Book Spine Poems

The other day, when I was procrastinating taking a much-deserved break from working so hard, I realized I hadn’t done anything to celebrate Poetry Month. I’ve of course seen the many book spine poems that have circulated over the past couple of years and decided to try my hand. But I made it more challenging by limiting my choices to only those on my desk – my writing books. I got two that way. Then I realized I hadn’t seen anyone build a book spine poem with picture books, so I tried a couple of those. Here are the results.

Beware lest you try this at home. Once you start, it becomes impossible to walk by your bookshelves without seeing potential spine poems. It’s quite addictive! 🙂

What if –

The creative dreamer,

Writing from the heart, faces

Mortification?

Funny you should ask.

Writers dreaming have

Second sight,

Writing magic.

Take Joy!

Bird by bird

Escaping into the open, to

Incognito Street.

Save the Cat!

The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot,

The Mixed-Up Chameleon,

And Me … Jane

Journey to the Haunted Planet

Swirl by Swirl.

Can you hear it?

Chasing Degas,

Belinda begins ballet

One winter’s day.

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April Author-Palooza: FOUR 12 x 12 Featured Authors

It’s no foolin’! April has arrived and with it, blooming flowers, singing birds, and the shining sun. Plus – Poetry Month!  AND for 12 x 12 in 2012 participants, it’s not just one but FOUR opportunities to win prizes to improve your writing craft.

That’s right.  April features four multi-published authors, all of whom are participating in the 12 x 12 challenge.  I asked each of them to answer four questions about writing and publishing picture books.  4 questions, 4 authors, 4th month.  (I’m sorry I can’t help myself!).

First allow me to introduce these generous and accomplished authors in alphabetical order by first name — Jennifer Ward, Linda Ravin Lodding, Sandy Asher and Susannah Leonard Hill.  Then keep reading for their valuable insights into the craft of picture book writing.

Jennifer

Jennifer Ward is the author of numerous acclaimed books for children, including, Way Out in the Desert, Somewhere in the Ocean, and There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea. She’s also written parenting books including, I Love Dirt! 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature,  Let’s Go Outside: Outdoor Activities and Projects to Get You and Your Kids Closer to Nature, and,  It’s a Jungle Out There: 52 Nature Adventures for City Kids. Forthcoming titles by Jennifer include What Will Hatch? (Bloomsbury/Walker Books), Mama Built a Little Nest, (Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane Books),  The Sunhat, (Rio Chico), and, There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish, (Marshall Cavendish). You can find Jennifer on her website and Facebook  Jennifer is offering one 12 x 12 participant a manuscript critique.

Linda

Linda Ravin Lodding is the author of The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister (Flashlight Press, 2011) and the upcoming Hold That Thought, Milton! (illustrated by Ross Collins) and Oskar’s Perfect Present (illustrated by Alison Jay) both from Gullane Children’s Books, London. Linda is originally from New York, but has spent the past 15 years in Sweden, Austria and now The Netherlands. Today she lives in a one-windmill with her wonderful husband and daughter (who is, at times, as busy as Ernestine) and their sometimes-dog Nino (who speaks Dutch, Swedish, Spanish and a smattering of English). She loves dreaming up stories, biking along the canals, taking photos, doing pottery, traipsing through quaint towns, playing the flute…and sometimes just playing. You can find Linda, on her website, Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and located (in person!) at 52°9’7″N , 4°23’05″W.  Linda is offering one 12 x 12 participant a manuscript critique.

Sandy

Sandy Asher’s first book for young readers, SUMMER BEGINS, was published in 1980. Since then, she’s written 25 more. Her latest picture books are all about Froggie and Rabbit, Too Many Frogs!, What a Party!, and Here Comes Gosling!. Sandy has also edited five anthologies, including, DUDE! Stories and Stuff for Boys, coedited with her friend David Harrison. Her latest anthology is WRITING IT RIGHT: How Successful Children’s Authors Perfect and Sell Their Stories. Sandy and her husband are the proud parents of two grown children, and have three small grandchildren.  They live in Lancaster, PA, with their cat Friday. You can find Sandy at the website she co-founded with David Harrison – America Writes for Kids, their blog and on Facebook. Sandy is offering one 12 x 12 participant a copy of her book, WRITING IT RIGHT! 

Susanna

Susanna Leonard Hill began writing as soon as she could hold a pencil, but her first published book was The House That Mack Built, released by Little Simon in 2002. Since then, she has published eight more books, including: Punxsutawney Phyllis (Holiday House, 2005), No Sword Fighting In The House (Holiday House, 2007), Not Yet, Rose (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2009), Airplane Flight! (Little Simon, 2009), Can’t Sleep Without Sheep, (Walker Books, 2010) and April Fool, Phyllis! (Holiday House, 2011). In her spare time, Susanna is also a chauffeur, housekeeper, laundress, reader, rider-when-she-gets-the-chance, gardener-wanna-be, and former teacher. You can find Susanna on her website, blog (where she hosts the popular Perfect Picture Book Friday, and Would You Read It? series), Facebook and YouTube. Susanna is offering one 12 x 12 participant a manuscript critique.

1. What, in your opinion, is the most important element of an outstanding picture book?  Please name one picture book that executes this well.

Jennifer: The most important element found in an outstanding picture book is the ability to transcend the reader’s thoughts and emotions. The story isn’t simply read by the reader, but processed on a variety of levels.  This happens during the book’s creation, when many-many thoughtful, technical and artful elements are woven into the book’s design, seamlessly:  language, characters, concept, text placement, illustration, tone, composition…
The result is a book that not only resonates with each individual reader on some personal level, but also stands the test of time, becoming a classic.
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, written and illustrated by William Steig, is an example of a book that executes this perfectly.

