Cuppa Jolie

SCBWI Pre-Conference Interview: Jean Feiwel

2011-12-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

As part of SCBWI Team Blog pre-conference interviews, I had the opportunity to chat with the wonderful Jean Feiwel on the phone.

From the SCBWI conference website:

Jean Feiwel's career in publishing started in 1976 at Avon Books where she rose from Editorial Assistant to Editorial Director of Books for Young Readers. In 1983, she was hired away to Scholastic. During her tenure as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher at Scholastic, Jean is credited with inventing middle grade series publishing with the creation of Ann Martin’s Babysitter’s Club, R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, Katherine Applegate’s Animorphs, and the historical fiction series, Dear America. When pressed, she will also admit to being involved with the acquisition and publication of the Harry Potter series. In February 2006, Jean left Scholastic and joined Macmillan as Senior Vice President and Publisher. At Macmillan, she has launched Feiwel & Friends, her own commercially minded hardcover imprint, as well as a paperback/backlist program culled from FSG, Henry Holt and Roaring Brook’s lists, called Square Fish. In January 2009, she was promoted to SVP Publishing Director of the new consolidated Macmillan Children’s division.

It was a real pleasure to speak with her. From our conversation, here are a few of the questions Jean answered for me:

You, along with three other industry professionals, will speak on a panel about Children’s Books today and tomorrow. In a time full of change, and at times negative talk, what gets you and keeps you excited and makes you feel optimistic?

I’m essentially a glass half full kind of person. I have always been enormously adaptable, and forward looking, and I love what I do. I love working with new authors and the ones that I’ve built already. I like the combination of discovering new talent while maintaining relationships that I’ve already established. The reason for the name Feiwel & Friends is: make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold. That represents my philosophy of publishing.

Young adult books are on fire right now. Why do you think young adult books are leading the way in the book sales and are today’s hot market?

I think that because there were plenty of middle grade series that sort of created that audience. I think Harry Potter being the most instrumental. I think Harry Potter was huge. I think it galvanized reading in general for kids, and for a whole population at a time. I think that’s part of it. And I think these things are cyclical. I’ve been around long enough to see there have been periods of times where young adult has been the dominant category and I’ve seen it over populate and max out in a way and sort of go into a hibernation. I’m not surprised to see it so strong at this point. I think Stephanie Meyer happened to be somebody who hit a cord at the right place at the right time. The audience was there and waiting.

In that whole cyclical nature of things, does that also bring hope and optimism for the picture book?

I really feel like the demise of the picture is strongly overstated. I found with working with the press, in some ways, they want to sell papers, they want people to read what they write, so they tend to exaggerate. This is certainly an exaggeration. I think there is no doubt that the picture book category has changed, in that, kids are being hurried through childhood and hurried through the category…Kids want to read that reading book that chapter book, they want to feel accomplished and if they’re are being read to from the time they are in utero then they are not going to sit there with Bread and Jam for Francis, they’re going to want to be pacing through, along side of their brothers and sisters, the older books, so I think that has contributed to the category being smaller or in decline. But I think that’s okay because I think all of us have over published in the category. I think that a lot of books that duplicate each other. It’s a matter of being smarter in your publishing, and more focused. There’s definitely still an audience there, and it’s just a matter of not flooding the category. That would make for a healthy business all around.

As you and your fellow editors look to acquire books, is there one element that grabs you each time, that one essential element?

I say this in my rejections letter, if I don’t emotionally connect with something I’m not going to respond to it. There’s something about the story that has to pull on my emotions in some way. It has to make me laugh. It has to be very dramatic. It has to surprise me. Something has to happen for me to respond to a story. Even it’s something I’ve heard a lot , even if it’s yet another vampire story, if there’s something in it that feels fresh or emerges in some surprising way I’ll will respond and go after it. There has to be something emotionally alive in it for me.

Don't miss your chance to hear from Jean Feiwel and many others at the upcoming SCBWI conference in NYC. Register HERE.

SCBWI Pre-Conference Interview: Ginger Knowlton

2011-12-12T20:13:00.000-08:00

I'm pleased to welcome Ginger Knowlton to Cuppa Jolie. Ginger will be sharing her views, along with three other agents, on the final panel of the conference: The Current Market for Your Work.

From the Curtis Brown LTD website.

Ginger Knowlton, Executive Vice President

Ginger Knowlton represents authors and illustrators of children's books in all genres, as well as a few adult book authors. Her list includes Newbery Medalists, Newbery Honor and Printz Honor winners, Edgar and Lambda winners, a Sibert and Orbis Pictus winner, New York Times bestsellers, and a host of other delightful and talented clients. Ginger started working at Curtis Brown as an assistant to Marilyn Marlow, one of the first literary agents to specialize in children's books in the 1960s. Working for Marilyn was a rite of passage, affectionately referred to as Curtis Brown’s "Boot Camp." Before joining the company, Ginger worked in the field of early childhood education in Sacramento and Mendocino, California. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Authors' Representatives and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Library in her hometown in Westchester County.

And now on to the interview. How I love ending with an SCBWI success story! Read on...

Conferences can be a bit overwhelming. What advice do you have for conference-goers, especially those attending for the first time?

Don’t be shy! Talk with other conference-goers, ask to sit with them at lunch, and if you came with a friend or group of friends, be sure to split up and do different things, so you can report back and share whatever you learned (or didn’t learn). Seek advice and camaraderie, and be open to listening as well as sharing. Go outside your comfort zone! Remember Eleanor Roosevelt’s wise words—“Do one thing every day that scares you.” (I’ll be doing that myself on January 29^th at the Grand Hyatt…)

Writers often ask, "How do I know when my work is ready to submit?" Do you have any sort of measuring stick or advice for knowing when?

My simple answer is: it’s ready when it sings ~ but I realize that’s subjective.

My short answer is: No.

Everyone works differently, and different things work for different people. Some people are blessed with writing partners/critiquers who offer advice and feedback that is spot on. Others are not so lucky, and still others don’t have partners or critiquers at all. I think what can often help is asking someone else to read your work aloud to you, or better yet, ask him/her to record himself reading it, and then listen to that recording by yourself and then with others. Do you like it? Do others? Are you fascinated and eager for more? If it’s a picture book, is it just too long? Would a youngster fidget? Would you, if you had to read it to said youngster time and again? Do you feel like the reader just didn’t get it and you could have done better reading it yourself? If so, there might be a lesson for you there—it may not be the reader’s fault at all. (Sorry!)

I know some authors finish a manuscript and decide to submit it to a lot of agents/editors at once—sort of flooding the field—and I recommend that you start out slower than that, in case you get actual feedback from someone who might help you make the submission stronger for the next round. While it’s important to be open to advice and other opinions, it’s also important to stay true to yourself and your writing. I realize this sounds cliché.

Do you have a particular pet peeve when it comes to receiving queries/submission?

Well, like everyone, I want the query to be addressed to me (Ginger Knowlton), not to Curtis Brown or Ginger Knowlton Clark or Agent or Tracey Adams (hey, Tracey!). And please take the time to proofread your queries and submissions so there are no misspellings. With spellcheck available, there’s just no excuse for that. I’m not saying I won’t read it if there are mistakes, but it is distracting, and why distract me from your writing when you’re hoping I’ll be enthusiastic about it?

Can you share with us a client's forthcoming or recently published book that you're extra excited about?

I cannot wait to see I’m Bored by Michael Ian Black, with illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, coming out in the fall of 2012—and it all came about because of SCBWI! Here’s a recap from Debbie herself: http://debbieohi.squarespace.com/mentees/2010/9/4/how-a-rejection-got-me-a-book-deal-my-career-changing-scbwi.html

Thank you so much, Ginger!

To register for the upcoming conference, or to learn more about SCBWI visit scbwi.org.

Monday Moment #132: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-10-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Monday Moment #131: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-09-13T14:25:00.000-07:00

No good, very bad blogger. That's me. Sorry for the inconsistencies lately. I should just say here and now, if it's a three day weekend (Monday being a holiday) there will be no Moment that day. Makes sense, right?But what happened to me yesterday? Honestly, life happened. I ended up with a family member at the ER (all is okay though). That threw my entire day for a loop.

