"That was rather a stupid thing to do, wasn't it?"

I am in Scotland, and thought that this year, the logistics -- even my heavy luggage would be easier because I would know how to do things. I had the port of Oban all planned:

-go straight from the train to the luggage lockers (they still have those here)
-walk to hotel
- fun etc.
-next morning take only and early ferry to island

I put my luggage in the locker, closed the door, paid- - and THEN noticed a sign saying that the train station didn't open until 10.45 a.m. on Sunday, two hours after my ferry's departure. I asked at the ticket window about workarounds, refunds -- none. So I decided to take everything to the hotel with me, in a taxi.

I scratched off the black strip on the  locker ticket which, I assumed, would reveal the code that  opened the locker. It didn't. So I went back to the window. The man behind it was outraged.

"If you had read the instructions which are posted in large letters....[much longer than I am putting it] you would have seen that you don't scratch off the bar as though you're holding a national lottery ticket. You open the ticket -- the code is on the blue side underneath. [Note: Nowhere on the ticket does it say this, only on the sign on the wall, towards the end of many steps].....But you just scratched it off and destroyed the code.

That was rather a  stupid thing to do, wasn't it?"

I always react badly to this kind of thing, wherever I am; but in the UK, it instantly makes me revert to being an 8 year old -- though at my boarding school, the phrase was usually more like:

"That wasn't very sensible, was it?"

I felt my face grow hot, knew I was blushing, muttered something-- and STILL he kept lecturing me! He eventually got someone to open the locker (he said he couldn't possibly do it himself as he had to sell tickets --not that anyone was waiting to buy any).

Finally I got into the taxi, flustered - and told the driver all about it. He was friends with someone on my island destination, instantly took my side, apologized for his countryman, and said various soothing things. I said my country men were often rude, too, and apologized for them. Americans are rude, often; I just don't expect the British to be -- and usually, they aren't. I guess it's good for me to realize that they aren't perfect: I (like many who love English and Scottish novels?) do tend to idealize things here. So often, being here IS like living in a favorite novel; though come to think of it, they always include characters like Lady Catherine and Mrs.Ferrars and Mr.Elton.

Success

Yesterday I was feeling down, having just received the news that one of my books (one that I love) is going out of print. It is somewhat inevitable these days; if you publish long enough it will happen to you at some point.

But no matter how much you expect it or how many times you've been through it, it never ceases to feel like a punch in the stomach. Then I came across this chart by Demetri Martin:



And it made me feel a bit better. You never know what great things lay around the corner or how they will lead to the next place you go. Onward we march.

(Some inspiring stories here, via A CUP OF JO)

Happy Earth Day!

Are you looking for a simple way to celebrate Earth Day with your kids? There are a number of activities for the wee ones on the web site for my book What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe?. Download free coloring sheets or activity pages, a curriculum guide for your classroom, or check out the resources section.

Wishing you a happy, crafty Earth Day!

In spite of everything

   




In trying to come to terms with what happened in Boston, I find myself remembering Ann Frank:

“In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again.”

 To me, this says more about her (and her youth!) than about how things really are  -- perhaps that's why it's so moving.

But it's one of the most powerful statements of what IS good in us -- and how important hope is, in real life and in books for the young  -- that I've ever read.

 

 (This image is from tricycle.com) 

a real life Ling and Ting!

I meant to post this here last week but I forgot and only posted it on my personal blog. I've been having a hard time remembering what I have done --because I have so much to do! I admit, it's been a bit stressful, I haven't found a good way to juggle work and baby, packing, unpacking, prepping for sales... and I have to do my taxes. bleh.

But, I had my  booksigning at Porter Square Books bookstore. It was the last time I could call it a booksigning at my local bookstore as after this I will be two hours away! So, it was another reason to feel a bit melancholy. However, such an amazing, wonderful crowd showed up that any feelings of sadness quickly disappeared.

I was so thrilled to see such a full house:

And to meet such all my lovely readers! This reader was the winner of the Storyworks Contest based on my story:

And then, these two were waiting patiently the whole time...

to get their Ling and Ting books signed!  Can you tell why?

