Just another ordinary day...

(I wish!)

Lunch with my editor today, a special treat. I got there early and popped in the Scholastic bookstore downstairs. Kids everywhere! Loving the books!
Now keep in mind, I'm trying to be Cool Author Lady. Not starstruck tourist.

But it does kind of take your breath away.

First stop? I'm drooling over Brian Selznick's new fabulous book, WONDERSTRUCK --smack dab in front. Which by the way I'm totally dying to read.

(Sorry about the photos. As I said above, trying to be C.A.L. and didn't want to be so obvious in my photo-snapping.)

Then I moseyed over to another enticing shelf. All sorts of familiar faces and names on these books.

Yep! There you are Kimberley! Front and center!

And then I had to pinch myself. Will my very own book be in the S section come January?!
Swooned all the way upstairs. Awestruck, starstruck, AND Thunderstruck.

Celebrity Guest

That would be me. At least, if you take the word of Ms. Casey's 4th graders. She was a winner of a GLORY BE Advanced Readers Copy. I popped in yesterday to say hello to her brilliant students.
They don't know me. They didn't know I was going to be there. They have not read the book. But I felt like a celebrity when I presented them with the book.

Here is why I think they are brilliant:

1. I packaged the book with ribbon, stars, and stickers. I showed them the stickers (guitars) and told them the book takes place in 1964. I asked if they had a guess about why I'd given them shiny guitar stickers. About 5 hands shot up, all with the right answer: ELVIS!

2. We talked about the cover art. One bright boy nailed it. "Maybe it's about a swimming pool that wouldn't let black people and white people swim at the same time."
Wow.

3. They know a lot about history. They can define historical fiction.
4. They asked amazing questions, and not just whether my name was really mine or not. Though we did talk about pseudonyms and they know the word.

Impressive bunch. This is the huge poster right at the front door.  No wonder they are so brilliant.

Book Reviewing, or whatever you want to call it

I love Eudora Welty's short stories. But I know not everybody "gets" her. Just now I was trying to decide which edition to pick as a gift for someone, and I was rambling around the Barnes and Noble and Amazon sites.

This is what bugs me about random commenters, whether it be rating restaurants, TVs or news stories on websites. You don't know whom to trust. Is what you are reading coming from somebody who has a clue as to what they are saying? A reputable voice? A furious customer? Does it matter?

Eudora Welty is arguably one of our most esteemed writers. I could go on forever listing her awards and accolades. Yet, not everyone cares for her stories as much as I. (Though how could anybody resist her famous photographs? This lady looks exactly like my grandmother...)

My point? If you don't know what you are talking about and you really don't "get" something, should you just stay-the-heck off the review sites?



Am I being snarky? Does anybody agree with me? Can any good come from this review? Other than maybe giving us something to chuckle about at our Book Group discussion? True confessions- The 15-word description of a favorite story of mine, Why I Live at the P.O., did make me smile. For about a second.

This is what some random Amazon reviewer person says about the most famous of Welty's stories. At least he adds a disclaimer: "Everyone's taste is different."
I'll say.

What do you think? Helpful or mildly humorous? And what's the point,

(:

Do not read this book unless you like short stories or are required to do so. Each story is like reading the exposition of a novel, which is the most uninteresting part. Here are some of what the stories are about: 1) A woman who lives at the post office and has male relatives who wear dresses 2) A man who's wife said she drowned herself because he came home late, so the man went to look for here body in the river AND 3) Two mentally challenged people who want to get married and one is a xylophone player If these sound interesting to you get the book. They certainly weren't for me. Yet everyone's taste is different.

Great Beginnings

Today I re-read a truly terrific piece of advice from a blog all Middle-grade writers should have on their radar:
FROM THE MIXED UP FILES. Click this link and you'll be taken there in a blink!

In the numerous comments to Sarah Aronson's fun-to-read, helpful post about beginning sentences, one writer quoted Richard Peck:

He claims he always throws away his first chapter when he finishes his first draft and then  
“writes the chapter that goes at the beginning. Because the first chapter is the last chapter in disguise.”

Richard Peck may be onto something. But now that I've re-written a first paragraph, oh maybe FIFTY times, I don't think I'll throw it out just yet.

But you never know.

