Library Love

       Who among us doesn't have a fond memory of going to a library as a child?
Maybe your library was a huge, stately edifice with statuary like the New York Public Library. Perhaps it was a simple local branch library (mine was the Sherwood Forest branch in Detroit) or even a bookmobile. Wherever those books were housed, you always knew it was open and available to you; a place where the world became yours and you could participate in many adventures.

      You know that many libraries today have lost funding and have to close due to "budgetary cuts." I can't imagine a town without a library.  

       Let me tell you about a simple way YOU can help out a library in need. In the small town of Cherryfield, Maine the library  may close if they can't raise $3,000 by September 30th. I'm not asking you to contribute money (although you can if so moved), just leave a comment on another writer's blog telling where you will share this info: Facebook, Twitter, your own blog. She has generously offered to contribute $1.00 for every comment left on her blog. The more comments made, the more money the library receives. Easy, right? She's even giving away two of the books she's written to 5 lucky, randomly-drawn names.

 


After Obsession by Carrie Jones                                      

Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories 

 by Carrie Jones

 (Were you bullied as a child? I was. As a result, it made me hyper vigilant in my classroom about bullying when I was teaching.)




Here are the rules:

1. Comment on Carrie's blog. 

2. Put a link back to where you've posted about the library's challenge and this contest. You can post about it anywhere, on Facebook, on your blog, Twitter, anything, just provide a link. If you put in a picture of  the book AFTER OBSESSION you get a double entry. If you put in a picture of DEAR BULLY and/or talk about bullying, you get a triple entry.

3. If you don't have a Livejournal ID and have to comment anonymously, please give me an email address to find you. Lots of people win things but then I can't get them again because they are anonymous. This makes me sad.

4. This will run until Sept. 1, noon EST.

5. I will pick five random winners who will get books. 

6. For everyone who comments I'll donate a dollar. So tell your friends! Make me poor! 

Okay people, don't let another library disappear. Post or tweet about this, then comment on Carrie's blog. Let's keep that childhood world of wonder alive.
Thanks for the help.  
 

 Ancient History But Modern Day Lesson

     A couple weeks ago, I went to a book launch party for the fabulous author and wordsmith, Vicky Alvear Shecter. Vicky has written two incredible nonfiction books for kids;  Alexander the Great Rocks the World 

and Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen.

Vicky's newest release (and the reason for celebration) is Cleopatra's Moon, a YA historical novel about Cleopatra Selene, the only daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. At the party, I asked Vicky if she would make a blog visit to discuss her book, which is garnering some fabulous reviews, I might add!

Hi Vicky, welcome and thanks for taking time to share with us! 

Thank you for having me here, Gail! It’s always fun to talk about our work with friends. 

Would you give us a brief synopsis of Cleopatra’s Moon?

         Cleopatra’s Moon is the story of what happened to Cleopatra’s daughter, Selene, after Rome conquered Egypt (yes, the famous queen of Egypt had a daughter—it’s based on real history!).  The story is told from Cleopatra Selene’s point of view as she tries to make sense of the tragedies that befell her family. Selene, by the way, was the only one of the queen’s four children to survive into adulthood.

The only child to survive? Go girl power!  Was Cleopatra’s Moon your original title? If not, who changed it?
 

           Yes, it is the original title. Selene means “Moon” in Greek, and Cleopatra was the last of the Greek, Ptolemaic rulers.  I liked the subtle play on words because her daughter was, in many ways, like the moon—mysterious and in darkness—as compared to the bright lights of scrutiny continually trained on her own life as the last queen of Egypt.

Was there anything unusual or unexpected that you learned about Cleopatra Selene when you did your research?

        The thing that surprised me the most—though I don’t know why it should have—is just how LITTLE the lives of girls and women mattered to the ancient historians. Here was the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony and yet we have nothing about her or her life. She is mentioned almost as an afterthought by Plutarch and some of the other ancient observers. We know only when she was born, who her parents were, where she was taken after the death of her mother, when she was marched as a political prisoner and when she was married off. That was about it!  What a loss!

Cleopatra’s Moon has been called a good read for mother-daughter discussions. What did the discussion sound like with your own daughter?

        I tend to discuss my books as I write, so the discussions evolved— at first talking about how it was that we know so little about Cleopatra Selene. Then it evolved into discussions about how the Romans used negative propaganda to shape our perceptions of the Egyptian queen— and how, as a culture, we still tend to do this today: smear the reputations of girls that threaten us or scare us in some way with sexually demeaning names. 

        Our discussions also moved into how Cleopatra Selene could keep her own sense of power in a world gone crazy.

Reminds me of present day bullying tactics only now the smear campaign takes place with technology.

What’s next in your writers’ grab bag?

                I am hoping to write another historical fiction novel but I can’t say more for now! (Don’t want to jinx it!)

  

        Ever have the urge to challenge yourself with an ancient history picture book?

       Funny you should ask! My first effort at getting published was with a picture book about a cat in pre-dynastic ancient Egypt. Could. Not. Sell. It. I came close a couple of times, but no sale.

        Since then, I’ve written a picture book about an amazing Nubian pharaoh named TAHARQA, but I haven’t been able to sell that one either.

        But, I’ll keep trying because I would love to have some of the magic and mystery of the ancient world captured in a picture book.

 
       Thanks Vicky for your time! I hope everyone will be intrigued and go buy Cleopatra's Moon. I know I'm enjoying my copy!

*ANNOUNCEMENT*  Oh. My. Gosh. Vicky has offered an autographed copy of her book to one lucky blog follower!  Here's the scoop:

• You need to be a follower of this blog and Vicky's blog
•  If you tweet or FB post or blog post about the giveaway, leave me a link to it in the comments. That will earn you extra chances at the book.
• If you get someone new to sign up, mention it in the comments and earn another chance.

Easy peasy. You have until Sunday, August 28th @ midnight. Winner of this incredible book will be announced Monday the 29th. Now go stretch those fingers and type away!

    

                                                   

               And the Winner Is..........

Actually, that's not completely accurate. It should say "the winners are."  One person definitely had the most points, But there were 4 other people who deserved something too. So, the big winner is....    Cathy C. Hall !  You'll receive 2 books!!

                                      
The runner-ups, who will each receive 1 book are:

   
              Tanya Valentine

              Pat Weaver

              Becky Povich

              Irene Latham      

Congrats to all! Please email me your snailmail addresses so I can get these books out to you 
lickety-split !  (kidlitgail at gmail dot com)                 

                                     Some Things to Think About

          I wanted to post something you could think about (and go Hmmm). Something that would make you chuckle. I happened to be perusing my archived blog posts and found something that made me laugh as much this time as the first time I saw it. So, here's an abbreviated repeat. Hope it make you smile again!

                Random Thoughts for the Day:

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is definitely a need for a sarcasm font.

5. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I can get out of my neighborhood.

6. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

7. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

8. Bad decisions make good stories.

9."Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this   -- ever. 

10. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my manuscript that I swear I did not make any changes to.

11. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..

12. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

                             Farewell to Chautauqua

         I hope you've enjoyed reading the highlights of the Writer's Workshop at Chautauqua as much as I've enjoyed writing them. I thought I'd close it out with some of the quirkiness of the place.

     Do you see the large acorn on the right side of the photo? I imagine a squirrel spotting that would have thoughts of hitting the jackpot! Here's a closeup.
                                  



         Then there's this fellow. Sometimes he (or is it a she?) sat in the yard; others times you found him/her on the porch. It must have been too heat for him/her as well! 

  

        Here's an interesting creature. Wouldn't want even one of these to join me at a picnic.  


         These were fun folks!  I called them the Hall of Missions Singers and from a certain angle, their object of adoration seemed to be a pedestrian sign.To each his own Higher Power. :-)

           

Of course, I couldn't resist joining them!

   

    

                         
*drumroll* And now for the book giveaway!!!  
                              *confetti throwing*
I have 6 books to giveaway and 3 of them are autographed!

• The Complete Idiots Guide to Publishing Children's Books by Harold Underdown
• Publicize Your Book: Getting Your Book the Attention it Deserves by Jacqueline Deval
• Writing From the Heart: How to Write for Children by Joy Cowley
• Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins
• Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine  
• Gone From These Woods by Donny Seagraves   

(Hint: the 3 novels are autographed!)

Okay, here's how you can win......

1. You must be signed on as a follower of my blog   (+1 point)
   
2. Leave a comment and include your email  address.  (+1 point) 
3. Tweet a link or Facebook a link or Blog a link back to my post. (+2 for each of these)
4. Anyone who mentions seeing your tweet, FB post, or blog post gives you an additional point!

This contest runs for 10 days (Aug.10-20) and I'll post the winners on Monday, August 22nd. Now go out and spread the word, um words.

                                  Chautauqua  part 4.

     Julie Agnone, VP for National Geographic Kids, shared with us the results of market research surveys and discussion with their kid "advisory board"; what interests today's kids.

Kids say the top four "Most Important" things are: 

• Being a better person
• Being smart
• Good at making friends
• Learning about the outside world

The same kids felt it was less important to be popular or cool, have money, be perceived as smart, or play sports. 
Now that's an interesting revelation!


        Today's kids are serious, studious, curious, caring, and techno-savvy.


When kids were asked what they liked to do, their favorites were:                                                                          

• Reading books (#1 choice!)
• Watching TV
• Going online
• Visiting libraries
• Traveling
• Visiting zoos and museums

The #1 thing kids want to learn about: animals and pets.


          Julie had some suggestions on how we, as writers, can reach kids.

1. Talk to them!
2. Listen to and observe their play and conversations (but don't be creepy or stalker-like!)
3. Participate with them
4. Follow trends

What trends??  Glad you asked! 
A lot of it has to do with travel.

• Kids like to go on cruises. The latest Disney cruise has a water slide around the ship!
• Entertainment-destination trips. The movie "Madagascar" led to interest in exploring that part of the world, and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in Orlando makes the books come to life.
• Theme Parks. Wherever the newest, fastest, craziest rides are, kids want to be!
• Unique hotel settings/experiences, like The Ice Hotel, a treehouse hotel, or hotels that allow and cater to pets.
• Eco-tourism or earth-friendly places.
• Road trips to unusual places or unusual sights.
• Exploring local culture, like Day of the Dead celebration  or Chinese New Year.

        Okey-dokey. Now we know where to start with our writing topic choices. But we all know even with fabulous topics and excellent writing, a rejection is still a possibility for all of us.

         Eileen Spinelli, taught a great session on coping with rejection. She shared that her first time dealing with rejection was when she asked Jerry (Spinelli) to marry her after only a few months of dating. When he hesitated and mentioned their brief courtship, Eileen said: "So is that a no?"

        Eileen started with that example to show that everyone who writes gets rejections. She believes you need to be gentle with yourself after a rejection and don't "cocoon yourself" away. It's alright to feel badly (for a short time) but don't allow those feeling to attack your spirit. You must always keep your spirit strong.

         Eileen suggested to not get hung up on one piece of work; try working on several manuscripts. Also, send out several pieces at a time so you're not wasting time waiting for a response.

         Eileen emphasized thinking outside the box. Just because a publisher says they won't accept unsolicited manuscripts doesn't mean you can't send one! She mentioned going to conferences, workshops, lectures- anywhere that agents or publishers speak. Often a condition of their appearance is that they will accept unsolicited manuscripts for a period of time. But be sure to write the name of the workshop or conference and "solicited material" on the envelope.

         DON'T let editors or publishers crush you! Remember, they are just people who get busy. have families, forget things so send them a reminder. Be tactful, not pushy. 
                                                        

        Two editors/publishers who were also in the session (as participants, not speakers) suggested if you haven't heard anything from an agent or editor after 6 months, send a note stating that they are welcome to continue considering the piece but you now plan to submit it elsewhere, and thank them for their time and consideration. Both of these editors/publishers said they get rid of the "no chance" manuscripts immediately but the ones they want to review and think about, frequently go in a pile on the desk. Sometimes (usually) they get covered with other manuscripts and other to-do items. They really appreciate getting that reminder note because it lets them find your manuscript in the pile, pull it out, and reread it. Bottom line: be brave and follow up. Disclaimer: be sure to check the online submission guidelines first. Some agencies and publishing houses state that if you haven't heard from them in 6 months, assume the answer is no thanks.

           Tomorrow one last look at Chautauqua and *drumroll* a book giveaway!!! Some are even autographed! Catch you tomorrow.

                                      Chautauqua, part 3.

Think I'll start with a few random bits...
This is a picture of the infamous Hall of Christ (THOC) where I was unfairly locked in !  

             
         This is the battery operated fan I brought with me to Chautauqua that saved my life during the 16 hours of no electricity and the hottest temperatures the area had in years! Although it was small, it packed a mighty punch, uh wind. It was suggested I might like to auction it off at the Thursday Night Auction, since the benefits went to the scholarship fund. I politely declined.  (I wasn't letting this little guy out of my sight!)

Okay, back to writer business.

         Kathi Appelt, author of The Underneath and Keeper,   was right in line with Patti Lee Gauch's theme of digging deep for emotional connection. In her workshop, Singin' the Blues, she discussed the wealth of emotion expressed in the lyrics of many blues songs. These songwriters often took the seeds planted in their own life stories and turned them into song. They used the writing to help fill holes in their hearts. An example was an old video clip of Janis Joplin singing "Cry Baby". As you can imagine, it was raw, intense, gut-wrenching, heart-felt, and real. Kathi suggested using the same intense longing, yearning, crying out of the soul-like the blues- in your stories and characters. Listen to the music, get the mindset, then write.
    Kathi said it's easy to write about the things you love. But her advice, given to her by author M.T. Anderson, was "write what you fear or what you think you can't."   

      Kim Griswell spoke on the topic of plot. She sited as a reference  The Writer's Journey by  Christopher Vogler. It's based on Joseph Campbell's work on a hero's journey. Kim went through the 12 stages. She also handed out an extensive list of picture books and novels that exemplify a hero's journey. Here's a sampling:

• Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman
• The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien
• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate diCamillo
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen     

That's only a third of the list!

       I think I'll wait until the next post for Julie Agnone, along with Eileen Spinelli's talk on dealing with rejection. Stay tuned!