only about ten minutes, but ten minutes was EVERYTHING when I only had 17 minutes to start with! So I half-dressed (the important half, mind you), let him in, explained to his raised eyebrows that I was running a little late, saw my kitchen and family room through his eyes for a moment (ouch), and led him through the hall to my front room. Now let me explain about my front room. It's the music room with a piano and a sofa and my husband's recliner in front of the fireplace, and that's about it. It's hard to mess up, and easy to clean when it does get messed up. It is my 'always clean' area which you really need in a house with four kids. As we walked down the sock strewn hallway, I thought to myself, "If I can just get him to the front room , it will be okay." I opened the door to the front room and turned to wave him in. I followed him into the room and there in the middle of the floor was dog poop. No kidding. I almost cried. I mean, when the hell had the dogs even been in this room? And it's not raining! They have NO EXCUSE. And this was NOT the morning for this. And did I mention that this photo shoot was the SECOND one because I'm so stinking unphotogenic?

At any rate, I wanted to crawl back into bed and start again (instead of what I DID do which is crawl on the floor and pick up the poop). I told him, "Here's your photo op." Because it's true. We can find some miraculous way to make ourselves look put together in pictures, but behind any front is some dog poop.

As I was editing today, I came upon incident after incident in my manuscript that were tiny morsels of my own life experiences. They were twisted or adapted beyond recognition by anyone besides me, but still they reminded me of times and places and events. I realized that the dog poop is the part that makes the best stories. While a character may not deal with dog poop exactly, all good characters have another unwelcome and unexpected problem that comes up when they least expect it, and they have to deal. Some characters might tiptoe around the dog poop, ignoring it and hoping others would, too. Some characters might make a big show out of punishing the dogs for the dog poop. Some characters might quickly go to another room and leave the dog poop to deal with another time. Another character, like myself, might just dive right in and deal with it.

So here's what I began to imagine...all my characters of all my stories encountering dog poop. It could be a very revealing exercise in character. How do they handle the dog poop? And how much of it do they have?

Then I realized that I should be THANKFUL for poop. Because poop is what gives our lives character and growth and interesting situations. And dealing with poop makes our characters shine.

So thank you, God, for the poop in my days. And please help me to remember that on mornings like this.

The eternal battle of good vs. evil

2011-02-10T05:55:00.000-08:00

Every morning, I wake up early, prepare breakfasts, help find shoes, glasses, bookbags, and clean jeans. I get the teen-agers on the early bus, then I clean up the kitchen, and some days, I drive the elementary carpool. Then I come home, clean up breakfast dishes, and face the big question. The eternal question, really, of good vs. evil except I'm not always certain which one is good and which one is evil. What I *want* to do, and what I really think I *should* do most days is sit down and write. I want to lose myself in the delights of childhood, in preparing the absolute best possible material I am capable of for young readers. It's a process of getting into the zone and writing, writing, writing. Sometimes I have to get up and spin around the room or kneel and examine the world from a child's eye. Often I play my text on the piano to test the cadence, the rhythm. I crank up my favorite Pandora stations, and drink lots of coffee while dinner bubbles in the crock pot. It's a lovely world I write in and when I come out of it, I am a calmer, better person. Really.

But when I feel like I *need* to do is clean my house. Do laundry. Mounds and mounds of laundry. Mop. Sweep. Vacuum. Go to the grocery store. Organize homework station. It almost makes me cry to think of it.

The choice might seem obvious, depending on who you are. My mother, for example, might say clean the house and then write. But it's not that simple. First of all, it's not like you're ever finished cleaning your house. Wait, it's not like I'M ever finished cleaning my house. And it's a slippery slope. Clean the bathroom sink, might as well clean the toilet, and bathtub, mop the floor, wash a load of towels, purge the empty shampoo bottles, reorganize the linen closet...and that's just one tiny room!

At any rate, I'm writing this morning with all the lights off, so I can look out at the luscious falling snow. It's a beautiful snowfall. Kids are out of school. All four of them are snuggled up on the sofa watching 'Rugrats" at the insistence of my oldest. She says it's 'classic' and the younger sibs have never seen it. Makes me feel old! And who would have ever thought someone would call Rugrats 'classic'? And the funny thing is, I cannot recall her EVER watching it.

So what I'm saying is, this morning I'm all writing all the time. I'm going to pretend that I have limitless time to lose myself in my twirly world, but it will all come to a screeching halt at 11 when I have to clean the house. Maybe. I'm pretty sure.

We used to have a man who worked for us in the yard sometimes. He would come help me with big projects and seasonal things. A sweet old guy, I loved it when he came, and he always borrowed books from me to read. (children's books) He was precious. Anyway, one day he was supposed to come, and he called me. "Mrs. Koppelman?" he said when I answered the phone. "I'm closed today." I died laughing. But he decided he wasn't coming to work because he didn't feel well, so he just closed.

Maybe the housekeeper in me will be closed today.

Except she was closed yesterday.

Books, Wonderful Books

2011-02-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

I went on a streak this fall where I read book after book that I just flat didn't like. Despite a fair amount of commercial success, I still didn't really like them. Although I read them anyway. Because I was really trying to like them and because it's part of my job! However, I am happy to tell you that I am on another kind of streak right now. I have just finished a wonderful book, and I am about finished another fantastic YA novel that I just have to share you.

The first one I read last week and LOVED is a YA novel and National Book Award winning WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED by Judy Blundell. This book tells the fascinating story of a teen-age girl, her mother and her stepfather who take a trip to Palm Beach. Her stepfather has just returned from the second World War, and they take a spontaneous sudden trip to Florida. (Later, of course, we find that it wasn't exactly spontaneous...) From the first page, I felt as if I had stepped into the 40s. The vernacular was amazing. You know how Mad Men is so good because it feels to authentic? Well, this is like that only better, if you can imagine. From the catch phrases to the clothing to the subtleties of travel, the hotel--really, everything they do feels like I've traveled back into post-war Florida. The story, a bit of a mystery, will have you turning pages into the dead of night. I highly recommend this book both as a great read and for my writer friends, as a study in vernacular. CHECK IT OUT!

The next book, REVOLUTION, will have you singing "Do you hear the people sing?" from LES MISERABLES to the top of your lungs. Take a troubled high school senior who is scarred by the recent loss of her brother, her absentee father, and a mother who has mental problems, pluck her out of her NYC apartment home and drop her in Paris for three weeks. THEN, let said girl find a diary and guitar from the 1700s. You will fall in love with the captivating stories of the French Revolution all over again. I am LOVING this book, and I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't. A great read for history buffs, but so engaging that it just might make a history buff out of the rest of you. CHECK IT OUT!

I had a long meeting with my agent this morning, and now I am off to awards day at my son's school. Have a great day, everyone!

Heaven and the Sky Mall Magazine

2011-01-30T19:55:00.000-08:00

It is what heaven must be like, I think. A room full of people who adore one thing--in this case, children's literature. I've just returned from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) Conference in New York, and it was terrific. If you could see me, you would know that I'm bowing down to all those people who worked to make it possible. At one point, I thought, okay, this is just incredible. At this one conference, the following amazing legends held court: Lois Lowry, R.L.Stine, Patti Gauch, Jane Yolen, Mark Teague, Jules Fieffer, Sara Zarr, Mo Willems, and Linda Sue Park--just to name a few. Incredible speakers, stories, panels, and an amazing sense of community.

But it's nice to return home. I missed the children, and I am ready to get back to work. It's such a perfect time of year to attend such an inspirational meeting because the grays of winter and the post-Christmas blahs had set in. But now I'm ready to go.

For those of you who haven't flown in a while, I have to tell you--the only thing you are missing is that Sky Mall catalog. The flights are so crowded (the planes are shrinking...), uncomfortable (like ten degrees too warm), running late, and so forth. But truly, that Sky Mall magazine is worth it all. Did you know they make pet doorbells? No kidding. Your pooch can now press a paw-imprinted button which will ring a bell for you to scamper to the door and let him in.

Here's another winning invention. The caption read, "The cat box you don't have to hide". Imagine a large urn (really, about 4-5 feet tall) with a hole in the front middle (presumably for the cat to do its business) and a plant growing out of the top of the urn. Now do you REALLY think a little plant growing out of the top of this urn is going to distract your house guests from the poop fest below?

I also loved the freaky helmet-looking hat that supposedly soothes, calms and heals all your ills by applying pressure to the pressure points of your skull. Hmmm. Where exactly are you going to wear that thing? It's so big and awkward that even if it calms you, you couldn't possibly lie down with it on. It might give you super healing powers, but what happens when you take it off? The pain returns. You can't wear that thing out of the house or people will put you in a special jacket, too.

And then there's all the ridiculous airplane accessories. I love how so many of them are inflatable. When exactly are you allowed to inflate and deflate a giant cheese-shaped wedge that you can stick your head through so rest comfortably on a flight. And what exactly is your neighbor supposed to do while you're sprawled out over this giant puffy pillow? Lean out into the aisle? I can just picture the pillow somehow popping and flying all over the plane like a deflating balloon. People scream, the pilot panics, all over your $50 inflatable pillow. And I hate to tell you, but the first kid who sees it will immediately adopt it as a pool toy.

And is it really so difficult to squeeze the shampoo out of the shampoo bottle? I mean, MUST you have a special shampoo dispenser in your shower? Isn't it enough that we have to use the mysterious dispensers in public bathrooms where the soap looks more like pepto-bismol than soap? And truly, the squirting of the shampoo into the dispenser is basically the same thing as squirting it into your hair, right? So what's the big deal? For the price of a shower shampoo dispenser, a family in the Sudan could have fresh water for a month, maybe more.

Oh, and there are so many more hilarious Sky Mall products, I might have to revisit this topic tomorrow. Until then, sleep well, and dream of a world where I give the keynote at the SCBWI conference. Wait, did I say that out loud?

Conference Clothing Angst and Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

2011-01-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

SCBWI Winter Conference in New York City is this week-end. I am so looking forward to the awesome keynotes and the inspirational talks that I so desperately need right now! I don't know if it's the dead of winter or the post-Christmas exhaustion or the fact that I'm jonesing for the beach, but I always need some kind of pick-up right about now. It's the perfect time for a conference excursion. Also, I am participating in a Writers Intensive on Friday, so I am particularly excited about that. It's so encouraging to meet all the other writers out there who, like me, are working in their own caves every day. It could be my imagination, but it does seem that we're all squinting in the bright lights when we come out of our writing holes for these meetings.

Don't laugh, but I always kind of obsess about what to wear at these things. It sounds ridiculous because ask anyone, I am not one to think much about what I'm wearing. I secretly long to be a writer/illustrator with paint on my hands and in my hair, a random piercing or tattoo, and an interesting hat. These are my people, I always think, and I want to dress like them as a show of solidarity, creative expression, and, I don't know, for the spirit of the whole creative process. But if I wore that, I would feel like an imposter. I mean, I'm not as creative/young/hip as THEY are. Then there's this other part of me who feels like I need to look 'professional' and put together, but when I agonize over an outfit like that, I feel so boring and noncreative. Okay, so now you can laugh when you see me because you know the internal struggle of my clothing choices.

I had such a nice week-end. It was the perfect balance of activity and rest, social engagements (a wonderful dinner party with friends I love) and time at home. I have to confess that I particularly enjoyed Downton Abbey last night, the current series on PBS. It helped mend our broken hearts over the Packers going to the Superbowl. You could hear our wailing for miles, I am certain.

Since my girls now attend school out of town, they have a different calendar than my boys. So my girls had to get up and go to school this morning even though the boys are off today and tomorrow. But they were good about it. I am proud of them and their good attitudes about school. They are great girls.

Part of my great week-end is that I read an AWESOME YA novel, ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins. I read it because the talented John Greene recommended it, and I pretty much read anything he ever recommends. I just loved this precious story about Anna, an Atlanta teen whose father sends her to boarding school in Paris for her Senior Year. As you can expect, a teen suddenly sent to a new school (much less a new country!) for her senior year is less than happy about it, and surprisingly I felt for her. (I didn't think I would, I mean, Senior Year in Paris? Hello!) It's a precious, well-written coming of age novel that has just soared this talented young novelist to Sara Zarr-like status in my eyes. The characters are exceptionally well-drawn, lovable and the intensity of her relationships absolutely nails the essence of teen angst. It is a must-read for all you YA aficionados, and an inspiring read for all you YA writers. I looked up the writer after completing the book and to my delight, I found she is a NC author! So Stephanie Perkins, you are now officially awesome in every way. I will look forward to her future work.

Have a great week, everyone.

On Writing

2011-01-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

I have been in a hole. A big, deep, dark hole. Though I worked hard all last year, my manuscripts are moving s-l-o-w-l-y toward the great world of publishing. Some days it's a minor annoyance that buzzes into my head and out again, many days I don't think of it at all--I just try to concentrate on improving my craft. However, the past few days, it has gotten me down in a big way. I'm not sure why, but it has. And I'll tell you the truth, yesterday I was ready to quit. I couldn't think of a single reason not to.

But today, I feel a bit better. I just wrote the first chapter to a new book, I am looking forward to a trip to NYC next week for the SCBWI conference (yes, I will share all the details with you!), and I hope to get back in the groove. It's amazing how much better I feel by simply writing.

I recently completed the NEW NEWBERY winning book, MOON OVER MANIFEST. A first time author wrote it and then won the Newbery. Pause and appreciate how awesome that is. At any rate, the book was a lovely, wide-reaching story that manages to incorporate the fascinating elements of two generations of a Kansas family with a precious, endearing protagonist, to boot! Check it out!

I also read a Newbery honor book, TURTLE IN PARADISE. I have loved this author for a couple of years, and I was delighted to see her name on this list. TURTLE IN PARADISE is a delightful page-turner set in depression-era Key West. This story is rich at every turn--in familial love and dynamics, Key West culture (fascinating!), and the simple day to day adventures of a bunch of island kids. The Diaper Gang stole my heart from their first babysitting gig. You will enjoy every morsel of this sun-drenched story.

Another book I picked up and LOVED is called SAINT TRAINING. It's about a young Catholic girl in a big family whose life is turned upside down when her mother reads Betty Friedan, her brother receives notice to report for the draft during the Vietnam War, her mother becomes pregnant yet again. Mary Clare decides to take matters into her own hands and makes a bargain with God. If she strives to become a saint (starting goal--- the title of Mother Superior), then God will solve their family's money problems. As Mary Clare begins to study the possibilities of becoming a nun, she begins a charming correspondence with a nun in an order that interests her (they work with unwed mothers and their babies). I LOVED this story from beginning to end. The raw, sometimes painful, peek into the spiritual growth of a young Catholic girl reminded me of my own spiritual growth as an adolescent. While I was not raised Catholic, I still 'got' her path toward a real relationship with God. I would love to hear how some of my Catholic friends felt about this book.

Happy Reading, and have a wonderful week!

Caldecott, Newbery, Prinze Awards--oh, my!

2011-01-11T05:27:00.000-08:00

The American Library Association announced the winners of the 2010 children's books awards yesterday. I watched it live via internet (and you can, too on the ala website!). It was exciting and inspiring. Traditionally, the winning Caldecott and Newbery authors appear on the Today show the following day. So this morning, I turn on the Today show to see the winners. I was especially excited to see the husband and wife team who won the Caldecott.

I tuned in to Al and Meredith on the street talking to the guests. Then Meredith gave the lead in, "Shakespeare, Salinger, and Snooki--what do they have in common? We'll be right back to talk to Snooki about her new novel." What. The. Hell. Is. This. World. Coming. To? AARRRGGGGHHHHH

CERTAINLY they didn't bump the Caldecott and Newbery winners for Snooki. I mean, it's not possible. However, it might be better than appearing on the show WITH Snooki. Can you imagine? You win the Caldecott, excitedly arrive at the Today show to find that you're sharing the stage with Snooki? Oh, I might be ill. Okay, now I'm watching the interview. She wrote it herself, oh, yeah, except for the co-writer. It's like the show Jersey Shore except you're reading it, or that's what she says. But I did like what Matt asked, "Do you exchange your dignity for a paycheck?"

So are the award winners going to be on today or not? I remember when Linda Sue Park won, and Katie Couric asked her if it was her first Newbery. Anyway, they had her on the show.

When we, as a culture, promote and hold up the likes of Snooki more than the creators of art in our society, what repercussions will that have?

In the next few days, I will be talking about the Caldecott honors and Newbery award winners. Some of them I have not read yet, so as I read them, I will share. In the meantime, run right out and buy Snooki's book---BWA HA HA HA HA. No, in the meantime, check out the award winners on the ALA site.

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-07T06:06:00.000-08:00

It's a stunning morning here--cool, crisp and sunny. Kitchen is clean, dogs are sleeping, I 'kind of' have a plan for dinner. For the moment, I am able to ignore the growing mound of laundry upstairs and have a little writing time. Oh, and today's date rhymes. January 7, 2011. The world seems to have all its chakras balanced, and for now, I won't turn on the television or radio, both of which would prove me completely wrong.

I haven't written much over the past few weeks, and I'm feeling a little rusty. The last several days I've tried to get back into the groove, but it's taking time. It just proves that writing a tiny little bit every day, even during the hectic time of the holidays, will pay off later. Not that I did that, I'm just thinking I would be better off right now if I had. BUT when I take a few days (er weeks) off like this, I am excited to go back to my writing, and that's a good thing. Sometimes I get so caught up in the black and white of the world (cleaning the house, laundry, calling out spelling words, feeding the dogs, etc.) that I forget that we live in a beautiful, colorful place. God has blessed me with inspiration at every turn if only I will stop and notice it. Julia Cameron wrote a book about creativity called THE ARTIST'S WAY (I highly recommend it), and she spoke of the necessity for weekly art dates--a time once a week when you take a moment or an hour or half a day to do or admire something artistic. It can be as simple as walking through your neighborhood artspace or attending a concert or making music of your own. Or painting or sculpting or cooking in a creative way outside your usual routine. Sometime it's reading. That's my New Year's Resolution, to have more art dates and to have more art dates for my family.