Hearing Voices

It's my turn over at my Southern Writers group blog. I'm pondering voice, big-bosomed English teachers, bug men, Louisiana bayous, nabs, New Jersey lady preachers. You name it, they are speaking to me. Much as I'm trying to shut a whole lot of them out.

Click here if you want to go there.

We Have a Winner!

Because so many of you entered my Giveaway for the GLORY BE Advanced Reader Copy, I decided to part with two of them. I'm saving one forever and have one to share with my Tampa Bay critique group who guided me through most of the revisions. (Thanks, Teddie, Sue and Melissa!)

It's drizzling outside so I didn't photograph the drawing this morning. But I tapped into my completely unbiased neighbor's goodwill and the lucky winners are...

PAT CASEY

and

CHRISTINA DIAZ GONZALEZ

I know how to find Pat. Christina, I'll look for a message on Facebook with your mailing address, please. 

Thanks, everybody, for your enthusiasm. Pat and Christina, I hope you like GLORY BE!

Free! Free! GLORY BE!

As promised, I'm starting the week with a giveaway of a GLORY BE Advanced Reader Copy.

I'll make this simple. Just leave me a comment on the blog or on the Facebook update.


I'll give everybody a week, and the completely-unbiased-by-a-neighborhood-kid drawing will be next Tuesday.

Thanks for entering and GOOD LUCK.

Things I Love, for a special reason

 I'm not the kind of cook who needs expensive kitchen tools.

This one wouldn't be a Thing I Love, except for the story. I love it for a special reason. It came from Paris.

My friend Kay and I bought garlic presses on the trip we made after our first stay together in Paris during the weeks around September 11, 2001.

There's a long story attached to that experience, too long for a blog. Involving family and friends in airplanes, in Washington DC, in New York. All petrified when they couldn't get in touch with me or my husband. Finally finding me, finally sending emails, cheering us up with reminders to have Berthillon ice cream and long, beautiful walks.



That story had a happy ending. But Kay and I had sad memories. So as soon as we could, we went back to Paris. We revisited our apartment and our internet cafe, the museums, the patisseries. We found garlic presses. They are pretty amazing, for a kitchen tool.

Now, every time I use this, I think of Paris. The memories are very happy now.
This may seem like a frivolous post about a garlic press. Really, it's about more than gadgets, or even Paris.

Related Post: September 11

Circle of Secrets

 Since Kimberley Griffiths Little and I now share a publisher (Scholastic), I was able to score an advanced reader copy of her new middle-grade novel,  
CIRCLE OF SECRETS,
coming in October.

Once again, she's nailed the Louisiana bayou setting. This time, in addition to the magic surrounding the story, there's time travel, or is it a ghost? Or maybe it's just the imagination of a young girl who's trying to figure out why her life is falling apart.

Shelby Jayne's mother walked out on her and her dad, but when Dad is sent overseas for work and Grandmother is not well enough to care for the 11-year-old, she must move to her mom's house on the bayou.

 There were many things I loved about this story.
I can never resist a mysterious bottle tree. And a new girl in school who's figuring out how to put the class bullies in their place? Good for her!
I predict this companion book will garner as many fans as The Healing Spell.

Related Post: The Healing Spell

ARCs!!!!

The UPS guy's working late tonight! Look what just landed on my doorstep. Oh, wow.

ARC= Advanced Reader Copies.

The Real Deal.

R My Name is Rachel

I'm using Darcy Pattison's Random Acts of Publicity Week to catch up on my blog book reviewing. One suggestion is to publicize a friend's book, and I'll do that later in the week. But Darcy also suggests we use our Acts on books we love. I love this book.


Patricia Reilly Giff is no stranger to book love, let me just say. And she doesn't really need my random act, I'm sure. But last night I picked up this book (sent from Random House) thinking I'd skim a bit. I couldn't put it down.

Oh, you might say, do we need another book set during the Depression?
(For the record, I also loved Turtle in Paradise, for the same middle-grade audience.)
Yes, we do. If it's R My Name is Rachel.

This new novel of Giff's is a love story, a survival story, a family story. The writing is exquisite. Like this, from Rachel, digging the garden:

Overhead, the sun is strong. It's much too hot for the hat. I toss it over my shoulder and hack some more. And then I start to get into the rhythm of it. Dig, dig deeper, turn the weeds up, the soil up.
And after a while, I throw myself on the warm earth. I grab a long brown weed and yank it. And then another.

