MOUNTAIN VIEW

books4yourkids.com: on Once Upon a Baby Brother

2012-01-08T06:29:00.000-08:00

When my editor and I were finishing revisions on Once Upon a Baby Brother, the book's title was LIZZIE PRESENTS: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF MARVIN (WITH BIG GEORGE, THE WONDER DOG). In my mind, the story was about two things - family and where stories come from. I wanted readers to realize that we all have stories to tell. I wanted to suggest that the next time they find someone at home or at school doing something that really irritates them, they should consider using that experience to create a story. That's what my character Lizzie does.

Recently, I ran across a posting in a blog called books4yourkids.com/. This blogger was writing about Once Upon a Baby Brother and she wrote:

What Sullivan excels at in Once Upon a Baby Brother is how succinctly and expressively she writes about the joys of creativity and writing, specifically. In describing Lizzie's experiences, on her own and when Marvin is making her life difficult, Sullivan describes the writing process and even gives tips that should inspire and encourage aspiring authors.

It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite quotes comes from Nora Ephron who said, "It's all copy," meaning when something terrible happens, don't get upset, don't despair, use the experience in a story! Ephron says her mother, who was a screenwriter, used to say this when something bad happened. All that yucky stuff, the time your brother ate the last piece of birthday cake even though it was YOUR birthday and YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF CAKE and YOUR MOM PROMISED she was saving it for YOU, it's all potential story material. You can use it to create something wonderful!
Macmillan included Once Upon a Baby Brother in its "Writing Kit" for kids. You can find that Editors' List of books about writing for kids here.

BOOKS TO GIVE TO MIDDLE GRADE READERS- THE LONGER VERSION

2011-12-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the longer version of my earlier post about books for gift-giving.

One of my favorite parts of holiday shopping is buying books for kids. For a couple of weeks in December, I let housework slide in order to catch up on reading. Stricken by guilt, I often remind myself that --

-- I need to finish this book so I can decide whether to buy it for . . . .

Over the past several weeks, I've had the pleasure of reading terrific books. Here's a list of some of my favorites for middle grade readers:

A MONSTER CALLS by Patrick Ness. Inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd. Illustrated by Jim Kay. Older middle grade and YA- This is a riveting, heart-breaking and brave work of fiction. In the book, thirteen-year-old Conor is dealing with the final days of his mother's illness, fighting the inevitable on the surface and yet, wrestling with darker emotions underneath. At seven minutes past midnight a monster in the form of a Yew tree that has come to life appears at Conor's bedroom window. "I will tell you three stories," the monster informs the boy "and, after that, you will tell me a fourth ... and it will be the truth." Devastating in its power, this is a novel that should appeal to adults as well as upper middle grade and young adult readers. An amazing and daring work of fiction! Not to be missed. (Candlewick)

OKAY FOR NOW by Gary Schmidt- middle grade and young adult. In the summer of 1968 Doug Swieteck's family moves from Long Island to a small town in the Catskills. Doug's father is an abusive jerk. His mother is long-suffering and supportive of her three sons, one of whom is in Viet Nam. Struggling to fit in, Doug befriends Mr. Powell who works at the local public library. As part of his job, Mr. Powell "curates" (for lack of a better term) a book of original Audobon prints which someone has given to the library. Doug is fascinated by the artwork and soon begins taking informal art lessons from Mr. Powell. Doug also befriends Lil, a classmate whose father owns the local deli. Soon he is working as a delivery boy for Lil's father. This job enables Doug to get to know a number of characters around town, including the slightly-eccentric playwright who lives by herself in a large house outside of town. Doug has a knack for getting her to pay her bill on time, a skill which has apparently eluded former delivery boys. Schmidt manages to weave together several subplots, all the while employing the spot-on sense of humor he demonstrated in The Wednesday Wars. Readers will root for Doug as he tries to do the right thing despite the obstacles thrown in his path each step of the way. (Clarion)

THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy. Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr -Adult readers may already know Meloy's work from her two short-story collections and two novels. Her second story collection, Both Ways Is The Only Way I Want It was one of the New York Times' Best Books of 2009. Now you can read Meloy's first foray into books for young people, a page-turning fantasy adventure set during the early days of the Cold War in England. Fourteen-year-old Janie Scott's family has just moved from Los Angeles to London in order for her television-writer parents seek to escape the threats of what will soon become black-listing in Hollywood. At her new school, Janie befriends Benjamin whose father runs the local Apothecary shop. Benjamin attends school on a scholarship for future pharmacists, but he longs to become a spy. When Janie discovers a connection between Benjamin's father and the Russian man in the park whom Benjamin suspects is a spy, events take a sudden turn for the unexpected. Soon Benjamin and Janie are off on an adventure beyond their wildest imagining. Along the way, they befriend an orphan named Pip who provides life-saving assistance on more than one occasion. A fast-paced fantasy by a wonderful writer! I especially love the cover. (Putnam)

BREADCRUMBS by Anne Ursu - A modern-day fantasy inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Snow Queen." A young girl named Hazel witnesses her classmate and best friend Jack being lured into the woods. When Jack fails to appear in school and his parents offer an implausible explanation for his absence, Hazel goes in search of him. (Walden Pond Press)

MY NAME IS MINA by David Almond-(maybe more YA than MG). Almond's earlier novel Skellig has been on my all-time favorites list since I first read it when it was published a decade ago. This prequel to Skellig is a first person account written in the voice of Mina, the girl who befriended Michael in that earlier work. Mina is a highly-imaginative, home-schooled child who is working her way through the grief and emotional trauma caused by the her father's death some time before the novel begins. Written as a series of journal entries this book explores the disorienting side of adolescence and affirms the importance and value of individuality in the face of the institutionalizing aspects of civilized society.
(Delacorte)

THE TROUBLE WITH MAY AMELIA by Jennifer Holm- I've loved Holm's work since Our Only May Amelia and was delighted to learn she had written a sequel. May is still the brave, spunky girl of the Nasel Valley who endures the hardships of life in a logging community of the early twentieth century. Nobody does historical fiction for middle graders better than Jennifer Holm with her gift for plot and character and creating a satisfying mix of humor and dramatic arc. My only quibble is the cover. What gives? Does this look like a girl living in the early 1900's? Let's hope they change it for the paperback. (Atheneum)

THE PENDERWICKS AT POINT MOUETTE by Jeanne Birdsall - The third installment in the series by National Book Award winner Jeanne Birdsall. Satisfying in an old-fashioned way, even though I saw the ending coming, I still loved it. (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers)

LIESL AND PO by Lauren Oliver. An alchemist and his apprentice, an orphan girl locked away in a cold, attic room by a cruel stepmother and a ghost named Po combine to create an eerie fantasy. Victorian in tone and with a lively pace and satisfying plot, this fairy tale adventure is highly entertaining! (Harper)

THE UNFORGOTTEN COAT by Frank Cottrell Boyce- Carnegie-Medal-winner Frank Cottrell Boyce says he was inspired to write this novel after hearing students at a school he visited in Netherton, England talk about a classmate who had suddenly disappeared after being removed by immigration officials in the middle of the night. Speaking with Catherine Jones for an article in The Liverpool Echo, Boyce said,

"And the kids in Bootle were really distressed her coat was still there. They knew it was a cold country she was going to, and that seems a really powerful emotional starting point for a story.”

Read More http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/2011/02/21/frank-cottrell-boyce-on-how-jackanory-and-school-memories-inspired-his-new-our-reads-story-100252-28204596/3/#ixzz1ghuMUeK3about

In writing his story, Boyce created two refugee boys from Mongolia named Chingis and Nergui. The boys appear one day as students in the Sixth Form at a school in Bootle. The older boy, Chingis picks Julie to be their "Good Guide," the person who will help them find their way in a new country. Julie is the narrator of the book which is told as a sort of lined journal with photographs. This is a magical and heartwarming novella filled with humor and poignancy which will provoke thoughts about immigration. (Candlewick)

SOMETHING THAT MAKES ME HAPPY

2011-12-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

Here's something makes me happy - my little book, DEAR BABY: LETTERS FROM YOUR BIG BROTHER -- in the company of some of my faves in the picture book genre. These are books that have been selected to use as read-alouds in the classroom to accompany lessons on BEING A WRITER. (Developmental Studies Center.) As a kid who once dreamed of being a writer herself, it is almost impossible for me to believe that my book is being offered to students who share the same dream.

Coupled with that is the fact that I nearly lost this book.  The manuscript was in mini-storage for years. When my husband and I could finally afford a house big enough to take my desk out of our storage unit, I found the manuscript for DEAR BABY.
          Rick said, "Send it out!" So I did.
          And, look what happened! How unlikely was that!

Berea College Grad Jake Krack to Play at Book Signing

2011-11-30T11:11:00.000-08:00

I'll be signing books at Barnes and Noble in Morgantown on Saturday, December 10th, but here's the best part. Jake Krack will be there too. Jake will play fiddle tunes and I'll read PASSING THE MUSIC DOWN, which is actually Jake's story. He's the young musician I wrote about in the book.
As you might guess from the picture on the right, Jake is a graduate of Berea College where, in addition to his studies, he catalogued recordings of traditional musicians for the Berea College library. He also did an internship with the Smithsonian's music archives and has since compiled, arranged, & co-produced the Smithsonian Folkways recording, Classic Old-time Fiddle.

As you see, Jake has continued to play, winning first place in old-time fiddle competitions at Galax, Virginia and in Mount Airy, North Carolina.
For more information check out Jake's website. http://www.jakekrack.com/jake_bio.htm
And join us on Saturday, December 10th at Barnes & Noble in Morgantown, WV from 11 to 2. http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/store/2189
For more info check out the Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/136834836422526/

Public Radio Interview

2011-11-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Here's an audio clip of my interview with WV Public Radio. http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=22841

Thanks to Beth Vorhees for inviting me to appear on her programs WV Morning and Inside Appalachia.

And here's a great photo of the young musician who, along with his mentor Melvin Wine, inspired the book.

TRAVEL, TRAVEL, TRAVEL

2011-11-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy fall. I've stored up lots of great memories --

In September there was the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. where 200,000 people gathered to celebrate books and reading. Aside from a lunchtime stroll through Julia Child's kitchen in the National Museum of American History, I spent the day at the West Virginia Table in the Pavilion of States where people thronged all day long. Can I tell you how it warmed my heart to see that many people excited about books? It was glorious!

A few weeks later, I drove to Nashville for the Southern Festival of Books. Thank you, Helen and Neil Hemphill for taking such good care of me and providing a place to stay, even on their anniversary!

Again, there were crowds of people excited about books. Laura Murray and I presented a panel on Lyric and Rhyme in Picture Books in the same room where

Helen Hemphill

Helen and I had heard Michael Sims talk about his book The Story of Charlotte's Web: E.B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic the day before. Many thanks to Lacey Cook and Serenity Gerbman and the people at Tennessee Humanities who put on this amazing Festival. A special thank-you also to Victoria Ross for moderating our panel. You kept us going Tori. Thank you! Thank you also to Lea Bartch at the McFadden School of Excellence in Murfreesboro, TN for planning such an excellent school visit and writing workshop. Lea, your students are so lucky! Do they have any idea what a wonderful teacher you are?

Home on Sunday night and off Monday morning for a week as a writer-in-residence at Daniels Elementary along with Anna Smucker and Cheryl Ware. Love these classroom doors.

photo by Cindy Martin

Photo by Cindy Martin

Thank you, Mr. James and Ruth Baker and the Raleigh County School Board and all the faculty, staff, students, parents, volunteers and community and state organizations who made Author Week possible. And a special thank you goes to Melanie Hicks at Coffee Beans & Books for making us feel so welcome in your lovely shop. And, by the way, the homemade vegetable soup and cornbread were delicious!

Up at 4 AM on Saturday morning for a flight to Philadelphia to attend a high school reunion -- my first one ever. It's impossible to say how wonderful it was to see old friends for the first time in umpty-ump years.

Stayed over Sunday night to visit my alma mater on Monday morning. I had a wonderful time sharing Passing The Music Down with students in the Lower School,

but the best part, honestly, was hearing Strings teacher Christina von Duyke play traditional fiddle tunes she had located for the occasion and then hearing a very young violinist named Grace play "Liza Jane," demonstrating that, in fact, music IS being passed down. Thank you, Grace and Christina! And special thanks to Anita Marcial and Heather Brooks for planning my visit!

Then on to the Kentucky Reading Association Conference in Lexington last weekend. Thank you, Laura Crafton for the invitation! And finally, this upcoming weekend, a one-day workshop on "Writing for Younger Readers: Finding Your Voice" at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, MD.
Starting next week, I will be home for the winter to write. Aside from a trip to Morgantown for a very special book signing with a guest appearance by West Virginia fiddle maestro Jake Krack on December 10th and a school visit to a local school later this month, I'll be finishing a revision of my novel. It IS time!

CURRICULUM GUIDE

2011-10-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

The Teacher's Guide for PASSING THE MUSIC DOWN is now available on my website. You'll find it here. [scroll down through quotes from reviews to the link for the Guide.] It is aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning. A huge thank you goes out to Natalie Lorenzi, teacher and writer extraordinaire who prepared it. (Truly. She's amazing!) There are activities for students ranging in age from as young as 5 to 12 or older. Additionally, the activities cover a broad range of topics from reading comprehension to writing skills to musical history to actually making music yourself!

Natalie has provided links to audio and video materials on-line, including links to the documentary about the Appalachian String Band Festival at Clifftop, West Virginia. The Clifftop documentary includes footage of Jake Krack playing his fiddle and talking about the old-time fiddle players who shared their tunes and traditions with him.

And, by the way, to see Jake playing at Clifftop with the Bing Brothers in 2010, look here.

INTERVIEW ON LIBRARY TV

2011-09-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Gordon Simmons, host of the program WEST VIRGINIA AUTHOR, for an interview about PASSING THE MUSIC DOWN. That video interview is now archived on the Library Television Network page. You can watch it here.

This weekend I'll be at the West Virginia table in the Pavilion of States at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. If you're there, stop by and say hi!

WHERE TO FIND THE MUSIC AND CONGRATS!

2011-09-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Lately several people have asked me where to find samples of old-time fiddle music. There'a link on my website to an audio clip of Jake Krack playing YEW PINEY MOUNTAIN.

http://www.sarahsullivanbooks.com/passingthemusicdown.html

You can also go to the Smithsonian Folkways website and find the CD pictured above -- "CLASSIC OLD-TIME FIDDLE."

http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?itemid=3166

"CLASSIC OLD-TIME FIDDLE" was compiled and annotated by Jake Krack and Jeff Place. It contains archival recordings of old-time fiddle music from the Southern Appalachian Mountains, (including a recording of Melvin Wine playing YEW PINEY MOUNTAIN).

The artwork on the cover is by Alan Lomax.

You can read the complete liner notes here:

http://media.smithsonianfolkways.org/liner_notes/smithsonian_folkways/SFW40193.pdf
Breaking news:
Once again this year, Jake Krack has won first place in the Old-time fiddle contest at the 76th Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax VA. Jake was also presented the Performer of the festival award. Jake and the Whoopin Hollar String Band also won first place in the old-time band competition at Galax 2011. This is the second time Jake has won Mt. Airy, Sparta, and Galax in the same year. (2009, 2011)
Now THAT'S something to sing about!! Way to go, Jake and Whoopin Hollar Band members - Jake Krack-fiddle, Mike Bing-mandolin, Tim Bing-banjo, Bob Leiving-bass, Eric Hill-guitar.
C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S !

STUDENT LETTERS

2011-09-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the thank-you notes I received from students in Mrs. Tuckwiller's second grade class at Chamberlain Elementary at the end of the 2010-2011 school year. Mrs. Tuckwiller's students are my first "official" listeners. I read aloud to them each week for half an hour. Usually, I read books written by other children's writers. But, since I had a new book out last spring, I read it to them during our final read aloud session in May. I even brought along my dulcimer and played a few simple (VERY SIMPLE!) tunes to demonstrate some of the music that the old-time musicians mentioned in the book -- Melvin Wine and Jake Krack -- would play.

If you are going to play a musical instrument in public, it is a gift to be able to play for second graders. Their enthusiasm is pure and boundless and radiates into your soul.

