How to use this Page

Recently I had a very special school visit. It was at the school where my sister is the school librarian!



I've seen how my sister prepares for author visits so I was pretty excited to get the Mrs. Finnegan treatment ;-)





Steph really prepares the kids for a visit, and she and the kids put a lot of care into making the place feel welcoming:



(Look at the Fred poster! All the kids wanted to know more about FRED!)

Steph said when she put up the sign, all the kids went nuts because they thought the author who wrote "the pigeon books" was coming :-)



I had the extra bonus of visiting during literacy week, so the kids were ALL ABOUT READING that day.



The first thing I saw when I entered the school was this: The kids were taking a reading relay challenge and there was always someone reading in the tub--students, teachers, even the principal!



All the teachers had decorated their doors with book themes. It was fun to see so many friends' books on these doors!



I met with two groups of 7th and 8th graders who read See You At Harry's. It was "Lunch with an Author" and all I could think of was Dear Mr. Henshaw when Leigh has lunch with Mrs. Badger. :-)



Here's one of the thoughtful groups of students I talked with:


I had such a fun time, and it was wonderful to see my sister with all her sweet students.

On my way out, I couldn't resist taking a turn in the tub... with my sister, of course. :-)



Yesterday, I posted on Facebook about how nervous I get before a speaking event. I worry days ahead of time that something will go wrong. The media equipment won't work. I'll forget my speech. The kids won't like me. But so far *knocks wood* none of those things has happened. (At least I hope not!)

I have been so incredibly lucky to be able to visit schools and talk with kids and share our love of books. It is a rare and moving opportunity that is worth every nervous feeling.

Thanks Steph, and all the kids at Holderness Central School, for making the day so special!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Morning Warm-Up:

I am very sorry I haven't updated my blog in such a long time! I hope those of you looking for prompts remembered to hit the tag link to find some! I always have a lot on my web site. :-)

For today's prompt, I want you to explore how you convey emotion on the page. I think this is one of the most challenging things my students struggle with. How do YOU convey emotion and show not tell? Writ a scene, share your thoughts. I'd love to have a conversation about this! <3

This past Monday I challenged readers to Notice More, and write down 3-5 things they noticed about their day from Monday to Thursday.

Here are your beautiful responses...



Notice More September
By Cindy Faughnan

A white spider hides
on shining, dark green holly leaves.
Green moss grows high
on the arm of an oak.
Brown leaves fill spaces
between rocks in the brook.
Bees collect late fall pollen.
Low sun reflects off flying bugs.
The end of September.


Untitled
By Shela Drury

Monday:
1)Decaying leaves is the smell of Autumn.
2) "I'm so F@#$*ng mad!"
3)The sound of dead leaves letting go.

Tuesday:
1)The leaves fall like rain.
2)The helicopters tail points upward, skyward.
3)"But the part of me that was jailed too, is now also free."
4)Bitterness is a poison we feed ourselves.
5)There's a common heartbeat to humanity.
6)I just noticed a white Ash tree in my neighbors yard.

Wednesday:
1)The shadows are deeper, darker and a bit colder now.
2)The wooden bench has a smooth indent worn from many behinds sliding in and out from it.
3)Grey, swirled and papery, why did I just now notice that wasp's nest?
4) Lying on my bed, I notice TOO many cobwebs, I should dust or close my eyes.
5)I hear the chirping of a cricket in the hall. At least one gets in every year at this time.

Thursday:
1)Looking out at the woodpile, I can see shapes in the logs bark. Faces, features, creatures.
2)Fred's face is looking gaunt, more so than I've noticed before. But he is a 14yrs. or so old cat.
3)I think Paul Ryan, with his 'widows peak' hairline,looks like a grownup Eddie Munster. Anyone else see it ?
4)I try to take note of different wood grains, so my pen drawingswill become more accurate/realistic.
5) As I lie still, I feel my beating heart. It's a GOOD thing ...
6) I typically notice the minutia of the ordinary. Details, details, details!


Untitled
by Liz Jones

Writing papers this morning on the edge of my bed. Behind me, husband and dog are snoring in unison.

Walking by the creek in the rain--shaggy hemlocks and bright yellow leaves create a foggy chiaroscuro.

Music is a living thing; you can pin it down on paper, but it will always squirm free.

Musical Conversations: We walk in on our own two feet, and we each tap out our own patterns... but the song and dance belong to the whole room.