Today is a Monday do-over of sorts. So, there ya go.

I know that in other parts of the country, school started in August, but here in the Seattle area, we just started last week. Yesterday was the first Monday of the school year. Truly, the school year in Seattle should run October to July, because our summer happens in August and September, but that's another subject.

So...the start of a new school year. And for us, it meant sending our oldest girlie off to middle school. *gasp* It's shocking. It was made harder by the fact that she was not at all looking forward to it. In fact, she was expecting her first day to be a no-good-horribly-very-bad day. Fortunately, because her expectation were so awfully low, it was actually all right. *phew* She even told a former teacher that she would give it a 7 out of 10. A huge relief for this mama, and yet, I can't believe she is a middle schooler.

Along with going back to school, there was some good old school shopping, which can be fun and insane all at once. But, one thing I especially noticed as we reached the end of summer was that the kids (and my husband) have favorite pieces of clothing they don't want to part with...no matter how stained, holey, or small they might be. Good grief!

Anyone else experience this? I'm sure I'm not alone.

My oldest has been wearing a pair of fake Uggs (even during the summer) and you can literally pull the toe up and see her little piggies inside. She also has a tank tap that had a small hole along her side that has now expanded into what looks like another arm hole. But does she want to get rid of them, or stop wearing them? NO! I believe this is a genetic thing passed on from my husband. (A little secret...when something gets *really* bad it might accidentally end up in the trash.)

What? What's that? Someone wants to call me out? Okay, fine! Maybe I have one or two things I have yet to let go of myself. So there.

How about your character? Does s/he have a favorite piece of clothing? (Describe it. Why is s/he they so attached? What would they do if something happened to it?)

Monday Moment #130: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-08-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a question for you: How do you turn one lizard into two guinea pigs?

What? You find that question strange? Oh...or you think it's some kind of joke with a punch line, maybe?

No...it's a little something my children made happen, with a little help from their dad.

So, here goes. This is how you do it. (Warning: you may not want your children to read this post.)

One morning, not long after my husband had left for work, I get a call from him saying, "Open the garage and tell the kids to meet me outside."

This can't be good. You're with me, right? Warning bells.

Sure enough, my hubby arrives with a shoe box which contains a lizard, a lizard that didn't want to take no for an answer (he couldn't get it to leave his van or the road). I don't have to tell you how my children reacted to seeing this clingy lizard, except to say it was the exact opposite of my reaction. I wasn't the one who wanted to keep it.

I had all sorts of arguments for why we shouldn't: we needed to know what it was; if it was safe for the lizard; if we could provide what it need; and oh...the fact that it eats LIVE crickets.

Fred the Lizard

The kids got right to work. Don't let your children tell you they can't research online because mine learned right quick that the lizard, the one which hitched a ride on their dad's bumper, was a Northwest Alligator Lizard. They knew what it ate and what it needed to be kept as a pet. Next step? Call the local pet store to see if they had the supplies needed to keep the lizard. And, even more important, to ask if it's okay to keep it? Maybe it would just be cruel to the little guy.

Pet store fail! They said, "Hey. No problem. We've got what you need. Come on down. Oh...and you'll probably want to get a cricket habitat so you don't have to continually buy crickets."

Oh, joy!

Because I was so excited about this lizard, I thought it was only fair for the girls to fork over their own money for half the costs (and they agreed...I should have requested all the costs). Of course as we loaded up on lizardy needs at Pet Town, the girls checked out the mice, hamsters, and gerbils. Then after the we received the total and handed over $70 (FOR A LIZARD!) my youngest said, "We should've just got the mouse. It was only a couple bucks."

EEEEERCH! Uh...what? Did we not just spend all this time and money for a lizard?

As we loaded up in the car, realizing after all of that we'd actually forgotten to get crickets and meal worms for the lizard, we had a conversation. I had to ask, "Do you really want a lizard? Or if you had a choice would you prefer to have another rodent-pet (we've had gerbils in the past)."

The answer was fast and clear...they wanted something warm-blooded again. (Frankly, I was open to this because it meant no more lizard.)

In we went, stating our buyer's remorse to the nice girl behind the counter. We were able to return all the lizard supplies and now make a decision about what furry pet to bring home: The cute little white mouse with brown spots that was only $2? Or, that fat hamster...he's awfully cute. Another gerbil? Oh, but don't forget the nice girl behind the counter told us how incredibly sweet the female guinea pig was.

Guinea Pig!?!

Seriously, those things are huge. And not $2.

But, okay...let's hold the guinea pig just to check it out. That little black guinea pig snuggled into the girls' chests and made sweet squeaky sounds, and then it was my turn to hold her.

Really? Why didn't anyone tell me that guinea pigs are so sweet. Not all squirmy and bitey like hamsters and gerbils. Well, there was no leaving without that pig. And on the way home, she was given her name: Charlotte.

Charlotte

And after the girls' Grandma and Papa fell in love with Charlotte, too, and the girls learned that guinea pigs are herd animals and are happier with a friend, Grandma decided she wanted to buy the girls a friend for their new addition. Welcome, Clarabelle.

Clarabelle

And what happened to the lizard that actually was given the name Fred? Well, we released him into the woods next to our house. And, believe it or not, not too many days later a very familiar looking lizard was under my hubby's van.

And that's how you turn one lizard into two guinea pigs.

Kids can be quite good at manipulating situations to get what they want. (Or at least mine are really good at doing it with me.)

What has your character been able to talk a grown up into doing or getting or saying?

What? No Monday Moment?

2011-08-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me for missing the Moment yesterday. A headache took me out yesterday and posting the Monday Moment fell low on the list of to-dos (only the have-tos happened).

And, as tempted as I am to get it post right now, I will not. I'm going to make the Moment wait, along with the laundry and other to-dos and I'm going to get the writing done first (especially since my children are currently not here).

Care to join me, anyone? (We'll get to the Moment some time later. Promise.)

Monday Moment #129: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-08-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

Whose lap am I all snuggled up on, you ask? Why that's just me and Judy Blume: an icon and my idol.

A giddy me with Judy Blume
(I'm not actually on her lap. She invited me to the arm of her chair.)

She was an absolute highlight for me. Judy Blume was the only reason I was a reader in Middle School. I've never really understood that whole freaking-out thing when someone sees a celeb they love and admire, that is until I was in the presence of Judy Blume. It all hit me; what she meant to me as a kid and what she means to me as a writer. The best part? She didn't disappoint. She's even more wonderful than I could have imagined, and I will forever remember her graciousness.

As much fun as I had in L.A., it was also so great to get home.

But something funny happened this time when my family picked me up from the ferry boat after I arrived back in Seattle. I sandwiched in the backseat of my parents' car right between my two girlies: the best place I could be. After I kissed and squeezed each of them, my youngest said, "You smell funny." Just what a mama wants to hear upon returning home.

So then my oldest gave me a whiff. "Yeah, you smell weird."

I replied, "Well, I probably smell a bit like hotel, and airplane, and train, and ferry with an added touch of Judy Blume (that above picture had only been taken hours before)."

Later, when I finally saw my husband, he said the same. "You don't smell like you."

It got me thinking about personal scents and where they come from: our homes, laundry detergent, foods we eat, and especially the products we use. All of those items that create my scent had changed over the week. The mix was all wrong, and my family could tell.

What are some of the things your character does and some of the items your character uses that create his/her scent (or that of another character your MC is around a lot)?

Monday Moment #128: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-08-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

So much going on I'm not even sure what Moment to tell you about today: I'm gearing up to leave for the big SCBWI Summer conference; I'm preparing to welcome over 200 during an Orientation just before the big event kicks off; We've been figuring out chore schedules and allowance for our girlies; My youngest girlie and I just ran in her first race, a one-mile fun run; and, we turned a lizard into two guinea pigs (now that's a story...and probably one that requires more time than I have today).

So...now to decide. What should today's Moment be?

I choose...FUN RUN.

And it was so much fun.

At the end of this last school year my girls had a to do a one-mile run at school. I have horrid memories of running one mile for academic fitness tests and I usually did anything and everything to get out of them. My oldest girlie (11) feels the same way. But there was something about that one mile and running that my youngest (9) really enjoyed.

