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For the love of words

I was the guest speaker at Meadowcreek Elementary earlier this week.  Speaking to hundreds of children at one time is not unusual and it never gets old. I always discuss the following things: the writing process that I personally use, how I got started, my favorite authors, my motivation and inspiration, and of course my characters Lilly, Boris & Jack, from the Mischief series, specifically Mischief in the Mushroom Patch.’ Also, it’s impossible not to mention Pearle, who joins them in ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch.’

That day I told the children that when a writer writes a story, they never know who they’re going to touch and I demonstrated my point via Pearle’s story. (It’s beautiful and can be found in an older blog post). Even my latest novel, ‘The Ghost of Whispering Willow’ has a story behind the story. It just seems to work out that way and is often unintentional. I also told them that they shouldn’t worry if other people like their work. It’s their story and it can’t possibly be wrong. If they love their story first, someone else will likely like it. That’s where it all starts, someone liking your story and sharing it with others.

The children are always amazing, each and every one of them.  At the end of my presentation, several children wrapped their arms around me and told me that they wanted to be writers too. That’s when I knew that I’d accomplished what I set out to do. Share, inspire, and hopefully motivate the children I spoke with that day.
What I didn’t know during my presentations was that I had caught the attention of several teachers. Many stayed behind to visit, principal included. Three of them were aspiring writers, one was an author, and one wanted to dabble but hadn’t yet taken the first step, which was writing down their fabulous thoughts and ideas. We discussed the market, the changing industry, and starting a writers group. We also talked about the pieces we were currently writing.

Listening to these writers and potential writers, men and women, was refreshing. I understood where they were coming from. I have changed so much over the years. The way I write and my thoughts about writing, even my approach to writing my manuscripts has changed over the years.  Growth is a beautiful thing, and something one should never be afraid of. I choose to embrace growth; not to run away from or be afraid of it. Change is often good.

I received beautiful emails that day from several staff members, and invitations to guest speak at other schools that they were affiliated with.  I was certain I had done my job with the children, I just had no idea that my words would connect with the adults in the room. It was truly amazing. We all loved the same thing: words. Writers….For the love of words!

Author Amanda M. Thrasher

Mansfield Writes!

A room full of adults and one beautiful little girl!

Diane Kelly, invited me to sit on the author panel for the fourth annual event of Mansfield Writes! Five authors sat on the panel that evening. Diane Kelly, she has written a humorous mystery novel, Urania Fung, writes fantasy, Bret McKinney, Screenwriter, wrote the script for “Music Within,” Emily March, New York Times bestseller and me. I was their very first children’s author and I discussed writing for children, creating an unbelievable, believable story. I also discussed writing and working with a small publisher.

To say the event went well would be an understatement, there were no chairs left in the library. Some people patiently stood and listened to  us speak. The authors on the panel were seated behind a table at the front of the room, and I watched the room fill up as we prepared. Urania Fung was first to speak. I listened, learned, and waited patiently for my turn. Diane Kelly was next; I did the same thing, listened and waited for my turn.

I glanced around the room as the other authors spoke; and it was then that I caught site of her, the most beautiful little girl you’ve ever seen. She was holding a book. Of all things, it was a Mischief in the Mushroom Patch book! She stood patiently in the back of the room, no seat to sit on.

As soon as I saw her, I couldn’t help but smile. It was an evening event and she was the only child in a room full of adults. There she stood with my book next to her chest. During the break I walked toward her and squatted down. Opening my arms, she jumped into them. I picked her up, hugged her tight, and introduced myself to the person that had brought her to the event. They said, “We saw in the paper that you would be here and she had to come see you.”

I visited with her for a while and we talked about Lilly, Boris and Jack. She showed me her ‘Mischief in the Mushroom Patch’ book, and I read aloud what I had signed for her the day she bought it. It was actually over a year ago at a signing, and I couldn’t even tell you which one. I had even written in her book, “You are a beautiful little girl, enjoy!”

She told me she wanted me to know that she had read the book, loved it, and wanted the new one. She asked if I would sign it and of course, I did. The event was amazing, but I will never forget that little girl. To me, that’s what all of this is about …  a room full of adults and one beautiful little girl!

Boys love fairies too…. gotta love it!

Author Amanda M. Thrasher

Being a children’s author, I spend a lot of time visiting local schools and speaking with children of all ages. I have heard and seen the most incredible things. Children often lose sight of the simplicity of ‘child like’  imagination, especially in today’s world. However, every now and then, you catch a glimpse of magic, such as during a recent visit of mine.

I was telling a story to younger children, not reading one but telling the story, it is different. I knew immediately I had captured the room. All eyes were upon me and the children were mesmerized, that never gets old! Half way through the story, I stopped talking and pretended to listen to the fairies, my fairies, Lilly, Boris, and Jack.

The teachers smiled as the children gasped, and we watched them look around the room for the ‘fairies’ that they thought were suddenly in their midst. It was a beautiful sight. Their eyes sparkled as they looked about them. They were so innocent and for a second they were not in that classroom, but they were actually in the middle of my story. I finished the tale and they all clapped. I continued to watch their little faces.

