It's 5:30 a.m., and in half an hour I head to the airport and Quebec for Canadian Children's Book Week. I'm excited, and a bit nervous. Today and tomorrow are strictly travel days. I'll get as far as Montreal today, and then tomorrow I'll carry on to Sept Iles and Blanc Sablon on the Lower North Shore of Quebec. School presentations and community sessions begin on Monday and continue through to the following Saturday. There might even be a radio interview thrown in as well.

I shall hop from one community to the next for seven days, and then it's back to Montreal next Sunday. In total I shall have 15 airplane rides, 2 helicopter rides, and 2 water taxi rides. If nothing else, I am definitely going to be well-travelled.

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go.

Wish me luck. 

Well, after having all my facebook functions frozen for two weeks, I was finally able to post stuff and reply to posts yesterday and this morning. But, alas, it looks like I am once more blocked. (@#*&&#!!&*) The really stupid part of all this -- aside from the deplorable and  immoral fact that there is no way to contact facebook and complain -- is that being frozen means I'm not even able to deactivate my account. Needless to say I am very frustrated.

The only way I can communicate with my facebook friends is by posting something on my website blog and having it appear on facebook as a note.

So, thanks to everyone who wished me well on my Silver Birch nomination. Who knows when I'll be able to get back to you on facebook.

Sheesh! 

"Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day!"

That's me cheerily singing (for the sake of your ears, please pretend it's Doris Day or maybe Barbra Streisand). I just can't help it. I'm super-thrilled! Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers: One Hundred Ancient Egyptian Jobs You Might Have Desired or Dreaded has just been shortlisted for the 2010 OLA Silver Birch Award (non-fiction category). How cool is that!!?!!

The only other time I was nominated for this award was way back in 1998 with my very first book, The Runaways. That was in the fiction category. The novel was a regional winner, but lost out on the big prize to Kenneth Oppel's Silverwing.

Considering Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers is pretty much my first venture into the land of factual books, I am especially pleased about this nomination, though it's a bit daunting to be in the company of such fine non-fiction veterans as Helaine Becker, Hugh Brewster, and my good friend, Diane Swanson, to name just three.

This is an Ontario Children's Choice Award, so Ontario school children have from now until late April to read the nominated titles. On April 23rd (my birthday -- could this be a lucky omen?) they vote for their favourites, and on May 13th, the winner will be announced at a big gala in Toronto.

It is my hope to attend the awards' ceremony. It is a wonderful celebration, and win or lose, it is a fabulous opportunity to mingle with other writers and meet a kazillion young, enthusiastic readers. Too much fun! So the plan is to try to book school visits for the week and a half prior to the gala to offset the travel costs.

Cross your fingers and wish me luck.

Well, it's done. Yesterday I put a bow on the manuscript and sent it on its way. It always feels good to reach that stage, but I've been working on that book so long there's suddenly a gap in my life.

It's only momentary though. I must be very wicked, because I don't seem to be catching much rest. Tomorrow is the launch for my new Zach & Zoe book -- 10:30 at Still Water Books and Art in Campbell River. If you're in the area, please drop in.

But I digress. I shall probably spend the better part of today preparing for tomorrow. That includes planning my reading and hemming something to wear. The launch should be fun, followed by lunch with some friends, and then it will be time to come home and get busy on all the other things I've pushed to the side for the last few months.

Things such as: constructing the props for my Quebec Book Tour (fake Pharaoh, death mask, brain scraper, canopic jars, overhead transparencies, etc.); read and review a book for CM Magazine (Sorry, Rosa Jordan -- I know you are waiting); make antipasto; help my mother make a crafty Christmas tree; write the chapter outline for book #3 in the Zach & Zoe series; CLEAN MY HOUSE; do some touch up painting; etc., etc.

That should take me to the middle of November and my book tour. When I get back, it will be time to make Christmas and attack the revisions for my three 2010 books.

And then?

Oh, I'm sure there will be something.

