Kirby Larson's Blog, page 89

Catching Up

Mary and I have been tap-dancing from dawn till dusk this past week, visiting schools, bookstores and the WLMA/WALE conference. Update soon.

But while I was working my presenting skills to the bone, beloved daughter was in Portland for work and, during a break, stumbled onto this purse at the Kate Spade store.

It is now mine. How perfect is it for a writer? And it's big enough to hold my netbook, a bottle of water, passport, etc for travel.

I am one happy girl.

Ten in 2010

October is the 10th month -- perfect time to polish our Ten in 2010 skills! I remember how exciting Halloween was for me when I was a kid, so how about we choose that for our theme? If you need inspiration, read two great Halloween books: Boo, Bunny, by Kathryn Galbraith and And Then Comes Halloween, by Tom Brenner.

After Trick or Treating
No matter my costume, I was Midas counting out treats.

Wordy Wednesday

Because Mary's in town, what other word could I explore today than friend? Mary and I were friends long before we began writing together but when we did, it seemed like something we'd always been meant to do.

If you're stuck in your own writing rut, try your hand at collaborating with a writing buddy. You might not end up on the New York Times bestseller list, but I can guarantee that you will definitely learn and grow.

"It's not often someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer." ~ E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

Secret Garden

Mary and I will be at the Secret Garden Bookshop in Ballard tomorrow night at 7 pm, talking about Two Bobbies and about Nubs and about how we wrote two books together and managed to stay friends! (Just kidding about that last part). We'd love to see you there and the Seattle Animal Shelter would love it if you bought a book or two (think holiday shopping!) as 10% of the evening's sales are being generously donated by the bookstore to the Animal Shelter.

Hope to see you there!

Finally!

After months of planning, I am finally going to the airport to pick up my friend, Mary Nethery, for our full week of local school visits and presentations at the Washington Library Media Association/Washington Association of Library Employees joint conference.

Yay!!

On the Road again

Heading to Portland today for the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Trade Show where I will be part of the Friday night Authors' Feast, which includes wonderful writers like Carol Cassella, Eric Kimmel, Diane Hammond (did you read her book Hannah's Dream? You must!), Rick Yancey (loved his Alfred Kropp books; he'll be there for his new series) and. . .David Shannon! I couldn't believe it when the Scholastic publicist blithely mentioned she'd be escorting David and I to the event. I nearly fainted. David Shannon!

I'm also thrilled to see first time Seattle author and SCBWI buddy, Conrad Wesselhoeft, will be there, signing his book Adios, Nirvana. Yay, Conrad!

And, thanks to advice from my pal, Kathryn Galbraith, I will be listening to Alchemy and Meggy Swann on my way south -- she said it's a fantastic production of Karen Cushman's book (which I adored). I just hope I don't miss the Portland exit like I did the last time I listened to an audio book. . .

Fighting a bug

I don't know if it's a reaction to my flu shot but I am achy and have a sore throat today. So I've converted my bedroom into a temporary office (take a day off? never!).
Winston with his pal, Eeyore
Opposite the bed is a full length mirror which Winston generally doesn't see because the open door blocks his view. But the door is partway closed so he can see the mirror. . .and that other dog. First, he was excited, running off to get his Eeyore toy to entice the other dog to play. When that didn't work, a serious round of barking followed.

Then he got suspicious and, when Eeyore fell onto the floor, he stared at it for a long time, half afraid to jump down and pick it up. I could just see his little brain worrying about what that other dog might do. I've tried to explain that he is the other dog, but as smart as Winston is, this is a concept that is eluding him (he is only a year and a half after all!)

His antics made me laugh -- silly little guy -- until I realized I'm a lot like that in my writing. Sometimes there's something out there that scares me and keeps me from going after what I want or need. And I can't even own up to the fact that I am that something.

So here's to facing down that dog in the mirror and going after whatever you need -- whether it's a stuffed toy or the freedom to take a risk in your writing.

Wordy Wednesday

None of my words would ever have appeared in print without my amazing critique groups. Yes, I have two. Today I want to tell you about the Critical Mass: we've been meeting for over a dozen years and though our membership has shifted a bit, the current group has held steady for several years. We recently snuck away to Shangri-Lar where we did some work but mostly ate, laughed and made s'mores.
Bonny Becker, me with a bored Winston, Dave Patneaude, Kathryn Galbraith, Sylvie Hossack
 I'm so honored to call these wonderful writers my friends. And I wanted to brag on them a bit:

Of course, Bonny Becker ends up winning some prize or another about every other day but I was especially excited that her The Magical Ms. Plum won the Scandiuzzi Award Children's Book Award, which is a category of the Washington State Book Award. Ms. Plum is like a contemporary Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and everyone should read it.


Kathryn Galbraith's newest -- and lovely -- picture book, Arbor Day Square, won a Parent's Choice Award, in history. Inspired by the first Arbor Day, this warm story celebrates relationships and community.


Dave Patneaude's latest novel, Epitaph Road, a thought-provoking dystopic, made the YALSA Best Fiction for YA list.

So you can see I am very lucky to have this fine crew to help shepherd my stories from rough drafts to finished manuscripts.

(and I'm also lucky that Judy Patneaude loves to take photos; she took all of them on this page, except Bonny's bio photo)

Ask Winston

My job is taxing. . .but I live to serve!
I was sniffing around the office and noticed that the Two-Legged Writer has opened a new file, which means a new book. I should have guessed what she was up to -- she's been late with my supper several days in a row! And there's a lot of mumbling and hair pulling going on, too. I do my best to help -- chewing on the end of her pen when she's writing, or keeping her lap warm while she's typing. But even a Wonder Dog can only do so much.

She keeps a small leather bound notebook on her desk and, while I was waiting ever so patiently for her to take me on my afternoon constitutional, I sniffed around in it. Turns out, she keeps inspirational quotes in there, from other writers. She seems to be referring to it a lot these days. So I thought, instead of answering a question today, I'd share some of those wise words in case any of you other two-legged writers need a little bark of encouragement.

"Writing is show business." Louise Boggess"Metaphors are exactly held errors." John Ciardi"The past is not a package we can lay on the shelf." Emily Dickinson"Doubt is the author's dragon." Paul Fleischman"The moment of inspiration is not a gift. It must be worked for. If the artist only works when he feelts like it, he's not apt to build up much of a body of work." Madeleine L'Engle"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." Elmore Leonard"For as I look back on what I have written, I can see that the very person who have taken away my time and space are those who have given me something to say." Katherine Paterson"Truth that is boring is not truth." Isaac Bashevis Singer
The Two Legged Writer says this one is her favorite:
"Only God gets it right the first time." Stephen King

Now, get back to work or no Milk Bones for you!

Happy Birthday!

If you see Karen Cushman today, wish her happy birthday!