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On said road trip, we did what every couple [over 20] does. Talk about who's playing on the radio. And, of course, we disagreed. A U2 song came on. I knew the title. Joe said I was wrong. I'm like, take out that iPhone and Shazam it. Our daughter had loaded the app on his phone but he hadn't ever used it. I don't have the app and love it. [reason being, I can't use my cell because we live in the redwoods--no reception] He held his iPhone to the speaker and SHAZAAM! Title and artist, a button you can push to buy the song. And, more importantly to my immature self, I was right:) Now, Shazam is nothing new. But, it was new to me last fall and it was new to Joe on the drive and seeing Joe bask in the newness of it made me bubble up inside with just-so-coolness. Here's the songs we fought over discovered together. Which leads to today's question...

There is so much to share about our Spring Break Vacation, so let me just jump on in and explain what the past few days have been like for our family!

Monday evening: first, imagine me slinging five overstuffed suitcases in the back of our suburban while crossing my fingers that the grocery bags at the bottom of the pile have not been crushed completely (Yep, I am the last person in the world you ever want packing your vehicle for a road trip!). From the sound of two Pringles cans popping, I quickly realize the snack bags have flattened like buttermilk pancakes on a warm-iron-griddle. I cringe, but unfortunately there is no time for a sit down and cry.

The kids are strapped tightly in their seatbelts, so I dash inside our home for a last minute view of my inbox before heading north for a weeklong trip with Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, and Happy.

Argh! My Yahoo mailbox is empty, but I convince myself that every agent I've submitted to is up to her eyeballs with Monday morning query letters.

Meanwhile, Trae (a.k.a. the hardworking and underappreciated husband) is on the other end of the phone, half-way listening to my rants and rages about being the biggest pushover mom in the state of Alabama. He silently agrees, then wishes me well on my two-hour journey.

Before I pull the rear hatch on our vehicle, the 18" T.V. I've packed (a necessity when going off with our motley crew) tumbles from the mound of suitcases and hits the garage floor like a ton of bricks. Thank God I'm a pro at biting my tongue, because the words that came to mind were definitely not appropriate for the little ears in the backseat!

After a quick count to ten, I lean my head on the driver-side door and glance inside to see Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, and Happy with their eyes glued to the 8" x 8" television screen in our vehicle.

My kiddos were completely oblivious to what I was enduring for their happiness (I think God gives us these moments to make us appreciate our own mothers even more) so I climb in the vehicle, strap myself in and allow my thoughts to drift to something pleasant: the book and a new WIP (Work In Progress) that's been brewing inside my head for the past few weeks.

And in that moment, all my troubles disappeared.

For the most part, the drive to Hill's Ranch was relaxing, and with the help of our energetic and enthusiastic Sumter County relatives, the next few days were nothing but sheer delight for our family. Trae and I were even lucky enough to attend a dinner date with one of our favorite Livingston couples.

Spring Break 2010 was definitely an event our family will talk about for many months to come. Hope you had a great one, too! Tory

Mare's War. Tanita S. Davis. Random House. 352 pages.

It's just a sporty red car parked across our driveway, but when I see it, my stomach plummets. It's my grandmother.

Mare is no ordinary grandma, that's for sure! As her two granddaughters discover one summer when all three embark on a cross country road trip. There are rules to be decided; and compromises to be made. But in the end, it will be a summer the two sisters (Octavia and Tali) will never forget. (It will also be a healing summer for Mare.)

What makes this inter-generational book such a great read is that the narration is broken into 'then' and 'now' segments. As the two girls learn about their grandmother's not-so-tame past, readers learn first hand what America was like in the past. Things that they take for granted--have always taken for granted--were not so easy back in the day. There are a few scenes, for example, that really stand out in showing how far we've come. (The scene on the bus moved me. It was so emotional, but not overly done.)

But this isn't an issue book. Not really. The characters are too human for that for one thing. The two granddaughters have never given much thought to Mare's life, her history, her past, her story. They haven't thought about her as a person, a real person with hopes, dreams, disappointments, regrets, etc. Mare's broken home is haunting. As are her stories of joining the Women's Army Corps during World War II. And as these two teens learn to listen, really, truly listen, something significant, something personal happens. In some ways, this is a quiet book about families coming together--listening, loving, understanding, bonding. But it isn't a slow novel. Mare's story is compelling. I think the framework works well, helps keep history in context.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

If you're reading this on a site (other than Becky's Book Reviews or Becky's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Kismet: [1840–50]
Fate or Destiny
Persian, Arabic.