Great New YA Reads and Back to Work

2011-01-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful December and Christmas season we have enjoyed. Lots of snow and fun and family. It's been a blessing all the way around. I've read a lot of not so good books (I don't know--I just hit an unlucky run!), but the last two books I read were amazing. I'm so excited to share them with you.

The first book I read and LOVED is MATCHED by Ally Condie. It's brand new, a dystopian YA novel (which, yes, I am getting a bit tired of the BAD ones, but this one is soooo good) that ranks up there with HUNGER GAMES. The novel opens with our protagonist about to attend her 'matching ceremony', the ceremony girls attend at age 17 to find out who the 'Society' has chosen to be her match (future husband). Her match is a surprise to everyone, but a good kind of surprise. It's only after a glitch in the computer program (one that allows her to learn about her 'future husband') that she begins to wonder if the Society is capable of making errors. As she begins to question her match, it leads to questions about every aspect of the Society, and it puts her family and their entire livelihood at risk. An excellent, compelling page-turner and leaves you hungry for a sequel.

The other book, NEW BOY by Julian Houston, was such an important piece of YA fiction, that I've required both my daughters to read it. NEW BOY tells the story of a boy from the pre-integrated South who becomes the first African American to attend an elite New England boarding school. He is torn between the opportunity to pave a new way for people of his background and the desire to be at home working for the Civil Rights cause. The young man will inspire and motivate you to do your best in every opportunity you've been given. You will have a new, first-hand appreciation of the young risk-takers of the Civil Rights movement, and most of all, you will fall in love with this cast of characters. If you don't read a word of anything, read NEW BOY by Julian Houston. Like the best books in the world, it will change you.

The other books I read a lot of (with my sons) are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. These books are seriously hilarious, and each one is better than the last. My boys LOVE them, and I have to admit, I crack up the whole time I'm reading.

Have a wonderful day, Happy New Year, and get reading!

I'm so excited for a new year, a new beginning, new opportunities and fresh starts.

Top 10 Reasons You Should Give BOOKS for Christmas

2010-11-29T08:01:00.000-08:00

10. Books are inexpensive entertainment. It's a slow economy. People are scaling back. Why pay for a movie when you could snuggle up on the sofa on a Friday night with a good book? Then, you can pass it on and someone else can do the same. You can't exactly do that with a tie.
9. Books are an escape. We can't all whisk off to a tropical island in the dead of winter. So let books take your family and loved ones to new and exotic places. You can even escape to a different place in time. Lose yourself in a Revolutionary War-era love story, a turn-of-the-century murder mystery in England, or a futuristic space drama. A pair of socks can't give you the same experience.
8. Books educate. Maybe this seems too obvious, but we are all improved by learning. I heard the CEO of a company once talk about a study at the HBS. They found that 99% of workers who received promotions, raises, and leadership positions in their places of business read at least one book a month. Coincidence? 99% is a powerful number. Doesn't that sound better than an itunes gift card?
7. Books help us grow. Books help us to see other lifestyles, other careers, other communities up close. Now they might be fiction, but in most cases, the author has done his or her homework. More than a few people have found their dream jobs (or dream lifestyles) from a story that planted the idea. Can you do that with a video game?
6. Books grow relationships. You read a book, you love it, you pass it to a friend. Your friend loves it. You have a springboard for conversations, you can talk about topics you'd never otherwise broach because, well, it was in the book! Sharing a book adds a new level of intimacy and bonding to a relationship. Or you can get her a sweater.
5. Books make us laugh. I recently read a book that I never would have picked up, but a kind old man in the bookstore convinced me to buy it. (okay, he was actually a pushy old man, but anyway) It was hilarious. I laughed out loud, read it out to my husband, he laughed out loud. That book transformed our evening. MUCH better than a set of grill tools.
4. Books make us healthy. Whether because we're laughing or learning or just relaxing, the act of reading is calming--a rare thing in this busy world. Beats a white noise machine.
3. Books change our perspective. It's easy to get caught up in our daily lives, in our neighborhood, our jobs, our families and get all wound up about little things. A change of perspective reminds us to let go of the little things and be grateful for all our blessings. A change of perspective reminds us that even though we have problems, there are always people with much bigger problems, less money, more trying circumstances, and greater sadness. Okay, a goat or chicken through amnesty international might beat a book here, but a book ABOUT Amnesty International would trump.
2. Books inspire us, lift us up. A well-written novel shows a protagonist succeed against all odds. Despite the countless horrible things thrown in her path, she manages to not just survive, but grow into a better, more evolved person in the end. It reminds us that we are all growing from our adversities. Or a bottle of wine?
1. AND THE #1 reason to give BOOKS for Christmas is BOOKS TRANSFORM US. We are changed and affected by the books we read, the stories we experiences, and the adventures we seek through fictional characters. Children who read grow up to be more adventurous, confident, happy and successful adults.

So make your Christmas list NOW! And if you need any suggestions, be sure to ask. You KNOW I'd love to share.

The World Has Gone Mad

2010-11-21T18:03:00.000-08:00

Did you know that there is a NY couple who is ALREADY IN LINE at Best Buy for Black Friday? They don't even know what they're going to buy, but they know they're going to want SOMETHING. How messed up is that? They are apparently mad that the past four years, the same guy has gotten ahead of them in line. So I guess they're worried that he is going to buy all the _____s except they haven't even decided what they want! So let me guess, they're going to get whatever HE wants, so they can beat him to it? When I was in middle school, Teen magazine ran a story called THE I-Don't-Want-Him-You-Can't-Have-Him Syndrome. It was about how girls break up with boys, but then get mad if anyone else wants to date him. I think these people have the I-Don't-Know-What-I-Want-But-You-Can't-Have-It Syndrome. Not to mention the fact that they might get trampled.

And I read in a different paper today interviews with people who are so "committed" to Black Friday that they have MOVED their Thanksgiving dinners to the middle of the day instead of the evening and one family who even moved their family's Thanksgiving to WEDNESDAY, so they can have time to read the circulars and plan their Black Friday. What the hell? In a country where people are so "committed" that the divorce rate is more than 1 in 2 marriages, people are moving a holiday, so they can be more 'committed' to shopping?

And the final clip I saw on Black Friday showed a woman who was planning to shop for her children on Black Friday. When the reporter asked her what her kids wanted for Christmas, she said, "I will tell my children what to want for Christmas based on what I get on Black Friday." Well, then. And I thought I had control issues.

So for the record, I will NOT be going anywhere at 4 A.M. Friday morning except, perhaps, the bathroom. I will NOT stand in line or risk a trampling for ANY product. That's not to say we can't all enjoy the sales and deals this week-end to make a dent in our Christmas lists, but for goodness sakes, keep a little perspective.

On another note, my two oldest girls are in the midst of exams. We decided a good study break would be family bowling last night. As I'm rolling the ball (about my fourth turn, I guess), my feet fly out from under me, I flail about in the air, and then land flat on my back on the very hard floor. Ouch. My son comes running up and says, "Mom, I saw that exact thing on America's Funniest Videos." Not "Are you okay?" or "Can I take your pulse?" but "I saw that on America's Funniest Videos." So at least I got a good laugh out of it (and a good bruise, too).

I haven't read anything in over a week, but I did get a few advance copies of teen novels to read. These books won't be out until spring, so I'm kind of excited to read them early just so I can be, like, "Yeah, I read that before it even came out." It's the little things in life that thrill me.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Be SURE and watch the Charlie Brown crew eat their traditional popcorn feast. Gotta love it.

And the winner is....MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn Erskine!

2010-11-18T17:14:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo! MOCKINGBIRD is the brilliant MG novel from the perspective of a young lady with aspergers whose brother died in a school shooting. The voice is amazing. I was hooked from the very first page. BIG kudos to Kathryn Erskine and her incredible editor (one of my favorite editors!) Patti Gauch. Big cheers for all. This story will touch the lives of many, many readers, and one of the wonderful things about the National Book Award is that it calls attention to wonderful novels like this one. ALL the books that were nominated were outstanding, but MOCKINGBIRD stole the hearts of the judges. Read it, and you'll understand why. A MUST READ for teachers and counselors. It offers an interesting perspective of the school environment.

I've been drowning in NANO and cold medicine--so I've been a bit scarce. I am in the stage of my book when I'm not sure if it's brilliant or horrible, and most days I think it's the latter. I will stick it out, though. (I feel like Bart Simpson--I will stick it out. I will stick it out. I will stick it out.) BIG ENCOURAGING CHEER to all of you who are in the midst of Nano. If you are anything like me, this is what you are thinking:
1. What the hell was I thinking? I'll never finish this book.
2. What made me think I could write a whole book about a freaking parrot. I don't even like parrots.
3. This book is terrible. If I think it's terrible when I'm writing it, it can only be WORSE for the reader. So why am I going to all this trouble for something that will be terrible?
4. My fingers ache and my wrists are swollen. And for what? A stupid parrot book?
5. Is there a Nano police? NO. I could quit any time and no one would know or care! So why don't I?
6. I quit.
7. Dammit, I can't quit. I just can't. I am not a quitter. The world needs this book about this stupid parrot. I mean, do you see any other stupid parrot books around? Why, no you don't. I must be the toughest parrot writer around. I WILL be the first one to finish a parrot book.
8. Hey, if I'm going to all this trouble, maybe I could just make the parrot a bit more interesting.
9. No way, I've written 1000 more words? Just like that? Inconceiveable!
10. Hey, this book is pretty good!
Whew. Day in the life, baby.

The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee and Shark Vs. Train written by Chris Barton and Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

2010-11-16T07:00:00.001-08:00

Two awesome new picture books, THE BOSS BABY by Marla Frazee and SHARK VS. TRAIN written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, are MUST READS. THE BOSS BABY is the funniest, most well-done book about a new baby coming into the house ever. It now tops my list of books for new parents. It is hilarious for children and adults alike. I completely fell in love with this story. It is the perfect gift for new parents, expectant parents, and brothers and sisters dealing with a 'bossy baby' in the house. SHARK VS. TRAIN is brilliant in that it takes two things that kids love-sharks and trains--and pits them against each other in memorable duels. My kids loved poring over every detail in the illustrations. Another great gift book as Christmas approaches.

It is such a lovely fall here in eastern North Carolina. The colors on the trees are stunning, and the weather could not be any nicer. The children are in that place where they're settled into the school year and its routines, fall sports are over, and our day-to-day schedule just feels a bit more manageable. My writing schedule kicks up a notch in November, and by now, that just feels like a part of the calendar year. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK, and of course, the weeks will fly by until Christmas. Amy Grant has some lyrics, "Oh, how the years go by. Oh, how the love brings tears to my eyes." It's so true. My children are just so darling to me right now. They are all at such precious ages, each of their personalities add something so special and so unique to our family. I feel so blessed that they are healthy and safe and good learners and spiritually engaged with the world and all those things you pray for when they're infants.

I know they are all going to be fine, to be great, actually. They're going to be cool adults with meaningful careers. They will be productive members of society, responsible parents, and helpful, involved citizens. Why do I worry about the little things? I need to practice enjoying the here and now because it is awesome. I need to love the children up. The world will show them their faults and weaknesses because that is how the world is; they don't need me to make observations like that. I just want to be here to love them, encourage them, and pick them up when they fall. Remind me of that, the next time I'm agonizing over some trivial parental matter.

Have a great day. Check out these new books, and share them with a child in your world.

Back to the Land of the Living with new book reports

2010-11-12T05:26:00.000-08:00

Oh, dear readers, how I must apologize! I have been missing in action for over a week. I have had a horrible bronchial, sinus, ear infection, pure exhaustion disease that I am only now dragging myself out of. Bleeecchh. My daughter had it first and as I've told her half a dozen times, I was not sympathetic enough. I am terribly behind in Nano, which as any other Nano-ers out there know, is a tough, tough spot to be in. BUT nothing brings on creativity like a high fever and fortunately I had a notebook at hand to record all the ridiculous ideas that ran though my head. Stephanie Meyer wrote Twilight after dreaming it, but I think the part left out of that story is that she was running a fever. Although being feverish makes you want to write breathless romance (wonder why?) which is not exactly what I'm working on right now. At any rate, I fed the beast, and rather than write through my illness, which wasn't exactly possible (okay, I wrote a little, but not much), I read my way through my illness, much of it I actually listened to in stilted Kindle talk. SO...I have a bunch of new YA books to recommend. (I was in a YA kind of mood, you know whiny, drama queen, my favorite pants aren't clean kind of attitude) Perhaps, I subconsciously believed to be at death's door, or maybe I just got around to reading these recommended books, BUT I was definitely on a roll with the angel books. Apparently ANGELS are the new VAMPIRES, so I'm going to tell you which books to start with on this new craze.

The angel books I read are HALO by Alexandra Adornetto and FALLEN by Lauren Kate. Kudos to both authors who pulled me right in, Twilight-style, with the breathless love stories. Beyond that, they are quite different, but both highly readable. HALO is written by Alexandra Adornetto, an eighteen year old(!!), and precious child, in her acknowledgements thanked teachers, principals and guidance counselors. Gotta love that. HALO drew me right in with the story of three angels who were drawn down from heaven to take earthly form for the sake of a special assignment. The sleepy coastal town of Venus Cove is in dire need of goodness, and the angels are sent there to help. I loved the premise, the way the angels were supposed to interact (and not interact), and our protagonist is the youngest of the three angels, the most vulnerable to the lures of earthly ways, yet she has a gift for connecting to humans and understanding them which makes her role valuable. OF COURSE, she falls for a human which complicates their mission in many ways. The boy is so darling (Xavier) that I began to fall for him myself. And truth be told, he is a bit more angelic than even his angel girlfriend. HALO is a thoroughly enjoyable read. It's not just good 'for an eighteen-year-old, it's quite good.

FALLEN by Lauren Kate takes a completely different path. We don't know about the whole angel thing into well into the book which means we don't know who the angel is. I won't give any spoilers, but it is an interesting twist. This book is set in a run-down reform school where the students act nothing like the hardened youth featured in Harold Dean Myers' LOCKDOWN and other books on this subject. It seems more like your typical high school with maybe a few more piercings and tattoos. The conflict between good and evil slowly escalates into a full-blown battle, but ends with more questions than answers for the reader. As luck would have it, the sequel came out in September, so you can quench your thirst for more. Interesting read.

My very favorite 'sickness read' this week was by far WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS by Fran Slayton. This awesome piece of historical fiction takes us through a series of Halloween nights in the 1940s. It is set in a small railroad town where the trains are the backbone of the town and high school football is its right hand. This book does an amazing job, in one night a year, taking us through one young man's complicated relationship with his father and brothers, and navigating his way in a world where everyone in his family has been in the railroad, but the railroad as they knew it is fading away. You will feel that you have spent time in this town with this special family and their losses will feel like your own. Excellent, amazing book. Even though it's a MG novel, I will give it as a Christmas gift for men because the male voice is so strong, poignant, and real. A GREAT read. I highly recommend it to all.

Have a great day, a great week-end, and thank you for being patient with me! Pick up one of these books today!

THREE GREAT PICTURE BOOKS!

2010-11-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

I was out at the school today (and you know how I LOVE my Wednesdays at the elementary school), and my son's amazing and brilliant second grade teacher loaned me three awesome books. They were all so important and distinctive in their own ways, that I just had to share them with you.

The first one I LOVED was RAIN STOMPER, written by Addie Boswell and illustrated by Eric Velasquez. The first line grabbed me, "On the first day of spring, Jazmin flipped out of bed." Already I know that Jazmin is a pistol, and she didn't disappoint. She was excited about the big parade that she planned to march in, and a series of wonderful onomatopoeias usher in the storm that threatens to ruin the day. Rather than take the usual path (sitting by the window looking longing through the droplet covered pane), Jazmin goes outside with her anger to confront that nasty old storm and , cheered on by the neighbors, literally stomps the rain away.

THOSE SHOES is a touching story about a young boy who sees all the kids at school getting a certain kind of expensive tennis shoes. He really, really, REALLY wants THOSE SHOES, so badly, in fact, that when he finds a used pair at Goodwill, he buys them with his own money EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE NOT HIS SIZE! After days of walking around with pinched toes (actually wishing his toes would fall off! ha), he notices a boy in his class who needs new shoes even more than him and his feet are a little smaller. This decision is not an easy one, but our utterly believeable protagonist ultimately gives his beloved shoes away. (and admirably, anonymously)
What a wonderful springboard for writing! Read this book to a class, and then ask them to write about a time when they really wanted something that was 'all the rage' but too expensive to be practical. (Heelies, anyone?)

Last but not least, the brilliant Lois Lowy delivers a touching story in CROW CALL about a little girl becoming reacquainted with her father after he returns from the war. She goes on a hunting trip with him, complete with her own (albeit WAY too big) hunting shirt, even though she's not so sure about shooting crows. The story is heartfelt and true,with a cozy, old-timey feel, and the hunting aspect is well delivered. One of the things I just adored about this book was the fact that it's based on her own experience as a child with her father, and there's even a picture of her in her own giant hunting shirt as a little girl. This book would be an awesome springboard for writing with children about a specific article of clothing and the memories it holds OR a special time with a parent.

And YES, I finally got MOCKINGBIRD today, so I just can't wait to read it and report back to you.

Remember it only takes ONE BOOK for a child to fall in love with reading, help a young person fall in love today! Gift a great book, and take a child to the library.

TWO GREAT YA novels-THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX and HOW I LIVE NOW

2010-11-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

I've been on a chapter book mission, reading tons of chapter books, and I always read picture books. But last week I stumbled upon two great Young Adult novels via the recommendation of a friend. I loved them both, so I just had to tell you about them.

The first one I read and LOVED is THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary Pearson. Jenna Fox wakes up from a year long coma of sorts to learn that she nearly died in an accident that took her two best friends. She remembers nothing at first and completely depends on her parents for information, and over time, it seems that her parents are using her injury and amnesia to their advantage, sharing a more 'rosy' picture of her past than is the actual truth in attempt to make her into the girl they want her to be rather than the actual Jenna Fox. This book is a stunning page turner that will give you a whole new perspective on medical advances and parental control. I couldn't put it down.

