JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the children's / young adult book industry. Members include published authors and illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, booksellers, publishers and fans. Join now (it's free).
Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.
Blog Posts by Tag
In the past 7 days
Blog Posts by Date
Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
Viewing: Blog Posts from All 1564 Blogs, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 5,051 - 5,075 of 664,870
How to use this Page
You are viewing the most recent posts from the 1564 blogs currently in the JacketFlap Blog Reader. These posts are sorted by date, with the most recent posts at the top of the page. There are hundreds of new posts here every day on a variety of topics related to children's publishing. We have provided a variety of ways for you to navigate through the blog posts. Click the dates in the calendar on the left to view blog posts from a particular date. Scroll down through the list of Recent Posts in the left column and click on a post title that sounds interesting. Click a tag in the right column to view posts about that topic. You can view all posts from a specific blog by clicking the Blog name in the right column, or you can click a "More Posts from this Blog" link in any individual post.
Went to see Peter Geye read at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor last night and it turned into a fairly cozy reading. That is, summer in Ann Arbor might not always be the best time for readings, especially right around Art Fair as people are running around, busy, worn out, etc. After those of us that were there for the reading spread ourselves our rather widely in the available seating, the moderator of the event suggested maybe we sit around their (UNLIT) fireplace--couple of couches, some comfy chairs, etc., and so we did.
Peter read the first chapter and then opened things up for questions and as he knew 71.4% of the listeners, I think maybe it opened up for some different types of questions than from a completely cold audience. He had a former student in the crowd, somebody with which he had shared a panel at Voices of the Midwest, another novelist, etc. He also had people that had read all three of his novels and knew of the association between the new one, Wintering, and the last before that, The Lighthouse Road, and those who had yet to read any of them.
So one or two of the questions were a bit more personal than you might usually see, and at the same time, Peter was doing his best not to release anything that might spoil the reading of Wintering for those that had not yet done. What it was though was enjoyable. The novel is fantastic, Peter's a nice guy who gave very long, thoughtful answers--a couple of the questions were in similar veins to those that he's been asked, but different enough that he had to think a bit about how exactly to answer them. Had it been snowy and cold out and that fireplace lit up might have been a bit more appropriate for this particular author/novel combination, but it was still a very good way to spend a portion of my evening.
Review by Krista...
SISTERS OF SALT AND IRON
By Kady Cross
Series: The Sisters of Blood and Spirit #2
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Language: English
Goodreads | Amazon
Lark Noble is finally happy. She’s trying to move on and put the events of the past behind her: the people who avoided her because she talked to the ghost of her dead twin sister, the parents who
0 Comments on SISTERS OF SALT AND IRON by Kady Cross \\ Looking For A Good Scare? as of 1/1/1900
Last evening, between storm surges and convention watching, Bill and I finished filming the sixth video in our memoir series (see our introductory video here). We put the finishing touches on the packet we're about to send to the first dozen writers (we love them all already) who will be joining us for our five-day workshop on the old farm in September. We looked, again, ahead.
Here's where I'll be (when not in this house reading and writing memoir) over the next few months:
On August 4th, I'll be at the Stone Harbor Yacht Club in Stone Harbor, NJ, sharing my Jersey Shore novel, This Is the Story of You and reading some of the Jersey Shore pieces I've written over time (a chapter in Small Damages, a chapter in Love: A Philadelphia Affair). We'll also have some memoir writing fun. The event begins at 3:30.
On September 4, I'll be in Decatur, GA, for that most amazing AJC Decatur Book Festival, sharing a panel with young adult writers Alexandra Sirowy and Ami Allen-Vath.
On September 11, I'll be on a farm with the incredible memoirists who have said yes to the inaugural Juncture Workshop series.
On October 15, I'll be joining fiction writers Angela Flournoy and Toni Jensen, poets Robin Coste Lewis and Chloe Honum, YA fantasy writer Brenna Yovanoff, mystery writer Will Thomas, and romance author Sherry Thomas at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma for the Nimrod Conference Readers and Writers.
On November 1, I'll be in Cape May, NJ, for the second Juncture Workshop.
On November 8, I'll be conducting training for the T/E School District.
0 Comments on oh, the places I'll go as of 1/1/1900
I've been continuing to struggle with the same work/life balance issue ever since I returned home from Indiana two months ago: how do I find any time at all for my early morning writing and walking while living with a beloved little girl who tends to wake up VERY VERY EARLY - while one of her parents has left for work well before dawn and the other is zonked out exhausted after a night of sleep interrupted from bouts of nursing?
I still have no good solution except to note that the earlier I get up, the better the day goes. Plus, sometimes willful toddlers don't get their own way and have a good ol' tantrum about it, and that's okay. And sometimes, I learned recently, I don't get my own way - and the results can quite wonderful.
The other day Kataleya got up just as I was about to leave at 5:30 a.m. for my cherished hour-long walk with poor little Tanky the dog who lives for our outings. (In houses with new babies, older siblings aren't the only ones temporarily dethroned). But there Kat was, doing what she always does whenever I prepare to leave the house: running to get her shoes, as if they were some magical talisman to ensure that she can come, too. "Shoes on! Shoes on!" she wailed inconsolably.
Oh, well. Often I come up with some excuse she will accept: Mimsie has to go to work, Mimsie has to go to that mysterious thing called "a meeting." This time, I sighed, loaded child and dog into the car, and drove down to Viele Lake. Because this time, I had something splendid to share with her: goats!!!