Yes, they were a real life Ling and Ting! Aren't they sweet?

The whole event completely cheered me up! It was so great that I think I will have to come back in the future-- it's worth the two hour drive! So maybe I lied about this being my last signing at Porter Square Books...Thanks so much for coming, all! 

Contest winner

   




Thanks to everyone who entered and voted in the contest! The challenge was to write a story in 50 words.

The winner, chosen by reader vote:

_____________________________________________________________

We first met at a charity gala, our bruises hidden under designer gowns and cosmetics.

Our husbands died soon after. So untimely. So wealthy.

She loves Caribbean islands with Adonis arm candy. I prefer a Rolls-Royce and freedom.

Yearly, we visit their graves with our undying gratitude, and plastic flowers.

Marnie

__________________________________________________________________

 But Marnie! You entered so anonymously that we don't know how to get in touch with you.

Where do we reach you? And would you like a signed book or chocolate? Please let us know by emailing:

bluerosegirls@gmail.com

Again, thanks to everyone who entered and commented: it was interesting to read everything, and very surprising to me that the readers agreed so much!

Winchester Authorfest

Come join me tomorrow, April 9th, for the Winchester Authorfest!

I'll be signing books along with a long list of wonderful authors and illustrators: Kathleen Duble, Karen Day, Jackie Dembar Green, Amy MacDonald, David Biedrzycki, David Elliott, Matt Tavares, Marty Kelley, Susan Lubner, Susan Goodman, Jerry Pallotta, Ralph Masiello, Brian Lies, Scott Magoon, and Nancy Poydar.

Come to get a signed book or just say hello!

3:00-5:00 pm
Winchester Town Hall
71 Mt Vernon St, Winchester, MA

VOTE on the 50-word stories

   




Please vote for your favorite  50-word story in the comments by April 7.

You can vote anonymously and comment or not, as you wish -- but do please vote via the Comment box by April 7.

We'll email the winner, ask if she wants chocolate or a book (some people said when they entered, some did not), and announce the winner on April 8.

Thanks!

___________________________________________________________________

1.

“Leave the iPad behind!”  

 

My island-bred kids are sullen.  The speedboat will deprive them of cyber-fun:  

 

“Been to Staffa before… Too cold…. Get seasick….. ”

Slumped, reluctant shoulders are slowly, inadvertently uplifted into sea-spray, wind and sunlight as the boat jolts through glistening waves, then planes – exultant - towards open sea.

Anonymous 

_____________________________________________________________

2. Oodles of Poodles in Paris, France (50 words)

It’s a Paris tour, bon jour!
Boy pups with all their clutter,
Set long lashes aflutter.
Bow-wow! Kiss mail set a-sail. . .
Stray waiters with noodles
and quay painters with doodles
slow chance romance.
Enfin! In the tail-tale airmail sails.
Our poodles wave “Toodles!”
with one last glance at Paris, France.

Heather Harris-Brady
_________________________________________________________
 

3.  STORY IN 50 WORDS

"Worry never goes away," Mama said to Sophie. Sophie didn't understand. "Unless you're grateful," Mama added. So Sophie made a list. Birds. Blueberries. Wind. Whirligigs. Before Sophie could finish, Mama had made a grateful list of her own starting with the name of her girl. Sophie.

posse
________________________________________________________________

4.

 

Two black cats, boxing at midnight. Two against one frantically squeaking mouse. The mouse is battered from playful paws. The cats aren’t hungry; the mouse darts under the kitchen island. The best cat toys are the ones that move. The cats forfeit when the mouse surrenders; exhaustion wins the mouse’s life. 

 

Katana Leig

______________________________________________________________________ 

5.
The man sharpened his blade, the time had come.

He walked alone. Fall leaves fell behind him creating shadows that played with his mind. Before another could rest upon the ground to decay, he stabbed the metal chest. Oil seeped into the earth from the life-like machine keeping him prisoner.

