notes from the purple desk

A Mini-Lesson in the Woods

2011-10-27T10:04:00.002-05:00

Last week I traveled to Honesdale, PA to participate in a Highlights Founder's Workshop led by the brilliant Carolyn Coman and Stephen Roxburgh. A week in a cabin in the woods with nothing to think about other than my novel-in-progress. I'd been struggling with this book. Everytime I got two-thirds of the way through, I'd go back and start over because no matter which way the story was headed, I couldn't "see" the ending.

I'd always known the endings of my other books, but somehow the fact that I didn't for this book never stuck out for me as a red flag. What I can see so clearly now (in addition to the ending of the book) is that when I'm writing something and I don't know how it ends, what I have is an idea, not a story.

I can keep writing away at my idea forever, but until I know where it's going, I will never create something coherent and satisfying. This is not to say the writing process will then be easy. It may or may not be.

This may seem like a very simple insight, but if you struggle with finishing a novel, it may be an important one.

Okay...back to novelland!

No quitting 'til I'm done

2011-07-29T12:24:00.001-05:00

I swear I posted last week. But no, it seems 22 days have gone by. Three weeks. I have every intention of posting more regularly, but then how's that to work when I can't seem to keep track of what day it is.

Today is daughter's last day of camp. She's old enough that I don't think it'll affect my writing schedule to much. She sleeps until noon anyway. Much can be done before noon.

Youngest son's camp ends one week from today. That will make writing trickier as he can not be unsupervised. (And there are many fun excursions to be taken!)

Older son has two more weeks. I will be happy when his camp is over. He's been away for 6 weeks now! I miss his funny sense of humor and interesting way of seeing the world.

But the clock is ticking. I so want to finish this first draft and it's just taking forever. I often think maybe I should just throw in the towel, but I'm stubborn. No quitting until I've finished!

(Sounds like a paradox, but really it's not.)

edited to add: it really has been only one week, only I have the dates set to post backward, so I misread. *blushes*

More on my "new" office

2011-07-21T11:05:00.000-05:00

I've actually had access to this room in my husband's office for several months, but didn't fully move in and start working here until about four weeks ago, when my youngest started summer camp.

When he was in kindergarten I often only have about 2 and a half hours to work. It takes about 20 minutes to drive to the office and I usually chose not to when I had such a short window of time.

Now I have five hours (and will have even more when he starts first grade in the fall) and the commute isn't such a significant percentage of my work time.

I love the way that I'm now conditioned to working in this space. I step through the door and my brain instantly goes to my book. It's getting harder to work in other spaces. I had to work at home the other day while waiting for a repair person and was not productive at all. I love being in a space where my only responsibilities are to my book.

And I will enjoy decorating it over time. It's still quite sparse, but here are a few of the things I've added to it so far.

my lovely lamp

art and office supplies with inspirational wordage

cozy reading space

flowery bulletin board

Wall stickers!

And now I must prove that what I said about this space is true, and get back to work.

How Embarrassing

2011-07-18T14:05:00.000-05:00

I was sure that it had only been a month or two since my last post, but obviously not. What can I say. I've been working on a new YA that's just been not quite right, not quite right, not quite right. But finally, finally I feel that I might be getting it to work.

I've been working on it for two years now (though I took time away to write Sami's Sleepaway Summer and to do a revision of Louie.) It's hard to leave a book mid-draft. When you come back to it, you are not the same person you were before and for me, I think that often means the story I need to tell is not the same story anymore. And that means a lot of do overs. But this time, I'm almost finished. And I really like the story I'm telling.

I especially like working in my new office.

The Problem with Self-help

2010-12-06T14:23:00.000-06:00

I'm an introspective person. I often analyze my thoughts and actions and I'm fairly self-aware in a mostly positive way. All that introspection and self-awareness means that there's no hiding from the fact that I, like many people, have quite a few bad habits and self-defeating practices. Being who I am, this has led me to the treasure trove that is the self-help aisle of the book store. I LOVE these books. I've learned so much from them about challenging my own thinking and being patient with my emotions.

The problem I have is that in my zeal to improve myself, I can often get overwhelmed. There are so many ways I could become better, how can I possibly accomplish them all at once?

I can't, of course. And one of the things I've learned from self-help books is to have compassion for myself. It's hard to see all these flaws and accept that for the time being some of them will not change.

On the other hand, sometimes it's the ideas and stories I tell myself about making the change that are what seem so difficult. In reality, the action itself is easy. Like writing everyday. I tell myself stories about how hard it is to commit to that, but in reality, a small goal, like writing one hundred words a day, is no trouble at all.

That's why I'm signing up for Brenda Ferber's 365 day challenge. It's a habit I think a lot about developing, and now I think it's time.

My father is a psychologist who sees, for part of his practice, people considering gastric bypass surgery. On of the things he works on with them is developing an exercise habit. He's always told me, the most important step in that process is committing to five minutes a day. If you can commit to five minutes a day, and sustain it, you are more than half-way there. Because the real hurdle is the dread of getting started.

So, here I go. Day one!

P.S. My scarf is going great. I'm about 35 inches in. I'll post a pic when it's done.

And the knitter is...

2010-11-29T13:16:00.000-06:00

Me!

I did it. I went and bought myself some needles and yarn, took a lesson from my mother and next thing you know my needles were clicking, and a beautiful ball of green yarn became something else.
In my last post, I predicted my first project would be a scarf, but I was wrong.

I made fingerless gloves.

And now my kids all want their own pairs too. I will happily make them after I finish project number two. That off-white yarn in the first picture? That's my scarf. Hopefully it will go as smoothly as the handwarmers.

And unrelated, or perhaps completely related, I've been completely obessed with this video lately. A song/poem by Tanya Davis.

Yes, art, I want you too.

Hobbies and Work

2010-11-14T11:16:00.000-06:00

In my teens writing was a hobby. I carried a notebook with me where ever I went and wrote poems as they struck me. Some days I might write half a dozen poems and some days or weeks I'd write none. It didn't really matter. I wrote when I enjoyed it and I enjoyed what I wrote.

In my twenties, writing was a dream. I wanted to be a professional writer, but I wasn't sure what kind. I only knew that I wasn't a professional writer, and I couldn't really enjoy writing as a hobby anymore either. I suffered (in my mind) a lot.

In my thirties, I became a published children's book author. I learned to enjoy writing again. But it's still no longer a hobby. It's work, and I do it everyday, even when I don't enjoy it. And I LOVE this. But I miss having a hobby. A creative hobby.

So I'm thinking of taking up knitting. Something I can do when the mood strikes, but don't have to do if I don't feel like it. My mother is an accomplished knitter, and I've already put in the request for lessons over Thanksgiving. Like millions of knitters before me, I'm sure my first project will be a scarf. I'll let you know how it goes.

Overhead on Halloween

2010-11-02T09:21:00.000-05:00

Son, in Obi Wan coustume, rings doorbell: Trick or Treat!
Older gentlemen opens door: Whoa! A Jedi!
Son, amazed: You've seen Star Wars?

The force is old, but as popular as ever. At least in our house.

Fall Writing Workshop

2010-07-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

Hey all you writers of kid and teen lit! Are you tired of form rejections and vague comments from editors and agents? Are you ready to take your manuscript to the next level?

Then join me and fellow author Brenda Ferber for a six-week facilitated critique group style workshop that give you the tools and insight you need to make your manuscript stand out!

For more information visit our workshop website, North Shore Writers Studio.

Happy writing!

Blog Tour Update

2010-07-13T10:53:00.000-05:00

Visiting so many varied and insightful blogs over the past week and a half has been delightful. Huge thanks to the bloggers hosting me. And of course, I'm happy to visit any other blogs out there who want me! Hint, hint. ; )

Join me today talking about orphans in children's and ya lit over at Carrie's YA bookshelf.

Obsessions

2010-07-08T14:32:00.001-05:00

There was an article in Whole Living this month (love that magazine) about obsessions. Specifically it's about creativity coach Eric Maisel's new book Brainstorm: Harnessing the Power of Productive Obsessions. (Which I totally haven't read, but after reading the article totally want to.)

I've always been prone to mini-obsessions. When I get interested in something I like to complete dive in, read and watch everything I can about it all at once. I used to see it as a failing. Can't I just space my interest in, say, Chi Walking, out over a few weeks, learning about it in a leisurely manner? Do I have to drop everything until I've practically overdosed on information?

Well, yeah, maybe I do. According to the article, by giving ourselves over to our interests like that we can develop a productive obsession: "something you choose to engage in because it fascinates you and ultimately leads you to create something (a documentary, a street fair, a screenplay.)"* Or, in the example above, a walking habit.

The idea of productive obsession is especially useful for writers, I think. Each book I've written, I've had to be a little obsessed with or it never would have been finished. I've also had to purposely cultivate some obsessions to get research done for the books. But that's part of the fun, no?

Okay, I've got to get back to my latest obsession...car racing. :)

*From the article "The Perfect Brainstorm" by Frances Lefkowitz in the August issue of Whole Living

Believing in Greatness

2010-07-05T08:06:00.000-05:00

I'm reading Danica Patrick's autobiography right now (research,) and this weekend watched Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story. You wouldn't think those two have a lot in common but I was struck by the way they both spend a lot of time discussing the way they truly believed in themselves early on in their careers. When the results weren't necessarily supporting the belief, when others around them were continuously voicing doubts, somewhere deep down they were able to maintain a core of self-belief, a certainty that they could and would achieve their dreams.

Of course, belief isn't enough. Both of these guys worked their tushies off, too, but it's that belief that makes the hard work possible no? Why would you push yourself to wake up at five everyday and write? Why would you keep writing after so many rejections? Why would you publish again after a negative review? Because you believe, ultimately, that you will create something great.

I guess that leaves the question how do you believe?
Right now the only answer I can think of is the very unhelpful, you just do...
I'll have to give it some more time to percolate maybe. (Eddie and Danica didn't cover that one.)

A special thanks to Booking Mama for a lovely interview and review.

The Joy of Catalogs

2010-07-02T08:18:00.001-05:00

I remember reading once about a guy (I think it was Nicholson Baker) who decided for a year to only read books seen in catalogs. That is, not for sale in catalogs, but books used for decoration in catalogs. I thought that was funny, but this is funnier: http://catalogliving.tumblr.com/

Thanks to my friend Shari for the link!

P.S. two more dates added to my tour
7/19 Green Bean Teen Queen
7/20 YA Books Central

Queen of Secrets!

2010-06-30T12:03:00.001-05:00

I've been remiss. My young adult novel QUEEN OF SECRETS was released last week and I didn't post anything here. So I'm fixing that right now!

QUEEN OF SECRETS! Yay! Buy one! (Or many!) :)

I suppose one of the main reasons I haven't blogged about my release is that the real celebration begins next week. I'll be popping around all over the internet shouting my good news.

If you're interested in following along, here's where I'll be!

7/5 Booking Mama
7/6 In Bed with Books
7/7 ReadingRocks4Me
7/8 TeenReads
7/9 The Compulsive Reader
7/12 Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf
7/13 Carrie's YA Bookshelf
7/14 My Friend Amy
7/15 Princess Bookie
7/16 The Book Scout

See you there!

a purple week

2010-06-02T08:13:00.000-05:00

I spent the week in Knoxville, TN last week. Not for anything writing related, but definitely for something creativity related. I took my daughter (and her team of six seventh-graders) to compete in the Global Finals of Destination Imagination. Destination Imagination is hard to describe. It's a creative problem solving competition. It's a place where smart/creative kids can be as smart and creative as they want without ever having to feel like they should hold back.