Untitled
By Leni Checkas

Monday:
=====
* Atypical gray clouds blanket the sky, offering hope to a parched fall garden.
* A neglected backyard smothered by weeds.
* Two pairs of brown eyes follow my every move, afraid I'll evanesce like their late buddy.

Tuesday:
=====
* A train haunts the front range's expanse.
* A sky so crystalline blue it reminds of those eyes I can't forget.
* The whoosh of a car passes by life in a rush.

Wednesday:
=======
* I wake up to real rain, such tender patters they sound like the breeze through the cottonwoods.
* Green trees with golden highlights against a dark gray relief promise a real fall.
* Cool fingers of fall tickle my stubbornly short-sleeved arms as I breeze down the wet bike lane.

Thursday:
======
* Perky pumpkins peek out of gardens, excited for their special day.
* A vine twined through a wire fence changes to bright red and outs its juicy dark berries.
* The run-off ditch's cement sides crack where nature works its way back on top.


Untitled
by Cathy Ballou Mealey

Monday:
Cold dew bubbles
Growing girl, jeans too short
Drip, drip, tick, tick, clock faucet sync

Tuesday:
Bowl of big blue sky, endless
Rosemary twigs tucked into a roasting chicken
Squirrels competing in acorn collection sprints

Wednesday:
Add a heavy blanket to the bed...ah.
School holiday, sleep in
Cider donuts, crisp apples, perfect comfort

Thursday:
Squawking bluejays 5:15 AM
Trio of pale fringed mushrooms
Flies indulging on forgotten banana


Untitled
By Steph Wooten

(9/24/12)
She is not my friend
Hot chocolate burning in my lap
The salty smell of my tears

(9/25/12)
Daisies beneath the tree
My dog's tail thump thump thumping
I trust him

(9/26/12)
The sound of my heart beating in my chest as I avoid her
Eating Alone and
Writing Alone (I am so much more aware)

(9/27/12)
The shaky but somewhat sure voice of a student in class speaking up for the first time
Matthew's breath tickling my ear as he whispers into it
The pulse of my dog's heart beating next to me


Untitled
By CWM

(9/24/12)
She is not my friend
Hot chocolate burning in my lap
The salty smell of my tears

(9/25/12)
Daisies beneath the tree
My dog's tail thump thump thumping
I trust him

(9/26/12)
The sound of my heart beating in my chest as I avoid her
Eating Alone and
Writing Alone (I am so much more aware)

(9/27/12)
The shaky but somewhat sure voice of a student in class speaking up for the first time
Matthew's breath tickling my ear as he whispers into it
The pulse of my dog's heart beating next to me


Untitled
By Mona Pease

My car sits outside becuase painter man needs the open space for tools and supplies. All along the edges and walls are still stacked high with my stuff except garden tools in a bit of order, hung on nails in their places.

Coffee pot sits quietly waiting for fresh grounds, water and snap the on switch until.... the power fails...Old percolator comes out and does its job on the wood stove.

Skin left behind near the granite spaces...it's owner finds it place amongst the rocks in the dirt floored cellar for a cool winter rest.

A live buddy sits in the road and does the snake dance when I try spraying it away with the hose.

Little sees snake in road when he gets off bus. "Is it alive?" Brother throws a small rock to test it. "It's a poison snake!"

The keyhole doesn't on the front door used to have a skeleton to fit. The porcelain knob isn't turned much now but used to open the door that ushered the living into the parlor to visit with the one "laid out"!

~*~*~*~*~*~

I love all of these so much!! Thank you thank you thank you for sharing your words, your sights, your sounds. Keep noticing!

For your troubles, I offer some prizes! All of you who posted poems will receive "BE" tattoos from my newest book, SEE YOU AT HARRY'S. Please e-mail your snail mail addresses to me at jo @ joknowles dot com.

I also put your names in a bowl for the grand prize drawing of a signed copy of Harrys. The winner is...



That's Leni Chekas!

:-)

Thank you all who participated. I LOVE your observations and your willingness to share them. You really know how to BE. And I hope you wear your tattoos proudly.

Love,

Jo

For today's Monday Morning Warm-Up, I'm switching things up a little. Today I am going to ask you to commit to writing a few short phrases every day for the next 4 days. It won't be hard, I promise.

Here is the challenge (for all ages):

Start noticing more.

Yup, it's that easy. Almost.

Today, look with new eyes at your world.

What do you see that's always been there, but that you never looked closely at?

What small phrase do you overhear, or even say, that catches you off guard?

What do you smell that you only smell this time of year? That reminds you of where you are in this big world?

