One Penguin at a Time…

September 30th, 2009 by Sara

Doesn’t this picture make you ANGRY! I mean how dare donkeys go to the police with their problems! Do they even pay taxes?

What?

Oh. What I meant was how dare William Steig portray the police as pigs! That is outrageous.

And this poem… it just really gets under my skin.

Clearly, it’s teaching materialism by advocating shopping as an exciting activity.

What?

Oh. I meant that Shel Silverstein is teaching our children to be disrespectful and downright malicious! This is terrible.

And how about these cute penguins?? They really make my blood boil! Cause they’re cute and they look like they’re smiling and we all know that penguins don’t smile.

And… um… tell me again what was wrong with the cute penguins?

Oh right. I hate it when books show happy families that love each other. Especially when they’re based on true stories. Those are the WORST.

Clearly picture books are tearing apart the fabric of America, one penguin at a time.

Happy Banned Books Week!

Posted in Banned Books, Books, Nifty happenings, Not-so-nifty happenings

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S.W.A.K.

September 23rd, 2009 by Sara

There’s nothing that captures the imagination like hidden surprises lurking in ordinary objects. Wardrobes that lead to secret worlds. Keys tucked into stone walls that open secret gardens. I spent my childhood, (okay, let’s face it… my whole life) looking for the mysteries that are right in front of our noses.

So when I visited a friend in Portland, I was wowed by the antique cabinet she’d just bought. I oohed and ahhed as she showed me the fold down writing desk with rows of little mail cubbies, each of which could hold its own tucked away secret.

Then she turned to me with a sparkle in her eyes and said, “I haven’t even shown you the best part.” She opened the bottom door on the cabinet and pulled out two shoe boxes full of letters.

They looked just like the old boxes in my closet. Like mine, these boxes were stuffed full of cards and notes from friends. And love letters.

My hands immediately reached for a rubber banded stack of envelopes. They were from 1957, a series of love letters from  George to Carmen. Holding my breath, I smoothed out the yellowed paper and began to read.

Evidently, George had taken Carmen to senior prom, but hadn’t gotten up the nerve to kiss her that night. Two years later, he was in the Air Force and posted to Morocco. It was only then, far from everyone and everything familiar, that he realized what she meant to him. He wrote her with the desperate hope that she might feel the same way. That he might be able to see her again when he was on leave. He sent her perfume and questions about her feelings for him.

My friend and I wanted them to get together. When one of George’s letters wrote of dangerous hush-hush things happening around the Air Force base, I wanted Carmen to drop everything and find a way to get to Morocco to be with him. I imagined a passionate scene in the desert, complete with elegant scarves and planes buzzing overhead.

But this was life, not a story. While the shoe boxes didn’t contain Carmen’s replies, there were also letters from George to Carmen’s mother. And my friend and I were able to get a sense of what was happening through them. Carmen was away at college and not very interested in George. While he was writing about his Air Force pay being able to support her and their potential kids, Carmen was busy studying to be a teacher, going skiing with her friends, and generally being a college student.

I don’t think she ended up with George, because though there was a copy of her graduation announcement in the shoebox, there was nothing about a wedding. Six years after George’s letters stop, Carmen was still writing notes home to her mother about her roommates, her job, her record-breaking bowling scores.And then I realized that the story I was reading was more extraordinary than the one I’d hoped for.

Carmen, a girl in the 1950’s, had chosen to go away to college. Had chosen a career over a husband she didn’t love. Had made a life for herself in a new town. At the end of this small, intimate snapshot of these people’s lives, George had my sympathy, but Carmen had my admiration. It turned out that this was her story, and she was going to write it the way she wanted to.

Posted in Nifty happenings, Writing

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Laptop Noir: Part Deux

September 18th, 2009 by Sara

One broken hard drive. One stripped screw. One man with a mission…

Laptop Noir: Part Deux 

Tools: Pliers, business card, hammer, screwdriver, drill.