She ran it at school in just over 11 minutes. When we talked about it later, I mentioned how running is sport you can compete against yourself in, and she was into it. A summer goal became improving that one-mile time. We got her a great pair of running shoes and started to hit the track two to three times a week.

Then came this Saturday; a community in our area had a Whale of Run. Skylar and I got up early and drove the 45 minutes to sign up and run; a really different experience without being on a track and running along side all those other runner.

Skylar and her proud Mama pre-race.

We were sort of left in the dust as most took off a bit too fast. Of course they started to hit a wall a quarter mile in or so, but we kept on our pace. A pesky side ache slowed us down a bit but we pushed on. Skylar was determine and I tried to keep her motivated. I think she really enjoyed the fact that about half-way along, we started passing other runners.

It was hard to tell how our pace was comparing to our typical runs. Skylar had so far improved her time by quite a bit. Her best time, 10:28. So as we rounded the corner and could spot the finish we pushed a bit more. Then the clock came into view, and we could see a 9! A 9. Could we possible get our time under 10 minutes?

We made our final push to the finish and I believe we crossed that line right about 9:55. What an amazing improvement. And, So. Much. Fun.

Skylar after the race. She now says her favorite number is 186.

I was (and still am) a proud Mama. And even if she didn't say it, I know Skylar was proud of herself. And she's looking forward to another run in the future. She even said, maybe next year we can run the four mile. Amazing.

Now, I'm not a runner. I may be a fitness-loving freak. But I'm a gym rat. But let me tell you, I will run to the ends of the Earth with that kids. Pure joy. Chokes me up a bit.

It seems like there are so many questions that can be asked about character from this experience, so feel free to come up with one that might work best for your character's situations, but I'll ask this one:

What is one activity your character finds common interest in with an adult (parent, mentor, family member)? (Could certainly be positive or negative.)

Monday Moment #127: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-07-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

Monday Moment #126: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-07-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my characters better just by answering the question. I hope you do too.)

Holy Big Sky Bungle. I thought TODAY was Monday. I'm so off my game. Well, hopefully I can get pass as I'm on the road and yesterday was my 13th wedding anniversary. Ahhh!

I'm blogging live from what my husband has dubbed Grammapalooza. Although, he doesn't have it quite right since it's more like a Grandparentpalooza, but the former sounds better. It's also been affectionately called The Silver Hair Tour.

We are currently trekking through the Big Sky state, visiting our six lovely grandparents (yes...SIX). I will say we are blessed to have so many of them still in our lives. They are all in three different cities in Montana, so we are driving a big triangle under this great big sky. First Missoula then Great Falls finally ending up in Livingston where we'll celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. Double Ahhh!

So, I won't stay here long, but share a few things we've done and seen. One grandma visited, kissed, and loved on. A full day at the Splash Montana, where no sunscreen was enough to keep our Seattle skin from getting pink. Some sweet fawns relaxing and chasing and nursing (vigorously). An ice cream cone from the famous Big Dipper Ice Cream, but the licking had to be brisk in this heat. So far, nothing but delight.

One mention of something I found funny: As I drove into Montana there was suddenly big splatters on my windshield, sounding just like rain beginning to fall as it often does in the Seattle area. I had to tell myself, that's not rain and ask (in my own mind), What is that? It was very BIG bugs reaching an unfortunate state of splat on my windshield. Ha!

Has your main character ever taken a road trip? If so where, why, and what kind of different and wonderful experiences did they have?

SCBWI Team Blog Exclusive Interview: Laurie Halse Anderson

2011-07-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

SCBWI couldn't have called on a better writer to cap off this summer's conference experience, as they'll bring Laurie Halse Anderson to the stage to deliver the final keynote and send conference-goers on their way to tackle creative endeavors.

That said, before we get any further, if you have any wish, desire, inkling, etc. to go to the summer conference, the time to register is NOW. For the first time in SCBWI history, they will be closing registrations. Go HERE to register. Registration will close on Monday, July 18th and no part-time or walk-in registrations will be allowed.

But let's get back to Laurie. Laurie Halse Anderson is the award-winning and best-selling author of many books for children of all ages, including SPEAK and CHAINS (both National Book Award finalists).

It's a real treat to welcome Laurie Halse Anderson here to Cuppa Jolie.

One of your Facebook status updates last week said, “Laurie has been writing all week and is very happy about that.” With a very busy life and schedule, how do you ensure you get the writing time you need? And, can I take a guess that perhaps this will be a bit of what you’ll discuss during your conference break-out (The Nuts and Bolts of Crafting a Creative Life:Finding Lost Time and Reclaiming Creativity)?

It has become a little easier to make writing time now that our youngest has flown the nest. However, as our kids (all four of them) were starting to drive themselves to soccer practice and not require homework help, we became responsible for our elderly parents. And - to my shock and horror - I've found that being a published author actually takes time away from writing, instead of magically creating more hours in the day. I have developed a few Highly Secret Methods over the years, though, enough to have helped me carve out the time to write 27 books in the last 18 years. I'm looking forward to sharing them with everyone!

How has your writing life changed, if at all, since you’ve been in your lovely writing cottage?

The cottage is heaven on earth because I can relax there, free from the nagging worry I might be interrupted. It is also lovely to be able to look around the space and NOT see undone household tasks like laundry that needs to be put away or tumbleweeds of dog hair. But the absolute best aspect of it? That would have to be a tie between the beauty of the space and the the luxury of solitude. While I love traveling and meeting readers and fellow writers, the truth is that I am deeply introverted. Spending time around other people drains all the creativity and ink from my soul. The solitude of my cottage in the woods helps refill it.

(See video of Laurie's writing cottage below.)

You’ve experienced the bumpy ride of having your books challenged. How do you continue to write without fear, or have the challenges only created a fire in you when it comes to story and honesty?

The first couple of dozen times my books were challenged, I took it very personally. I bawled like a baby and wasted untold days paralyzed by the thought that anyone would think I'd ever seek to harm a child.

Then I got over myself.

Book challenges say very little about the book being targeted (or the author!) and rather a lot about the people bringing the challenge. Our intellectual freedoms are worth standing up and fighting for. I'm happy to plunge into battle when the trumpets sound!

You’ll be sending conference-goers on their way, following your closing keynote. Can you give us a little taste of your talk: Daring the Universe?

Here's a sneak peek of my keynote:
1. Life is short.
2. Death is guaranteed.
3. Given Point 1 and Point 2, you have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by embracing your creativity every day!

A huge thank you to you, Laurie.

For the rest of you, those already registered I'm certain you're looking forward to the big event beginning August 5. Everyone else...hurry, hurry, hurry so you can join us too. But, if you can't be with us in LA, SCBWI Team Blog has you covered as we'll be be blogging live from the conference floor.

Monday Moment #125: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-07-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my characters better just by answering the question. I hope you do too.)

Last Monday, the 4th, blew up on me! Not in a bad way. But in a busy Fourth of July way. Hope your day was as fun as mine. I was hoping to at least type a, See ya next week message. But I couldn't even get that much done.

Being with friends (ones that are like family) on the Fourth got me to thinking about nicknames--especially nicknames for family members. I don't think there is a family anywhere where every person goes by their traditional title: Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, etc. Somewhere along the line a nickname comes along and it usually happens in a very organic way. (In my experience, a forced nickname never works.)

In our family's case, I have dear girlfriends that have been Aunties to my girls since Day One. That said, when my oldest was barely two, instead of calling my friend Auntie Roz, she became Uncle Roz (I think because she had been around uncles more than aunties). On top of that, Uncle Roz had a handsome boyfriend (who later became her husband). His name: Gabe. So when our oldest spoke of them, they became Uncle Roz and Uncle Babe, which was too cute.

The girls with Uncle Babe

On another family note, one of our youngest's first words was Sis, and she's called her big sister that ever since. When she was young if she was asked, "What's your sister's name?" her answer was, "Sis." And still today, to hear her say he sister's given name doesn't even sound right. She will forever call her Sis (and she's the ONLY one who does).

And, now about personal nicknames? I had a couple: Squirt and JD (both were my dad's nicknames for me). As for shortening my name, I didn't like it (still don't). I never wanted anyone to call me Jo. The only person who ever did, or ever I ever let, call me Jo was my little brother.

