Snowflakes on parade

Lately I've felt the need to tackle the little things that always fall to the end of my to-do list. Maybe its because the year is drawing to a close or maybe its post-deadline mania, but I've been taking great pleasure organizing, mending, and rearranging our apartment... hemming pants that have been sitting in the corner of the bedroom for months, cleaning out the flat files, and purging everything I can stand to part with. It feels soooo goooood.

For the longest time I've been meaning to frame my Robert's Snowflakes properly. I was lucky enough to win hand painted snowflakes by Alissa Imre Geis and Giselle Potter a few years back, two of my most prized possessions. Since then I am embarrassed to say they have been sitting in sloppy frames that didn't fit. No more!

I found these two little 3D frames at Ikea and got out my snowflakes...



and of course my trusty YES Glue, that stuff glues everything.



Then I cut some little rectangles out of foam core, two for each snowflake.



And glued them down, one on top of another, to some archival acid-free mat board.



Then I very carefully put a little dab of glue on the stack of foam core and placed a snowflake on top. I was weary at first of putting glue anywhere near these little paintings, but in the end I think they will be better preserved this way (and there was not much on the back of them, unlike some snowflakes).





Once they were dry I put the mat board in the back of the frames and voila- floating snowflakes!



Now on to going through my fabric stores and organizing my paper drawer. I just looove an organized paper drawer.

It's snowing! It's snowing random links, that is.

I'm on vacation, at my parents' home in Southern California for the holidays. I made it out of New York on the last non-canceled flight to Los Angeles Saturday afternoon during the snow storm! Speaking of the storm, I was actually a teeny tiny bit sad to have escaped, because I really love snow, and there's something so special about the first big snow of the season. But I was happy to live vicariously (whil in 70 degree weather) via lots of photos and videos online. Here's my favorite:



This year really flew by. I'll try to do a proper wrap-up in the next few weeks, but today I'll direct you to agent Nathan Bransford's great "Year in Publishing" post.

And here's a recent article about a business practice in publishing that nobody talks about. In fact, I know very little about how this works and found the article fascinating myself.

I was a guest blogger over at the Debutante Ball last week, and posted about research--how I researched to find my dream publishing job, that is! Read it here.

Also, related to Meghan's post about eBooks, this is an interesting article about an experiment regarding the issue of DRM, or digital rights management.

And finally, in honor of the sad news that actress Brittany Murphy died over the weekend, and also the recent news of Kirkus's demise, I was reminded of my post from this past May about Bad Reviews, which referenced both subjects (albeit somewhat indirectly). And will add that despite my negative feelings towards some of the reviews in Kirkus, I was saddened by the news. It really is a loss to publishing. You can read more thoughts about this over at the Horn Book blog.

And to conclude this random post, let's get back to snow. Anyone who knows me well knows that my favorite snow book, which is also my favorite picture book of all time, is The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Other snow books I love are Robert's Snow by Grace Lin, and Uri Shulevitz's Snow.

What are some of your favorite snow books?

Happy Holidays, everyone!!

Do you want kids?

A few weeks ago I added two more full days of babysitting to my schedule, for a mother with two jobs, three children, and no husband. The kids include a hyperactive three year old boy -- the kind of kid who, left alone, will break something -- really quickly.

Now, I get why some mothers get that glazed exhausted look or hyper stream of chatter. Keeping up with the laundry alone is like grinding the coffee mill in THE LONG WINTER. The dirty clothes pile grows faster than anyone who doesn't have kids could imagine. Your priorities change: this mother -- once a fastidious stay-at-home mom -- described how the three year old had been sleeping in her big double bed and, in the middle of the night, wet it. In the old days, she said, the bed would have been stripped and sanitized, remade with clean sheets etc etc immediately. This time, she thought,

"I'll get it later. It's just pee," and went back to sleep.

When you have as much to do as these mothers (and, while I had this schedule, I!) do, something -- usually, lots of things -- that really need to get done DON'T. I always feel behind as I rush from appointment to appointment (I have 3 other families and freelance writing clients to not only write for but talk to). But guess what? I've learned to do things a lot faster and make each minute count.

