Augusta Scattergood's Blog, page 50

And the winner is....

SHERRY RIFLEY.



I don't know Sherry, but I do know she'll love Bobbie Pyron's DOGS OF WINTER.

Congratulations and send me your mailing address, Sherry.

Mississippi, Here I Come (back)!

Excited to be going back to the place I call home. 
Or close to it.

Though truthfully, I've never been to Pelahatchie, Mississippi, I can't wait to meet the librarians and talk to the kids next week. 

My "small world" state story? One of the librarians is a granddaughter of my daddy's colleague. 
She and I both worked, at different times, as interns for the State Library Commission. 

Southerners are so connected to each other!

Y'all can't really come though. Sorry.
I won't be hanging out at Lemuria to sign books this time.  
This is a trip to talk to students, teachers, share the story of my book.
(But I bet if you call Emily at the bookstore, she could arrange for me to leave a copy there for you.) 







  I'm thrilled to be headed home!
Home truly is where your story begins...

Children's Literature Network

This is for my writer friends.

When you are new at being a Published Author, it's hard to know which advice to take.
Before my first book made its appearance in the world, I received a lot of great tips.
One of the best?
Join Children's Literature Network.

So I did.



Here's the website:
http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/

They do bios, birthdays, and geographical listings of their members, book announcements and your book events.

Here's a little Q&A from a regular feature:  

WHAT'S RIGHT WITH CHILDREN'S LITERATURE?
(my answer, of course)




Some of what they've been doing for their impressive list of authors, for TEN years now?
Providing connections, raising awareness, creating in-depth resources.
Like them on Facebook, here. 

Check out their homepage and see what you think. 
Lots of great stuff, for authors AND for readers. 
Okay, what are you waiting for? Head on over and tell them I sent you! 

Sharing the Wealth

I love a good dog story.
But there's got to be more than just dogs doing cute things. Give me adventure! Give me heart! 
Give me Bobbie Pyron's fabulous novels.

Today is your lucky day, readers. I have a copy of THE DOGS OF WINTER. I'm sharing.





 Here's a link to Horn Book's review, from Bobbie's own blog.

http://bobbiepyron.blogspot.com/2012/12/horn-book-review-of-dogs-of-winter.html

For those of you who haven't been librarians since Caesar Was a Little Boy (as my funny father loved to say) -- Bobbie and I possibly have-- Hornbook is the Holy Grail of reviewing journals for kids' books. To get a tiny little word of praise by their reviewers sends an author into a swoon. But a full-fledged great review? Wow. Way to go. And all the other reviewers have been downright starry-eyed over this book.

I finished it yesterday, warm inside my house, but I felt as if I'd raced with Ivan through the snow. Based on a true story that's almost impossible to believe, this middle-grade novel will really grab you and hold on for a while.

Truly, Bobbie Pyron's books aren't just books about dogs. 
They are so much more.
Leave me a comment and you could be my lucky winner of THE DOGS OF WINTER.

(Thank you to our mutual publisher, Scholastic, for sharing the brand new hardback copy. Only read once, by me. )



I also loved her first "dog book" reviewed here:
http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/2012/06/dogs-way-home-and-giveaway.html 

And Bobbie has a great blog about Authors and Their Dogs,
FIDO AND FRIENDS
 (She let me squeeze a grand-dog into my spot.)

Comment here or on Facebook for the next week. 
This giveaway ends on February 10th.

Thought for the Week

Tidying up my desk.Found this little notebook, a celebratory thought from last winter's tea with Linda.
(I'm taking it as a good omen.) 

We can do this, folks!




Related post: A Pinch Me Moment

Hooray for A.L.A!

What hard work it must be to read all those fabulous books, discuss endlessly, pick one over another. But it must also be fun.

Congrats to all the winners, runners-up, and list makers for this year's Rock Star Awards, aka the American Library Association's Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Printz, etc etc etc.

Here's the big list:  AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION AWARDS

Don't miss one of my favorite writers and people, the new winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, ANDREA DAVIS PINKNEY. 

I'm happy to report that the winner of the Newbery this year, Katherine Applegate, is one of the nicest writers I've ever met. We sat together at Anderson's Bookstore last winter when I did one of my very first book signings. (Her line was a tad longer than mine! But we had such fun.)

CLICK HERE for a short interview.

Click here for Monica Edinger's excellent explanation of what goes into the process.   TOP TEN THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THE NEWBERY. 

This should be required reading before anybody comments on what the award is all about. And what it's not.


I was totally excited to find my signed copy of  THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, buried beneath another book or two.
And now it's famous.

Buster Brown

Often when I travel to a school or library to talk about GLORY BE, I bring along a shoebox. If you've read the story, you know Glory and her sister save their treasures (and play poker, but I really try not to over-emphasize this activity...) inside their Buster Brown shoeboxes.

I was thrilled to find this one on eBay.

It came stuffed with match covers from all over the world. Which were kind of fun, but I had to air the box out for several days. (It smelled.)

I tied it with a purple ribbon, stuffed it with my own treasures, and took it on the road. The box has served me well. I love it.



But I was getting worried. Even though I have a handy-dandy, waterproof bag to carry my Junk Poker box and its treasures around in, it's traveled from NYC to Missouri to Mississippi, twice, all on various airplanes.