Every day for the next 4 days, write down 3-5 things you notice. They can be small, they can be big. But they must be short phrases of a few words for each observation. (The challenge is to use as few words for each as possible to convey something bigger.)

Each day, add 3-5 more observations to your list.

By Thursday night at 8pm EST and NO LATER, leave your list in the comments section below and I will post it here for Poetry Friday.

In order to be listed you must:

1. Leave your list in the comments below.
2. Give me a name you'd like me to use (it can be just a first name if you'd like--if under age 18, I will only use your first name).
3. Provide a link to your web site or blog if you'd like it to be included (not required).

Sound fun?

I think so!!

ALSO: For everyone who participates, I will put your name in a drawing to win a signed copy of SEE YOU AT HARRY'S!

Shop Indie Bookstores

There will also be ANOTHER prize of temporary BE tattoos for up to 10 other participants.

So, who wants to join me? :-)

ETA: I can only send prizes within the US and Canada. Sorry!

Today I am feeling incredibly grateful to independent booksellers who continue to work tirelessly to promote the books they love. Not just the flashy ones that come with their own stands and posters, but the quiet ones that might otherwise be unnoticed and forgotten if not for the bookseller whose heart it touched, and who presses it eagerly into her customers' hands with the promise they will love it, too.

I love that they take the time to get to know their regular customers, and already have suggestions at the ready when one walks through the door.

And I love that they take the time to create lists for their colleagues and customers. Lists of these very books they don't want anyone to miss.

If you have an independent bookstore in your area, please please please consider giving them your business rather than going to the big guys online. It makes a difference!

Today, I am feeling selfishly grateful to these booksellers.

Thanks to them, SEE YOU AT HARRY'S made IndieBound's Kids Next Summer List, Top Ten!:


I have daydreamed of ever getting on this list. To be on the front page kind of blows my mind.

Here is what one of the booksellers who recommended Harry's to the list wrote:

Knowles takes the reader's hand and deftly winds through the maze of grief and shows how navigating with our hearts will always lead us back home.- Jane Knight, Bear Pond Books

I also learned today that the New England Children's Booksellers Advisory Council (NECBA) has listed SEE YOU AT HARRY'S in the Spring 2012 Top Titles!

Here's what NECBA says about it's mission to select books for their list:

First started in 1996 these lists are our bi-annual attempt to identify as many high-quality titles as possible from among the numerous new middle-grade and young-adult fiction books.

So again, I am simply shocked that SEE YOU AT HARRY'S found it's way there. Shocked, and so amazingly thankful that someone took the time to read the book, but also to write a recommendation and vote. Truly. Is there a stronger word than "grateful"? Because I feel more than that.

Here is what one of the bookseller's who spoke for Harry's wrote:

Jo Knowles's latest YA novel, See You at Harry's, is one of the truest-feeling books I've read in a while...The characters and their emotions feel so real that I could not help but be caught up in their heartbreaks and triumphs, wishing that I could reach into the pages of the book to comfort Fern and her siblings. -Sandy Scott, The Galaxy Bookshop

Thank you Jane and Sandy and every bookseller out there who reads and cares and carries on helping to promote reading and literacy and the love of books!!

This weekend I hosted a party for friends and family to celebrate the publication of my new book, SEE YOU AT HARRY'S

Here is my mom, holding my book and wearing a "Ran t-shirt" from the story:



I love that she really is glowing AND matches the book jacket!

Even my dad wore a themed shirt. <3 I'm so happy we chose the same word.



And here are my husband and sister, also good sports:



Dear, sweet friends came from near and far to make the day special.

Here I am with Ellen Wittlinger and Jeannine Atkins.



And long-time writing partner, Cindy Faughnan.



Another sweet (and very stylish) friend, Kara LaReau, dressed to match the book jacket!



Friends of all ages came with shirts saying "Be", "Behold", "Glow" and "Real".

Some knew what these words meant in relation to the book. But many just wore them because I asked if they'd like to. Because they are, indeed, good friends.

They are real.

They know how to be.

They glow.

Behold:



There were make-your-own sundaes, cheese plates and fruit plates and quacamole and chips and dips and oh my gosh a cookie baked inside a brownie(!) (thanks Jeannine!), and kids running barefoot across the lawn, and sunshine and flowers blooming and people laughing and finding connections. There was a beautiful handkerchief (Thank you Kathy!), and champagne and lemonade, and new friendships, and birds chirping and... well it was just a perfect day. A really perfect day.

And what better way to say good-bye to all that but to have a few friends stick around to play music in the setting sun. I think we had a total of 7 guitars (2 not in pic) and 2 ukeleles.



