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Illustrator Gregory Myers from Syndey, Australia sent in this illustration. He is a freelance illustrator. Studied under Czech artist Petr Herel at Canberra School of Art, and Akira Kurosaki at Kyoto Seika University. Hand-coloured scraperboard artworks like this has proven to be popular with his clients. www.gregorymyers.me

Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival

Friday, May 17, through Sunday, May 19, 2013

Big Blue Marble Bookstore is proud to present its seventh annual Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival! All events are FREE and open to the public!

This year, our festival includes events at the Color Book Gallery, 6353 Germantown Avenue (215-844-4200).

All Weekend

The Craft Table! Big Blue Marble Bookstore will have our special craft table open all weekend, stocked with brightly colored paper, collage materials, and all kinds of other supplies to create your own books! (In our Community Room, All Ages. Adult Supervision Required.)

Special Door Prizes! Winners will be randomly selected throughout the entire weekend to win free books, promotional goodies, and more. Stop by with your family and get a chance to go home with all kinds of special treats. (All Ages)

Friday, May 17

10:30am – Big Blue Marble Story Time with Amanda Hendricks. Join us for our regular Friday morning story time! (Ages 18m-4y)

6:30pm – Philadelphia Youth Poetry Slam. Share your words in a welcoming literary environment in the Big Blue Marble Bookstore cafe! Light refreshments will be served, and local poets will be invited to help decide the winners. Prizes include bookstore gift certificates for an overall winner, a middle school winner, and one runner-up. (Ages 12-18) Special Guest Judge/Host: Ms. Alyesha Wise

Alyesha Wise was raised in the city of Camden, N.J. She began writing at the age of 11 and eventually developed a passion 4 Poetry. The founder of “Love, Us,” she is on a mission 2 spark a LOVE REVOLUTION, holding a strong belief that unity and compassion is the healing force to all that exists. She’s the co-host of the longest running weekly open mic in Philadelphia, “Jus’ Words.” In addition, she’s the co-founder & co-host of “The Pigeon Presents: The Philadelphia Poetry Slam,” voted “Best of Philly” for Literary Activity in 2012, by Philadelphia Magazine.

Saturday, May 18

10:30am – Nature Yoga for Kids with Deirdre Vezirov-Kilkenny. Join yoga teacher Deirdre Vezirov Kilkenny as she reads from The Yoga Game, and incorporates yoga postures. (Ages 3-7)

Deirdre Vezirov-Kilkenny trained with the Radiant Child Yoga Program at Karma Kids NYC. She is also certified in Storytime Yoga levels 1 & 2 and Yoga4Teens, and has been teaching kids yoga since 2004.

Deirdre’s classes at Springboard Studio are 45 minutes on Tuesdays: Nature Yoga for 4-7 year-olds takes place from 4:00pm–4:45pm, and for 8-12 year-olds from 5:00pm–5:45pm. Spring classes will be April 2nd–June 4th. Nature Yoga for Teens and Tweens (10+) on Fridays from 4pm-4:45 pm this Spring will be April 4th–June 7th. The 10 session cost is $100; drop-ins are $12 per session. For information, call 267-241-4810 or e-mail natureyoga@comcast.net. Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/NatureYogaforKids.

11:15am – Festival Storytime with Lauren Grace. Come join us for a special Mt. Airy Kids’ Literary Festival storytime! Together we will sing songs, play games, and read some books, of course!  (Ages toddler to 4)

Lauren Grace is a local mom who enjoys knitting, sitting outside, laughing with her two daughters, and reading!

12:00pm – Harry Potter fun with Grace Gordon.

1:00pm – Afternoon Drawing Workshop with Mark Mattson. (Ages 6 and up)

Mark Mattson is a Philadelphia-based artist, writer, illustrator, and designer. A graduate of Columbus College of Art and Design, he also makes video games and kids’ products; and is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. He’s made everything from books based on famous red monster puppets, to Easter baskets starring martial-arts mutant turtles, to educational games prominently featuring deep-voiced tooth fairies. It is all true.

