I spent over a month away from the Internet to revise the wip. I finished a draft, but it needs a lot more work. I've been taking a break for a couple of weeks to have some time away from the manuscript and do some mind writing.
It is a busy summer. I am thrilled the kids are home from college. Actually my daughter returns in about three weeks and my youngest son starts around the same time. Oldest son is job hunting and has some good leads.
My book was reviewed in a print magazine. Only thing, they have the publication date as 1997. The online review is at http://accentgwinnettmagazine.com/i
I hope everyone has a good weekend!
It is a busy summer. I am thrilled the kids are home from college. Actually my daughter returns in about three weeks and my youngest son starts around the same time. Oldest son is job hunting and has some good leads.
My book was reviewed in a print magazine. Only thing, they have the publication date as 1997. The online review is at http://accentgwinnettmagazine.com/i
I hope everyone has a good weekend!
So, this is me. Here and in real life.
ETA: This is not directed at anyone - I was simply thinking about the nature of internet interactions in general, and how you never quite know who is going to read something or how they'll take it. :}
- Mood:
cynical
Happy Birthday ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
jenlibrarian
Spreading the flowers!
lillpluta shared her roses that had two colors on one bush. It reminded me of my own roses that bloomed in two colors. It was very wierd to me since they have been in the same whiskey barrel since I got them. Guess it is a genetic thing. I have had this rose bush for 10 years!
I thought I had a picture of the bush together but alas it is missing in action! I have since cut this bush back to nothing because the bugs had eaten it up! It is coming back but no flowers yet.
jenlibrarianSpreading the flowers!
lillpluta shared her roses that had two colors on one bush. It reminded me of my own roses that bloomed in two colors. It was very wierd to me since they have been in the same whiskey barrel since I got them. Guess it is a genetic thing. I have had this rose bush for 10 years!I thought I had a picture of the bush together but alas it is missing in action! I have since cut this bush back to nothing because the bugs had eaten it up! It is coming back but no flowers yet.
"Last Lecture" professor Randy Pausch died.
I find myself more grief-stricken than I expected. But he went with an attitude that we can all learn from.
Six things on Friday, because alliteration is overrated.
1) My baby turned 18 months old yesterday and learned to jump off the ground with both feet in the evening! My other kids didn't learn that until around 2. This one keeps going, and going, and going... We took him to the children's museum during the day, and at night we had a mini half-birthday celebration for him with cookies he didn't care for and popsicles he definitely did.
The very happy half-birthday boy:
2) The older boys went to art camp this week at an ice rink. I went ice skating with them on Wednesday. It was fun, and I especially enjoyed the fact that skating rink music hasn't changed much since my heyday of skating in the 80s! I remember hearing The Doors, Journey, Howard Jones, and other stuff from the 80s or earlier. So, I may have liked it more than my kids did.
Blurry pic of me on ice, taken by my 7-year-old:
3. I need to finish my monthly garden article and turn it in. It's one of those months where I have so much great information, it's going to be really hard to make the article short enough!
4. We're trying a "Parents' Night Out" again tonight for all 3 boys. Last time we tried one, we were called to pick up the baby because he wouldn't stop crying. This was the first week he's ever played in the church nursery instead of crying or sleeping the whole time--still cried a lot, but played in the middle--so maybe it'll work, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high!
5. Our computer broke this week! Just what we need when we can't afford to replace it. It says it can't find the operating system--yikes. That's the family computer. I still have this laptop (with almost no hard drive space available...), so my husband is going to remove the hard drive from the other computer and hook it up to my laptop to see if the data is still accessible. I sure hope so, because it has our whole lives on it...photos, documents, music and audio clips, etc., going back about 13 years! A lot of it has been backed up, but I think we'd lose the last few months' worth.
6. I'm going to Austin SCBWI's "Day with an Editor" in September. I got in while there were still critique slots available--hooray! I think the whole thing is probably sold out by now.
