Laura Dower's Blog, page 2

Website Do-Over

Welcome to my website! Things are a little mixed-up.

Click to find out why!

This website is in the midst of a MASSIVE overhaul. I have a bunch of new projects coming, so I wanted to freshen things up a bit. I am:

Redoing my bio.
Uploading new art.
Adding lots of content and “behind the pen” stories.
Adding author visit information–so I can come to visit your library or school and meet YOU.
Adding writing tips, links, letters, and so much more.
Freaking out that I won’t get it done fast enough…

Nah, we’re right on schedule. Woo hoo!

Come back to visit me–and see loads of new content–to be “relaunched” on May 1st, 2016!

Cheers, m’dears.

Smooch.

Summer is Back. Me Too.

Sun shining. I’m inside writing. Sort of. The words EPIC FAIL were probably originated when used to describe my success as a blogger. Look, it’s not for lack of desire. I want to have pen-pal (or e-pal) relationships with every kid/reader/fan. I want to know what you are thinking, what you are doing, where you are going, why you do all the groovy things you do. (And what sorts of things are you doing lately?)

Am I being the Mayor of Excuses Village AGAIN? Hah! I can see from my past blogs how I always dig up some wacky reason why I haven’t blogged. I should probably write an entire BOOK of excuses. Do you ever find yourself stranded in Excuses Village?

*snicker*

Awww, enough’s enough. Right? Let’s skip over this Summer Guilt today and forevermore. Let’s sip some icy drink and slip back into blog mode with stealth and intention. Let’s pack our bags and ditch Excuses Village FOR GOOD.

*snicker*

First stop: The Great Unknown.

 

 

 

 

Well, here are some things I do know:

A big shout-out and THANK YOU to blogger Bree Crowder whose “These Words Matter” section featured ME this month. What an honor. Thanks, Bree. You unknowingly kicked me right in the pants to get my own blog in order. (If you want to read the post on Bree’s blog, check it out here.)

Guess what else? (And you heard about this a while ago.)

Madison Finn has been reinvented a bit. Yup. The old titles, books 1 – 25 are ALL AVAILABLE in updated e-books. I went through them all and added bits and pieces to make them new-ish and bring the technology up to date. Everything is in one spot now. Find all the revised and updated Madisons online right here.

Dangnabbitty, I wrote A NEW MADISON, too! It’s all done!!! Madison Finn: Back Online is officially coming in 2016. It will be released as an e-book original but hard copies will also be available. I will do teasers here once final pages come in. Cool cover to come, too. Very exciting indeed.

What a long, strange journey it has been with Maddie. Coming back to her after so many years was a huge challenge. And a joy. Beyond joy. She is like an old friend. Our old friend. In addition to Maddie stuff, let me give you the 411 on some other things I’ve been up to:

Working on new series also coming in 2016. Not sure what I can say about it yet except that it involves cookies and cream puffs. More secret reveals including cover art coming soonish. (Gee, that’s cryptic.) In the meantime, here is a photo of a cream puff:

Yummmmmm.

*drools a teeny bit*

I have some fun new American Girl magazine fiction coming this year and next year. The swim story below is loosely based on my daughter Olivia and her actual swim team, the Stingrays. This is probably my nod to the last few years of being a total SWIM MOM, enjoying the fragrant chlorine mornings or sunburns from standing at the end of a lane to time a meet for three hours without a break. And check out the fab illustrations from Erin McGuire. Look for it in the special issue for Summer 2015.

Another American Girl magazine story arrives in Fall 2015 with lovely illustrations by Marta Kissi. Can’t wait to share this story of a girl who finds her own secrets in the school garden.

And yet another “gee, that’s different and how lucky am I?” project I finished this spring involved working with some very smart scientists, teens, and digital educators at the Museum of Natural History. I now know more about zooxanthellae than I ever thought possible. Yeah, look that up. Cool word, right? The kids who developed the augmented reality programs and scripts were part of a project called MicroRangers. Can’t wait until the actual thing is created and goes live in the museum. I will be first on line….

