Augusta Scattergood's Blog, page 52
December 9, 2012
My Favorite Book Project
Last year, when my first novel was published, I traveled "home" to Mississippi. Thanks to Jill, my buddy at
Square Books, Jr.
, I got to meet some amazing kids at schools in Oxford.
This is one of the best parts of being an author, I promise.
Seeing young readers celebrating your book is also pretty special.
Here's 4th grader Reagan, at her Della Davidson Book Fair this week.
At almost every single school visit and Skyping, readers (all ages!) ask how long it took me to write and/or to get my book published. When I say ten years, that sounds like forever to some of them.
But when you see your very first book appreciated like this, it makes that hard work so worthwhile.
When I tell you Reagan won third place at her school's Book Project Fair last week, this is a huge accomplishment. I saw all the entrants on Square Book Jr's Facebook page (check the link, above, and go to the pictures page if you want to see some impressive readers). They were outstanding. So hats off and thank you to Reagan, and to her mom and to my niece, Amy, for sharing the pictures.
And because I can't resist, here's another of Reagan before the winners were announced. I think that's the letter Glory wrote. And that swimming pool looks three-dimensional!
Such great details.
Thank you, Reagan!
Related Posts: My Visit to Oxford, spring 2012.
Travels to Mississippi: Ten Things to Remember, including Pimento Cheese...
This is one of the best parts of being an author, I promise.
Seeing young readers celebrating your book is also pretty special.
Here's 4th grader Reagan, at her Della Davidson Book Fair this week.
At almost every single school visit and Skyping, readers (all ages!) ask how long it took me to write and/or to get my book published. When I say ten years, that sounds like forever to some of them.
But when you see your very first book appreciated like this, it makes that hard work so worthwhile.
When I tell you Reagan won third place at her school's Book Project Fair last week, this is a huge accomplishment. I saw all the entrants on Square Book Jr's Facebook page (check the link, above, and go to the pictures page if you want to see some impressive readers). They were outstanding. So hats off and thank you to Reagan, and to her mom and to my niece, Amy, for sharing the pictures.
And because I can't resist, here's another of Reagan before the winners were announced. I think that's the letter Glory wrote. And that swimming pool looks three-dimensional!
Such great details.
Thank you, Reagan!
Related Posts: My Visit to Oxford, spring 2012.
Travels to Mississippi: Ten Things to Remember, including Pimento Cheese...
December 7, 2012
We have a winner!
SUSAN. You just won The Ballad of Jessie Pearl.
Enjoy and Pay it Forward if you are so inclined.
Enjoy and Pay it Forward if you are so inclined.
December 5, 2012
Christmas (book) Shopping
Since I've been asked, I will share that the wonderful LEMURIA Books in Jackson has signed copies of GLORY BE.
Here's the website:
http://www.lemuriabooks.com/index.php?show=book&isbn=WFES545331807
Or you can call my friend Emily, the children's book buyer, and she'll fix you up!
Lemuria Books
202 Banner Hall
4465 I-55 North
Jackson, MS 39206
601.366.7619
800.366.7619
(I'm also happy to send along a note and some bookmarks. Just send me an email or Facebook message and they are yours!)
Here's the website:
http://www.lemuriabooks.com/index.php?show=book&isbn=WFES545331807
Or you can call my friend Emily, the children's book buyer, and she'll fix you up!Lemuria Books
202 Banner Hall
4465 I-55 North
Jackson, MS 39206
601.366.7619
800.366.7619
(I'm also happy to send along a note and some bookmarks. Just send me an email or Facebook message and they are yours!)
December 3, 2012
Football!
I don't love college football like some I know. And maybe I'll watch an NFL game occasionally. But I grew up on high school football.
Not to get sidetracked, but my absolute favorite TV show was Friday Night Lights.
So I can't wait to hear about the team's victories in my sister's hometown of Batesville, Mississippi. This year, the SOUTH PANOLA HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS took their division. Again.
State Champs!
Here's the link to the Jackson Clarion Ledger article with a ton of pictures. I plan to hang on to this for future reference. You never know when you'll need a good football story.
My brother-in-law, George Carlson, loves the Tigers so much he returns to each game as one of the radio announcers.
Judge by day! Color Commentator by Friday nights!
So a big shout-out to soon-to-be-retired George as the Tigers end another winning season.
