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Last week I got a new office chair (my back thanks you!)

The next day, our office manager offered us the box it came in.

I found the good boxcutter. Intrepid Brooke found the brown butcher paper, scissors and a mile of tape and 45 minutes later...

I’m exceedingly thankful to Jenn right now for recommending a book that sounded so exactly like what I wanted that, less than seven hours after she posted the link, I’m already writing a review. I think this means my reading drought is over, although it will probably be hard to tell until after the Stanley Cup final is over too.

The book is The Blue Castle, and I expect that some of you have already read it, because it’s by L.M. Montgomery, and if you love Anne of Green Gables and are in the habit of reading public domain fiction, you’ve probably read everything of hers that’s available. I sort of love Anne of Green Gables, just…selectively. And The Blue Castle isn’t public domain here in the US, but Project Gutenberg Australia is a beautiful thing.

Anyway. This is one of those books where a woman with a deeply unsatisfying life turns over a new leaf — or has one turned over for her — and comes into her own. Like Gertrude Haviland’s Divorce, or Now, Voyager. Or A Woman Named Smith, but less so. It’s such self-indulgent fantasy, but it’s my favorite kind. The heroine of The Blue Castle is Valency Stirling, a 29 year old spinster, frustrated and unhappy and firmly under the thumb of her widowed mother and a vast array of aunts and uncles. When she visits a doctor to ask about her recurring chest pain and he diagnoses her with terminal heart disease, she finds that knowing she’s only got a year to live is what she needed to cure her of her fear of her family. She strikes out on her own, becoming nurse/housekeeper/companion to the dying daughter of the local drunk, and then marrying a man who is rumored to have done all sorts of terrible things.

She gets the material things she’s been wanting — a husband, nice clothes, a home of her own, better looks — but, more importantly, she learns to speak her mind and trust in her own judgment and, you know, have fun. And it’s a delightful journey to accompany her on. There were things I didn’t love, too: the specific awfulness of Valency’s family would have worked better for me if Montgomery rubbed their faces in Valency’s transformation a bit more, for example, and I would have liked some of the romantic bits to be taken down exactly one notch. Also, there was one of those passages where a woman discovers she’s in love and doesn’t expect anything to come of it but somehow feels that her unrequited love has transformed and validated her life, and I find passages like that kind of irritating. On the whole, though, The Blue Castle is approximately as perfect as I want it to be.

There were ways in which I identified with Valency very much. Her feelings — at least, the ones that don’t feel a little performative — are real feelings. But one thing that interested me as I read was the ways in which I didn’t identify with her. I (obviously) read a lot of old books, but somehow they don’t usually make me think of the ways in which certain things — the things that have an impact on my day to day life — have changed since they were written. This one did. I’m not that much younger than Valency, and I have things in common with her, but…I don’t know. In Valency’s world whether a woman is married or unmarried is barely her choice, and I took a moment this evening to be thankful that even whether or not you want to be married is a choice in mine. It was nice.

No, I'm not pregnant.

(It seems that every single time I say that I have Big News, people immediately jump to that conclusion. So I figured I'd cut you all off at the pass this time.) 

The news is:

Earlier today, I was offered the position of Head Librarian at my town's public library, and I accepted.

I can't even express how happy I am about it: it's a library that the town's residents LITERALLY built themselves, and so the community is really actively invested in it, and I'm so excited and pleased that they are trusting me with it.

SO VAIR VAIR EXCITED AND PLEASED. 

Anyway, starting in early August, that's what I'll be up to in my library-life.

First item on the agenda? Building them a website.

Going forward? We shall see what we shall see, but I'm sure it will be awesomesauce unchained.

(I might sound somewhat blasé about it (for me), but I am SO. EXCITED. And, as Josh, Amber, my sister, Amanda, and a few others can attest, I've been so revved about the application/interview process, etc., that I've been a tad difficult to be around. So thanks to everyone for A) putting up with me and B) being so amazingly supportive. YAY!)

Red Kite, Blue Kite (CAN, JP, US, INT)

Written by: Ji-li Jiang

Illustrated by: Greg Ruth

Published by: Hyperion Book CH

Published on: January 22, 2013

Ages: 5 +







For Father's Day, I want to introduce a book about a father-child bond that not even Chairman Mao can break.

Red Kite, Blue Kite, one of my most anticipated picture books of 2013, takes place during the Cultural Revolution in China, when chaos reigned and families were broken up when members were sent to labour camps or labour farms or were just disappeared. Tai Shan is separated from his father, but at first it is so close that he can walk home on Sundays to share their favourite activity of kite-flying. But when that isn't possible, Tai Shan flies the kites for both of them so that they would look up at the sky and know the other one was looking too.

The Cultural Revolution is pretty heavy stuff for early elementary school students. But Jiang breaks it down into parts that any child could understand. Missing a parent is something that many children can understand, whether they are separated due to divorce, relocation, or one of the many conflicts going on in the world right now (I'm thinking of the children of the lawyers rounded up in Turkey these past weeks).