The city of Boulder has decided to control noxious weeds on public lands not with environmentally toxic herbicides but with a traveling herd of goats accompanied by a guard llama. They are currently down by the lake in the park where I walk, behind an electric fence just a foot or so away from the yellow-net fence beside the path for cyclists, pedestrians, and their companion animals,
What a magical half hour the three of us had, in that crisp, cool dawn air, so close to two dozen goats that we could practically reach out to touch them.
I didn't get a proper walk that day. I missed getting it desperately. Those of us with Fitbits hate sacrificing any chance for steps!! But I shared sweet companionship with an enthralled toddler. (And don't you love the purse?)
Before she became an acclaimed novelist, Elizabeth Berg was a frequenter contributor of personal essays to the women's magazines I love to read. I still remember one from decades ago. She wrote about attending an elementary school music program and looking at her watch to make sure she wouldn't be trapped there for too long. Then she had a revelation: if she didn't have time to hear little children playing Mozart, what more important thing did she have time for? Her answer: nothing.
Ditto for spending the first, best hour of the day with a two-year-old and a flock of hungry goats.
Is summer flying by or WHAT?! Goodness, before we know it we will be reading about “first day of school” booklists!
I’ve been having so much fun with my Notable Women series these last few weeks. I kicked things off American Revolution hero Sybil Ludington, then moved on to favorite author Pam Muñoz Ryan. This week I want to focus on the wonderful works of author Linda Sue Park.
Linda Sue Park is the author of the Newbery Medal book A Single Shard, many other novels, several picture books, and most recently a book of poetry: Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems). She lives in Rochester, New York, with her family, and is now a devoted fan of the New York Mets. For more infromation visit www.lspark.com
Here are a few of my favorite Linda Sue Park books for kids:
The New York Times bestseller A Long Walk to Water begins as two stories, told in alternating sections, about two eleven-year-olds in Sudan, a girl in 2008 and a boy in 1985. The girl, Nya, is fetching water from a pond that is two hours’ walk from her home: she makes two trips to the pond every day. The boy, Salva, becomes one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, refugees who cover the African continent on foot as they search for their families and for a safe place to stay. Enduring every hardship from loneliness to attack by armed rebels to contact with killer lions and crocodiles, Salva is a survivor, and his story goes on to intersect with Nya’s in an astonishing and moving way.
In this Newbery Medal-winning book set in 12th century Korea, Tree-ear, a 13-year-old orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a potters’ village famed for delicate celadon ware. He has become fascinated with the potter’s craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated — until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min’s irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself — even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min’s work in the hope of a royal commission . . . even if it means arriving at the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard.
Sun-hee and her older brother, Tae-yul, live in Korea with their parents. Because Korea is under Japanese occupation, the children study Japanese and speak it at school. Their own language, their flag, the folktales Uncle tells them—even their names—are all part of the Korean culture that is now forbidden. When World War II comes to Korea, Sun-hee is surprised that the Japanese expect their Korean subjects to fight on their side. But the greatest shock of all comes when Tae-yul enlists in the Japanese army in an attempt to protect Uncle, who is suspected of aiding the Korean resistance. Sun-hee stays behind, entrusted with the life-and-death secrets of a family at war.
In a riveting narrative set in fifteenth-century Korea, two brothers discover a shared passion for kites. Kee-sup can craft a kite unequaled in strength and beauty, but his younger brother, Young-sup, can fly a kite as if he controlled the wind itself. Their combined skills attract the notice of Korea’s young king, who chooses Young-sup to fly the royal kite in the New Year kite-flying competition–an honor that is also an awesome responsibility. Although tradition decrees, and the boys’ father insists, that the older brother represent the family, both brothers know that this time the family’s honor is best left in Young-sup’s hands. This touching and suspenseful story, filled with the authentic detail and flavor of traditional Korean kite fighting, brings a remarkable setting vividly to life. AUTHOR’S NOTE.
Julia Song and her friend Patrick want to team up to win a blue ribbon at the state fair, but they can’t agree on the perfect project. Then Julia’s mother suggests they raise silkworms as she did years ago in Korea. The optimistic twosome quickly realizes that raising silkworms is a lot tougher than they thought. And Julia never suspected that she’d be discussing the fate of her and Patrick’s project with Ms. Park, the author of this book!
**some of these links are affiliate links
Something To Do
In honor of the amazing Linda Sue Park book Project Mulberry, here are some fun ways to bring this book to life.
As we stood under our mulberry tree remembering this great story, we decided right then and there that we had to grow our own silkworms. I must admit to you that we are at the beginning of this process and are waiting for our little silkworm eggs to arrive. We promise to keep you updated on our progress.
Would you like to join us in growing silk worms? Just leave a comment below and let us know if you will share this experience with us.
A few weeks ago I saw the most interesting TED talk about what they are now using silk for. It’s amazing and is being used in ways one could not even imagine. It is taking science and technology to a new level. This is a great video for kids probably age 8 and older.
Looking for more ways to not only get your youngsters reading, but get them OUTSIDE as well? Enjoy more month-by-month activities based on the classic children’s tale, The Secret Garden! A Year in the Secret Garden is a delightful children’s book with over 120 pages, with 150 original color illustrations and 48 activities for your family and friends to enjoy, learn, discover and play with together.
Grab your copy ASAP and “meet me in the garden!” More details HERE.
In children's and YA literature, we know that comics and graphic novels are a growth area. We know that there's momentum, too, to provide children and teens with work by Native people and people of color.
