Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 90

The County

I've loved my time in Aroostook County.  On Thursday, I drove all the way to the very top of Maine.  I wanted to see the towns I've heard about but never visited: Madawaska, Fort Kent, Eagle Lake, etc.  It was a fun drive through woods and small towns, past fields and potato farms. 



I saw lots of deer, but only only this moose!



Creepy scarecrow children.



Big sky.



County towns.



Red barns and white houses.



And then suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere would appear an enormous, glorious Catholic Church.

    

I waved to the Canadians across the river.  And most of the signs were in both French and English.



In Madawaska, I stopped to fill the car with gas. You know you're in a border town when you have to tell the pump if you're paying with American or Canadian money.



You see French Canadian influences everywhere: in the names and the style of things.  And the shopkeepers switch easily between the languages.



This river divides Maine and New Brunswick, Canada.



Eagle Lake. 



The next day was the Young Authors conference. The kids had all written a story or poem that had been chosen to be published in Potatoes and Pussywillows, the book published by Aroostook Right To Read.  It was very inspiring to spend the day with so many young writers and their teachers and families.  I was so proud of the kids--and the schools braved an impending snowstorm to bring them.  It was a wonderful day, and the snow held off until we were done. 

   Congratulations, kids! 

It's a Couple of Book Babies!

 Congratulations! It's a bouncing book-baby!

Name: Seven Wonders of the World: Discover Amazing Monuments to Civilization with 20 Projects

Date of Birth: April 1, 2011

Weight: 128 pages

Proud Parent: Carmella Van Vleet

Godparents: Nomad Press


 Congratulations! It's a bouncing book-baby!

Name: Sarah Emma Edmonds Was a Great Pretender: The True Story of a Civil War Spy

Date of Birth: April 1, 2011

Weight: 32 pages

Proud Parent: Carrie Jones ( carriejones )

Godparents: Carolrhoda Books

Mount Katahdin

Mount Katahdin, Maine

I'm in Northern Maine this morning, ready to spend my morning with young writers from all over Aroostook County. 

I haven't been in this part of Maine for many years.  Unfortunately, we've got a big snowstorm on the way this afternoon. So I drove up early yesterday to explore, making the loop all the way to the Canadian border--from Presque Isle to Madawaska to Fort Kent to Eagle Lake and back down to Presque Isle.  It was a beautiful drive with some surprises along the route.



Tomorrow, I'll show you photos from this area. But now, I've got to get ready to meet the kids!

North to "The County"

Aroostook County Snowmobilers. Photo from Maine Tourism Association

Today I'm pointing the car north and driving many hours to the top of Maine.  Every year "Aroostook Right To Read" sponsors a young authors day. Students in Grades 4-8 in the schools of Aroostook County are encouraged to submit their writing, and a group of kids are chosen to attend the day with an author, go to workshops, etc.  This year, I'm the author!

Tomorrow is also Rules' five year anniversary. It's hard to believe that book came out so long ago, but its publication date was April Fool's Day 2006.  I can't think of any better way to celebrate that special day than to spend it with a group of kid writers from Maine.

From my Mail

How fun!  These letters from Ms. Wight's Class in Poland, Maine were written on lobster buoys!  I taped them all over my refrigerator to enjoy them!

I haven't caught any blue lobsters, but I did catch one of these . . . .


The rare, white, furry lobster.

Touch Blue Jeopardy!

artwork from the kids on Vinalhaven Island, Maine

TOUCH BLUE Jeopardy Template

Wow!  So wicked cool.  I am always very impressed with the creative ways teachers and kids use books I've written. 

And the hilarious thing is that I got one wrong!!!  :-) 


Vinalhaven Island, Maine.

I came home from Rhode Island to the news Touch Blue had made both the Rhode Island Children's Book Award list and the Rhode Island Teen Book Award list. 

Thank you to the Ocean State!

Thank you Stevens Brook School!

  I had a fun day with the K-5 graders at Stevens Brook School in Bridgton, Maine today.  I didn't manage to take any photos--other than the cupcakes we had at lunch!  How cute are these?!  The media specialist, Martha Jackson, made them.  The kids who joined me for lunch LOVED them (I loved them, too!).

One of my favorite moments was when a child said to me, "YOU wrote Hot Rod Hamster? It's one of my favorites!" 

Thanks for a great day, everyone!

Whispering Pines, West Greenwich, Rhode Island

I'm spending the weekend at a writing conference called Whispering Pines in Rhode Island.  It's a wonderful conference and this my second time being the author keynote speaker.  I have the most beautiful room and it overlooks the pond.  I've had such a fun time sitting at the table in front of the window and watching nine ducklings swimming and diving.  I couldn't get any good photos of them, but if you look closely in the water above, you call see them. 

The faculty for this conference stays in one of the oldest buildings, and the author gets to stay in the "honeymoon suite." 



 It felt a little funny to be there all by myself!  But Ike and Mamie Eisenhower stayed there once, too. So they kept me company! 



I critiqued manuscripts and gave a workshop talk on revision.  Then every evening we all gathered together in the big room with the huge lit fireplace, and Mary Lee Donovan from Candlewick, Cheryl Klein from Scholastic, agent Ammi-Joan Paquette, and I were read first pages to discuss and critique. 




Mary Lee, Cheryl, Ammi-Joan and me

It's been a fun weekend and what a lovely group of people!  It's done my winter-weary heart good to be here, too.  There's no snow,  no ice in the pond, and I saw my first two robins yesterday.  It'll be easier to go back to Maine, carrying some Whispering Pines springtime with me. 

Five Things on a Friday

Whispering Pines in Rhode Island. Last year I had a room with a secret drawer and a ghost!

1.  I'm off to Rhode Island in a few hours as the author keynote speaker at Whispering Pines, a retreat for authors and illustrators.  This is my second year in a row keynoting this conference.  Editor Cheryl Klein speaks right after me.  *gulp*

2. Lynda Hunt, who organizes Whispering Pines, asked me to speak on the topic of revision.  I agreed to that request, but when I was putting the talk together, I realized what an enormous topic that is.  I always like practical talks from keynote speakers, so I decided not to focus on the whys of revision, but on the hows. 

What happens when that multi-page editorial letter arrives and it's full of concerns and suggestions and thoughts?  How do you then take your manuscript and incorporate those? 

So I organized my talk from wide to narrow:  "Considering Your Idea and Focus," "Techniques for Whole Book Revision," "Expanding and Deepening," "Tightening and Cutting," "Show vs Tell" and "Tips and Tricks."  I pulled lines out of my editorial letters from Touch Blue, and I'm going to show tips and techniques and tricks that I used to deal with those suggestions and concerns. 

Did I mention Cheryl Klein speaks right after me?  Oh, okay, just checking.

3.  I love Steven Tyler on American Idol.  He is smart and just goofy enough to be delightful.

4.  Hot Rod Hamster has made three state kids' choice lists for next year:  South Carolina, Colorado, and Ohio.  Touch Blue has made two so far: Pennsylvania and Vermont.  I'm so pleased! 

5.  Thank you so much for the birthday wishes for my daughter!  She loved them and so did I!     

Worldless Wednesday

Making Maple Syrup, Gorham, Maine. Photo by my husband, John.