Time: 2 Days, 2 fed-ex packages, and 1 trip to Home Depot.

Who: Previously mentioned Uber-Geek:Wizard of Ingenuity

*No dogs were harmed in the making of this film*

Posted in Nifty happenings, Not-so-nifty happenings

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SCBWI Conference ‘09

August 13th, 2009 by Sara

Another SCBWI Summer Conference come and gone!  This year, I won’t bother to summarize what happened, since that’s already done so beautifully by the SCBWI ‘Team Blog.’  Thanks you guys!

Instead, I’ll give an illustrated version of a few moments that really struck me.  I’ve stolen most of the beautiful pictures and illustrations from other talented people, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Karyn Raz, Edith Cohn, Marie Miranda Cruz, Lee Wind, and the SCBWI Live Blog, so click on the pictures to check out their own versions of the events!

Holly Black:  I pretty much wanted to copy down everything that came out of her mouth.  For example, “All writing is in conversation with what has come before it.”  She gave a talk about plot, citing her own struggles with it.  Evidently when she started writing she didn’t know how to move the plot forward, so she had “lots of scenes with elves sitting around drinking coffee, experiencing ennui.”

She also did a break-out session about career, talking about practical and terrifying things such as when to quit your job (the ’safe’ answer is once you can live off your royalties), taxes (about 33%), and choosing which author’s career you’d like to have (she wanted Neil Gaiman’s, which I think is a fantastic choice).  It was an incredibly concrete talk that made me really ponder career goals and attitudes.  And here’s the best line from it.

Audience Member (speaking about benefits): “It’s in our publisher’s best interest for us to be alive.”

Holly Black: “Actually that’s not true.”

So now we know why it’s so hard for writers to get health care!

Karen Cushman advised us all that when it comes to our inner voices, it’s important to “separate the writer from the editor, the editor from the critic, and dump the critic.”

David Wiesner showed us how the shape of UFO’s and the movie The Shining, both inspired the picture book Tuesday.  He also literally illustrated how ideas can try for years and years to express themselves through different projects, before they finally manifest.

Sherman Alexie inspired us all with his charismatic speech and eloquently reminded us about the nature of writing as well as its purpose.  “You’re alone.  You are doing this alone.  But remember someone else is out there alone.”

And then, after so many insightful and inspiring words, we got to what the conference is all about.  Boooogying at the Blue Moon Ball!

Posted in Authors, Conference, Illustration, Nifty happenings, SCBWI

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Collect Them All!

August 5th, 2009 by Sara

So… as I may have casually mentioned… THE SCBWI SUMMER CONFERENCE IS COMING!  For me, this means checking out great stacks of books from the library, doing my homework on editors, and hitting the thrift store for clothes that say, ‘I’m professional, yet artsy, and you should give me a heap of money.’  I’ve never found quite the right outfit, but you should see the ‘publish me’ boots I got for this year.

I also made new business cards.  And by ‘made,’ I mean my brilliant artist of a husband designed them but I’m gonna take all the credit. 

They’re inspired by my book, The Harbinger, and the classic Rider-Waite Tarot card art.  Warning: Colors may not be as bright as in real life.

For a week, I stalked our mail carrier, hoping they’d arrive.  When they finally did, I was blown away. I’m can’t wait to swap them around this weekend.  Hey kids, collect them all!

Posted in Authors, Books, Conference, Nifty happenings, SCBWI

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Comic-Con 2009

July 30th, 2009 by Sara

Mid-July always feels like christmas to me. That is, if Santa was a Trekkie who loved kids’ books.  July means Comic-Con and right on its heels comes the SCBWI Summer Conference.

I can’t imagine any two events more saturated with great minds, creative talent, and genuine inspiration.  So it was with a huge grin on my face that I walked out onto the expo floor on Wednesday night.  And Comic-Con did not disappoint.