So, Thank YOU, Sophia, for being such a kind and generous listener. I can't think of a better FIRST AUDIENCE for PASSING THE MUSIC DOWN and I'm so very grateful that you enjoyed it.

A LITTLE MUSICAL TASTE OF THE "FOURTH"

2011-07-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

Among the unforeseen perks of having a new book out about music are the venues in which I find myself signing books. Festivals and fairs abound this time of year and I've had the good fortune to do book signings at three of them.

Most recently, I signed books at Mike Poe's booth at the State Arts and Crafts Fair in Ripley. During breaks, I strolled the grounds, admiring the hand-crafted items

and taking in some of the live music.

Here's a snippet of "Sweet Georgia Brown," composed by Ben Bernie and West Virginia's own Caseo Pinkard (a composer of the Harlem Renaissance) with lyrics by Kenneth Casey.

Interview on West Virginia Public Radio

2011-06-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

It was an honor and a privilege to speak with Beth Vorhees of West Virginia Public Broadcasting for her program INSIDE APPALACHIA. We talked about Melvin Wine and Jake Krack and about how I came to write Passing The Music Down. Beth had asked me to bring along some CD's recorded by Melvin and Jake. I was happy to oblige with copies of Melvin's Hannah at the Springhouse and Jake's Wire Fire and Home At Last and Two Far Gone.

You can listen to the interview here:

http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=20474

RELEASE PARTY WITH A SUPER SPECIAL GUEST

2011-05-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a video clip of Jake Krack, the young fiddle player who, along with his teacher, the late Melvin Wine, inspired Passing The Music Down. Jake was so kind and generous to play today at the Book Release Party at Taylor Books in Charleston. THANK YOU, JAKE!!

Jennifer Waggener, bookseller/manager/event planner extraordinaire arranged the scrumpdillilicious cupcakes from Cindy Barker of "FOR GOODNESS CAKES" and, as previously reported, "a grand time was had by all."

SCBWI-MD/DE/WV EVENT IN CHARLESTON

2011-05-17T07:42:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, May 14th, Taylor Books hosted the first-ever local meeting of the MD/DE/WV chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators.

A HUGE THANK YOU goes to Regional Advisor, Edie Hemingway, (on the right in the photo), author of the middle grade novel, Road to Tater Hill, who traveled from her home in Frederick, Maryland to help local children's writers network and share their writing experiences with fellow writers.

West Virginia authors Anna Smucker and Marc Harshman spoke about their paths to publication of their first books, Anna's No Star Nights, about growing up in Weirton, WV and Marc's A Little Excitement, an imagined story about a boy who gets more than he bargained for when he wishes life were not so quiet in his rural home. They also spoke about collaborating on their upcoming picture book, scheduled for publication in 2012.

Edie Hemingway gave a presentation on "Reading Like a Writer" and provided helpful pointers on how to apply techniques learned from critical reading of works you admire to your own work.

I gave a presentation called "Hitting All The Right Notes" about how to structure picture books. I am delighted that Linda Hozdic, Laura O. Reed and Carol Brodtrick have offered to help coordinate future events!

An additional huge THANK YOU goes to David, Dan, Chris and Jennifer at Taylor Books and to Katie at the Kanawha County Public Library for handling all the logistics that made the event possible. And, most importantly, THANK YOU to Ann Saville for being the visionary behind Taylor Books, our beloved local independent bookstore/art gallery/cafe/live music performance space. Charleston would not be the same without this landmark and we appreciate all you have done for our city. And, as if that weren't already enough, Ann also prepared a delicious lunch for all the participants, Quiche, pasta salad, her famous scones, brownies and lemon bars. YUM!

BUILDING HOT AIR BALLOONS IN THE DRIVEWAY

2011-05-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up in Colorado, the Martin Marietta plant where they built rockets for the space program was a few miles down the road. President Kennedy had announced the race to the moon three years earlier. We were obsessed with space. At night I used to stretch out on the grass in the back yard and stare at the vast universe, thinking about rockets hurtling through the darkness.

This was also the era of UFO sightings. At the University of Colorado in Boulder, a presidential commission was assembling data for what came to be known as the Condon Report, a study on the existence of Unidentified Flying Objects.

Directly across the street from my family, lived a man who, one weekend near the Fourth of July, assembled a hot air balloon in his garage. He started after work one Friday. When he was finished, all the neighbors gathered to watch him launch the contraption from his driveway. We held our breath, wondering if the thing would hold air.

It did hold. The balloon achieved altitude. The wind caught it and carried it away. We craned our necks to follow the small white dot across the city. It was magical.

The way I remember it, this happened on a Saturday. That Monday, a story ran in the newspaper. "UFO SIGHTED OVER DENVER." Was it our neighbor's hot air balloon? No one ever knew for sure.

In the long run, it doesn't matter whether the UFO came from outer space or from the driveway across the street. The important thing is that our neighbor believed he could build a hot air balloon and make it fly. I try to remember that when I'm struggling with a story. I sit at my desk and try my best to write and hope like crazy it will fly.

Let me leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Flaubert:

"Be regular and orderly in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work." Gustav Flaubert

Sit Back, Relax, and Watch Lois Lowry's Arbuthnot Lecture

2011-05-07T16:29:00.000-07:00

Back in the eighties, when I was a young parent and active on the Board of our fledging Read-Aloud organization, (now Read Aloud West Virginia), I first met Lois Lowry through her Anastasia books and then her TWO Newbery Award winners, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. And, of course, there was A SUMMER TO DIE, which I've now read at least five times. And AUTUMN STREET and . . . and ... and.... too many to count. And YES, I still OWN a copy of RABBLE STARKEY, which Lowry says is one of her favorites.

I first heard her speak in person at the Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh and then again at the Ohio State University Children's Literature Conference and most recently, although not that recently, 8 years ago, when she was the graduation speaker during my first semester at Vermont College. I regularly read her blog. I could listen to her speak for hours. Last night, I had the pleasure of watching an on-line video of her May Hill Arbuthnot lecture, thanks to this link posted by Luann Toth on the School Library Journal site. Do yourself a favor and sit down and watch. The evening apparently began with a children's theater production, so cue the video to 39 min. and 40 sec. for the lecture.

Sit Back, Relax, and Watch Lois Lowry's Arbuthnot Lecture

Passing the music down (with video) - A&E - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -

2011-05-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Recently I sat down with Greg Moore of The Charleston Gazette to talk about my new book Passing the Music Down. You can read the article and watch a video of part of that interview by clicking on this link.
Passing the music down (with video) - A&E - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -
Credit belongs to Kathryn Gregory for shooting the video and to Lawrence Pierce for taking the photo.

The book comes out next Tuesday -- May 10th.
And, if you are near Charleston on Saturday, May 21st, please come to the launch party at Taylor Books where we will celebrate the release of Passing the Music Down. Seriously, you need to come because JAKE KRACK is going to be there. DO NOT MISS THIS!! I heard him play last night with Bobby Taylor at the West Virginia Archives Library and it was wonderful!! So save the date!

Passing the Music Down and Melvin Wine

2011-04-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Recently I sat down with Greg Moore of The Charleston Gazette to talk about my new book, Passing the Music Down. The story is based on two real-life musicians, Melvin Wine and Jake Krack, both old-time fiddle players. Melvin passed away in 2003 at the age of 93. His legacy lives on in the music he "passed down" to friends and students, especially Jake Krack, who began studying with Melvin at the age of 10.

Here is the story "behind the story."
http://blogs.wvgazette.com/wvbookfestival/2011/04/25/melvin-wine-and-passing-the-music-down/

To hear a sample of the music, check out this link to a page on my website with an audio clip of Jake Krack playing "Yew Piney Mountain." ( Hint: You need to scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the link.)
http://www.sarahsullivanbooks.com/passingthemusicdown.html

And here's a link to a multi-media feature with more background on the book.
http://wvgazette.com/Entertainment/Books/201104220727

MAKING POEMS

2011-03-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a letter I received from a student after conducting a poetry workshop in his class.

I love creating persona or "mask" poems with students. They may not realize it, but when students take on the voice of an inanimate object, they are thinking in metaphor. They're also practicing the use of figurative language and stretching their imaginations in ways that video games never do.

In one class, a fourth grader took on the voice of the Bermuda Triangle. Talk about using your imagination! How did he ever come up with that idea? It was wonderful.

We also write poems in the voice of fictional characters from familiar fairy tales or nursery rhymes. One of my favorite workshops took place in a tiny school where a group of second graders worked together to write poems in the voice of the cow who jumped over the moon.

"Why did that cow jump over the moon anyway?" I asked the students. "Was he running from something? Was he chasing someone?"

We laughed so hard before the hour was finished. One student's idea would spark another. On and on it went. It was glorious!

With National Poetry Month approaching, I am thinking about poetry. And I'm remembering some of the good times I've had sharing it with young people.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WRITING WORKSHOPS

2011-02-21T19:03:00.000-08:00

This has been a busier-than-usual February.

I spent this morning leading professional development sessions with teachers in an elementary school in Ripley, West Virginia. In our first session, we talked about techniques for teaching writing to elementary students using picture books as mentor texts for learning about structure (i.e., beginnings, middles and ends), dialogue, figurative language and other elements of craft.

In our second session we did a writing exercise designed to trigger strong personal memories and associations. By the time we got to the writing part of the exercise, there was not a lot of time left. Only about 12 minutes. But, the stories these teachers wrote in those 12 short minutes were AMAZING!

Absolutely astounding. What made the stories so affecting were the particular details unique to each writer's personal life experiences.

We laughed. We cried. We shared our life experiences and what is meaningful to us. I came away uplifted, inspired and supremely humbled. Magic happens when you gather people together in a room to talk about writing and telling stories.

Before this morning's exercise, I was in desperate need of booster rockets to propel me through the revision I'm trying to complete. Now the task seems manageable. This reaffirms a fact I know intellectually, but often fail to grasp emotionally – You do not need HOURS and HOURS EVERY DAY to write. You only need A LITTLE TIME each day to write.

The trick is accessing your unconscious mind and allowing the deep story ideas to surface. Yeah, I know. That's the hard part. If anyone knows any shortcuts, PLEASE email me immediately.

Right now, I'm off to a branch of my local library to do the final of five MEET THE AUTHOR sessions. They've been great fun. I've met lots of interesting people and reconnected with a few old friends. Those are the things that keep you going when it's the middle of February and you can't remember what blue sky looks like.

TELLING STORIES WITH LETTERS

2011-02-05T13:28:00.000-08:00

I've always loved epistolary stories, whether they be picture books, poetry or novels. There's something about the intimacy of reading a story told through letters, as if you have been granted special access to another person's life. So, it was pure joy for me to write DEAR BABY: LETTERS FROM YOUR BIG BROTHER.
Paul Meisel's illustrations still make me smile.

I've always loved writing and receiving letters. Maybe that comes from moving so often when I was a child. I was forever leaving friends at one school and moving on to a new city and a new life. The mail carrier became a Very Important Person in my life.

Kids frequently send me letters thanking me for visiting their school. I love receiving these. I love their brutal honesty. I also love the connections kids make between my books and their own lives.
     Dear Sarah,
     I have a little sister. I write stories about babies too.

I hope DEAR BABY gives kids an idea of how much fun they can have writing letters or postcards or birthday cards or emails or post-its or just about any form of message that can be saved. That's what Mike does with his letters to his baby sister. It's what I do with letters people send me.

I still have letters dating from third grade when my family moved from West Virginia to Colorado.  So many memories. It's comforting to know they are written down somewhere for keeps.

Here's a story about one of my school visits.
http://njtoday.net/2010/11/16/author-visits-linden-students/

"NOTHING IN HER HEAD"

2011-01-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Recently I received a package of pictures drawn by students at School Eight in Linden, NJ in response to Once Upon a Baby Brother. The book is about a budding writer who draws inspiration from the antics of her pesky brother Marvin. Actually, it's a story about where writers get their ideas.

Here's a reader who truly "got" what I was trying to say.

In the book, stories gush out of Lizzie's head until Marvin goes away to visit Grandma and suddenly Lizzie can't think of a single idea.

Or, as this reader says,

"Lizzie had nothing in her head."

How true!

At the end of the book, Lizzie turns her brother Marvin and their dog, Big George into superhero comic book characters.

Here's a reader whose description of the ending I loved.

"Big George and Marvin saved the world."

Besides chatting with readers in person, seeing pictures like these is one of the best parts about being a writer.

FEBRUARY MEANS LIBRARY VISITS!

2011-01-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

If you're going to be in Kanawha County in February, come see me at one of the branches of the Public Library, where I'll be doing MEET THE AUTHOR programs on Feb. 1,2, 3, 9 and 21.

Here are the places and times:
Main Library-304-343-4646
Thursday, Feb. 3, 6 p.m.

Clendenin Branch - 304-548-6370
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 6 p.m.

Dunbar Branch - 304-766-7161
Monday, Feb. 21, 7 p.m.

Riverside Pub. Lib.-304-949-2400
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 12:30 p.m.

St. Albans Branch - 304-722-4244
Wednesday, Feb. 9, 12:30 p.m.

Here are details about the program
Using examples of her books in various stages of completion, Charleston author Sarah Sullivan will read from her work and provide a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating books for children and young adults. She'll answer questions about where writers get their ideas and offer suggestions to help young writers tell their own stories.
All ages. -- Registration required.

PICTURE BOOK WORKSHOP - JANUARY 22ND

2011-01-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

If you're interested in writing picture books, please sign up for the picture book workshop at Taylor Books in Charleston on Saturday, January 22nd from 10 to 3. Call (304-342-1461) to register today! Here's a copy of the brochure.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-23T05:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a holiday card from our trip to Portsmouth, NH to see a talented young actor named Graham Bailey in the Seacoast Repertory Theater's production of A Christmas Carol.

"THE DOORS OF PORTSMOUTH"

The Atheneum

You can see why the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of this charming town put us in bright spirits. And the show was a delight!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES FOR A HEALTHY AND HAPPY 2011!!

HUNGER MOUNTAIN - ESSAY ON REVISING PICTURE BOOKS

2010-09-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

I just came home from a relaxing weekend with good friends in Greenbrier County. We spent Saturday afternoon on our bicycles on the Greenbrier River Trail.

Pictures are coming soon -- I hope. (There was a slight mishap when I dropped the camera in the river as we were crossing in the canoe. Oops.)

Anyway, I came home to find an email with a link to the latest issue of HUNGER MOUNTAIN, the VCFA Journal of the Arts.

I am humbled and honored to have an Essay in it.

I need to send a shout-out of gratitude to Bethany Hegedus and Kekla Magoon, co-editors of the Young Adult & Children's Literature section for their encouragement and support, as well as to Managing Editor, Miciah Gault and to Art and Life Editor Claire Guyton.

Meanwhile, there's a stack of stuff on my desk that is crying out for attention. But, if the sun is shining tomorrow, I think a bike ride will definitely be in order. I saw a pumpkin at the Farmer's Market last week. Hard to believe the fall is really right around the corner. I want to enjoy these cooler days and bright afternoons while they last.

BACK TO SCHOOL

2010-08-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

School started in my hometown this past Friday. It's time to make the shift in daily routine. Soon I will be reading aloud once a week in Mrs. Tuckwiller's second grade class. Every year I begin with the same book, Robert D. San Souci and Brian Pinkney's The Boy and the Ghost. And at the conclusion of each year, one of the students will tell me it was his favorite book. It never fails.
I'm looking forward to seeing Robert San Souci at Author Days in Daniels, WV in October.

Speaking of school visits and workshops, I'm excited about using some of Natalie Lorenzi's wonderful ideas from the TEACHER'S GUIDE FOR ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER. Check them out here. www.sarahsullivanbooks.com/OnceUponaBabyBrothercurriculumguide.pdf
I can't wait to make pencil toppers and brainstorm as a group with the ROLL A STORY writing activity.

I'm also looking forward to the West Virginia Book Festival on October 16th and 17th in Charleston. I'll be presenting on Saturday at 2:30. From Old-Time Fiddler Players to the Marvinosaurus:Writing for Children and Young Adults. http://www.wvbookfestival.org/programs/p8.html

If you're interested in writing for children, stop by. There will be handouts.

