Don Calame's Blog, page 7
April 21, 2011
Almost Famouser!
Yes, I know "famouser" isn't really a word, but so what? It's my blog and I can bastardize the English language on it if I so please.
I have been having the most AMAZING time visiting the schools here in the midwest and I promise to write all about it when I get back, including posting a ton of pictures.
But I wanted to post a couple of stories that appeared on the TV news and in the Kansas City Star (before they get taken down, if they ever take these things down, I don't know).
Here is the link to the Kansas City Star (I jacked a couple of copies of the paper from the hotel lobby for myself, but don't tell anyone).
Kansas City Star
And here's the story from the TV news:
I have been having the most AMAZING time visiting the schools here in the midwest and I promise to write all about it when I get back, including posting a ton of pictures.
But I wanted to post a couple of stories that appeared on the TV news and in the Kansas City Star (before they get taken down, if they ever take these things down, I don't know).
Here is the link to the Kansas City Star (I jacked a couple of copies of the paper from the hotel lobby for myself, but don't tell anyone).
Kansas City Star
And here's the story from the TV news:
April 9, 2011
Almost Famous
An awesome teacher in Platte City, Missouri - Kelly Miller - just sent me this news story about my upcoming visit to her school. It made me smile big time!
April 7, 2011
Oh So Random
When you have finished a first draft of your book what should you do to keep busy while you wait for your editor to get back to you (lest you be too worried about what said editor is going to think about the aforementioned first draft)?
Here's my top ten list or things to keep one's mind occupied… or, better yet, preoccupied (in no particular order):
- Wash, both yourself and your piles of back-laundry.
- Ponder where all your socks, pens, and nail clippers always disappear to.
- Dive back into your other interests: photography, hockey, reading, watching random YouTube videos, and pondering where all your socks, pens, and nail clippers have gone to.
- Jot down future book and/or screenplay ideas and then wonder where you jotted them down.
- Organize your office.
- Exercise (or at the very least, contemplate exercise)
- Give blood.
- Cook. A lot. Experiment with new recipes and then have your wife tell you that, while she admires your courage in trying new things, perhaps you might want to consider interspersing said experiments with the old tasty faithfuls.
- Google yourself, ignoring all the positive reviews and obsessing over all the negative ones.
- Read about Southwest Airlines' plane troubles and worry about the fact that you will be flying on Southwest Airlines in a couple of weeks.
Here's my top ten list or things to keep one's mind occupied… or, better yet, preoccupied (in no particular order):
- Wash, both yourself and your piles of back-laundry.
- Ponder where all your socks, pens, and nail clippers always disappear to.
- Dive back into your other interests: photography, hockey, reading, watching random YouTube videos, and pondering where all your socks, pens, and nail clippers have gone to.
- Jot down future book and/or screenplay ideas and then wonder where you jotted them down.
- Organize your office.
- Exercise (or at the very least, contemplate exercise)
- Give blood.
- Cook. A lot. Experiment with new recipes and then have your wife tell you that, while she admires your courage in trying new things, perhaps you might want to consider interspersing said experiments with the old tasty faithfuls.
- Google yourself, ignoring all the positive reviews and obsessing over all the negative ones.
- Read about Southwest Airlines' plane troubles and worry about the fact that you will be flying on Southwest Airlines in a couple of weeks.
March 31, 2011
Taking A Breath
So, I've handed in a first draft of the new book and now I'm taking a breath. Sort of. There is still much "To Do" listing to do.
As I was careening toward the finish line of my draft (feeling increasingly insecure about the whole thing as I typed my fingernails off), I kept adding to my "To Do Later" list. Every time something would come up - a plumber to call, a bill to pay, a load of wash to do, a dog to walk (poor Scooter and his crossed legs) - I would just scratch it down on my I'll-get-to-it-once-I'm-finished-with-the-book list. Actually, I no longer scratch anything down anymore. Now I just type things into my phone/computer/iPad on a handy To Do program. Which has made me much more organized but also much more stressed out as the little red number indicating how many things I still have "to do" reaches triple digits.
Anyway, suffice it to say that by the time I was ready to tackle "The List" it had grown to monstrous proportions. It made writing my book look like a walk in the park. Like a day at the beach. And like every other clich
As I was careening toward the finish line of my draft (feeling increasingly insecure about the whole thing as I typed my fingernails off), I kept adding to my "To Do Later" list. Every time something would come up - a plumber to call, a bill to pay, a load of wash to do, a dog to walk (poor Scooter and his crossed legs) - I would just scratch it down on my I'll-get-to-it-once-I'm-finished-with-the-book list. Actually, I no longer scratch anything down anymore. Now I just type things into my phone/computer/iPad on a handy To Do program. Which has made me much more organized but also much more stressed out as the little red number indicating how many things I still have "to do" reaches triple digits.
