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Yesterday I taught a teen writing workshop at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, AZ. As I told the teens…

Welcome to my first ever vlog! And it just so happens to fall on the weekend of another She Writes blog hop. Welcome She Writes hoppers! Please feel free to look around.

Now, before you go ahead and press play, let me remind you this is my first vlog and I was extremely nervous but I thought it would be a good way to share some of my book with you. Also, I recorded it during my daughter's nap so I was sitting on the floor in the hallway, trying not to wake her up. Crazy, I know. But I hope you enjoy it.

Have you every vlogged? Would you?

*I'll be at the Monroe County Public Library Saturday from 10am-4pm signing copies of May the Best Dog Win. If you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.

I'm so excited to announce that I'm having a book signing in September! I'll be with bestie at the Mayo Clinic and we wanted to add something to look forward to.

So, if you're near Rochester, Minnesota, I'll be signing at the Barnes & Noble at the Apache Mall. (Not the downtown location.)

Here's the exact address/store info:

Barnes & Noble
Apache Mall
1201 12th Street SW Suite 425
Rochester, MN 55902
507-281-7950

Sunday, September 18, 2011
2pm

I would love to meet more members of Team Canterwood! :)

Anyone live nearby?

NOTE:  The following book contains some sexual topics, and is more appropriate for mature readers. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.  Incredibly Alice.  New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division), 2011. It’s Alice McKinley’s final semester of high school, and she’s afraid she hasn’t done anything truly exciting or [...]

I hadn't lived in LA for very long, only 5 months. And there I was being wheeled out of Cedars-Sinai Hospital just on the outskirts of Beverly Hills, getting the red-carpet, celebrity leaving-the-hospital treatment. Leaving with the coolest thing, evah! The cute little warm, amazing little gal I'd only just met twenty-five years ago. The ride back home to Echo Park was a sunny one. We made the requisite top at Tommy Burgers at Beverly and Rampart, what my hubby had lived on while I was at Cedars. We parked the car at the street. A huge delivery truck was parked outside our house at the bottom of the stairs too. There were two responses we got when we received deliveries at our house. One, they always called before coming up the one hundred stairs to our front door. And, two, laughter, OK lots of time it was just awe. I was thrilled. Joe brought a chair down from the house for me. My mom took Candy up the steps while I waited for the delivery men to finish delivering the baby furniture. It was one of those in-between moments. One of those beautiful sunny, watching-shadows-dance-on-the-asphalt moments. Watching-the-cars-go-by moments. I was a mother. I had a daughter. I'd stroll the streets of Echo Park with my sweet little girl. And, I'd need to climb 100 stairs, soon.

Luckily they were terraced every ten steps. Joe and I took them ten at a time, each time he'd move the chair up ten stairs higher. I had strict orders not to over-do as the C-section stitches were only removed the day before. But what did I know about overdoing as a young mom. It took two hours to reach the top. And you might think they were the most miserable hours. But, they really weren't. They were amazing. Joe hit the hammock for a two hour nap when we got to the top. Mom asked me what I'd like. I said a Moosehead. I really shouldn't have, but after that climb no one argued with me. Candy slept. Mom and I sat on the deck, seemingly miles away from the center of LA. Enjoying the Cypress blowing in the breeze.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart.

Both of my girls have been such a big part of Winnemucca, which was born just last Friday. As it turns out, I have all my babies in the summer. I'll update next week.

When I first started researching the early 1800's for my American historical, I took plenty of notes. I was very careful to site the title, copyright dates, volume, author, and what library I was researching from. I even kept track of the page numbers I found important information. I wanted to make sure when I posted my Bibliography at the end of my novel, I would have all the accurate documentation. Well, I succeeded in accomplishing that, but it didn't take long for me to realize I needed another system to keep track of the information I acquired. You may need an organizing system as well.

After shuffling through notebooks, copied pages from books, and numerous notations in my own handwriting, I knew it would be quicker in the long run to index what I had already found. My system started out much like an inverted pyramid. I used topic titles such as: Indian Tribes, Routes, Military, Rivers, Towns: Indian/White, Maps, Laws Passed, etc. This was done well before excel was a household word.

Within any topic title I kept several folders, for instance the Indian Tribes I researched were many and varied from culture to culture. My story included real people in our history so details became very important. The Pawnee Indian Tribe was very different from the Shawnee, yet they knew of each other and cross referencing became even more important. Color coding worked well in keeping my notes accurate and easy to verify if I had a question that needed answering. I didn't want to state something as simple as the Pawnee were friends with the Potawatomi if they were in fact sworn enemies or had no contact with them during that era.

Timelines, as we've mentioned this week, are very important. When doing a historical about a real person (and well known) it's never good to have him in one part of the country in a your story when history has him in another place. I documented where my character was over a three year period and although I sometimes forgot and the writing took over, it was easy to search through my notes and sigh with relief when he was where I needed him to be.

Research may be tedious, yet once organized it will save hours of time for any writer. My system may not work well for you, but what ever system you develop, it will prove its worth as you write your story.

I always thought I would write more about Indians of the midwest since I acquired so much information, but I never have. Yet, I'm not willing to throw my notes away. Maybe someday I will revisit those archives.

What works well for you in note keeping or researching a special topic for your book? Tell us your secrets on keeping organized.

Til next time ~

DL Larson

I am pursuing an obscure hobby at a conference this week. In my absence, please enjoy this old skool Toon Thursday froooom the paaaaassst. I promise I'll have a new one next time.Disclaimer: No offense to prodigies! Good for you! And pardon me while... Read the rest of this post

What am I reading now? Oak Island — A Tale of Two Treasures by Mary Donovan
 

The children’s literature blogosphere is expanding on a daily basis. As a result, every once in a while I stumble upon a site that’s a true gem. Elizabeth Bird, of a A Fuse #8 Production, gushed about Uncovered Cover Art in her latest edition of Fusenews.

The creator of the site, editor Heidi Kellenberger, describes the it as “a sketchbook of reimagined children’s books.” Uncovered Cover Art combines two of the things that I absolutely love: art and children’s literature. The creativity and imagination these talented artists possess is truly spectacular. Kellenberger says of the site,

Uncovered Cover Art is a celebration of creativity, children’s literature, and art.

This is for you.

This is for artists who want to show off their passion for illustrating
children’s books.

This is for art directors looking for artists, wondering if the editorial work in
Hot New Thing’s portfolio will transfer to children’s book illustration.

This is for agents on the lookout for new talent.

This is for children’s book lovers who stay up late imagining the faces of Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, and Little Red Riding Hood.

But, wait, the fun doesn’t stop there. Kellenberger is giving her audience the opportunity to participate in the launch of Uncovered Cover Art by casting their vote. “The three most popular artists will receive a copy of Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children’s Book Illustration.” Voting is currently underway and ends on Tuesday, August 30, 2011.”

A couple of my favourite pieces are Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Billy Nuñez and Matilda by Chrystal Chan. What are some of yours?