Justin Matott's Blog, page 6

My Books are now NATIONAL!

BOOKS ARE VERY MUCH A WORD OF MOUTH, RECOMMENDATION KIND OF THING... SO, I AM ASKING YOU TO HELP ME GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT MY BOOK!

If you are reading this blog, chances are you are familiar with my books, my speaking engagements or me or perhaps you happened on my blog by accident. However you got here, I want to say THANK YOU for reading this far.

I want to ask a favor of you. It won't cost you anything but a bit of time, but I think it will benefit some kiddoes in your town. I have made it my mission to bring quality books to the world, with messages, entertainment, humor and hopefully an increased love for the written word. I cannot continue to expand my readership without your help. There are many changes happening in the book world right now, ebooks, economic threats to the independents as well as we lost a major chain last year. Books are a little on the endangered species list and that is a scary prospect.




Books and stories are "word of mouth" kind of things. Recommendations go a long way. I am asking you to go to your local bookstore and ask them to bring my books in.

I started my blog hoping it would provide some entertainment and because it allows me to express things in less than book length portions.

I have had a great time as an author over the past. After years of building my book fan base on a mostly western state/regional basis, I am taking the next step with a national distributor. The number of my books in a five state region that have been sold rivals many of the largest publishers and it is time for a coast to coast push and beyond.

PLEASE ask your local bookstore, toy store or other outlet for kid's books to order my books in NOW! I would greatly appreciate it!

The AC Project is underway!

Be encouraged! The youth surrounding us are doing some pretty terrific things to change the world!

I spoke to Powell Middle Schoolers this morning about heroism, character and making a difference in the world. Several of them suggested I blog about my son's journey, because they were impressed with the idea of young men traveling the world to make a positive change, so here it is!

We talked about how you can make a positive change on the street corners of Denver (or any city, town or hamlet), by handing out sweaters, coats, gloves and food to the folks who are down on their luck. No reason to wait!

The morning at Powell Middle School was made possible by one student, LUCY, who is already a hero, a champion of others, a student of the NON MEism movement. A girl who puts her faith into action! A girl who already knows she wants to go to Africa to make a difference for orphaned children! I am very proud to know her and after meeting her parents realized the "apple didn't fall far from the tree". It was exciting to see how her desire to change the world infected the others to want to do something similar. WAY TO GO LUCY!

Ethan Matott, Doug and Ryan Wekenman left LAX this week and landed safely in Haiti where they will start this year long mission trip. There is a facebook page set up to follow them as well as their website: http://theac.org/ Matt Fons will join them in June when he is done at CU and then the four of them will continue on the trip.

Take some time to read about what four CU Boulder grads are doing to make this a better world. When they get back they will be showing their video journalism and setting up the foundation where other people can get involved and make a difference too.

Watch THE AC PROJECT in 90 SECONDS
http://vimeo.com/31881334

If you are on twitter, please follow their twitter feed for more information. https://twitter.com/?iid=am-114225476113257957525153798&nid=23 sender&uid=23076800&utm_content=profile#!/The_AC_Project


If you are on facebook, please LIKE their facebook page for more information.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/122104614558045/

A Librarian's Lament

I just got back from the library, where I am using old school tools (the best kind, real books made out of paper products) to research my upcoming Gargoyle book. I found one book I really liked, but sadly the last person to check it out must have been eating Cheetos while using it, because there were so many orange finger prints on the tops of the pages, that I got a bit grossed out and decided to buy it instead.


Anyway, it got me to thinking about a poster I made with John Woods Jr. and one of my favorite librarians in the whole world (Wendy Jo Woody) some years ago when we were promoting our first poetry book in elementary schools, There's A Fly On My Toast!, and I thought I would post the poster here for all to see.


Click on the image and it will get big enough to read well.
IF you like it, please feel free to use it, especially in a library!

Here is the text to the poem, since the image seems a bit small to read:

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"New York"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:77; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"New York"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-alt:"Times New Roman"; mso-font-charset:77; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof:yes;} h1 {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-link:"Heading 1 Char"; mso-style-next:Normal; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; page-break-after:avoid; mso-outline-level:1; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"New York","serif"; mso-font-kerning:0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal; mso-no-proof:yes;} span.Heading1Char {mso-style-name:"Heading 1 Char"; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-locked:yes; mso-style-link:"Heading 1"; mso-ansi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"New York","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:"New York"; mso-hansi-font-family:"New York"; font-weight:bold; mso-bidi-font-weight:normal; mso-no-proof:yes;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:10.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times; mso-ascii-font-family:Times; mso-fareast-font-family:Times; mso-hansi-font-family:Times;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection</style><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:180%;" >A LIBRARIAN'S LAMENT<br /><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" > </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:180%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >I spend so much time selecting books.</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >Those special one's that make kids look,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >"I LOVE TO READ! THESE BOOKS ARE GREAT!</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >PLEASE ORDER MORE.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I JUST CAN'T WAIT!"</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >And yet, sometimes, I become disturbed. </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >The way they treat books gets me perturbed.</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >When I look down in the book return, </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >what I see there can make me burn!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >This book has water damage, torn pages, too!</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >The spine is loose!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Oh, where's my glue?</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >And right there damaged is another </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >"That wasn't me, that was my brother!<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >He used it once to stop the door." </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >The whole book's bent, and here's one more…</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >"The dog chewed it, then the dog got sick.</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >Puked on this book. Oh, yuck! Oh, ick!"</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >"I was eating lunch, my sandwich fell<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >into the book, so hence the smell." </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >Salami in a book's just not good.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >They don't treat 'em the way they should.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >Look, someone's written in this book,<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >"I was taking notes and didn't look…</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >Oh, by the way, that book won't float,<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >I tried it out with my bathtub boat!"</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >How did this one happen? I must ask twice.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >The pages are warped, no longer nice.</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >"I was balancing it upon my head,<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >to see if I was poised, but instead,</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif";font-family:";" >the book fell off and landed hard,<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >into my muddy, snowy yard."</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" ></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" > </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >SO PLEASE, DEAR STUDENT, HEED MY ADVICE,</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >CHECK THE BOOK OUT, BUT TREAT IT NICE.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >A BOOK IS TO BE READ, NOT EATEN BY DOGS.</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >A BOOK IS TO BE PONDERED, NOT SUBMERGED LIKE FROGS.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >A DAMAGED BOOK IS SAD INDEED, </span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >"TAKE CARE OF ME", I HEAR THEM PLEAD.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >IT'S NOT A BALL TO USE IN PLAY,</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >IT'S NOT A TABLE FOR FOOD TO LAY,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >IT'S NOT FOR BATHTUBS OR WATER AT ALL,</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >IT SHOULD NOT BE TORN, PLEASE HEAR MY CALL.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >TAKE CARE OF THIS PRECIOUS BOOK,</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >SO OTHER STUDENTS CAN HAVE A LOOK.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >HANDLE IT LIKE IT WAS YOUR OWN,</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:";" >PLEASE DON'T MAKE THE LIBRARIAN GROAN.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" ><br /></span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >I GUESS I'VE SAID WHAT I WANTED TO,</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in -0.5in 0.0001pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="New York","serif"font-family:";" >BE NICE TO THESE BOOKS, OR I'LL BE BLUE.</span></span></p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > </span></div><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Justin..." height="1" width="1"/>

Squirrels checking in...

LET'S ALL GET OUT AND SEE SOME OF THAT AWESOME WORLD OUT THERE! GREAT ADVENTURES AWAIT IN 2012!




It has been a looooong time since I blogged about squirrels, so I thought we'd check in with some of those we moved to greener pastures.
If you go back into the annals of my blog you will see that Tootsie (my beloved Italian greyhound) and I have been fighting a squirrel situation for many years. We finally got the best of them and they seemed to have moved on (for the most part).

We relocated them to greener pastures and had some funny trapping stories (no animal was hurt in the relocation process).



Then I find out they not only went on to a better place to live, but took up some awesome activities. This Christmas I got some postcards from them, thanking us for getting them out of their humdrum existences and onto exciting lives, all of them.
















Here are just a few shots of their new adventures since they left my back yard. I hope 2012 brings GREAT ADVENTURE to you and yours. I know I plan to go on some and will surely blog from some exotic locales as I "research" my next books.











Go to the right hand side of this blog and find the word cloud down aways.


Hit Squirrel and it will bring up all of the entries about the
'GREAT [image error] SQUIRREL ERADICATION PLAN'. Some have gone peacefully
and some have been "drama kings and queens". Guess which one this dude was????

Go Ask Mom is OUT AGAIN!

Go Ask Mom is redesigned, reillustrated and rewritten (some parts). I am very excited about the new look. IF you are familiar with The Gabriel Book of World Records, you know the awesome design and illustration David Schiedt puts into my work!

All over America, this scene is being played over and over as kids are asking Santa for GO ASK MOM under their tree. Now YOU can help Santa get it done!













I have a great special at my website right now and it is not too late to get the books in time for your holiday gift giving. www.justinmatott.com, you get buy 3 get one free AND a total of only $3 for shipping no matter how many books you order. A great deal AND I am happy to sign and or personalize all copies, just let me know what you want!

You can also order it at amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1889191205/ref=sr_1_1_np_1_main_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323824428&sr=1-1&condition=new

I WAS TOLD TIM TEBOW WAS SO EXCITED TO HEAR THE BOOK WAS OUT AGAIN THAT THIS WAS HIS REACTION!