With that in mind, I hope that representatives from large and small publishers will head to Albuquerque in November of this year for Indigenous Comic Con. The list of special guests includes people who are very popular in Native circles. That means their work resonates with Native people, which means their work is legit. People within the industry who pay attention know that we love the 1491s! And, Arigon Starr! They are among the special guests for the conference.
Indigenous Comic Con is being organized by Native Realities publishing. People often ask me to recommend a publisher who they can count on for authentic and accurate books about Native peoples. I'm usually hesitant to recommend one because some who publish books that I recommend also publish books that I find problematic. Native Realities is the one exception. So far, I haven't seen anything from them that is problematic.
Lee Francis is a key figure at Native Realities, and a leader in the comic book genre. He, and the work he does, was featured on PBS News Hour in 2015. Here's an excerpt:
Most (all?) publishers tell us they want diverse voices. With this post, I'm looking at publishers and editors who proclaim their interest in Native voices. Indigenous Comic Con is an opportunity to meet Native writers and bring their work into greater visibility. Register (get your tickets). An early-bird three-day pass is $45. Look at all the things you can do while there!
Attend Indigenous Comic Con. Get to know Native people there who are creating terrific comic books, videos, and games.
0 Comments on Indigenous Comic Con! November 18 to 20 in Albuquerque as of 7/26/2016 8:59:00 AM
Last week we had some much fun digging into the Minecraft Lab book from John Miller and Chris Scott. So much so, I decided to roundup a Minecraft booklist just for the Minecraft fans in your life! Here are 14 Minecraft Books for Kids to inspire reading and creativity.
Breaking News! Proof that Dragons are indeed REAL!
My newest book, Dragons are Realis available and the excitement is almost blowing the roof off at Jump Into a Book/Audrey Press headquarters!
SO…what if I told you that all of the fairy tales, myths and legends that have been told about dragons over the years are WRONG. What if I told you that Dragons are indeed Real and that they are different than you’ve ever imagined?
This fairly true story is based on the author’s childhood friendship with a REAL live Dragon; a very special Dragon that she and her brother spent two magical summers with.
As readers turn the pages and learn the truth about Dragons, they will see that the fiercest beasts in known history can actually be the best of friends. It’s a lesson in finding companionship in the most unusual of places. Dragons are Real is a magical book filled with stunning illustrations and hints that dragon are indeed all around us
Dragons are Real is now available for purchase on both Amazon and Gumroad! We are also offering a special free bonus gift of a Dragons Are Real Inspiration Activity Guide when you purchase your copy of this enchanting picture book.
Hi everyone! I hope everyone is getting some good R & R in during these warm, flower-filled summer months. In fact, I thought it might be fun to post a check in, to catch up on how everyone’s summer is going.
As some of you know, I’ve been out of the country for the last 3 weeks, visiting Malaysia, Thailand, and Korea. I love travel, and I am sure some of you do too, so here are a few highlights of the trip. These pictures are untouched (sorry Instagramers!)
Yep, I climbed all those stairs!
When we travel to these far-flung locations, we usually go on a group tour, one that really immerses a person in the culture while taking care of the flights, transfers, hotels, and many of the activities, so you can just enjoy, participate, and soak everything in.
We started off in Malaysia, checking out local markets, visiting war memorials, the palace, Muslim temples & Buddhist shrines…and so much more.
The Gibbon babies are orange when born, and slowly turn black. The cuteness!
We also hung out with monkeys and gibbons, saw fireflies, visited a tea plantation, ate some crazy stuff like jellyfish (like eating cartilage…not a repeat!), learned how to shoot darts with a blow gun, and went on a jungle hike to find a rare fungus-flower.
(The hike in the jungle was tough, and I’m pretty sure I got heat stroke–it was incredibly hot out. I also fell off a 5-foot high boulder and bashed up my legs quite bad, but luckily no broken bones.)
The main house
The highlight of Malaysia was a “home stay” visit where we lived with a Muslim family for a few days at the Suka-Suka Lake Retreat, where they owned some lovely property at the edge of the water.
You could swim, fish, kayak, walk the nature trails or hang out in a hammock and read (which I did and it was BLISS).
My oldest son and I did a cooking lesson here and learned how to create some popular Malaysian dishes. Later, we dressed in sarongs and ate dinner in the traditional style: on the floor, using only our right hand. Messy, but fun!
The visit was extra special as we arrived at the end of Ramadan which is also the beginning of the Muslim New Year. So there was much celebrating, fireworks, and socializing, and what a treat to be invited into the locals’ homes and experience another culture’s celebrations first hand.
Railay beach…usually the water is crystal clear, but we’ve come during the rainy season.
In Thailand, we started out at Krabi, just beating out a monsoon that showed up after we left. We traveled to the world-famous Railay Beach, and loved all the rock formations that reminded us so much of Halong Bay in Vietnam.
Ironically, while in the water here I was stung by a jellyfish…I guess it was karma for eating a relative a few nights earlier!
Hubs with one big Buddha!
We also saw a ton of Buddhist temples and ruins, often traveling around on tuk-tuks or by boat.
We stopped to see the famous bridge on the River Kwae and swam in a 7 level waterfall filled with fish (the small ones liked to go after our feet in a “Au natural” fish massage, lol). It was hilarious to see the reaction of our tour mates who have never felt fish nibble at their feet!
One night we stayed on a floating house that was pulled out by tugboat to a private island on a lake. We swam, kayaked and drank Chang beer as the sun went down.