2:00pm – Reading and crafts with Ame Dyckman, author of Boy + Bot and Tea Party Rules. Join author Ame Dyckman for a cool Boy + Bot reading, with robot crafts and giveaways, and a special sneak peek into her forthcoming book, Tea Party Rules.  (Ages 4 and up)

Ame Dyckman

3:00pm – Creating Graphic Novels/Comic Books with Marta Rose and Judy McCoubry. Text (Ages 7 and up)

Festival Events at Color Book Gallery

All day – Face painting and activity table!

12:00pm – C. Getti, author of Bear’s Prayer

1:00pm – Melissa Conroy, author of Poppy’s Pants

2:00pm – Baba Abiodun, Storyteller

3:00pm – Rhiannon Richardson, author of Model Friendship

4:00pm – A. R. Bey, author of Netherworld of Kemet

Sunday, May 19

1:00pm – Reading with , author of .

10:30am – Music with Gina Ferragame! Join local musician Gina Ferragame for a fun-filled round of kid music and interactive fun. (Ages toddler to 5)

Gina Ferragame is a trained Music Therapist who has extensive experience working with children, special needs children, hospice care, and in-patient hospital care with emotionally disturbed adolescents. Gina is also a preschool Music Teacher in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia. “Music With Gina” is a class designed for babies/toddlers (ages 6mo to 3yrs) and caregivers. The intention for each class is to allow your little one the freedom to express themselves in a positive and compassionate setting through the use of movement, playing, and singing. Music classes are meant to enrich, enliven, and entertain your little ones! it’s just fun! 10:30am Tuesdays, Mt. Airy Yoga: 610 Carpenter Lane Philadelphia, 19119. $12 drop in $100 for 11 classes. Contact musicwithgina@gmail.com.

11:00am-12:00pm – Free Creative Writing Games Workshop with Cordelia Jensen. This workshop is for any kid who wants to get creative. We will play four or five writing games that focus on different aspects of the storytelling process, such as dialogue and character development. So, come and get wild with words! (Ages 7 and up)

Cordelia Jensen is a YA Writer; her novel in verse SKYSCRAPING is forthcoming from Philomel/Penguin. Cordelia graduated in 2012 with a MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Cordelia graduated from Kenyon College where she majored in English, with a Concentration in Creative Writing. Cordelia was Poet Laureate of Perry County in 2006 & 2007. She has also had nonfiction work appear in Literary Mama. Cordelia has worked with young people for most of her career; with a Masters of Education in Counseling, she has worked as a counselor, teacher and spent ten summers as a camp counselor in Central PA. She works at The Big Blue Marble Bookstore and loves being surrounded by books and people who love stories and language. Cordelia lives in West Mt. Airy with her husband, Jon, and twin seven-year-olds, Tate and Lily.

12:15pm – Reading with Kit Grindstaff, author of The Flame in the Mist. Join Kit for themed refreshments and a special reading from her new book The Flame in the Mist, a fantasy-adventure for fans of Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass. (Ages 9 and up)

Kit Grindstaff was born near London and grew up in the rolling countryside of England. After a brush with pop stardom (under her maiden name, Hain) she moved to New York and embarked on her career as a pop song writer. Kit now lives with her husband in the rolling countryside of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the SCBWI. The Flame In The Mist is her first novel. You can also find her at http://www.kitgrindstaff.com , http://www.facebook.com/kitgrindstaff  and on Twitter: @kitgrindstaff.

Check the Big Blue Marble Bookstore for additions and changes: http://bigbluemarblebooks.com/kidslit13.html

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Events, News, opportunity, picture books Tagged: Ame Dyckman, Big Blue Marble Bookstore, Fun, Kid's Literary Festival, Kit Grindstaff, Mt. Airy Phildelphia PA

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On May 5^th, around the United States and Mexico, colorful decorations will hang, mariachi bands will play, and people will party in the street to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. This holiday celebrates Mexican culture – the music, the traditions, the food, but why, exactly, are we celebrating on this day? Some people think that Cinco de Mayo marks the day when Mexico became independent from Spain, or when the Mexican Civil War ended. Nope! Actually, Cinco de Mayo celebrates a battle in a war that Mexico lost!  