Linda: Only one element? There are so many important ones. Great character! Rich text! Read aloud rhythm! Strong narrative!  Sense of playfulness! (See how I worked in more than one?) But if I had to choose, I think I’d linger on the word “picture” in “picture book”.  Ultimately, an outstanding picture book is a “pas de deux” between words and pictures; each without the other isn’t complete.  So for me, (one of) the most important elements of a picture book is the way the text and illustrations dance together — each relying on the other to create something magical.

There are so many books that do this brilliantly but one that pops into my head is Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann.

Sandy: As Sue Alexander told me long ago, an outstanding picture book works on three levels:  Very young children understand and enjoy the events.  Older children understand and enjoy the connections between the events.  Adults understand and enjoy the universality of the connections between the events.  Example:  Very young children laugh at Max’s antics at home and with the Wild Things in Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.  Older children realize that Max’s misbehavior has gotten him sent to his room, where he’s angry and imagines the land of Wild Things until he’s ready to calm down and everything’s okay again.  Adults appreciate the depiction of a world in which a child can misbehave and get angry and wild but still be surrounded by his knowing parent’s love as symbolized in the waiting dinner.  Those levels are a lot to accomplish in only a few words, but that’s what makes a picture book truly outstanding.

Susannah: Someone (sorry, I forget who) said that picture books are big emotion for little people.  To me, the most important element of an outstanding picture book is the emotion, the connectedness, the “I know exactly what that feels like” rush of understanding you get when a character experiences something that you’ve experienced.  A picture book that does emotion well – whatever the emotion is – speaks to kids.  It brings comfort, or reassurance, or relief, or a laugh, or a feeling of common humanity to small people who have yet to learn that everyone sometimes misses their mom, or feels sad, or gets angry, or thinks a joke is funny, or is afraid of something.  Owl Moon by Jane Yolen shows the quiet happiness of a father and his daughter sharing something special together.  The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn and Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney help children feel the depth of parental love even when kids and parents have to be apart.  Z Is For Moose by Kelly Bingham is laugh-out-loud funny because every child understands impatience and not wanting to be left out.  Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak lets kids know that even when they’re bad, they’re loved.  To me, it is this depth of emotion that resonates with children and makes them ask for a book over and over and over.

2. What is your number one piece of advice for improving in the craft of picture book writing?

Jennifer:  Read, read, read.  Don’t ever stop reading in the genre you’re writing. I also believe it is important to give each manuscript time for subconscious processing – you know, that time you think about your work while doing the mundane, day-to-day stuff?  During this time, don’t ignore the “aha” elements that may surface:  a new twist, a different ending, another level or layer that adds to the reader’s enjoyment of the book. Often these thoughts surface as nothing more than a fleeting whisper in your mind and could easily be ignored.  But latch on to them and give them attention.   There might be a shy bud of thought that blossoms into a moment of genius.

Linda: It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again… Read!  On Linda Sue Park’s website she quotes an editor who once said, “Read a thousand books of the genre you’re interested in. THEN write yours.”

Sandy: Read, read, read.  We learn language by hearing it spoken.  We learn the elements of storytelling by listening to storytellers.  Read, read, read picture books until their rhythms become a natural part of your own storytelling voice.

Susannah: I guess my number one tip for improving in the craft of picture book writing is two-fold.  First, read a lot of picture books to get a feel for the length, the rhythm, and the language, to get a feel for what is in the story and what is in the pictures, and to learn what works and what doesn’t.  Second, write.  Every day.  Practice your craft.  The more you write, the more you will find your own rhythm and language – the kind of stories you can make work well, the voice that is yours and yours alone.

3. What is the one thing you know now that you wish you had known starting out?

Jennifer:   I’m going to spin your question around, because today finds me grateful for what I didn’t know back when I started out.  I suppose it is true on some levels:  ignorance is bliss!  In the beginning, I had no knowledge regarding the “business” aspect of being a writer.  I didn’t know about reviews or sales numbers or marketing.  I was green!

Back then, I wrote because I loved children’s books, words as a medium, and writing.  I sent off my first manuscript to one publisher, it was accepted, it was successful, and continues to sell very well today. Back then, the process of writing was pure bliss and joy. My focus was solely on craft.

Fourteen years and many books later, I am a full-time writer who makes a living as a writer.  Today I find it’s quite easy to get consumed with the business aspect of making books:  the marketing (a whole world in and of itself), traveling, speaking and promoting.  I will spin all of those plates on my fingers, and since there’s no finger left to spin the writing plate, I’ll try to spin that one on my toe.

So to answer your question, I am glad to know what my experience was like in the beginning, because it serves as a reminder that craft needs a place in my day-to-day realm of existence: to ensure success in this business, and to provide me with some balance.  The fact of the matter is – writing/creating – brings me the greatest joy.

Linda: To refer back to Q1, I wish I had known how to write with the illustrator in mind. Ten years later, and, by George,  I think I got it! It took me awhile to learn to let go of my manuscript and trust that a savvy editor, wonderful illustrator and a child’s imagination would “tell the rest of the story.”

Oh, and I also wish I knew that I’d have to be patient (but I’m still working on this).

Sandy: I wish I’d known how to study the market.  A story is art when you create it and art when readers receive it, but everything in between is business, and you can’t get your story to readers if you don’t understand how that business works.  Basic rule:  If a publication, publishing house, or contest offers specific guidelines, believe them!  Sure, people break the rules and get away with it.  But not often!

