Dee Garretson's Blog, page 10

Lord of the Rings Hobbit Cake – Bilbo's Bag End

My whole family are huge Lord of the Rings fans and we are anxiously awaiting the first of the two Hobbit movies. And because September 22 is Bilbo's birthday and the Shire would be a lovely place to live, we decided to attempt a Bag End cake for my son's birthday.

The cake has a bottom layer of chocolate and a top layer of pound cake.

I bought some of the supplies from a cake decorating store, because I like to use the concentrated food coloring available there. It doesn't add too much liquid to the frosting or the marzipan to get the intense colors. Here's the list:

1 jar of green

1 jar of yellow

1 jar of brown

1 jar of gold luster dust

1 pack of decorative flowers

1 jar of small flowers

1 pack of rabbits

Besides regular baking supplies for the cake, we also used:

2 containers of white frosting

1 tube of marzipan

4 frozen Sara Lee pound cakes

Here's how we did it:

I made a chocolate sheet cake using a recipe that made a sturdier cake than a usual box recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1 Duncan Hines Devils Food Chocolate Mix

4 egg whites

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup sour cream

Mix all ingredients together and bake in a greased 9×13 inch cake pan for about 35 minutes

I attempted to make a top vanilla layer using another recipe I found on the internet and baking it in apan, but that failed miserably, so at the last minute I went out and bought four frozen Sara Lee pound cakes. We stacked them together to make a square hill, then shaved off the sides to get a more natural looking house.

We frosted it all in green frosting and after the cake was covered, we used forks to make the frosting look more like grass. The pathway is crushed up graham crackers. The fence is chocolate-covered pretzels and the door and window are made from colored marzipan. The doorknob is made from marzipan rolled in gold luster dust.

Overall, I'm pleased with the way it came out. I'm not a huge fan of pound cake, so I'm glad there is a chocolate layer there too.

A wolf pack of giveaway for WOLF STORM's release

WOLF STORM comes out tomorrow, and in celebration I'm giving away a collection of wolf-related books and items over on the Project Mayhem blog through September 12th. To get there, you can click on this link: http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/2011/08/character-inspiration-and-wolf-storm.html Please check it out!

Second Book Syndrome – The difference between the first and the second books

Zen Cat

Two days away from the release of WOLF STORM, I've been thinking about how different it is to have a second book coming out. Not just in the release, but in the whole writing process. First of all, I am incredibly thankful I've connected with so many people in the kidlit community since WILDFIRE RUN came out: the writers, the readers, the teachers, the librarians, and the bloggers. It has made the second book process much easier. At the time of the release of  WILDFIRE RUN, I had an established online network of writer friends, but I had no idea I could find so many people who are passionate advocates of children's literature.

Many writers talk about second book syndrome. I'm not talking about the first and second books people have written. Most published writers I know have written several books before they have one that gets published. I'm talking about the first and second books that actually get out into the world.  When you are trying to write a second book, the syndrome is very real, but it's also totally self-induced, except for the deadline pressure. If you are like a typical writer, you may have spent a long time writing that first book, tweaking it, rewriting it, changing the plot, and polishing it through long query rounds or writer workshops until it gets picked up.

The second book is very different-WOLF STORM was sold on a one paragraph pitch and a three page synopsis. I was left, like many writers, with a contract, a deadline, and a blank screen to fill. The pressure is greater because people are depending on you and assuming you can meet their expectations. Every writer I know has to fight that little voice whispering, "You can't do it again. The first book was a fluke. You are a fraud." I've come to believe writing is a mind game. You not only have to overcome rejection and criticism in the outside world, you have to overcome the insidious doubt your inner saboteur is trying to inflict on you.

In this whole process, the hardest part for me was actually getting a first draft done. Once I had something there, I knew I could get it into shape. When I had a polished draft completed, it was all a relatively easy after that. The rest of it depends on so many other factors that are outside my sphere of influence. I now know what to expect, what I can control, and more importantly, what I can't. My hair actually began to fall out with the whole publication process of WILDFIRE RUN over the things I couldn't change or affect. I'm happy to report that's not happening with WOLF STORM. When the book is released, I can reach out to people who have come to know me a little over the past year and let them know it's out. I can hope that the story will find enthusiastic readers who will want to recommend it to others. I can continue to find interested people in the children's literature community, but beyond that,  I have to let go and concentrate on writing the next book and the next. That's how I should be spending the bulk of my time. I want to be a storyteller, and to do that I have to tell stories.

National Aviary Pittsburgh

I didn't know the National Aviary existed until my children started researching things we should do and see on our Pennsylvania road trip. My daughter and I both like birds and so we were happy to find this fabulous place. There are over 600 birds there. It's not a traditional zoo-almost everything is inside, and it's small enough to manage in two to three hours. We signed up and paid for some of the special events, but even if you don't want to do those, make sure you are there for the wetlands feeding, the flight of the macaws and the dove release.

The extras we did were the sky deck to see and learn about lanner falcons and vultures and the flamingo encounter. The flamingos were especially fascinating. The aviary does this program because they have three flamingos they had to hand raise, and these three are willing to approach people. Th other flamingos in the exhibit just ignored us. Shoelaces were quite fascinating to one of the birds. It was amazing to be able to get so close to so many birds.

Pennsylvania Road Trip – Day 1

The Carnegie Science Center

We missed being able to tour the WWII submarine, but my favorite part of the rest of the center was the Robot Hall of Fame, featuring famouse robots from television and movies.