I don't know about you, but somewhere along the lines in my life I internalized the hold back message. Be smart, but not too smart. Be successful, but not too successful. We don't want to make other people feel bad about themselves. I remember many times growing up being told not to do something as well as I could have because of how it would reflect on others around me who couldn't. Now I'm not saying I'm so great either. I'm sure there are plenty of people who can do plenty of things better than me. All I'm saying is that they should be able to. How I handle it is up to me. It's not the other person's responsiblity to dumb themselves down to make me feel better.

Here, I'll bring it around to writing. When I read a book that is better than what I can write it might make me feel a little jealous or wistful, but I don't think, "This shouldn't have been published because it's making all of us lesser writers feel bad." It's an inspiration. I want to get that good. If we never see what greatness is, how will we ever aspire to it?

You know how many kids were at Global Finals? 12,000. And that's just a small portion of the number of kids who competed throughout the year. How great to know that that many people in the next generation are growing up knowing they should work to their full potential.

If you are interested in this topic, I recommend the book The Big Leap. It's about several things that can hold us back from success, but this holding back is a big one.

Long Time No Blog

2010-05-15T07:10:00.000-05:00

I've been writing a lot lately, which is a good thing, but it means less blogging, unfortunately. There are only so many hours in my day allotted to writing, and I use them all for writing books. :)
Blogging usually has to come from life time. (I have two lives, writing life and life life.) But life life is filled with kids and house and friends and laundry. Although that's probably the wrong order. Laundry always seems to take up so much more time that it should.

But I've been thinking about blogging a lot lately, about what this blog should be and this post is an attempt to regain focus. The purple desk was always supposed to be a place full of thoughts on creativity. (Different, I suppose, from creative thoughts.) So, I wanted to tell you about this great new book I'm reading perfect for all creative types. The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp. Maybe you've already read it. But if no, I highly recommend. I'm not even all the way finished with it yet, but it's made such a change in my writing life. (See? It's real.)

She talks a lot about the importance of routine and ritual in making your creativity habitual and not simply something you do once every second Tuesday when you feel the impulse and your toenails are already polished. And it works! I've signigicantly decreased the amount of puttering and procrastination that happens in writing life and have written so much above my typical output this week. Yay!

My ritual is this:
1. Make cup of tea.
2. Set Zen Timer.
3. Open Document.
4. Start timer.
5. Write.

Often times I don't even drink the tea, but it gets me started so it's worth the sacrifice of all those little tea bag lives. :)

A big huge thank you to the fantastic Barbara O'Connor because her blog introduced me to The Creative Habit.

Today's Writers' Biggest Problem

2009-12-17T19:31:00.002-06:00

has now been solved.

Click here.

Please don't ask me how I found this link.

The Power of Routine

2009-12-07T10:52:00.002-06:00

No one ever wants to get into a rut, but for me, for many things, I need to do them the same way over and over again everyday for them to "work."
Take writing for example.
When I first started writing, when it was a hobby, and something I didn't really believe I could do, I only wrote sporadically. I only wrote when I was inspired. Writing was mostly fun, but I didn't revise most of what I wrote, and none of it was ever really good, though some of it was promising.
When I finally was hit with a burning desire to really write, to try to write something worth having written, I decided to see what all the fuss was about writing every day, the BIC (butt-in-chair) method. It's much harder, in a way. There are many days I don't feel "inspired" and I sit at much computer feeling as though it takes a monumental effort to type each word. But lately I've noticed that these days happen more often if I'm not writing every day. Even if I write only one paragraph, it's still easier to sit down the next day to write another paragraph than if I hadn't. It's a habit.
I know I'm not the first person to make this observation, and I didn't even make it for myself. I've certainly heard others talk about it before I felt it. But some things are like that. You can hear them over and over, but then one day you live them, and it means something completely different.

Ch...ch...chapterbooks!

2009-10-31T12:14:00.002-05:00

Thank you to everyone at ISLMA who came to hear my talk on chapterbooks, a topic so near and dear to my heart. Here is a list (definitely not exhaustive) to get you started!

Great Chapterbooks!
• Adler, David : Cam Jansen books
• Armstrong, Jennifer: Patrick Doyle is Full of Blarney
• Avi,: S.O.R. Losers
• Auch, Mary Jane: I Was a Third Grade Science Project and others
• Betancourt, Jeanne: Pony Pals series
• Blume, Judy: Freckle Juice
• Brown, Jeff: Flat Stanley books
• Catling, Patrick: The Chocolate Touch
• Chew, Ruth : The Wednesday Witch (and other books)
• Choe, Sook Nyul: The Best Older Sister
• Christopher, Matt: Soccer Cats series
• Clifford, Eth: Help! I'm A Prisoner In The Library
• Coerr, Eleanor : Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes
• Conford, Ellen: Jenny Archer books
• Coville, Bruce: Space Brats books and many others
• Cuyler, Margery: Weird Wolf and others
• Dadey, Debbie: Bailey School Kids series and others
• Dahl, Roald: George’s Marvelous Medicine, The Enormous Crocodile and others
• Dalgliesh, Alice: The Courage of Sarah Noble and also The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
• Danziger, Paula: Amber Brown books
• Deary, Terry: Calamity Kate
• DeClements, Barthe: Fourth Grade Wizards
• Delton, Judy: Pee Wee Scouts series
• Duffey, Betsy: Math Wiz; Gadget War; How to Be Cool in Third Grade
• Estes, Eleanor: The Hundred Dresses
• Friedman, Laurie: The Mallory Books
• Gannett, Ruth: My Father's Dragon
• Giff, Patricia Reilly: Polk Street School books
• Gifford, Peggy: Moxy Maxwell Books
• Greenburg, Dan: The Zach Files series
• Gutman, Dan: Weird School series
• Haddix, Margaret Peterson: Say What?
• Herman, Charlotte: the "Max Malone" titles
• Hesse, Karen: Sable
• Hiller, BB: Rent a Third Grader
• Howe, James: Bunnicula books
• Hughes, Ted: The Iron Giant
• Hurwitz, Johanna: Class President; Fourth Grade Fuss and others
• King-Smith, Dick : Lady Lollipop and many others
• Kline, Suzy: Herbie Jones and Horrible Harry books
• Korman, Gordon: Nose-Pickers from Outer Space
• Krulik, Nancy: Katie Kazoo books
• Kurtz, Jane: Bicycle Madness; I’m Sorry Almira Ann
• Landon, Lucinda: Meg Mackintosh series
• Levy, Elizabeth: The monster series (Dracula is a pain in the neck- Gorgonzola Zombies in the Park...etc.)
• Lowry, Lois: Gooney Bird Greene books
• Look, Lenore: Alvin Ho books
• MacLachlan, Patricia: Sarah, Plain And Tall
• Martin, Ann: Baby-Sitters Younger sister series
• Meyerhoff, Jenny: Third Grade Baby
• Mills, Claudia: 7x9=Trouble; Being Teddy Roosevelt; How Oliver Olson Changed the World
• Myers,Laurie: Earthquake in the Third Grade
• Osborne, Mary Pope: The Magic Treehouse Series
• Park, Barbara: The Junie B. Jones series
• Pennypacker, Sara: Clementine Books
• Peterson, John: The Littles series
• Pilkey, Dav: The Adventures of Captain Underpants
• Roy, Ron: A to Z Mysteries Series
• Rylant, Cynthia: Cobble Street Cousins books
• Sachar, Louis: Marvin Redpost series
• Sharmat, Marjorie: Nate the Great series
• Sobol, Donald: Encyclopedia Brown Series
• Stine, R.L.: Goosebumps
• Strasser, Todd: Help I'm trapped in... series
• Szeika, Jon: The Time Warp Trio series
• Wright, Betty Ren: The Ghost Witch

The Winners!

2009-10-01T07:30:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to the following 20 classrooms, schools and teachers that have one the third grade box of fun!
I'll be in touch!

Mr. K. at Chandler Elementary School, Indiana
Mrs. B. at Shawswick Elementary, Indiana
Mrs. M. at Bart-Colerain Elementary, Pennsylvania
Mrs. R. at Kratz Elementary, Missouri
Mrs. B. at Mabel Elementary, North Carolina
Mrs. Y. at Lake Windward Elementary, Georgia
Mrs. J. at Washington Elementary School, Wisconsin
Ms. D. at Glover School, Massachusetts
Ms. L. at Mt. Marion Elementary School, New York
Mrs. S. at Ft. McCoy School, Florida
Mrs. C. at Braeside School, Illinois
Mrs. M. at St. Stephen's Episcopal School, Pennsylvania
Ms. G. at Orrington Elementary, Illinois
Ms. W. at Harris Elementary School, Missouri
Ms. H. at Woodland Consolidated School, Maine
Ms. S. at Franklin School, New Jersey
Ms. D. at South Allegheny Elementary, Pennsylvania
Ms. B. at South Allegheny Elementary, Pennsylvania
Mrs. H. at Walter C. Black Elementary, New Jersey
Ms. S. at J. Fred Spark School, Levittown, New York

Happy Reading!!!

Since when does autumn start in August?

2009-08-23T08:41:00.002-05:00

This is my backyard.

All those dots?

What do children know about past lives?

2009-08-21T07:54:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my four year old said, "One day I will be 91 and then I will die and then it will be my next life."

It was so out of the blue it was hard not to feel like he was having some sort of prophetic moment. I'm not a big past life person either. I mean, I don't really know what happens after we die, and I don't rule it out, but it's certainly not something he's ever heard me talk about. I'm not sure where the idea came from at all. Unless...

"Do you remember your last life?" I asked him.

He put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment, eyes up in his head, really trying hard to recall. "That's the one where I wore glasses," he finally announced.

Wow. I thought. Wow. He's only four. It could be possible that he really still has a connection to what his soul did in other bodies. I started to feel all mystical. I could hear ethereal music playing at the edges of my mind.

My twelve year old piped in. "Do you remember what your name was?"

"Calvin," he answered. No hesitation.

Unbelievable.

Then my four year old looked at his big sister. "You're name was Malvin." At his big brother, "You're name was Dalvin."

Calvin, Malvin and Dalvin, huh?

I think I just got punked by a four year old.

Thoughts on Tattoos

2009-08-20T08:06:00.002-05:00

Laurie Halse Anderson has an interesting post today. She received an email from a reader who plans to tattoo the word speak somewhere on her body, possibly neck, because of the tremendous impact Laurie's book Speak had on her. Laurie then described the tattoo she has, the first word of Beowulf, a powerful statement for a storyteller.

I've known for a long time that I'm not likely ever to get a tattoo. That's partly for religious reasons, but much more for personal ones. Now that sounds judgemental, but it's not how I mean it at all. I'm actually in awe and impressed by the above two examples. Women who have such a deep certainty about some aspect of themselves that they are ready to permanantly and publicly display it on their skin.

I'm not sure that I know myself all that well yet. Everytime I've contemplated a tattoo (or even a vanity license plate for that matter, though I know they are not the same) I cannot think of anything that so captures the essense of me that I know it will always be true. Not a word, not an image.

Now maybe I'm over thinking it.

Maybe I'm not.

Ink or no ink, however, I do look forward to the day when I feel as though I know something about myself that clearly.