The second one I read and loved is HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff. This beautifully crafted novel is set in the English countryside in the (frighteningly possible) not-so-distant-future. Our protagonist is an anorexic NYC teenager sent by an evil stepmother and distracted father to go live with cousins in England just before the big war breaks out. Oddly, she falls in love with her younger cousin and when they are separated during the war, it is even odder that I was totally pulling for them to reunite. At any rate, it's a sweet love story paired with a horrid war story which we all know makes for a good read.

I'm anxiously awaiting MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn Erskine to arrive in the mail. I've complained about how I couldn't get it on my Kindle for some unknown reason, so I broke down and ordered the real thing. I'm hoping it comes today. It's the only nominee I haven't read at least part of (I couldn't get through one of them, not because it wasn't brilliant, but because it was weighed down with technicalities--I may try it again). As of right now, my recommendation for the winner is DARK WATER but they might choose the super technical one because, well, you know. Even if it's tough to read, sometimes you've got to reward the person who pulled out all the stops, right?

It's my second day of NaNo and I'm moving right along. Hope all you NaNo readers are progressing, as well. Have a GREAT day and pick up a good book today!

National Novel Writing Month

2010-11-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of National Novel Writing Month, mostly known as NaNoWriMo, or just NaNo. (Yes, it makes me want to split my fingers into a Mork from Ork handshake) During this month every year, tens of thousands of people all over the world pledge to write 50,000 words in a month. This is no small feat unless you are Stephen King who already writes 2500 words every day. It is an intense writing month that will change the way you write forever. HOWEVER, whomever founded NaNo clearly did NOT have kids because to start such a big project the day after Halloween is just craziness. However, here I am, ready to start. Except for a few things that get in my way. Always.
1. The idea I've had for weeks, that seemed like the perfect plan for NaNo now seems like a terrible idea, loathsome, and I can't for a second imagine writing such drivel. Except I have no back-up plan.
2. To gear up for NaNo, I've been reading some work from the best of the best. So now I'm simultaneous inspired (yes, a book can change the world!) and depressed (no way can this crappy idea change anything).
3. I"m exhausted from Halloween. Yes, this is the case every year, but every year it seems more exhausting. Plus, my fingers are swollen from all the candy I've eaten, so it's hard to type.
4. There is a neighborhood dog that barks CONSTANTLY, and he is driving me CRAZY!
5. I can't help but think of recent book contracts in the news like Snooky and other examples of fine literary genius getting piles of money in an advance because it's sure to sell a million copies.

I promise I won't go on and on about NaNo this month, but I did want to put this out there for all of you who are doing it for the first time, it is hard for the veterans, too. But the results are always worth it.

From Jane Yolen upon the completion of her 300th book: "The two keywords here are passion and joy. I simply have a passion for writing and I do it with joy. How any writer gets through that amount of words without passion and joy, I simply don't know."

Bring on the passion and joy.

Lucy Rose chapter books by Katy Kelly

2010-10-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

I have always appreciated the humor in Junie B. Jones. However, I'll admit that the incorrect grammar drove me batty! And this anti-censoring girl will even confess to changing it as I read it in order to make it sound better. (I'm SO sorry Barbara Parks, it's just that I didn't want my kids to hear ME talking like that--I let them READ it.) ANYWAY, for a long time, Junie B. Jones seemed like the only show in town for that age group of girls. HoRRIBLE HARRY captured the hearts of boys as did many other series like Magic Tree House (kids LOVE them). In the past ten years, though, MANY great chapter books and series have burst onto the scene. CLEMENTINE books are a favorite and now LUCY ROSE books. I read the first one, LUCY ROSE HERE"S THE THING ABOUT ME, and I liked it so much that I immediately launched into LUCY ROSE BIG ON PLANS, and now I can't wait to read the rest. LUCY ROSE is a lovable, quick-witted, entertaining character. She's a good friend, a caring daughter and a thoughtful granddaughter, but she's also impulsive at times, impatient, and foot-stomping mad. But at every turn, you love her. Her grandparents are incredible grandparents, it makes you want to be in her family, and helps you not feel so badly about her parents's impending divorce (which they handle in a super healthy way). As a fellow Palindrome freak, I love Lucy Rose's fascination with palindromes and the role it plays in the relationship with her father. I highly recommend these books for a reader of any age, a read aloud, and especially as gift books. I want every kid I know to read these books. Since one of Lucy Rose's best friends is a boy (Melonhead), boys will enjoy this book, as well, although it's definitely a 'girl book' first and foremost. And the best part is, you never have to correct the grammar! That may not matter to many of you, but it goes a long way with me.

At school today, I read HALLOWEINER to several classes. It is my all-time favorite Halloween book and one of my favorite books ever (thanks, Dav Pilkey). What a treat. It gets funnier every year.

I can't believe Christmas is less than a month away. If you like to make donations in the name of others at Christmas, think about your local library. This tough economy has been especially challenging for libraries and often the first book budget cut is the children's list. So keep that in mind. Have a great day!

Wordless Picture Books

2010-10-22T06:12:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned before Allyn Johnston's words that a picture book done well is high art. In my mind, Suzy Lee is a great example of picture book high art. I have loved WAVE for a couple of years. It holds a place of honor on the nightstand of the beach cottage. I want everyone to see the magic of the beach through the eyes of the little girl in that book. It is just beautiful. It's a page turner. It's a great story. AND it's wordless. Not many artists can do this, but Suzy Lee's work in WAVE is brilliant.

So imagine how thrilled I was to see SHADOW, her newest picture book. It is another masterpiece. The thing about these two books is they make great books for adults and children alike. Kindergarten teachers can use them in the classroom and middle school teachers can use them in the classroom as a writing prompt or art inspiration or to teach story structure. College professors can incorporate these books into the psychology or child development curriculum. When I used to work with teachers, I often used picture books to illustrate (no pun intended) a child's thought process or to take us back into thinking like a child. But of course, these books are best devoured by a child in the lap of a parent. What a great Christmas gift for the entire family.

I just registered for the SCBWI conference in NYC even though my usual conference partner didn't want to go,I just couldn't resist the likes of Lois Lowry, Linda Sue Park, Jules Pfeiffer, R.L. Stein, Sara Zarr, Mo Willems, and Jane Yolen. They are rock stars to me, and I have so much I can learn from them.

Have a great day, and a wonderful week-end. What are you reading now?

Oh, BTW, I'm waiting for MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn Erskine. This book is the National Book Award nominee that is NOT on kindle, and I've been to two Barnes and Nobles that didn't carry it. Too bad for Ms. Erskine because when you've been nominated for the National Book Award, people want to read your book, but if they can't get it, you really miss out on some sales. So I'll keep trying!

ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia National Book Award nominee

2010-10-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia. Set during the Civil Rights movement, ONE CRAZY SUMMER tells the story of three sisters who are sent to California to stay with their mom for the summer. Their mom does not want them there, but the girls' grandparents, who are raising them, have decided "it's time" for them to spend some time with her. This is a middle grade book told from the story of the older girl, Delphine, who is barely in double digits yet clearly used to taking care of her little sisters. Being at her mother's house is no different, she has to get food for their meals and keep the girls away from their annoyed mother as much as possible, so they begin going to a local community center program every day. The program teaches them to be part of the revolution, part of the solution in the civil rights movement. They are small activists spreading flyers for a big rally and learning about the leader of the Black Panther party and other prominent activists. These activities are a far, far cry from their home life in small town Alabama, and it truly becomes a summer of transformation for the girls, their mother, and even the country. A wonderful read and an enlightening glimpse into a turbulent time in our country's history told through a child's limited understanding. Congratulations to Rita Williams-Garcia.

Today was my teaching day out at the elementary school. It was great fun, as always. I am so uplifted and inspired by these incredible 2nd graders. They are doing some great writing with a lot of heart and enthusiasm. The teachers are doing a terrific job of capitalizing on that enthusiasm, as well. There's such a magical element to a class full of students working together toward a common goal be it brainstorming a story idea or editing. The group dynamic is such a critical part of the learning process and a fun part, too.

And nothing stimulates my creativity like working to stimulate theirs. So writers, artists of all kinds, want to get fired up? Pass your craft on to a bunch of children. It's rewarding for you, and you'll sow valuable seeds.

LOCKDOWN by Walter Dean Myers

2010-10-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I blogged a bit about DARK WATER by Laura McNeal. That book was the first of five National Book Award nominees that I plan to read and talk to you about. DARK WATER was a love story and the circumstances offered valuable perspective on the dangers and fears faced by illegal immigrants. The next book I read was LOCKDOWN by Walter Dean Myers. Anyone who has read any of Myers' books knows that his work often depicts a gritty, urban teen-age protagonist who is struggling against all odds, and this book is no exception. The main character, Reese, is under lockdown in a juvenile detention center for stealing prescription pads from a local doctor's office (and then selling them to a known drug dealer). Reese's father is abusive, his mother is a user, his older brother has already seen a lot of trouble, and now Reese is in a juvenile detention center. His future (and present) looks depressingly bleak in the beginning of this book. As a reader (and I confess, as a MOTHER), my heart breaks for this kid. I think that he doesn't have a shot in hell. The things that happen in this facility are horrifying, and I suspect that the reality of such a situation is even worse. A chapter or so into it, Myers has so beautifully drawn this character that I thought, I cannot BEAR it to see what is going to happen to this kid. I can't stand it. As a teacher, I've seen and known far too many children who are so handicapped by their circumstances that it tears your heart in a hundred pieces. I almost stopped reading. Thank goodness, I didn't. Reese earns enough credit in the eyes of the director that he gets assigned to a job at a nursing home. At the nursing home, he spends most of his time caring for a war veteran (who resists at first) but as the man shares his harrowing experiences in a different kind of lockdown, Reese gains courage and perspective. Ultimately, his little sister, Icy, who dreams of going to college and writes to him in lockdown gives Reese the final push he needs to take charge of his life and figure things out. I think it should be required reading for teachers, social workers, police officers, president of the United States, anyone who needs to grasp the depth of the challenges that face disadvantaged, inner city kids.

So here's the thing about both of these books. They are both extraordinary in their own right. They are both great stories with unforgettable characters. They both involve issues that aren't often discussed in this way. For example, you might hear someone mention being afraid to go in a certain area of a city or how schools need to be better in certain areas or how illegal immigrants shouldn't be crossing the border in such numbers, but we rarely hear the human side of these stories. These books do a marvelous job of putting the human face on these issues without it feeling like an 'issue' book. In short, THE WORLD NEEDS THESE BOOKS. These stories need to be told, and you, my friends, need to read them.

Have a great day.

Haiku the Sunday New York Times and NaNoWriMo

2010-10-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

The great deflation
Of Japan: living standards
decline. Deflation.

Budget deficits.
Does Japan's present forecast
Future of U.S.?

Democrats count on
African American
Election turnout.

Danger in Iraq
Awakening members go
Back to Al Qaeda.

Election results
Frighten Sunnis and send them
Back to comfort zone.

U.S. had warning
Of Mumbai terror attack
Headley's two wives snitched.

Arkansas Lincoln
Incumbent Senator sweats
As her support wanes.

Hunting tournament
In Kentucky seeks skillful
Hunters, but no kills.

The Great Tenor Hope
Vittorio Grigorolo
Would love to see him.

Secret donors live.
Pushing election season
By financing ads.

The great exit plan
For Afghanistan marked by
'Ifs'--is that a plan?

India grants each
Citizen ID numbers.
Fingerprints, eye scans.

Mozilo saw it
Coming for Countryside, or
Did he just sense it?

Deep in Ecuador
Tribe protects culture with strict
Plan for tourism.

Santa Monica
for a day. Art, oysters, views,
Then disco at night.

GREAT HOUSE out by Krauss.
Lovers of her last novel
Not disappointed.

SO, all you writers out there. Those of you with the keys worn off your laptop and those who you who have just *thought about* writing, this NOVEMBER can change your writing life!! How, you may ask? By joining and committing to National Novel Writing Month. I can GUARANTEE it will be the best thing you have ever done in your writing life. The goal is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. This kind of intense writing month will teach you so many things about yourself as a writer, the writing process, and the magic that always ensues when you undertake something that seems impossible. Go RIGHT NOW to www.nanowrimo.org and REGISTER to participate in NaNoWriMo 2010. It begins November 1st (many people choose to begin at midnight November 1st and hit the ground running. I, however, prefer a good night's sleep.) The site will hook you up with NaNoWriMo-ers in your community (unless you live in a tiny little town like me) where you may participate in write-ins and other fun NaNoWriMo activities. But best of all, when you register, some really cool things can happen on your page.
1. You download your words every day and a cool little bar graph shows you how far along you are toward your goal. It is so satisfying to see that little bar grow every day. Sounds silly, but it is motivating. If you are the competitive type, you can compare your progress with other writers that you 'friend' on the site. (If anyone wants to friend me, my site name is Koppelmom)
2. NaNoWriMo sends awesome, motivational pep talks from well-known writers via email. Every day you will get something, and they are very encouraging and interesting.
3. You will be hooked up with the NaNoWriMo group nearest you, so you never, ever feel like you're in it alone.

SO JUST DO IT. Seriously. The first year I did it, I didn't even finish (because my youngest son got pneumonia and missed two weeks of school, up at night, etc.), but it STILL was the most amazing, growing experience I had ever had as a writer. So man up, peeps. If you want to write, then no more excuses. Just do it. It will never be easier or more fun. At the least, go to the website and check it out. You won't BELIEVE how many people are doing it around the world. Join us!

First book nominee--Dark Water by Laura McNeal--wow!

2010-10-16T11:03:00.000-07:00

Last night I snuggled up in bed to read the rest of DARK WATER by Laura McNeal. As I mentioned earlier this week, I plan to read and share with you my thoughts on the NBA nominees in children's literature. This book is tagged "8th grade and up", and I would agree. It is the touching story of a girl jarred by her parent's divorce and her mother's resulting struggles. Our young protagonist lives on the farm of relatives, and despite her aunt's warning that "Love is something, but money is everything," she falls in love with the 'wrong' person. These events and many others take place during a California wildfire with tragic results. This tender love story will stir your heart in many ways. Every relationship in the book is complex and real. I finished the book last night, and I have thought about all the characters all day. I can't shake them, and I don't want to. You MUST read this beautifully-drawn story. It will take you back to the intensity of adolescence and the simplicity of your first love. A MUST READ.

I don't know what I plan to read next, but I almost don't want to because I want to think about this book a little longer. Thank you, Laura McNeal. Good stuff.

Poetry Friday-Poetry for Children

2010-10-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

One of the most delightful aspects of children's literature is poetry for children. Even the coolest, toughest 8th grader will perk up for the likes of Shel Silverstein. Interestingly, my preschoolers even loved Shel Silverstein. And every kid in between LOVES good poetry. Genius poetry like his knows no age limits. Pluck me an adult off the street, and he or she would laugh out loud at Silverstein's "Sick". Another great and funny poet for children is Jack Prelutsky. His books always please. National Poetry Month is April, so for the month of April, the bedtime stories are all poems. The kids LOVE them, and I love them because they're short and sweet. I can read ten of them if I feel like it, and we're ready for bed pretty early. Or we can read one or two. Plus, poetry still lets us imagine the scene in our heads since it is usually accompanied by minimal illustrations. Pick up one of Silverstein or Prelutsky's books and keep it on the bedside table in your child's room. It will be a hit, I promise.

PICTURE DAY

Mom makes me wear an itchy shirt,
Comb my hair and wash off dirt.
Teachers say play quiet games,
Stay inside, make picture frames.
Wash our faces after lunch,
Tuck in shirts, wait a bunch.
Free plastic combs to fix our hair,
Stand in line, try not to stare.
"Sit down here. Lift your chin.
Smile real big. Let's lean in."
Camera flashes, blinded sight.
Stumble out and stand upright.
Finally we rush outside,
Shirt tails out, real smiles wide.
No stiff pose. No smile so fake.
THAT's the picture they should take.
Camera man should take a hike
And capture what we're REALLY like.

Have a GREAT week-end, and hey, take the time for a little poetry in your life.

If children don't spend sufficient time with picture books, something is lost.

2010-10-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

I continue on my quest to read a bunch of chapter books (even as my manuscript becomes more and more middle grade, oh, well), and I just have to share one with you this morning. Last night I read SEEING SKY-BLUE PINK by Candice Ransom in one sitting. It is a precious story about an eight-year-old girl whose mother remarries. They go to live on a farm with her new stepfather. The stepfather character is a strong, patient, loving man (I was ready to marry him myself by the end) who gives our sweet protagonist all the time she needs to adjust to her new life outside the city. So many books in this genre are series books or silly books, and that's great, it's what a lot of kids want, BUT this book is gentle and serious and full of heart. I just loved it, and I think many children would, too. Check it out!

I don't know how many of you have been following the debate about the very depressing New York Times article about the decline of picture books. I've been delighted with the dialogue it has opened up. In a nutshell, much of the debate is around the fact (asserts the original article) that parents are pushing their kids up to chapter books almost right away and not hanging around to enjoy picture books. As a result, the picture book industry is suffering. The book industry is simply seeing the results of this whole generation of parents who constantly push, push, push their children to the next level.

But here's the thing they miss: picture books are not all about the word count. Picture books are an art form. Picture books are the purest example of story. Children need to enjoy such stories in the warm and loving lap of a parent, in circle time in a classroom, and then as individuals. Picture books teach children to love reading. They introduce children to lots of setting, characters who have problems and then find solutions. Over and over again, children read these stories and their minds absorb the structure and framework of story. This foundation is IMPORTANT and if sufficient time is not spent in picture books, something is lost. Reading should be full of joyous discovery, not "This one is too easy for you" or "Those nonsense words won't do you any good later." Early on, we have an important window to help children fall in love with reading. For many children, that translates into reading favorites over and over, reading books that are easy for them, and trying many different types of stories to find the perfect ones. It only takes ONE book for a child to fall in love with reading. Give them lots of time to find it.