As the children lined up to leave the room, the coolest thing ever happened. A little boy, Mohawk and all, tugged at my sleeve. “I saw them,” he said, “The fairies, while you were talking.” I smiled at the beautiful little boy and I said, “Was it magical?” and he nodded his head, yes. “Perfect,” I said and he hugged me goodbye.

We all know that little girls love fairies; it is wonderful, but it was awesome when the little boy saw the fairies, too, if only in his imagination for a second.

Fairies, not just for little girls anymore, and it is beautiful!

The Mischief series

NC/NE Texas SCBWI Regional Conference

Recently I attended the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators conference. It was a very informative weekend. The event had several wonderful guest speakers and professionals from the industry. The rooms were filled with writers, awesome, to be among like-minded people.

Some writers had published works and some did not. Some were with large houses and some with small. Some were self-published and some did not know  yet what to do with their work. But it is safe to say that we were all inspired by the presentations given by author Bruce Coville and Tammie Sauer, and by guest speakers such as Random House Editor Wendy Loggia, Literary Agent Quinlan Lee, Simon & Schuster Illustrator/ Designer Laurent Linn, to name a few.

Highlights that I felt were the most valuable:

• Agents can have over 8000 submissions a year/ yes they are the gatekeepers, the advocates for the writers, contract negotiators and of course the ones that ‘sell’ or ‘place’ the manuscript with the editor that is the appropriate fit for your work. They are busy!
• Editors work very closely with agents they trust. They enjoy a ‘scramble,’ an overnight read and meeting where a decision has to be made a.s.a.p. in regards to the purchase of a manuscript about to go to auction.
• Editors want to feel something. The words are still the most important element of the work they review. A good story will grab an editor every time. Polish is important but creativity is just as important.
• (For Children’s) but could certainly apply to any manuscript: Grab the reader within the first sentence if possible. Definitely, within the first few sentences because a child will not give a book a chance if it takes too long to warm up.
• Most writers receive hundreds of rejections before finding a perfect fit.
• True writers write for the love of words. I BELIEVE THIS TOTALLY!
• Book covers sell books. Be careful with your artist. You may not always have a choice but trust your advisors.
• Great writing is often produced in blocks of time and not in massive word counts. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THIS TOO. It is impossible to maintain the intensity it takes to create something amazing for hours at a time. Quality is better than quantity.

The 'Mischief' series

Ugh oh…. I can’t even argue with that!

I have three children and I love them all, but like most kids their personalities are different. My son, the oldest, is figuring his life out and doing a great job. My oldest daughter, well, she’s an over achiever at times but is holding her own. But then there’s my youngest. She challenges me on a daily basis and at times I wonder, “What on earth am I doing wrong?” But she is lovely and most of the time makes me smile.

During our usual drive home I asked the girl’s how their day went, all was well. Out of the blue my youngest said, “Mommy, I have something I need to tell you but you can’t get mad.” I explained that telling the truth was  important and that we would discuss once I knew what it was, she agreed to tell me.

“I got kicked out of class today,” she said. “What?” I asked uncertain I’d heard her correctly. She repeated it. “I was kicked out of music class today.” I was shocked, she’s nine. How does a nine year old get kicked out of class? Very calmly I asked her what had happened and she explained. Her explanation put me in a difficult position.

“A kid was playing the flute, really, really bad,” she said. “AND I couldn’t stop laughing because he was soooooo bad.” My face was expressionless as I pictured my daughter trying not to laugh, but knowing my daughter this wasn’t easy for her. She continued her explanation. “My teacher told me to stop laughing,” which was a reasonable request, “But I couldn’t,” she said. Then my daughter continued, “And when my teacher told me to stop again, I said have you heard him? Because he was really bad, but then the boy started to cry and the teacher told me to get out of his class!”

Well I was trying not to laugh. She shouldn’t have laughed at the little boy; that was wrong, but she’s just a little girl and evidently he sounded really bad. I explained to her that laughing at anyone, for any reason wasn’t very nice. I thought the best way to handle the situation was to have her apologize to the boy, her teacher and have her tell her dad when he got home. My daughter decided she would not wait to tell her dad, she wanted to get it over with and proceeded to make a phone call. It did not go as I expected.

She told the story again and concluded with, “And I don’t want a big discussion about this when you get home, because I’ve told you the truth and mom has it covered.” Oh my goodness, what will we do with that one!

Author Jeff Savage & Amanda M. Thrasher Barnes & Noble signing, TX PTA Conference

Barnes & Noble Book Signing, Texas PTA Conference & Jeff Savage!

I was invited by Charley Carrol, Community Relations Manager, B & N, to sign in the Barnes & Noble booth at the Texas PTA Conference. Naturally I was thrilled and accepted. They’d expected at least 3,500 attendees at the convention center, and they had that many teachers, aids, parents to name a few on site.

I was going to sign for two hours, and I’d be signing side by side with another author. I had no idea who the other author was, but it turned out to be Jeff Savage. If you’re not familiar with Jeff, he is among the nation’s leading authors of non-fiction children’s books. He’s also a multiple award winner. He’s written over 177 books, and the A.R. program, (Accelerated Reader Program-kid’s chase those points), have accepted over 100 of those. I did not know that I would be signing with him, and that’s probably for the best. I think I might have been a nervous wreck, had I known all of his accomplishments.