For the last two and one half days, logging on to facebook has been like looking through the windows of your locked house. You know you live there, but you can't get in. I can sign onto facebook, and I can view my home and profile page, but that's it. I cannot accept friend invitations or show friends I like their posts. I cannot comment on other people's posts; I cannot even update my own status or view my list of friends. Links take me nowhere. I am totally locked out.

I tried to report this problem to facebook, but with no luck. Apparently, it can't be done. I get to the Help page, but when I click on any of the links, they don't work either! AND there is absolutely no way to email facebook -- no way to contact them. I'm thinking they don't want to know what my problem is, let alone fix it.

So, on the off-chance that any of my facebook friends are reading this -- it is possible that the blog posts from my website are making it through the cyber-smog to my facebook page --I apologize for not responding to you. I would if I could, but I can't, and the way things are going, I may never be able to.

Facebook -- in your face!!!

The Last Superhero -- that's the title of a new book I have coming out next spring. And here is the cover art. I just received it today. It's done to look like an Archie type comic book, because one of the superheroes in the book is a comic book creation. Yes, I said ONE. There are actually several superheroes in this story. It's up to the reader to figure out who they all are and who the LAST one is. After all, a writer has to set challenges for her readers.

Allow me to introduce the evangelist on the table. It is none other than Miss Willa Rae Ellen Nott -- aka Wren, or Miss Nott as the librarian calls her, a form of address Wren dislikes because it sounds like she is being called Miss Snot. Wren is a unique soul -- and a unique dresser. She may be small, but that doesn't stop her from taking on the school bullies single-handed.

Jas is the young man in the blue sweater. All he wants to do is get accepted into an elite summer art program, but circumstances keep throwing Wren in his path, and he finds himself dragged into her crusade whether he likes it or not.

Then there's Miss Holmes in the background. She's the librarian, and all she would like is for the school gang wars to take place somewhere other than her library.

Absent from the illustration but very important to the novel are the library regulars -- a group of bookish kids who double as victims for the school bullies, and, of course, PeeWee and Garth, the grade 8 goons Wren is out to vanquish.

The novel is topical, thought-provoking, and just good fun. Cheer for the good guys and blow raspberries at the bad guys. You may be surprised who wins.

Literally.

I have had new glasses for a week, and for a week I have strained to see and  have been living with an ongoing headache. Now I know that new spectacles take some getting used to -- I've worn glasses since age three -- but I have never experienced anything like this. Definitely not fun, especially since I'm coming down to the wire on a book which requires a lot of research as well as writing. In other words, a lot of eye work.

Many people have offered suggestions, and I've tried them all. I've even tried looking through the glasses upside down on the off-chance that the lenses were inserted the wrong way up. They weren't. As bad as looking through them the normal way is, upside down was worse. Yesterday I made a return visit to the eyeglass place and related my difficulties. The associate changed the nose pieces to silicon -- so they wouldn't slip -- with the hope that that would do the trick. I was hopeful too, but to no avail.

Then, this evening, my husband suggested that magnification might be an issue. Being too close to my eyes -- or too far away -- the glasses could be incorrectly positioned. Since I couldn't get them any closer, I tried pulling them away, and VOILA! By setting the glasses a half inch farther away from my eyes, I could see! No more fuzzy far away and blurry close up. No more adjustment time needed as I went from looking at something mid-range to close up and then in the distance. I could drive without feeling like I was on drugs. My eyes relaxed and the pain in my head disappeared.

Of course, now I look a tad weird with my spectacles sitting halfway down my nose, but I can see, and tonight that's all I care about. I'll visit the eye glass people tomorrow.

Okay, I'm officially there. I have slid into panic mode. As August evaporates and September pushes its way into my face, I realize that I have just six weeks left to finish this book. GULP!

Take deep breaths, Kristin ... deep breaths. 

Look at the bright side -- I'm over half way. I have just three secret societies left to write about. That's good, yes?

Yes, except that I have to research each one before I can do the writing. That's two weeks per society. Originally I had three weeks. (More gulping and deep breathing.) 