What nicknames are in your character's family and how did they come about? Does your character have any nicknames?

Monday Moment #124: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-06-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my characters better just by answering the question. I hope you do too.)

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER! (sing it with me)
SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!

But, oh man... I already miss school. I miss it in several ways.

I miss it as a teacher. I'm not a regular classroom teacher any longer, but I have been working weekly with a group of home-schooled students. I miss that. I wish I could keep working with them all year long.

Then there's the things I miss as a mom. I miss the routine the school year brings. You know, there's that magical time when the kids are at school and time belongs to me and not to the kids. Call me selfish, but I find that time rather lovely.Then there's just the regularity bedtime, and other schedules. Not that there's no longer a bedtime, it's just different.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the warmer weather (the VERY little we've had of it) and additional time with the girlies, but...well, you know. I mean really, on day one they were ALREADY saying, "I'm bored."

Seriously!?!

I have to believe, that even for the kids, there is something about school that the they miss once summer hits. I'm sure it's different for each kid, but there's something.

What does your character miss about school over summer break?

SCBWI Team Blog: First-time Attendee Pre-conference Interview

2011-06-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

As part of our Team Blog interviews, I'll be chatting with several people (published and not) who will be attending an international SCBWI conference for the first time this summer. Those of us who have attended before know it can be both exciting and overwhelming.

This year SCBWI will be offering an opportunity to attended a First-time Attendee Orientation just prior to the open of the conference on August 4. The 45 minute session will provide a bit a of peek into the weekend and offer some insight on how to make the most of conference. If you're already registered, watch your email for more details.

When I inquired on Twitter about who was attending for the first time, Patti Gabrielson was the first to raise her virtual hand, and it was my pleasure to invite her here for a quick chat.

Welcome to Cuppa Jolie, Patti. This will be the first time I've interviewed a first-time conference attendee here. So, thank you for taking the plunge with me. I certainly wish we were in my living room so I could share a true cuppa with you.

Can you share with us a little bit about yourself?

I am attempting to get into illustrating children's books. I started this journey about seven years ago. Like a silly rookie, I had an idea for a children's book when my daughter was about 2 yrs old. I thought I'd write it, draw some pictures and boom. . . "they'd" start calling me, wanting to give me millions of dollars.

About two years ago my journey became more realistic. That's when I joined the San Diego chapter of SCBWI. I am now on a much more realistic path. I have a better understanding of the steps to take and how to take them. My portfolio isn't quite ready, but I'm planning on showing it at the L.A. Conference, along with a book dummy of that idea I had seven or more years ago.

Sounds as though the San Diego Chapter has already been of great benefit to you. I'm guessing then that you've attended regional conferences and events.

Our monthly meetings have been both inspirational and informative. We've had speakers such as Literary Agent, Kelly Sonnack with the Angela Brown Literary Agency talk about contracts. . . before you sign. A panel of some of our self published authors discussed the pro's and cons of self publishing (which runs through many of our minds). Author/Illustrator D.J. MacHale gave a very entertaining presentation at a meeting. Joy Chu of http://www.gotstorycountdown.com/ attends all of our meetings and gives us fantastic advice on a monthly basis. And author, Nancy Sanders, was an amazing speaker at one of our meetings. The chapter meetings offer all of this plus so much more.

If all of that doesn't get you excited to write or draw, we also had a one-day conference with literary agents and editors that filled our day with advice, information and insight to the publishing world. And for the illustrators, award winning artist, David Diaz, provided portfolio reviews, more information and humor.

And then there was a workshop this past weekend. We (illustrators) got to spend four fabulous hours with Priscilla Burris as she, and Joy Chu, went over portfolio standards for submission and advice for the L.A. conference. It was so cool!

What I have a hard time believing is that everyone in the world of children's books is so willing to help each other. SCBWI seems like such a well oiled wheel. Everybody is so kind, happy and energetic. As I told my husband, "I've found my peeps".

You have great things happening there in the San Diego Chapter! And I agree, there are no better people than those in children's books and SCBWI. It's a huge reason I LOVE to go the the international conferences, especially the summer conference which is quite social.

What made you decide to go to this summer's conference in L.A.? (It's the 40th anniversary, too. Lots in store!)

I reached the point where I had to stop procrastinating and just go for it. We had just finished our one day conference in February. I was still jumping with excitement, when I decided that I needed to take the next step. The point of no return. (Oh, what have I done!)

You've signed yourself up for a great time, loads of new friends, and a wonderful learning experience plus a super dose of inspiration.

Is there a particular session or part of the conference you are most looking forward to?

Oh my gosh, to pick just one? Many artists have his/her styles well developed. But it's been years since I've drawn on a regular basis. So Monday's Illustrators Intensive is going to be very cool for me. To watch these incredible artists do their thing will be so fun.

I'm also so excited to find out all that I can about e-books and apps. I work digitally and I'm ready to jump into the new digital horizons.

I'm glad you mentioned the Intensives, as this is a new format to the summer conference. And, in case you missed it, Team Blog member Jaime Temairik posted details about the Illustrator Intensive and she also has several great interviews with the faculty. Check 'em out.

But here's the big question: Do you have your pajamas picked out for the 40 Winks Ball?

It's odd, but none of the stores seem to have a pajama section of big, bright, slightly obnoxious pj's. Go figure. But if I can find it, I'll be the one wearing orange and white polka-dot jammies.

Ah, orange and white polka-dot jammies. Appropriate for you! (Check out Patti's website and you'll know why.) I'm so glad to hear you'll be there! It's an event not to be missed.

Do you have one main worry or question about being at the conference for the first time?

ONE? I'd say I have about one hundred. There will be so many attendees that have been doing this for a while, with such great talent. I guess my main worry is that my work will look so lame next to theirs. But I know that's just part of the game!

Not lame, just different. And who would their work to look like another illustrator's. Only you can do Patti!

Thank you so much for chatting with me, Patti. You already have a new friend from the conference and it hasn't even happened yet. I look forward to meeting you in person, and seeing your work.

Let's have a cuppa something together while in L.A.!

If you haven't registered for the conference here's where you need to GO.

Monday Moment #123: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-06-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

On top of that, my mom pulled out a journal she's kept with funny and sweet stories about her grandkids. It's so nice to have those stories written down.

Here are two stories, one about each of my girlies, written by my mom. Both girls were about 2 and a half when the following happened.

Madison's story:

Madison discovered her roaring voice during the month of October. She was very good at it too! It was a lion-roaring voice as far as she was concerned and she was quite proud to show it off to all.

For quite a while, when asked, Madison said she would be a lion for Halloween. Somewhere, somehow, sometime that changed. Her mom bought her a beautiful lion costume, but when asked shortly after that purchase she exclaimed, "I want to be a doctor for Halloween."

I think a bit of "lion persuasion" started, to no avail. Madison wanted nothing to do with the lion costume.

One day, shortly after all of the discussion and questioning about what Madison would be for Halloween, her mom asked the controversial question, "Madison, what do you want to be for Halloween?"

Madison's reply? "Not a lion!"

Here's a photo of from that Halloween.

NOT A LION!

Skylar's story:

Skylar loves Mommy's arms. She loves to rub, pinch, and scratch. (Mommy doesn't like the pinching and scratching.) So Mommy told Skylar that if she pinched Mommy's arm she would have to stop reading a book.

Daddy said, "What's Mommy going to do if you pinch her arm?"

Skylar said, "Stop reading the book and put it away."

Daddy said, "How would that make you feel?"

Skylar said, "Sad, and then I would cry. And call Mommy poo-poo head, bad Mommy."

Those dimples help ease the pain of being called poo-poo head, bad mommy.

Ah, I love those girlies. It's fun to recall those memories. And hearing these stories made the girls crack up.

Childhood stories, those that are sweet, funny, and embarrassing, are often told by family members or others. Whether it's a fun experience for a kid or horrible depends on the story, who's telling it, where it's being told, and the kid him/herself.

What's a story recalled and told about your main character and what's that experience like for him/her?

