The lake is so quiet. Only the loons, crows and yellow birch leaves dropping on the deck break the silence. Even the chipmunks have stopped their chatter, busy building up their cold weather store. I paddled all the way to the Narrows, relishing the stillness.
My revision is creeping forward. No leaps and bounds, but some hard earned ah-has when I figure out how to show another aspect of Hildegard’s personality. Writing really is about showing up in the chair and persevering. I sift a lot of rubble before some gold dust appears!
I’m doing the footwork to publicize the book I collaborated on – Women of the Golden State, published by Apprentice Shop Books. I showed it to a Maine bookseller after I purchased a book. She had not heard of this America’s Notable Women Series. I felt good about introducing her to the series. Then she said in her experience, biography for kids didn’t sell! I wonder if that is true for other areas, and if so, what can be done about it? Something to chew on.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
equinox popcorn
It must be the proximity of the fall equinox. Ideas have been popping like popcorn for the past week. I love it! And I love the clouds that spread across a clear blue sky in September.
I finally got around to reading The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. It’s a wonderful book, bursting with poetic language and still full of the kind of suspense that won’t let you stop reading. I kept thinking of Kipling as I savored the narrative style. I was also caught up in the characters’ struggle for survival, as today’s young readers will be. The story has many layers which Appelt builds up, then peels off. And, yes, there are talking animals! Kathi Appelt has written a winner, a National Book Award finalist and a Newbery Honor book. Another keeper for one of my lucky young readers.
I finally got around to reading The Underneath by Kathi Appelt. It’s a wonderful book, bursting with poetic language and still full of the kind of suspense that won’t let you stop reading. I kept thinking of Kipling as I savored the narrative style. I was also caught up in the characters’ struggle for survival, as today’s young readers will be. The story has many layers which Appelt builds up, then peels off. And, yes, there are talking animals! Kathi Appelt has written a winner, a National Book Award finalist and a Newbery Honor book. Another keeper for one of my lucky young readers.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
not so random acts of publicity
This is Random Acts of Publicity Week. Here I'll review a wonderful book I just read, but I have a not so random act of publicity, too. My copy of the first children's book project I have collaborated on arrived this week! What a grand feeling to hold that book in my hands! My family threw an on-the-spot author party with tea, scones and Silly String! My grandson even created my promotion poster!
Women of the Golden State is authored by Linda Crotta Brennan and Others. I contributed three profiles - Alice Eastwood: Plant Pioneer, Judith Baca: Healing with Art and Janice Mirikitani: Word Warrior. I loved researching and writing about these women.
Women of the Golden State is part of the America's Notable Women Series. You can find out more information at Apprentice Shop Books.
Now the book review. Lost by Jacqueline Davies is the riveting story of Essie, a shirtwaist factory girl in early twentieth century New York. Essie is a character to care about, to make a reader turn the page, as if reading on will help Essie find what she has lost.
Essie’s fierce determination and skill with her hands gets her through life. Her can-do attitude helps her fix any problem. But it’s her love for her young sister Zelda that gives her life purpose. Essie’s budding love for her fire-escape friend and her curiosity about a mysterious new factory girl add texture and intrigue. Davies weaves these threads of Essie’s life together until she is so real we are sure we know her.
When Essie survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Company fire, she is finally able to face another tragedy. She accepts what her conscious mind has buried and acknowledges what she has lost.
Jackie did a superb job. If you loved Katherine Paterson's Lyddie, you'll love Lost by Jacqueline Davies.
Women of the Golden State is authored by Linda Crotta Brennan and Others. I contributed three profiles - Alice Eastwood: Plant Pioneer, Judith Baca: Healing with Art and Janice Mirikitani: Word Warrior. I loved researching and writing about these women.
Women of the Golden State is part of the America's Notable Women Series. You can find out more information at Apprentice Shop Books.
Now the book review. Lost by Jacqueline Davies is the riveting story of Essie, a shirtwaist factory girl in early twentieth century New York. Essie is a character to care about, to make a reader turn the page, as if reading on will help Essie find what she has lost.
Essie’s fierce determination and skill with her hands gets her through life. Her can-do attitude helps her fix any problem. But it’s her love for her young sister Zelda that gives her life purpose. Essie’s budding love for her fire-escape friend and her curiosity about a mysterious new factory girl add texture and intrigue. Davies weaves these threads of Essie’s life together until she is so real we are sure we know her.
When Essie survives the 1911 Triangle Waist Company fire, she is finally able to face another tragedy. She accepts what her conscious mind has buried and acknowledges what she has lost.
Jackie did a superb job. If you loved Katherine Paterson's Lyddie, you'll love Lost by Jacqueline Davies.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
basics
Another creative idea blossomed this past week. I’m on a roll! This one came in the wee hours of the morning. Since these kind equal lost sleep, I bemoan the clutter that keeps those ideas from getting through during the day.
After I typed the picture book text that had been born, I marveled at how tight the first draft was – around 400 words. When I first began writing picture books, it took me over a thousand words to tell the story. My manuscripts were like the sequined summer shoes! Of course, I wasn’t leaving anything for the illustrator to show. Not to mention my attempts to be poetic and way too many adjectives!
Increased knowledge of craft and practice have helped, but I think something else is at work, too. I’ve written 500-word profiles over the last year, and I’ve learned how to make every word count. While picture books are entirely different, I think I’ve internalized short, sweet and basic. This is another example of process and the huge part played by our subconscious.
After I typed the picture book text that had been born, I marveled at how tight the first draft was – around 400 words. When I first began writing picture books, it took me over a thousand words to tell the story. My manuscripts were like the sequined summer shoes! Of course, I wasn’t leaving anything for the illustrator to show. Not to mention my attempts to be poetic and way too many adjectives!
Increased knowledge of craft and practice have helped, but I think something else is at work, too. I’ve written 500-word profiles over the last year, and I’ve learned how to make every word count. While picture books are entirely different, I think I’ve internalized short, sweet and basic. This is another example of process and the huge part played by our subconscious.
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