Jo Knowles's Blog, page 21

An Oldie But Goodie

This was taken many years ago, for Fred and George's first Christmas. E must have been 6-years old.



I was trying to snap a fun photo for holiday cards and E was being silly and Fred was being extremely patient. I am sure E and I had hot chocolate when we were done. And Fred might have had some catnip. And George probably sat nearby, rolling his eyes at his brother for being so incredibly uncatlike.

But it's OK. We didn't leave him out. We just had to be a bit more stealthy about it and wait until he put his guard down.



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Monday Morning Warm-Up:

Share a pet photo/memory. :-)

Thankful Thursday-Kate Messner

Recently I received the ARC's for my first middle-grade novel, See You at Harry's.


It's always so exciting to hold the nearly-final book in your hands, but it's also pretty nerve-wracking, because this is the version of the book that's going out to reviewers-teachers, librarians, bloggers, etc.

But even before that, the manuscript was sent to a handful of amazing authors for potential blurbs. The blurbs were intended for the hardcover, but one got in early enough for the ARC. And it's awfully special.


It says:
"See You at Harry's is one of the most beautiful, moving books I've ever read. Full of laughter, love, and tears, it will break your heart and put it back together again, with a little more light, a little more hope than there was before."
-Kate Messner, author of The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.

Because I love Kate and admire her so much as a dedicated teacher, brilliant author, and incredibly special friend to so many aspiring and published authors, it feels pretty fantastic to have her generous words traveling along with Fern, and Holden, and Sara, and Charlie as they take their first steps out into the world.

Thank you Kate!

Wordless Wednesday: Fred's Odd Lap-Sitting Technique

Fun Event to Help the Upper Valley Haven!

Hi everyone,

If you live in the Upper Valley area, there is a fun event happening this Saturday, December 3, from 5-7pm at the Dartmouth Bookstore!

It's being called an Authorpalooza, with authors throughout the store doing readings, presentations and signings. I will be there too!

Best of all, 10% of all sales will go to support the Upper Valley Haven.

There will also be a raffle, free gift wrap and... FOOD! Please come and say hey!

The store is also organizing a coat drive for the event, so if you have gently worn coats or snowpants to donate, please bring them along for the Haven.

Hope to see you there!

:-)

Making a list... of memories

A busy kitchen...


A puppy meeting a scaredy cat...


A walk in the snow...


A cold nose...


An old apple tree...


Peace...


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Monday Morning Warm-up:

Part 1:
Make a list of words and phrases that describe your weekend.

Here's my list.

A 5k first
Serving at community dinner
A birthday cake
New friends
Greeting family
Party mix
Puppy kisses
Winks and eye rolls
Champagne
Melty boursin
Two kinds of stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potato casserole
Squash
Favorite white wine
Three pies for five people
Apple
Pumpkin
Pecan
Ice-cream
Sharing Christmas lists
Longing for more time
Boots crunching in snow
Quiet dirt road
I miss you's
I love you's
He's getting so big
Music
Laughter
Memories
Missing those not here
Whispers
Hand holding
Hugs
Cheers
Long good-byes
Lungs filled with cold air
Chest filled with happiness
Heart filled with love

Part 2:
Take the phrases and words you like best from your own list and turn it into a poem! I'm not too thrilled with what I came up with for my list, but it was fun to re-see the weekend this way, and think about the strongest images/moments. Since I wasn't happy with my words, I ended up just using a few photos and making a mostly wordless poem (above) instead. :-)

Seeing the Couch to 5K Challenge Through

If you follow me on Facebook, you probably know that late this summer I started the Couch to 5K running challenge. I wrote here a while ago about how much I've always hated running and found every excuse in the book not to do it.

I don't know why I felt drawn to this challenge, but something told me I needed to find a way to be more active and I was all out of excuses. So, I started. And it was hard. And embarrassing. Even though I was mostly by myself (sometimes my son came with me), I was shocked at how truly out of shape I was. In the early parts of the challenge, you run for 60 seconds and then walk for 60 seconds. I was winded.

But somehow, I kept it up. I think because each week, as the challenge got a little harder and I had to run a little longer, I was doing it. 60 seconds was nothing! Then 90 seconds was nothing. Then what I thought would be truly impossible—5 minutes—was... NOTHING. Eventually I could run close to 40 minutes. And even though I still have those pre-run dreads, when I finish, I feel ALIVE. And proud. And... well... good.

I never intended to do any races or anything like that. I just wanted to reach my goal, and then keep it up. And ok, maybe increase my speed so I wasn't pushing up the road in my old lady shuffle.

But two sweet friends who took up the challenge shortly after I did convinced me to sign up for a local benefit run. It's a great cause. So... I did it.

Here I am with Katy and Amber Wednesday night after we registered for the race:



When we approached the registration table, the woman looked at us and asked, "Are you walkers or runners?"

"Runners," we said.

And it felt GREAT.

We kidded later that she probably took one look at us and was sure we were walkers. :-)

Fred was very kind and blessed our numbers for us.



All week, I've had a sore throat that won't go away. And the morning of the run, I had a horrible headache. But I told myself I was not going to make any excuses. I was determined. Still, I updated my Facebook page, saying how nervous I was.

My friend Sara responded with this:

"You're so ready for this, and you're among other first timers. At the starting line, remember to take a moment and enjoy the experience. It will go by really fast & don't let your nerves take away the experience of enjoying the moment. Once the race starts, run hard & believe in yourself. You're ready for this."

