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Thanks for mentioning that great site: No Flying No Tights! I'm always interested in new graphic novels.

Thanks for all the links, in particular for the Campfire Graphic Novels one. I shall look into there books for my boy.

HILARY KNIGHT!!!

I love getting those emails from Campfire - I'm not sure how we got connection to them, but I like it - they have graphics no one else has.

I haven't read anything from Campfire yet, but they seem like such a neat effort and have some good-looking titles.

It sounds like a great evening--thanks for the report! I'm hoping to make it up to the Boston stop on Thursday, D.V. I'll be a squeeing fan girl mess....

:(

Perhaps this makes me sound like a jerk, but I love it when authors make their characters suffer. That was my problem with the Twilight books - did any one of those characters really have to give something up? Ever? Characters suffering is what keeps me turning pages. =)

The NYT article is great, too!

Dear Puppetmaster,
Please don't hurt us.
Signed, your frightened characters

Heh, heh.

Yeah, I think that this is going to be something I write on the backs of my hands during this ongoing revision: BE MEAN! BE MEAN! BE MEAN! Hard to believe, but it's an EFFORT. I mean, I have to TRY.

(Yeah, I know. You thought it came naturally. I exude that effortlessness.)

Hard-hearted, bloodthirsty wench! LOL

Loved this post. And your epiphany. And your helpful tips.

This is awesome and I'd love to be a part of it, but I have a brand new MG out from Scholastic this summer, THE HEALING SPELL, so I don't think I'd qualify, right? I'd be thrilled to pieces if THE HEALING SPELL was part of the MG books up for consideration. Going to post the Cybil Logo on my own blog(s) for sure!

Hi Kimberly,
It's entirely kosher to nominate your own novel. They go through two rounds of judging, so all you'd be doing is introducing your book to everyone.

Thanks for dropping by!

Also: you'd only be ineligible to be involved in the category in which your book is nominated. Try being a part of YA fiction or chapter books or picture books or non-fiction. There's plenty of room for good, careful readers.

Hey, thanks for the info, Tanita! I appreciate it. I've got an upcoming YA with Scholastic and a bunch more ready to sub so that's a good idea.

And glad I'd be kosher on the self-nominating thing, although it does feel a bit weird. :-)

Does it help to have other people nominate a book or are all books considered and read by the judges?

All the eligible books nominated during the period (Oct 1 - 15) are considered. :) I agree it feels weird to self-nominate, though.

Yeah, it does feel weird to self-nominate, but a lot of books are too new to the market for anyone to have read yet -- and if you want your book to be read/considered, you're going to have to put aside the feelings of "Eek! Blowing my own horn!" and just do it.

I read Esme's book a million years ago when it first came out (I was working at the indy bookstore in Fairbanks and the cover just jumped right out at me). I loved the book and was so impressed by what a decent writer (and thinker) Esme was. I was thrilled to see her continue her work with kids in such an unusual way through Planet Esme. I love that she is still being recognized for that excellent first book though.

Wow! Thanks for the shout out, so nice of you! I didn't know my book was included in the UC Berkeley booklist and I am so honored! Hope it inspires some readers to embark on their own adventures in education (I have another blog especially for new teachers, Hit the Ground Running, at http://educatingesme.blogspot.com).

I thought it was super cool to see you there on the list! :) If I ever decide to make a stab at teaching, I'll definitely be reading it.

It's amazing how much goes on in the world of books and book blogging isn't it? It's impossible to be able to do everything you want to do in the span of the year. Really the only way would be to win the lottery and what are the chances of that!

Hopefully you'll be able to go to one of the events, they really are a great time to learn and network with your fellow bloggers.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Yep, I went to the KidlitCon in Portland in '08 and had a fantastic time. Just couldn't afford to go to DC this past summer. :(

Yes, Katherine P. is an inspiration, and I hope for what you hope for, too.

Katherine Patterson is right. In our district they have paid lots of bucks to have a curriculum created for elementary through high school core subjects. They tell the teacher what to teach and the time frame for each unit and the books they are to have the kids read together (Language Arts) and as of this last month here in Bradenton, Florida our elective teachers have been told they must take Wednesdays each week and have the students read. I would not have seen a problem with this except our Art teacher was reading aloud the book "100 Cupboards" and the students were creating a cupboard and it had a whole readign and writing component to it and they told her she couldn't read it aloud on Wednesdays she had to do that some other time. Sad that just a few make the rules for those of us in the trenches who truly know what the children need.

That is REALLY sad. There's nothing I find more inspiring than lessons that really make curriculum something active and creative for students.

I keep starting to type things, and deleting them. I feel as if I've said the same things many times before-- you know, hopes for the rise of the small publishers, a real positive revolution of the American public school systems, etc. I would like to see the slush piles abate so that there's a better chance of good writing to get through. As ever, I am rooting for you, a.fortis.

I check your blog daily and just wanted to thank you for two specfic items I found here today. One is the comment challenge, which I have quickly joined, and the other is sending me back to the Cybils to get the name of a graphic novel. I have yet to venture into the realm of graphic novels and need to do so for another challenge. Choosing one from the Cybils will make my choice easy. Thanks you.

a.fortis, I'm doing the comment challenge, and that is going better than I had thought. One thing that is not revving up is my posting. I'm flat out of fresh ideas (it seems) and there's not much point in writing posts about lack of creativity... unless somehow I can make it creative and funny.

