A Book Toast to Three (Ian, Karen, and Me)

Sorry, hee hee. I couldn't pass up the rhyming opportunity! But the good news among the Raleigh writers just keeps pouring in! So, here are three more reasons to celebrate:

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First, a toast to the amazing Karen Lee, whose book ABC Safari has just been awarded the Bronze Medal in the category of ABC/counting books by the Independent Publishers Moonbeam Children's Book Awards! Look for the bronze medallion on her covers in bookstores everywhere! And a second big congrats to Karen for having the two newest books she's illustrated, One Odd Day and My Even Day both flying into stores from Silvan Dell. Congrats, Karen! You're on a roll!

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And a second Toast, to Ian Sands , for receiving an Illustrators "Award of Excellence" at the SCBWI Carolina's Fall conference for his artwork entitled "Fox Steals a Kite!" Go Ian! Go Ian!

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And here's a third toast - erg, to me actually.

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I am thrilled to report that the novels I've been working on (Orion's Apprentice, and The Prince of Chains and Letters) have both been awarded Honorable Mentions in the Writer's Digest Annual contest for children's fiction. The award letters tell me that there were 16,000 entries (so firstly I started wondering if that was a typo, since it seems that the sweet judges had to read all of our submissions. God bless them!) But since apparently it wasn't, I'm feeling extremely honored to have had both of my books noticed among such a large crowd of great writers!

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(Seriously, I'm still pretty much lying on the floor hypervenalating with joy!)
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So THANKS Writer's Digest, for the vote of confidence! It's amazing what a little encouragement like this can do for the soul, the editors, and the muse.

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And now I'm off to do NANO in November. And for those whose lives are not already crazy enough, I would highly recommend that you join me. Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's a fun experience in which thousands of published and not-yet-published novelists each attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November.

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And yes, there are "real" writers doing nano. It's a great kick-start to pull you out of writing funks! The cameraderie and weekly deadlines will get you writing that first draft quicker than you ever thought possible. Plus there are fun t-shirts, and comic emails from Nano-leader Chris Baty, that shouldn't be missed! So I'll be nanoing for the third time this year. And, for those who might wonder -- the first two books I started during Nano are the two that were just awarded the Honorable Mentions'. So yes, this is a serious enterprise, as long as you're seriously willing to revise.

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So do join me. Come, Nano... And let's get a little book-crazy together.

A Bookstore Toast: Powell's Books of Portland

Alrighty now, this is a new feature onWritermorphosis.

Bookstore Toasts.

We already have "book toasts" where writers and illustrators get toasted here when their books are published or they win an award. But now, every 3-4 months, I will also toast a bookstore that has gone above and beyond the norm to make the whole book buying experience a wonderful and glorious thing.

You see, it's the book sellers who do a lot of the marketing that gets our books into the hands of our readers. And some just do it better than others.

So today we will toast Powell's Books of Portland, a bookshop you should definitely stop by if you ever have the chance. Now Powell's has several locations in the Portland, Oregon area but the one that really caught my attention was at the Portland airport, Terminal D.

It was late at night -- around 10pm Oregon time, and quite the middle of the night on my watch still set to Eastern Standard Time -- when I disembarked my plane in Portland prepared for a daunting 2 hour wait. It was the time of night when stores tend to be closed at airports, so I was thrilled to see a bookstore that was still open.

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Powell's had ambiance, not just books. Its bright yellow lighting glowed against colorfully mixed up books in the children's/YA section -- not a little section, mind you, but a separate room that was equal in size to the adult section. How refreshing! I could see the pirate hats, horse posters and other kid friendly stuff through the large glass doors before I was anywhere near the shop.

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And when I lugged my giant suitcase down one row and then the next, knocking books off a shelf or two, James at the counter - in his cool, Oregonian stocking cap -- did not rush forward to quarentine me!

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(Thank you, James!)

The children's room was great! There were chests on the floor containing princess gowns and pirate garb, dinosaurs, trains, horses, you name it, strewn in orderly choas around and under the bookshelves. On the shelves themselves only one of each book was present -- the kind of set-up that makes you think you might be the last person in the world with the opportunity to buy this book, and therefore you want it even more. (Excellent marketing. And quite fun to peruse.)

