Cece Meng's Blog, page 6

Childhood Impressions, Book 1

Kids always love to hear that I've written over one hundred stories but I've sold only three. Struggling writers absorb that piece of information with significantly less enthusiasm.  I've been out visiting schools talking about my books this month and answering loads of questions from kids about where I get my ideas for my stories. Here's my personal connection to the my first book, The Wonderful Thing About Hiccups:
Some of my favorite childhood memories were of going to the library on hot summe

The Novelist and the Poet

I adore my two nieces, Katie and Sarah. Katie is twelve and Sarah is nine. Katie is the super-focused high achiever. She started reading big, fat chapter books in kindergarden, and her amazing writing skills soon followed. She writes stories for fun, page after page after page after page. She is the kid in school who completes an eight page essay when the assignment was to write five pages. Katie thinks big. Her abilities and intelligence are unquestionably impressive. Her creativity boundless.
S

Little Writers

I'm doing a mini-writing clinic at my kids' school. I take a group of four kids and meet with them once a week for three weeks, then I rotate to a new group. Heads up, folks, there are some great writers coming down the pipeline! I'm having fun, and I think most of the kids are getting something out of the experience. My one problem is that I am incapable of controlling unruly kids. That's why my limit is four. If they all decided to stage a major revolt I would be in serious trouble. Hopefully,

What's in your backyard?

I have rabbits. And now to change the subject completely. I was waiting in line at Bath and Bodyworks with my daughter (age 11) and the lady in front of us peed on the floor while being helped at the register. No one noticed until she left the store. I almost stepped in it, but I didn't. It was a big, yellow, smelly, splattered-looking puddle and we were all quite sure she did not have a dog with her. The sales clerk grabbed a mop and pail and cleaned it up. She understood why we refused to stan

Back from the dead

My month-in-law dropped dead in the grocery store last month. No worries, she didn't stay dead. Her pacemaker gave her a zap and she woke up without even realizing she had been gone. The ambulance came and took her vitals. Sent her home in a taxi. We didn't even realize her heart had stopped until I took her to the cardiologist three weeks later. We were amazed.
On the ride home we were talking about it. "Weren't you dizzy? Tired?" She felt same as always. Mind you, my mother-in-law is one sick w

Seriously, you can't take me anywhere

Last Friday, one hour before I was to leave for a children's writers conference, the trunk of my car closed on my face. I know, it's hard to picture. I should mention that the trunk door is unreliable and slightly evil. It closes, unsuspectingly, and with surprising force, on a regular basis - most often while I am unloading grocery bags. I can usually dodge the door, but many times I have had the back of my head pounded with dizzying speed. It's more than a little painful and occasionally draws

Rabbits and more

If you read the jacket flap of my books, it says I have three spotted rabbits. I don't. I now have two spotted rabbits, two white rabbits, and three grey rabbits. Or as my husband likes to remind me, too many rabbits. We are also home to two kids, a bearded dragon lizard, a bird, three cats, and a poorly behaved dog. I don't think the dog behaves any worse than anyone else in the house. People just seem to have higher expectations of dogs. At least our mace-carrying mailman does.