Here he is doing what he loves next-to-the-best. Grilling. He and his brother Chris are highlights of my culinary tour when I return to Mississippi.
(If you care, you can read a little more about the FOOD here.)
And just in case you read this blog to learn more about BOOKS and WRITING? Here's my writing advice for you. Everybody needs an expert. George was just that when it came to my character, Robbie, in Glory Be.
No, George was probably not anybody's Bad Boy Boyfriend. (Though I can't promise that's true.)
But he was always at the other end of my emails when I needed to know the technicalities of football practice in the heat of the summer in 1964 Mississippi. Talk about color commentating. George provided details. Thanks, Judge!
If you're still reading--and yes, this is a longer than average blogpost-- here's your reward for sticking with this entire Football treatise.
In case you ever doubted my authenticity about the high school football scenes in GLORY BE?
Besides George? I also had a college roommate was a majorette who twirled a Fire Baton.
More proof? Here's my Cleveland (MS) high school Pep Squad. We marched in every single Friday afternoon parade before our home games and on the field under the lights at each game.
Promise not to laugh.
And feel free to share your high school football stories. I'm keeping a file.
Not to get sidetracked, but my absolute favorite TV show was Friday Night Lights.
So I can't wait to hear about the team's victories in my sister's hometown of Batesville, Mississippi. This year, the SOUTH PANOLA HIGH SCHOOL TIGERS took their division. Again.
State Champs!
Here's the link to the Jackson Clarion Ledger article with a ton of pictures. I plan to hang on to this for future reference. You never know when you'll need a good football story.
My brother-in-law, George Carlson, loves the Tigers so much he returns to each game as one of the radio announcers.
Judge by day! Color Commentator by Friday nights!
So a big shout-out to soon-to-be-retired George as the Tigers end another winning season.
Here he is doing what he loves next-to-the-best. Grilling. He and his brother Chris are highlights of my culinary tour when I return to Mississippi.
(If you care, you can read a little more about the FOOD here.)
And just in case you read this blog to learn more about BOOKS and WRITING? Here's my writing advice for you. Everybody needs an expert. George was just that when it came to my character, Robbie, in Glory Be.
No, George was probably not anybody's Bad Boy Boyfriend. (Though I can't promise that's true.)
But he was always at the other end of my emails when I needed to know the technicalities of football practice in the heat of the summer in 1964 Mississippi. Talk about color commentating. George provided details. Thanks, Judge!
If you're still reading--and yes, this is a longer than average blogpost-- here's your reward for sticking with this entire Football treatise.
In case you ever doubted my authenticity about the high school football scenes in GLORY BE?
Besides George? I also had a college roommate was a majorette who twirled a Fire Baton.
More proof? Here's my Cleveland (MS) high school Pep Squad. We marched in every single Friday afternoon parade before our home games and on the field under the lights at each game.
Promise not to laugh.
And feel free to share your high school football stories. I'm keeping a file.
December 1, 2012
Shannon, Pt. 2
Okay, I know some of you can't see that entire interview from yesterday's blog,
so I'm reposting the questions and answers.
And this link to
Shannon's blog with the family recipe for Chocolate Pound Cake!
Because who doesn't need Chocolate today?
You can comment here or there and you'll be entered in the Giveaway for THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL. Rumor has it, Shannon will throw in a set of bookmarks for your class if you're a teacher, or as many as you might need for your Book Group or friends and family.
Augusta: In my past career as both a school librarian and a reference librarian in a public library, I was frequently asked to recommend books for Book Groups. I see this novel as a great choice for a Mother Daughter Book Club, or even a women's group.
Can you think of a couple of discussion questions those groups might focus on?
Shannon:In the first line of the book, “Sometimes when the kerosene lamp casts shadows, I think I see Ma’s ghost,” we learn that Jessie’s mother is dead. How do Jessie’s memories of her ma influence her actions throughout the book? Do you see any similarities with the relationship you have with your own mother?
Great answer. Great quote, too.How about " book food" they might serve! (Maybe not corn pone.) Do you have any family favorites to share?
Shannon: We Southerners love a good pound cake! Make mine chocolate.
Augusta: Yum! I know you have a curriculum guide and lots of teaching ideas. How do you see your book used in a classroom setting?