Naomi Canale

__________________________________________________________________

6. STORY IN 50 WORDS

Friends
by Dea Irby

Two teen-aged girls giggled in the van's back seat; their moms chatted in the front. Giggles flooded the dressing rooms in every store as they tried on many different outfits. Four stores, no clothes. Giggles continued on the ride home. It was a successful shopping day.

Dea Irby
_______________________________________________________________

7. Priceless by D. M. King

An evil darkness eclipsed the desert, so Caleb Grady stuffed the golden relic in between his vest and his heart. If all the stories were true, he’d be rich. Six more steps through the blazing sand, and he’d be home free. Lightning cracked. The statue survived. A dream died.

ryter222 dking
_______________________________________________________________

8. Distraction

When Grandma flung back the fishing line, she never suspected the surprising catch of the day. Likewise, Hopper, her grandson who sculpted a fortified sand castle nearby, never imagined his own impending adventure. Backward out of the sky dropped the lure that pierced Hopper’s lip, Grandma’s greatest catch ever.

Krisan Murphy
_______________________________________________________________

9.

Feeling her soul slip its mortal tether, Sybil gazed past breaking waves. What if she just swam until exhaustion set her free? No. Back at the beach cottage, she gave her grandsons one last hug, lay on her bed and whispered, “See Ya;” her soul rising with the words.

Sarah Maury Swan
___________________________________________________________

10.

We first met at a charity gala, our bruises hidden under designer gowns and cosmetics.

Our husbands died soon after. So untimely. So wealthy.

She loves Caribbean islands with Adonis arm candy. I prefer a Rolls-Royce and freedom.

Yearly, we visit their graves with our undying gratitude, and plastic flowers.

Marnie

___________________________________________________________________ 

"Is this publishable?"

   





People often ask if their mss. are "publishable." I used to think that was a question editors, agents, and even other authors could answer accurately -- about a finished ms. or even an idea.

But the more time I've spent in publishing, the more strongly I believe that the only person who can REALLY answer that question is an editor in a position to offer you a contract. And even she can only say (in effect, the answer is rarely this blunt):

"Yes, we'll publish this"
or
"Maybe, if you....."
or
"No, we won't."

If she doesn't say yes, the reasons she gives or the editorial suggestions she makes may or may not apply to other publishers.

I think, too, that it's tempting to interpret what is essentially a polite rejection as "maybe," or to take comments made without much thought, commitment or hope of seeing your ms. again too seriously.....  For how to interpret letters that don't say yes (sometimes they really do mean "maybe" and say why!), see Alvina's wonderful post, Decline Letters 101.)

Writing a novel takes a long time and huge amount of work; it would be nice if there were a way to tell before it's finished if anyone will ever publish it. But  the only way to find out is to finish it (really finish it -- a first draft may not even hint at the final version!), send it out, and see what happens.

value & hype

Recently, the pursuit of filthy lucre has been on my mind.

Perhaps it's because of my decision to have an original art trunk sale.  Even though I am starting to feel stressed as I watch my expenses rise as my income (due to limited work time) lowers, I also feel guilty and confused about how to price my art.  People are weird about art--what is expensive to one person is a bargain to another. What I consider deeply discounted, others might think is still too much. And, if I discount the art too much will it devalue it? In art school, I remember vividly teachers telling students never to sell their art or skill cheaply. "If you don't value your own art, how do you expect others to?" they said.

But, what I want most is that the art ends up with people who love it, regardless of how much they paid. In a way, I'd almost rather just give it away--especially after I watched this Ted Talk by Amanda Palmer:



But I'm not sure how it would work. So, I guess right now, unless something better comes to mind,  I'll stick with the trunk sale and just try to muddle through (by the way, there's still time to sign up to be on the trunk sale list; I'm aiming for the first batch of art to go on sale the first week in April).

And related to my path of money-grubbing thoughts, I also read this interview of Neal Pollack which contained this  quote:

I spent a lot of years trying to turn myself into a brand because they told us self-branding is a way to success. And I kind of believed the hype. It’s just not true. To this day, I see writers publishing their first book or their second book and I can just see them going overboard with the marketing and getting all hyped up about it. You just have to write. 

