Highlights from a crazy month

Please forgive my lack of posting, the past few weeks have been mad! Since I lasted posted I have moved from Boston to Northampton, finished the book dummy for Disappearing Desmond, and been scrambling to finish planning my wedding which is now in LESS THAN THREE WEEKS. *gulp* Since I am still knee deep in boxes and seating charts, I will offer some highlights in pictures...

When we first arrived, my studio looked like this:



I needed to set it up right away to meet a deadline, I'd say its about 75% there now... still need to put up my bulletin boards do a little rearranging. Definitely the biggest work space I've had so far!



Here is George sleeping in the mess, with his head resting on a wooden shelf. Oh George.



Once the studio was in order I finished off the Desmond sketches I've been working on. I have to say I am very excited about this book.



When not drawing or unpacking, I've been attempting to continue with wedding craft projects. My mother and I are sewing cloth napkins out of this amazing fabric I found on fabric.com:



This is what they look like. Each place setting will have a different napkin, and guests will get a set as gifts.



Can't forget about the legal stuff! Yesterday we headed down to City Hall for our marriage license:



Here we are out front, bleary-eyed but happy. Its been a little crazy having everything happen at once, but when we took the oath and got our little slip of paper we couldn't help but feel that everything is happening just as it should.

Picture books, the two year old's view

If there was a time when I loved picture books, I was so young that I don't remember it -- so it's been fascinating to see their effect on the two and a half-year-old I babysit for now.

I would have thought that if ever a book needed no explanation or analysis, that book was GOOD NIGHT MOON. Maybe that just proves that I don't really get picture books. When we read it, he commented on "Good-night, nobody." He thought it meant that there was no one there, so I turned the pages back to show him all the people in the room, and he was more puzzled.

I said I thought the boy/rabbit was making a joke, and he laughed in that fake way some kids do when they know YOU think it's funny, but they don't really get it. I tried again to explain.

Later, when he woke up from his nap, he smiled at me in a way that showed he was VERY pleased with himself and said,
"Good-night, nobody."
He said it a few more times, I laughed, and he again commented that there had been no one there. So I explained again -- and he wanted to get the book and read it again. He also said,
"Let's talk about it." (This MUST be a phrase his mother uses!)

So we read it again: I could see that he was really impatient to get to that page. When we did, I again turned back the pages to show all the people who were in the room. I read the page itself, then went on (pointing to all the people).

"He was just making a little joke," he said -- but I don't know if he really knew what that meant; that was the exact phrase I'd used, after all. But he was REALLY TRYING to understand (one thing I like a lot about him) and maybe did. If he didn't, I can be sure he'll bring it up again.

The point of this post, though, is what reading with him showed me about GOOD NIGHT MOON. The last child I read it with delighted in finding the little mouse; Jake didn't even notice him (he's more of a word person, like me). He loved the sounds of the words, especially the rhymes....the only picture he commented on was one that showed the moon and the balloon. He liked the fact that they were both circles.

When I (or anyone) tries to talk about a book this simple, and this brilliant, I always sound like an idiot.....because the book's beauty is its simplicity; it says so much in so few words (and readers respond on so many levels and in so many ways). But I'm going to try and talk about this anyway, because I want to understand it more consciously myself.

In case you don't remember, the page on which the little rabbit says "good-night, nobody" is blank -- all the other pages show the objects being addressed or named or the room. That blankness and that joke not only add a little mystery (and it WAS a mystery to Jake) and humor (to an older child). It makes the permanence of the other objects and the order and repetition more noticeable -- and more reassuring (though Jakes's question made me wonder how clear it was to him that it was the same room in all the pictures).

There's an age, a specific point in development, at which babies grasp the permanence of objects -- it's early, before one, I think. Especially when you're as close to the concept being new as a two year old is, the idea that a comb and a brush and a bowl of mush remain what they are -- that they're still going to be the same thing, even if you go away or go to sleep or look away from them, IS a reassuring one. It's reassuring that the world is such a stable, orderly place.

I think it's almost impossible to read that book without feeling calm at the end - not just because of what I've mentioned here, but lots of other things there isn't room for....and the beauty of the book and its simplicity is that no matter how much I said, I'd still be missing things. There is so much there -- the soothing green, the way the room gets darker.....good-night, readers!

POETRY FRIDAY: Sunflakes by Frank Asch

This has been the rainiest June that I can remember. I’m longing for a bit of sunshine. Thus, here is my choice for Poetry Friday this week. It’s a children’s poem by Frank Asch.

Sunflakes
by Frank Asch

If sunlight fell like snowflakes,
gleaming yellow and so bright,
we could build a sunman,
we could have a sunball fight,
we could watch the sunflakes
drifting in the sky.


You can read the rest of the poem here.