1) My baby turned 18 months old yesterday and learned to jump off the ground with both feet in the evening! My other kids didn't learn that until around 2. This one keeps going, and going, and going... We took him to the children's museum during the day, and at night we had a mini half-birthday celebration for him with cookies he didn't care for and popsicles he definitely did.
The very happy half-birthday boy:
2) The older boys went to art camp this week at an ice rink. I went ice skating with them on Wednesday. It was fun, and I especially enjoyed the fact that skating rink music hasn't changed much since my heyday of skating in the 80s! I remember hearing The Doors, Journey, Howard Jones, and other stuff from the 80s or earlier. So, I may have liked it more than my kids did.
Blurry pic of me on ice, taken by my 7-year-old:
3. I need to finish my monthly garden article and turn it in. It's one of those months where I have so much great information, it's going to be really hard to make the article short enough!
4. We're trying a "Parents' Night Out" again tonight for all 3 boys. Last time we tried one, we were called to pick up the baby because he wouldn't stop crying. This was the first week he's ever played in the church nursery instead of crying or sleeping the whole time--still cried a lot, but played in the middle--so maybe it'll work, but I'm not getting my hopes up too high!
5. Our computer broke this week! Just what we need when we can't afford to replace it. It says it can't find the operating system--yikes. That's the family computer. I still have this laptop (with almost no hard drive space available...), so my husband is going to remove the hard drive from the other computer and hook it up to my laptop to see if the data is still accessible. I sure hope so, because it has our whole lives on it...photos, documents, music and audio clips, etc., going back about 13 years! A lot of it has been backed up, but I think we'd lose the last few months' worth.
6. I'm going to Austin SCBWI's "Day with an Editor" in September. I got in while there were still critique slots available--hooray! I think the whole thing is probably sold out by now.
- Mood:
hopeful
I haven't posted for a while, as I've been mostly keeping my head down to work on a project while occasionally looking up in panic at its deadline, which grows larger and more looming every day. Quite a lot, it seems, has happened in my absence from the blogosphere: The ALA Red Carpet interviews; Margo Rabb's "I'm YA and I'm OK" essay in the New York Times; and most especially a quick visit to the Highlights Foundation Writers Week at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York. I gave a presentation and did a signing; each person in attendance received a copy of one of my books, thanks to Highlights head honcho Kent Brown!
A few quick pics from my time there:
With illustrator Floyd Cooper (who once taught me how to DRAW with an ERASER.)
With Jerry Spinelli, one of my heroes!
With Sarah.
Who's Sarah?
At Highlights week, I arrived in time for a group barbecue, and then a performance of a Chinese acrobatic troupe at the Chautauqua Institute's beautiful amphitheater. At the performance, I sat with editor Patti Gauch, who introduced me to a young woman named Sarah, one of the conference attendees. We chatted a little, and I learned that Sarah is interested in illustrating children's books.
"Is this your first time at Chautauqua?" I asked.
"No, I used to come here when I was little," Sarah said. "My mom taught at Writers Week for several years."
Thinking that I might know of her mom's books, I asked, "Who's your mom?"
And Sarah answered, "Pam Conrad."
Instantly my eyes filled with tears. Pam Conrad's books MY DANIEL and PRAIRIE SONGS were touchstones for me. I read them when I was starting out on my journey into writing for children. PRAIRIE SONGS especially made me realize how an iconic story module (how could anyone dare to write about pioneering after Wilder?!) could and indeed *must* be made new again and again, by skilled writers with varied perspectives and interests.
I never got to meet Pam Conrad, who died in 1996 of breast cancer when she was only 48 years old. A few years ago, when I was on the faculty at Chautauqua, the Highlights Foundation held its annual auction to raise scholarship funds. One of the items on offer was a signed book by Pam Conrad. I pounced on it--and I do mean POUNCED: I bared my teeth and growled at anyone who came near it--NO ONE ELSE was getting that book! And I did indeed win it--it's called PEDRO'S JOURNAL, not one of her better-known titles, but I didn't care. It is now one of the most cherished titles I own.