Anyway, suffice it to say that by the time I was ready to tackle "The List" it had grown to monstrous proportions. It made writing my book look like a walk in the park. Like a day at the beach. And like every other clich
March 10, 2011
Braving the Waves
The ferry ride over to the mainland yesterday was hurl-inducing as waves buffeted the ship this way and that. Rain pelting the windows. First officers announcing warnings of "lumpy water ahead." We were advised not to leave our seats before the ferry was docked as we risked being thrown off our feet. But I did not listen to this warning as I had to rush to the gift shop to get some sea-sickness pills.
It's funny, I never used to get seasick before. I used to go out fishing with my dad all the time and it was my sister who would wind up green and lying down below deck. But my wife gets motion-sick all the time and we are so connected to each other that I now have sympathy seasickness, even when she's not on the boat with me. My wife jokes that it's a lucky thing she had her kids before we met because I would not have done well in the delivery room.
The reason I was braving the winds and waves was because I'd been invited over to visit the students at New Westminster Secondary School. The visit was arranged by their amazing teacher-librarian Sarah Wethered in celebration of the New Westminster librarians nominating my book for their first annual Hyack Teen Reader Award.
The two sessions went really well, the students asking some great questions about the books and the writing process and how much money I make.
Thankfully, the ferry ride home was much calmer and I was able to get some writing done. Which is a good thing since I've promised my editor I'd have a first draft of my book to her in five days.
I'm really looking forward to getting this first draft off my plate as I've got some serious hockey watching to catch up on. I've really been neglecting my teams and I'm sure they have been missing my viewership. But fear not, the playoffs are just around and the corner and, if I'm lucky, my editor will take her sweet time in getting her comments back to me.
It's funny, I never used to get seasick before. I used to go out fishing with my dad all the time and it was my sister who would wind up green and lying down below deck. But my wife gets motion-sick all the time and we are so connected to each other that I now have sympathy seasickness, even when she's not on the boat with me. My wife jokes that it's a lucky thing she had her kids before we met because I would not have done well in the delivery room.
The reason I was braving the winds and waves was because I'd been invited over to visit the students at New Westminster Secondary School. The visit was arranged by their amazing teacher-librarian Sarah Wethered in celebration of the New Westminster librarians nominating my book for their first annual Hyack Teen Reader Award.
The two sessions went really well, the students asking some great questions about the books and the writing process and how much money I make.
Thankfully, the ferry ride home was much calmer and I was able to get some writing done. Which is a good thing since I've promised my editor I'd have a first draft of my book to her in five days.
I'm really looking forward to getting this first draft off my plate as I've got some serious hockey watching to catch up on. I've really been neglecting my teams and I'm sure they have been missing my viewership. But fear not, the playoffs are just around and the corner and, if I'm lucky, my editor will take her sweet time in getting her comments back to me.
February 23, 2011
A Peek At My Intimate Place
No, it's not what you're thinking. It's my interview and pics on Jennifer Bertman's Creative Spaces blog. Go check it out. And then you can check out other (not quite as fascinating) author's creative spaces.
February 15, 2011
Writing Is Making Me Shorter
Yes, it's sad but true. My writing profession seems to have taken a serious toll on my height.
Now, I've always known writing was a dangerous occupation. For some time now I've realized the negative effect it's been having on my weight. All that sitting and pastry consuming can really pack on the pounds. It wasn't until I got my iPad and started counting calories and exercising like a fiend that I was able to shed a portion of my girth.
But just recently I discovered, much to my horror, that hunching over my computer for hours at a time seems to have subtracted over an inch from my stature.
And how did I find this out? Because, really, how often does one measure one's height? This one, not very often. So let me explain.
My wonderfully fabulous wife had asked for a professional doctor's scale for her birthday. "It's all I want!" she said. "Nothing else! Just a professional scale with the sliding weight thingy that will give us an accurate reading."
You see, the thing is, we have been using a digital scale for years now and it's a frustrating exercise to step on the thing. One day it tells you you're five pounds heavier than the last, and the next it tells you you've lost three and half pounds sitting around on the couch watching The Biggest Loser and eating cookies.
Now, granted, a doctor's scale doesn't seem like the most romantic gift to give one's wife, but I'd been told in no uncertain terms that this was the only gift that would do and so I provided. Having to call up many different medical supply stores in the area until I finally found one that would ship one in.
Anyway, suffice it to say that my wife was extremely pleased! In fact, we both were pleased as we stepped on the scale to realize we were doing pretty good with our exercise, iPad calorie counting regime.
What I WASN'T particularly pleased about was when my wife slid up the height rod and aligned it with the top of my lumpy head (the lumpy head thing is another story entirely).