 Even though he is an adult author, I thought it was an extremely interesting. The article indicates that the coveted hype around a book  just might not be that valuable after all. Which I found both hopeful and disheartening. Hopeful because I think it just shows that the only real success one can can have being an author is writing something you truly love. But disheartening because that success may never pay the bills. 

Excuses, prize (book or chocolate) and new end date

   



I've asked the other Blue Rose Girls, and the contest now has a prize and lasts longer:

• the prize is the BRGs book of your choice, signed and  of course mailed to you OR  chocolate, dark or milk, also your choice.....if you want to stay anonymous, you can still enter -- if you win, just email us your name, address and prize choice.

• the new end-date is  April 1.

Send us your 50 word story as a comment -- all (or maybe I should say, ANY! -- it's two days and no one has entered anything) entries will then be posted all together so readers can vote. The winner will be announced on the blog.

How long does it take to write 50 words???? When my friend emailed ME about the contest, my first reaction was to start an email explaining why I couldn't....my second was just to write the damn thing.

That took less time than the excuse.

Perhaps I can extrapolate? I can and will -- and even if no one enters the contest, something good will have come out of it for me (if I remember this the next time I am telling myself why I can't write).

a Girl Scout Storyteller

All the way in December, which seems like years ago,  a videographer came to film me for a little movie for the Girl Scouts. When they first requested the filming, I was completely honored however I was also in a bit of a quandary about where to shoot. Should I wait until the studio was set up in the new house? (Good thing I didn't as it's still not set up yet). Would we be able to clean the studio to a degree of decency in the apartment? In the end, Lexan, the understanding videographer filmed me strategically in the living room so that we would only have to straighten up a few shelves.
Here's how the video turned out:



Thank you, Lexan! Thank you, Girl Scouts!

Writing contest imported from Scotland

   



In Scotland every month they have a contest: write a story in fifty words. They always give you a prompt-- this month, it was "Use ‘Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave') Op. 26’ by Felix Mendelssohn as your starting point."

I found out about the contest from a friend, after the deadline -- she suggested that we do it and email each other our 50 words, just for fun.

We did -- and it WAS fun. Would you like to join us and post your story in the Comments? I will cut and paste them all into one post next week -- with or without real names, as each author prefers.

My Scottish friend wants to remain anonymous. I will tell whose is whose when I  post all the stories next week....if no one sends any, I'll still say which is mine--or maybe you know me well enough by now to guess?

And for the non-Scots (I am considering myself McLibby these days): these notes may make our stories more comprehensible.  "Island bred" could mean ANY island, but Staffa (where Fingal's Cave is) makes it one of the Hebrides....."turbine" means wind turbine. These provide much of the country's electricity and are a source of bitter controversy (and complaining) on many of the islands. Anyhow, here are our stories.

____________________________________________________________

STORIES IN 50 WORDS

#1

“Leave the iPad behind!” 

 My island-bred kids are sullen.  The speedboat will deprive them of cyber-fun:  “Been to Staffa before… Too cold…. Get seasick….. ”

Slumped, reluctant shoulders are slowly, inadvertently uplifted into sea- spray, wind and sunlight as the boat jolts through glistening waves, then planes – exultant - towards open sea.
______________________________________________________________

# 2

The Hebrides switched off with his computer. Relieved at the excuse to stop writing, Hamish pretended only electricity had been needed to complete a masterpiece.

His wife said nothing to his turbine tirade; he got a beer.

“While it’s still cold,” he added, expecting disapproval --  not the meat ax.
             
             _______________________________

learning school's limitations

The more I travel the more I learn about schools lesson plans, librarians' likes and dislikes, and what schools won't accept.

When I was in Georgia last week I was surprised when the librarian explained that she'd ordered a series of nonfiction books on animals... and pointed to one on seahorses. She explained that the seahorse book was going back to the publisher.

Why?

Because of the page on mating.