How to make your writing flow

2009-08-18T15:59:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a little break from writing 'til the kids go back to school. About a week and a half. That doesn't seem like a long time, but it will be for me. I get very antsy when I don't write. The writing process definitely acts as a release valve for me.

Why take a break from it, then you ask?

Well, that's a good question. Mostly it's because the kids are home with me all day long, and squeezing in that writing time is a bit more challenging. But it could be done, so I don't think that's the complete reason.

In order for my daily writing sessions to really flow, I think I also need a lot of thinking time. My mind likes to be rolling plot points and dialogue around at various times through out the day. This is why I sometimes can't read other books when I'm writing a first draft. Not because I'm afraid of being influenced, but because then I think about those ideas rather than my own.

With my kids home and getting ready for back to school, my thinking time is mostly on them.

I think realizing that writing takes thinking time as well as BIC is an important realization for me. In the past when life got really busy and my writing time felt pained, I didn't understand it was because of this missing thinknig time. It really helps get through the difficult writing sessions to know this.

So that's my tip for all you teachers, getting ready for back to school. I know your schedule is jam-packed, but try to give your writers a little thinking time in addition to their writing time. You might be surprised!

doing what you love

2009-08-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

Recently I was on a panel of authors at the Deerfield Public Library (pics to come) and was asked why I love writing. The first thoughts that came to my head however were all the ways that writing is hard. The enormous mental energy it takes to get started some days. The recurring bouts of insecurity. The exhausting marathon that is revision. But even with those thoughts, there was never any doubt that I do love writing, so I've been wondering. How can that be? Well, I've come to realize that there are different ways we can love things. I love chocolate almonds. My feelings about chocolate almonds however are really different from writing. One is merely an immediate pleasure. It feels good in the moment but once I've finished the pleasure is gone. It doesn't sustain much longer than the time it takes to eat the snack. The pleasure from writing though, isn't always apparent in the moment, but the satisfaction of getting to know my characters, unknotting a tricky plot point or finishing a novel can stay with me for days or weeks. Writing isn't simply a pleasure. Its something much bigger than that.

Conferences, Conferences!

2009-07-06T09:21:00.002-05:00

What a busy week+ coming up.
The American Jewish Libraries conference and the American Library Association conference are both in Chicago. I am very much looking forward to attending both of them. (Though I've never been to either before and so, truly, have no idea what to expect.)

The AJL conference will be the first time I, publically, start telling people about my next book, QUEEN OF SECRETS. This book is a modern retelling of The Book of Esther and I am starting to get really excited about it. Even though its pub date is still nearly a year away.

But a year can go very quickly, as we all know.

AT ALA I will be manning the SCBWI booth on Monday afternoon, from 1-3 p.m. Stop by and say hello!

New and Shiny

2009-07-02T06:16:00.002-05:00

I suppose you know you are a writer when it's hard for you to think of anything quite as much fun as starting a new book. In a lot of ways it's like the giddy headrush you get when you first meet a someone you are attracted to and you can tell they are attracted to you too.

Oh, I know there'll come a point when we can't stand eachother and if I have to look at it's face one more time I'll pull my eyeballs out. (Which thankfully doesn't happen much in my people relationships.)

But right now, I just want to call in sick and hang out all day!

I'm totally in new book love.

Twitter

2009-06-27T10:42:00.002-05:00

I consider myself an intelligent person, but sometimes it feels like the world of technology is just moving too fast for me to catch up. And I don't have time to spend playing around with each new networking site that pops up teaching myself how to use it, because by the time I've figured it out, everyone will be over on the next one. :)

The allure of twitter was hard to resist. I got myself an account and before long I had myself some followers, but I still hadn't tweeted. I was tweet-shy. What if I tweeted wrong?

Then I heard about Tweet Camp. (It's like a web-based version of Twitter for Dummies.) But now I feel as though I can tweet with confidence.

I'm @jennymeyerhoff if anyone wants to follow me.

And now I'm off to tweet my first tweet.

Nearing the N*

2009-06-05T18:33:00.003-05:00

I'm so close to finishing the latest revision of the mg I'm currently working on. It's been very slow going, like pulling teeth. I remember reading somewhere of a writer who talked about that phenomenon. They way writing sometimes pours out of your pen almost effortlessly, and then other times the process is so slow and painful you can hardly bear it. The writer's point (and I wish I could remember who made it so I could credit him/her)was that in the finished product it was impossible to tell which was which. The slow and painful parts could be just as good (or not good) as the quick and easy parts.

Which means...
you have to keep writing, even when it feels impossible. What it feels like often bears no relation to what it is.

Only now I'm at the impatient part. The end is in sight and I want to sprint to the finish line, but with three kids beginning summer vacation, I don't think sprinting is going to happen.

Slow and steady wins the race?

(Does anyone remember that song? C is the way it begins. H is the next letter in. I is the middle of the word and C, well you already heard. K is a kind of a hen. E now we're nearing the N. C-H-I-C-K-E-N, that's the way you spell Chicken.)

A Writing Trainer

2009-06-02T12:54:00.001-05:00

Recently I've started doing pilates with a personal trainer. (After having three kids, I had no ab strength left.) What I've discovered is how much nicer it is to work out with a trainer than by myself. She plans the workout I do. She cheers me on or tells me to push myself a little harder. She also tells me when I should stop, when she sees that my muscles are just too fatigued to continue. It's taken away all the stress of overanalyzing my workouts. Did I push myself hard enough? Did I overdo it? (Or maybe I'm the only one who does this.)

It's gotten me thinking, too. How nice would it be to have a writing trainer?

Everyday when I sat down at my computer she'd tell me exactly what I was going to work on during that writing session. She'd cheer me on whenever I started to flag. "Come on. One more paragraph! You're almost at the end of the page." She'd push me when I started to slack. "Close your inbox! Turn off your wireless connection. No stopping until the chapter is finished!"

And the best part, at the end of every session she'd give me a nice shoulder rub to prevent cramping!

I know I'm joking, but seriously? There are days where I really might consider paying for such a person. :)

How to Write a Children's Book

2009-05-31T22:23:00.005-05:00

It's been a long time since I've posted, and I'm a bit rusty.
Not rusty enough to think that I could tackle the whole "How to write a children's book" in one post though. If you really want to know, you'll have to show up at 1788 Second St. in Highland Park, IL on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9:30 beginning June 30.

Why? you ask.
I'll tell you.

The amazingly talented Brenda Ferber and I are teaming up to lead a six week facilitated critique group for children's book writers of all levels and genres.

If you are interested shoot us an email at northshorewriters@gmail.com or learn more by visiting the North Shore Writers Studio website.

How Do You Start a Novel?

2009-03-30T16:06:00.004-05:00

The answer is not "It was a dark and stormy night."

The answer is also not on my blog. But the answer will be discussed at the SCBWI-Illinois Far North Suburbs network meeting on Wednesday, April 1.

Join me at the Hawthorne mall Barnes and Noble at 7 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Girl about town

2009-03-19T13:45:00.003-05:00

I've got a few fun speaking engagements coming up. The first is this weekend! On Saturday, I'll be speaking at the Illinois Reading Council's annual conference with the lovely and talented Brenda Ferber, author of Julia's Kitchen and the soon to be released Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire.

We are speaking Saturday morning on the topic of how authors use emotion, and I think it will be a very useful thing to for teachers and librarians to think about, applicable both to helping their students become better readers AND better writers. But I'll talk about more about my thoughts there, after the conference.

Next week, April 1, I'll be at the SCBWI-Illinois far north suburbs network meeting. We'll be at the Hawthorne Mall Barnes and Noble from 7-9 pm.(It's not a joke, even though it's happening on April Fool's Day.) I'll be giving a talk about how to get started writing a novel. Sometimes the hardest part is just beginning.

Hope to see you there if you're in the neighborhood!

I dreamed a proverb!

2009-03-16T16:24:00.002-05:00

I don't mean I dreamed the dream equivalent of "a stitch in time saves nine" or "a apple a day keeps the doctor away." I mean, in my dream, I invented a new proverb. A strange proverb.

Well actually, I didn't invent it. Justine Larbalestier did. In my dream she wrote me an email to talk about my work-in-progress.

No, I do not know Justine, nor have I ever communicated with her before, other than in my dreams. Yet I have dreamed her several times. I do not know why. I never dream any other YA authors. Though I do enjoy her books and her blog.

Here is what she told me regarding said WIP. That I was "too wound by the moldy milk in the mustardy."

I knew exactly what she meant, too. In my dream mind, this made up proverb comes from the fact that if cows eat too many mustard greens the milk will be mustardy-tasting (I have no idea if this happens in real life,) but here I was worrying that some of the milk got moldy, when I had the much bigger problem of all of the milk tasting mustardy. In short, she meant don't spend all your time working on a small part of the problem if you haven't fixed the bigger problem.

Only, I didn't think I was doing this with regards to my WIP, so I'm not sure I know what this dream was telling me.

Justine?

It's February, and that means...

2009-02-03T13:41:00.004-06:00

It's National Children's Dental Health Month! The perfect time to download my teacher's guide and try some fun tooth related activities in your home or classroom.

It's also the perfect time to announce four new winners of the third grade box o' fun!
Ms. D. of Brooklyn, NY
Ms. H. of Saratoga Springs, UT
Mrs. M. of Clifton, NJ
and
Ms. J. of Phoenix, AZ

I also want to thank all the readers from Lone Grove Elementary School who sent me such special letters. I'll be writing back to each of you, but just wanted to share some of the wonderful pictures of Polly you sent me!

I have one these in my basement!

2009-01-14T14:31:00.001-06:00

Wildlife control is trying to wrestle him into a cage.
I'm not getting much writing done.

And I don't know how he even got into the house in the first place.

Happy January and winners, too!

2009-01-06T14:26:00.002-06:00

I know we are technically six days into the new year, but in my world (which mostly consists of being a mom) life didn't start back up until yesterday. And all you teachers didn't go back to school until yesterday, too, and the first day back to school can be kind of chaotic. So really the contest announcement is right on time.

Without further ado, the winners for January are:

Ms. K of Buena Vista, VA and Ms. T of Brookville, IN.

Yesterday (instead of posting winners on my blog) I treated myself to something I've never done before: a writing date. I met a writing friend at a coffee shop and we worked silently side by side all morning. Have any of you done this before? I was worried it might become hangout time instead of writing time, but actually, I was incredibly productive. I don't think it was because I was trying to look good, either. I think the simple act of sitting next to someone who is working and focusing rubs off, and makes you work and focus more than you would if you were alone.
Especially if when you are alone you are sitting next to the telephone, the kitchen and internet access. ;)

Holiday Winners!

2008-12-02T08:22:00.002-06:00

This month's third grade boxes o' fun go to:

Ms. W. in Arizona
Ms. A. in Texas
and Ms. B. in Texas

Congratulations!!

There is still plenty of time to enter. I'll be giving away prizes through the end of the school year. Just click here for more info.

More Winners!!!

2008-11-06T09:26:00.003-06:00

As much fun as it is giving away copies of my book, giving away FIVE copies of my book was even more fun. Exponentially more fun!!!

So I'm doing it again.

The five lucky winners of THIRD GRADE BABY for the month of November are:

Mrs. R. in Edmonton, Alberta

Mrs. T. in Cincinnati, Ohio

Ms. M. in Lone Grove, Oklahoma

Mrs. Z. in Burlington, MA

Ms. S. in Birmingham, AL

Congratulations!!! I hope you and your students enjoy my book.