Years ago when I measured myself I was a perfectly average height of 5'10" (okay, well, really it was five foot, nine and a half inches, but I was always taught in Math Class to round up, and so I did as I was told).
BUT NOW! Well, now it appears that I am just north of 5'8"!!!! WTF?
How is that even possible? The only explanation we could think of was spine compression from all the hunching and writing.
A sad day indeed.
I suppose now I'll need to go out and buy an XBox Kinect and start doing some futuristic yoga.
Or… I guess I could just stop writing
Now, I've always known writing was a dangerous occupation. For some time now I've realized the negative effect it's been having on my weight. All that sitting and pastry consuming can really pack on the pounds. It wasn't until I got my iPad and started counting calories and exercising like a fiend that I was able to shed a portion of my girth.
But just recently I discovered, much to my horror, that hunching over my computer for hours at a time seems to have subtracted over an inch from my stature.
And how did I find this out? Because, really, how often does one measure one's height? This one, not very often. So let me explain.
My wonderfully fabulous wife had asked for a professional doctor's scale for her birthday. "It's all I want!" she said. "Nothing else! Just a professional scale with the sliding weight thingy that will give us an accurate reading."
You see, the thing is, we have been using a digital scale for years now and it's a frustrating exercise to step on the thing. One day it tells you you're five pounds heavier than the last, and the next it tells you you've lost three and half pounds sitting around on the couch watching The Biggest Loser and eating cookies.
Now, granted, a doctor's scale doesn't seem like the most romantic gift to give one's wife, but I'd been told in no uncertain terms that this was the only gift that would do and so I provided. Having to call up many different medical supply stores in the area until I finally found one that would ship one in.
Anyway, suffice it to say that my wife was extremely pleased! In fact, we both were pleased as we stepped on the scale to realize we were doing pretty good with our exercise, iPad calorie counting regime.
What I WASN'T particularly pleased about was when my wife slid up the height rod and aligned it with the top of my lumpy head (the lumpy head thing is another story entirely).
Years ago when I measured myself I was a perfectly average height of 5'10" (okay, well, really it was five foot, nine and a half inches, but I was always taught in Math Class to round up, and so I did as I was told).
BUT NOW! Well, now it appears that I am just north of 5'8"!!!! WTF?
How is that even possible? The only explanation we could think of was spine compression from all the hunching and writing.
A sad day indeed.
I suppose now I'll need to go out and buy an XBox Kinect and start doing some futuristic yoga.
Or… I guess I could just stop writing
February 4, 2011
Time Flies When You're…
... on a deadline. Jeez, the days just seem to whip on by. I can't believe it's February already. When last I looked it had just turned 2011. And now, here we are, into the second month of the year. Yikes. I should probably stop blogging and get back to finishing my new book. But since I made a promise to try and blog at least once a week, I'm trying to keep up with it. But don't worry, this will be a short one. Just a little fear and terror to shake off before I jump back into the writing.
Truth be told, I should have been done with a first draft already. But as is often the case with my writing, I got lost in the forest of my story and now I'm trying to grope my way to the end. Right now I'm in that "Oh my God, am I ever going to be able to wrap this book up" phase. It's all part of the process, I suppose. And it's happened on each book so far. But you forget (and by "you," I mean "I") about it when one dives into a new project. You (or I) conveniently put aside the terror of being in the middle of the ocean (your - or my - story) with no shore in sight and having to figure out which direction you (or I) should swim.
Does that make any sense?
No, it doesn't make sense to me (or you) either.
Anyway, just needed to get that off my (or your) chest. Thanks for listening.
P.S. Just a quick hockey aside. Much to be happy and nervous about in the NHL world. The Canucks are on a roll (which is good), and Sidney Crosby is still recovering from his concussion (which is bad, but good that he is recovering), and the trade deadline is rapidly approaching. Will your team do anything to better itself? Does it even need to?
P.S.S. Thanks for all the great emails and comments I've been getting. Every time I hear from someone who has read SWIM or BEAT it makes my day.
Truth be told, I should have been done with a first draft already. But as is often the case with my writing, I got lost in the forest of my story and now I'm trying to grope my way to the end. Right now I'm in that "Oh my God, am I ever going to be able to wrap this book up" phase. It's all part of the process, I suppose. And it's happened on each book so far. But you forget (and by "you," I mean "I") about it when one dives into a new project. You (or I) conveniently put aside the terror of being in the middle of the ocean (your - or my - story) with no shore in sight and having to figure out which direction you (or I) should swim.
Does that make any sense?
No, it doesn't make sense to me (or you) either.
Anyway, just needed to get that off my (or your) chest. Thanks for listening.