Oh, and in the case of children's lit for older readers, the book award nominees were announced yesterday (by Pat Conroy), and they are as follows:
SHIP BREAKER by Paolo Bacigalupi
MOCKINGBIRD by Kathryn Erskine
DARK WATER by Laura McNeal
LOCKDOWN by Walter Dean Myers
ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia
I hope I spelled all the authors correctly. I jotted them down quickly to share with you. Look for me to blog about them with more specifics soon! Have a great week.

Wonderful World of Chapter Books

2010-10-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new manuscript, a chapter book manuscript. Chapter books are longer than picture books and shorter than, say, a middle grade novel. Since the word count on picture books has gotten so strict, I thought I'd try something in this genre. SO...my reading list this week has been full of such delightful stories. My favorite series so far is the MERCY WATSON series by Kate DiCamillo. I never thought that such a ham would remind me so much of myself. When Mercy goes off searching for some buttered toast instead of the what she was SUPPOSED to be doing, I laughed out loud. I can certainly relate. Parents will love reading this one aloud at bedtime, and children will love giggling under the covers with Mercy and a flashlight.

Another book caught my eye this week and much like Mercy's buttered toast distraction, I read it despite the fact that it didn't fit my 'chapter book' requirement. THE LITTLE SCARECROW BOY by Margaret Wise Brown (yes, the very same Brown of GOOD NIGHT MOON) is a precious story about waiting until you're old enough to do what you really want. Another sweet Autumnal story that is sure to inspire lots of great conversation in classrooms everywhere. Can't you picture it: a darling class of first graders sitting criss cross applesauce on the carpet reading this story. The teacher's follow up question: What kinds of things are YOU too young to do that you just can't WAIT to do? LOOOOVE it.

Peanut dust is in the air. It smells wonderful, but everyone is sniffling and snuffling about, moaning about headaches and sore throats. Weather has been lovely and cool, crisp and dry, but now a little rain might be nice to clear out the peanut dust. Too bad. I kind of like it. And the cotton is in the fields (well, some of it already in bales). Countryside around here it beautiful, like snow on the ground.

Enjoy Wednesday and remember to be grateful!

Keep Still

2010-10-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

I have been moving a LOT lately. Like, constantly. The fall schedule for my family of six has been fast-paced and exciting from spelling words to soccer games. Three September birthdays always take things up a notch as does the fact that we are two parents trying to get four children to their sporting events. In a few weeks, fall sports will be over, and we will have a quieter few months. Sometimes I live with that mindset: I can do this for two more weeks, and then we'll get a break. But I don't want to live that way. I want to enjoy every single second. I want to be in the present.

Sometimes it is hard to just be still because there are so many things rambling around in my head. Even if I have a calm hour or so to watch my daughter's tennis match, which is great fun, I still feel like my brain is finishing up dinner or planning the next week's carpool or something like that. So how do I stop it? I've been reading this lovely book called SACRED RHYTHMS. It's a Christian book for adults. (I know, I know, this is usually all about children's literature...) I had a moment of truth, a moment of profound inspiration this morning that stirred my heart so that I felt compelled to share it. So indulge me as I share something with you that I hope will touch you, as well.

Exodus 14:13-14 says this: "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still." Wow. That pierced my soul this morning because I've been trying so hard to keep still for at least a few minutes a day, but I find it hard to justify. How can I "keep still" when there's a mound of laundry upstairs, chicken that must be thawed for dinner, pasta salad that must be made for the team luncheon, floors to be swept, dogs and cats to be fed, homework folders to be perused, pencils to be sharpened in the homework station, phones to be charged, bills to be paid, relatives to be corresponded with...how can I possibly justify being still?

Well after a crazy week last week, I told my husband Sunday morning that I had a personal goal to 'be still' for at least a couple of hours that afternoon. And I did. And it was amazing how much better I felt even into the next day. But still I felt a little guilty because there was still a bathroom that needed cleaning, a few loads of towels that needed to be washed, etc. So here's what I loved about this verse: "The Lord will fight for you, and you have ONLY to keep still." How freeing is that?

I know what you're saying, though. Who will DO that laundry? Who will make dinner? Etc. You're right, it doesn't do itself, but when you have a chance to be still and get perspective and calm your soul, it all works out. Somehow chores go much faster with a cheerful heart and a peaceful soul than when you're totally pissed about it. (Believe me, I know this for a fact having done it both ways many times) And correct me if I'm reading this incorrectly, but it sounds to me like I NEED to keep still in order for the Lord to fight for me. Like that's my only job in this scenario. Like a coach would say, Okay, kid, YOU keep still, so HE can go fight. Now break!

So take a moment this morning, and be still in the knowledge that PLENTY is getting accomplished while you are still: God is fighting for you.

SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC and two great books

2010-10-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

It's an All-Star line-up, folks, from R.L.Stine to Lois Lowry to Sara Zarr to Patty Gauch... Apparently so many people tried to register yesterday that they had to reset registration. Glad to see so many people are supporting the noble cause of children's literature. As Martha would say, "It's a good thing." (Smiling into the camera)

I received my new SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) bulletin yesterday (which is why I'm so 'in the know'). It is always a good read, full of happy news and helpful insight. There is usually a little section set in somewhere entitled "Needed Subjects". In this case it was written by Libby Nelson. She lists subjects where there's a need in the book market. I always read it because, honestly, on the list of requested biographies, there are ALWAYS names I don't recognize, so I enjoy looking them up, etc. Well, under the category of picture books, there were several scenarios that are frequently requested. One of the topics has haunted me since I first read it yesterday. Apparently there are a lot of requests for picture books that address "Mom or dad having to be away from home for long periods of time due to their work." It just breaks my heart to picture child after child requesting this kind of book! However, I am a big believer in bibliotherapy, and I hope someone writes that book (and writes it well!).

I just finished this amazing YA book called LIPS TOUCH. It is actually two distinct stories within one cover about humans who mix with the underworld. The first story is so well-written that before it is over, you are actually pulling for the main character to hook up with the goblin!!! (I was longing for a graveyard picnic with such a goblin myself..) It sounds ridiculous, I know, but you should really check it out. The writing is breath-takingly beautiful. BTW, please do not judge this book by its cover. The cover is hideous, imho, and I have never, ever said anything bad about a book on this blog. I only said it now because I think the cover is a very poor representation of the remarkable quality of the writing in the book.

I also just read HAPPY HAUNTING, AMELIA BEDELIA by Herman Parish. I LOVED Amelia Bedelia as a kid, and it did not disappoint. I hadn't read one in years, but my agent recently compared one of my manuscripts to Amelia Bedelia in a pitch, and I thought, exactly! But I hadn't read one in a while, so I picked this one up. My sons LOVED it, and it is truly a hilarious story of misunderstanding. It begins with poor AB coming to work as a housekeeper at a family's house recently decorated for Halloween. Well, she is horrified by the tombstones in the yard (who died?), the cobwebs on the porch (it will take her all day to clean up!), and when she is asked to put a leaf in the table to allow for more guests, well, you KNOW what happens. A delightful story, perfect for the season. CHECK it out!

Have a wonderful day, all. Fall takes my breath away every year.

Ode to Boots

2010-10-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

When the crispy fall winds
Sweep into town
I'm the first girl
To prance all around
in my boots.

You keep your flip-flops,
Stilettos, and crocs.
Loafers and tennis shoes
all require socks.
I love boots.

With skirts and with jeans
With dresses and pants
At church or at school
Or even to dance
I'll take boots.

They make me taller,
More substantial, it seems.
I play them pretty,
Or root for my teams
In my boots.

Indian summer
Best stay away
Once my boots come on
They're here to stay.
I'm wearing boots.

I've even been seen
Sauntering about
In a nightgown or slip
With boots on, no doubt,
I love boots.

Once as I got
Out of the bath
Saw a bug on the floor
And naked, don't laugh,
I got boots.

Yeah, I love boots.

Haiku the Sunday Times

2010-10-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas struggles
Daily life enough of a
Gamble. No dice.

Tea as a weapon
Campaign in Afghanistan
Gals dodging bullets.

House majority
Talk of D.C. and airwaves
Elections heated.

New Supreme Court term
Begins today with Kagan,
Their newest member.

3D Imaging
Not just Disney's anymore
Helps pro athletics.

Katherine Heigl is
An unwilling diva. What?
No to fame? Doubt it.

Artist Wayne Thiebaud
Paintings showcase commonplace
In California.

Rutgers freshman dies.
Is facebook too much? Risky?
Or are kids too harsh?

Political ad
With a wisecracking baby.
Yikes, we've come to that?

Decoding pictures
of North Korea's leader.
Scary Kim Jong-un.

Okay, now you are informed enough to carry on a conversation at the water cooler. Have a wonderful day, and thanks for reading!

Plenty of writing ideas after a day with children

2010-10-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Due to the flooding in eastern North Carolina, all the children were home today. The house was full and fun, kids in and out, cooking strange things, and even a bit of company in the afternoon. My ED left for Happening, a youth retreat, one son's friend lost a tooth, my OS beat the YS in basketball, nothing really huge going on. As I look back over the day, aside from the company who stopped by, I really don't know what I did today. But I know what I didn't do--write. And it's funny because writing has become almost like brushing my teeth--I definitely notice when I don't do it. Instead of my teeth getting fuzzy, my brain gets a little fuzzy. It's like I've trained myself to expel certain amounts of thought and emotion every day, and if I don't, things get clogged up. Not to be gross, but kind of like if I didn't go to the bathroom all day. I'm just not comfortable.

But at the same time, I don't want to miss any of this growing up stuff, either. I feel the time passing at warp speed already. I have been around long enough to know how precious these days are. So instead of worrying about not writing, I'm going to try and farm some material from the day's events. That way, my neurotic self can relax and know I did something. Plus, it's a way of reliving the best parts of the day. So here are some writing ideas based on the events of the day:
*what kids act like after being cooped up for DAYS without a break in the rain
*how kids react the MOMENT they find out they don't have to go to school
*how kids can eat breakfast for an hour
*how some kids get left out
*how somebody always gets hurt
*how exciting it is to lose a tooth
*what a fantastic fort can be made with a little time, patience and ingenuity (and the tv off!)
*watching the towns around us on the news as they rescue people and animals from the flooding, and evacuate homes
All of these things are intense emotional reactions and experiences for the kids, and I want to remember each of those little moments and feelings and reactions. Who knows when I might need them on paper?

Have a wonderful week-end.

WAITING FOR SUPERMAN (and Noah, too, actually)

2010-09-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever in my life seen flooding like this. My back yard is a lake. The roads are full of standing water. And we're a good block or so from the water. I can't imagine what it's like down there. And it's raining so hard, I can't see the water from here. I can't even see the house next door! It was so bad about 4:00 this morning that Chris and I got up and online to see what the heck was going on. It sounded like a tornado. The kids did go to school (which I cannot believe) although on a two hour delay. I can't believe the bus driver drove in this monsoon. I'm starting to wonder if there's a Noah around who simply ignored the missive, decided to keep on keeping on instead of building that boat. Which is his business, of course, but he could have given the rest of us a little warning, right? And of course, of ALL DAYS, my son forgot something at home that I absolutely HAVE to take out to school. But I can't complain with all the teachers and busdrivers who have already driven in it this morning. God bless the busdrivers. So anyway, that was the weather report from Edenton, NC. Back to you, Al.

When it's rainy like this, I like to snuggle up with a good book like THE PERFECT STORM. Open right to the middle and read a few chapters in the middle of a storm like this one, and you've got some good reading. But stop before it gets sad.

SO...I wanted to talk about Waiting for Superman. The movie isn't even in wide release, but it has already created such a buzz. Even if people never see it, they can't help but get caught up in the nationwide discussion about our public schools in America. It's such a great and necessary debate. We all need to be reminded that the future of our country rides on the education of our young people. And even if parents choose to educate their children in other arenas, we all have an interest in the public schools. As a public school teacher for many years and a parent of public school students (I have two in public and two in an independent school), I know that the key is parent involvement. OR at least that's how the system is set up right now. But we KNOW that a huge number of parents are NOT involved, so those kids are falling through the cracks. We can't just shrug our shoulders. But we also can't expect our schools to handle what is truly a social problem. The thing about this movie that I already love is the dialogue. Raising awareness always helps to educate, encourage, and shed light on a situation--THAT is the first step toward good solutions.

So what IS the biggest problem in public schools today? Irresponsible parents sending kids to school who aren't prepared to learn? Poverty? Drugs? Violence? Class size? Expectations? My vote is for the latter. I think we have greatly relaxed our expectations of students over the past twenty years. Because of all the other problems, we make excuses in our heads for why these kids can't learn, but the reality is most kids can do a heck of a lot more than they are doing. The New York Times website had a question online for students to answer. The question was about book censorship, do you think books should be censored? I was astounded at the number of times the answer was simply: I don't care. I don't read anyway. or I hate reading. or I just use CliffNotes or the internet or some other way to basically cheat when they should have read the book. It made me kind of sick. Because education is not just about school, it's about finding solutions for problems and improving yourself throughout your entire life. So if kids can't buy into the value of reading WHILE THEY'RE IN SCHOOL, then we're doing something very wrong.

Has anyone out there seen WAITING FOR SUPERMAN? It's only run in a few cities so far...but I plan to find it as soon as it's close. In the meantime, I'll keep rooting for our public schools, supporting our public school teachers and leaders, but praying for a revolution. For the kids. Because they sorely need one. We can't afford to have a disposable generation.

It's a Monsoon!

2010-09-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

It really IS a monsoon. It's been pouring for days or at least I THOUGHT it had been pouring for days until it started POURING today, and now I realize yesterday was just a sprinkle.

It is FAIR week in Chowan County. We have the best little small town fair EVAH! I thought the whole week would be a washout but then yesterday the clouds parted for just a bit in the afternoon, and we decided to switch up our fair night. SO last night was a sparkly blur of giant colored lightbulbs, squealing children, and fair food that I might have described as delicious yesterday, but today I can't even bear to think about it. The fair wasn't crowded at all, so the kids ran off one ride and on to another all night until their sweet faces were green around the edges. So then we played a few games and the children learned valuable lessons in the art of swindling as sleazy fellow after sleazy fellow told them how easy their game was. ha ha This morning my youngest son boasted that he had cotton candy, a sno cone, and a candy apple last night. He also added that he would probably not eat sweets again until Halloween. They were all grouchy and still clutching their bellies this morning but happy they had once again conquered The Claw, The Ring of Fire, The Himalayan, and the Egyptian Revenge.

I have been wrestling with a character in a manuscript for months. She gets me so ticked off. First she's all sweetness and light, luring me in, letting me fall in love with her character and all the possibilities. We travel together into just the perfect tight spot for her character. The set up is great and fun, the language is nearly right, the humor is subtle but strong, and then, what? I DON'T KNOW. Remember in Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel when the author got the steam shovel down in the hole but didn't know what to do next? And a kid in her neighborhood made a suggestion, she followed it (it was great), and she credited the kid in the book on that very page. Well, I need that kid. I mean, where is he now? I think I'll google him and say,"Look, I've got something I need you to take a look at."

I read this darling new chapter book yesterday. I was actually moved to TEARS because it was the sweetest character and the most precious story. It is North Carolina's own Stephanie Greene's PRINCESS POSEY AND THE FIRST GRADE PARADE. Wonderful little early chapter book. I just LOVED the main character and hope we'll see more of her in books to come. I suspect we will as that is the chapter book trend right now. Check it out!

Speaking of CHECK IT OUT, the new librarian at Shepherd-Pruden Library in town is really doing a great job. She's got the new YA section up and running! Now those of you who live in larger communities are probably AGHAST (and you should be) that we didn't even HAVE a YA section in our library until very recently. I won't even tell you how few books we still have, BUT if anyone wants to contribute, you can sponsor an author for a mere $15. That enables the library to buy that author's newest books and put them on the shelf (with a card inside that says you donated it). So whether you live in our community or not, it is a GREAT cause.

NO PLOPPING!

2010-09-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

It feels like Monday to me since I've been out of town for a few days. I attended the SCBWI Carolinas conference in Charlotte this week-end. My best writing pal, Jody, joined me there from Ohio, so it was a fun AND work time. My husband stayed at home with the four children which turned out to be a particularly exciting week-end for him and everyone else involved. One major paper, two soccer games (one travel game), a tire blowout, sleepover with ten ten-year-olds,shuttling everyone everywhere from football games, red box, church, youth group and six stitches later, I came home from the conference owing my husband big time.

Alan Gratz, author of BROOKLYN NINE, SOMETHING WICKED (contemporary retelling of Macbeth), SOMETHING ROTTEN (contemporary retelling of Hamlet), SAMURAI SHORTSTOP, and his upcoming FANTASY BASEBALL (looks incredible!) gave one of the best writer talks I've ever heard. It's also encouraging to hear someone else go through the agony of draft after draft of a novel until you figure out just what's not working. And the inspirational part is his final result is always outstanding. Laurent Linn, the art director at Simon and Schuster, gave two great presentation with lots of fascinating visuals about the process of illustrating and cover design that gave me new appreciation for all those art directors out there. Alvina Ling, senior editor at Little, Brown, spoke on literary and commercial fiction and the process of acquisitions at her publishing house. Liz Winiewski, editor at Dial, spoke about the top ten questions editors ask themselves when considering an author. Candice Ransom, author of 114 books for children, spoke about the Chapter Book market. I could go on and on... but one presentation that really inspired me was a presentation by marketing specialist Shelli-Johannes-Wells. She spoke about the importance of branding and then websites in particular. Many attendees gave raving reviews about the ease in which they had created their own websites, suggesting particular resources online, books, etc. So I thought, I'm not a complete idiot, I'm reasonably computer-savvy, I actually already own my domain through godaddy. Maybe it's time I bit the bullet and got my website up. So on the way home from the conference, I picked up the Website for Dummies book that someone recommended to me. (and I wasn't offended, really) I gathered all my information and last night once the kids were in bed and my DH was watching football, I snuggled up in bed with my computer and an organized tool kit. I was ready to start the process. Now no part of me expected to really DO anything last night, but I wanted to check it out, start the process, figure out where to go and what to do on this site, etc.