Pitchcraft [2009]
The art of your pitch

Kismet would sum up my weekend. Joe and I celebrated 24 years together last Sunday. We decided to get the party started in San Francisco where Joe was on business. I happened to look up what writing events were going on and signed up for The Donald Maass Breakout Novel Workshop offered as a Pre-Conference event at the sold-out San Francisco Writer's Conference. Everything was perfect.

But then, Snowmagedoon hit and postponed all flights out of New York and the workshop until Monday.

Went to a couple other workshops on Thursday. Loved them. Pitchcraft was taught by Katharine Sands an agent at The Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. One of her unique ways of seeing a writer's career was as an arc: get ready, get read, get readers. She maintains that a pitch is a sparkle of a book and is more about what you'd tell a friend about the latest greatest movie you saw than about distilling the nuts & bolts of an entire novel in 100 words. The morning session was taught by Julie Salisbury and focused on the readers of our book. Fabulous. Taught me to think about my title in new ways and gave me the tools I need to write a more compelling [let's HOPE so] synopsis. A big thank you to the snow gods for seeing to it that I got exactly the information I need to help me when I'm ready to seek representation this Spring/Summer.

I hit the road back up to San Francisco on Monday for the Breakout Novel Workshop and got so many new insights into my story. Glad I made the extra trip, even though that alarm at 4AM was, um, harsh. Wonderful to go in depth and see what might be more unexpected for my story and look to add a few more layers. I highly recommend this workshop if you can ever go. The day was one of the best I've spent learning how to deepen my story and I left with concrete scenes that I can use and expand upon.

I just checked out this video and loved it, thought you might too:

JK at Harvard: The Fringe Benefits of Failure

San Francisco places you CAN'T miss:

The Tadich Grill
The oldest restaurant in San Francisco

Caffe Trieste
The North Beach location is where Francis Ford Coppola wrote THE GODFATHER

The Top of The Mark

A BIG shout out to my BRO for his 50th! Can't wait 'til we all celebrate together:)

We had our first rain storm in the new house last night. Haven't had rain since we lived in the wine barrel and the last storm was prolly in February. It wasn't really a storm, but a slow steady rain that lasted most of the night. There are little puddles on the deck this morning reflecting the deep blue Pacific. When the rain started falling last night Oso perked up his ears and bobbed his head up and down trying to detect the source of the strange sound. Joe's like, "Is that rain?" I turned down the Bears/Packers game. Yes.

Rain in this house sounds so much different than the rain in our old home. In LA, our steel gutters made raindrops sound kind of harsh and steely. Here, they fall on wood and the sound is softer. Turns out the house is water tight after all. With all the skylights we open to keep this place cool, we wondered. So, after battening down the hatches, all was well. Not one leak. Of course it was a soft rain. We'll see how we do if El Niño actually shows up this year. Rain in September? A sure sign he's knocking on our door.

Another thing that made me smile was Candy's call yesterday. Every week the kids call. I made a request before they both flew the coop this year: every week I want one good story. They are wonderful. And, I try to reciprocate. A sort of quid pro quo. This week, her story was so much better than mine, usually is. It made me smile.

Caletti, Deb. 2009. The Secret Life of Prince Charming. Simon & Schuster. 322 pages.

When it came to love, my mother's big advice was that there were WARNING SIGNS.

I haven't always appreciated each and every Deb Caletti novel. Some I've loved, some I've only liked, and one I've disliked quite a bit. But what Caletti does--and quite well--is write beautifully and authentically. She has a way with words, a way with phrasing things just right so that the reader can relate. She's good at capturing the little things, the small details, that make up ordinary life. The Secret Life of Prince Charming is the story of a girl. It's not an ordinary, traditional romance. If anything it is more of an un-romance. Here we have all the gritty little details of the unhappily ever afters.

Quinn, our heroine, has heard all these stories about men all her life. How they can disappoint you, hurt you, break you, scar you, anger and frustrate you as well. Her mother. Her grandmother. Her aunt. Just to name a very few. Quinn has taken these words of warning seriously. Opting to go for the obviously-safe choices when it comes to love than the more dangerous (albeit more temptingly fun and passionate) choices. But even being safe when it comes to her love life--the ever-boring Daniel--doesn't keep her safe. Boring doesn't mean safe; nice doesn't always mean good. Does Daniel breaking up with her hurt her? Yes and no. Her pride more than anything, since her relationship lacked spark and life. He was there, but that was about it.

