Month: May 2010

Bookish Happenings in New England

It’s a big week for KidLit events in New England.  For example, did you know…

…that author Jo Knowles is speaking at the Hartland Public Library this Wednesday at 7:00pm? Jo is one of the smartest, nicest people I know, and also…she says there will be brownies.  If you’re in the Vermont/New Hampshire Upper Valley, you should go see her tomorrow night.

…that Loree Griffin Burns, the author of TRACKING TRASH, has a brand new book out in the world? She’s throwing a party to launch THE HIVE DETECTIVES: CHRONICLE OF A HONEY BEE CATASTROPHE tonight from 6-8 at the Beaman Memorial Library in West Boylston, MA. Her new book is stunning and smart and wonderful (and I gushed more about it here) and will be available to purchase and have signed. All proceeds from her launch go to benefit the library, too. How cool is that?  If you’re on Facebook, you can visit the event page here, and let Loree know if you’re coming.

…that the fabulous New England SCBWI Conference is this weekend?  Okay…so maybe you already knew that.  I’m getting ready for presentations Saturday (on Skype author visits) and Sunday (a blogging panel with Jo Knowles and Carrie Jones).  Will I see you in Fitchburg, too?

THE HIVE DETECTIVES: CHRONICLE OF A HONEY BEE CATASTROPHE

My friend and critique partner, Loree Griffin Burns, has written a book that I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting to share with you, and it’s out now.  It’s called THE HIVE DETECTIVES: CHRONICLE OF A HONEY BEE CATASTROPHE, and it’s about the mystery of honeybee colony collapse and what scientists are discovering about it.  It’s part of Houghton Mifflin’s Scientists in the Field series, and like Loree’s TRACKING TRASH, it is told in a narrative nonfiction style that is impossible to put down. The photography is amazing, too. Here’s the cover…

Isn’t that just stunning?  The inside is full of more amazing photographs and information that is so, so important to those of us who wonder about our environment, our interactions with nature, and where our food comes from, too.  This is a great book, well-written and compelling and fascinating, and it’s an important book, too.  Don’t miss it.

WHITE CAT by Holly Black

Let’s see…where to start with this one…

Well, first of all, there is the fact that Holly Black’s name looks so cool on the cover of a book called WHITE CAT.  But focusing on that too long is doing the inside of the book a disservice.  Because it’s fantastic – one that teachers will want to hand kids looking for a compelling, fast-paced read.

Set in a world where a touch can be powerful and deadly, WHITE CAT is a magical thriller, loaded with curses, organized crime families, and con artists with dangerous talents. I loved this book, especially the ending (It’s perfect – that’s all I’m saying), and I’m excited to share it with my middle school kids. WHITE CAT is the first in a series called CURSE WORKERS, and it’s one of those titles that both boys and girls are going to love.  I am already kind of tapping my fingers on my desk, wishing the next one would show up. Highly recommended.

(Reviewed from an ARC & available from Margaret McElderry today!)

Writing Through Fear, Part II: What’s a writer to do?

Thank you for your GREAT responses to the middle school author whose email I shared on the topic of writing even when you are afraid.  If you’ve ever struggled with this challenge, check out some of this great wisdom from the comments…

Delilah Dawson points out that this can be even more of a challenge with a second book:

The first book is written and going out into the world; how will the second book measure up? What if I lose the momentum? Or worse– the magic? And yet when I actually sit down to write, after a few minutes, I forget about the fear and am just writing again. I used to feel it when painting murals, too– when you do well, how do you continue to measure up? And I think the answer is just that you do what you do, and when you get into the creative flow, the fear falls away.

Jo Knowles shared thoughts on "Listening to the Battle Cry" recently in this blog post.

My wise friend Cindy Potts shared her beautiful thoughts on fear and writing, too…

The fear is the point. You can not do this without the fear, and here’s why:

Right now, you are the only person who can see your story. It exists only for you — no one who isn’t inside your head can know it. We can’t see it, hear it, imagine it, know it — until you give it to us, with your words, your story.

What a tremendous responsibility. What a burden. Of course you’re scared. Think of every fairy tale you’ve ever read: the hero/heroine sets off on an epic journey because they HAVE to, there’s something they MUST do, because no one else can do it and it must be done. Along the way, they accomplish amazing things, but in any tale worth its salt, they’re also afraid. They’re afraid of the perils they face, but more than that, they’re afraid of not fulfilling that responsibility, of not doing the thing that they must do. That’s why they keep going — and that’s why you’ll keep writing.

You see, being a writer is a very heroic thing. You’ve got this story, this vision, and you would have the world know it. Of course you’re afraid – that fear is there to remind you that you’re the only person who can do this, you’re the key to the hidden country, the portal to the world beyond. You are the person who can do this and you are the person who must do this.

In time, that grows to be a wonderful thing. It will define you as a storyteller, giving you even more access and insight into your stories. Not everyone has this fear; it is a very special sort of thing. Welcome the fear and learn to make it work for you: it will be your companion all the way to greatness.

And Chris Tebbetts recommended this book, ART & FEAR by David Bayles and Ted Orland, which I haven’t read yet.

…but I’m going to order it because when Chris suggested it, several other really smart writer-folks jumped in and said, "YES! That one! Read that book; it is excellent." 

There were many more great comments, and you can read them here at the original post if you’d like more ideas on dealing with fear as we write…or just a reassurance that we’re all in this together.  Sometimes, I think, that helps most of all.