Author of Spy Girl and Poison.
Best birthday ever! I’m a little over halfway into my Two Week Birthday Extravaganza that included lots of fun times, pampering, and a French Revolution Birthday Party (this involved a lot of cake, at least one tiara, and Robespierre bars).
And the most lovely present of them all — a year’s supply of firewood! This might not sound like the most exciting thing in the world, but what’s nicer than a cup of tea and a roaring fire? Especially after a long night of inciting revolution?
The first teen reader of my mischief novel manuscript loved it! Woo hoo! She had all sorts of intelligent and insightful things to say AND she said it actually changed the way she saw certain kids at school. Yes! What more can a writer ask for?
Thanks to the original Maddie for the great feedback! (And no I didn’t name a character in the novel after her just to get great comments. Maddie’s just a fabulous name.)
I’ve officially recommended REPOSSESSED by A.M. Jenkins to about the 500th person over the age of fourteen. It’s incredibly funny, the voice is strong, and the main character is strangely beguiling — he is, after all, the bad guy — a fallen angel who takes over someone’s body while on a little break from hell. Yet, he’s kind of loveable. Who knew?
Maybe it’s the way he appreciates every little drop of human experience, including such exciting things as walking down the street. And taking a shower. Eating breakfast. Taking fill in the bubble exams.
But what’s really hilarious is how Kiriel wants to have ALL of the human experiences he can fit into his short time on earth and doesn’t seem to understand why things don’t always work out the way he wants them to. He begins to wonder if he shouldn’t have chosen someone who was, say, nicer to people or who had a more interesting social life. Instead he’s stuck in Shaun’s body — a guy who ignores his mom, is mean to his little brother, has only one friend, and absolutely no chance with the ladies. Yet, even given these dyer circumstances all sorts of interesting things start happening in Shaun’s life with Kiriel at the helm.
Very fun read.
I was lucky enough to be asked to introduce several authors for the WI Book Fest last weekend. Very exciting as no one has ever asked me to do this before. However, I’m guessing that the organizers weren’t anticipating that I would
a) make fun of the title of the author panel I was introducing
b) create an entirely new title called WI YA Author Rock Stars
c) make the whole audience cheer for them as though they were rock stars or
d) not even be able to finish my introduction of Kashmira for her session without getting choked up.
But come on — who wouldn’t? The girl in the story I was relating said to me about Kashmira Sheth and her book Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, “tell her that this book is important, that she understands girls, and that she should never quit writing.” How often is any author going to get to hear that? Never quit writing???? That’s so great. Gets me every time. I considered cutting it out, but it’s such a nice story I couldn’t do it. And I got a hug for it and I’m a sucker for hugs.
And the title I was making fun of was Seeking Tranquility something something something, I can’t remember but it was really boring. These were not boring authors. It was Patricia Pfitsch, Deborah Lynn Jacobs, and Ann Angel. Their books aren’t even slightly boring and at least one of them has kept me up late at night because it was so scary. If they had been boring I would have considered keeping the title, although probably not, because who wants to be the boring person who introduces boring authors with a boring panel title. Not me.
I also went to James DeVita’s session, but I didn’t get to introduce him. Someone who is actually qualified to talk about things, she was from the ACLU I think, introduced him. In a very intelligent way. She did mention that I was giving out coupons for free books to teens and I got to stand and wave, which was fun because people can’t help smiling at you when you’re giving away free books.
I just hope that they forget about all of this and ask me again next year!
Patricia MacLachlan was a great Charlotte Zolotow lecturer, telling stories I’m sure would make her children cringe but brought down the house (so to speak, this was an academic lecture no one threw confetti or anything — maybe I’ll bring some next year and see how it goes over) and welcomed everyone into her family, even those of you who weren’t there, which is really very nice unless you are uncomfortable with the idea of having your words immortalized forever which her son claims she does to her family all of the time.
Patricia’s dry humor might just make up for it — she has the most fabulous voice and knows how to pause in just the right places when she tells a story.
The pre-CZ lecture party for CCBC Friends members was super fun and DELICIOUS. I’m so glad I got to try checkerboard espresso cookies at it because I’ll never have the patience to make them myself. Shawn Brommer is a woman of many talents. And the pumpkin bread! Definitely worth the $20 to become a CCBC Friends Member.
I made it on Cynthia Lord’s blog! With a big old photo and everything.
The SCBWI WI fall retreat was fabulous. I think my favorite parts were, of course, showing Joy Neaves and Cynthia Lord (two exceptionally lovely women) the CCBC as it is the best place on earth and who wouldn’t want to show it off? and when one of the faculty tried to convince everyone after a very long day that she really did speak English, but then destroyed any sense of sensibleness that could be attributed to her by offering a writing contract to whoever made the awesome brownies. I won’t say who because I wouldn’t want anyone’s office to get deluged in brownies (though there are worse things than deluges of brownies, if you somehow missed the previous blog see my tribute to chocolate here).
The rest of the faculty were equally wonderful even if they didn’t get to have the shared CCBC experience. Dianne Hess tells great stories and I especially loved the one where she almost had to buy into a co-op because she wanted to check out a historical children’s book editing site. Rebecca Sherman is extremely entertaining and fun and has the best celebrity sighting stories. Jean Gralley has the saddest life of them all as she can’t have cats because they would sit right on her computer and keep her from working but she seems to be doing just fine despite this. Jill Esbaum I spoke with the least as ships passing etc etc or something like that, but her lecture was VERY funny.
And it was fabulous seeing the A-list Wisconsin writing rockstars that I don’t get to see very often (and even the ones that I see all of the time).
All in all, a super fun time!! The SCBWI-WI organizers etc. are extremely fab and wonderful and should get crowns and scepters and things.
You can view There’s Something About Chocolate on my film page.
This was shot using a Kodak Easyshare V705 digital camera. Yes, that is a still camera! Our usual video camera, a Sony Mini DV, was having some issues so we thought we’d try out the video aspect of our still digital camera. You don’t get as much control as far as light sensitivity etc. goes but I think it came out pretty well. This was shot in one day, our Movie In a Day idea finally coming to fruitition, and edited over the course of the month. Barrett directed, edited and did the special effects and David created the fabulous sound track.
This movie was inspired by Madeleine’s Patisserie, the new patisserie in Madison .
We hope you like it!
So so good. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, the Lizzie Bright/Newbery Honor winning guy, is absolutely fabbity fab and has all sorts of satisfying bits that gave me that wow life is a great thing feeling despite the fact that the main character has so many things going against him. It’s set in Long Island in the late 1960’s and Holling, going into the seventh grade, is sure that his teacher Mrs. Baker hates him and is out to torture him on their Wednesday afternoons together. She does, but nothing works out quite the way you expect when you read it.
There was laughing, there was crying, there were cream puffs. I’d never had one before but the description was so enticing I had to give one a try. Who knew that cream puffs were SO good?
David, the Sound Guy, had some technical who-si-whatsits over the weekend that kept him from finishing the sound for the film. While I’m not quite sure what he’s talking about, I do have high hopes for the film getting finished today! It is only a small thing really to sacrifice one’s birthday for the greater good of film-making and I’m sure David will look back fondly and think, if only I worked my behind off to finish a film on my birthday every year. Here’s to David, sound guy, future Scooter Baron, and Sundance 608 film addict — Happy Birthday!
Great costumes from two of our favorite CCBC Librarians at the Harry Potter party in Madison at B&N East. There’s Madame Hooch, Professor McGonagall, Professor Umbridge and me (sadly costumeless).