Oh, and one more mini-thing: I’ve secretly been working on a boy novel. Shhhhhhh. BOY!?? Deadline: this summer. Need a little boy to balance out all the girl stuff. And I am writing it to surprise my agent. She’s been waiting for me to write it for about five years now.

*nods, grinning*

Here’s the thing about life as a writer: sometimes it feels like I’m all knotted up in one project. Other times, I am writing and juggling many new things at the same time. Lately I am the latter, with suntan lotion on the side. Juggling is interesting. But sometimes it takes us away from finishing one thing at a time, and enjoying every single moment unto itself…

What kinds of things are YOU juggling in real life? I want to hear about them. Will summer be a time of peace…or craziness? Send me a brief rundown on your plans. And dreams.

My summer’s resolution: stay far, far away from Excuses Village. Yours?

Yours till the ice cream melts,

Laura

xx

Eavesdropping

Listen up. Other people’s conversations hold the seeds to your next story.

Been a long time. Again. Sitting here at a coffee shop, deeply inspired to check in with my web site visitors because I’m turning to you for HELP! I am stuck inside the vortex of someone else’s conversation. ANNOYING conversation. And I need to keep working here, despite the noise.

What’s a writer to do? Well, you tell me!

I always listen close and look for details that inform my current (and future) stories. But I remember that what’s private should be respected. I usually listen in on chatter without attaching faces or specific people to it.

TELL ME ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU HEARD SOMETHING YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE? WHAT DID YOU THINK? WHAT DID YOU DO???

The best ideas are whirling all around us. Sometimes we just have to recognize that they’re there–even in the MOST annoying conversations that seem to eat up our own private spaces. Whew.

Hey! There’s more news on my stuff in the world. Read on…

Aggie is fun new character brilliantly illustrated by Genevieve Kote! CHECK OUT THESE TWO RECENT COMICS THAT APPEARED IN ISSUES OF THE AMERICAN GIRL MAGAZINE…

PSSST! HAVE YOU CHECKED IN WITH MADFINN LATELY? NEWLY UPDATED MADISON BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM OPEN ROAD MEDIA! There’s one newly revised title that’s super-fun for Valentine’s Day. Check it out! Right now there are 16 books available in e-book format. More coming soon! AND THERE WILL BE A BRAND NEW MADISON COMING THIS SPRING!!! More news to come….

Finally, a question for all of the readers out there:

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MADISON FINN GO NEXT? I can tell you that I’m bringing her to eighth grade, FINALLY, and there are lots of new peeps, new obstacles, and new adventures in store. But since she’s been around a while–I am guessing some of you have real ideas about things you’d like to see her do.

WRITE A COMMENT BELOW AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS! Pretend you’re sharing in a coffee shop and I just happen to be listening at the very next table…LOL.

Yours till the book ends,

Laura

xxx

Yours Till the… BOOK RETURNS! Madison’s back!

When I first wrote this book, I named the character Morgan and then changed to Madison at the last minute! Which one do you like better?

I cannot believe it but the book–or should I say BOOKS–are back. I am pleased to announce the return of my top-selling FROM THE FILES OF MADISON FINN series now in fantabulous ebooks!

*chorus of loud squeees*

Doesn’t Maddie look cute?

All the books have been totally updated to reflect current texting, messaging, and all the stuff you love about technology! Maddie and her pals are ready for some new readers (or old fans!). Er, I’m paging Y-O-U! Spread the word.

I will be updating the web site all week with more cool Madison stories, covers, and other juicy stuff. Sooooo much more to come! For now, check out those NEW AND FABULOUS covers for the first eight books in the series.

Click on the postcard to head over to my publisher, Open Road Integrated Media and get more info.

Check out all EIGHT of the new ebook releases!

 

Having a Heat Wave

Pssst! I have not vanished again. I am here! The scoop: sweat and loads of it. Temps near me in NY reached the triple digits this week with the humidity index included. Maybe I can blame the missing blog posts on the heat?

Oooooh! Let me share something fun and cool with you (since it’s so darn hot). Just out, in the most recent issue of American Girl magazine, you will find my new comic, illustrated by the superfun Genevieve Kote. It’s in a “New Department feature” called ACCORDING TO AGGIE.

