Too Much Information

At Least It's Not Sideways

2010-09-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

So I wanted to share a video and a tip from me today and I went to my file of flip videos and remembered - most of them are sideways. I didn't know the camera only really works in one direction. So, that limited my options and I picked this one of a very friendly dog in Oregon. I didn't even preview it. It was one of two that would work so I picked the dog. What's the point? Sometime you sit down to write and everything comes out sideways or backwards, or worst, there's so little coming out of your head that you feel ridiculous. How can I be a writer when this is what I produce, you might say? Well, we all have those times and that's when you get a soda or a cup of coffee or whatever you require, look again, and find some little kernel works. Dump the rest, and work with the one sentence, one idea, one metaphor that speaks to you. That new beginning should really help.

So what about the dog? That was about my only choice for this blog but we can work with that. This is the kind of scene I like to put right before something terrible happens. Someone is outside throwing a ball to their two very cool dogs. Rusty takes off with the ball. What happens next? Does someone scare your character? Does a mountain lion show up? Does the character get bad news? Try writing a scene that starts out perfectly normal and ends up with your character having a huge problem. The more everyday the scene, the bigger surprise the problem will be. So, now, what happens to Rusty and Lizzy? You figure it out.

Writing Tip from MG Author Rosanne Parry

2010-09-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Rosanne and I had our first novels debut within a month of each other. They are twins in setting and some of the details - both deal with families changed by their loved one's deployment overseas. Both are set on ranches in adjacent counties - no kidding. We even both have a character named Paco. We didn't know each other until the novels came out. And the books are very different. A study in different writers, different voices. Since then, Rosanne and I have worked together on several projects. Our next one is a panel presentation at the National Council of Teachers of English in Orlando in November. So I'm excited to share her tip here:

Look for Rosanne's new novel, Second Fiddle soon.

Here’s a back to school writing idea to help your young writers tackle revision. The What-I-did-over-summer-vacation essay is a classic and one that can do with a little spicing up. Once your students have gotten back into the groove of writing with the standard essay. Let them go back to it and re-vision the piece with an imaginative element.
What would have happened on your summer vacation if….
A magical creature had come along
A natural disaster had occurred
Your favorite story character had come along
It had all happened in a different country
It had all happened 100 years ago
If you had super powers
If you were blind or unable to speak

Let them imagine a different outcome for a familiar event, and see how that moves a non-fiction essay into the realm of fiction.
You can take a look at some “revised” stories in published books. The Graveyard is a re-visioning of The Jungle Book with ghosts instead of animals. The 3 Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig is a role reversal of the Three Little Pigs story. For high school students, A Curse as Dark as Gold is a retelling of the Rumplestiltskin story.
Having revised something in a more light-hearted context of the exaggerated vacation story may make it easier to tackle more academic revisions in the future.

Seize the Day

2010-09-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

So I'll take a look at my video library from the summer soon and post some new writing ideas with video. In the meantime I have Rosanne Parry's and Janet Fox's tips to post. Rosanne's on Thursday or Friday I think. But I want to use today to talk about stories.
I have a whole bunch of them in my head. Real ones that my relatives told me, experiences of my own, and then, of course the fiction that's always cooking. I love family stories and geneology - mainly because of the stories that go with it. And here's the thing. If I don't write them down and pass them on, they'll disappear. My kids know some of them, but I don't know which ones. I'm the one with the stories. So I need to tell them. Our neighbor and friend died suddenly last week - no warning at all. And he wasn't old. He was young if you asked me. Any stories that he had went with him. He left some songs. So, if you are a writer, a storyteller, a student with ideas - write them down. Don't worry about how silly they sound or how polished they are. There is no time like today. Only you own your stories. Only you can tell them. If you write them and want to change them tomorrow, all the better. But please, write them down and let them go. You need to start.

Author J.T. Dutton's Writing Tip of the Week

2010-09-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

You'll notice it's been two weeks and I have writing tips lined up from several wonderful writers. I've been busy finishing a partial manuscript for my agent to submit and trying to catch up on yard and maintainance work before I head to Kansas City and Junction City, Kansas for the Kansas Association of School Librarians Conference and a writer's workshop with the Kansas Region of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I'll also be visiting Eisenhauer Middle School in Manhattan and maybe another middle school or two. The trip should be really fun. So, here it is - another writing tip - this one from J.T. Dutton, my Class of 2k9 compatriot, author of Freaked and Stranded. Jen is an English teacher so this one should be good. Suzy

Last year, I was invited to teach a three week arts immersion course at Hiram College (in Ohio) to unsuspecting business, nursing, and biological science majors. They chose my writing section instead of dance, fine arts, and theater because they thought writing would be less weird than standing on a stage singing, acting, or painting..
On the first day, I asked the group to draft original poems about an emotional state.
A woman in the front row of the class raised her hand.
"Does it have to rhyme?" she asked.
"Please, no." I said.
"I'm not that creative," a guy in back complained.
I'd heard this kind of thing before..
I suggested they all start the poem with a microwave oven. It was the first appliance that came to mind.
Generally speaking, new writers fall back on tried and true patterns of comparison and overly fixate on what they think is expected of them. They write about rainbows when they are feeling happy and clouds when they are feeling sad. I told the group that experienced writers venture out of the safety of cliche and make something more of their feelings and perceptions.
The process of inventing similes and metaphors is entertaining, like playing 'pretend' as a kid. It can crack into a whole level of thinking that some people aren't used to enjoying. Best of all, there is no way to be wrong when you search for authenticity.
So we made a list of ways in which a microwave oven was a metaphor for frustration. In my opinion, it's a very creative list for baffled students: Microwaves reheat food and turn it soggy. Their molecules bounce around but stay trapped inside. They only come in a few decorator colors, mostly black, they only do what you tell them to do.
The consensus when we finished brainstorming was that microwaves truly were oppressed appliances. We discovered the truth at the heart of the beast.
For extra credit, I suggested everyone consider happy microwaves. Here are the ways my students think a microwave can be joyful--they channel power from electrons, they bleep when you turn them on, they make life better for college students and give them something to eat besides institutional food.
"This class is strange," the guy in back stated when we finished.
"True enough," I agreed.
"But", I added, "A good life is more than rainbows. It can be household appliances too."
Somehow, given the kidding around the followed and the original poems they turned in, I think they got the point.

Author Sydney Salter's Writing Tip of the Week

2010-08-30T18:00:00.001-07:00

You are in for a treat. A number of writers - all my friends so far - have agreed to share a writing tip for you so you aren't always hearing from me. We are starting with Sydney Salter who not only writes funny, interesting books, but she's a truly nice person as well. This is what Sydney says about herself: Sydney lives in Utah with her husband, two daughters, two dogs, two cats, a pair of quiet tortoises, and a baby bearded dragon. When not writing, she enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, skiing, traveling, and searching for the ultimate cupcake. www.sydneysalter.com
She sent a video too. It may take a minute to open, but how fun is it to hear from the real person - or the virtual one at least. Enjoy and try this very cool exercise. Sydney Salter’s novels include My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters, Jungle Crossing, and Swoon At Your Own Risk.

Biblio Burro - the Library Burro

2010-08-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

Just one thing to share today but what a treat. This is from my friend Yuyi Morales' Facebook page - and YouTube. If you wonder why we write, look at this. Doesn't matter if you speak Spanish or not. It's all in the video. And for a writing tip? Try this exercise - particularly if you DON'T speak Spanish. What do you know from the people's expressions? How can you describe them? Can you write a scene from the video without dialogue so we get the whole picture? Now write it with dialogue. If you have a friend who speaks Spanish, have them listen to the video and translate if for you if they can. How close is your version?

Oh, That Writing Thing

2010-08-25T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had lunch with a friend today and she told me I'd always been a writer. I corrected her - I started writing as an adult. But I was always a day dreamer. In fact, I used to get in trouble for that when I was in elementary and junior high school. There was always an interesting world in my head to inhabit. So that led to the train of thought that as an adult, I often judge my progress by words or pages written. How many time have you writers seen a post that says "Yay, I wrote 2,000 words today." Yes, that's a measure. But you know what? Yesterday I put not one word onto paper, or shall I say entered none on the screen, but I found the heart of my current novel - while I was walking my black lab Ralph before the sun rose. That's progress. That's that writing thing. Cheers.

A Moment I Almost Missed

2010-08-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

I've been walking every morning. So lucky to start my day in one of the most beautiful places I know - my own valley. I really didn't want to go this morning, though, but Ralph, ourbig black lab, was so excited I opened the door and out we went. I was on automatic, slow to wake up. Decided to walk up a side street that I usually skip and a pinto mare began to run right to me. There was something different about her, besides her desire to see me - most horses ignore us (that's me and Ralph). We met at the corral fence. She was eager to be petted or fed or ridden. I didn't do any - she's not my horse - but I did stare. She had the most amazing blue eyes. Stunning. Clear and bright blue. I've never seen a horse with two bright blue eyes before. Look for it in a book. That's where inspiration comes from. Walks you almost didn't take.

Computer Cat #2

2010-08-14T20:23:00.001-07:00

So have I talked about this before? My cat loves to stretch out between the keyboard and the monitor. Then he occasionally bats at the keys. Writing prompt - what if he learned to type? What would your cat say? Any cat? Are there cat poets out there? Complaining cats? Mystery writing cats? This is a gold mine of feline fantasy. Go for it.

On the news front, I found that Bull Rider is included in the preliminart list for the 2011/2012 Truman Award for middle school books from the Missouri Association of School Librarians. I think that means kids will be reading it (along with books from a list of 25)this fall and voting on their favorites which will then become the Nominees (list of 12). It's a long process but there will be readers involved all along the way.

Odds and Ends

2010-08-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

I'm revising this morning and will put on some music to go with my mood and the manuscript. Some writers swear by this. Some make playlists for their manuscripts. I'm not that dedicated yet. But I do know what I want to listen to to set a certain mood. So imagine me listening and writing - soon. Also, watch the blog for tips from other writers. I'll be posting them about once a week starting toward the end of August. And if you know teachers, writers, or students who are looking for tips and ideas send them this way. It's nice to know people are reading the blog. Happy weekend.

Writerly Stuff

2010-08-05T14:32:00.000-07:00

Short note today. I'm off to revise an opening. Very jazzed about it. It's so wonderful when you love your own work. That's good and important. If you don't stand by your writing, your story, who will? Coming up - tips from some great YA and MG authors. See the list on the right. More later - me

Mining Family Stories

2010-08-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

I just got home from the Society of Children's Book Writer's and illustrator's conferene in Los Angeles. It's always a feast of information, tips, opportunities, and new and old friends. And of course books. I bought one new book to read (the bookstore must have sold out of many titles early) and I loved it. The Red Umbrella by Cristina Diaz Gonzalez. I really enjoyed reading it and I learned a lot too. The book is based on her family's experience in 1961 and 1962 when thousands of Cuban children were sent to the United States alone to escape the new Castro regime. Most of them were reunited with their families later.