Win a Kindle for you and three of your friends!

I was one of those people who once said, "I won't use one of those cold devices to turn pages!" Then I got an iPad and dipped my toes into the waters of electronic reading. The truth is I have several books on my iPad that I have read chapters from, but have yet to read an entire book that way, but magazines, blogs, websites that provide content while climbing the eternal stairs of the Stairmaster at the gym have replaced the books that would never quite fit in the magazine racks and magazines that spilled off the side when my climbing got too erratic. Non fiction works for me with my device, because I can read one chapter at a time and then move to another app. I have talked to buddies at the gym who have Kindles (which were originally designed JUST to read books) and they love them.

Let's move with the times! Books are being uploaded daily by the thousands and if you are like me you enjoy flipping pages in real books, BUT, there are times when the electronic glow of a good book makes sense. The gym, an airplane, waiting in line at the post office or dentist office. Plus it surfs the web and plays tunes... all in the size of a paperback book.

My own books are presently being prepared to upload to these devices, which will make them available in an instant to readers all over the world.

We are truly living in exciting times! Join the Facebook sweepstakes page and make three of your friends very happy and better readers!

https://www.facebook.com/Amazon?sk=app_172341942779663&sw_id=w-w-f-dec&fb_comment_id=fbc_10150396166152137_20055198_10150445165467137

Join in on the Girl Scout fun!

I was asked to participate in a Brownie Girl Scout's fun with "Flat Juliette". I blogged about our adventure with her. Check it out!

http://flat-juliette.blogspot.com/2011/11/flat-juliette-has-thanksgiving-in.html

luck?

Is there such a thing as luck?

What is the deal with "number deja vu"?

That's the recurring number, that you see everywhere you go.

I have talked to several other people who say they have lucky or favorite numbers. The number 42 has always come up, over and over over the years for me.

42 is my number.

Do you have a number? Why?

WIN SOME BOOKS!

If you are interested in winning some books for your child's classroom or school library, go to the facebook page link here, LIKE it and participate in the idea which incorporates both this blog and facebook...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Works-of-Justin-Matott/213624096290

You can't go home again...

I don't know who first said it, but you truly cannot go home again. You can return to the scene of the multiple crimes, but alas, the old place has changed. First of all, there are new people living in the old house, so the house doesn't look like it used to. The ditch running behind the old house seems to run slower than it used to and the water isn't nearly as deep as memory serves. The pond is sad, it hasn't seen a group of boys exploring its banks for awhile. The lake where the monster carp and the legends under the raft, that floated around it seems to have been choked out by the cat-tails and weeds that are growing where once lines were cast to pull in one of millions of sunfish, bluegills, carp and the occasional rainbow trout, which at this point I think we must have dreamed up. The picture of the gatekeepers that sit on both sides of the once "grand" entrance are now surrounded by industry. A storage unit company has built their units right up next to my once country neighborhoods entrance and on the other side, behind the grand entrance sign I used to hide behind with my buddies to watch the cars roar down what is one of the longest highways in the US now is far less grand and looks like it is something someone soon will decide is no longer necessary and be removed.

The neighborhood that once held so much wonder now lives, seemingly only in this author's imagination and memory. Populating the world in which Gabriel Peters and his family and friends live in is a once upon a place that must be kept alive by recording it. How many country neighborhoods have been lost to progress? How many childhood echoes lost because the child, now all grown up has never passed the stories on? Perhaps the memories of a neighborhood that once existed are only in this author's mind. Perhaps the houses even back then were just as small as they seem to me now. As I felt like all was lost and I had somehow just imagined it all, I pulled up the street, past my old home and as I was about to leave and maybe never return I saw something that made me smile. Coming down the old ditch were two boys and on each one of their shoulders were fishing poles. Ahhhhhhh....summertime memories began to flood into my head.

I went from feeling slightly depressed to feeling quite envious. I wanted to join those two boys at one of the fishing holes and while away another summer day with my toes in the water and a fat bluegill wriggling on my line. Instead, I got out of my car and walked down the railroad tracks and found myself skipping rocks across the rippling waters of good ol' Tunnel Number Three trying to reconstruct the events that had happened there .

I got ready to leave and I was feeling more than slightly depressed and wondering why I had expected more, I swear I could almost hear my character, Mr. Patchett, calling from his back yard to warn me of some legend in the old neighborhood, pushing me to return to the echos of the neighborhood that still live vibrantly in my mind.

As I stopped to get gas at the multi-pump gas station with the mini-mart that was in the place one of my favorite places to ride my sting ray had been back in the day, I looked across the highway at a neighborhood I no longer recognized or really could relate to in modern day and saw the brick SKYVIEW signs that held so many memories of my back in the day.

I wonder how the old Skyview entrance structures might look in my front yard on opposite sides of my driveway?