What a blast to brainstorm, create, and now write this feature! I’ve been working with my editors on it for almost a year. Chapter #1 is featured on a spread in the July/August 2013 issue. Each comic has a mini-theme. The first issue’s theme is “Birthday Party Panic!” As in: Aggie’s b-day is on the way…but her sometimes-pal/sometimes-enemy at school, Fiona, plans her party on the exact same day! What will they do?

The pic above only shows a small section, so grab a magazine to read the whole thang-doodle. And it’s waaaaaaay more fun to read when you’re holding the comic in your hot little hands. (Note use of word “hot” in the spirit of this 100 degree day.).

*squeeeeeeeeee*

In addition to Aggie, have a new book series starring some furry friends. For those of you unfamiliar with my brand new books, the series is called Palace Puppies. Ruff! Each story tracks the amazing adventures of two royal pooches. Since it’s a summer of all things real-life royal (Princess Kate Middleton is just about to have her baby!), it seems fitting that my new books star puppy royalty. They’re just right for 2nd – 4th grade, or as a read-aloud for younger kids. Maybe you can read one to yourself–or your younger sibling/cousin/pal–this summer?

Sunny is a lady-like goldendoodle, and Rex is a mischievous beagle. Together, they love living in the palace with their owners and best friends, Princess Annie and Prince James. But when Jackson, a royal pain, who just happens to be the guest of honor, shows up and threatens to ruin the birthday party that Annie and James have been planning for him, Sunny and Rex embark on an adventure to save the day. Can they help their best friends, cheer up the grouchy guest, and rescue the party before everything comes crumbling down?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, Aggie and pups are only the first of many new projects on the horizon.

Check back here soon for a detailed blog post about the return of my middle-grade series FROM THE FILES OF MADISON FINN. Briefly, I’ve been updating all 25 books in the series for a republishing bonanza this September!!! Updated text, all-new covers, and a whole new audience? You betcha!

Keep cool, everyone. I wish you continued happiness in summertime. Wishing you no bee stings, please (ouch, my son got two in one day), AC all over the place (even though your electric bill = insane), and lots and lots of sugary-sweet lemonade.

There’s nothing sour about this summer…

 Send me a comment on this page and tell me the sweetest thing about your summer…so far.

Yours till the rain bows,

 

You’re Gonna Need An Umbrella for this Blog Post

Yeah, it’s actually raining (well, drizzling) today. But I’m cool with that. Because there’s a much bigger weather event happening right here, inside my brain.

Yes folks, I’m having a BRAINstorm.

Have you ever started a journal enthusiastically and then get distracted and then…come back and your last entry was dated a year ago? That’s sort of like this blog. Where did the last two years go? Gee, I hate to waste space apologizing YET AGAIN for my disappearing blog. So instead I’ll just bring on the babble. And as the heading for this blog says…er…you’re gonna need an umbrella for this particular downpour of thoughts/ideas/stuff. Random thoughts + writing news = so much to share.

Let me organize my brainstorm this way: here are some things that are going on RIGHT NOW IN MY HEAD that you absolutely need to read about.

1. Numero uno: TESTS

I’m going to start with an apology to students in the USA who have just survived weeks of testing. I know it stinks, having to spend SO MUCH time taking practice tests and then sitting through the real thing, chewing the end of your No. 2 pencil down to a raw little nub.

I am guesing most of you are survivors and did well–or tried your very best. And even if you don’t get that high percentile score, let me tell you this: I AM PROUD OF YOU. I am proud of everyone who gets through these tests. Just remember that you, special person/reader/student are defined as SO MUCH MORE than these test scores. Even the most supersmart of all peeps among us can fail these tests or choke under pressure. We have to remind ourselves in the midst of testing that no matter how heavily tests are weighed on the scale of life, they will always be just ONE TEENY PART of you. So, in conclusion, take a deep breath when it comes to tests. Be happy they are done. And  immediately following completion of the tests, go read a cheeky magazine you love or play baseball or paint a picture with your toes or turn the radio up very loudly and SING.

You deserve it.

2. SEEING

I’m on a mission to get in shape. My kids are pestering me. I’m trying to cook healthier. I want to get out and walk every day. Walking is food for the writer’s head, too. I inhale breezes, notice all the bugs sneaking back out now that it’s spring, look for a bunch of different color flowers around my neighborhood, try to SEE everything.