It had a very similar photo to the one below:

The text for the book series was VERY simple. I didn't read the one on seahorses because it was put on the "return" cart and sent away. But I read the rest in the series. It was for very young kids, with one sentence per page... so the sentence with the seahorses probably said something like, "And seahorses mate." 

The librarian's assistant told me she couldn't believe that the library couldn't have the book. Moreover, she said that the book couldn't be at the high schools! What? I said, "But don't they have sex education?" She said yes, but that the kids need to bring in permission slips, etc. etc. Then I commented that what is on TV on a daily basis is FAR worse than seahorses leaning into one another. She agreed whole heartedly. 

So for us authors writing nonfiction it becomes a debate: do we risk some school systems not carrying our books or do we play it safe and not include certain subjects?

Authors and their characters

A few weeks ago, while waiting for comments on my book,  I got addicted (not too strong a word) to a Swedish detective series, so addicted that it got in the way of my own writing and life.

When I reached the end of the series, I started the books, which weren't nearly as good -- not only because of the great acting on the show. The tv series was based on story ideas from the author, and it seemed to me that he had lightened up and allowed his hero to have and be things he hadn't given him in the books.

An interview in the Guardian said the author sounded "irritated" when he talked about his main character. The author admitted that he was irritated by him -- that he didn't even like him and his serious, pessimistic ways!

Maybe the actor playing the hero influenced the author's feeling. The second series started with the hero laughing at an outdoor party to celebrate something he'd wanted all his life and now had: a house by the sea. He'd bought a dog he loved--something he'd wanted for years. His colleagues were fond of him and he of them, he found a promising potential partner. Things were going far better for Wallander than they ever had.

So I was shocked and horrified by the hopeless ending of the most recent book, one written AFTER the second series. An even worse Epilogue said this was absolutely the end of the story, that the rest of the detective's life was his business and no one else's.

Maybe the author will relent -- a third Swedish series which I THINK takes place in time after the other two  will air sometime this year. Conan Doyle did after all kill off  Sherlock Holmes -- and then write more stories about him.

Final or not, though, this ending and epilog ended my addiction. I'm back into my own novel (and have stopped berating myself that it's not like this detective series, mine has something it doesn't: HOPE -- was it you, Alvina, have said that was one thing children's books had to have, and one thing that made them different from adult books, which might or might not end on a hopeful note?).

But Mankell did know how to create a character. It seems odd to me for an author not to like being possessed by a character he created. (I've always wished that would happen to me.) But I know some authors don't like it. Agatha Christie found Poirot a burden at times and used to have arguments with him:

"What IS an egg-shaped head, anyway?" she'd say.

Whether the authors like it or not, though, I bet that kind of possession is what creates characters who take on a life of their own, outside the book, in readers' heads and on TV and in movies, even  to people who have never read the books or seen the movies, but know who the characters are. And maybe that's what makes the authors bring them back to life, too, even after they've killed them off: the characters stubbornly refuse to die.

Original Art Trunk Sale

As you know, I'm moving! One of the things I've been thinking about is lightening my flat files. They are just stuffed with art and I can't fit anything else in. It's time to make an art purge!

But what to do? At first I thought I'd just give it all to an archive like the Dodd Center  but it does seem a little sad to think of all of it just sitting in a vault (not that it's doing much more in my flat files). I'd love the art to be seen and enjoyed.

Then, my good friend Janet Wong suggested that I have special online "trunk sale" of my artwork for schools and librarians. I could offer them  the opportunity to purchase my art at a discounted price, it  would be displayed instead of put in a vault AND I it would be financial aid for our move!

The first 12 pieces will go on sale in a couple of weeks and I'm making a special list for it. If you are a teacher or librarian* and would be interested in purchasing my art, please sign up to be on the list HERE. There will be a choice to be on my newsletter list or the trunk sale list---make sure you click "Original Art Trunk Sale"  to be on the list but feel free to sign up for both (I have special giveaways on my newsletters, too).

Please spread the word! If you are a PTO member, please let your teachers and librarian know and have them get on the list! Tell your public librarians. I'd love for my art to be at your library!


*if you are a collector yourself, you are welcome to put yourself on the list, too. 