So perhaps you can imagine how moved and thrilled I was to meet Sarah. Later I asked her if it was difficult to move around in the same field as a parent who casts a pretty decent-sized shadow. And Sarah said, "No. I love being Pam Conrad's daughter."
That's who Sarah is.
A few quick pics from my time there:
With illustrator Floyd Cooper (who once taught me how to DRAW with an ERASER.)
With Jerry Spinelli, one of my heroes!
With Sarah.
Who's Sarah?
At Highlights week, I arrived in time for a group barbecue, and then a performance of a Chinese acrobatic troupe at the Chautauqua Institute's beautiful amphitheater. At the performance, I sat with editor Patti Gauch, who introduced me to a young woman named Sarah, one of the conference attendees. We chatted a little, and I learned that Sarah is interested in illustrating children's books.
"Is this your first time at Chautauqua?" I asked.
"No, I used to come here when I was little," Sarah said. "My mom taught at Writers Week for several years."
Thinking that I might know of her mom's books, I asked, "Who's your mom?"
And Sarah answered, "Pam Conrad."
Instantly my eyes filled with tears. Pam Conrad's books MY DANIEL and PRAIRIE SONGS were touchstones for me. I read them when I was starting out on my journey into writing for children. PRAIRIE SONGS especially made me realize how an iconic story module (how could anyone dare to write about pioneering after Wilder?!) could and indeed *must* be made new again and again, by skilled writers with varied perspectives and interests.
I never got to meet Pam Conrad, who died in 1996 of breast cancer when she was only 48 years old. A few years ago, when I was on the faculty at Chautauqua, the Highlights Foundation held its annual auction to raise scholarship funds. One of the items on offer was a signed book by Pam Conrad. I pounced on it--and I do mean POUNCED: I bared my teeth and growled at anyone who came near it--NO ONE ELSE was getting that book! And I did indeed win it--it's called PEDRO'S JOURNAL, not one of her better-known titles, but I didn't care. It is now one of the most cherished titles I own.
So perhaps you can imagine how moved and thrilled I was to meet Sarah. Later I asked her if it was difficult to move around in the same field as a parent who casts a pretty decent-sized shadow. And Sarah said, "No. I love being Pam Conrad's daughter."
That's who Sarah is.
A whole new neurosis has presented itself to me: checking Amazon.
TDD will be released in mid September. I've been following my Amazon ranking (limiting myself to 3 checks weekly). A few days ago it was 2.9 million. :) Well, not too shabby, I thought, since the book isn't out yet.
Today it's 61,755. So what does this mean? That maybe, perchance, someone might've ordered the book?!?! Can an order of one or two books drop the rating like this?
Now I'm thinking of ordering a copy myself, just to see if the ranking goes down more. :) Or maybe I'll order two, just for fun.
TDD will be released in mid September. I've been following my Amazon ranking (limiting myself to 3 checks weekly). A few days ago it was 2.9 million. :) Well, not too shabby, I thought, since the book isn't out yet.
Today it's 61,755. So what does this mean? That maybe, perchance, someone might've ordered the book?!?! Can an order of one or two books drop the rating like this?
Now I'm thinking of ordering a copy myself, just to see if the ranking goes down more. :) Or maybe I'll order two, just for fun.
- Mood:
curious
1. I am reading VALERIE BERTINELLI's memoir. Don't laugh or stick up your nose. Sarah Dessen just read it too, okay? And there's great dish, including details about her fling with Stephen Speilberg. She's just a few years older than me, and I used to watch One Day at a Time every week with my (divorced) mom and older sister. At the time, it was one of the only shows that didn't present a single-parent household as a tragic "broken home." And it was funny.