A lot of things happen in this story. Bad things you'd expect from a family struggling during a time that sounds sadly like today in many ways.

And talk about flawed characters- Rachel and her sister are not exactly shining examples of sisterly love.

I love to see intriguing, amazing facts tucked into novels-- things kids take away from a book quite innocently. Edible ferns. Goats who digest curtains. Snow so high it plugs up the chinks in a house.

It's also quite short. Very easy to read. A page turner. And includes a big shout-out for kids who love to read, as Rachel does in the story.

If you want to join the fun and publicize a friend's book or a book you love, you can check out that link up there to Darcy's FAQs on the topic. Or you can just head to your Facebook account, your Amazon reviews, Goodreads or wherever you like to share book thoughts and give them a holler!

Who's in?

Quote of the Day

 Did you ever stop to think... and then forget to start again?
A.A. Milne


Jay's birthday card, from Barbara and Al...

Things I Love- so much!

How I love my friends! Especially the ones who just sent me this amazing gift.

It's an adorable satiny bag, large enough for my iPhone and a few other necessities. With a swingy little cord that fits around my wrist, if need be. And a cute black and white checked ribbon on the zipper. 

Oh, I adore everything about it. So I guess today's Things I Love would be Leslie and Barbara this bag they sent.

Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve friends like this!

Here's the website info, from inside the bag. Click on that link to see all the neat things from Tory Nicole.

I see it's called a wristlet, which makes me love it all the more. It sounds like something Pooh would carry his honey jar in.

I hope every time I reach for my bag someone will ask me about it. I can tell them about my book and about my writer friends.

Oh, wow. I've been smiling all day.

Related posts: Life and Art
My Meme
Another Thing I Love

What I'm Reading During Hurricane Watch

A few years ago-- okay a long time ago-- I started married life with a Navy Hurricane Hunter in Weather Reconnaissance Squadron 4, based as NAS Jacksonville, Florida. Back then, we were totally tuned in to hurricane season. And this was before the Weather Channel.

 But while living in the northeast, I kind of ignored hurricanes. We worried more about blizzards.

When we moved to Florida, it all came back to me. Especially during 2004, a Big Season for storms. We normally aren't in Florida during hurricane season. We button our little house up, move everything out of harm's way, and head back to New Jersey. But that summer of 2004, we were in St. Petersburg and passed the storm hunkered down with our dog and our family. I seem to recall learning how to play Texas Hold 'em in that storm.
 
Hurricane Irene, through a strange set of crazy circumstances, found me in Florida, and the hurricane barreling toward my New Jersey condo. Go figure.

Thanks to nice neighbors who popped over there yesterday, the plants were secured, the flag removed, the packages left on the doorstep safely put away. My New Jersey basement, maybe not. I'm keeping a weather eye out, as they say.

But today, I'm saturated with this post-hurricane 24/7 coverage. So I decided to  re-read Jennifer Holm's TURTLE IN PARADISE. Remember the hurricane? The Florida Keys, 1935.

Here's a little bit of it, from Turtle's point-of-view:

Raindrops belt the shack like spitballs. The storm is scarier than anything I've ever been in before because the shack is so flimsy. I keep waiting for it to blow away- and us with it.

Then the rats crawl over their feet. What kid wouldn't just love hearing that scene read aloud? The roof cracks and the boys are crying. Turtle starts singing that stupid Shirley Temple song.
About the Good Ship Lollipop. And the boys join in.

The wind howls, but the Diaper Gang of Key West belts out a song as the angry storm washes everything away.
It has a happy ending for the kids. I think it would be a perfect book to share with young readers, post hurricane.

I'm reading it again to see how that gifted writer put it all together. How funny I think Turtle is. How well Holm pulls the history in, the details, the music, the language.

I love what the Story Sleuths said about the book in their postings. (Click here to go there. Note to Story Sleuths- come back! I loved your in-depth looks at books!)

I already blogged a bit about TURTLE IN PARADISE when it first came out. I reviewed it on my friend Joyce's "history" blog. If you go to my earlier blog entry about the book, you can read my review.

I was inspired to write this post by Kate Messner's blog invitation.
Maybe you were too? Hurricane thoughts anyone?

Back-to-work Supplies

I spent most of my career living life on a September to June schedule. Yes, I was a school librarian.