SCBWI Team Blog Exclusive Interview: MARY POPE OSBORNE

2011-06-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

I raised my hand high for the chance to interview the incomparable MARY POPE OSBORNE as part of our SCBWI Team Blog Exclusive interviews.

Mary Pope Osborne is the author of one of the most successful children's book series EVER: The Magic Tree House series. The first Magic Tree House book, Dinosaurs Before Dark, came out in 1992. Now both #46 and #47 are available for pre-order and are as popular as ever.

I first knew Mary Pope Osborne as a teacher. For my students, reading a Magic Tree House book meant they had reached a huge milestone. Once they had read one they could declare, "I'm a chapter book reader." So exciting. Although, not all young readers may know Mary Pope Osborne's name, they know her beloved characters: Jack and Annie. And they can rattle off title after title of her popular books.

Mary Pope Osborne will be a giving a keynote, as well as conducting a breakout session during the SCBWI summer conference in LA.

And now, welcome to Mary Pope Osborne!

Your MAGIC TREE HOUSE series is really a series like no other. You can now pre-order both books #46 and #47. How do you maintain your inspiration and joy as you continue to work on such a successful and well-known series.

First I love my readers – kids between 5 and 9 are the most generous human beings on earth. They always give me encouragement and inspiration. (One young reader once sent me an apple and some marshmallows in case I needed a snack break from my writing.) Second, I love my characters Jack and Annie. I’ve come to think of them as friends and always look forward to finding out how they’ll behave in new times and places. Third I love exploring and researching all those different times and places. In fact, doing research for each book is the most fun part of the work and often dictates the plot and story elements. I’m always on the lookout for new information that will help keep the series fresh.

Somewhere along the way, has the success of the series ever brought fear that got you "stuck" as you moved forward to the next book?
This may sound hard to believe, but I honestly don’t think about the success of the series. I think about writing the stories for my husband Will who is my sounding-board, and I think about my editor Mallory Loehr who has worked on every single book. And I think about Jack and Annie and let them tell me what they would do and how they would feel in the places and situations I create for them.

If I stick to the task at hand, following Jack and Annie moment by moment, I never seem to get stuck. My advice for writers is not to worry about the sales of your work or even whether it’s “good”, but rather, invest yourself in the process of writing for the joy of the experience.

Such great advice!

Before Magic Tree House you published several other books. Do you ever dream up stories and characters unrelated to MAGIC TREE HOUSE?

Actually I had published at least twenty other books before I started the series; and I continue to write other books. Many of my books were retellings of mythology and folklore, including a six-part series of tales from the Odyssey. I’ve also written a number of Dear America books, picture books, YA novels, two mysteries, biographies, and works of nonfiction, such One World, Many Religions. All these works have helped the Magic Tree House series, as I incorporate myth, history and biography into Jack and Annie’s adventures.

And, you must tell us about all those adorable pups on your website's home page.

Oh, they are so glad you asked about them. Joey and Mr. Bezo are Norfolk terriers, and like many terriers, they are little demons with huge personalities and a great resistance to being obedient. They rule our house and have us very well-trained. The third dog, Little Bear, is a precious adoptee whom I first saw walking blithely down a country road. I liked to think he was waltzing into our lives to the tune of Moon River. He’s been a blissful companion ever since and endlessly tries to discipline his two scrappy brothers.

Thank you, Mary! I can't wait to meet Jack and Annie's creator in L.A.

For more, here's a great video interview about her creative process.

If you haven't registered for the conference yet you're in luck! Early registration (at a discount) will remain open until Monday, June 20th. Take advantage. Sign up HERE.

Monday Moment #122: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-06-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

She can make that mouth of her into the perfect sad arch. Actually, I don't even think that's her best effort, it's just the only picture I have. Oh...I'm such a proud mom.

This got me thinking about characters and their physical quirks. Most people have some strange thing they can do with a body part that many others can't. (No dirty jokes here, people!) Sometimes it's something embarrassing that is kept hidden. Other times it's used as a form of entertainment, whether it's because it's comical or disgusting.

What physical quirk does your character have?

Monday Moment #121: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-06-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

I got to thinking about this as my girls started to brainstorm names for their own email addresses. Unfortunately they came up with quite a few which were surprisingly already taken, but each was appropriate for them and their personalities.

Not all our characters will have an email address or a character might not use email in a story, but knowing what their email "name" or id would be can tell us something about them.

What is your character's email address (or what would it be if they had one)?

Monday Moment #120: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-05-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

We don't have any big traditions for this particular weekend. Well, that's not all true. We do have a backyard campfire (in the fire pit) and roast hot dogs and marshmallows. But, no special outings. No camping trips (really, it's never warm enough in the Seattle area over this holiday weekend to think about camping). Just time at home.

This weekend started for us early when the phone rang late morning on Wednesday. We had a sick girlie at school. My husband brought her home, only to be greeted by a sick dog (and you all know how you figure out the dog's been sick!). Then, soon after, another call from the school. Our second girlie...down. Fevers. Tummy aches. Headaches. Bleck! And I was already sick, so my hubby had four sickies to take care of.

So a bit of a quiet weekend it's been, but still with some desire to get something done.

For us, I'm not sure why, we decided to rearrange our bedroom. Done that recently? It's a bit of risk because you're not sure (at least we weren't) if it will work, and all fit the way you hope it will, or if you'll even like it. But we did. Or we do! It's like a whole new room. (Although, I am still trying to adjust to being on the opposite side of the bed.)

The only thing I wish is that we would have come across something long forgotten, or lost. Unfortunately, all we found was a lot of dust.

What has your character discovered when rearranging/cleaning a bedroom, cleaning out a closet, cleaning beneath the bed, etc.?

Monday Moments #120: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-05-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

The down side of this post is that there are no video clips to attached, because attach I would. The girls came a bit before the whole digital explosion (for video). Sadly. Now all those weird, small cassettes need to be transferred to CD.

Has your character seen video of their much-younger self? If so, what was their experience like? Or, if not, why?

Monday Moment #119: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-05-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

"She looks like someone who would eat people." Yep! This is the line that caught my ear and made me keep listening.

"It looks like a diamond booger."

Girl One: "How much do you weigh?"

Girl Two: "Uh, about 106 pounds."

"Girl One: "I think I weigh about 109."

A bit later, 109 lbs. says to 106 lbs., "Your hands look really skinny right now. I don’t know why."

Now, they are dancing. One teaching the other dance moves right here, about four feet from my table.

I wonder what they'd do if I asked them if I could learn, too?

Maybe I should start to beat box.

Who can get anything done when there are dancing teens in the room? Not me.

Okay... dancing is done. Back to eavesdropping.

"Well, I'm a loner so..."

And, back to dancing.

"I'll never go anywhere without my eyeliner. I have gel black eyeliner. I have black pencil eyeliner. I have purple black eyeliner..." (Oh, I give up. I can't keep up with that many eyeliners. There must have been 8 or more.

No, no, no. Don't whisper. Now I can't hear a thing!

Ah...they're packing up, heading to dance class. Bye, girls. It was fun. Always a learning experience.

But now, three older teen girls have just joined the party. Let the next round of eavesdropping begin.

Q: When has your character eavesdropped and what did they hear?

Monday Moment #118: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-05-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad

The plotting began.

At first, I didn't think the party would be all that large: just some close friends and a few family members who might be able to make the trek all the way to the peninsula. Knowing that I would also have many friends and family who wouldn't be able to join us, I wanted arranged a most lovely gift to commemorate the special anniversary, as well.

But...SURPRISE! I ended up being the first to be hit by the unexpected. I thought that we might have an intimate gathering of 20 to 25, but the party grew and GREW. Suddenly I was expecting 50 plus at a party I was hosting in our home. Whee...let the ride begin.

The surprises for my parents started small. First, I had to be very nonchalant (ie. keep it cool and not panic) when my mom starting talking about plans she might make herself. On the Wednesday before the party, as my mom struggled to figure out what she and my dad should do, or where they should go, I told her that my brother and I had just talked and we really wanted to a have a special dinner for them on Saturday. Of course I was sure to let her know that we didn't want to ruin their plans *wink wink*, but we'd really like to celebrate with them.

Success. The set-up was in place.

