If you like kidlit reviews, check out http://booksthathealkids.blogspot.com/. Roxanne is an elementary school counselor in Oregon, and browsing her blog, you can absolutely feel how much heart and soul she has put into it.

(For the record, I am NOT posting about this because she reviewed my book. There is a connection though--it was the fact that she reviewed my book that brought my attention to the blog in the first place. I'm impressed with the blog and want to share it.)

Yes, I still exist. But mostly in real life, away from LJ Land and the computer.

I was just sitting around, twiddling my thumbs (I get to do that every now and then--it's one of the perks of not being glued to the puter 24/7) and thinking about all my friends in LJ Land, whom I haven't seen in forever, and I had to pop in to say, "Peekaboo! How are you?"

Who wants to play a word game? I do! I do!

Can you think up a fun and original oxymoron?

I'll start:

LEFTOVER CHOCOLATE

For a while now, I've been trying to figure out how to use my blog for something other than my own personal blahblah. Something helpful. Something different.

I think I've finally come up with an idea.

Different readers have different comfort levels when it comes to certain content, such as language, violence, sex, religion, etc. There are some sites that screen books (google "clean books", you'll find a bunch), listing and recommending books that meet their specific criteria. That's great for readers who have the exact same level of sensitivity.

But what about readers who would like to know what's in the book and then decide for themselves? These people may not want to read a book with content that pushes their comfort level, but how can they determine that without knowing what's in the book?

So my idea is to use my blog as a database that lists books and gives objective information about their content. No judgments or condemnations. No recommendations either. Just WHAT'S IN IT. Plain and simple. A neutral, factual report of what the book contains.

My goal is to give readers the information they need to make their own decision about whether a book is right for themselves and their children.

They have such a site for movies and I use it often.http://kids-in-mind.com/ I want to do the same thing, but for children's books.

For anybody who missed it and wants to read it, here's the link to the transcript from my ICL Rhymer's Workshop last night:

http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/tr01/sbecker.shtml

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to let you know that I'll be giving a rhyming workshop in the ICL chat room next Thursday, August 9, from 8pm-10pm Eastern. Everybody is welcome to join us. I hope to see some of you there!

For more information: http://www.institutechildrenslit.com/rx/iclschat.shtml

They're sending around officers on foot to check if cars are locked. The fine for leaving your car door unlocked is $52!

One neighbor just got a ticket--I feel awful for her, since she got a parking ticket just last week and she was pretty upset over it. It had been her second one this month. So I guess this unlocked door fine is her third. Eek. I can't bare to be around when she comes out and sees the ticket on her windshield.

Somebody else got a $52 ticket even though her car doors were locked. She had left her purse visible inside her car and that's also against the law here. My 13 year-old daughter is in shock. She can't understand how they can fine somebody for leaving a purse in the car. I can't understand how somebody can leave a purse in the car.

And I came across an interesting word: Empurple. It's a verb and it means to make purple. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/empurple

How many of you knew this? Be honest!

Something.

That's all. :)

Just wanted to let you all know I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. I'm still here, and gravity is still working just fine, thank God.

I haven't been reading blogs lately, so don't please feel insulted if I haven't commented in yours lately.

And just to add a bit more substance to this entry, I'll tell you the best books I've read in the last few weeks.

Picture book: WHILE MAMA HAD A QUICK LITTLE CHAT, Written by Amy Reichert and illustrated by Alexandra Boiger. It's cute. It's fun. I wish I had written it. I love the illustrations, too! If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.

Novel: ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine. It's not my first time reading it (and probably not my last either), but I really love that book. I also really enjoyed SMUGGLER'S ISLAND by Avi. It's an old book, but this was my first time reading it and I couldn't put it down. I almost always enjoy Avi's books, but I haven't read them all. Yet.

Okay, I've made my appearance, apologized for my absence, and added some substance. Toodle-loo!!

I've been busy, busy, busy. That's why you haven't seen me hanging around LJ-land lately.

