Timothy Power's Blog, page 45
November 15, 2010
October 31, 2010
Happy Halloween!
SPOOKS
by Sandra Liatsos
There's a goblin at my window,
A monster by my door.
The pumpkin at my table
Keeps on smiling more and more.
There's a ghost who haunts my bedroom,
A witch whose face is green.
They used to be my family,
Till they dressed for Halloween.
October 26, 2010
Happy birthday, THE BOY WHO HOWLED!
It's the birthday of my middle grade book!
(Its first birthday, as a matter of fact, so technically there should be only one candle on that cake. Hopefully, when it reaches that many candles, it will still be in print!)
Something near and dear to me is now making its way in the world, and I'm reflecting on the many wonderful influences that got it there.
When I was a middle grade kid, I spent countless happy hours in my parents' bedroom closet, hiding from the daily drama, sprawled on my stomach, reading middle grade books. I visited Oz more times than I can remember, and Narnia, and Middle Earth. I made friends with Martha, Jane, Mark, and Katharine in Half Magic, and Eliza, Jack, Roger, and Ann in The Time Garden. I foiled a Hanoverian plot with Dido Twite and Simon the painter. I learned that a tesseract was a fold in space used by time travelers.
What made me happy yesterday was reading Danny the Champion of the World. I enjoyed it as much as I would have when I was ten years old. Am I eternally juvenile? Maybe so, but there's a better explanation: I'm just as much of a person as I was then, and middle grade books are about people.
Not children.
Not adults.
Just people.
Sometimes when I tell people about The Boy Who Howled, I get the feeling they think it's a lesser accomplishment to have written a children's book than an adult thriller or even a young adult romance. These people have forgotten that they've always been people, even when they were little. So it's time I made a blanket statement. Every great writer, without exception, was turned on to reading and writing by a book he or she loved as a middle grade kid. That would include all the authors on the New York Times bestseller lists.
Which makes middle grade the most important genre. (With every blanket statement comes a blanket conclusion!)
This is my birthday wish, before I blow out the candle. I want everyone who's starting a family to remember this:
Read to your kids. Take them to the library. Let them pick out their own books. And be glad that they're people, like you!
And now … birthday cake for everyone!
October 23, 2010
Fruit fright
George from Portland, OR writes:
Dear T,
You might remember my Halloween story last year, The Evil Lightbulb, because it probably scared you to pieces. Well, this year I have written a story about a homicidal organic blood orange. It sits innocently in the bin at the Farmer's Market until someone foolishly buys it. When they take it home and cut it into slices, it gushes blood and doesn't stop until everyone drowns in it. Here's the cover I made for it.
P.S. I'm charging ten dollars for my story this year, as you can see by the cover.
T replies:
Hey, George. Happy Halloween, a week early. You really got me with this scary orange. I always thought fruits were nice and vegetables weren't. Where did I get that idea?
Dear T,
You might remember my Halloween story last year, The Evil Lightbulb, because it probably scared you to pieces. Well, this year I have written a story about a homicidal organic blood orange. It sits innocently in the bin at the Farmer's Market until someone foolishly buys it. When they take it home and cut it into slices, it gushes blood and doesn't stop until everyone drowns in it. Here's the cover I made for it.
Scary cover drawn by George.
P.S. I'm charging ten dollars for my story this year, as you can see by the cover.
T replies:
Hey, George. Happy Halloween, a week early. You really got me with this scary orange. I always thought fruits were nice and vegetables weren't. Where did I get that idea?
October 20, 2010
Drawing greatness
What makes us start drawing?
What makes us STOP drawing?
Cartoonist Lynda Barry wants everyone to pick up a pencil, pen, or brush and get at it again. Her new book is called Picture This (with guest water colorist Kevin Kawula), and it's bursting with art lessons (some of them taught by a near-sighted monkey) that are SO fun and SO profoundly creative that no one who reads it will ever say "I can't draw" again.
This is Lynda Barry.
And this is Lynda Barry
This is her new book
where you'll find a near-sighted monkey
And excerpts from the amazing Hullaballu, the Book Too Messed Up to Exist.
This book features drawings of cigarettes being smoked, but the author is CLEAR that they are "DON'T" brand, the IMAGINARY CIGARETTES.
Here's one of Lynda's drawing tips that I will always keep in mind: A line is a pull toy that pulls YOU!
And here I am with the celebrated author. She is as inspiring in person as on the page!
What makes us STOP drawing?
Cartoonist Lynda Barry wants everyone to pick up a pencil, pen, or brush and get at it again. Her new book is called Picture This (with guest water colorist Kevin Kawula), and it's bursting with art lessons (some of them taught by a near-sighted monkey) that are SO fun and SO profoundly creative that no one who reads it will ever say "I can't draw" again.
This is Lynda Barry.
And this is Lynda Barry
Photo found at www.examiner.com
This is her new book
Picture This by Lynda Barry, published by Drawn and Quarterly. Photo found on drawnandquarterly.com
where you'll find a near-sighted monkey
Near-sighted monkey drawing by Lynda Barry. Found on wisconsinhistory.com
And excerpts from the amazing Hullaballu, the Book Too Messed Up to Exist.
This book features drawings of cigarettes being smoked, but the author is CLEAR that they are "DON'T" brand, the IMAGINARY CIGARETTES.
Here's one of Lynda's drawing tips that I will always keep in mind: A line is a pull toy that pulls YOU!
And here I am with the celebrated author. She is as inspiring in person as on the page!
The books behind us belong to Skylight Books in Los Angeles, California
October 5, 2010
First impressions really matter
Here I am, Timothy Power, the author of The Boy Who Howled, reciting my faves from the "100 best first lines of novels" list on americanbookreview.org..
One of these first lines is from a middle grade book! Can you tell which one it is?*
One of these first lines is from a middle grade book! Can you tell which one it is?*
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wp-NZpRGpY
*number 47! It's from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis.
September 21, 2010
Reading robots!
Who says robots don't read?
These two have decided to read a book together. Which book? MY BOOK!
These two have decided to read a book together. Which book? MY BOOK!
September 5, 2010
Cool pools
As Summer 2010 winds to a close, I have decided to pay tribute to one of my most favorite things in the world: swimming pools. There is no greater joy for me than paddling around on a hot sunny day in a crystal-blue-water oasis.You don't need a big backyard to enjoy a refreshing dip. Here is a makeshift pool some enterprising New Yorkers put together using a Dumpster and some plastic wrap.
On the larger side is...
Skip the trash, just bring a towel. Photo by Yana Paskova for the New York Times.
On the larger side is...
August 15, 2010
Water balloon platoon
One of the absolute joys of summer is filling a flexible rubber bag with water, tying the end, and throwing it at someone or something.
If you have never witnessed the glory of a water balloon battle, feast your eyes on this!
If you have never witnessed the glory of a water balloon battle, feast your eyes on this!
August 3, 2010
King Kong lives again!
Perhaps you have heard the thrilling and tragic tale of King Kong, the gigantic ape that was discovered on mysterious Skull Island and dragged to New York to thrill the masses as the "Eighth Wonder of the World."Kong made a special connection with a young woman named Ann Darrow, and, after a romantic rampage through the island of Manhattan, he took her on a sightseeing trip atop the Empire State Building, where he sadly met his doom.There have been several cinematic versions of Kong's teary...
