My message to celebrate World Read Aloud Day!
   Grace Lin Celebrates #WRAD16 from LB School on Vimeo.

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But researching and reading  is a LOT easier than writing an exciting story, and I don't want to let the research become an excuse for not writing......so I'm limiting myself to looking at these (and other fascinating objects from the time, like candidates for the miniature the heroine wears) in the evening, outlining in the morning.

Or at least that is the plan. And I won't start actually writing until both are done -- that is, when the story has reached a satisfying conclusion and the world is solid and clear.

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I was trying to explain to Libby what the deal was with the "other Meghans." I figure posting this will explain the whole thing!

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Here are a few of my favorite paintings from the second chapter of Sprout Street Neighbors (some chapter one paintings here), featuring a rambunctious squirrel named Emma:

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Yes, that is Drew Barrymore -- the picture was taken on the steps of my building in Boston, while they were filming Feverpitch.  The pink hat is mine, but I (wisely, I think) cropped myself out of the picture.
Ordinary people rarely come off well when photographed with celebrities -- especially when the celebrities are young, beautiful movie stars!

She didn't just happen to be holding my book -- I asked her if she would, which now seems a bit obnoxious. She was really gracious about it, though. I've liked her ever since I saw her in E.T. and I liked her even more after she was generous enough to let the picture be taken.

Even though it seemed like a great marketing idea at the time, all I ever did with the photograph was post it at the bottom of a page on my old Web site. I doubt that anyone ever even saw it (this was before the days of blogging), and I'm almost positive that it didn't sell a single copy! Still, it's nice to have.

And that's the thing about marketing -- you never know in advance what's going to work and what isn't. You have to just try lots of different things, and hope some of them work..... I think it's a little like Internet dating: if you do something fun on the date, it's not time wasted even if it doesn't lead to anything. And you have to date lots of people to find someone you like and do lots of marketing things to find any that work   -- though with marketing, you'll probably never know which things worked and which didn't.

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Here are a few of my favorites from the first chapter of Sprout Street Neighbors, the chapter book I've been working on. It's been a lot of fun painting without color, it sort of frees me up to think more about the values, textures, and patterns in a painting. I like spending time in this cozy black and white world.

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Stephen King says that novels (or any work of art) are never finished, only abandoned -- but I think sometimes you DO feel done. People have asked me how you know when you are, and I've answered that question differently than I'm about to now  -- even here on this blog when no one was asking! Maybe the answer is different for each book.

The novel I sent to my agent last week (for the fourth time!) feels really and truly done because I've stopped thinking about it. Oh, I still wonder each time I check my email if I'll have heard back from her --but I would be surprised if she asked me to do anything else. And all the space in my head that was taken up imagining scenes or revising them has been wiped clean.

Sometimes after finishing something it feels like a loss, but now I'm glad to be able to concentrate on wherever I am and whatever I'm doing  -- like this:

(There are daffodills all over my garden in Scotland--some I planted last fall, these some girls planted for me: and then came back to put stones around them so they wouldn't get stepped on or blown over by the wind).

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I'm working on a "how to" and this is the sped up version...

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•  always be exhausted, so you sleep wherever you are -- this was what a work-aholic boss always did
• drink a lot -- "Works for me!" a builder/pirate-fighter (really) on the island said cheerfully
• follow the anti jet lag developed by the US Air Force.

5. First day at the destination:

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Recently, I read this disturbing post and it made me worry about my privacy online. As authors, we are told  to "be real," to "share" and to "connect" with readers as well as others. And, honestly (when I  have the time) I rather enjoy doing those things. I love sharing real photos of my life, my baby, my studio. I love connecting to readers and hearing how they've read my book. The purpose of being an author/illustrator is that you want your ideas, your images, and (not to be cheesy, but truly) your heart to be shared. Otherwise, why bother to publish--just keep everything in a box under the bed!

But, I get scared. That same baby I love to share photos of--am I risking her safety? Am I risking my own safety, my family's safety by revealing--by "sharing" so much of our lives? I don't want to be afraid, but I don't want to be dumb, either.

Thoughts?

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I've been off the radar because I have to move... to where I don't know. All of my books are now in boxes--over 35 and counting! Yeah, I have a lot of books. This whole process is just really draining for me. The day I'm supposed to be out of my apartment I have a school visit so I've been working on trying to add some material to it today. I have tons of school visits coming up in the next two months. Something I struggle with is how to explain how a book is created. I found a good video FOR ADUTLS. What I'd like to do is create one for kids. But oh, how to find the time... Read the rest of this post

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When I first started out in this business, I thought that if an editor told you to change something you had to do what she said.