So even now, September seems like a new beginning. When I see moms with those lists and kids gleefully choosing notebooks, pencil boxes, just the right markers and themed binders, I feel an overwhelming need to purchase some paperclips. Or at least a new red pen.

Today's post from a Facebook friend about her Top Ten Writing Tools of the Trade inspired me. Since I agree with many of her top ten, I'll let you click over there and won't repeat. HOWEVER, one of her top ten may be something the rest of the writing world hasn't discovered. So I'll share right here.

And since I can't say it any better than she did, I'll just quote her word for word:

 FLIP DICTIONARY.  It’s not a thesaurus—exactly—but it’s similar, kinda.  It will help you find the term or word that’s eluding you.  It might even get you thinking of a whole new story to tell.  I just can’t emphasize how totally awesome it is.



I found out about this Flip Dictionary from another writer.
Sometimes a writer friend gives you a gift and never realizes how much you appreciate it. So all these years after she told me about this book, I'd like to say thank you to Selene Castrovilla.

I met Selene at a New School class we took together and again at a terrific Highlights Founders weekend. I still remember her holding up her very obviously loved Flip Dictionary and sharing it with the Highlights group.

So my Top Ten Tools of the Trade would include my trusty Flip Dictionary, my absolute favorite colored paperclips (Thanks, Teddie!), my Office Depot black pens (cheap and good- often oxymorons), my collection of writing books (though I'm thinking I should move away from the craft books and just start revising already?).

And one more writing tool that I don't think I could live without. Truly. And anybody who reads my blog knows what I'm about to say. Yeah, that's it. SCRIVENER. Yes, I'm a broken record (does anybody even say that anymore??) on this one. But I'm not sure I can write another novel without my trusty Scrivener software. I know I don't want to try.

Does September seem like a new beginning? Are you ready with your writing tools?

The Name Game

1965? Hand jive? Man, could we dance. (Or not.)

Okay, now that you're inspired-

I usually don't have trouble coming up with a character's name. In fact, that's where I start. With a name or two, definitely a place and a time.

But unlike some of my fellow writers who shall remain nameless, for me all that can change in a heartbeat.

Take Cletus, for example. Cletus, you say? Yes, a real boy from my past, going into a story kind of from my past. Missing May, one of my favorite middle grade novels of all times, featured a boy named Cletus. I thought it was a perfect name.

But then a few teachers and young moms perused the manuscript. Cletus was deemed unsuitable. So I named him after two "Franks"--one is a favorite life-long friend, the other a new little boy in our extended family. Both really nice people! And I like his new name even better: Franklin (Franklin Cletus Smith, in my mind's eye), Frankie, AKA Frankfurter when teased. A character I love a lot.

Problem solved.

Move on to the next. Now mind you, naming characters can totally change their personality. Glory's big sister in my forthcoming novel GLORY BE was originally called Virginia. Not for long. A very wise writer in my critique group pointed out that naming characters after states, in children's books, can be confusing. I thought about that name and it seemed way too milktoasty for this big sister. She became Jesslyn. She became more daring. An aspiring fire baton twirler, sneaking away to visit Elvis's house in Tupelo, standing up to Old Lady Simpson who wants to close her public pool.

If you're stuck on a name, or a place name, there are websites that will generate a name for you.

If you love Scrivener as much as I do, perhaps you've tried their very own Name Generator? I've never actually chosen a name this way, but I did play around with Scrivener on this and see how it might actually work.

And if you care to know more, I attached more links in this post I wrote about Character Names.

Do It Yourself?

Have you ever thought of publishing your book yourself? Have the stigmas attached to the process disappeared? Is this true of every genre?

A few years ago, I was part of a committee who published a book of oral histories for our local historical society. TEN ON A TOBOGGAN had an easy distribution system (the historical society, our local library, area giftshops).
There were three of us and a whole organization behind this book. It took a year to gather all the oral histories and ready them for book-making.
It was a fun experience. We hired two professionals to guide us. We used a company (IUniverse) experienced in the business.
Most importantly, we were all sticklers for the English language and proof-readers to a fault.

That's my biggest complaint with the self-published books I've read so far. I just reviewed one this month for Delta Magazine-- a more or less fictionalized memoir/ short story collection. Could that guy have ever used a good editor!
For somebody who mostly reviews commercially published books (that would be me!), it's painful to read blatant grammar, punctuation, and even literary faux pas on the printed page.