But I can do it. I just have to work faster, read faster, think faster, write faster. And ignore all the other parts of my life. Forget housework and cooking. Stop running errands. Tell my sister she can't come to visit. Hang up on my mother and kids when they call. Stop answering emails. Jam out on my volunteer commitments. Skip my dentist and eye doctor appointments.  

All right so I have a plan. Blinders on and full speed ahead.

Honey, you're on your own. The fridge is full. The laundry soap is in the cupboard. See you in six weeks. 

Well, here it is -- hot off the press -- Zach & Zoe Bully and the Beagle! This makes book #3 for me this year. It's #2 in the Zach & Zoe series, chapter books for readers in the 6 - 10 age range. This one finds the twins dog-sitting a sweet but spoiled beagle named Molly Manners. It's a job that keeps Zach and Zoe going non-stop. But when their cousin, Howie, comes to visit from Vancouver for a week, things heat up even more. Howie is a bully, and he doesn't like Molly. But the twins are expected to entertain their cousin, and it's not an easy task. Their hands are full just trying to keep the peace.

Enjoy! 

When I found out I had been chosen to tour for TD Canadian Children's Book Week in November/09, I was thrilled. I'd toured once before, and I still remember how intense and exhausting it was. On the other hand, I also still remember how thrilling and rewarding it was. So when I learned I was going to Quebec -- a place I have always wanted to visit -- I was ecstatic. Visons of Quebec City, Montreal, and Trois Rivieres floated through my mind. This was going to be great.

Well, a few days ago I found out where I shall actually be touring. Quebec City? Non. Montreal? Non. Trois Rivieres. Non. 

I am going to be visiting the Lower North Shore. I'm ashamed to say that until three days ago I had never even heard of the Lower North Shore. Just shows you how small my world is -- about 10' by 10' -- the area of my office.

So I zipped onto the Internet and started searching, and let me tell you, the Lower North Shore is there -- BIG TIME! It lies in the mouth of the mighty St. Lawrence River across from the Gaspe Peninsula and adjacent to Newfoundland. It is made up of a string of tiny villages, in a region associated with the early Canadian fur trade!

The photos on the Net are awesome. The landscape is rugged, but breathtaking. Imagine an iceberg at your doorstep or a whale performing outside your window.  

Roads aren't abundant -- which means I shall be travelling from village to village via small planes and helicopter.  

All I can say is, "Wow!" I am stoked. This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime. My audiences will be smaller than most I present to, but that means we are going to get to know each other very, very well. These visits will be more intimate and telling than any others I have ever done. I know in my heart that I shall remember the experience always, and I shall do my best to make the time just as wonderful for my audiences. 

I am busy. The Order of Death -- and Other Secret Societies is taking up most of my time. The first draft has to be done by October 15th. That might seem a ways down the road, but it really isn't. Though it's great fun researching the various secret societies and then selecting the most interesting and pertinent information to weave into stories and sidebars, it is time-intensive. The plan is to look at 7 secret societies, and so far I have completed 2 -- Skull and Bones and the Yakuza. I am currently working on the third one -- the Knights Templar. I don't know how my research is going to manifest itself into a story yet, but I have an inkling I shall be inspired soon. I love that "AHA!!" feeling, when the muse strikes and I know I've hit pay dirt. In the meantime, I shall continue to dig.

I recently heard from Orca Book Publishers informing me that they are going to publish Cheat, in Currents, a hi-lo series they offer for reluctant readers. It's been three years since I last had a book with Orca, so I'm looking forward to working with them again. The bonus here is that the book is already written. The normal pattern for submissions to this series is to write an outline and sample chapter. I did that last fall. And Orca liked it. But because I didn't want the book published until 2010, Orca was reluctant to offer a contract. The editor suggested I complete the book and resubmit. The downside to that scenario is that if, upon reading the complete draft, Orca decided not to publish it, I would be stuck with a manuscript that was written to such specific criteria that it would basically be unsellable anywhere else. However, I was pretty certain the editor wouldn't have made the suggestion if she wasn't fairly confident it would be a go. And it is. So now I don't have to write the book. I just have to rewrite it. (sigh) Ah, well, as my mother would say, it keeps me off the streets.

