I get kind of a fun Daily Literary Quote on my iGoogle page. Yesterday the wit was writer Robertson Davies. Here’s the last line:
"…only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion."
And I have got to say that being "attacked by a mad notion" is really what it feels like sometimes when an idea gets me up in the middle of the night or sends me beyond distraction in the middle of the day. It’s startling. And I sit down to type with a bit of dread. I mean, don’t you, when in you’re in the room with a mad notion???? They’re unpredictable, y’know?
So, in keeping with mad notions, today’s the day I thought I’d share with you the backstories to All the World — mine and Marla’s, the miracle-working illustrator of this book. We were asked to write these as part of the Simon & Schuster publicity effort and whoa, Nellie, it is not easy to sum up where a story comes from.
And people, don’t forget to toss your name in the pot for a signed copy of All the World! All that’s required is a comment here or on facebook, or you can send me an email, and who but knows? It may be you who gets plucked from the pile!
Gosh, you guys. It is so touching to hear from so many of you. Turns out I’m not all alone here with my dog, my cats and my racing mind.
But in case you’re just popping in now, I want to let you know that I’m doing a drawing for a signed copy of All the World — mailed to the winner the very day I get my box of books. All you need to do is leave me a comment here or on facebook, or send me an email. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Or, as they say in the hilarious trailer for the new movie In the Loop: difficult difficult lemon difficult.
Sorry. I digress. Really, it is easy. Wave a flag and I’ll put your name in the hat — you have until this Friday, August 14th.
In the meantime, a little more news to share in anticipation of the book release. On today’s menu: reviews, in which we’ve been exceedingly lucky so far. Or blessed. Or something.
All the World received a starred review in the most recent issue of School Library Journal . The reviewer said some lovely stuff about it, too. I was especially blown away by the last line which just called it "Perfection." Sigh…
We also were given a starred review in Kirkus, where the book is called "At once a lullaby and an invigorating love song to nature, families and interconnectedness."
And then, to round things out, Roger Sutton announced on his blog that we’ll be getting a starred review in the September/October issue of The Horn Book! The text of that review makes me all swoony, too. It says my words have "a child-friendly simplicity reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown", that Marla’s art brings a "‘family-of-humankind’ vibe" to the page (it also compares her to Virginia Lee Burton!) and it wraps things up with by describing "a sensibility both timeless and thoroughly modern."
Lordamercy. You remember what I said yesterday about fainting?
The thing about reviews is they’re supposed to help sell books, right? Lots of people argue about whether they do or not, but what I’ve realized, receiving these, is that at least as important to me — as a writer — is the idea that a few folk really kinda get what we were trying to do. Which feels pretty swell…
Now don’t forget to enter your name in the drawing ’cause I’d love to send one of these puppies to you, personally, the very day the box lands on my doorstep. Truly, I would…
I like to blog for sort of quirky, personal reasons. It’s a way to keep track of myself, for one thing. And a way to connect with people who love what I love. And a way to feel productive, as a writer, even on my off days.
The marketing side of blogging? Not so much.
When my girls were little and I was doing freelance corporate copywriting, I coulda sold you swampland in Florida. I wrote marketing collateral for IBM and it was fun, singing the praises of this or that service or software.
But this is different. I flush a rather embarrassed pink everytime I mention the words "my" and "books" in the same sentence. All the savvy lingo and salesmanship go right out the window. So, please don’t mind the clammy handshake and lack of eye contact as I introduce a week of blog posts about All the World, which will be on the shelves exactly 4 weeks from tomorrow. In anticipation of that I have lots to share with you.
**** Including — A signed copy of the book from my own personal stash, mailed to you the DAY the books arrive at my house — I promise! All you need to do is leave a comment here or on my facebook page or via email by this Friday, August 15th, and I’ll enter you in the drawing!****
In the meantime, a little eye candy:
Here is the incredibly exquisite promotional package that my friends at Beach Lane and Simon & Schuster mailed out to various booksellers and librarians and such. It’s a box with a full-size, full-color galley, a personal note from my editor along with the first-ever catalog of her new imprint, a chance to win a piece of Marla Frazee’s original art, and even a shell and a few pieces of beach glass. When I saw it, I said, "Bestill my heart," and then I fainted. Or least I would have if my husband hadn’t brought me that medicinal glass of champagne…
And then, a few weeks later, I opened the door to another package — this one containing my very first bound copy of the book. Allyn, my editor, really likes ritual. And ribbons. As you can see. Of course I fainted again…
And since then, a few other people have seen All the World, too.