Mexico had a tough start as a country, enduring war after war, first against America in 1846, then against themselves in the Mexican Civil War. When all this was over, the country had spent so much on war that there was very little money for regular people to spend in their lives; in other words, the economy was hurt. As countries sometimes do, Mexico borrowed money from other nations in order to help itself. And, as friends sometimes do when you borrow a toy or book from them, those countries got tired of waiting for Mexico to give their property back and came over to collect. No, their moms didn’t drive them over in the van or anything like that; fleets of warships representing England, Spain and France crossed the Atlantic Ocean, entered the Mexican coastline and demanded that Mexico pay them back.

Mexico didn’t have the money to pay them though! What’s a young country to do?! All they had were vouchers to give to the representatives from these countries, papers that double-super-promised to someday pay them back. This satisfied England and Spain and they went home, but to France, this meant war! Sacre bleu!

Under the command of Napoleon III, France invaded Mexico with the intention to totally control it. They marched from the coastline to Mexico City, and on the way passed the small Mexican state of Puebla. The Mexican soldiers at Puebla were vastly outnumbered, but in this fight on May 5, 1862, called La Batalla de Puebla, Mexico somehow overcame the odds and defeated the French forces! Now that’s reason to celebrate!

France eventually managed to occupy Mexico, but they were delayed a whole year by this surprising Mexican victory. The shocking, underdog victory at Puebla has come to symbolize the Mexican spirit of resilience and tenacity. Therefore, on its anniversary every year, Mexico and places with many people of Mexican descent play Cumbia music, wave the Mexican flag, eat tamales, hit pinatas, and generally celebrate all things Mexico!

Of course, at Sylvan Dell we celebrate Mexican people and culture every day! Each and every one of our dozens of titles are available in Spanish, such as Los árboles de globos and La naturaleza recicla—¿Lo haces tú? and El detective deductive!

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Here is a collection of my Instagram photos, updated daily. I am afraid you will have to click on the photo to go to Instagram to read the haiku. Unless I find a photo editor that works on my iPod and figure out how to put the haiku directly onto the image, that is. Anyone help with that? If you are using Instagram and know how to do it can you share? <!-- SnapWidget -->

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There is nothing like a nice cup of steamy hot coffee with cream and conversation with friends.  Since all my friends are working or busy, I am having coffee with my other friends.  Today it is Toola.  … and no,  she is not sharing that second cup with me.  She likes two cups of coffee at one time.  It’s kind of hard to get her to sit down (obviously), but we must love our friends no matter what!!  It takes a lot of interesting people to make a world.    Enjoy your day!

~ Leslie Ann

 

Filed under: breakfast, morning, My Characters

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“Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth,” Sherlock Holmes has said about his method of detective work. In Sylvan Dell’s new picture book, Deductive Detective, our hero Detective Duck shows that he’s learned from the best! He dons his best deerstalker hat, his much-too-big magnifying glass, and solves the case of the missing cake with the same methods the pros use!

That is, a style of logical thinking called “deductive reasoning.” In deductive reasoning, someone finds an answer they’re looking for by first finding out what the answer isn’t. When Detective Duck examines the clues and finds out which of his friends couldn’t have stolen the cake, it leads him closer to what really happened!

Of course, you don’t need a weird hat and a magnifying glass to use deductive reasoning. These methods come in handy every day! If you lose a toy, for example (or car keys), you may make your search easier by determining where the item isn’t.

“Oh yeah,” you may say, “I didn’t bring it to my friend’s house; I wasn’t holding it when I walked to the living room, or landed on the moon. I wouldn’t have brought it to my parents’ room or under the ocean or into Mordor.” By deciding where you shouldn’t look, you now have a better idea of where you should.

This kind of logic process happens throughout the day, sometimes without you even being aware of it; you might say your brain is always on the case as much as any detective!

Apply deductive reasoning the next time you’re in the bookstore: subtract the books that don’t meet the highest educational standards, offer pages of activities and facts, offer online supplements, are fun to look at and fun to read! You’ll be left with books by Sylvan Dell like The Deductive Detective!

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What warms your heart on a cold day?  What warms your heart when the tides of change come crashing in?  What warms your heart when the” no’s” become overwhelming? What warms your heart when the crowd scatters and you are “Home Alone”?