Waiting

   




Writers spend a lot of time waiting -- at least I do: waiting for comments, waiting for contracts, and (during the first draft) waiting for ideas. For me it's one of the hardest things about writing.

Waiting makes me really uncomfortable -- but I've learned that trying to force answers from myself is no more helpful than trying to force them from other people. When I'm writing, I just have to sit and stare at the blank screen -- or go for a walk or do something mindless. Then, sometimes, the solution comes. Or sometimes I write something I know is bad, hoping that when I sit down again the next day I'll know how to make it better.

Raold Dahl said NEVER to stop when you do'nt know what to do next or you'll never start again! I think he's right--even if the solution doesn't come, I still need to sit there, trying: the next day, too.

What do you do when you're stuck in your writing?

These days, I don't allow waiting to hear from an agent or editor to be an activity (it used to be!) -- I just start something else. But I do sometimes wait for comments. And once I send this novel out, even though I will be starting something else, I don't know if I will wait patiently or passively to hear about IT past a certain point....but I might.

When I sent out my last published novel (a long time ago) I made a vow to just put it out of my mind, and (somewhat amazingly) I was able to do that.  I really felt that I had done all I could and it was out of my hands....maybe that's the secret. Anyhow, when I did hear, it came as a surprise: a good surprise.

What do you do when you're waiting to hear from an editor or agent, and haven't? How long do you wait before saying something?

Editors and agents (if any are reading this)! Does it annoy you if authors email you asking? Can you remember any particularly annoying-- or UNannoying -- questions?

Children's Book Week Bookmark

As I mentioned a couple of time earlier, I am the creator the 2013 Children's Book Week Bookmark. I can't tell even begin to tell you how excited I was when I was offered this opportunity. One of my life long pipe dreams is to be the illustrator of a Children's Book Week poster--this is pretty close!

So, I really wanted to do a good job on this. The Children's Book Week people asked that the bookmark include an activity of some kind-- other artists had made their bookmarks into door hangers, even paper dolls!

I racked my brain for a long time trying to think of something as creative. Paper fortune cookie instructions inspired by Fortune Cookie Fortunes? I didn't think it would work out of context (so many people don't realize that fortune cookies are not Chinese and the subtlety of Chinese-American pride might be lost in the misunderstanding).  Origami inspired by Lissy's Friends? I thought that might be hard to follow. How to write the Chinese character for "Book" or "Read?" Maybe... but then at the dentist's office (had to get an old filling replaced!) I saw a Highlight's Magazine:

and remembered how I always loved their "hidden picture" features:

....and the light went on!

From there, I decided to create the bookmark hiding the letters R, E, A, D, I, N, G in the image. It was a lot of fun! Here's the sketch:

can you see the letters?

Here'e the work in progress:

adding the color in! Trying to make the letters not too obvious, but still not too hard to find. 

And the final painting:

I decided to add a bonus activity to the bookmark (like I said,  I really wanted to do a good job!), so I included instructions on how to draw a Chinese dragon using letters (I thought that kind of went with finding the letters on the dragon bookmark--letters, dragons, reading--it kind of works, right?):

And then the bookmark was done! See what the finished thing looks like and download it FREE at the Children's Book Week website! Hope it makes you excited for Children's Book Week--I know I am!

New sketch

Today I'm having good fun developing developing some new picture book ideas. One involves drawing people, something I haven't done in a long, long time! Here is a sneak peek:

the necessity of a new studio

One of the reasons we are moving is that we've outgrown the condo. What used to be the studio is now overrun with baby things--now I work in the living room.

This has become problematic because at night, when the baby is sleeping, I like to keep/start working and the Sasquatch wants to unwind by watching a movie. He likes to watch in the dark. I like to work in the light. After many nights of a well-exercised light switch, the Sasquatch came up with this solution:

Yes, it's a light for me to attach to my head!

I did try it:

But in the end, the head lamp was a bust (I do use it to sneak in to the room to cut the baby's fingernails, though).  And the light negotiations continue. Can't wait until I get into the new studio!!