But DOT TO DOT is a middle-grade novel, written by an author whose first book was traditionally published. I seriously doubt any of these amateurish mistakes have been made on this one. The cover is fabulous, don't you think? The topic is interesting and age-appropriate.

Now she's sharing her secrets- good and bad.
Kit Bakke's article should be read by anyone who's thinking of self-publishing a book. All the details, right there for the clicking.

A few disclaimers. She's a friend of a friend, though I haven't met Kit. We have corresponded some during her road to publication. I haven't read this book, but now I'm intrigued. Here's an excellent review of the book, quite complete.

Her first book is titled Miss Alcott's E-mail. Here's Kit's website, for info about both books.

Scrivener, again...

I'm beginning (yet again) a new/ old project. Just writing that makes me realize why I love to write in Scrivener. There's only one way to tame a New/Old Project.

Here's what I love about Scrivener.

1. I like order (hey, I was a librarian for a long time, and a mostly organized person even before that). I like putting all my notes, research, chapters, thoughts in one place.  I'd dread delving into this if I didn't think Scrivener could tame the notebooks, notecards, ripped out newspaper articles, and false-start chapters I have.

2. One thing I love best about the software is how I can make document notes, all the words I've cut, all my wanderings and musings, right on the side of the chapter I'm writing. Yet, if they get unruly, I can make them disappear with one click.

3. If I mess up, all is not lost. If I remember to take a SNAPSHOT of the previous version, it is there for the asking later.

This morning I followed a link from Facebook and stumbled on this, from a thesis writer.
To to read the entire blog, click here.

Her blogpost is titled Is Your Computer Domesticating You?

It’s hard to be messy in a clean way
As I write I have ideas – some of them don’t relate to the bit I am writing at that specific moment, so I often ‘jot notes’ on my documents as I go. At the moment I use the comments function in Word to do this, which makes my documents look messy. In fact, so messy that I often turn the comments off just so I can see what I am doing.
But – out of sight is out of mind and the ideas can easily get lost when they are invisible. In addition, the format of the comments is uncomfortable to read. By contrast each of the Scrivener fragments I write has metadata attached to it where I can jot to my heart’s content.

My thoughts exactly.

And that cute little button at the top of this blog? Arranging words is a nice thought. But that's not all it takes. I've arranged these new/old words before. This time, I need all the help I can get- Scrivener is just the beginning, but what an excellent place to re-start.

Now, back to work- all of us!


Related post (with picture and another Scrivener link!): I Love Scrivener, another reason

Glory Be Birthday

My upcoming novel's main character, Gloriana June Hemphill, and I share a summer birthday. As a kid, I didn't like having my birthday when school was out and nobody was around. Glory doesn't look forward to her birthday unless there's an open swimming pool nearby. She and I also share a love of water and swimming parties.

This past weekend, it was MY birthday.  No pool party, but a cake.

Not just any cake! This amazing cake.

Look closely and you'll see that even the edges of the pages look real.
It was a delicious marble cake with buttercream icing.

Here's what it looked like by the end of the day...

Sad.

POCKET MUSE #2

I've spent the morning with my new book: THE POCKET MUSE: Endless Inspiration, by Monica Wood. I wrote about these books last week on my group blog, A Good Blog is Hard to Find. I called that post Write Like a Hummingbird

because-- well, click on over there and find out why.

Check out all the places I've marked already. And I'm only about a third of the way through.

A few sample quotes, from the author (there are also quotes from famous writers, though perhaps not as many as in Book #1. Then again, that's not what these little books are all about):

In a writing life, things are always about to happen. 

If you keep your hat in the ring, sooner or later somebody's going to need a hat.

There's also one of the best pieces of advice about choosing titles I've ever read-- on p. 97. Perhaps more to come on that topic later. 

Or you could just buy the book. It's really a bargain. The perfect size for travelers. 

And if you aren't a writer? I'd recommend it just for thinkers.

Peaches!

In honor of the delicious summer peaches at all our NJ Farmers' Markets-- not to mention the end of the blueberries-- here's the article from the Christian Science Monitor I wrote a couple of summers ago. Includes an easy "mock" cobbler recipe that's so easy to make I could do it on a tiny kitchen table with a questionable oven.