So the tip - your family has stories too. Sometimes they happened last week and sometimes they are stories from decades or even a century ago. What has happened to you that would make a funny story? What adventures have you had with your family? Have your grandparents told you stories of when they were kids? Ask them. You may get an idea for a great story. And remember, you don't have to tell it exactly as it happened. You can start with an idea, and if your story is fiction, you can change things to make the story more interesting, longer, scarier - whatever you need. Good luck.

Reading and Writing Yourself

2010-07-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm at the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) conference in Los Angeles. Not only is it a great chance to learn and reconnect with friends, there is a room downstairs full of books. I can't wait to have some time to go down and buy five or six - my reading for the rest of the summer. Some will be written by friends and some will be totally new to me. I'm excited. Some of the best advice I have for writers is to read. Read what you love and read what you'd like to write. Are they different? Is there a reason for that? Reading is the receptive language of writing. If you read, you will learn the rhythm of the language. You'll learn the structure of dialogue. Read enough and the sequences of dialogue, action, description, scene will begin to seem natural. It's a great place to start. Go to your library. Head to a bookstore. What are you reading? Seriously, post it here!

Allowing Your Gifts and Dreams

2010-07-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

OK, so this may take some time to swing around to the writing, but our writing really does reflect our own unique stories. We have to be willing to know ourselves and decide how much of that we will share. I generally stay away from religion and politics on my blog and Facebook although I have strong convictions about both. But today, to understand what I'm going to say, you have to come with me on my morning walk. This is something I love to do, once I get in the swing of it (I am now) and my big old black lab, Ralph, loves it too.

But this morning I was grumpy. I wasn't enjoying the birds or the horses or the sunrise. I was complaining to myself and reviewing the stuff I was annoyed with in my life. So I stopped and took a drink of water (thanks to a speaker's gift from Western Washington SCBWI - thanks for the water bottle guys), and wondered how to cut off all the negativity that was washing over me. I turned to the Lord's Prayer which I memorized when I was four. Then I did something new. Instead of reciting it, maybe over and over, I meditated on each line until it felt right. That exercise engulfed me and Ralph and we covered a lot of ground.What an amazing set of words.

So where's the writing, you ask? Coming, hold on. The line that took about 1/2 mile to get through was Thy kingdom come. I'm pretty familiar with the fact that God's will is not mine and that I need to be forgiven and that it would certainly be fine of me if I would forgive others. But, Thy kingdom come? That means I would like to live with peace and happiness. I would like to relax in a wonderful idyllic space. I would accept gifts beyond my imagination. I'm not sure exactly how to handle that. I'm a worker and a fighter. I'm an honest observer and a seeker of justice. Asking to experience God's kingdom? Hmmm.

Ralph and I kept walking. And then I realized that much of it is already here. In the gifts around me that others offer every day. In my own abilities. In the lack of pain in this moment. In my dreams. I knew I needed to let go of the complaints and the "debts" and accept new possibilities. This is part of God's kingdom that I can understand. So, writers, let's dream, let's be thankful for what we have and might do. Let's explore the possibility of the shared word.

Take a minute and write down two or three things you really dream of. They can be writing related, places you want to visit, changes in your life. Go ahead, write down your dreams. Now watch this video. I promise to make it all make sense.

So what do you think those miners dreamed? What would their idea of a divine space be? How would their dreams be different from yours? What if you could sit down with one of those miners, with one of their kids and talk about what you both want? What would you say? What would the miner's child say? What happens when we are too tired or hurt to dream? Does anyone believe in your dreams? Take a minute and sit quietly with your thoughts. Now write. Write about anything you think of. Don't be afraid to write what you are really feeling. Create a new character. Write about yourself. Just write. That is a gift. Accept it.

Losing My Mind, or Maybe Just My Thoughts

2010-07-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was walking my dog and I had the very best idea ever for this blog. And then I got inspired by the sun and the mountains, and the bachelors buttons and cotton tails and, well gee, I totally forgot it before I got home. I told myself I would remember it soon and then I could share my great idea with all of you. But I spent today doing all kinds of officy catch up things for a writers' group I belong to and the idea did not reappear. This is not what I planned. So, I have no stellar thoughts.

Ideas come from photos too. Take lots of them. Don't lose them. This is in the Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis. What does it make you think of? Any good ideas?

Here's the lesson - be sure to write down your ideas when they come to you. They can seem stupid later in the day or tomorrow. That's fine. You can always crumple up the paper and throw it away. But if you forget your ideas, they are gone. Some people like to keep a journal. Some blog their ideas. I know writers who have old fashioned file card boxes stuffed with notes for characters, settings, story ideas. Any one of these can be just what you need when you are developing a new story or stuck on an old one. So my suggestion today is that you start keeping your ideas. Get a notebook, or a card file, or a drawer, or a Word Document. Don't be shy. Write them down. Then they'll be there when you need them.

Cow Tipping and Other Story Starters

2010-07-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

So a friend just wrote me an e-mail that said "writing tips" reminded her of cow tipping and that reminded me of a T-shirt I got for my 3 year old grandson from a trip to the Oklahoma Library Associations' Encyclomedia that said "Junior Cow Tipper, Oklahoma" or something like that. He totally loves it. I just had to get it for him. In fact, I try to get a little something for him when I travel. From Arkansas, he's getting a pig nose. Best I could do with my time and budget in the airport store and they didn't have a razorback T-shirt that would fit him. Don't tell, the nose is still in my closet.

So this brings me to a story idea. A kid with a collection of crazy stuff his grandma brings him. How old is he? Maybe ten or twelve. Old enough to have memories and maybe not to use the junk so often any more. What does he do with the stuff? What is his conflict? Has grandma died? Is mom demanding he junk this stuff? Does it have magical powers? I have no idea, but this is how I might start a story or develop a character. What can you do with this collection of information and questions? Oh, and that's the photo of the cows from my hotel room in Wisconsin - go back a few entries if you missed that story. Happy writing.

That Crazy Bear Loves Fruit Loops

2010-07-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

So about two years ago I was able to watch a black bear, who had been hanging around some houses, be trapped and tagged. It was an amazing experience and I used a lot of that information in my work in progress (WIP), Face Off. What I didn't do was touch the bear. The people who were tagging him were working and I felt lucky just to be there to observe. I wasn't going to ask if I could pet the tranquilized, 200 pound bear.

Then, last week, when we were in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we found a brochure for the Oswald Bear Ranch. They rescue bear cubs from all over the country and currently are the permanent home for about 42 bears. In order to support that (and maybe themselves) they charge a small admission, sell souveneirs, and for $5 you can have your picture taken with one of the youngest cubs. I couldn't resist. Off to Oswald's we went. You can watch me and some of my family in this video. That's my son feeding the bear Fruit Loops. Now the nature lover part of me says this is exploitation of the bears and definitely not the healthiest of treats. But the practical part of me says that if the cub eats fruit loops for three months (until he's too big to pet) that will go a long way toward paying for his future keep. The older bears eat apples.

And, aaah, and the writer part - now I know how a brown bear feels. THAT will be in a book. And the little guy was so cute.

Try this: Write down three adjectives you think describe the bear. Now write five words about what you think he was feeling, tasting, smelling etc. Next, write a paragraph - five or six sentences - about this scene from the bear's point of view. If he could talk, what would he say? What would he like more than anything? Re-read your paragraph. Does it give you an idea for a story? Your idea doesn't have to be from the bear's point of view, although it can be. It might be totally different. Sometimes one experience (like watching a crazy bear video) triggers an entirely different idea. Our minds are wonderful things. Honor your ideas. Now go write!

Computer Cat

2010-07-20T12:46:00.001-07:00

I'll be uploading photos and videos and some writing challenges from the Midwest trip soon. There are a couple I'm really anxious to share. But today is catch up day. I've worked on the mentor program that Nevada SCBWI runs and on our new e-list system to communicate with our members. I've cut flowers and assessed our weeds (pulled only a very few, I'm afraid.) My cat is stretched out behind my computer key board. He's very happy. I am too. I'm completely in catch up mode.

And I'm so ready to get working on one of my current projects. What's in the pipeline? China's Daughters, a non-fiction book of short biographies of 17 (I think) Chinese women and how their lives illuminate their particular historic time will be published, probably in early 2011 - that's a guess - by Pacific View Press in San Francisco. It's done. YAY! Sierra Blue, the story of a teen aged girl who saves a race horse and couple of her friends along the way, is out on submission. Face Off, set in the Arctic is about a boy who, abandoned by his birth father, works through his anger on the ice hockey rink and on the sea ice when he faces a rogue polar bear. That one is in the process. I'm holding myself back from starting another project - too many voices to keep in my head - but am anxious to get to writing regularly again soon.

Here's a tip from my process - and every writer's process is different. When I have an idea for a book - a setting and some sense of the plot - then I spend quite a while exploring my characters. I may write 20 pages about my main character, maybe 50 pages, before I start my first chapter. I want to know that person very well. I want to think like he or she does and know how she sounds.

Try this exercise: Choose two people who talk differently - say your best friend and your grandfather. Maybe those two people grew up in different places, or maybe you have a friend who is always trying out the latest cool words and phrases. Imagine a scene - make it dramatic - maybe an auto accident of the last minute of a football game and the home team fumbles the ball. Write it out twice - the way each of your people would describe it. Their words should be different, maybe their reactions are different, even though they are talking about the exact same thing. This is the basis of voice and point of view. If you don't get how this works the first time, try again. Writing well takes practice and it's ok if your first pages aren't very good. Professional writers almost always start with lousy paragraphs and make them better. That's the key.

Snippets for Stories

2010-07-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

So at my presentation I spoke of how we authors (or at least this author) piece together bits of reality, both physical and emotional, to create our fiction. We finished the talk and tornado sirens went off. The whole group tromped down several flights of stairs to the Loft basement where I signed books and the organizers served the cake that they had carried downstairs with them. I thought of the old brick building above us and hoped that if a tornado hit it would be strong enough to lift the bricks up and away and not just dump them in on top of us. After a prudent wait, we all went back upstairs where the signing continued as though nothing had happened. Welcome to the midwest, Dorothy.

Signing books during the tornado warning!

Afterwards a few of us donned garbage bag ponchos (no kidding guys - that mountain training is useful) and ran half a block through the rain to a little club to visit. Wonderful talk and soaked pants and shoes, dry from the waist up, thanks to the silly plastic bags. I've never seen that much rain fall from the sky. All of this, will one day, end up in a book. You can look for it. Cheers for now from Minneapolis.