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But Powell's went above and beyond all of this with my favorite little touch. Beneath many books they had handwritten notes with teasers telling the synopsis of the story, or whether this was an ALA notable or a Newbery winner, or whether someone associated with the store really liked the book and why. Some recommendation notes were signed with the recommenders' names. Very personal and creative!

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And it worked. I bought one. (Ok, I bought two -- I couldn't pass up Shakespeare's Secret, one of my favorite middle grade books that everyone should read.) But the book I bought that I had never heard of was "The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp" which the handwritten note in red and black marker (above) described as "a white-knuckle page-turner with a deep and meaningful heart."

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And so they convinced me. I bought the book. And they are right. If you know a middle grade or teen boy who likes helicopters and high speed car chases combined with knights with swords from king arthur's court, then this book of hood-cloaked noble warriors striving to save Excaliber from destroying the world in the 21st century might just be the book for them! There's lots of action and a loveable, bumbling, teen main character.
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So here's A TOAST to Powell's books at the Airport: For great ambiance, great books, great late night hours, an awesome kids' section, and great reading recommendations! I hope to visit you again (with a slightly smaller suitcase).

The 2007CYBILS awards are coming!

The Cybils, the internet's first Children's literary awards, are coming soon for 2007. And I am so honored to have been chosen as a judge. So, there will be a lot of news about the Cybils, the nominated books, finalists and such, on this blog beginning in December. For now, nominations are being accepted -- and YOU can nominate books in 7 categories (from picture books to graphic novels). Check it out and get involved at http://www.theedgeoftheforest.com/cybils/about.shtml

SCBWI Carolinas Fall Writers' Conference 2007

So what happens when a couple of hundred Children's Writers get together for the weekend?

Ehem...

No, seriously, we had a blast at the 15th Annual SCBWI Carolina's Writer's Conference in Durham, NC. The Crystal Ball was a costume-filled success!

In the spirit of the event several members of my critique group dressed up like our own characters. I was thrilled wtih the opportunity to bring my secondary character "Jade" to life.

But there really was more than just revelry going on! There were 4 children/YA editors and quite a few well-credentialed authors on hand to do critiques, lead workshops, and hob-knob with the rest of us about the current trends in children's publishing.

Caldecott Winner, Carole Boston-Weatherford gave the keynote address

Editors from Atheneum, Dutton, Front Street and HarperCollins critiqued first pages aloud, and gave pointers. Big thanks to Caitlyn, Julie, Joy and Molly!

It was a mad dash for coffee in the morning, and then off to our first breakout session. "Illustration tips, writing dialogue, picture book concepts, and getting out of the slush pile," were some of the many topics on the menu throughout the day.

Editor Caitlyn Dlouhy and Author Francis O'Roarke Dowell (who wrote Dovey Coe) spoke about the author/editor relationship and the importance of working together.

There were red-eye critique sessions, a bookstore to peruse, and much discussion of writing techniques and the market, during breaks between sessions.

And once again, my active little critque group padded our free-time discussions with chick-fil-a chicken!

My favorite workshop involved Editor Julie Strauss-Gabel sharing characterization techniques through the eyes of a therapist.

"Figure out what's really going on for your character, and then help them get through it..."

SCBWI Co-Founder Lin Oliver was also an excellent guest at the event, sporting the red turban our chapter gave her (in honor of being the queen of SCBWI,) and giving out awards and sharing tips.

Her advice to "develop a personal cannon" of children's books that you know well, love, and can reference for plot, grammar, characterization and other writing kick-starts, was taken to heart by many. So, it was not unusual to pass small groups of writers sharing their lists of favorite books (their cannon), with each other in the halls.

For my cannon, I'll definitely start with...

1. The Black Stallion Returns

2. Crime and Punishment

3. The Twin Towers

4. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

5. Alex Rider: Stormbreaker

6. And, I admit it -- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...)

Anyway, now that the conference is over, it's back to the books, people! Let's strengthen those characters, twist those plots, discuss it all in our local critique groups, and head those manuscripts toward the post office.

And as Lin Oliver suggested "Love your characters. Love your work. And love your vocation."

Travel Writing

Most successful writers, it has been said, have a system. We schedule writing into our week -- an hour a day; 1000 words a day plus research on Tuesdays; three mag. submissions per week -- or whatever our personal system is. My personal writing time generally coincides with the hours when I'm not at my "day job" - so that means I do a lot of my writing late at night on my "work-days." But it also means I really do most of my literary work on Mondays and Tuesdays when I have "off."