But the more significant relationship--though a bit off screen--is the relationship between Quinn and her father. Though her parents have been divorced a long time, though her mother never loses an opportunity to complain about her ex, Quinn feels the need to have him in her life. She wants to have a good relationship with him, even if it means allowing for his mistakes and ignoring the stupid things her father does.

But some things can't be ignored. When she discovers that her father has 'stolen' sentimental (and sometimes quite valuable) items from many (if not all) of his former lovers, then Quinn along with her two sisters (one older, one younger) set out on a quest, a road trip, to return all these items to their rightful owners. Along the way, she'll speak with each ex and learn more about her father; she's trying to piece together why her father is the way he is. Trying to make sense of who he is from what he has done.

If you're looking for a young adult book that is strictly romance, then this one may disappoint. If however you're looking for a complex story showcasing humanity--for better or worse--then this one should satisfy. It's about dynamic family relationships--Quinn's relationship with her mother, her father, her younger sister, Sprout, her older half-sister, Frances. It's a coming-of-age story as well.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

If you're reading this on a site (other than Becky's Book Reviews or Becky's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Going Bovine by Libba Bray. Random House. September 2009. Reviewed from ARC supplied by publisher.

The Plot: Sixteen year old Cameron Smith is just another slacker at his Texas high school. Until he gets diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (aka mad cow disease), starts seeing angels, and ends up on a road trip to DisneyWorld with a dwarf, a yard gnome, and an angel.

The Good: This is so different from Libba Bray's other books -- I love when an author can do multiple things well. I don't see anything in Cameron's voice that reminds me of Gemma Doyle; the world in Going Bovine so different -- it's a joy to discover just how multi-talented Bray is, because all you can think is "Holy Hannah, what is she going to do next?"

There's some things I think I don't like in books. Then, what happens, is a book comes along that has the things I don't like and I realize it's not that I don't like something -- I don't like it when it isn't done well. Why, I wondered, do I want to go on a road trip with Cameron? And a dwarf? And yard gnome? This is just getting ridiculous. I don't do ridiculous.

But then, I remember, I do. I love The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Thursday Next delights me. Like Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde, Bray throws out casual one-liners that are just fantastic; the book is so full of wry observances and over-the-top humor that I'm sure I missed half of what was there. This book demands a reread.

And a reread is needed not just for the humor; but also for the layered storytelling. Flat out the back of the book says, "Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit." If I told you the movies this reminded me of, I'd be giving spoilers. Which is why suddenly, instead of writing a long review, I'm coming up short. Because the joy of all 480 pages is not just Cameron's discoveries, but the reader's discoveries. And I'm not going to take that away from you.

Bray addresses serious questions -- about life, and belief, and what it means to live. Why does Cameron need the threat of death to wake him from his life? Do we live to our fullest? Much like Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and Dogma, something that may be viewed as blasphemous actually asks the most serious of questions.

Hey, did I mention there are also Norse gods? Physics? Inuit Rock Stars? Music? New Orleans? All-U-Can-Eat Freedom Pancake Towers? Bowling? Smoothies?

Not only is this going on my favorite books list for this year; but I predict this being on starred/best of year lists. Also, this needs to be crossmarketed to adults, who will eat it up.

Links:
Teaser
My Twitter Review

Jen Hubert's Reading Rants review (which is brilliant)

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

Taking a break from one road trip to talk about another...Yesterday, I saw Candice and Alex off on their road trip.

I had a chance to ask them a few questions before they left. The trip came about because of a swim Candy took in a stream at Partington Cove. That, and a conversation with some travelers we had befriended. It's exciting when places and people have that much of an effect on our lives. Here's a few fun facts. They have saved $6000 for six months of travel through the U.S. That's the same amount they would have spent on four months of rent [only rent, not including food] in San Francisco, where they were living. Their route consists of 25 "Oh, I wanna go there" dots on a map. The two books that they have chosen to take with them on their journey is: "Let's Go Roadtripping USA on a Budget" and "1000 Places To See Before You Die USA & Canada." I asked them if there were any surprises as they prepared for the trip [moving, storing stuff, packing, re-packing, making sure everything would fit in their car, etc.] and they both said that they were surprised that all the preparations had gone so smoothly. Happy travels Candy and Alex!