There's a great line-up this year. Jayne Anne Phillips will be talking about Lark and Termite. Carmen Agra Deedy will talk about early childhood memories in the library in Decatur, Georgia. (I've been dying to hear her speak.) Heidi Durrow, author of the highly-acclaimed first novel, The Girl Who Fell From the Sky will talk about her work. And I hope to hear Irene McKinney, poet laureate of West Virginia, who is always inspiring. She participated in a workshop at the West Virginia Writer's conference this past June. To hear what she produced in a brief five-minute writing exercise was, to put it mildly, humbling . . .

On October 9th, I'll be in Austin for the Austin SCBWI's Picture Perfect! A Spit Polish Workshop Featuring Famed Lisa Wheeler as Keynote Speaker. http://www.austinscbwi.com/2010/06/28/picture-perfect-a-spit-polish-workshop-featuring-famed-lisa-wheeler-as-keynote-speaker/
I've been curious about Austin for a long time. Some of my favorite people live there. I can't wait!

Reading a Good Book

2010-08-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO ON THE PLEASURES OF READING A GOOD BOOK! Thanks to The Regulator Bookstore in Durham, NC for making this available!!

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKSTORES

2010-06-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

In July, my local indie bookstore, TAYLOR BOOKS, is going to hold a week-long celebration to mark its 15th anniversary. I wrote about this recently in my group blog, THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH, but I'm going to reprint that post here, because I can't say enough good things about this wonderful bookstore.

Fifteen years ago, Ann Saville and her husband, Dr. Paul Saville, purchased a former shoe store on Capitol Street in Charleston, WV and converted it into a wonderful bookstore/cafe/art gallery.

Through ups and downs in the economy, Taylor Books has remained a bright spot in downtown Charleston. This is the place you go when you need to meet someone for coffee or to find a copy of a new novel or the latest issue of a magazine

or to buy a card for your niece's birthday. It's that and so much more! Downtown Charleston would not be the same without Taylor Books. I can honestly say they've made a huge difference in our community.

On any given afternoon throughout the year, you are likely to find high school students sipping lattes and talking books in the brick-walled cafe, while business people discuss a project and friends catch up on news. This is a place where writers write, readers read and everyone feels relaxed and at home in an eclectic assortment of chairs with work by local artists adorning the walls.

photo from http://www.taylorbooks.com/

On weekends, there is live music. You might hear Julie Adams and Steve Hill, from the locally-produced public radio program MOUNTAIN STAGE, performing in the cafe.

And then, there's the art gallery.

Angie Mullins is the Gallery Director. There are numerous exhibits throughout the year, each of which has an official opening. The Gallery is also a regular stop on the monthly Downtown Charleston Artwalks. The space is sometimes used for readings by visiting writers. I remember listening to Ann Packer read and do a Q & A when The Dive from Clausen's Pier was published and, just last year, Denise Giardina read from her most recent novel, Emily's Ghost.

In the Studio Annex students take classes in pottery, jewelry-making, photography and drawing.
And, of course, there are BOOKS!

And MORE BOOKS!

Did I mention the LOVELY creaky wooden floor?
Here is part of the children's section.

As you see, Taylor Books is very kid-friendly.
In short, Taylor Books is a cultural Mecca.
Here is the lady who had the vision to create this space. Ann Saville.

If you check her bio on the bookstore's website, you will learn that she is a native of the U.K., where she was a registered nurse when she and her physician husband emigrated to the U.S. in 1958. After living in NYC and Omaha, they settled in Charleston. Besides being a business and cultural leader in town, Ann has performed in numerous local theater productions. She is also known for her first person portrayals of Eleanor Roosevelt. As noted on the website, she began researching the life and times of Eleanor Roosevelt at the request of the West Virginia Humanities Council when it was developing a statewide Chautauqua program. Ann has done portrayals of Eleanor Roosevelt in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Nevada and Ohio, as well as all over the state of West Virginia.

We were all saddened by the recent death of her husband, Dr. Paul Saville. I wish he were here to mark the 15th anniversary of this Charleston landmark.
Here are some of the other people who make this bookstore tick:

Angie Mullins has worked with Ann to create the gorgeous gallery space.

Naomi Bays is the bookstore manager. She is also very active in the Kanawha County Arts Council.

Jennifer Waggener is the book buyer and event planner. I don't think I've ever seen a person work as hard as she did this past weekend, during the opening days of FestivALL, a local 10-day arts extravaganza. If you're looking for a particular book, she really wants to help you find it!

Dan wears hats for both the bookstore and the gallery.

Justin handles art classes.

Chris is the go-to person for the schedule of live music on the weekends.

Kaycee Gangwer is the cafe manager.

And Rachel and Leann work at the front desk.

I can't imagine downtown Charleston without Taylor Books. One last thing I have to mention is the logo.

It was designed by local artist Paula Clendenin whose work also hangs in the cafe. There are tee shirts with this logo on it available for sale in the bookstore. I have a black one with a green and red logo on it. And I'm keeping it forever.

Running an independent bookstore is a tough business and never more so than in today's retail environment. I don't think indie booksellers are appreciated as much as they ought to be. A local bookstore brings countless benefits to a community, especially a relatively small town like Charleston. Many of those benefits are obvious and tangible. Many of them are not. But, if you depend on an indie, as I do, think how much you would miss them if they were gone. If you are in Charleston, you MUST visit Taylor Books! If you don't believe me, read the comments at
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taylor-books-charleston
My wish is that Taylor Books sticks around for, at least, another fifty years!

BOOK SIGNING AT TAYLOR BOOKS DURING FESTIVALL

2010-06-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

Link alert: The link to my group blog THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH appears to be broken. This week we have a really interesting interview with writer Uma Krishnaswami. Check it out here: THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH
Thanks to Jennifer and Naomi and all the folks at Taylor Books who made this past Saturday so special for booklovers and writers in and around Charleston. I was there signing copies of Once Upon a Baby Brother from 1 to 3 and the place was hopping! West Virginia Writers and Taylor Books co-sponsored a Panel Discussion on "Many Paths to Publishing" in the Art Gallery Annex to the Bookstore.

Cat Pleska, the incoming President of West Virginia writers and a contributor to West Virginia Public Radio managed the event. From all appearances, it was a roaring success. Standing room only! People kept sneaking into the bookstore to look for stray chairs. Later that evening, Marti Jones appeared at an exhibit of her artwork and then performed in the bookstore cafe. There are more events planned at Taylor Books during FestivALL. Check their website for details. http://www.taylorbooks.com/

DEADLINE FOR DRAWING FOR FREE BOOK EXTENDED

2010-06-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still receiving emails from folks who would like to win a free autographed copy of Once Upon a Baby Brother, so I've extended the deadline for entering your name in the drawing to midnight on June 30th. Winners will be announced here on MOUNTAIN VIEW on July 1st.

Meanwhile, I'm celebrating the review that appeared in this week's Publisher's Weekly. Here's a bit of it.

“Sullivan and Tusa seem to know in their bones that writing can be so all-consuming that lunchtime and recess pale by comparison. Bits of stories are interspersed (“After slaying dragons in the forest, the princess gave a surprise birthday party for the king”), underlining Lizzie’s inherent creativity, and even when Lizzie sits at her desk with her back turned to the audience, readers will know they’re witnessing a girl who’s utterly in the zone. Ages 5–8. (June) "

And more good news arrived from Vicki Palmquist of the Children's Literature Network, a wonderful organization which you can find by clicking on this link: http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/index.php
Once Upon a Baby Brother will be one of two books discussed at the November meetings of the Chapter and Verse book clubs. The other book for November is Virginia Euwer Wolff's beautiful novel, The Mozart Season. Chapter and Verse is "a national book club for members of Children's Literature Network and other children's literature enthusiasts in their communities who wish to discuss children's and young adult fiction, nonfiction, picture books, and poetry." For more information about where to find a chapter or about how to start a chapter in your community, go to http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/bookclub/bkclubcurr.php

TAYLOR BOOKS BOOK SIGNING AND CURRICULUM GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE

2010-06-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day -- my first official book signing for Once Upon a Baby Brother. It just so happens we have a 10-day Arts celebration kicking off today in Charleston. It's called FestivALL. There will be theater (don't miss the Charleston Light Opera Guild's production of Barnum), lots of live music (think MOUNTAIN STAGE), art exhibits, activities for kids and -- my personal favorite BOOK SIGNINGS!

I will be signing books on Saturday, June 19th from 1 to 3 at Taylor Books on Capitol Street in Charleston. It's across the street from Ellen's Ice Cream. I mean, really. Books. Ice Cream. What more could you want?

There are lots of places to look for more info. Let's start with the website for Taylor Books. Find it here.
http://www.taylorbooks.com/

And then, there's the website for FestivALL. Look for that one here. http://www.festivallcharleston.com/

Hope to see you there!

And, for those of you who entered the drawing for a free autographed copy of ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER, I will indeed be announcing the winners in a new entry on this blog. Thank you again for your interest.

Natalie Lorenzi just completed a Curriculum Guide for the book which is available on the Macmillan website. Click here to find it. http://media.us.macmillan.com/teachersguides/9780374346355TG.pdf

There will soon be a link on my website.

Natalie did an incredible job. The Curriculum Guide is, in a word, AMAZING! I LOVE it! And, I can't wait to use it myself during my next school visits in the fall.

PRINCESS MERRIWEATHER PENCIL TOPPER

2010-06-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today is PUBLICATION DAY for ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER! I'd like to mark the occasion by saying THANK YOU to all those students I've met during school visits and, of course, the students in Mrs. Tuckwiller's second grade class, whom I see once a week for read-alouds during the school year. I love the fact that you share your stories with me. As I've said so often, we ALL have stories to tell.

As you know, I'm on a blog tour this week. Today Brimful Curiosities has a terrific craft suggestion to accompany the book. Check it out here.
http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com/

You'll have to excuse me now. I'm off to make my own pencil topper, (see craft suggestion above). I'm looking for inspiration as I begin my new project. Creating your own personally-designed writing utensil is a great way to start the creative juices flowing.

BLOG TOUR

2010-06-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

I'm on a blog tour this week for the new book, ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER!

Today I visited Uma Krishnaswami at Writing with a Broken Tusk.

Here's a link. http://umakrishnaswami.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow is the official release date. There will be more stops on the blog tour. Check back here for more info.

PICTURES FROM MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

2010-06-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

I'm at home this weekend for the first time in several weeks, catching up on work at my desk and laundry and cleaning out the refrigerator and all those daily tasks. Among the more enjoyable tasks is going through the photos I've taken recently. Here are some of the better shots from Memorial Day weekend. As you will see, the weather was perfect . . . at first. Memorial Day is my favorite of the long summer weekends. By July 4th, the river has started to drop and no-see-ums flock around your face in the heat of the day. There's a tinge of sadness to Labor Day, as brown patches appear in the grass. But late May is all about beginnings. Trees are bushy with leaves. Birds sing in the morning. The river is up from the spring thaw and water rushes over boulders, making the world feel freshly- washed.

Once I hit this gravel path, my blood pressure dropped a few points.

I watched minnows in the shallows and generally enjoyed the sunshine

until the storm came.

When the lights went out, we packed up and headed home. The sun was back out by then, but only for a few minutes. The rain was here to stay, but we still enjoyed the views on the way home.

MacKids Blog on Macmillan website

2010-06-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Katie Halata and the folks at Macmillan for inviting me to post on the Macmillan MacKids blog. Here's my entry from May 31 about ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER.

May312010

Title Post: Once Upon a Baby Brother

Monday, May 31, 2010 at 8:00AM Share Article Email Article

Today's title post comes to us from author Sarah Sulliven, author of ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER

One of my all-time favorite quotes is something I heard Nora Ephron say in an interview on South Carolina Public Television. When she was young, Ephron said, and something bad happened to a member of the family, her mother, a prominent screenwriter, would always say, "don't worry. It's all copy," meaning, don't be upset because something bad happened to you. Think about the ways you might turn it into a story.

When I was in my second semester of the MFA program at Vermont College, I realized that's what we were all doing, turning trouble into stories. So, I started writing about a little girl who loves to turn the mishaps and chaos of her own life into stories. She has a younger brother named Marvin, and well, what can I say, Marvin is the kind of kid who is always spilling things and doing stuff like gluing golden glitter all over his sister's favorite stuffed bear.

What's a sister to do but write stories about him? Turn him into a Marvinosaurus? Why not?

[Did I mention I have an older brother who used to complain about the annoying things his baby sister did?]

I've been having a great time lately, sharing Once Upon a Baby Brother with students. During school visits, I ask for two volunteers to help me read the story out loud. One of them plays Lizzie and reads the snippets of freshly-composed stories that Lizzie shares with her fellow second graders. The other actor has a special feature role as Big George the dog. (Okay. I'm sorry. It's true. Big George only has one line. But, it's a good one.) Afterwards, we brainstorm and write stories of our own.

Little did I dream, when I started writing this book, that TRICIA TUSA would one day illustrate it. How could Lizzie be so lucky? My editor was always excited about the comic book which turns up at the end. Tricia is the one who made that idea work. She added so much humor and love to my text. People fall in love with Lizzie and Marvin immediately and they want to give Big George a hug. But, my favorite illustrations are of Lizzie's writing utensil, the Princess Merriweather pencil. Just looking at it, you know it's full of stories. I want one!

Sarah Sullivan is the author of Dear Baby: Letters from Your Big Brother illustrated by Paul Meisel. She lives in West Virginia.

From BEA to the River

2010-05-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Okay. I'll admit it. The last five days are a bit of a blur. I was in New York on Thursday and Friday for BEA and the Book Bloggers Convention. They were both great, but exhausting. I loved finally meeting Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of SALVATION AT THE DAIRY QUEEN, as well as the upcoming THE IMPROPER LIFE OF BEZILLIA GROVE (due out August 17th.)

I won't mention the way the trip ended --[ lugging my suitcase and an overstuffed bag of books five blocks in a half-hour search for a taxi to the airport. Apparently, there was some sort of shift change. Oh, well. Could have been worse. It wasn't raining.]

After one day home, I headed back out again, this time to the woods to sit on a screen porch and watch the river flow past. Rick woke me up before dawn to make sure I didn't miss the whip-poor-will calling outside our window. I drank my coffee and read the last sixty pages of APE HOUSE by Sara Gruen. I was number 139 in line for an ARC of this book and, let me tell you, it was worth every single second of the wait!

Oh, yes, you are going to want to read this one! I won't say any more, except that it is very different from WATER FOR ELEPHANTS.

You meet the nicest people at BEA. Listening to the buzz on the floor reminded me of trick-or-treaters trading notes on Halloween night. "Hey, did you go to that house? They have M & M's!" It's the same thing, only with books.

ON THE ROAD IN RALEIGH AT LACY ELEMENTARY

2010-05-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

I'm backing up a bit in time to tell you about my visit to Lacy Elementary in Raleigh a couple of weeks ago. Honestly, there has been so much travel over the past few weeks, it's hard to keep up. I combined a trip to Raleigh with my visit to the library in Mount Airy. The reason? Family, of course! My great-niece Elizabeth

and her brother Lee live there.

We watched Lee play baseball. He scored a run stealing home to tie up the game. Go Lee!

Elizabeth and her mother Caroline and I went out to dinner at a great spot that specializes in three-dollar tacos. Yum!

Of course, in the course of two days, I managed to pay three visits to Quail Ridge Books! I had the excuse of buying birthday gifts. Carol Moyer was incredibly helpful. We had a wonderful time talking about books!

Lee's teacher Quinn Branecky invited me to visit her fourth grade class at Lacy Elementary. What a beautiful school!

I shared Once Upon a Baby Brother with them, enlisting two volunteers, to help me read the book out loud. That's Lee on the left. He did a great job reading Big George's part. And Lizzie did a great job reading Lizzie's lines. Thank you, Lee and Lizzie!

We brainstormed and wrote stories based on memories of things we've done. Then the students shared some of their stories with the class. I loved hearing them. Their enthusiasm was contagious. I always ask for book recommendations when I visit classrooms and Ms. Branecky's students were brimming over with recommendations. I was so impressed. It was a wonderful morning and I was grateful for the opportunity to have spent time with these fine young writers.