Now, I think that when an editor makes a comment, you have to do SOMETHING -- you can't just leave it as you had it -- but even good editors aren't always right about WHAT. That's why they're editors, not writers.

So when an editor comments on something, I take it as a sign that it's not working, but (unless I love the editor's suggestion), I figure out how to fix it myself.

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The book was published more than a hundred and fifty years ago! Yet when I typed her first name into Google, she was number 1 on the list. (Will spare you the labyrinthian thought process that led to this act.)

So I put in other names.

Here are some random results....

SLOT ON LIST (after typing in first name followed by space)

Eustacia (Vye) # 2

Tess (of the d'urbervilles)  #1

Harry  (Potter) #3

Harriet (the Spy) #6

Elizabeth (Bennet) -- not even on it! This must have to do with how common the name Elizabeth is?

Scarlett (O'Hara) #8

Rhett (Butler) #3
(This was partly to test how having an unusual name can bump the character up)

Lisbeth (Salander) #2

This is NOT why I was doing it -- but the next time I'm tempted to wonder what the point of writing is, I hope I'll remember how important these people are. And that characters who never come so high up on the list may be just as important to a smaller number of readers.

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As I mentioned in an earlier post, while packing, moving, and unpacking, I've unearthed some forgotten things. Another thing I found was my cover letter when I applied for the editorial assistant position at Little, Brown, and also the thank you letter I sent after my interview. Here's a draft of my thank-you letter:

As the CBC Diversity Committee has been such a significant part of my life the past few years, I especially appreciated my comment about Megan's commitment to publishing diverse books. That still holds true. By the way, the two spaces between sentences drives me crazy now.

Also, note the "Time Warner Trade Publishing"--back then, Little, Brown was part of Time Warner, and the children's division was still based in Boston. Soon thereafter, it became part of "AOL Time Warner"--I also found this:
Now, of course, we are Hachette Book Group, and the children's division is based in New York. The company has been through at least four name changes in the 14+ years I've been here.

And finally, I found this fun note. Grace (Pacy) Lin and I were roommates back then, and she left me this fun little note before leaving for vacation:

Ah, memories.

***

I did a quick wrap-up of my vacation on my personal blog. I'm really looking forward to putting 2013 behind me, and am looking forward to and hoping for a better, less tumultuous 2014.

As always, I love making new year's resolutions. Here are a few of mine for 2014:

- No internet shopping unless it's a gift, a necessity, or for work. (I successfully kept this resolution from last year, and will try to keep it for at least one more year)

-write in my journal and/or blog at least twice a month

-go on a vacation to Europe with Greg

-achieve a maximum of work inbox 100 at the end of each week

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I take New Years Resolutions very seriously:  think about them and talk about them and write them down --and, I admit, sometimes forget about them completely after all that.

But not always.

And one I'm thinking of making this year is not to do ANYTHING online until after I've done my morning writing.

In Scotland, I usually started the day by making a fire and heating water (I had an electric kettle, but if wanted hot water, I had to heat it myself so the day ALWAYS started with that even if it wasn't cold enough for a fire). And then I would just sort of naturally have tea and write or do yoga or something.

Here, I often start the day by checking email.....and I got so much more written when I didn't go online until later in the day!

For me, this is a better way to regulate it than by time -- but if I do it by time, HOW MUCH TIME is it reasonable or productive to spend emailing and looking at FB and shopping every day??

On a bad morning, the whole morning can vanish online! This is not good!

How much time do you spend online? How much time do you think is reasonable? How do you control it?

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At the hotel in Taiwan, a violinist serenaded us during breakfast. It was Rain Dragon's first experience with a violin and she was fascinated--so much so that she watches this video over and over again. Because of this, the Sasquatch and I find ourselves humming and singing this tune all the time and it is driving us a bit mad that we don't know what song it is.  Do you know it?  If you do, please tell us as then we could start the new year without losing our minds!

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In NY now the Salvation Army people are all young and they don't just ring bells -- they DANCE. I was lucky enough to see two guys dancing to that old carol, "YMCA."

 They were joined by a large group of young teenagers -- the sight of them all line-dancing on 5th Avenue was quite something! -- and then by a middle-aged matron


Merry Christmas, wherever you are!

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Ugh. I haven't been posting because I have a bookdeadline and I have so much art to do! Help!

Anyway, my pal Marc Tyler Nobleman came up with an idea: to have writers read one of their bad Amazon customer reviews and he'd put them all together. Obviously we're not to be negative about them or anything like that. After I did mine I found out that we were supposed to make the videos only 10-15 sec long. I guess Marc had gotten so many responses that he had to limit the video responses. So... this is my long video response. If he uses mine it'll be one fraction of this:

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