Very tranquil
There were geckos EVERYWHERE too, living on the floating house, chomping down on all the mosquitoes. I’d fall asleep watching them skitter back and forth across the ceiling of the boathouse, chasing their dinner.
At the end of our time in Thailand, we spent a day at an Elephant Rescue Park, one that was truly a rescue, with no riding, no tricks for tourists, just a sanctuary for elephants to roam and live free.
They would nuzzle our pockets, trying to grab the sugarcane we had there, haha!
The elephants there were purchased by the sanctuary’s owners from circuses, tourist riding attractions, and illegal logging camps, saving the elephants from a lifetime of misery and abuse.
This one loved it when I scrubbed his trunk!
We spent the day feeding three young elephants bananas and sugarcane, accompanying them on a walk, and finally bathing them in a river.
It was something I will never forget.
After this, it was time to leave our group and set off for Korea, then home.
We arranged a 10 hour layover, enough time to see a bit of Seoul.
While we didn’t have time to visit the DMZ, we did venture into the city for a bit of site-seeing.
All of us enjoyed the time we spent there and I could see us heading back again for another trip.
Because, Korea!
I tooled around the market too, and found these gems:
We continued our marathon travel back home, (about 38 hours all told). Exhausting.
I came home to roughly 1000 emails, and a nice surprise…more foreign editions from Japan, this time, The Positive and Negative Trait Thesaurus books.
While the covers seem unusual to me, I know they must make perfect sense for that market.
Our Japanese publisher made us two beautiful books–they are just incredibly well laid out in the interior, and you can feel the quality. I’m really happy with them and hope they are as popular as the Emotion Thesaurus is over there.
And, as if this coolness wasn’t enough, I also came home to The Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s magazine…and a familiar face on the cover. Crazy right?
Inside there’s an interview with me written by phenomenal YA author Janet Gurtler, and what’s so fun is that they used a bunch of my photos from my last big trip (Australia) in the article. Seeing this sort of made my vacation feel like it had come full circle! Such a wonderful homecoming.
So, that’s been my summer so far! What about you? Are you relaxing? Gardening? Traveling? Writing? Reading? Let me know all about it!
I managed to get a few books read during my trip–the second and third book in the Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children series (so terrific!), and also the mammoth novel Dune (an oldie but a goodie.)
Your turn. Fill me in on your summer plans!
Oh and before I forget, a few guest posts published while I was out and about. So, if you’ve ever struggled withDescribing a Setting in a Place You’ve Never Visited, you’ll want to check out the advice and mother-lode of helpful researching links at Romance University.
हमारी आवश्यकता – बिजली और फोन देखो आसमां में खिलकर सूरज निकल रहा है, देश का परचम अब ऊँचा उड़ रहा है ! वर्षो का अँधेरा रोशन हो रहा है,. गरीब की रसोई से धुआं हट रहा है ! मेरा देश, मेरा देश, मेरा देश…. मेरा देश बदल रहा है…आगे बढ़ रहा है… अचानक मुझे […]
Marketing as a business function has swept the world. It is the fastest growing global business activity. It has infiltrated all aspects of life, not just the economic - but also the political, social and personal.
It's time for summer reading. Read, read, read everywhere you go. It's a contagious act. CLICK HERE for more coloring pages! CLICK HERE to sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and... Please check out my books! Especially... my debut novel, A BIRD ON WATER STREET - winner of six literary awards. Click the cover to learn more! When the birds return to Water Street, will anyone be left to hear them sing? A miner's strike allows green and growing things to return to the Red Hills, but that same strike may force residents to seek new homes and livelihoods elsewhere. Follow the story of Jack Hicks as he struggles to hold onto everything he loves most. I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.
I'm around 70 pages in since last night. This one has already won some awards, including the Aurealis, and been shortlisted in another. It's a dystopian novel in which a small village is located in a valley formed after a rockslide long ago. It's run by the Mothers and girls are valued more than boys because they can be sent, if good enough, into the mountain to harvest mica, which, in this world, is useful for heat and light. They need an alternative to wood fires because in the winter the snow comes right up to the top of the houses and smoke can't escape theough the chimneys, though they do have escape pipes.
I must admit I never knew mica could be used for that! Must look it up.
So, these girls have to be small in order to squeeze into the tunnels. They're swaddled for their first few years, they eat as little as possible and if they're not quite small enough, well, bones can be broken and rearranged... The chosen girls receive training and are formed into teams to go harvest mica. Then they do something else for the rest of their lives, including having babies, preferably females - the whole village parties when a girl is born.
I can't help wondering, though, if these people have, as it seems, been stranded in this valley for quite a few generations, wouldn't the gene pool be rather small? Everyone would be related to everyone else. That hasn't been mentioned yet, but still a couple of hundred pages to go. The soil would be rather poor after being farmed all that time, so I can only assume they have a three-field system.
Anyway, more to come!
0 Comments on CBCA Shortlist. Now Reading: A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay as of 7/26/2016 5:25:00 AM
We have all attended concerts where a performer dazzled us with technique that seemed hardly humanly possible – a phenomenon that has been a part of musical performances throughout history. In a 1783 anecdotal memory by Johann Matthias Gesner, the ability of J. S. Bach’s playing was described to “effect what not many Orpheuses, nor […]
One of the reasons why parties choose arbitration is its time-efficiency. This is mainly due to the fact that the arbitral award decides the dispute in a final and binding manner and is subject to no appeal. Although time-efficiency belongs to the traditional advantages of arbitration, the users of arbitration have over the last years significantly increased the pressure to control time (and cost) in arbitration.