Long story short. Turns out I will need to take a class or something to even start Websites for Dummies. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say the evening ended with me googling prices for website designers AND a ChitChat facelift. So that's something.

In all my driving this week-end, I heard this one annoying commercial over and over and over again on XM radio. It is driving me crazy, especially in light of all this WAITING FOR SUPERMAN school stuff (more on that soon). So here's the commercial, tell me if you've heard it. It's for My Baby Can REad or something like that. The mom giving the testimonial in the commercial said she just put the video in and plopped her baby in front of the television. She really didn't even think about it. AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH.

Okay, HELLO, people! You plop your baby in front of something (BTW< The plop just drives me crazy. You 'plop' mashed potatoes on a plate, you don't 'plop' a baby!) At any rate, even if she settled the baby---she put this child in front of the television AND it was something she didn't even think about??? At a time in the child's life when he or she is like a sponge, ready to absorb all the lovely things in our world like NATURE (hello--outside!) and other children (hello--socialization!) and loving attention (hello--caregiver affection!) and books (reading in the lap is such a precious time...). Do children learn to read from an emotion-less television screen or because they associate reading with snuggle time with mom?

Deep cleansing yoga breaths. In. Out. In. Out.

Needless to say, I hope I never hear that damn commercial again. It's making me crazy.

Hope you all have a wonderful day. ALL the new picture books I posted are awesome reads for you and your family. Please do NOT 'plop' anyone down with these books, pull those sweet children into your lap, kiss an ear, tickle a tummy and share the wonder of books in an interactive way. Reading is delicious pleasure that your child can enjoy his or her entire life with memories of your loving affection.

Oops, I forgot to tell you...but did you miss me?

2010-09-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

I have been in Charlotte for the past four days for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's Carolinas fall conference. Whew. That's a mouthful, and I got an earful. We talked about so many amazing books, so I posted a few here for you. And we talked a lot about craft, the children's book market, and making it as a writer. One of the sessions was about the importance of our presence on the internet. A presenter even went so far as to say that many editors google the writers whose work they are considering. So I began to think about my tired old blog format, and I jazzed it up a little. Do you like it? All for you, darling readers! Well, I'm off to bed for now, but I didn't want to go one more night without putting these awesome books up for you to check out. Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore or library! Reading with a child in your lap is precious time. Make sure you're reading the good stuff. Have a great night and more tomorrow!

And yes, the FAIR IS IN TOWN!!! Woo hoo!

Grateful Wed and a new kid in town

2010-09-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Grateful Wed. Join me in being grateful for the little things today. I am grateful for countless things, but here are a few of the little things:
1. diet Coke (including diet Coke with lime and reluctantly, Coke Zero)
2. ice
3. Oprah radio (especially the Maya Angelou show--LOVE her)
4. CARPOOL! (and friends who help out in all ways)
5. Edline. Don't you love it?
6. writing time with second graders--I LOVE being at White Oak School on Wednesday mornings. Those 2nd graders are so stinking cute and such precious writers.
7. a new kid in town...there's just something about it...

In regards to #7, we have a new kid in town. And let me tell you, it has been all the buzz. Our new kid is the thing we LEAST need in eastern North Carolina--another fast food restaurant, but I can tell you, the kids are so excited. They came home on Monday all abuzz. "It's open! It's open!" they cried citing example after example to PROVE that the new Wendy's was indeed open. They begged to go for dinner Monday night. (and let me say, dinner and fast food do NOT go in the same sentence--sorry--but I want a longer lifespan than that) We refused, of course, but promised to take them sometime soon because, after all, it's new and exciting.

Well throughout dinner, they wore us down. My husband announced that if they cleaned up the kitchen super-quick, he would take us all to Wendy's for a frosty. So the kitchen grew immaculate in no time at all, we piled into the car, and off to Wendy's we went.

Now let me remind you here, because I have a lot of readers from all over, and you need to understand the context of this story. We live in a TINY town. A new anything is a big deal. Especially to the kids. Like the time we all went after dinner to walk around the new Advance Auto Parts...but I digress.

We turned into the WEndy's parking lot, and we could hardly enter. The place was packed. ABout twelve cars filled the drive-thru line, the parking lot was completely full, and you could see through the windows that the restaurant (and I use this term loosely) was completely full. Long lines snaked in front of the registers. The kids Oohed and AAhed at the interior of the building. "I feel like we're in another city," one of the boys said.
"It looks like the other Wendy's," my daughter said, "Only cleaner."
"Give it time," my other daughter said.
"This is ridiculous," my husband pronounced after a mere five minutes in the drive-thru line. The line was so long, that nearly every car had its window down with people from the parking lot leaning in and socializing. The Wendy's parking lot was DEFINITELY the place to be. "We're leaving," my husband said although he didn't move the car.
"We can't," the kids all insisted.
"Yeah, we're a part of history," another kid said.
At this point, Chris and I were completely punchy. I mean, it was hilarious. Half the town was waiting in line and just hanging out to pay perfectly good money for food that was practically toxic. They were smiling and laughing and having a great time. So we just had to give in to it. We rolled down our windows and joined the giant welcoming party for Wendy's.
Thirty minutes later with a car full of Frosty shakes, we drove home blasting someone's favorite song and rejoicing in the simple pleasures of life. A new kid in town. In Edenton. Where we hardly EVER have new kids. I think we gave her a proper welcome.

What is the age of your authentic self?

2010-09-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

I caught a little snippet of an author on NPR this morning. He was being interviewed about his new book. I neither caught the name of the book, nor did I catch the author's name (I'll get back with you on that), but I DID catch this intriguing point: Everyone has an age range when he or she is his authentic self. For example, perhaps you were at your best in high school, or perhaps you were at your best as the mother of an infant. Think of how many wise old people you have known who were full of wisdom because of the hardships they had endured when young.
Perhaps it is a bit like when Dr. Oz runs the battery of tests on the guests to see what their 'real' age is. Maybe a man is actually 34 years old, but his 'health age' is 48 because he smokes, drinks and eats McDonalds twice a week. Well, maybe it's not like that at all.
So my question is this one: what is your 'golden' age bracket when you are your authentic self? Is it your twenties? Your forties? Your eighties? The author spoke of being a small child with a fifty-year-old man inside. Obviously, he didn't have the wisdom and experience of a fifty-year-old man, but his social and intellectual strengths were well-suited to that bracket of his life.
My twenties were very hard for me. Leaving a career I loved to stay home with small children was my choice, and a choice I will never regret. For me, there wasn't any other option. I always knew I would be home with my children when they were small, even if we had to make major sacrifices to do it, but it was hard. Ten times harder than anything else I've ever done. But like anything else that pushes the boundaries of your strengths and abilities, I did love it. But was I good at it? Was I my most authentic self during that time? Definitely not.
What about you? It's an interesting thing to ponder as we look at our siblings, our parents and especially our children. When I used to teach eighth grade, I told parents time and time again, "School is hard--socially, physically-- at this age. Your son/daughter is struggling with it. BUT I can promise you that he/she is going to be an awesome adult, a smart, responsible, interesting, educated adult." Because I could see it. Many of the smartest, most educated, happiest adults I know had the toughest time as a kid.
So I wonder if there are things we can do to get to our authentic self at any age? It would stand to reason that there are elements of that age of your authentic self that you could translate to your current age. I know my husband misses playing organized sports. Could he somehow incorporate that into his life now (without living vicariously though the kids which isn't good-ha ha)? Could he play more golf? tennis? Join a pick-up hockey league? Some people miss the constant intellectual challenge of graduate school. Couldn't you take classes and do other things to recreate that feeling, that challenge?
I believe that God's biggest plans for us are when we're in the zone of our authentic self, using all our strengths and gifts to help others, often in unexpected ways. So thinking about this authentic self business isn't just talk, it's part of our responsiblity. (?) Maybe.
Just a little food for thought this gorgeous Tuesday morning. Have a lovely day, and let me know what you think about your authentic selves!

All the News that's Fit to Haiku

2010-09-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

I was thinking this morning that probably the best way to illustrate the strangeness that is me is the fact that I actually look forward to Haiku the News every week. Go figure. So I thought I'd branch out a bit with a new, experimental Haiku this morning. I will still follow it with the news (so fear not), but I want to shake things up a bit.

Haiku the Grocery List

Baking soda eggs
Yogurt Broccoli Milk Grapes
Keep kids clean and fed.

The News

Judge in St. Louis
Knows the tab before sentence
Affect on verdict?

Cascade detergent
Makes the front page. It reduced
Phosphates. Now it sucks.

Sal Russo raising
Eyebrows pouring lots of cash
Into Tea Party.

Bloomberg dismisses
Tea Party as passing fad.
Yet he campaigns hard.

Drug testing's two sides
Experimental group gets
drugs. Control group none.

The Millenium
Development Goals to end
Poverty. Needs plan.

Venezuelan birds
And children battle for scraps.
Hungry scavengers.
(yet Cascade made the front page????)

In Buenos Aires
They have mastered ice cream cones.
Argentines are proud.

Thirty-six hours
In Rio de Janeiro.
You can sign me up.

Is Seth Priebatsch a
Great entrepreneur or mood
Disordered? Uh, yes.

Mediate mortgage
Temporary solution.
Not much help at all.

Digg Social Network.
Better than facebook. But will
It get fighting chance?

A zillion friends and
few enemies. Movie out
About facebook's start.

Cuba resets the
Revolution. Government
Plans to cut workforce.

Risk management says
Parents worry about the
Wrong dangers. Reset.

Have a fantastic week, armed with all the news you can haiku! You are certain to have sparkling conversation at the water cooler today!

Woo hoo! 502nd post! They didn't delete me...yet!

2010-09-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

SO, my darling readers. I went to a very exciting cross country meet today. It was partly exciting because we overslept, drove behind every kind of farm equipment known to man, and missed the team bus. I felt awful about it because I knew they waited for a few minutes, but what can you do?

Then it was exciting because the NSA kids ran great. My YD shaved at least three minutes off her time, and a new kid on her team ran his FIRST meet (his first 5k!) and made awesome time. (like 22 minutes or something crazy). The traffic was awful coming home, so it took most of the day. BUT I was very proud of my daughter and she didn't complain at all when I quizzed her on her geography all the way home.

It is a gorgeous day out, just beautiful, and I am dead tired and sick of being INSIDE THE CAR! Tomorrow I am helping drive the youth group at church to Duke University for an event, and I don't know how I'm going to stand another day in the car. But I will. And I'm sure the Haitian orphans who are speaking will make it well worth my while. Too bad my own kids can't come because they have a multitude of tests and homework due the beginning of the week (and they need a break from the car, too).

There's a wedding across the street, so the church bells have played several times this afternoon. It seems to fitting on a beautiful day like today that the church bells would play so much. The dogs are lying on their backs in the yard, bellies to the sun, with a true appreciation of Saturday. I think I'll go lie beside them, belly up, and listen to the church bells. I can pretend my house is clean if I'm outside--ha ha.

Our family is busier than ever, but it's all good. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed seeing all those kids run today. Some of them grinning to beat all and some of them crying. Some of them sprint the whole 5K and some of them don't even finish. The coaches call them all by name, encouraging, running beside them sometimes, and celebrating with them at the finish line. It's just such a lovely metaphor for life. You can do it with a smile, train for it, get better, own it, you know? Or you can look around shell-shocked, like, how the hell did I get HERE? At any rate, every kid who was out there today is a winner. That sounds corny, but tackling a 5k on a Saturday morning when many of your peers are still sleeping shows character before you even begin the race. I was inspired.

I did miss my YS's soccer game for the cause, but my husband took him, and I know he enjoyed the heck out of it, too. Kids and sports, in their proper perspective, mind you, play out life lessons in every event. I am reminded of the author of ABSOLUTELY AMERICAN, the book chronicling a group of boys who grow into men at West Point. The author has written about many groups of young people, and he said the kids at West Point were by far the happiest group he's ever studied because they knew exactly what they were made of. They pushed themselves to the limit, and then they knew their own strengths, their own weaknesses, and they learned to completely rely on each other. If you haven't read this book, btw, it's a great read.

Have a wonderful week-end, enjoy this lovely weather, and now I, dear reader, am going to find a nice grassy patch to lie down belly up.

TEST BLOG

2010-09-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

So here's the thing. This blog is my 500th blog, AGAIN. I have to keep removing old blogs because *supposedly* blogspot will begin removing blogs after it hits 500. SO I didn't blog for the past two days because I couldn't get my act together to transfer some old blogs out. Boring to you, I know.

SO how about this bedbug epidemic? It's totally freaking me out. Especially since I've had awful poison ivy all week, so every time I hear a report on bedbugs, it makes me itch that much more. THe worst case I've heard was on the college campuses. Can you imagine dropping your kid off at campus, and a week later you get the call? "Mrs. Koppelman, The dorm is infested with bedbugs. Please come pick up your daughter and all her things, take them HOME, and wash EVERYTHING, then bring her back." WHAT???? Sheesh. So I'm headed to a conference in Charlotte next week-end, and I have to admit, the thought of bedbugs has crept into my mind.

I'm so excited about working in the classroom on Wednesdays at the school. I had a great time this week, even though I only worked in one class, it was great to be with the kids again. If any of you have any time in your schedule to spare, just an hour a week, the schools always need volunteers in the classroom. There is nothing more fulfilling than helping kids who need it. And goodness knows, there are a lot of kids in our town (and every town) who need it.

SO... that's all I have to say today because I think this blog may be deleted. So let me stop here, and see what happens. Wish me luck!

aaarrrggghhh

2010-09-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, I needed to sound that barbaric yawp you see above. And I feel better for it. Really, I do. My desk is such a mess that I currently have the sharp end of a clipboard digging into my elbow as I type. The chocolate wrappers have gotten out of hand (a clear sign that I did a LOT of writing yesterday), the dish cloth still sits right where my water spilled, and a paper plate still holds the crumbs of my lunch sandwich yesterday. This may sound like a horrible disgusting thing to you, but to me, it signifies one thing: I'm back in the zone, baby. I had to take ibuprofen for my typing wrists last night, and I'm chomping at the bit to start again today.

This November marks the publication of Jane Yolen's 300th book. YES, she has written 300 books for children. She is an incredible contributor to the field of children's literature. She is completely inspiring to me as a writer, and I guarantee if you take a moment, she will inspire you,too. For all you writers out there (or anyone interested), go to www.janeyolen.com then click on For Writers at the right hand side of the page. Some lovely, inspiring quotes. Last year at the SCBWI NY conference, I had the pleasure of hearing Allyn Johnston of Beach Lane Books talk about the process of writing for children. I was blown away by her talk about the whole child in your lap experience of picture books. I think about it all the time, every day, and the preciousness of that time with parent and child. That time deserves the very best of our creativity. Jane Yolen represents all that is magical and tender about children's literature.

SO this week-end I read a nice YA novel, SAME DIFFERENCE by Siobhan Vivian. This story really spoke to me because it is all about a suburban teen-age girl who leaves her safe and idyllic community every day for the summer to attend an arts program in nearby Philadelphia. She takes the train in every day, a long journey, and then encounters a completely different world than she is used to. This contrast prompts her to evaluate all that is familiar, her world, her friends, even her bedroom decor, and wonder about her place in the world. It reminded me so much of all my girls are experiencing now as they ride a bus an hour north to their new school in Virginia every day. They are facing a lot of new and different scenarios, and through this, they are learning a lot about themselves. But it's not easy. Because growth and change is never easy. You know I love a good tool for bibliotherapy and this is one. A great read for a teen-ager facing a big change. Also a great read for the budding artist. It is also refreshingly free of vulgarity and profanity although they do drink casually without thought or acknowledgement to the fact that they are underage.
At any rate, check it out.

Now "Let us then be up and doing with a heart for any fate. Still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor, then to wait." Name that author. I'm off to labor. OD has tennis match today. She moved up a seat on the team since last week--woohoo! Have a great day!

Monday Morning News Fix via Haiku

2010-09-13T05:25:00.000-07:00

The Sunday Times is a thick, luscious handful of news, but it takes time to read. It takes me all week! But I make sure and hit the highlights on Sunday, and I will share those with you via Haiku.

Anniversary
Of September Eleventh
Day to remember.

Environmental
Group in Russia fights for cause.
Software raids stop foes.

Times tough in Kabul
More dangerous than ever
Despite increased troops.

G.O.P leaders
Strategize with lobbyist
Hope to temper bill.

Hey Fashionistas!
Go online, watch the catwalk,
Then click Add to Cart!

Bove, Bank Analyst,
Not so popular these days
Even though he won his case.

Housing market woes
Need creative new ideas
Can anyone help?

Developer fee
He makes more money each time
The house sells. Um, what?

Rebel McCain's book
DIRTY SEXY POLITICS
Tale of elections

Rock star Lagerfield?
Designer is hot, hot, hot
At seventy. Cool.

Tangier looks lovely
But I don't like to be lost.
No guidebooks? No maps?

The Kings of Leon
Tennessee rock band worried
About overplay.

More on that subject
J. Bieber, Best New Artist
Won title last night. (not in NYT--just added it for all you parents who want to stay in the loop)

Are movies that bad?
Or is TV just better?
Only HBO. (IMHO)

Have a GREAT week! See you tomorrow!

Friday

2010-09-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

I am so TIRED. Has this short week worn anyone else out? Man, oh, man. I was out at the school this morning. I am going to be a Writer in Residence at White Oak Elementary School this year. I will be there on Wednesdays to work with the second grade classes on writing, and I will host office hours for children to come visit and share their writing with me. I am excited to spend some more time in the classroom. I cleaned up my space this morning, and I need to get it all decorated and ready to go.

