Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 36

Starting New Things

View from Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

I started a chapter book yesterday, something for kids between early readers and the middle-graders for whom I usually write. It's fun to try something different. And though middle-grade novels are first in my heart, they take a lot out of me in an emotional sense. John asked me once why I took on such hard things in my novels. I thought about it and said the truth, "Because it's what I care about."

But those novels aren't the only person I am. When I do a library conference keynote, sometimes I'll say, "And how do you follow up a sensitive Newbery Honor novel about a girl who has a brother with autism? Well, I followed it up with a hamster in a car!" 

I don't know if I can sell this, but for the first time in a long time, I'm only doing this because I want to. And that makes it fun in a way that I haven't felt in awhile. 

So while my editor is doing her work on my novel and our next Hamster book is wrapping up, I'm just going to let myself write and try new things.

Because one thing I've learned about writing is that nothing is wasted. I learn something from it. Or it leads to something else. There's always a reason I'm drawn to something and that makes it worth doing, even if the reason why isn't crystal clear at the beginning. 

Five Things on a Friday

Fryeburg, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

1.  It's 7 degrees this morning. Brrr!

2.  I bought Cookie, our guinea pig, a fleece "Acorn House."  It's too big to keep in his cage all the time, so I only put it in at night. Now it signals bedtime to him, which is sweet to see.

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3.  My daughter is moving into her first apartment tomorrow. She and I picked up the keys on New Year's Day, and it's a cute little place. I think she'll love it there.

4.  The Scholastic Book Clubs has Rules in their TAB flyers in January for $1 a copy. Can't beat that deal! I asked my husband to send a link to their ordering page to all my spring school visits, in case they want to take advantage of that.

5.  I have a couple days of answering kids' mail left, but I'm getting there!  Yesterday, when I went to the post office, I was charmed by this envelope in my mail box. 

  Sometimes the mail makes me smile before I even open it.

Being a Beginner

The grace to be a beginner is always the best prayer for an artist. The beginner’s humility and openness lead to exploration. Exploration leads to accomplishment. All of it begins at the beginning, with the first small and scary step. --Julia Cameron


Pemaquid, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

I'm starting something new today and that always takes humility and a willingness to be a beginner and more than a little bravery. But I'm really excited, too! 

Wordless Wednesday: The last sunset of 2012

Cribstone Bridge, Bailey Island, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

The Flume, Franconia, NH

I loved this video from the New Hampshire Park Service of The Flume in wintertime. I've been here in the summer many times (including on my fourth grade field trip. . . Remember that, Mom?), but it's another world in the winter. It was fun to see its winter face

From My Mail

This afternoon I dug into the pile of mail I have to answer from kids. Here are some lines from the batch I answered that made me smile or touched me.

Your book really inspired me to think about how having friends with different backgrounds and life situations is actually a gift. --Sofia

I would like to know if Catherine and Jason date? --Josephine

I liked Rules because it's about a boy named David who has autism like me. --Kora

Your book, Rules, ever so slowly wound its way into my soul. --Hannah

I often hear people saying things such as, ‘that’s retarded’ or ‘you’re retarded.’ I don’t think people saying this really know how much it hurts those people who have a mental disability or their family members to hear it. --Bridget

We heard you are living in Maine, and we bet it's gorgeous. --Eylaf and Morgan

A cool and exciting thing about me is that I just got an iPhone 45 for my thirteenth birthday. --Katie

Have you won any trophies like the hamster in the story? --Justin

I liked your book Touch Blue so much that I read it 39 times. --Maci

I liked that Libby played Monopoly in Touch Blue. She plays a dog every time, and so do I! --Jessica

Live your life, live your life, live your life

Snow angel on Popham Beach, Phippsburg, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

As the year winds down, I found myself really moved by this video interview done with Maurice Sendak before his death. 

**SNOW!**

Maine Coast Bookshop has a webcam of Main Street, Damariscotta, Maine that I have bookmarked on my computer.  When I'm traveling and I start feeling homesick, I check the webcam to see what the weather is like back in Maine and to see something familiar. It centers me in a nice way.

Here's what it looked like this morning when the storm first started with the snowplows out in force clearing sidewalks and streets. On the coast, we're expecting 4-8 inches, but far inland Maine is likely to get between a foot and a foot and a half.



And here's the link  http://www.mcbs.dirigosystems.com/

Wordless Wednesday

Spruce Head, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

Unexpected Owls

My daughter brings me so much joy. Today she brought that joy with owls. So far, I've found four that she made from a wrapping paper tube. She painted them silver and hid around the house in places I'd find them first thing in the morning.



One was in the medicine chest where I keep my hairbrush, another at the lightswitch to the hall,



one in the cupboard where I'd reach for my mug for coffee, and another on the windowsill next to where I work.



In all, we found eight owls yesterday.  And my daughter tells me there is one more waiting to be found.

There have been lots of good moments already this Christmastime, and yet, I think my favorite is the magic of finding unexpected owls.

**Merry Christmas, Everyone!**