May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Jerome, Jerome K. 1900. Three Men On the Bummel. 168 pages.

J, George, and Harris are back. The stars of Three Men In A Boat return for a second adventure. This time round they're not boating. No, these three good friends are biking--biking round Germany. This travel-book (that is anything but a 'travel' book) is much too fun to be missed.

Two of the three gentlemen are married. And at first, there is some concern over how to convince their wives that this trip is a good idea. Why these men should leave their wives (and children) behind to go away together. But to their surprise--almost dismay--the wives seem a bit eager for their husbands to go. So the preparations begin. And that's where the fun starts.

There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made out of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard. (199)

He handed me a small book bound in red cloth. It was a guide to English conversation for the use of German travellers. It commenced “On a Steam-boat,” and terminated “At the Doctor’s”; its longest chapter being devoted to conversation in a railway carriage, among, apparently, a compartment load of quarrelsome and ill-mannered lunatics: “Can you not get further away from me, sir?”—“It is impossible, madam; my neighbour, here, is very stout”—“Shall we not endeavour to arrange our legs?”—“Please have the goodness to keep your elbows down”—“Pray do not inconvenience yourself, madam, if my shoulder is of any accommodation to you,” whether intended to be said sarcastically or not, there was nothing to indicate—“I really must request you to move a little, madam, I can hardly breathe,” the author’s idea being, presumably, that by this time the whole party was mixed up together on the floor. The chapter concluded with the phrase, “Here we are at our destination, God be thanked! (Gott sei dank!)” a pious exclamation, which under the circumstances must have taken the form of a chorus.

At the end of the book was an appendix, giving the German traveller hints concerning the preservation of his health and comfort during his sojourn in English towns, chief among such hints being advice to him to always travel with a supply of disinfectant powder, to always lock his bedroom door at night, and to always carefully count his small change.

“It is not a brilliant publication,” I remarked, handing the book back to George; “it is not a book that personally I would recommend to any German about to visit England; I think it would get him disliked. But I have read books published in London for the use of English travellers abroad every whit as foolish. Some educated idiot, misunderstanding seven languages, would appear to go about writing these books for the misinformation and false guidance of modern Europe.”

“You cannot deny,” said George, “that these books are in large request. They are bought by the thousand, I know. In every town in Europe there must be people going about talking this sort of thing.”

“Maybe,” I replied; “but fortunately nobody understands them. I have noticed, myself, men standing on railway platforms and at street corners reading aloud from such books. Nobody knows what language they are speaking; nobody has the slightest knowledge of what they are saying. This is, perhaps, as well; were they understood they would probably be assaulted.”

George said: “Maybe you are right; my idea is to see what would happen if they were understood. My proposal is to get to London early on Wednesday morning, and spend an hour or two going about and shopping with the aid of this book. There are one or two little things I want—a hat and a pair of bedroom slippers, among other articles. Our boat does not leave Tilbury till twelve, and that just gives us time. I want to try this sort of talk where I can properly judge of its effect. I want to see how the foreigner feels when he is talked to in this way.”

It struck me as a sporting idea. In my enthusiasm I offered to accompany him, and wait outside the shop. I said I thought that Harris would like to be in it, too—or rather outside.

George said that was not quite his scheme. His proposal was that Harris and I should accompany him into the shop. With Harris, who looks formidable, to support him, and myself at the door to call the police if necessary, he said he was willing to adventure the thing.

We walked round to Harris’s, and put the proposal before him. He examined the book, especially the chapters dealing with the purchase of shoes and hats. He said:

“If George talks to any bootmaker or any hatter the things that are put down here, it is not support he will want; it is carrying to the hospital that he will need.”

That made George angry.

“You talk,” said George, “as though I were a foolhardy boy without any sense. I shall select from the more polite and less irritating speeches; the grosser insults I shall avoid.”