(However, mine didn't rival Aunt Lynn's cobbler topping,  made with real cream, butter, sugar. I need that recipe from our family dinner last week!)

(Photo from Morguefile, thanks to Jeremy Wrenn)

Writing Quote of the Day

"When there's no wind, row." 
 Judith Viorst.

(Writing advice via Geraldine Brooks. Now, I need to take that advice and get moving. How about you?)

Writing Thought for the Day

 


"The only way I can write is to shut out all those guide book suggestions about through-lines and character arcs and theme and let my subconscious do its wild, unpredictable thing. Rules are for revisions."

from Linda Urban, whose new book HOUND DOG TRUE sounds like just my kind of story.

(Related Post: Practicing to Be Perfect)

Things I Love

Figs! 

For so many reasons.

And when I can't get to my sister's to pick her figs and the New Jersey Farmers' Markets just sold their only basket, I have these ceramic beauties my daughter brought me from her summer studying in Florence.

Her cousin showed us the shop. I bought two. But they are heavy-ish, and we pack light in our family. So imagine my surprise when my daughter came home with more figs--and even two peaches--  for my birthday that year.

They live in the bowl I gave my mother the spring my husband and I lived in California.
It's mine now.

Many things to love in this picture.

Here's a funny (I hope) blast from the past about My Great Fig Fiasco, my first blog post ever on the Southern Writers Blog: A Good Blog is Hard to Find.

Random Tidbit from the back of a bookmark

The word "clue" originally meant "ball of twine."

That's why you unravel clues to solve a mystery...

Word Origin & History

clue

phonetic variant of clew  (q.v.) "a ball of thread or yarn," with reference to the one Theseus used as a guide out of the Labyrinth. The purely figurative sense of "that which points the way" is from 1620s.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

How's your summer reading coming along?

A few days ago-- okay it was a few weeks ago-- a friend asked what I'd recommend for her to read. She had some surprising time on her hands and was looking for something wonderful.  I promised I'd think about it, but I let her down. I never made that list.

Now the summer's halfway over. (Sorry, Sally!)

All I've been reading this summer so far is kids' books. Really good ones.

My friend has kids and she reads to them a lot. But that's not what she wanted.

So instead, I've been thinking about books I WISH I WERE READING. From what others have recommended to me.

And here goes:

1. Amy Tan's Saving Fish from Drowning

Another friend loved it. Here's a bit of what they say about it on Book Page:

... 2005 novel about an American group whose Asian excursion goes horribly, horribly wrong. Reading along as the travelers experience increasingly alarming misadventures will make any bumps in your own travel plans pale by comparison. ..Saving Fish from Drowning was a departure for Tan, and one that struck a discordant note for some of her fans, but I enjoyed every stop on this multicultural itinerary. —Lynn Green, Editor 

2. Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad

Almost embarrassed to admit I have yet to read this. And it's even downloaded on my Kindle. Oh, dear.

3. Ann Pachett  The State of Wonder

If I had to list a Top 10 Favorite Books of all Time, BEL CANTO would make the cut.

4. Geraldine Brook's Caleb's Crossing.

At least half my reading friends have said this is a terrific summer book.

5.  The list is already overwhelming me just writing it, but I really think I'll like this. It reminds me of my own grandmother's daring and my husband's grandmother's Wyoming adventures.

Nothing Daunted, a new book by Dorothy Wickenden.

6. Come to think of it, I have started my summer reading.

I read Shanghai Girls on an airplane trip because Book Club diva Kathy Patrick interviewed Lisa See about the sequel and it sounded like a perfect summer book. And because it was on my shelf as I dashed out the door to the airport. I liked it enough to read the sequel now.

7. And I'm reading Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. Because I needed a little eccentric in my summer, I also downloaded this one to my Kindle.  I'm actually enjoying it, in a weird and wacky way. 

So I guess I can say I've officially tackled my Summer Reading list. And it's not even August yet.

Hope this helps, Sally and all my friends who've asked. I know it's late- but better July than December? 

Anything that's an absolutely Not To Be Missed book that I've overlooked?

CANICULE

Heatwave Word of the Day... in French.

C'est la canicule ! - It's a scorcher!

We get our dog days from the Roman theory that the star Sirius caused heat waves from end of July through August.  Canicula means little dog.

(If this makes you enjoy the heat any better, my gift to you.
Still, it's better than snowstorms, right?)