Here we are as we were waiting for the run to start (with thanks to Katy, who I stole all these photos from-thanks Katy!). It was so crowded. There were over 1,300 walkers and runners. You could tell the runners because so many of them were in their fancy running gear. I felt pretty out of place with my cotton leggings from K-mart and my long-sleeve t-shirt. And yes. That is a jacket. ;-)



When it was time to get ready, we all walked out to the road and crowded together like sardines. A band was playing on the flatbed of a truck. And then Zack's dad gave a touching speech about his son. And then we all sang the National Anthem. I took my friend Sara's advice and breathed in the moment. I also squeezed Katy's hand for luck. And then....

We took off!

Only we didn't.

Because there were so many people we had to do a slow walk down the road. Gradually, though, the crowd began to divide between runners and walkers, and pretty soon, we were able to start jogging very slowly. Amber and her gang had managed to get way ahead during the slow part, and then Katy and I divided once we were able to start jogging at our regular paces. We had to dodge our way between walkers and it was pretty challenging. But after a block or so, it got easier.

And then I was on my own. Just jogging along through the usually busy streets of Woodstock. The snow on the roofs sparkled in the sun. It was fun jogging past the walkers and hearing bits of their conversation. I knew I was jogging pretty slowly, but my friend Sara had said just enjoy every moment. And so I did. I was afraid to "run hard", because all through the run I had no idea how far I'd gone or how close I was to the end, and I didn't want to waste all my energy. But finally, a couple on the corner said, "You're three-quarters done! Keep going!"

"This is my first race!" I said like a goofball.

But they were like, AWESOME! GO GO GO! Sometimes, all you need is a little enthusiastic encouragement. :-)

So I picked up my pace. And then as I rounded another corner, a woman yelled, "This is it! Just run straight to that corner and you'll see the finish!" So I picked up my pace again, and...

I FINISHED!

:-)



My time wasn't great, but I don't really care. Mainly I'm telling myself it was because of the horribly slow beginning. The main thing is, we did it. And it was FUN. And that's all that matters.

Now, I could go on and on about the lessons here that we could all apply to our writing journeys, but they seem so obvious, I don't think I need to. What I will do is throw out a few key words:

challenge, work, friend, dedication, determination, encouragement, and, most importantly...

YOU CAN DO THIS

You can.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

xo

Wordless Wednesday: Fred meets Harry's (Yes! ARCS are in the House!)

Thank you

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone for all the cheers yesterday! You guys are the best!!!! Sincerely.

This business is so full of ups and downs, but the one sure thing is friends who are there no matter what. And that's what really matters.

Thank you.

I have some very exciting news

Thanks so much to tracyworld for sharing this announcement!

From Publishers Marketplace:

Children's:
Young Adult
Jo Knowles's LIVING WITH JACKIE CHAN, a companion novel to Jumping Off Swings that follows a boy to a new school, in a new city, where he moves in with his eccentric, Jackie Chan-obsessed uncle, and, in spite of being haunted by the baby he fathered and had put up for adoption, starts to find a new life for himself...one that finally allows him to face the one he left behind, to Joan Powers at Candlewick Press, in a two-book deal, for publication in Fall 2013, by Barry Goldblatt at Barry Goldblatt Literary (NA).

Every New Year's Day, I choose a theme for the year to aim for. Last year, I declared it the year of being brave. And using a bit of that, I declared this year "The Year of Being a Writer." Sliding in with one month to go, I'm feeling pretty darn lucky—and extremely privileged to give this full-time writing thing a try.

Thanks Barry and Joan!! And all my friends in this amazing community who helped keep my spirits up time and again. I love you all.

xoxo

Jo

Occupying the heart

The invitation: Hartland VT General Assembly

A group of about 20 activists from Occupy Wall St are staying in Hartland VT for a couple days, to be somewhere safe and loving, following a brutal and intense week of violent attacks by the NYPD on our peaceful occupation. We are planning to hold a General Assembly in town, on Sunday, Nov. 20th at 6pm in solidarity with the simultaneous actions in NY and across the country. Please join us! If you have questions, ideas, donations or hugs to share, we will happily receive them. When the NYPD raided our little village, they systematically destroyed all of our musical instruments. If you wish to donate any for the movement, we would love to lug them back to the city when we return later on this week.
Thank you!

My sweet friend Sophie invited us
And I wanted to go
But I was nervous, too
Because I felt like we were on the outside
Not the 1%, no
But part of the quiet percentage just going about our days
Hoping for change, yes
Only grateful to the brave souls out there demanding it
I said to my husband, I know if we go, we'll be glad
So I made a big casserole
And we went
The common house was bursting with people
Mostly strangers
But there were familiar faces too
There was Sophie
And her sister Hannah
And 20 other or so of their friends they'd met while occupying Wall Street
People they'd planned with
Peopled they'd slept next to
People they'd dreamed with
People they'd been arrested with
People who believe, like them, that change can happen
And who had the energy and conviction to make it themselves
They told us about the community they'd constructed
Their small city within a city among the skyscrapers
Where the sound of drummers acted like a heartbeat
To remind them they were still there
That their dreams were still alive and breathing
Where people set up areas to teach
Areas to heal
A kitchen open to all—all
A library
Everyone had a skill to share
They taught us how they ran their general assemblies
The sign language they used to show approval
And disapproval
And how to tell someone to speak more loudly
And how to tell someone to wrap it up
And how to say that's not safe
All with silent, respectful gestures
Peaceful gestures
They came to Vermont to rest and shower and eat and regroup
After their city was torn apart
Their belongings destroyed
Their instruments taken and possibly destroyed
But as one of them said
We built it all ourselves
And because we know we did it once
We know we can do it again

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Monday Morning Warm-Up:

Where is your heart this morning?