As I hope you all know, I did a book on Pale Male called City Hawk. I’ve noticed that it gets compared with the other two picture books on the same subject often. What puzzles me is that it gets compared at all. My book is NOT about the nest removal and the other two are. My book is about outsiders—the hawks—surviving in a manmade environment. It’s not about humans and animals fighting for the same space. It’s about harmony--the BEFORE and AFTER the nest removal. Not during.
I wrote City Hawk—then called The Story of Pale Male-- far before the removal happened. There were a few roadblocks along the way that delayed my book’s publication and that is why it came out when the others did.
I did talk about the nest removal in the back but chose not to mention it in the body of the book or to make that event the focus of my story. Why? Because the nest removal wasn’t a happy event. I read one comment somewhere that said that the newest book on the nest removal is more accurate than the other two—mine being one of them. If anyone bothered to do the amount of research necessary to have a good knowledge of the event then they would know that my author’s note on the removal is VERY accurate.
I noticed that most authors seem to side with the birdwatchers… thinking -- how dare those building owners remove that nest! The truth is that things got ugly and the story is not as B&W as people may think. How would you like to live in an apartment where it is being watched night and day by people using giant telescopes made for NASA? How would you like close-ups of yourself (people such as Woody Allen)--being sold in the park as souvenirs? Would you like to have your apartment building assaulted by pigeons because a birdwatcher dumped enormous amounts of birdseed on the entrance, on purpose, to cause an upsetting event? One of the bird watchers even got arrested! I don't see that mentioned in any of the nest removal books. Hmm. Wonder why?
After reading tons of articles on the subject, I can see good arguments for both sides. Of course I side with Pale Male and his family (that's why I wrote the book!) but I don’t think the building owner or the apartment dwellers were evil at all and I don’t think any book should display them as such. That isn’t right. Apartment dwellers were harassed during the event—there was a lot of shouting and other protests. Honestly, that isn’t good subject matter for a kids’ book! So that’s why my book isn’t about the removal. I wish people would read more about it before concluding that my book should have included that part of the story. I like to be accurate. An accurate account of that event for kids would be an awful one. There are two sides to every story. We shouldn't forget that.
In the end, Pale Male and his family stayed. There was a happy ending. That’s what my book is about. The happy part.
I'm glad to get this off my chest!
Meghan
p.s - This is NOT meant to criticize the other Pale Male books. I think they're both very good, fun books and I own them both! I would like each book to be looked at individually... not collectively. I also want to explain to the critics why I didn't write about the nest removal. I hope now people understand why.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
What awards just happened?
This is the first year that I had NO idea that ALA was happening. Here are a few morsels of honesty.
1) I haven’t looked at a kids’ book all year
2) I haven’t thought about reading a kids’ book all year
3) I don’t miss kids’ books
I know, it’s a terrible thing to say. In past years I was aware of every book that won an award. I’d get all worked up about the choices, thinking I could pick much better ones, etc. Now I don’t care. The books that are picked for the awards usually aren’t the most kid-friendly choices. Perhaps this is partially why I’ve stopped caring. The choices for the awards are sometimes obscure, boring, badly illustrated, and so on. So shoot me, I’ve said it.
I got my first book offer after moving to NYC. I think I was 22. That was a long time ago! Yikes! Perhaps I’m just burnt out. Unfortunately in this business, without someone to support you, there’s no vacation from the books. I probably need one. Perhaps by not looking at a children’s book for the whole year I’ve attempted to give myself one. Maybe next… er… this year I’ll get back on the saddle.
1) I haven’t looked at a kids’ book all year
2) I haven’t thought about reading a kids’ book all year
3) I don’t miss kids’ books
I know, it’s a terrible thing to say. In past years I was aware of every book that won an award. I’d get all worked up about the choices, thinking I could pick much better ones, etc. Now I don’t care. The books that are picked for the awards usually aren’t the most kid-friendly choices. Perhaps this is partially why I’ve stopped caring. The choices for the awards are sometimes obscure, boring, badly illustrated, and so on. So shoot me, I’ve said it.
I got my first book offer after moving to NYC. I think I was 22. That was a long time ago! Yikes! Perhaps I’m just burnt out. Unfortunately in this business, without someone to support you, there’s no vacation from the books. I probably need one. Perhaps by not looking at a children’s book for the whole year I’ve attempted to give myself one. Maybe next… er… this year I’ll get back on the saddle.
Save the date!
Good news, Priscilla and the Hollyhocks, will be released in February at last! When I was painting the illustrations last year I blogged about it a number of times if you may remember here, here and here. You can see some of my paintings for the book here.
To celebrate this great occasion, the publisher and two great local bookstores are throwing us two fun-filled launch parties, one in Jamaica Plain and one in Wellesley. Both events will feature:
*An art activity for kids (make your own hollyhock doll)
*Curriculum guides for teachers who wish to use the book in their classroom
*A short presentation by both the author and myself about how we made this book
*Original artwork and sketches/process work on display
Plus snacks and good cheer for all of course!
Here are the details:
February 9th at 1:00 pm
The Wellesley Booksmith
82 Central St
Wellesley, MA 02482
(781) 431-1160
February 16th at 3:00 pm
Jamaicaway Books
676 Centre Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
(617) 983-3204
Feel free to pass along the invitation, all are welcome!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
I'm off to China...
Grace and I are going to Beijing and Shanghai with a few friends for about two weeks. I'm leaving for the airport in a few minutes, and since I missed my day to post last week, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to post next week while in China, I thought I'd just drop a quick note.
Grace has made a commitment to herself to post from China every day, so check her personal blog for updates. I'll try to post as much as possible as well from my blog.
And now, I'll leave you with some picture from my new office. As you loyal blog readers know, my company moved into a new building last Spring, and the new building has an internal atrium that's quite cool. My office has a window to the atrium. Anna was visiting a week ago and helped me take a few pictures:
Grace has made a commitment to herself to post from China every day, so check her personal blog for updates. I'll try to post as much as possible as well from my blog.
And now, I'll leave you with some picture from my new office. As you loyal blog readers know, my company moved into a new building last Spring, and the new building has an internal atrium that's quite cool. My office has a window to the atrium. Anna was visiting a week ago and helped me take a few pictures:
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Roald Dahl's list plus one
Here's what Roald Dahl thinks you need to be a fiction writer:
1. You should have a lively imagination.
2. You should be able to write well. By that I mean you should be able to make a scene come alive in the reader's mind. Not everybody has this ability. It is a gift, and you either have it or you don't.
3. You must have stamina. In other words, you must be able to stick to what you are doing and never give up, for hour after hour, day after day, week after week, and month after month.
4. You must be a perfectionist. That means you must never be satisfied with what you have written until you have rewritten it again and again, making it as good as you possibly can.
5. You must have strong self-discipline. You are working alone. No one is employing you. No one is around to fire you if you don't turn up for work, or tick you off if you start slacking.
6. It helps a lot if you have a keen sense of humor. This is not essential when writing for grown-ups, but for children, it's vital.
7. You must have a degree of humility. The writer who thinks that his work is marvelous is heading for trouble.
#8. (from Libby) Luck.
He doesn't mention # 8 -- maybe because he wasn't talking about getting published, only writing novels; or maybe he thought it was obvious. The list was in an essay called A LUCKY BREAK, which tells how HE started writing and got published: they happened for him at the same time, in the same lucky break.
So, adding luck (and remembering its importance in getting published, which is a pretty good way to keep from getting a swelled head), I think I agree with him -- even about #2. What do you think?
1. You should have a lively imagination.
2. You should be able to write well. By that I mean you should be able to make a scene come alive in the reader's mind. Not everybody has this ability. It is a gift, and you either have it or you don't.
3. You must have stamina. In other words, you must be able to stick to what you are doing and never give up, for hour after hour, day after day, week after week, and month after month.
4. You must be a perfectionist. That means you must never be satisfied with what you have written until you have rewritten it again and again, making it as good as you possibly can.
5. You must have strong self-discipline. You are working alone. No one is employing you. No one is around to fire you if you don't turn up for work, or tick you off if you start slacking.
6. It helps a lot if you have a keen sense of humor. This is not essential when writing for grown-ups, but for children, it's vital.
7. You must have a degree of humility. The writer who thinks that his work is marvelous is heading for trouble.
#8. (from Libby) Luck.
He doesn't mention # 8 -- maybe because he wasn't talking about getting published, only writing novels; or maybe he thought it was obvious. The list was in an essay called A LUCKY BREAK, which tells how HE started writing and got published: they happened for him at the same time, in the same lucky break.
So, adding luck (and remembering its importance in getting published, which is a pretty good way to keep from getting a swelled head), I think I agree with him -- even about #2. What do you think?
Friday, January 11, 2008
POETRY FRIDAY: A Taste of Poetry
I know most people don’t share my passion for poetry. Fortunately, there are some of you who do—people who enjoy the taste of a well-written poem. I think poetry’s delicious! How about you?For this Poetry Friday, I give you two poems about eating poetry. The poem by Eve Merriam is one I used to share often with my elementary students.
From HOW TO EAT A POEM
by Eve Merriam
Don't be polite.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that
may run down your chin.
may run down your chin.
It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.
Click here to read the rest of the poem.
From EATING POETRY
by Mark Strand
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
Click here to read the rest of the poem.
From EATING POETRY
by Mark Strand
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.
The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.
Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.
Click here to read the rest of the poem.
At Wild Rose Reader I have four original poems about winter.
The Poetry Friday Roundup is at The Book Mine Set today.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
top 30 key word searches for my website this month
1 strong man
2 16 6.84% megan mccarthy
3 13 5.56% meghan mccarthy
4 9 3.85% aliens are coming
5 6 2.56% aleins
6 4 1.71% ugly dogs
7 3 1.28% free keychains
8 3 1.28% kaila
9 2 0.85% 80s step box
10 2 0.85% aliens sesame street
11 2 0.85% animals hiding
12 2 0.85% bermuda triangle
13 2 0.85% bus sketches
14 2 0.85% carpet dents caused by chairs
15 2 0.85% childrens book article
16 2 0.85% cream on her face
17 2 0.85% cute dogs pictures
18 2 0.85% i saw my sister naked
19 2 0.85% kill robots
20 2 0.85% laika space
21 2 0.85% major events in nicaragua
22 2 0.85% meaghan mccarthy
23 2 0.85% messy papers
24 2 0.85% old man nursing home
25 2 0.85% red hot chili peppers tell me baby
26 2 0.85% rousseau painting with animals
27 2 0.85% seabiscuit
28 2 0.85% seabiscuit vs. war admiral
29 2 0.85% words used back in the 1600s
30 1 0.43% %22baby out with the bath water%22
2 16 6.84% megan mccarthy
3 13 5.56% meghan mccarthy
4 9 3.85% aliens are coming
5 6 2.56% aleins
6 4 1.71% ugly dogs
7 3 1.28% free keychains
8 3 1.28% kaila
9 2 0.85% 80s step box
10 2 0.85% aliens sesame street
11 2 0.85% animals hiding
12 2 0.85% bermuda triangle
13 2 0.85% bus sketches
14 2 0.85% carpet dents caused by chairs
15 2 0.85% childrens book article
16 2 0.85% cream on her face
17 2 0.85% cute dogs pictures
18 2 0.85% i saw my sister naked
19 2 0.85% kill robots
20 2 0.85% laika space
21 2 0.85% major events in nicaragua
22 2 0.85% meaghan mccarthy
23 2 0.85% messy papers
24 2 0.85% old man nursing home
25 2 0.85% red hot chili peppers tell me baby
26 2 0.85% rousseau painting with animals
27 2 0.85% seabiscuit
28 2 0.85% seabiscuit vs. war admiral
29 2 0.85% words used back in the 1600s
30 1 0.43% %22baby out with the bath water%22
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
ten
As the new year came and left I found myself counting my publishing years; and to my horror I realized that I have been in this industry for now over 10 years--I signed my first picture book contract in 1997. So the time of me being a fresh face or a promising new talent is over.
But I'm not old pro, a master guru with pearls of wisdom either. In fact, many a times, even after ten years, I feel pretty much the same as I did when I began-- I think that of feeling floating aimlessly, hoping that there is a buoy somewhere never really leaves. But I've gotten a lot better at pretending to swim. So this is what I think I have garnered in my 10 years:
1. Creating a book is personal, publishing it is not.
2. Talent is nothing if passion, perseverance and discipline does not accompany it.
3. Making books makes you gain weight. It's all that sitting.
4. You know you have to make changes in your career when you realize you are talking more about making books (ie school visit, promotion) than you are actually making books.
5. The allure of a large advance is intoxicating, but like getting drunk, perhaps not good for your career's overall health. Especially on the first date.
6. No one understands that when you are staring into outer space, you are working.
7. Getting caught up in "making it" is perhaps the stupidest thing in the world. There will always be someone more talented, who makes more money and gets more publicity. Jealousy is poison. Cut it out as much as possible, tourniquet if necessary.
8. Sometimes good is enough. Great is better, but not even Barry Bonds hits a homerun every time. And he had steroids to help him.
9. Agents are good, but before you let someone else clean your house you should know what is in it.
10. Books only have value when they are read.
Here's to hoping I have another ten years!
But I'm not old pro, a master guru with pearls of wisdom either. In fact, many a times, even after ten years, I feel pretty much the same as I did when I began-- I think that of feeling floating aimlessly, hoping that there is a buoy somewhere never really leaves. But I've gotten a lot better at pretending to swim. So this is what I think I have garnered in my 10 years:
1. Creating a book is personal, publishing it is not.
2. Talent is nothing if passion, perseverance and discipline does not accompany it.
3. Making books makes you gain weight. It's all that sitting.
4. You know you have to make changes in your career when you realize you are talking more about making books (ie school visit, promotion) than you are actually making books.
5. The allure of a large advance is intoxicating, but like getting drunk, perhaps not good for your career's overall health. Especially on the first date.
6. No one understands that when you are staring into outer space, you are working.
7. Getting caught up in "making it" is perhaps the stupidest thing in the world. There will always be someone more talented, who makes more money and gets more publicity. Jealousy is poison. Cut it out as much as possible, tourniquet if necessary.
8. Sometimes good is enough. Great is better, but not even Barry Bonds hits a homerun every time. And he had steroids to help him.
9. Agents are good, but before you let someone else clean your house you should know what is in it.
10. Books only have value when they are read.
Here's to hoping I have another ten years!
Monday, January 07, 2008
A sea of spots
At long last I finished my deadline last Friday, all the art save the jacket is completed for What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe?, my poetry/recycling/craft book! I am very excited. The project was a massive undertaking: I wrote poetry for the first time, wrote step-by-step instructions for green art activities, and painted about a million tiny, tiny, tiny spots of art.