Writer's Life

2010-07-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

In Minneapolis today. Meeting a friend for lunch. He helped me greatly in writing my book The Ojibwe (Heinemann 2003) and has remained a friend. It is one of the great perks of being a writer. Then dinner with the people from the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis and author Gary Schmidt (Wednesday Wars, Trouble etc.) Hopefully I'll make new friends. Then a presentation with Gary at the Loft Center. I've been looking forward to this for a while. And I'll get to see a little of Minneapolis. I have to say though, that I'm really looking forward to my days at home. . .

A Sense of Place

2010-07-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

So my father told me stories about growing up in far northern Wisconsin and I wrote that novel from his descriptions. When I got here, there was little that I didn't already know. The only thing I added to the novel was the look of the eastern white pine trees. Nothing prepares you for those spreading arms if you are from the West. Two thoughts here: Listen when people tell you stories. You not only learn about them, but you will know things beyond your own experience. These pieces of truth you can tuck into your own stories like calico into a quilt. Second, pay attention to details. The small things about a place make a story sing. If I have someone walking on Grant Avenue in San Francisco, I should know the view they will see, or the smells they will smell, or the difference between Grant and Stockton Street. At least if I want to impress a San Franciscan - and if I write about their town I should. For a great YA read that takes place in San Francisco read Cory Doctorow's Little Brother.

Now, think about how you would get that kind of detail if you haven't been to a place. There are ways to do it. And for an exercize, try this. Think of a spot you know well - your backyard or the block your school is on, maybe a favorite camping place or your grandmother's kitchen. Write down everything you remember about it. Are they mostly things you see? What do you hear? Smell? Touch? Now pick a sound or smell from that place and write about how it makes you feel. This is the beginning of giving your story a sense of place. It may even give you an idea for your writing.

2010-07-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

It's Tuesday and I'm on the south shore of Lake Superior where my father grew up. I saw my grandmother's grave and I didn't have any particular feeling after all that looking - the nice lady in Wisconsin had sent a picture so that surprise was over. I left flowers, and it started to drip rain. Just then I thought of the scene in the novel that I had written, with John Wesley Morgan (my character) watching his mother be buried. It was a very different place that I'd imaginined than the one I was standing in. But suddenly I felt my father, six years old, in the same real place that I was, watching his real mother be buried. I thought of my six year old father and that loss and I cried. Stories connect us to our past and to what our future can be. They are so very powerful. You have your own stories.

I've uploaded a video of me at Grandma Jensen/Morgan's grave. I'm not a movie star. This will be the first of I hope many videos to help you think about stories. And teachers, I thought about starting this in the fall, but so many of you teach year round I'm just picking up now, where I am. I hope the rest of you will read the blog from the beginning and find some prompts and questions that will help you.

So, after watching the video, think about the grave stone. Why do people make gravestones? What kinds of things do people write on them? Imagine a story with a character who has lost someone. It can be a dog, a relative, an enemy. What would they write on the gravestone? What does this say about them? About the person or pet who has died? Now make a list of what the person/pet was like when it was alive. Try writing a scene between your character and the one who died. What happens, what do they say? Does this give you an idea for a story? If you try this, let me know - post a comment. Til next time. . .

There's a Cow in My Bedroom and Other Changes

2010-07-11T05:56:00.000-07:00

I'm in a motel in Wisconsin on my way to what is my first, almost vacation only travel in a few years. After being in the room for a couple of hours last night I looked up and there is a huge photo of two cows hanging above the desk. How did I miss that for two whole hours? They are very cute.

So that's the way I sometimes feel about ideas and stories. The most obvious things can be right in front of you and you never notice.Forty eight hours ago I was in Arkansas and a very savvy reading professor, Ken Stamatis, asked about my blog. I told him I had one but that lately (or mostly) I'm a very bad blogger. Bad blogger (slaps hand). I hadn't blogged for months. He pretty much made me promise to start up again, and here's where the cows come in, promise. He directed me toward a new audience - student readers and writers. Cows in my bedroom. No, I'm not saying students or teachers are cows, but that as a former teacher and professional writer, I hadn't thought of blogging for you. Now I am. So to my friends and professional writer friends, come along. Comment all you want. We are going to share tips, and daily insight (or not - ahem) and just what I'm doing to work on books and career with readers and writers. We are going to start a discussion on our own unique experiences and the stories they produce.

So today, my husband and I are driving to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. My sister is excited because that's where Ernest Hemmingway spent many summers. I'm excited to meet up with our son. And today, after years of searching for it, we are going to visit my grandmother's grave. She died when my father was six and he had few memories of her. Only her name really. My grandfather, her husband suffered from dementia by the time I was old enough to remember him. I got no information from him. So after years of looking in old records and crawling around a few cemetaries in Wisconsin five years ago, last Tuesday I got an e-mail from a lovely woman in Oneida County with the location of the grave. Today, I'm taking flowers. I'm pretty sure no one has visited in at least thirty years - maybe in almost a hundred. What does this have to do with readers and writers?

The Point: My story ideas come from lots and lots of places, but the best ones are ideas that won't leave me alone - like finding some piece of this grandmother's life to hold onto. I've never seen a photo - they all burned in a fire a couple years after she died. With only her name, and this desire to know about her, I wrote a whole novel that started with the day she was buried (I didn't know where then) and I made the rest of it up. That novel isn't published but I hope someday a version of it will be. It's a story I love. It isn't true but it started with a little truth and an idea that I couldn't let go.

INVITATION: Teachers - if you are working on writing this year, why not have your class follow and comment on this blog? I'll try to include tips and ideas and a peek into the writers life and I'd love to hear from you and your class. Let the discussion begin!!

Win a Copy of Bull Rider

2010-05-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

So - has it really been five months since I posted here? It's five months that I've been in Lake Dallas, Texas, Oklahoma City, Elko and Battle Mountain, Nevada, Charlottesville, Virginia, Eugene, Oregon, San Diego, California. I've been neglecting the blog.

So today you can win a copy of Bull Rider by visiting the TeensReadToo blog and making a comment. Be sure to leave your e-mail address. http://trtbookclub.blogspot.com/2010/05/visit-with-suzanne-morgan-williams.html I wrote this for Memorial Day and it is featured along with an essay by Rosanne Parry and one by Sara Lewis Holmes. Together, I think they are powerful. I'll post the text of all three on this blog on June 1. Good luck!

Snow

2009-12-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

I didn't know what to call this because I am just thinking about snow. We had fourteen inches of it followed by two below zero nights and frigid days. The streets are a mess and we've been hibernating as much as possible. I was terrified my goats would freeze - but extra grain, buckets of warm water, and thick fuzzy coats have saved the day.

Snow seems to be a marker in my life. The snow in the Arctic when I first visited, challenging myself to do something so far out of my comfort zone. I went, and loved it, so many surprises. One of them? I learned to listen. Carefully. To appreciate silence and big jackets and wind pants. So I have the gear for this weather - I've not even dressed up to full capacity. Minus seven is not minus forty, or minus fifty-five. But it's plenty cold.

It was cold enough I didn't want to mess with going out and shoveling a path to the goat pen (but I did - don't shovel you get ice.) I hoped our elusive neighbor who sometimes plows our driveway with his heavy equipment would show up. I wondered how long we should mess with snow and an acre and large animals. After all, it was ice two years ago that caused Fred to pull me over and tear my bicep (I don't recommend it.)

And then I bundled up in heavy socks, hiking boots, wind pants, Bolivian knitted hat (great look that), down coat and mitts and out I went. There were bunny tracks everywhere, and bird prints too. Our lab had dragged his tummy through the snow in long arching leaps. Yellow warblers bounced in and out of trees and the geothermal well across the valley spewed a tower of steam hundreds of feet into the air. So, good goats. You make me go outside every day, even when it's hard. Good winter, to remind me how easy summer can be. And thanks to elusive neighbor, Bob, who came by while we were out and cleared out the driveway.

Holiday Cards for our Veterans

2009-11-30T22:00:00.000-08:00

It's late and I'll make a better post tomorrow but I wanted to share this link for sending Holiday Cards to our veterans, wounded soldiers, deployed military and their families. It's one thing to remember them and it's quite another to let them know you do. Please take a minute and send a card, or a big manilla envelope full of cards to the Red Cross's Holiday Mail for Heroes. The link with instructions is on my website (button at top of this page) or go to http://redcross.org/holidaymail This is the best way I can think of to kick off the holidays. Merry, Merry .

OK, I've Been Gone and Now I'm Going to Brag a Little

2009-11-25T15:48:00.000-08:00

So much for blogging two or three times a week. I've been on the road instead. Gone to Oklahoma (wonderful Encyclomedia Conference), Texas twice, and all over the Puget Sound area. Oh, and there was the quick trip to Oregon too. All since the last blog. So, although I could have figured out how to blog on the road, I left that for next time.

Some nice things have happened for Bull Rider since my last blog. It was selected for the 2010 Texas Lone Star and Tayshas reading lists. Yep, they picked it for both the middle school and high school reading lists. It's nominated for the ALA's Best Books for Young Adults, 2010 and also for a Cybil Award (see their cool widget on this page) in the Middle Grade Category - thanks to Greg Leitich Smith. The book's been getting some buzz from the rodeo community too. Cross your fingers for my next project . . .

Turning Red and Blue

2009-09-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

No not as in commie-socialist - we can talk about that later, but as in, Where in the world did August go? I got a laptop, my first, as I was dragged kicking and screaming (ok, I was so jazzed to decide to finally spend the money for my very own machine - no more borrowing my husband's, sometimes)into the 21st century. But no blogs - even from my August travels to Los Angeles and Whidbey Island.

So why? I joined Twitter. It seems I have so much social networking time and Tweeting is vast and fascinating - although without a smart phone (sound familiar?) it's a little wierd to sit down at midnight and sort through instant messages that were sent out hours ago. It's kind of like eating cold stew. But I love my Twitter page. That counts for something. And nothing hooks me on browsing random web-articles like tweeted links. Tweet Twit. And there's Facebook. And my own book, and the new project, and gosh, real life in there somewhere.

Which brings me to the BLUE part. As in a brand new jeans jacket. My old one disentigrated after about five years of continual wear and one round of patches. I left it in the waste basket on Whidbey Island. Ignoble end, that. And yesterday I bought a new one at a Labor Day sale. It's so cute. You'll have to see it. Soon.

Ode to Backyard Bunny

2009-07-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

This comes under the random thoughts heading. Nothing to learn or ponder here. I wanted to get a picture of my summer friend. Here it is. Notice, he is nibbling weeds. Good bunny.

Backyard Bunny
You're too cute for your fur.
Thanks for eating grass and weeds - no flowers.
If you show up on the patio at dawn,
I'll keep the dog from chasing you.

I love your skinny legs
soft little paws and your perky bunny ears.
But mostly I love your cottontail
and that you visit every day.

Skeleton Horses and Rushmore Kid

2009-07-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Oh, don't you love titles that don't make any sense? It's been a cool week - but HOT. I have some random things to share. First, I went to the Battle of the Barns in Martinez, CA to meet the riders and sell copies of Bull Rider. I expected a horse show and got more of a performance.