Winners!

2008-10-04T08:56:00.006-05:00

It's a few days past the first of the month, but better late than never, right?
However, I'm feeling a little guilty. And also, October is my birthday month, so I'm feeling a bit celebratory as well. So.... (drumroll please)

I've chosen FIVE winning classrooms this month.

Congratulations to:
Ms. M's class in Riverside, CT
Ms. K's class in Ramsey, NJ
Mrs. L's class in Peoria, AZ
Mrs. K's class in Marietta, GA
and Ms. M's class in Brooklyn Park, MN

I hope you have fun reading THIRD GRADE BABY. I look forward to talking with you!

And of course, everyone is still welcome to enter! Drawings will be held every month for the rest of the school year. Just send an email to contest@jennymeyerhoff.com with the name, school and city of your favorite third grade teacher (even if it's yourself!) For more info click here.

And just for fun, here's a picture of me at my latest signing reading part of chapter ten with the help of my daughter in the role of Martha Molar.

I don't know if I ever showed you this...

2008-09-22T19:24:00.002-05:00

...but I made it myself and am kind of proud.

Busy, Busy

2008-09-19T22:37:00.007-05:00

I'm just back from Oklahoma where I appeared on a panel at Encyclomedia with fellow 2k8ers Stacy Nyikos, PJ Hoover and Barrie Summy. It our first time meeting each other, but I feel like we are already friends. And the librarians in Oklahoma were fantastic! I'm honored so many of them came to see us.

It was lovely to get a chance to meet so many of them after the talk as well, and I certainly hope I can return to Oklahoma someday (maybe even to meet some students.)
For a couple of us it was our first ever speaking event, so the nerves were high. I think we were all relieved to hear from audience members who enjoyed it. And if I may say so myself, we didn't look too bad either!

After our post-panel book signing organized by the wonderful indie Best of Books, it was time to be interviewed by the Oklahoma TV show Read All About It!

I'd never been interviewed for TV before, so that was quite a treat.

To seem some more fantastic pics of the weekend, check out Barrie and PJ's blogs.

In other news, I'm in the news. This week's Deerfield Review features an article about little old me. Click here if you'd like to read it.

And the winner is...

2008-09-01T14:41:00.008-05:00

Out of all these entries

only one could be chosen

to be the very first winner of the Third Grade Box O' Fun!

Congratulations to Mrs. N. in Rochester, NY.*

To all the entrants who didn't get chosen, never fear! You are still entered in next month's drawing, and every month's drawing after that until the end of the school year.
But what if you haven't entered yet? You needn't fear either! You can enter now. Just send an email nominating your favorite third grade classroom to contest@jennymeyerhoff.com and one day all this could belong to students near you.

*Names and schools will be kept private.

Back To School Books

2008-08-10T08:09:00.004-05:00

One of the most exciting things about my book (for me) is that it is a classroom book. By that I mean, much of the action takes place at school, and it's the kind of book teachers could really have fun with in their classrooms. It's one of my favorite things to think about really, classrooms reading my story, having discussions about why Zachary behaves the way he does, whether Polly plays any role in his behavior toward her, and that all important question: Are third graders too old for the tooth fairy?

That's why it was so gratifying and exciting to read that Instructor Magazine has listed THIRD GRADE BABY as one of its top five new back to school books this year, calling it a "debut chapter book from a hilarious new voice." Here's the rest of the online version of the article if you are interested.

In other news, thanks to the many, many teachers parents and students who have entered the contest so far! I wish I could send you all a Box O' Fun!

The first drawing will take place at the end of the month, so there's still plenty of time to enter if you haven't already!

An especially big thank you to the teachers who've emailed me to say that they've already ordered a copy of the book even though they are entering the contest as well. As I've emailed them privately, I'd be happy to do a "virtual" email visit with any class who reads the book and would like to talk to me afterwards. It would most definitely be an honor and a privilege.

Hope everyone is having a very summery August! I'm off to the pool.

It's a contest!!!!

2008-08-07T14:54:00.007-05:00

Win a Third Grade Box O' Fun
for your favorite third grade classroom!

To enter:
Send an email to contest@jennymeyerhoff.com with the name, school and city of your favorite third grade teacher.

Each month of the 2008-2009 school year a random drawing will be held and one classroom will win a package full of THIRD GRADE BABY goodies including: a copy of THIRD GRADE BABY by Jenny Meyerhoff, a Third Grade Baby Teacher's Guide, signed bookmarks for the entire class, Third Grade Baby pencils, baby tooth necklaces, Third Grade Baby tattoos and more! The class will also win a live or email visit from the author depending upon location!

Drawings will be held on the first of each month
starting in September. But you can enter starting today!

I must have a really big basement

2008-07-28T15:02:00.003-05:00

I don't usually blog about my kids, but this one is book related...sort of.
A great friend recently handed down to us her Thomas the Tank Engine train table.

Lucky, lucky us!

Early the other morning I set it up, all nice and inviting down in the basement. When my just-turned-three year old woke up I couldn't wait to deliver the surprise.

Me: Guess what! Remember how we always go to Barnes and Noble so you can play with the train table? Well now we don't have to! We have one downstairs!

Son: We have a Barnes and Noble in the basement?

nostalgia

2008-07-22T16:31:00.003-05:00

I'm revising THE IMPOSSIBLE SECRETS OF ESSIE GREEN. It's set in the area where I grew up and suddenly today two commercials from my childhood resurfaced in my brain.
For you viewing pleasure:

Amateur Photography

2008-07-11T16:16:00.004-05:00

Well, I went on my first artist date, had a lot of fun, and realized I know nothing about how to take a great picture. Still, I will share the best of the lot with you, keeping in mind these are very, very amateur.

It was interesting because when I first arrived I noticed many, many people with seriously fancy camera equipment and I began to tell myself that I'd never be able to take good pictures. Then I reminded myself that I was there to be creative and have fun. So I did.

How literate are you?

2008-07-09T15:03:00.002-05:00

Sarah Miller posted this fun game on her blog, and I decided I want to play. Please try it too, if you are so inclined.

According to The Big Read (an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture)the average adult has only read 6 of the 100 books on this list.

The instructions:
Look at the list and:
Bold those you have read.
Italicize those you intend to read.
Underline the books you LOVE.

(uh, I can't figure out how to underline, so I'm just gonna *)

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen *
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling*
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible (for a class in college)
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. 1984 - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger *
19. The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot

21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen* (named my daughter Emma)
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen* (my favorite Jane)
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden*
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery*
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan

51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (I've tried several times, but still haven't)
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt

81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte's Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92.The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

46!!!

Okay, clearly being an English major helped here. Though how did I manage to read only one Dickens novel? And I did that for pleasure after I graduated.

The Artist's Way

2008-07-07T20:32:00.003-05:00

With all the excitement of a book about to release, comes all the work of promoting and marketing said book. Now I'm not complaining about this. I actually like doing that kind of stuff, and have a whole bunch of fun things coming up, like contests and parties and free downloads.

But what I like to do best is still good old-fashioned writing, and I'm finding, now that my job description is expanding, it takes a little more effort than it did before to make writing my primary focus. So I'm embarking on a project. A while back, I was really feeling disconnected from my writing and I happened upon the book The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron. A lot of her ideas appealed to me, and I immediately begain warming up for my writing sessions by writing three pages long-hand in a journal.

But now I'm taking it a step further. I want to make sure I stay in touch with my creative side even while I flex my business muscles, so I plan to follow her entire twelve week program. And if you like, you can follow me following her. (If that made sense.) Buy yourself the book if you'd like, or just watch, and then do what I do.

Week One's focus is figuring out what beliefs are holding us back in our creativity.
Tasks: Every morning get up and write three stream-of-consciousness pages in a journal.
Take yourself on a date, alone, one time this week. Do something that feels creatively energizing to you. I plan to go to the Chicago Botanic Gardens and take pictures.

I'll keep you posted!

They're here!

2008-07-02T13:40:00.002-05:00

More stuff you didn't want to know about me.

2008-06-04T14:49:00.004-05:00

I was tagged by the lovely and talented Brenda Ferber for the fun meme that's been going around lately. (A little while ago, but better late than never, right?)

1. What were you doing ten years ago?
I was probably sitting in a lecture hall at Northwestern University getting my Master's in Education. At my feet there would have been a baby blanket covered with toys and a baby quietly playing while I took notes. My professors were unfailingly understanding when babysitting fell through.

2. What are five things you need to do today?
-call bookstores to set up readings for this fall
-finish writing the teacher's guide for THIRD GRADE BABY
-book campsite for our first family camping trip
-return 5000 phone calls (may be a slight exaggeration)
-spend an hour writing new book

3. What are some snacks you enjoy?
-anything with almonds
-chips and guacamole
-chocolate

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
-set up a foundation to help fund the good works of others
-fund the education of everyone in my family and close friends
-fix up my house

5. What are three bad habits?
-I interupt people when they are talking.
-I often leave the dinner dishes until morning.
-I procrastinate.

6. Name five places you have lived.
-Riverwoods, IL
-Deerfield, IL
-Evanston, IL
-Ann Arbor, MI
-West Bloomfield, MI

7. What are five jobs you've had?
-kindergarten teacher
-freelance writer
-hostess at a restaurant
-library aide
-children's book author

I hereby tag anyone who wants to play!

Step it Up and Dance

2008-05-27T11:25:00.003-05:00

So I know almost nothing about dance, but I started watching this show because I went to Hebrew school with the host, Elizabeth Berkley, when we were kids, and hey, it's kind of cool to watch the career of an I-knew-her-when.

Plus, I'm a huge Project Runway fan, so I figured that was reason enough to give another Bravo reality TV show a shot.

Big surprise, but there's something that resonates so strongly in me when I watch these kinds of artist competitions. (Because, that's basically what they are, right?) The casts of these shows just love their medium (be it dance, fashion design, singing, modeling etc) with such a passion, and they want to make it so badly. That belly fire desire is palpable, and (is this embarrassing?) it's how I feel about writing.

I think that's why I love reading other writers' blogs too. We just all get it--that feeling of wanting to create something amazing, and that understanding of how hard, hard, hard it is to do.

Hmmm. I guess I'm feeling philosophical because I just sent off another revision of my YA manuscript to my editor, and my desire to make it great almost undid me.
But now, for the time-being at least, I have to let it go, and that means more time for blogging.

Stay-tuned for later this week when I unveil my special summer project for unleashing creativity!

Young Authors, Countdowns and Moonvertizing

2008-05-08T13:03:00.007-05:00

Yesterday I spent the evening at Columbus East School as the guest author at their second annual Author's Fair. I was thrilled to be a part of it, the students had such great questions for me, but, even better, read such beautiful poetry! Most of which they'd written themselves. I have no doubt the gym last night held authors I'll be hearing from again.

The only bummer is I forgot my camera and cannot show you the amazing display tables of student work. I particularly enjoyed a story about a school bus that got sucked into a vortex! Now that's some drama.

On my way home I was driving very carefully (it was raining) but couldn't help notice one billboard out of the corner of my eye. It was for Moonvertizing--shine your ad by high-intensity laserbeam onto the surface of the moon! I couldn't help feeling that I'd driven into a dystopian science fiction novel. Are the Moonvertizing people allowed to do that? Seriously? Who does the moon belong to anyway?! What if I don't want my view of the night sky to be marred by a beer commercial?

