Category Archives: books

Wild One

Posted in books, Owen, Wild One, Writing by

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I’m so happy to share that Wild One has finally come in. Wild One is a board book story that I had written about my late son, Owen. I had a friend and talented artist, Karen Gilmour, create the illustrations and then I gifted the book to my husband for Christmas. Let’s just say that I won Christmas this year. Can’t top this sweet book!

My goal for this book is for it to be used as a fundraiser for the wonderful foundation who built my son’s memorial playground: Where Angels Play. They are an amazing organization that brings so much joy to those who most need it. Soon I will partner with them to offer Wild One as well as another board book for sale. Please stay tuned for information on how you can purchase one for yourself. Also make sure you check out all of the great work Where Angels Play has done and continues to do.

These pictures though!:

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Looks so much like our Owen:

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Crossing the Finish Line

Posted in books, PiBoIdMo, Writing by

“The best kind of happiness is a habit you’re passionate about.”
― Shannon L. Alder

PiBoIdMo Winner!

PiBoIdMo is not just about coming up with 30 ideas, although that does help!, it’s about creating a habit. I’ve heard it said that it takes about 21 days to form a new habit. PiBoIdMo has helped me cultivate the habit of seeking out ideas and writing every idea, no matter how obscure, down.

 

I finished with 34 ideas and while many may never see the light of day, just the act of writing those sparks has created a life-long habit for me. That’s the key. I look forward to developing some of my PiBoIdMo ideas into drafts and continuing to look for inspiration everywhere.

 

Many thanks to Tara Lazar and all of the people who helped us along with their inspirational blog posts. Looking forward to making every month PiBoIdMo- that will be the best kind of happiness!

NJ SCBWI & PiBoIdMo

Posted in books, PiBoIdMo, SCBWI, Writing by

NJSCBWI

Had a wonderful day yesterday at the NJ SCBWI Fall Craft Weekend. I wish I could have gone both days but I still learned so much from just attending Sunday. I was feeling run down and woefully unprepared but managed to soak in as much as possible and meet lots of people. I had lots of positive feedback for my manuscript and I am so grateful for the opinions and insights from the editors and agents I worked with.

PiBoIdMo 2015

I’ve also been participating in this year’s PiBoIdMo with the wonderful Tara Lazar. Please check out her site here for more information. While it’s too late to sign up officially, you can still decide to come up with an idea each day for the rest of the month for your own benefit. It’s been wonderful and challenging and I can’t urge you enough to try it for yourself.

Off to write idea #9!

Plot-asaurus Rex

Posted in books, WorkInProgress, Writing by

I don’t plot the books out ahead of time, I don’t plan them. I don’t begin at the beginning and end at the end. I don’t work with an outline and I don’t work in a straight line.

~Diana Gabaldon

 

As a writer, I can completely relate to Diana Gabaldon’s quote. Sometimes it’s just a nugget of an idea and I build around that. Other times it’s a character that comes to life and I write about what they are doing. Anyway it happens, I love when I get a spark of a story.

This year’s KidLit Summer School is focused on plot and I’ve been trying to soak it all in while working on my W-I-Ps and balancing summer life with the kids. It’s not easy, to say the least. There is so much good advice happening that if you haven’t checked out Nerdychickswrite.com yet, you’re seriously missing out.

Today, writer Lee Harper talked about plotting with post-it notes which is something I’ve done myself. It works for me because I’m a visual learner and I need to see things in their place. This is helpful when plotting a book with post-its and not so helpful when rearranging furniture in your house.

Me: “Maybe you can just move it there so I can see what it looks like.”

Husband: “It won’t fit there.”

Me: “Just try.”

Husband tries. *grunts* *curses*

Me: “Yeah, you’re right it doesn’t fit there. Oh! How about over here?!”

(This conversation may or may not have happened MANY times)

If you just need to see something in it’s space, then plotting with post-its is for you. Check out this link to see Lee explain it much better than I can.

Books That Changed Your Life.

Posted in books by

There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.

–Marcel Proust

Believe it or not, I was a nonfiction reader most of my life. I enjoyed fiction but when I went to the library, I headed straight for nonfiction and always for the weirdest things I could find. I loved The Guiness Book of World Records and anything about Bigfoot or ghosts-still do!

In fifth grade, my teacher, Ms. Smelas, started a reading club with us. She separated us into two groups:boys and girls. Well, that didn’t sit well with me so I was the only student who refused to participate…at first. When I was finally persuaded, we read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved it. I also desperately wanted a garden space of my own and spent lots of time planning the layout of my own secret garden which appealed to the nonfiction part of me. What I’m trying to say is that a book has the ability to reach you somewhere deep inside that you aren’t even aware exists. It can transport your soul. The Secret Garden did that for me and I am forever grateful for Ms. Smelas and her sexist reading club.

Buzzfeed has a list of 67 Children’s Books That Actually Changed Your Life While I haven’t read all of the books on the list, I know quite a few of them and they are really great. A “Back to Childhood” Summer reading list may be in order. Will anyone look at me weird on the beach if I’m reading Beverly Cleary or The Babysitter’s Club? Would I even care? Nope.

What was the children’s book(s) that changed your life?

 

Real, or Not?

Posted in books, Jersey Devil, Monsters by

Came across this article about a book written by a Jersey Devil descendant, Bill Sprouse. The book titled, “The Domestic Life of The Jersey Devil: or, BeBop’s Miscellany” attempts to prod through family history to explain the story. While I do agree that the original tale of the demon being born to Mrs. Leeds could be explained away by saying she had a physically or mentally handicapped child, it doesn’t account for the sightings that have happened regularly since the 1700’s. Looks like an interesting read though and should definitely offer some insight into the Leeds family.

Submitted/An iconic image of the Jersey Devil

picture from shorenewstoday.com

Storyboarded

Posted in books, Writing by

Just ran across this interview with author Jo Knowles on Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s website. I really like the way she explains her storyboarding technique and I think it’s a good way to go, especially after reverse outlining your manuscript. Even if you aren’t creating a picture book, it’s good to know where your story stands visually. I always feel like if it won’t make for a good scene in a movie, then it might not make for a good scene in a book. I look forward to exercising my stick-figure drawing skills!

Happy Writing (and revising)!

 

 

Here’s the long form if the above link doesn’t work:

http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2013/2/8/interview-with-jo-knowles-on-writing-process-writer-advice-s.html

The End. (or the beginning?)

Posted in books, Writing by

I saw this article about the 100 Best Closing Lines from Books on the Twittersphere today and I loved it! As someone who used to always read the last page before starting a book (though I’m recently reformed of that habit), I prefer the last lines to the first lines. It’s the last line the you read over again as you breath that satisfactory sigh when you finish a great book. I never go back to the first line. For me, it’s not where the journey begins but where it takes you that counts. That’s what really sticks with you. I can’t choose my favorite but I really like The Great Gatsby’s “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” and Gone With The Wind’s “After all, tomorrow is another day.”-which I think is the most iconic.

http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/the-best-100-closing-lines-from-books#

If you are the opposite and love the way a book can capture you from the first line, then you are in luck. The same folks have a list of the 100 Best Opening Lines From Books.  I guess I would pick A Tale of Two Cities as having the most iconic first line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” I mean, who doesn’t know that(even if they don’t know what book it comes from)?

http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/the-best-100-opening-lines-from-books#

Now I have read quite a few of these but both lists remind me how much more great reading I have in front of me. It also makes me think, is there too much importance placed on the opening and end lines? I pictures writers staring at the blank computer screen in front of them as a bead of sweat slides down their brow. Their hands shake as they type the first line then instantly delete it in disgust. Nothing will ever be good enough for them.

 I say just write the damn line and move on. If you have a great story, the first or last line will not ruin it-unless they are really really awful, but I would hope that your editor or a good friend would at least let you know about it before you publish. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Some of the best opening lines are just good because they set you up for a great story-that’s what counts.

Enjoy the lists! Let me know what your favorite is or if you think a great line is missing.