He had come all the way from CA; I had come down from Fort Worth. As we visited I found out that he’d met and interviewed athletes such as LeBron James, Albert Pujols, Peyton Manning, Tiger Woods, to name a few. I write fairy tales, children’s novels, and I have an adult novel that I’m still baby-sitting. It’s not quite finished, but it’s waiting for me to return and pick up where I left off.

You’d never have known that this gentleman had accomplished so much in his field; he was so personable, had fantastic advice and pleasant to sign with. I met his boys, and we talked about my family. We discussed our roles as authors, agents, publishers, and what we would like to obtain down the road in regards to careers and our personal goals.

I held my own as we signed, each of us only having a few books left at the end of the two hours. But like anything in this world, when you have something that you love, and someone in your field offers advice or encouragement, you hold onto it and I did that day. Jeff said these words to me and they took me by surprise.  “You have to realize that you have accomplished so much already, remember that and forge ahead. Look at what you’ve done, remember you are the author, you wrote the words!” I was almost speechless. How did someone that had just met me, realize how long this road had been?

I will remember those words. I will also remember that someone so nice offered advice so  freely and warmly. TX PTA 2011- that was a great event for me, on a personal level.

(Special thanks to Charley Caroll, Community Relations Manager Barnes & Noble, (Arboretum. Austin, TX)

The 'Mischief' series by Amanda M. Thrasher

Lessons Learned Via Mistakes!

I don’t know a single person that hasn’t made a mistake, some more than others it would seem. I have made many mistakes over the years, personally and professionally. I would like to think that I’ve learned a lesson or two from those mistakes, and for the most part I have. But the truth is the lessons that stick with me the most are often the ones I’ve learned in my professional life.

I am starting to believe it’s because my professional life is such a huge part of me personally, my love of words and my need to write, that it’s difficult for me to separate my two worlds, family and work. Writing is constantly on my mind. Each time I work, I strive to improve; always room to improve is there not?

Having a big picture forces me to stay focused, since not a soul in the world will hand to me what I know I want. I shall have to go get it on my own. Knowing this makes me work harder. For this reason I believe the professional mistakes hurt more, but teach me more. The personal goal that I am trying to obtain means that much to me.

Family mistakes are often forgiven and easily fixed, that’s family. They tend to be a little more accepting of your faults and are willing to bend. The professional world does not care, it’s not their place. Family will be there despite your mistakes, the professional world has many other options. It’s the way it works and we know and understand that.

I recently learned a huge lesson; one I will value and will likely carry with me for years, minor to most people and yet such an eye opener for me as a writer. I’m certain some would say, “Well you should have known better,” and they would be right, I should have. I guarantee I will not make that mistake twice.

By now you may be wondering what on earth it was and I’ll tell you, hoping that you will not make the same mistake. It was simply this: I sent raw text to someone I thought should see what I see, and they didn’t. Looking back, of course they didn’t. They were looking for a finished, polished piece and it wasn’t. It was samples, raw, unedited and not even read by me for a second run through. Now, “Why on earth would you do that?” you may ask. “You should know better!” Simple! I had done it before with the same piece and had received the most fabulous comments one could receive, from a person I did not know and demanded respect and was from a large publisher, one I aspire to have my work represented by one day.

So….did this publisher see what I saw in this piece? I think so or they wouldn’t have sent such a lovely hand written letter back to me. Did the other person? I think they expected what they should have from me as a writer, finished polished samples as they should have been.

Will I resend that manuscript when it’s finished and polished, you bet I will! Did I learn my lesson…like you wouldn’t believe! “Hardest lessons learned the professional ones!”

“You love them more than me… just saying!”

I actually heard those words today via my twenty two year old son, he was referring to his sisters. I wished I could say I was stunned or shocked or horrified, but I wasn’t. As soon as the words left his mouth, I couldn’t stop laughing. “What did you just say?” I said in between my laughter, “Seriously!”

When do kids stop being jealous of each other? I don’t know. My son is jealous of my girls, my eleven year old is jealous of my son; admittedly I call him my golden boy, because in my eyes even when he’s wrong, he isn’t. But I feel the same way about my girls, though not enough to stop parenting of course. My nine year old is jealous of my oldest daughter; I call her my brown eyed girl, and my little Lauren Boren, hates that name, (can’t say I blame her, but she’s been Lauren Boren forever), well she’s jealous of Zack’s son, Tyler. Vicious cycle as they say.

I asked my son why on earth he would say such a thing, and his answer to his dismay made me laugh even more. “I googled you at work,” he said, “and there were photos of you with both of the girls, blogs about them, even soccer pictures and you forgot me!” I looked at my son and said, “That’s your reason?” Once I’d stopped laughing I explained I hadn’t excluded him, and certainly hadn’t forgotten him. I even showed him a poem I had written; in the piece I had purposely used a photo of my children.

