Welcome, Nancy Cavanaugh!

<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p.MsoListParagraph, li.MsoListParagraph, div.MsoListParagraph {margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:.5in; mso-add-space:auto; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:0in; margin-left:.5in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} p.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, li.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast, div.MsoListParagraphCxSpLast {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:.5in; mso-add-space:auto; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:911039482; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:87444164 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} </style>  <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-adbTl4SUvDU..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-adbTl4SUvDU..." width="126" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">     I'm excited to have my friend and fellow Tampa Bay writer, Nancy Cavanaugh, here today. Nancy's first middle-grade novel, THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET, launches this week. I loved this book! And apparently, so did a lot of other reviewers. <b> </b></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...   ⇒A star from Kirkus</a></b> is about as gold as you can get. </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">     Pull up a chair. Or a tool bench. And let's ask Nancy about 11-year-old Ratchet and her home-school journal.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Augusta:<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">   </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">I’m curious about the neat format of this book. Kids will love the poems, letters, research- all from Ratchet. Did you write the entries in the order they appeared or did you skip around?  Did they change much as you edited it for publication?</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nancy:</span></b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">For the most part, I wrote the book in order.  Going from beginning to end is just how my brain works.  There were a few times though, when I’d think of a scene I wanted to have happen later on, so I would jot notes down about that scene, and I’d also decide what type of assignment I would use for writing that scene.  Over the years while I was writing RATCHET, I revised A LOT, and once I started working with my editor at Sourcebooks, Aubrey Poole, I revised a lot more.  So yes, the book changed quite a bit throughout all those revisions.</span></b></i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Augusta: <span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">When and where do you do your best writing?  Do you like music, crowds, food to surround you?  Or are you a solitary writer?</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nancy:  My best writing time is probably late at night.  It’s when I know I won’t get interrupted because everyone else is asleep, and it’s nice and quiet.  As for the best place, I’m kind of a writing nomad.  In my house, I write in different places.  Recently, I found this handy dandy carry-all organizer that holds all my stuff.  </span></b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><b><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xlTTNjLLrGk..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xlTTNjLLrGk..." /></a></b></i></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">It makes it so easy for me to take everything with me to any room in the house.</span></span></span></b></i></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Augusta:<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">    </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Oh, I love that bag! Very cool, Nancy. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">You’re both a mom and librarian.  Were you inspired by other books you’ve read over the years?  Do you have any favorites?</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nancy:</span></b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I feel like we’re all inspired by everything we read – the books we think are good and even the ones we think aren’t so good.  In writing RATCHET though, I was inspired by one book in particular – WHAT I BELIEVE by Norma Fox Mazer.  It’s a wonderful story told through free verse poetry, and for some reason that book inspired me to think about writing a book in a different format.</span></b></i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Augusta: Ratchet, on a limited budget and totally not a girlie-girl, shops in some zany spots. Although this is not a "girl" book, they will just love this part of your story.<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">  </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">Tell us, what's</span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;"> your fashion sense?  Do you also shop the second-hand clothing stores?<br /><br /></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nancy: </span></b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><i><b>I can sum up my fashion sense in one word – comfort.  My criteria for what to wear is that it be first and foremost comfortable.  That’s why you’ll see me wearing gym shoes about 95% of the time.  As for shopping, I guess I can sum that up in one word too – Kohl’s.  I buy about 95% of my clothes and shoes from Kohl’s.  (They’re not even paying me to say all this; that’s how much I love Kohl’s.)</b></i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blog..." name="_GoBack"></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">(Here's Nancy, looking pretty comfy, toiling away at her Work Bench!) </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1C7MPwl92Sw..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1C7MPwl92Sw..." /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Augusta: <span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">    </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Your writing about Ratchet’s dad’s shop and her helping out is such fun to read and so realistic.  Do you know your way around a toolbox?</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Nancy:</span></b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I learned all my mechanic skills from my husband.  He was a former industrial arts teacher, and the two of us developed and taught elementary and middle school students a course on small engines.  In the class, we took apart a small engine and put it back together again.  Well, you know what they say, there’s no better way to learn something than to teach it, so that’s how I learned what I know.  My experience became the inspiration for Ratchet’s expertise.</span></b></i></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Augusta:<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">   </span></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Will we see this character again?  Do you have another book you’d like to tell us about?</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">  Nancy:</span></b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">I don’t have plans for another book about Ratchet, at least not right now.  What you will see from me is more books written in alternative formats.  I love the creative part of figuring out how to tell an entire story in a unique way.    </span></b></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></b></i><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> Thanks for sharing this<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>funny, smart girl and her story with us today. Here's a link to Nancy's website:</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.nancyjcavanaugh.com/"... style="line-height: 115%;">http://www.nancyjcavanaugh.com </span></a><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></b></i></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">While you're there, click on the link to her blog, too. </span><i><b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></i></span></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO RATCHET is available via INDIEBOUND here:</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/978140... /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Journal-Belongs... style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Click HERE for the book's link to Amazon.</span></span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>