A REVIEW OF ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER

2010-05-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

I love this review of Once Upon a Baby Brother by a seventh grade student from Ohio. It is posted as part of the Children's Book Center's (CBC) Cooperative Services for Children's Literature (CSCL). The Children's Book Center is a joint venture between the University Libraries of Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and the Cooperative Services for Children's Literature (CSCL). Northwest Ohio school-age students and BGSU education majors contribute to the reviews posted at CSCL PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS. Here's a link: http://csclbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/once-upon-baby-brother.html

Ever since Lizzie was very little, she loved to tell stories. She told them to everyone she could. When her parents had her baby brother Marvin, no one at home had time to hear her stories. At least her teacher Mrs. Pennyroyal loved to hear her stories. Everyday when she got time to write at school, Lizzie wrote all she could. Then one day when she sat down to write, she couldn't think of anything. Will she be able to write a story again? I though this book was very good. It is exciting to read for almost any age. When Lizzie goes to school, it is an exciting part to read. I also thought that the strengths of the book were high. I would recommend this book to kids from ages 1 to 10. I liked it and think other kids will too. They will enjoy the book and will realize that even if you don't like something in the beginning, you may end up liking it after all.

E.G., St. Pius X School, 7th Grade

TRAVELING ON ROUTE 17

2010-05-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

It was a busy weekend traveling to this gorgeous spot near Gloucester, Virginia on a branch of the Severn River to attend a family wedding.

The Inn at Warner Hall was the setting for Glenn and Lindsay's nuptials.

Glenn is my cousin Straton's older son. Her younger son, Weston, was the best man. Here we are after the ceremony. From left to right- Bruce, Straton, Weston, me and Rick.

Straton and I are a year apart in age. We used to spend lots of time together at our grandparents' house in Tappahannock, Virginia. Memories of those times are what inspired my first book, Root Beer and Banana.

It was a delight to travel through this part of Virginia this past weekend, to cross over the creeks and tidal rivers and remember those days when my granddaddy used to take me fishing or for a ride on a country road. I remember sticking my head out the car window to feel the dappled light warming my face as we made our way down the narrow two-lane highway through the woods.

The morning after the wedding, when it was time to drive home, Rick said he'd like to take a detour through Tappahannock. He wanted to see this place he's been hearing about for years now. I was a little nervous. How would the real place measure up to the world I had described?

We made our way up Route 17. When we reached town, I directed him past the historic brick buildings on the main street, the ones that date back to the 1600's. We drove past the tall statue with a figure of a man on top. Straton and I always used to call him "Mr. Tappahannock."

We drove past Lowry's Restaurant where we used to gather on special occasions for a family meal, past the driveway to my grandparents' house, past St. Margaret's School -- those bright white buildings on the river that had once looked so mysterious and inviting to me when I was four years old and dying to learn to read.

After the tour Rick said everything looked pretty much the way he had expected. (I should probably mention that, while the art in Root Beer and Banana is beautiful, it is not set in this region of the country. So, it was from my words that Rick had created a picture in his mind, from memories I have related and from scenes I've written in the novel that I've been working on for the past several years.)

Straton and I have traveled a lot of miles since those days. Here we are on the porch steps of our grandparents' house many years ago. I'm grateful that we are still making memories together. And I appreciate the opportunity to share Glenn and Lindsay's wedding with her this past weekend. May they have a lifetime of wonderful memories together.

THEN AND NOW - VISITING NEW LONDON ACADEMY AND THOMAS JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY

2010-05-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

THIS WAS THEN

THIS IS NOW!

That first picture was taken the day my dear friend Kandi and I graduated from high school. The second picture was taken just a few days ago when I visited Kandi's second grade classroom in Forest, Virginia. We started planning this visit last year. Kandi talked to her friend, Jody Turner, who is the School Librarian/Media Specialist EXTRAORDINAIRE at nearby Thomas Jefferson Elementary. Kandi also enlisted the very able assistance of New London Academy school libarian and media person Kathy Howe and, together the three of them planned my visit to both schools. We had a wonderful time and I cannot thank them enough for all their hard work!

I spent the morning in the library at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School. JoAnn (on the left) put together an amazing breakfast, fruit, sausage balls, pastries.... YUM! I chatted with teachers and staff before school started. Thank you, Jo-Ann! That's Robin beside her in the photo.

Then, it was on to the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School TV station where reporters Robby and Kyle asked me questions about books and writing. Let me tell you, these young people know exactly what they're doing. I was very impressed!

We had time for two group programs in that gorgeous library. following which

I signed books and thanked Jody again for all her careful planning.

and she whisked me off to New London Academy where I encamped in Mrs. Sherrier's 2nd grade classroom for an afternoon filled with author presentations and workshops. Whew. Great Fun! Thanks to all who made my visit to Forest one of the most memorable ever!!

A GREAT FEELING!

2010-05-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

There is no better feeling in the world than when someone really gets what you are trying to do in a manuscript. School Librarian Susan Braunstein of Holy Name of Jesus School in New Rochelle, NY is one of those people. She sent me this WONDERFUL email after winning a copy of Once Upon a Baby Brother in the drawing on Shelf Awareness.

Your autographed copy of Once upon a Baby Brother arrived in our school library this week, a very happy surprise, indeed--thank you so much! The book is a delight on so many levels, and our first- through third-grade teachers, in particular, are sure to request it right off the bat, for its wonderful creative-writing applications.

Yes, that's exactly what I've hoped would happen. I wrote Once Upon a Baby Brother partly in response to seeing students worry about whether they had any stories to tell. My answer? Of course, they do! We all have stories to tell. And each person's story is unique. That's what I tell students when I lead workshops in schools and libraries.

Lizzie in Once Upon a Baby Brother is like any other second grader. She has the same worries, the same frustrations and joys. Many of her problems originate with her little brother Marvin (or so she thinks). But, with a little bit of imagination, Lizzie turns her troubles with Marvin turn into something entirely different!

AUTHORS AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM AT ABLE FAMILIES IN KERMIT, WV

2010-05-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday I was honored to participate in a literacy program known as Authors Afterschool. My hosts were the good people of ABLE Families in Kermit, West Virginia.

ABLE Families is a nonprofit faith-based agency whose mission is “to confront the systemic causes of poverty by supporting low-income families as they make positive changes in their lives.” http://www.ablefamilies.org/default.htm
Among the many services ABLE Families provides is an Afterschool program for children in northern Mingo County.

This is the first year for the program which was inaugurated in March with a visit from fellow West Virginia author Anna Smucker.
The way the programs works is, on Monday of the week before a visit, each of the children receives a copy of one of the author's books. Then, as Executive Director, Barry Hudock describes, they all read the book together. And "on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, they work through a series of fun and engaging activities and discussions about the book and its characters, events, and themes." When the author arrives for the visit on Thursday, the children are all famliar with the book and ready to talk about it.

What a joy that is for a writer!

The book that was chosen for my visit was Root Beer and Banana. We talked about where stories come from. I asked the children which parts of the story they thought were true and which parts they thought I had made up. Then we talked about the way writers turn their memories and personal experiences into stories. We talked about using sense memories -- smells, sounds, tastes, sights and the way things feel -- to make stories more vivid and alive.

Then we did some writing ourselves

and the children shared their stories with me. We had a great time. (Thank you to ABLE Families for taking these photos.)
I took this one myself.

And I met some wonderful people, including Barry Hudock, Sister Pat and Stefan Barber. Stefan saved the day by rigging up a laptop to the digital projector. Thank you, Stefan! I don't know when I've felt so welcome.

The program is funded in part by the West Virginia Humanities Council.

If you'd like to know more about this organization or the Authors Afterschool program, look here. http://ablefamilies.wordpress.com/

SWAPPING STORIES FROM HUNTINGTON TO CHARLESTON

2010-04-30T23:25:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to speak to a group of early childhood educators at the annual Huntington Area Early Childhood Conference. We talked about ways to incorporate books into the classroom and I was happy for the opportunity to display some of the work done by the students in Mrs. Tuckwiller's second grade.

I have been reading to Mrs. Tuckwiller's students once a week all year. Normally I read books written by other writers but, in preparation for my visit to Huntington, I shared one of my own books, Root Beer and Banana, with the second graders. We talked about where stories come from, about memories and how we turn them into stories. Then I asked them to make pictures of one of their favorite memories.

And we put them together into a quilt.

which I proudly displayed and then returned to the classroom

where I could take a picture of it with the talented artists who created it!

TRAILER, TRAILER - WHERE'S THE TRAILER

2010-04-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of people have asked if they can find the book trailer for ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER on my website. The good news is, yes, it's there. The bad news is, you have to scroll down a bit to find it. Here's how. . .

Click on the Books page.

Next click on the cover of ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER.

Scroll down and look for the orangey-red type under the box with the description of the book. There's your link!

And, just to play it safe -- here's another one! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvprKsvfD5s

Thanks for watching!

CELEBRATING THE TRAILER FOR ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER!

2010-04-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy week around my house, what with a whirlwind drive to Washington, D.C. to attend the Washington Children's Book Guild Non-Fiction Award ceremony. Sy Montgomery gave an amazing presentation, talking about her field research for non-fiction books that will knock your socks off. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends.

And I came home to an exciting development -- a book trailer for ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER. I owe HUGE THANKS to Julie Schoerke and Marissa DeCuir at JKS Communications and to Paul Flaherty at Paul Flaherty Audio Engineering and Production for their work. I think the trailer is pretty wonderful. I hope you like it too. Here's a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvprKsvfD5s

Spring Travels

2010-04-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the Washington Children's Book Guild Non-Fiction Award event. I'm looking forward to hearing Sy Montgomery speak about her books. Meanwhile, it's a beautiful day for travel. The world is in bloom all around me.

And these two greeted me yesterday when I took my walk...

I smiled and walked on.

down the hill to town

and finally, back to my neighborhood

and home. A nice five-mile walk. The weather was perfect for it. I guess spring is so short, so you don't have time to take it for granted!

How about a nice Darjeeling and Plain Yellow Mustard?

2010-04-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

So, my husband and I have a nice little house project staring us in the face. After 13 years of watching pale yellow wallpaper being splattered with tomato sauce and bacon grease and boiling-over soup, we are finally putting up a tile backsplash.  And, okay yes, the truth is, we've hired someone to install the tile. We're smart enough to know what we DON'T know. But, once Jim started sticking tiles on the wall, Rick and I realized the color was a bit lighter than we'd realized on the showroom floor.  Hmmm. What to do now?

I remembered when I was ten years old and my mother was in the hospital for a couple of days and my father decided that was the time to make Green Tomato Relish out of all the leftover green tomatoes in his garden.  Everything went fine until one of us spilled the powdered mustard all over the white formica countertop . . .

As I recall, we were up past midnight scrubbing the formica with every cleanser known to man. But, now I see that this was a valuable life experience after all, because it gave me the idea to mix up a concoction of leftover tea with a paste made of water and powdered mustard.  I smeared the stuff over a test tile. Et voila! It worked. Just the right color! I took pictures and emailed them to Rick while he was working out of town. Can you see the difference between the unstained tile and the stained one?

How about in this picture?

Okay. It doesn't really show up that well, but that's our project for this weekend -- staining tile with tea and mustard paste. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Meanwhile, I will also be attending the Washington Children's Book Guild luncheon on Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing good friends there.

Next week, I'll travel to Huntington to do a presentation at the Huntington Area Early Childhood Conference. And the week after that, I'll be in Kermit, West Virginia to spend time with students in an afterschool program run by an organization called ABLE Families. I was honored to be asked to participate in their Authors Afterschool program. That program was recently featured in Nonprofit Newswire which called it "an inspired literacy effort." I'm looking forward to meeting everyone there and sharing stories with students and new friends. You can read about Authors Afterschool on the ABLE Families blog. Just scroll down to the entry for April 5th. Here's the link. http://ablefamilies.wordpress.com/

DIFFICULT TIMES

2010-04-12T19:05:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the tragic events of the past seven days in Montcoal, West Virginia, spring has come to the mountains. The redbud is at its loveliest, but it's hard to think about beauty in the face of so much pain. http://blogs.wvgazette.com/coaltattoo/

West Virginia is a small place and a tragedy of such proportions touches everyone in some way. Over the weekend, people went about their daily errands in a somber mood. Heads were bowed. Greetings were quiet and subdued. Today Governor Manchin called for a moment of silence at 3:30 p.m. to honor the 29 miners who lost their lives. We will be thinking about what happened at the Upper Big Branch mine for a long time, hoping with every fiber of our being that nothing like this ever happens again. We will also be thinking about the families who lost their loved ones, wishing there was something we could do to help them and hoping that the passage of time will bring them peace.

THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH IN BOLOGNA THIS WEEK

2010-03-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

I'm going to indulge in a bit of cross-posting today to let you know about our guest blogger on my group blog THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH. Our friend and fellow Vermont College student, Sarah Johnson, is at the Bologna Book Fair this week and is sending us daily dispatches about the festivities. Here's the link.
http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/

You don't want to miss the photograph of the Sala Borsa Library in downtown Bologna on today's post. Check it out!

Also, did I mention that my website is being COMPLETELY RE-DESIGNED?

It's almost finished! Launch date is rapidly approaching. Let's just say, the new site should definitely be up by the first of April. So, stay tuned to http://www.sarahsullivanbooks.com/

I know I said last time I was on my way to the Virginia Festival of the Book to attend the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI events and to hear Elizabeth Strout and Colum McCann and Lee Smith. I promised pictures. Unfortunately, life intervened and I had to cancel my trip. Disappointing yes, but that's okay. It was nothing serious. Sometimes you just can't pack everything into the always-too-small amount of time you have. So, if you want to see photos of this event, you might check out the website for the Festival. http://www.vabook.org/index.html/

Meanwhile, I'm getting ready for spring school visits. I'll be in Forest, Virginia in May and visiting my dear friend, Kandi who teaches second grade at New London Academy. We've known each other since high school in Wilmington, Delaware.

In April, I'll be at the Early Childhood Conference in Huntington, West Virginia.

And I'm looking forward to attending the Washington Children's Book Guild Award luncheon in April. Here's the announcement from their website at http://www.childrensbookguild.org/

AROUND THE WORLD WITH SY MONTGOMERY

Saturday, April 17, 20102:00pm - 5:00pm

National Geographic Society, Grosvenor Auditorium

1600 M St. NW Washington, D.C.

Metro stop: Farragut North, Farragut West

Sy Montgomery is this year's winner of the Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award. From Walking with the Great Apes to Birdology, from The Snake Scientist to Quest for the Tree Kangaroo, Sy has been "deftly undressed by an orangutan in Borneo, hunted by a tiger in India, and has swum with piranhas, electric eels and dolphins in the Amazon." The New York Times called Sy "equal parts scientist and poet,” the Boston Globe dubbed her "part Indiana Jones, part Emily Dickinson.”

Spring has sprung here in the mountains. The flowering trees at the bottom of Edgewood Drive are about to burst into blossom. That means it's time to go outside! It also means I can take those snow tires off the car and plan trips without worrying about getting stranded on Route 68 near La Vale, Maryland. Whew.

WEBSITE REDESIGN COMING SOON!

2010-03-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

Ohmygosh, I'm so excited. I just caught a preview of my brand-shiny-new web resdesign. It's BEAUUUUUTIFUL!!! You're going to love it. I already love it. Thank you, Danielle Kerese - genius web designer - for all your hard work!!!! Wish I could tell you more, but stay tuned. It won't be long.

The whole redesign project is in honor of the upcoming release of my new picture book, Once Upon a Baby Brother.

I'm off to the Virginia Festival of the Book this weekend and looking forward to seeing friends, Fran Cannon Slayton and Barbara Kanninen and Sara Lewis Holmes.

Also CANNOT WAIT, absolutely can't wait to hear Elizabeth Strout and Colum McCann and Lee Smith all on stage at the same time. Wow!

There will be pictures.