Now I thought this would have pleased him but I was wrong. When he read the poem he said, “Oh great! I finally make it when of your pieces and people think you beat me!”  OK, “What!” I said, “How did you come up with that?” and he said, “It’s a poem about child abuse and you put a photo of me there, nice one mom!” Oh my goodness. I had used that photo for one reason only, to show how beautiful and vulnerable children are, this photo demonstrated that. He still wasn’t happy! (He was playing). I told him I would write a blog for him, and he made me promise to tell the story of the child abuse poem and his photo. He did like it, the poem.

Sometimes no matter what we try to do, it comes off wrong. I’m still smiling about that conversation today. But this blog is for my beautiful son, Zachary Wade Mulroy Miller, Alica and Tyler.  “Son, I don’t know if this will make you feel better, but here is your official blog and I love you!”

There’s a castle in Texas? Pythian Home – Weatherford, Texas

(What I have learned and experienced during my visit).

Texas not known for large castles but there’s one, the Pythian Home in Weatherford. I recently had the opportunity to visit and spend time with the children that live there. I was amazed by everything I saw, experienced, and was so impressed with the children and staff members themselves.

Justice Henry Rathbone was a musician, writer and actor, performing in many plays such as the story of Damon and Pythias. Damon and Pythias, in the story, were members of a brotherhood established by the Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, supposedly had strict morals, were always truthful, honorable and possessed impeccable integrity. These were the traits that formed the historic basis of the Order Knights of Pythias. The foundation based on friendship, charity, good deeds and happiness of others, was demonstrated through the mission and building of the ‘Castle on the Hill.’ (These days the children are not required to have any connection to the Pythian organization for placement, they help who they can).

It was built in 1897 and opened in 1909, and was originally designed to house 250 people. The staff had offices and quarters on the first floor. The second floor was for orphaned children, matrons, teachers, classrooms, and an auditorium. The basement was sectioned into apartments for widows and their children. The castle was designed with the intent to add more quarters if necessary, but by 1914 there were so many orphaned boys that they had to build a wing just for them. In 1925 a girl’s dormitory was built. The last remaining widow died in the home in 1970 and there wasn’t a need for widows to live there anymore, BUT, there was still a need for the children, as there is today.

The home at one time was self sustaining, designed that way.  Having its own hospital, though small, raising their own beef, they even had their own dairy, garden and canned their own goods.  By 1972 the FDA changed the regulations and most of those facilities including the hospital and dairy were shut down.

They were no longer allowed to participate in the canning of their own produce and fruit. By 1976 they were not as self sufficient anymore.

The Home has suffered over the years, though children remain on site. It isn’t State funded and is operated mostly via donations and volunteers. The Pythian organization supports and organizes fundraises etc. for these children. All renovations are usually via volunteers, funds donated through fundraising events, and of course through the generosity of the community and others. The children always come first, and are very happy and well taken care of. They seem so loved and I felt as if I loved them immediately, you just couldn’t help it. They were full of smiles and energy.

I had the privilege of spending time with the children that live in the Home. They are beautiful, happy and healthy. They do attend public school and come home to the Castle each day. When I arrived they were getting ready to eat their dinner and I was invited to join them. After dinner we visited and talked about creating and writing, the love of characters, drawing and illustrating. They listened, no kidding to every word I said, even the littlest guy there. We made fairy wings and we, Strategic Book Group and me, donated books. (I’m going back with ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch,’ I ran out and have promised to take more, they’ve been ordered).

The Texas Pythian Home, and the work that they do are truly amazing. I can’t do it justice. This home protects and takes care of the children whose families can’t, regardless

Lorraine, Amanda, Kinsy, Jim & Elizabeth

Big Fish Eats Little Fish…“Maybe not!”

I’ve just returned from Austin. I attended the TLA, (Texas Librarian Association Conference), for the very first time.  I’ve attended many trade shows on behalf of companies that I have worked for in the past, but this show was very personal to me. It was a show I believed was important to me as an Author, and to my publisher as a company. I was right, and fortunately my publisher agreed.

This was a large regional show and I was nervous, but not for the reasons you may think. People and sales are actually a normal part of my life, but Strategic’s expo. team was over-seas at the time of this conference. Our regular booth was not available and the team was incredibly busy. But we pulled it off in a true ‘team’ like way. Strategic Marketing Director Kait Neese,  Nanci Lillies, and authors,  Kinsy McVay, Mitch Haynes, Joyce Gordan and me, just to name a few, worked together and had an incredibly successful show.

We spent time with librarians, children, book lovers, teachers, and even other companies that were  at the conference.  Our objective met. Put Strategic’s books in the hands of the people that would take the time to review and appreciate our work. We gave away titles, we signed books, took photos with children and even sold titles. It was wonderful. There were  large publishers there too, with well known authors, signing and giving books away as well, and yet we had so much activity at our booth.

It’s safe to say that we were not the ‘Biggest Fish’ that week, but we definitely held our own and we’re getting there. We had consistent traffic at our booth all three days and we had people that sought us out, we signed our work for them and took photos.  We shared the out-reach program for local schools with school representatives, and discussed programs that Strategic offers  libraries with the librarians.

I know that reaching my personal goal as author is completely up to me. If it were easy, well everyone else would already have what I want. It’s not. But I know exactly what I want, and I know exactly what it’s going to take to get there. I know that I have to stay focused, work really hard, continue to attend trade shows and signings, visit schools, and libraries, and most importantly write and stay creative.