Here’s how it was introduced to librarians at ALA in Chicago:
And here’s what people see when they visit the Simon & Schuster’s Children’s Publishing Division in NY:
I hope you’ll come back tomorrow when I plan to share what some folks think about the book so far…
And don’t forgot! Leave me a little comment and I’ll enter you in a drawing to win one of the very first books I hold in my grubby little hands. Well, I mean, they won’t really be grubby. I’ll wash up and send you a clean book. It’ll be brand new and unsullied. Except that I’ll sign it for you. Or your baby. Or your neighbor’s baby. Or your dentist!!! Your call!
This morning and next Monday mark my last two Sock is a Pocket storytimes. (Today I’ll be at Austin’s Faulk Central Library at 11 a.m. and Monday I’ll be at the Spicewood branch at 2 p.m.)
I will always love Sock; it was my first book and I have read to hundreds of children these past five years, and sung with them, and laughed with them and been inspired.
That book has taken me on a quite a ride.
But now All the World is coming out and it’s time to give it the floor. I’m working hard on creating a new school presentation that’ll roll-out this year.
In the meantime, I also wanted to announce to Austinites that I’m participating in a very cool literacy program called The Big Read. Austin Community College is the local sponsor and the book is Sun, Stone and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories. This is a book for adults to explore but, lucky us, Catherine Cowen turned one of the stories by Octavio Paz into a children’s book!
I’ll be reading My Life with the Wave, illustrated by Mark Buehner, at four different libraries in September and October. It’s a trippy little story about a boy who brings a wave home from the beach and the trouble that ensues. I’m delighted to be on board for this event and can’t wait to explore this book with kids! See below for dates, times and locations:
Thursday, September 17 Yarborough Branch Library, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, September 19 Faulk Central Library, 2:00 p.m.
Monday, September 21 St. John Branch Library, 4:30 p.m.
Monday, October 5 Spicewood Branch Library, 3:30 p.m.
Awhile back I posted about the amazingly thorough and creative curriculum guide that Natalie dias Lorenzi created for my first book.
Well, she did it again. Boy-oh-man is she good.
The teacher’s guide for All the World is up at my website now! (Click here and then on the link for curriculum guide, or click here to go directly to the pdf.)
And she’s added an author’s interview to the first one, so that revision is up now, too! (Click here and then on the link for curriculum guide, or click here to go directly to the pdf.)
Teachers, librarians, home schoolers — help yourselves! And Natalie…. thanks a million…
This weekend, my aunt and cousins and extended family will celebrate the memory of my beloved Uncle Joe. And they’ll do it by swimming the length of our lake, in Wisconsin. Because that’s what he used to do, summer mornings.
He’d swim from his cottage to my grandparents’, at the other end of lake. And there he’d have breakfast with them.
The swim has become tradition these last few years since he’s been gone. I ache to be there in the water, but instead I’m hear thinking about it and thinking about him.
Last night should have been just dreamy for my sweetheart and I. It was our first night on a brand new cushy mattress. This, after years of sleeping on some cross between a cobblestone lane and a tattered overcoat. A brand new cushy mattress.
And then the air conditioning went out. Out. Dead. Kerplunk. 87 degrees inside, and rising. Our whole family, dog and cats included, wandered the halls, flushed and moaning. I mean, I couldn’t really tell if the cats were flushed but how could they not be?
My husband stood in front of the furnace tinkering. I aimed fans at the girls faces. We opened windows, felt the air outside and closed them again.
How romantic.
I was busy trying to figure out the take-away message on this one (don’t get too comfortable… don’t get too dependent on the finer things in life… don’t live in a place where summer=the fires of the underworld) when it suddenly occured to me that we could go swimming! There is no rule that says one can’t swim before noon, is there? And as a matter of fact, our most beloved spring-fed swimmin’ hole is free every morning until 9:00 a.m.
So coffee and cocoa in hand, down the hill we rolled. It took the girls exactly 3 nanoseconds to take the plunge. Me, just a teeny bit longer.
And when we dug into the rest of our day — which included a visit to a farm just outside of town and a visit from Jeff the A/C guy (my hero) — we were still under the influence of that most magical morning swim.
Now I’m thinking that the take-away message might’ve been "step out of your rut". Which we did, and I’m glad…
It includes a few events I’m really excited about:
Two storytimes at Austin Public Libraries over the next two weeks (These will be my last official Sock is a Pocket storytimes before I start trotting out new tricks for All the World. If you haven’t seen my whole fishing-vest-of-many-pockets, come on out!)
My All the World release party at BookPeople on Saturday, September 26!
And The Texas Book Festival, Halloween weekend.
Also, I’ll be giving a talk on "Going with your Gut" at the November SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) gathering!
If you want to come join me for any of these fun gigs, you can come early… like me. (C’mon you guys. Seriously. Stop laughing. I’m full of good intentions….)