I have a whole list of favorite things I like to look at periodically.  These are things that Warm My Heart.   I found myself smiling and even laughing. They are things I feel that God has blessed me with.  When I look at them I see stories! I see people, I see events…  and more.  Life is so much more than what we see during our day.  Life is a tapestry of stories that intertwine and make memories for us.  Some are so real we can almost re-live them just recalling them to our memories.

Favorite Things

1. God my Father, Jesus my elder brother, the Holy Spirit my helper.
2. All my Family
3. Friends / art friends
4. People
5. Rosie and Violet
6. Coffee with cream
7. Purses
8. Odd things for the house
9. Floor Pillows
10. Blankies
11. Coffee Shops
12. Art galleries
13. Hankies
14. Sketch books
15. Lists
16. Personal chef
17. Trip to Maine and beyond
18. Jeep
19. Toys
20. Children’s books
21. Goat yogurt and blueberries
22. Zinnias
23. Colors : purply blue, raspberry, Yaya green
24. Good movies with popcorn
25. Breakfast in bed with a good magazine.
26. grandsons!
27. my SONS.
28. a zillion best friends!
29. colors
30. the valley between Kenosha and BaileY
31. the mountains
32. a crackling fire in the stove
33. falling snow
34. deep snow and 4wheel drive
35. My cozy studio
36. a good book
37. a comfy chair
38. writing a story
39. a bike ride . . …… and today…. Matthew!

Today’s Warm Fuzzy came from a friend.  She took this wonderful picture of her son sleeping with my Peepsqueak plush.  He is so cute!  Matthew is on my list!

What are your favorite things?  I am sure mine will grow!!

Filed under: Kicking Around Thoughts

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Winter is on the way OUT!  I say this as a huge storm is coming into Colorado right NOW!!  No, I did not go to the grocery store in freak out mode stocking my cupboards. Instead, I spent a bit of time today digging in my garden resisting the urge to acknowledge the storm at all!  ha!

Alas, tonight I will hunker down with my pens and paper and continue to work towards deadlines for up and coming trade shows. That is the good thing about storms!  They keep me focused.  I wonder how many artists are like me?

I have one problem.  I can’t seem to go out to my studio to work.  It’s covered with papers, receipts, file folders etc.  It is my new book-keeping system in progress. Eeeeek!  My friend is helping me set up my Quick Books program.  She entered all my checks, deposits etc, and sent me the disk. I bought the program, installed it, imported my files… … then I went to reconcile the two bank statements that my friend did not add and suddenly I am thirty dollars off!  What on earth?  What could I have done?

So, I did what I do best,  I locked the studio door and went in the house. ha!  My right brain is not in the mood for numbers!  Happy Spring everyone!

 

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4) “The 13^thReality, the Journal of curious letters. - Written by James Dashner, illustrated by Bryan Beus, Published by Shadow Mountain Press an imprint of Worzalla Publishing Co.  Stevens point, WI. 2008. One day a nerdy boy, Atticus Higginbottom receives a strange letter from Alaska.  After this boy’s life changes from a boring one to life full of mystery and questions that, need to be answered.  Twelve clues help him understand that the world he lives in is just one of many parallel worlds, which still need to be discovered and saved.  If a child likes to solve problems through clues, they would love this book.  A story progresses Atticus goes from zero to hero.  The pencil illustrations and secrets surrounding the boy’s life will keep your middle graders turning the pages.  

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There is so much involved in designing.  One must be up on the trends for color and pattern and more. I always have my eyes open to finding things I love to look at!

Here are the Pantone color trends for 2013.

http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr.aspx?pg=21005&ca=4

I had to take a close look at them. . . some of them bore me unless they are paired with an “eye-catching” color.  Color is so amazing!  It can make your day!  It can bring a smile to your face, and warm your heart.  It can also bring you down. Why else do people get depressed when they experience too many gray rainy days?  All that because of color? Yes!  Think of the feeling you get when you take a walk and come upon a beautiful scene.  Do you ever “OOOOoooh and Aaaaaahhhh?”  Do colors grab you?

Colors can calm the soul.  One of my favorite movies is Miss Potter.  I like her spunk, I LOVE that she talks to her cartoons,  and I also love the scenes of her beautiful English countryside.  The colors speak peace and tranquility.