Shannon: I posed this question to Keely Hutton, an eighth grade ELA teacher, and she has a great answer: “With THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, you have the perfect opportunity to tie in non-fiction pieces about the time period, TB, women’s rights and roles in family/society, healthcare during epidemics, and historically what was happening during those years in the US and the world.”
Augusta: So many opportunities for classes who read your book. I know you'll be speaking to school groups. Describe your ideal class visit.
Shannon: Ideally the teacher and I would have worked together beforehand so that each student would have a family story to share. I would talk about how my son’s eighth grade history project inspired my book, about the 1920’s, rural North Carolina, tuberculosis etc., and give the students a chance to share their family stories with me.
Augusta: I think that story about your son's class project is pretty remarkable.
I loved how strongly you portrayed the characters. You write with such emotion and it shows in how they react to situations. For writers, do you have any tips about getting to that emotional depth?
Shannon: Don’t overwrite. Trust your readers “to get it.” I have the tendency to overdo it and my brilliant editor, Stephen Roxburgh, reminds me that less is more.
Augusta: There are a lot of us who could use a needlepoint of that thought!If you were Book Talking this book, as school librarians often do, what would be the 1-minute take on Jessie Pearl?
Shannon: THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL is about the terror of tuberculosis, the thrill of young love, and a desire to see the world beyond your own hometown.
Augusta: What were your favorite books to read in middle and high school? Do you think those books influenced you to be a writer?
Shannon: Oh my yes! I loved the Little House on the Prairie books and HEIDI GROWS UP. The villainess, Liza Phillips, in my book is based on the two characters I loved to hate when I was younger: Nellie Olson from the Little House books and Liza Colby from the now defunct soap opera All My Children. When I was growing up, I watched soap operas with my granny. Honey, I told you I am Southern!
Augusta: So did I! She called them "my stories." We were particularly fond of As The World Turns.
When you were writing the novel, did you have a reader in mind?
Shannon: Not really. I wrote a book that I would enjoy reading. I’d like to be the Jan Karon or Lisa Wingate of YA literature.
Augusta: Who is your ideal reader? Teen girls, their moms, middle-graders, literary types? A younger version of yourself? All of the above?
Shannon: I don’t have an ideal reader. Anybody who enjoys my book is a newfound friend.
So true! Thanks for those great answers, Shannon.
You can check out Shannon's website for more information: http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/index.html Now it's your turn, blog readers. Just leave me a comment and you, too, could read this remarkable book.
Let's keep this going until December 7. That way, you'll have time to read it and still wrap it up for holiday giving. Though you will probably want to keep this forever and buy more for gifts!
It's that good.
so I'm reposting the questions and answers.
And this link to
Shannon's blog with the family recipe for Chocolate Pound Cake!
Because who doesn't need Chocolate today?
You can comment here or there and you'll be entered in the Giveaway for THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL. Rumor has it, Shannon will throw in a set of bookmarks for your class if you're a teacher, or as many as you might need for your Book Group or friends and family.
Augusta: In my past career as both a school librarian and a reference librarian in a public library, I was frequently asked to recommend books for Book Groups. I see this novel as a great choice for a Mother Daughter Book Club, or even a women's group.
Can you think of a couple of discussion questions those groups might focus on?
Shannon:In the first line of the book, “Sometimes when the kerosene lamp casts shadows, I think I see Ma’s ghost,” we learn that Jessie’s mother is dead. How do Jessie’s memories of her ma influence her actions throughout the book? Do you see any similarities with the relationship you have with your own mother?
Great answer. Great quote, too.How about " book food" they might serve! (Maybe not corn pone.) Do you have any family favorites to share?
Shannon: We Southerners love a good pound cake! Make mine chocolate.
Augusta: Yum! I know you have a curriculum guide and lots of teaching ideas. How do you see your book used in a classroom setting?
Shannon: I posed this question to Keely Hutton, an eighth grade ELA teacher, and she has a great answer: “With THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, you have the perfect opportunity to tie in non-fiction pieces about the time period, TB, women’s rights and roles in family/society, healthcare during epidemics, and historically what was happening during those years in the US and the world.”
Augusta: So many opportunities for classes who read your book. I know you'll be speaking to school groups. Describe your ideal class visit.