At first I thought doing a book full of spots would be less work than a regular picture book, since there was less paper to cover, but ultimately doing such tiny, detailed illustrations was pretty demanding. But I am happy with the result and can't wait to do recycling oriented presentations and workshops around the book.
Here is how everything looked spread out on my floor. I like to look at everything at once before I turn in a book, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Although sometimes it also feels bizarre to think that such a relatively small amount of paper demanded so much attention and obsession...
These are some of my favorites from the stack... Jack the bunny who recycles his worn out blanket:
Andrea the cat who makes planters out of her shoes:
Jon the cat who makes a re-usable calender:
And Peter the bear who makes tin can lanterns:
At first I thought doing a book full of spots would be less work than a regular picture book, since there was less paper to cover, but ultimately doing such tiny, detailed illustrations was pretty demanding. But I am happy with the result and can't wait to do recycling oriented presentations and workshops around the book.
Here is how everything looked spread out on my floor. I like to look at everything at once before I turn in a book, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Although sometimes it also feels bizarre to think that such a relatively small amount of paper demanded so much attention and obsession...
These are some of my favorites from the stack... Jack the bunny who recycles his worn out blanket:
Andrea the cat who makes planters out of her shoes:
Jon the cat who makes a re-usable calender:
And Peter the bear who makes tin can lanterns:
Saturday, January 05, 2008
for the new year...
As I'd said before, I want to paint more... and when I say paint I don't mean do work for my books, I mean other stuff. Non-related stuff.
So that is what I've come up with--an all new page.
www.meghan-mccarthy.com/newpaintings.html
I painted the candy, dice, and thumbtack tonight, after I got off of work.
Do I have other things I need to do? Yes. Do I want to do those other things? No.
Perhaps at some point I'll sell some of the little object studies. Ebay anyone?
meghan
So that is what I've come up with--an all new page.
www.meghan-mccarthy.com/newpaintings.html
I painted the candy, dice, and thumbtack tonight, after I got off of work.
Do I have other things I need to do? Yes. Do I want to do those other things? No.
Perhaps at some point I'll sell some of the little object studies. Ebay anyone?
meghan
Friday, January 04, 2008
POETRY FRIDAY: Relearning Winter
I love living in New England. I love the changing seasons. Autumn—when the leaves turn color—is my favorite. The cool, crisp air invigorates me. I also enjoy winter—especially when snow falls softly and covers the roofs, the cars, the trees, the yards with white. The world seems to quiet. Everything looks so different, so beautiful.I just returned from the White Mountains of New Hampshire yesterday. When we awoke Thursday morning, it was 24 degrees below zero! I can’t say that I love weather that cold—but we were warm and cozy inside.
Here is the poem I selected for the first Poetry Friday of 2008:
RELEARNING WINTER
by Mark Svenvold
Hello Winter, hello flanneled
blanket of clouds, clouds
fueled by more clouds, hello again.
Hello afternoons,
Hello afternoons,
off to the west, that silver
of sunset, rust-colored
and gone too soon.
And night (I admit to a short memory)
you climb back in with chilly fingers
And night (I admit to a short memory)
you climb back in with chilly fingers
and clocks, and there is no refusal:
ice cracks the water main, the garden hose
stiffens, the bladed leaves of the rhododendron
shine in the fog of a huge moon.
Click here to read the rest of the poem.
At Wild Rose Reader, I have a link to a list poem that will appear in Falling Down the Page, an anthology edited by Georgia Heard. The book will be published by Roaring Brook Press and will be released in March.
Franki and Mary Lee have the Poetry Friday Roundup at A Year of Reading.
Click here to read the rest of the poem.
At Wild Rose Reader, I have a link to a list poem that will appear in Falling Down the Page, an anthology edited by Georgia Heard. The book will be published by Roaring Brook Press and will be released in March.
Franki and Mary Lee have the Poetry Friday Roundup at A Year of Reading.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
a new year
Howdy all,
I hope everyone had a great holiday! Mine was nice and relaxing. I stayed at my new parents' house, which is gorgeous. While there I got some painting done for my book Seabiscuit (I'll show a few finishes soon) and I also took some photographs. Go to www.meghan-mccarthy.com/house1.html - to see the new series.
So I've been thinking about what I'd like to improve upon, change, etc., for the new year. I think for the most part I'm pretty happy with the way my book career has been going. I can't say that I'd do anything differently thus far. I would like to force myself (yes, FORCE is the only way it's gonna happen) to do a few school visits... but I have done a lot of readings/signings lately so I think I've put in some effort.
Some things I'd like to do are get more organized (I am organized but I slack off a lot) so I suppose I should say STAY organized... and find the time to paint more.
Below are two paintings that I'd like to create a series on -- food items and toilets. (I'm serious).
Lastly, if you are brave enough to watch Underdog in its entirety then you may see one or two (can't find the second as of yet) of my paintings hanging on one of the walls. It's fun... like playing Where's Waldo! (only you have to endure a bad move instead of flipping through a colorful book).
meghan
p.s you will shortly be able to read my book Show Dog in its entirety (only part is up) online here www.meghan-mccarthy.com/show_cover.html
I hope everyone had a great holiday! Mine was nice and relaxing. I stayed at my new parents' house, which is gorgeous. While there I got some painting done for my book Seabiscuit (I'll show a few finishes soon) and I also took some photographs. Go to www.meghan-mccarthy.com/house1.html - to see the new series.
So I've been thinking about what I'd like to improve upon, change, etc., for the new year. I think for the most part I'm pretty happy with the way my book career has been going. I can't say that I'd do anything differently thus far. I would like to force myself (yes, FORCE is the only way it's gonna happen) to do a few school visits... but I have done a lot of readings/signings lately so I think I've put in some effort.
Some things I'd like to do are get more organized (I am organized but I slack off a lot) so I suppose I should say STAY organized... and find the time to paint more.
Below are two paintings that I'd like to create a series on -- food items and toilets. (I'm serious).
Lastly, if you are brave enough to watch Underdog in its entirety then you may see one or two (can't find the second as of yet) of my paintings hanging on one of the walls. It's fun... like playing Where's Waldo! (only you have to endure a bad move instead of flipping through a colorful book).
meghan
p.s you will shortly be able to read my book Show Dog in its entirety (only part is up) online here www.meghan-mccarthy.com/show_cover.html
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
resolutions
As a new tradition, the blue rose girls decided to make New Year's resolutions together. Making resolutions via committee is a revealing experience. Initially, each of us writing ten goals was rather daunting, but as we began to share our wishes more and more seemed attainable. The one resolution that I know won't be broken is one that we didn't write down--supporting each other to help make 2008 the best year for all.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Happy New Year!
I love make new year's resolutions, and although I haven't formally written all of mine down yet, two of my professional resolutions are 1) to handle my submissions pile better and 2) to edit both a Newbery and Caldecott contender.
What are some of your professional resolutions/goals?
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2008!
What are some of your professional resolutions/goals?
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2008!
Friday, December 28, 2007
POETRY FRIDAY: Burning the Old Year
I had promised myself that I would send out some of my poetry manuscripts in 2007. I never got around to it. I received a lot of sad news about friends and family in the past year. One of my closest friends and two of my first cousins were diagnosed with cancer. A good friend, a dear uncle, and the daughter of one of my best friends passed away. Worry and sadness can wear a hole in one’s ability to concentrate on reading and creative writing…and tending, in a regular organized fashion, to things that must get done. At least, that is what I found.
I can’t say I that I accomplished what I had hoped to accomplish in the last twelve months. I guess the only writing I have to show for the year 2007 is my solo blog, Wild Rose Reader. Sometimes I wrote for my blog when I should have been doing other things. Oh, well! Now that a new year will soon be upon us, I guess it’s time for me to think about sweeping out the old one and beginning afresh with a plan for 2008—the Year of the Rat!
Naomi Shihab Nye is one of my favorite poets. (Her book Red Suitcase is one of my favorite books of adult poetry.) For the last Poetry Friday of 2007, I have selected a poem by Nye that speaks to my feelings about my lack of productivity. I hope the coming year will bring better tidings for so many of the people I care about. I hope, too, that at this time next December, I will be able to look back at the year that has passed and savior a feeling of accomplishment.
BURNING THE OLD YEAR
by Naomi Shihab Nye
Letters swallow themselves in seconds.
Notes friends tied to the doorknob,
transparent scarlet paper,
sizzle like moth wings,
marry the air.
So much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
Orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.
Click here to read the rest of the poem.
I have an original poem entitled Winter Ballet at Wild Rose Reader today.
The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Check It Out this week.
Happy New Year to you all!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Happy Blogiversary fellow bloggers and blog readers!
I woke up this morning to an NPR story about blogs, which reminded me that it was my day to post. According to a Wall Street Journal article"Happy Blogiversary" that was reported back in July, one of, if not the first blog was Robot Wisdom.
Other early blogs were CamWorld and Scripting News. It's incredible that these blogs are celebrating their 10-year anniversaries this year--I wonder who among us will still be blogging 5 or 10 years from now. Will I?
The NPR.com page also has a little chart about who blogs and why people blog. I'd say the reasons why I blog are pretty much in line with the reasons why most people blog.
So, in the spirit of the long life of blogs, I'd love to hear a little more about what you'd like to see happen with the Blue Rose Girls blog in the next year. Any type of posts you'd like to see more of? Should we bring the question of the week back? Does anyone out there even have any questions for us?
On Dec. 23, 1997, on his site, Robot Wisdom, Mr. Barger wrote: "I decided to start my own webpage logging the best stuff I find as I surf, on a daily basis," and the Oxford English Dictionary regards this as the primordial root of the word "weblog."
Other early blogs were CamWorld and Scripting News. It's incredible that these blogs are celebrating their 10-year anniversaries this year--I wonder who among us will still be blogging 5 or 10 years from now. Will I?
The NPR.com page also has a little chart about who blogs and why people blog. I'd say the reasons why I blog are pretty much in line with the reasons why most people blog.
So, in the spirit of the long life of blogs, I'd love to hear a little more about what you'd like to see happen with the Blue Rose Girls blog in the next year. Any type of posts you'd like to see more of? Should we bring the question of the week back? Does anyone out there even have any questions for us?
Northern Lights
I've never seen the real Northern Lights, but I've always wanted to -- the Golden Compass descriptions of those "shimmering curtains" and "sheets of light and energy" made me want to even more. I haven't been posting lately because I am DETERMINED to finish the rewrites on my novel before the year ends, and blogging takes energy away from that. When it's done I'll be better about posting; and in the meantime: light and energy -- and a Merry Christmas -- to all!
Friday, December 21, 2007
POETRY FRIDAY: The Death of Santa Claus
Do you remember when and how you found out that there was no such person as Santa Claus? I learned when I was in the first grade. I think I had just turned six. I don’t recall who told me…or if I just figured it out myself. I guess I’ve always been a bit of a skeptic. Maybe my older sister was the bearer of the bad news. I can't remember how I felt when I realized there was no Santa Claus—but I can imagine that I must have been shocked and saddened.Here is my contribution to Poetry Friday this week. WARNING: Do not let the little Santa believers in your house read this poem!
The Death of Santa Claus
by Charles Webb
He's had the chest pains for weeks,
but doctors don't make house
calls to the North Pole,
he's let his Blue Cross lapse,
he's let his Blue Cross lapse,
blood tests make him faint,
hospital gowns always flap
open, waiting rooms upset
open, waiting rooms upset
his stomach, and it's only
indigestion anyway, he thinks,
until, feeding the reindeer,
until, feeding the reindeer,
he feels as if a monster fist
has grabbed his heart and won't
stop squeezing. He can't
stop squeezing. He can't
breathe, and the beautiful white
At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original poem that I wrote for Tricia's Poetry Stretch this week.
The Poetry Friday Roundup is at AmoXicalli.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
today
I have some things to say today, and as it is my day to post, I should say them. However... I just had a two-hour eye exam and my eyes are dilated and I can't see a thing! And as unfun as this is, I have another dr. appointment in a few hours. So I'll have to post later on today or tonight.
What I will talk about: other projects that I want to do that have nothing to do with kids' books; the book I'm working on now; and I don't know... everything’s blurry right now. Talk amongst yourselves. If any of you have any questions for me, ask them! If any of you have any topics you'd like to talk about, post away.
meghan
What I will talk about: other projects that I want to do that have nothing to do with kids' books; the book I'm working on now; and I don't know... everything’s blurry right now. Talk amongst yourselves. If any of you have any questions for me, ask them! If any of you have any topics you'd like to talk about, post away.
meghan
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Christmas miracle
Today, I did my holiday duty and went Christmas shopping for my niece and nephew, age 4 and infant. For a brief moment, I thought of getting clothes or shoes (because kid's clothes are the cutest) but then gave myself a mental slap. I'm a children's book author, I've got to support the biz. If I don't buy children's books for children, how can I expect others? Yes, I'm all about setting an example.
I have to admit it's been a while since I've gone shopping in a real store. I tend to do internet shopping; but since I was getting all high and mighty, I realized I should support an independent bookstore as well. So I went into my favorite children's bookstore and...was completely overwhelmed.
There are just so many books out there, crowding and overcrowding the shelves. I went in determined to buy a gem from a no-name upcoming author, but the sheer chaos was disheartening. Suddenly, from the consumer angle, I realized how intimidating it can be to buy a book. The pressure of choosing something age appropriate, reading-level appropriate, taste appropriate for the child, taste appropriate for the parents...suddenly, those cute baby shoes were looking like a good gift choice.
But just as I began to take a step back, I was given an epiphany as a present. I make a living making these books. How is that possible? It was humbling, and the prior feeling of self-righteous pride became one of intense gratitude. Some lovely, kind, patient people must have taken the time to find my books in this mess of a publishing universe,and that's rather a miracle. And one that deserves to be paid forward as a holiday tradition.
I have to admit it's been a while since I've gone shopping in a real store. I tend to do internet shopping; but since I was getting all high and mighty, I realized I should support an independent bookstore as well. So I went into my favorite children's bookstore and...was completely overwhelmed.
There are just so many books out there, crowding and overcrowding the shelves. I went in determined to buy a gem from a no-name upcoming author, but the sheer chaos was disheartening. Suddenly, from the consumer angle, I realized how intimidating it can be to buy a book. The pressure of choosing something age appropriate, reading-level appropriate, taste appropriate for the child, taste appropriate for the parents...suddenly, those cute baby shoes were looking like a good gift choice.
But just as I began to take a step back, I was given an epiphany as a present. I make a living making these books. How is that possible? It was humbling, and the prior feeling of self-righteous pride became one of intense gratitude. Some lovely, kind, patient people must have taken the time to find my books in this mess of a publishing universe,and that's rather a miracle. And one that deserves to be paid forward as a holiday tradition.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Paddington gets deported
Thought I'd post this as well, in case anyone has not read about the new upcoming Paddington book. At first I thought it was a spoof, but have read about it in at least 3 places now (Meghan's nonfiction rule), so it must be true. Either way, its brilliant! Children should learn about the injustices of immigration and naturalization! Kidding. Sort of.
Check it out here.
Deadline coming
With two weeks left to finish up Red Shoe, I've been a little short of time for buying presents (thank you internet), going to parties, and baking cookies, not to mention writing long blog posts... so today I am just posting one of my paintings for the book. Sorry friends! More in the new year, promise.
Monday, December 17, 2007
A little bit more about the Sony Reader
I didn't really know what to write about today--it's been a whirlwind since getting back from CA after Thanksgiving and the Big Sur conference, and now I'm heading back out to CA for Christmas on Thursday.
As always in the weeks leading up to the holiday break, there have been a lot of social obligations, holiday parties, etc. I hope you won't think that I'm getting paid by Sony to talk about the Sony Reader again (I'm not, but if someone wants to pay me, I'll take it), but I've found myself "showing off" the Reader to a lot of people at these events and parties (but was so sad that I forgot it at work when I went to the Kidlit Drink night last Monday! Sorry, Kate). In fact, I've just purchased a new iPod Nano, which is truly a thing of beauty, but have been showing off my Sony Reader so much more. What's been exciting for me as an avid reader working in publishing is that it's not just publishing folk who are interested in seeing the Reader: people I don't necessarily consider to be book lovers are really fascinated by the gadget. Who knows, maybe electronic book readers will create some new readers!
Another interesting thing I've discovered while continuing to use the Reader is the mechanics of how I read paper books. I am somewhat of a speed reader, so when reading a physical paper book, I tend to start turning the top corner of page before I've finished reading the bottom of the current page, because when I'm dealing with actual paper pages, my eyes are able to finish scanning the last few lines before I fully turn the page, my eyes jumping from the bottom of the page to the top of the next page. Of course, I never actually fully realized I did this until I started using the Sony Reader, because obviously, you can't do that with the Reader. I don't know how many times I've had to push the back page button after pushing the next page button prematurely and realizing that I hadn't read the last lines of the previous page.
And that is all I'll say on the Sony Reader. Until next time.
****
I'll end with a bit of news: promotions at my company were announced on Friday, and this year it was wonderful to see a long list of promotions across departments, all very well deserved. Well, with the possible exception of one: I've been promoted to Senior Editor. I don't quite feel worthy, but it's definitely exciting for me, although nothing much will change in my day-to-day job responsibilities. But it's lovely to know that I can work in a job and industry that I love, and continue to grow.
As always in the weeks leading up to the holiday break, there have been a lot of social obligations, holiday parties, etc. I hope you won't think that I'm getting paid by Sony to talk about the Sony Reader again (I'm not, but if someone wants to pay me, I'll take it), but I've found myself "showing off" the Reader to a lot of people at these events and parties (but was so sad that I forgot it at work when I went to the Kidlit Drink night last Monday! Sorry, Kate). In fact, I've just purchased a new iPod Nano, which is truly a thing of beauty, but have been showing off my Sony Reader so much more. What's been exciting for me as an avid reader working in publishing is that it's not just publishing folk who are interested in seeing the Reader: people I don't necessarily consider to be book lovers are really fascinated by the gadget. Who knows, maybe electronic book readers will create some new readers!
Another interesting thing I've discovered while continuing to use the Reader is the mechanics of how I read paper books. I am somewhat of a speed reader, so when reading a physical paper book, I tend to start turning the top corner of page before I've finished reading the bottom of the current page, because when I'm dealing with actual paper pages, my eyes are able to finish scanning the last few lines before I fully turn the page, my eyes jumping from the bottom of the page to the top of the next page. Of course, I never actually fully realized I did this until I started using the Sony Reader, because obviously, you can't do that with the Reader. I don't know how many times I've had to push the back page button after pushing the next page button prematurely and realizing that I hadn't read the last lines of the previous page.
And that is all I'll say on the Sony Reader. Until next time.
****
I'll end with a bit of news: promotions at my company were announced on Friday, and this year it was wonderful to see a long list of promotions across departments, all very well deserved. Well, with the possible exception of one: I've been promoted to Senior Editor. I don't quite feel worthy, but it's definitely exciting for me, although nothing much will change in my day-to-day job responsibilities. But it's lovely to know that I can work in a job and industry that I love, and continue to grow.
Friday, December 14, 2007
POETRY FRIDAY: December Notes
As far back as I can remember my mother has always fed the birds who visited her yard. She had a special soft spot in her heart for little sparrows. I remember the time we found a baby sparrow on the sidewalk one spring when I was about five or six years old. The little bird seemed too weak to fly. My mother brought it home, fed it by way of a liquid vitamin dropper, and kept it in a small cage until it appeared strong enough to fly. Then she put a ladder up against the back of our garage, climbed up to the roof with the bird, and set the cage down on the roof with the door wide open. She felt the sparrow would be safe from neighborhood cats up there until it felt the urge to fly away.
Now eighty-nine years old, my mother still spends money from her meager retirement pension to buy birdseed. After a winter storm, one can see the snow in her yard littered with tiny seeds for the wild birds.
The following poem is for my mother who taught me kindness toward animals and generosity of spirit.
Now eighty-nine years old, my mother still spends money from her meager retirement pension to buy birdseed. After a winter storm, one can see the snow in her yard littered with tiny seeds for the wild birds.
The following poem is for my mother who taught me kindness toward animals and generosity of spirit.
DECEMBER NOTES
by Nancy McCleery
by Nancy McCleery
The backyard is one white sheet
Where we read in the bird tracks
The songs we hear. Delicate
Sparrow, heavier cardinal,
Filigree threads of chickadee.
And wing patterns where one flew
Low, then up and away, gone
To the woods but calling out
Clearly its bright epigrams.
You can read the rest of the poem at American Life in Poetry: Column 39.
You can read the rest of the poem at American Life in Poetry: Column 39.
I have a review of Aileen Fisher's poetry book Do Rabbits Have Christmas? at Wild Rose Reader.
Tricia has the Poetry Friday Roundup at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
coterie
Before the party festivities, Anna gave all the blue rose girls blue rose rings. I particularly like how even though they are all blue roses, they are each different.
It is an interesting coterie that we have formed. When we first began the blue rose girl blog, it was mainly for professional and promotional reasons--but the bonds that formed behind the posts have become stronger than I ever imagined. These were the women that stood by me when I was running on empty, when the suffering was almost too much to bear and waited to catch me when the inevitable finally forced me to fall. These were the women that drove six hours to a foreign city for a funeral; they were the ones who madly rearranged, repainted and removed the horrors from my apartment so that I could return to a true home. These were the women who refused to let me be alone and scheduled their days to be with me; the ones who helped me pick up the pieces of my life, watched me heal, encouraged me to go forward and pushed me to look at my future with hope. They are the ones who are sincerely happy for me when I now feel joy and celebrate with delight anytime life brings me good fortune. These are the women who have taught me what true friendship really is.
I probably shouldn't need a ring to remember that. But, it's a good excuse.
It is an interesting coterie that we have formed. When we first began the blue rose girl blog, it was mainly for professional and promotional reasons--but the bonds that formed behind the posts have become stronger than I ever imagined. These were the women that stood by me when I was running on empty, when the suffering was almost too much to bear and waited to catch me when the inevitable finally forced me to fall. These were the women that drove six hours to a foreign city for a funeral; they were the ones who madly rearranged, repainted and removed the horrors from my apartment so that I could return to a true home. These were the women who refused to let me be alone and scheduled their days to be with me; the ones who helped me pick up the pieces of my life, watched me heal, encouraged me to go forward and pushed me to look at my future with hope. They are the ones who are sincerely happy for me when I now feel joy and celebrate with delight anytime life brings me good fortune. These are the women who have taught me what true friendship really is.
I probably shouldn't need a ring to remember that. But, it's a good excuse.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A full weekend
As most of you probably know that Robert's Snow auctions ended on Friday. As sad as I was to see the project come to a close, it was fun as always to watch the bids rise and see who won which flakes! To celebrate a great project and a great cause, the Blue Rose Girls had a little get together at Grace's place. It was the most fun party I've been to in a long time, mainly because the room was full of interesting people who love books, I wish I'd gotten to talk to everyone!
Yes that is a three tiered cupcake tray in the middle of the table, Grace makes the best cupcakes ever.
From left to right below: Rebecca, Alvina, Grace, Libby, Elaine, and me:
When the festivities were over it was time to get back to work, Saturday I had a table at the RISD holiday sale. I do this sale every year, its a good way to sell some books... but mainly it gives me the opportunity to do something crafty, which always gets me in the holiday spirit. This year I framed little prints of the illustrations for the book I'm working on now (Red Shoe):
Here is me, sitting cheerfully behind my table before the mad rush of craft enthusiasts hit the scene:
Another perk of doing the show is all the other artists you get to meet, and sometimes trade with. This year I made two trades with artists Gregory Poulin and Dorothy Imagire. This is Gregory's work below, he does these amazing still lives of food and other household objects. I traded him for a beautifully rendered painting of garlic, which now hangs proudly in our kitchen.
Here is Dorothy's work. She makes these tiny photographs dipped in wax (called encaustic), I traded her for an image of a honeybear and a pastry cutter that I couldn't love more. You can see more of her encaustic work here.
I had the pleasure of sharing my booth with Karen Bessette, who makes really lovely collage/paintings such as this one that remind me of Romare Bearden:
Well that about wraps it up... I returned to Boston Sunday to spend the day painting... a deadline waits for no one!
Yes that is a three tiered cupcake tray in the middle of the table, Grace makes the best cupcakes ever.
From left to right below: Rebecca, Alvina, Grace, Libby, Elaine, and me:
When the festivities were over it was time to get back to work, Saturday I had a table at the RISD holiday sale. I do this sale every year, its a good way to sell some books... but mainly it gives me the opportunity to do something crafty, which always gets me in the holiday spirit. This year I framed little prints of the illustrations for the book I'm working on now (Red Shoe):
Here is me, sitting cheerfully behind my table before the mad rush of craft enthusiasts hit the scene:
Another perk of doing the show is all the other artists you get to meet, and sometimes trade with. This year I made two trades with artists Gregory Poulin and Dorothy Imagire. This is Gregory's work below, he does these amazing still lives of food and other household objects. I traded him for a beautifully rendered painting of garlic, which now hangs proudly in our kitchen.
Here is Dorothy's work. She makes these tiny photographs dipped in wax (called encaustic), I traded her for an image of a honeybear and a pastry cutter that I couldn't love more. You can see more of her encaustic work here.
I had the pleasure of sharing my booth with Karen Bessette, who makes really lovely collage/paintings such as this one that remind me of Romare Bearden:
Well that about wraps it up... I returned to Boston Sunday to spend the day painting... a deadline waits for no one!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Big Sur
I meant to write about this last Monday, but I had a few travel issues (Cancelled flight, 3+ hour layover, lost luggage...). So, a week late, here's my wrap-up of the Big Sur Children's Writer's Workshop. One of the highlights was the locale, so there are lots of photos below.
Last Friday morning, I drove my rental car down from San Francisco to Big Sur. Highway One was breathtaking, and I couldn't resist getting out of the car a few times to take pictures:
We had a lovely faculty orientation/lunch at the Henry Miller Library. It was great seeing some familiar faces, putting faces to name, and meeting new friends. The weather felt fairly warm to me then, but the temperature would quickly drop--we would be cold all weekend; good thing we had fireplaces in our cabins for heat:
Here is the view of the conference center from my cabin:
I really liked the structure of the conference. Each faculty member would facilitate three separate critique groups of 4-5 attendees. The first group would meet once on Friday, and then again on Sunday, where ideally the author would have revised according to feedback.
Each attendee would also have a one-on-one consultation with a faculty member, meaning each faculty member would have 4 or 5 consultations. One of the biggest draws of the Big Sur conference is the high faculty to attendee ratio--it's truly unlike any other conference I've been to.
One of my one-on-ones was with fellow blogger, Disco Mermaid Eve. The other Mermaids made a surprise visit for dinner Saturday night:
(me, Jay, Eve, and Rovin. I look so little next to them!)
Speaking of blogs, several attendees told me that they read and enjoyed either this blog or bloomabilities, which was nice to hear. If there are any Big Sur attendees reading this, Hello!
Saturday afternoon, most of the faculty escaped for a little R&R while the attendees had some writing time to revise. And yes, perhaps there was just a little talk about the manuscripts we had seen--but don't worry, mostly good things:
Saturday evening, the editors spoke on a panel giving some background about our publishing houses, talking about the type of books we edit and what we're looking for for. It was an interesting variety of perspectives, from small publisher to large: Tricycle Press, Chronicle Books, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Dutton/Penguin were represented.
The questions asked were quite good, I thought: what a "platform" is for an author, and how important it is (general consensus: it's not crucial, but it sure doesn't hurt!); where to send "sad" books (smaller publishers may be more open to publishing more "niche" books than larger publishers); what type of books we might be seeing too much of (fantasy with Lemony Snicket-type narration, pirate books); and so on.
And after a good-bye lunch on Sunday, we were on our way home, bid farewell by a gorgeous double rainbow:
Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I think both attendees and faculty enjoyed themselves immensely; I highly recommend it.
P.S. I still love my Sony Reader, and couldn't resist showing it around at the conference and sharing the love.
Last Friday morning, I drove my rental car down from San Francisco to Big Sur. Highway One was breathtaking, and I couldn't resist getting out of the car a few times to take pictures:
We had a lovely faculty orientation/lunch at the Henry Miller Library. It was great seeing some familiar faces, putting faces to name, and meeting new friends. The weather felt fairly warm to me then, but the temperature would quickly drop--we would be cold all weekend; good thing we had fireplaces in our cabins for heat:
Here is the view of the conference center from my cabin:
I really liked the structure of the conference. Each faculty member would facilitate three separate critique groups of 4-5 attendees. The first group would meet once on Friday, and then again on Sunday, where ideally the author would have revised according to feedback.Each attendee would also have a one-on-one consultation with a faculty member, meaning each faculty member would have 4 or 5 consultations. One of the biggest draws of the Big Sur conference is the high faculty to attendee ratio--it's truly unlike any other conference I've been to.
One of my one-on-ones was with fellow blogger, Disco Mermaid Eve. The other Mermaids made a surprise visit for dinner Saturday night:
(me, Jay, Eve, and Rovin. I look so little next to them!)Speaking of blogs, several attendees told me that they read and enjoyed either this blog or bloomabilities, which was nice to hear. If there are any Big Sur attendees reading this, Hello!