One might want calm and peaceful and serene colors for the baby nursery.  So why did I decorate my first child’s nursery in bright sunshine yellow with brown and Kelly Green accents?  ha!  Because I crave bold colors!  All I could think of was that my baby would wake up and want to be inspired by what she saw.  The room had to be warm and happy and that is was!!

As the room progressed to fit two more daughters into it, we moved to pinks and browns. I loved it, but the girls were not really drawn to it.  Interesting.  In my house, you will find that colors change often.  If I could, I would paint my house every year!  My husband jokes about our bathroom being smaller because of the many times I have painted it!  I am thinking of a new color as I type!!!  I am leaning towards a beautiful blue with just the right amount of purple in it!  Baby blue is okay, but I always want something with a little PUNCH in it! I like to walk into a room and hear my heart sing! La la!  Wall colors can be muted but if that is the case, in my house, the paintings must sing!  Oh how I love a noisy house filled with color.

So what am I to do?  Follow the trends?  Or start my own trends?  Am I brave?  These are the questions every designer must face.  I always lean towards being a renegade trend setter!  ha!

Filed under: All Things Artsy, Art is FUN!, fun

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The best kids parties are full of colour, music, games and laughter. A Secret Seed Society children’s party will bring you all this with vegetables as the stars, the heroes, the entertainers. Your guests will leave with a bounce in their step and an excitement for growing and eating vegetables.

“Vegetables are great food for the imagination, the colours, textures, flavours, and processes from growing, to cooking and finally composting.” Ash Perrin, Secret Seed Society Entertainer.

The parties bring to life characters from the Seed City storybooks. If your child has a favourite vegetable or character let us know and we’ll incorporate it into the show. if you want a special theme just let us know; Pirate Parsnips, Ghoulish Gourds, Princess and the Pea. Remember Cinderella went to the ball in a pumpkin!

Sugar coated pink cup cakes and over the top goodie bags are out, London’s best children’s entertainers are ready to pick up their box of vegetable tricks and visit your party! The parties are adapted to suit your group. We recommend our parties for 3-9 years old.





We provide party bags and prizes that provide fun and inspiration for all the kids after the party has ended without compromising your eco and ethical standards.

Secret Seed Society has worked to make vegetables more loveable through storybooks, theatre shows and workshops but now you can invite us to your birthday party.
Email fun@secretseedsociety.com with the details of your party and we will let you know if we can make it and give you a quote, or call Amy 07779 080776.
Secret Seed Society kids parties are currently available in London, if you are not London based please contact us to express your interest.
Specs: max 30 kids, 2 hours, space provided / chosen by you.

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Peepsqueak LOVES BEARS!  …. and so do I!! I LOVE toys!  I love weird toys, stuff animals, special teddy bears, and more. Having three grandsons gives me a great excuse to buy MORE toys!  I took a trip to the thrift store just this week to look for action figures!  I ran them through the dishwasher and stowed in my big toy trunk.  Three more trucks are sitting near the book-case in the “YaYa” room.  Its great fun!  On Tuesday I played “Superhero”!  My youngest grandson loves the stuffies!  Including my own little Peeksqueak plush by Merry Makers.  If you want to order one, you can go to the website, or call them.

retail orders online at http://www.merrymakersinc.com and retail and/or wholesale orders at 888-989-0454 or via email at merrymakers@merrymakersinc.com

They are a great toy company.  I want ALL THEIR TOYS!  ha ha!

You can also find Peepsqueak on his Facebook page.  I am going to have another book Give-A-Way as soon as the new toy gets here!  Peepsqueak and I are so excited!  I may also put it on this Word Press site so stay posted!

Filed under: Just for fun, Kicking Around Thoughts, Peepsqueak!, Surprises

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Paula's Blog
Paula's Website

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Place your order online or by calling retail and/or wholesale orders at 888-989-0454 or via email at merrymakers@merrymakersinc.com.

Filed under: Just for fun, My Characters, Peepsqueak!

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The weather is teasing me!  A warm day, a nice breeze, flowers peeking from the cold wet ground, and then WHAM! A freak snow storm!  Such is life in Colorado.  Peepsqueak is not worried.  As you can see in this picture, he is thrilled to find the first Spring flower.