It is SUCH a beautiful day today. Crisp and autumnal. My garden is producing the most beautiful lettuce. We have had yummy salads all week. Of course it always tastes better when you grow it yourself. The kids like to help with the harvest. Also, I have a HUGE (and I mean, huge!) tomato plant growing right by my back porch. It was a volunteer of sorts (the result of a spilled tomato plant from school. We thought there was only one seedling in it, but there must have been two?). At any rate, I have a tomato plant in the oddest of places, but I put two cages on it, and we're going with it. It looks like we'll have a great fall crop soon. Yummy. And my basil is still hanging on, so hopefully we'll have some tomato pies on the menu soon.

I am nearly at the end of MOCKINGJAY the third in the HUNGER GAMES trilogy of books. This trilogy's success reached fever pitch with the release of MOCKINGJAY the last week of August. It was the most awaited children's book (young adult, actually) that I can recall with the exception of Harry Potter. The first book in the series, HUNGER GAMES, was one of the most riveting MG books I've ever read. CATCHING FIRE, the second book, was just as good. MOCKINGJAY does a good job of wrapping up the rebellion, so to speak (I mean, it's hard to wrap up a rebellion!), and satisfies everyone's curiousity about what happens with Katniss and Peeta. (and Gale, of course!) So if you haven't read this trilogy, I highly recommend it for adults as well as adolescents.

Have a wonderful week-end, get some rest (I hope to, myself!), and thank you, as always, for reading.

Lessons Learned

2010-09-09T09:21:00.000-07:00

What a busy week I have had, but it has been full of fun new experiences. My oldest daughter had her first tennis match as a high schooler last Tuesday, and my younger daughter had her first cross country meet yesterday.

The tennis match was fun to watch. All these cute girls in cute uniforms--they were all focused and concentrating. They seemed to have the right balance of fun and competition. It was a beautiful afternoon and I really enjoyed watching the singles then the doubles teams. It's a great sport to watch, and I was especially proud of my daughter. However, I can't honestly say that I always knew what was going on. Don't laugh, but I kept asking the guy beside me what the score was and how many games were they playing. For example, I thought they played eight games, and the one who won the most won the set. So it was confusing when they went to ten, eleven games, twelve games. But turns out, one of the players has to WIN eight games, no matter how many it takes to play. Just when I thought he must think I'm a total idiot, he told me that he plays competitively and just this past week-end had played in a tournament. (which only confirmed that he thought I was an idiot, and truthfully, I kind of was) THANKFULLY, he kept me abreast of what was what, so NOW I feel like I am an experienced tennis mom. Next week, I will really know what I'm looking at even if I don't sit with my new fellow tennis parent.

Yesterday the cross country meet was at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach. (yes, that's what it's really called) It used to be a landfill, and apparently all the trash piled up to make a huge hill. Then somehow they landscaped it to make a beautiful park. I know, it's crazy, and it doesn't even smell. There's a large man-made lake, and a beautiful view of the Virginia Beach skyline. Anyway, I get there and due to parking lot confusion, I miss the beginning of the boys' race. I couldn't tell where they even began running or where they might end up. I asked someone, "Where did it start?" He looked at me like I had just fallen off of a turnip truck, and pointed down to a row of cones, etc. (okay, well, I should have figured that out) But I still couldn't see where it ended. So I watched the other parents to see where to go and stand, and finally I got a general idea of what would happen. I figured enough out that by the time the girls began, I kind of knew what was going on. Did you know they even shoot a little gun to start the races? I don't remember that from high school. Anyway, I was so proud of my daughter. She ran great on a really hard course. The end of it was straight up this trash mountain (except now it's grassy and quite lovely). After the finished, she was huffing and puffing and walking it off. She felt a little dizzy. She looked at me and said, "Mom, that wasn't that fun." I just about died laughing. Like she had been conned into thinking it would be more fun than regular practice or something. I don't know, but it just cracked me up. As a little time passed, I think she changed her perspective on that, but her initial reaction just made me laugh. Because I would never expect it to be FUN to run 3 1/2 miles, but that's what's so cool about a kid who runs cross country. She DID expect it to be fun!

So the good news is NOW I know how to go to a cross country meet AND to a high school tennis match. Whew. This parenting stuff keeps you on your toes.

What did YOU learn from your kids this week? I'll bet there was SOMETHING. Have a great one.

Grateful Wed

2010-09-08T05:59:00.000-07:00

I am seriously grateful today.
1. Earl was a pussycat
2. OD had her first tennis match yesterday, and she played well, to boot
3. YD has her first cross country meet today
4. When I ran out of gas yesterday on 264 in fast-moving traffic, an angel immediately came to my aid. The most precious man.
5. OD's first match was very near a TRADER JOE's!!!!
6. Everyone is off to a great start at school
7. I am excited about being a Writer in Residence at White Oak School!!
8. Thankful for the life of my great Uncle Paul who passed away yesterday. He lived an amazing life.
9. Thankful for healthy spouse, children and parents.
10. Thankful for a good writing day yesterday.

I have terrible writing days. I have mediocre writing days. And then I have good writing days. Good writing days are magical, ethereal events that transport me to another place. They are intensely spiritual, and I feel divinely connected to the most amazing Creator of all. The words flow, the characters dance and sing, and the story happens. I had one of those days yesterday. I think it has taken me these full two weeks of kids in school to get back in the zone. But now I feel myself sliding into it, and I am so grateful. It feels right to be in a story again. I'm working on a picture book now, a character I LOVE. I'm so excited to be with her again day after day. It will take nothing less than my best and most devoted 'wordsmithery' (it would be so ironic if that were not a word,and I love that, so I'll leave it) to bring her to the page the way she deserves to appear.

So today I will be at the library at 9:30 sharp in my regular work spot to practice my no-fail BIC technique (Butt In Chair) until my character cooperates. I will bring my sketchbook and my laptop, and work until it clicks. I try to keep at the forefront my audience, precious children who will grow to adore the written word. I always remind myself that for most children it only takes one book, one character, to help them fall in love with reading. What more important work could there be? (okay, I know there's lots of important work, but it doesn't really fit into the pep talk here--he he)

At any rate, I am grateful today to be a writer. As Martha Stewart used to say, "It's a good thing."

Kids bugging you? You just need a mosquito!

2010-09-07T05:39:00.001-07:00

By the end of the holiday week-end, you may be frustrated and annoyed by the hoards of children hanging around your house. Maybe they're kids from the neighborhood, friends from school, or perhaps they are your own children. You may not feel right telling them to "Get the hell out!" because you really do like these kids, it's just you need a break. You need them to decide of their own accord that it's time to move on to a new hang-out spot, if only for a little while. So what's the solution?

Ask Gallery Place in Washington D.C. They have it figured out. They have installed a new anti-loitering device called The Mosquito. The Mosquito emits an annoying high pitched sound that is just too irritating to ignore for any length of time. Unless, of course, you have older ears. Because here's the catch, young people have better hearing and much more sensitive ears, so the sound particularly annoys teen-agers. And after a 70 person brawl that mostly involved teen-agers, Gallery Place wants the teens to move on, and the mosquito is doing the trick. A surveillance camera shows old footage with dozens of teens crowding the sidewalk in front of this shopping area, and the new footage shows the space completely devoid of teen-agers but with a lone newspaper reading gentlemen whose ears are obviously too old to notice the sound.

So the question is this: Is it discrimination? Is it inhumane? Because I know for a fact that there is a similar device used to keep mice out of your house. So are we now, as a society, deciding to treat our teen-agers like rodents? Can't we reason with our teens? Set perameters and enforce them? Are we deciding that they are 'too far gone' or are we giving up?

On one hand, it's funny and it works and no one's getting hurt. It's clearly a safer option than a 70 person brawl. But on the other hand, it does seem awfully crass.

On a note in FAVOR of teens, I finally read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. This National Book Award winner was a poignant account of a young man living on an Indian reservation (the res) who decides to attend a high school off the reservation. Although this school is 22 miles away, he frequently has to walk the distance, and it is a lot more work for him socially and academically, the protagonist won my heart immediately when he faced the facts that if he doesn't get out of his environment toxic with alcoholism and contagious underachieving, he will never make it anywhere. A great story that will offers a fresh, different take on the high school experience and what it can mean to a driven young man.
CHECK IT OUT! A young adult novel for ages 13 and up (and up!).

Have a great week.

All the News You Can Haiku

2010-09-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

The Sunday New York Times front page section and highlights condensed for your reading pleasure. Be informed in less than a minute. Thanks for reading!

Hilary Clinton
Special envoy for peace talks
With Netanyahu.

Democrats fear a
Republican take-over
In fall elections.

Airfares marching up
As service keeps marching down.
Costly sardine flight.

Mobile robot might
Treat you in the hospital
Or in elder care.

Top award winners
In fashion are Asian men.
Chai, Wu, and Wang rule.

UNC tragic
Fall of stellar athletic
Program. Dean Smith sobs.

New book looks awesome
Freedom Trains by Oshinsky
Southern blacks go North.

Afghanistan is
Corrupt (gasp!). What did they think?
I mean, who's surprised?

Heartbreak of thousands
Billed the Foreclosure Express.
Florida's courts swamped.

New HBO show
Boardwalk Empire coming soon.
Can't wait to see it.

When your passport starts
A bubbling, get yourself to
Lively Dublin. Fast.

Happy Labor Day!

Grateful Wed and more hurricane words

2010-09-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

Glancing blow! How's that for a hurricane phrase? And punch and skirt the coastline and shear--yikes--pound and slam. Hmmm...more to come. Maybe we should have a contest--who can write a story using the MOST number of hurricane words?

Grateful Wed:

Today, I am, oh, so grateful for many, many things:
1. healthy children and parents
2. grace
3. Earl is not yet here
4. still a chance that Earl will stay a reasonable distance away
5. great teachers for all my children this year
6. my daughters excited about academics! (even thought they won't admit it directly--ha)
7. my new beautiful hydrangea that my sweet husband planted for me this morning
8. great, faithful carpool buddies

Our neighbors are doing a major renovation on the house--major--a THREE year project. The hammering and noise and so forth are starting to drive me CRAZY! So I'm headed to the library to work. Plus, it keeps me from being glued to the weather channel. (Although it's so cool to see Al Roker in my stomping grounds!) This manuscript is finally starting to come together. It has been just a joy to be back to work this past week. It's so cool how God made us feel so great when we're doing what we were meant to do, you know? It's hard to explain, but when I get in the zone with my writing, it feels like a spiritual thing. Anyway, with that in mind, I'm off to get a little religion.

I read a version of my manuscript to my 7 year old the other day, and he said some wise words to me, "Mom, if you're writing a book for little kids, use words that little kids know." Then he left the room. He's right, you know. And I thought about that all day yesterday. I mean, it's not like the manuscript was loaded with all kinds of crazy vocabulary, but the essence of it wasn't reaching him. Good advice. That kid always gives me good advice.

Have a wonderful day. Stay tuned for more hurricane words! I have a feeling more words are coming!

Earl's a comin' (or at least close enough to expand our vocabulary!)

2010-08-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

See how that red path goes right over my house?

I've spent a lot of time on the Outer Banks over the years, and I've come to know these salty old men who can always tell if the hurricane is, in fact, going to come. I told my husband last night that's what I want to be when I grow up--a salty old woman who can tell whether the storm is coming or not. So I sat outside for a while last night, trying to hone this skill, smelling the air, feeling the wind direction, swatting the gnats, but nothing. So far I have shown no gift in this area. But I'm going to keep trying. I'll let you know if anything changes.

So for now I'm going to have to go with the meteorologists (How pedestrian is that?) who seem to think Earl is headed for our beloved Outer Banks and even Edenton by the looks of things. I don't want to offend anything who has ever lost a loved one in a hurricane, but I do want to speak the truth. And here's the thing: hurricanes are kind of exciting. Not like, I hope it's dangerous exciting, but there's a stir in the air, the surfers are all headed for the big waves, everyone's boarding up and painting 'go away' signs on plywood that has storm names on them that go back twenty years or more. I read a hilarious interview with some surfers on the Outer Banks last night, and the gist of what one guy said was this: "When a big storm comes, it brings everybody together, and we haven't had a storm in a while. I think it's time for another one to unite the community." Now that sounds kind of ridiculous in a way, but it does kind of capture the feeling of storm preparation in this area. Today we're all still cool and in a 'wait and see' mode (except for the surfers--waves already up some), but in the next 48 hours things will go one way or another. Guess I'll pick up some batteries...

My FAVORITE thing about hurricane season is the plethora of exciting verbs on the weather channel. Last night one of the youngsters on the weather channel said, "The wind is lashing the coast of San Juan." We looked at each other: amateur. Save the LASHING for Thursday when the storm is actually hitting the mainland, when your viewership is up, when everyone is hanging on your every word. So here is a starting list of my favorite hurricane words:

whipping slice rip tear lash crash trounce blast
gust pummel crush soak drench flood deluge inundate
torrential downpour pelt slam thrash howl roar yammer

Help me add to this list as the week goes on. Maybe there will even be some new words this year. Ooh, I just love it.

What are your favorite storm words? Share them with me! Just the thought of all these delicious words makes me shiver. Ooooh, I can't wait. But I have to get some writing in before I turn on the Weather Channel today. But I PROMISE to add some cool words to this list. I KNOW there will be some.

Have a great day, and batten down the hatches!

Haiku the Sunday New York Times

2010-08-30T05:26:00.000-07:00

While I love to read the NYT cover to cover, it takes me part of the week to read bits and pieces amidst my busy schedule. I know YOU have busy schedules, too, so as my gift to you, I'm going to give you the most condensed version of the news highlights possible--in the form of Haikus.

Obama struggles
To connect with the men in
Uniform. Too bad.

Only new start-up
Bank in the U.S. resides
In a doublewide.

Alzheimer's remains
Elusive disease within
Medical circles

Corruption and lies
Make President Karzai's job
Tough. Afghanistan.

Jamshed Dasti lands
Position in Pakistan
Parliament. Shake up.

Dr. Paul DeBell
Has been around through the years.
Reincarnated.

Someone wishes he'd
Said no to reality
TV? No kidding.

Emmies coming. What
To wear? Yes, lots of people
Care. Watch the replays.

Remaking "Arthur"
Should be fun but just can't beat
Dudley Moore. Classic.

Cafe Racer in
Trendy Seattle music
Scene. Where Jazz is king.

Buckle down 'cause we
Might see Earl come swirling out
From the sea. Prepare.

Hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Picture Book Time!

2010-08-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

I did a picture book study today at our local library which I often do as a part of my writing process. I came across three particularly lovely picture books, two of which I've known and loved, but one I'd never seen. I haven't shared them on my blog, but two of the authors, Cynthia Rylant and Dan Yaccarino, will be familiar to you from other recommendations. Picture books are a distinct art form applicable in countless situations beyond the child in the lap. However, their most pure and delicious use is child in lap. So I recommend you snuggle up with a little one and enjoy these books or gift them to someone who might do the same. Christmas will be here before you know it, and what gift could be more wonderful than a BOOK?

The most unusual book I want to talk about today is LAZY LITTLE LOAFERS written by Susan Orlean and illustrated by G. Brian Karas. This funny book will appeal to the 7-9 year olds who think they are too old for picture books (we know they are NOT-just because you can read something easily does NOT mean you are too old for it!). The voice of the little girl who narrates the story as she does 'research' on the value of babies in society is hilarious. The first page reads,"Here's a question for you: Why don't more babies work?" She goes on to describe the laziness of these 'little loafers' in my favorite line, "...you don't have to be a genius to realize that babies are just lazy." Not a book for the literalist, but a joy for kids--and adults-- with an emerging sense of humor.

The next darling book I read is UNLOVABLE DOG by Dan Yaccarino. This book is full of heart. From the first line "Alfred was unlovable," to the abuse this dog suffers at the hand of the family cat who calls him ugly, the reader is totally in love with this 'unlovable' dog. Alfred becomes so self-conscious of his appearance that when a new dog moves in next door, he claims (through the fence) to look different than he actually does. The book reminds me of one of my all time favorites, HALLOWEINER. Great message about coming to terms with who you are.

I did save the best for last. DOG HEAVEN by Cynthia Rylant is one of the most precious picture books EVER. It is the sweetest, most heartfelt account of a dog's life in heaven. I was moved to tears on nearly every page because of the beauty of this book. A MUST for any child with a dog (or who once had a dog). She also wrote CAT HEAVEN. But DOG HEAVEN is the best. Here's my favorite line, "Every angel who passes by has a biscuit for a dog." Awwwww...and the simple illustrations are the ideal accompaniment to the delightful text. Cynthia Rylant proves, once again, that she is the master.

Thanks for reading, folks. It is my first full week BACK since my bleave. I limped along, I'm afraid, but I promise next week will be better as I get a bit more organized. On Monday, back by popular demand, Haiku the News from the Sunday New York Times. Don't miss it!

Grateful Thurs?

2010-08-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, not the same ring to it as Grateful Wed, but yesterday I was on my soap box about the first day of school. SO it's time to be grateful! I challenge you to all pause and be grateful with me this morning.

I am grateful for the following:
1. Good test results for a family member's health concern
2. GREAT first day of school for my boys who both have amazing teachers this year
3. A good first few days for the girls at a new school, their genuine excitement about their studies
4. The SCHOOL BUS and carpools!
5. Encouraging friends
6. God's grace

So my boys had a great first day today. My seven-year-old has a very sweet, mild-mannered (and excellent) teacher, but he said, "She was really nice for the first day. I'm kind of suspicious." I laughed and laughed about that.

Anyway, this morning he forgot his glasses, so I had to run them out to school (and it was totally my fault, but that's another story). When I got there, his teacher said he had just gone to the bathroom. Well, I could have left his glasses and gone on home, but I thought he might be upset if he missed me. WRONG. He was totally mortified that I was there, and said, "You should have given them to the teacher. See you at home."