The start of big surprises started the next day, beginning with four of seven family members arriving from out-of-state. They rented an incredible house right on the bluff of in Port Townsend overlooking the ferry dock.

My dad and oldest with the magnificent view. If you look close you can see Mt. Rainier.

My parents didn't suspect a thing until I called them on Thursday afternoon and asked them to meet me in town.

"Why?" my mom asked.

"Because I want you to see a friend's house."

"Okay." She said with great suspicion. "Where should we meet you?"

"The Post Office."

"The Post Office?"

"Yes. Park at the Post Office and call me when you park."

You'd be confused too, right? You see, this great house was directly across the street (from the PO).

When they arrived, I walked them into a strange house, and of course they were utterly confused. Until they saw this view, as well as my grandparents, great aunt, and cousin sitting below in the living room. Joy!

View from the entryway of the house. We never tired of the view.

This is when the tears started, and continued for a few days.

Surprise two was my uncle's arrival later that night.

Followed by surprise three, the following day, when my dad's cousin and his wife arrived. Seven family members from four different states. It was wonderful.

View again from entryway. We had a great time hanging out there.

By the time all arrived, I said to my parents, "So, a few more people are joining us for dinner tomorrow."

And, I'm sneaky. I dropped hints like, "I'm going to dress up tomorrow. I like to have a reason to wear a pretty dress."

The preparations started bright and early on Saturday morning, as I scrambled around, cleaning house, picking up the cakes and flowers, plus some cleaning and chopping. Then all the food and drink came out from their hiding places, and family arrived to be extra hands as the kitchen geared up for the big event.

All the craziness revealed the next surprise. Clearly I was preparing for something much larger than a family dinner.

"There will be some friends joining the celebration," I told my parents and then I continued directing in the kitchen. Frankly, I was panicked it wouldn't all get done, but somehow, at the last minute, it all came together. Beautifully!

My Great Aunt Liz works with my girls putting together caprese bites.

The doorbell began ringing, and with each person who walked through the door I watched my parents' eyes light up. I think that might have been the biggest joy of my day.

Entrway table of the party, celebrating a beautiful couple.

As person after special person came through the door, our home filled with about 60 people, most traveling quite a distance to celebrate a special couple.

But the surprises weren't over. One that had been in the works for a while.

Richard Jesse Wastson and his wife Susi were two of our special guests. About an hour into the party, an easel and a covered something-or-other was placed in the living room. We gathered and I attempted to thank everyone for coming and say some special words to my parents. That said, I was so choked up, I struggled a bit (or a lot) to get it all out.

Trying to hold it together.

Richard then helped me unveil a gift given to my parents from their many friends and family: a commissioned piece of art done by Richard.

Richard Jesse Watson talks about the painting, and some special touches.

It was a most beautiful surprise.

My mom has said many time, "Someday I would love to own an original piece of Richard's." But more in a dreamy-wouldn't-it-be-wonderful sort of way.

Now, not only do they own one, but it was done just for them, filled with many things special to them: the beach, mountains, moon, eagles, and heart-shaped rocks (something they collect). And to make it that much more special, sprinkled on that beach are forty heart-shaped rocks. Perfect.

Art by Richard Jesse Watson from loving friends and family to celebrate my parents' 40 years.

I'm sure it's pretty obvious that this was far more than a Moment for me and my family...but let us not for get the Moment and the prompt. And thanks for letting me share this beautiful celebration with you.

What surprise(s) has your character pulled off?

Monday Moment #117: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-05-02T17:55:00.000-07:00

Monday Moment #116: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-04-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my characters better just by answering the question. I hope you do too.)

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, whether it be from finally seeing sunshine, a lovely Easter celebration, eating some yummy candy, or all of the above. I have to say, the sun finally coming out in the Seattle-area brought some much needed sanity.

My hubby and I had a very early start to Easter. This was a preparation, organization, and communication issue. Meaning, we didn't do any of it well enough.

How about we start with the fact that I left the basket center pieces (huge Belgium chocolate eggs) in the back of the car, which ended up in direct sunlight. Not pretty. The eggs pretty much imploded.

That was just one issue.

In the early evening, I could have been stuffing eggs and filling baskets, however I couldn't because all of the Easter essentials were up in storage in an area I couldn't get to alone. Not a big deal except for the fact that my husband ended up needing to work ridiculously late, which left me alone to munch on Easter candy and wait...wait...wait.

The hubby finally rolled in around 12:30 AM. Happy Easter. It was time to fill baskets, stuff eggs, hide eggs, and oh, yeah...remember we always send the kids on a scavenger hunt. So we got to work. And, of course, on a night when we are already doing it things way too late, my hubby prepares a fairly elaborate hunt.

Here he is at about 2:30 AM, hanging a clue (that had to be found using binoculars) on the fence, wearing his boxers and boots. Nice look, no? It gave a me a good early morning giggle.

He's pinning up a paper bird that has a clue written on it.

We finally crashed around 3:00 only to hear our kids stirring just before 5:00 AM. I kid you not. The tone was serious when I told them to go back to sleep. And if they couldn't sleep to just try to. And that there would be no talking until 6:00 AM. And that the adults were not to be woken up until 7:00.

But it all ended up worth it. I don't have a picture of them looking through the binoculars at the bird clue, but I love this one of them looking at a clue that was taped to the ceiling.

They did request that this basket and egg hunt be more challenging, and I think they got what they wished for (even if it meant their parents were up way too late).

When has your character wished for something to be more challenging?

Monday Moment #115: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-04-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

It's taken me a while to get here, but *here* I am. And happy to be so.

I'm fresh off an incredible conference. If you were there, you know. Unbelievable, huh? If you weren't, well then you have to travel to Seattle next April because, DANG, this region knows how to put on a show. And this year's faculty was A-mazing. I've been to too many conferences to count, and this was one conference where I didn't feel like I was hearing the same thing over again. Loved it.

That said, coming out of this conference, I have mentors on my mind.

So, as you know from the previous post, I hosted a little Orientation for the first-time attendees. Well, maybe not so little since there were over 100 first-timers.

Here's one of them.

Look at how terrified that little robot looks.

One of the pieces that I think makes the Orientation so successful is that many (like 55 attendees) volunteer to be mentors. They come into the conference early and meet several attendees, in a sense taking them under their writerly/illustratorly/conference-goerly wings. (Mouthful, anyone?) Love that.

Not only that, but during lunch on Sunday, there was a special announcement. SCBWI WWA gave it's first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award and it went to one of my mentors, Peggy King Anderson. Man, I love that lady!

Here she is in the pretty blue, not expecting a thing!

Peggy's daughter (in purple) looks on.

A handful of those who Peggy has touched shared a thought.

And Peggy listens as the rooms send lots of love her way!

Now, she is a mentor to me in a couple of ways. First, she was my start; my introduction to this crazy industry and to SCBWI and she has remained part of my writerly life for the past ten years. She is also a mentor as a writer teacher, and I look up to her so very much. I too teach, and had just received excited news the day before the conference kicked-off: I was offered the instructor position for the Foundations portion of the UW Writing for Children Continuing Ed. program. So exciting. I'm thrilled to be joining such an amazing instructor team. And, Peggy...well, when she found out, she made me feel like it's what I'm meant to do, just like she always does.

Who does your character look up to, and why?

Monday Moment #114: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-04-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever let anything spill out of your mouth, and the second it did you're tyring to slurp it back up like a big-long noodle?

Wait...that's not what I meant. That didn't sound right. You know what I mean. Right?

*Hit self between eyes. Insert foot in mouth. Hide in corner.*

I'm feeling ever-so thoughtful about my words at the moment (well...sadly, not as I type this, but in a broader way) because I'm preparing for the upcoming SCBWI Western Washington conference which is coming up this weekend. I'll be welcoming the first-time attendees and conducting an Orientation just prior to the open, to hopefully set a good tone and start the weekend off right. I'm hoping to say just the right words in order to set new attendees at ease, alleviate stress, and ground them with realistic expectations.

I try and do those same things when I teach my group fitness classes. My hope is that when I do, I inspire, motivate, and keep people working safely. Teaching group fitness (that's choreographed) is truly the ultimate in multi-tasking. Not only am I working out (and hard), but I'm coaching (position, technique, timing) while trying to push people to work their hardest. All the while my mind must be one move ahead of what we're doing in class. A true brain and body workout.