Meanwhile, here's a link
http://www.vabook.org/site10/program/view.php?day=2010-03-20

Ocoee Middle School Gotta Keep Reading, Planet Hunter by Vicki Wittenstein, Hunger Mountain Young Writers Contest

2010-03-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to good friend, writer and teacher, Dianne White, http://www.diannewrites.com/
for the link to this video which, as she suggests, was perfect for Read Across America Day on March 2nd.
Okay, that was yesterday. I know. But, this is still a great video. If you haven't seen it, watch now!
Ocoee Middle School in Ocoee, FL partnered with Full Sail to create an inspirational music video to get students across the country excited about reading.
Here's the link:
Ocoee Middle School Gotta Keep Reading

And don't miss this interview with Vicki Wittenstein about her new book, Planet Hunter: Geoff Marcy and the Search for Other Earths (Boyds Mills Press-March 2010) Zu Vincent conducted the interview on Through the Tollbooth. Find it here:
http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/166770.html

Here's a great idea from Readergirlz-
"Get a Kit to Make a Readergirlz Bookmark."
Hop on over to the Readergirlz website and check this out. . . while supplies last.
http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/2010/03/get-kit-to-make-readergirlz-bookmark.html

HUNGER MOUNTAIN ANNOUNCES CONTEST FOR YOUNG READERS
An annual contest for high school students. Want to have your fiction, non-fiction or poetry read by Hunger Mountain judges and guest editors? Here's your chance to win a cash prize and publication!
This year's judge is National Book-award winner and New York Times best-selling author M.T. Anderson.
Click on this link to find out how to enter.
http://networkedblogs.com/p28819306

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FIRST READ ALOUD TUESDAY IN MARCH

2010-03-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

For the first time in 2010, I managed to do my normally weekly Tuesday read-aloud two weeks in a row. School has been cancelled so many times this year, I've missed most of my Tuesday sessions with Mrs. Tuckwiller's second graders.
This week there was a surprise.

Did I have my book selections? Check. I had reserved them at the library. Was I on time? Right on the dot. I walked in the school door two minutes before I was supposed to start reading. That left just enough time to sign in at the principal's office and head upstairs. So what happened?

Remember when you were in second grade and you came to school and you looked everywhere for your teacher and there was this strange lady standing in the classroom and you had never seen her before and you wondered what she was doing there? And then the bell rang and this same lady made her way to the front of the class and told everybody to take their seats and then, even before she explained who she was, you knew. You just knew. A substitute. That's right. Today Mrs. Tuckwiller wasn't there, but the substitute (I never learned her name) looked sort of relieved to see a pinch hitter taking over for a few minutes.

The truth is, these kids are great. When the teacher asked them to sit at their desks and get ready to listen, they did just that. Usually we gather on the carpet, so I mentioned this to the Sub and she said fine and so the kids gathered on the carpet in their usual neat rows. (okay, maybe the rows weren't so neat -- remember when you had a substitute teacher in the second grade? Did everybody follow the rules just like always? I didn't think so.)

Today's selections. . ..

HOOWAY FOR WODNEY WAT by Helen Lester with illustrations by Lynne Munsinger and

HERE COMES DARRELL by Leda Schubert with illustrations by Mary Azarian.

We had read Snowflake Bentley a few weeks ago, so the first thing I did, before reading Here Comes Darrell was to ask the students if they remembered the illustrations in that book. They did. And they saw the similarities immediately. When we started reading, they noticed that the book was arranged by seasons.
"It says Winter," a student in the front row said.
So from that point on, I let them read out loud to me each time there was a change of season in the book.
We talked about the way people help each other when the weather turns bad. Considering the fact that, until yesterday, there have only been 2 days in the new year when all the schools in our state have been open for a full day of school, these students could relate to snow days.
When I came to the end of the book, a boy who sits to my left, said, "That's a good story."

We laughed our way through Hooway for Wodney Wat and some of those students who had been pushing the envelope on behavior settled right down. If you're not familiar with this book, go find it. I don't want to give away the punch lines, but it is very funny and second graders love it! If that's not enough to sell you, it's also great fun to read. And the illustrations are pitch perfect, especially Wodney Wat and Camilla Cappybara.

The weather forecasters are predicting temperatures in the sixties this weekend, so maybe I can put the snow books away now and look for books about spring. I have to admit, even though I LOVE snow, I'm ready for daffodils and blustery winds and leaf buds on the trees. And a little sun wouldn't hurt either.

INTERVIEW WITH LEDA SCHUBERT ABOUT FEEDING THE SHEEP

2010-03-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

Leda Schubert's new picture book, Feeding the Sheep, illustrated by Andrea U'Ren, comes out tomorrow, March 2nd. Leda is the author of Ballet of the Elephants, illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker, a New York Times Editors Choice book. She is also the author of Here Comes Darrell, illustrated by Mary Azarian and she has two additional picture books forthcoming.

Don't miss this wonderful interview with Leda on Through the Tollbooth. Here's the link:
http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/165923.html?view=1068835#t1068835

Digging Out

2010-03-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

Here is what my husband did for me on Saturday morning.

I was so grateful. Rick has been clearing snow and ice off the cars and the driveway almost every morning for the past month and it's still snowing. The man deserves a vacation or a standing ovation or something. SERIOUSLY!

So, today is March 1st, so that means spring is supposed to be here within the next thirty days. I don't really mind the snow, but there comes a time when a person is ready to stop pulling on the scarves and the gloves and the hat and the heavy coat and go out and feel sun on her face.

Still, this kind of weather is great for working at your desk. I've revised 120 pages of my novel this month and I can actually see light at the end of the tunnel. I had hoped to be finished by yesterday, but I'm not too far off-schedule. Time to hunker down again for the day and see how much closer I can get to my goal.

BACK TO READ-ALOUD TUESDAYS

2010-02-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

I visited my friends in Mrs. Tuckwiller's second grade today for the first time since December. I've been reading aloud to second graders at Chamberlain Elementary for more than ten years, usually on Tuesdays, some time after lunch. When I don't go, I miss it. I need to spend time with humans who are brimming with enthusiasm and hope. But this year, it's been tough. First there was Christmas vacation And then I was in Vermont for the winter residency at Vermont College and, after that there was Kindling Words and, after that there was SNOW!!!!

Lots and lots and lots of snow. . . which meant lots of snow days and no school. (Doesn't that piece of folk art above give you that snowy day feeling?)

So, here we are, in the last week of February and I finally made it back for my first read-aloud of the new year, which isn't even all that new anymore.

We read Bear Snores On in honor of winter (and snow!) and Wilma Unlimited in honor of the Olympics. Yeah, I know Wilma Rudolph won gold medals in the summer Olympics – not the winter Olympics. But, Kathleen Krull's text and David Diaz's illustrations make a terrific mix and this is a powerful story and I love reading it out loud.

The students were primed for a story about an Olympic champion. How many stories are as inspiring as that of Wilma Rudolph? Actually, I know there are some pretty amazing stories about Olympic athletes, so I hesitate a bit in writing this, but her life was indeed inspiring and amazing. Imagine having polio as a child and growing up to become the fastest woman in the world!

Now, what to read next week? I've already read Library Lion and Snowflake Bentley and The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County and oh, the list goes on and on. . . . Maybe we'll read Here Comes Darrell. All the library copies were checked out the last time I tried to find it. I like to pair it with Snowflake Bentley if I can.

Of course, this assumes we'll have school next Tuesday and, after checking the forecast for tomorrow ---- MORE SNOW!!!!

this is anything but certain.

Lots can happen between tomorrow and next Tuesday -- It was 63 degrees here on Sunday after all. So, I will plan my read-aloud selections for next week, just like usual, no matter how much of the white stuff is flying in the morning. After today, I am filled with hope and enthusiasm.
Thank you second graders!

SNOW READING

2010-02-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

If you live just about anywhere in the US, you've had snow this week, or so it seems from what I hear on the radio and read on the internet, so maybe it looks a bit like this outside your window.

Here's what it looks like at my house.

We picked an odd time to do much-needed house painting. No matter. I've been sleeping in the den to avoid the wet paint smell and now the smell is about gone and the house looks a lot better. Meanwhile, the snow keeps coming down. Rick and I are reading. He just finished WOLF HALL and I just finished Rodman Philbrick's Newbery-honor-winning, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. It's a terrific romp, with inventive and sparking language, a lively plot that never stops moving and a lovably flawed and brave main character.
Next up for me is Grace Lin's beautiful book, WHEN THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON.

Have you watched the book trailer? Look for it here.
http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon

Meanwhile, I'll watch the snow fall behind the blossoms of my 15-year-old African violet and cozy up with a new story.

HOME AND AWAY

2010-01-26T21:06:00.000-08:00

It seems like only yesterday I was flying home from the winter residency at Vermont College. This was my first experience as a graduate assistant and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The only difference is, next time I would ask fellow grad. assistant Marianna to teach me how to pack. Marianna is amazing. She looked stunning and completely put-together every day and yet, when we climbed onto the school bus at the end of the residency to make the trip from Montpelier to the Burlington airport, Marianna had barely any luggage at all! I felt totally inadequate as a traveler. And I want to know her secret.

Later this week I am headed back to Vermont for a writing retreat. I've tried to steal a few moments at home to edit my novel, but it's hard. As if the usual ebb and flow of daily life were not enough, I had a collision with a pizza delivery guy this afternoon on my way to my haircut appointment. He admitted that he was texting and failed to notice the red light that he ran. Thank goodness, no one was hurt. But, I have to admit I'm looking forward to a couple of days of good solid work and no driving!

Photos from the Winter Residency

2010-01-14T20:10:00.001-08:00

We are midway through the winter residency here at Vermont College. This evening students found out who their faculty advisors will be for the semester. The halls are buzzing with excitement.

Temperatures are mild for northern Vermont in mid-January, so many of us took a walk between lectures this afternoon. We were inspired by Jessica Dils who talked to us about the value of mobility for stimulating creativity. We walked out of the lecture hall and down the street toward town. I love to tuck a camera in my coat pocket and go for a walk. You never know what you might see.

WINTER RESIDENCY AT VERMONT COLLEGE

2010-01-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've posted, but then it's been a long time since I've been able to respond to email or even talk on the phone! The snowstorm on December 19th took down our phone and internet and we didn't get it back until January 7th! This photo may not look like that much snow, but the snow we got was heavy and wet and, oh my, what it did to the phone lines! In the meantime, the washer/dryer also died and we had to replace our stove. Whew. Who says January is a slow month? I am in Vermont now, for the Winter Residency of Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program. There will be pictures eventually, but today is the kickoff of the res, so I'm not quite there yet. It's wonderful to see old friends. And, as much as I love our plumbers, who do amazing work by the way, I am happy to be focusing on other things now.

Here's a peek at what I left at home. Our friend Steve is fixing the kitchen cabinets which need to be shaved down to accomodate the new stove. Here's what the empty space looks like. The pots and pans which usually reside in the missing cabinet are sitting on the floor in the middle of the room where I write. And the Christmas tree. . . it's okay to leave it up for a while, isn't it? I hope so, because there was no way it was coming down before I left to come to Montpelier. It will all be there when I return home and taking down decorations will give me something to do while I catch up on laundry. As a certain southern lady used to say, "I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day."

CATCHING UP DURING THE HOLIDAYS

2009-12-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

I still have packages to wrap and holidays cards . . . oh my. Sure. I'm going to send them. Someday. Very soon. I promise. Really.

Rick and I are still savoring the memories from our first-ever Thanksgiving vacation. We should have done this a long time ago, especially since his birthday always falls somewhere over Thanksgiving weekend. This year, we celebrated the two events with a trip to Williamsburg. Neither of us had been there for years. And it's not that far. Why did we wait so long?

Our first stop was the Capitol. That's me in the red coat.

We returned later to hear Thomas Jefferson address a crowd of supporters. The man who plays Jefferson is incredible. We saw him do a one-man show in the theater in Merchant's Square a la Hal Halbrook doing Mark Twain.

The Coffee House had just opened a few days before our arrival and we had a nice visit there which included a trip downstairs for a taste of hot brew. Who knew they drank coffee? I thought it was all about the tea.

All in all, it was a perfect place to celebrate a birthday.

We even stopped at Monticello on the drive home and took the tour. Again, how many years had it been since we were there? Oh my. Look at the garden. The weather was perfect. I'm ready to go back next year.

It's a REAL BOOK!

2009-12-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

I'm dancing a happy dance because the folks in the brown truck dropped by this afternoon to deliver my first official copy of my brand new picture book - ONCE UPON A BABY BROTHER with illustrations by the simply amazing and wonderful TRICIA TUSA! (I'm so lucky!)

Here's the cover which you may also have seen on Fuse #8.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379.html
Today was an extra specially-good day!

NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS AND TRAVEL

2009-11-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS AND A THOUSAND CHEERS FOR THIS YEAR'S NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE, CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE. CONGRATULATIONS AS WELL TO AUTHOR, PHLLIP HOOSE AND TO HIS BRILLIANT EDITOR, MELANIE KROUPA.

I had the privilege of working with Melanie on my next picture book, Once Upon a Baby Brother, which is being published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in June of 2010. She IS absolutely brilliant and I'm thrilled beyond words that one of her books was recognized with this award.

I've lost count of the number of miles I've logged on my car this month. Lots of wonderful visits with old and new friends new and far.... Most recently, I attended a luncheon of the Children's Book Guild of Washington, D.C., thanks to the kind invitation of a dear writer friend. THANK YOU, Debbie! We had a great time. And thank you, Tami, for letting me stay in your house and for carting me around the city.

We had a great time at the National Museum of American Art viewing the current exhibit, 1934: A NEW DEAL FOR ARTISTS

The somber tone of many of the paintings in this exhibit reflected all too clearly the mood of the country in that time. But, one painting stuck out. It was a picture of people in Central Park. They were dressed in brightly-colored clothing, fashionably decked out on a clear day with a backdrop of a pristine-looking city behind them. Where did THIS one come from, we wondered? A little escapism perhaps? Hard to say, but it certainly seemed out of step with the subjects and palette of the other works of art. Very curious.

All too soon, it was time for me to get back on the road and make the long journey home. This week I plan to indulge in some reading over the holiday. I'm well into LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN and I'd like to curl up in a chair in front of a nice fire and finish reading it.

I wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

AUTHORS DAY AT DANIELS ELEMENTARY

2009-10-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

I want to send a huge THANK Y OU! to everyone at Daniels Elementary and to the West Virginia Humanities Council for making last Tuesday's AUTHORS DAY such a memorable occasion.

I spent the day leading writing workshops with first graders. They did such good work. They had all read my books beforehand and greeted me with beautiful pictures and written responses to my stories. I was taking pictures like crazy because I wanted to bring their work home with me. I had to stop and take a snapshot of each one of their pictures. They are beautiful and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed seeing them. I wanted to post them here, but unfortunately, technical difficulties make this impossible. So, I will post some of them on livejournal, along with other pictures from the day. Here's the link. http://sarahsullivan.livejournal.com/

Mrs. Garten's class presented me with a beautiful laminated book containing letters each student had written about his or her family. I will treasure these. Thank you so much.

Mrs. Womack's class drew pictures and wrote about what they liked about my book, DEAR BABY: LETTERS FROM YOUR BIG BROTHER.
These were wonderful too.
And each student in Mrs. Meador's class had a question already prepared to ask me. They were such thoughtful questions. I enjoyed talking with these students. And I loved the card they presented as I entered their classroom. There will be a picture of it on livejournal too.

Thank you all so much. You inspire me, as do my fellow West Virginia writers who led writing workshops with students in all the other grades.

What a wonderful day!

REMEMBERING NORMA FOX MAZER 1931-2009

2009-10-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

All week I have been thinking of a dear teacher and mentor who died this past Saturday. Newbery Honor and Edgar award-winning writer Norma Fox Mazer died on October 17th. She was one of the first faculty members in the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program. Not only did she entertain, enrich and enlighten thousands of readers with her award-winning books, she also inspired and encouraged many writers who came to Vermont College. She will be sorely missed by friends, faculty, and students. Norma was truly a guiding light.

Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty members have written lovely tributes to Norma. You can read two of them here.

Julie Larios http://julielarios.blogspot.com/

Uma Krishnaswami http://www.umakrishnaswami.com/

And here is a link to her obituary http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6702674.html

OCTOBER

2009-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

This fall has been way too busy, with lots of travel and being under the weather for a while, but I'm enjoying these few hours of fall color this weekend.

Unlike most years, we haven't experienced a gradual lowering of daytime temperatures. Last week it reached the eighties. Today there is snow in the mountains. I miss those clear fall days when the air is bracing and you feel energized for the coming season. This year I've missed hikes in Greenbrier County and greeting this pair of scarecrows on the drive home.

