Do Things Different

Interview with Crystal Kite Winner AND National Book Award Winner Kathryn Erskine!

2011-07-27T15:08:00.005-05:00

Know what I love about SCBWI? Many, many things, but one of them is the camaraderie you'll find among its members. Like recently, when I was so VERY honored to win the Crystal Kite Member's Choice Award for Kansas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Tennessee/Kentucky/Missouri (Thank you again, SCBWI friends!). One of the fellow honorees (I don't remember who - sorry!) suggested that we invite one another onto our blogs. And so here I am, lucky enough to have NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER Kathryn Erskine by for a visit! Kathryn won the Crystal Kite Award in Pennsylvania/Delaware/New Jersey/Wash DC/Virginia/West Virginia/Maryland for MOCKINGBIRD. (And stay tuned for more Crystal Kite winners, too!)

Me: You've grown up all over the world! Do you think those experiences color your writing? How?

KE: Definitely. I like looking at things from a different perspective. I like understanding the differences in people and cultures. I like the varied cadence of languages and music. All of that goes into my writing. Also, growing up as the new kid on the block and odd one out (I went to 8 different schools) leaves its mark. I understand that feeling of being on the outside that we all have at one time or another. That makes it easy to empathize with people, including my characters.

Me: Your latest book is THE ABSOLUTE VALUE OF MIKE. Can you tell us more about it?

KE: Actually, if you take the two middle letters out of the main character’s name, you’re left with “me.” The story is really about you, the reader. Finding what you’re good at. Finding what you’re passionate about. Finding your value. Mike is trying to live up to others’ expectations and not be who he really is -- partly, because he doesn’t know what he’s good at. After a summer with some really wacky relatives and townspeople, he figures it out and has to stand up for who he really is. There’s lots of humor, and it’s lighter than Mockingbird, although finding out who you are is important business.

Me: What one piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

KE: Keep at it. That means keep writing (and reading) and working on your craft, and keep going to workshops and conferences to continue to learn. I love discovering information and having “Aha!” moments, and it’s great to see your writing improve.

Me: And of course, I have to ask: THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD for MOCKINGBIRD! Can you share with us getting The Call and what follows in the days after such a wonderful honor?

KE: Yes, when I got the call that Mockingbird was nominated I was so stunned that I said about three words, repeatedly. Harold Augenbraum, National Book Foundation Executive Director, who made the call, was probably thinking, “This must be why she writes . . . she can’t actually speak.”

The award’s banquet was like the Oscars, complete with red carpet, and questions like, “Who are you wearing?” Only there was a dinner, too, so even better than the Oscars! I wasn’t nervous because I really didn’t think my book would win, but my wise editor advised me to come up with an acceptance speech so I didn’t sound like I did during the phone call (see above).

Since then, it has been a whirlwind of travel, speeches, etc., and meeting many wonderful readers and supporters. It has been an incredible treat.

Having YOU visit has been an incredible treat, Kathy! Thank you for stopping by. Please, friends, go visit her on the web:

http://www.kathrynerskine.com/

http://kathyerskine.wordpress.com/

http://www.facebook.com/kathy.erskine

A Sneak Peek: The 13th Sign

2011-01-13T17:14:00.002-06:00

Twitter and Facebook have been all abuzz today thanks to this article in the LA Times announcing a “new” zodiac. I’ve never been so excited to see the Twitter trends in my life, friends! My next middle grade novel, The 13^th Sign, is all about the awakening of Ophiuchus and the lost sign of the zodiac. I'm delighted that everyone finds this as interesting as I do! My Fabu Editor gave me permission to give everyone a “sneak peek.” So here it is, a preview of The 13^th Sign, coming from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan in Fall 2012!

***

In the blue light of the attic, I held the pin next to the lock. The snake on the pin was an exact match: tiny, intricately carved scales, a diamond-shaped head, a thin, slithery split tongue, emerald-green eyes. Identical snakes, tangled together by fate.

Before I considered the coincidence too much to scare me, I jammed the end of the pin - the point of the staff and the curl of the snake’s tail - into the lock on my new book.

It fit.

I turned the key in the lock, and the bodies of the snakes began to untangle. The heads of the snakes twisted away from one another and toward me, sizing me up with blank emerald eyes. The heart of the lock cracked slightly apart.

Click!

It was likely a tiny click, a small satisfying opening. But to me, that click echoed around this dark space, and I could feel it in my gut.

“It worked!” Ellie said. She shot upright and slammed her head on a rafter. “I can’t believe that worked!”

“Me either,” I muttered.

The lock had split apart just enough for me to remove the chains binding the book. Which I did, carefully. The cover was warped and crinkly stiff.

I folded the book open, and its spine creaked. A yellowed piece of paper, obviously torn from the book, slid from the pages and floated to the floor of the attic. It was blank. Or wait, no – it wasn’t blank? A picture of the lock – the heart and snake lock I’d just opened – appeared in the middle of the page.

Ellie nodded eagerly. “Put the lock there,” she said, nudging my shoulder. I couldn’t see for sure in the dark attic, but I knew her eyes twinkled with anticipation.

I picked up the lock, key still embedded, and placed it on the piece of paper on the floor. I twisted the lock until its position matched the illustration. The paper and the lock felt almost magnetized, drawn to one another in the pull of attraction, clicking precisely into position. The moment it was aligned, the eyes of all three snakes – the two on the lock and the one on the key – flashed a burst of blinding green light.

Hisssssssssssss! I jerked my hand away. A fine mist rose off the paper, a smoky, swirling, hissing mist. It stank like sulfur, like rotten eggs. The eyes of the snakes dulled but continued to glow, pulsing in the dark attic.

“What is that?” Ellie whispered, lifting her sweatshirt collar over her nose. I shook my head, too mesmerized to speak.

The mist began to float and wind and twist to the outer edges of the piece of paper, revealing ink. Moving, liquid-like ink. More snakes. Black-ink snakes, darting and slithering toward one another, first forming letters…

Unlock it.

And then a chart.

The ink soaked into the paper and I saw: It was a zodiac chart, round like the sun, divided into equal parts, one for each horoscope sign.

The mist cleared, the hissing faded, the pulsing green eyes lowered to a dull glow. But the sulfur smell remained, stinging my eyes and throat. The lock, the paper, the chart remained as well.

Something was odd about this chart, aside from the fact that it had literally appeared from mist. Nina was a staunch believer in astrology, so I’d seen plenty of zodiac charts, divided into the twelve horoscope signs. This one was different.

And then I figured it out. This zodiac chart had thirteen signs. Thirteen, not twelve. I counted twice to make sure.

“Thirteen signs…” I muttered to the paper. A new zodiac. I didn’t believe in horoscopes or zodiacs or signs of any sort. And yet, staring at that new, crowded zodiac chart, a zing shot down my spine.

“A sign between Sagittarius and Scorpio,” I said, studying the thirteen-sign chart, but still refusing to touch the paper. I located my birth date. “Ophiuchus. My new sign is Ophiuchus.”

Ellie flipped through the brittle pages of the book. “Hey, Ophiuchus is listed in here.” She read the description of the sign:

Ophiuchus, the snake. Ophiuchus, thou art overlooked. Thou hast a hunger, then, that thou strive to fill with knowledge, and thy seek the truth above all. Because of this, thou art a favorite among authority figures. However, know that with hunger comes jealousy; the jealousy of the hungered cannot be matched. Too, this black blood masks a vicious secretive streak, so that thou art wildly misinterpreted. Because of this, thou lack trust and commitment. And yet, thy friends art thy lifeline; thou define thine own identity through the lens of others. Should thou overcome thy crippling anger, thy healer’s hands have the power to revive lost souls.

It was me.

I hovered above the paper, studying this new zodiac chart – this ancient zodiac chart, according to what Ellie read in The Keypers of the Zodiack. There were actually thirteen constellations in the path our planet took around the sun. Thirteen signs, not twelve.

“’When the Babylonians first developed a zodiac chart,’” Ellie read, “They rightly included all thirteen constellations. The twelve-sign zodiac evolved later, from the Greeks. The Greeks based their zodiac on the Legend of the Twelve Labours of Hercules. In this myth, Hercules had angered King Eurystheus, and the king demanded that Hercules perform Twelve Labours, or challenges, to spare his life.

“’As Hercules achieved victory after victory, he honored his challengers by casting them into the heavens as constellations. These twelve groupings of stars, the Greeks believed, were given the power to control our personalities.’”

Ellie continued reading. “’Over time, the twelve-sign zodiac became the standard. The thirteenth sign, Ophiuchus, was forever lost.’”

A lost sign.

***

So, friends, what do YOU think of the new zodiac? Does your new sign “fit?” (Me: I’d be

a Capricorn, not an Aquarian. And I relinquish the title very begrudgingly, thank you! :-))

Please, chime in!

the word of the year is...

2011-01-05T21:09:00.003-06:00

Irene Latham, author of the lovely middle-grade historical Leaving Gee's Bend, posted this week about choosing a single word to help guide you through the year. A one-word resolution, if you will. Irene, ever the poet, selected "deeper" as her word. Isn't that a wonderful word? And if I weren't so authorly-opposed to plagiarism, I might've just adopted that one, too. ;)

Irene's idea to choose just one word really made me think. I've always been a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions - I do them every year, and I did them again this year. But to have one word that is your, well, crutch for an entire 12 months is appealing. There are far too many opportunistic moments that tiptoe by, and noticing them by thinking, "Oh, wow! That relates to Resolution #14-b" just seems unrealistic. (For the record, NO, I don't number my resolutions this way. As far as you know.)

So let me start by sharing some of the words that were *almost* The Word, and the reasons why I ulmately passed on each:

-"Content." It was the first word that came to mind when I started really thinking about this, and it's a perfectly lovely word. It's also something I do need to work on - being content, realizing how very blessed I truly am. But ultimately I passed on "content," not because I don't wish to count my blessings, but because I felt it carried an undertone of being stagnant. Learning and improving myself are very important to me. So "content" was shelved.

-"Brave." I thought of this one, originally, in the writing sense. I'm in the middle of crafting a fantasy novel right now - my first. I'm learning to try new things and take chances, and honestly, it's scary. But I passed on "brave," too, because it felt like it might correlate with "stubborn" once I considered...

-"Open." This one was really, really close, folks. I love everything about "open" - how, by its very nature, it means that new things have entered the picture. Things that need opening. Unlocking. It applies to spirituality, to family and parenting, to writing. And it, I believe, encompasses "brave." After all, you have to be brave to truly open yourself, no? So why did I pass on it? It feels passive to me, like that old portrait of a writer smoking a pipe and waiting for his muse to visit. Like waiting. Those of you who know me well know that "passive" just ain't me.

So ultimately, the word I went with is... (drumroll please)...

-"Present!" As in, to be present, in everything I do. One of my worst habits is rushingrushingrushing ahead, overcommitting, thinking of next hour, next week, next month, next story, nextnextnext. "Present" is the anti-next. It, too, applies to the most important aspects of my life: family, spirituality, writing. It's active, and it has such wonderful *other* connotations; who doesn't love presents?! To be fully present in one's writing, to be fully immersed in the story, in the character, in the NEED - that's what we're striving for as writers, isn't it? The immediate nature of this word, of how it roots you firmly in the now but still allows you to grow, is why "present" is my word of 2011.

So how about you? Have you ever selected one word as a guidepost? If not, give it a try! And if you have or do select one word, please, share! I'd love to hear what is guiding you and your art!

The Sharing HOPE Contest!

2010-11-09T09:46:00.004-06:00

The Sharing Hope Contest!

November 9 – Month’s End

Today is Selling Hope’s official release date! I’m celebrating by giving away a book basket filled to the brim with fantastic new middle grade and YA books to one lucky winner who helps spread a little Selling Hope love this month. Here’s what’s up for grabs (these books ROCK, y’all):

1. King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett

2. Nice and Mean by Jessica Leader

3. Leaving Gee’s Bend by Irene Latham

4. The Haunting of Charles Dickens by Lewis Buzbee

5. This Means War! by Ellen Wittlinger

6. Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different – in paperback

7. Selling Hope – signed to the winner

Plus, a few boxes of anti-comet pills, of course!

Here’s how the contest works:

1. Do one or more of the following things to help spread a little Hope.

2. Any time before the end of the month, post in the comments section of this post what you did AND your email address.

3. The drawing will be in December; books will be shipped to the winner at that time.

Promotional ideas:

1. Post in your Facebook status, “Halley’s Comet is coming and all I want to do is read Selling Hope!”

2. Include a link to a bookstore with the above

3. Post a picture of the Selling Hope cover on your Facebook wall (you’re welcome to nab the image above! ;-) )

4. Change your Facebook or Twitter profile pic to the Selling Hope cover. And uh, thank you, diehard! ;-)

5. Tweet or retweet about Selling Hope

6. Blog about Selling Hope

7. Write an Amazon.com/Barnes & Noble.com/Goodreads review

8. Any other ideas you might have – and please, share those with us in the comments!

Thank you for your help in spreading some Selling Hope cheer! Don’t forget to report in at the end of the month with what you did to share a little Hope! And remember to spread the love for ALL your favorite books and authors!

THANK YOU, friends!

Addendum, 11/23/10: My FANTABULOUS Editor is sweetening the pot, y'all! There will now be 5 SIGNED copies of Selling Hope given to 5 runners up in the Sharing Hope Contest! Spread some cheer and report back here! :-)

SELLING HOPE gets a STARRED REVIEW from Booklist!

2010-10-26T11:52:00.004-05:00

Hi, all! I received some delightful news earlier: Selling Hope received a lovely starred review from the wonderful folks at Booklist! The entire review is below. Thank you so much, Booklist and Ian Chipman! What a thrill and honor. I am filled with gratitude.

P.S. The star isn't coming through in my cut-and-paste action; just imagine a lovely star in the spot in front of the title, instead of the asterisk I've placed there. ;-)

*Selling Hope.

Tubb, Kristin O' Donnell (Author)

Nov 2010. 224 p. Feiwel and Friends, hardcover, $16.99. (9780312611224).

In 1910, Halley’s Comet caused quite a pandemonium. Thirteen-year-old Hope, a smart and smarty-pants

heroine, travels the country on the low-level vaudeville circuit with her magician dad, but she desperately

wants to ditch the show and stay in Chicago. To do that they’ll need money, and in a flash of inspiration,

Hope whips up a side business selling “anti-comet” pills (thinly disguised mints) to hysterical people

convinced the comet will bring any number of horrendous calamities with it. She gets help from another

kid in the show, Buster Keaton, who, aside from being adept at slapstick, is handy at bringing a blush to

Hope’s cheeks. Tubb deftly ingrains a thoughtful ethical question into the story (is Hope really helping

people by assuaging their fears or simply ripping them off?) but never overdoes it in this bouncy tale

populated by a terrific cast of characters. The well-synthesized period flavor extends right down to the

one-liners that punctuate Hope’s earnest, easygoing, and perfectly pitched narration (“This morning’s

gravy was so thick, when I stirred it, the room spun around!”). In the end, though, it’s Hope’s relationship

with her father—a sort of proto-hippy-dippy naturalist who often seems more of a child than Hope—that

steals the spotlight with a gentle and well-earned tug of the heartstrings.

— Ian Chipman

Ho Ho Ho!

2010-10-07T09:04:00.004-05:00

If you haven't already started your Christmas shopping AND you happen to be a Southern peach (or know/love someone who is), check out the new picture book from the wonderful duo of Susan R. Spain and Elizabeth Dulemba!

Doesn't it look delicious? :-) Congratulations, Susan and e!

Books Change Lives

2010-09-27T20:57:00.003-05:00

It’s Banned Books Week, in which we celebrate our freedoms though choosing to read WHATEVER THE HECK WE WANT, THANK YOU. I’ve been so inspired, reading blogs like the one Saundra Mitchell posted on Mundie Moms, which shows how reading powerful books transformed one desperate girl’s life. Support for banned books is often placed in the context of how they can transform at-risk kids, and that is, indeed, the mightiest reason TO NEVER BAN BOOKS. EVER.

My own experience with banned books has been much quieter, far more subtle. My childhood was near-idyllic: two married parents, two siblings, a dog. I attended the same elementary school, middle school and high school my entire scholarly years, as did most of my friends. I was (and still am) very blessed.

Thankfully, my teacher-Mom allowed me to read WHATEVER THE HECK I WANTED, THANK YOU. I soaked in everything from Peanuts cartoon books to Flowers in the Attic. Never once did she say, “That’s not right for you.” In fact, she never even said, “Not yet.” She let me read and read and read. *

And all that reading? It allowed me to understand things I never experienced. I sat in church every Sunday, but it wasn’t until I read Little House in the Big Woods that I realized how I was blessed to have food on the table every night. I had friends, but it wasn’t until I read Bridge to Terabithia that I realized how much I treasured them. I had two married parents, but only through A Wrinkle in Time did I realize how much it would hurt to lose one of them. All of these books have come under fire by book banners at one time or another.** Had they not been a part of my childhood, I wouldn’t be the adult I am now.

I’m lucky. I didn’t live though much tragedy, but books helped me be more sympathetic, more caring. (This is not to say I’m the picture of gratitude and generosity– far from it. So very far…) Books like Speak and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will do the same for kids like the one I was. These books not only have the power to heal broken readers, they have the power to open the eyes of readers who might otherwise tread the path with thick blinders.

If books are being challenged in your community, please Speak Loudly. You don’t have to love – or even like – the book being challenged. But someone out there might be moved by it. It might make that person just inches more empathetic. And wouldn’t that alone be worth it?

Books change lives, whether they make you slightly more aware than you were before, or whether they heal your deepest wounds. Taking that away is not only ignorant, it’s cruel.

The entry below contains a list of the Top Banned Books of 2009. Read one and see if you aren’t a different person. And please, leave a comment and share how a banned book changed YOUR life!

*This is not how every family operates, and I respect that. If you choose to approve what your child reads, I think that involvement is wonderful.

**Okay, technically, I think Little House on the Prairie came under target, not Little House in the Big Woods.

Better than Sherwood Forest: Robyn Hood Black's Blog! And Banned Books!

2010-09-21T09:03:00.005-05:00

Hi, all! The fabulous Robyn Hood Black asked me to visit her blog and answer a few questions about Autumn Winifred Oliver and Hope McDaniels. Please pop over and say hello! (There's an excerpt of SELLING HOPE there, too. Hope you enjoy!)

AND: Next week is Banned Books Week (Sept. 25 - Oct. 2). With all the love being poured forth from the kidlit community for Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak (follow the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #speakloudly), I'm feeling inspired to discuss the importance of reading/discussing Banned Books. Who's with me?

According to the American Library Association, here are the Top Ten Banned Books of 2009:

1. ttyl, ttfn, l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs

2. “And Tango Makes Three” by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: Homosexuality

3. “The Perks of Being A Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Anti-Family, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide

4. “To Kill A Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee
Reasons: Racism, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

5. Twilight (series) by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group

6. “Catcher in the Rye,” by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

7. “My Sister’s Keeper,” by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: Sexism, Homosexuality, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group, Drugs, Suicide, Violence

8. “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things,” by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

9. “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker
Reasons: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

10. “The Chocolate War,” by Robert Cormier
Reasons: Nudity, Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Unsuited to Age Group

Check them out, read them, make certain they are available to any reader who wants them. ALL OTHER BOOKS, TOO. Support freedom through reading!

I READ BANNED BOOKS!

Skip a Starbucks Day: Are you ready to rescue?

2010-08-23T08:03:00.005-05:00

Today is Skip a Starbucks Day! My friend C.J. Redwine and her family are seeking to adopt an orphan from China, and the process has been fraught with emotional highs and lows and procedural red tape. They finally - FINALLY, after years of going back and forth - received word that they could bring their little girl, Johanna, home.

For $8,000 more dollars than they had originally planned.

So lovely C.J. came up with the idea of Skip a Starbucks Day. She's asking that everyone skip a personal indulgence sometime this week, and donate the $5, $10, $15 or what-have-you to their family fund. As C.J. says:

"The thought behind Skip A Starbucks Day is that if every person who reads this and feels a tug on their heart to be part of Johanna's journey home would give up a personal indulgence (like a cup of coffee) and donate that money toward our adoption instead, we could raise the money needed to bring her home to her forever family."

If you'd like to donate or learn more, please hop over to C.J.'s blog. As you read her entry, I think you'll see that little Johanna will be joining a family of love and warmth. Won't you Skip a Starbucks with me today?

Tips from a Skype Visit Rookie

2010-08-02T20:17:00.004-05:00

Today, I had my very first Skype visit with readers. It was a delight to be a part of the end-of-summer festivities with readers in Cleveland, TN. The public library chose Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different for its One Book/One Community program this summer - what an honor! It was a wonderful experience, and the Skype visit moved me far beyond the technology of MY era:

A few things I learned from this Skype visit:

-First, swap user names with the person on the other end prior to the event. This was librarian Andrew Hunt's idea, and it was a good one. He added my user name to his Skype address book before the event, and I added his to mine. This allows the caller to ring straight through, rather than us hunting for one another during the event.

-I'd heard to wear makeup (which I don't normally do!) and to be aware of my background. I did the interview in my office, where we have new (read: as-yet unfilled) bookshelves. Of course the kids asked about those empty bookcases! :-) Next visit I'll have all my books unpacked for sure.

-I had copies of Autumn Winifred Oliver and the cover for Selling Hope available to show them, but I didn't think to have copies of my activity books handy. I bring them to school visits, and sure enough, I could've used them during this interview.

-The library attendees could see me, but I couldn't see them. This was different from how I'd practiced using Skype prior to the event with my Dear Hubby. In that session, I could see him, too. Because I'm new to this technology, I wasn't aware that different users have different settings, so I was a little unprepared for this dynamic. It was like talking on the phone on my end, but they could see every movement of mine. It took a few minutes to get used to this.

-Because I couldn't see the participants on the other end, I had to listen very closely to the questions to hear them/know when they had been asked. Luckily, one of my childhood librarians, Kay Walker, moderated the event and she repeated many questions for me. Having this moderator moved things along much more smoothly, I believe.

-Our time was very limited (I had 15 minutes), so I quickly realized that I needed a "signal" of sorts to let them know I was done with my answer. (You'd think this wouldn't be an issue, but you don't see nonverbal cues too clearly via Skype.) So I started adding, "Thank you for asking that" at the end of each answer so they'd know to move to the next question.

-Look at the camera, not at your own image. Harder to do than it sounds! :-)

-WATER! Just like during school visits, you'll need water to whet the old whistle. I did not have this, and subsequently might've done the throat-clearing thing too much.

Have you done Skype visits? If so, please leave any and all tips in the comments section. It was a blast, and I'd love to do it again! It's a cost-effective way to be directly in touch with readers, which is one of my favorite aspects of this job.

Ta-Da! The SELLING HOPE Cover!

2010-06-23T20:02:00.004-05:00

Isn't it sublime?

*sighs*

*thanks the cover gods for smiling upon her again*

About SELLING HOPE:

It’s May 1910, and Halley’s Comet is due to pass thru the Earth’s atmosphere. And thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniels and her father are due to pass through their hometown of Chicago with their ragtag vaudeville troupe. Hope wants out of vaudeville, and longs for a “normal” life—or as normal as life can be without her mother, who died five years before. Hope sees an opportunity: She invents “anti-comet” pills to sell to the working-class customers desperate for protection. Soon, she’s joined by a fellow troupe member, young Buster Keaton, and the two of them start to make good money. And just when Hope thinks she has all the answers, she has to decide: What is family? Where is home?

November 9, 2010 from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan

___

What do you think, friends? I think I'm in love....

I'm on Mom 2 Mom!

2010-05-26T10:10:00.004-05:00

Hi, all! The uber-nice Heather Ivester, whom I met at an SCBWI conference in Atlanta, has interviewed me for her Mom 2 Mom blog here. Thanks for the opportunity to participate, Heather! (And I'm happy to report I've recruited yet another fan of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Heather and her family are planning a trip there this summer. Have a blast, Ivesters!)

Writing Can Sometimes Stink

2010-05-23T20:47:00.006-05:00

I love writing. It is one of the most fulfilling things that I do. But sometimes, I just gotta tell ya, writing can really stink.

I'm not talking about writer's block or the business of publishing. Yes, those can be rough, but they are more like bumblebees: they can be painful, but once you know how to act in their presence, they can produce wonderful, golden honey.

Nope, the stinky part, for me, is this: because I have a family and two young children, I spend many, MANY of my spare moments writing. My house is a mess, my laundry, a mountain. Luckily, my family is very understanding of this. Until they have no clean underwear.

And then I have to play catch-up. I spent a large portion of this glorious weekend indoors, doing laundry and cleaning cabinets and scrubbing days-old dishes. My family went to the pool. My neighbors went to the pool. Hilarity ensued. And I was playing catch-up.

Today, some of my wonderful playgroup friends are meeting at the park. I have a deadline I've set for myself (which I take very seriously), so we won't be joining them today. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm welcoming the writing time I've carved out for the day. I just wish it didn't collide with a playgroup outing!

Writers give up a large portion of themselves to write, but I'd say the part that suffers most is the social aspect. Family first, then writing, then house, then...then...then...friends.

This is true, I know, of all working adults. It's part of being a grown-up. And I love writing. I feel blessed with understanding friends who know that I'll see them by the pool next weekend, that I'll meet them at the park next time. Especially now that my kids finally have clean underwear.

(Any and all puns derived from the multiple uses of the terms "stinky" and "underwear" are purely coincidental.)

Auction to Benefit the Flood Victims of Middle TN

2010-05-07T11:22:00.001-05:00

I know, I know, it's been AGES since I've posted. *slaps own wrist* I've had a wonderfully busy spring, full of librarian events and school visits and book festivals. Will post pictures soon. But for now, I really want to show you this:

www.dothewritethingfornashville.blogspot.com

Go! Bid! Give!

(And thanks!)

I Heart Libraries! (And Librarians!)

2010-04-10T11:58:00.005-05:00

It's Library Appreciation week, and the marvelous Shelli Johannes-Wells over at Market My Words had the uber-marvelous idea for a group of authors to share their favorite library/librarian stories. Where do I even begin?! I grew up in libraries, thanks to a book-loving mom who "tricked" me into reading all the Newbery and Caldecott books by telling me that the books with stickers on them were the "very best." Most of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different and Selling Hope were written in libraries (The Brentwood Library and The Williamson County Library, respectively). I find working in libraries both peaceful and inspirational. (Smell those books? Ahhhh!) And since the release of Autumn, I've had the pleasure of meeting some of the coolest librarians in the state, including Ms. Lindsey Wesson, who works for the Tennessee State Library, and Ms. Missy Dillingham, who works for the Brentwood Library. Both ladies are funny and smart and they love their jobs - just like you'd imagine a librarian being.

But the librarian who influenced me the most is Ms. Sheila Rollins, the librarian at City Park Elementary School where I grew up, in Athens, TN. She had a wonderful program: any student who read three of an author's books and did book reports on them could then interview that author by telephone! The author I chose?

Madeleine L'Engle! I remember two things about this experience:

1. The interview was conducted over a speakerphone. Wowza! All you had to do was talk, and the other person could hear you! Tres high tech. Very Charlie's Angels.

2. When I told Ms. L'Engle that I, too, wanted to be a writer, she responded, "Good for you! Keep reading and you can do it!"

Needless to say, that interview changed the path of my life. Thank you, Ms. Rollins, for your dedication to your students!

Save the Libraries!

Thank You, Mundie Moms!

2010-02-03T22:13:00.002-06:00

The fantabulous Mundie Moms gave Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different a FIVE-STAR review, y'all! Five! That looks like this: *****. :-)

You can read the review on their blog, Keep Reading To Your Child. (It's a WONDERFUL resource, too. Please visit often to learn about the latest in middle-grade and picture books.)

*sigh* Five stars... thank you, Mundie Moms! :-)

The Hurry-Up Offense

2010-01-20T18:36:00.004-06:00

the hurry-up offense: In American football, an offensive strategy designed to gain as much yardage as possible while running as little time off the clock as possible.

the hurry-up manuscript: In writing, a strategy designed to put as many words on the page as possible while running as little time off the clock as possible.

If there is one thing I've learned thus far in 2010, it's that I am NOT good at the hurry-up manuscript. I admire those folks who can produce 5 or 6,000 words in a sitting, but I'm not one of them. Some writers can churn and burn, get a story on paper in a matter of days. More power to them. Seriously - wow! But I've found that when I try that, my story *feels* hurried, rushed. It has no breathing space. And I really, really like breathing space. I like luxuriating in words, letting them simmer and stew and fill my mindspace like how the smell of a pot of soup takes over your house after a few hours. This makes me a slow writer, but I've found I enjoy taking my time with a story. I don't have the opportunity to write every day, and allowing myself plenty of time with a story gives me the chance to think about my characters a lot, think about the best way to transition to the next scene, think about the path this story should take. So my promise to myself: commit no more hurry-up offenses.

How about you? Do you prefer to knock out a story quickly, while it's fresh, or let it simmer?

QueryMania!

2010-01-05T08:41:00.006-06:00

Recently, the Guide to Literary Agents posted a query letter crafted by Sydney Salter that successfully landed her an agent. Inspired by the post, I offered to share a few successful query letters with members of the Midsouth SCBWI listserv. The response was so exciting that I decided to post the letters here!

First is a letter that I used to query Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different. In the interest of full disclosure, this query letter was ultimately *not* the path that led to Autumn's publication. (I was lucky/blessed to meet Autumn's SuperEditor at an SCBWI conference.) But this letter did result in a few requests for the full manuscript, so I feel like it might have worked on some level:

Dear Ms. Editor,

Autumn Winifred Oliver has defied death twelve times – “One for each year of my life,” she’d say. But when Gramps has a little brush with death? Mama up and cancels the family’s plans to move to Knoxville to be with Pop. Now they’re stuck in crummy Cade’s Cove - in Gramps’ house! Autumn discovers Gramps is working with some official-type folks up in Washington to bring a national park to the area. His plans will put Pop out of a job. Old Gramps is a real schemer, alright, but he’s no match for a bunch of slick politicians. He and all his neighbors lose their land in the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After Gramps’ death, Autumn sees why this speck of a town has created such a hubbub. The ring of mountains surrounding the Cove doesn’t just keep the “new” out, it keeps the “old” in. It’s a town as perfectly preserved as a pickle. Maybe a national park is the only way to keep it crisp and spicy. “It’s true there’s just one road in and out of Cades Cove,” she writes her pen pal. “But a clever enough person ought know: saying there’s just one road ain’t the same as saying there’s just one way to get here.”

Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different is set in Cades Cove, Tennessee, in 1934 at the birth of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – the only national park formed from privately owned land. This story tied for fourth place in the middle-grade category in the 2005 SmartWriters.com W.I.N. Competition. Judge Alexandria LaFaye said, “Great title. Great Southern voice. Hilarious…”

My publication credits include Cricket, Spider, Guideposts for Kids, Wee Ones eMagazine, and Highlights for Children (from whom I recently received a Pewter Plate Award for Outstanding Arts Feature of 2005). I have written a number of children’s activity books for licensed characters such as Holly Hobbie, The Powerpuff Girls, Scooby-Doo, Strawberry Shortcake, and the Care Bears. My anthology, Freedom from Cruel and Unusual Punishment, was released by Greenhaven Press last year. I am a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. In 2003, I was selected as one of “Nashville’s Emerging Authors” by the Williamson County Council for the Written Word. For samples of my work, please visit www.creativefreelancewriting.com.

Would you like to see the entire manuscript for Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different? If so, please contact me at (phone number) or (email address). I’ll keep my fingers crossed that Autumn meets your needs!

My best,

Kristin O’Donnell Tubb

I tried to incorporate the voice of the book into this query letter, and I think that helped increase the number of requests I received for Autumn.

Next, here's the e-query I sent to Adams Literary for Selling Hope:

Ms. Tracey Adams
Adams Literary

Dear Ms. Adams,

I attended the SCBWI National Conference in New York in February, and was delighted to hear of your interest in historical fiction. Please find the first three chapters of Selling Hope, a young adult historical fiction novel, attached.

Fifteen-year-old Hope McDaniels wants to break free from the vaudeville circuit, and she sees opportunity blazing toward her in the nighttime sky: Halley’s Comet. On May 19, 1910, Earth will pass through the tail of Halley’s Comet. Many believe this to be the end of days. Hope believes this to be her jackpot. [She and pal Buster Keaton begin to peddle anti-comet pills.]

The passing of Earth through the tail of Halley’s Comet has been described as the world’s first case of mass hysteria. The “abundant” media, combined with the clashing of hold-over Victorian sensibilities with Industrial-age objectivity, created a spark that made May, 1910, one very interesting month. (And yes, there truly was an enterprising young soul who profited from the sale of comet pills!)

My middle grade historical fiction novel, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different, will be released this October by Delacorte Press. I’ve also penned over a dozen activity books for children, many for licensed characters like Scooby-Doo, Lisa Frank, PowerPuff Girls and Holly Hobbie. I won the Highlights Magazine Pewter Plate award for Outstanding Arts Feature for “They’ll Be Back,” a story that appeared in the June 2005 issue of Highlights. My work has also appeared in Guideposts for Kids and Spider Magazine.

After reviewing your website, I was excited to see that your goal is to represent authors, not books. In that regard, I feel our goals are similar, and hope that we’ll have the opportunity to work together.

If Selling Hope interests you, please contact me at (phone number) or (email address). I will keep my fingers crossed that Selling Hope makes you smile!

All best,
Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different, October 14, 2008 from Delacorte Press
Please visit my website: www.kristintubb.com
Please visit my blog: www.kristintubb.blogspot.com

It's a little embarrassing to see these two queries side-by-side, as they are so similar! But I suppose it worked: I am now represented by Josh Adams of Adams Literary, or as I often refer to him, SuperAgent. And a few things to note: Selling Hope is now a middle-grade novel, with a 13-year-old protagonist. Thank you, Hopeful SuperEditor! Also, the bracketed portion above was edited from the original query letter - it was a bit of a plot spoiler! :-)

Also note: the sale of both Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different and Selling Hope went to editors I met at SCBWI conferences. Too, I queried Adams Literary after seeing Ms. Adams speak at a conference. A definite pattern! :-)

Query letters are an art much more akin to journalism than creative writing: put the most important information first (the lead, or "lede" if you're old-school), which is of course the plot of your book. (In the Selling Hope example above, I felt introducing myself first was appropriate.) Also like journalism: keep it brief, add the "who/what/when/where/why/how" of you and your book, then wrap it up. All in one page. Whew! :-)

If you're interested in getting feedback on your query letter, post it in the comments section and I'll be more than happy to give you my thoughts! Hope this post was helpful!

1910 vs. 2010

2010-01-02T13:34:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year! 100 years ago, the talk on New Year's Day 1910 was likely, "Will Halley's Comet be the death of us this year?" Earth was to sail through the tail of the comet on May 18/19, 1910, and no one *really* knew what their fate might be. SELLING HOPE, which comes out this fall from Feiwel & Friends, is set against that backdrop. It sounds like an overreaction now, sure, but was 1910 really all that different from 2010?

1910: afraid that Earth traveling through the tail of Halley's Comet will bring about the end of the world

2010: afraid that the Mayan calendar ending in 2012 will bring about the end of the world

1910: vaudeville actors tap into this fear by writing skits and songs about the comet

2010: Hollywood taps into this fear with movies like 2012

1910: yellow journalists fan a spark of fear into infernos

2010: !!! (see any local newscast or paper to see if this changed)

There are more similarities, I'm certain, but I'm off to build a bomb shelter...

And now, the fun stuff: what are your writing resolutions this year? One of mine: to challenge myself by writing in a new genre. Care to share yours?

Happy 2010, all!

2009-12-08T18:29:00.006-06:00

Below is a guest post from Cindy Hudson, author of BOOK BY BOOK: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO CREATING MOTHER-DAUGHTER BOOK CLUBS. I had the honor of being included in the book after I contacted Cindy, asking if she'd like to review a copy of AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT for her club. Little did I know she had her own book in the works! I was beyond delighted when she asked if she could include little ole Autumn and me in her "Authors Who Are Book-Club Friendly" round-up. Thank you again, Cindy! And now, take it, Cindy:

Nearly nine years ago when I started my first book club with my oldest daughter, we weren’t worried about finding enough good books that would entertain us both. For years I had been reading classics out loud to both of my daughters. Charlotte’s Web and other E.B. White books were our favorites, as were The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. But when we began to read as part of a group we started to look at the books we read in a new light. Suddenly it became important for us to choose books that moms and daughters would both enjoy reading and would give us things to talk about too.

We also realized that a lot of books geared to children were either too heavy or too light on the issues for our group taste. Like Goldilocks and her search for the just-right porridge, we wanted just-right books. We were not alone in our quest. While there are no figures to pin down the exact number of mother-daughter book clubs in the U.S., all signs point to their growing trend. New groups are forming in libraries and meeting in private homes. They are also gathering in bookstores and coffee shops. These clubs are all different in many ways, but they all have one common factor: two generations of readers who want to be entertained and engaged. Fortunately, book clubs have more than the classics to choose from, as there appears to be no shortage of authors currently penning new works that appeal to a wide age range.

What makes a book good for all ages? The best books for readers who range from elementary school students to moms and grandmas will have meaning on more than one level. This means the girls will be able to grasp parts of the story that resonate with them based on their ages, while the moms may be able to pick up deeper currents at work. For instance, when my daughter’s group read Millions, by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the girls identified with young Damien, who was trying to find his way in the world after his mother died. The moms could see Damien’s situation from a parent’s perspective, and we could also understand Damien’s dad’s struggle.

Timeless themes are interesting to most everyone. Friendship, family relationships, honor, self-reliance, moral dilemmas, and love are some of the issues most of us deal with at some point in our lives. It can be helpful to see how characters in a book deal with those same issues and then talk about them in a group. When my younger daughter’s book club read Bloomability by Sharon Creech, we were able to talk about a child’s fear of abandonment, making new friends, and finding self-confidence and independence.

Books with a range of issues are also more likely to appeal to the multiple personality types that usually exist among the younger and older generations in a group. And to some extent, disagreement about the issues is what makes for a lively discussion. If everyone in the book club has the same opinion of what they read, there’s nothing to talk about. This happened to us when we read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. We all generally liked it, but after the girls got through saying “Edward is the perfect boy,” and giving details about how they thought he was perfect, there was nothing left to discuss. Even though the moms wanted to talk about the dangers of giving up everything you know in life for a boy, the girls were not engaged in that discussion.

What else are mother-daughter book clubs looking for? When possible, they want to connect with the authors of the books they read. In my clubs, we’ve invited authors who live nearby to our meetings, and we’ve visited them at bookstore readings. Other clubs I know of connect through Skype, phone conference calls, and email. Club members love talking with authors, because they get insight into the characters and plot of the book. The advantage to authors? Feedback on how readers interpret what they wrote and ideas for the future. Authors may also gain loyal readers who are willing to pick up anything new that they write. I know we’ll continue to anticipate and buy new works from Gennifer Choldenko, Zlata Filipovic, Markus Zusak and Laura Whitcomb because we connected with them personally in our book clubs.

Authors looking to interact with mother-daughter book clubs can find them through local libraries and bookstores. They can also let book bloggers and others reviewing their books know they are willing to connect with groups. Personal websites are another way to encourage readers to get in touch. Book group members wanting to meet authors can read local news listing authors’ bookstore appearances, and they can often get in touch with authors directly through their websites.

The symbiotic relationship between mother-daughter book club members and writers has the potential to grow in the years to come. Both benefit when they connect over great books.

Cindy Hudson is the author of Book by Book: The Complete Guide to Creating Mother-Daughter Book Clubs (Seal Press, October 2009). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters. Visit her online at www.MotherDaughterBookClub.com and www.MotherDaughterBookClub.wordpress.com.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2009-11-24T19:15:00.003-06:00

Writers often hear the advice, "Never, ever throw anything away!" I agree, and wanted to share a little bit about how I've reduced, reused, and recycled things from a writing perspective:

-In 2007, a nonfiction article I wrote about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was in Spider magazine. I had plenty of research on the topic, and decided to try my hand at writing an historical fiction picture book about the same subject. I'm proud of the story that resulted and feel like it has a really good chance at someday being in the hands of a reader! My critique group partner, Rae Ann Parker, has recently done this same thing with her research on the Natchez Trace. RRR Lesson: use your research for more than one project.

-Also regarding Spider magazine, they once asked me to take a few characters I'd created and write several additional short stories with thoughts of possibly turning it into a book. While the book didn't pan out, they did end up buying several more of the stories, and Iggy and Sal, Pest Detectives, will appear in three issues in 2010! Yay! RRR Lesson: Good characters = series/serial potential.

-While I was writing SELLING HOPE (due next fall from Feiwel & Friends - yip!), I came up with a character named Glory. I fell in love with her - she's a special needs character who doesn't think twice about telling you The Truth As Glory Sees It. But she wasn't right for SELLING HOPE. So instead, I moved her to a WIP, an early middle grade mystery in which she became the protagonist's next door neighbor. The perfect fit! RRR Lesson: Good characters can find a home in a number of stories.

-I've had this metaphor stuck in my head since I wrote it in a journal in college (!) : two people who, like jigsaw puzzle pieces, seem to fit together perfectly at first, but then when you hold them up to scrutiny, you see that there are gaps where they don't meet and spots where the fit is simply too tight. (Too, pieces forced together like that are difficult to pry apart.) I've never been able to use it in a story, but while researching my latest MG novel set on Route 66, I've discovered that a popular tourist spot is a jigsaw puzzle factory! Maybe this one will finally make the cut! RRR Lesson: There is a time and a place for EVERY chunk of your writing.

-Blog posts seem like they would find a great home again in an SCBWI regional newsletter, or your church bulletin, or your alumni publications. RRR Lesson: Shop your words and see if you can build a larger readership.

So, you tell me: have you ever recycled your writing/research/characters? If so, how?

Fifty for Friends of the Smokies!

2009-11-10T21:27:00.003-06:00

First, a big THANK YOU to everyone who commented on the post below; there were 39 valid comments (and one not-so-valid comment that has since been deleted!). I've decided to round up the dollar-per-comment total to an even $50 to Friends of the Smokies. Again, thanks for the thoughts/cheers/overall great vibes. I am blessed.

And, a thought for the Mad Men fans out there: as the characters on this amazingly written show demonstrate, everyone is a mixture of good and bad. In order to keep us rooting for these characters, we have to see more good than bad. But in order to keep watchers watching (or, in our case, readers reading), there HAS to be plenty of (believable!) bad. It's hard to get those good characters into tight spots, but we have to do that - get them dirty, have them make horrible, questionable choices, have us wonder how they can get out of these scrapes with dignity, grace, and above all, hope. Your characters have bad traits, just like every other person in the world. So, what are they? Do dish! ;-)

What I’ve learned in my first year as a published author

2009-10-14T06:20:00.006-05:00

As of today, October 14, 2009, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (Delacorte) has been out exactly one year. Here’s what I’ve learned over the past 365 days:

-Your friends and your family will be your top salespersons. They will pass your name and title along to their bookstore/library/teacher. They will come to your booksignings. They will review your book on Amazon and in other places. We love them for doing this. Remember to say thank you. (Thank you, friends and family! J)

-At any given moment, it will be difficult to know how many books you’ve sold. Royalty statements come out twice a year. Too, publishing houses have four months to compile and mail these statements. So for my book that came out last October, I’ve received one royalty statement, reflecting sales between October 2008 and December 2008. But if you have an awesome editor (as I just so happen to have!), you can ask her intermittently for an update.

-The rankings on Amazon are as addictive as caffeine and should be avoided as such. I say this as a raving coffee addict. But seriously, they reflect only the ranking of your book as it relates to sales of other books IN THAT HOUR. There are sites that track your Amazon ranking over time, but these appear to take your average sales rank by day, not your top rank of the day. Stay *away* from the sales rank. If you can.

-Speaking of Amazon, many, many readers prefer to give their business to local, independent bookstores (yay, indies!) Support your indies by asking them to host your launch parties (see more below) and visiting and purchasing from them often. Too, link to www.indiebound.org on your website – give your site visitors the option to purchase from whomever they choose.

-Bad reviews sting and good ones make you feel like a superstar. You have control over neither.

-Book bloggers rock. They live to read and discuss books. Find them and talk books with them (and not just yours!). They are wondermous.

-Social networking sites rock. These are FREE outlets that help you promote your book and (more importantly) connect with others in the kidlit community. Utilize them. They are worth your time.

-Things that have not been worth the time (as far as I can tell):

---Mailing postcards to bookstores and gift shops in the area in which the story is set (but note here – contacting them in other ways, like via email, has been fruitful).

---Contacting media in areas in which you are doing a signing UNLESS this is done early enough to get on the community calendar (in other words, don’t expect the paparazzi at your signings).

---Agreeing to/trying to do too much – as in all areas of life, spreading yourself too thin means nothing gets your full attention.

-Getting your book into specialty stores is time-consuming, but can be worth it. Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different is an historical fiction account of the beginnings of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I’m grateful that the book is now available for sale in the park bookstores. But getting there took months of review and a unanimous vote from the buying committee. Be prepared for specialty stores (like tourist attractions and gift stores) to take a lot of time if you wish to break into them. Too, the salespeople within your publishing house have little if any time to devote to a location that *might* purchase 8 copies of just your book (understandably), so you will likely be doing much of this legwork yourself.

-Doing more than two bookstore signings in any one community might stretch your audience too thin. The first two signings I did in each community were well-attended; the third rarely was.

-BUT: do more than one launch party, if you can. I did two in my hometown, and one in the town where I grew up. All were wonderful; all sold out. I’m blessed with wonderful friends and family (see point one).

-Librarians rule the world. They love writers; I have yet to meet one who doesn’t. You can track your book in libraries throughout the world by visiting www.worldcat.org and clicking through individual libraries to see if your book is checked out! Too awesome.

-School visits are exhausting, but are so totally worth it. Kids love meeting authors, and you will never feel more like a rock star than when you do school visits. If possible, see if you can sell books at the visit, though honestly, many schools frown upon this (which is understandable – it’s difficult when not every child can afford a new hardback book). Always bring postcards to the visit (enough for each child in your presentation, even if that’s hundreds) and ask teachers to put these in the backpacks to send home. I’ve had many parents thank me for doing this; they want to buy the books of the author who visited their school, if they can.

-You can always do more. It can really stress you out at times, thinking of all the things you COULD do to promote your book. Be creative, have fun, but don’t let it sweep you away from the important things.

-All the work? It’s worth it when you get emails that say things like this:

---“I am by no means a professional book reviewer, but coming from someone who reads a lot of books for this age group, I LOVED your book! I started to tear up when Autumn heard those 53 bell rings and kept crying right up until the end!” Fourth-grade teacher from Kentucky

---“I really love reading your books and I really like the front cover.” Third-grader from a school at which I did a school visit

---“I like to write and thought that one day I might be an author like you. I have written a few stories. I have been wondering if you and I could keep in touch. I really liked your book!” Girl from a school at which I did a school visit

---“i loved your book autumn winifried oliver does things different….I loveeeeee tennessee, and i understand you live there. My mom grew up there and half my family lives there, but guess what i'm stuck here in georgia!!!!!" 10-year-old reader (my favorite part – look at how “Winifred” is spelled! :-) )

I love this job. I hope I am blessed enough to do this forever.

And NOW: in celebration of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different’s one-year anniversary, I will make a $1.00 donation to Friends of the Smokies for EACH VALID COMMENT I receive in the comment section of this post between now and October 31. GO! :-)

Thank you again, friends and family.

Photos from the 2009 National Book Festival

2009-10-12T19:43:00.006-05:00

I'm honored/delighted/ecstatic-to-the-point-of-obnoxiousness that Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different was selected by the Tennessee State Library to represent the State of Tennessee at the 2009 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.! My dear friend Lauren Trew and her beautiful daughters Bess and Emma took these photos for me:

Above is the Pavilion of States, which housed all 50 states. Each state chose a single children's book to represent their state. Autumn keeps glorious company; my friend Hester Bass's book, The Secret World of Walter Anderson, was selected to represent the State of Mississippi.

And there she is! Autumn, hanging under a glorious "Tennessee" banner! I am a native Tennessean, and I still reside here. I am so honored that Autumn was chosen as its ambassador!

Keeping a To-Do List for Your Novel

2009-09-17T22:38:00.003-05:00

When you write - especially, I assume, when you write often - you develop work habits unique to you. At least, I *thought* that making a to-do list for my novel was my own little neurotic way of making sure all those plot strings got snipped or tied or woven somehow. But in a recent #kidlit chat via Twitter (find past transcripts here), I discovered that others do this, too.

It’s a handy revision tool, a to-do list, and it reads like, well, my Saturday afternoon chore list might. So presented below, part of the to-do concocted when going through the first round of revisions for Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (there were four rounds total). What’s interesting to me is that some of this content never made it into the book, and other parts were edited out completely. For instance, I decided against having Autumn be a “ghost child” – that is, having her brush with death scare everyone. It detracted too much from the focus of the plot. But other parts most assuredly made it in, and some of them are my favorite scenes in the book.

Autumn to-do list

-2 new chapters: both, bridging the gap between pro-park and anti-park.

-Next chapter: list (see white notebook sheet) and write Rockefeller.

-Chapter after that: town meeting, under schoolhouse. (See nrw notes)

-beef up ending:

-but these old mountains aren’t as strong as they used to be. Airplanes, weathered down

-no panthers, no chestnuts, no Cherokee, no gramps…maybe this place is changing, after all

-perfectly preserved as a pickle (see synopsis here)

-looking at gravesite – knowing right and wrong didn’t seem to take. Can’t always tell what’s right and what’s wrong.

-aunt Lydia still mad at me for leaving her in the dog trot

-mention cody’s rock collection at least one more time, and earlier

-after tilly’s proposal – have other widows in crowd mad cause they didn’t think of it first. Gramps is kinda a big shot around here, being a widower and his dealings on the park. Will likely be rich someday. A good catch

-play up autumn being a “ghost child” more – not everyone knows she’s still alive. Have them pinch her, etc. when they see her

-look to increase the struggle over the move in with gramps – maybe mama doesn’t want to move to Knoxville…

-play up the food scene with gramps to show more of mama’s relationship with him. Gramps eats during prayer. Katie in here, too – show some likeability

-end of star scene – maybe take autumn’s approval of cody out? She’s quick to judge him.

-hint earlier – park going awry, autumn is only one who knows. She suspects col. Earlier?

-make col. More evil by having him break one of the superstitions.

-look back at earlier version (chapter 26, then) when cody has fit over gramps’ treatment of peter…add back in?

-emphasize the chestnut trees disappearing…

-make gramps feel responsible for losing everyone’s homes, though no one blames him.

-double-check that FDR was standing in 1934.

-include picture of pine trees in Gramps’ coffin

-make sure there are markets in nyc on 53rd

-beef up letters chapter – see nrw notes – more scenery, etc.

-eliminate all mention of “donation” in end notes

-last few chapters – keep her worried about jobs, homes!

-Introduce lawyer – Gramps hires with his own money to fight for everyone. Spends his entire savings.

-(chapter 16)HERE: NEED GRAMPS TO GATHER AND SELL STUFF TO SAVE HIS FAMILY NAME; PAY FOR FANCY LAWYERS, GIVE TO FOLKS TO PAY BILLS, ETC (second part below…). INTRO LAWYER HERE.

-be sure and include that they don’t know what’s going to happen, or when. They might get to stay there forever, or they might get kicked out next week. The hard part was not knowing.

Whew! Looking back, that looks like the whole book! J Once I completed the item, I crossed it off in my computer using a strike-through over the font – very satisfying! Every one of those items was crossed off in some manner. I used this same technique for the upcoming Selling Hope. I’m starting a new novel now, and looking at the list above reminds me just how much work (and fun!) lies ahead.

So, do *you* keep a to-do list for your works-in-progress? If so, care to share a snippet or two from it?

Autumn Comes to Life!

2009-09-10T16:04:00.003-05:00

My talented and uber-supportive illustrator friend, Alison Davis Lyne, does "Visual Book Reviews" - she reviews titles by illustrating scenes that appeal to her from the text. And totally cool - she reviewed Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different! Click through here to see Autumn brought to life!

Thank you, Alison! What a fantastic idea, and how truly wonderful to see Autumn in all her messy glory! :-)

Check out the rest of Alison's site here. Her paintings are so detailed, and the colors pop right off the scene. Alison, you have a true gift.

WHY "show, not tell"

2009-09-09T21:34:00.003-05:00

I was recently reading a short story that just didn't keep me interested, and I finally figured out why: the story was full of TELLING details, instead of SHOWING details. I'm (kinda) paraphrasing here, but the protagonist thinks at one point, "I'm sad that I hurt my wife. She deserves better."

Anyone who has ever read a book on the craft of writing or attended a writing conference has likely heard the piece of advice, "show, don't tell." For instance, the sentence above *could've* been more along the lines of, "Thinking about what I did to her... no! I can't even think about it. It makes me sick to my stomach." We understand through showing details that he feels remorse.

But why is showing more powerful than telling? It occurred to me, when I read this story, that no one is so in touch with their emotions that they can pinpoint what they are feeling at any given moment. In other words, when your spouse leaves a coffee cup half-filled with coffee in his office for three days >ahem!<, you don't think to yourself, "I'm so angry at him!" No, instead you think, "Honestly? Does he know where the sink is?"

Showing is more honest, and honesty in fiction is power. Showing allows us to *be* the main character, rather than *hear* him/her. Showing doesn't hit you over the head with an emotion ("I'm sad."), it allows you to feel that emotion. And nothing rewards your readers more than that.

Deciding What to Work on Next

2009-09-06T19:16:00.005-05:00

I'm on the second round of edits for SELLING HOPE, and *should* have them back to my editor this week. But then, what next? I've been researching two stories simultaneously, one a middle-grade road trip tale, the other a nonfiction picture book. I've concentrated more on the mg story to this point, because, well, it's what I know - I lurve middle grade historical fiction. (This one is half contemporary/half historical.) My heart is in this project, but I'm currently struggling with the plot. Sometimes that can be good - some of my best solutions have come only after wrestling with the plot. And authors are constantly told that writing 3 or 4 books of a similar type (ie, middle grade historical) is smart in order brand oneself.

But my head says that the picture book can be researched faster (yes, even though it's nonfiction) and I have a very good feeling about its marketability (in other words, I think publishers will really like the idea.) And it's not that I'm totally emotionless about this book - far from it. The idea of it, and how I picture it being executed, gives me that itchy writer's feeling of "Yes! That must be written!" And, too, maybe it would be nice to change gears for awhile - you know, get the sparks flying from a different piece of flint.

So - which one to work on next - the heart or the head? The sloppy, messy, heart-driven book, or the practical, marketable change-of-pace? How do *you* decide what to work on next? And by all means, voice your opinion on my next project in the comments section! Please? ;-)

On Running Out of Ideas

2009-09-04T17:09:00.004-05:00

Every writer gets asked the question, "So, how do keep from running out of ideas?" The funniest (and truest) answer I've read in response is from author Martha Bennett Stiles:

"By not dying. I have more ideas that I had meant to get to than I have time left."

Perfect! Ideas are everywhere, inspiration in everyone.

(This quote originally appeared in BORDERLINES, the quarterly newsletter of the Midsouth SCBWI. Martha Bennett Stiles is the author of DARKNESS OVER THE LAND, THE STAR IN THE FOREST, SARAH THE DRAGON LADY, ISLAND MAGIC, and the upcoming SAILING TO FREEDOM, THE RUNAWAY ADVENTURES OF ALLIE AND RAY, Henry Holt, 2011. Watch for it - Ms. Stiles is an incredible writer and a wonderful human being.)

Greetings, Amazon!

2009-08-20T21:10:00.004-05:00

I have a blog. Why not announce that fact from atop the largest stump in the world? Greetings, Amazon shoppers! Please swing by my blog and tell me how *you* do things different!

The Hidden Benefits of Having an Agent

2009-07-30T21:38:00.005-05:00

In the world of children's publishing, it isn't necessary to have a literary agent in order to get a book published. Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different sold without the assistance of an agent. Not to say I didn't *want* one - it just, well, happened that way. And I've loved every interaction I've had with Delacorte.

But now I have an agent. And not just any agent - SuperAgent. But I digress. My reason for this post is to point out that there are many reasons why having an agent is a good idea, beyond the "hey, maybe they can get me more money" and "they have some pretty great contacts" and "agents know contracts." All good reasons, yes, but there are others:

-Agents make the wheels turn FAST. Before I joined forces with SuperAgent, I was accustomed to waiting anywhere from 3 to 9 months for a response. Through an agent, the response time has narrowed to - 3 weeks? Sometimes not even that.

-Agents can submit electronically to their contacts. When submitting to houses prior to having an agent, I was spending hundreds of dollars a year in postage and printing costs. Now I email manuscripts to SuperAgent, who forwards them accordingly. Verr niiice.

-Agents are great at helping you figure out your career priorities. I love all kinds of writing. All kinds. It's nice to have someone who can help me focus my energies onto the projects that sound most promising.

-Agents can go to bat for you when you're freaking out. Most writers know this is a good reason to have representation, but imagine if you were the writer described here. Danke, agent!

-Agents don't just "know people" - they are match-makers. They want to pair writers with publishing houses in a way that creates careers. They, like you, want the publishing house to want your next book. And the next. And the next.

I know there are reasons I've missed, but these are the reasons why I'm thankful for SuperAgent *this* week. :-) Please, list any reasons I've overlooked!

SELLING HOPE update!

2009-07-26T22:23:00.002-05:00

Hi, all! I just recently found out that Selling Hope: Or, Gaining Glorious Asylum from Mr. Halley's Fiery Beast has been bumped UP to be a Fall 2010 release! Woot! And Hopeful Editor even mentioned starting on the cover art! Cover art! *swoons* I love this crazy publishing biz!

Marketing eBooks: Or, Will Booksignings Go Bye-Bye?

2009-07-17T10:02:00.003-05:00

There's been a rumbling about ebooks on a couple of my favorite blogs this week: check out Nathan Bransford's post about releasing a text in electronic format only *after* it's been in hard back for a few weeks. Also, check out a great (new!) blog called Pimp My Novel, which discusses the $9.99 price point for ebooks.

All interesting. But all this echatter started my wheels turning in *this* direction: if ebooks truly are our future, how does an author best promote his/her titles? As (correctly) pointed out to me by "AM" in Mr. Bransford's comment section, an author can cost-effectively reach thousands of potential readers through blog tours and websites. And there are many wonderful ones out there, but the King is, of course, the distributor: Amazon. And if all authors are competing for space on the Almighty Amazon, who do you think will win? Prolly not debut authors, when Stephen King has a new kid on the block. Prolly not a midlister, when Stephanie Meyer waxes poetic.

I don't mean to sound bitter, I'm truly wondering how it might work. Limited distribution channels mean limited opportunities for author promotion.

And, too, taking this to an extreme: will booksignings fall by the wayside? I insist on stubbornly clinging to the idea that readers *like* meeting an author in person. And getting something signed.

Because as much as I love my Kindle, I love my signed books even more.

Please, weigh in! :-)

Taking a Vacay from Writing Rules

2009-07-05T19:13:00.001-05:00

It’s peak vacay season, and in the spirit of all things sunscreeny and coconutty, I thought it’d be fun to compile a list of all those pesky writing rules we writers would like to break away from every once in awhile (grammatical structure of previous sentence included in said vacation – ahem!). So, here are some rules to think about breaking on a “writing rule vacay:”

-Mixing Metaphors. As welcome as a soft chair at the end of a touchdown.

-Clichés. Why think outside the box when cookie-cutter solutions are staring you in the face?

-Subject/Verb Disagreement. Because sometimes the expressions that we pour our heart into just needs freedom.

-Exclamation Points! In excess!!! Because you CAN!!!!!!

-DITTO ALL CAPS!!!!

-Sentence Fragments. Yeah. Went there. Did that.

-Adverbs. Who among us doesn’t truly, wholly, and thoroughly miss them?

-Overwrought Phrases. Just the thought of them makes my pulse quicken, my heart race, and tears of joy leap into my once-dead but now – maybe, now? – glistening, glimmering eyes.

-Passive Verbs. Because those sentences were constructed by us to be that way, that’s why.

-POV Hopping. You shouldn’t have to stay in one person’s head the entire time. I rather enjoy knowing what other people think.

-Plotlessness. Because following a story that never goes anywhere can be

-Two-Dimensional Characters. For real – don’t we all know someone we suspect is really 2D in the privacy of his/her own home?

And finally:

-Rhetorical Questions. Why not?

Do you have a few you’d like to add? Please, comment away! J

Word of the Day

2009-06-28T21:29:00.004-05:00

"chert:" waste that is removed from mines. Think piles of rock dragged out of a hole and heaped in far-away fields.

Kinda reminds you of the revision process, right? Digging through that first draft, getting rid of piles of rock you don't need, in order to find the gems.

Chert. It has to be there, and you have to get rid of it.

Revision Tips at Cuppa Jolie

2009-06-26T09:15:00.003-05:00

Jolie Stekly, writer and all-around cool person, has a great blog called Cuppa Jolie. Drink it up here. I was recently asked to give my favorite revision tip. Hop on over and check it out! :-)

Marvelous!

2009-06-22T17:09:00.001-05:00

What do you know - I'm a "Marvelous Marketer!" :-) Check it out: http://www.faeriality.blogspot.com/. Thanks to Shelli Johannes-Wells for the interview!

Guest Blogger!

2009-06-17T13:59:00.003-05:00

Me: An excited guest blogger on the Writer's Digest "Guide to Literary Agents" blog. You: A very welcome visitor! Please click through here! :-)

HOPE!

2009-04-30T22:11:00.004-05:00

Okay, I admit it. I'm a spotty blogger.

There. I said it. I'm inconsistent. I'm not-at-all CONsistent. Not in the least. So I don't really expect you to remember way-back-when, when I was blogging about a character of mine who was giving me FITS! She was slippery. She was mysterious. And most of all, she was sometimes not very nice.

Her name is Hope. And I'm delighted to let you know that Hope has found a home! SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! :-)

My second middle grade novel, Selling Hope: Or, Gaining Glorious Asylum from Mr. Halley's Fiery Beast, will be released by Feiwel & Friends/MacMillan in Fall 2011. *does hurkey* *laughs at the word "hurkey"*

Want to learn more about this slippery, mysterious girl named Hope? Please read more about the book here.

Doubly - no, TRIPLY - exciting is the fact that Feiwel & Friends is releasing my friend Jill S. Alexander's debut, The Sweetheart of Prosper County, this fall. Folks, this book is geeeee-orgous. Truly. More on my love of this book later, when I bribe - erm, ask - Jill to join us for an interview here. I predict you will hear a lot about this book this year. Just thinking about it as I type this is making me smile...

Ah, Hope. Slippery and mysterious indeed. :-)

Stoked!

2009-03-23T09:55:00.002-05:00

I am WAY excited about a recent review of Autumn that appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC). Click here to read it. Thanks for the smiles, Jennifer Prince! :-)

#queryfail day on twitter!

2009-03-09T18:37:00.003-05:00

Ok, for some reason I've become totally obsessed with this idea. March 5 was declared "#queryfail" day by a handful of literary agents who tweet regularly. Throughout the day, they posted the worst of the worst queries. Here are some of my personal favorites:

-"It would be a huge mistake if you don't publish this book." A threat? Always a good career move. ;-)

-"What if everything you knew to be true, turned out not to be true? What if it were, in fact, false?" Actually, this sounds like it could be an interesting idea, but the cliches are just too much.

-A query that included 50 other agents in the email address box. Ugh! Slushy slush slush.

-A query in which the writer asked to schedule a phone call, because the book is just too difficult to describe in writing. Huh?

-A query that describes a "fictional novel." As opposed to the one that really exists?

Want more? Visit www.twitter.com and search "#queryfail"

We all make mistakes. I've sent out my fair share of mediocre queries. The above post wasn't meant to poke fun as much as it was meant to remind us all to polish, polish, polish and then RESEARCH before submitting to agents and publishing houses. Being published is a dream many of us share. Being published on #queryfail is NOT! :-)

Write on!

Interview with tween author Jessica Burkhart!

2009-02-19T10:24:00.014-06:00

Alright, writers...if you *ever* needed motivation to start/maintain a blog, read the interview below with tween author Jessica Burhart, author of Take the Reins, the first book in the new Canterwood Crest series! Many thanks, Jessica, for stopping by!

Please tell us a little bit about Take the Reins and the Canterwood Crest series.

Take the Reins introduces readers to small-town girl Sasha Silver and her horse, Charm. Charm and Sasha leave their tiny hometown and come to Canterwood Crest - a ritzy Connecticut boarding school. Sasha has to fight for a spot on Canterwood's advanced riding team. And, of course, she juggles new friendships, mean girls and an oh-so-adorable boy.

I'd categorize the series as tween chick lit with horses.

Okay, um...you have four books coming out this year?! Wowza! However do you do it - juggling the writing, revising and marketing? Please give us a glimpse into your work day.

Actually, my schedule just got bumped up to SIX for 2009. *grins* Oh, yeah. I thought I knew what "busy" meant. Nope. I didn't. I'm up early and I work all day on writing, edits, revising, marketing, blogging and everything else that goes along with being a writer. It's a tough schedule, but I love it.

With that said, I'm working on finding the balance between total workaholic and a girl who wants to figure out more things about herself and what she wants out of life. :)

What's the trickiest part about writing a series?

Remembering what happened in what book. It gets confusing sometimes. I have to go back and check drafts to keep things straight!

You started freelance writing at 14 - so cool! What kinds of writing have you done?

My first published piece was in Teen Ink Magazine when I was fourteen. It was a personal essay about how moving so many times had affected me. I wrote about how difficult it was to get used to new places and how it wasn't easy to make new friends every year or so.

After the Teen Ink piece, I kept writing personal pieces about whatever I was going through. I had a few poems published and it was an outlet for me to express what I wouldn't say to friends or family about how I felt. It sounds odd to say that, since the poems were published. But it was easier to have strangers read my thoughts than to say them to people in my life.

Worry about putting too many personal pieces out there crept in as I got older, so I switched to non-fiction articles. I've written about lots of topics from drug addition to starting a rock band, so I've never been bored with freelancing. I'm focused on fiction right now, so I only do pieces that are assigned to me by editors.

Please tell us about your path to publication. Any advice for pre-published writers?

I started with freelancing and I did that from fourteen to nineteen. Then, I switched over to focus on fiction. I wrote Take the Reins for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer's Month) 2006 and then blogged about that December. An agent stumbled onto my blog, saw that I was seeking representation for a horse-themed novel and asked to see it. She liked it, we clicked and I signed with her. I revised from January 2007 - May 2007 and she put it on sub. Within a few days, we had a four-book offer from Simon & Schuster. What a crazy ride!

I'd advice pre-pubbed writers to blog! My agent found me through my blog, so I'm a big believer in Blog Power. :) I heart blogging!

Who has been your favorite character to write, and why? Your least favorite?

Heather Fox, my #1 mean girl, has been my favorite to write. She says the most awful things and they're so fun to write! I love writing her dialogue and being mean (in fiction!) is fun.

Least favorite...hmm. Maybe the guys just because they're harder to write. I have to put myself in a guy's perspective and that can be difficult depending on the scene.

And finally: do you do things different? :)

Why yes, Kristin, I do! And I hope to do even more of that in the future! Yay!

Thank you for sharing your insights, Jessica! Best of luck to you, Take the Reins, and the Canterwood Crest series!

Thanks so much for hosting me, Kristin!

Words of Wisdom from NYC

2009-02-07T12:12:00.003-06:00

So before I had to sequester myself from other human beings at last weekend's national SCBWI conference, I heard these words of wisdom from Jarrett Krosoczka:

"Be really patient with your career."

Many of us are aware of how long it takes to get published. Even masters like Dr. Seuss got rejection letters. Even Madeleine L'Engle was asked to rewrite. Most of us realize that there is usually somewhere between 18 - 24 months between a "yes" and seeing your book on the shelf.

But what Jarrett was really referring to, I believe (based on the rest of his speech and the hilarious video he showed - see link below), was that a *career* takes a lifetime. Literally. If you, like me, want to make a living at this, then we must patiently wait for the right idea to spark. We must patiently research that idea, and patiently tweak the words/pictures until they are perfect. We must ride out rough patches in the publishing industry (ahem!). We must be constantly attuned for lurking opportunities. We must listen, with open ears and open minds, to what our critique group members tell us. And then, when we do get a yes, we must work our booties off selling our book, book by book.

I'm an impatient person. My iPhone and my Tivo and my commercial-free satellite radio all feed that impatience. Perhaps the universe pointed me toward a career that would balance all of that. I'm still learning what it takes to build a career. But I'll do whatever it takes, for however long it takes, to make this my career. I love it too much to be impatient with it. (Kinda like being a parent, no? :-) )

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of waiting to do.... :-)

Update One from NYC

2009-02-02T16:10:00.002-06:00

I'm home from NYC, and as much as I'd love to tell you all that the conference was enlightening and insightful, I can only report what it feels like to wallow in self-pity as one experiences a nasty stomach bug. :-) Ugh! But I *did* manage to make it to the key note speech delivered by Jarrett Krosoczka (Punk Farm), who showed us one of the funniest "home-made" videos I've ever seen! Anyone who has ever struggled to put words on paper will love it. Enjoy!

I'll post more updates in the past few days!

Life Snipits

2009-01-29T20:04:00.005-06:00

A conversation today between me and my 4-and-a-half year old daughter, the Bean:

Me: "How many kiddos are you gonna have, Bean?"

Bean: "10. I can handle 10 kids."

Me: "If anyone can do it, it's you, Bean! What are you gonna name all those kids?"

Bean (without pause): "Uno, Dos, Tres..."

And *that's* why writing for kids is such an outstanding career! I mean, who thinks like that but a 4-and-a-half year old?! Love it!

Also this week: congratulations to Jessica Burkhart on the release of her first book in the Canterwood Crest Series, Take the Reins. And...it's Jessica's birthday this week! Hope you're celebrating with mounds of chocolate, Ms. Burkhart! Join us back here on February 19th to learn more about Jessica's road to publication (which, BTW, includes four - yes, FOUR - books out this year in the Canterwood Crest series. Wowza!)

Tomorrow, I'm leavin'...on jet plane... (ah, John Denver!) to New York, New York (ah, Frank Sinatra)! Yipeeeeee! I'm attending the National SCBWI conference, and will follow up here with some of the gems of wisdom I always glean at these wonderful get-togethers. I heart kid lit gatherings! I leave each one practically crackling with inspiration.

Peace!

Books Make Great Gifts!

2008-12-12T19:04:00.003-06:00

Everyone is clinching their belts a little tighter this Christmas. But you can get everyone - EVERYONE! - on your list a gift they will love, a gift that might even change their life...for under $20 a person! Give BOOKS this holiday season! And I'm not sayin' that because, well, I just so happen to have one out there myself. ;-) No, the experts agree: Books Make Great Gifts! See for yourself, here.

The Trew Crew Blew Me Away!

2008-12-03T22:24:00.007-06:00

This pic of me, Emma and Bess Trew was taken the day before Thanksgiving in Athens, TN (give it up for the Big A, yo!) at a signing at the E. G. Fisher Public Library:

There is *nothing* cooler than chatting with readers. Nothing! And really, what author doesn't love to see this:

That's Bess, holding 10 - 10! - purchased copies of Autumn. The Trew Crew is making it their personal mission to see Autumn's name on the bestseller list. I am making it my personal mission to tell the world how very wonderful the Trew Crew is! In true (Trew?) Autumn-speak, "Thanks, y'all!" :-)

Meeting "Autumn!"

2008-11-12T21:47:00.003-06:00

I'm behind in my postings; something about launching a book, finishing a draft of another, and - oh! - raising two kids has made it difficult for me to make it online as much as I'd like. But I *had* to post the picture above - yes, that's me and the cover model for Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different! We met earlier this month, and I gotta say, it was so surreal, meeting the girl who has come to represent Autumn. She's a delight. Thank you to Amber Rose and her father for their support! And for the record, she does *not* have a green mustache... ;-)

I'm Cyn-sational!

2008-10-21T21:43:00.002-05:00

Cynthia Leitich Smith has been called "the sweetheart of the kidlitosphere," and rightly so - her website/blog is a one-stop shop of all things kid lit. Cynsations turns 10 this year, and I'm honored to be a part of her posts highlighting debut authors! Check it out here!

Something Wicked, and Something Free

2008-10-20T21:53:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to my friend Alan Gratz on the release of Something Wicked! Wicked is a Horatio Wilkes mystery, a modern-day version of MacBeth. I'm lucky in the ARC department, and happened to win one of these puppies. Wicked is funny, snarky, and mysterious - in short, wicked awesome! And - bonus! Alan is one of those fantastic authors who wants to get his books in the hands of more folks, so to celebrate the release of Wicked, he's offering the first Horatio Wilkes mystery - Something Rotten, based on Hamlet - for FREE on his website. That's not a misprint, folks... the whole book, F.R.E.E. The catch? You gotta download it before November 30. Run!

www.alangratz.com

Do I have the best friends in the world, or what?!

2008-10-16T15:33:00.007-05:00

My friends in the St. Paul's Playgroup (see the Acknowledgments page in Autumn to learn more!) threw me a surprise BOOK shower today! (Think baby shower, with pages instead of diapers!) They even made a birth announcement (that's it, above). Here's what it says:

"I'm proud to announce the birth of AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT

Born after years of hard work on October 14, 2008

Weighing 9.8 ounces,

Measuring 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches, and

Coming in at 224 pages

ISBN 978-0-385-73569-8

Proud Mama,

Kristin O'Donnell Tubb"

And.... they bought me bubble bath! And chocolate! And wine! These ladies are the best. I am forever grateful for their friendship. I love y'all!

All Sorts of Cool Stuff!

2008-10-13T14:09:00.005-05:00

Whew! What a wonderful, whirlwind week! This past weekend I presented with two other members of the Class of 2k8 - Laurel Snyder (Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains) and Jenny Meyerhoff (Third Grade Baby) - at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, TN. Our panel, The Class of 2k8: Three Debut Middle Grade Novelists Tell All, was a blast! Here we are, signing our books after our presentation. I wasn't sure I'd have books available, because my release date is this week (um...tomorrow, to be exact. Two short hours from now. But hey, who's counting? ;-) ) But I *did* have books, and guess what? People bought them! I signed them! It was totally surreal. (Laurel is far right, Jenny center, and I'm far left. The Bean - my four year old - is far, far left. Love that kiddo!) Another pic of me signing can be found here, at my friend Kathy Rhodes's blog. Thanks for the shout-out, Kathy! ;-)

Oh! And the book trailer! It's up, it's running, and you, too, can watch it if you just click here! Hope you enjoy - please, let me know your thoughts!

Tomorrow is the official launch date of AWODTD. I'm participating in an Educator's Appreciation event at my local Barnes & Noble. The nation's best CRM, Robbie Bryan, tells me my books are already on the shelves. Bringing the camera for my first in-store Autumn sighting! Wheeeeeeeeeee!

They're Really Real!

2008-09-23T20:44:00.003-05:00

I got my first two hardback copies of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different last week, and boy, are they GEEEEE-ORGEOUS. I told my SuperEditor, and I quote, "I am a delighted/ecstatic combo with a side of thrilled, I'm so happy with them!"

You might not be able to see the tears running down my face in this photo, but believe me, they're there.

They are really, really real. Shiver!

Party at Kimberly Pauley's Blog!

2008-09-03T14:24:00.004-05:00

Author Kimberly Pauley launches her first YA novel this week, Sucks to Be Me: The All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, teen vampire (maybe)!! I'm tellin' ya, this book is *not* one to be read in the hush-hush corridors of your favorite library, because you will be HOWLING with laughter! Funny, funny stuff.

Kimberly was nice enough to invite me and Autumn Winifred Oliver to Mina's launch party. The whole gang is hanging out at Kimberly's place: click on over and check it out! And go buy Sucks to Be Me! Laughter adds 8 years to your life, you know. (Unless you're a teen vampire. Then you're immortal, anyway...)

Thanks, Kimberly, for all the fun! Yay for Mina!

Writer's Night at Barnes & Noble

2008-08-31T20:56:00.003-05:00

I could talk about writing for hours. Seriously. I did it just the other night, and I felt like I needed a tether to keep me anchored to planet earth. Such fun! It was the Barnes & Noble writer's night in Cool Springs, TN (Franklin). Community Relations Manager Robbie Bryan and wonderful friend Kathy Hardy Rhodes asked me if I'd be interested in talking to a group of writers about the "in between" stages of publishing - in between getting "the call" and seeing your book on a shelf. Would I be interested?! I brought so many visual aids, I had to roll them in in a cart - no kidding. Please visit friend Kathy's blog to read more. Thank you, Robbie and Kathy! And any where, any time, someone wants to chat about writing - bring it on! But I warn you, I am nonstop chatter on this one. :-)

Peace!

Killer Nashville!

2008-08-14T20:53:00.002-05:00

"It was Col. Mustard, in the library, with the candlestick..."

Who knew all those hours playing Clue when I was a kid would come in handy now, in my late twenties? But I am *stoked* about an opportunity that popped up this week - I am presenting at Killer Nashville, a humongo mystery writers conference here in middle Tennessee! I'll be discussing writing for children and young adults on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. (And yes, I can hear those of you who know me well laughing at the idea of me being coherent at such an obscene hour...) My friend Tracy Barrett is on the panel, too, so we can gulp down several dixie cups of coffee first.

I plan on focusing on a series of short mysteries for 6- to 9-year-olds that I wrote several years ago. The characters, Officer Iguana and Sergeant Salamander, are Insect Inspectors; they are, according to their business cards, "The Best Pest Detectives." Iggy & Sal solve crimes using facts about bugs. Two of these stories appeared in Spider magazine a few years ago; three more are due next year. I think it'll be big fun to talk about mysteries for kids, and just as fun to learn more about Dr. Bill Bass, founder of the Body Farm , who is the guest of honor. Too cool!

I'm off to go bone up on skull fractures... Get it? Bone up? Ha! That's why I like kid lit - that stuff kills with the younger set. Get it? Kills... :-)

Yay, Killer Nashville!

An Interview with Little Willow

2008-08-04T22:46:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited about an interview I recently did with Little Willow, book blogger extraordinaire! Please, hop on over and take a look! One thing that I really enjoyed about this experience was how thoughtful Little Willow's questions were. And hey, check out some of the other authors she's been rubbing elbows with. Not shabby company, eh? :-)

Thanks, LW!

I'm in Love! (Again)

2008-06-08T20:47:00.002-05:00

So if you scroll down a bit, you'll see that the main character of my work-in-progress, Hope, has been giving me FITS. I mean, the girl was downright nasty. Well, I'm happy to report that I've undertaken a major overhaul of this story, and she is now a rather pleasant person to spend time with! It's a good thing, too - after all, I take time away from my family to write. When Hope was buggin', I began to question why I was doing this. I'd walk away from the story feeling bitter and short-changed, like I was covering for a lazy co-worker. These feelings are difficult to relay to a 16-month-old: "Sorry Mommy's cranky, sweetie. The people who live in my head aren't playing nice."

But now Hope gives me hope. I received some fantastic feedback that has helped me figure some of the things that just weren't clicking. That, and I've been doing more research (it's historical fiction), and am positively stoked about some of the things I've uncovered about this era (1910). So - yay! I'm in love with writing again. And *that* feeling is easy to carry over to my family.

Update on the Class of 2k8

2008-04-21T20:05:00.002-05:00

Here it is, mid-April, and I have yet to give some major shout-outs to my fabulous classmates in the Class of 2k8. If you'll scroll down to the "Class of 2k8" entry below, you'll see all the folks who are in this marketing group with me, and their wonderful books, too. And of course, you can always hop over to the Class's blog: www.classof2k8.blogspot.com.

As of right now, the following books are available:

-A Difficult Boy by M.P. Barker. Just released earlier this month. On my "must-read" list. Gotta love historical fiction, yo!

-A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. Currently reading it and LOVING it. Nominated for an ALA/YALSA best book of the year. A retelling of "Rumplestiltskin." It's glorious.

-The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman. Ditto that nomination of best book of the year from ALA/YALSA. This one is on my nightstand now. I'm getting my pencils sharpened so I can play along with all the games and riddles inside.

-Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer. Out this week, folks! Gotta get this one; it's a behind-the-scenes look at Miami's modeling industry. Yummy fun!

-The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher. A Spring 08 Booksense Pick. I devoured this one in two sittings. Alice, the main character, is my kind of gal. Get it, y'all. You're gonna love it.

-I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder. A novel-in-verse, which I adore. And so do others, as it was just named an ALA Quick Pick. Yip!

-The Lucky Place by Zu Vincent. Just out earlier this month, so I haven't read it yet, but it's also on my "must-read" list. It sounds positively lovely.

More updates later, as the accolades continue and the launches keep coming! Yay, Class of 2kgr8!

Thought for a Monday Evening...

2008-04-14T20:32:00.002-05:00

I believe myself to be the only person in America who is inconvenienced by the fact that Gossip Girl and Antiques Roadshow air at the same time...

Peace!

My First Review!

2008-04-07T20:38:00.002-05:00

It's official, y'all: I have a review! A real, live person (who isn't my editor, my mother or my husband) has read my book and wanted to comment on it! Gaaaaaa! Click here to read the full review.

I feel like a debutante, minus the pounds of hairspray and awful pantyhose.

Thank you to Susan Sales Harkins for taking the time to read and comment on Autumn. And for, well, making me a reviewed author. I'm having to restrain myself from casually tossing it into conversation: "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that your favorite brand of shampoo is giving you the hives. Do you know who doesn't get the hives? Susan Sales Harkins. Yes, yes, the woman who reviewed my book..."

I'm pathetic. But I'm reviewed! :-)

The Best Synopsis Advice Ever

2008-03-31T20:08:00.002-05:00

I've been lax in posting lately due to, well, my life. :-) It's tax season, after all. I am *not* known for my organizational prowess. Doing my taxes takes me the better part of a week of evenings. Lax and tax rhyme... coincidence?

But ever since I've returned from the Most Fabulous Conference Ever (SCBWI-New York in February), a statement made by an editor there has been banging around in my head. At the Friday workshop, one of the participants at my table offered a synopsis as her 500-word sample, as opposed to 500 words from a WIP. Her synopsis was, by all accounts, what I've always heard a synopsis should be: a direct account of the plot. It was clean, single-spaced, and on one page. But it was also, unfortunately, dry.

Why is this, we writers asked. She did everything right, so why wouldn't this synopsis catch an editor's eye? Our guru responded that while yes, a synopsis should briefly summarize the plot, what is most important is the story arc of the main character. Smaller plot lines and secondary characters have no place in a succinct synopsis. You should first show where your character is in the beginning of the story (not physically - mentally. Is she sick of her mom? Does she want to overhaul her image? Is she counting the days toward a big event?). Next, show a few major plot points, and how those IMPEDE your character's goal. (And they must, of course, impede. Otherwise, there is no story). Then, wrap it up by showing where your character winds up. (Again, mentally here. She reconciles with Mommy Dearest, or she accepts who she is, or she realizes that she should not base her social status on the prom alone.)

The editor said, (and I'm paraphrasing here): "A synopsis is a summary of your CHARACTER'S story, not a summary of the story itself."

Wow! It's such good advice, it almost makes me want to dash off a few quick synopses, just for fun.

Almost... :-)

An Interview with Rae Ann Parker

2008-02-24T22:08:00.002-06:00

My friend and fellow writer, Rae Ann Parker, asked me to answer a few questions about the SCBWI conference held earlier this month in New York. Please, jump on over and check it out!

www.raeannparker.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-02-12T19:54:00.002-06:00

I went to the SCBWI conference in New York this past weekend, and to quote my new favorite celeb, it was totally fierce! Thursday, the day I landed in NYC, was my thirty-mrrmm-mhhrmth birthday. I arranged a visit with my fabulous editor, who graciously introduced me around the Delacorte offices. Everyone was wonderful, thoroughly delightful. "And now," said SuperEditor, "I'd like to introduce you to our Publisher." Now, this woman is a legend in kid lit. An aura of respectability radiated from her. I sat across from her, asking as many questions as I could cram in before she discovered that I was a debut novelist and was inevitably dismissed as such. As we chatted, the Legend's assistant poked her head in:

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Legend, but Judy Blume is on the phone."

Legend paused. "Can you tell her I'll call her back? I'm with *another author* right now."

Gaaaaawwwwkkkk! I believe I turned to SuperEditor and asked, "Did that just happen?" It was quite the birthday present.

Needless to say, I'm more delighted than ever that I'm working with Delacorte. They made me feel like a *real* writer. And I'm still floating!

More on the rest of the conference later, after they scrape me off the ceiling...

I got my co-VER! I got my co-VER! Tra la la la la la la...

2008-01-16T20:49:00.000-06:00

A sneak peak at Autumn Winfred Oliver Does Things Different is over there. I hope you like the cover as much as I do! LOVE IT!

Getting a cover for this book is about one of the coolest things that's happened to me as a writer. I've been working on this story since 2001, and to see it come to life like this is, well, like watching those tiny bulbs you planted in October bloom into fabulous tulips in March.

And that about covers it! ;-)

The Class of 2k8!-

2008-01-02T11:04:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2008! I am honored to be a member of the Class of 2k8, a merry band of 28 authors who have a debut middle grade or young adult novel scheduled for release in 2008. I've seen the book blurbs, people, and lemme tell ya, there are going to be plenty of noses in books this year! Yeah!

The Class of 2k8 is a spinoff of sorts; last year, several authors banded together under the umbrella of the Class of 2k7 to further their own promotional efforts. We, the Class of 2k8, have already found that promoting ourselves as a group has given our buck that much more bang. We've already been given a nod by Publishers Weekly, Fuse #8, and others. Our blog will fill you in on all the details - please visit! (And coming soon - an AMAZING 2k8 website. Stay tune...)

So here's your list of Must-Reads for 2008:

-A Difficult Boy by M.P. Barker. Historical YA available from Holiday House April 15.

-The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem. Fantasy MG available from Harcourt Children's Books October 1.

-Shift by Jennifer Bradbury. Mystery YA available from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster this summer.

-Read My Lips by Teri Brown. YA romance available from Simon Pulse June 3.

-A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce. YA historical fantasy available from Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic this spring.

-Sleepless by Terri Clark. YA paranormal romance available from HarperCollins in August.

-Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle. YA historical paranormal available from Henry Holt April 1.

-The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman. Contemporary MG available from Greenwillow March 4.

-Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer. Contemporary YA available from Dutton Children's Books April 17.

-The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas. Contemporary YA available from Farrar Straus & Giroux in September.

-The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher. Contemporary YA available from Wendy Lamb Books January 8 (THIS WEEK, Y'ALL! Run!)

-The Kulak's Daughter by Gabriele Goldstone. Historical MG available from Blooming Tree Press in August.

-Alive and Well in Prague, NY by Daphne Grab. Contemporary YA available from Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins Books May 20.

-The Emerald Tablet by P.J. Hoover. Fantasy MG available from Blooming Tree Press October 21.

-Third Grade Baby by Jenny Meyerhoff. Contemporary MG available from Farrar Straus & Giroux this Fall.

-Bringing the Boy Home by N.A. Nelson. Adventure MG available from HarperCollins June 11.

-Dragon Wishes by Stacy A. Nyikos. Fantasy MG available from Blooming Tree Press in March.

-The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas. MG fantasy available from HarperCollins Children's this Summer.

-I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder. Contemporary paranormal from SimonPulse this January. (THIS MONTH, FOLKS! Get thee to a bookstore!)

-La Petite Four by Regina Scott. Historical YA available from Penguin Razorbill this July.

-My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel. Contemporary MG available from Simon & Schuster October 21.

-Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains by Laurel Snyder. Fairy tale MG available from Random House Books for Young Readers this Spring.

-I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy. MG mystery available from Delacorte Press/Random House this December.

-Undone by Brooke Taylor. Contemporary YA from Walker/Bloomsbury available July 22.

-Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb (ahem! :-) ) Historical MG available from Delacorte Press/Random House this Fall.

-Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in her Head by Nancy Viau. Contemporary MG from Abrams Books for Young Readers available this September.

-The Lucky Place by Zu Vincent. YA from Front Street Press this April.

-A Horse of Her Own by Annie Wedekind. Contemporary MG from Feiwel & Friends available in June.

There you have it, folks. Please, keep an eye out for these wonderful books. 2008 is going to a be GREAT year for young readers!

Peace!

I Don't Like My Character!

2007-12-18T19:56:00.000-06:00

I'm re-reading Stephen King's On Writing right now - the best book out there on writing, IMHO. It's wonderful because he discusses actually being a writer, not just the craft. Two different animals. One thing he said that has really stuck with me these last few days: he never really liked Carrie White (of Carrie fame.) At least, he didn't at first. He grew to understand her, to appreciate her motives, but she wasn't someone he'd likely count among his friends. He only stuck with her because his wife liked her. ("Honey, I know you don't want to have dinner at the Whites again. But you can do this for me, can't you?")

I'm in this same predicament. My newest character is, well, not one of my best friends at the moment. She seems to simply float through life with no consideration of others, of how her actions have consequences. She's not evil. She's just immature. But I'm sticking with her. Professor King says you don't really know your characters until you finish that first draft. I agree. Once Autumn (of my middle grade novel Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different) was steered through that first draft, it was much easier to see what kind of person she was, and what kind of person she'd become. So I'm sticking with Hope, and keeping my fingers crossed that she becomes the fascinating young lady I so desperately want her to be.

King stuck with Carrie, and she made him millions. You hear that, Hope? Millions! Now, shape up, missy!

Time to Write

2007-12-11T19:55:00.000-06:00

I have two small kids, ages three and nine months. People often ask me where I find time to write.

Find time? I wish I could "find time." Like when you reach in your jeans pocket and pull out a twenty. Found time. "Hey! Look at that! There's the twenty minutes left over from last week."

I've caught myself replying that I "make time." This sounds as if I, a kid lit writer from Arrington, TN, have sole discretion over the space-time continuum. As if I can merely create the two hours I need to finish Chapter Three.

The most accurate description, I suppose, is that I allocate the time I need to write. I have a babysitter who comes three times a week, four hours each day. Twelve hours a week for me to write. If I don't use them for writing, if I use them for cleaning or laundry or holiday shopping, I start to feel itchy. Those twelve hours a week when I'm a vaudeville actress in 1910, or a pompous preschooler with a penchant for half-birthdays, or an over-protective guardian angel who back-sasses The Big Guy, those are the sanest twelve hours of my week. :-)

Project Runway

2007-12-05T20:59:00.000-06:00

I have so few vices these days, but one of them, without question, is Project Runway. I adore this show. It's "fierce," as that new scrappy little kid likes to say. "Fierce." (Such a great word!) There's just something so fascinating about watching people make something from nothing, and so quickly. I suppose I identify with those designers and their creative processes (all except for that crazy one who spits - what's up with THAT?!). So I started thinking: what if there was a Project Novel?

Host Stephen King: "Okay, contestants. You have thirty minutes to write your opening chapter..."
Contestant One: "No way. Can't be done."
King: "This isn't about precision. This is about getting words on paper. Thirty minutes is plenty of time to..."
Contestant Two: "Excuse me, Mr. King? Where are the outlines?"
King: "The what?"
Contestant Two: "The outlines! I can't write without one!"
King: "There aren't any - c'mon folks! Thirty minutes! Just write!"
Contestant Three: "Thirty minutes is no problem."
King: "That's the spirit!"
Contestant Three: "Tomorrow. I can write an opening chapter in thirty minutes if I can ruminate on it tonight."
King: "Ruminate? RUMINATE? One opening chapter. Thirty minutes. Go!"
Contestant Four: "I could maybe do it if it were the opening sentence. Thirty minutes for an sentence. Maybe."
All contestants nod and mumble in agreement.
King: "Whatever. I'm out of here. If you guys don't want me to teach you how to crank out both quantity and quality, I'm out." Exits stage left.
Contestant One: "Starbucks?"

I'm Not Dead!

2007-12-04T19:44:00.000-06:00

The good news is... I'm not dead! Yes, it's been nearly two years (really?! GULP!) since I posted to my blog, but I have some really good excuses. Pick one of the following:
a) a new baby
b) a new house
c) a book deal, complete with three rounds of revisions
d) all of the above.

You guessed it - d! So see? Busy, busy!

The new baby - a wonderful Baby Boy, now nine months old. Crawling, into everything - an absolute and total joy.

The new house - love it! In the country, wild turkeys wandering about - just lovely.

The book deal - omg! My middle grade historical fiction novel, Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different, is due out in Fall 2008 from Delacorte Press. Since most of you who visit this site are my writing buds, I'll expand more on this one.

The scene: Early February, 2007. My editor, Wendy Loggia, calls my cell phone. I am nine months pregnant. I am AT THE OB/GYN.

Wendy: "Hello, Kristin? It's Wendy Loggia from Random House."

Me: "Oh my gosh! It's so good to hear from you! I'm at my gynocologist's office right now."

Wendy: silence

Me: "Oh, um - I should say, I'm not in the office right now - I mean, I am, but I'm checking out. I'm done." Shut up Kristin. "I mean - I'm scheduling my induction for my new baby. I was newly pregnant when we met, remember?" Shut UP, Kristin. "Everything's great! Healthy baby! I'm scheduling his arrival right now. That's why I'm at...my...OB's office..."

Wendy: laughing "I think this is a first for me."

Me: unbelievably mortified "Uh, me too?"

Wendy: "So I wanted to talk to you more about this wonderful story you sent me..."

And that was that! There, in my OB/GYN's office, I was offered my first book deal. Two weeks later, my son was born. It was one heckuva month.

I'm playing catch up in every aspect of my life, but I'll post more often now. I promise. Because I'm not dead. Just busy. :-)

Writer's Block

2006-01-04T19:59:00.000-06:00

I don't believe in writer's block. Or at least, I didn't. But lately I just can't seem to get anything on paper. This past fall I finished a huge writing project that I'd been working on for two years (from research to "The End" - it's historical fiction). I also had the sweet chance to work on some new licensed character stuff, and my last deadline was December 7. Then came the holidays, or as I like to call them, the hellidays. (Not true, actually. I'm a big softie when it comes to Christmas.) And did I mention I have a 19-month-old daughter (The Bean) whirling around in there?! :-) Somehow or another I've convinced my subconscious that all of these things piled into a single psyche and whirled together like a big, fat stress smoothie allows me the luxury of writer's block.

But I don't have time for stupid writer's block. I have these three characters who've been banging around in my head for four years now, and their project is finally on the chopping block. These girls are in Etiquette School, and of course, they are the least likely charm schoolers ever. These girls WOULD NOT SHUT UP when I was working on other projects. "Pssst!" they'd whisper to me over a tedious re-write of my last book. "We're MUCH more fun that that old hag! Come over here and hang with us. We won't tell those other goody-goody characters of yours that you came by. Your secret's safe with us." Giggle-titter-sputter-giggle.

So now here I am, weeks later, desperately trying to get these girls to return my calls. Nada. Have I missed my chance at hanging out with the IN crowd? Did I pass up my shot at A-list superstardom? I certainly hope not. In the meantime, I'll keep hanging out, slurping stress smoothies, clamoring for a glimpse of these bad girls. Maybe, just maybe, they'll shoot me a dirty look soon. A girl can dream...

Payoffs

2005-12-12T20:03:00.000-06:00

Whew! My family threw a big ole Christmas party this past weekend - we throw it every year. Every year, during the planning/cleaning/marathon shopping that takes place beforehand, I dread the whole shebang. Yet every year, I have a GREAT time at the party and I remember why we throw it. So I got to thinking...what other things are temporarily horrible but SOOO worth the payoff?

-Dental surgery.
-Plastic surgery. OK, so I don't really know if this one's true. Anyone who's seen me in person can tell I've not gone under the knife.
-Perms. Though it's been years since I've sat through one of these stinky messes. Thank God the 80s are over!
-Waxing of any body parts. Though some are quite worse than others.
-Tattoos.
-OK, so, physical transformations of any sort.
-Having a baby. A physical transformation, to be sure, but so much more!
-Buying a new car.
-Finding a new job. The glory moment here? Quitting the old one! Take that, you Lumbergh look-a-like!

Please note I deliberately did NOT add the following to the "high payoff" list:
-Piercings. Some are, some aren't, but I suspect any piercing that's not done in the center of an earlobe is NOT.
-Hazing/Hell Week. Greek life is fun, but it's not all that!
-High school.

Free Martha!

2005-12-07T20:44:00.000-06:00

Martha Stewart got robbed. Okay, well, I suppose I see the irony in that statement - her being an ex-con and all. But I'm not talking about Martha's jail stint. I'm talking about her show! "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart" has been cancelled after this, the first season. What a gyp! So maybe Martha doesn't have the bling of The Donald or the grit of a Survivor or the flash of an Amazing Race. But the woman's done Hard Time, for heaven's sake! Until now, Martha Stewart was untouchable. I mean, who among us has kayaked to a meadow in Norway, shorn our own sheep, spun our own wool, then knitted our own sweater?! But now, FINALLY, I can relate. Don't get me wrong - I've not logged any time behind bars. But I've made my fair share of flubs. The only way to get past them is to keep plugging away, to climb back on that horse, to exhaust all applicable cliches. Martha did just that, and how do we reward such pluck? With a big old pink slip, that's how! So I say, Free Martha! Free her from her houndstooth-checkered past! Subscribe to her magazine! Watch her daytime show! Visit her website! Buy her wares! And keep Martha in our lives! Keep her around if for no other reason than to satiate our desire to finally feel Holier Than Thou.

O Christmas tree!

2005-12-04T22:20:00.000-06:00

My family decorated the Christmas tree tonight. I sit by the twinkling lights (the blasted buggers are not SUPPOSED to twinkle, but alas) and I'm taken back to the Christmas trees of my youth...

insert cheesy flashback music here

"Helen? HELEN! Is it straight or not?"

"Godblessit, Jack, I can't exactly tell from here, can I? Can you hurry it up - this tree must weigh 80 pounds!"

"Can I hurry? Well, why didn't you just say so? I'm down here getting carpet burns on my face for giggles, but now that I now you're in a hurry... KRISTI! Get in here and tell me if this *&^**&^^ tree is straight! KRISTI!!! Where is she?!"

"Right here, Dad. Looks good."

"What's that? I can't hear you. I've got a Fraiser fir in my ear."

"LOOKS GOOD!"

"OW! Stupid tree stand! Nothing more than a pie tin and a coupla thumb tacks! You'd think by 1978 they could make a tree stand that could hold a... hold a... a..."

"A tree, Dad?"

"Enough outa you. Let's see you get down here and - OW! Stupid tree stand!"

"It's leaning now, Dad."

"Towards the kitchen?"

"Nope - towards the front door."

"HELEN! Can you at least hold the tree straight while I - OW! There. Done."

"It's a great tree, Dad."

"Thank your mother. She always picks a winner."

"Thanks, Mom. Great tree."

"Best one ever."

insert cheesy flash-forward/end-of-sequence music here

We have one of those fancy-schmancy tree stands that pops onto the tree base, swivels around in a huge bowl until it's straight, then locks into place. It's easy and clean and relatively pain-free. Progress and a capitalist economy has built a better mousetrap. But what will my daughter - the Bean - take away from her hall-decking youth? Alas, those blasted twinkling lights never disappoint.

Guten tag!

2005-12-03T23:52:00.000-06:00

I don't know German, danke shein very much. I don't know thermonucleardynamics, either. I don't know how much I don't know. Guess that's why I'm such a happy person!

Writing is my hobby and - lucky me! (and I don't mean that sarcastically) - my job. Love it love it love it! There's nothing quite like that zen place where the writing flows and the characters come to life and push your fingers around the keyboard like ghosts moving a planchette around a Ouija board.

It can be hard, though - rejections aplenty are the norm. You gotta have thick skin. I don't have thick skin. I sunburn under a 60-watt bulb. I've personally racked up 286 rejections in the three years I've been a "writer." (To date - ask me tomorrow for my new total. Thin envelopes = bad. Emails from editors = good.)

Seems like an oxymoron (moronic?) - a happy, thin-skinned reject.

But that's me!