Then I got smart and googled it.
Just a hoax, people! We are safe...for now.
But sheesh, am I gullible!

But here's something that is absolutely true. The release date for THIRD GRADE BABY is now exactly four months away! I'm celebrating with this nifty countdown clock.

Myspace Countdown Clock You'll also see it if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page!

And if you can't wait for months, other exciting things are also afoot. I'll be appearing on a panel of first-time children's book authors at the Printer's Row Book Fair in Chicago on June 7. More details to come!

When life intrudes on blogging

2008-04-25T16:27:00.003-05:00

Has it really been three months?
I've been so busy it feels more like I just blinked three times.

For the past two weeks I've been teaching a class on how to structure a novel at the Off-Campus Writer's Workshop in Winnetka, IL. It's been so fantastic meeting other writers, hearing about their great works-in-progress and working together at improving our writing. I truly believe that anyone who wants to be a writer must consider herself a lifelong student of the craft. So even though I'm standing behind the podium, I'm excited by how much I am learning too.

There's one more session left if anyone out there is interested in joining us. The topic will be how to manage your subplots. Thursday morning, May 1, from 9:30-12:00 at the Winnetka Community House.

And now, even though this post is short, that's all I have time to write. Because in addition to teaching, I'm still revising. (Or I should say revising again.) But this time with such energy, and a strong feeling that I'm improving my novel, as opposed to just muddling things up, which I kind of felt last time. So...yay!

Teen Angst and Poetry

2008-01-18T09:08:00.001-06:00

I've gone back to middle school!
Does that sound like I'm telling you the nightmare I had last night? For me, it could have been. My middle school years were not pleasant, to say the least, but I haven't been dreaming about them. Thank goodness. Middle school has come back to me recently in a couple of other ways.

1. I just read the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. I don't typically read non-fiction, but this book was so gripping I practically read it in one sitting. (It kept me up way past my bedtime.) It is a must read for writers with characters in this age group, all parents (especially those with daughters,) and anyone who just wants to understand those awkward years. (How's that for an understatement!)

2. I just visited Shepard Middle School, and will soon visit Caruso Middle School, to talk about writing. I was blown away by the talent and enthusiasm of these students! Some of them had story concepts that would make many agents and editors salivate. I think I'll hold on to the attendance list, because I have a feeling we all might be hearing from these kids in the future.

3. In preparing for above talk, I found my writing journal! The one I kept all through middle school and high school. I thought it was lost forever. But now all that teen angst is right there at my fingertips. Every emotion that passed through my body for seven years imortalized in bad poetry. Have you ever heard anything so exciting?

exhibit a:

exhibit b:
a trusting soul
trying to find
an interlocking soul
one that is
just the same
and very different
-jenny, age 15

Any of you care to relive grades six through eight with me?

Happy Global Warming Day.

2008-01-07T12:47:00.000-06:00

Even though the New Year began a week ago, for me, it really didn't feel like it had begun until today. Finally a day of uninterrupted Work Time!!!

Last week was still Vacation Time. The kids were home from school. Many people were still out of their offices, but today, life is officially back to normal. My kids were grumbling of course, but I think they'll be glad to be seeing all their friends on a daily basis again. And besides, it's fifty-eight degrees here! It's not like we could have gone sledding again anyway. (We don't own one of these here grass sleds. They do look fun, though.)

Did anyone get anything done during the last two weeks?

In 2k8 news:
Check out the class of 2k8 blog today to learn all about 2k8's first book THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE, by Liz Gallagher.

Look Ma, I'm Teaching: A Voice Workshop for Writers

2008-01-03T15:47:00.001-06:00

This Wednesday, January 9, I'll be leading a writing workshop entitled Crafting Voice: Make Your Writing Sing. It'll take place at The Bookstall in Winnetka, IL, 811 Elm Street, at 7 pm. If you are around and interested please drop by. With paper and pencil of course!

And if you can't come, then visit me at LiveJournal, if you are of that ilk. My blog is now syndicated there for your blog-reading ease.

I Won! I Won!

2008-01-02T14:47:00.000-06:00

Goodness gracious I'm just so excited! I popped over to Lisa Yee's blog today to see who'd won her hilarious Bodacious Book Title Competition, and my entry was an honorable mention! I feel seriously, um, honored.

The contest rules were easy, pick a book title, change one word to a word that rhymes with it and give a description of what the book was about. My husband and I were addicted for about two days, then we sought help and went cold turkey. (But not before I entered, obviously.)
Here's my entry:
Book: The Polar Express
New Title: The Solar Express
Summary: Due to global warming Santa now owns beachfront property.
(And I will receive a small portion of the fantastic booty!)

And for any moms out there, check out this blog! (It's written by my sis.)

Virtual Time Capsule

2007-12-28T09:59:00.000-06:00

I just read about this great site called FutureMe.org. Quite simply, it's a way to send an email to yourself to be delivered at some date in the future. And this is the perfect time of year for it. I just sent one to my end-of-2008-self.

It's a great activity to do with your kids. (Whether that means in your classroom or in your house!)

And then if you want more accountability, post one of your goals for 2008 here!
I'll start:
In 2008 I will play more board games with my kids!

Class of 2k8!

2007-12-26T10:49:00.000-06:00

A while back I told you that I was hoping to join a marketing group called The Class of 2k8. And then I think I told you that I did, in fact, join.

Well now, I'm excited to tell you that the year 2008 is almost here (which you may have already noticed) and the class of 2k8 website and blog and myspace pages are now all up and open for business!

And just to recap, if you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, the class of 2k8 is a group of 28 authors of books for school aged children and teenagers who all have our first books for this age group debuting in the year 2008. Because books by new authors are often teeny-tiny fish in a gigantamundic sea, we've all banded together (a la the fish in the book SWIMMY by Leo Lionni) to make ourselves a bit more of a presence.

So please check us out! Our first two books THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE, by Liz Gallagher and I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, by Lisa Schroeder are both due out in January, so treat yourself to a New Year's Present.

Santa!!

2007-12-24T12:34:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
And to all who don't, we can still enjoy Elf, right?

I love Worksheets! Or, everyone should use worksheets for writing short stories

2007-12-21T14:17:00.000-06:00

What a day I had yesterday! I spoke to the fabulous students at South Park Elementary School about writing stories. The kids were so full of questions and ideas and I met several who told me that they wanted to be authors when they grow up. I'll have to be sure to start looking for their books in about fifteen years. (It'd be pretty young to have a book published, but I could tell from the way they helped me plan a story that these kids really knew what they were doing!) There I am right there standing in front of an oversized book filled with the giant story planning worksheets I've written for students.

And as I am the queen of worksheets (I've dubbed my own self this, but I don't think that makes me any less royal,) it makes me so happy to know that my elementary school worksheets are going to used by kids so excited about using them! The regular size ones, that is, that I left for teachers to photocopy and use in their classrooms as they see fit.

Now I really can't wait until my book is out! Because then I'll be ablt to talk to students about Polly Peterson too.

Some books are for everyone!

2007-12-17T19:11:00.000-06:00

I went to the library again today, though my stack wasn't as big as usual because, you know, I'm busy revising.

Every time I go to the library, I think to myself, I should check out some fiction from the adult section, or maybe even some non-fiction, because it would broaden my mind, expand my horizons, be "good for me." But I rarely do. And even when I do, that book usually spends three weeks on my nightstand ignored and unread. So what is the point even?

The fact is, I just love to read YA fiction. And there are already so many YA titles I want to read that I'll never get to the end of my list, so I don't want to spend my time reading things that I don't really want to read.

So why do I think I should be reading these other books?

Well, the non-fiction is so that I'll have new and interesting tidbits of information to toss into my books and into cocktail party conversations. But I guess I could accomplish this by watching documentaries, which is how I prefer my non-fiction, anyway.

But the adult fiction, what is that about? Well, I guess it's for cocktail parties again. Most of the adults I know outside of the children's writing world do not read books written for children and young adults. So if I don't read their books, we can't talk about books. But the truth is, they are missing out. Sure there are books that purely kid-centric that wouldn't hold an adult's attention span. But there are so many books that are ageless in their appeal, because of the quality of the writing, the likability of the characters and the level of thought and discourse the book will provoke. Movies and TV programs are cross-marketed, are promoted as appealing to entire families. I wonder why this doesn't work with books.

Hmmm...That's a good topic to discuss at my next cocktail party.

Quiz of the Month

2007-12-10T10:05:00.000-06:00

I know what you are thinking, but it's not true. I'm not dawdling because I can't figrue out a plotting problem.

I just missed you!

Plus the internet has great quizzes. Remember when you had to buy a magazine to take a quiz?

The ablility to take a quiz whenever you want is a perfect example of how technology has changed our lives for the better.

Because what would my week be like if I didn't know that I was a Romance Novel.
Click on the What Kind of Book Are You? link below to take the quiz yourself.

What kind of book are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Romance Novel

Congratulations, you got "Romace Novel." You're sweet, sensitive, and ready for love. Good for you! Just remember that life isn't a faery tale, and sometimes your heart will be broken. Try to be a little more discerning with your love, and you'll do fine!

Romance Novel

100%

Horror

55%

Comic Book

45%

Manga

45%

Action-Adventure

30%

The joy of index cards and post-its

2007-12-08T19:13:00.000-06:00

So, right now I am busy.
I mean very, very busy!
Then, what are you doing writing a blog post, you may ask. Why aren't you busy being busy?
Good question. Please don't mention this to my editor. I'm just taking a short rest.

Here is what I am busy doing:

This is a picture of my novel as it looks when I write out a short summary of each chapter on an index card and chart it on a posterboard to look at the pacing of the book in a three act structure:

This is a picture of my novel as it looks when I realize the pacing is off and I must rearrange and condense the end and expand the beginning and generally do a lot of work:

Gulp.

I think my rest had better end.

Ta Da!

2007-12-04T10:07:00.000-06:00

It's the cover for THIRD GRADE BABY!
I'm head over heels in love. It's so much fun to see Polly Peterson on paper.
I'll tell the truth. She does look different from the way I imagined her while writing, but when she looks so cute, who cares?

Project Runway, Project Barbie and Project Revision

2007-11-23T13:10:00.000-06:00

The new season of Project Runway has begun! If you are not convinced that this is not your typical reality TV show, then listen to this!

Okay, good. Now that I'm preaching to the choir we can get on with things. I can't quite decide who my favorites will be this season. Maybe Rami and Victorya.

I just love seeing everyone's different creative process unfold right before my eyes. And of course, I love finding the ways in which writing is similar to designing. A designer will have an ideal dress in his or her head. Maybe the sketch comes really close to that ideal, but making it out of fabric is another story. It doesn't drape the way they thought it would. They can't figure out how to construct it.

Just like writing a book.

Before I begin I hold that ideal book in my head, but it never quite drapes on the paper the way I thought it would. (Thank goodness for revision.)

Author Alan Grantz and his wife, textile designer Wendi have made Project Runway a participatory experience. Over on their blog they are playing along with each weeks challenge using Barbie doll as models...Project Barbie. I read about this fantastic endeavor on Sara Zarr's blog. (As well as reading about her exciting experiences as a National Book Award finalist. Congratulations, Sara!)