P.S. Just a quick hockey aside. Much to be happy and nervous about in the NHL world. The Canucks are on a roll (which is good), and Sidney Crosby is still recovering from his concussion (which is bad, but good that he is recovering), and the trade deadline is rapidly approaching. Will your team do anything to better itself? Does it even need to?
P.S.S. Thanks for all the great emails and comments I've been getting. Every time I hear from someone who has read SWIM or BEAT it makes my day.
January 24, 2011
Can You Recognize My Face?
Regular followers of my blog know what a huge Apple fan I am. I switched over six years ago and have never looked back. I can't recommend their products highly enough. iPhones, iPads, iPods, iMacs, iLife, iWork. If it starts with an i I probably have owned it and loved it.
As regular followers of my blog also know, I have been dabbling in photography of late. If you are a user of iPhoto, then you know that the incredibly talented people at Apple have designed a facial recognition software to help sort your photos. And so, just today I was using the software to find pictures of me (not because I'm so incredibly vain, but because I need to send a headshot to one of the writing festivals I will be doing next month).
For the most part, the software worked very well. I'd say it got 90% of the pictures correct.
But it's the other 10% that iPhoto pegged as me that I was a little concerned about.
Take a look at the photos below and tell me if you think this software needs a little tweaking. I'll start off with an actual photo of myself for comparison.
This is me.
Not me, and not even close, I don't think (though, this was the least offensive "match")
As regular followers of my blog also know, I have been dabbling in photography of late. If you are a user of iPhoto, then you know that the incredibly talented people at Apple have designed a facial recognition software to help sort your photos. And so, just today I was using the software to find pictures of me (not because I'm so incredibly vain, but because I need to send a headshot to one of the writing festivals I will be doing next month).
For the most part, the software worked very well. I'd say it got 90% of the pictures correct.
But it's the other 10% that iPhoto pegged as me that I was a little concerned about.
Take a look at the photos below and tell me if you think this software needs a little tweaking. I'll start off with an actual photo of myself for comparison.
This is me.
Not me, and not even close, I don't think (though, this was the least offensive "match")
January 17, 2011
Amazing Audiobooks!
Just got word that both SWIM THE FLY and BEAT THE BAND have made it onto the American Library Association's list of Amazing Audiobooks for 2011.
I have to thank Nick Podehl for his extraordinary performances as well as Brilliance Audio for choosing Nick to read the books.
I happen to love audiobooks for a number of reasons. I am a notoriously slow reader and so listening to audiobooks allows me to catch up on titles I've been dying to get to while I exercise or drive in the car. There's also something comforting about listening to a good performer read you a story. Sort of like bedtime stories when I was a kid.
I am also aware how important audiobooks are to people who struggle with reading, such as my stepson who has dyslexia, as well as a good friend of my family, who was blind and who listened to "talking books" on LPs over thirty years ago.
And so, I am very grateful to Brilliance Audio for releasing my titles in audiobook form so that even more people can enjoy the stories.
Now, onto more pressing matters. Did any of you watch the Golden Globes last night? I have to say that I absolutely LOVED Ricky Gervais as the host. I know that he has stirred up quite a controversy over the things he said about the stars of the evening and the Hollywood Foreign Press. But honestly, I couldn't wait for him to get back on the stage. It was the most fun I've had watching an awards show in many years. And sure, maybe some of the comments weren't in the "best taste." But I was thoroughly entertained. Sometimes I think people take themselves far too seriously. Anyway, if you missed it I'm sure it will pop up on YouTube in the next few days. Definitely check it out.
And now, back to the page (because my editor would want it that way).
I have to thank Nick Podehl for his extraordinary performances as well as Brilliance Audio for choosing Nick to read the books.
I happen to love audiobooks for a number of reasons. I am a notoriously slow reader and so listening to audiobooks allows me to catch up on titles I've been dying to get to while I exercise or drive in the car. There's also something comforting about listening to a good performer read you a story. Sort of like bedtime stories when I was a kid.
I am also aware how important audiobooks are to people who struggle with reading, such as my stepson who has dyslexia, as well as a good friend of my family, who was blind and who listened to "talking books" on LPs over thirty years ago.
And so, I am very grateful to Brilliance Audio for releasing my titles in audiobook form so that even more people can enjoy the stories.
Now, onto more pressing matters. Did any of you watch the Golden Globes last night? I have to say that I absolutely LOVED Ricky Gervais as the host. I know that he has stirred up quite a controversy over the things he said about the stars of the evening and the Hollywood Foreign Press. But honestly, I couldn't wait for him to get back on the stage. It was the most fun I've had watching an awards show in many years. And sure, maybe some of the comments weren't in the "best taste." But I was thoroughly entertained. Sometimes I think people take themselves far too seriously. Anyway, if you missed it I'm sure it will pop up on YouTube in the next few days. Definitely check it out.
And now, back to the page (because my editor would want it that way).