Do you have any flowers up yet?  We only have a few tulips and iris peeking out of the dirt. Flowers are still a few weeks away.  I am ready!

 

Filed under: Peepsqueak!

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I have no idea why I am getting such a kick out of this?  This is my website.  This little square with the black lines is me!  Ha ha!!  If you want to see the image you might have to click on it.

Filed under: Work is Play....?

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For as long as I can remember, I have LOVED toys!  To have a toy made from one of my cartoons is my dream come true!  It will help the world see my character the way I see him.  REAL!!  ha ha!  This series of plush Peepsqueaks in the pictures above, were the first proto-types that came to my home. Merry Makers is the toy company we worked with.  It was so fun to see my little Peepsqueak transform from page to puff!  He is such a cute little plush!!  Merry Makers did such a good job!  You can buy Peepsqueak now if you go to their website. They welcome retail orders online at http://www.merrymakersinc.com and retail and/or wholesale orders at 888-989-0454 or via email at merrymakers@merrymakersinc.com.

Below is the final Peepsqueak. I just love him!  Isn’t he cute!!! I brought him to a preschool yesterday and the children loved him and all wanted to pet him…. so they did!!!!

So order your Peepsqueak now!  He is waiting to live in your home!!!  Don’t forget, the books, “Peepsqueak”,  and “Peepsqueak Wants A Friend” are at your bookstore waiting for you too.  They would all make great gifts for the kiddies on Easter.

Filed under: My Characters, Peepsqueak!

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“Welcome to the studio, Dahlia!  I am so glad to meet you!  Your entrance made me smile! Now let’s get down to business!  Tell me about yourself? “.

When I create a new character I have to find out who they really are and what makes them tick! Will they be loud and boisterous?  Will they be shy and hold back? Will  they run to meet the world or hide behind trees and bushes?  It’s great fun to imagine!

Since Dahlia is new, let’s walk this process together. Let’s get a good look at her and ask ourselves some questions.

Here she is, in her great BIGness.  As you can see, Dahlia is running!  That gives us our first clue. She is ready to meet the world!

(Another little tidbit you can use when creating a character.  It is a link to writing a character profile. I can get your wheels turning!)

http://www.squidoo.com/CharacterProfiles

In order to decide WHO Dahlia is, I  look into her face. Her eyes are not like our eyes, but expression and body language are quite helpful.

Dahlia is running.  Dahlia is laughing.  Dalia is carrying a flower. Dahlia is practically leaping off the ground!  I can almost hear the ground shaking!  So, she is a “ground shaking” happy elephant.

But wait!  She has no tusks!  That tells me she is a baby elephant. My imagination is taking off now!  Dahlia tromps!  … but no…  I found out that tromp is not a word… (hmmm…it seemed so fitting).  So, Dahlia thumps, stomps, tramples and plows through!  Thank you dictionary.com!  Love all those words!

Looking again at this picture, I see that Dahlia is also clumsy.  She trips, stumbles, tumbles, plunges, sprawls and topples. Even so, she is not bothered by falls.  She simply rolls over and gets back up to her feet laughing!  “What great fun!” she gigglies, “Let’s do it again!”

This tells me that Dahlia does not take herself too seriously. She is playful,  but is she smart?

More of her qualities may surface once the other characters in her story emerge.   Bring on the monkeys!

Filed under: My Characters

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The 2013 Meager Puddle of Limelight Award for Best Opening Line

Everyone knows a great opening line is an excellent way to pull someone into a story, but now it can bring you fame and fortune too!

Okay, maybe not fame, and to be honest, not fortune either, but it can win you a Meager Puddle of Limelight Award and a free copy of my book, Fur-Face, as well as a couple of my I are a writer! pens.

How can I enter?
If you'd like to take part, you can submit up to three opening lines. They can be from finished stories or WiPs, but please note: they must be your own work. Put your entries in a comment below or send them to me within a separate LJ message (or email: jon@acatofninetales.com) under the heading: 2012 PUDDLE FOR BEST OPENING LINE. I'll screen all comments when the contest submission period closes. Be sure to check your spelling because your entry will be cut & pasted directly into the poll.