2. Saw the cute, cliched (female protagonist gets drunk and dances on bar; each protagonist has wacky sidekick best friend; protagonist makes reconciliation speech in front of big crowd and gets applause; final scene is a wedding) movie 27 DRESSES. I'm sorry, secret boyfriend Matt Damon, but I have to break up with you. My heart now belongs to James Marsden.
3. My agent wants me to do MORE REVISIONS on my YA manuscript. Now that I've put away the knife, gun, and poison, I really appreciate her feedback and think her suggestions are good. I think I need a few days away from it though, and plan to draft my Shiny New Manuscript instead.
4. My ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER editor told me my humor column is now in a third local paper, the Laguna Beach one. Ooh la la! Laguna Beach! It started in one local paper almost four years ago.
5. The first two SUPERNATURAL RUBBER CHICKEN books were used in a book club for boys going into fourth grade, and I was told they were a big hit. I just love, love, love when my target readers enjoy my work.
2. Saw the cute, cliched (female protagonist gets drunk and dances on bar; each protagonist has wacky sidekick best friend; protagonist makes reconciliation speech in front of big crowd and gets applause; final scene is a wedding) movie 27 DRESSES. I'm sorry, secret boyfriend Matt Damon, but I have to break up with you. My heart now belongs to James Marsden.
3. My agent wants me to do MORE REVISIONS on my YA manuscript. Now that I've put away the knife, gun, and poison, I really appreciate her feedback and think her suggestions are good. I think I need a few days away from it though, and plan to draft my Shiny New Manuscript instead.
4. My ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER editor told me my humor column is now in a third local paper, the Laguna Beach one. Ooh la la! Laguna Beach! It started in one local paper almost four years ago.
5. The first two SUPERNATURAL RUBBER CHICKEN books were used in a book club for boys going into fourth grade, and I was told they were a big hit. I just love, love, love when my target readers enjoy my work.
Missouri Writers Guild Flash Fiction Contest
Contest alert! Emily Hendricks told me about this:
The Hottest Flash Fiction Contest
$100 1st Prize
Deadline - September 15, 2008
Entry fee: $10
Word Limit 1,000 words.
- First Place: $100.Second Place Winner: $50.Third Place $25.
- Mood:
busy - Music:Miley on the Today Show
Cory Doctorow has this fabulous article on writing YA. It's mostly abouf SF (and since my YA is SF, I was very interested!) - but there is a lot in it to make those of us who write for teens feel pretty darn good about our path. Enjoy!
http://www.locusmag.com/Features/2008/07/c
- Mood:interested
1) Work for an hour on current project. Just write out scenes and don't worry whether or not it's perfect. My goal is to finish the story, print up a hard copy, and place it in a binder. Then I can go back and make notes and comments.
2) Books I got to review:
This one looks fun! Cute cover!
And some non-fiction YA
3)Visit with mother-in-law. Son's having a blast and learning to play some card games. He's really enjoying having all the attention.
4)This is from PW:
TELEVISION RIGHTS
NYT bestselling authors PC Cast and Kristin Cast's HOUSE OF NIGHT
series, set in the school where young "marked" students train to
become adult vampires, to Michael Birnbaum at Empire Pictures
(JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE, BANDITS), by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and
Associates, on behalf of Meredith Bernstein at the Meredith Bernstein
Literary Agency.
5) Guilty pleasure today. Well, not for me, but for both my son and mother-in-law, who so deserves a treat.
2) Books I got to review:
This one looks fun! Cute cover!
And some non-fiction YA
3)Visit with mother-in-law. Son's having a blast and learning to play some card games. He's really enjoying having all the attention.
4)This is from PW:
TELEVISION RIGHTS
NYT bestselling authors PC Cast and Kristin Cast's HOUSE OF NIGHT
series, set in the school where young "marked" students train to
become adult vampires, to Michael Birnbaum at Empire Pictures
(JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE, BANDITS), by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and
Associates, on behalf of Meredith Bernstein at the Meredith Bernstein
Literary Agency.