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

At Wild Rose Reader, I have a review of Incredible Inventions, another great poetry anthology compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Carol’s Corner today.

forgot to mention

My small graces painting is on auction NOW and ends on Friday!

URL: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220434979010

dear readers...

I'm sorry I didn't post again this week! I'm bad. I had a lot to deal with today. I woke up, ate, got nauseous, crashed on the couch and waited to feel better basically ALL DAY. I also had to get out of jury duty and spent the rest of the day (not that there was much left) tracking down where my medical excuse letter was existing (one of 3 dr offices) Then I ran to the courthouse in the rain, illegally parked, only to be sent away at the door. Well, first I got to the back door (still with time to spare) only to be told that I couldn't go in that door and had to go around, which was like 3 blocks away. by the time I ran there in the rain I was sent home and told to "come back tomorrow." Of course I can't because I was supposed to get out of jury duty BEFORE jury duty was to begin. So now I don't know what will happen to me. I might go to jail. Is that a tad dramatic? Well, I'd like to see them put me in jail. Go ahead! Do it! I'd be no less miserable there than laying on the couch all day feeling sick.

The good news is that the artwork for the bubblegum book is FINALLY done. Of course I still have the author's note to go and until I finish that I will have to continue living on rice and pasta only. No kidding that's all I've been eating. That's all I can afford! I'm broke, broke, broke, broke, broke, broke.

Yes, this blog post is a rant and I apologize for that. It's just that being a freelancer isn't easy. It sucks. Sucks, sucks, sucks. Sometimes, when things go right, it's great. Really great. I can wake up when I want to. Go to bed when I want to. I get big checks in the mail (not lately - believe me!), I get free lunches, I get to be creative, I get to see my visions come to life... and so on. Lots of great things. But you have to take the good with the bad and right now I'm in bad-zone- land. Perhaps if I felt I had my health back I wouldn't be so cranky. Perhaps if jury duty didn't keep knocking on my door when I repeatedly told them I had an autoimmune disease and WOULD NOT be getting better I'd be happier. Who knows. Now I must figure out what to do about the fact that my stupid printer is out of ink (magenta mind you) and I can't print out the doctor's letter of excusal (I took my computer with me today instead of paper). Why can't it print a B&W letter! I don't care about magenta! AAAARrrrrg.

thank you for listening to my frustration. I hope things will be better soon... for your sakes.

meghan

the wheels never stop turning

Recently, I was so touched by the story of Bridget Zinn, a young author battling cancer that I felt I HAD to win something during a recent auction for her benefit. And I did! What did I win?

I won a consultation with author and virtual marketing wiz Mitali Perkins! Not only is she a superb writer, I am in awe of her ability to bend the internet to her promotional will. (Here is a little secret--I am only two steps above a luddite. I have mastered blogger and that is it. If it were not for my sister my web presence would be only this blog.) Mitali is the perfect person to help make my online book launch match my ambitions!

So, we met last week and I feel as if my head is still spinning! With her guidance, I now have:

-a facebook fan page: this will be one of the locations for the online book party as well as the best way for fans to get in touch with me (please join!)

-have an alternative location for my online booklaunch (for those who are not on facebook) at: www.wherethemountainmeetsthemoon.com

-a twitter account: Yes, I've signed up! I'm going to try tweeting for the summer and see if I like it. Please follow me!

a wedding reading

This weekend I was away at a beautiful wedding. I was honored to be included in the ceremony, as the bride and groom asked me to do a reading. They told me to pick whatever I wanted to, but as we all work together creating children's books, that a children's book might be appropriate.

Well, imagine the pressure! I enlisted the help of some friends to come up with ideas. I went into the library and got a list of books about love from Betsy Bird, I went into B&N and enlisted the help of my friend (and Meghan's) Julia Sarcone Roach while she was working in the children's section, and she in turn put the challenge to some of her coworkers and came up with a list of possibilities. I also chose some song lyrics and poems and came up with a short list of eight possibilities that I decided to run by the couple, but they wouldn't even open the document, saying that they preferred to be surprised on the day of. I hadn't decided what to read as of last weekend at Grace's book launch, and had Libby and Grace weigh in on their favorites.

Are you curious about what I chose in the end? Here is the reading I did at the wedding (I had asked a friend to take pictures of me, but had forgotten my camera was on the video setting, so I have the whole thing on tape!)



My reading was an abridged version of The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger, which was the top choice of the B&N crew. Thank you for your help, Julia!

And thank you, Tracy and Kirk, for the honor of being a part of your special day. I know you'll have a beautiful life together.

To a Frustrated Poet: A Poem by J. Patrick Lewis

Today, I have a poem written by my friend J. Patrick Lewis, a popular children’s poet. As an aspiring poet myself--and as someone who has received her share of rejection letters--I certainly got a chuckle out of Pat’s poem—To a Frustrated Poet.