But if I do those things, I have a better chance of obtaining that big picture that I’ve planned for myself.  I haven’t written it yet, the piece I have in mind. But I will. All of the ground work I lay now, as an author, will help pave the way for when I finish the piece I’m supposed to write. I will write it; I don’t know when, but I’ll recognize it when it’s the one. I want to be ready!

Big Fish Eats Little Fish…Maybe Not!

She called you WHAT!

Being a mom, I have my own children. Being a children’s author, I am often around children. I didn’t think at my age, there was anything that a child could say that would actually shock me, I was wrong. 

My daughters had a  field trip to our local zoo, and they both wanted me to chaperone their classes. It was decided between the three of us, that I would join my youngest daughter’s class, which I did. Initially I had five in my group; I picked one up along the way.

We were having fun, looking at the animals, drinking soda, eating popcorn, all the stuff you wouldn’t normally do if you were at school. Eventually they were starving and asked if we could eat lunch. “Why yes we can,” I said, directing them to a perfect spot. It was during lunch that we picked up our other little girl, (with her teacher’s permission, of course).

The girls were giggling and trading food, my daughter was proud I was with her. She was the little girl whose mom was there. Out of the blue, one of the little girls pointed to our newest little member of our group. “She called me TOILET!” she said, just like that. I swear, I couldn’t believe what I had just heard and naturally I said, “She called you what?”  The little girl repeated it, “She called me Toilet!” she said as plain as day. I was stunned. I was dying to laugh because it was the ultimate, inappropriate insult, I’d ever heard a child call another child, but obviously it was terrible!

 “Oh my goodness, why on earth would you do that,” I asked the little girl who had supposedly said it, not knowing what else to say. “That’s not very nice at all,” I added for adult good measure.  The little girl that had thrown down the insult smiled and continued to eat her sandwich. The other little girl was still pointing at her, but she wasn’t overly upset in the moment so I wondered when the insult had actually occurred. “She did make me cry,” the insulted little girl said, to which I replied, “I can imagine, I would have cried too!”

I was still looking at the little girl, the one that had said it. It didn’t faze her in the least. I wanted to laugh so badly, but not because she had hurt the little girls feelings, of course, but because I hadn’t heard such an insult before! The little girl finally laid down her food and spoke up. “Ah, we’re cousins,” she said, “We live together.” And that was that.

Well that explained everything, they’re like sisters and sisters fight. I suggested that they try really hard to say nice things to each other, at which point my daughter chimed in. “My sister isn’t nice to me!” I smiled at my daughter and at the other girls, “Well why don’t we all work on that, being nice to each other,” I said. And that was it, they kept on eating.  Toilet!  So inappropriate and yet so funny, at least it was in that particular moment. Really, she called you what!

Lilly, Boris & Jack, from NY to Oregon

Lilly, Boris & Jack …This is what it’s all about!

My friend said, “We’re touring and she’s working.”  Yet there I was; so I explained that I had commitments for a book trade show the next day. We talked a little bit about the book that I had written, and at that time it was Mischief in the Mushroom Patch.  Debbie, Jace’s, grandma, asked for a card and I gave her one. She must have purchased my book because we talked again. She said her grandchildren loved the book; naturally this made me very happy, and I so I sent books to her grandchildren’s s school. That made Debbie happy, Ms. Hagel, the teacher, very happy, but I had no idea that little Jace would be so touched too. I wished I could see those little faces as she reads the story. She describes them so beautifully. I shall ask her for a photo and if the parents ‘OK’ it, I will post. Lilly, Boris & Jack, loved in Oregon; now, that’s means something, if only to me. (Baby steps, massive strides, at least to me).

Ms. Thrasher,

Thank you so much for donating Mischief in the Mushroom Patch to our school library.

I began reading it to my kindergartners last week hoping that their attention spans were long enough to listen to a whole chapter in one sitting. Well, judging from the wide-eyes and silent bodies in front of me as I began to read about Lilly and Boris, I had nothing to worry about. We just finished chapter two and the whole class is is love with the characters, setting and storyline. 

 I told them I would be emailing you.  They wanted me to let you know the following…

They love Lilly and Boris and are very curious about who the other character is on the front cover illustration. They are concerned about Boris having a rash from the nettles but are confident that Lilly can help him because she is a good friend. They are also worried about Lilly and Boris being low on fairy dust and Boris being hurt. They are wondering how they will get back to the mushroom patch.  Several theories have been discussed…

Jace Wagoner is so proud that his grandma knows the author of Mischief in the Mushroom Patch.  It is wonderful to see him engage and speak out when he is normally pretty quiet. Thank you again for your thoughtfulness and generous contribution to our classroom. We all can’t wait for chapter 3!

 Sincerely,

Staci Hagel,

classroom teacher, and 28 enthusiastic and eager Kindergartners

Thurston Elementary School Springfield Oregon

Hobby turned gift-“Thank you Bill!”