Stylish brand KUTE have just launched ten brand new cushion designs. KUTE started as a small, idea in 2015, between a couple with a
shared passion for design and home décor. A hope for a creative future together
was forming, and after many months of ‘talking’, a plan was finally put into
action. Their debut collection launched in November 2015 to much enthusiasm and KUTE are excited to share
0 Comments on TEXTILES - kute as of 7/26/2016 4:55:00 AM
The fantastic Lemon Ribbon Studio will be showing brand new designs at Printsource next month. If you are lucky enough to be attending dont miss them in Booth A16.
0 Comments on PRINTSOURCE - lemon ribbon as of 7/26/2016 4:55:00 AM
This is the last week for P&P before a little break so I wanted to post some summer designs while we are still in the mood. These colourful bits and pieces were snapped in Zara Kids and feature on childrenswear from the SS2016 range.
0 Comments on STORE SNAPS - zara kids as of 7/26/2016 2:59:00 AM
People who hike the Appalachian Trail come up with fake names for themselves so they don’t reveal their real names to strangers they meet on the Trail. Wish you had your own outdoorsy, fake name? You can make one with our HIKING AND CAMPING NAME GENERATOR!
Find the first letter of your first name in the left column below, and the word next to it is your new first name. Then find the first letter of your last name in the right column below, and the word next to it is your new last name. So if your name is, say . . . Abercrombie Fitch, your new hiking name is Bear-Poop Mosquito.
Ready to become that cool, outdoorsy hiking and camping person? Go!
First Letter of First Name
First Letter of Last Name
A
Bear-Poop
Tent
A
B
Starry Night
Headlamp
B
C
Campfire
Lake
C
D
Swamp
Canoe
D
E
Thunderstorm
Mountaineer
E
F
Marshmallow
Mosquito
F
G
Firewood
Boots
G
H
Deer
Squirrel
H
I
Mountain
Camper
I
J
Heat Wave
Backpacker
J
K
Backcountry
Navigator
K
L
Snake
Bug Bite
L
M
Bear
Crickets
M
N
Waterproof
Compass
N
O
Forest
Flashlight
O
P
Frog
Stream
P
Q
Trail Mix
Ranger
Q
R
Blaze
Hiker
R
S
Captain
Map
S
T
Sunscreen
Canteen
T
U
Whitewater
Trail
U
V
Bald Eagle
Sunrise
V
W
Sleeping Bag
Moon
W
X
Wiggly Worm
Water Bottle
X
Y
Woodpecker
Canyon
Y
Z
First Aid Kit
Chipmunk
Z
What’s your Hiking and Camping Name? Tell us in the Comments below!
Today we’re going to talk about what happens when your name is so common, it shows up in children’s books willy-nilly without actually having anything to do with YOU. Which is to say, me.
I took my name willingly. No parent in their right mind should name a child “Betsy Bird” after all. When I met my future husband it was, I will admit, one of the first things I realized. “If I marry this guy I could be . . . Betsy Bird!” So the die was cast. You can do something like that to your own name. When my own kids were born, however, I realized what a great responsibility a noun-based last name is. And not just any noun. An animal. So out the window went possible names like Robin, Soren, Colin (think about the song “The 12 Days of Christmas”), Claude, Charlie, Larry, and any first name beginning with the letter “B”. My husband and I broke the “no two nouns” rule, but at this moment in time I’m the only alliterative name in the family.
What I hadn’t counted on was how common it would be to find my name in children’s books. I sort of suspected. It happens in books for adults, after all. Little Big by John Crowley (which is definitely not a book for kids) has a “Betsy Bird” in it. And as for the name “Mrs. Bird” you can find it in everything from Buck’s Tooth to P.D. Eastman’s The Best Nest (where Mrs. Bird is a shrieking harridan, so I try not to read too much into that one). Mrs. Birds are a dime a dozen, it seems.
I do occasionally show up in children’s books, though. Sometimes clearly. Other times I try to read between the lines (and fail). As of this post there are only two instances of clear cut references. They are:
The Librarian in Freckleface Strawberry: Best Friends Forever
This is only because artist LeUyen Pham is the nicest human being alive. So in one scene Windy Pants is discussing what appears to be Junie B. Jones with this person:
In future books in the series, the librarian looks entirely different.
The only other time it happened was, in all books . . .
A Very Babymouse Christmas
In this book various alliterative animals are having their names called. Including (and off-camera):
There is also a bird librarian in the first Platypus Police Squad title The Frog That Croaked. The book takes place in Kalamazoo City and the librarian is a bird. I’m from Kalamazoo and my name IS Bird. However, this is probably just coincidental. After all, my mohawk is nowhere near as nice as hers.
This year I’ve also noticed a significant uptick in “Mrs. Birds” in middle grade novels. Women who are NOT me. Not even slightly. But folks do ask me from time to time, so to set the record straight . . .
The First Grade Teacher in The Best Man by Richard Peck
Is not me. She a bit dippy, so you’d be forgiven for mistaking us, but though I do own the occasional corduroy skirt, she’s not me.
Nor am I the mom in the next Rita Williams-Garcia book. A great sounding title (coming out in 2017) I can’t remember the actual title but it involves a love of jazz. As such, the mom is Mrs. Bird, probably because of Charlie “Bird” Parker.
I suspect that there are other children’s librarians out there who have accidentally found themselves within the pages of a children’s book in the past. Maybe even as the librarian his or her own self. If you have ’em, confess ’em! We the commonly monikered should stick together. And if you’ve been in the pages of a book thanks to the efforts of a kindly illustrator, tell me that too! I’d love to have a working list of librarians that appear in books by great artists.