There’s an infinite number of ways to amuse yourself at Comic-Con, a point that my friend and fantastic artist Andy Mitchell literally illustrates here.

One of my favorite ‘distractions’ of the long weekend was Quick Draw!  It’s a battle of speed and humor pitting 3 artists against each other.  This year, it was Sergio Aragones from Mad Magazine, Scott Shaw from Hanna-Barbera, and Floyd Norman from Disney.

Displayed on giant projectors, their hands raced to draw a cross between a armadillo and a dung beetle, or to get a member of the audience to guess a secret word, or to illustrate scenarios.  Here’s Sergio Aragones’s answer to “Tragedy strikes Donald Duck.”

I also got a chance to hear Holly Black, author of Tithe and The Spiderwick Chronicles talk about outlining a novel and “the process of ingreatening it.”  She confessed that her original outlines often consist of “insert genius idea here” or “evil is defeated.”  It’s lovely to know that fascinating stories can still materialize out of humble beginnings.

She also spoke about how lazy her characters are.  Holly Black lamented that, while other writers talk about their characters dictating the story to them, her characters spend the whole book trying to get out of being the protagonist.   She quipped that they don’t want to go on a quest, they just wanna go home.  Again, I found these confessions from such a great writer very reassuring.

I had other shining moments this weekend.  Hearing Ray Bradbury talk about the moon landing, Eoin Colfer and Mary Pearson sharing their author experiences, and literally running into Seth Green.  But what struck me most is that Comic-Con is a giant party of people that all love the same things.  All kinds of artists gather together to show each other how they make their art and how much that art is appreciated. It’s a place where you can shake your hero’s hand and snap a picture.

Where you can meet the stars that make your favorite characters leap off the screen.  Or imagine what it would be like to be them.

Where the guy who made the homage t-shirt is thanked by the guy on the t-shirt.  Here it doesn’t matter if you’re an artist, a collector, a writer, a reader, an actor, or a fan. Because at Comic-Con, everyone is part of the same great story.

Posted in Authors, Books, Illustration, Nifty happenings, SCBWI, Writing

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Summer (conference) Reading

July 22nd, 2009 by Sara

When I was a kid, my library, like many others, had a summer reading program.  Every book I read racked up points towards stickers or McDonalds french fries or, my most coveted prize of all, the knotted pencil.  How did they even do that??

It was the highlight of my summer and I always read a ton of Newberys cause they were worth more points.  It’s also how I discovered one of my favorite all-time books, Journey Outside  by Mary Q. Steele, which, tragically, pretty much no one else has ever heard of.  Luckily, I read it enough times for all of you.

Sigh.  Those were the days.

Well, there’s no prizes for this list, but if you’re going to the SCBWI Summer Conference or you just want a good summer read, these books might come in handy.  These are some of my favorite books written by authors coming to this year’s conference.  It’s YA biased and I’m only including books I’ve read, so some great ones are probably left out.  I apologize in advance!

Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey -Awesomely dark fantasy, compellingly told in both first and third person.

King Dork by Frank Portman -Best made-up band names in the history of the world.

Catherine Called Birdy by  Karen Cushman -Cause medieval humor is the wackiest!

Tithe by Holly Black- Creepy fairies and teen angst…what better combination is there?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie – You will literally laugh and cry at the same time.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park -Exquisitely written, need I say more?

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee – It’s funny cause it’s true.  Millicent’s humor is totally authentic.

And lets not forget picture books!  A couple of my favorite illustrator/authors are going to be speaking at the conference this year.

Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino – I can’t say enough good things about this simple, perfect father/son story.

Tuesday by David Wiesner – Flying frogs.  Let me just be clear about this.  Flying. Frogs.

Whether you’re a writer or a reader, summer is a time for sitting on the porch, munching on an Otter Pop, and falling into a book.  And each one of these is a perfect place to spend your summer vacation.

Posted in Authors, Books, Conference, I heart this book, Illustration, Nifty happenings, Picture books, SCBWI

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Field Trip!

July 15th, 2009 by Sara

There’s nothing like a field trip to break out of the routine and make some trouble.  Today, a group of illustrator/writer friends of mine packed our lunches, got on the bus, and descended upon the best kids’ book store in LA.  And by “the bus,” I mean our gumless, bully-free cars.  And by “packed our lunches” I mean pancakes at John O’Groats.  Sometimes I love being a grown-up!

Children’s Book World is a wonderful, well-stocked bookstore full of staff who love books and want to help you fall in love with them too.  They’ll work hard to find a perfect book-match for you.  Or if you want to have a good book debate, they’re the right people: smart, funny, and with definite opinions.  It’s a joy to go there and see what’s new, what the staff likes, and what people are reading.

Last year when I read 1000 picture books in 100 days, the folks at Children’s Book World were lifesavers, creating delicious piles of books for me to read while I sat on their comfy couch.  By the time I got halfway through the pile, they had already replenished it with a never ending stack of perfect books.  As you can see, the tradition has continued.

It was also wonderful to have illustrator friends Ken Min and Karyn Raz there to share their favorite artists and new picture books.  There is nothing like savoring picture books in the company of picture book creators.

And I had a kids book first.  With my friend, Wilson Swain, there in the bookstore, I bought The Castaway Pirates, a great pop-up picture book that he illustrated.  Then, there in the store, he autographed it for me.  Today was definitely a day for reveling in creative successes, wonderful stories, and talented friends.

Posted in Authors, Books, Illustration, Nifty happenings, Picture books, The Great Picture Book Read

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Kite Tales RULZ!

April 1st, 2009 by Sara

Welcome Kite Tales readers and other nefarious individuals!

If you haven’t read the Spring 2009 issue of Kite Tales… hop to it. Especially page 24 (and 23).   All the cool kids are reading it.  You wanna be a cool, don’t you?

Posted in Conference, Nifty happenings, SCBWI, Writing

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Dead Leaves and Surprise Guests

October 1st, 2008 by Sara

I’ve never been a gardener, but when I moved 8 months ago, my mom came out for my birthday and helped me plant a gorgeous garden. Purples and blues and pinks rioted in front of my house. I have to say I was a bit perplexed when I saw the result. It was beautiful, but foreign. These weren’t the colors I usually surrounded myself with.

And for a while I was meticulous about the garden. The watering, the weeding, sometimes just going outside to admire it. I fought to save plants in distress and glowed when people complemented the flowers.

But somewhere around August it all went horribly wrong. Carnivorous plants devoured the weaker, less ambitious ones. A potted plant died a long and arduous death and I didn’t replace it. I skipped a watering day here or there. Then came the vacation.

I went out of town for a couple of weeks. When I got back, despite my neighbors’ best efforts, my garden was a mess. My basil had grown into a tree, my roses were sagging, and my window box could only be described as brown. Since I got back, I’ve been avoiding eye contact with them all. Watering them only when the guilt got too much. I just couldn’t face the overgrown, weedy mess I’d made.

Then today, I filled up the watering cans, pulled out the scissors, and made my first stab. I started pulling off the dead leaves. One by one. Immediately things looked brighter, cleaner, and one of the leaves even started waving it thanks. Waving? I took a closer look.

A lovely, alien praying mantis was dangling from the rosebush. She maneuvered her stick-like legs, trying to find a better perch. I watched in awe. Something wonderful had chosen to make her home here. I had a guest in my overgrown jungle.

Right then I decided, I would fix the place up. Weed out the clover, haul back the petunias, and replace the dead plants. And this time, I would fill my garden with oranges and yellows. This time, it would look like me.

Sitting down at my computer this morning and opening my novel revision, I make the same decision. Time to prune and replant. And somewhere in this tangle of words, maybe I’ll find a surprise guest.

Posted in Nifty happenings, Revision, Writing

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