I think it’s safe to say that most people have at least one child that participates in a team sport of some sort. My girls play soccer, recreational and select. If you are not familiar with select soccer, select changes everything. Try outs, contracts, mandatory practices, soccer games of course and tournaments.  The competition is intense, since the other teams the girls play are very competitive too. The commitment is taken seriously by all parties involved, our Coaches, (Kim Barb & Gary Collinsworth), our girls, (the whole team IFC 2000 and the club, IFC). At the select level, it’s no longer about just ‘fun,’ it’s a serious game. Naturally the parents are committed to the success of the team and we even have some grandparents that have never missed a game! (Let me stress; all of the girls involved want to be there, at this level the desire has to come from within in order to stick with such a commitment anyway).

As you can imagine during the soccer season our weekends are spent either at the soccer field or arena. My oldest daughter has been playing soccer for seven years; over the years we’ve managed to take some fabulous photos, but I’m ashamed to say not near enough. With the exception of ‘team’ photos, we have failed to take those beautiful action photos. You know the ones I’m talking about, shots that couldn’t possibly be recaptured. The ones that causes you to stop and stare for a moment longer than you normally would, or the photo that makes you say, “Wow that’s my girl!”

Well I did say we had great Grandparents on our team and I’m very grateful that we do! I received a gift that I didn’t realize I was missing; photos of my daughter playing her game, the game she loves. Action photos, game face on, focused and making moves on the field that can’t ever be recaptured. Simply impossible to duplicate! This gift came via Bill Leach. His hobby or love of photography, I’m not sure which, started when he took photos of his granddaughter, Kendall, playing soccer.  Bill brings his camera to every game and shoots photos of her and his other grandchildren. Since Bill was shooting Kendall anyway, he thought that he would shoot the whole team. To my surprise he offered to share those photos with the team. He placed them on a disk for each parent; a true gift for all of us!  “A picture’s worth a thousand words,” isn’t that how the saying goes?  How true it is.

It wasn’t until that moment, that I realized how long it had been since I had taken pictures of my daughter playing soccer. Always thinking there would be another game, another time to bring my camera. So many games, it had not become a priority anymore. I shall work on that; that girl, my girl, like the others, plays hard every single time! Another thought ran through my mind, how generous it was that Bill would shoot the photos and then take the time to copy and distribute them. See, great grandparents too!

I shall buy a better camera and try to do better a better job because you just never know what could happen. My daughter may wake up one morning and decide not to play; I doubt it, but you just never know.

Hobby turned gift-“Thank you Bill!”

Donations for the children-"Thank you!"

Scottish Rite Hospital Visit – What a Day!

It’s amazing over the years how many children the Scottish Rite hospital has helped and continues to do so; I had no idea! I visited the hospital because Jeni had received over fifty surgeries there. ( left side post, read gifts unseen). This is a unique hospital, dependant solely on donations, and it is truly magnificent! The procedures and treatments they have developed, unbelievable, and are given for free. If a child is accepted their parents do not pay a single dime; though impossible, they would love to treat to all of the children that apply.

I was accompanied by  my local Barnes & Noble Community Relations Manager, Anne Dunigan, she donated my title, ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch,’ and with Beverly Hutton, Jeni’s mom, who also donated the same title. My other title, ‘Mischief in the Mushroom Patch,’ was donated via my publisher, Strategic Book Group. We even had special bears, in chariots, (wheel chairs), just like Pearle’s donated via Tanya Chellette, Build a Bear, Ridgmar. I had no idea all of the donations would be so generous, but I was truly grateful.

We didn’t know what to expect since the children are often in the hospital for many months at a time. They attend classes, treatments, surgeries, physical therapy etc. so one never knows how many will visit the room you are assigned to. But we left plenty of books and bears for the children to enjoy that couldn’t attend while we were there.

One little girl blew my mind, in the neatest way. She had received over fifty three surgeries and had a smile that lit up the whole room. She was so full of life and funny. She managed to make all of us laugh and feel at ease; can you imagine, a child putting adults at ease. The little girl made her fairy wings and chattered away as she did so and I asked her, “Do you like to write?” and she said that she did. She said her stories are about her favorite animal that accompanies her everywhere.  “But,” she said, “They’re weird because my animals talk in my stories and animals don’t really talk.”

I listened to the little girl and I couldn’t help but smile and I told her, “That’s not weird. That’s the neatest thing I’ve ever heard, using your imagination! Well, I use my imagination all the time when I write my stories.” She smiled when she heard that and said that she would continue to write her stories.

That little girl stuck in my mind, for several reasons. Her smile, her wit, and the comments that came out of her mouth stunned us all in the neatest way. How does a child endure so much and never seem to mind? I don’t know. But I do know this, that little girl showed me that joy is written on the face of a child, who wears a halo that used to be a crown, (I believe that’s what she called it). And the oddest thing, she didn’t seem to mind.

I know we left books and bears in chairs for lots of children to enjoy that day; but that hospital left me with a deep appreciation for the care givers, the Doctors, Nurses, Aides and Volunteers, that tend to those beautiful children. (They actually have a one to one ratio of both). The children themselves, well, you can only imagine. I don’t even have the words to compliment them properly. Amazing doesn’t cover it, but they truly were amazing at best!

In honor of Jeni!