Susannah: The one thing I know now that I wish I had known starting out… hmmm… that is a tough question!  I’m not sure I have an answer.  I’m glad I didn’t know how long it would take to get published, or that I would have to do my own marketing, or that even once I was published I would have no guarantee of future publication.  I think those things would have made the process more intimidating than it already was.  I have certainly learned a lot along the way, but I can’t really think of something I wish I’d known.  I’m sure when the other authors post their answers I’ll think, “Oh, yes!  Of course!  I wish I’d known that too!” 🙂

4. Why, as a multi-published author, did you decide to participate in the 12 x 12 in 2012 challenge?

Jennifer:  My reason relates to Q3.  The 12 x 12 served as a vehicle to allow Craft to jump back into my work days and elbow Business out of the way a bit.   As a bonus, being part of the 12×12 challenge has allowed me to meet many wonderful people who share a passion for children’s books and creating. So thank you, Julie, for providing such a rich place for picture book lovers to converge.  I have drafted four complete manuscripts so far, and I am “loving” the momentum!

Linda: For the past  two years I participated in Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo and, while I ended up with a list of ideas, they stayed seeds buried under a pile of dirt (or laundry as the case usually is). The 12 x 12 challenge seemed like the perfect opportunity to tend to those seeds – give them a bit of water, a ray of sunlight, coo to them and see if they actually could grow.

But the number one reason for jumping on the 12×12 bandwagon with all you wonderful participants, was because I wanted to get back to writing.

In the run-up to the debut of my picture book The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister, I threw myself head first into marketing and promoting the book — built my website, organized bi-continental book launches, signed at bookstores, posted on blogs, solicited reviews, prepared school visits – everything that writers do….except I wasn’t writing. In addition, I’d been working on edits for  two new picture books due out in 2013 (more like sitting on them and waiting for then to hatch but still…).

While this doesn’t diminish the thrill of all the things that happen post-book, it got me wondering if I had any books left in me.  I wanted to find that spark again, make writing a priority and feel the buzz of a new book project. Nearly four months into 12 x 12, I have four new picture book drafts!  Thank you, Julie!

Sandy: Quite frankly, after 40+ years in the business, I’d reached a place where I wasn’t sure I had anything more to say — and that was bothering me.  I’d completed WRITING IT RIGHT, an anthology of other authors’ work, I’ve been working on several plays that are centered on bringing other people’s stories to the stage, and I’m helping my husband with his blog America — The Owner’s Manual (http://americatheownersmanual.wordpress.com).  Obviously, I’m deeply committed to helping other people share their stories, but I never intended for that to be all my work for the rest of my life!  I read about the Picture Book Marathon in the SCBWI Bulletin and signed on, but weeks passed and I didn’t hear back from the organizers, so I figured it wasn’t going to happen.  Then I heard about 12 X 12 via a Facebook posting and decided that’d work just fine, so I signed on.  About the time I finished my January draft for 12 X 12, I heard that the PB Marathon was indeed on for February!  What the heck, I thought, I’ll do them both.  And sure enough, the more I’ve written picture book drafts — one in January, 26 in February, one in March so far — the more ideas I’ve discovered for writing picture books. Rather than an exhausting double dare, it’s all been wonderfully invigorating!  Have I thanked you recently, Julie?  THANK YOU!

Susanna: I have been lucky to be published, but I know I still have a lot to learn about writing.  For me there is always room for improvement.  I joined 12×12 partly to learn what I could learn, and partly for the motivation – to help me make sure that at the very least I would have 12 new MSS by the end of 2012.  But I also joined largely for the camaraderie.  I like being part of a community of picture book writers.  I love the guest posts on this blog.  I’ve enjoyed getting to meet so many wonderful people.  We all have things to teach each other, and it’s nice to have a place where everyone understands the ups and downs, the joys and frustrations, of being a writer.  I’m so glad you had this idea, Julie, and I’m really enjoying participating!

It is truly my honor to host these four inspiring authors on my blog this month.  PLEASE help me thank them by visiting their websites and social media networks and, especially, BY BUYING THEIR BOOKS! 

12 x 12 Participants – to enter to win one of the four prizes, you must be an official challenger and leave a comment on this post (INCLUDING YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME) any time during the month of April for one point.  On April 30th, l’ll put a check-in post on the blog.  If you completed a picture book draft in April, you can let us know in the comments of that post for another point.  I will draw winners using Random.org and announce them on May 2nd.

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Gratitude Sunday 76

I know I said I wouldn’t be posting Gratitude Sundays until the end of the month, but how could I not after spending a week in Florence?  My gratitude cup runneth over so much it might flood the Arno again. 😉  In celebration of all that is La Dolce Vita, in lieu of quotes on gratitude, this week I offer quotes from some of Italy’s most beloved poets.  And yes, Michelangelo was also a poet.

Quotes from Italian poets

“Remember tonight… For it is the beginning of always.” — Dante Alighieri

“True, we love life, not because we are used to living, but because we are used to loving. There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness.” — Francesco Petrarch

“Every beauty which is seen here by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come.”  — Michelangelo.

“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” — Cesare Pavese

Gratitude list for the week ending March 17

1. A group of young adults singing an impromptu hymn inside the Duomo – Santa Maria della Fiore
2. Being reunited with pistaccio, bacio and nocciolo gelato!
3. Prosecco at sunset on the rooftop bar of the Hotel Continentale
4. Santo Spirito, lit up at night, fully reflected on the black glass water of the Arno
5. Il Santo Bevitore and Olio & Convivium in Oltrarno, restaurants that provided two of the best meals I have eaten in a long time.
6. Enoteche (wine bars) where a person can dine and drink alone and not be considered an oddity.
7. Cafe Giacosa Cavalli – my favorite place for a morning coffee and pastry and for observing the local Florentines.
8. Cafe Florian chocolates. I ate a few of them as my lunch on the train to Bologna (not kidding)!
9. Lisa Clifford, an Australian author living in Florence, treated me to a lovely aperativo in Oltrarno.
10. Walking along the Lungarno toward the Ponte Vecchio, under arches, with ripples of the river reflecting on the walls of the buildings opposite.  It gave the feeling of walking through water.  Beautiful.

What are you grateful for this week?