The riders were divided into teams by their riding clubs or barns. They all dressed up - pirates, midieval peasants, Indians. They decorated the horses too and then, let the games begin. It's been so hot here, Terri Farley (my partner in signing) and I prepared with umbrellas and sunscreen. Turns out the Bay breeze was going and we longed for sweatshirts. I'm posting my favorite picture - Skeleton Horse. Thanks, Barb, for the invite.

OK, and here are a couple of links for you - Tina Nichols Coury posted an interview with me today on her blog, Tales from the Rushmore Kid www.tinanicholscoureyblog.com and the Sacramento Book Review also posted a review and podcast (30 minutes but come on, I'm kind of entertaining...) at http://www.sacramentobookreview.com/suzanne_morgan_williams.php. This one is also linked on my webiste.

On the home front, my husband and I had contacted a well service to check out our well pump that was cycling on for no apparent reason. We had a series of tests to perform to isolate the leak and decide - plumber, irrigation guy, well eeeek. Then yesterday I went to the goat pen and the darn goats had turned the spigot on. I turned if off. That ten seconds was worth at least two hundred dollars. Moral of the story - always suspect the goats.

I Know It's July but I'm Thinking Fall

2009-07-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

I guess my miserable ratio of days to blog posts in July has me thinking ahead. July has been a lovely month filled with keeping the plants alive and the animals cool (so far so good) and hanging out at home and writing. (Also going well.) This weekend, I'm looking forward to Vacquero Girl's Battle of the Barns in Martinez, California. August looks busier and then there's the fall. I'll be in Oklahoma City in September at Encyclomedia - a library convention - and am looking for school visits if any of you know folks there, then Jimez Springs New Mexico in October for the New Mexico SCBWI Retreat (preceeded by our Nevada SCBWI Mentor Retreat which is also in October), then I'll be in the greater Seattle/Puget Sound area in November for a number of events. Check out booktour.com/author/suzanne_morgan_williams for updated information as we make our plans. We, would be me, and Terri Farley, author of the Phantom Stallion and Island Stallion series. We'll be presenting together in Seattle and again at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada in January.

OK, this is getting a little overwhelming so changing the subject - I'm currently reading Crash Into Me by Albert Borris, a Class of 2k9 Member and co-president who's gotten a lot of buzz lately. Albert suffered a massive stroke in December and although he's recovered physically, his language is slower in returning. The 2k9 crew has been helping to get the word out about his book and his story got picked up by School Library Journal, the New Yorker, Media Bistro - a bunch of cool places. So look for the book and check out Albert's work. I'll post about the book when I'm done. That's all for now folks. Off to do what I'm supposed to be doing.

More July

2009-07-07T22:05:00.000-07:00

So it's already July 7th and I'm loving this month. I am home, trimming plants, walking the dog, and writing. The weather has been perfect except for the wind and I'm even managing to keep the plants alive that I put in last week. Whose idea was that? OK, it was mine. I thought if I didn't put them in now I wouldn't get a chance until September because of the heat and petunias don't do well around here after about mid-September. Anyway, they are surviving. Hopefully you have just a litte interest in horticulture. Or maybe you like fauna better. Have I mentioned our front and backyard bunnies? I see one or the other every morning. And the wild horses are settled in on the hill across the valley. Have seen them several times this week. So things are going along - happy. I may even catch up on plans for fall events, sending out books, letting the folks at S and S know my plans. Then I'll be able to see the dining room table - at least for a day. Happy summer guys. It's the one we have!

New Widget from Class of 2k9

2009-07-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

OK, it's a sunny morning and I'm trying to get settled for a DAY of writing and of course I turned on the TV (oh don't laugh) to have some noise while I eat breakfast and there's a piece on summer reading. UNDER the featured book, but seriously spine out and legible is a brand new book by Ann Haywood Leal who is a Class of 2k9 member - Also Known As Harper. That sent me to e-mail her and the group about the serendipidous, if not exactly long, TV appearance and while e-mailing there was a note about our Class of 2k9 blog having a contest. So - I went there (notice no writing yet) and saw that the winner can win a DOZEN Class of 2k9 books including Bull Rider. OK, that's no surprise. I sent it in a while ago for a contest. But this contest is so big and cool. To enter you just leave a comment - maybe how much you love Bull Rider :) and you are entered. To enter twice you can also add the Class of 2k9 Widget. Which I just did. (still not writing - at least on my book). It's happily flashing on my blog and you can use it to speed right over to The Class of 2k9 blog and enter. I'd love for one of you to win!

Wrapped up the Rodeo

2009-06-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

OK - tired and happy. Bought a pink sweatshirt for me and a silver glittery t-shirt for our daughter. Sold a bunch of books. Talked to a bunch of cowboys, moms, and a few bull riders. Feet hurting - everything else is good. Til next time. . .

Reno Rodeo Minutes

2009-06-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

So I've spent three days in the indoor arena at the Reno Rodeo selling books with Sundance Books our independent bookstore in Reno. The Sundance folks have been great and are featuring several local authors at their table. I have a great view of the arena from our perch by the restrooms - and have seen a whole lot of drill teams and roping.

Highlights? Getting a signed Reno Rodeo poster from my friend Stephanie Long who painted this year's beautiful artwork which I posted here. Having a young cowboy run up to the table saying, "There it is, Dad." His father explained that they'd just bought Bull Rider for him and then the boy said, "It's really good. I read fifteen chapters last night!" Now that makes my day. There was the older gentleman who tipped his hat to me today, reminding me of my grandfather, and another one who examined Bull Rider and then declared. "Who is this person, Williams. I've never heard of him." So I held out my hand and said, "Pleased to meet you, sir, that would be me." We had a good laugh. There are the parents and sisters of service men and women in Iraq who have said they are glad someone is talking about the war - and the giggly little girls who pick out their books based on the prettiest horses on the cover. It's a pretty good gig.

Bloggin' and Rodeo with the Class of 2k9

2009-06-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

June 18th is my day to blog for the Class of 2k9 so head on over there to hear about our group, our books, and the Reno Rodeo - http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k9.
Check out our website too - http://classof2k9.com. Or if you are in the area, stop in at the Reno Rodeo and look up the Sundance Bookstore/Writing the West table in West Hall (the indoor arena.) We're right next to the ladie's room so we're hard to miss! Rosanne Parry (Heart of a Shepherd), Terri Farley (Phantom and Island Stallion series) and Chris Platt (various horse themed books) will be there with me (Bull Rider) signing their books.

Two More Books from The Class of 2k9

2009-06-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

My family all met in Oregon this last weekend and I did finish a book - The Road to Tater Hill by Edie Hemmingway. This is a middle grade novel about a sixth grader named Annie who spends summer with her grandparents in the mountains of North Carolina. Except this summer (1963) her father is serving in the airforce in Germany and her mother has just given birth to her baby sister, Mary Kate, who died before Annie could see her, or her mother could even hold her. This is no surprise - you'll find out on the first page. But what is surprising is the tender story, you'd have to say poignant, of a girl who is grieving alone for a sister she will never know. If Annie's substitute "rock baby" doesn't touch your heart, then you are a cold, cold person. I loved Miss Eliza, the mountain descriptions, the jam making and the weaving lessons. Read this book and you'll be thankful for your family and thinking about taking a trip to the real Tater Hill. I had an advance copy so you can preorder Edie's book (I'd suggest it). It will be available in early September.

It's been a few months since I read Fran Cannon Slaton's historical middle grade novel, Where the Whistle Blows. This one debuts this week in book stores and has had great reviews and buzz. Fran's novel is set in the mountains of West Virginia in the 1940s. Jimmy Cannon chronicles each Halloween, which happens to be his father's birtday, from the time he is twelve until he is eighteen. In these six years the steam locomotives that have been the life blood of his town are being phased out, his father is aging, and Jimmy gives us a snapshot of his world from Halloween pranks to championship football games to stunning accidents. When the Whistle Blows celebrates life, death, change, and friendship in a very special way. Fran is offering a drawing for an Advance Reader's Copy of When the Whistle Blows right now at our Class of 2k9 blog. Visit http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k9 and leave a comment to enter.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Eagle Blue

2009-06-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

From 2001 through the present I've spent some time in native communities - researching books, working with school kids, interviewing elders and people who are advocates of native language and culture. This certainly hasn't been a full time occupation, but it's been enough time to change my outlook on a few things, and to inform some of my writing. I've become a better listener. I also blow off some stuff after taking time to think about it. Hmmm.

This week I read the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. I'd heard it was good and it won the National Book Award, after all. But award winners aren't always my first choice in reading. But this was a good decision. I really loved the book. It rang true and although sometimes the character seemed as stylized as the cartoons in the book, I loved the experience of reading it, and of stepping into someone else's world through this funny/sad/crazy novel.

Rewind to a couple of years ago when I got an Amazon message telling me I should order Eagle Blue. It is a non-fiction documentation of the Ft. Yukon Alaska High School basketball team's try to win the State Championship. I knew how committed some of the Indian kids I've met are to basketball, so I ordered it. I have to say, I didn't finish the book and I can't find it now. I think I gave it to someone - but not before I'd read a few chapters while I was traveling and not before my husband, who doesn't read much, read it. If you like sports and if you want another portrait of life in a native community, pick this one up too. It's by Michael D'Orsy, 2006. I wish I could find it to finish. Never expect to finish a book while you are traveling - at least if you are me.

Cyber crazy

2009-06-05T20:27:00.000-07:00

OK so it's eight o'clock and instead of eating I'm trying to figure out how to unfollow my own blog which I asked to follow totally by mistake. I did "unfollow it" after reading two or three help pages and tabbing back and forth. Am I that -computer illiterate? Don't answer that. And then I had to figure out how to find the blog I wanted to follow - that took another half hour of trial and error. So then I hated that little head that they give you as a "follower" if you don't have a photo on file - and it wouldn't TAKE the photo of me - is that a hint? And I uploaded me and the Bronz Fonz and decided that was too weird. Tried some wild horses and my goats - wouldn't talk those - thought the photo of Fred (dead and beloved Golden) was too sad, and that Ralph (very alive and happy black lab) didn't show his best side. So FINALLY I decided on Reno Balloon Races - one of my favorite activities ever. So that's the blog. I'm more knowledgable than I was but my husband is probably as hungry as I am and that will take some undoing. Off to buy dinner. The chicken is still frozen. And to read - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. I may be the only person who hasn't read it. But not for long. Peace out.