Author Amanda M. Thrasher will visit the Scottish Rite Hospital, located 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, TX, January 26th at 2pm. She will create magical fairy wings with the children, donate books via Barnes & Noble and Strategic and will donate beautiful bears from Build a Bear, in chariots just like Pearle, (wheel chairs). Pearle is a fairy character inspired by a girl she never knew, Jeni Hutton, in her fairy tale ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch.’ Jeni had over 50 surgeries at the Scottish Rite Hospital. Beverly Hutton, Jeni’s mother, sent an email to Amanda and asked if she could create a character with a disability saying, “Jeni always asked, where are the fairy tales for me?” Amanda created Pearle in honor of Jeni. She will be accompanied by: Beverly Hutton and Ft. Worth, Barnes & Noble, Community Relations Manager Anne Dunigan. Bears donated via Tanya Chelette, Build a Bear, Ridgmar.

Um…New Year’s Resolutions!

Like most people on New Year’s Eve, at the stroke of midnight I set New Year’s Resolutions in motion. Two personal ones and one professional; I’m hopeful I will be able to keep two of the three! Funny thing about resolutions, they’re like a trap. Most people want more than anything in the world to keep them; but we don’t always manage to. We tend to set up resolutions we can’t possibly keep for one reason or another and I have no idea why we do that. One resolution that I made, I truly believe I am in control of and intend to keep it!

I have been promoting my book Mischief in the Mushroom Patch and the second installment has just released, ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch.’ Promoting them is a must for progressive press; it’s mandatory. That leaves little time to do what I love, which is simply to write. A friend said, “It is time to finish the piece you are working,” and it hit a chord. I love that piece they’re referring to; it means something to me, if no one else. Every now and then something hits a writer and they feel as if it must be written. I have two of those pieces and this is one of them; though I have no idea how it will be received. (Children’s piece).

It is forty thousand words in, and yet I know exactly what is to be written next. My daughter and her friends are anxiously waiting; they had specifically requested that their names be in the book and I couldn’t resist, “Oh, if you could have only seen their little faces light up.” It was lovely. I am in the process of going through the first several chapters which I wrote and I’m making sure everything flows. I have these words constantly running through mind. “Narrate the story, switch the switch.” I know exactly what they mean; I treasure them since they came via my mentor. I’ve never had a mentor before, but it is truly a gift.

I hope I can pull off my personal resolutions too; I don’t know if I can, but I will try really hard. On another professional note, I will continue to promote my Mischief series, because it too is important to me. But, I will purposely make sure that I spend additional time working on the manuscript that I’m writing, the piece that I love. I have no idea if other people feel the way I do about the ‘things’ they love; but I’m certain they do. We have to nurture them and take care of them; even if they’re only words!

Um…New Year’s Resolutions!

Baby steps, massive strides, forge ahead!

If you read my blogs at all, then you know that I am a writer by heart first and author second to that. Being with a small progressive press often means the title of the author’s book(s), sell on their title or efforts alone; the reason is simple, the funds aren’t there on the scale of the larger publishing companies.

My mother loved fairies; she had them all over her house and garden. I remember as a child the stories she used to tell us. When she became ill she said, “You write all the time, yet send nothing in. Send your work in if only for me.” I wrote and sent in a fairy story in honor of her. She never saw it in print; I ran out of time. The book was, ‘Mischief in the Mushroom Patch,’ and was placed on barnesandnoble.com and amazon, as well as other on line stores. But I knew that if I had taken on this new role of ‘author,’ it was not in me to do it half way. My next step was to contact Barnes & Noble’s small press division in NY, in the hopes of shelf placement in their stores.

I have a lot respect for Barnes & Noble as a vendor and retailer; I believe most book lovers do. To be on one of their shelves seemed like the perfect starting place; I submitted Mischief in the Mushroom Patch. Barnes & Noble’s initial response was, “What is your publisher going to do for you?” “How will they market you?” I knew small press had limited funds and so I laid out the very best plan that I could. Barnes & Noble said “No.” BUT…to their credit they said, “The buyers said this…and the buyers said that…you may want to consider those things.” They had liked my book, the story, and that was huge. There were things that needed to be done. My publisher did those things and I got my “Yes,” for Mischief in the Mushroom Patch. It took a while. We are not in all of the stores but I am in my local area and the buyers have access in their data base to purchase for their stores if they’d like. This is huge accomplishment but not for the reasons most people would likely think; they are personal reasons, goals, set in motion and reached with the next ones in sight.

Which brings me to ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch.’ As soon as this book was released and I had a copy in my hands, I submitted it to the small press division in NY. I was hopeful that with the plan I had laid out and the sales that Mischief in the Mushroom Patch had obtained, that I might get my “Yes,” a little quicker and I did! Baby steps…Massive strides!  I can’t begin to tell you how happy that made me. It was huge since the book had received zero sales at the time of submittal. It means my little title did it on its own. Thirty six thousand, four hundred and twenty words and like most writers I think I know them by heart. Each word selected with care and purpose; though my little readers will never notice how carefully I chose them. They will merely read the story as they should. ‘A Fairy Match in the Mushroom Patch,’ was written with these words running through my mind, “Narrate the story.”  Words via a mentor who has faith in my work and words that I will never forget; because I knew exactly what she meant when she said them and that was my light bulb moment.