What do you see when you look outside your window? Is something looking back at you?

I have loads of tulips in our garden. We’re also planting flowers at my kids’ school. Do you have a garden?

3. NEW PROJECTS

Somehow, I’ve been working on a bunch of new stuff and it’s all landing at the same time. Whew. Here’s a quick hit list of books-n-stuff that you can expect to see from me in the coming months:

a. PALACE PUPPIES. I have a brand-new chapter book series coming from Disney. Check out this link for a description of the book(s) on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Palace-Puppies-Sunny-Royal-Party/dp/1423164733

b. AMERICAN GIRL. I am thrilled to announce that I’ve been working on an uber-special NEW character for a comic in American Girl magazine. The illustrator is fab. The stories are funny. I can share more about this soon once the July issue goes on sale. And by more, I mean: show you the groovy art.

c. MADISON FINN. Hold onto your hats. Madison Finn, a series I wrote more than 10 yrs ago, is BACK! I will devote an entire new blog post to this NEW AND IMPROVED return of Madison. Over the past 10 years technology has changed dramatically. Madison needed a reboot to reflect the changes in technology. So this summer, many of the books are being updated and republished as e-books with new covers, new details, and more.  MORE TO COME, including pics of new covers…..

Zeeps! I want to post this before any more time goes by, so I’ll sign off now. And will return with more news and thought bubbles later in the week. Send me questions and I’ll answer them!

Yours till the book ends,

 

 

p.s. I mean it about the questions. SEND THEM! Have your own brainstorm and come up with something juicy! Or just share a story with me. I like hearing about stuff that’s happening at school or in your corner of the world. Always.

xx

Inspiration and the Olivetti Poster

I'm baaaaaaaack!

How's summer working out for y'all so far? We've had some seriously hot days, gone swimming, planted lots of yellow and pink flowers, and barbecued a lot. But  this weekend, the fourth of July, is the BIG start of summer. BBQs turn into firefly-catching and fireworks-watching events. Summer breezes sing all around us. We eat too many s'mores and drag sand into the house and get bit by loads of mosquitoes. July fourth is when you can feel summer on your neck and in your ears. It's when the world slows down and speeds up all at the same time. And when summer reading on a lounge chair under a setting sun, with lemonade in hand, just seems so…well, perfect. Whiffle ball and jumpropes, coconut oil and aloe vera cream, and popsicles melted all over my fingers.

I could go on and on.  However, my biggest accomplishment so far this summer has not taken place on the beach or by the pool. Best event was the office clean. In the midst of not-writing my blog for the past few years, I'd accumulated a mess of papers and junk all over my office space. (Seriously guys, this place was an episode of Hoarders). But I finally organized my books, polished my floor, and put up the things that inspire me. 

Unbelieveably, the bookshelves have been organized.

Among my stuff is my favorite poster of all time, which hangs over my desk. There's a story behind it. (Isn't there a story behind everything?)

I first saw this poster when I used an "author" calendar, filled with photos of favorite writers seated behind their desks. Some writers had little cabins in the woods, some lurked on the seashore in their hammocks, and still others wrote from behind stately oak desks with books piled high all around.

My favorite writing desk–and author–was a nonfiction writer named Susan Sontag. I have only read a select few of her essays and criticism and one novel, but WOWZA I really dug her workspace.

Check it out:

Author and essayist Susan Sontag

We can ignore the cigarette in her hand but everything else is–mwwwwah!–perfection. And dig that poster behind her! Something about old-fashioned typewriters and little stacks of hardcover books gets my brain humming.

After seeing this pic, I spent 10 years looking for a copy of this poster for myself. I figured if I could look even half as groovy sitting under the poster at my desk then I'd be all set.

Finally, I found the Olivetti poster–ordered it promptly–had it framed. And now this is what I look at behind my desktop computer. I imagine those flying pages flying out of my printer. I imagine poems I can write. And I have window boxes planted with flowers just outside the windows of my office, too. Windows, posters, mirrors.