Reflections of the Ponte Vecchio

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Tuesday 12 x 12: Louise Nottingham

One of Louise's favorite writing books

For today’s Tuesday 12 x 12, please welcome Louise Nottingham.  I love that one of Louise’s blogs focuses on poetry, as I am working on writing more poetry myself this year. I have no doubt you will one day be published and acclaimed! 🙂

The Adrenalin Of The Challenge!

Unpublished writer, unrecognized artist, wife, mother, grandmother, and woman of extreme silly imagination! I wonder if I can get that on the label of my urn? 😉  of course I will want to change ‘unpublished’ and ‘unrecognized’ to published and acclaimed! Fingers crossed everyone!

I have to say I don’t know how I stumbled onto the PiBoIdMo Challenge, but I think it must have been some chatter on my Facebook Wall.  I have over 300 ‘Facebook friends’ who are near and dear to me as well as being totally unknown and unmet! Most are writers and authors.  I do so love the book chatter that the authors share. When Tara Lazar started chatting about her past success with a Picture Book IDEA Month I was intrigued. Then when someone compared it to National Novel Writing Month, which I have started often but ‘won’ never (!), I thought “this is something I can do and win!”  I was right! I did it! Throughout the month I found that what I liked most was the accountability and encouragement of the other participants.

Years ago, a library coworker and I had poetry challenges every April (National Poetry Month) We did a poem a day challenge with each other via email each April.  After a couple of years, we expanded that challenge to a full year.  At the end of that year I was so pleased with myself and so grateful to her.  That’s how I feel today when I think of November. No longer is November the month of writing frustration, but the month of ‘idea’ success! I can hardly wait for next November.

Late into the November PiBoIdMo challenge, someone said that they challenged themselves, the year before, to complete one story a month to draft, I thought to myself, “I wish we had a similar support group for that!” THANKFULLY Julie Hedlund stepped up to be our facilitator and leader!

Because of the 12 x 12 in 2012 Challenge I have written daily.  I have been challenged with a marathon in February.  And in March I am going to flex my writing muscles to do a chapter a day (challenge) as well as writing at least one picture book!

Best of all I feel like I am making wonderful friends who have been so encouraging to me! I have been lucky enough to connect with someone in my area who invited me to her critique group, something I have missed after moving from my previous home in Florida.

Before I end I want to share what I have on my bookshelves. I own a large collection of picture books, and juvenile chapter books and a couple of young adult chapter books.  I also have many books on writing. I have books on writing plots. I have books on writing flash fiction. I have books on writing character. I have book on writing for children. I have books on illustrating the story. I have books on marketing your books. I have books on publishing and self-publishing books. And yes, all of these are plural: books!

If I have to pick three books specifically for children’s writing I would pick:

Children’s Writer’s Word Book.

Most of this book is just a children’s level thesaurus but in the first few pages it talks about how children read. It also suggests what words work best for what reading grade level.  I really like this feature. Although I used this more a few years ago than recently, it’s still one I would recommend be on all children’s writer shelves.

Writing With Pictures by Uri Shulevitz

This is on every illustrator’s shelf, but it should be on every picture book writer’s shelf. Especially if you are NOT an illustrator! On Facebook there is often dialog on what words to cut and how to ‘write for the illustrator’. Read this book and check out some of the books Uri uses as examples.  You will begin to get a feel for what is the writer’s job vs the illustrator’s job.

Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

Ok, Gail wrote this book for young writers my granddaughter’s age, but I love how she is able to talk about gathering your ideas and writing about them.  Many books for children are total fantasy with fairies and elves and dragons and she taps into that magic fantasy.

In closing, I hope you have enjoyed your time with me as much as I have enjoyed the past unpublished author Tuesdays.  I want to thank each of you for your encouragement! I wish each of ‘us’ luck in our writing pursuits!

And I have a couple of blogs I invite you to visit:

http://poeticlouise.blogspot.com/ Remember when I said I used to write a poem a day? Now it’s a haiku a week!

http://louisesblogtoday.blogspot.com/ Did I mention I was a children’s librarian for 5 or 6 years? During that time I started reviewing books on our shelves, which I liked, for our patrons.  This year I started wanting to keep track of what I read this year.  I am already behind on that, but I do post a few now and then, so stop by every once and awhile to see what I am reading.

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Gratitude Sunday 72

For the record, I did NOT put that much cheese on mine. 🙂

This week I offer one quote from Charles Dickens in honor of his 200th birthday and because it tied so nicely into August McLaughlin’s Beauty of a Woman Blogfest which I participated in.

Quotes on Gratitude

‎“Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks.” -Charles Dickens

“The source of love is deep in us and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One word, one action, one thought can reduce another person’s suffering and bring that person joy.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.” — Rumi

Gratitude List for the week ending February 11

1. My application to the Highlights Foundation Poetry for All Workshop was accepted! So I’ll be heading to Honesdale in May.
2. In the light of less than a half moon, the stars in Breckenridge are brilliant.
3. Fresh snow for skiing!
4. Homemade 3-way Cincinnati chili – YUM!
5. Another Margareaders meeting, and everyone enjoyed the book I chose – One Thousand White Women.
6. Julie B.  She knows why.
7. Meeting with my in-person critique group. Go Boulder Picture Book Writers!
8. Rocky laying at my feet under the desk while I work
9. Watching Em have fun selling Girl Scout cookies – AND the fact that the sale is over! (We still have three boxes of Thin Mints left if anyone is interested)
10. Reading easy readers with Jay. He never tires of it and is getting better and better.  Soon he will read on his own!

What are you grateful for this week? 

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2012 Anti-Resolution Revolution

This year, I’m signing up for the anti-resolution revolution.  It is so tempting to start listing all the things one wants to accomplish at the start of a New Year, but in my experience, the process (and thus the result) is flawed.