5) Guilty pleasure today. Well, not for me, but for both my son and mother-in-law, who so deserves a treat.
Here are some flowers from my garden for jenlibrarian's bouquet.
Two different colored roses growing on the same bush. The darker roses come from newer shoots.
jenlibrarian's bouquet.Two different colored roses growing on the same bush. The darker roses come from newer shoots.
Feeling pretty good today... I hope you are, too. Baked a pie yesterday with berries from my blackberry bush. This is the first year it has produced berries & they are huge! And quite tasty! 8^) The pie is much more fattening than I'd like... but, it's yummy! I also put a colander-full of berries through my food mill and made ice cubes out of the resultant juice/puree. I'm going to use those in smoothies this winter. Ah... the taste of summer in December - yay!
Enough about blackberries - on to whatever else is frittering away in my brain...
1. My children never cease to amaze me at their wonderfulness.
2. Lighting in a room greatly affects my mood.
3. Every single Beach Boys' song reminds me of summertime & being a teenager.
4. A good veterinarian is a treasure.
5. No music is quite as beautiful as birds singing at dawn.
6. Eating a ripe blackberry is like having an explosion of summer in your mouth. (could not resist a blackberry mention!)
7. Magical goodness is going on behind the scenes - we don't have to know what it is, just that it is.
8. Sometimes just sitting and smiling is the best response.
9. Being nice is contagious.
10. Love does make the world go 'round.
What's frittering around in your brain this cloudy Friday? I'd love to know... care to share? 8^)
Enough about blackberries - on to whatever else is frittering away in my brain...
1. My children never cease to amaze me at their wonderfulness.
2. Lighting in a room greatly affects my mood.
3. Every single Beach Boys' song reminds me of summertime & being a teenager.
4. A good veterinarian is a treasure.
5. No music is quite as beautiful as birds singing at dawn.
6. Eating a ripe blackberry is like having an explosion of summer in your mouth. (could not resist a blackberry mention!)
7. Magical goodness is going on behind the scenes - we don't have to know what it is, just that it is.
8. Sometimes just sitting and smiling is the best response.
9. Being nice is contagious.
10. Love does make the world go 'round.
What's frittering around in your brain this cloudy Friday? I'd love to know... care to share? 8^)
- Mood:
happy - Music:brain radio (Good Vibrations)
Here's a little something to add to the jenlibrarian bouquet!
I chose azaelas because they symbolize ABUNDANCE. I wish Jen a lifetime of abundance!
A couple of weeks after I joined LJ, I was signing COWBOY CAMP at the 2006 ALA Midwinter Meeting.jenlibrarian and d_michiko_f stopped at my booth and treated me like an old friend. Thanks so much for that, ladies.......
jenlibrarian bouquet!
I chose azaelas because they symbolize ABUNDANCE. I wish Jen a lifetime of abundance!
A couple of weeks after I joined LJ, I was signing COWBOY CAMP at the 2006 ALA Midwinter Meeting.
jenlibrarian and d_michiko_f stopped at my booth and treated me like an old friend. Thanks so much for that, ladies.......I've been reading lots of MG, some YA, and even an adult book or two lately. I don't like to summarize (reminds me too much of writing a synopsis!), but I so appreciate the talent behind all of these:
THE MAGIC THIEF, bysarah_prineas . . . Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!! The voice of the MC is wonderful. I couldn't put this one down.
MAY BIRD AND THE EVER AFTER, by Jodi Lynn Anderson . . . *sigh* . . . wish I could write like this.
WHALES ON STILTS, by M. T. Anderson . . . funny book :)
THE SISTERS GRIMM, by Michael Buckly . . . a creative series, with lots going on.
SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi . . . more great creativity.
CRANK, by Ellen Hopkins . . . almost too good. I had to put it down, as the free-verse language is so vivid, the writing so intense. It made me terribly sad.