So back to work. 

I knew it was time to get up this morning (6ish), when my mind was busy writing. I say 'writing', since I was actually composing sentences. This made me ecstatic, because it meant it was time to stop researching and start working on the next chapter of The Order of Death and Other Secret Societies. I have a pretty good general knowledge of the Yakuza -- that's the secret society I'm currently working on, so now I'm ready to begin weaving it into a story. I have a general plot, and as for the rest, I'm confident the details will present themselves as I go along. Certainly I'll have to hunt down more information as I go, but I'm ready to get at the writing.

The thing that is so cool is that the appearance of those first sentences in my head as I lay in bed set the tone for the story, and that tone is totally different than the one for the Skull and Bones story. The writing style for this story will be matched with the nature of the country -- Japan -- where the Yakuza are headquartered. I didn't set out to do this intentionally, but my inner muse must have known it was the right thing to do. The story will still have lots of action and suspense, but it will be told differently.

Somehow I know that this will be the case with the other five stories too. The narrative style will automatically change with the subject. I find that magical, mysterious, and absolutely wonderful, because it's an unconscious adjustment. It's intuitive. I am not doing it on purpose. But I am totally confident it is the right thing to do.

The Writing Gods are smiling on me.

Return to Bone Tree Hill is off to a good start. Last week it was reviewed in CM Magazine, a well-respected online journal, and it was highly recommended. Yippee! The reviewer didn't have one negative thing to say, which is exactly what we anxious writers hold our collective breath for. I always want my books to be well-received, but for some reason, I have a special stake in this one. I think perhaps it's because the writing is a bit different than my usual style, and therefore a bit of an unknown commodity for me.

But early feedback is all positive, so I'm able to start breathing again. There will be an article about the book -- and me -- in the summer issue of Prairie Books NOW. I'm not sure when that comes out, but it can't be long. I was also recently interviewed by aspiring teen writer, Lin Wang, who is posting the interview in two parts on her blog, Flames and Shadows. She too has reviewed the book, and I understand the review will appear in What If Magazine.

I'm happy. 

Well, my book launch and mini-tour in Winnipeg went very well. McNally Robinson Books in Grant Park Plaza did an excellent job of hosting my reading/signing. About 40 people showed up at the event and bought loads of books. Not only did Return to Bone Tree Hill sell well, but the store sold out of all my other books too, even after bringing in extra stock from other stores. Thank you all so much for your support.

My school visits were fabulous too. Students were well prepared, courteous, attentive, and full of questions. I couldn't ask for more.

Despite electronic this and virtual that and instant everything else, it would appear that books are still alive and well, and people are still reading. Even my youngest grandchild!

Well, it's official ... I'm going to Quebec for Book Week in November. I couldn't be happier. Quebec is a richly historic part of Canada and I am finally going to get to see it! I won't have my itinerary until the end of October, but if it's anything like the last time I toured, it is going to be intense -- a week of days brimming with school and library talks. It will be exhausting but ever so rewarding. I am thrilled!

Now where's that suitcase?

The myth lives on.

"What myth is that?" you ask.

Why, the one that puts writers in the same category as doctors, lawyers, professional athletes, movie stars, Oprah, and the Queen! Namely, financially well-off.

Granted, there are some writers who can afford to fly first class, but most of us are seat sale seekers, bus riders, and car poolers. Unless writers hold down other jobs besides writing -- and many do -- they are probably living at the poverty level. Ah, yes, it's glamorous to be a writer, folks. Think about it. Aside from book advances (which are generally 4-figures tops! -- and how far does that stretch?), those of us who earn our living writing books get paid twice a year. You want to try budgeting that -- especially when you don't know what the paycheque will be until it arrives. And don't forget, you have to pay income tax and CPP (as the employer AND the employer) out of that too.