Another Good Book

2009-06-02T21:22:00.000-07:00

I don't seem to read as fast as a lot of bloggers but then I don't seem to blog as often either so maybe it evens out. About two months ago I read Shine Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger. I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Neesha in New York in January and then I had to wait until the book came out to read it. I wasn't disappointed I love this book. It truly made me feel like I was living inside someone else's skin for the day or two it took to read it . Here's my synopsis: Samar is an Indian American (as in South Asian Indian) living with her mother in New Jersey - just like any other American teen aged girl. Except she doesn't know her mother's family or much about her heritage at all - until on 9/11, after the twin towers fall, her Uncle Sanjeep who she barely remembers shows up at their door. He wants the two of them to reconnect with their family. As the world changes around her and prejudice against turbaned people like Uncle Sanjeep bubbles up, the flap copy says, "Sam will need all her smarts and savvy to try to bridge the two worlds and make them both her own." I say, pick up Shine Coconut Moon. It's a special book.

BoysRead.org

2009-05-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guys - instead of blogging here I'm giving you a link to a great website and blogspot - www.boysread.org Go directly to my guest blog by clicking this link. http://readingtribe.blogspot.com/ Happy Reading and be sure to comment both at Boys Read and here. Would love to hear from you.

Nevada Novelist Community

2009-05-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

About four years ago Ellen Hopkins, Teri Sloat and I stayed up very late at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's conference in Los Angeles brainstorming about a mentor program that would help aspiring writers and illustrators who were "almost there" and but had reached a plateau in their work. As the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program (which we are in the third round of running right now) took shape, I began to imagine a time when many of the great writers we were working with would be published. There was a long list of probable people. Wouldn't it be cool to surprize people with a group of novelists whose connection was Reno, Nevada? I imagined a "school" not in the teaching sense but in the identifiable sense - a school of writers for Middle Grade and Young Adult readers who were mostly serious, mostly contemporary, mostly reality based - but not necessarily all of those at once.

Today I had coffee with Ellen, our friend and fellow author Heidi Ayarbe, and her daughter. Several years ago we were all in critique groups together and none of us had published fiction. Ellen was first with Crank published in 2005. So check it out now - Ellen is a New York Times best selling author several times over for her verse novels Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, and Identical. Tricks in it's great red cover comes out in August. Heidi's debuted in 2008 with her novel, Freeze Frame and she has another one on the way. Freeze Frame recently won the IRA (International Reading Association) Young Adult Book Award for fiction, 2009 - given for an author's first or second book for young readers. And as for me, Bull Rider was released this February and is a Junior Library Guild Selection.

Also in the Nevada Novelists Community - Terri Farley, author of the Phantom Stallion, Wild Horse Island series and Seven Tears into the Sea - with a gazillian books in print, Fran Cannon Slayton who is from Virginia but completed our first Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program (Ellen was her mentor) so we proudly claim her. Her first novel comes out in June from Philomel - When the Whistle Blows. One reviewer called this historical novel set in a 1940s West Virginia railroad town "an understated masterpiece." And we'll claim Lindsay Eland from Colorado - another novelist who completed the mentor program. Look for her novel, Scones and Sensibility in 2010. There are more names we fully expect to add soon - but I won't say them here. I'm not planning to jinx anyone but there are some really talented people around. So, how about a big Nevada YeeeHaaa for these authors. I think the dream is happening.

More Midwest and an Idea

2009-05-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

This is Sheboygan Falls in Wisconsin. When everything is mainly flat, you take what you can get!

What I haven't shared about the Midwest trip is all the cool students I met - mostly seventh and eighth graders. I loved the three schools in Des Plaines, Illinois. The students were good, active listeners, they had great questions, and we connected in a way that makes me want to visit more schools. The kids in Bright's Grove and Errol Village Ontario were polite, smart, and stretched themselves to learn something way out of their experience - rodeo - and to talk about some things within it - brothers, sisters, the war. Yes, there are Canadian troops in the Middle East too. The group in Okemos got into the stories we made together and individually. I know. And I hope they will share some of those stories and ideas. Each one is unique.

OK, and the idea - wondering if Bull Rider readers, through the website and this blog could "adopt" a deployed soldier or marine. You know, send cards, care package etc. There are lots of organizations that do it. I've been thinking of linking to some on the website, but maybe we should take someone on directly too... hmmm. So that's all for today. It's Memorial Day and the weeds are still there. Vacquero Girl, I'm so putting newspapers in my difficult spots. I'll let you know what happens.

2009-05-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have to share some photos from Wisconsin. Sorry, I don't have any from all the Chicago gang although it was fun, fun, fun. Got the camera out for the last weekend of the trip. I personally love the one of me with the "Bronze Fonz" on the Milwaukee River in front of a Chinese restaurant. This is especially good since I've actually met Henry Winkler and he kissed my cheek. That's one of the perks of belonging to SCBWI.

This is a great dog running along the beach at Lake Michigan. It was cold. I would have been running too - but I was too cold.

Is this one Wisconsin, or what? Gotta love the Midwest - and I do.

Odds and Ends of No Particular Value

2009-05-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

I keep reading that my blog should provide a service or information that will bring people back. Well, I hate to tell you, but I'm up to my eyeballs with stuff to do and service that isn't on this blog. So you get what's on my mind and it may not be awe inspiring - at least for now. I did watch American Idol and have never been so disappointed in one of their shows. My husband even voted - for Adam - and we know the outcome. Are people nuts? Was he too femme for the masses? What a voice that man has. And great eyes too - with or without eye liner.

And I weeded until my arms were itchy and I had to take an anti-histamine. This reminded me of why I don't get near grass in the spring. It's one big rash and sneezing fest for me. But the weeds didn't stop growing while we were away and I'll get them knocked out in a few days. I just have to remember to take the pills before I start.

Last, some good news. I'm writing again - yea!! - and our friend Saresh got his papers to stay in the States for several more years. We'll all be better off with him among us. Here's to immigration policy that occasionally works.

Midwest Moments

2009-05-20T20:59:00.000-07:00

This will be short - it's late. I wanted to think about all the great times I had in the Midwest with Illinois SCBWI, Chicago members of Class of 2k9 and Authors Now, librarians and students from Des Plaines, Illinois, Homer and Lemont libraries, students at Bright's Grove and Errol Village Schools in southern Ontario and at Chippewa Middle School in Okemos, Michigan. Oh, and the book sellers - particularly the crew at the Book Stall who made me so welcome and also at Anderson's in Naperville who took time to show me around their great store. My friend Jude made sure I took just a little time out to play and we saw some great live improv theater in Lincoln Park and I ate frozen custard and cheese curds with my daughter Mara in Milwaukee. Luke and I did two jigsaw puzzles and he even played Scrabble with me - which none of our kids like to do. OK, off to see the finals of American Idol. More tomorrow, maybe with more details, photos? who knows. It's beautiful here in Reno, so I might end up weeding until I drop.

Home Again with LOTS to Say

2009-05-19T15:26:00.001-07:00

OK, when I don't blog for two weeks I end up with lots on my mind and not enough time to share it. Starting with an e-mail I got from Chris in New Mexico today about a collection that the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators made for a library that burned down during the horrible Australian wildfires this spring - my friend Ellen Fockler at Washoe County School Libraries asked if SCBWI was doing anything and how the community could help. She posted the collection to our Reno libraries and the kids raised $800. People can be so cool - espcially kids and especially book people. Chris just let everyone in our organization know about the Reno donation. I'm proud to live here.

Next, I met so many really nice and exciting people on my trip to Chicago, Southern Ontario, and Lansing, Michigan. The book signings were great, the weather was mostly fabulous, the schools and kids were energizing. I'm happy to have met you all and look forward to more time in the Chicago area in the future. If you missed getting Bull Rider there should be copies at the Book Stall in Winnetka, Anderson's in both Naperville and Downer's Grove, and at the Barnes and Nobel in Overland Park. If you are in London, Ontario, the Chapters at Richmond Centre has copies. You can ask for it at any bookstore and order online.

Last, I have photos and stories from the midwest trip. I'll be posting some of them. If you met me in this last two weeks and have photos, e-mail them to me and I'll post some of them here. This is a great ride that we are taking together. Yeehaa!

Quickie Note

2009-05-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so much for blogging every day. It's been busy. I wormed the goats and have been getting over a cold. Had a fun book signing at Barnes and Nobel in Reno yesterday. Yea for all the kids and parents who came out. One girl remembered me from talking to her class at Wooster High in early February. That was really cool. Hope all is well with you guys. I'm still looking for time to write. Maybe on the airplane. . .

California Readin'

2009-04-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

I promised a switch from Bull Rider info and since it's snowing outside, I've decided to give you a sneak preview of two books I've read recently that are set in sunny and floral Southern California. Both are gentle middle grade books with lovely writing. Both confront their girl characters with difficult family situations

Jane in Bloom by Debby Lytton reads like the bright flower on it's cover. Jane is the second child, the one who lives in her perfect older sister's shadow. But Jane knows what that perfection is costing the sister she loves. When tragedy changes her family forever, Jane finds some unexpected allies and begins to create a space where she can bloom. I love the color imagery in this book and the clear prose creates white space for the splashes of yellow, purple, and orange to shine. Jane's relationship with her sister is haunting and the book will leave you thinking about family interconnections and personal resilience.

.The Year the Swallows Came Early by Katherine Fitzmaurice is set on the Central California coast. Between the fog, the ocean, the sun, and flowers, you can almost smell the setting as you read. In the first chapter Groovy Robinson's father is taken away to jail - in the kindest way by a policeman they both know. Groovy is confused and then angry as she discovers the reason her father was arrested. I was routing for Groovy from beginning to end, first as she has to rethink her dreams and then as she comes to accept her parents as they are, not as she'd believed them to be. The book makes me long to stare at the ocean and put my thoughts in order.

Information: From the website Mirrormirror:
Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents.
40 – 60% of high school girls diet.
50% of girls between the ages of 13 and 15 believe they are overweight.
80% of 13 year old girls have dieted.
40% of 9 year old girls dieted.

Since both books are full of roses - try browsing for one at http://www.everyrose.com/everyrose/roses/browse.lasso

A Quick Note

2009-04-12T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's been a quiet day - Easter Sunday - and our trees are still thinking about budding. Daffodils are blooming. I found four fish in our pond that made it through the winter. (That's good, only one more to spot and they are all there.) It's a good day to think about simple things that make each day so special. I heard this on TV this morning - "This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." I hope to remember that every morning.

2009-04-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

OK, I wish I'd been blogging for the last few days. So much has happened. I've been in the Pacific Northwest signing books, visiting schools, and visiting friends and relatives. I traveled with my husband and with Terri Farley - author of the Phantom Stallion Series and the Wild Island Series. Since we are both Reno authors who write about the West, we were presenting and signing together. Rosanne Parry, author of Heart of a Shepherd set up a terrific signing for the three of us at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington. That's us signing books at "Ranch Sunday!" It was so fun.

So I wish every author could have been there when we dropped in at Barnes and Noble in Clackamas Town Center to see the magic that happens between readers and authors. Terri had offered to sign books for the store and we had just found them on a top shelf when a girl came up and was trying to reach them. "Do you like those books?" I asked her.
"Oh, she reads them all," her mom said.
Then Terri said, "I wrote those books."
I thought that girl was going to pass out from excitement. She bought three books, Terri signed them, and she went home a very happy camper.