THE WHITE DARKNESS, by Geraldine McCaughrean . . . haven't finished yet. Beautiful writing.
WHISKY SOUR, by J.A. Konrath . . . funny, vividly written detective book.
THE MAGIC THIEF, by
sarah_prineas . . . Loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!!! The voice of the MC is wonderful. I couldn't put this one down. MAY BIRD AND THE EVER AFTER, by Jodi Lynn Anderson . . . *sigh* . . . wish I could write like this.
WHALES ON STILTS, by M. T. Anderson . . . funny book :)
THE SISTERS GRIMM, by Michael Buckly . . . a creative series, with lots going on.
SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi . . . more great creativity.
CRANK, by Ellen Hopkins . . . almost too good. I had to put it down, as the free-verse language is so vivid, the writing so intense. It made me terribly sad.
THE WHITE DARKNESS, by Geraldine McCaughrean . . . haven't finished yet. Beautiful writing.
WHISKY SOUR, by J.A. Konrath . . . funny, vividly written detective book.
- Mood:
busy
Fondue Fridays
- where everyone dips in, and everything comes up cheesy -
- - -
- - -
Every year, we have a blast at the SCBWI National Conference in Los Angeles. But every year is a totally different experience. Recently, the three of us got together, placed a laptop on a Lazy-Susan, and discussed our thoughts and hopes for the next conference…which begins one week from today.
- - -
Jay: Okay, who wants to go first?
Robin: Well, you just did.
Jay: Okay, then who wants to go sec--…I mean…third?
Eve: I’ll go…wait, what are we talking about?
Robin: I think this is the last time we’re going to do this.
Jay: Robin’s in a bad mood cuz she had to put off her hair appointment. Nice hat, by the way.
Robin: I like to call it Redneck Chic. Let’s move on.
Eve: I love the hat! And, Jay…you’re wearing a hat too. Speaking of hats, what are you guys most excited about doing at the conference?
Jay: Just for your info, dear readers, Robin’s hat says Pheasants Forever. I think it’s from back home in Georgia.
Robin: Pheasants are forever. Now let’s move on. I’m looking forward to so many of the speakers, including the amazing Jay Asher who had better lose his hat by then…and his attitude.
Jay: It’s a Penguin hat. I’m just trying to represent!
Eve: Pheasants. Penguins. Who cares? I’m excited to meet blog readers like Suzanne Young and Laura Ludwig Hamor, who I’ve only met cyber-ly! And Christy Raedeke, who I only got to hang with a little bit in Big Sur.
Robin: Yes! And Rachel Cohn and David LaRochelle and…and…oh, who am I kidding…I can’t wait to get soy lattes all day long from the Starbucks in the lobby!
Eve: OMG! I was just going to say the same thing! Except my drink of choice is a café mocha. We are the same person, Robin!
Jay: You definitely are. Each year at the conference…each and every morning!…I’m told to get up early, go downstairs, and bring back your coffees while you “put your faces on.”
Robin: Thanks, Jay. Extra hot…don’t forget! Hopefully we’ll make it down in time for the faculty parade, where each faculty member says one inspired word into the microphone. Do you want to give our readers a hint as to what your word will be, Jay?
Eve: Ooh! Do not say something generic like creative or imagine. You should say…
Robin: Wait, you didn’t tell Eve yet?
Jay: No, back when I came up with it, it would’ve just frustrated her. But I think she’d like it now.
Eve: Wait, I know! Your word is…wait, why would it frustrate me? Is it menopause???
Robin: You’re right. It would’ve frustrated her.
Eve: What IS it? Loser? Cellulite? Dumb blond? No, that’s two words.
Jay: Come here, I’ll whisper it to you. [Jay whispers his word.]
Eve: Oh! NEVER would have guessed that one! Funny. Yes, maybe it would have frustrated me a few months back. But not now. Thanks for telling me!
Jay: Okay, Robin, what year did you first attend the conference?