Of course, you do get to write a lot of stuff off, which is a good thing, albeit a tad demoralizing when your expenses repeatedly outweigh your income. The really bizarre thing is the fact that writers often get audited. I guess the government really does think it can get blood from a stone.

My point?

Writing isn't a lucrative career. It has it's rewards, but money isn't one of them. As a means of supplementing our meagre incomes, many of us take on speaking engagements. We talk to writing groups, schools, and conferences; we give workshops, become mentors, and teach classes. All these activities help to keep the wolf from the door, but they don't get us rich.

And yet there are still many people out there -- people who would seek our services, who expect us to provide it free of charge. It boggles my mind. Do teachers work for free? Principals? College deans? Company CEOs? Of course they don't! So why would these same people assume that writers are willing to do so?

In less than two weeks I am heading off to Winnipeg for a mini-book tour, which just got minier. (I don't care if that's not a word.) When presented with the invoice for the presentations they wanted me to make, two of the schools claimed they hadn't realized there was going to be a fee and promptly cancelled their bookings.  Come on, People! Think!

This new development poses a great loss of income for me, especially considering my flight is already booked and paid for. Needless to say, I am not a happy camper.

Actually, no -- it's more than that. I'm insulted, and I'm angry. I spend a lot of time, energy and money developing my talks, and I'm good at what I do. I hold the attention of large audiences of young people for a solid hour so that their teachers seldom have to even shush anyone. So ... those teachers are sitting on their behinds doing nothing for an hour and getting paid for it, while I'm expected to perform a razzmatazz song-and-dance routine for an hour free of charge.

Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture?

I'm jealous -- hence the greenish title for this blog. It seems everyone has a To-Be-Read pile except me. I have a nebulous To-Be-Read wishlist somewhere in the back of my brain, but it's pretty vague. I have books I would like to read, which are probably still at the library waiting for me to live out my fantasy about having time to read. I also have several books stashed at various locations around my house -- and in my car, in case I need to pass the time while I'm at a doctor's appointment, etc.

But I've got nothing on the night stand. Of course, I don't own a night stand, so that might be part of the problem. I've got nothing on the piano either. Like the night stand, I don't have a piano, but a friend has her To-Be-Read stack on a piano, so I'm thinking that must be a good place. Would things change if I acquired a piano? Since I have no space for a piano, I probably shouldn't even venture down that road.

In recent years, reading adult stuff has been tough going because of the time thing, but I have still made room for reading YA and kidlit -- mostly because I was reviewing it. But even that has come to a standstill. I'm telling you, people -- I don't got no time!!

I keep thinking I'm going to have time -- after I finish the next manuscript. But lately there's always another manuscript after that, and the deadlines are so close, I have to write for my life in order to meet them.

My first novel was published two-and-one-half years after I submitted it. These days I'm lucky to have six months from start to finish.

But if I had time to read. if I ever GET time to read, I think I'd like to curl up with Out of Order by Robin Stevenson, Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer -- not because I'm convinced it's great, but because the reviews are so varied I need to decide for myself, The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve-- I've been meaning to read that one for years, The Soloist by Steve Lopez, another Jodi Procult title just to see if My Sister's Keeper was for real or just a lucky fluke, ... and the list goes on. Unfortunately the actual To-Be Read pile is nowhere to be found.

At this immediate moment, I am taking a break -- nothing big, just a little suck-back-and-reload moment before steam-rolling on to the next chapter. I have given myself until Friday to finish this book, because I absolutely HAVE TO, HAVE TO, HAVE TO move on to the next project. That's the thing about over-committing myself. I run the very real risk of being committed -- if you get my drift.

But the need to earn a living -- which isn't all that easy when you're a writer, and the fear of falling by the way if I slow down, compel me to push on. Thank goodness I've recently received some positive acknowledgment for my latest books, because that spurs me on to make sure my current efforts are up to par, even if they are more hurried than I would like.

Last week I received an advance review for Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers. The review is every writer's dream -- a rave! -- and the fact that it is written by a highly regarded voice in kids' literature adds even more to my elation. I can hardly wait for others to read it.