For the past few weeks, it's been raining story ideas in my brain. I could hardly get notes down fast enough. Three pb ideas and a novel plot with two pretty well-formed characters. One pb idea is already written, rewritten, clipped, and tweaked and subbed to my crit group. Another one is half-drafted. And I have a finished first draft for the third--although it needs a ton of polishing before another human being is allowed to lay eyes on it. The novel will wait until I have time for it...

Yesterday I received my Highlights contributor copies for the March issue. My rebus, Puddle Play, is in it. I like the sweet illustrations that accompany it.

In other news, I've been slowly updating my website. I've added a photo of myself (thanks to some nudging from my dear friends) and a page with reviews and the Toddler's Rules of Possession, which will surely make you chuckle if you've never seen it before. Oh, and I've also added a wonderful teacher's guide for my book, written by Cassandra Reigel Whetstone. She did a fabulous job! (Sorry, I don't know how to do that linky thing...)

I still have a long list of changes and tweaks I'd like to make and content I'd like to add, but I'm done fiddling for the time being. It's a work in progress.

All for now...

Today's book signing went pretty well. People actually showed up, some of them were even kids and a bunch of them even bought my book! The kids were adorable and it was fun and I wasn't half as nervous as I thought I'd be.

Thank you to everyone who wished me well and gave me tips. And an extra thank you to those of you who suggested bringing treats. The Events Coordinator thought it was a wonderful idea. And I'm sure the kids did, too.

Thank you, Lurban (I'm sorry, I have no idea to do that linky thing), for taking this picture. Somebody else took several photos that I didn't like much, and then Lurban took this one and it turned out to be the best of the bunch. (By the way, Linda, I decided to spend the night here in Vermont after all. It was so great spending time with you and your adorable little ones this afternoon. Thanks again for coming!)

Hello, LJ!

Tomorrow I'm doing a story-time/signing at the Barnes & Noble store in Burlington, Vermont, from 2pm-3pm. If any of you can come, I'd love to see you there!

And while we're talking about B&N, this is cool:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/subjects/children/children_cds2.asp?PID=12665&start=13&z=y&cds2Pid=12665

This is something I shared with my critique group earlier today. They appreciated it so much (at least they claimed to) and suggested I post it somewhere public, so other writers could benefit from it, too. Here goes:

How is it possible that sometimes we can sit down and write something we like and other times we (speaking only for those of us who feel this way, of course) can't even seem to fit two words together? Aren't we the same both times?

I've been thinking about it a lot and I realized it's because all creation ultimately comes from God. It may come THROUGH US, but it's FROM HIM. I've heard that before from all sorts of artists and creative people, and I certainly believed it, but this time it clicked.

There are times when God chooses US to be the conduit for a certain creation and there are times He chooses Jane Yolen instead. :)

So THAT'S why sometimes we can write well (and quickly too) and other times we can't write for beans. It's not because we're suddenly incompetent as writers, it's not because we've forgotten how to write, or suddenly lost our ability to come up with characters and plot or to find the right voice--it's because writing and creation isn't something we're entitled to, or something we should take for granted. The ability to create isn't something we own--it's a gift.

Each word, each phrase, each writing session, each idea, each AHA moment is a new and separate gift. Some days we get a whole pile of gifts and other days we get only a few, or maybe none.

But if we don't show up at the keyboard, ready to receive the gift, we certainly won't have any chance of getting it at all.

So sometimes we feel frustrated with our writing (or lack thereof) and sometimes we may even feel like quitting. But we need to remember that a bad writing day only means that there wasn't any gift for us on that particular day. Or maybe that day's gift was a tiny seed of an idea and there will be more gift packets in the future to help us grow that seed into a healthy and beautiful mature plant. But that won't happen if we're not there to receive it.

Novel-writing reminds me of laundry. You work on it and you work on it and you work on it. And no matter how much you work on it, it's never finished.

You thought I was going to say something about the smell, didn't you? Well, that would have worked too. In fact, I bet there are tons of similarities between novel-writing and laundry. Why don't you guys put your thinking caps on and help me out here?