What do I win?
Aside from a signed copy of Fur-Face and the I are a writer! pens, winners get to bask in the meager puddle of limelight which my journal can provide. I'll post an interview with the top three finalists here on An Englishman in New Jersey. In addition, the overall winner gets the opportunity to do a guest blog here if he/she wishes.

I don’t have a Live Journal account. Can I still enter?
Sure, but you’ll need an LJ account to vote for anything. If you enter by non-LJ comment don't forget to give your name and website/email address so I can contact you if needed.

Do you plan to enter your own stuff, Jon?
No. I've excluded myself from the competition.

How will the winner be selected?
As in previous years, entries will be voted on by your peers in secret ballots. I'll explain the process in more detail later.

What’s the closing date for entries?

To be considered for the 2013 Meager Puddle of Limelight Awards for Best Opening Line, please submit your entries by 8pm (US/Eastern time), on Thursday, January 31st, 2013.

Sure, the Puddles may not be as prestigious as a Hugo or the like, but any award voted for by your peers is one worth having. Besides, just like those shiny diamonds people like to sing about, bragging rights are forever.

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Yesterday was my son's gymnastics class. It's the third one he's been to, and I kid you not, for the last three weeks the only way we get through any school related thing, or anything at all, is because of the promise of one hour of uninterrupted jumping and fun in his class.

On the way back home, he sighed and said, "One week to my next class..." and then, looking out the window, he added, "I really tried not to have fun so the time would go slower. But no, it didn't work."

When I managed to have a coherent thought after his words, I thought that for me writing means the same thing gymnastics means to my son. I usually write my best at night, and all day long, I look forward to the time I'll finally be able to sit down and write a few words or edit a chapter. Most nights though, I'm so exhausted I can't wait to go to bed and have some well-deserved sleep. But for me, if I don't get a daily dose of something I love--writing--I don't feel satisfied, no matter how much sleep or chocolate. I commit to protect my writing time, be more flexible with when I write and for how long. After all, it doesn't matter if I have a two-hour block. By the time it's over, it feels like five minutes because I have so much fun doing it.

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I had a great time at the Jersey State Feline Fanciers Cat Show over the weekend.

So tempted to bring home a furry addition to the family, but I had strict orders from Senior Management. We both would love a cat, but sooner or later, I know one of my daughters would end up trying to take the wrapper off, which wouldn't end well for either girl or the poor animal.

I've never been to an event like this before, but when you have a book about a talking cat, it makes sense to have an author table at this sort of thing. I expected a lot more tension, what with people wanting their cats to win the various competitions. Not a bit of it. The whole show had a wonderful, family atmosphere. Everyone seemed to know everyone, even the vendors.

All in all, a long, but thoroughly enjoyable two days.

How about you?

How was your weekend?

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I'm back from a great trip, digging out (literally & email-i-ally) from the avalance of stuff that I need to attend to. So, quickly: Thanks to everyone who came out to MoMA, SCBWI, The Grove in LA, & Sketchfest in SF.  Every appearance was great fun and very different, Here's an image of the DON'T LET THE COMEDIANS DO STORYTIME! class picture.  As you can see Patton was upset he didn't get to

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Every day I go out my back door, down the walkway to my studio.

It is still winter around these parts, even though severe cold appears to be behind us.  In Colorado we KNOW that we could still get 3 feet of snow! .. all the way into April.

Still, in my mind I have been planting flowers now. This flower bed that looks so bare, will be full of plants in around 12 weeks!  The grass will be green even before that!  I am so excited!  I love Spring!  I love when the birds get back from their vacation down south!  The woodpecker is already pounding on our chimney and I just smile!  Its all signs of Spring!   Soon I will be working in my studio with my door and windows open.  I am READY!!!

Filed under: The Great Outdoors!

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2 1/2 years ago I bought my trusty little Apple laptop. The other day I was working on it and up came a window telling me I had about 100 GB of information on it!  This memory includes programs that I run, but most of it is ART!!  Fabric design, product concepts, children’s books and more. Peepsqueak and his friends, Newton my lamb and his friends, a friendly new elephant and monkey, some babies, some clowns, Lae Dee Bugg, Snofolk, and more!  Always more.  What great fun it has been to look back at the last 2 1/2 years!  It has me wondering just how much art will fill this computer by the end of 2013!  I have some ideas right now!!!!

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