I know that my Mischief series isn’t brilliant or a master piece but it is this: It is lovely, gentle and the characters are sweet and kind; there’s a lot to be said for kind. The fairies judge each other not; as demonstrated by their love of Pearle in her beautiful chariot. Lilly, Boris and Jack are endearing and work hard together with the others. Though they all have adventures and find themselves in trouble, it is not intentional or mean spirited. To me, maybe not to you, but to me, sweet is definitely hard to teach. I don’t have a single problem with my children getting back to nice and sweet material. Especially if it

“Shouldn’t it look better than that?”

The holidays; they seem to bring back memories while creating new ones.  Like most mom’s, my mom loved everything about Christmas and it’s safe to say we had some really fabulous ones. Growing up in England, Father Christmas visited not Santa and he rarely let us down; but the Christmas tree was without a doubt my mom’s thing. She took it over every year, though I’m not sure even she realized it.

My mom had a theme; a particular way to decorate the tree, to ensure that it always looked nice. I understand that now but as a child I didn’t. “Don’t put that one there,” she would say in regards to the ornaments we held in our hands, “It goes there.” And “let’s put this one there, shall we?” But it really wasn’t a question because she was going to put it where she wanted to anyway. Let me just say it was never said in a mean-spirited way; it’s just that I remember as a child simply wanting to decorate the tree, as did my sister. This is why I decided as soon as my children were old enough to decorate the tree, well, they could just have fun in the moment and they have been for years.

Last week I pulled out the usual giant box of ornaments. We helped the girls hang a few and then I said, “Have at it!” Needless to say their little eyes lit up as they dove into the tissue; they had it everywhere. I watched them hang the ornaments and each one seemed to bring back a memory of sorts.  A gingerbread man that my son had made when he was a child, ornaments my mom had given me, paper ones that the girls had made in kindergarten. There were special ornaments that the children have picked each year and each time they unwrapped one, they giggled and made a comment about it.

Finally we stepped back to admire their work and to our dismay it was awful; but we were laughing so hard we couldn’t talk!  “Shouldn’t it look better than that?” My husband asked as he stared at the tree. My girls looked at him in disgust and I shook my head and softly said, “It’s a beautiful tree!” though I knew it wasn’t. I reminded him about my mom and our tree and he shrugged his shoulders, left the room, and then came back. “That is a beautiful tree,” he said. I smiled knowing that’s exactly what the girls needed to hear or so I thought; it was actually my oldest that spoke up first. “Mommy SERIOUSLY,” she said, “Shouldn’t it look better than that!”  Well that was it! We all laughed so hard because the tree, well, um! We regained our composure and started to rearrange the ornaments. By the way, the tree  looks very nice now; the girls had fun and I have a lovely NEW memory! Although maybe, just maybe, I should rethink my, “Have at it,’ approach!”

“Shouldn’t it look better than that?”  he asked.

3 One Dollar Bills and a Bag of Silver… “May I have your book please?”

I know exactly what I want in regards to my writing career and I know exactly what it will take to get there; it’s hard work. I believe that most people, some authors included, think once a book is released the work is done; but the truth is the hard work is just beginning. Last week I had an incredible, fantastic, busy, crazy, week. A business meeting, writing projects/assignments, 3 school presentations with Barnes & Noble book signings following those, (those are 15 hour days). A career day presentation at another school and last but not least, my daughters soccer tournament. It’s a good job I love what I do and it’s safe to say I do!

During one of the school presentations I met a little boy that hung onto every word I said. I believe he attended Fitzgerald Elementary, if not, it was Fosters Elementary. His teachers even noticed it too. The little boy stayed behind after class and asked me additional questions; he also asked if I would be at the Barnes & Noble’s signing my book later that evening. I answered his questions and assured him that I would; but before I knew it another class had seated and was ready to begin. His name was Hayden.

Later that evening during the fantastic, chaos of book fair, that little boy approached me. He gave me a great big smile and a great big hug. He proceeded to hold up the most beautiful little plastic ‘baggie’ I have ever seen because he was so proud of it and so was I! Hayden said, “Mrs. Thrasher I’ve got my money,” and he started to count out 3 one dollar bills and set up the silver in dollar piles. “May I please have your book?”

I was so stunned; I swear my heart stopped! It’s not unusual for a child to have their parent buy their book for them, but, Hayden was buying his own book with his own money. I looked at that beautiful boy and I said, “Hayden, of all the books in Barnes and Noble you want to buy mine?” and he said, “yes ma’am.” I thought I was going burst with pride! I grabbed that boy and hugged him, signed his book and walked him to the front of the store to make sure he didn’t have any problems. I wanted so bad to buy the book for that beautiful boy, but to his credit, he was so proud to be able to buy it for himself. A reflection on his parents and him for sure!

Hayden emailed me a lovely, ‘fan mail.’ You can bet I will never delete it! I thanked his father for bringing him and allowing him to contact me. His father said he had insisted he come that evening. I sent Hayden hard cover copies of both of my books; but I specifically told him that his was even more special than mine and the reason was this…he had purchased it himself with his own money!

3 One Dollar Bills and a Bag of Silver… “May I have your book please?” words I will never forget!

Author Amanda M. Thrasher