Sylvia McNicoll's Blog, page 25

A Decade at CANSCAIP

Lena Coakley was a fabulous executive administrative for CANSCAIP but she's also a talented writer. We bought her picture book On the Night of the Comet and were mesmerized by the story. Lena made a dedicated pursuit of an American agent as she wrote a fantasy. This fall The Witchlander will come out and Lena's decided to devote herself to writing rather than other kids' writers.
January was her last meeting and here she is hugging CANSCAIP's vicepresident Karen Krossing goodbye.It was the only shot that I could capture them together, if ever so briefly. Good luck, good fortune and many great books Lena.

Mortie's Wild Dog Party

Am I trapped in a Linda Bailey picture book? After icing the yule log, I gave Mortie a bath in preparation for his party. That's right, HIS party. We were invited to Pawsway Appreciation Night.As part of my other job, features' editor for Today's Parent Toronto, he had joined me for the opening of the Pet Discovery Centre at the Harbourfront. He generated more press interest than any of my novels.



We were on television together and in the newspapers.
Three years later, he had to look his best for a return visit. After his towel-off, he hid under the bed and refused to come out. I used my stern voice. "You have to look good. They'll probably take your picture again," I explained as I brushed him.
Talk to the paw. Mortie was not happy with me. After a tedious drive downtown, though Mortie forgave me. And yes the press trained their cameras on him again.
He loved meeting the other dogs. His tail hardly stopped wagging. Except for some reason he took a dislike to Sasha the Malmut. Maybe he was jealous of his Santa coat. Although there were plenty of water dishes around and lots of human treats, Pawsway forgot the dog snacks.
I felt a bit guilty sneaking Mortie bits of my grilled cheese and pear sandwich. As for the "So you think you can dance competition" I think Mortie could do just as well as the dog dancers. He has just as good a sense of rhythm and responds equally well to the rattle of the treat bag.
Maybe next year.

Kids in the Hall

Real writers can work anywhere. Proof positive are these students from Brier Park School in Brantford. The signal from the router couldn't get through to the computer lab/stage although the thunder of the basketballs could. So we tried in the hall. Sometimes when I squatted down to help them, I wasn't entirely sure I could get up again. But I did and we had a great week.On the final day we celebrated by reading poems and stories and acting out skits in front of keen parents.
This will be the last school visit for 2010 and it was a terrific way to end the year. Congratulations to Mrs Genge, Mr. Sturgeon and Mrs. Coulis for hosting it.

The School Where Revenge on the Fly Actually Takes Place

This week I visited Central Public Junior Schoolin Hamilton to perform my writing workshop.I also read to them from Revenge on the Fly, a story about 12 year old William Alton, an Irish boy who emigrates to Canada in 1912 and ends up participating in the Hamilton Spectator Fly Catching Contest in order to avenge the deaths of his mother and sister. This story takes place at Central Public. Yes it's a very old school.
I love reading to the kids anyway, gives me a break from yelling at them. Just kidding. But think they enjoyed having a story set at their schoo.

Meeting a Famous Author

Working with 50 grade 7 students in the morning and 40 grade 8s in the afternoon proved no greater challenge than working with 30 kids at a time. Except when it came to one on one editing, that went out the computer screen since we had to divide the groups into two to type up their stories and poems.
Also my training as writer in electronic residence helped as I needed to read 90 stories in one night. Okay and my SRA training in grade 4 (speed reading for content but the initials stand for Scientific Research Associates).
In my last Artist in Education Stint, one of the teachers suggested I include more physical movement in the workshops so that's my new challenge. Instead of passing around stories, the students now need to get up and shift seats. If I could get taller desks, they could walk on the spot while writing the way Art Slade and the other treadhead writers do.
The first challenge is always getting students to write on task when they're in such a social atmosphere. Next time I must try playing classical music to blanket over ambient noise.
I miss the kids at St. Joseph School in Acton.

Beauty Returns--Book Trailer Part Deux

Readers would probably be shocked at how much research goes into a work of fiction. When I wrote A Different Kind of Beauty and Beauty Returns, I needed to get into the head of a blind 16 year old boy so I interviewed some blind people. I hate the way that sounds and could write instead "visually challenged" or something else but it would all suggest that I'm interviewing the handicap instead of the person. And it's the people details in which a writer is really interested.
I met Angela Wice and she helped shape Kyle immensely by sharing the sounds, smells and feelings along the path of losing losing your sight and then somehow gaining a new vision.( for example she let me test my bloodsugar level exactly the way diabetic Kyle would.( I became a regular at her coffee house where musicians often visited to showcase new work. I became a fan.
When I write stories, I know I need music in my character's lives but can't really afford the time or money to purchase rights to songs. I believe after seven words of a quoted song you need to get permission. So I write caricatures of songs. They're shorter with bits of verses and minimal refrain so that a book reader gets a sense of the music but doesn't get bored.
Kyle's Lullabye in Beauty Returns is one that Angela helped me develop into a real song. I have sung it at the OLA launch of the story and at various author visits (one in a grade 9 prison).
Angela consented to sing it for the book trailer and my son Craig filmed it yesterday. The moment the first note left her mouth I felt so touched. A creation of mine had reached a new tangible level for me.
More poignant too because Craig and Eireann's baby Violet was there and cooed all the way through it. I also loved how three artforms were cooperating to produce something totally different. It will be awhile till Craig can put this all together. His daytime job at Emotion Pictures keeps him busy and I know he cherishes his family life in the hours he has left. But I also know it will be a masterpiece t.