So, a part of me would totally love to participate in Project Barbie. (I have a sewing machine. I sort of know how to sew, and I totally also have pictures of halloween costumes I've made to prove it, but, uh, my scanner isn't working?)

Anyway, I am about to begin a different, rather large project.

Project Revision--in which an author takes 65,000 words and tries to rearrange them, add and subtract from them, hem them, add topstitching and maybe a little ruching and hopefully come up with a book that more closely approaches her mental sketch and also the mental sketch of her editor which she can't really see because it is inside of her editor's head but her editor has tried to communicate to her with helpful thought-provoking questions penciled all over the manuscript as though it were muslin. Oh, and also it must look fabulous on and fit all sizes!

If only Tim Gunn would show up at my house, read my manuscript and cheer me on with a "Make it Work."

Quiz of the Month and Prairie Writer's Day

2007-11-08T11:41:00.000-06:00

Hi all! I'm back from Prairie Writer's Day, SCBWI Illinois' fall conference, so excited by all that I've learned. (Such as how to stand when I do a presentation, what new books must land on my TBR pile and the way the children's book publishing world has changed over the past decade.)

Yay for me!!! I remembered to bring my camera!

Shame on me!!! I forgot to take one picture...

Until the very end of the day when, while rummaging in my purse for a business card, I noticed said camera, pulled it out and snapped off a picture the most beautiful cakes I've ever seen. The cakes were baked by Chris Vasilakis and eaten in honor of Rosemary Stimola's birthday.

And they were sooooo good too!

You know I love a good quiz and here's a great one--What Jane Austen Character are you? I took it and here are my results:

You scored as a Elinor Dashwood

As Marianne's older sister, Elinor lives at the other end of the emotional spectrum. She rarely reveals her intense feelings and is more concerned with being honest and loyal than having what she deserves. Even though her intentions are pure, she sets herself up for loss by constantly placing other people before her own needs. Overall, Elinor is gentle and rational but is just as capable of radical emotions (despite her withholding them) as her sister.

Elinor has never been my favorite Jane heroine, but even as I was answering questions I knew she was who I'd be. It's all about the reserve. I have rather too much, I suppose. I guess I'm going to have to take a closer look at Edward. ;)

Click here to take the quiz yourself!

Please let me know who you are!

irony, corn mazes and fonts

2007-10-29T16:01:00.001-05:00

Goodness, I must have been more tuckered out from the kidlitosphere conference than I thought. It's taken me almost a complete month to recover and post again. (Well, that and I was lost in a corn maze for a very long time, either about fifteen minutes or eight days.)

So here's the part with the irony. Guess what am I going to post about? Another conference!

Tomorrow I'll be attending Prairie Writer's Day, SCBWI Illinois' fabulous fall event. I am going to learn all kinds of amazing things about the publishing business. I will glean beaucoup d'informative tips on making my writing stronger. I will hobnob with other interesting and incredibly attractive Illinois writers.

Last year at this very conference my editor (who was not then my editor) asked me to revise the chapter book manuscript I had submitted to her. The very chapter book manuscript that is now THIRD GRADE BABY, actual chapter book.

And speaking of THIRD GRADE BABY, actual chapter book, recently I got to see the actual fonts in which the book will be printed. THE FONTS! And I love them. (I'm not just saying. Fonts are something I care deeply about. As proof, I offer this fact: the most exciting thing I got for my birthday, which was on October 18th--a day when I might still have been in the corn maze--was Print Shop 22 with over 700 fonts! True, it does take a rather long time to scroll through them, but still. The alphabetic variety!)

And then, only days later, I got to see the illustrations! (Yeah, they sort of blew the fonts out of the water.)
It's so unbelievably cool to see your characters in pencil-created form. Especially extra-extra cute pencil-created form. I can not wait to show you them, but I fear it may still be a while.

Oh, if you think of it, please remind me to bring my camera tomorrow. (I never remember my camera.) If I remember it (and then also remember to take pictures.) I'll post them for you!

How does one remind oneself to remember things?

the first annual kidlitosphere conference and a transformers birthday party

2007-10-09T14:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm chiming in late (the conference was Saturday, October 6,) but I have a good excuse. I was throwing a Transformers party. Both were amazing fun. One was more edifying.

Seriously, my head was stuffed with new knowledge. Bits and scraps were leaking out my ears and nostrils.

The conference was populated by (amongst others) amazingly motivated and generous people who offer up their time to blog about children's and young adult literature. People who care about kids and adults having the opportunity to read phenomenal books with young people as main characters. And Jen Robinson's presentation looking to the future of the kidlitosphere made me feel like I was there at the start of something (already big) that's going to be huge!

It was such fun to get the behind the scenes peak into the world of book reviewing. Now I know how bloggers get ARCs, thanks to Tasha Saeker. I've learned that while any contact with print reviewers is taboo, authors can and do have contact with bloggers. (And a little thank you email or comment is nice to do. Good to know, Liz Burns.)
Anne Boles Levy's presentation on how to write reviews made me fantasize about doing just that. But when the magic sparkle dust of her presentation disappeared, I realized that no matter how nerve wracking it will be, I'm more comfortable as the reviewee than the reviewer.

Pam Coughlan's tips on how to improve your blog were fantastic, too. But intimidating. I'm not sure I'm up for daily posts yet. (Thank you readers who keep checking back to see if I've posted!) Once, maybe twice, a week is all I can manage at the moment. I do actually have to write books, you see. It's my job! That's why the blogging for author's panel was so reassuring. Robin Brande (conference organizer extraordinaire), Barry Lyga and Gregory Pincus discussed this very issue. Blogging is fun, but books come first.

Mark Blevis and Andrea Ross's inspiring introduction to podcasting got my brain whirring. Look for a top special secret project happening in the next couple of weeks!

The highlight of the day for me was the Meet the Authors session hosted by Esme Raji Codell. It was my first time ever participating in such an event! People asked me to sign the special Planet Esme poster provided just for that very purpose. I got to tell people about THIRD GRADE BABY and about the amazing books of The Class of 2k8. (website coming soon!)

Now I'm almost as tired just writing about the conference as I was attending it. (So tired in fact that me and my writing pals left before the dinner. :( )

Next year the conference will be in Portland. I think I'll need the whole year to get ready.

Ode to Teachers

2007-10-05T10:46:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about teachers lately. We're a month into the new school year and both my kids love their new teachers. Yay! I'm working hard on creating a teacher's guide to my first book and also writing my school visit presentations. (Can't wait to get back into classrooms!)So I thought I'd reminisce about one of my favorite parts of teaching.

I taught preschool and kindergarten and when you are with the under six set not a day goes by when you don't hear something priceless! Here are my top seven favorite student comments:

1. Child: Guess what! My mom got pregnant this morning!

2. Child (during afternoon recess): Look the moon is in the sky! It must be the Olympics! (He meant an eclipse.)

3. Child (after stowing mittens in the pockets on the front of her winter coat): Look! I got boobs!

4. Child one: What kind of baby do you think your mom will have?
Child two: I don't know. It could be a boy. It could be a girl. Or, it could be a bunny.

5. Child one: Did you know that when your mom has a baby sometimes they cut her stomach open?
Child two: Eeeeew! They see her food!

6. Child: Did you know that sometimes my mom has yellow boogers?

7. Child: Mrs. Teacher, what's your name again?

When I was teaching something brought a smile to my face everyday. (Although that happens being a parent and a writer, too.)If I thought I could handle my momming load and my writing load along side a teaching load, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Hat's off to the many men and women who accomplish this amazing feat!

Any teachers or parents out there have their own great lines to share?

Click

2007-10-02T15:53:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to tell you guys about a neat interview and a neat book.
The book is called Click. I haven't read it yet, but after learning about it on NPR this morning I sure want to.
The premise is this: It's a novel with ten chapters each written by a different author. Linda Sue Park, Ruth Ozeki, Gregory Maguire, Tim Wynne-Jones, Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, David Almond and Eoin Colfer. (Not too shabby, huh?) The editor is Arthur Levine. (He's the American editor for Harry Potter.)

Cute and furry and infuriating

2007-09-30T16:39:00.000-05:00

Something I know about my writing (which you may not have known but will now because I am posting it on the internet) is that events that are going on in my life at any given time will sometimes wind up in the book that I am writing at that moment.

For example, in THIRD GRADE BABY the main character's younger brother is teething. As I was writing that book I had a baby who was teething! Coincidence? I think not.

One thing that's begging to be put into a book, but alas hasn't yet, is how to live in a house with animals. Hmmm...you say. Many, many people live in houses with animals. They are called pets, and most people find this a very rewarding experience.

Those are not the kind of animals I am talking about.

I believe I have mentioned before that I live in a forest. In fact my town is a Tree City USA, and no one is allowed to cut down trees on their property without permission from the village. So, naturally my yard is habitat to many creatures. Which is cool.

In my yard I've seen deer,

a fox,

possums

and coyotes.

(That was kind of scary because they were right outside my door, and I was trapped in my house. Although, I have to admit, they guys I saw were a little mangier than that one.)

As long as the critters stay outside, I'm pretty much cool with them. But some little guys aren't content with the whole inside/outside habitat sharing arrangement. No. They are greedy, and come fall, want in on my central heating action.

We've had mice, a bird and some unknown something in the attic. Recently a chimpmunk came to visit not once, but three times. This was not fun for me, but as a result of this misfortune, I can now pass on to you some very important knowledge. A surefire way of ridding your house of a chipmunk should one ever come calling.

First find your self a bag of mini-cheese crackers. (They must be mini, as chipmunk-sized.)
Next, find last known location of chipmunk sighting and create a cracker trail from said location to the back door of house and out the door about a foot or two.
Then, hide in a location not too far from the door where you can see the chipmunk but it can't see you.
Finally, when the chipmunk munches its way out of your house, slam the door on its cute (only when it's outside) little tail and try to pretend your heart isn't pounding because you thought you were going to be mauled by a three pound rodent.

Maybe I should write a book about exterminators?

A Very Good Day

2007-09-24T13:13:00.001-05:00

Today was an excellent day. Here is the reason why:

I went to the library! I loooooove the library, and I love coming home with a stack of books so high it's hard to carry. That's just what I did today. (I also checked out a stack of picture books for a certain toddler who lives in the same house as me, but I did not take a picture of those. You think it's hard taking candy from a baby? Try taking a new book from a two-year-old!)

So...I love to read, and even when working hard on a new novel, I still find time to read. But when I'm between manuscripts I have a special time I like to call a reading frenzy. (Sort of like a feeding frenzy, but with books! Much less fattening.)

You might infer from the above sentence that I am between manuscripts and you are very nearly right. The first (and quite rough draft) of my new YA is days away from completion! Then I will hand it off to my critique group and not think about it at all for two weeks. (Yeah, right. Okay, I'll think, but I won't work or write.)

With all this time on my hands, I plan to dig into a good book or two or three or four or five....

Coffeeland. It's a nice place to visit but...

2007-09-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling guilty. See, I am a proud tea drinker. I drink cups and cups of it. Iced in the summer, hot in the spring, fall and winter, and it's an important part of my writing routine. Snuggling into the corner of the couch with my laptop and a steaming mug of Chamomile ready to lose myself in my story. It's the perfect afternoon. (Hence the starring role of the steaming mug on the homepage of my website.)