Thanks to Travis Jonker who suggested that I write a post called “I’m (Not) So Vain, I Probably Think This Book Isn’t About Me”. That is because he is a nice guy. My post’s title is probably a little more on the nose-y.
2 Comments on I’m So Vain, I Probably Think This Book Is About Me, last added: 7/26/2016
Illustrator Scot Magoon named this guy “7-Imp” while he worked on the book: http://blaine.org/jules/7-imp.jpg . His name doesn’t appear in the book (Tammi Sauer’s MOSTLY MONSTERLY, published in 2010), but I still have a soft spot for that creature.
And, if memory serves me right, my name inspired Andrea Beaty to come up with the name Joules for her FLUFFY BUNNY series. I think she once told me that. Just my name gave her the moment of inspiration, mind you (not me as a person — rather, I’m not necessarily a science whiz.)
Tricia said, on 7/26/2016 10:04:00 AM
In FOX STREET, Mrs. Petrone does hair in a funeral home, but she is so named for one of my favorite kid librarians, Nicki Petrone of Shaker Hts. OH. Who, by the way, has great hair, as well as the ability to play the ukulele, create jaw-dropping beautiful bulletin boards, and keep two-year-olds spellbound for her entire story hour.
Welcome to Slice of Life Tuesday! Write a slice of life. Share your link. Give at least 3 comments on other posts! Stacey Shubitz, TWT’s Chief of Operations and Lead Writer, recently… Continue reading →
See this? This... This is mine! My PitchWars mentee bio... intro...thingy.(What's it called, again?) Oh yeah. #pimpmybio. EEEK!
I'm Katrina. Sometimes Kat. Other times, Cat. Sometimes Kit Shelle. Sometime Kit-Kat. Pretty much anything goes, nickname-wise. I've heard basically every derivative out there.
And I'm excited to submit my YA Fantasy, DRAGONFIRE, the first in a trilogy, in the 2016 #PitchWars contest!!! (Extra exclamations for extra enthusiasm!)
Actually, I'm nervous, but shhhh, that's our secret, mmkay?
Now for a robust greeting!!!
Right, that's out of the way.
Um... so apparently, I don't know what I'm good at? Or what makes me an interesting human being. Or why my novel is better than their novels. *What is speak?* Help!
MAD SKILLZ:
I can make things out of polymer clay. Once upon a time (four months ago), I made a wicked cool Stitch and Angel cake topper for my brother and sister-in-law's wedding. Epic, right?
I'm also pretty decent at black and white drawings. I've never had a lesson. I mostly ogled my older sister's drawings, then ogled Trina Schart Hyman's illustrations, and started drawing horses obsessively for years, graduated into unicorns and fantasy, and finally started drawing the characters of my novels. But I can't do colour. I don't know what it is. I pick up a crayon, a marker, a coloured pencil, paint, and my brain goes "What is draw?How art?!?" and I put down the crayon/marker/coloured pencil/paint and walk away.
Random Cool Wizard Dude
I have a pretty okay voice. I've taken classes at a community college - nothing noteworthy, but I have a goodish mezzo-soprano range, and once I sang Susan Boyle's version of Wild Horses so well I had the class IN TEARS!!! Well, mostly. There were some hardhearted troglodytes in the back who didn't seem impressed.
I am a queen of quotations, be it movies, music and books. For real. It has been said my sisters and I rarely have an original thought between us, but we can rock the *insert random quote into the conversation HERE* vibe. We're pretty cool that way. We also talk with our hands. (Taboo is quite an interesting game to play when you're not allowed to use gestures).
I can still mostly sing the entire Phantom of the Opera musical by heart. Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman and Steve Barton are my peeps.
I am a good cook!!! I love Italian when I make it myself - I don't usually go out and order it (unless it is a white sauce something or pesto something). But I prefer the taste and texture of MY red sauces and MY pizza and MY spaghetti, so I don't usually do red-sauce meals when I eat out. I also make a mean chicken enchilada. (When I say mean, I mean MEAN! Like, spicy mean. Sometimes, I may or may not kill my sister's taste buds with spice. Sorry, not sorry.)
I have been writing for awhile. I remember getting a journal for Christmas when I was five, and writing a sort of Laura Ingalls-esque story in it. The MC was ancient, as I recall - seven going on eight. So old. The next story was a random one I wrote between the ages of nine and twelve, about a girl who gets miniaturized and makes friends with the (very weird) insects and bugs and random critters in her garden in order to get back home and properly resized - sort of Alice in Wonderland, featuring garden life. I took a writing test in high school that was put out by the Institute of Children's Literature, took two courses from them over the space of four years, learned from Orson Scott Card that fantasy writers have a hard time breaking out into magazine pieces, and have been creating world-sized novels ever since.
I write first drafts of novels into notebooks. For some reason, the bright white light of a computer screen paralyzes my brain. I can only copy the story into the computer AFTER it's been written on paper. I also like fountain pens. And Poppin pens. And empty notebooks.
I can draw maps.
I work in medical transcription three days a week. The other two days, I do stuff in a flower shop. Mostly deliveries, mostly paperwork, sometimes corsages and boutonnieres for weddings. Trust me, transcription is way less stressful. (But I AM a bit shy. Why phone someone when you can shoot them an email? You feel me? Medical transcription, I get to work at home and not worry about irate customers or ringing phones, and instead concentrate on transforming a doctor's dictation into an accurate, typewritten report.)