THE FRIENDSHIP DOLL by Kirby Larson

I love it when Joyce Moyer Hostetter lets me pop over to her truly interesting blog to share a book with her and her followers. Her blog is All About History so this new novel by Kirby Larson fits right in.

Click here to get to the review, and while you're dropping by Joyce's place, spend a little time reading some of the interesting things she turns up to share.

And just a spoiler on the review- Larson's book revealed a tiny slice of history that was new to me. And it was fun to read. Great book! Loved it.

Related posts: Rules for Writers
Historical Fiction

Another "Pinch Me!" moment...

In a million years, I would not have pictured me doing this, but my new friends at Scholastic thought it would be fun for me to record a chapter and a few words about writing GLORY BE, and off I went, on the train to Manhattan. I worried for a half minute that they might want to actually see me, you know as in video type recording. But no. My editor said I could show up in my jammies. I didn't.

Here's a quick visual tour of the day. Quality of the photos does not reflect the importance of the day. I was trying to be my cool New York self, not my geeky, excited is-this-really-happening-to-me self.

I enjoyed an iced tea and going over my writing, while waiting for my Big Moment.  I did not read aloud inside the teashop. Promise.

Note: Though the tea place was dimly lit-- a nice touch on a hot day--can you see my Good Luck Paperclips? Critique group friend Teddie returns our pages, clipped with these festive clips. They always make me smile.

I was still early, so I sat next to one of my favorite buildings to do one of my favorite NYC things: People Watching!

For some really good photos of the art inside that Sprint store inside the Flatiron Building, click here.  They are so worth that click! Seriously worth it. The art was amazing. Go ahead, click that link now!

This was my view, while waiting in the shade, next to the flowers, in the Flatiron Building's plaza. Note the lack of the normal NYC black clothing, an obvious bow to the summer heat. Flip-flops were everywhere! Did I say it was hot?

And I finally made it to BEATSTREET STUDIOS.

Yep, that's the recording studio. Picture me in that room, headsets on, just like a rock star. Interesting drums in there. My new Scholastic friend Adrienne Vrettos and I considered playing them, but wised up.

I finished my session (see how quickly I pick up the lingo) in record time and was off to meet my agent, Linda Pratt, for tea and chocolates. We met in another of my favorite spots: Grand Central Station. And truly, this is a terrible photo, but it's hard to get a shot of that gorgeous ceiling with my iPhone, especially when I'm trying to appear cool and rock-star-ish. With a big emphasis on the ish part of that word...

More than just a great day- an amazing, fantastic day! And I didn't even mention one of the other surprising, terrific moments. All the way in to the city, my unexpected trainmates were two of my favorite people-- a former student I've known since her kindergarten days and her mom who was a loyal "library mom" in my many years at Kent Place School. Happy to say, Annie still loves to read.

Quote of the Day, while creating story from mishmash

"That's what stories do. They connect the random dots of life into a picture. But it's all an illusion. Just try to connect the dots of life. You'll end up with a lunatic scribble."

Briony, in CHIME by Franny Billingsley

Particularly helpful to know others feel the same way I do about stories some days...

(I also like "I may be wicked. But I'm not bad." Same character. No relevance to my writing today. Just thought I'd share.)

And if you're interested, CHIME was just named an Honor Book in this years Horn Book Awards. Click here for the entire list.

Food from The Help

What could be more fun? Check out this article in the August issue of Food and Wine magazine about all the food in the movie, The Help.

As of yesterday, my local bookstore didn't have the August issue yet. But soon!

Tomato aspic, collard greens, black-eyed peas. No thank you on the pie recipe, however.

Here's a little taste (excuse the pun) from the article:

In The Help, the character Minny reveres Crisco, calling it "the most important invention in the kitchen since jarred mayonnaise." She uses Crisco to fry chicken to perfection, admiring the way the vegetable shortening "bubbles up like a song" as it cooks.

I am feeling a sudden craving for fried chicken.

But you know, I wonder about that line from the book, about jarred mayonnaise. True Southern cooks still pride themselves on making homemade mayo. Just seems like an odd thing...


Related posts: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about The Help

Glory Be, as read by some very important people...

This just bowled me over. Flattering, humbling, and amazing quotes from three truly remarkable authors. If I had a personal Most Admired Middle Grade Writers list, these three would be the stars.