I've missed taking long walks on the Carriage Trail

that runs from the old C & O Train Station up to what used to be the Sunrise Children's Museum and Planetarium where I once worked between college and law school. (That was a great job!) I wrote press releases and kept track of traveling suitcase exhibits and even helped with a live animal program that we put on in public libraries throughout the state. I've never been that close to a boa constrictor before or since, thank you very much!

This weekend I was supposed to be at the Kidlitcon bloggers conference in Washington, D.C.,

but unfortunately, I wasn't able to go. I can't tell you how disappointed I was. I'll have to hear about it from fellow bloggers Helen Hemphill and Tami Lewis Brown and be incredibly jealous that I did not get to go. (I'm expecting a full report!)

Next Tuesday I'll be at Daniels Elementary along with fellow children's writers, Anna Smucker, Marc Harshman, Belinda Anderson and Tracy Kincaid. I'll be leading writing workshops with first graders and I'm looking forward to it. We're going to have a great time. Here's a special thank you to the West Virginia Humanities Council http://www.wvhumanities.org/ whose support makes this event possible. What important work they do!

SQUARE BOOKS - OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI

2009-09-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

Don't miss this video honoring the 30th birthday of one of the country's finest indie bookstores, SQUARE BOOKS, in Oxford, Mississippi.

Here's to another 30 and another 30 after that!

http://www.squarebooks.com/

JUST ONE OF THE MANY REASONS I LOVE LOIS LOWRY

2009-08-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the many reasons I love Lois Lowry's blog.

Just read her posting entitled, "A cause that matters to me" and you will see what I mean.
http://loislowry.typepad.com/lowry_updates/

BACK AT WORK

2009-08-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

I spent last week blogging about how to create memorable characters on our writer's blog, THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH

For those of you who are not familiar with it, THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH is a a blog written by nine women who are graduates of Vermont College's MFA in Writing for Children. Each of us takes a week to blog about something related to writing for children. Sometimes we do group weeks where we each take a day to talk about a particular subject. And sometimes we have guest bloggers. We do interviews and invite comments. Our two-year anniversary is coming up in October. I can't believe it. Check us out at http://www.throughthetollbooth.com/

I had a great time at the Patchwork Writers Retreat in Huntington. We met at the Huntington Museum of Art, which was a treat in itself. I admit I went on walkabout a bit to gaze at some of the pieces in this wonderful collection. Anyway, we had a wonderful group and I especially enjoyed talking with other children's writers in our cozy afternoon session.

I've been home this past week, trying to catch up on other work. I've spent most of the week working on my middle grade novel. It's finished really, but I'm not quite ready to let it go.

School started this week, which means I will soon be back to reading aloud once a week in a certain second grade classroom. Here's a new picture book that I'm anxious to see. Maybe it will be one to add to my list for the second graders.

I'm also looking forward to reading this as soon as it comes out.

And I will settle down to blogging with some regularity. Vacation is over, people! It's time to get to work.

ON VACATION - BACK SOON

2009-08-12T09:22:00.001-07:00

I am just back from vacation in the Adirondacks. Do you know how hard it was to leave this place! Blue water. Green mountains. Fresh air.

I finished the revision of my middle grade novel and started making notes and doing research for my next one.

This weekend I'll be on retreat with writers from Huntington, WV. I'm looking forward to it. There is nothing like spending concentrated time with writers to fuel your creativity.

School starts soon and I plan to start something new at the same time.
Meanwhile, I'll be closing my eyes and remembering this place.

ONE OF MY NEW FAVORITES

2009-07-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Trumpets please! I just finished reading a book I want to crow about. . ..

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
by first-time novelist, Jaqueline Kelly,

published by Henry Holt.

Here's the description from the MacMillan website:

"Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones.With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century. "

Calpurnia is a wonderful new character. This is the kind of book that I would have loved reading when I was in the fifth and sixth grades. It has already garnered lots of attention, so I'm not telling you anything you won't read someplace else. I suppose I'm just joining in the chorus of praise. You know you're reading a good book when you don't want it to end. And, in this instance, I found myself putting the book down when I only had ten pages left to read. Oh, no. I didn't want to leave Calpurnia and her grandfather. Part of me hopes she will be back. Could there be a sequel?

KATIE WOOD RAY AT THE GROVE PARK INN

2009-07-06T13:45:00.000-07:00

During the third weekend in June, I made the drive from Charleston to Asheville, NC to hear Katie Wood Ray talk about teaching kids to write. It's a five-hour drive and I would gladly turn around and drive right back to hear more from this amazing woman. People came from 20 states and one foreign country to attend this two-day workshop. The subject was preparing curriculum for the writing workshop. I filled half a notebook with notes and tips and ideas. I can't wait to put them into practice.

As soon as I came home, I called a good friend who is a gifted teacher and asked if she had ever heard Katie speak. "You need to go!" I told her, when she said she had not.

Of course, it did not hurt that we were meeting in a place that looked like this.

I didn't even mind eating dinner by myself when this was the view from my table on the terrace.

But, the workshop was the best part of the trip. And I hope to have an opportunity to hear Katie speak again. I emailed her publisher, Heinemann, when I came home to tell them what a wonderful workshop it was. I wish I had copies of some of the examples of student writing that Katie shared with us. I was amazed at the work of second and fourth graders.

We had a couple of free hours at the end of the sessions on the first day, so I headed downtown to Malaprops.

Ahhh. Heaven. A wonderful indie bookstore. Could there be a more perfect day!

ASHEVILLE AND KATIE WOOD RAY

2009-07-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

I just returned from a two-day workshop at the incredibly beautiful, let me repeat that, INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL Grove Park Inn in Ashville with the equally incredible Katie Wood Ray. I had read all her books and used her methods in some of my school workshops, but had never had the chance to hear her live and in person. Have you read WONDROUS WORDS? What about STUDY DRIVEN? What she accomplishes in workshops with young writers is just amazing. I'm fired up and ready to lead a new workshop. In fact, I will be creating new plans for my workshops in response to this workshop. I wish every writing teacher could have the opportunity to hear her in person. Tomorrow I will post photos. Tonight I am still savoring the experience.

SPEAKING OF TRAINS-FRAN CANNON SLAYTON

2009-06-17T07:20:00.000-07:00

Novelist Fran Cannon Slayton is my guest in THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH today. http://www.throughthetollbooth.com/

I want to share that interview with readers here.
SPEAKING OF TRAINS - INTERVIEW WITH FRAN CANNON SLAYTON
Jun. 17th, 2009 at 9:41 AM
sarahsullivan
SPEAKING OF TRAINS . . . With great pleasure, the Tollbooth welcomes Fran Cannon Slayton today.
Fran is a member of the Class of 2K9. http://www.classof2k9.com/
Her first novel, When the Whistle Blows was released by Philomel on June 11th.
As of today, Fran's novel has received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal. And these are not your run-of-the-mill starred reviews. These are GLOWING reviews. Kirkus calls the book "an unassuming masterpiece." And they're right. It really is THAT GOOD.
Go down your checklist of things to look for in a novel.
1. Voice – Check!
2. Vivid characters – Check!
3. Setting – Check!
4. Action and momentum – Check!
5. Interesting use of language – Check!
Let's go back to SETTING for a moment. When the Whistle Blows is set in the rural railroading town of Rowlesburg, West Virginia in the 1940's.

(Here's a more contemporary photo of Rowlesburg taken from the Rowlesburg Revitalization Committee, Inc. website at http://www.rowlesburg.org/index.html)Fran's novel is a coming-of-age story about a boy named Jimmy Cannon, whose father is the foreman of the B&O Railroad. Jimmy wants more than anything to be a railroader when he grows up. But, times are changing in Rowlesburg. Steam engines are dying out and being replaced by the more efficient and less labor-intensive diesel engines.

Jimmy's father warns him that the future may not offer opportunities to work on steam-powered trains. But Jimmy does not want to believe him. The novel is filled with adventure - Halloween pranks, robbers, dead bodies, and championship football games – AND a STRONG SENSE OF PLACE, which is not surprising considering the source of inspiration for the book. Fran's parents and grandparents came from Rowlesburg.

(You can see from the map that it is in the northern part of the state.)Her grandfather was the foreman of the B&O Railroad in Rowlesburg back in the 1940's. Fran talks about this on her website in a terrific You Tube interview she has posted on the home page. http://www.francannonslayton.com/

Hi, Fran. Welcome to the Tollbooth. And congratulations on the tremendous reviews your book has received. Well-deserved, I might add. I love this book.

Thank you so much, Sarah! I really appreciate you hosting me today

1. You say that When the Whistle Blows was inspired by family stories. Could you tell us a little bit about that?      

I’m fortunate that when I was a kid my dad shared stories about his growing up years with me.   He came of age in 1940s Rowlesburg, West Virginia and he told me stories about hopping rides on steam engines, championship football and basketball games, diving off the train trestle into the Cheat River, and the first day of hunting season, among many others. His tales were always so exciting and filled with danger and daring. Of course, I was fascinated.

2. Your novel is set in the 1940's and so it is historical fiction. Did you do a lot of research before you started writing?      

The only research I did before I started writing was to listen to my dad’s stories for my entire life! When I was finally ready to write, I just dove right in. The research came later, as I went along.

3. Did you always know who the main characters would be?

I always knew the main character would be Jimmy Cannon, but I didn’t know how many brothers and sisters he would have. In reality, my father had six older brothers and sisters, and I really wanted to include them all. But it turned out that they just couldn’t all fit adequately into the story, so Jimmy ended up with only two brothers in the book.
Jimmy’s friends and the character of Thaddeus Ore just popped up one by one as I was writing. Jimmy’s father, W.P. Cannon, was my literary attempt to get to know the grandfather that in reality I never had the chance to meet.
     

4. One of my favorite things about your book is its structure. When the Whistle Blows is told in a series of seven linked stories, each taking place on All Halllow's Eve. The novel begins in 1943 when protagonist, Jimmy Cannon, is 12 and ends in 1949, when he is 18. Could you talk a little bit about that and tell us where you got the idea?

I had written the first chapter - or at least the first draft of the first chapter - when I decided on the structure. I was reading Rita Dove's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of poems, Thomas and Beulah, when the structure for my novel hit me like a ton of bricks and I just knew it was the right thing to do. Dove's book was a group of individual poems that told an overarching narrative about her grandparents in the 1920s or 30s. I loved getting a sense of their overall lives by reading about small experiences in the context of each poem. And it dawned on me that is exactly what I wanted to do using short stories instead of poems. I somehow knew at a gut level that it was the perfect format for the novel. I didn't really realize how unusual the format was when I made the decision, or how difficult it might be to pull off because of the difference - it just seemed like the natural thing to do for this particular book. It was pretty much a gift - reading the right thing at exactly the right time.

5. Did you learn anything while you were writing this novel that surprised you?

I learned a few things, one of which was that deep down I was really sad that I never got a chance to meet my paternal grandfather. It surprised me after I’d written the book to realize that Jimmy and I have one thing in common: that we both grieve the fact that we were too young to be part of all the old stories.        

6. Are you part of a writer's group and, if so, how that does help your process?  

Yes, I am. Generally, I like to have a scene polished as much as possible before I show it to others. But sometimes, timing- wise, this isn’t possible and I’ll show my critique group more of a draft. I always try to have them look at a piece at least once before I show it to my agent or editor. I respect my critique group members’ opinions, and their advice has been invaluable to me.    

7. Have you heard from people in Rowlesburg who have read your book? Were you ever worried that anyone would recognize themselves or think they recognized themselves in characters in the novel?  

Up until now only a few people from Rowlesburg have had access to the advance copy of When the Whistle Blows, but the response from those who have read it has been fantastic. People in Rowlesburg tend to have great love for the town, and I think it is quite clear in the book that I share their love.
Even though I used the names of some family members for the characters in my book, I wasn’t worried because my family has been very supportive; and they know that the book is fiction. I wasn’t worried that anyone else would recognize themselves either, because the characterization came from my own imagination, rather than basing personalities on any real individual.  

8. You participated in the SCBWI-Nevada mentoring program. Could you tell us a little about that?    

What a fantastic program! I was fortunate enough to be a part of it during its inaugural year in 2006 and I cannot recommend it highly enough to children’s writers who feel like they might be on the verge of breaking through the publication barrier.
It is the brainchild of two fantastic authors who also happen to be the co-RAs of SCBWI in Nevada: Ellen Hopkins and Suzanne Morgan Williams. Ellen is the author of Crank, Burned and the recently released Identical – all novels in verse that have been critically acclaimed, one earning her a National Book Award nomination. Suzy Williams is the author of many nonfiction books as well as her debut fiction title, Bull Rider, which was a Junior Library Guild selection this year. But beyond being fantastic writers, they are also natural mentors, so perhaps it was inevitable that they should envision a program that would pair unpublished or lightly published children’s writers and illustrators with seasoned veterans.
Several accomplished mentors participate in the program each year, and only a handful of participants are assigned to each. Thus, the program is small and allows for one-on-one time that many programs do not. Participants attend two conferences – one is the annual SCBWI Nevada conference, at which time they meet their mentors for the first time. The second conference comes at the end of the program and spans a full weekend during which participants have the opportunity to meet, hear, and present their work to editors and art directors. In between the two conferences, mentors read and provide back-and-forth editorial suggestions via email and/or telephone for the participants’ works-in-progress.
My mentor was Ellen Hopkins, and she was utterly amazing to work with. Not only is she a brilliant writer and editor, but she is also incredibly generous in sharing her considerable talent with other writers. I owe a great deal to Ellen; the Nevada SCBWI Mentorship Program is an experience I will never forget and that I highly, highly recommend.

9. I love your website and the interview? How did you figure out how to do that?    

Thank you! I have to say that I am very proud of my website since I designed and built it myself.
When I first found out that my book was going to be published I was dead set on hiring someone to design my website for me. After all, I wanted it to look professional! But I reconsidered my position when I got the pricing back from several website developers and found out that if someone else built my site it wouldn’t necessarily be easy to change the content myself, which was very important to me.
At about the same time as the professional website pricing was coming back, I decided to move from a PC to a Mac. It was then that I discovered the iWeb program, which is intuitive software that allowed me to create a great looking web site with all the bells and whistles I wanted.    I enjoy design, so I decided to bite the bullet and just do it myself. It was a great choice for a first website. It took a lot of time and effort, but I am happy with the result. There may come a time that I will outgrow it, but it’s perfect for now.
As far as the video interview, that is something I really lucked into. A friend of mine set me up with a video recording studio as part of a new book venture that he was part of. The book venture didn’t happen in the end, but the studio was a class act and produced the video at the price they’d originally agreed to. As with the website, I “designed” the video, meaning that I wrote the script and more or less determined how it would be pieced together. I’m very pleased with how it turned out and I’ve found it to be a great marketing tool – perhaps better than a video trailer would have been. I’m thrilled that Penguin is currently linking to it on their site: http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/yr/tl.html

10. You are a part of the Class of 2k9. Has that helped you with the launch of your book?        

Yes! It has helped me in many ways, actually – far beyond the actual launch of my book.
We are 22 debut middle grade and young adult authors whose books all come out in 2009, so we are all experiencing the same things this year as our books make their way into the world. Going through the process with others has been invaluable to me. There are so many questions that first time authors have – from timelines, to editorial work, to working with publicists, to marketing, to handling reviews. The whole experience is brand new and it has been extremely valuable to bounce stories off each other and to share information.
Perhaps best of all, we have formed a supportive community of people that really do care about each other. When one of us is going through a tough time, we all chime in with words of support. When one of us gets good news – like a great review or a movie option – we all celebrate together.
One example of this is how the whole group has rallied around our only male member – Albert Borris, author of Crash Into Me which releases July 7th. At the age of 49, Albert suffered a severe stroke at the end of last year. It was as shocking as it was debilitating. While Albert has worked hard and has made a full physical and mental recovery, he is still working on recovering his ability to communicate clearly, which has made it difficult for him to promote his book as he had initially hoped. So we, his “little sisters” in the Class of 2k9, have been trying to get the word out about Albert’s book by sending out ARCS for review, sending out press releases, and talking about Albert and Crash Into Me wherever we go. (If there are any bloggers or media out there who would like to receive our press release about Albert, please email me at Fran at francannonslayton dot com and I’ll see to it that you get you one immediately. We appreciate you helping us spread the word!)

11. Are you working on something new?  

Yes, I am currently working on a middle grade fantasy tentatively titled Ship’s Boy, about a girl who wants to be a pirate. I am also working on a picture book or two.