Shannon: Ideally the teacher and I would have worked together beforehand so that each student would have a family story to share. I would talk about how my son’s eighth grade history project inspired my book, about the 1920’s, rural North Carolina, tuberculosis etc., and give the students a chance to share their family stories with me.
Augusta: I think that story about your son's class project is pretty remarkable.
I loved how strongly you portrayed the characters. You write with such emotion and it shows in how they react to situations. For writers, do you have any tips about getting to that emotional depth?
Shannon: Don’t overwrite. Trust your readers “to get it.” I have the tendency to overdo it and my brilliant editor, Stephen Roxburgh, reminds me that less is more.
Augusta: There are a lot of us who could use a needlepoint of that thought!If you were Book Talking this book, as school librarians often do, what would be the 1-minute take on Jessie Pearl?
Shannon: THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL is about the terror of tuberculosis, the thrill of young love, and a desire to see the world beyond your own hometown.
Augusta: What were your favorite books to read in middle and high school? Do you think those books influenced you to be a writer?
Shannon: Oh my yes! I loved the Little House on the Prairie books and HEIDI GROWS UP. The villainess, Liza Phillips, in my book is based on the two characters I loved to hate when I was younger: Nellie Olson from the Little House books and Liza Colby from the now defunct soap opera All My Children. When I was growing up, I watched soap operas with my granny. Honey, I told you I am Southern!
Augusta: So did I! She called them "my stories." We were particularly fond of As The World Turns.
When you were writing the novel, did you have a reader in mind?
Shannon: Not really. I wrote a book that I would enjoy reading. I’d like to be the Jan Karon or Lisa Wingate of YA literature.
Augusta: Who is your ideal reader? Teen girls, their moms, middle-graders, literary types? A younger version of yourself? All of the above?
Shannon: I don’t have an ideal reader. Anybody who enjoys my book is a newfound friend.
So true! Thanks for those great answers, Shannon.
You can check out Shannon's website for more information: http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/index.html Now it's your turn, blog readers. Just leave me a comment and you, too, could read this remarkable book.
Let's keep this going until December 7. That way, you'll have time to read it and still wrap it up for holiday giving. Though you will probably want to keep this forever and buy more for gifts!
It's that good.
November 30, 2012
Welcome, Shannon Hitchcock
(Shannon doing what we all do in Florida, enjoying the sunshine!)
It's a wonder our paths didn't cross before Florida. She grew up in North Carolina, a state I feel a real fondness for. Then she lived up the road from me in New Jersey. But we connected over writing and SCBWI and books when we first met in Tampa Bay.
Shannon Hitchcock's first novel. THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, just came out from Namelos.
I loved every word of it.
Richard Peck says she's recreated the "daily drama of a vanished world." So true!
She agreed to answer a few questions about the book and her journey. And guess what? She's giving away a signed copy of the book to a commenter here or on Facebook.
Thanks for coming, Shannon. Here we go!
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I see this novel as a great choice for a Mother Daughter Book Club, or even a women's group.</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Can you think of a couple of discussion questions those groups might focus on? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon:</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the first line of the book, “Sometimes when the kerosene lamp casts shadows, I think I see Ma’s ghost,” we learn that Jessie’s mother is dead. How do Jessie’s memories of her ma influence her actions throughout the book? Do you see any similarities with the relationship you have with your own mother?</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Great answer. Great quote, too.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">How about " book food" they might serve! (Maybe not corn pone.) Do you have any family favorites to share?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: We Southerners love a good pound cake! Make mine chocolate.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Augusta: Yum! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">I know you have a curriculum guide and lots of teaching ideas. How do you see your book used in a classroom setting? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: I posed this question to Keely Hutton, an eighth grade ELA teacher, and she has a great answer: “With THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, you have the perfect opportunity to tie in non-fiction pieces about the time period, TB, women’s rights and roles in family/society, healthcare during epidemics, and historically what was happening during those years in the US and the world.”</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Augusta: So many opportunities for classes who read your book. I know you'll be speaking to school groups. Describe your ideal class visit.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: Ideally the teacher and I would have worked together beforehand so that each student would have a family story to share. I would talk about how my son’s eighth grade history project inspired my book, about the 1920’s, rural North Carolina, tuberculosis etc., and give the students a chance to share their family stories with me. </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Augusta: I think that story about your son's class<span style="font-size: large;"> project</span> is pretty remarkable. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">I loved how strongly you portrayed the characters. You write with such emotion and it shows in how they react to situations. For writers, do you have any tips about getting to that emotional depth?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: Don’t overwrite. Trust your readers “to get it.” I have the tendency to overdo it and my brilliant editor, Stephen Roxburgh, reminds me that less is more.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Augusta: There are a lot of us who could use a needlepoint of that thought!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">If you were Book Talking this book, as school librarians often do, what would be the 1-minute take on Jessie Pearl?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL is about the terror of tuberculosis, the thrill of young love, and a desire to see the world beyond your own hometown</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Augusta: What were your favorite books to read in middle and high school? Do you think those books influenced you to be a writer?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: Oh my yes! I loved the Little House on the Prairie books and HEIDI GROWS UP. The villainess, Liza Phillips, in my book is based on the two characters I loved to hate when I was younger: Nellie Olson from the Little House books and Liza Colby from the now defunct soap opera <i>All My Children</i>. When I was growing up, I watched soap operas with my granny. Honey, I told you I am Southern!</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Augusta: So did I! She called them "my stories." We were particularly fond of As The World Turns.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">When you were writing the novel, did you have a reader in mind?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: Not really. I wrote a book that I would enjoy reading. I’d like to be the Jan Karon or Lisa Wingate of YA literature.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Augusta: Who is your ideal reader? Teen girls, their moms, middle-graders, literary types? A younger version of yourself? All of the above?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shannon: I don’t have an ideal reader. Anybody who enjoys my book is a newfound friend.</span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">So true! Thanks for those great answers, Shannon. </span><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">You can check out Shannon's website for more information: <a href="http://www.shannonhitchcock.com/index... class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Now it's your turn, blog readers. Just leave me a comment and you, too, could read this remarkable book.</b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>Let's keep this going until December 7. That way, you'll have time to read it and still wrap it up for holiday giving. Though you will probably want to keep this forever<span style="color: black;"> <span style="color: red;">and buy more for gifts!</span></span> </b></i></span></span><br /><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><b>It's that good.</b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com...' alt='' /></div>
November 29, 2012
Stay Tuned. Giveaway!
My Tampa- via North Carolina and New Jersey- writing friend, Shannon Hitchcock,
has agreed to answer a few questions on my blog.
Even better. She's giving away an autographed copy of her just-published book: THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL. Which I loved. And you will, too.
Come back tomorrow. I can't wait to share Shannon's story with you.
has agreed to answer a few questions on my blog.
Even better. She's giving away an autographed copy of her just-published book: THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL. Which I loved. And you will, too.
Come back tomorrow. I can't wait to share Shannon's story with you.
November 28, 2012
What a treat.
Ah, the marvels of technology. I'm in sunny Florida. They're in snowy Maine.
Skyping really is such fun.
Just talked to a big group of 4th and 5th graders, an afterschool Book Club.
This is such a treat for a former librarian.
They had some amazing, unusual questions about GLORY BE.
For example:
Which character is most like me?
Which character do I like the best?
Where'd I get my characters' names? Did any of them change over the editing?
(I'm telling you, these kids are smart!)
Will I always write historical fiction or do I plan to try another genre?
(Wish I knew the answer.)
Who's my favorite writer?
They knew them all! Cynthia Lord, Barbara O'Connor, Katherine Paterson- (I had to stop somewhere...)
So I asked that questioner who her favorite writer was. She thought a minute, then answered "Sharon Creech." When I told her I'd recently read The Great Unexpected, she said "Love that Dog was the first chapter book I ever read."
Isn't it amazing what kids remember about books?
Great great school librarians= enthusiastic readers.
Such fun sharing.
(I'm trying now to remember the first chapter book I ever read. I doubt it was as fun or as distinguished as Love That Dog. Who remembers the first book you ever read, all on your own, not an easy reader?)
http://beta.skype.com/en/
Skyping really is such fun.
Just talked to a big group of 4th and 5th graders, an afterschool Book Club.
This is such a treat for a former librarian.
They had some amazing, unusual questions about GLORY BE.
For example:
Which character is most like me?
Which character do I like the best?
Where'd I get my characters' names? Did any of them change over the editing?
(I'm telling you, these kids are smart!)
Will I always write historical fiction or do I plan to try another genre?
