Hey friends. There was an amazing full moon and a very pretty sky this weekend. Did you see it? It made me think of Paul and Ivy and a discussion they have in The Great Good Summer. When Ivy suggests that Paul knows more about the myths of the sky than he does about the stories of the Bible, Paul says they’re really not all that different:
“Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are a mother and a child. They’ve been through all sorts of terrible stuff, including getting turned into bears, but they end up right next to each other forever in the sky. Doesn’t that sound like the sort of ending you’d get in the Bible?”
Star Stories and Bible Stories
So let’s say he’s right! Here are some of those stories, ones that Ivy and Paul would both like an awful lot…
Share and Win!
Remember that I’ll be doing a drawing — the last one! — at the end of this week. Simply read, like, comment or share to be entered! And thanks….
Who is This For?
Thanks for stopping by again. And I hope you’ll share this series with your friends. I mean, your reader-friends who would love to know more about the “real lives” of characters… your writer-friends who want to talk about ways to more deeply know and develop the folks they people their books with… your spacey friends and road trippy friends and anyone, really, who’s into some of the same of the same Great Good Stuff that Ivy Green and Paul Dobbs are into!
Wouldn’t Paul Love This?
My friend Paul Dobbs wants to get as far away from life in Loomer, Texas as possible. And when he says far away, he means outer space!
There’s so much going on out there, isn’t it? And we don’t even think about it most of the time.
Share and Win!
Don’t miss out on your chance to win a copy of The Great Good Summer along with an extra treat or two. Simply read, comment, like or share and you’re entered! And thanks!
More Fun!
Thanks for coming back, friends. I’m happy to have shipped off prize packages to the first two Great Good Winners, and happy to have collected a couple of weeks-worth of Paul- and Ivy-related links and stories. Stuff That’s Great Good has been fun so far, at least for me.
Life or Art?
The whole idea of this blog series was to find and share things from Real Life that dovetail with Ivy and Paul’s quirks and interests, as revealed in my book The Great Good Summer. That means I’ve done posts on road trips, and space, and middle names, and even why only children should own dogs!
The Dreaded Dentist
But today, instead of going out to the interwebs to find you stories and links, I’ve got a personal tale to tell — and it’s one that would make Ivy both cringe and laugh.
One thing we find out in The Great Good Summer is that Ivy’s got terrible, cavity-prone teeth — and she’s not a fan of the dentist.Well, last week my younger daughter spent some time in the dentist chair herself — having her wisdom teeth pulled. It’s been a rough few days of pain, soft foods and chipmunk cheeks.
But I thought, to keep things fun for my pal Ivy, that I’d share a few of the best lines captured as my girl emerged from anesthesia:
“I just want to be free! That’s why I came to this country — to be free!”
“Did you know they took my feet? They took my feet. That’s why I don’t have feet anymore.”
“Why are you holding an orangutan? Why did you get an orangutan without me? I wanted to help pick him out! I wanted him to be named after me!” (This one got particularly funny after my husband said, “We did name him after you — we named him Willa!” and she said, “Well THAT’S not very creative.”)
It should also be noted that during most of this nonsequiturial discussion, she thought my husband was Obama. So. There you go, Ivy. Teeth.
Share and Win!
Don’t forget that everytime you like, comment, share or retweet one of these posts you’ll be entered into my weekly prize drawing! So go to it, and thanks… #greatgoodsummer
Ta-Da!
Last week I was slightly skimpy on the posts but you all were still enthusiastic with your likes and shares and re-tweets and what not. And for that, I thank you! So I put all of your names back in the bowl and…
Ta-da! This week’s winner is Doug Marshall! Congratulations, Doug. There’s a great good care package coming your way just as soon as get your snail mail address!
There’s More
Never fear — I’ve still got a few more links to share and prizes to pick. My Stuff That’s Great Good series will continue this week and next. Think of it as my way of dragging out summer as long as humanly possible!
Characters are People Too
Writing a novel takes a long time. Or at least it takes me a long time! So by the end of it all, you can grow kind of attached to the characters. In my case, I kind of feel like the main characters in THE GREAT GOOD SUMMER are my own kids or something. And, well, I just miss them. I’m constantly seeing stuff that they’d like or that would interest them. I want to tell them about this or that, and then I remember — darn — they’re just characters. Or are they?
This blog series, Stuff That’s Great Good, is my way of keeping Ivy and Paul alive and well, in my heart and on the interwebs!
Invading Astronauts
Ya’ll know by now that Paul is really into space. As in, obsessed. He wanted to be one of the astronauts to fly the Space Shuttle someday — until he heard that the Space Shuttle program was shutting down.
Share and Win!
I’ll be doing another prize drawing sometime between now and Monday. To be entered, simply comment, share, retweet, whatever — here, on facebook or via Twitter. #greatgoodsummer And thanks!
Back At It!