I would have thought all this would make me really, really glad I never had children--but to my astonishment, I'm not so sure. Three year olds can be really companionable -- and sweet. You're washing the dishes or something and suddenly a small child is wrapping his arms around your legs, looking up at you with an adoring smile. Conversations with intelligent older children can be really interesting -- on Thursday night after dinner a nine year old, a seven year old (both boys) and I sat and talked over chamomile tea until their bedtime:

"Tea and conversation

are a great combination."

"Did you make that up?" (in a very impressed voice)

Ten year olds even HELP: Adam is going to help me pack my books when I move (for money, of course--he's always saving up for some game which his parents, to their credit, refuse to buy him).

He even had ideas for how we could do it more efficiently:

"We have plastic bins at my house. We'll pack 'em up, bring 'em over, and unpack 'em."

"But Adam, books are really heavy!"

"I'm much stronger now that I've taken my karate black belt test."

Of course, I go home at the end of it. I have days off -- and I've cut working for that family from two full days to one, and with the new schedule, can keep up with my freelance work (and, I hope after ten days devoted only to it, the novel). But even for the mothers, hard as working and taking care of their kids is, they think it's worth it.

I never felt that biological imperative to have children some women feel; but I never decided not to have them, either. If anyone who wants children wants my advice, it's -- think about it, and (if you really do want them), go ahead. Have them. You will find a way to get the other stuff done. You may never feel (or be!) financially ready -- but someday, it will be too late.

POETRY FRIDAY: Before Christmas by Landis Everson

So sorry I missed Poetry Friday last week. I have been battling a persistent respiratory infection all fall. I think I'm finally on the road to kicking the bug for good.

Here's a holiday poem for you this week

Before Christmas
by Landis Everson

Almost
the first reindeer
shipped North by boxcar from Lapland
but a toy model
got there first.

A dwarf invented reindeer on his own.
He was Santa’s favorite. He
hadn't known
they already existed.

This discouraged dwarf
was close to taking his life but
Santa showed up
encircled by snow.
He said, “I will use the real reindeer for my sled

You can read the rest of the poem here.

At Wild Rose Reader: Things to Do If You Are a Bell...and More Poetry for Christmas. (I have two originals holiday-themed poems and links to my previous reviews of books of Christmas poetry and Christmas picture books in verse.)

At Political Verses, I have Stand for Christmas: A Song Parody & a Poem.

Susan Taylor Brown is doing the Poetry Friday Roundup this week.

electronic readers

Grace suggested buying a book for a holiday book (see below) and that got me thinking... There's Amazon's Kindle, the Sony Reader, and now BN's Nook. I don't know much about any of them but Sony's looks the prettiest. The Nook is the first one to have color on the bottom. But what about color pages? If that happens will kids' book find their way into the electronic readers? How scary! At least I think so. I don't have any desire to have one. I like holding a book, being able to flip its pages, and I like them on my bookshelves. I collect art books and I don't see them ever being replaced. If I read a lot of manuscripts then I wouldn't want to lug them around and I could then see a use for a electronic reader. But otherwise no. What would happen to picture books if people started reading them on those things? All the magic would be gone.

I want to know what you guys think. So speak up!

meghan

buying books

Give books for the holidays! Its no secret that the book industry is weak and struggling. As I said last year consider a gift that will truly leave a long lasting meaning to the people in your life. Yes, baby clothes are cute. Yes, video games are cool. But books enrich your life in a way that is timeless. They are important. And we need them to stick around.

Me, I've been doing my part. Thanks to the Books with Flair program I am participating in (fyi-last chance to get your orders in for an autographed book is FRIDAY, I'm going out of town after that) I go to the bookstore very often and buying lots' o books (I'll show you the list one Monday)!

However, for some people I was planning on giving a copy of my own book...which I am a little hesitant to give by itself. But thanks to the MotherReader: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon post I found inspiration.

I might actually give my book with some:

goldfish! but only to those local friends.

For those farther away (and wishing a less splashy present) I think I will send the book with this sweet necklace:


or these rabbit rice bowls:

Those match pretty well, don't you think? Of course if I really wanted to coordinate, I could always send stuff from my own store!

But I love the way MotherReader has thought of these creative ways to give books for the holidays. In fact, she has 105 ways to do it! So, you can do it too!

small graces...the LAST painting

This proverb has always been a favorite of mine, but it took me quite a while for me to truly puzzle out the meaning. To me, I finally realized, this proverb means "remember, feeding your soul is just as important as feeding your body." It is a reminder to value your spirit.

Which I thought was apropos for the December painting, this very last painting I am doing for the small graces project. This project is has been very valuable to my spirit and I hope to yours too!

This painting goes on auction on NOW! So go and BID, BID, BID!

And don't forget you can also purchase small graces prints from Child At Heart! They are the perfect holiday gifts--I keep thinking the Sept. one would be lovely for a child's teacher--but timing for holiday shipping is waning so get your order in soon(like now)!

Risd Sale 09 recap

The sale on Saturday was a lot of fun as usual! Here is Grace and I at our table where we dutifully sold books and prints from morning til night.



Grace brought a sea of Lissy dolls that looked adorable all piled together.



For my part I had lots of bird prints, books, and the buttons you all so graciously helped me to design.



Throughout the day we couldn't help but ogle these amazing scarves by Jeung-Hwa Park directly across from our booth... so tempting to scoop them up!



Just look at the incredible colors.



I always love chatting with Dorothy Imagire, who generously traded with me a few years ago. I have two of her amazing waxed photos in my kitchen.



This year she had these really cool table settings with phrases painted and etched on the surface. The silverware said things like "vegan" and "gluten-free".



I love this plate (click to enlarge).



I also discovered the work of the very talented Deborah Foreman, who makes these beautiful circle paintings. I love the textures and color combinations.





All in all it was a fun day and a good sale. Its nice to go back and run into old friends and make new ones. After the sale we got together with Alvina and Libby for our annual dinner and resolution setting, I'll let Alvina post about that tomorrow!

Commenting on a ms. (an author's view)

I am a ghostwriter, and a few weeks ago got the best comments from my collaborator that I've ever received from someone who wasn't a professional editor. Either he's a great natural editor or the letter I sent telling him what kinds of comments would be most useful to me was pretty good...maybe both.

When I mentioned this to Alvina, she said she'd like to see that letter - so here it is. If anyone has anyone comments on IT, please tell me -- maybe this letter only worked well with him because he's so nice, and so good. I'd like to do more of this kind of work (ghostwriting for people with good ideas who aren't writers) - I really enjoy collaborating. When the two of us click, it's actually a lot more fun than writing something on my own -- and having a deadline and knowing someone is going to read every word with great interest makes me finish things faster, too. Anyway.....

"Dear __________________:

Here are the sample chapters of the ms. -- VERY ROUGH--and an equally rough chapter by chapter outline.

"Thank you for being so supportive and enthusiastic while I was writing .... and for telling me to take my time. It's only fair for you to get the same courtesy in reading it!

"When it comes to outlines, thinking things over usually helps.....and time spent doing a good job on the thinking saves a lot of writing time later. Also, as you will see, there is a lot of musical stuff for you to figure out/create. So please take as much time as you need to mull it over....and we can and should of course talk about it too.

"It will I think take less time to read and comment on the sample chapters....at least, my experience has been that when it comes to reading a story or book, my FIRST reactions and responses are the truest and most helpful. So maybe it makes sense to talk about the sample chapters and the outline in two separate conversations?

"I think it may be really hard to read the sample AS A STORY, and not as a portrait of your people! One thing I do when I'm trying to get objectivity on something i've written is to print it out and makes notes by hand as I read -- that way, too, those first reactions don't get lost in later impressions.

"If you do that and tell me it would be enormously helpful in the rewriting. Specifically, I'd love to know:

*where you wanted MORE

*where you wanted less

*what's boring (just cross out anything that is boring, or if you're not sure what to cross out, mark where your attention started to wander)

*what was confusing

*what you liked: interested you, touched you, made you laugh, made you curious to see what would happen next

*what seemed unnecessary -- unrelated to the story

"THOSE are the kinds of comments that help a writer improve a piece! Or help me, anyway.

"What we will both I think have to be ruthless about (because I think we both have a tendency to enjoy making them up) are the descriptive details that are fun to think of and contemplate, but don't move the story along or develop character. Maybe our rule can be that we BOTH have to like them/think they add something or out they go.

"FOR EXAMPLE: the part about Nola's bright yellow bedroom and fluffy rug-- if it bored you, or you don't think it adds anything, we take it out.

"I hope the fun I had writing this translates into fun for the reader--but that you will tell me."

(END OF LETTER)

He DID tell me: we went over the draft for two and a half hours on the phone -- it was really fun, and not just because he loved and GOT what I'd written. His comments -- and, I have to admit, enthusiasm -- made it a lot better, which is after all the point.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

I've been working on some graphic novel ideas. Here's a sample picture from a nonfiction graphic novel I want to do:



I've also been reading a lot of graphic novels - memoirs specifically. My favorite is called THE ALCOHOLIC. It's sad, funny, and just right. I think it's my favorite. I read a very pretentious graphic novel called FUN HOME. Even though the vocabulary was ridiculous (I swear you need a good dictionary and your brain power to get through it) I still enjoyed it. It's about a woman who comes to grip with her father's sexuality, and her own. I also just finished a rather large one called BLANKETS. It's about a first love. I really liked this one, though I found the ending a bit abrupt.

I'm thinking again about how I could make a graphic novel about my teen years. They were AWFUL. I know there's a lot of that out there but I think there's room for one more. We shall see.

If any of you know of a good graphic novel to read - adult or kids' - please let me know!

vote for my book!

Hey look, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has been nominated for a 2009 Goodreads Choice Award in the Children's category! Vote for me! (scroll down to poll #8, that should be lucky, right?

before, during, and after

So, Thursday night, the night before my Today Show appearance, I slept very badly. I had a bad dream that I was on my way to the TV studio when I tripped and fell into a muddy pond...and then had to go on air with half covered in mud. Also, Mo Willems was the guest before me (because really, it's every author's nightmare to have to speak after him). So, my anxiety dreams were not that subtle.

But, luckily, it was just a dream and before I knew it, I was there, it was live, and it was OVER! It went by so quickly!
According to the youtube clip, it was exactly 4 minutes and 58 seconds. I spent a good portion of that time thinking that I had to stop my legs from jiggling. But there were a few moments when my mind was calm, and during that time I was rather awed.

The truth is, I think I have always put limitations on the appeal of my books. I've always thought my books were "Asian-niched" or "for girls" but for the first time, I realized how close-minded I've been about the audience that I write for. As we waited on set, the kids' excitement and enjoyment of my book was honest and real. "This book should be made into a movie," one boy said. "This book and that other blue cover book were the best ones we've read!" another said, the others echoing their approval. And then live, during the show, when one boy HAD to say, "By the way, I liked your book," before asking his question something clicked.

None of these kids were obviously Asian (I think one might have been a mix) and the boys were just as, if not more, enthusiastic than the girls. They did not think of my book as a Chinese book or a girl book. Those things didn't matter or even occur to them. This was just a book they enjoyed. It was perhaps the most truly multicultural moment I have ever had in my writing path so far-- a moment where the race and gender melted away, a moment that was so multicultural that the label faded away.

Which was very, very neat.

Afterwards, it still took me some time to come down (I am still recuperating!). Strange how something that occupied so much of my mind for so long was just, well, finished. It was almost anti-climatic, but a celebration of:

SOUP DUMPLINGS at Joe Shanghai's (oh how, I love soup dumplings!)

followed by:
singing bad karaoke tempered the withdrawal! Well, ok, only my singing was bad (my song="Flashdance:What a Feeling"). The others (Melanie, Meghan, TS and Alvina) were pretty good.

Getting ready

This Saturday Grace and I are sharing a table at the RISD Holiday Alumni Sale down in Providence. We'll be selling books, prints, and other book related goodies! For me this means a trip to Ikea and framing late into the night...



I usually sell inkjet prints of illustrations (these bird prints are always a big seller). But this year, with the help of my photographer dad and his printing genius, I've upgraded to archival giclée prints. They look SO much better than what I was printing at home, almost exactly like the originals!



Come by and say hello if you're in the area, I will give you a free Abigail Spells button!

ALUMNI HOLIDAY ART SALE 2009: December 12
10am-5pm, Rhode Island Convention Center
One Sabin Street, Providence
admission: $7; children under 14 + current RISD students (with ID): free

For directions, click here.

Today Show pics and Two Tidbits

Here are a few pictures from Grace's appearance on The Today Show last Friday.

When I showed up at the studio, Grace was getting her makeup done in the green room. I took this short video by mistake before someone told me that photos weren't allowed in the area:


Grace met the book club kids beforehand--but they were under strict orders to not talk about the book (although signing books was allowed):
Lining up to go up to the taping:
I watched the show from the green room (there was a nice spread of food and coffee for all of us):Afterwards we took a group picture:

And here are Ames O'Neill (Grace's publicist at L,B), me, Grace, and her agent Rebecca Sherman:
Grace was great, wasn't she? I imagine she will have more to share on Wednesday.

****

Two more tidbits. I'd like to direct you to a thorough and insightful post by agent Michael Sterns over at the Upstart Crow Literary Agency blog. Food for thought for picture book authors.

And finally, this video kind of blew my mind. Will this be the future of magazines and books?

Grace Lin Appears on the Today Show

Grace talks about her fantasy novel Where the Mountain Meets the Moon with Al Roker.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

GO GRACE!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/34274144#34274144

POETRY FRIDAY: I Cannot Speak of War

I thought the following poem was appropriate for posting this week. I found it at Poets Against War.

I Cannot Speak of War
by Pat Harvey

I can only speak of soldiers: captured

in nearly a century of photographs.

Old eyes in young faces who wear

integrity as easily as their crisp

dress blues and browns.

I can speak of my grandfather: the doughboy

learning a bit of the old parlez-vous

with gay mademoiselles baring

frantic smiles and foxholed nights

when the chauchaut rifle was useless.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

***************

At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original fairy tale poem titled The Giant’s Magic Harp Sings.

I’m doing the Poetry Friday Roundup at Wild Rose Reader today.

Chronicle Books sale

In case you haven't heard of this is a REALLY great deal from Chronicle Books, today is the last day to take advantage. Shop their web site before December 4th and get 35% off and free shipping. I love the design of their art books, stationary, crafty goodies, and of course children's books. Books make the best presents!

good luck charm

So, in an effort to prepare myself for Friday's TODAY Show interview I have been focusing on the "important" things. You know--what clothes to wear, getting my bangs trimmed, cleaning my shoes...yes, the very, very important things.

And while I was getting the very important bang trim, I noticed my hairdresser had on a jade bracelet. It reminded me of my trip to China, one of the inspirations of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and the jade bracelets I saw there. And then, suddenly, I felt like I HAD to wear a jade bracelet with my outfit. It was quite irrational.

But what to do? There wasn't time for me to go down to Boston's Chinatown. I could, perhaps, get one when I was in NYC but the schedule looked packed. In fact, the only time I had to shop was right then. I'd just have to hope I could find one locally on the way home from the hairdresser.

And it didn't seem promising. Libby, who was visiting (we always seem to do hair escapades together), was with me and we walked from one store to the next--Tibetan shops to thrift stores. Finally, at the very last store before home, we found one!



It was like fate! I hope it will be my good luck charm for the interview--in fact, Libby bought it for me because she thought it would be luckier if it was a gift. I really hope so...

9:45 AM on Friday, Dec. 4th
The TODAY Show on NBC

eeeks!

Desmond the cowboy

Another painting in progress post for you from Disappearing Desmond!