I believe the reason resolutions often don’t work is because they start from a place of lack, of negativity, of failure.  We think about all the things we weren’t happy with in the previous year and set out to “fix” them in the new one.  Lose weight = I weigh too much.  Save money = I spend too much.  Make more money = I don’t have enough money.  Spend more time with my kids = I’m not doing enough for my kids.  Write more often = I don’t write enough.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any period of time, you know I am all about self-improvement, especially improvement that puts us on a path to self-actualization.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with setting goals, and achieving them is even better.  However, the goals need to be set on a strong foundation.  So I figured, why not start with what I did accomplish this year and set goals from there.  Let’s first celebrate success and then determine how to carry that forward into the New Year, rather than berating ourselves for what did not get done.  Being zen about it, probably everything got done that was supposed to.

Here is my list of what I consider to be my major professional accomplishments this year

• Completed two picture books.  Both are now on submission.
• Was accepted into, and completed, the Rocky Mountain SCBWI mentorship program.
• Drafted a third picture book which is at least halfway to submission-ready
• Completed PiBoIdMo and ended up with 30+ picture book ideas
• Sent 20+ queries over the course of the year
• From those queries, sold one poem and got contracts to write three articles (coming in 2012)
• Entered a picture book in the MeeGenius Children’s Author Challenge and made it to #16 out of 400+ entries
• Learned a TON about online marketing and promotion from the contest.
• Completed four months of group coaching to launch a new project.  I am now about halfway through drafting the business plan for that project (more news on that in 2012)
• Formed a LLC to support my writing business and other projects I launch
• Took a two-month course on blogging to build an author platform.  I have now gone from a high of 2000 hits per month on my blog to a high of nearly 6000 per month.
• Guest posted on several blogs
• Set up an in-person picture book critique group in Boulder
• Attended a digital publishing conference and the Rocky Mountain SCBWI regional conference
• Last, but not least, launched the 12 x 12 in 2012 challenge to write 12 picture books in 12 months.  This is, obviously, one of my major goals for the coming year.

In addition to work accomplishments, three other achievements deserve mention.  One is that I ran a personal best in the Bolder Boulder 10K this year and felt great.  The race also happened to take place right after I turned 40, which felt even better.

Second, I planned, from start to finish, and then took a six-week trip to Italy with my family for the summer.  This trip was the fulfillment of a major dream and life-changing in every possible way.  Although my kids are still young, I think it will turn out to be life-changing for them to have had such an experience.

One of the things the trip to Italy inspired me to do is the third achievement I want to mention.  I wrote a Bucket List.  I saw how rewarding it was to realize even one dream, so I thought I would capture as many more as I could in the hopes of realizing them all.  I am trying not be afraid of dreaming big.  So perhaps a motto for 2012 is Dream Big or Go Home.

For your further contemplation, here are a few other posts with an alternate take on New Year’s Resolutions

Lynnette Burrows doesn’t let Mrs. Darkside win.

Hayley Lavik is not going to change anything next year.

Prudence MacLeod is going to read books by live authors.

Emma Burcart is going to be kind – to herself.

Jennifer Lewis Oliver has never made a New Year’s Resolution.

Myndi Shafer does have a short list of resolutions, which she made in the Nick of Time.

What is your stance on New Year’s Resolutions?  Good thing, bad thing or in-between?

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‘Twas the Night Before Christmas: Holiday Contest

Here is my contribution to author Susanna Hill’s Holiday Contest.  The rules were simple.  Write our own version of Clement C. Moore’s classic, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.  Go here to read all the other entries.  They are great!  Thanks to Susanna for hosting another fun challenge!

 

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and all through the night,

We parents were wrapping with all of our might.

The stockings were stuffed but the presents were bare.

“I’ll be more organized next year… I swear!”

 

We prayed that the children would stay in their beds,

Snuggled in tight with the spreads on their heads.

While Daddy with his screwdriver and I with my tape,

Settled in to the task to make Christmas take shape.

 

When all of a sudden the dog began barking.

The reflection of bows on the ceiling were sparkling!

I sprang from the couch and led him away —

Into his crate to await Christmas Day.

 

At last we were ready to load up the tree.

Poor Daddy endured sharp instructions from me.

First this one!  Now that one! Put this one on top.

Be CAREFUL! It’s fragile!  Be sure it won’t drop.

 

And then we collapsed, exhausted and frayed.

“Oh please let the kids sleep ‘til eight,” we both prayed.

One blink of an eye and we heard the kids cheer,

“Come look at the tree, ‘cause Santa’s been here!”

 

We groaned in our beds, our eyes red and puffy.

The kids both looked glowing, while we looked quite scruffy.

I brewed us some coffee and scorching hot tea,

Then readied myself for the festivity.

 

One blink of an eye and the presents were done.

The kids were quite eager to play and have fun.

But as they were cleaning up ribbon and wrapping,

I lay my head down and soon began napping.

 

As I slipped into dreams, I heard a soft voice

Remind me to savor the day and rejoice.

 

And here I exclaim as I blog through the night, Happy Holidays to all and to all a Good Night

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The Story Behind The Story: My MeeGenius Entry

A Troop of Monkeys

ETA: Although the contest is now over, I’ve kept this post as I originally wrote it with one exception: MeeGenius took down the link to my story on their website, so I have removed the links that were in the original post. 3/3/12

Many of you know by now that I recently submitted one of my stories to a contest with MeeGenius – an e-publisher.  For the past week, I’ve been emailing contacts and posting it on Twitter and Facebook – getting my first real taste of promoting a book.  Hands off to published authors – it’s very time-consuming, difficult, and if you are like me and not used to self-promotion, pretty uncomfortable.  It just feels strange to contact people and say, “Hey, look at me! Vote for me! Please!”

I decided I’d feel better about it if I shared a little background behind the story.  Because every story has a story!