A week later Terri and I were signing at Barnes and Noble in Vancouver, Washington and a boy came in to buy Bull Rider. He was on chapter four (of a book he'd checked out from the library) and was anxious to get his own copy and finish. "He doesn't like to read much," his mom said. "But he can't wait to read this." Music to my ears. More tomorrow.

Life is good

2009-03-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week. Our grandson was here - lots of shrieking and giggling and animated cartoons around the house. Our daughter was here for a few days too. So good to catch up. I visited two schools on three days and there was an SCBWI event. Today is my husband's and my anniversary. Some highlights - kids lining up to buy Bull Rider. Aspiring writer who attended her first ever workshop and wrote "I'm framing my M.O. for $35 - it's my first investment in me." A writer friend in Canada whose husband is a TBI survivor saying about me "Suzy has done her research on TBI." Watching our daughter lug two suitcases, a carseat, and our grandson into the airport without a complaint or a misstep - all in a normal day for her. Seeing the snow fall. Nothing else earth shaking. This week I will be writing more, doing less of everything else. Life is good.

The Buzz Team at Sundance

2009-03-14T20:16:00.000-07:00

I had my first bookstore signing and if you are reading my blog and came by, thanks. It was so fun for me and I know a lot of you met up with friends there too. And thanks to Christine and Dan and the Sundance crew for making it such a lovely day for me. They still have some signed copies, so if you missed it you can pick one up there.

In that obsessive authorly way, I was surfing the Border's website and they are carrying Bull Rider in a lot of their stores in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Southern California. I didn't find it in Northern California or Washington, Oregon, Montana. Those are big rodeo states, so if you know anyone there, suggest they ask for the book at their local Borders. Maybe we'll get them to expand it beyond the Southwest and Plains states. You are my "buzz team."

I promise to get off of Bull Rider soon enough and back to some other GREAT books I've read lately, but I had to take this detour into self-promotion and self fulfillment. I've been waiting a long time for this month and I'm happy to share a little of it here. Catch the latest interview on Debby Lytton's blog deborahlytton - http://deborahlytton.livejournal.com/ and look up my FIRST review from California Cowgirl http://vaquerogirl.blogspot.com/search?q=Bull+Rider Happy Day!

Book Signing and Junior Library Guild

2009-03-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

Wanted to invite any of you in the Reno area to my first, official book signing, Saturday, March 14, Sundance Bookstore near Fifth Street and Keystone in Reno, NV. Would love to have a great turnout. And, I got a pretty, shiny gold (tone) pin from the Junior Library Guild today because they selected Bull Rider for their Spring collection. They keep sending me notes that say they are a bell weather in choosing books that go on to more awards and accolades. From their lips to God's ears. For now, I have the pin :). Come by on Saturday if you can.

Amazing Sunny Day

2009-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sunny Day keeping the clouds away - it is sunny and the two year old is enjoying the wonders of watching the bubbles in the washer. Yesterday a stick and pond water occupied him for half an hour. The world is indeed wonderful from two feet off the ground and we are blessed to share that.

Yesterday, Cory Farley interviewed me on his radio show here in Reno, and it was tons of fun. He really liked Bull Rider and that, of course, felt very, very, good. Thanks Cory and I hope you like the ending as well as the first half of the book.

And we had a three way skype conversation on three continents and three time zones. I am constantly amazed. Guess it runs in the family.

Time and Two Year Olds

2009-03-09T14:21:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm really enjoying having our two year old grandson here, but that leaves little time for blogging. Just checking in - I'm still here and have been sprayed with apple juice, rescued our very patient Ralph from the over enthusiastic boy, watched the snow fall and the birds fly by the window, and learned to spell WATER several different times on PBS. It's a good day, but not much writing happening.

Another Book for Kids in Military Families

2009-03-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have hoped for a while that Bull Rider would touch kids in military families and give them a jumping off place for discussing their own concerns or the opportunity for seeing a family that is going through changes because of the Middle East wars. There are a lot of military families out there who live every day hoping their loved one will come home safe.

Heart of A Shepherd, by Rosanne Parry, Random House, January 2009, does the same. Her book's setting is literally forty or fifty miles from Bull Rider's fictional Salt Lick, NV and her main character, Brother, is a ranch kid too. His dad has been deployed to Iraq with the reserves along with most of the men in their small town. His older brothers are away at school - his small town doesn't have a high school - and that leaves Brother, his aging grandparents, and a ranch hand, Ernesto, to care for the ranch. Brother takes his role seriously. Heart of a Shepherd is a genuine, gentle book that looks at ranch life, growing up, accepting responsibility. It also reflects the kinds of changes the wars have made on communities. I am proud to know Rosanne Parry and to be signing with her and Terri Farley at the Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington on April 5th. 10AM. Our books are similar in so many ways, and yet they are totally different stories. I think Heart of a Shepherd will appeal to a little younger read than Bull Rider will. Read them both and you decide. You'll be glad you did.

Reading Out Loud

2009-03-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

Hi again. I got an e-mail from a high school teacher friend in Wyoming that said a student picked up the copy of Bull Rider that was on her desk and asked to read it. She was pretty excited about that and so am I. AND I know of two of you at least, who are reading Bull Rider to your classes. That got me to thinking I should have one of those online contests - but only for teachers who are reading Bull Rider out loud, or have passed the book on to their students in some way. But there needs to be a great prize. What do you think about half off of a school visit, or an online chat with your students? Let me know. If you are reading this, comment on your favorite prize. If you are a teacher or librarian who is reading Bull Rider out loud or recommending it to students let me know. I'll start the list for the drawing NOW. This will be fun.

On a personal note, our dog Ralph was released from doctor's care following his eye surgery in January. Poor guy had gotten an ulcerated cornea and it wouldn't heal. Dr. Lavash (sp?) in Reno worked miracles and Ralph is back to his old self, sparkling eyes and all.

Launch Week for Bull Rider

2009-03-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

It seems when you publish a novel you get a launch day and that stretches into a launch week and then a launch month. Best case scenario is a fabulous debut year. Bull Rider's launch started before the official "day" as Amazon shipped copies a few days ahead and I started to get cool e-mails that said people were reading the book. My agent called me on the very day to wish me a happy one, and my husband took me to lunch. I went to Sundance Bookstore, our local Indie, to pick up some copies for a reading at a local school and there was Bull Rider displayed on a prominent rack. I missed it the first time because I was searching the shelves. That was a rush. The book hit several blogs and I did a school visit and then attended the Asilomar SCBWI conference. My editor was speaking and she requested the bookseller stock Bull Rider. They sold out! And I provided some extra copies and THOSE sold out. Yeeha!

So it's been a great week - thanks to all of you who bought, read, and talked up Bull Rider. There are some nice reviews on GoodReads and Amazon too. If you love Bull Rider, you might want to add yours. If you are looking for more good debut novels check out www.classof2k9.com and also www.authorsnow.com More tomorrow!

2009-02-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

I got a note from a friend last night. She'd gotten her copy of Bull Rider from Amazon - although the official release date is tomorrow - and she wrote to say "Your book is fabulous and I couldn't put it down." Well THANK YOU for telling me. It makes my day. She also said she bought a copy for a friend who works at the VA hospital in Palo Alto - a friend who said that few people knew about the cost of the Iraq War in terms of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America says that 100,000 military personnel are returning home with some form of TBI. It's time to talk about it and to think about the needs these veterans and their families have. More later.

2009-02-22T19:57:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day. I slept late after going to the Nevada Reading Week Conference for two days. I was a presenter and signed a LOT of pre-release copies of Bull Rider. One High School librarian ordered six, count 'em six, copies for her school. YeeHaa!! I'm getting over the need to feel profound here on the blog - that may account for more entries. I do want to say that each day I am overwhelmed by the support from my friends as the release of Bull Rider approaches. I got a lovely e-mail today from a friend who'd received her copy and read it. "Couldn't put it down," she said. Lovely words. And she ordered a second copy for a friend who works at the VA hospital in Palo Alto - what a terrific tribute. Thank you. Another friend called to help me arrange school visits for the week Rosanne Parry (2k9 member www.classof2k9 ) and author of Heart of a Shepherd) and Terri Farley (Phantom Stallion Series) and I do a signing at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington - April 5. A third friend posted photos of her kids reading their pre-ordered copy. My daughter, along with a number of friends said they would be asking for it at their local bookstores. THANK YOU. I couldn't do this without you. I'm hoping those of you who find this blog through my website will post comments as you read the book. I'd love to hear from you.

Day Three and Still Here

2009-02-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

OK - the dog should get walked so often. The sun is out and I need to go outside too. For now, I'm going to be self-indulgent and say - after a long wait, although not so long in publishing time - I'm getting e-mails from friends who are now holding copies of Bull Rider in their hands. I was thinking last night that a lot of fabulous people from critique group to editors to designers to publicity and marketing people to SCBWI buddies spent a lot of time on this book. In the end, it will take a few hours for each person to read. That's like Christmas dinner! And, like that celebration at the end of a season, I hope they relax and savor it and then remember it for a long time. If you love Bull Rider, tell a friend, or loan your book, or ask your local bookstore to carry it. People can't read it if they don't know that it exists. Off to walk the dog. Ralph!!! PS Tomorrow I'm working ALL day. Next post - Sunday (how about a book review??)

Stacks of Bull Rider Books

2009-02-19T18:38:00.000-08:00

OK, I didn't get to it in the morning - but I'm here again. I'm getting very excited about Bull Rider coming out next week. I am speaking at the Nevada Reading Week Conference this weekend with my friend Terri Farley and am busy printing handouts for my breakout sessions. I can't wait to see my first stack of Bull Rider books on their sales tables. I also bought a bunch of cutesy book plates with golden retriever puppies on them so that I can sign bookplates for any friends who come to Asilomar and haven't yet received books that they pre-ordered. If that's you and you have your book, bring it along and I'll sign it. If you haven't bought one yet, I hear there will be some there for sale. Editor Emma must have asked for them. Dinner is ready. Here's to blogging every day and to husbands who will make hamburgers while I blog and answer e-mail and buy airline tickets and print handouts for the weekend. Love to you all.

2009-02-18T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hi there, well this time it's been TWO months and my friend, Terri Farley, tells me I have to blog everyday - like eating breakfast, I suppose. So my new routine should be to walk my dog, blog, and then eat. That would probably do it. I'd have to change my blog name to Walking the Dog and I think I'd like that too. It's been entirely too serious around here and wintry and cold - although precious little rain and we'll all be regretting that come summer.