Oh, man. My baby doesn't want me to visit his class anymore. I was proud of him in a way, but sad, too, you know?

And that first day of school paperwork! Wow! I think the teachers are just trying to give you a taste of what THEY deal with. Five pieces of paper in a row that ask for the same information. And here's my favorite part:

Parent's Name
Address
Phone #, etc. THEN

Mailing address (uh, the same)

Name of person child lives with (uh, the same)
Address
Phone#

Address of person child lives with (uh, the same, and wouldn't that be their ADDRESS?)
Phone #

Anyway, the repetition makes me crazy, and it must make the teachers crazier. SO YES, they start off with my sympathies. Here are the top ten things that MUST drive teachers crazy:

10. A gazillion boxes of kleenex delivered the first day of school. I mean, where DO they put it?
9. A gazillion giant rolls of paper towels delivered the first day of school. Don't the kleenex boxes take up all the room?
8. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork! All sent from the top down requesting info they should have anyway from the child's registration, right?
7. Parents hanging around in the halls talking and crying on the first days of school.
6. Parents taking up their parking places on the first days of school.
5. Parents TELLING them bus changes, etc. instead of WRITING it down. They do have 17 or 18 more students to keep track of.
4. Students forgetting their glasses!!!
3. Sleepy kids who haven't gotten used to being in school (and going to bed early!)
2. Children who come to school without school supplies (sad)
1. Students who are sick the first week or register for school late. (IN other regions, kids don't start school until after Labor Day, so frequently new students assume that's the case everywhere and the kids don't come until the 2nd week or school or even later! I always had several new students the second week of school) Of COURSE, it's not their fault, but teachers hate to see any kid start off at a disadvantage.

I salute all the teachers out there in the trenches. Have a great first week!

Back to School Routine

2010-08-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

Wow! As of this morning, all four children are back in school. (As are millions of other children across the state) Within two weeks, nearly every child you know will be back in school. Back to their routine. I have to confess, I'm so happy I could dance in the streets. Summers are wonderful but only when juxtaposed with the routine of the school year. Everyone was ready to go back, and truly seemed happy to be there.

The first day of school might just be the most important day of the year for a child. It's how we learn to put our best foot forward, discover the rules, culture and routines of a new environment. Parents send their children to school in their nicest school clothes, with fresh new school supplies, and ready. In that way, we send the teachers the message that, "Okay. We take this seriously. We're supporting you, and we value education!" The first day of school equips us to be successful the entire year, lays the valuable foundation for the real learning that will take place every other day. Kids learn what they can do and what they can't do at different times of the day. They learn their way around the classroom and the school. They find out the expectations of the teacher; the understanding of which, as we all know, will make our break our year with that teacher. So today, I offer up a prayer for all the back to school children. I pray that they will enjoy their first day, but that they will also enjoy its 'specialness'. I pray that they will soak in the rules and procedures and directions and all the things that will free them up to have a fun, successful year. I also ask special blessings on all the mamas who pulled out all the stops to give their kids the best summer ever.

The onset of a new school year requires that we re-integrate some words and phrases into our vocabulary. I might even have to post them with the definitions alongside them.

BATH- The act of cleaning yourself! Yes, you must use soap. Yes, you must wash your hair. Yes, you have to use the nail brush. And no, swimming doesn't count anymore.

BEDTIME- The act of going to sleep at a predetermined time regardless of what movie is on Disney Channel, where you are in the awesome Lego helicopter, or what the dogs are learning to do.

HOMEWORK- The additional schoolwork you must do when you get home after a long day. I know. It sucks. But it's neccessary. Like cleaning your bathroom.

HURRY UP- (I hate this one) This means, COME ON! Someone is waiting for you! Be it a bus, a carpool, or your caffeine-crazed mother. It requires an immediate response.

A few phrases I get to say a bit less often:

ARE YOU SUNSCREENED YET?

DID YOU REAPPLY?

WHEN HAVE YOU LAST SEEN YOUR SHOES?

GO SCRUB YOUR FEET

NO, YOU CAN'T HAVE A 3RD POPSICLE.

HAVE YOU DONE YOUR READING TODAY?

SMELL THAT WET TOWEL! NOW DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHY WE HANG THEM UP?

Hope you all have a great day! If you're kids are in school, congratulations! Hope they have an awesome first day! Appreciate all they've been through. When they get home, recognize that they probably got the most amount of new knowledge in one day that they'll get all year. They may be tired and overwhelmed and need pizza for supper AND dessert. Accommodate them! xox

The First Week of School

2010-08-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

Can't sleep, tummy ache, check the schedule, I can't wait. What to wear? Is it clean? First day breakfast deserves something better than cereal. Will the school supplies fit in the bookbag? Will we wake up on time? Will the teachers be nice or mean? aarrgghh!

I don't know what the KIDS are going through, but these are all the things going through my mind. ha ha My girls had their first day of high school yesterday, then my elementary school boys begin tomorrow. SO we have not one but TWO first days this week. I'm very excited about the school experiences our children will have this year, but I know this time of transition can be tough. Especially my girls at their new school.

I wanted to have a kind of special dinner last night for the girls' first day, so I asked my husband to grill steaks while I picked up the sports carpool. SO I put potatoes in the crock pot to bake, and it worked great. (I rolled the potatoes in olive oil and kosher salt and drizzled a tiny bit of truffle oil, pierced them, then wrapped them in tin foil and put them in the crock pot) So yet another wonderful adaptation of the crock pot.

I miss writing. It's like a magical room I enter every day and come out invigorated and renewed. It's very much a spiritual connection. So on weeks like this when I am devoted to kid stuff and school supplies and such, I feel disconnected from myself in a way. So maybe, just maybe I'll find an hour to steal later. But at the least, I start tomorrow in earnest. Seriously. Big time. Major writing day. Tomorrow. Can't wait.

And then there's MOCKINGJAY that came out today. I can't WAIT to read it. No spoilers, please!

This morning my son said to me, "Do you really think my new teacher is that nice? Or are you just saying that so I won't complain about going back to school?"

Right now, he's having a breakdown because he's lost the head of his legoman who "obviously can't drive the helicopter safely with no head!!", so I guess I'd better go make a head out of cookie dough or something equally ridiculous.

Have a great day.

Fail to plan, and you plan to fail

2010-08-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

Or something like that. So...my writing schedule was really marvelous last year. I think I finally mastered a work schedule that, well, worked! I was smoking, productive and still managed to pick the kids up from school and make dinner. Then came summer. Fabulous, fun, amazing, snuggly, fall more deeply in love with your kids summer. And my writing? Well, it became sort of an afterthought. Not that I did nothing. Because I feel so inspired at the cottage, I began some really great projects. But my routine was terrible.

So this week, the kiddos return to school. Girls go back Monday, boys go back Wednesday, and there are NO more excuses. My schedule must resume. I need to get productive and organized right away. I need to get some magazine subs out there that have been complete and trapped in my zip drive, just begging for release. I need to revise the YA novel that I've carried around all summer with a brand new, unopened pack of highlighters. I need to resume the discipline of my blog.

And isn't that how we all feel in fall? When the smell of newly sharpened pencils fills the air, don't you all crave a good schedule? A fresh routine? Maybe it's from all those years of getting your school schedule in the fall. Yes! PE last period of the day. That's WAY better than last year. And Mrs. Poole for English. I've been waiting to have her for years. And so on. Something about a NEW schedule implies better, more improved, closer to the goal of a graduation of sorts. A lot of people make news year's resolutions, but I would bet that as many people, if not more, make new commitments in the fall. The cultural 'back to school' season so ingrained in us that we can't resist. When the school buses start rolling, I actually CRAVe that tangy, newly sharpened pencil smell. The scent of sharpies marking all those school supplies. The ultra-heavy backpack, full of new books, actually feels RIGHT for a few days in August.

Enjoy your back to school season. Whether you have kids or not, treat yourself to a few new school supplies and a change in your schedule. Maybe, just maybe, your bff will be in all your classes this year.

So I started out slowly...

2010-08-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

I started off slowly this week, a slow return from my bleave, because I didn't want to OVERWHELM you with too much to read at once. Are you buying it? Seriously, it's been crazy. But I have a few updates for you, dear friends and readers.
#1. You will be happy to know that the baseball player, Rodriguez, that I complained about in my last blog injured his hand so badly in the attack against his future father-in-law (ex-future father-in-law, I'm betting) that he's out for the season. Now I'm not one to delight in the bad fortune of others, but in this situation, there is justice. And I can't help but be delighted.
#2. Brett Favre is BACK! Did any of you doubt him? Did you? Because I NEVER did. I always believed in him. Always. Thank God for Geritol. It is still around, right?
#3. Thanks to everyone who inquired about my girls. Their orientation at the new school went well yesterday. The first day is Monday, so thanks for all your prayers and thoughts. We can't tell you what it meant to the girls to get the emails and notes this week. And some of you have never even met my girls. So thanks. You are all awesome.
#4. Today is my sweet grandmother's birthday. She is amazing and talented and brilliant and wise and all the things a grandmother should be. Except she lives too far away, but except for that, she is perfect. And I hope she's having a fabulous day.

SO...books, books, books. I really planned to do some more book talking this week. Just a reminder that Mockingjay will be out next week. What will Katniss do? Hmmm... And what will they do to HER? And how can they use that amazing arena for good instead of evil? (because really, it's a great facility)

I read a great Time magazine article today that my husband pressed upon me. Literally pressed it upon me. He had already highlighted his favorite parts and everything. Anyway, it was about the importance of a well-spent summer vacation. The article began by talking about the skills lost in the unschooled summer months, and I just knew it was more propaganda gunning for year round schools. But it wasn't. It was about how valuable summer play is for kids. And travel. And family time. And museums, camps, and park programs. It spoke, sadly, I thought, about the growing number of children who don't spend their summer vacations playing, traveling, and learning in a non-school-like way. Too much TV, video games, and other indoor sports stunt the growth and test scores of a growing number of children.

So then I thought, here it comes. Put it on the public schools. But the well-drawn article spoke instead of the community responsibilities for providing park programs, summer day camps, and other things for children to do in the summer. Otherwise, by the end of 8th grade, children who spend summers watching TV and playing video games are THREE GRADE LEVELS behind young people who get out and about. We're not talking about the Grand Canyon and Smithsonian (although both of those things are certainly great), but simply getting outside, as the article said, "Huck Finn-style".

Now that's the best thing I've read in a long time. Barefoot summers with beach bonfires, tree forts, secret trails, and lemonade stands--math, science, literature, geography--real learning. It's a beautiful thing.

Of course, it also addressed the fact that American students attend school more hours with less growth. Much of this discrepancy can be traced to the summer slide in scores. So the undercurrent of the article is what, that some kids need to stay in school, so maybe they'll make them all stay in school? The loss of summer would be tragic for many and likely not help the situation. So what can we do? Be an advocate for park programs, summer day camps, recreation department programming, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the YMCA.

Enjoy these last few barefoot days, and when your little boy comes to the door grubby and sandy and smelling like bait, just remember how much he's learning!

Free Pass for Athletes

2010-08-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

Every morning, my husband watches a sports talk show called Mike and Mike. It's a great show. I really enjoy watching it with him sometimes. (mostly because Chris Carter is on it sometimes, and I loved him when he played for the Vikings) At any rate, this morning Dick Vitale was on the show, and they were talking about bad behavior in athletes. Apparently last night in the FAMILY box at a New York Mets game in front of KIDS and FAMILIES, a player stormed with obscene language and pushing people around (that is bad enough right there as far as I'm concerned), and then proceeded to HIT his fiance's father and knock him out cold.

PAUSE FOR EFFECT

So let's take a look at this. In a regular world, if a guy stormed into a family box at a major league sporting event, here's what would have happened:
"Sir, do you have a VIP pass?" (or whatever they have to get in)
Guy drops a bunch of F bombs, yells some threats.
"Security!"
He's wrestled to the floor and arrested within minutes. The End.
He never #1 gets the chance to HIT anyone, #2 all the children in this FAMILY box see that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated (and again, I'm just at the language and threats), and #3 further danger is prevented by getting the guy out of there. Right?

But what happens when this superstar athlete goes in there? Apparently the children watch in awe, mentally taking notes for the moment when they can practice the behavior that has just been modeled to them. Because he looked so stinking COOL and he took that old guy OUT!

Oh, my goodness. Back to my tirade about our culture. If we were a culture who loved our children as we should (not let the children be in charge, that's another subject), we would protect them from such things as toxic role models. And the trickle down effect would be athletes behaving better if they wanted careers. So let's see what the Mets do and if they ask for my opinion (doubtful).

On another note, I woke up this morning singing an old camp song from a game we used to play. Down by the banks of the Hanky Panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky...Anyone remember that one? It's catchy.

Maybe because I come to the writing via music, my poetry always has music running through it. One of the picture books my agent has right now is actually to the rhythm of Bust a Move. Have a great day, and say a little prayer for all our awesome teachers who are preparing for the first day of school.

Home again, Home again

2010-08-16T08:26:00.000-07:00
Okay, well, jiggity jig. My house is a WRECK. I'm exhausted and a little crazy with all the back to school stuff going on, BUT I am glad to be home. I got up early this morning, downed a few cups of coffee and did some WRITING. It's been so crazy for the past week that I've barely written at all, so it felt awesome to settle in this morning--even if it was only for a short time.

We had a wonderful week-end at the beach. We began a nice dinner with friends at our cottage Saturday night with cocktails and appetizers birthed in my garden when my husband decided we should take a boat ride. We left all the kids (obviously the older girls are plenty old enough to be in charge) and headed to Manteo where we ended up in a bar listening to a band called the Zen Monkeys. They were quite good, and we had a good time. Then yesterday we took the boat out to an area the boys call Pelican Island because it's near the point (where the channel takes you out to the gulf stream). The water is so blue and clear, it's like Bermuda. However, on the island the Pelicans are all lined up side by side guarding the island, but we stay in the water anyway. WE have no desire to walk around in Pelican poop, which I imagine is what the island is made of--ha ha. Seriously, there are hundreds of Pelicans just standing there, side by side, guarding their homeland. At first it's unnerving. They watch our every move, their heads turning side to side like tennis spectators. But then they get used to us, we get used to them, and we coexist peacefully. The water is so pristine and the sand so white. You can see to the bottom so clearly that my husband was swimming along in about six feet of water and saw a piece of gum on the bottom that had fallen out of one of the children's mouths and gave them one of the many anti-littering speeches of the summer. (I'm not complaining, I give them, too) That's some clear water. That's what I love about the Outer Banks--the wildlife just right along side us all the time. And the pelicans have the coolest necks. And when they get a fish, even a huge fish, they just throw that head back and the fish goes down whole. Very cool. If I ever write a fish story, the pelicans will definitely be the hungry teen-age boys.

Today is the day my daughters begin fall sports at their new schools. They don't know ANYONE playing their prospective sports OR the coaches, so this is a big day for them. Say a little prayer for my sweet, brave girls and children everywhere who brave new schools and new sports and countless other hard things that come with fall and school supplies. God bless them every one. Children are SO brave. It's mind-blowing. I was at my son's elementary school one day when some parents were there signing their child up for school. He was a kindergartner and it was well into the school year. They obviously just moved here or something. But they spoke no English at all and neither did that little boy. Not a word. And they just sent that child off with a class, kid had a big smile on his face. I just sat there and bawled. I mean, kids are awesome, aren't they? What adult would do that? Not too many, I tell you.

I just love back to school season. I am *awaiting* news about a fun new writing adventure I hope to pursue. I can't wait to tell you about it.

I love you all, dear readers, and thank you for all your sweet notes about the end of my bleave. I'm going to try to get you some good stuff soon. Bring back Haiku the New York Times maybe ??? Have a terrific day and as always, thanks for reading. OH, and stay tuned for TONS of book recommendations coming this week.

Meteor Showers

2010-08-14T05:58:00.000-07:00
First of all, if you have not read HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE, you should run out to the library or bookstore today and get both of them and read them right away! The much-awaited sequel MOCKINGJAY will be out in about ten days, so you'll want to be READY! This story is pretty amazing, and I'd like to be able to discuss it with everyone I know, so READ THEM!

Secondly, we heard that it would be good viewing for the meteor showers last night. So we bundled up and took the kids out on the porch late last night. We all laid back on the bench, chairs and floor together to gaze at the awesome sky. Even before we saw the meteor showers, the sky was breathtaking last night. It was so clear and the stars are just so huge and close at the beach. Anyway, we mused about the origin of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (how DID that catch on? yet we all love it), wishing on a star, star light, star bright and so on. But there is no wondering about the inspirational power of the view on a starry night. Anyway, after about ten minutes we began to see the meteor showers. (Astronomy friends, help me here if I've got my singular/plural messed up on meteor showers--is each event a shower or is the evening's group of movement a shower?) Anyway, in about thirty minutes, we saw six or eight of them. They were huge and brilliant and slow, if that makes sense. Not the usual quick zip across the sky but more of a magical, slow spreading of light that had me thinking of Tinkerbell. Kids were entranced, Chris and I were in awe, and all in all, it was a magical family evening. I can't tell you how happy I am to have everyone here together. I'm a fan of camp, it's great for the kids, BUT I'm always so happy to have everyone back. They are all such fun and interesting people, growing into their own. It's an amazing thing to see.

I had this strange thought this morning. I was thinking about the (I know, it's debatable) artistic genius of artists like M&M, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, and others. Their tortured and traumatic pasts certainly fuel their gifts and their talents. If the whole tortured artist archetype is a pattern, the whole parental quest for a nurturing, magical childhood experience kind of gets in the way of the whole genius thing. Hmmm... Just shows God can do something with every one of us, no matter what.

My girls begin sports practice Monday, a week prior to the beginning of school. They are starting a new school this year. Both of them will be in high school, making a change, knowing hardly anyone, so I covet your prayers for them. I pray that they will find their way, be inspired and encouraged in this new environment, and have someone to eat lunch with in the cafeteria!