Focusing on the good in a situation (or the beauty in an area of pollution) is a very Asian concept, although not particular to Asia. It reminds me of the child-parent bond in the film Life is Beautiful. Two horrible situations, but you still have to live your life and might as well find the good parts- like two kites flying high above human worries.

Ruth's illustrations and affecting use of colour highlight hope, represented by the brightly coloured kites. It's amazing how a colour can be intimidating on the arms of red guards but buoyant when it is a toy controlled by a small boy meeting his father after a week apart.

A great supplementary activity for this book is fashioning a grasshopper. We used bamboo grass but you could use a straw like in this tutorial.

This is a powerful book that highlights an amazing familial bond and the triumph of the human spirit over tragedy.

The Next Big Thing! is a blog tour that gives authors and illustrators a chance to share their work, then tag others to share theirs. Each blogger answers the same ten questions. The tour started in Australia, and has spread worldwide.

I've was asked to participate by illustrator Debbie Meyer, my roomie for the upcoming SCBWI LA Conference. Debbie and I have been online friends for years, and we met and hung out at the 2010 SCBWI conference in NYC. I'm looking forward to hanging with her again in August!

Debbie blogged about her dummy book she wrote and illustrated called "The Three Little Pigs Go To Preschool." For a dose of cuteness, visit her blog here.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

3) What genre does your book fall under?

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

6) Who is publishing your book?

7) How long did it take you to create the illustrations?

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Hi, folks. I'm continuing my series about story structure. I'm using analogies to structural elements of buildings to shed some like on some structural elements of stories. This week I'm comparing the scenes to joists. Joists are load-bearing boards or girders that run from beam to beam or from floor to beam. They carry some of the weight of the building insuring that the structure is sound. Scenes also carry some of the weight of each story. They fit within chapters, and they glue your story together, like the joist's job in a structure. There are various kinds of joists, and there are various kinds of scenes. I'm going to describe the basic structure of the scene then talk about a few variants. Hopefully this discussion will help you create much more "sound" stories.

The scene is the basic load-bearing element of the story. A basic scene works like this. First, action and dialogue mix, followed by the main character's emotional reaction to the action and dialogue, and then the character thinks about the action and dialogue, and finally the character decides what to do next. The basic scene will appear over and over in your story unless you are seeking something very avant-garde.

HINT: Don't move on to the avant-garde until you can easily produce fluid basic scenes that all connect and move seamlessly from one to the next.

You will use a few variations of the basic scene in your story, especially for action sequences. You might have an action/dialogue, emotion and then action/dialogue/emotion and finally cap that with a basic scene action/dialogue/emotion/thinking/decision. This set-up is generally one chapter. Chapters contain one to three scenes or a hybrid like described. If you try to put more in a chapter the thing implodes. I have found that stories that don't use enough of the basic scene generally collapse.

HINT:  Action/dialogue sequences need breaks to give the reader a chance to breathe and process. If your action and dialogue goes on too long you will lose your reader. Find those long sequences and break them up.

One kind of special scene starts inside the main character's head -- I calling this a hook scene. I see this start in books a lot. The action and the dialogue happen off scene. We start with emotion and the thinking of the character wrapped together and that leads to first basic scene of a story. A hook scene must be shorter that a basic scene and  is generally used to connect the reader with the main character emotionally and intellectually. The author uses this short scene to hook the reader. You have to tap into a universal emotion and/or intellectual depth to make this one work. Also this emotion and thinking must lead to a real problem in a basic scene. Put a row of hook scenes together and lose your reader.

Now I'm going to touch on the passing scene. This scene is used for transition, usually from one setting to the next. Use it sparingly These scenes are very short. Something like:"Our journey from Earth to Titan took weeks. My emotions ran the gamut. I thought about leaving my father, my pony, my boyfriend, and my favorite burger joint behind, but now I must look forward. The engines fired up as we approached the landing base on Titan." This passing scene gets us from point a to point b, and we have some deep emotional connection, more than in a basic scene. 

HINT: Use passing scenes to bring your reader close to the bone of your main character.

There are special scenes that happens toward the end of stories. I'm calling these the bank scenes. One bank scene generally shows up in all books as the "darkest moment." The events of the whole book leads to this scene of revelatory emotion and thought from your main character. Your character feels deeply failure, remorse, agony of decision, pain, brokenness -- no feeling that we like to feel. Your character thinks deeply about the cosmic consequences of her journey  Another bank scene is comes after your climax. This scene again is in response to all the scenes in your story. The main character feels deeply, thinks thoroughly and comes to her truth. 

Check out your scenes and make sure that your interior structural story elements are sound. Look at your scenes and make sure they are complete or purposeful hybrids. Create a strong story.

And now the doodle:  "Alien landscape"

Do you see that picture? Seriously, folks, do you understand the ridiculously awesome thing you’re looking at there? Click on it for closer inspection. That, my friends, is the blood, sweat and tears of three classes of 5th Graders at LCCS in Jersey City, NJ. These kids were kind enough to not only read DWEEB, but also create some amazing artwork based on the book. You are looking at movie posters! Cereal boxes! Comic strips! Character profiles! And hamburgers of all shapes, sizes and dimensions! Amazing? You better believe it.

