Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 47

Thank you, Bess the Book Bus

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Thank you to Jennifer Frances of Bess the Book Bus for this wonderful photo. It brought a huge smile to my face. :-)

Final Changes

Lake Umbagog, Maine

My husband is reading my draft today to check on some technical things, but also, I always ask him to read my books with an eye on my boy characters' dialogue to be sure it feels authentic to him. 

I have a week of final changes and then the book goes back to my editor for another round of revisions. It's always bittersweet to let a novel go, but I have 31 days of school visits already scheduled for this coming year, so I'm ready and excited to turn my attention to those. 

Off to School

My daughter is off to graduate school. She's starting an MLS program at Simmons in Boston.



Milo and I are both trying not to whimper as she goes.

Following Atticus

Atticus

I really enjoyed the book, Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan. So when I saw Tom was speaking at Kennebooks in Kennebunk yesterday, Julia and I drove down to hear him and meet  his dog, Atticus.

We got there early enough to get a front row seat and at one point Atticus came and rested right at my feet. You *know* I couldn't reisist giving him a little rub behind the ears.

Here's the book trailer for Tom's book.

New Hampshire with Tami!

Yesterday evening I wanted to attend a program and the annual meeting for the Loon Preservation Committee over in New Hampshire as research for my new book.



My good friend, author Tami Wight, also has a new children's book coming that is set on a lake, so I asked Tami if she wanted to come with me. We had such a beautiful day!



We stopped a few places to take photos, including Mount Chocorua where we were greeted by a family of loons. It felt like a good omen.  :-)

Vampirina in Maine

My daughter was at Barnes and Noble in Augusta, Maine yesterday, and she snapped these photos for you, Anne Marie!

Coming to The End

I had my meeting with my critique partners last night. Even after all these years, I still feel nervous sharing a new novel with them. It has nothing to do with them, because they are 100% on my side, no matter what. I always feel that.  And I'm a strong person. I take advice and suggestions well. 

But no matter what, it's hard to lay your heart into your work and then share it with other people.

I didn't need to feel anxious, though. I came away with such good feelings and advice. 

"You made me cry,' Terry said. "Twice!" 

My daughter said it's saddest book I've written, and my critique partners talked about how it's a book about loss. When they said that, I felt a pang of regret, because I love humor in books and I wondered if I should I try to make it funnier. But I do have some sadness and loss wrapped up in this book and New Hampshire and this summer. I'm coming to the end of many things, and life is all of it: funny and sad and everything between. So I'm going to let that regret go and embrace that this book is the book it's meant to be. 

Loons play a large role in this book, and this week, I'm heading to New Hampshire to go to the annual meeting of the Loon Preservation Committee. My friend, Tami Wight, just sold a book to Islandport Press that is also set on a lake, and she and I are going together.  So it'll be interesting and informative. But with Tami's company, it'll also be great fun!

Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, so Julia and I took a walk up Morse Mountain. The trail goes past marshes and through the woods.





From the top, you can see Mt. Washington in New Hampshire and a beautiful view of the ocean.





Then you climb down the other side of the mountain and the trail  ends at the beach.



It was refreshing to take our shoes off and wade in the ocean before heading back.  It's about 2 miles one way, around 4 miles to the beach and back, but an easy grade. 

Today

I'm off to our local farmer's market and then Julia and I are planning to visit this exhibit at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. William Wegman has a summer place in Rangeley, Maine. I'm always fascinated to see where people work, and there are photos of his place in Rangeley on his blog.

From My Mail

Yesterday I went to work on answering my pile of summer mail from kids. Here are some lines that touched me or made me smile.

When are you going to write us another book? --Marissa

If you can write another book, make it a sequel to Touch Blue. --Lauren

Was being a teacher hard? --Jackie

If there's a movie of Rules, I don't want the movie to be not like the book so just pretend that the book is the script. --Bailee

I would have gotten Jason a guitar, too, and I think that was a nice thing. --Eliza

David doesn't judge others and loves being around his family. While he does not fully understand his condition or why people do not like him, he does not act the same way back. He treats people the way he wants to be treated. --Natalie

I have a sister, Cate, and she's a handful! --Lily



Have any other kids read your book, Rules? --Mariah

Do you have any friends who are authors? --Rose

You should never stare impolitely at people like Jason, because it hurts and it makes them feel sad and lonely. When I see people do that, it gets my goat!  --Rina

In front of the book it says John, Julia, and Gregory. Why does it say those names? --Brianna

Rules was funny, yet sincere! --Ashlee

I liked when Catherine talked about her guinea pigs. I have one named Spottie. --Nicole

 --Abbygail