Author Visit to Clarington Library

First a two hour drive on a clear sunny day with no traffic at all. A good omen. Then at noon an interview with a journalism student, Nancy Ellis. Her story on me counts for 25% of her final grade, a replacement for a midterm. No pressure. She has to tape the interview.
I do this a lot with younger kids usually. No one's ever gotten lower than a B, no worries Nancy.

Hurray for Laura Martin, the hospitable librarian who hooks me up with a large cup of butter pecan coffee and a private room for the interview. Sample question: best advice someone's ever given me on writing. Best is such a hard judgemental word. Recently we had Vicki Grant speak at CANSCAIP and she said something about her best ideas being very close to her worst ideas.That resonated with me. What about the best advice I can give a young writer. Explore your likes and dislikes and find yourself. Then connect what you find to your work. That goes for all young people not just writers.
Nancy can't stay for the talk which is in the adjoining city hall chambers. Gorgeous like a techno courtroom. The two techies provided to me swore off on my Mac--although helped get me some sound to my trailer.
Three classes of Grade 8s from Vincent Massey sat on two levels facing me. They are terrific. I would guess there are some good writers in the crowd judging from their thoughtful participation. Plus I have some superb actors perform my scene from Last Chance for Paris. Appropriate aws for cute puppy shots.
We all had a good time. I enjoyed a visit with Laura who previous hailed from a Manhatten Library. Then she gave me a souvenir library bag and pen.
Now what would make this all perfect would be to hear that Vincent Massey will now read my books and that Nancy goes on to earn an A+ and quotes me to future writers.

Teachers grabbed some writing tip sheets and the kids hiked back with them to school.
I drove off into the rushhour traffic.

Filming the trailer for the Beauty Series

Why film a trailer for a series of books that has already been out for awhile? Does a book have any value once it's off the boxstore bookshelf?
Certainly in the past, kids' books had a shelf life of over ten years. Of course most bookstores don't have enough shelves. But now everyone can order online. Why did I want a trailer?Because it's fun for me to put some creative energy into a project this way and I like working with my kids.Here's my son filming random shots of dogs who resemble Beauty 1, the black Lab, Beauty 2, the Chocolate Lab (he will actually be played by Buster, Beauty's real brother) and Magic, played by I want to say Dexter but I will correct this name later. When I asked his owner for permission to film him, she told me she had read Bringing Up Beauty in grade 6 and in grade 7 had started fostering guide dogs with her family as a result. When I said Buster was Beauty's real brother, you probably said but Beauty is a fictional dog. However, his foster owner is also a fan of the Beauty series and she's raised several dogs for Canine Vision Canada. The last dog was born into a B litter, meaning the pups all get names starting with B. For the first time she was able to have her own Beauty she told me.
And Beauty sent me a Christmas card. Does a book have any value once it's off the boxstore bookshelves? Of course it does.

Shooting Covers for Dying to Go Viral

Last Tuesday Dying to Go Viral sold to my favourite publisher in Norway, Sweden and Finland. Hurray! After a few cover attempts failed for the Canadian publisher, my husband Bob shot the cover for Last Chance for Paris. Turned out to be my favourite cover of all time. This time I thoughtI would try to give him first crack. My niece Kelly is the perfect age to play the 14 year old character Jade who dies in the first chapter when she "skitches" on a Mustang while riding her skateboard. Of course for the shoot, we couldn't have the Mustang driving. Then we'd be as stupid as the boy who attempts to capture this video for youtube in the story. So the car is parked and we hope for the designer to add the illusion of movement.
I like to get more creatively involved with my books. I'm an idea person so I can write good copy for back blurbs, I took scriptwriting for a year so I can envision and write scripts for booktrailers and I work at a magazine part time so I can think of how I'd like a cover to look at least conceptually. The actual colours and design, well really that's up to the visual professionals. But I also like to stretch creatively using the talents of my family. Traditionally publishers don't like authors to suggest or submit illustrations. And they may not like us submitting potential photos. But who knows maybe they will love it. For more photos of the skateboarding cover shots, see this url
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcnicoll...

Last Chance for Paris--the book trailer

It occurs to me that while I posed some photos of the filming of the video, I never posted the finished product. My son did the shooting and editing. He's a talented videograper/editor who works for Emotion Pictures.
Will everyone buy a second and third copy of Last Chance for Paris? Maybe not. But my family working together creatively makes me happy. In the meantime, the autographed book is available at A Different Drummer's on Locust Street in Burlington.