Then yesterday I learned that both Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers and Return to Bone Tree Hill have been included in the spring book collections compiled by CanLit for Kids, a company well-respected for choosing quality titles for school libraries.

It would be lovely to bask in the sunshine of these accolades, but I can't afford to. So I'll just wrap myself in the warmth of them and press on, thankful that I have things to move on to. 

When I first started writing full-time, it was a matter of write a book and try to get it published. Upon rereading that sentence, I realize the concept sounds pretty simple. It it were, a lot more people would be doing it. In a way, however, it was simple. I had one thing on my plate, and that was all I had to concern myself with.

As my writing career has progressed, the process has become more complicated, and writing sometimes seems like the least of my challenges. No matter how wonderful the book I write might be, without promotion, it might be read by very few people. Publishers definitely help in that regard. They send books out to reviewers and submit them for book prizes. They advertise them in periodicals and push them on their websites. They pursue foreign exposure. But as a writer, I can contribute on that front too. I can announce new books to my network of friends and peers. I can submit blurbs to periodicals and writing associations, and I can push books on my website, facebook, jacketflap, etc. I can do school visits and other speaking presentations. I can distribute bookmarks and stickers, and I can arrange launches for new books. I can apply for writer in residence programs and sponsored book tours. I can pursue television, radio, and newspaper coverage.

On the writing front, I can also capitalize on the fact that my writing history provides me with a ticket through the front door to publishers. No longer do I have to sit in the slush pile, waiting for a hired reader to eventually read my submission. Now I am not only able to contact editors directly, but I even have publishers contacting me sometimes. It's wonderful, but it still feels a bit weird. In addition, I find that some of my writing projects get contracted before I've even written them.

It's all good, right? Absolutely. However, all of these new avenues suck up a huge amount of my time, and I sometimes find myself chasing my tail.

Like right now. Granted, there are a whole lot of other things sucking up my time at the moment, but I am so busy 'arranging things' that I find myself strapped for time to actually write. There are a number of fabulous opportunities sitting in my lap, but I may lose any or all of them for want of writing time.

Can there be too much of a good thing? Perhaps.

Sadly, I'm not personally off to Sweden, but The Trouble with Liberty is. Orca News popped up in my emailbox yesterday, and there was the announcement. It seems Orca -- through the Transatlantic Literary Agency -- has sold the book to the Swedish publisher, Hagas. Yippee!

This is sweet news, epecially since the original book was published in 2003. That means that six years later it's still doing well. It's always exciting to hear one of my titles has been picked up by a foreign publisher. But I'm really going to have to start studying languages. I currently have novels kicking around my house in Dutch, Slovenian, Spanish, German -- and soon -- in Swedish! It would be nice to be able to read them. 

I am not a morbid person, and I have no plans to kick the bucket in the near future. In fact, I always tell people I can't die while I'm in the middle of writing a story, and since I generally have several stories on the go at any time and more percolating in my brain, I don't see how I can hang it up for a very long time.

So it was quite helpful when a friend emailed a link to a website called Life Calculator. The site is a quiz that takes your present age and by asking questions about health, lifestyle, habits, family background, etc., it works out what your actual age is, as well as how long you might be expected to live. The neat thing is that it shows how your age is affected by the answer to each question. Being happily married really adds years onto your life, as does not doing a lot of driving. Drinking alcohol and eating refined foods -- not so much.

I answered as honestly as I could, fully expecting that I should already be dead by the time I finished the quiz, but to my surprise, my actual age is younger than what it says on my birth certificate (a lady doesn't tell), and apparently I'm going to live to be 83.9 years old.

This is very helpful information, because it allows me to set up a writing schedule. If I want to finish all stories before I die I should probably give myself at least 6 months of undivided writing time before noon of March 18, 2034.

And then I'm good to go -- in a manner of speaking -- unless I get another really good idea. Maybe, if I went to the gym one more time a week, I could squeeze out a little extra time ...