Saturday afternoon, most of the faculty escaped for a little R&R while the attendees had some writing time to revise. And yes, perhaps there was just a little talk about the manuscripts we had seen--but don't worry, mostly good things:
Saturday evening, the editors spoke on a panel giving some background about our publishing houses, talking about the type of books we edit and what we're looking for for. It was an interesting variety of perspectives, from small publisher to large: Tricycle Press, Chronicle Books, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Dutton/Penguin were represented.The questions asked were quite good, I thought: what a "platform" is for an author, and how important it is (general consensus: it's not crucial, but it sure doesn't hurt!); where to send "sad" books (smaller publishers may be more open to publishing more "niche" books than larger publishers); what type of books we might be seeing too much of (fantasy with Lemony Snicket-type narration, pirate books); and so on.
And after a good-bye lunch on Sunday, we were on our way home, bid farewell by a gorgeous double rainbow:
Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I think both attendees and faculty enjoyed themselves immensely; I highly recommend it.
P.S. I still love my Sony Reader, and couldn't resist showing it around at the conference and sharing the love.
Friday, December 07, 2007
JUST A FEW HOURS LEFT!
Come on folks, it's time to bid. Sadly I have to leave for CT soon for a book signing so I won't be around to see the end of the auctions... which is probably just as well since my snowflake is one of the lowest out there. Sob. Don't feel bad for the little snowflake. It has a big enough ego to tough it out. I, however, do not... so it's just as well that I don't witness its demise! I do thank the individual who did bid on it. Thank you.
On a fun note, Lidia from the cooking show on TV bought two copies of City Hawk for her grandchildren last night. I thought that was cool. She wrote two names out on sticky-notes and walked off for a bit so I was left alone to figure out whether the first name, which started with “Man…” was for a family or an individual. So I started to write “To the M..” but stopped, afraid it was for a person, not a family. Turns out it WAS for a family. For whatever reason I forgot that I screwed up the first copy (but really didn’t screw it up) and wrote it all out again. So I hid the "screw up" in the pile of books that weren't sold. Now there’s a book that’s going to be returned that was for Lidia that says “FOR THE MAN.” Lovely. The receiving dept. is going to wonder about that one!
meghan
On a fun note, Lidia from the cooking show on TV bought two copies of City Hawk for her grandchildren last night. I thought that was cool. She wrote two names out on sticky-notes and walked off for a bit so I was left alone to figure out whether the first name, which started with “Man…” was for a family or an individual. So I started to write “To the M..” but stopped, afraid it was for a person, not a family. Turns out it WAS for a family. For whatever reason I forgot that I screwed up the first copy (but really didn’t screw it up) and wrote it all out again. So I hid the "screw up" in the pile of books that weren't sold. Now there’s a book that’s going to be returned that was for Lidia that says “FOR THE MAN.” Lovely. The receiving dept. is going to wonder about that one!
meghan
Thursday, December 06, 2007
the value of snow
The Robert's Snow auctions end tomorrow, Friday at 5pm. Even though I have not been as involved in the project this year, it is still quite meaningful to me. In 2005, I wrote this post as the Robert's Snow auctions were beginning. As the 2007 auctions end, I thought I'd repost this as the sentiments are the same.
11/06/05: The auctions have started and I'm curious about the bidding. At the gallery, I heard an offhand comment after Ki-Ki mentioned how unique the snowflakes were. "I guess that's why they're worth so much," someone said.
But their worth really does go beyond the pretty pictures. In all the press, I emphasize the famous names, the exclusivity, the collectability of these snowflakes. Because that's good marketing. No one wants to hear the depressing stuff. But, the sad stuff is what gives these snowflakes a value beyond their starting price.
Bid for everything cancer touches. Bid for the nurses and the doctors who know their words are cold comfort. Bid for the spouses that suddenly realize that "in sickness" and "death do us part" is for real. Bid for the kids who have no hair and are pulled to treatment in a wagon. Bid for the parents who age 10 years in 10 minutes. Bid for the friendships that fade away because people just don't understand or know what to do. Bid for Chad, the boy who lost his father to cancer and flew in from Virginia just to see the snowflakes. Bid for David, an artist that dedicated his snowflake to his brother who died of cancer. Bid for Steve, the volunteer who hand cut all 200 snowflakes with his scroll saw in his garage. Bid for Jon, the computer programmer, who stayed up past 2 AM night after night working on the website. Bid for Robert who sat alone in the infusion center while all the other patients were surrounded by friends and family. Bid for yourself and all the days you'll remember and wish you didn't.
Bid for all of these reasons. Or bid for some them. Or bid for none of them at all. Just bid and know that no matter what you pay, that snowflake is worth so much more.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Only 2 days left
So far the Blue Rose Girls have been very excitedly watching the bidding (and bidding ourselves) on the Robert's Snow auctions... as we hope everyone else is too! Now that we only have 2 days before the very last auction ends and the 2007 auction comes to a close, I just wanted to highlight some of the many beautiful snowflakes that at the moment are quite the steal! Unfortunately I can't talk about all of them here (though I will post about some more tomorrow), but these are a few of my favorites that, like I said, are selling for much less than they are worth...
(click here to go to the auction)
Barbara Lehman has a really gorgeous snowflake in this auction- its hard to tell in the photo, but the tiny shutters in the painting stand out from the window in 3D, so lovely. Right now here snowflake is less than $300! As she is a Caldecott award winning author/illustrator, my guess is her illustrations sell for thousands of dollars...
Each of the following snowflakes is currently less than $200:
Another gem is Connie McLennan's 'flake... when I saw this one in person at the galleries I was surprised at how striking it was... in person it has a three dimensional quality, its so photo realistic you feel like the butterfly is going to flap its wings and fly away.
Another snowflake that inspired everyone who saw it at the gallery shows is the one created by Consie Powell. Again, hard to tell from the photo, but the back side of this snowflake is actually a hand carved wood block that the artist used to print the image on the front of the snowflake. So not only do you get the block the artist printed with, but a beautiful hand colored edition of one... so creative!
Giles Laroche has created an amazingly intricate snowflake- if you know his work you know that he hand cuts and assembles paper sculpture to illustrate his books and he's done the same with his snowflake. Both the angel and the bird he has sculpted are hand cut and assembled- each tiny feather on the bird's wings has been glued in place with meticulous craftsmanship.
Laura Graves is another artist who really went above and beyond- the painting she has hung from her snowflake (which is quite large by the way), is absolutely beautiful. It is soft and sweet and so intricate in its detail... it reminds me of the fairy tales by Mercer Meyer I used to love as a kid.
I wish I could buy all these snowflakes myself, but since I already own three I have to use some self control!! There are so many gorgeous ones to choose from, the artists have made it really hard this year to resist!
(click here to go to the auction)
Barbara Lehman has a really gorgeous snowflake in this auction- its hard to tell in the photo, but the tiny shutters in the painting stand out from the window in 3D, so lovely. Right now here snowflake is less than $300! As she is a Caldecott award winning author/illustrator, my guess is her illustrations sell for thousands of dollars...
Each of the following snowflakes is currently less than $200:
Another gem is Connie McLennan's 'flake... when I saw this one in person at the galleries I was surprised at how striking it was... in person it has a three dimensional quality, its so photo realistic you feel like the butterfly is going to flap its wings and fly away.
Another snowflake that inspired everyone who saw it at the gallery shows is the one created by Consie Powell. Again, hard to tell from the photo, but the back side of this snowflake is actually a hand carved wood block that the artist used to print the image on the front of the snowflake. So not only do you get the block the artist printed with, but a beautiful hand colored edition of one... so creative!
Giles Laroche has created an amazingly intricate snowflake- if you know his work you know that he hand cuts and assembles paper sculpture to illustrate his books and he's done the same with his snowflake. Both the angel and the bird he has sculpted are hand cut and assembled- each tiny feather on the bird's wings has been glued in place with meticulous craftsmanship.