My talentedly artistic friend Leslie suggested I decoupage the box to make it sturdier. But since that's not happening until she moves closer and does it for me (hint hint), I decided to stalk eBay and try to find another.

It arrived this week.
It's not nearly as pretty as the first, but it will do for now.



I have to wonder: What do the nice folks who put these things on eBay think.
Geez, I bet somebody will buy a smell little shoebox for ten bucks, plus shipping.

Or
This will never sell, but we'll put it up there for $5 and charge a ginormous amount for shipping and see who bites.

Either way, I now have a Junk Poker treasure box. And a backup. All is well.


For more on "treasures" found in books, check out my friend Leslie Davis Guccione's blog today!

Book Review: COLIN FISCHER

Although I'm not great about reviewing on Goodreads, I do try to post my reviews on Amazon and, if I remember, Barnes and Noble. (I've learned that actual buyers of books often use these sites!) 

One of my intentions for 2013 is to share more reviews on my blog. 
Here goes my first:




COLIN FISCHERBy Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz(Razorbill, 2012)
I sense a series in the making. And we all know how young readers pine for more books about a character who solves mysteries while makes them laugh out loud.
Colin Fischer is just such a kid. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, the 14-year-old doesn't want to be touched, hates the color blue, and has a mind for mysteries, the kind he can research and work out to the most minute detail. His "precious, dog-eared Notebook… had seen better days, though it had been fastidiously cared for." In it, he records facts, friends, reactions. Each entry about a new discovery is often punctuated by the simple command: Investigate.
And investigate he does. When someone shoots off a gun at a birthday celebration in the school cafeteria, Colin carefully works out the mystery. The incident leads him—and a surprising friend—on an adventure.
But at its heart, the book makes you laugh. Told in clever notebook entries, footnotes (which could possibly be a distraction to kids, but added an additional layer of interest for this grown-up reader), as well as Colin's constant flash-card facial clues to help him read his classmates' emotional states-of-mind, the novel is kid-friendly and fun to read.
But of course, there are serious layers to this story. A possible budding romance. Bullying which doesn't end well for Colin. An exceptional boy who's mostly figured out how to cope. A gun in school. As Colin copes with things he never expected to tolerate, the novel challenges many of the stereotypes about autistic kids; it could well open an avenue for serious discussion.
My criticism? I wasn't fond of the way the parents were portrayed. I wished for August's dad in Wonder . I wanted more understanding, more humor, less wine-drinking and adult behavior. And I hope if Colin continues his sleuthing into a second book, the writers will re-consider the character of Colin's younger brother. Yes, I know how difficult it would be to have a brother who embarrasses you on a regular basis, but Danny was downright unlikable.
As a writer, I was bothered some by the switches in point-of-view. These are the things that trouble writers who try to read for fun, or for any other reason! I don't think a young reader will notice.
Colin Fisher has much to recommend it. A funny, cleverly put together book, just right for older middle grade readers. And don't you love that cover?

Beginnings

Inspired by the Florida SCBWI event in Miami and my fabulous critique group- Let's write!

There's nothing quite like a blank page/ computer screen.





Dusting off my trusty Scrivener. Putting all my scribbled notes into folders (the Scrivener kind).






I'm reading a few encouraging quotes about beginnings.

Here's a good one

That's how a good story starts. It doesn't spell everything out for you. A good story gives you something to think about. It raises as many questions as it answers.

~ Eric Puchner
(via Bobbi Miller's website. Lots of good stuff for writers. CHECK IT OUT, HERE. )

And how about this from a little notebook I scribbled in frantically during a Maryland SCBWI event. Maybe 2009? (I never throw notebooks away, do you?)

The only way to figure out who a character is is to write. Write a whole draft.
You will never know what you are doing. 
You will discover.
from Coe Booth, though possibly paraphrased, so don't quote me/her.


Here's to new beginnings, 2013. As we flip our January calendars, how are your beginnings? Your revisions and your revisits?

Miami SCBWI

A quick visual recap of another fun learning weekend.

Although it was grey and cloudy one day, by the next it was beautifully sunny.
One of the many reasons writers, editors and agents love to come to Miami for our January Florida SCBWI event.

 The almost sunset view from my room (through not-so-bright window).



The fabulous bookstore,  BOOKS & BOOKS from Coral Gables, brings a roomful of fellow Florida authors' and presenters' books for signing and perusing.

Here's the Book Room at the Miami Sheraton and the Books&Books folks consulting with two authors.
(Hi, Aimee! See you next year when your own fabulous picture book will be prominently displayed!)



(Hey, Becky and Aaron! Thank you so much. )


 I got to meet, in real time and real life, some of my Facebook friends.
Here I am with Donna Gephart at the very end of the weekend (do we look it?).

I love her book OLIVIA BEAN, TRIVIA QUEEN.  
Then again, I also love Scrabble...

Oh, and Donna has a fantastic blog. WILD ABOUT WORDS.

 That's about all my over-stimulated brain can share this morning.

But I'm especially looking forward to reading more and writing more about my favorite workshop, perhaps my favorite hour of the weekend, featuring Beca Publisi, author of THE EMOTIONAL THESAURUS, 
Do you know this book? This website? So much info, stay tuned for more on that.

Click on those links, if you're so inclined, and now let's get writing everybody!