Thank you so much, Fran, for taking the time to talk with us.
We're thrilled with your success!

This Week in Through the Tollbooth

2009-06-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that I am a part of a group blog called THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH. http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/We are nine writers who got to know each other as students in the MFA in Writing for Children program at Vermont College. This week it's my turn in the Tollbooth and, among other things, I'll be interviewing Fran Cannon Slayton, about her debut novel, When the Whistle Blows.
My article about the book and about Fran's upcoming appearance at the Kanawha County Public Library in Charleston, WV appeared in the June 13th edition of the Sunday Gazette-Mail. You can find it here http://www.wvgazette.com/HomeandStyle/200906100975 If you are going to be anywhere near Charleston between June 19th and the 28th, you should grab a copy of this Sunday's Gazette-Mail to see the schedule for FestivALL, a nine-day celebration of the arts in Charleston.

http://www.festivallcharleston.com/ There will be theater including a special performance by Ann Magnuson and the Charleston Light Opera Guild's production of the Broadway musical Curtains, film, art exhibits, music, the opening of the new State Museum, and a special production of MOUNTAIN STAGE.

Summer Writing Routines

2009-06-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived. School ended here in Charleston last week.
My final school visit for the year was a few weeks ago. I was at The Potomac School near Washington, D.C. doing writing workshops with fourth grade students. They amazed me with the work they had done. There is nothing more exciting for a writer or a teacher than to see students excited and engaged in their work.

That evening we visited the Lincoln Memorial. It was the Thursday before Memorial Day. We sat on the steps facing the reflecting pool and watched the crowds of people. It was a perfect evening. Someday I'm going to write more about it.

But, for now, I am back at home with my list of summer resolutions which includes finishing the revision of my novel and a draft of a new picture book.
I've heard from some of the students I worked with this year. Thank you for your notes and emails. I love them and I love hearing about what you are doing. And THANK YOU especially to the second graders in Mrs. Tuckwiller's class at Chamberlain Elementary who gave me a stack of lovely, hand-illustrated notes to thank me for reading aloud to them this year. The pleasure was ALL MINE, believe me! We had a great time spending a half hour together once a week, (except for the month I was in Vermont). And, THANK YOU to all the students, teachers, librarians and adminstrators I worked with this year. You inspire me. You make me want to work harder. And you give me hope.

SCHOOL VISITS

2009-04-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

I'm home and the azaleas are in bloom and it's my favorite time of year, well, I'm awfully fond of fall too. And, come to think of it, I do like the snow. But, honestly, how can you beat spring, with all this color!

Yesterday, I was in Smoot, West Virginia

leading writer's workshops at Smoot Elementary.

We had a wonderful time. It had snowed the morning before and yesterday the temperatures reached the sixties. We had absolutely glorious weather. Let me tell you, it doesn't get any prettier than Greenbrier County in the springtime. The students at Smoot Elementary were bursting with wonderful story ideas. We didn't have time to write them all down, so I hope they took notes.
The school is on a lovely hilltop in rural West Virginia.

Some families dropped by that evening and we talked about writing stories and the importance of reading aloud. I really appreciated their making the effort to come out on a busy week night. And, here's a special thank-you to Tiffany Spellman, Title I teacher and organizer extraordinaire, for arranging my visit. It was a wonderful day.

I've unpacked my bags and actually found time to revise two chapters this morning. Time to get outside and do those errands. Post office, here I come.

The Rock and The River - Interview Part 2

2009-04-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

Here's Part 2 of my interview with Kekla Magoon, author of The Rock and The River. It appeared first on Through the Tollbooth (http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/2009/02/19/) back in February. You may have read about Kekla's first novel in The New York Times Book Review, (see Children's Bookshelf, April 12, 2009).

When we stopped day before yesterday, I was asking Kekla about character development.

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9. You add an additional level of complexity in your portrayal of the relationship between Sam and Maxie. I guess we could say Sam has a crush on Maxie. She is attracted to him as well, but they come from different backgrounds and this causes friction between them. Could you talk a bit about creating Maxie and about her place in the novel?

Early in the novel, Sam buys a pair of mittens for Maxie, who he wants to be his girlfriend. The scene occurs before we ever meet her, and sets up his crush. He pictures her standing in the schoolyard, tucking her fists up her sleeves to keep warm. This was the first scene I wrote mentioning her, and Maxie emerged from that image.

I loved writing Maxie because she brought an energy and lightheartedness to the story that would have been hard to find elsewhere. Though she deals with issues as serious as Sam does, she rolls with it slightly better. Sam’s overwhelmed by the decisions he has to make, but he’s also a young teenage boy who would absolutely be taken with a perky, pretty girl, despite the political turmoil. Maxie’s fun and brave, and she pushes Sam to do things he wants to do but that he’s slightly afraid of, which helps drive the story.

Maxie embraces the Panther ideology more readily than Sam does, and that has a lot to do with class. The Panthers’ message resonated with the poorest people first. Sam’s family is middle class, because I felt that the most authentic story I could tell on this topic would be about a child whose upbringing and values might be most similar to my own. Sam’s broadening understanding of the movement and the Panthers really mirrors my own. But it would be impossible to tell a story about the Panthers without dealing with class. His relationship with Maxie gives Sam a higher stake in understanding the needs of the whole community.

10. Several months ago, I talked about writing historical fiction and quoted several people who emphasized the need for detail to make the story feel real. Your story is set in 1968, which was not that long ago, but still it was before computers or cell phones or microwaves. Did writing in a time period somewhat different from your own present any special problems or challenges?

This is something I worry a lot about, actually. I think my writing style is atypical among historical authors because I don’t focus on including details the way that many others do. I remain pretty tightly focused on the characters’ emotional life, rather than his physical world, most of the time. When I “see” the characters in my mind, the edges of the world around them are fuzzy. A lot of the setting I just don’t care about, so I have to struggle to fill in those images of the world to help the reader. I only put in what I think I have to for the story to make sense. I like to think that I’m tapping universal emotions, and merely placing them in the context of a particular period of time.

As far as writing in ‘68, it was a recent enough period of history that I still had a frame of reference for dealing with it. There were still cars, radios, and relatively similar articles of clothing. It wasn’t hard for me to remember to exclude major things like cordless phones and iPods, but there were things I definitely had to look up to be sure they were around in the 1960s. For instance, Sam is interested in architecture, and the story’s set in Chicago. I initially had him mention the Sears Tower, but I looked it up and learned that it didn’t become the building it is today until 1973. Things like that tripped me up occasionally.

11. I know you are part of a writing group in New York. Is working with a writer's group an important part of your process?

Yes. I find writer’s group extremely valuable. I meet with two different groups, actually, because I really enjoy working with fellow authors. It helps keep me on track, and it makes it more fun to write on a day-to-day basis when I know my material is going to be read by someone. As much as writing is a personal endeavor, it’s also a means for communicating. There are scenes I’ve written that may never see the light of day again, but having put them before my writers group satisfies whatever need I had to express those things. It makes it easier to cut things that don’t serve the final story.

It’s also just wonderful to have extra eyes and different perspectives on what works and what doesn’t. When someone doesn’t “get” what I’m doing, it inspires me to think. Often, in the face of strong critiques, I find reinforcement for my vision, and it pushes me to dig in and own what I’m attempting, even if some people don’t like it.

I very much enjoy the process of critiquing others’ work, too, and writer’s group has really helped me hone my skills. I offer manuscript critique services for other writers, and I hope to teach and lecture more formally in the future.

12. You and Bethany Hegedus, author of BETWEEN US BAXTERS, are getting ready to do your first joint school visit. Could you describe your presentation?

Yes, that's going to be really fun. We've developed a joint presentation called "The Movement: Two Books. Two Authors. One Powerful Presentation." The theme is "A Decade of Change: Civil Rights in America 1959-1968."

Bethany's novel, Between Us Baxters, (WestSide Books, 2009), is set ten years earlier than The Rock and the River, in a small town in the South. The main character is a girl, Polly Baxter, whose close friendship with Timbre Ann Biggs is in jeopardy due to racial turmoil in their community. Together, The Rock and the River and Between Us Baxters span an important decade in U.S. History, and give readers a glimpse of what life was like in these times and places.

Our books explore similar themes from different perspectives, and our presentation inspires a unique classroom discussion about race, class, history and social change -- all topics which have taken on new meaning in light of the recent election. As part of our package, we provide follow-up material for teachers and lead interactive activities appropriate for small and large groups (ages 10-16).

Talking about Between Us Baxters and The Rock and the River together gives students an opportunity to understand many aspects of the Civil Rights Movement and how things changed over time.

Creating "The Movement" has been fun and collaborative effort, and given us a greater scope for reaching young readers. For more information about our joint presentation, email us at TwoBooksTwoAuthors@gmail.com.]

13. Are you working on another book now?

Yes. Several, actually. I tend to work on multiple projects at once. I have a contract with Aladdin for a contemporary middle grade, so I’m building a draft of that story, which is in its early stages. I also have two YA novels in progress, one that I’m drafting and one that I’m revising. Fun!

Thanks so much for talking with us, Kekla. It's been great. And, congratulations again, on the release of The Rock and The River.

Kekla's Magoon's THE ROCK AND THE RIVER

2009-04-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

Back in February, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kekla Magoon about her debut novel, THE ROCK AND THE RIVER for my group blog, Through the Tollbooth, http://www.throughthetollbooth.com/
Kekla's book is mentioned in the April 12th edition of The New York Times Book Review. Check out Children's Bookshelf in that edition.
In case some of you missed our Tollbooth interview, I'm going to post it again here on MOUNTAIN VIEW. The interview is in two parts, so tune back later this weekend for Part II.

Many of you have probably read the glowing review that kidlit blogger/reviewer Elizabeth Bird wrote on her Fuse #8 Blog on School Library Journal. You can find it here. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1320040532.html
The Rock and the River also received a starred review from Booklist, in which the reviewer wrote in part,

"True to the young teen's viewpoint, this taut, eloquent first novel will make readers feel what it was like to be young, black and militant 40 years ago. ....An important title for YA American History classes." --Booklist, starred review

Not a bad way to start a career as a novelist.

The Rock and The River is about a thirteen-year-old boy named Sam whose father, Roland Childs, is a Civil Rights activist in Chicago in 1968. Roland Childs is a staunch follower of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Trained as a lawyer, he rejects violence as a solution to racial injustice and inequality. Sam has an older brother named Stick, who is as impassioned in his own beliefs as his father, but who is lured into the Black Panther party out of frustration with the lack of progress achieved by the nonviolent "passive resistance" advocated by Dr. King. Thirteen year-old Sam is caught in the middle. As violence escalates around him, Sam is forced to make difficult choices.

I was delighted to talk to Kekla about writing this book.

1. How did you come to write THE ROCK AND THE RIVER?

I tend to smile mysteriously in response to this question, because the answer has many layers. I’ll give you a few:

I’ve learned that I always need to be writing – busy or not, motivated or not, in sickness and in health, etc. – but my best work invariably comes as a result of some sudden, unanticipated spark of inspiration. With this novel, I remember the moment exactly. I was conducting (completely unrelated) research online and I happened upon a small fact about The Black Panther Party that was new to me. The characters of Sam and Stick came into my mind almost immediately. I started playing with them over a matter of weeks, letting them act out scenes without really knowing where it was going. It began as a side project, because I was working intently on another book at the time, but the urge to write a story with these characters quickly became much stronger, and I felt I had to see it through.

Answering why I had to see it through is where the layers come in:

Intellectually, I was attracted to writing about a topic that hadn’t been dealt with much in children’s literature. I believe that black youth aren’t always taught the full scope of their history, and as an author, I do feel a sense of responsibility to fill the void.

Emotionally, I’ve always been intrigued by/enamored with the civil rights movement, even since childhood. But like many young black people, I’ve been steeped in a familiar narrative of that time period that doesn’t leave a lot of room for asking difficult questions of one’s self – like, “where would I have stood, in that time and place, if the choice between non-violence and militancy was handed to me?” Reading about The Black Panthers as an adult has deepened my curiosity and transformed my understanding of black history, which impacts the way I see myself in relation to the world.

Simply, I can’t resist historical fiction. It was fun for me as a kid, and still is, because it enables me to gain empathy for a person facing radically different life experiences than I ever will. It’s not only entertaining, but educational and even transformative, and it’s thrilling to throw my two cents into that kind of dialogue.

2. Your book is about a thirteen-year-old boy named Sam whose father,
Roland Childs, is a Civil Rights activist and follower of the Reverend
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sam's father rejects violence as a solution to racial
injustice and inequality, while at the same time, Sam's older brother,
Stick, is lured into the Black Panther Party because of his frustration at
the lack of progress made by nonviolent "passive resistance."
Was the character of Roland Childs inspired by any particular person?

Roland Childs isn’t based on any specific individual. In developing his character, I imagined him as sort of a local Dr. King, even though he’s an attorney, not a minister. In reality, he could have been based on any number of individuals. Dr. King had a nationwide team of leaders working closely with him who inspired and organized people to participate in demonstrations, and who led community efforts in pursuit of civil rights. The local leaders remain the unsung heroes of the civil rights era. We tend to speak of what Dr. King did as if he acted alone, but one of the strengths of the movement was the collaboration that occurred, so I wanted to highlight that in a small way.

3. How much research did you do?

It’s a little hard to say, because different people seem to have different ideas about what constitutes research. I don’t feel that I did much deliberate research on the non-violent civil rights movement, aside from checking into some small timeline details. However, I majored in history in college, and have always been interested in the civil rights era, so I felt that I was carrying a lot of knowledge about the time period to begin with.

I did research The Black Panther Party, because before writing this book I didn’t know all that much about their activities and beliefs. I had a lot of the same stereotypical impressions of them that many Americans hold in their minds, so I had to work a little to shatter that. Though, I felt an immediate resonance with much of what I read about them. I looked at everything I could get my hands on, which included the writings and auto/biographies of Black Panther leaders, scholarly books, some photo essays and some online research. I watched a few obscure documentaries in which members and former members talked about their experiences. As compared to the non-violent movement, there’s very little information out there about The Black Panthers. It’s a piece of history that our culture seems to be making an effort to erase.

4. Did you start writing this book when you were a student at Vermont College?

Yes. I had “the spark” and started the brainstorming in my first semester. I drafted and revised the manuscript in my second and third semesters. I worked on other things during the final semester, but submitted The Rock and the River as my creative thesis.

5. A lot happens in this book. And you manage to show the complexities
of the people who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement and in the Black Panther Party. The protagonist's older brother, Stick joins the Black Panther Party, but he regrets the need for violence. The protagonist's father, Roland Childs, provides advice to people the protagonist does not expect him to help. Did it take a long time to find the way to portray characters in a political setting with more complexity?

I’m not sure that the politics made the characterizations more of a challenge in this book than any other. In any context, I try to create characters who will do unexpected things, even when that leads to some seeming contradictions. It always seems more believable that way, and in the case of this book, it also served the larger story. Sam struggles to understand the many ways in which the world is cast in shades of gray, rather than pure black and white. I used Father and Stick to promote that confusion in him.

6. How did the story change from initial conception to finished manuscript?
What I mean is, were there any major plot changes or shifts that surprised you?

Well, the initial conception was just a spark, a moment of inspiration. Just getting from that to a finished manuscript seems slightly miraculous to me at times. But the story came easily in some ways. The arc did change some from my first inklings, especially with regard to subplots. The characters of Maxie and Bucky emerged at different points during the writing, but with almost the same intensity that Sam and Stick had first come to me. That was surprising.

The biggest shift/change that surprised me came not in drafting the novel, but in one of my revisions. It’s hard to articulate what changed, because it wasn’t exactly the plot. It was something in how I was approaching the material. How to explain….well, when I first figured out what the climactic event of the book had to be, it was difficult to let myself write it. But I did, and I was happy with it. I took some time off from the story, thinking it was done. I returned to it later because of a nagging feeling that I’d missed something vital. I don’t know why, but that time I was able to reach a different emotional place with it.

7. Did you always know how it would end?

No. In fact, I started off thinking that the end was going to be totally different. But what I thought would be the end wound up being the middle, and the story unfolded beyond that in ways I didn’t anticipate.