Robin: My first year was 2003. The theme was the Mad Hatter Tea Party or something. I drove down by myself for one day and ended up crashing in Eve’s room that night. I remember thinking…I could make a habit out of this.
Eve: That’s right! We all hardly knew each other then. I remember sitting in my room with Jay chatting about how much I loved his new project, and insisting that he keep working on it. Back then it was a little thing called, Baker’s Dozen. Most of you now know it as Thirteen Reasons Why!
Jay: I remember that conversation so well! When you told me you loved my book, I remember thinking, “I think we could become really good friends.”
Robin: Awww. This is getting so cute. Let’s do more cute! When was your first year, Jay? What was that like?
Jay: 2000 was my first year…and it wasn’t so cute at first. I knew absolutely no one and I was so shy back then. But I ended up befriending Kathleen Duey, and she introduced me to so many cool people. By the end of the conference, I was more determined than ever to stick with this. And then, Eve, I think you came to the conference two years later, but we never even talked.
Eve: Yes, 2002 was my first. I had just moved to Cali, knew no one at the conference, but met a fabulous group of girls the first day--April Fritz, Kelly DiPucchio, Hope Vestergaard, Alice Pope, Lisa Wheeler--and they made me feel right at home. I do remember seeing a strange guy sitting all alone at the Saturday night luau dressed like the Hawaiian Punch logo-guy and playing a ukulele!
Jay: Yep. That was embarrassing…cuz NO ONE ELSE DRESSED UP THAT YEAR!!!
Robin: But this year, things will be much different!
Eve: Yes, because it’s not a luau, so you won’t need that ukulele. Don’t bring it. No, seriously. Don’t.
Robin: Right! This year will be very different. Jay’s book is out and he’s on the faculty and he’s going to be the hit of the conference. For me it’ll be different because…oh, wait…it won’t be different at all. Except we’ll be dressed in red!!!
Jay: Hey, Robin. I’m actually starting to like your Pheasants Forever hat. You look good in it.
Eve: Leave her hat alone!
Jay: No, I’m serious. I like it!
Robin: For real ya’ll, pheasants are forever.
Eve: Oh! Oh! I know! Your one word should be I’maNewYorkTimesBestsellingAuthorLookAtM
Robin: Or how about EveAndRobinWillBePublishedSoon.
Eve: Oh, oh, or MillionDollarContractsMovieDealsAndTheWh
Robin: Or ILoveEveAndRobinMoreThanLifeItself.
Eve: IWouldBeNothingWithoutThem.
Jay: [walks away]
Robin: Jay! We’re sorry.
Jay: I’m just getting more coffee.
Eve: Maybe his one word should just be creative.
Robin: Yeah. Creative. That’s good!
It's been thundering and lightning all night and it sounds like my house is about to blow away, so I'm out here reading.
I picked up Crystal Rain by Tobias S. Buckell and discovered this:
Everything thirsted for the impending rainy season: the dry jungle...and the drooping emerald ears of corn.
Which amuses me, y'see, because corn requires a lot of rain to stay "emerald green," for one thing. If it's thirsty, the leaves curl and turn brittle, pale green - then brownish-yellow, and then pale golden white. And the ears droop when they're mature or when the plant has died. Once they're mature, rain won't help. If the ears are drooping, rain won't matter.
Also this: Rainy season tugged at their joints...soon the jungle air blowing into the streets would be wet...and the corn so fresh you could hear it grow at night in the fields.
Okay, people. Corn only grows before it puts out ears. Once it puts out ears - at the end of the plant's growing cycle - all the plant's energies go into filling the kernels. It takes about an inch of rain a week for a couple of weeks to fill an ear of corn optimally. You'll get corn with less moisture, of course, but the ears will be smaller with fewer kernels. After that, it's simply a matter of waiting for the corn to dry enough to be stored safely. At that point, you don't want rain.