In two months I HAVE had time to read some books and I'll talk about one right now: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, Tor, 2008. My daughter gave it to me for Christmas and I read half of it while I was home alone and it got too scary for little me and I put it aside until my husband came home, then finished it. This is a chilling book about technology and how it can be used to track our every move - but even more creepy - it's about what our government might be like if it decided to use the "rules" that have been made for the "war on terror" on our own citizens. Or what it might be like to be disappeared by the US, no matter what your citizenship. Little Brother is set in San Francisco which made it all the more real to me since I grew up there. I'm not much of a techno geek but I was able to follow a lot of the technology bits. It was kind of like watching the TV show, Numbers, with an occasional aside - let me tell you how this works. I got lost with the encryption techniques, but by that time I didn't care. I would recommend the book for it's topic. For it's ability to make you think. A good read for anyone over thirteen with a brain.

Hangin' Out - Peace and Love

2008-12-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

OK, so I'm waiting for our son to get re-routed on his way home for Christmas and the computer isn't letting me do everything I want to - so our gain - here I am blogging. I was just reading Vacquero Girl's California Cowgirl blog and she was talking about Karma. Good karma - and peopling your world with positive folks. I agree, and she is such a warm, good presence herself that she'll find all sorts of good people. That's what I wish for you - good friends, a healthy family, meaningful (and continuing) work, a little fun and some time to treat yourself too.

I would usually review a book here - and promise I have two (at least) that I'm dying to talk about a little closer to their release dates and a pile of Advance Reader Copies waiting for me. My bookshelves are lined with well known and not so well known kids books. But tonight I am thinking of favorite stories of faith. Faith that God has even the most impossible situations well in hand. Faith in traditions and love. I am thinking of the Book of Ruth and the story of Noah. I often consider God's servant Job. There was Abraham who was willing to sacrifice his own son and Jesus whose whole life and death was an act of faith. So my recommendation today is the Bible - whether the Old Testament or the New. Whether you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, other, or none of the above. The outline is there for faith in hard times. For ordinary people doing extraordinary things. For looking outside yourself to a greater power - no matter what you call it. Peace this Christmas.

Two Good YA Reads

2008-11-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while - two months. And this from a blogger who was going to blog twice a week. Promise. But blogging must be like diets. Easy to start, harder to keep up with. I've been wanting to post about two books I read in October since - well, October.

The first is The Lucky Place by Zu Vincent. Zu's book is gently written in the trusting voice of a child - beginning when Cassie is three years old and trying to make sense of her alchoholic father's behavior, the story spans ten years to her innocent acceptance of her step father, to her protectiveness and loyalty to her older brother, and to her accepting responsibilities beyond her years. Drunkeness, divorce, anger, and childish wishes seem all the more chillling seen through Cassie's young eyes. Zu grows her character in both age and emotion until Cassie is able, at twelve or thirteen to become the nurturer, the backbone of her shattered family. The prose is lovely and the story held my attention from page one to the end. It's not a happy book, but a satisfying one. There are some interesting takes on gender roles too - in both the adults and the children.

Second is Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe. Set in Carson City, Nevada, the main character, Kyle, shoots and kills his best friend in what seems like an accident, but Kyle can't remember any of it. As he goes through "the system" of juvenile justice, probation, counseling, and school oversight, he is haunted by the possibility that he killed his friend on purpose. Ayarbe writes a sharp, witty character who is enamoured with old movies and directors. The book is edgy, intellegent, and disturbing. It's an emotional ride through territory we all hope to avoid.

In both books I was taken by quirky secondary characters - by Vincent's Jaimie, Cassie's older brother, whose love of dancing and costumes stretches their manly step-father's idea of how a boy should be, and by Ayarbe's Kohana - a loner, a misfit photographer, a kid that no one pays any attention to because he's big and quiet and scary. These boys on the outside touched me, and are probably part of the reason the books did too. I remcommend them both.

INFORMATION: From the Children's Defense Fund website about gun deaths and injuries published in 2005: http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/DocServer/gunreport2005.pdf?docID=590
data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 2,867 children and teens died from gunfire in the United States in 2002—one child about every three hours, nearly eight children every day, 55 children every week. In addition to this horrific child gun death toll, four to five times as many children and teens suffered non-fatal bullet wounds.

1,830 were homicide victims
828 committed suicide
209 died in accidental or undetermined circumstances
1,639 were White
1,112 were Black
581 were Latino
64 were Asian or Pacific Islander
52 were American Indian or Alaska Native
416 were under age 15
142 were under 10
71 were under 5

These statistics come from the CDC and are for the total population of the U.S. - also for 2005. in 2005 [there were] 32,691 poisoning deaths compared with 30,694 firearm deaths. Motor vehicle traffic (MVT) deaths were the leading cause of injury death from 1999-2005, accounting for 43,667 deaths in 2005. From 2004 to 2005, MVT deaths increased 1%, firearm deaths, 4% and poisoning deaths, 8%. (1,2) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/injury99-05/injury99-05.htm

Back Again - Home Again

2008-09-27T11:36:00.002-07:00

Well, I thought I'd blog twice a week and I did that for awhile and then, like all of you, I got busy. A whole month's worth of busy. My excuse? I was working on a new manuscript and we hosted the Nevada SCBWI Novel Immersion Retreat at Lake Tahoe. And I need to mow the lawn in the summer. And we updated my website. Check it out at www.suzannemorganwilliams.com It has a new look and some cool photos. But here's what's on my mind:

I picked up a book at the SCBWI Conference in LA in August that I really liked. It was this year's Golden Kite Winning novel, but honestly, it was the topic that intrigued me - an African refugee boy who resettled in Minnesota. Having hosted a Bolivian exchange student for a year, I do know what kind of cold that character would have experienced. I wanted to read the book - Home of the Brave, by Katherine Applegate - and I loved it. It is a gentle story, told in verse, that moves along carrying the reader with Kek as he discovers snow, takes comfort from a cow, must adjust to a foreign culture, and hopes to reconnect with his lost mother. If you've ever worked with foreign students or immigrant children, ever known a kid who was sunny dispite the most difficult circumstances, if you just want a good, hopeful book, I'd read this one.

Information:There were more than 2,000 Sudanese refugees in Maine in 2006. San Diego claims 3,500. Omaha Nebraska has 9,000 Sudanese refugees. Check out this link
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/la-berkshire-pg,0,6666314.photogallery?index=9

Conversation with Obama

2008-08-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

OK, since I imagine many of my writer friends coming to this blog I might want to keep it a little less personal and more professional. That works for a while. But life always seems to show up and mine, these days, is so very pro Barack Obama. We are in a hell of a pickle and we weren't in 1999. We are now. We have lost the respect of the world community. We've invaded a country without real provokation, we've had our own civil and individual rights suspended, our government gives breaks to big corporations while ignoring the needs of working people. I have to drive half as much as I used to and oil companies are pocketing record profits. For a while this confused me. And then I learned to follow the money. I am a Christian, although I don't agree with most "Christian" right wing political goals. I see people being duped into believing the Republicans are pro family and pro morality. I believe they are pro money - their own. I am proud to be an American and long for my country to act the way it ought to - protecting the rights of common people the world over and working for equality, justice, and the ability to earn an honorable living here at home. I wasn't seeing a lot of that since the arrival of George W. Bush.

Then here comes Barack Obama. He's smart, thoughtful, practical. And he's following his conscience, not the dollar. I was thrilled and honored to be invited to a conversation with him in Reno last Sunday. I was not disappointed. He spoke of his plan for the economy (cut taxes to all earning less than $150,000), health care (make health care available to all Americans who care to participate through a plan as good as what he receives in Congress), renewable energy (wow this one blew me away - convert unused factories to produce wind turbines and solar panels using the skilled laborers who are now working low pay service jobs. Then send those solar and wind units out to rural America where they can supplement incomes and produce clean energy!), veterans (take care of them - screen all returning middle east vets for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental difficulties) and so on. I was blown away.

The Obamacampaign depends on volunteers and donations (however small) from regular people like you and me. Click on the photo - taken by Patrick at www.imajinimages.com for more information. Or stop by an Obama headquarters. Remember what YOUR life was like in 1999. Our nations life. How is it better? Worse? Now imagine it with Obama as President. If you are a supporter already, please volunteer. If you are undecided, ask hard questions. Then ask more questions. But find out about this man. Together we can change our nation.

Vets and Horses

2008-08-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

No, not doctor vets, but veterans. It's been a very interesting weekend. Rather than write a tome, I'll say that I met three veterans this weekend and all were moved by the premise of Bull Rider - a kid coping with his brother's serious war injury sustained in Iraq and the way that effects the whole family. I think vets will make an audience for my book. I would be honored if they'd share it with their younger family members. I also watched a lot of horse girls, young and old, interact with Terri Farley about her Phantom Stalliion series. Has she got some FANS. People long to connect - whether with their own stories or with their dreams. On either level, they are thrilled when someone out there "gets it" and writes a book that touches them. Then they want to know that person.

It occurred to me that my favorite books when I was between nine and twelve were horse books. I read many by Margarite Henry, Mary O'Hara, Black Beauty, etc. I think we need a list of horse books we've loved - old and new. This one will be long. Waiting to see Vaquerogirl and Terri F.'s list. Let's try to include some contemporary ones too. More later about this weekend.

Those Aha Moments

2008-08-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

I'm speaking on Friday to Washoe County School teachers who are on their way back to work after the summer. The event is called "Fresh Start" and I'm starting them off! I'm more than a little nervous about filling an hour with my thoughts on starting fresh, teaching eager and not so eager students. I do remember the nightmares I had before every year that I taught. They always centered around being totally unprepared - missing the school bus, wearing entirely the wrong thing, having no lesson plans, not remembering how to speak. And then there was the stomach ache that did not stop until I met my class. Then it all went away and I was teaching again.

With no particular topic to speak to but "inspire and share something fun - we love authors" I wracked my brain for what to say. I've not taught everyday for many years, so although I still spend a lot of time with kids and teachers, I wouldn't want to take "teaching" as my topic. So I'm talking about Those Aha Moments, about stories, changing lives, connecting with kids. That's what I do and that's what they do. In preparing for this talk, I've had the great joy of remembering teachers, books, and moments that changed me, and of recalling a few looks on children's faces when I knew something had changed for them.

We have an ongoing list of books that changed you. What about teachers? Is there a teacher who changed your life? Your year? Share the story before Friday and it may make it into my speech. (credited of course.) Share it anyway. It's good to remember the people who shaped our lives. Cheers.

Into Every Life

2008-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

A little whipped cream must fall. Honestly, if I'm ordering a mocha or a frappachino, then I think the whipped cream is a given. I'm already WAY past thinking about calories or cardiac health. Now that I can't eat wheat, which is another story, whipped cream is high on my list of treats. And it doubles as a nice metaphor too. What little extra can you add to your day that just makes you smile, maybe a little guiltily? Go ahead, do it.