This book, A TROOP IS A GROUP OF MONKEYS, was one of the first I wrote once I decided to try my hand at children’s picture books.  My husband came up with the original idea after he found a website with a list of some of the collective nouns for animals.  He thought I should write a simple book with just the group name.  A group of monkeys is called a TROOP.  And so on.

When I looked over the list, I was surprised to see how few of the group names I actually knew.  I’d heard of a pack of wolves, a herd of buffalo and a pride of lions.  But a float of crocodiles? An ostentation of peacocks?  Those were entirely new and fun to discover.  I also enjoyed the fact that the group names tended to describe either the animal’s appearance or behavior.  So I decided to write the story as a concept book (rather than one with a plot), and use rhyming couplets to teach both the collective nouns and one fact about each of the animals.

A couple of years ago, after putting TROOP through a few rounds of critiques, I submitted it to a few editors.  I got a couple of “helpful” rejections with the message that the story wasn’t “big” enough to be a trade picture book and that there were other, similar books on the market.  In my own research, I had found a board book with a few collective nouns and a book of the type my husband had suggested I write, but none just like mine.  Nevertheless, I moved on and kept TROOP in a virtual drawer.

I never stopped loving it though, and two years later, with the world of publishing turned upside down as a result of e-books, e-readers, and apps, I started

An "ostentatious" peacock

thinking about bringing TROOP back from the dead.  I think the book would translate very well to the enhanced e-book format.  I envision kids pressing on the owls and hearing them hoot, or tapping the peacocks and seeing them shake their tail feathers.  And although it’s a dirty word when submitting, I gathered so many of these collective nouns in my research, I have enough for a series based on different types of animals – birds (a convocation of eagles), aquatic (a smack of jellyfish), insects/reptiles (a rhumba of rattlesnakes).

Finally, there are many ways to use a book like this in the classroom, the least of which being the difference between collective and singular nouns.  It’s an opportunity to teach interesting vocabulary and tie it back to the animals.  What does ostentatious or shrewd mean, and why do we use those words to describe peacocks and apes, respectively?  There’s a “green” element to the book with its final plea to take care of the earth and share it with animals.  There’s also a science and geography component – where do these animals live?  What do they eat?  How do they behave?  I look forward to doing these presentations in classrooms myself!  In fact, if I win, my kids’ school library gets a complete library of MeeGenius books for free!

While I don’t love the promotion aspect of this contest, I do believe in this story and want to see it published.  Furthermore, I am set on publishing it in an e-book format.  The MeeGenius contest is a good opportunity to try to make that happen.  I wish the winner was chosen entirely on editorial judgement so I could hide behind my laptop, but I have to admit I’ve learned a lot from putting a tiny toe into the waters of promotion.  So here it is once again.  If you haven’t already, please take a look at A TROOP IS A GROUP OF MONKEYS, and if you have a Facebook account, vote for it if it speaks to you.

I know there are other picture book writers who follow my blog who have also entered this contest.  I invite you to include links to your stories in the comments.  I know I’ve “liked” several from the PiBoIdMo group, but there may be more.  Feel free to share the “story” behind your stories if you are so inclined.  🙂

Thanks for reading! I feel better having provided some background on this story, how it came to life, and what it means to me.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Giving Thanks

For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home —
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman’s hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought —
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the “Land of the Free” —
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

~Author Unknown

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends and family, and to everyone else too! 🙂

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300th Post – My Bucket List

What's on YOUR list?

ETA: As soon as I published this post, I immediately thought of more things I want to do and places I want to see. Rather than keeping track of them elsewhere, I will add them to the lists here.  I will also cross them off when I’ve completed them (except for the last list, because most of those things are ongoing rather than one-time).

For my 300th post, I decided to write a Bucket List – things I want to do before I die.  I divided the list into three (loose) categories of 100 each:  1) Places I Want to Visit, 2) Things I Want to Do (many of which include specific places), and 3) Ways I Want to Make a Difference in the World.

Making the first list was a snap.  I did not allow myself to include places I’ve already visited but want to see again, and even so, I had no trouble choosing 100 places.  I could never travel enough or see enough of the world.  I would go to every last corner of the earth of I could.  So I guess it’s good that I now have priorities!

The second list was more difficult.  I really had to stretch myself and give myself permission to dream big without allowing the censor to whisper, “Oh that’s not possible!”

The third list was by far the most difficult.  I always think in the nebulous terms of, “I want to make a difference,” but I never specify HOW exactly.  Now that I’ve reached 40, I realize it’s time I start not only thinking about it but doing some things.  For that reason, this was a very good exercise for me.  I think we should all think about not just what we want to do for ourselves but what mark we want to leave on the world.

One final comment: I did not include things that would require others to make specific choices.  For instance, I could easily have put, ‘See my kids get married’ or ‘Watch Michigan win a National Championship Game live’, but that would require outcomes I have no control over.  So I kept the list tightly focused on things that I would be capable (theoretically) of doing without being dependent on the decisions or actions of others.