I haven't read far enough to know what sort of world he's building here, or what sort of people. But surely, if they're growing corn near a jungle, they would know how to time their planting.
I don't think I'm in the mood to read this right now. I'll have to come back to it when I'm less irritable.
I picked up Crystal Rain by Tobias S. Buckell and discovered this:
Everything thirsted for the impending rainy season: the dry jungle...and the drooping emerald ears of corn.
Which amuses me, y'see, because corn requires a lot of rain to stay "emerald green," for one thing. If it's thirsty, the leaves curl and turn brittle, pale green - then brownish-yellow, and then pale golden white. And the ears droop when they're mature or when the plant has died. Once they're mature, rain won't help. If the ears are drooping, rain won't matter.
Also this: Rainy season tugged at their joints...soon the jungle air blowing into the streets would be wet...and the corn so fresh you could hear it grow at night in the fields.
Okay, people. Corn only grows before it puts out ears. Once it puts out ears - at the end of the plant's growing cycle - all the plant's energies go into filling the kernels. It takes about an inch of rain a week for a couple of weeks to fill an ear of corn optimally. You'll get corn with less moisture, of course, but the ears will be smaller with fewer kernels. After that, it's simply a matter of waiting for the corn to dry enough to be stored safely. At that point, you don't want rain.
I haven't read far enough to know what sort of world he's building here, or what sort of people. But surely, if they're growing corn near a jungle, they would know how to time their planting.
I don't think I'm in the mood to read this right now. I'll have to come back to it when I'm less irritable.
- Mood:
amused
 |
jenlibrarian requested virtual flowers on her birthday. I'm more than happy to oblige.Why sunflowers? Because they always make me smile - they look like big happy faces! And why this sunflower? Because
jenlibrarian gave this painting to me as a parting gift when I moved to China. It's extra special because it's painted by our good friend, artist and children's book illustrator, Jacqueline Rogers.I equate Jen with sunflowers because she is a bright ball of sunshine to me. She is warm and generous and kind and giving. Jen and I have been friends ever since we met at the Eastern PA SCBWI Pocono retreat - a quick introduction and an exchange of email addresses led to our now 7+ year friendship. I have very fond memories of coffees at Panera, lemonade and scones at her house, long discussions about books and writing, and heart-to-heart talks about our personal lives. I recall our two kids digging a hole in her backyard, making a fruit pizza, and later talking about anime and manga over ice cream at the Country Drive-In. I remember a fun sushi dinner with Jen and her son - he received a plastic finger as part of his meal. Odd, that. I think it was close to Halloween. We had fun with that. I remember having a blast at ALA in San Antonio with her, and hanging out at SCBWI Nationals in L.A. together. We've attended many conferences together over the years, and we co-chaired a Fall Festival for the Children's Literature Connection. She came to my house for a week last summer for a retreat and I stayed at her house this past spring. And I love love love reading her work. Jen is extremely talented!
So happy birthday, Jen! I'm so grateful for YOUR gift of friendship. May flowers brighten your every day!
Love ya!
I'm trying to put together some school visit presentations and I wanted to throw out the question to those of you who have done them or seen them...
What has worked particularly well for K-3? How about grades 4-6? I'd love suggestions for both individual class visits, and also whole school/grade level visits. What, if anything, did NOT work well?
Please, if you have a moment to share, I'd be so very greatful. I took Anastasia Suen's School Visits Workshop, which was very helpful, but there's nothing quite like hearing things first hand. I wish someone had a video with sample presentations I could order. :) Seriously.
xo,
Cathy
What has worked particularly well for K-3? How about grades 4-6? I'd love suggestions for both individual class visits, and also whole school/grade level visits. What, if anything, did NOT work well?
Please, if you have a moment to share, I'd be so very greatful. I took Anastasia Suen's School Visits Workshop, which was very helpful, but there's nothing quite like hearing things first hand. I wish someone had a video with sample presentations I could order. :) Seriously.
xo,
Cathy
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