Today, however I wrote at Panera. Panera, home of yummy soup, yummy salads and free wi-fi, is my second favorite place to write. And settling into a booth near an outlet with a steaming paper cup of Honey Ginseng is also quite cozy. But today, when I walked into Panera I saw this.

It's a pumpkin spice latte. As I am a lover of all things Fall, I couldn't resist the lure of pumpkin.

Jazzed up on mega-caffeine from the shot of espresso, and completely unused to such stimulation, my hyped-up brain and fingers pounded out close to two thousand words of my novel! I'm suddenly understanding why so many writers out there are coffee drinkers.

As fun as today was, and it was perfect for the exciting climax scene I was working on, I'm still not a coffee gal. There's no lingering, no dreaminess when writing with coffee. So while I may occasionally sip some Java, I'll always be a tea girl at heart.

Okay, now you tell me. What's your beverage of choice?

A technophobe? Me?

2007-09-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

My old printer died. It lived a long life and served me well, and I got a new nicer (because it's six years newer) printer, but I don't like it as much as my old printer yet. It doesn't hold as much paper. I don't know where all the button thingamajiggies are.

Hmmm...
As much as I hate to admit it, I may have technology issues. Certain husbands-who-live-in-this-house-with-me think new buttons are very exciting, not cause for consternation.

Also, another reason I may have to admit to being technologically delayed is that this week was my very first time using Power Point. Ever. I made half a slide. I am very proud of it. It will someday be the first slide in my "Day in the Life of an Author" school visit presentation which schools are already clamoring for. (As a matter of fact, it's such a good half-slide, I might not have to add anything further!)

However, I do blog. (Exhibit A is on your screen right now.) And technologically speaking, that's pretty hip, right? Well, I guess if I was really cool I'd vlog, but we can't all be Hank and John Green, now can we?

Already my kids do things on the computer I will never be able to do. (Have you tried Line Rider? It's hard!) I just accept that.
I have fun trying though. (As long as my kids aren't in the room laughing at me.)

Exciting News! Times Three!

2007-09-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

1. My website is practically, finally done! You can see it now, but at exactly the moment I'm writing this it still needs a tweak or two. By the time you read this those tweaks may be done already. Who knows?

2. I just saw a sketch for the cover of Third Grade Baby! Sorry I can't show it to you, but let me just tell you, Polly is adorable! FSG chose the perfect artist, and I can't wait to see the final cover.

3. My kids are back in school!(This is possibly more exciting for me than it is for them.)

I got a makeover!

2007-08-31T12:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't really need to say anything more do I? You can plainly see.
Whadaya think?

Last thought on First Drafts

2007-08-27T10:25:00.001-05:00

You may have noticed, in previous posts, that I'm working on a first draft. And I may have mentioned that I find them to be one of the more challenging parts of being a writer.

But I stand here today (sit here today?) feeling rather chagrined because of this post over at Meg Cabot's blog. Her words reminded me that writing a first draft should be the most exciting part of writing. The part where the story unfolds before you and your characters come to life. The part where the possibilities and paths in front of you are nearly infinite. (Hyperbole alert!)

So from now on I'm going to approach first drafts from a totally different angle. I'm going to try to be as creative and have as much fun as possible. Maybe I'll even pretend I'm Meg Cabot. Hmmm... I think I may need a tiara and a boa.

Ever the procrastinator...

2007-08-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what celebrity you look like?

Okay, maybe not. But after today you will!

There's this kooky celeb-look-alike thing at myheritage.com. You upload a picture of yourself, then My Heritage does a fun sci-fi movie scan of your face and compares it to some number of celeb. photos it has in it's files and tells you just which famous person you resemble!

It's kooky and fun. And without further ado, here are my results:

Okay, I'm trying to be a good sport about the men and all. It's not like they are bad looking or anything, but really?
Really?

Back to School

2007-08-21T18:21:00.000-05:00

I am officially done with copy edits for THIRD GRADE BABY. Now it's in the hands of those super talented people at FSG who take a manuscript and make it into a book.
They do stuff like choose a font and...ummm...well, i have no idea actually. Book design is a complete mystery to me. The only thing I know for certain is that I am extremely excited to see my book!

I am also excited for Fall!

It is my absolute number one favorite season. Just this past weekend the weather turned brisk, and I had a very strong urge to buy school supplies. Unfortunately, I no longer need school supplies. I do get to buy office supplies, which I enjoy, but it's not quite the same as the big back to school shopping spree I had back in my elementary days.

Maybe one day I'll write about a character buying school supplies.

This fall, however, I am going to go back to school. Some wonderful teachers and librarians that I have agreed to let me into their classrooms and libraries to practice my school visit presentations. I am very excited for this opportunity. I'll be sure to post more as the time draws near!

Hmmmmm...I wonder if there is any such thing as school visit supplies...

More on First Drafts

2007-08-06T13:26:00.000-05:00

So, I'm finally taking a break from my current work-in-progress to post.

Right now, I'm writing a first draft. For me, this is the absolute hardest part of writing a novel. I mean, really, imagine closing your eyes, concentrating really hard and conjuring up a lump of clay with nothing more than your measly 10% brain power. Now you kind of know what writing a first draft feels like.

Whenever I'm writing a first draft, I try to get it out as quickly as possible, otherwise I lose my train of thought. Then I have to go back and reread everything I've written before, and as the book gets longer and longer, that takes longer and longer and then Boom! the baby wakes up from his nap and I have to stop writing and I haven't even written anything yet.

So, if I could, I'd like to take a whole week and write non-stop, maybe at some beautiful writer's colony or five-star-hotel. The only problem is that I can't really manage more than 1500 words at a time, even though I want to write more, my 10% is kaput.

Maybe someday I'll unlock the secret 90%. Maybe then I'll be able to simply telepathically transport my book into other people's brains rather than having to write it and get others to buy it. Do you think that would be illegal?

Now, back to work! Because once I get that lump of clay, then I can really dig in and have fun. Get my hands wet and slimy and sculpt and sculpt and sculpt. (Revise, revise, revise!)

But first I have to get there. Which means I need to go hit my 1500.

Bye.

P.S. Sorry, still can't tell you what it's about.

What book are you?

2007-07-18T12:21:00.001-05:00

I just read about this fun quiz over at fuse #8. Of course, I can never resist finding out deep dark truths about myself from a series of random impersonal questions. So I took it.

The idea is that there is a book out there that best represents who you are. And low and behold, for me, that book is possibly my favorite book of all time: Anne of Green Gables.

I am so excited to BE Anne of Green Gables. I alway knew she and I were kindred spirits. Here are my results:

You're Anne of Green Gables!

by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage
cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash,
honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt
your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with
kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters.
You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

How did they know?

If you take the quiz, please tell me what book you are. (I'm really curious to know how many possible books are in the quiz in the first place.)

p.s. oops, i just reread the instructions. there are only 64 possible outcomes.

A Must re-Read!

2007-07-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

So, I'm re-reading The Catcher in the Rye right now. I read it back in high school, but somehow managed to retain nothing except the vague notion that I liked it. Now, reading it for the second time as a writer, I am blown away!

Okay, so we all know that the voice in that book is phenomenal. Distinctive, full of energy, engaging. What we all aspire for. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the best part of the book (writing-wise) isn't the voice.

What?

Yes, that's right. The best part of the book, is that Salinger tells absolutely nothing! He SHOWS everything, and until I started rereading this book, I didn't realize how much telling goes on even in books that are really well written and by writers who are making a conscious effort not to tell. (Uh, I guess that second part would be me.)

Does Holden say he's lonely? No, he asks stranger after stranger to have a drink with him. Does he say that he's in love with Jane? No, he punches out his roommate after the guy goes on a date with her. Did I tell you that he shows? No, I gave you examples. (Except for in the paragraph before this where I did tell you, but please just ignore that for the sake of argument, okay?)

Have any of you read this book recently? I must have someone to gush with.

The Best Day Ever! (That's hyperbole, but it was really, really good!)

2007-06-29T17:40:00.000-05:00

Guess where I went on Wednesday!
I'll give you a clue:

Still don't know?
Okay, how about a multiple choice question?
a) A chocolate factory. (Nothing but truffles all day.)
b) A spa. (Nothing but massages all day.)
c) A book store. (Nothing but reading all day.)
d) The offices of Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (Nothing but pinching myself because I'm actually going to be a published author all day.)

And the answer is... (drumroll, please)
D!!!
I had a fabulous lunch with my editor. We talked about books, publishing and life. I came away knowing, even more than I already knew, that my book is in great hands. I also got to meet many other fabulous folks at FSG. And even though none of them had heard of me yet because my first book isn't even out of copy-editing, I still felt quasi-famous as I was introduced around the office! (Which is, by the way, exactly as a publishing house office should look. Books and papers piled everywhere!)

As if my day wasn't already fab enough. Later on, I went to Penelope Cafe:

True or False: Jenny met her fantabulous agent there and they talked so long she almost missed her flight, which in the end didn't matter because the flight was cancelled due to bad weather, and she was told that there were absolutely no flights on any airline from any airport that could get her back to Chicago for at least 24 hours!

The answer is false! There were no flights for 48 hours! ACK!

But all turned out well in the end. United opened up a new flight, and I only had to stay over one night. Phew!

Now I'm home and so motivated to get back to work on my latest WIP. Because I want to have more visits like this one!

First Draft

2007-06-24T12:21:00.000-05:00

once upon a time
on a laptop far away
there was a blank screen

there was a writer
a whisper; an idea;
a pile of words

which, in some order
that is still a mystery,
become a novel

My Second Meme

2007-06-18T19:21:00.001-05:00

Okay, the 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, 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...eight?
This is going to be tough.

1. I am Marcia Brady. Well, sort of. There are three boys and three girls in my family and I'm the oldest girl. (However, I have never been pegged in the nose with a football.)

2. Sometimes I write my books while I'm sleeping. That is, I wake up hearing my characters talking in my head and I know that I was dreaming about them.

3. I once shot an M-16. (At a target!)

4. I am still sort of afraid of the dark. I no longer take giant running leaps onto the bed to avoid monsters grabbing my ankles, but I don't like walking around the house at night without lights on. Did you see the movie Sixth Sense? This is why.

5. My first kiss was in France on a hill overlooking the most idyllic view of the French countryside. We rode up there on the boy's motocyclette. It's a better story than it was a kiss.

6. In fourth grade I witnessed my teacher save a classmate from choking on a Twinkie by giving him the Heimlich maneuver. He tried to swallow the whole thing at once on a dare. It put me off Twinkies for life.

7. I love board games!

8. I'd rather be reading would be the perfect bumper sticker for me.

Seventeen Year Cicadas and New Books

2007-06-09T11:50:00.000-05:00

So here in the north suburbs of Chicago we are enjoying the seventeen year cicadas. (These are bugs that live underground and come out only once every seventeen years to mate.) Since I didn't live in Chicago seventeen years ago, this is my first Cicada adventure. I was all set to be plagued by these critters in a biblical way, you know? Because, most experiences are cool at least once.

However, even though I practically live in the middle of a forest--I really do, it's nearly illegal to cut down trees in my town--i've barely seen a single bug. Nor are my ears vibrating from the cicada's incessant hum. While only a mile away, driveways are coated with these purportedly excellent sources of protein and neigbors are going deaf in their din.

I can't help but wonder, was is something I did? Did word travel through the underground about my evil treatment of cicadas' fourth cousins twice removed, the mosquitos? Ah. I feel left out.