That said, this can easily result in a verbal faux pas. Or two!

I was teaching my Bodypump class (the ultimate bar-bell workout) this past week, and as we were warming up I mentioned that it was so nice to see new faces in class, and great to see older faces return. I knew it as soon as I said it, and I was looking to specific person who isn't the youngest kitten in the gym, that it was a poor choice of words. Good grief!

You'd think I'd hold together during the rest of the class. But no, I bit the dust during biceps. Again. It was meant to be a compliment, as I told the roomful of lovely ladies that there were "no rockin' bodies" on the floor. (Come on, Jolie. All their bodies are rockin', because they take Bodypump. That's what a I yelled at myself in my head.) It was really meant to be a big compliment during bicep work, as you don't want to rock your body to move the weight, but it sounded all wrong.

Good thing I can be a bit self-deprecating. Usually they all get a good laugh at my expense. Works for me.

What has your character said that's come out all wrong?

Looking forward to seeing a whole bunch of you at the conference. And if you're a first-time attendee, I'll try and get my words just right. :)

Monday Moment #113: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-04-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

This past week was a big birthday week in our family. On Wednesday we celebrated my youngest's 9th birthday (only one more year having a girlie with a single digit). And on Thursday we celebrated my dad's 60th, a special one for sure.

We didn't do anything over the top, instead opting for lovely steak dinner at home with my family, and my brother's.

There were wonderful gifts and cards (we'll get to the cards, or the card, in a moment).

This is a painting of my dad's Grandma Powers. It was painted from a photograph of her at the OTO Dude Ranch in Paradise Valley (MT) where she worked...with Dudes (my Great Grandpa Powers was one of those Dudes).

Dude, how cool is that?

There was also a spectacular hit at the party... a card.

Take a peek:

Here's my dad's face when he opened it up.

Now notice how the wee ones are quick to gather.

And what happened as the night went on? Take a look.

Oh my! What a bit of inappropriate fun.

You know, there are those times as kids when the adults let the door to adult humor open, just a crack. It's quite hilarious. And extremely memorable. I still remember my grandpa's 50th birthday cake that had a provocatively posed doll dressed in a see-through gown sitting on top of it. Sah-weet!

Now, I'm sure my girls and their cousins will remember their papa's 60th birthday card with the large boobs that vibrate to the beat of the stripper song (I hope they don't hum that diddy at school).

What glimpses into the at-times-inappropriate adult world have your characters encountered?

Monday Moment #112: a writing prompt for your-work-in-progress

2011-03-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

Excuse me. I'm a bit grumpy at the moment. But we're friends. I can vent, right?

If you're a weekly reader, you know I wrote about my love of lists recently. And, oh my! My lists have been crucial lately. Life's been a wee bit busy. But it's all good.

However, sometimes I feel behind. Like today. It's already 4:30 and I have yet to post this Moment.

I was trying to be efficient earlier and think about what I wanted to tell you while I took my shower. It's usually a good place for me to think. Funny thing though, all that I could think to write about was pet peeves. And yet, nothing pet-peeve-ish has happened lately (at least not that I could recall). So what to write?

OR...

Perhaps I was having a psychic moment. Because something that really bugs me did happen today. Twice now!

Blog spam.

I hate blog spam. I dislike spam in general. But I really loath random messages left in the comments. Today I got comments from two different blogs (or sites), both contained the word "casino." Why? I don't get it.

One message read, "very strange."

You know, I agree. Not only is it strange, but it bugs me beyond buggy-ness. I suppose now that I used the word "casino" in a post I'm in for even more fun.

This just in: as I'm right now writing this post, a third "casino" comment has come in. Really!?! Peeved...big time. (If you feel like it, say a quick hello so I'm hearing from more than these casino people.)

What are some of your character's pet peeves?

Monday Moment #111: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-03-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

(Note: I swear this was scheduled to post yesterday morning. Anyone else having trouble with Blogger posting?)

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my characters better just by answering the question. I hope you do too.)

Caught-cha lookin'!

And again. (Stop it already!)

I had an experience with double takes the other day. We all do it. Something, or someone, catches our eye, and for whatever reason, we glance again.

Several days ago, I was on the opposite end of the double takes, an awkward feeling (at least for me). It made me a bit uncomfortable, and made me wonder, why in the world do people keep looking at me (it happened multiple times within a two-hour period).

I did happen to be dressed a bit nicer than my regular running-around clothes, but nothing over the top. My lovely family (when I asked them if something about me was strange that day because people kept looking my way) did try to tell me that I'm a pretty girl, and that people might look twice. (They are very sweet.) But then I thought about the super model I once heard say that people had really been looking at her a whole lot one day, making her feeling like she's was extra hot, only to find out later that her skirt had been tucked into her waist band and her backside was hanging out. Well, I wasn't wearing a skirt/dress, and I knew there was no TP stuck to me anywhere, but it really did make me wonder what was up that day.

Also, at the time, I was in the middle of reading a crazy, creepy book, The Marbury Lens, and the character often wonders if people know his secrets, he feels like they can tell. (On a recommendation note: a great read if you know you're not getting some sweet story. It's quite disturbing, and it made me wonder what it would be like to be in Andrew Smith's head while he was writing it. It's a book that's hard to put down. Sara Zarr wrote about it HERE.)

There's just something unnerving when people, especially ones you don't know, are looking at you, then looking again.

If your character was getting double takes, why would s/he think it was happening?

Monday Moment #110: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-03-14T04:50:00.000-07:00

I apologize, Monday Moment #110. It's not that you weren't as important as the Moments that came before you, it was all because of me and my inability to get you done last Monday. *hugs*

So, my poor Moment, the one should have gone up last week, was delayed by my very long to-do list last Monday.

I love lists. They literally help me survive. They get me through tasks, events, projects, days, and on and on. List lovers out there, I know you feel me.

So, last Monday my to-do list was long. Too long. Overwhelmingly long. On top of my long list, I was dealing with it on a day that wasn't going so hot for me. That all said, that list was making my knees buckle. The Monday Moment post was a to-do on the list, I just never got it to the DO part.

Regardless, I could have still done it, but I couldn't get to it 'til after the kids were in bed and the house settled down around 10-ish. But when that time rolled around, I was the thing that was done. Done!

So, MM #110 has remained on the list, and now I've cross it off (a week late). Feels good.

What kind of a list would your character make and what would be on it?

Monday Moment #109: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-02-28T21:33:00.000-08:00

I want to use this Monday Moment time to remember and honor Lisa Wolfson, also know as L.K. Madigan .

I've started this post several times now. It continues to feel like the words just aren't coming out right. I think my struggle has been knowing exactly what to say. I've tried to say it in several different ways but think what I've been attempting to express is that she will be missed by so many.

I knew Lisa, but didn't know Lisa. I've read her blog. I've corresponded with her online. I've met her at a couple of different conference. She did nothing less than leave an unbelievable impression on me. Part of the sorrow I feel is knowing I won't have the chance to know her better.

Our writing community has lost a beautiful heart.

In lieu of a writing prompt I request, in honor of Lisa, that you write someone a message of love or appreciation.

If you haven't done so already, you can read a message on Lisa's blog from her husband, and how you can contribute to a fund for her son's college education.

Monday Moment #108: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-02-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

Happy President's Day!

Or Happy a-reason-to-have-a-day-off-from-school Day for the kiddos! Right? For us writer types, that means a non-day-off for us. Kids are home, which equals an added distraction.

What will you do with this day? Are you making the most of it? Or of the whole long weekend? Heading out for the day (or more) to do something fun? Sadly, I know some of you are getting even MORE snow. Or maybe, like me, you're staying home in your comfy clothes and plan to attempt to get the work done, even with the distraction of the kids.

If your main character had the day off from school, what would they be doing? And maybe more important, what would they want to be doing?

Monday Moment #107: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-02-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Will you be mine? (Well, at least for the next five minutes?)

You know, I'd love to ask you to be mine, but I do already have several special Valentines: my hubby and my girlies.