8. Did you learn anything from your research that surprised you?

To be honest, I was most surprised by how strongly I came to feel about the Panthers and their work. I consider myself to be fairly well-read and well-educated, and yet I had no real idea about this whole dimension of the civil rights movement. It continues to shock me that I lived for so long, hearing so much about this time period without having to grapple with understanding the complexities of militancy vs. non-violence.

I’ve observed that people grow uncomfortable when I talk about respecting the Panthers’ work and legacy. I don’t say it to suggest that we should all run out and embrace militancy. In the first place, the Panthers weren’t only militant – they were also community organizers who inspired people in the roughest neighborhoods to embrace education and to take care of one another. In the second place, I think we’ve grown so accustomed to revering Dr. King as hero, and looking back on the 1960’s as a singular turning point for race relations in the U.S., that we’ve become complacent about discussing what was really going on.

The research helped me put myself in the mindset of a young person at the time, and so much it pushed me toward anger. I loved the authenticity of my desire to rage against the unfairness, but in a time when the constraints of society were such that there really was no place to put such rage. I found myself thinking a lot about the non-violent movement, and it began to hold so much more meaning for me when I considered what people were really giving up by committing to non-violence. It made me think deeper about the values of a person like Dr. King, while simultaneously being intrigued by the depth of The Black Panther movement beyond its militancy.

You can learn more about Kekla at her website, http://www.keklamagoon.com/
She's a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, near Chicago, where she majored in history. She is also a graduate of the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults program. Born in Michigan, Kekla lived for several years as a young child in Cameroon, where her father had grown up. She later moved to Indiana where she grew up and finished high school and where her parents still live today.

Tune back day after tomorrow for the conclusion to this interview.

And, as always, thanks for stopping by.

LIKE CARRYING A VOLKSWAGEN UP PIKE'S PEAK

2009-04-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

Please forgive a little cross-posting today. I'm going to share my post from Through The Tollbooth here. http://www.throughthetollbooth.com/ This week we're talking about finishing a novel. Yes, actually typing the words, THE END.

Finishing a novel is like carrying a Volkswagen up Pike's Peak. It's hard work. Not for the faint of heart. In fact, you probably have to be crazy to want to write a novel in the first place and willing to give up a lot of things . . . like sleep. So, is it worth the sacrifice and hard work and blood, sweat and well, you know general frustration and, let's face it . . . tears?
Of course it is. You have to do it. You know you do. So, use any trick you can think of, anything that works for you. I have three little mind games I use to help me past the rough spots. And, let's face it. There are a lot of rough spots.

#1 - GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO JUMP AHEAD AND WRITE THE FINAL SCENE. I know. I know. This sounds like cheating. But, if you are like me, there may come a point, somewhere near the middle of writing Act II, when you feel the urge to skip ahead. Your fingers are itching to write those final lines of dialogue. So, what's stopping you? Seriously. Why not go ahead and write what you want to write when you want to write it? There is probably some reason that your inner voice is pushing you to write this final scene. Your subconscious mind may be trying to tell you something that your conscious mind has yet to figure out. Maybe you will discover something that you need to know about the middle of your novel. Maybe you'll learn about something that needs to go in the middle that you hadn't figured out yet. Follow your heart. Listen to the messages your gut sends you. Besides, it's easier to face slogging through the middle when you already know FOR SURE there is an end. It feels more like filling in the blanks than forging a trail through virgin wilderness.

#2 - IT WILL NEVER BE ANY WORSE THAN IT IS NOW. This rule is important. It's akin to Anne LaMott's advice in Bird By Bird about not expecting too much out of your first drafts. Once you write the first draft all the way to the end, you will have the worst part over with. And with each revision, the work will get stronger, sharper, more alive. It's like eating your peas.

You have to eat your vegetables before you get to the sweet stuff. Keep telling yourself that there will be a reward for the hard work of the early drafts and it will be worth the effort. Besides, if you don't do the hard work to get to the finish, you will be stuck eating peas forever!

#3 - SET REASONABLE DAILY GOALS AND REMEMBER THAT ONCE YOU FINISH, YOU WILL FINALLY HAVE AN ANSWER FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE YOU SEE IN THE GROCERY STORE, THE BANK AND THE POST OFFICE WHO ASK, "ARE YOU STILL WRITING THAT NOVEL?" Come on, now. Confess. Didn't you cringe when you read the word, still? Won't it feel great to be able to say, "Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes. I'm finished. It's done." The self-loathing which accompanies the answer, "Not yet. I'm still working. But, I'm almost finished," is NOT GOOD for you. Finishing will improve your mental and emotional health which can only innure to the benefit of those living around you.

So, don't feel guilty about not getting the laundry done because you still have your daily goal of two pages to meet. Give yourself permission to put writing first. Reasonable daily goals. A little at a time. When I was getting ready to graduate from college, I learned that there was a requirement that every candidate for a degree pass a swim test. I duly reported to the pool to take the test.

"Does it matter what stroke I use?" I asked.

"Whatever you want?" the swim coach answered.

"How many laps do I swim?" I asked.

"You have to swim the permeter of the pool," he said.

That was a little strange, but okay, fine. No problem.

"I just swim around the pool?" I said.

"You have to swim the permeter of the pool using a forward-propelling motion," he said.

I've thought about those directions a lot since that day a long time ago. "Just use a forward propelling motion." When I face a seemingly impossible task, that's what I tell myself. Just use a forward propelling motion. Surely, even I, can accomplish this. It doesn't have to be pretty. Not at first. Just get it done. Et, voila! I move forward. I move at least one step closer to my goal. And then closer. And then closer. And so it goes.

A forward propelling motion. Two pages a day. One scene. A chapter. Once you have a draft, you can set a new series of goals. Whatever works. Push yourself all the way around the pool.

CRICKET MAGAZINE-FEBRUARY

2009-01-23T17:03:00.001-08:00

Here's the cover of the next issue of CRICKET magazine, February, 2009.

Look for my poem, "WINTER WIND" inside.

And, speaking of winter wind, the temperature is supposed to drop this weekend in Vermont. We' re going into the minus category. I'll be bundling up with my manuscript and a cup of hot java. I don't mind the cold as long as the sun shows its face a few hours a day.

Growing up in Colorado, I used to live for winter. My best friend and I took ski lessons during fourth, fifth and sixth grades. We used to ride a bus to Berthoud Pass. (Does Berthoud still exist?) It was a tiny ski resort with a T-bar lift on one side of the road and a chair lift on the other. In our ski school, you had to pass the Snowplow, Stem Turn, and Stem Christie tests before they let you ride the chair lift on the "Big Hill" across the road. I don't think I got that far before I stopped taking lessons.

In those days, our skis were made of wood and our boots were leather. January could be soooo cold. But, there was almost always sun. I was lucky, so lucky to spend that time in the mountains.

The sun was shining up here yesterday and the snow is so beautiful. I have a creative boost from listening to wonderful lectures by Leda Schubert and Tim Wynne-Jones during the last days of the Vermont College winter residency. And I'm happily getting down to work.

2009-01-22T18:01:00.000-08:00

I'm holed up for a few weeks working on a revision. I will be blogging again soon, but first there is work to be done.

Outside the snow is deep.

It's a good time to dig in and write.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2008-12-24T08:52:00.000-08:00

The holiday season means days of rushing about, crossing tasks off a giant TO-DO list and (if we're lucky), gathering with old friends to share news, celebrate successes, offer comfort and support for setbacks and wish each other peace, hope and joy for the coming year. My husband and I are softies when it comes to putting up the tree. We set aside a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, usually in mid-December, when we put John Langstaff's CHRISTMAS REVELS on our tape player and carry down boxes from the attic. There are treasures here, ornaments that bring back memories of past Christmases, some happy, some bittersweet, but all reminders of the days we have spent together and of the sorrows and joys we have shared.

There is this fellow with his carved wooden head and his giant bow tie. He's a reminder of our courtship. We found him at a shop that first Christmas before we were married.

There's the Frog Prince, offering his plate of Christmas pie.

And there are the ornaments the kids have given us, like this fabric-covered ball that Jennifer made one year.

And the personally-inscribed log cabin from Marshall and Jenn.

Memories are my favorite part of Christmas. The tears well up without warning and I let them. This time of year, tears are allowed. At least, that's the way I look at it.

As I write this, the minutes are ticking down toward midnight. Christmas will be here in ten minutes. No matter what holiday you celebrate, I wish you all peace, hope and joy in the coming year.

ROOT BEER AND BANANA

2008-12-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

Recently, a couple of people have told me that they've had difficulty finding copies of my first book, ROOT BEER AND BANANA. If you are looking for a copy, please contact me through the link on my website, http://www.sarahsullivanbooks.com/
I believe there may also be copies available at Tamarack in Beckley, WV.

If you happen to live in Colorado or New Jersey or New York or New England or the Pacific Northwest, I hope the weather has not affected your vacation plans. Holidays are stressful enough.

For everyone, I wish Happy and safe Holidays.

DECEMBER RUSH

2008-12-13T20:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I've been away a long time. What a busy and beautiful time of year. We have snow here in the mountains. It's that heavy wet kind that clumps on the trees and makes everything look clean and lovely. My favorite part of this kind of snow is how quiet everything becomes, like the earth is telling us to slow down and listen to the stillness and learn from it. I spent part of this week on retreat with some writing buddies from Vermont College of Fine Arts. There is something about being away from home that helps clear your mind of clutter and daily obligation so you can focus on story, character, language and plot. Unfortunately, the ice storm in the northeast interrupted my plans, so I had to come home a day early. But, I made substantial progress and came home determined to finish this revision. I owe those friends a huge THANK YOU for that!

I'll be at Chamberlain Elementary on Monday and Tuesday of this coming week to assist with a spelling bee and then do my usual weekly read-aloud. But, you can bet I'll be squeezing in time to work on my novel, early in the morning and late at night.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS

2008-11-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight's the night. The winners of the 2008 National Book Award will be announced during a ceremony in New York City. If you would like to read about the nominees for this year's award, click here: http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008.html

I have to admit to a personal favorite. I'm pulling for my friend, teacher, mentor and all-around personal role model, Kathi Appelt,
to win for her amazing novel, THE UNDERNEATH.

I've been recommending this book to everyone I know since its publication earlier this year. Here's what I wrote about it for our local Read Aloud Newsletter.

Once in a blue moon a book comes along that is so fresh, so original, so unique, it makes you sit up and take notice. You find yourself zipping through the pages, while
at the same time not wanting the story to end. Kathi Appelt's debut novel, THE UNDERNEATH, is just such a book. With lovely line drawing by Caldecott-award-winner, David Small, (So You Want to Be President), it has the look and feel of a classic. And it's written in a flowing, lyrical voice that begs to be read aloud.

In the novel, a calico cat takes shelter under the porch of a rundown shack in the heart of the Louisiana Bayou. Living under the porch, in the "Underneath" is a hound named Ranger who has been badly abused by the sorry excuse for a human who lives upstairs, a mean, lowdown so-and-so named Gar-Face. Ranger warns the cat to stay away from Gar-Face or he will use her for Alligator Bait in the swamp.

Shortly after taking up residence in the Underneath, the calico cat gives birth to kittens, two of them, a male named Puck and a female named Sabine. The four creatures live together, safe and content, in the shelter of the Underneath, until one day Puck ventures out and sets in motion a chain of events that will change their lives forever.

Meanwhile, buried under a loblolly pine not far away, in a pottery jar made by the ancient people known as the Caddo, lives a mythical half-serpent, half-human creature called a lamia. Her name is Grandmother Moccasin and she has been trapped inside the jar for a thousand years. Grandmother's story is the tale of a lost daughter and a thirst for revenge. It is also the story of a mother with a broken heart. What will happen if Grandmother Moccasin is set free?
The novel unfolds in short poetic chapters, weaving together the stories of Grandmother Moccasin, the dog Ranger, the kittens, Puck and Sabine and the sadly-twisted human named Gar-Face. Appelt has crafted a completely original story, incorporating ancient myth with traditional story-telling.

I was lucky enough to hear Kathi read from this book during one of my residencies at Vermont College. After that, I couldn't wait for the opportunity to read the whole story.

Kathi is amazing. Not only has she written this achingly beautiful novel, she also writes picture books (fiction and non-fiction), poetry and books about writing. She's a fabulous teacher and wonderful workshop leader and member of the faculty (and former faculty chair) at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

There are terrific interviews with the nominees for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature conducted by another amazing Vermont College faculty member, Rita Williams-Garcia. Here's a link to the interview with Kathi.

http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2008_ypl_appelt_interv.html

So, fingers crossed for tonight, Kathi! I'll be listening to the radio for the news!

P.S. THIS JUST IN FROM PUBLISHERS LUNCH:

If you aren't attending the NBF has promised that "tweets of the National Book Awards Winners will be sent around 9:30 p.m. EST, after each judge announces the Winner in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry and Young People's Literature." Just follow http://twitter.com/nationalbook.

CHILDREN'S LIT BLOG POST OF THE DAY

2008-11-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed the link to my group blog THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH, http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/

THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH is a blog written by nine graduates of the VERMONT COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS MFA IN WRITING FOR CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS program in Montpelier, Vermont. http://www.vermontcollege.edu/

Basically, what happens is that each one of us takes a week and blogs about a particular topic. We interview children's writers and sometimes we join in group discussions. This past week was my turn and I was ... um, I guess flabbergasted is the right word and honored to learn that Jon Bard over at CHILDREN'S BOOK INSIDER had selected my posting for the new feature CHILDREN'S LIT BLOG POSTS OF THE DAY. I tried, unsuccessfuly to embed the video here. But, I can give you a link. http://www.write4kids.com/blog/2008/11/11/childrens-lit-blog-posts-of-the-day/

Jon featured three blog postings in his video:

THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH http://community.livejournal.com/thru_the_booth/2008/11/10/

JEN ROBINSON'S BOOK PAGEhttp://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2008/11/favorite-fictional-rooms.html

WRITE TO DONEhttp://writetodone.com/2008/11/10/writing-inspiration-how-to-break-through-mental-barriers/

Thanks to Jon for coming up with this idea to feature certain postings in the Children's Lit blogosphere. What a great way to discover new blogs. I was already reading JEN ROBINSON'S BOOK PAGE, but WRITE TO DONE is new to me.

In the postings selected by Jon Bard;

Jen Robinson discusses her five favorite fictional rooms from children's literature on JEN ROBINSON'S BOOK PAGE.

James Chartrand talks about breaking through mental barriers on WRITE TO DONE.

And I talk about using the lens of historical fiction to view contemporary events on THROUGH THE TOLLBOOTH.

Hope you'll take a look. I have one more posting and then I pass the Tollbooth torch on to our next blogger, Tami Lewis Brown who, by the way, just sold her first novel to Farrar, Straus & Giroux last week. WAY TO GO, TAMI!

Goodnight Moon

2008-10-30T06:33:00.001-07:00

October is the month of clear skies
and spectacular moons. Take a look at this view of the night sky from my yard a few weeks ago. It's been hard to stay inside over the past several days. Here's a photo essay of a walk I took on Sunday afternoon.
Naturally, I started by returning some books to the library. After that, it was a short walk past the Security Building, with its painted mural in the lobby,

to a breezy walk across the South Side Bridge with its perfect view of the C & O Train Station

to the Carriage Trail. which looks beautiful after a ton of work by some dedicated patrons, contributors and volunteers.
Here's a sampling of views from the Trail.

Then it was, back across the Kanawha River
and back to my desk.

MORE NASHVILLE

2008-10-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

Rick and I were taking a walk after dinner during our visit to Nashville. It was Saturday and the streets were full of people enjoying a warm October evening. We happened upon this spot beside Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

I couldn't resist taking pictures. It was like something from a movie set. The Schermerhorn Symphony Center is home to the Nashville Symphony. http://www.nashvillesymphony.org/main.taf?p=17 It's a beautiful building, newly-opened in 2006. From there, we strolled across the Shelby Street Bridge, a steel structure which holds a place on the National Register and which provides a lovely view of the Cumberland River.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_Street_Bridge We also walked past the Ryman Auditorium , birthplace of Bluegrass.

And, of course, I had to check out the Public Library. We had a great time on our first visit to "Music City." The drive home through the mountains was beautiful on a clear October day. Now I'm back at the computer, back to work and looking forward to our next trip.