And yet there are times when life just plain interferes with my writing schedule. There are sick days, weddings, children's birthday parties, second honey-moons, family reunions, kids' soccer games and other truly important life priorities.

So, how do we work our writing time around such important events? I think one good way is "travel writing." No. I'm not talking about the type of writing where you take a trip to Tahiti and then sell your musings about great bed and breakfasts there to some travel and tourism magazine. (Although that does sound like fun!) But, nope. I'm talking about taking the writing life with you when you travel.

For example, this past week I had to drop all of my plans t0 hop on a plane and fly 4 states over for an unexpected funeral. Now, of course it was extremely important for me to be at the funeral. I was sad about the person who died, and also glad to be with many people I love in the days before and after the funeral proceedings. And yet there was also another emotion on the fringes as I hurriedly packed for the trip. You see, I was frustrated to have my return flight home taking up my entire Monday -- my writing day -- and one that was particularly important this week because I had planned to spend it preparing for the SCBWI Carolina's writing conference coming up next weekend.

So, in order to live both important lives at the same time, I chose to take my writing life on the road.

I packed the things I'd need for the funeral weekend in my checked suitcase, but stashed my laptop with charger and my newest copy of Writer's Digest magazine in my carry-on. I scheduled a flight that would get me there and home again in plenty of time to be present for all of the important events related to the life tragedy -- yet I also carefully chose a flight with a 2 hour lay-over in Atlanta. Lay-overs are what I call built-in writing time! So, I read my Writer's Digest on the plane on the way there, and finished it up several days later, on the way back. And I came away with a list of new publishers to query, new things to add to this blog, and new ways to market my work. (You really should check out the October edition - it's full of great stuff again this month!).

I also jotted some new story ideas in the magazine margins in between airplane peanuts and turbulence, and I wrote out a 1-sentence synops for my current novel -- in preparations for that up-coming conference. Then, during that lay-over in Atlanta, I gulped down a piece of pizza, stationed myself in the corner with my laptop, and type, type, typed on my novel until it was time again to board. Later, as we prepared to land from the last leg of my journey, I thought about what I would write in this blog entry, and I realized once again that I am a BIG, BIG fan of "travel writing."

Finding time to write can require both flexibility and creativity. And sometimes (dare I say it?)things happen in life that are more pressing than writing. Yet, thanks to the beautiful thing I call "travel writing," I'm still prepared and excited for this weekend's conference!

So, what about you? What techniques are you using to take your writing life with you to those soccer games, anniversary weekends, and other "more pressing than writing" events?

(There will soon be an option for adding comments below each post in this blog in addition to the "friendly notes of hello" section in the lower left that is currently active. For now, feel free to post in the lower left.)

Writers' Conference Tool Kit (What to Bring)

Friends I met at My first Writer's Conference. Washington DC. 2006.

So, first we had the Top 10 Things NOT to do at a Children's Writers' Conference. Now, by popular demand, and based on the last two (AKA - also the first two) writer's conferences I have attended, here is the promised list of Things to bring to a Children's writers' conference.

If I had known these things at my first conference I'd definitely have been a lot less nervous! So, with no funny business this time, here they are in order of importance:

TOP 10 Things to Bring to a Children's Writers' conference

1.) You. Awake, and energetic.

So, for you introverts out there -- Yes, I'm one too -- I'm here to tell you, you will need your people-meeting face on for the conference. Networking is what it is all about - no wall-flowering. You will spend much of the day meeting other cool authors, editors and agents, and I have learned that in the publishing world connections or "who you know" can make all the difference.

2.) Comfortable Professionalish Outfit.

Yes, this means whatever clothing makes you feel like a professional author; like a person that other people will want to do business with -- aka to publish you or to want to be in your critique group, etc. NOTE: If you're not comfortable, you won't look professional. Plus you'll be doing a lot of walking. I wouldn't recommend pajamas or formal evening wear. Many people will dress business casual - for some that's more casual than others - some people wear jeans. Be yourself, and remember to layer - conference centers tend to be cold.