I'm pretty pleased about Katherine Patterson being the new Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Years ago, when I was in grad school, I got to have dinner with her at a friend's house, and I was pretty much tongue-tied the whole time. She was witty, however. :)

Oh, Ssrah, sometime after the Cybils judging is over, you must read Bridge to Terabithia.

Good luck with the judging. I'm currently immersed in MG SFF.

The Comment Challenge sounds so interesting! I guess it's a bit late for me to start - I'm catching up on all the blog reading I wasn't able to do the past few weeks! But I'll keep my eye out for the next one.

I haven't read Bridge to Terabithia yet, either, although it's in my tbr pile. I know I'll love it when I do.

Have fun with the judging! I've fallen in love with graphic novels recently.

Oh, boy. I haven't even gotten to read Pam's post about the comment challenge yet. I've been digging myself out of a mail-email-blog pileup day by day, a bit at a time. I have noticed more comments on my blog the last few days; this may just explain it!

I just read Bridge to Terabithia a couple years ago for the first time, and, dude, it was really upsetting. Just saying you might want to put it off until you want to indulge a blue mood.

How's the comment challenge going for you? I'm finding it far too easy to read all the book blogs I'm discovering... and far too difficult to remember to comment!

Ah well. Good luck to you! :)

I am having so much fun reading all of these great posts but I LOVE the way your "Thank you" goes across the page. I MUST learn this trick!!

It's the "marquee" tag--if you google it you'll find all the various options that go with it, like scrolling speed...I don't have too many reasons to use it often, but this seemed like a good one! :)

Thanks for the marquee tribute, a.f.

I decided to give my old shoes to the new Ambassador.

A.F., thanks for writing this up -- and we DID see Mr. Rhymes With Fresca in person -- at the 2006 SCBWI ... I think. Or was it 2005? Either way, it was really awesome, and I'm sad to see him -- and his shoes -- going.

*GASPS!*
*writhes in jealousy*
*Vows to someday have a Rosenau bookshelf*
*writhes in jealousy once more*
*subsides into pouting and sighs of envy*

Man, I don't think I'd even recognize your house anymore. The workspace looks awesome. And now it needs some ART on the walls.

*sighs enviously again*

Awesome shelf! True, the ones from Ikea (pronounced icky-ahh, here) do the job, but ... that one's got style!

Congratulations on the made-over office space and commissioned sculpture: fabulous! May you and your muses enjoy!

Jon's writeup of watat in Write4Kids was so nice, and such a surprise. He makes my lack of focus sound kind of charming, which, you know, yay!

I'm glad you've gotten past your meltdown. I think of meltdowns as one of those things--like paper and coffee--that I just need to have as a writer. I don't *want* the meltdowns as much as the coffee, but they do seem to serve some purpose in the end because I always get through them and get my work done.

Thanks for the shoutout about Jacob's books!

and thanks also for your work on the Cybils site--I've been enjoying my visits there!

Thanks for the rgz shoutout! We had so much fun chatting about Native American Heritage Month last night!

Nudge, nudge - Come chat with us at the readergirlz forum! :) Thanks for the linkage!

Happy NaNo!~ Hope you get something good out of the work. I think you're the only one of the old gang doing it, though; isn't that sad? I hope you REALLY HASSLE Donal and Neil.

For some of us, the picture on the right is our "normal" mode! ;-)

a.fortis: That's what happens to my head when I just think about NaNoWriMo.

I LOVE THAT TOON! lol!

Click for cheezburger.

LOL, LW! That is a good one. Have you seen the Lolowls?

THAT would go well on a mug.

I wonder if you could get that done as a t-shirt over at Threadless.com.

Oh, literally laughing out loud. Fabulous!

I have to say that I've read through a bit of The Artist's Way... and ...I'm... not a big fan. I say this with the proviso that I didn't actually DO it, but I just skimmed through the first few chapter and it was a bit Stuart Smalley for me.

I believe that writing can be both mental and spiritual, but I have trouble with the sort of amorphous belief that exercises and affirmations lead to enhanced creativity and spirituality... it's too The Secret for me -- as if all you have to do is fiddle with the universe and find The One True Thing, and suddenly you will be published and all your dreams will come true.

ALL OF US want that kind of power and all of us want that level of success, but I'm leery of things that are so subjective that they come back on the user. As in, if you don't have success from this, YOU DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT.

My scanty pesos on the matter.

I like the idea of notebooks with toons on the cover---those would be fun to use.

TadMack, I hear you on the Artist's Way. I think the difference for me is that she prescribes action: writing morning pages and doing artist's dates, among other things. You don't just sit there and wish for success. (Which is pretty much what I was doing and it wasn't working!)

And so much of what she asks you to do is simply look at what you already believe, write it out and really SEE it, so you don't keep bumping up against unacknowledged, submerged obstacles.

Interesting comments, guys. Sara, I can see how that would be useful--becoming aware of your own biases and the ways in which we tend to sabotage ourselves, especially.

I think what's keeping me from doing it is the time-investment-to-perceived-benefit ratio...I'm just not sure exactly how tangible the outcome would be. Also, I'm not always very good at sticking to self-imposed schedules. (Now THERE'S an important bit of self-knowledge...)

I think the 7 stages of rejection have an audience.

I would also love to have the ferrets on a T-shirt, but that might be just me. (Oftentimes in life, it's just me.)

Haven't done the Artist's Way. Two friends have, and they really loved it. Like any tool, it's right for some and not for others.

Sarah: I loved that interview, too. So French, it made my day.

You are right that bottle is too cool. I have a birthday coming up too... hmmm. Thanks for the links!