I had the distinct honor of visiting these young readers and artists last Thursday. They welcomed me into their school with kindness, questions and pizza. A special thank you goes out to the teachers and staff who invited me, especially Ms. Litman, a friend from the days of yore. LCCS is a wonderful school with kids so smart and audacious that they are demanding a sequel to DWEEB (Random House, are you listening?) and a 150-million-dollar movie based on the book…starring them:

P.S. One of these kids was wearing a Keith Richards T-shirt. He should probably be cast in the role of Elijah.

Voiceover for Children's Apps Have you ever wanted to be a voiceover? Maybe you could be if you join a site that could help you access jobs in this field. Voice123 is a a website that provides voiceover jobs for anyone interested in being a voice for an 'App' or a children's story on-line. I have been a member since 2006. They give you a webpage where you can showcase your talents. Check out their website: http://voice123.com/ Here is a demo of my voice.
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הודעה חשובה לכל העצמאים שמאסו בשוטף פלוס פלוס כפול פלוס
הצטרפו למאבק !

שוויון זכויות לעצמאים ולפרילנסרים בישראל

הפיצו, העבירו , שתפו , ליקקו ולנקקו- הפעם יש סיכוי של ממש !

די לשוטף+++ !!!!!

"אנחנו משלמים שוטף +65"
"למה?"
"ככה נהוג"
"למה?"
"כי ככה אנחנו משלמים, כולם מקבלים ככה"
"למה?"
מה זאת אומרת למה? אמרתי לך אלו התנאי תשלום שלנו"

אם אתם עצמאיים שמזדהים עם השיחה הזאת ומאסתם בה- בואו נעשה משהו.

מוסר התשלומים בשוק העצמאיים מתנהל בבריונות שקטה. כזו שהולכת ומתעצמת נקבעת כנורמה כ'מובן מאליו' כשהיא מותירה את הצד המעסיק חסר מוסר ואת הצד המועסק ללא תשלום.

עצמאיים, גם ככה, חיים על הקצה, ילדי הרחוב של שוק העבודה, נטולי שייכות ארגונית. אין לנו ימי חופשה, ימי מחלה, פנסיה – משלמים את מחיר החופש והעצמאות במחיר השקט הנפשי.
אנחנו לא מתלוננים. חלקינו בחרנו בזה וחלקינו עובדים בתחומים בהם עבודה כשכיר היא לא אופציה. הדבר החשוב הוא שיש לנו עבודה, יש לנו מוסר עבודה ואפילו אנחנו מצליחים להנות ממנה. . נכון, יש תקופות 'מלפפונים' אבל ככה זה. אלו סיכוני העצמאות.
זה קורה כמעט כל שנה. וכל פעם מחדש נכנסים למרדף כנגד הזמן כי אנחנו לא לבד. אנחנו אחראים לקיומם ורווחתם של עוד כמה אנשים קטנים בבית. ואז זה מגיע. אפשר לנשום. רגע, יש רק בעיה אחת.-
לא משלמים לנו בזמן ריאלי.
פעם כשהשוטף היה קטן הוא היה +30 . היום הוא כשהוא כבר גדול הוא מגיע ל+72 ואפילו ל+90!!!
אצלינו קוראים לזה "שוטף+" אצל שכירים קוראים לזה "הלנת שכר" כן כזו הגוררת בעקבותיה קנסות וריביות של 5% על כל שבוע עיכוב.
לנו העצמאיים אין "הלנה" ואין פיצוי. אנחנו משלמים את המחיר!!! כי זה מה שקורה לכסף שעומד- הוא צובר ריבית. כך שבעוד הצד המעסיק נהנה עוד קצת מתשלומי הריבית על הכסף שהוא מעכב, נותן השירות סופג אותם ובמקרים מסויימים אף נאלץ למצוא מקורות מימון אחרים שיאפשרו לו לצוף מעל המים עד שהכסף השייך לו, אותו הרוויח ביושר, ישוחרר.
ובמקרים עצובים יותר יפשוט רגל. מחיר ההמתנה.
שר אוצר יקר!! אני פונה אליך בשמי ובשם המון מחבריי במצבי – תעשו את הדבר הנכון, תעגנו בחוק את תנאי העצמאיים תגנו עלינו ממעשים לא הוגנים- תנו לנו להתפרנס בכבוד ולא על הגחון!
מאת היחידה שיכלה לנסח את זה , סוף סוף- כל כך ברור ויפה
סיגל קפלן

Casey picked a name from the pot because the hat was too small too hold all the names… *Cue drumroll…* Ellen Edwards Kennedy!!!!   You have a copy of Being Frank coming your way! Please email me your physical mailing address and if you want me to sign for a particular person. CONGRATULATIONS!!   (I apologize …