Kirby Larson's Blog, page 62

Winston's Halloween Costume

Not the best photo but you get the idea: Winston being eaten by a shark.

Nine in Nine

No, I'm not Herman Cain. But if you've been following this blog, you know I'm finagling to get 100 followers. My original plan was going to award an autographed book to follower #100, but one reader recently pointed out that maybe folks were holding back so they'd be number 100. Tricky.
So, I'm changing things up a bit. I'm shooting for 9 new followers in 9 days. Every follower who is signed up by midnight PDT on October 31, gets their name thrown in a (virtual) hat, and if your name is selected, you get the signed book. 
But, wait! There's more! On November 1, I'll write a check to Page Ahead. One dollar in honor of each follower*.
Ready, set, go!

(*my budget won't let me write a check for more than $200)

Ahem

I'm up to 89 followers on this blog! Remember that follower number 100 gets an autographed book of his/her choice. But I decided I should up the ante -- how about if I donate $100 to Page Ahead when I hit 100 followers? What do you think?

Having a wonderful time! Wish you were here so you could ...

Having a wonderful time! Wish you were here so you could see these great kids and teachers and librarians. I will never forget Gabriel who, on hearing that I had received many, many rejection letters in my early career became quite indignant and said he thought all of those editors should apologize to me and be quick about it! I appreciated his support but confessed to him that those early stories deserved the rejections. Then there was Daniel today who noticed me cleaning my reading classes on my sweater hem and presented me with a microfiber lens cleaner, pocket sized!

Yesterday, I visited Dow's Prairie school in McKinleyville where my awesome time with kids and staff was capped off with a salad potluck and homemade apple pie! Librarian Julie Benedict knocked herself out making sure the kids knew about my books and the teachers got on board with writing and art projects. Lucky kids to be so cared for at that great school! Here are some of the 1st graders Violet the contemptible cow drawings -- after she tangled with the wolf!








Here is the display that greeted me in the library:


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Friendship haikus in honor of The Friendship Doll:



And my favorite-- a masking tape rectangle to show the kids how big Hattie's claim shack would've been!



Today, it was a morning only visit at North Coast Charter school (forgot to take photos) where the little ones knew the Two Bobbies by heart and even though it was pajama day were rapt listeners when I read them the book. The older kids (no pjs) kept me on my toes with their good questions, including one young man who asked if I liked Tolkein or the Hardy Boys better. How does one answer that?!

Home at the hotel to rest a bit before the banquet tonight -- which each of the 25 authors/illustrators dread because we each have to speak for 3-5 minutes. Yikes! Tomorrow's the big book sale and then I wing home, and will be in my own bed by midnight, if all goes well.

Love this festival!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fan Letter Friday

[image error] This is the back page of one letter. I'm not sure there are enough exclamation marks.

Full Days, Full Heart

This afternoon I got to share time with a special book club at the Beacon Hill library. It's connected with Nikkei Concerns and is composed, primarily, of older Japanese Americans. For this month's book, they read The Fences Between Us, and invited me to join them. I loved it, but found myself on the verge of tears during the meeting. Who could have kept a dry eye as Bob talked about being an orphan in San Francisco and being sent to the Children's Village in Manzanar? His was one of the stories included in Twice Orphaned: Voices from the Children's Village of Manzanar, (by Catherine Irwin) a book that's been added to my reading list. One member told me she'd been weeping all morning because of the phrase, "Don't take any wooden nickels," which she informed me appeared three times in the book and were the last words her father said to her. Then there was Rose who took me to task for only telling about the sad parts of camp. She assured us there had been lots of fun for her, at age 18, when she went to Minidoka, including sneaking away to nearby Eden, Idaho. I so wish I'd known Rose before I'd written the book. Most everyone who came had some connection to Reverend Emery Andrews, the model for Piper's father, Reverend Davis, in the book. One woman cherished the memory of celebrating her 7th birthday in Camp Harmony because Reverend Andrews had brought her some orange soda for her special day. And just read this note the librarian handed me, written by a member who couldn't attend.

I think you can imagine why my heart was so full as I drove home afterward!

And tomorrow I head out for Eureka, California, for the Humboldt County Author Festival. This amazing committee of community folks brings about 25 book creators to Humboldt County every two years. On Thursday and Friday, 60 area schools will be learning the ins and outs of writing and illustrating children's books, and on Saturday there's a huge book sale and signing at the gorgeous library downtown. This festival started in 1975 and has been going strong ever since. Its longevity is a powerful testament to the Humboldt community.


Heartfelt thanks to the Festival Committee:


Linda Lorvig, ChairpersonHanne Heilmann, SecretaryByrd Locthtie, TreasurerJoAnn Bauer, Author SelectionLucy Quinby, School LiaisonMarsha Mielke, Book Sales and WebmistressCan't wait!

You Beetle Legged Gollywhopper, you!

One of my favorite things about Karen Cushman's most recent book, Alchemy and Meggy Swann, is the lively language, especially the delicious and hysterical insults Meggy flings right and left. While Karen created most of that colorful lingo herself, she did let me in on a little secret: there is such a thing as a Shakespearean Insult Generator.
Fie on ye, ye currish, fat-kidneyed moldwarp if you don't give it a go!

Look at this!

This bottle of wine just arrived via Fed-Ex. 
I only had my cell phone camera handy so pardon the photography, but take a look at that label: Willie Mae's Blackberry Wine. 
Willie Mae is a character in The Friendship Doll, so that in itself was a fun connection. But the extra sweet part of this delightful gift is that it came from librarian friend, Alecia, in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Alecia Marcum, that is. Yep, that's where my character Willie Mae got her last name.
And now you know the rest of the story.

Hattie Big Sky in Japanese

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As my editor pointed out, it's so lovely that Hattie Big Sky is now available in the language of Miss Kanagawa's home country (Miss K is a character in The Friendship Doll). And, as is so typical of the Japanese, the edition created is absolutely beautiful to look at. It's interesting that the telescopic view of Hattie at work is on the front cover, while the close-up is on the back.  back cover
I wish you could feel the texture of the end papers. And look at this stunning illustration on the title page. The wolf that got Violet's tail
Arigato gozaimasu to the publishers, Suzuki-Syuppan, and translator, Nanae Sugita.

Fan Letter Friday

What a better way to celebrate Fridays than to share some of my favorite fan mail. This is one I re-read whenever I need a boost!
This was for Two Bobbies, obviously