Inspiration is everywhere. So whenever I scribble-scrabble in this blog, here's what I see:

Here's how I stay on "track" with my writing. Yeah, I know. Lame pun.

I think we all need to start our summers with the things that inspire us most. So tell me what would be on your list of inspirations? Seriously, TELL ME.

Juice boxes and jellybeans? X-Box and faded jeans (a la the sisterhood!)? Or your diary, your dog, or maybe just the idea that in the summertime there is the possibility that anything can happen?

And I do mean anything.

Let's just make sure we keep checking in all summer long. I'll post pics and ideas and dreams. You do the same. Hugs from here.

And don't forget the sunblock.

Lucky

Okay, so I had to go to this shmancy dinner thing tonight. The kind of party where you spend all this money on raffles and win some dopey mug or a teeny picture frame you'll never use.

And get this: I won! I got two awesome prizes, including a dinner party for TEN PEOPLE in my house. Hey, I wish I could invite all of you!

So I'm thinking, with my lucky loot tonight…is it time to rush out and play the lottery? Is my luck–somehow–looking up? Should I up the ante on luck–and go for broke?

I have steadfastly celebrated my lucky number as NINE for my entire life. Seriously–I was born on the 9th of the month at 1:09 AM. That has to mean something!  Despite this oh-so-lucky numeral, however, I was never the kid who won the raffle prize or who got picked first for basketball. And I sure didn't guess the number of jelly beans in the jar at the school fair.

Not me.

I ran the other way when I saw black cats. I crossed my fingers (and toes) a lot. I decided it was smarter to belive in leprechauns than not to believe. I never stepped near a ladder, let along walk under one. And one day I just I stopped saying, "Lucky you," because it felt like I was giving my luck away.

But not tonight. Tonight I feel lucky. And I'm rolling with it–and my amazing dinner.

Tell me about one time when you had a lotta luck. I love hearing stories.

Clouds

Spring is really here in New York. Sunshine. Breezes that wrap warm around me. Today is a little bit like a poem. It brings up old and new feelings and makes my toes tap (just a little). All day long (well, it is St. Paddy's day) I've been humming Celtic riffs. There's a box accordion playing in my head.

But it's hard not to think about Japan and the aftermath of that horrible earthquake and tsunami. What a week. Those brave men who are in the nuclear power plant, trying to get it right, risking so much danger; putting out their best for a country facing its worst. Japan has already rebuilt in its lifetime after World War II…and now faces the task of rebuilding again.

What do you really know about this part of the world? Have you been reading the newspaper? How do these major events make you feel about life there–or here? Is anyone reading this from Japan?

There are always so many questions to ask.

Yesterday I visited my daughter's class at school to teach writing. I'm going in for a few mornings this spring to do fun stuff and try to inspire the kids. We worked on description together: brainstorming, dreaming, getting our heads chock full of sensory details like sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We listened to music; ate chocolate kisses. The kids were so smart! Everything we described together turned into a poem.

My favorite was The Clouds.

There is nothing better than a poem we all make together.

And clouds is a timely topic, isn't it? I am, of course, thinking (again) about Japan, whose clouds have changed this week. Their clouds are now contaminated over that part of Japan where the nuclear reactor is damaged. 

There are moments when everything and everyone must come together. That's when REAL spring comes: green, warm, welcoming. I hope the Japanese will find their spring again.

Let's all hope for that.

Hey, one more question (because I can't help myself):

If spring = hope; what do YOU hope for?

Best Friends Have a Lotta Art

Sometimes the best thing I can do for a friend is make her (or him) a pretty picture. Or, as I like to say, pretty goofy pic. LOL.



The scribble scrabble art above was something I did for t-shirts at my daughter's birthday party. All the girls colored theirs with neons and reds and purples and then danced around to Rhianna and Lady Gaga.  

Hey: what's the funniest thing you ever made for your BFF?

(Me? I used to be addicted to collage boxes. I would cut words out of magazines and glue 'em down to old cigar boxes. I once made a shell box, too, using about 100 shells I collected over an entire summer.)

P.S. When you drop me a note, please let me know the state/country where you live. But you know cyber-safety: never, ever tell anyone online your full name or exact address. Ever.