Places to Visit

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

1. Kenya – Masai Mara
2. Egypt – Cairo, Pyramids, Red Sea, Nile
3. Morocco – Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Sahara
4. South Africa
5. Tanzania/Mt. Kilamanjaro
6. Mauritius
7. Namibia – Etosha National Park, Skeleton Coast
8. Zimbabwe
9. Bwindi National Park, Uganda
10. Seychelles
11. Australia
    

    Sydney Harbor

12. New Zealand
13. Madagascar
14. Japan – Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara
15. Thailand
16. Vietnam
17. Indonesia/Bali
18. China – Shanghai, Beijing, Great Wall
19. Tibet
20. Nepal
21. Bhutan
22. The Taj Mahal, India
23. Mumbai, India
24. The ghats of Varanasi, India
25. Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
26. Windsor Castle, England
27. Cornwall, England
28. The Lake District, England
29. Scottish Highlands
30. Ireland
31. Crete, Greece
32. Santorini, Greece
33. Zakinthos, Greece
    

    Zakynthos, Greece

34. Rhodes, Greece
35. Symi, Greece
36. Barcelona, Spain
37. Sevilla, Spain
38. Valencia, Spain
39. Cordoba & Granada, Spain
40. Provence, France
41. Carcassone, France
42. Normandy, France
43. Amalfi Coast, Italy
44. Bologna, Italy, March 2012
45. Siena, Italy
46. Tuscan countryside, Italy
47. Sicily, Italy
48. Lake Garda, Italy
49. Salzburg, Austria
50. Vienna, Austria
51. Berlin, Germany
52. Black Forest, Germany
53. Swiss Alps
54. Lucerne, Switzerland
55. Amsterdam, Netherlands
56. Croatia
57. Budapest, Hungary
58. St. Petersburg, Russia
59. Sweden
60. Norway
    

    Norway Fjord

61. Iceland
62. Hebrides Islands
63. Rio de Janeiro
64. Amazon Rainforest
65. Argentina – Buenos Aires
66. Chile
67. Peru
68. Macchu Picchu
69. Patagonia – Argentina and Chile
70. Alaska
71. Many Glacier Lodge – Glacier National Park
72. Charleston, South Carolina
73. Savannah, Georgia
74. Cape Cod, Massachussets
75. New Hampshire in the autumn
76. Moab, Utah
77. Monument Valley, Utah
78. Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
79. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
80. Florida Everglades
81. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
82. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan
83. Hawaii – Big Island, Maui, Kauai
84. Santa Fe, New Mexico
85. Albuquerque, New Mexico
86. Finger Lakes Region, New York
87. Badlands, South Dakota
    

    South Dakota Badlands

88. Yosemite National Park, California
89. Santa Barbara, California
90. Quebec City, Canada
91. Niagara Falls, Canada
92. Banff National Park, Canada
93. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
94. Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
95. Baja California, Mexico
96. Chiapas, Mexico
97. Nicaragua
98. Belize
99. St. Lucia
100. St. Vincent & the Grenadines
101. Basque Region of Spain
102. Cuba

Things I Want to Do

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller

1. Publish many books for children
2. Write and publish travel articles
3. Write and publish personal essays
4. Make The New York Times Bestseller list
5. Write a novel (at least one). I almost don’t even care if I ever publish one.  I just want to write one.
6. Write down my father’s “Greatest Hits” (i.e. his best stories)
7. Dive the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
8. Dive in the Red Sea, Egypt
9. Dive in Palau, Micronesia
10. Camel-trek in the Sinai desert
11. Go cage diving to see Great White Sharks
12. Dive in a kelp forest
13. Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu during a full moon
14. Ride in a hot air balloon
15. Take my kids to Disney World
16. See a wolf in the wild
17. Go to the Rose Bowl when Michigan is playing
18. Ski Jackson Hole
19. Ski at every resort in Colorado
20. Ski the Dolomites in Italy
21. Ski the Alps
22. Learn to ski moguls like an expert
23. Learn to ski in powder like an expert
24. Go heli-skiing
25. Take a photography course
26. Stand on the field at The Big House
27. Perfect Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand) pose in yoga
28. Take an Italian language immersion class in Italy
29. Take a flamenco dancing class in Spain
30. Learn to speak fluent Italian
31. Read The Divine Comedy in Italian
32. Take surfing lessons
33. Touch an elephant
    

    Photo from my brother

34. Swim with dolphins
35. Attend an Eckhart Tolle retreat
36. Meet the Dalai Lama
37. Attend an Olympic Games
38. Spend Hogmanay in Edinburgh
39. Spend a few nights on The Royal Scotsman
40. Compete in a “mini” triathlon
41. Run another half marathon
42. Oktoberfest in Munich
43. Take cooking classes in Italy and France
44. Do wine-tasting tours in Italy and France
45. Wine-tasting tour in South Africa
46. See the Northern Lights
47. Successfully grow broccoli in my garden
48. Learn how to build an Excel spreadsheet
49. Perform in a play
50. Become a writing coach/teacher
51. Attend at least one World Cup game
52. Earn a living from writing and writing-related work
53. See a whale in the wild
54. Take my daughter to Rancho la Puerta
55. Attend the Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park
56. Do yoga in India
57. Make meditation a regular practice in my life
58. Write and e-publish a travel memoir
59. Finally read David Copperfield to the end
60. Learn Colorado history
61. Polar Bear safari in Cape Churchill, Canada
62. Bake a cake at altitude that doesn’t sink in the middle
63. Go Deep Sea fishing
64. See an opera at La Scala in Milan
65. Carnavale in Venice
66. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
67. Stand on the North Pole
    

    Absolut bar at the Ice Hotel

68. Stay at the Ice Hotel in Sweden
69. Take my kids to see Les Mis
70. Sleep under the stars in the Sahara desert
71. Take a helicopter ride to see a live volcano
72. Walk on the Great Wall of China
73. Bush-walking in Seven Spirit Bay, Australia
74. Hike in Tasmania, Australia
75. Hike The Grand Traverse and Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
76. Stay in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora
77. See the Iditarod – Anchorage, Alaska
78. Kayak in The Inside Passage and Glacier Bay, Alaska
79. Ride the Durango and Silverton steam train
80. Swim with Manatees in Florida
81. Attend the Highlights Foundation Writer’s Workshop at Chautauqua
82. Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras
83. Go to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM
84. Go back to Camogli, Italy for the Sagra del Pesce
85. Cruise the Antarctic Peninsula
86. Learn to play poker
87. Ride a zipline in the jungle
88. Put all of our home movies together so we can watch them on TV
89. Digitize all of my “paper” photos
90. Organize all photos into digital albums
91. Complete all twelve weeks of The Artist’s Way
92. Go on a yoga/meditation retreat
93. Bag one of Colorado’s “Fourteeners.” Preferably Long’s Peak, which I can see from my front window
94. Write poetry more often – not for publication, just for myself
95. Climb a 50 ft. indoor rock wall (which my daughter can do!)
    