My editor just sent me these quotes, which will appear on the back of GLORY BE when it's released in January.
(Pinching myself on a daily basis now...)

“There's a whiff of Carson McCullers in Augusta Scattergood's story of a sultry Southern summer long ago when the outside world moved all the markers of Gloriana Hemphill's growing up.  It's a summer of bigotry and beehive hairdos, of sit-ins and dangerous boys.  All mixed together and beautifully recalled." 
              --Richard Peck, Newbery Award-winning author of A Year Down Yonder


Glory Be is a lovely debut novel for younger readers, akin to Kathryn Stockett's The Help  -- an important read that raises powerful racial issues of the 1960s American South.
               --  Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award-winning author of Mockingbird
 

Glory Be weaves a seamless story of sisterly love, broken friendships, and the strength that it takes to stand up for the right thing. Augusta Scattergood is at the top of my debut-authors-to-watch list.
             -- Barbara O'Connor, Parents’ Choice Award-winning author of How to Steal a Dog



(Random, totally unnecessary addendum: One of my favorite things to talk to kids about in my days as school librarian were BLURBS. First of all, they loved the word. But I never thought of TO BLURB as a verb until recently. And in my librarian days, it often meant the summary of the book, what I now think of as flap copy. Now, I have these amazing authors, blurbing my book...   ♡♡♡
 Ah, the things you learn from the other side of the writing fence.)

Masterpiece Mystery

Check it out!
According to the Sunday New York Times, my favorite new mystery series is coming to Masterpiece Mystery on PBS next fall.

 I love the books, but I'll definitely be tuning in my TV come October.

 Related post: Kate Atkinson

GLORY BE cover revealed!

Imagine my delight and surprise when (very) late last night I popped over to Amazon in search of a book review I'd written. And there it was! MY book, available for pre-order. Also on Barnes and Noble's site.

Now I know a lot of readers will prefer to wait and see it in January, at an actual bookstore, and of course I hope you'll order or buy it. But just seeing the book jacket and the description on Amazon made me realize: Holy Moly! This is for real!

And a little librarian geekiness: It even has its own ISBN NUMBER!!

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Glory Be [Hardcover]

Augusta Scattergood (Author)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Product Description

A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool.

As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school.  Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.

Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Reading level: Ages 9-12 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Scholastic Press (January 1, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0545331803 ISBN-13: 978-0545331807

Book review: Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

Perhaps the reason this new novel for young readers resonated so strongly was that the entire time I was reading it, I remembered the story of King, a Vietnamese immigrant of Chinese ancestry who also escaped his country after the war. Our friend Hal had served with him as a doctor during the Vietnamese War and became his sponsor. King cooked fabulous dishes, introduced the neighbors to his culture and intrigued us all. Until I read this, I don't think I truly grasped how strange we must have seemed.


Book review: Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

Life Imitating Art (or I love a parade!)

Writers are always asked "Is it real?" "What part of it is based on your life?" "Did you actually DO all the stuff in your book?"

Yes. And no.

A lot of my forthcoming novel for young readers, GLORY BE, is based on things I know about. Since it's historical fiction (the kind that has a central historic event attached to it, as opposed to the kind that just happened in the past...Click  here for that discussion.), much of it is also based on research.

Yes, I grew up in a little town in Mississippi, and I was in the Pep Squad.
I worked in libraries most of my professional life and know a lot about them.
I once knew a heart-breaker named Robert.
My town flooded and we thought that was fun.

Every Friday when we had a home football game, there was a parade right through the middle of town.

In the town in New Jersey where I lived for a long time and still frequent whenever I can, we still have a July 4th Parade.

In my book, the July 4th parade is a major plot point. The whole time I was writing that section, I thought of parades I'd actually watched, marched in, decorated floats for, and enjoyed. Here are a few pictures from my most recent parade experience. July 4th.

Unlike  in GLORY BE, there were no mean boys picking a fight I had to break up. No homecoming queen in a scratchy skirt.  I love bagpipers, but believe me, there were none in Cleveland, Mississippi's parades in 1964...

The scene in front of the library, just before the parade marched by.

Lots of old cars. Always.

This picture says it all. Or at least more than I could ever say.

A first for our local parade-goers... Roller Derby comes to Chatham, NJ!

It wouldn't be a parade without Old Soldiers. And happy policemen.

And of course, the Fire Engines.