This being clearly understood, Harris gave in his adhesion; and our start was fixed for early Wednesday morning. (207-209)

For they have a way of teaching languages in Germany that is not our way, and the consequence is that when the German youth or maiden leaves the gymnasium or high school at fifteen, “it” (as in Germany one conveniently may say) can understand and speak the tongue it has been learning. In England we have a method that for obtaining the least possible result at the greatest possible expenditure of time and money is perhaps unequalled. An English boy who has been through a good middle-class school in England can talk to a Frenchman, slowly and with difficulty, about female gardeners and aunts; conversation which, to a man possessed perhaps of neither, is liable to pall. Possibly, if he be a bright exception, he may be able to tell the time, or make a few guarded observations concerning the weather. No doubt he could repeat a goodly number of irregular verbs by heart; only, as a matter of fact, few foreigners care to listen to their own irregular verbs, recited by young Englishmen. Likewise he might be able to remember a choice selection of grotesquely involved French idioms, such as no modern Frenchman has ever heard or understands when he does hear.

...

I confine my remarks to French, because that is the only language we attempt to teach our youth. An English boy who could speak German would be looked down upon as unpatriotic. Why we waste time in teaching even French according to this method I have never been able to understand. A perfect unacquaintance with a language is respectable. But putting aside comic journalists and lady novelists, for whom it is a business necessity, this smattering of French which we are so proud to possess only serves to render us ridiculous. (240, 242)

If you're reading this on a site (other than Becky's Book Reviews or Becky's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

There's nothing like a road trip, especially when it's a spur-of-the-moment, in-your-face, meant-to-be chance for a fair day. How many times does something like this come along? So when Chaney Bennett sent along The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, I went along on the ride. Thank you, Chaney and Mary!

I mean, how cool is this idea? Mary sent four ARCs of The Miles Between out on a cross country road trip, the final destination to be her editor's desk. My ARC started out in San Diego, then to Texas, and arrived for me in Massachusetts.

Mary wrote The Adoration of Jenna Fox, a powerful, thought-provoking book I absolutely loved, so I couldn't wait to read The Miles Between.

The Miles Between is a lighter read, the story of Destiny Faraday and three of her classmates, who venture out on a spontaneous road trip, in search of their "one fair day--a day where the good guy wins and everything adds up to something just and right." This story has a touch of magic a la Cinderella, with plenty of poignant secrets to be revealed. You know this means tissues, right?

I thought I'd share a couple photos of The Miles Between at a couple of my favorite spots.

I LOVE statues and there is one awesome statue in my town square, of a girl reading to a boy on a stone bench. Of course in real life, these children would be too young to read Mary's book, but for the sake of a photo opportunity, I thought this looked great.

Next, I decided since the ARC was on a road trip, it was a good time to go the beach. We drove a little over an hour and stopped by our favorite breakfast place, Mary Ellen's Portuguese Bakery, for eggs, bacon, home fries, toast and coffee. Then, on to the Falmouth Road Race Finish Line Stone Garden overlooking the ocean, for this inspiring photo.

The Miles Between ARC is going to have plenty of mileage. It's headed back to California....to...drumroll, please...Becky Levine! I actually found out about the road trip from Becky, and think it's only fair to let her join in on all this fun.

Yay! for road trips! What trips are you planning?

© 2007 - 2009 HipWriterMama - All Rights Reserved. © 2007 - 2009 Vivian Lee Mahoney - All Rights Reserved.

Hitting the road in a few hours. The plan is to drive through the night (Ain't it a beautiful sight?). Great now I've got the Convoy song stuck in my head. Which reminds me, the other day I was in an airport and they paged Kris Kristofferson for maybe an hour. Could there me more than one?

Let's rein this back in. Anyway, driving all night from Tucson. Camping out in Missouri tomorrow night. Pushing through to Ohio the next night to stay with friends. And then it's North Country New York and good old Vermont where we do what we want (as the rhyme goes).

I'll try to post a few audio messages from the road and get you some sketches and pictures through my trip.

Your bud,
Maxwell

Back from our epic road trip! Mx and I drove from NYC to Los Angeles. We had a blast! Here's the route we took on our ten day odyssey:

New York, NY
Raleigh, NC
Ashville, NC
Nashville, TN
Memphis, TN
Natchez, MS
New Orleans, LA
Cut-N-Shoot, TX
San Antonio, TX
Carlsbad, NM
Alamogordo, NM
Pie Town, NM
Flagstaff, AZ [by way to Meteor City]
and home to LA...

Wanted to post from the road, but when I did get a chance to reflect, I was out like a light. My goal is to post some highlights soon. The best part? The unexpected moments. The good times that sneaked up and surprised. The people we met. The laughs we shared. So lucky that I was able to take this amazing trip with Mx. I'm certain it will all end up in a book one day.