This book, like all of my books so far, was many years in the making. There were several times when I wondered if I would ever be able to finish. Would ever find my way through the hard and often painful scenes that demanded to be revised again and again.

Without friends, without family, without the encouragement of fellow writers, without the support of my agent and editor, I think I might still be lost in the dark thicket. I am forever grateful to the people in my life who c

SEE YOU AT HARRY'S comes out 2 weeks from today, and Kirkus has posted their full review on the Web site.

I still have to pinch myself when I see that star. This weekend, the book was on sale for the first time at the New England SCBWI conference. It was very exciting and a bit scary to sign the book and hand it over to future readers. Will they like it? Will they hate it? Will they regret spending all that money? Will they share it? All that work packed into such a small little square being carried away by friends and strangers alike. It's a wild feeling that I will never get used to. All I can think is, Here... we... go...!

You can CLICK HERE to listen to a sample of the SEE YOU AT HARRY'S audiobook, performed by Kate Rudd. :-)

This weekend my parents came to visit with their adorable puppy Molly. Knowing I was having a launch party soon for SEE YOU AT HARRY'S, my mom went through some old papers and found some menus from the restaurant she and my dad ran years and years ago, and the one I based the setting of the book on.

It's funny, but I had no memory of the "Meet You At Kellers'" slogan on the cover of the menu. And yet... the similarity of my own book's title is a bit uncanny.




I also didn't remember the wonderful "history" of Kellers' on the front of the menu, but it's fascinating to read now. The drawings were made by my mom. For those of you who read PEARL, you might remember a scene where the mom designs menus for her dream restaurant. I am only just realizing now where that idea came from. :-)



Oh, how we loved holding cups under the ice-cream machine when my dad was filling up the five-gallon cartons with freshly-made ice-cream. Nothing else like it.





Another favorite treat was getting to ride with my dad in the ice-cream delivery truck all around the Lakes Region, selling to other restaurants and getting to have lunch wherever we stopped at around that time. But of course it was also fun to eat at our own restaurant, where my dad would scoop us our favorites.



And then, if we were really good, we were allowed to take our allowance next door to a department store called "The Globe" where we bought little toy sets like you see now at the grocery store. Or put change in the gumball or prize machine for a cheap yo yo or bouncy ball.



SEE YOU AT HARRY'S comes out in less than a month now. This is the unsettling pre-publication time when professional reviews start to come in. I'm nervous. Really nervous. But I'm also thrilled that this book has finally made it out in the world. Even though it is not my first book, it feels equally special and I feel equally grateful and surprised this is really happening. For those of you working on a project that seems endless. That "just seems too hard." Please don't give up. If you believe in the story, truly believe in it, then it was meant to be. And it will be. As long as you keep trying. :-)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Morning Warm-Up:

Describe a restaurant you remember going to as a child. Re-create a scene of you and the people you ate there with. What did you like to order? Who did you go with? What kind of conversation happened while you ate? What was the decor like? What were the other customers like? The waiter/waitress? Try to include as many sensory details as you can. Have fun!

I learned about this several days ago and had thought the full review would be available online today, but it's only viewable to subscribers.

However, you can still see that beautiful blue star next to the title. :)




It's there, right? It's really there???

Other than a PW Online star, this is my first ever starred review. I still feel like I have to sit down and fan myself.

*sits down* *fans self*

Here is a sneak peek:

"Prescient writing, fully developed characters and completely, tragically believable situations elevate this sad, gripping tale to a must-read level."

Thank you, Kirkus!

Recently I received the ARC's for my first middle-grade novel, See You at Harry's.


It's always so exciting to hold the nearly-final book in your hands, but it's also pretty nerve-wracking, because this is the version of the book that's going out to reviewers-teachers, librarians, bloggers, etc.

But even before that, the manuscript was sent to a handful of amazing authors for potential blurbs. The blurbs were intended for the hardcover, but one got in early enough for the ARC. And it's awfully special.


It says:
"See You at Harry's is one of the most beautiful, moving books I've ever read. Full of laughter, love, and tears, it will break your heart and put it back together again, with a little more light, a little more hope than there was before."
-Kate Messner, author of The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.

Because I love Kate and admire her so much as a dedicated teacher, brilliant author, and incredibly special friend to so many aspiring and published authors, it feels pretty fantastic to have her generous words traveling along with Fern, and Holden, and Sara, and Charlie as they take their first steps out into the world.

Thank you Kate!