3.) Shoulder Tote Bag (or for the men, the manly equivilant:))

There will be a lot of things to collect at the conference - publishers book lists -- and those are heavy -- business cards & books you buy that were written by the presenters, etc. Trust me, two hands will NOT be enough, especially when you're holding coffee too.

4.) Notebook and pen (You'll want to take notes)

5.) A watch.

You'll be changing classes, er, sessions, just like you did in High School. And you don't want to miss anything good, (like Ian Sands' presentation at the upcoming SCBWI Carolinas Conference) by being too long in line at the bathrooms!

6.) A 1-2 Sentence Summary (in your head only) of what your current book is about.

This is because people may ask you, and you want to be able to rattle it off quickly, like a pitch -- not to editors trapped on the elevator, mind you, just to whoever asks. Make it short and theme related. Here's an example Tolkien could have used: "My book, the Lord of the Rings, tells the story of how a young hobbit, with help from an unusual group of friends, chooses to sacrifice his future to save the world from an evil sorceror." Now, Tolkien's pitch could have included "...who controls others through a magic ring," but generally shorter is better.

7.) Business Cards

These should contain whatever contact info. you want strangers, editors, agents, and fellow

writers to have about you -- email, phone, name, what writing organizations you are a member of, etc. You can get business cards cheap online -- search "business cards," or make your own on the computer. Cards are not a conference requirement, but they do make it easier to market yourself to new folks you meet. Make the card reflect who you are.

8.) Cash + Checkbook or credit card.

Coffee, books, cool writerly stuff -- these all are optional purchases, but very fun, & significantly less fun with no money.

9.) Knowledge of the Presenters

This really should have been earlier on the list! It's a good idea to check the websites of the presenters -- or their publishing houses if it's an editor -- before the conference, so that you know what they're known for, & what genre's they are interested in. This will save you from embarrassing conversations like the one I saw several writers having at my first conference. The writers were griping about an agent-presenter and an editor-presenter who were apparently late. Alas, it was that very agent and editor they were talking to at that moment, but they didn't know it, because they'd never gone to their websites to see their photos! Embarrassing.

10.) Confidence

Really this should be # 1. If you don't believe you're a writer, a sellable writer, with a truly great book -- well then, my dear, no-one else will believe it either. So, be confident. You're great! Act like you know it.

I've been tagged!

So, Karen Lee (the excellent author/illustrator) tagged me with a meme. This means that I'm supposed to write 8 things people might not know about me, and then tag other friends to do the same. Alas, Karen and I have a number of the same friends so I will have to try not to tag any of them again!


The meme rules: each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names (see below), then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


So, here's my meme list -- 8 things about me:
















1.) This is the Siletz Public Library, my childhood haunt. By 4th grade I'd read most of the books in the kids' section and was sifting through the dusty stacks in the adult room for something fun to read. Alas, last year they tore it down to build a new and "better" library. Luckily I got there early enough to capture this memory.


2.) My "Fav" books during that life-stage were the Black Stallion books, the Narnia books, and the hardback Nancy Drews.


3.) I can only tell North, South, East and West when the sun is rising or setting. Therefore, I have been lost in more places than most people have been :) -- and I have photos to prove it!


4.) I almost always drink chocolate milk for breakfast.


5.) As a kid I wanted to be a tight-rope walker. I practiced for months on a thin rope my dad patiently strung several feet off the ground between the wash-line poles. I could run across that thing `like pippi longstocking on a rooftop' -- Arms out...side-step, side-step, side-step... taadaa!


6.) At age 15, a friend and I were chased through a swamp by a black bear at night. Some of our clothes are still in the swamp today.


7.) I spent 6 weeks in Russia separated from my passport in the early 1990s. (Passport, Officer? Er...um, what passport?)


8.) I have flown an airplane, studied braille, babysat pet cockroaches and dyed my hair pink. (Ok - so one of these things isn't true. You decide.)

And though some of my bloggerly friends (listed to the left) have already been tagged, I will add three more:

Joan of the journey

George Kulz

and

Kari(a)n the Librarian

And one friend I'd like to tag, but can't, because she has a GREAT writer's website but no blog...

Jean "Speck" Lauzier (@ Storycrafters)

Check her out.

Meanwhile, here is a final thought for today: Living interesting lives gives writers more fodder for writing interesting books. Therefore, like the old childrens' book title says: Choose your own adventure. (And make it worth re-telling).