This week has included a wisdom teeth extraction for one daughter, a nearly-botched airline trip for another daughter, some lost keys, some spoiled milk. You know the drill. Lucky for me, it’s also included the launch of a new picture book (IN THE CANYON, illustrated by the most-amazing Ashley Wolff) and my wedding anniversary (today!). But all that aside, I don’t want you to think I’ve forgotten about Ivy and Paul and the Stuff That’s Great Good series!
Dog Days
In fact, I was thinking of Ivy when I was writing the previous paragraph. I was thinking, Life. What a thing. And then I was thinking, Good thing I’ve got my dog. Because, y’know, he’s kind of what keeps me from crazy during weeks like these. And keeps me from lonely. And keeps me from lazy. It’s a lot of responsibility but he steps up every time.
But Ivy Green, my heroine in THE GREAT GOOD SUMMER doesn’t have a dog. She wants one. She really wants one. She actually says, “Personally, I think if you’re an only child, you should automatically be issued a dog when you’re born, as a consolation prize…”
So Ivy, these stories are for you.
(And I wish I could really get you a dog!)
Share and Win!
Remember, I do a prize drawing each week. So like, comment or share to be entered to win a copy of THE GREAT GOOD SUMMER and some other treats. And thanks! #greatgoodsummer
Welcome Back!
I was so glad to announce our Week One Winner yesterday — congratulations, Barbara Moon! And now today we’ll get back at it. This new blog series is all about looking at things that would intrigue Ivy Green and Paul Dobbs — the main characters of my new middlegrade novel, THE GREAT GOOD SUMMER.
Storytime — Where???
So far I’ve talked about things that Paul would get psyched about (all space-related) and things that Ivy would be into (discussions of road trips, journaling and middle names — she’s a little more of a rennaissance gal than Paul ). But today I’m sharing something that both Paul and Ivy would be over the moon about that. (Didja see how I did that? A space pun?)
But seriously. This cool, cool thing combines space (which Paul loves) and literature (which Ivy loves) and IDEAS, which it turns out they’re both pretty good at. The Global Space Education Foundation is currently developing and piloting a Story Time From Space! As in, astronauts reading stories from way up in the International Space Station that us earthlings can listen to way down here. Whoa, right? Check it out here!
Share and Win!
And don’t forget that there will be a prize drawing each week, that will include a copy of the book and a few other surprises. Simply like, comment, share, retweet or, well, etc. to be entered! And thanks! #greatgoodsummer
And We Have a Winner!
Thank you all for your enthusiasm last week as I kicked off this new blog series. It was so much fun to share so many Paul- and Ivy-ish details and delights with you. And since so many of you liked, shared, commented and re-tweeted, we had a list of 57 folks to pick from in a very scientific slips-of-paper-in-a-mixing-bowl kind of drawing.
And the winner of this week’s prize is…
Barbara Moon!
(Barbara — when you see this, will you reach out to me via IM or email with your address?)
Barbara wins a signed copy of THE GREAT GOOD SUMMER and a little extra treat or two! Congrats, Barbara.
But That’s Not All!
Last week was just the beginning. I’m going to continue with this blog series for a few more weeks, starting later today, and there will be three more chances to win. So don’t give up, folks. Same rules as before — like, comment, share or retweet and you’re entered. Many thanks, and think big!
Wrapping Up Week One
Ooooo, this has been a fun week! I’ve loved sharing all the bits and bobs I’ve collected about space travel, and bus travel, and middle names — all things that would really matter to the characters from my middle grade novel, THE GREAT GOOD SUMMER.
What my character Paul Dobbs wouldn’t do to get a load of these suits! Or even one of the rewards, like “a boot print from the Apollo 11 mission on a mega-attractive Cling-On Decal.” Maybe we can go ahead and donate since Paul really can’t. 🙂
Share and Win!
Please like, comment or share — here, on facebook, or on Twitter (#greatgoodsummer) — to be entered in a weekly drawing for a copy of the book and a lucky strike extra or two. The first drawing is this Sunday, August 16 so toss your name in now! And thanks!
Day Four
Thanks for stopping by, friends! If you visited earlier this week, you know that I’ve started a new blog series called Stuff That’s Great Good. The whole point is to share news and links to things that would mean something to Ivy Green and Paul Dobbs, the main characters of my book The Great Good Summer.
What’s In a Name?
So far I’ve shared stories of journeys — be they by bus or by spaceship — but today I found something that would’ve meant a lot to Ivy long before her mama disappeared, long before she set off on her own great good adventure.
One of Ivy’s old sorrows (we’ve all got them, I think) is that she wasn’t given a middle name when she was born. Her parents have their reasons, but that does nothing to assuage Ivy’s feelings of inadequacy and deficiency. She’s ached for a middle name her whole life, and spends part of The Great Good Summer looking for one.
Ivy would be so relieved to find out she’s not alone!
Share and Win!
Share or comment on any of my Stuff That’s Great Good posts, here or on twitter or facebook using the hashtag #greatgoodsummer, and you’ll be automatically entered into a weekly drawing for a free copy of the book and who knows what else? Some fun little Paul-and-Ivy related things! Good luck! And thanks….