I live in America, and use mostly British spelling. I have also been thought to be native Canadian, Scottish, or Hawaiian, but no one has ever thought I was born and raised Californian.
I live in Lake Tahoe. Gorgeous, right? Yes, I swim in that water. Yes, I do it without a wet suit. No, I have never gone out on a boat. Yes, it's cold. Yes, it's clear. No, I don't water ski. Basically, my family and I will go the beach, and we will run and dive into the water, and then watch the tourists touch the water with their toes. (We might laugh condescendingly at this point.) Once they feel for themselves how cold the lake is, they stare wonderingly out at us, as though judging and deciding which insane asylum we are headed to.
The summers are beautifully warm (not deathly hot!) with lots of sunshine, the winters are mild most of the time, with snow and lots of sunshine, and spring and fall are both beauteous in their own way. I prefer spring, because next comes summer, but fall IS lovely. And you can SMELL the pine trees. And the air is very clear. It's sharp when you breathe, like mmmmmmm.
I am one of eleven children.
I excel at The Floor Is Lava.
RANDOM EXTRA STUFFZ:
Favourite movies/TV shows: Hawaii Five-0 (remake, because Steve is HAWT! And Danno is HAWT! And I'm still over here going STEVE AND CATH FOREVER! I hope she comes back for season 7.) Blue Bloods ('cause, Reagan family. 'Cause Catholic+Irish+Jamie+Danny+Papa Frank = yusssssssss.) The ENTIRE Marvel Cinematic Universe (particularly Iron Man, Captain America, and freakin' Daredevil, but excluding Jessica Jones *shudder* and Deadpool *double shudder*) The Lord of the Rings (but not that travesty of The Hobbit Movies, which is basically fan-fiction in all its grisly glory. Blech) Prison Break (Yay, 2017 sequel!) Avatar: The Last Airbender Doctor Who (Primarily 11, who is the freakin' best. My adorable giraffe.) Bourne movies (including Legacy, and YAY 2016 sequel in four days!) Pretty much ALL the Disney/Pixar stuffs, particularly Tangled, Sleeping Beauty, Brave, Robin Hood, Monsters Inc, Inside Out, Up, The Rescuers, Wreck-it Ralph, The Great Mouse Detective, Bolt, and How to Train Your Dragon (even though that's NOT Disney or Pixar, but good nonetheless); Leverage Psych On the fence with Grimm. Still waiting to see if Juliette comes back, because Nadalind=No. Silverhardt=YESSSSSSSS!!!!)
Favourite books/authors: Lord of the Rings/Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien, basically - have you read Roverandom? Or the Silmarillion? Or Farmer Giles of Ham?) Chronicles of Narnia The Queen's Thief + Queen of Attolia and King of Attolia Pretty much all the Diana Wynne Jones novels Pretty much all the Patricia McKillip novels, most notably The Riddlemaster of Hed Pretty much anything Ally Carter, particularly the Gallagher Girls The Winner's Curse trilogy Pretty much anything Jonathon Stroud, particularly Lockwood and Co., with Bartimaeus being my first love The Last Unicorn. The Graveyard Book The Scorpio Races and ONLY the Scorpio Races
Favourite Music: Musicals (Phantom of the Opera, the Secret Garden, A Tale of Two Cities, The Light in the Piazza, Jane Eyre, Les Miserables, Finding Neverland, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Pirates of Penzance) Josh Groban Hayley Westenra Sarah Brightman Imagine Dragons Taylor Swift James Blunt The Piano Guys Soundtracks Random mishmash of all kinds of things, including Hurts, OneRepublic, Lifehouse, O.A.R., The Fray, The Script, Jackie Evancho, Air Supply, Nickleback, some Backstreet Boys and some opera. Eclectic, I know.
NOW! About mah novel!
DragonFire Twitter pitch:
Hunted for his elemental power, Dragon must transcend death to save his world's fading magic. QUEEN'S THIEF+LAST AIRBENDER
Brief Synopsis:
In Elfennol, a world fashioned from fallen stars and its soil infused with the elemental magic known as glede, tarragon is not just a spice. It is also the title of the man with the threefold glede of fire, water and shadow. A man reborn throughout history to be the guardian of the Tân-a-dur, a mystical beast whose fiery breath renews the land's magic, but whose very nature makes it a dangerous ally. Once upon a time, the Tarragon was revered. But rumors battle legends, and now the Tarragon's name is a curse, and to be a gleder is to be under the penalty of death.
Sixteen-year-old Dragon is a thief by profession, courier by necessity, and gleder by birth. Adopted son of a blacksmith, and possessing a rare ability over three separate elements, Dragon lives in a city where gleders like him are ruthlessly hunted. He dreams of escaping to a land where magic is still protected.
But then a mysterious girl enters his life,with triple gledes as unique as his own, and he is pulled towards their intertwined destiny. One in which the Tân-a-duris not merely a creature of legend, but the key to renewing Elfennol’s fading magic. With an ancient voice waking in his head, Dragon must make a choice: flee and renounce his claim on the Tân-a-dur, or welcome death and trial to become the creature’s new Tarragon.
10 Reasons why you should pick me.
I'm pretty awesome. Really. My sense of humour tends toward sarcasm and random quotes. I also provide cyber cookies to lift a mood.
I was home schooled, so I'm excellent at managing my time.