    la Tomatina - Bunol Spain

96. Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway
97. See a meteor shower
98. See every Michelangelo sculpture
99. Participate in la Tomatina – Tomato fight!
100. Learn more about my family history/geneology
101. Attend a local “festa” in rural Italy
102. See a Harp Seal in the wild

Ways I Want to Make a Difference

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa

1. Raise responsible, independent, compassionate children. If I fail at this, nothing else will matter.
2. Ensure my children receive a good education so they can contribute to the world.
3. Love my children boundlessly
4. Teach my kids to be appreciative
5. Encourage the kids in their natural sense of wonder
6. Expose my kids to as many experiences in the natural world as possible
7. Expose my kids to as many cultures as possible
8. Read as many books to my kids as possible
9. Look my kids in the eyes when I speak with them
10. Be as good of a mother to my kids as my mother was to me
11. Donate a portion of my personal proceeds from the sales of my (future) books to benefit related charities
12. Make an annual donation of food and blankets to the Humane Society
13. Adopt another dog or two (eventually – Rocky is enough for now!)
14. Continue teaching critical thinking skills via the Junior Great Books program
15. Help bring healthy, whole food to all school cafeterias by supporting the School Food Project and Food, Family, Farming foundation
16. Donate annually to National Public Radio and PBS
17. Donate annually to National Resources Defense Council and Defenders of Wildlife
18. Donate annually to The Sierra Club
19. Shop for gifts through organizations such as Unicef and National Wildlife Federation
20. Advocate sexual and reproductive health education and rights for women around the world – through donations and Kiva lending
21. Continue making micro-loans through Kiva
22. Vote in every election
23. Take Volunteer Vacations
24. Teach creative writing to children
25. Teach writing workshops for adults
26. Mentor new writers
27. Lead writing retreats that inspire women to give time to their creativity
28. Create a scholarship for these retreats
29. Help others live creative lives with passion
30. Support small, family-run businesses as much as possible
31. Grow vegetables in my garden every year
32. Plant trees in my yard and in the community
33. Each time I shop, buy one item for donation and put it in a box.  When the box is full, take it in to the food bank.
34. Buy organic food as much as possible
35. Shop at farmer’s markets more often
36. Continue serving on the PTO at my kids’ school
37. Support fellow writers by buying their books
38. Be “responsible for the energy I bring” – from Jill Bolte Taylor – more info here
39. Be a better listener
40. Practice patience
41. Do a better job of keeping in touch with people who are important to me
42. Volunteer to spend time with an elderly person
43. Practice living in the present moment so I can bring my full attention to the people I am with/what I am doing.
44. Participate in a Polar Bear Plunge for charity
45. Complete A Course in Miracles
46. Continue my Gratitude Sunday posts
47. Consistently donate clothing, toys and other items that we no longer use
48. Sponsor families in need at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year
49. Find ways to volunteer with my kids
50. Write letters to authorities advocating my views on issues that are important to me
51. Help Em sell Girl Scout cookies
52. Pick up litter at every opportunity
53. Participate in 5K, 10K and other runs that benefit charity
54. Donate my talents (writing critiques, editing, etc.) to online auctions to benefit charity
55. Make eye contact with people and smile
56. Whenever possible, say people’s names out loud to them
57. Remember to say “thank you” for each and every kindness and courtesy
58. Use my blog to create awareness of important issues
59. Read banned books and make sure my kids read banned books
60. Support the arts by providing funding for Kickstarter projects
61. Use my public speaking skills to motivate people
62. Recycle and compost as much as we can
63. Solar power our home
64. Use only non-toxic cleaning products
65. Always take re-usable bags when I go shopping
66. Tip well for good service
67. Give compliments often
68. Do nice things for strangers for no reason
69. Promote the good work of others
70. Don’t ignore people who are suffering – instead reach out to them
71. Conserve energy – turn off unused lights, unplug appliances, etc.
72. Write more Thank You notes
73. Get my Christmas cards out every year
74. Participate in Crayons to Calculators each year
75. Participate in Turn Off the T.V. Week each year
76. Start collecting Box Tops for education
77. Write notes to authors of books I love letting them know
78. Volunteer in a disaster recovery effort
79. Keep the computer turned off from the time my kids come home from school until they go to bed
80. Once a month, have a family game night
81. Read out loud to the kids as a family activity more often
82. Treat my family with respect
83. Do not buy meat from factory farms
84. Give without expecting anything in return
85. Observe the beauty in the world aloud to others
86. Practice forgiveness – work on forgiving those who have hurt me
87. Invite a neighbor over for a cocktail
88. Talk to my aunts and uncle so I can record stories of their childhood
89. Cook meals for friends more often
90. Teach the kids how to cook traditional family recipes
91. Volunteer in a women’s shelter
92. Volunteer, at least once, among the very poor
93. Volunteer to promote literacy among both children and adults
94. Read, with an open mind, articles and books written by people whose views are very different from my own
95. Value experiences over stuff and teach my kids to do the same
96. Help educate others about the importance of wild predators in the food chain
97. Write more book reviews to support books (and authors) I love
98. Learn about Feng Shui so I can apply some of it to my house
99. Do a better job of remembering the birthdays of friends and family members and to actually send cards
100. Advocate for art and physical education in public schools

Do you have a Bucket List?  If not, do you want to make one?  Here are some additional resources to get you started:

43 Things

Barefoot List

Creating a Bucket List

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