(Wish I knew the answer.)
Who's my favorite writer?
They knew them all! Cynthia Lord, Barbara O'Connor, Katherine Paterson- (I had to stop somewhere...)
So I asked that questioner who her favorite writer was. She thought a minute, then answered "Sharon Creech." When I told her I'd recently read The Great Unexpected, she said "Love that Dog was the first chapter book I ever read."
Isn't it amazing what kids remember about books?
Great great school librarians= enthusiastic readers.
Such fun sharing.
(I'm trying now to remember the first chapter book I ever read. I doubt it was as fun or as distinguished as Love That Dog. Who remembers the first book you ever read, all on your own, not an easy reader?)
http://beta.skype.com/en/
November 23, 2012
What I've Learned
As my Debut Year comes to a close-- January 2013, GLORY BE will be one year old-- I'm reflecting on what I've learned so far. And how much I have to be thankful for.
Before Glory hit the shelves, I worried about its reception.
But a very wise person gave me good advice. Like it doesn't matter what reviewers say. It's the kids you are writing for. Your book will still be on library shelves and in readers' hands long after the review has yellowed on the page.
I think the most amazing thing about having a book out in the world isn't how many books you sell or when the reviewers say nice things about you.
Okay, that's pretty great, too.
But my favorite part of the year was when young readers, librarians, even somebody who hasn't read a Middle Grade novel since she finished Little Women back in her own childhood, stopped by a signing or a talk to say how much my book meant to them or their students.
This is Eliza. She came with her mom to my Children's Museum event in Jackson. Her mom told me about the difficulty her neighborhood friend was having in school. And how much my book helped Eliza understand the history of the 1960s.
I also loved hearing from a teacher I'd met at Anderson's AMAZING Literature Breakfast in Illinois. She shared that she was reading Glory Be aloud to her grandmother and some of her grandmother's friends. In the dining room of their assisted living facility.
See, stories like that make all that hard work totally worth while. And make this first year truly memorable. I am a very thankful person this season!
Also:
I'm inspired by my fellow debutantes. Caroline Starr Rose has written eloquently about what she's learned and what she hopes to remember. Click on her name to read her blog.
For a little more about the very beginning of my journey, if you missed that and if you care,
CLICK HERE
or Here (launch party recap)
Before Glory hit the shelves, I worried about its reception.
But a very wise person gave me good advice. Like it doesn't matter what reviewers say. It's the kids you are writing for. Your book will still be on library shelves and in readers' hands long after the review has yellowed on the page.
I think the most amazing thing about having a book out in the world isn't how many books you sell or when the reviewers say nice things about you.
Okay, that's pretty great, too.
But my favorite part of the year was when young readers, librarians, even somebody who hasn't read a Middle Grade novel since she finished Little Women back in her own childhood, stopped by a signing or a talk to say how much my book meant to them or their students.
This is Eliza. She came with her mom to my Children's Museum event in Jackson. Her mom told me about the difficulty her neighborhood friend was having in school. And how much my book helped Eliza understand the history of the 1960s.
I also loved hearing from a teacher I'd met at Anderson's AMAZING Literature Breakfast in Illinois. She shared that she was reading Glory Be aloud to her grandmother and some of her grandmother's friends. In the dining room of their assisted living facility.
See, stories like that make all that hard work totally worth while. And make this first year truly memorable. I am a very thankful person this season!
Also:
I'm inspired by my fellow debutantes. Caroline Starr Rose has written eloquently about what she's learned and what she hopes to remember. Click on her name to read her blog.
For a little more about the very beginning of my journey, if you missed that and if you care,
CLICK HERE
or Here (launch party recap)
November 21, 2012
Quaker Motto Calendar
Yes, it's probably too late to order for this Christmas. But it may not be too late to get them before January gets away from us.
I've blogged about the Quaker Motto Calendar a few times. You can read about it
HERE .
This is the new order form, 2013 version.
(Sorry, I can't help expedite an order. I really have nothing to do with these little gems, other than spreading the word. Because I do love them and like to share what I love.)
I've blogged about the Quaker Motto Calendar a few times. You can read about it
HERE .
This is the new order form, 2013 version.
(Sorry, I can't help expedite an order. I really have nothing to do with these little gems, other than spreading the word. Because I do love them and like to share what I love.)