I am really good at communicating via email!!!! I am rather introverted and shy, so my idea of a party is to binge on Netflix and eat cake (or ice cream. Or chocolate. Something sweet, anyway). My idea of a nice day off is to go the beach with my sisters (or on a hike, or someplace pretty where there can be a picnic later) and sit with notebooks and music and books and write and listen to music and read as the mood takes me. (I don't like phones. Were it up to me, people would only ever have contact to others via fax and email. Video chats = ninth circle of hell.)
I'm not afraid of tackling revisions, especially if I'm having concerns over a scene that doesn't seem to be working or contributing to the story. (I prefer notebooks, so a lot of time revisions occur on notebooks, then get integrated into the computer.)
I was once complimented as being the queen of revision at an SCBWI conference I attended back in 2012, after an intense round-table critique session where I was encourage to rewrite chapter one. The rewritten chapter is what prompted the praise. (I am a member of SCBWI, by the way, and that is still one of the best compliments I have received EVER).
I got three non-YA fantasy readers to beta-read my YA fantasy in its entirety, and they all were hooked. Which was pretty rewarding, I gotta say.
I have a solid group of CPs - we get along super well and are all very positive and supportive of each other.
I'm a volunteer judge for Miranda Paul's Rate Your Story blog, and that has been incredibly helpful in improving my editing eye and finding what resonates with me and what doesn't.
I like to draw my ideas down, because visualization is everything. If I can't see my world, I can't see to write, so I do character sketches as needed, or find Pinterest things that make me go, THIS. This is my world.
I take every comment seriously, but I'm not afraid to stand my ground if I think something needs to stay the way it is. I'll listen and consider, but if my gut feeling says NO, I say NO and that's that. But I WILL do whatever it takes to polish my work, because I want to write for the rest of my life. I want my words to last and make an impact on others. I want my stories to make other people aspire to dream.
It seems to me that “Chillout Tent” is one of the more divisive songs in the Hold Steady canon.
After all, the story it tells is a combination of meet-cute and meet-gross, featuring a pair of singers — Dave Pirner and Elizabeth Elmore — voicing the thoughts of the characters in the songs, and the music is filled with dramatic piano flourishes and mariachi horns.
Oh and did I mention that it is almost unbearably poignant? All about that one-off make-out session that could have only happened under the exact right circumstances. Or in this case, the exact wrong circumstances. To wit:
There was a stage and a PA
Up in western Massachusetts
The kids came from miles around
To get messed up on the music
She drove down from Bowden
With a carload of girlfriends
To meet some boys
And maybe eat some mushrooms
And, of course, she did. Too many, as a matter of fact, and ended up in the titular tent. Where she met this dude, who looked a lot like my man Izzy Stradlin, and was having his own problem with the misdosing of the substances.
His friend gave him four
But he said only take one
But then he got bored
And he ended up taking all four
So now my man he ain’t that bored, anyways
The paramedics found him
He was shaking on the side of the stage
And so, there they both are. A bit dazed, and wondering how they got there, as first Pirner and then Elmore sing:
Everything was spinning
And then I came to in the chillout tent
They gave me oranges and cigarettes
I got really hot
And then I came to in the chillout tent
They gave us oranges and cigarettes
At this point, Tad Kubler’s guitar is spinning in circles, like a camera doing a 360 around the center of scene, so we can clearly see what’s going to happen next, as they start talking about poetry and stuff.
They started kissing
When the nurses took off their IVs
It was kind of of sexy
But it was kind of creepy
Their mouths were fizzy with the cherry cola
They had the privacy of bedsheets
And all the other kids were mostly in comas
And with the piano dancing on the mariachi horns, they both reflect on what was clearly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
He was kind of cute
We kind of kicked it in the chillout tent
And I never saw that boy again
She was pretty cool
We kind of kicked it in the chillout tent
And I never saw that girl again
There’s also a great musical joke/tribute in the last chorus, where they double-track Dave Pirner’s vocals, just like it was double-tracked in so many Soul Asylum songs.
There is an extra level of wistfulness in “Chillout Tent” that I don’t find in any other Hold Steady songs. Maybe because the characters themselves are singing, maybe because Finn-as-narrator is always going to have the narrator’s distance in his songs, even the ones where he’s a participant.
Maybe it’s those fucking horns, which simultaneously signify both joy and sadness of what was both a completely unique experience and completely lost opportunity. Like, maybe if they had met under different circumstances, it would have been different.
Fan-made video for “Chillout Tent”
Every Certain Song Ever
A filterable, searchable & sortable database with links to every “Certain Song” post I’ve ever written.
.jpg?picon=3847)
.jpg?picon=3687){kind=tracking}
.jpeg?picon=3112)
My favorite, KINDA related:
Illustrator Scot Magoon named this guy “7-Imp” while he worked on the book: http://blaine.org/jules/7-imp.jpg . His name doesn’t appear in the book (Tammi Sauer’s MOSTLY MONSTERLY, published in 2010), but I still have a soft spot for that creature.
And, if memory serves me right, my name inspired Andrea Beaty to come up with the name Joules for her FLUFFY BUNNY series. I think she once told me that. Just my name gave her the moment of inspiration, mind you (not me as a person — rather, I’m not necessarily a science whiz.)
In FOX STREET, Mrs. Petrone does hair in a funeral home, but she is so named for one of my favorite kid librarians, Nicki Petrone of Shaker Hts. OH. Who, by the way, has great hair, as well as the ability to play the ukulele, create jaw-dropping beautiful bulletin boards, and keep two-year-olds spellbound for her entire story hour.