Dreams

(This post is dedicated to my fabulous writer friends who are on their journey to publication. You know who you are. 😀)

The last slide in my PowerPoint presentation is often this.

I always tell the kids (or grownups) that I had the craziest idea of all: Someday, I would write a book!

Then you have an experience like I did this summer, and you know it was worth every single minute of the long (long!) years trying to write and sell your book.

First of all, when you get an invitation that takes you back to a place you love, give it serious consideration. When it comes with a heartfelt description of a summer mentoring program, from a guy who clearly loves his kids and loves what he does, say Yes!

Here's how the invitation came to me:

My name is Marlow Artis and I'm the Academic Support Specialist for Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate. BRMA is the flagship mentoring program for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina, serving students of color. July 31st through August 4th, we will have our Week of Wonder. WOW is an intermediate camp for rising 5th and 6th Graders. 

Marlow went on to say the kids would read GLORY BE and he'd love to have me come talk to them and sign their books.

What an honor!

I was very excited and couldn't wait to meet these kids. 

This sign greeted me as I turned down the road to the school where the camp was taking place (though they spent a lot of time doing fun and inspirational things "on the road").

After a lunch that put most cafeteria meals to shame (provided by various Chapel Hill eateries, and the kids LOVED it), we met for an afternoon of PowerPoints, Junk Poker boxes, and Q&As with the kids, their mentors, and even a parent or two.

The Community Pool crafted from supplies gathered on a previous field trip.

New Glory Be cover designs.










Such smart kids. Such dedicated adults and young adults who work with them.

Thank you, Blue Ribbon Mentors and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools for an afternoon I'll always remember!

Tampa Bay Friends- Do come say hello!

Hope to see a few of my friends- old and new!

Creating Characters

 Advice on making a character more likeable:

They are kind when it counts.  Not always, and maybe not mostly, but when it is important, the hero will do something kind.  If nothing else he will adopt a dog, a common fictional device to salvage otherwise irredeemable heroes, which is called the Adopt A Dog Technique.

(Maybe that's what I need for my new manuscript-to-be. The ole' Adopt a Dog Technique...)

From a template to Write Your Novel:
http://www.authormagazine.org/articles/thayer_james_2009_12_16.htm



If you're contemplating characters, try this post I wrote a while back:
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2012/08/characters-we-love-to-hate.html
 

Can you tell I've been thinking about CHARACTERS a lot? 
Can't wait to share my inspiration for Glory, Jesslyn, Robbie, Miss Bloom, et al, at the COMO LIBRARY tomorrow!
 

TWEENS READ, Houston

I offer you a quick photo tour of this amazing event. I mingled, I learned, I ate, I talked.
Highlights? Too many to list?
But meeting and sharing the panel with my fellow Debut Writers was up there.
Lynne Kelly, W.H. Beck, Deron Hicks, and me.

Here are our books:

All the authors gathered at the Bobby Shaw Middle School in Pasadena, TX for a full day of kids and books. What could be better.

Here we are being briefed by the amazing Cathy Berner, bookseller extraordinaire, of Blue Willow Books in Houston.

This was where we ate and hung out between sessions. (Did I mention the fabulous food?)

That's Cathy on the right, in blue. Trent Reedy's the tall guy in the back. (Oh, and Cynthia Leitich Smith and her husband Greg- who presented on the Guys Write panel- were also there. Every aspiring author needs to know about Cynthia. Her connectivity is phenomenal. Her advice exhaustive and totally professional.)

But more about the food.

A librarian and her husband made these precious things.

 (for all 21 authors!)

This was in our goody bag. Yes, not really food. 

But it reminded me so much of the little holders my grandmother and her friends slipped over their "co-cola" bottles that I had to share.

Hand knit by a volunteer. 

For a list of all the authors attending TWEENS READ, click here.

Tons of Tweens!

Maybe my favorite quote of the day? Keynote speaker Heather Brewer, on being bullied and finding a safe place in school:
 "Libraries are lined with bully kryptonite!"

I loved the large, spacious, new, heavenly library.

I especially adored this mural's poetry.

I really intended to save my cupcake forever. Really, I did.
I'm glad I took the picture. After going through airport security, it was flattened. But it still tasted amazing. I tried to save the book, at least. However, it also was squished. So of course I had to taste it. (Fondant.)

The cake was Red Velvet. The icing creamy and light. 

I'm sure they made the cupcakes with Emma and Glory in mind...

THANK YOU Blue Willow Books and Tweens Read. An amazing group of volunteer librarians and teachers and booksellers. 

Word to my fellow authors. If anybody ever invites you to a book event in Texas, say yes. 

Don't even bother to ask questions. 

Just go.