Jaye Robin Brown's Blog, page 11

KEEPER OF WONDER: An Interview with Deena Viviani

Today my lovely Keeper of Wonder is Deena Viviani. Deena and I have been hanging out over at Verla Kay's Blue Boards together for a while, so it's fun getting to know her better in her librarian hat. She tweets for her library @bmlkidsteens

So you’re a librarian, how’d that happen?
My full title is Circulation, Programming, and Young Adult Services Librarian (yes, it's a mouthful!), and I first must say I LOVE my job and feel so fortunate to work with J, YA, and adult materials and patrons and...

Friday Five

This is my "Hey, what's up?" post. So here goes.

1. I will successfully complete my second week of the 2013-14 school year today and, lord have mercy, am I ever tired. But I have great kids in my classes and they're already doing some awesome art like these quote doodles.


2. I downloaded two new apps on my Iphone that are really fun. Vintique is a photo app that has great filters, frames and text. It was about $1.99 or so. The second one is Over which an app that allows you to put text over pho...

KEEPER OF WONDER: An Interview with Vicki Lemp Weavil

Today on the blog, I'm pleased to introduce Vicki Lemp Weavil. Not only is Vicki a librarian at the North Carolina School for the Arts, but she is also a writer (her 2014 debut novel, CROWN OF ICE, a YA Fantasy retelling of H.C. Andersen's "The Snow Queen" is coming out from Month9Books). She tweets @VickiLWeavil
The best part for me is a fictional version of NCSA plays a significant role in my forthcoming novel. Vicki sent me loads of information about their admission process which was a...

Hard Times Make For Soft Spirits

It's been a time of doom & gloom for NC teachers and students. Lots of education cuts, lots of pay cuts, the loss of tenure, jobs, and textbook funding. It's tough. Morale is low.

But just this week. I received this in an e-mail from a student that said "Jro, I saw this and thought of you. I can't wait for Art 3 next semester."


And another teacher and I, when called upon to sponsor more clubs, decided to co-sponsor a "Pay It Forward" club. We're a custodian short this year, so we're going t...

Age & Writing & Not Getting Wigged Out.

Lately, I've heard a bunch of chatter among other YA authors about the age you are when you get your book deal. As one of the elder statesmen of my debut class, being nearer the 50 side of my 40's, I understand the tendency to moan (and bemoan) the wriggly wunderkind of young authordom.

The YA world seems to be flooded with bright, young twenty-somethings, and even teen-somethings, landing lucrative contracts. It would seem that those of of us pushing greater decades, are in the minority.

It's...

KEEPER OF WONDER: Interview with Annie Pendergrass

For the next in our Keeper of Wonder series, may I introduce Annie! (@annievalene on Twitter) Another Huntsville, Alabama book girl, she's here to talk about picture books and more! 
So you're a librarian! Tell us about it.

My name is Annie Pendergrass and I never planned on being a librarian. I went to college to study Art History but ended up getting swept up in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and an insatiable love for the English language and grammar. At the time, I decided...

What Makes You Buy a Book?

This is something I've been thinking about quite a bit, lately. Not really about my own book coming out in a year (though I imagine I'll start thinking about it more in due time) but because of Twitter.

I have folks follow me, then when I go to check out their tweets it's nothing but an endless line of blurbs about their book. Retweets about their book. More blurbs about their book. Everything is endless self-promotion.

This DOES NOT make me want to buy a book.

However, if a Tweeter is friendly,...

KEEPER OF WONDER: Interview with Lindsey Loucks

Today's Keeper of Wonder is Lindsey Loucks, who is not only a librarian but also a writer. (You can find out more about Lindsey, the author, at www.lindseyrloucks.com.) On twitter, she's hanging out @LindseyRLoucks. And, she's our first school librarian, which is, of course, super exciting to me.
So you’re a librarian, how’d that happen?
The whole school librarian thing started to happen when I taught a fourth and fifth grade combination class. At recess time, I would always pester the other te...

Friday Five

Stopping in to catch y'all up on the wild, wild life of Jro. (Cue hysterical laughter)
Little Man Chelsea
1. Thanks to Joyce Lewis of Safe Horse Training in Georgia, I am now riding both of my youngsters. Little Man was born in my barn aisle (I tried to get his Mama in a stall but she preferred the aisle) and Chelsea I bought as a yearling. Those of you who regularly follow my blog know I overcame a great deal of fear from a riding accident to get to this place. I've ridden since I was five but...

Keeper of Wonder: Interview with Julia Hendon

Today's Keeper of Wonder is Julia Hendon, or @fangirlibrarian over on Twitter. Julia is a fellow bookish Alabamian! Yes! We do exist. In droves actually. I'm so happy to introduce her on the blog!

So you’re a librarian, how’d that happen?
I became a librarian by accident.  My first semester of college I was required to complete 30 hours of community services for a Sociology class and I chose my local public library.  When I completed my time there I filled out a job application and wa...