In addition to being an author of children’s books, Pat also writes clever light verse for adults. Many of his humorous poems have appeared in Light Quarterly. Here are links to some of those poems:

- Click here to read some of J. Patrick Lewis’s Animal Epitaphs included in the Autumn 2006 issue.

- You can read several more of Pat’s clever light verses in the Summer 2000 issue.

Thanks, Pat, for granting me permission to post your poem here!



To a Frustrated Poet
by J. Patrick Lewis


Every June I take out of the filing cabinet the folder
of rejections, groaning under the weight of noooooooooooo,
and admire them.

Black Hole shows a woodcut of a masked executioner
about to cleave a slush pile that, ignobly, they tell me,
I have helped to erect.

Unemployed Muse says with uncommon clarity,
We do not publish poems in a foreign language—GIBBERISH.
And how thoughtful of Dear God! Review to return
my manuscript with the stamps unused. Lordie, they say,
you obviously need the postage more than we do.

Violent Doilies is succinct: Are You Kidding Me?
In 72-point type.

Sorry, states Hurt Me Broadsides, re a ms.
I sent in sometime during the Tet Offensive,
We read only on the third Friday after the Vernal Equinox.
During lunch.

Frustrated, I can’t help but wonder if my poems
will ever find shelter in the likes of Ipecac, 666 squared,
True Crhymes or—if only!—B=L=A=T=H=E=R.
But when my wife yells up, Pizza’s here, my mood
brightens inexplicably—and I stuff another envelope

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

At Wild Rose Reader, I have a review of Sky Magic, a wonderful new poetry anthology compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Critique de Mr. Chompchomp.

launch

So the flowers were made, the bags were filled and the sugee cookies were plated.Now all I needed were people! Would it be a disastrous empty room filled with goody bags and echos?

At least I knew my blue rose girls would show. But would anyone else?

YES! Yippee, a full house!

Now, my little speech about some of the background of the book. Just hoping I am coherent:

Then, reading an excerpt (some kids read silently along, so cute!):
Followed by a mad dash for cupcakes to see who won the coins:

While I signed books:

The sugee cookies were eaten (though it took a little encouraging):

And even the paper flowers found new places to bloom:
A lovely, lovely launch.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon could not have had a warmer welcome. Thank you all SO much for coming!

getting ready to launch

Preparing for a book launch is no small task. At least not for me, because I admit sometimes I get a bit carried away with my party ambitions. Luckily, I have some amazing friends that are willing to help me with my grandiose schemes. My super-cool friends worked late, late into the night before my book launch just to make sure everything got done.

Ranida stamped bags:
Luke and Alvina made the boxes and prepped the goodies for the bags:
And Baby Maia did the heavy lifting:

All this while I frosted the cupcakes with the apropos Chinese characters:
See, I'm smiling because I realized that with all this help I'm actually going to get everything done!

Then, Maia chose which cupcakes would be the prize winning cupcakes, with special coins underneath them:



Which were mixed randomly with the others, boxed and bagged:
and finally ready to be picked for the next day:

A very geektastic BEA

I'm just back from Boston for Grace's very successful book launch for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon--there were over 100 people there! One family drove all the way from NY to be there. So fun. But I assume Grace will be telling more about this on Wednesday, so for my post today, I'm going back to my very busy weekend prior, of BEA.

I don't usually go to BEA--I don't think it's a secret that the books I edit are generally more directed towards the school and library market--ALA, IRA, NCTE, those are my conferences!

But if BEA is in NY, I'll usually stop by for an afternoon and walk the floors. This year, I also had three meetings with various foreign publishers who were in town.

BEA on Friday is kind of a nightmare--the floor is so crowded it's hard to navigate. And I have to say, I noticed that giveaways seemed more limited than usual--I saw very few piles of ARCs up for grabs.

This year, we hosted (among others) Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci, editors of a short story collection I also edited, Geektastic. They had been invited to participate in the speed dating session, and we decided to throw a geeky party in their and the book's honor. Unfortunately, Cecil was not able to attend at the last minute (she was missed!), but I enjoyed hanging out with Holly and and her husband Theo. We took a ride on the fabulous double-decker Mysterious Benedict Society tour bus:

that took us and many other Little, Brown authors, colleagues, and bookseller guests to the ABC Not-a-Dinner and (Mostly) Silent Auction at the Brooklyn Bridge Marriot. It was quite a windy (but fun) ride! Can you spot bookseller Alison Morris, and authors Trent Lee Stewart and Patrick McDonnell in this video?



The event was fun--Shannon Hale emceed, and I was shocked and delighted to discover that she's basically a stand up comedienne--so funny and endearing. Katherine Paterson (amazing) and Mike Lupica were the keynote speakers, and the E.B. White Award winners were announced: A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton won for picture book, and Masterpiece by Elise Broach (yay!) for Older Readers.

