Kirby Larson's Blog, page 92

Ta-Dah!

Though I haven't seen it in bookstores yet myself, rumor has it that The Fences Between Us is officially out! Yay!
I'm pretty proud of this book, inspired by the actions of Pastor Emery Andrews who chose to move his family to Twin Falls, Idaho so he could continue to minister to his congregants of Japanese descent sent to the Minidoka War Relocation Camp.


You know writers never stop editing. The one thing I wish I could change has nothing to do with the book -- it has to do with the video...

Touch Blue

Cynthia Lord is just about the loveliest person in the entire children's book world and she has a brand new book that you'll want to know about.

Touch Blue is set on an island in Maine, not unlike one where Cynthia herself taught at one point in her career. Each chapter begins with a saying as unique and wonderful as a bit of seaglass.  The story revolves around Tess and her family who have opened their hearts and homes to a foster child named Aaron. Because Tess is so eager to share her islan...

Where do you work?

Tasha Wing recently alerted me to this fun post on Laura Resau's blog about her unique writing space -- a vintage travel trailer! I know that Cindy Lord and Sarah Miller both have darling little cottages in their back yard to which they retreat to write. And Susan Patron built a cabin in the desert (not unlike the setting for her fabulous Lucky books) where she puts pen to paper.
I recently cleaned out/rearranged my office at home and, though I have yet to find the perfect reading chair, am p...

Wordy Wednesday

This is kind of a cheat. . .but today's word is website.

My new site is live!! Woo-hoo!

Huge thanks go out to Aaron Hedquist who designed the clean and classy site and to Anastasia and Jay at Juxtaprose who waved their respective magic cyberwands to get it launched.

Ask Winston

I am your faithful servant. What is it you want to know?


Today's question actually came from several different writers. The bone they were all chewing on was this: how does one manage one's time? I mean, the writing, the social networking, the digging, the promoting, the napping, the chewing. . .okay. Maybe you two-legged types aren't into the digging and napping and chewing so much. But I certainly hear the Writer in Residence kvetching about making time for work, business and networking. I...

We did it!

I couldn't eat breakfast this morning, I was so nervous about our Reading with Rover test today. Winston had no worries at all and downed his breakfast enthusiastically. Then, after a last brushing and double-check to see I had all the proper paperwork, we headed off for the test.

We arrived 30 minutes early. (I didn't want to be late!) Winston happily sniffed the horse corral and blackberry brambles while I reminded myself to breathe. Suddenly, our names were called and in we went.

And we pass...

Fifth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

I always feel a tug this time of year remembering the Gulf Coast. It was stunning, really, when I arrived in Pearlington, Mississippi four months after the hurricane and . . .didn't hear anything. No bugs. No birds. They'd all been blown away.

I met resilient people that trip like Lula and again when I went Houma, Louisiana a year later and helped Chris and Shellen build an apartment on top of their barn -- the only structure left standing on their property.

Those experiences and serendipity le...

Wordy Wednesday

Ready for 4th grade with my Toni home perm and cats' eye glasses

There is always an August day that brings rain. And after that, the air smells of warmed blackberries and sharpened pencils. The light is different, too --sharper and more focused, warming the early turning leaves to apricoty golds.

Fall has arrived.

I had commented over on my Facebook page that fall makes me want to buy a new lunchbox. It was great fun to see what fall and back to school memories others shared, including pleated w...

Ask Winston

Winston B. Larson, at your service

There is a lot of barking and yapping these days about the future of the book. I know the Two-Legged Writer has been spotted tearing her hair out trying to figure out what ebooks and iPads and social networking all mean. I thought she needed a nice chewy toy so I shared one with her. It was only a little soggy. That didn't seem to lift her out of her funk, so I contacted three of her mentors to ask them to share their thoughts about having been part of the...

Up a Creek. . .

can you see how far it's aground?

I saw this boat on my walk along the spit yesterday.

Ever felt stuck like this?

Enough said.