Back for four days now and am getting on with selling our house, moving into a new one, and getting Mx settled in Santa Cruz for the summer. Logistics are the order of the day. That, and maintaining our sanity through it all. All good! But, there are days where I feel myself coming and going. And, oh yeah, back to the edits on my book. I was so overwhelmed when I got home, I couldn't even make a grocery list and go grocery shopping, let alone wade back into the novel, such as it is. What a difference a day makes!

Programming note: Mx kicked my butt. Said that every since I posted my tweets I was getting lazy. Didn't post anymore. So, as of today, no tweets!

Law, Ingrid. 2008. Savvy.

Savvy is another book that had me at hello. "When my brother Fish turned thirteen, we moved to the deepest part of inland because of the hurricane and, of course, the fact that he'd caused it." Isn't that a great first sentence? Puzzling enough to hook you? I think so. A few pages later we read, "Monday through Wednesday, we called our thin stretch of land Kansaska. Thursday through Saturday, we called it Nebransas. On Sundays, since that was the Lord's Day, we called it nothing at all, out of respect for His creating our world without the lines already drawn on its face like all my grandpa's wrinkles." (4) So right from the beginning, the reader knows to expect the unexpected. Our narrator, a young girl named Mississippi (Mibs), has quite a way with words. She's fantastic. She's fun. And she's almost thirteen.

Mibs comes from a "special" family. Around the age of 13, every member of the family comes into their own on their thirteenth birthday. They discover their savvy, their special know-how power. For Fish, it was power of water--rain, thunder, winds, etc. For her brother Rocket it was electricity. Her mother's savvy is perfection. She can do things perfectly or mess up perfectly. Each member of her mother's side of the family is special like that--all unique, all special, all a bit weird.

Mibs is curious, super-super curious to get her savvy. Listen to this description of her waiting, "The itch and scritch of birthday buzz was about all I was feeling on the Thursday before the Friday before the Saturday I turned thirteen." But a few days before--the very day this passage was taken from the narrative--her birthday, her father is in a serious car accident. He's in a hospital almost 100 miles a way. While her mother and brother, Rocket, go to be with him, the rest of the kids-- Fish, Mibs, Samson, and Gypsy--are left at home.

Soon Mibs becomes convinced that her savvy will cure her father, will heal him, make him all better. But as you might imagine, savvy powers, don't quite work like that.

The novel focuses on her impromptu journey to visit her father--no matter what--and the lives she changes along the way on her special birthday weekend.

Definitely recommended.

A Christian Worldview of Fiction, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Booking Mama, Cafe of Dreams, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Hyperbole, KidzBookBuzz.com, Looking Glass Reviews, Maw Books Blog, Never Jam Today, Olive Tree, Our Big Earth, The 160 Acrewoods, Through a Child’s Eyes

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
If you're reading this post on another site, or another feed, the content has been stolen.

If you're reading this on a site (other than Becky's Book Reviews or Becky's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission..

Click here to view the embedded video.

Did you know that the first chldren’s picture books featured illustrations produced from wood engravings?  Technology made way for lithographs and drum rollers and eventually computers which aren’t just part of the printing process — they figure prominently in the creative process.

Jarrett Krosoczka (on JOMB) shows us how he’s using his laptop computer for his new Lunch Lady graphic novel series, the first two editions of which will be available on July 28, 2009.

MUSIC

• Theme: Woolly Mammoth by Robert Farrell (from Sun House Fury, part 1)
• Bullet Drive by Robert Farrell (from When the Banks of the Mississippi Run Dry)

Click here to view the embedded video.

It was like picture-book-boot-camp.  We had an 8am workshop and our training officer, one Jarrett Krosoczka (on JOMB), didn’t waste any time.  After a quick introduction to his pug Ralph Macchio and his fantastic creative environment, Jarrett demonstrated his illustrating and painting technique.  Before long, Lucy and Bayla were rolling up their sleeves and trying out what they had just learned; prepping the illustration paper, mixing paint and shading to create three dimensions.  At the end of the whole process, we had an original Krosoczka/Ross-Blevis painting to bring home.

Oh yeah, it was when we finally arrived at Jarrett’s (after being coached to his place over the phone) that we decided we weren’t not going to get lost en route to any more of our scheduled appointments.