I just went to the SCBWI Conference in LA. That whole event is like a banana split with all the toppings - one friend after another, one interesting speaker after another, and lots and lots of people who like to talk about books. Aahhh. Here's a challenge for you - what's the best advice you have gotten about writing (or life, or whipped cream) - that can be shared in one or two sentences. Try it. (And attribute it if possible.) We'll make a new list.

Swimming Upstream

2008-07-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

And enjoying it. That's what novelists do - right. Get in the thick of problems, enjoy them to the fullest, pull out all the pathos and humor and then, in the best, most satisfying way, solve them. I finished the first draft of my new novel which might be titled, Inukshuk, Like a Human, Sky Hunter, or Icing. Hmmm. In any case, it feels downright delicious to have all the raw material arranged and ready for revision, cut and polishing. Like a diamond. Or something.

Meanwhile, we bought three new little koi for our pond in which there was, until yesterday, only one huge gold fish. One of the koi has yet to show himself this morning. The gold fish is in her usual hangout (don't ask how I know it's a she - I just feel it.) And two of the koi swam upstream, challenging ripples and waterfalls to appear in our small, still, upper pond. Why did they do that? Perhaps it's material for their upcoming novels. And, while we are on the subject, here's a little treat for you novelists out there. Highly recommended :

A Little Whine

2008-07-22T22:02:00.000-07:00

Hi there from blog land. Smoke is gone. I'm tired. Way too much coming at me from way too many directions. On the professional front, this was a good writing day and I hope some of you are cheering me on. I'm totally involved in this new book and thank goodness. I just have to be brutal about getting time to write.

Info #5 In one of my other lives, we are poised for the Nevada SCBWI Novel Immersion Retreat at Lake Tahoe September 19-21 and we have opened applications for our Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program for 2009. Both of these should be fabulous programs. If you are a writer or you have writer friends, check them out at http://www.nevadascbwi.org/.

Opinion #5 As for opinions I have only one. It is hard to set priorities when you are committed to interesting or important things that you are doing. I'm trying, but I'm getting really, really tired.

Bulls and Roses

2008-07-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

The smoke cleared out today and we got one of the summer evenings that makes it all worth it. I just spent an hour trimming roses. It was blissful. I feel good. There is nothing like quiet and a cool breeze to lessen my tension. This is the same place where we've battled wild fires, snow drifts, and rising flood waters. Tonight it was heaven. The goats loved it too, since they got all the trimmings in a big pile to munch on.

Intro #4: The Rose Queen - that would be my neighbor who has the most glorious roses around. Mine look spindly and wild next to hers which are lush and tropical. She loves those roses and I'm so glad. We get to enjoy them too. Thanks to good neighbors who keep flowers that we can enjoy from across the fence.

Info #4: The simple life, the roses and breezes are best enjoyed from on foot. I saw this cool website today where you can test the "walkability" of your neighborhood - http://walkscore.com/ Of course I didn't even try ours. We live in the country and need to hike eight miles to get to any store except the trailer dealership and a defunct western wear store. But you may be more citified, so give it a try.

Opinion #4: I'm guessing we will all have to figure out how to walk more, bike more, ride a horse, take a bus. It's late in coming, but it's good for us in so many ways. Imagine the neighbors you'll meet and the stories you'll have. Remind me when I complain about gas prices.

Book #4: Ranch life isn't simple and it isn't always idyllic but it's traditional and close to the land. I have to say that my book, Bull Rider, from Margaret K. McElderry, will be available February 24, 2009 according to the Simon and Schuster website http://www.simonsays.com/ You can go there now, search Bull Rider and preorder it. That would be really cool. If you do, let me know and I'll thank you right here. It's a good book - for kids 10 to 14 - but I try my best to write books adults will be interested in too. Enjoy.

Sonatas and Smoke

2008-07-12T23:31:00.000-07:00

It's all about expectations. I expect Nevada skies to be blue in the summer. Okay, it can be 101. In the shade. But the sky is blue - right? Not now. We have smoke. Days and days of thick smoke followed by mornings of haze followed by peeks at blue sky, a wind change and more smoke. It's like winter here. No one goes out except for necessities. And just when I'm feeling particularly whiny, I think of the hundreds of thousands of trees that are burning across the mountains creating the smoke. The trees are getting the worst of this. I think of Bambi and how sad it was when he lost his mother. In the summer I expect blue skies, not thoughts of Bambi.

Good stories tie your emotions inextricably to your experiences. Like good music. I can't hear Beethoven's Appassionata without wanting to cry. It's just too beautiful. Get me thinking about that sonata and I prepare to melt. Smoke, sonatas, the feelings that well up unexpectedly, they make me know I'm alive. I don't expect these same feelings from politics.

Intro #3 Clinton Supporter: I went to a meeting for Obama tonight and a woman I've not met before was trying to explain her sadness at Hillary Clinton losing the Democratic Primary. She spoke of her three daughters, her hope and excitement, her devastation that Clinton lost. Obama, she said, did not excite her. No sonatas, no goose bumps. She'll vote for him, but can't smile about it yet. She expects a candidate to move her.

Info #3 Science Daily for July 3, 2008 reports that two California researchers, Fowler and Dawes, have identified genes that affect expectations of voting behavior. People with certain types of the two genes are more likely to be sociable, to trust the system, and to vote. They are also more likely to donate to campaigns, attend rallies, and go to church. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701083517.htm

Opinion #3 I guess I'm one of those optimists. I believe in things. I believe my actions matter. I generally like people. Listening to Obama gives me goosebumps.

Books #3 I can't think of any children's books that are specifally about politics although there are many that reflect the politics of the times they address. How about making a list of books you read, say before age twenty, that changed or definitely shifted your view of the world? Any current ones you think must change kids' point of view after they've read them? My number one book on this list is Tistou of the Green Thumbs by Maurice Druon - a book translated from the French that I received as a gift when I was about ten. The story is lovely. A boy uses his gift for growing flowers for social good. This is my hope. To use my gifts for good. See, I'm a melty optomist. If you can find a copy of Tistou, read it. I'll start this new list now, so add your nominations!

Dancing and Disneyland

2008-07-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to Disneyland with a writer friend. I hadn't planned to do it. I'd planned to save my money and stay professionally focused at the American Library Association Conference in Anaheim. But Disneyland was just across the street and my cousin and my daughter and her baby met me. The baby and I danced around a fountain. Later, he chased birds. They went home at a sane hour and friend, Fran, and I looked at each other and said, "Let's go." We went to Disneyland at six at night and rode rollercoasters, watched fireworks, ate ice cream, and found some clones of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. The weather was perfect and we had the best time. Now this is entirely out of character for me (ok no one out there say cheap - I heard you - or self-sacrificing, not me) but I did it. I smiled at the man in the ticket booth and happily accepted his assessment that I was a senior. Silver hair is good for something. I let myself loose to play. Fred made me do it. He went and died and I remembered that life is short and you might as well play, and jump for joy while you can.

Intro #2 The Puppeteer: I can't go to Disneyland without thinking of my other daughter who loves puppets and politics equally. When she was little she was so scared of those big puppets in Pirates of the Caribbean that she tried to jump out of the boat. Since she moved to Wisconsin she is scared of thunderstorms.

Info #2 Thunderstorms: In the Midwest they really do look like black walls of clouds. My daughter, the puppeteer, says the ones that create tornados look green. I didn't see any green storms when we drove across Michigan this month, but we did meet a lot of hail. I also read once that you can set your TV to channel 13 and a tornado will make static on that channel. I'd check with better sources before depending on either of these as cues to take cover.

Opinion #2: I generally prefer puppets to politicians.

Books #2: I say let's stick with dogs for the moment. I have a couple more suggestions to add to the list from the comments. Anyone read a new dog book, as in this year's pub date? And what about that Dorothy in Wizard of Oz? Was she your favorite? I preferred Toto. I can't pick a favorite from the three sidekicks and the flying monkeys scared me. Did you have nightmares about tornados after reading that book?

Off and Running

2008-07-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well, hopefully not running off. First post, first introductions. I am a storyteller, a collector of stories and oral histories, a novelist. I love long pauses before a punch line and white spaces on the page, but get me comfortable and you may get too much information. And opinions. Mine, which of course are well founded, intelligent, and insightful. That's what you'll find on this blog. Stories, opinions, random information and snippets, and news of books. I love books and am on a mission to read more and write more. I think I will accomplish this by playing less computer solitaire. Check back and I'll tell you how that's going. That plan may end up being something like my idea of losing weight by cutting back on chocolate. Now really, who ever thought of that?

INTRO # 1: Fred. Fred was a spectacular two year old golden who chewed up my sweatshirt and licked my face when I cried. He chased our dog, Ralph, just enough to give the old boy his exercise and barked just enough to make you laugh at the display because, after all, he was a golden.

INFO #1: Fred died suddenly about a month ago and this is the info. He died from eating blue green algae. Yes, it's the same stuff that you can take in capsules for your health and it lives in lots of ponds and lakes and is generally benign. But, turns out that at some points in its bloom cycle, blue green algae produces a neurotoxin that is about 99.9 percent deadly to dogs. We had never heard of this. When Fred's back legs collapsed we took him to the emergency vet (of course it was midnight) and he sent us home to look for possible poisons that Fred may have eaten. I was thrilled to discover he'd just gotten into a bucket of algae we'd skimmed from our pond and hadn't yet dumped. "It's just algae," I said happily over the phone. The vet said that was probably good but there was one bad kind, "But we've never seen a case in our town." Well, Fred got into that bad kind and he was dead within three hours. No pain, apparently, but he stopped breathing. That beautiful yellow dog looked the same one minute as the next, but he was gone. It was the saddest thing.

OPINION #1: What you don't know can hurt you - or kill your dog. I think everyone should know about blue green algae and then tell their friends. I think everyone should know about a lot of things that can hurt you. What about those drug adds that say, "Side effects may include greasy runny stools," appealing, yes? Or maybe, "In rare instances serious side effects may occur including shortness of breath, stroke, or death." Death? That's a side effect? Who decided that and how much are you willing to gamble that that's not YOUR side effect? More in the next post, intro, and opinion. Enough today or we'll get into that realm of TMO.

BOOKS#1: OK, we started out with the idea of reading and writing more, and since this is a blog and you all may be writers - at least on line - let's launch a chat about reading. This week it's dog books, in honor of Fred. Here are a few I've read: Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, Sounder by William H. Armstrong, Where the Red Fern Grows by Tara McCarthy, Old Yeller by Fred Gipson - now revealing my age. A big difference between Winn Dixie and the others is that in the last three the dog dies, and in the first one it's the mother who's gone. Dead dogs are very, very sad. I'd recommend Winn-Dixie. It's not as heartbreaking as the others. It's a little light - a fun, character read. The others I loved too. Interesting they all take place in the south. Is there something that makes southerners more attached to their dogs? Or do southern dogs just make good stories? Next post - more about dogs - dead and alive.