 

I had forgotten about this little guy:

This is a model of Dewey, one of a trio of robots from the movie Silent Running.  I think I'll have to rewatch that movie. As I remember, those robots may have been the inspiration to George Lucas to give R2D2 a personality in the Star Wars movies.

Next stop: The National Aviary

And the Winners are… Armchair BEA giveaways

I wish everyone could have won, but  unfortunately it isn't possible. The two winners were chosen at random by my kiddos drawing numbers out of our handy-dandy prize bucket.  They think this is one of the small perks of being a writer's kids. The numbers correspond to the order in which people entered. So the winner of the signed ARC of THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern is The Book Wurrm. The winner of the signed hardcover of WILDFIRE RUN (by me) is Joy. I'll contact you for your addresses.  And for all of you who entered the WILDFIRE RUN contest, I'll be contacting you as well. I might be able to get you ARCs of WOLF STORM if you are interested. Thanks to all who entered, and a huge thanks to the organizers of Armchair BEA to give writers a chance to connect with book bloggers.

Free Skype Visits for Summer Book Clubs

Skype is my newly discovered love. It was a fantastic experience to skype (new verb?) with classrooms around the country on World Read Aloud day. I'd like to continue to connect with readers, so I'm offering free 20 minute Skype visits with books clubs and homeschool group who read WILDFIRE RUN, my middle grade/tween adventure. It's the story of a (fictional) President's son and his friends getting trapped at Camp David during a disaster and was a Junior Library Guild selection in the high interest middle reader category. You can download my bookclub discussion questions by clicking on the link above. Email me at deegarretson at gmail.com to schedule.  I won't be available some of the first part of July, but am flexible about other times. Happy summer reading!

Book Bloggers – One Author's View

Believe it or not, many authors are intimidated to approach book bloggers. I know a certain percentage aren't and those bombard bloggers for reviews, but they really are a very small percentage. The rest of us are cowering at our desks at the thought of reaching out to strangers. No one gives authors instructions on what to do after we write the book, so it can be overwhelming to figure out how to make connections with potential readers. And writers often do fit the stereotype- a lot of us are shy, even in online situations. I won't say we lack social skills, except maybe some of us do.

Another big issue is that authors themselves get so few advance copies, we feel like it's awkward to approach a blogger and say, "Would you like to read my book? If you would, you'll have to figure out a way to get a copy." I've been excited to learn with my latest book, that I can accumulate a list of interested bloggers and pass that on to the publisher, who will then try to meet the requests. That doesn't happen with everyone though, and I don't really know a good solution to that. We do want to be read and reviewed; we just don't know how to make it happen.

On the issue of reviews, whenever you get a bunch of published writers together, the talk often turns to how to respond to reviews. Opinions are all over the place. The most common wisdom is not to respond to a negative review, though I know people break that rule occasionally. I, for one, feel like the reviews aren't for me, they are for readers, so it's really none on my business to comment. I get that not everyone will love my books. We also wonder what to do about positive reviews. Some want to comment and thank the reviewer, but others say then they feel stalkerish. We really are quivering masses of insecurity.

That's why the whole Armchair BEA has been great for me to be able to click on various blogs and see who is out there. I am also thrilled bloggers seek out books by newer authors. It's all to easy to get lost in the crowd, especially when we don't like crowds!

Armchair BEA Giveaway! ARC of THE NIGHT CIRCUS

I am so excited to be able to host a giveaway of a signed ARC of Erin Morgenstern's THE NIGHT CIRCUS, one of the 'Big Books of BEA, Adult Titles'.   The book looks fabulous and I can't wait for it to be released. Here's a little more about it from Erin's website:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is comment by 8:00 A.M. Eastern time, Friday, May. Sorry, but this is for U.S/Canadian residents only. The winner will be notified the following week. If you are interested in middle grade fiction, here's a link to my other giveaway, a signed hardcover of my first book, WILDFIRE RUN: giveaway  The sponsors of Armchair BEA are giving away an ARC of my second book, WOLF STORM.

Armchair BEA Giveaway! WILDFIRE RUN signed hardcover

I gave one of my ARCs of my forthcoming book, WOLF STORM, to the organizers of Armchair BEA for their sponsors' giveaways, but I also want to offer a copy of my first book, WILDFIRE RUN, a Junior Library Guild selection. If you are interested in middle grade fiction and would like a chance to win a copy, please comment below. Click on this link for my other giveaway, a signed ARC of one of the 'Big Books of BEA, Adult Titles', Erin Morgenstern's THE NIGHT CIRCUS.

Here's a little more about WILDFIRE RUN: Just once Luke Brockett would like to do something slightly dangerous, but when your father is the Presidents of the United States, that is not an option.

Always surrounded by Secret Service agents and kept in a bubble of safety, Luke see Camp David, The presidential retreat in the woods of Maryland, as the only place where he can be almost normal. For one week in August, Luke's mother has arranged for Luke and two friends to 'experience nature', if they can only manage to ignore the armed Marines all around them.

The experience comes to a quick end when disaster strikes. Luke and his friends are trapped inside, left on their own, the Secret Service agents incapacitated, forcing the three to outwit security systems designed to be unbeatable in their attempts to escape before it is too late.

To enter the giveaway (international), all you have to do is comment by 8:00 A.M. Eastern time, Friday, May 27th. The winner will be notified the following week.