There's the never-ending aspect.
The smelly aspect.

What else?

I've been busy and therefore quiet, but I just want to take a moment to wish all of my LJ friends a happy new year. Happy New Year, LJ!

2006 was a great year for many of my writing friends and it was a pretty good year for me, too. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2007 brings.

Here's a question for you novelists. What's the longest it ever took you to complete a novel? I'm talking from the moment you first thought of the idea until the moment you felt it was ready to submit.

I think I'm working on a world record over here and I just want to know what the world record actually is, so I can figure out if and when I should start looking up the number for Guinness. That's all.

A mother contacted me to tell me this:

Her kids love Mine! Mine! Mine! so much that they're fighting over it.

Er, yeah. Maybe she needs to read it to them a few more times. And if that doesn't work, she could always buy another copy, so they each have their own. So much for sharing... Read the rest of this post

Great things:

1. Mine! Mine! Mine! was chosen by Atlanta Parent Magazine as one of the 50 Must Read Books of the year. How cool is that?? http://www.atlantaparent.com/06-11-Nov2006/nov2006-art3.html

2.Mine! Mine! Mine! received a glowing review from Children's Literature. It's so complimentary and so amazingly positive, I thought I was hallucinating when I first saw it, and when I second saw it, and even when I third saw it. People have reassured me that it's real, so I feel safe posting the link. Scroll down to the Children's Literature review.
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9781402725388&itm=1

I'm thankful.

I FINALLY got a new laptop!! It's small and sleek and sooooo lightweight! That was my main criteria--lightweight. The guy at Future Shop was trying to sell me on all these boring, unimportant features, like technology and speed and capabilities blah blah blah , so I said, "Enough already! Just tell me how much it weighs." 

I bought the second lightest computer in the store and I'm happy. Don't ask me about any of the other features. I don't know and don't care.  

First drafts like this are so delicious! 

The idea and the title popped into my head Friday morning. I jotted both down a bit later in the day. Had no time to think about the idea further until a few hours ago (my brain was too busy with other stuff). Sat down at the keyboard, temporarily deleted a bunch of other stuff from my brain, and the text spilled out of my fingertips double-time (in rhyme). An hour and a half later, beginning,  middle, and end were all there, on the page (yeah, it's a screen, but whatever). The first draft is complete and I like it. 

(Oh, by the way, it's a pb, in case you hadn't figured that out. I couldn't write a novel in an hour and a half. I'm not THAT talented.)

My crit group hasn't seen it yet, and I don't know if I'll still like it tomorrow, but tonight I do! My first drafts don't always come pouring out like that, but, oh, I love it when they do! Now, I can get on to the really fun part--revising! But not yet. Have to let it sit a bit before I can tell what revisions are needed. 

Happy first drafts to all of you!

So my Mine! Mine! Mine! author's copies finally arrived a couple of days ago. Now you might not believe this, but I haven't even opened the box yet. Why should I? I already know what's inside. I've seen the book. In fact, I have a copy right here. Why open a perfectly well-taped box for nothing? I'm wondering who will get the first copies when I do open the box. So far, I haven't a clue. Ooh! I just thought of who. Why didn't THAT occur to me sooner? Shame on me. Okay, so feel free to take some guesses. Who gets the first of my author copies?

I just filled out my application form for the Jewish Children's Book Writers' Conference in NY this November. Is anybody else planning to go to this event? Please let me know! I'd love to meet some of my online writing friends there! 

And last but not least, today is the official birthday of my first published picture book, Mine! Mine! Mine! That's pretty cool! I even ate a piece (okay, so it was a few pieces--whatever) of cake in honor of this special day. So please go ahead and have yourself a special treat in honor of my book's birthday. Go on. Do it. 

Scroll down to the bottom of the page, where it says Amazon, and check out the price! HA!

http://www.bestwebbuys.com/Mine!_Mine!_Mine!-ISBN_1402725388.html?isrc=b-search