MUSIC

• Theme: Woolly Mammoth by Robert Farrell (from Sun House Fury, part 1)
• PF on Tour Interlude performed by Punk Farm

Mark spent two amazing hours at a table with Jeanne Birdsall (on JOMB), Jane Dyer, Jarrett Krosoczka (on JOMB) and David Ezra Stein, sharing a common love of children’s books and talking about how each found their way into writing and illustrating, children’s books vs. traditional publishing and what keeps them in an industry that isn’t known for generating a lot of wealth for the people in it.

MUSIC

• Theme: Woolly Mammoth by Robert Farrell (from Sun House Fury, part 1)
• Cliffhanger by the Eternal Jazz Project (from Season), found on Magnatune

Listen in as we grab a spot of floor in the home office of author Corinne Demas to talk about books and how stories are researched, the similarity between poets and picture book creators and the best job in the world.  Lucy started us off with a read-aloud of Corinne’s new book, Always in Trouble, and Corinne explains the origins of Lucy’s favourite phrase from the book “quiet as a goldfish”.

MUSIC

• Theme: Woolly Mammoth by Robert Farrell (from Sun House Fury, part 1)
• Dragondance by Art Turner (from Jade)

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the final of three parts that feature Author/Illustrator Lane Smith (on JOMB), we go through Lane’s archives to see ten years worth of idea development for his amazing book John, Paul, George and Ben.  Then, we hit the road for Northampton with a fun stop at the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Scultpure Gardens in Springfield, Massachusetts.

MUSIC

• Theme: Woolly Mammoth by Robert Farrell (from Sun House Fury, part 1)
• Song About You by The Birdinumnums (from She Say Go, found on the Podsafe Music Network)
• The Swaggering Dragon by Zubot and Dawson (from Tractor Parts: Further Adventures in Strang)

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is the first of three videos that document our visit with Lane Smith (on JOMB) and Molly Leach. Here, Lane shows us original artwork from The Stinky Cheese Man, describes the production process for The Happy Hocky Family books, shares his passion for children’s books — old and new — and compares traditional collage with digital collage.

MUSIC

• Theme: Woolly Mammoth by Robert Farrell (from Sun House Fury, part 1)
• The Getaway by Matthew Ebel (from Goodbye Planet Earth)

Saw these beautiful wildflowers on the drive home from Big Sur today.










I'm. Home. Ahhhhh.....

Loving the fast Internet connection here in civilization. The connection I have at The Barrel is SOOOOOO dicey lately and when it works it's oh. SO. SLOW. Have many photos to upload...one day soon.

Friesen, Jonathan. 2008. Jerk, California.

"Sam has it. Question is, how bad?"

What is "it"? It is Tourette's Syndrome. Our narrator, Sam, (or should that be Sam/Jack) is a teen struggling with it among other things--an awful and sometimes abusive stepfather, the loss of his father whom he can't even remember, his lack of friends and a love life, etc. He has a tendency to blame the disease for most of his problems. And he's not all wrong. His stepfather, Bill, does hate him because of it. Every time he witnesses Sam jerking or blurting, he has a tendency to take it out on his wife--be it physical, emotional, or verbal abuse. Bill is not without issues of his own. He's got OCD, and it's to the extent that it's interfering with his life and his work. It's pretty safe to say that the Sam readers are first introduced to is angry and bitter and antisocial.

What if anything changes all that? Well, Sam's life changes soon after he graduates from high school. He's hired by one of the odder men in town, a guy named George. He's to help him with his gardening business. Room and board are included in the job description, one of the chief reasons he takes the job--to get away from his stepfather. George has a few secrets though. For one, George knew Sam's father. But the strangest thing about George is his insistence that Sam be called Jack. Jack Keegan. Sam is just beginning to ask questions about his father when George dies somewhat unexpectedly. What he leaves behind is priceless to Sam/Jack. Almost everything has been left to him. But more importantly, he's been left with instructions for a road trip. He's been told to go to Jerk, California.

Naomi is George's granddaughter. She's the same age as Sam/Jack. Though the two are from different social circles of course. She invites herself along on this road trip...and the trip becomes a learning experience for the two of them.

I won't go into all the details, of course, but this is one trip, one summer they'll never forget.
It is a journey to self-acceptance for one thing. A journey to discover himself, to find his "real" identity.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews