Two Book Signings Friday, November 6 at AASL Conference

So I now have two signings on Friday. The first is from 9-10a.m. at the Boyds Mills Press booth at the exhibit hall. The second is from 12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. at table 9, the Author Pit Stop. Please come say hi, and don’t forget to sign up for my concurrent session on Saturday at 10:15 a.m.

Upcycled Princess Gown from Thrifted Items

I decided that I would make this costume for my daughter from things I already had on hand. I started thrifting when I lived in Boston and couldn’t get to a fabric store easily. Luckily, Boston is a great place to thrift (I miss you, Urban Renewals!) and I often found fabulous things to wear as well as wonderful, sometimes crazy pieces to tear up and sew back together. I haven’t lived in Boston for several years, but all the materials for this costume (except the back of the bodice) came from my time there.

The bodice of the dress is made from something that looked like a long jacket made out of a sofa from an ancient sitting room. The skirt is made of various table covers that were once used at the performing arts organization where I worked. I saved them from the trash, what a hero. I did line the inside of the skirt with muslin, though, to make it less scratchy.

Taking a cue from the Disney-fied costumes sold in stores, I made the back of the bodice from an old knit nightgown so that it would stretch to fit.

The applique and the pink edging were the only things I purchased. Can’t wait to see her in it tonight!

Writing Exercise: Found Poem

This is an oldie but a goodie, first introduced to me by my favorite college professor, the late and great Robert Kirkpatrick. I don’t really consider myself a poet, but because of my classes with him I do try to think like one.

Start by photocopying a page of text from a dictionary or field manual or suchlike. Something with plenty of concrete nouns is best, but you can do it with nearly any kind of writing. I have even done it with a page of my own fiction drafts, but nothing beats a good old-fashioned, real-live made-from-paper dictionary. I’m partial to the American Heritage.

Skim the page for your favorite phrases (three words together or fewer), and circle or highlight them. Next, copy down these phrases in your notebook, in an order that pleases you. Cross out any words that seem off point or  less appealing to you now. Try to boil them down to the most concrete, stick-in-your-craw words.

Now, arrange the remaining words in a poem. Don’t think too hard about what a poem is or isn’t. Just arrange. Enjoy the sounds of the words together. You may want to try to make some kind of meaning out of the words, but you can also just make  interesting nonsense. You’ll be surprised at the way the words teach you. Here’s the initial list of words I came up with:

Air hunger

Compressed air

Faint

photochemical luminescence

airlift

Transporting freight

Propeller blade

Hard-surfaced

 (seek) exercise

Unequal

pressure

Freshening

Health

promoting

Bubble pocket

Wing

Vapor

Airtight sack

Skyjacking

Craft aircraft

Bone cavities

No weak points

passage

rudder

upper atmosphere

Wiry tan coat

 

and here is my latest draft:

To craft air from the upper atmosphere—-

make it compressed, hard-surfaced—

a skyjack tight sack:

Apply pressure to the bubble pocket,

Add faint luminescence,

as if transporting freight by propeller blade.

Check for vapor in the bone cavities of the wing.

Your rudder must have no weak points in its passage.

Revving Up for the AASL Conference: November 5-8, 2009 in Charlotte, NC

The national conference for the American Association of School Librarians will be held here in Charlotte, NC next month. I will be signing books at the Author Pit Stop on Friday, November 6 from 12:45-2:15 p.m. on the exhibit floor.

I will also be presenting, along with librarian Debra Heimbrook, a concurrent session from 10:15-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 7 in room 213D.

Our session is entitled Revving Up to Write: How One Author Fuels Writing by Reading, Plus: How an Author Visit Can Rev Up Writing at Your School.

Revving Up to Write emphasizes ways of collaborating with teachers to create writing assignments. I will also give suggestions for leading students in pre-writing exercises driven by reading. The program is also designed to encourage students to think creatively about using various library resources. Ms. Heimbrook will speak about using the library as a fueling station for writing, for those laps around the track as well as trips outside the raceway.

Come join us for an interactive session, including writing exercises designed to get you going.

Stay tuned for more details. I will also be signing books at the Boyds Mills Press booth at some point.

Remembering Norma

Over the weekend, I found out that my first mentor at Vermont College, Norma Fox Mazer, had passed away. Nearly everyone who ever went through Vermont College was touched by her, and we are all feeling her loss.

Both photos were taken at my graduation from Vermont College. In the bottom shot, I’m in the middle, and that’s my mother in the background.

Norma was the author of more than 30 books for young people, including Taking Terri Mueller, After the Rain, and, my favorite, When She Was Good.

She was not only my first mentor from Vermont College—she was also my first workshop leader, a very memorable workshop indeed. I’ve saved all her critique letters. She believed in me from the beginning, and 10 years before the publication of my novel told me she was sure I would make it there one day. She was one of the people who kept me going all that time.

Norma was a straight-shooter—-a tough critic but also very warm and encouraging, and I loved all those things about her. I cherish having had the chance to know her.

Norma loved to tell the story about how she and her husband, Harry Mazer, decided to become full-time writers when she had just given birth to their fourth child. She would get up before the kids awoke and sit at the typewriter with her writing hat (a fedora). This was always an inspiring story, but now that I have kids of my own, it seems downright amazing.

Norma was one of those people who just stood outside age all together. She always had a youthful spirit, and I think that’s one reason why she was able to continue writing relevant novels for young people throughout her long career. I can see her now, curled up on the couch like a cat, silver rings sparkling on her fingers.

I wish I could sit with her over a tray of food in the NECI cafeteria right now.

Panel Discussion: From Agent to Author–How a Children’s Book Gets Published

Last week I spoke at the Morrison Library here in Charlotte as part of a panel about children’s publishing. Joining me were Lisa Williams Kline, Tracey Adams, and Quinlan Lee. The event was hosted by the Charlotte chapter of the Women’s National Book Association. We had a good crowd who asked lots of great questions. Moderating was the talented Betsy Thorpe.

We discussed lots of things: Do you need an agent? How do you get one? How do you fit writing into the rest of your life? What should you say/ not say in a cover letter? How is an illustrator selected?

Lisa and I discovered we had both attended Vermont College, though at different times. I’m always glad to meet other writers, especially ones who live nearby!

Handmade Halloween: Turtle Costume from Castoffs

My 2-year-old little boy is going to wear the turtle costume I made last year, which still fits because of the way it’s put together (and because the pants are very stretchy). I started out by going to Goodwill and finding a sweater and sweatshirt in two contrasting colors of green. It was important to get things that were very finely knit so that I could cut them without having to worry about finishing them off to keep them from unraveling.

I cut the arms off the light green sweater (a very soft, stretchy chenille) and sewed them into the pants, using the waistband of the sweatshirt as the pants waistband (cut down to size). It was still a little too large, so I cut a slit in the waistband and threaded a cord through them so I could pull it tight and tie the cord.

I re-sized the body of the light green sweater by taking it in, then used it for the body of the costume, sewing on dark green shapes cut from the sweatshirt. I’m not sure why I did this by hand—it could certainly be done by machine. Again, the pieces didn’t need finishing because of the fine knit.

For the turtle shell, I took a really large platter and traced it onto the dark sweatshirt, then applied light green shapes to one side of it in the same manner I had done to the turtle body. I sewed the two ovals right sides together, then cut a slit in the plain side, flipped it right side out, and stuffed it with fiber fill. Then I sewed the shell to the back of the body.

For the hat, I took two U-shaped dark scraps and sewed them together at the top—no finishing.

The little man is still a bit young to object to having mom pick out his costume. If I can just get my daughter to agree to wear the one I made for her last spring, I’ll be all set.

Isabel Now Available as an E-book

Isabel and the Miracle Baby is now available as an e-book. Check it out, all you Kindle enthusiasts.

In other news, the art for Slowpoke is close to being finalized, and I should soon be able to share the cover artwork.  I’m also back at work on my young adult novel, trying it all over again in present tense this time. I’m not sure that I’ll keep the tense, but the practice seems to be helping me hone the story.

As a reminder, I’ll be appearing on a panel entitled From Agent to Author: How a Children’s Book Gets Published at the Morrison Library in Charlotte on October 7 at 7 p.m. More info here.

My interview with ETV is fast approaching, as well, and I’m busy preparing for my talk at the national AASL conference in November.

Off to write.

WNBA – Charlotte

No, I haven’t been drafted to the Women’s National Basketball Association. A group of fellow book lovers have opened a branch of the Women’s National Book Association here in Charlotte. It’s been really interesting to find other book-related folk in town. 

On Tuesday, September 15, we’ll meet for a networking event  at M5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This event and WNBA are open to anyone who loves books. You don’t have to work in the business or even be  a woman.

On October 7, I will be participating in a panel discussion at the Morrison Library. It’s entitled From Agent to Author: How a Children’s Book Gets Published. Agent Tracey Adams and fellow authors Quinlan Lee (also an agent) and Lisa Williams Kline will also be participating. The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m.

If you’re on facebook, search for our WNBA - Charlotte page for more information about the organization and about these events.

Finished

 I finally finished sewing this dress for my daughter. It’s from Simplicity pattern 2688. This is the first time I’ve made the same pattern twice (the first time I made it sleeveless), and I have to say it feels good to kind of know what you’re doing the second time around. And the two dresses look totally different.

Meanwhile, Slowpoke is nearly out of copy editing, and I hope I can share some artwork from it soon.