And then was the fun mingling, eating, drinking, and merrymaking, and silent auction. I bid on a Rosemary Wells piece but was quickly outbid. Last I saw, Mo Willems had the winning bid on Edel Rodriguez's donated piece from Sergio Makes a Splash, which was fun to see. I think Peter Brown's piece for The Curious Garden went for over $400. It was a good night.

I had planned to head out to the Kidlit Drinks Night afterwards, but got sucked into staying in Brooklyn with some of the Abrams crew and some other authors and illustrators, including Lisa Greenwald, Jenny Han, and Peter Brown.


The next day, I was off-duty from BEA, as I had a wedding shower and baby shower to attend that day, but Connie filled in for me and sat with Holly during the speed dating, which I heard was quite successful, as was the book signing, with surprise guests Kelly Link and Cassandra Clare, both contributors to the collection, who signed alongside Holly.

That night, we hosted the aforementioned geeky party for Geektastic--and what could be more geeky than a bowling party? The location was anything but geeky, though--it was in a private room at the new Lucky Strikes. Very snazzy, indeed. And yes, much bowling was had. There was a great turnout, including many of the authors who contributed to the collection.

contributor Sara Zarr with our Deputy Publisher, Andrew Smith

me and contributor Wendy Mass

contributor Scott Westerfeld bowling

contributors Kelly Link and Libba Bray

contributor Barry Lyga and editor/contributor Holly Black

Sara Zarr sitting with blogger guests who Twittered (tweeted?) and blogged throughout the night.

contributors Cassandra Clare, Holly, and Tracy Lynn

It wasn't just bowling! Booksellers Melissa Manlove and Summer Laurie enjoyed the pool table as well.

Jack Martin of NYPL celebrates a spare (or strike...or something) Contributors David Levithan and Sara Zarr with our Deputy Publisher, Andrew Smith

And finally, please enjoy a video of Laura Lutz, the most glamorous bowler ever. What fabulous form!

Geektastic is out this August. It's just as much fun as the party was.

POETRY FRIDAY: The Hand by Mary Ruefle

June is one month that brings to mind the many years that I spent teaching. I still remember all those last days of school when I had to say goodbye to groups of children that become like a part of my family. My students and I had had bonded over the course of ten months together. Those days were bittersweet times for me.

Here is a poem by Mary Ruefle for the teachers who devote their lives to educating our children as the school year comes to a close.

The Hand

by Mary Ruefle

The teacher asks a question.
You know the answer, you suspect
you are the only one in the classroom
who knows the answer, because the person
in question is yourself, and on that
you are the greatest living authority,
but you don’t raise your hand.
You raise the top of your desk
and take out an apple.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

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

At Wild Rose Reader, I have a review of The Frogs and Toads All Sang, a book of poems written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (with color by Adrianne Lobel). Lobel handmade the book as a gift for friends many years ago. Lobel’s daughter found out about the book’s existence last September when she was contacted by the person who bought it in an estate auction.

Sara Lewis Holmes has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Read Write Believe.

party preparations

You know when a girl buys her baking cups in bulk that there is some serious cupcake baking in the works. And I mean serious! It's almost time for my book launch and these cupcakes are my most promising bait to lure you to come. Remember if you get the cupcake with the coin, you'll win your name or likeness in my upcoming book!

So, I have been prepping and prepping. The bookstore asked that I keep refreshments to a minimum and not messy (which is why the cupcakes will be boxed in the goodie bags), so it took me a while to figure out to have as small treats to modestly serve. I felt like I had to offer SOMETHING (do you think that is an Asian thing or just because I have the worst sweet tooth in the world?); so I got a recipe for Sugee cookies from one my favorite blogs (though I always feel like I've gained a pound every time I click on it). They seemed perfect: Asian-esque, small, unfrosted...but surprisingly tricky. This is what her cookies look like:

It took a couple of batches before mine looked like:

Not as pretty, but still pretty yummy! If you come this Sat. you can try them yourself!

Moving moving moving

Forgive my lack of a creative post this week, I am in the middle of moving and my office looks something like this:



Stay tuned for pics of the new place!

Tired (and Sergio Saves the Game video)

I'm still recovering from a crazy busy Friday and Saturday (BEA stuff Friday, and then on Saturday I had a wedding shower, baby shower, GEEKTASTIC party, and bachelorette party...is it any wonder that I didn't get out of my pajamas until after 6 pm yesterday?). Anyway, I don't have too much brain power to post today. But I have a bunch of Beyond the Book posts to write, so look out for posts on Sergio Saves the Game by Edel Rodriguez, Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez, and more in the future. For now, I'll direct you to Edel's great post about his new Sergio book, as well as this wonderful video interview:




And hello to all the blog readers I met/saw over the course of the weekend!