Laura Graves is another artist who really went above and beyond- the painting she has hung from her snowflake (which is quite large by the way), is absolutely beautiful. It is soft and sweet and so intricate in its detail... it reminds me of the fairy tales by Mercer Meyer I used to love as a kid.
I wish I could buy all these snowflakes myself, but since I already own three I have to use some self control!! There are so many gorgeous ones to choose from, the artists have made it really hard this year to resist!
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Cutest thing ever
An old friend of mine who is a Montessori school teacher recently showed me this video of one of her little students reading one of my books, SO sweet. Apparently she has read the The Three Little Kittens with them so much that she has memorized it and is quietly reciting it to herself (at times not so quietly). I love how she keeps turning the pages while she looks around the room to see what everyone else is doing!
BTW I have permission from her mother to post it for those concerned.
BTW I have permission from her mother to post it for those concerned.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Robert's Snow 2007: The Final Auction
Bidding will begin on the final auction of Robert’s Snow 2007 on Monday, December 3rd. One hundred percent of the auction proceeds will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for sarcoma research. All but $25 of each winning bid is tax deductible.
Robert’s Snow 2007 Auction 3
- Bidding begins at 9:00 AM Eastern Standard Time on Monday, December 3rd.
- Bidding ends at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Friday, December 7th.
- Starting bid price: $150
- Bid increment: $25
Wish me luck! I’ll be bidding on a number of snowflakes in the third auction.
Read about all the illustrators who contributed to this auction at the sites linked below. (The order presented is the same as on the auction page.)
Consie Powell at Becky’s Book Reviews
Anna Alter at The Longstockings
Julia Denos at Interactive Reader
Giles Laroche at Book, Book, Book
Matt Phelan at A Year of Reading
Brooke Dyer at Bookshelves of Doom
Barbara Lehman at The Excelsior File
Scott Magoon at Just One More Book!!
Alissa Imre Geis at Wild Rose Reader
Judy Schachner at Kate's Book Blog
Laura Huliska Beith at Just One More Book!!
Genevieve Cote at a wrung sponge
Ruth Sanderson at Book Moot
Susan Kathleen Hartung at Wild Rose Reader
Linda Graves at Your Neighborhood Librarian
Diane DeGroat at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
Susan Mitchell at Check It Out
R.W. Alley at at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup
Wendell Minor at Wild Rose Reader
Melanie Watt at Whimsy Books
Elisa Kleven at Rozzieland
Sally Vitsky at Shelf Elf: read, write, rave
Jimmy Pickering at Shaken & Stirred
Jeremy Tankard at the excelsior file
Mark Teague at The Miss Rumphius Effect
Diana Magnuson at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Bill Carman at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Grace Lin at In the Pages
Dan Santat at Writing and Ruminating
Jarrett J. Krosoczka at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Jeff Ebbeler at Sam Riddleburger's blog
Margaret Chodos-Irvine at readergirlz
Nancy Wallace at In the Pages . . .
Robin Brickman at Greetings from Nowhere
Joy Allen at Check It Out
Christopher Demarest at Writing and Ruminating
Mary Newell Depalma at Wild Rose Reader
Rebecca Guay at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Jui Ishida at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Kathy Jakobsen at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
James T. Williamson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Kristina Swarner at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Vladimir Shpitalnik at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Linda S. Wingerter at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Meghan McCarthy at A Fuse #8 Production
Carin Berger at Chasing Ray
Salley Mavor at ChatRabbit
Amy Young at Kate's Book Blog
Rebecca Doughty at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Brian Lies at Greetings from Nowhere
D.B. Johnson at Lessons from the Tortoise
Jeff Mack at AmoXcalli
Selina Alko at Brooklyn Arden
Sean Qualls at Brooklyn Arden
Randy Cecil at ChatRabbit
Jeff Newman at A Year of Reading
Mo Willems at MotherReader
Karen Lee at sruble's world
Shawna Tenney at Kate's Book Blog
Julie Paschkis at the excelsior file
Juli Kangas at Sam Riddleburger
Connie McLennan at The Shady Glade
Kelly Murphy at ChatRabbit
Remember that Auction 3 is your last opportunity to win one of the wooden snowflakes created especially for Robert's Snow 2007. Each snowflake is a unique work of art. Please help to support this special fundraiser by bidding on your favorite snowflake(s)!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Whose image is it anyway?
My editor (NOT Alvina, an editor I've been working with on a non-fiction project) and I discussed the author photo for a book about South America. I said I thought it would be fun to have a picture of me in Cuzco, Peru, instead of just the usual boring head shot. She agreed.
So I sent her the picture, warning her that *I* looked kind of dorky but that thought the background (the light and that beautiful Inca stonework) was worth it. She agreed: well, she didn't say "You're right, you do look like a dork," she said it was "a nice picture" and that she liked the idea of the picture going along with the book, too. [NOTE: The images are sharper and the colors are deeper in Photoshop than here on blogger.]
So I asked what size they wanted, she found out, and I sent her this, as instructed, a little bigger than the final print sized so the designer could crop it:
A few days later I got an email from her saying:
"So much for thinking outside the box," and then giving the designer's comments....I better not quote them, but the gist was that they wouldn't use the picture because:
*the eyes were closed
*the sun was shining right on my face (that was the whole point, it was in the Temple of the Sun I'd written about in the book)
*all the other author photographs were head shots
blah blah blah
I'll get another picture taken, I should have a real one anyway -- but it seems bizarre to me that when the author and editor both like a picture we can't use it. If I don't mind looking like a dork why should the designer? I WILL get a professional to take a real author photograph; but I don't expect to be going to Peru anytime soon so it will have to be taken here. I have mixed feelings about how important it all is anyway: has anyone ever not bought a book because they didn't like the author's photograph, or bought one because they did? But come to think of it, probably how you look does have a lot to do with whether or not you're invited to schools, and red isn't the best hair color for me (what was I thinking?)so it will be just as well to have a better photograph. But I still think the picture should be up to the author.
So I sent her the picture, warning her that *I* looked kind of dorky but that thought the background (the light and that beautiful Inca stonework) was worth it. She agreed: well, she didn't say "You're right, you do look like a dork," she said it was "a nice picture" and that she liked the idea of the picture going along with the book, too. [NOTE: The images are sharper and the colors are deeper in Photoshop than here on blogger.]
So I asked what size they wanted, she found out, and I sent her this, as instructed, a little bigger than the final print sized so the designer could crop it:
A few days later I got an email from her saying:
"So much for thinking outside the box," and then giving the designer's comments....I better not quote them, but the gist was that they wouldn't use the picture because:
*the eyes were closed
*the sun was shining right on my face (that was the whole point, it was in the Temple of the Sun I'd written about in the book)
*all the other author photographs were head shots
blah blah blah
I'll get another picture taken, I should have a real one anyway -- but it seems bizarre to me that when the author and editor both like a picture we can't use it. If I don't mind looking like a dork why should the designer? I WILL get a professional to take a real author photograph; but I don't expect to be going to Peru anytime soon so it will have to be taken here. I have mixed feelings about how important it all is anyway: has anyone ever not bought a book because they didn't like the author's photograph, or bought one because they did? But come to think of it, probably how you look does have a lot to do with whether or not you're invited to schools, and red isn't the best hair color for me (what was I thinking?)so it will be just as well to have a better photograph. But I still think the picture should be up to the author.
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