Gig, Retreat, Conference.

The day all my current gigs came to a close, I received a call from an editor at Trillium Publishing a local packager. I'm writing some passages. Oooh, I've written about the platypus, Benjamin Franklin and a trip to the Moon. Very jazzy! Tomorrow is the retreat and then I have the conference. Busy time. I'm always looking for that open window.

Yay! Back to Novel Push 2007

All the books are turned in! Yay!

Now it's time to get serious about the novel. I'm going to work on the current novel until I get another gig. Back to Novel Push 2007. I'm going for a page count goal right now: 5 pages a day. My new book is set in the magical Big Thicket of Texas; I mean magical. Sometimes it would "snow" spiderwebs. Orchids, baygalls, pitcher planets, palmetto, bromeliads, woodpeckers, Loblollys, Sweet Gum, I felt so connected to the natural world. I believed fully that angels, aliens and ghosts were all in that tangle of woods. I also believed it was a place you could hide and only be found if you wanted to. I remember plotting, when school was being particularly nightmarish, to hide out in the Thicket and live in a blackberry patch. These patches formed these awesome caves that made great hideouts. I'm totally working on writing what I know.

I'm gearing up for the Western Washington SCBWI conference. This upcoming week, I'm going to go read something of Bruce Coville's that I haven't read before. He's actually the co-author of one my favorite books, Armageddon Summer. He's awesome but like a polar opposite to me. I'm a Mole type; he's a Frog type. Think Wind in the Willows. I was in my son's school library the other day and eavesdropped on a group of students. The librarian asked the students who their favorite author was. Hands shot up and Bruce Coville was the first name flung out. Cool. There will be editors and agents and lots of friends. Should be an happy weekend.

Yee Haw!

I turned in two easy reads this week to Picture Window Books: The Treasure Hunt Mystery, who hoo, don't you want to read it already!, and Up, Up in the Air, Whoop! another winner. My final draft for Rembrandt and the Boy Who Drew Dogs is turned in to my editor at Barron's Educational Series. Let's all think happy thoughts toward the Netherlands as the permissions are completing. I'd like to chat for hours, but galley proofs have arrived for two easy reads I did for Picture Window Books last year. Wow! I'm busy, but honestly it's cool, sweet, fab, and stupendeous!

Technical Difficulties

Hope your writing week started with a hum, hum, hum.

I really wanted to show everyone my awesome Super Easter Eggs, but my son's camera is a video camera, too, and I took movies instead of pictures of the eggs. Now the eggs have been turned into tuna salad sandwiches and it is too late to see them. I am posting the drawings of the eggs. I'm sorry if you were looking foward to this moment. If I figure out how to post the video, I will.

Here is Spidy Egg, Super Egg, Wonder Egg, Bat Egg, Flash Egg, and Green Lantern Egg (no ham).

This is a picture of the actual notebook I did the drawings in, and I have included the side-kicksL Aquaegg, Gleekegg, Wonder Twin Eggs (You've got to be a real Justice League fan.) Down there at the bottom is Robin Egg - ha, ha, ha.

From The All-New Super Friends Hour" 1977.

[Opening narration] Narrator: Gathered together from the cosmic reaches of the universe, here in this great Hall of Justice, are the most powerful forces of good ever assembled: SUPERMAN! BATMAN AND ROBIN! WONDER WOMAN! AQUAMAN! And The Wonder Twins: ZAN and JAYNA, with their space monkey, GLEEK! Dedicated to prove justice and peace for all mankind!

Jayna, Zan: Wonder Twin powers ACTIVATE!

Jayna: Form of a falcon.

Zan: Shape of water.

And for those humming away at work!

Winnie the Pooh: Hum dum de dum, hum dum de dum. I am so rumbly in my tumbly.

Hyperdrive Engaged!

Whoa, the hyperdrive is engaged this week. I have 3 books due in the next seven days. An unfortunate bout of the flu has slowed me down a bit. Still, this was a fabulous week for inspiration.

Fab George Shannon shared his thoughts about how folktales are used to develop character in fiction at the recent local SCBWI meeting. Next up, Peg Kehret. Her turtle plan is something I deeply identify with. She's seen book fads come and go, but she keeps on writing her stories and they keep finding their audience. She's not a flash in the pan, but someone who is in this for the long haul. She mentioned that if you are going to add a scene with a beautiful moonlit night on the ocean to the current work that there better be some people drowning in that water. (Some great advice, folks.) I thought I would cry when she said writing saved her. I feel that way when difficult times come. Writing is a true gift. You give to it, but it gives back. My better self emerges when I write stories.

I also had lunch with grammar guru, Gail Martini-Peterson and marketer extraordinaire, Judy Gregerson, this week. Writing is lonely business and it was fun to just have lunch and chat with real live people!

I missed critique group because the whole 'not going to bed though I'm sick thing' finally caught up with me.

My Easter eggs will be posted soon! They are beyond awesome! Check out Angie Broussard's blog. She's my sister. The connection to Spider-man and Pikachu is definitely genetic.

Not everyone is meant to make a difference. But for me, the choice to lead an ordinary life is no longer an option. Peter Parker aka Spider-man

With great power must also come great responsibility. - Your friendly neighborhood, amazing Spider-man