Have a wonderful week-end, and check out the meteor showers again tonight after ten. xox

Like Lazarus...

2010-08-11T05:32:00.000-07:00
Ah, dear readers. How I have missed you! I have blogged in my head countless times over these past two months, so I am glad to be back with you.

What an eventful summer it has been, and it is nearly over. We have been at the cottage, as always, enjoying another amazing Outer Banks summer. The weather has been lovely this year, nearly perfect, and we have had many, many beach and boat days. The girls went to camp for a long session this year (Haley's 3rd time, Hannah's first) and Ben went to the two week session for the first time. They all had a ball, and Jon can't wait to go next year. I can't say enough about Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer. They really are first rate and provide amazing summer experiences for the children.

So...summer is coming to a close. After $434 and an hour of clamoring children in Wal-Mart, we are nearly finished with school supplies. These school supply lists are unbelieveable. I mean, with four kids, it's a lot of money! Plus, I can't help but wonder when the school supply lists began including things like dry erase markers, hand sanitizer, and other things that it seems the school used to have.

It is a Wednesday, so I'm going to begin my blog return with a Grateful Wed. I have a great deal to be grateful for. In spite of many difficulties in lives around us, I strive to rejoice in all things. So here goes:
1. I am grateful to have had a healthy, safe summer with the children.
2. I am grateful for healthy parents and mother-in-law.
3. I am thankful that the children are all going into excellent educational situations this fall. I am thrilled with their teachers and very excited about the girls new high school opportunities.
4. I am grateful for our sweet cottage and the peaceful family time it affords us.
5. I am thankful that our children are such great friends and sibs to each other.
6. I am thankful for no hurricanes (so far) this year, and a slight uptick in the economy. I pray that things will pick up in our small town that has been beset with lay-offs.
7. I am grateful to have a wonderful agent and a productive writing year so far.

THANK YOU all for your encouragement and kind words during my Bleave. Hopefully, I'll 'warm up' over the next couple of days and get back into the spirit of my blogosphere. I have many, many wonderful books to share!

Bleave

2010-05-27T09:01:00.000-07:00
I'm certain you have noticed my bland and lackluster posts of late. With the end of school and the pending onset of summer, I fear the uninspired drivel will continue if I do not take drastic measures. So here goes, as of today, I am taking a short Bleave. (Blog + Leave) I will miss you, and I hope to return soon with better material!

School Year Report Card

2010-05-25T07:09:00.000-07:00
I just glanced at my last post, and it scared me all over again. It's an important issue, one we need to consider, but sorry for the downer. Just a little dark, don't you think?

Okay, dearies, I've had an eventful couple of days, but I'll spare you the boring details of my life for once. The school year has come to a close, and because I'm a neurotic, Type A perfectionist, I always look back over the school year and give myself a report card. What have I done well to help my kids this school year? What do I need to work on next year?

Definitely next year I want to be more involved at the elementary school. I spent a lot of time on middle school things this year from OM to other issues that I wasn't at White Oak as much for the first time in years. Also, some years teachers are more receptive to parent involvement than others. Last year, I spent a day a week in J's class writing with the kids which was awesome, so I hope to do more of that next year with my 2nd grader and/or 4th grader.

We floated away from our no television on school nights this year for a while and then buckled back down. We will be more consistent next year (except for American Idol, of course, that is the only exception, oh, and Life on the Discovery Channel). We were also not very consistent with instrument practice this year, and we need to work on that, too.

The kids became much more independent this year with their work and studies, so that's a plus. They spent a lot more time outside playing this year regardless of the season, so that's a good thing, too. We also used the library a lot more, another plus. And mornings were calm as they could be this year. I'm proud of the kids for progress in this area, as well.

We made some hard, hard decisions this year. One is the decision to send our older girls to a different school next year. Other decisions were smaller, but hard just the same.

So now we're looking ahead to a fun, fun summer of family time and new experiences to load us up for a new school year next year! I will have two girls in high school next year (!! because their new school begins high school in 8th grade), one son in 4th grade and one son in 2nd grade. They are all at such wonderful ages, I hate to see them grow older. But if the years have taught me anything, it's that the kids just keep getting more and more fun, and we enjoy them more every day. We are very blessed.

So folks, do a little reflection on your school year. What was great? What needs work? And then look forward at all the fun summer has to offer. It's funny, but when it's beautiful and sunny outside, work doesn't feel as much like work because you know something fun is waiting when you leave. Have a great day and enjoy the spring season.

Violence in schools-Warning-NOT an uplifting video, but something I pray we can pull together and seek solutions for this national problem

2010-05-22T07:31:00.000-07:00

Disturbing Youtube Trend

2010-05-22T07:03:00.000-07:00
There is a very disturbing trend on youtube that, to me, is sickening. There are TONS (I have no idea how many but definitely hundreds and perhaps in the thousands) of posted videos on youtube of fights in schools. Sometimes there is more than one camera (phone) on the same fight, thus multiple videos on a particular fight. The fights are often ranked as in--good one, broken up too soon, terrible one, etc. with the implication that getting in a fight is not only acceptable but a competitive spectator sport. Clearly in all of these fight videos, a large group has surrounded the fight, many taping it with their phones as opposed to going for an adult or help while some kid gets the tar beaten out of him or her. Often the kids watching are laughing and cheering them on. It's sickening. I mean, I know that it happens. It's a reality, right? I mean, I taught middle school for years, and fights happen. But you want it to be very rare and stopped. And you want the culture of the environment to be opposed to the fight not for it. (the exception, of course, being hockey) Ironically, in a video at our very own local high school (which is how I found out about all this), the kids are brutally fighting under a sign that says PRIDE. It just makes me so sad. Not to be all 'good old days' or anything because it wasn't that long ago, but I remember when a fight (and they were rare, to be sure) at school induced tears and upset amongst the other students not videography. There was always one idiot who was jazzed up at the sight of a fight, but he or she was always the exception. Plus, it must be humiliating enough to get jumped in the hall and the crap beaten out of you, but now people can watch it over and over on youtube? I am bothered. What is there to be done about this? Could it be that our nation's youth is crying out for help? Calling for attention and solutions from adults and people who can make a difference? Now we all know kids can make a difference, too, maybe even more so, but kids don't always know that. Just something to think about.

On an up note, I enjoyed watching a movie with my daughters last night. I am blessed to have such awesome, fun girls. I enjoy their company so much, and I'm always amazed and impressed with their wisdom and perspective. My DH is off on an escapade with the boys. Have a wonderful Saturday with your fam, everyone!

Thankful Thursday, Service to others, Something's bugging me

2010-05-20T11:55:00.000-07:00
I am suffering, and I mean suffering, from a yucky stomach bug. I won't say I'm dying because my mother will call in a panic, but I will say that's what it feels like. Any tips on surviving this beastly bug? Send them to me. Okay, no more whining.

Yesterday on Maya Angelou's talk show, I heard two amazing women talk about service. I'm looking into their books and hope to give you more information about them in time, but I was very struck by their messages. Both women saw a need and leapt headlong into serving that need. There are unmet needs in our community that weigh heavily on me, but I'm not sure that I would even know how to begin spanking new programs as these women have. But it's definitely got my mind cranking. Perhaps some of my faithful reader/teachers could help me out here. I'll have to get in touch with you. In the mean time, everyone reading please take a moment and think about a need that pops into your head right away. Chances are, we're all thinking of different things. What if we all did something about each of our needs. Even if it was something tiny like taking a bag of food to the food pantry TODAY. OR calling your local school TODAY to volunteer. What if we all did something TODAY? We are all blessed in different capacities, so we all have different things to give. One of the women who spoke on Maya Angelou yesterday spoke of the money she sent to the Congo in an 'adopt-a-woman' kind of program. The monthly amount she sent paid for educational opportunities for a woman for a month, in order that she might have more opportunities for herself and especially her children. Eventually this woman went to visit her congolese 'sister', and she said she always assumed it was the money that changed their lives, but she was struck by the women there who carried all the letters of their sponsors with them everywhere they went. They read and re-read them. It was the hope, the encouragement, the connection of another woman in another country that really fed them. I'll post her book in my margin but I haven't read it. I'll get back with you on it. AT any rate, it got me thinking.

When I was in Ohio last week, I visited a wonderful used book store, bought some things to read and share with you, but they STILL haven't arrived! So stay tuned for a bunch of book review to come. Some of them I read while I was there, but I need them to talk about them. but I can't wait! If you have any gifts to buy for children soon, hold on to hear about at least two of these picture books that you will HAVE to see.

Some Grateful Thursday:
I'm grateful that no one else in my house has this bug (yes, we Lysoled everything downstairs)
I'm grateful for my awesome carpool pals who always come through and faithfully drive every week
I'm grateful for healthy parents
I'm grateful for a great writing partner and colleague
I'm thankful for grace and forgiveness
Mostly, I'm grateful for my patient, enduring husband who really wanted to go to the beach after work tonight to see his sisters but had to stay and help here. I'm sorry, honey. (I told him to go, that I'd work it out, but he decided to stay.)

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, The Pacific on HBO, and little Hannah

2010-05-18T07:22:00.000-07:00
First of all, I need the scoop on whatever this damn stomach thing is that's going around. I feel terrible and I have a big presentation tomorrow. Will I live?

Secondly, I want to tell you about a great YA novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, author of the widely acclaimed SPEAK. The novel is TWISTED, and it has one of the best teen male protagonist voices I've ever read. It's a heartbreaking story of the injustices of high school, and, well, society. But you fall in love with the protag in the first paragraph. It also depicts a wonderful sibling relationship, which you know I'm a sucker for in books. It's graphic and dark in places, not a gift for your nephew, but an excellent read all the same. I highly recommend it.

Also JOHN GREEN (your fave and mine) and Lauren Myracle have new books out. Woo hoo! As soon as I read them, I'll be talking about them right here.

I've been watching THE PACIFIC on HBO. As most of you know, I am a huge fan of the quality programming on HBO. The documentaries on education, aspects of history and our culture, and the series are unmatched, imho. I LOVED BAND OF BROTHERS. Every American should watch that series about our soldiers in WWII. It was outstanding. I almost didn't watch THE PACIFIC, a series about the Pacific soldiers in WWII because Band of Brothers was so outstanding, I was afraid THE PACIFIC would disappoint. But alas, HBO has done it again. THE PACIFIC was incredible. So listen when I tell you this, watch these series. Things are tough all over right now in our country--unemploymnet, sagging economy, foreclosures, oil spills--but when you're hunkered down in the mud with these boys at Peleleiu, watching their buddies die...all I can say is it puts things in perspective. You will be grateful for your dry pillow tonight and clean clothes, the little things. There's also a section about this series on www.hbo.com where other veterans can share their own stories. It's quite touching, and something we don't do enough of.

I had a dream last night. In it, I was weepy and melancholy about our kids growing up so fast. I was crying, "Can you believe Hannah is in the 1st grade? She's just growing up too fast." And sweet first grade Hannah came in the room and snuggled with me. We read and played. Then I woke up and remembered that Hannah is about to finish the SEVENTH grade. Sheesh! But I sure did enjoy my time with little Hannah last night. What a doll.

Have a great Tuesday. There's something about this drenching rain that I love. Not just because my garden loves it. There's more, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe you can tell me.

Monday, Monday (da, da, da-da-da-da)

2010-05-17T06:17:00.000-07:00
Haiku the Sunday New York Times and other ridiculous applications

Times Square bomb suspect
Has apparently BEEN peeved,
Plotting for a while.

E-question to friends:
"Can you tell me a way to
Save the oppressed?" Nope.

Will King Bhumidol
Step in to save his country?
Thailand needs him now.

To Be Sung to the Tune of 'My Favorite Things' from Sound of Music

Top secret networks and SHH! private spy rings.
CIA officers--people who won't sing.
They're not s'posed to do it, no Pakistan stings
But these are a few of our favorite things...

Petraeus denies it, but sources imply it.
Can't gather intelligence, rent it or buy it.
But how will we know to avoid Pakistan's sting?
Spies are a few of our favorite things.

To the tune of 'Moon River' (yes, one of the greatest songs of all times...)

(note-this is the travel section)

Lost River
Nobody in sight
All alone, a kayak delight.

In Lost River
A small sliver
Of world is your own, the kayak's your throne...

Lost River
Paddle to the Grand
Canyon, it's the land to see
In Lost River your heart quivers
Wherever you're paddling, it's you and, well, you.

(okay, that's all I can muster there...)

Sunday Business Section (Shook Me All Night Long)

It's was a fast machine
Made you money, clean,
With the best damn stock returns we'd ever seen.

We'd put the money in
Take it for a spin
Biggest complaint was the tax bracket's sin.

Then Wall Street's quakin', no more money makin', our hearts were breaking and the market was shaking 'cause YOU shook us all year long. Yeah, YOU, Wall Street, shook us all year long. You really shook me. You really shook me. (guitar solo here)

Okay, hope you all have a great Monday. If you can add a verse, please do. I've got to get to work!! I've missed you darling people. Come connect with me. (and wish me a late happy birthday-it was yesterday, and yes, I am older AND wiser)

Please Accept my Apologies...I've been MIA

2010-05-15T07:26:00.000-07:00
After a painful and particularly aggravating round with my tendonitis/carpal tunnel, I could barely zip my pants much less type, so I haven't blogged in ages! I have missed you, however, and have a long list of books to review backed up from even before my absence. So I promise to start today.

First of all, I just finished THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB by Karen Joy Fowler. As a big Austen fan, I really loved the discussion about the characters from her novels. I liked the parallels in the lives of the club members, yet it wasn't ridiculously parallel. However, the entire time I was reading it, I wished I was reading it with a book club. It would be such a good book to read and discuss, chapter by chapter. Funny enough, THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB would make a marvelous book club selection in itself. It is one of the many books that, once finished, I'm dying to find someone else who read it, so we can discuss it. So yes, I recommend this book, with two pieces of advice: 1. Keep Austen close in reach, you'll want to pick it up over and over again. and 2. Get a friend to read it at the same time, or if you're lucky enough, a book club!

Next, I finally, ridiculously, after long last read THE GUERNSEY POTATO PEEL PIE LITERARY SOCIETY (I hope I got that title right, but it will be correct in the margin), and I just LOVED it. I confess that I have had the book for a while and just couldn't get into it at first as it is told through a series of letters, but about thirty pages in, it finally clicked for me, and I was hooked. It was a marvelous, heart-soaring adventure about community and small town life during a brutal war and the aftermath that lasts for generations. A beautiful, engaging story with a most satisfying end.

Summer is a'coming, so gather ye rosebuds-er, books- while you may, so they are on hand for summer reading. More reviews to come in the coming days. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be lucky enough to get a few new ones for my birthday tomorrow (how can someone gift you a kindle book-does anyone know?).

(Just a bit of eavesdropping...I just heard this in the other room:
My YS: Tomorrow is mom's birthday.
OD: Are you serious?
YD: Nah, it's too soon.
YS: Yeah, it is. I'm making this for her.

Anyway, I just returned from a great, inspiring trip to Ohio where I met with my best writing bud, Jody. We spent hours, and I mean, hours, in bookstores and in book talk, so I'm fired up to get back to writing. Thankfully, my wrist is up for it now! Woo hoo.

Everyone have a wonderful Saturday.

Mixed Use

2010-05-04T11:20:00.000-07:00
While in Asheville last week, I read and heard a lot about 'mixed use'. Asheville, as I understand it, is committed to being a mixed use community which means (again, as I understand it) that businesses and homes all coexist in the same downtown region. It also means mixed in the sense of socioeconomics. So I've been thinking about how the suburbs really messed up the whole mixed use thing that evolved sort of naturally in our cities. It made sense for business owners to either live above their shop or allow someone else to do so. It also made sense that after all the trouble the cities went to in designing the cities and their park systems, etc., someone should be there on the week-ends to enjoy it. Central Park may be the greatest example of encouraging such a community.

So I've been noticing the examples of 'mixed use' around my house. In our home, it's less about mixing people than things. So here are a few examples of 'mixed use' in the Koppelman house.

1. The copy machine in my office is currently open with wet paint palettes propped up inside it to dry. It's actually a great use of space and somewhat decorative. AND I copied something in it, earlier.

2. Once the kids realized that my desk lamp was magnetic, they began to hang all their school papers on the tiny desk lamp. So now it's a refrigerator/bulletin board? (and, of course, a light)

3. The dining room chairs are a lovely place to sit for a nice meal, however they also seem to have evolved into hat racks. It seems that basebal caps hang nicely on the turned of corners of the chair backs. I'm not as happy about this mixed use.

4. The standing toilet paper roll in our bathroom has become Spiderman's climbing spot. Currently Spidey is poised at the top while several seemingly lesser superheroes are all scrambling at the bottom, trying to reach him. The holder also continues to hold toilet paper.

5. The slight indention on the top of the water cooler in the kitchen is apparently the perfect spot for discarded earrings and hair barrettes,rubber bands, and even a hairbrush. Its proximity to the mirror in the butler's pantry makes it convenient to have a refreshing glass of water and create the perfect ponytail.

6. The long, antique wooden bowl on the kitchen table holds three candles, a nice lighting element at dinner. However, the children have recently begun to add kindling by tossing their pencils in there after finishing their homework. This morning a roll of tape, a stapler, and two paperclips had been added. So now we have a complete office system on the kitchen table. Mixed use, for sure.

7. My daughter's nightstand might be the ultimate example of mixed use. From that small space, she can easily do the following things without getting out of bed!
enjoy a bottle of water, charge her ipod, listen to her ipod, charge her phone, use her flat iron, set her alarm clock, practice her clarinet, put on her shin guards, choose from a wide array of scarves hanging from the headboard of her bed and decide which of her necklaces to wear (hanging from the lamp). Additionally, she can do her homework (plenty of paper and pencils there), read seventeen magazine or any number of books, do her morning devotional, respond to a friend's camp letter, and reflect on the good times her life has brought with a tall stack of pictures.

Who says we don't have enough mixed use space in downtown Edenton?