However, soon I will be leaving my town and traveling to New York. (For the day, but still...) There I will have lunch with my editor! Possibly even meeting other wonderful people at FSG. Possibly even discussing revisions of GIRL IN WAITING, which should begin sometime mid-summer.

Then I will meet my agent! (Who I am really looking forward to getting to know!) I recently sent her book number three, a middle-grade comedy about a fourth grade boy.

Now I'm going to get back to book number four. (Which I just started, so the only thing I can tell you about it is that it's written with words.)

May your day be purple!
Jenny

It's my first Meme!

2007-06-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

That's some sort of right of passage, no?

1. Are you a writer or an illustrator? Or both?
Writer, definitely writer.

2. How long have you been blogging? Who inspired you to begin blogging?
I've only been blogging consistently for a couple of months, (although I made one post a year ago when I set up my account. It's since been deleted because it said something dumb, like "Look at me, I have a blog." I was inspired to blog by all the other great children's book writers whose blogs I enjoy reading.

3.Where do you blog? What noise is in the background?
Well, I blog at my dining room table, in the comfy chair in my office, in bed, on the couch. Right now the noise in the background is my toddler reading himself Byron Barton's Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs.

4.What is the primary reason you blog?
Well, I guess it's to market myself, but that doesn't sound so nice, huh? How about I blog because I have a lot of random things to say and I think the world might be a better place if I put them in cyberspace?

5.What has been the unexpected delight of blogging?
Getting comments, definitely! People actually read this?

6.What has been the hardest part of blogging?
Blogging.

7. Describe your day in detail from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed.
Are you kidding me? If I did that you'd understand that I really don't have time to do that.

8. Have you ever had a guest blogger or done a virtual book tour?
No. I think you have to be cooler than I am to do that.

9. Of all the blogs you read, what is your favorite?
Well, I always check Brotherhood 2.0 and John Green's blog. I also enjoy reading Lisa Yee's blog, Editorial Anonymous, Fuse #8, Meg Cabot's blog, Maureen Johnson's blog and Blogging for Mom

10. Which kidlit blogger would you like to meet in person?
That'd be John Green. For the laughs, and because maybe some of his magic sheds and would get stuck to my clothes.

Cheeky

2007-05-29T19:52:00.000-05:00

In writing news, I just received the line-edited manuscript from my editor. Apparently I am rather limited in my ability to convey embarrassment. Several times in my book I describe the main character feeling heat rising into her cheeks. Each time my editor oh-so-gently penciled the words "hot cheeks" in the margin, and I came up with new and varied ways of describing humiliation.

However, now, I can't stop thinking that hot cheeks sounds like a rather frisky nickname, as in
"How do you like my book, hot cheeks?"

Could I say that to a reviewer, or would that be cheeky? (I know, but I couldn't resist.)

My Deal's Gone Public!

2007-05-16T09:55:00.000-05:00

This was posted on Publisher's Marketplace yesterday afternoon!

Children's
Jenny Meyerhoff's THIRD GRADE BABY, a chapter book about the growing pains of a spunky, clever, resourceful girl whose out-sized personality makes up for her under-sized height, and GIRL IN WAITING, a contemporary YA retelling of the Book of Esther on the high school football field in which a teen cheerleader, caught between first love with a crush-worthy quarterback and familial duty to an Orthodox cousin turned team kicker, sorts out her Jewish identity, to Beverly Reingold at Farrar, Straus, in nice deals, by Michelle Andelman at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (world).michelle@andreabrownlit.com

Now everyone in the publishing world (who read the deals section of PM between yesterday afternoon and right now) knows my great news. Yeah!

Stranger than Fiction

2007-05-09T10:13:00.000-05:00

Last night I went to see (and briefly meet) author Ann M. Martin, who's written many books, but is best known for her Babysitter's Club series. During a period of about 15 years she wrote 250, let me write that again, TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY books related to this series. I don't know if non-writers can understand the magnitude of this, but that means that for many years she was averaging a book per month! (Most writers take at least a year to finish a book, many writers take more. And she was putting out a dozen! Ack!!! That is superhuman.)

I will not even attempt to compare myself, rather I will just awkwardly segue into a strange thought I had while driving my kids to school this morning. The title of this thought was "When complete strangers cross the universally accepted stranger boundary." Two unrelated instances came to mind.

1. I was eating dinner with my husband and we were seated at a table for four. (Thus two empty chairs.) A man walked into the restaurant with his trench coat over his arm and found his party seated at a table two over from ours. After saying hello to them, he looked around for a place to hang his coat. Not finding a hook or coat rack, he then walked over to my table and draped his coat over one of the empty chairs without even acknowledging me or my husband. He then went to eat dinner with his friends.

2.I was walking through the parking lot of my grocery store when a woman approached me. Do I have anything on the back of my pants, she asked turning around. I inspected, assuming she'd sat in something, then reassured her that her pants looked fine. "Oh good," she said, "I've been having some bad stomach troubles today." (Actually, she used the D word, but I just didn't feel like typing that.)

So please tell me that you've had strangers cross the line, otherwise I'll have to assume it's just me.

Shhh...this post is a silent post.

2007-05-03T10:58:00.000-05:00

Gosh, time flies. I didn't realize I'd been ignoring my blog for so long. But I've been busy with other worthwhile endeavors. (For example getting a pedicure, watching America's Next Top Model and going to a writing retreat. Uh...those are in random order.)

The writing retreat was fantastic. I'd never been on one before, but I'd definitely go again. It's bliss to be able to write without any competing responsibilities. So, the retreat was in a convent. Not being of the nunnish persuation, that was a little weird. (Did you know that they can't actually fly?) But the rest of it was fantastic. I got a lot of work done on the manuscript I am working on right now. It's top secret, so I can't tell you that it's about a fourth grade boy who wants to be a stand-up comedian. And I got to hang out with lots of other writers! Unfortunately I was on a silent floor, so I couldn't actually talk to them, but they looked like really nice people.

Now that I'm back, I seem to be blogging instead of writing. So I'll just say ta ta for now and get back to the important stuff that I need to do like shopping for new brown sandals. (It's so hard to find the perfect pair.)

Fond Memories

2007-04-26T13:40:00.000-05:00

So, I've been thinking a lot about high school lately. (Because who doesn't like to remember those years? ; ))
Here are some random moments--most embarrassing, but not all embarrassing to me.

1. Mr. Hazenthal blew his nose and left a snot hanging there for the rest of the class period. No one told him.
2. In Forensics I had to recite (with feeling) a poem by Sylvia Plath. My teacher wanted me to say the line "pushing the enemas out like ice cream" with a grunt. I couldn't do it, but that line has never left me.
3. I baked a pie for a boy I liked. I went to high school in the eighties for crying out loud, not the fifties. Baked a pie! What was I thinking?
4. I wore mainly skirts and dresses and really wild printed tights. Yeah, someone needed to give me a fashion clue.

And yet, even with all that, high school is still an age I love to write and read about. There is just something so powerful about that transistion time between childhood and adulthood.

And appropos of nothing...I joined the class of 2k8. Let me tell you, there are going to be some pretty amazing books out there in 2008. Get ready!

Jenny

I must say, I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on I go to the library and find myself a good book.--Groucho Marx.

2007-04-16T11:23:00.000-05:00

I'm just kidding. I love TV.

But I love books more!
Some books I've read recently that I recommend:

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (great for kids 8-12!)

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (funny and exciting!)

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (a grown-up book--sooo good!)

And a trio of books by Megan McCafferty, Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings and Charmed Thirds. (these are published for adults, but are about a teenage girl--FUNNY!)

Okay, your turn. Give me somthing good to read. I'm getting close to the bottom of the pile on my nightstand.

This post has X-Ray vision!

2007-04-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

Why aren't there any great shows about all-powerful supernatural women on TV right now? For me it all started with Wonder Woman, but more recently I got to watch Buffy and then Charmed. And now? Nothing. I really miss vicariously kicking bootie.

But while we are on the subject of amazing women, I went to go see Lois Lowry speak the other night. (She doesn't actually have super powers unless you count writing 34 books in 3o years including two Newbery award winners and the hysterical books about Anastasia Krupnik! Which I do.) She was funny and inspiring, and I hope I can be her when I grow up. Or at least some reasonable facsimile!

Right now my only superpower is bionic procrastination. I can make the whole day disappear in, like, the blink of an eye. Just call me Slacker Girl. I have a great idea for a costume too, I just don't think I'll ever get around to making it.
If you were a superhero, who would you be?

p.s. check out blogging for mom...a great new blog written by children's book author Brenda Ferber's kids

Gettin' down to business!

2007-04-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

Quick book update:
I'm doing a minor revision of THIRD GRADE BABY, my chapter book. After that's finished, I think we move on to line editing.

I just learned that a class of 2k8, modeled after the class of 2k7 is forming. If you have no idea what this means, click here: http://classof2k7.com/
Basically, it's a group of authors whose debut books are all apearing in the same calendar year. By working together, these authors can do a lot more to market their books than each could do alone. The whole thing starts April 15th.

And apropos of nothing, a guy I know recently reminded me of a product i'd forgotten about. A shampoo called Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific. This got us thinking of other products whose names are actually phrases, like I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. Unfortunately, our list stopped there. But I'm sure there are more. Come on, help me, I'm wasting far too many brain cells trying to come up with them.

I hope this post doesn't make you hungry!

2007-04-04T09:31:00.000-05:00

So there are some things in the world that have pretty much exhausted themselves.

For example, board games. I'm of the mind that all of the really good board games have already been invented. Scrabble, Boggle, Sorry, Monopoly, Yahtzee, Pass the Pigs (okay there are lots more but I can't think of them right now.) But my point is that most of the games that are classics, that really, really work and are fun to play, were invented a long time ago, and most of the new games that are coming out right now are just not that fun. All the good games have already been invented.

Here's another case in point. Candy bars. The classics: Reece's Reanut Butter Cups, Nestle Crunch, Snickers, Milky Way, Three Musketeers (okay, again the list could go on and on), have been around forever. New candy bars come out all the time, but do any of them really catch on? Not really.

There are probably other cagtegories of goods that fit this description, but I don't really feel like taxing my brain any more that I already have. So here's my pick for something that will never exhaust itself: books. Lots of people claim that there are only a fixed number of stories: 64; 20 or even only 2. But the amazing thing is that they can be retold in an infinite number of ways!

Yay books!

Okay, so now you probably have 5000 exceptions to my rule bouncing around in your head, so if you must, release them onto the comments page.

And THIRD GRADE BABY will be in bookstores Fall 2008!

Do you want fries with that?

2007-03-30T13:09:00.000-05:00

So once I went to Dairy Queen. (I'm partial to vanilla dipped in cherry.) As I was walking out of the restaurant a squad car, sirens blaring, screeched to a halt in the parking lot and two cops jumped out and grabbed a guy with scruffy brown hair leaning casually up against the front of the DQ waiting for his order. (He'd been in line in front of me only moments before.)

Naturally, I stuck around to watch the events that were about to unfold and to enjoy some soft serve on a beautiful summer's day.

The police officers bent the guy over the hood of their car, frisked him and cuffed him. As they shoved him in the back seat of the cruiser, a pimply faced DQ employee walked up to "the perp" carrying a grease-stained paper bag. "Do you still want your burger?"

I kid you not.

Blizzard, anyone?