But, I think we can all have many Valentines. Yes?

My hubby has my heart, and I'll always be his Valentine, and he'll be mine. But my girls are also mine. I also always want to be my dad's special Valentine. I still remember as a kid the time my dad made me a handmade Valentine card with a poem he'd written inside. Now, I have to say, he also did the same for my mom and brother, but I that's a Valentine's Day that stands out.

Dad's take note: if you have little girls, you are their very first and most special Valentine. So spoil them with lots and lots of cheesiness each February 14. Truthfully, they'll remember it more than any teen crush's attempts at, BE MINE.

I don't know about you (we're all different creatures) but the most meaningful things for me are not gifts but things that really come from the heart, like a handmade card or a love letter. That will get me every time over flowers or candies or presents.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, FRIENDS! I hope your cuppa spills over with love today.

Thinking of your character this Valentine's Day, who are their Valentines? And what kinds of acts/gifts make them feel most loved (or do they most desire)?

Monday Moment #106: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-02-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

"I like the taste of the Super Bowl."

That's what my ten-year-old girlie said to me yesterday.

My girls have never been to a Super Bowl party, and actually, they still haven't. But we decided we wanted to watch the Super Bowl yesterday so we put out a spread (you can't Super Bowl without great munchies) and the food was a success.

But what about the actual game? How do you get two young girls, who know nothing about football, to hang out and watch for hours? Food alone won't do it.

But GAMBLING will. (Yes, call the mother-of-the-year board. This move was award worthy.)

Of course. Why not introduce my children to a little betting on the Bowl. We made up some Super Bowl Squares and each added our names to either 16 or 17 (it was a small gathering of six people). We each put $1.50 in the pot. Big bucks I know. But a $1.50 is pretty big to a third and fifth grader. But they were in. We drew the numbers and plugged them in. Makes you sit up a pay attention a bit more when your watching the score to see if your numbers might be winners.

Although, I will say that it was almost a disaster when one kid won the first two quarters. I thought her little sister was going to come unglued. I won quarter number three. And, oh my! My eight-year old was watching that game with more energy than most big-time football fans at the end. And, guess what...she was the big winner. A whopping $4.50.

Made for a fun afternoon of football for all of us.

Is there a time in your character's life when what would have been an ordinary day turned into something special and fun?

Monday Moment #105: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-01-31T03:56:00.000-08:00

Hey, all! I come to you live today from the Newark airport. Exciting, I know.

What truly was exciting was live blogging from the conference floor at the SCBWI Winter Conference, and what a conference it was.

I look forward to telling you more about the personal side of it, but if you haven't taken a the opportunity to get a little taste of the conference by visiting the Official Conference Blog , check it out. Team Blog covered it from A to Z. Great keynotes. Great editor/agent breakouts. Great panels. Great people.

As I stare at my computer screen, the clock currently says, 3:36 AM. Yes! Back home, that's what time it is, which means I was getting on a bus at 1:00 AM. This was NOT the flight I was supposed to be on. Nope. I booked this flight (as in we were on the phone booking at the exact same moment) with fellow Team Blogger, Martha Brockenbrough . We would take the 9:10 AM flight into Newark and fly the 6:30 PM back. Perfect. Well, perfect until I received my pre-flight information that said that I was not flying back at 6:30 PM, but rather 7:30 AM!

NOOOooooooooooooooo!

How could I have made such a horrible mistake?I tried to convince myself that it must have been somebody else's mistake. I check these things. I double check. I triple check. I DO NOT get it. What did I do? I tried to talk to the nice people at the airline. Surely they would understand my dilemma. I'm sure you know how far that got me.

Yeah. It got me right on the flight I didn't want to be on at 7:30 in the morning. But I can now say I have been on the streets of NYC at 4:00 AM. Although, I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing. But let me say this, I was very happy to be hanging with NYC police officer who was on his way to St. Thomas as I waited for the bus.

What mistake has your character made that ruined his/her plans or another person's plans?

SCBWI TEAM Blog Pre-Conference Interview: Executive Editor Lisa Sandell

2011-01-26T14:33:00.000-08:00

Lisa Ann Sandell is an executive editor at Scholastic Inc., where she focuses her attention on acquiring and editing middle grade and young adult hardcover novels for Scholastic Press, and she manages the Dear America series. Lisa is also the author of three young adult novels, The Weight of the Sky, Song of the Sparrow, and A Map of the Known World. She lives in New York City.

Lisa will be presenting during the breakout sessions at the upcoming 2011 SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC, and she took time from her busy day to answer some qestions for us here.

Do you have any suggestions for conference attendees when it comes to speaking to an editor while at the conference?

I would advise attendees to be prepared when meeting with an editor at the conference—figure out what you want to say ahead of time and rehearse it if you have to; know how to best and briefly describe your book project, and make it interesting. Finally, cornering editors in the bathroom is always a bad idea!

When you switch from your editor hat to your writing hat, do you have to completely turn off the editor?

It is extremely difficult for me to turn off the editor when I’m writing. I have a very hard time keeping myself from going back over each sentence as soon as it’s written and editing and re-editing and copyediting it. I can agonize over a single comma for ages, wondering if it needs to be there. So, yes, the editor voice is constantly creeping into my head, often taking over, as I write. Conversely, however, I hope that when I edit, the writer part of me sneaks in and contributes, too, helping me to be more sympathetic and empathetic and sensitive to the needs of the writers I work with as an editor.

Many conference attendees will be coming from out of town, many visiting NYC for the first time. Any must haves or must sees you can share?

The High Line is definitely a must-see when visiting the city. It is a park built on old elevated train tracks along Manhattan’s west side. It provides gorgeous cityscape and Hudson River views, running from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 20th Street on Tenth Avenue. It’s one of my favorite spots in New York!

THANKS, LISA!

SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC

2011-01-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

The SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC is only days away. Mere days! Like TWO. Day after tomorrow.

Thought I'd piggyback on my fellow Team Bloggers' posts. Martha Brockenbrough has a great post on Getting Ready for a Manuscript Intensive and Lee Wind has The 2011 SCBWI Winter Conference - The Top 7 Things You Need to Know. Check 'em out!

I thought I'd add my own piece of advice for the Writers Intensive and a Number 8 to Lee's Top 7. Plus, read on and I'll tell you what you really want to know!

First the Intensive: Lee Wind and Sara Easterly shared great advice on Martha's blog regarding the experience. Since I wasn't quick enough to contribute, I'll add my own here.

I've had the opportunity to participate in three NY Intensives and had great experiences. That said, it can be a bit overwhelming. Expect a very large ballroom with more tables that you can count and a couple hundred people. That's a WOW. I know how it is, you're already nervous about reading your work in front an editor/agent and your peers. But my advice is this: you've done all the preparing, so let it be what it's going to be. Don't get so caught up in the nerves of reading your work that you miss all there is to learn from the experience. Really tune into each manuscript being read and to the feedback being offered. Then when it's your turn to receive feedback, listen, take notes, and offer a thank you. Plus, make connections with the other writers at the table. I've developed dear friendships from my experiences.

Now to add a Number 8 to add to Lee's Top 7:

Okay, maybe this is more like a 4.3 and 4.7 because I'm going to add a couple of thoughts to Lee's number 4. First to build on Lee's thoughts about having your thrity-second pitch ready. I'd suggest you also have a one sentence (25-ish words) pitch, too. It will be even easier to rattle off should the opportunity present itself. Depending on the situation, you'll know which pitch to pull out. Now for suggestion 4.7, adding to the talking-to-editors-and-agents advice. Be yourself! Have a conversation with an editor/agent. Don't think about pitching your manuscript. They're really people just like us, and if they have a nice conversation with you, they're likely to ask you what you're working on, and remember you (in a good way).

Okay, moving on. I mentioned earlier knowing what you really want to know (at least for most of you, especially if this is your first conference). You want to know...

What to wear! Yes?

Well, let's start with this. It's flipping freezing in NYC. So packing smart is important.

So, clothing for the actual conference. My advice? When it comes to clothes, be yourself and be professional. You don't need to dress to the nines, but treat it like a day in the office minus any stuffiness. Jeans are fine, just dress 'em up a bit. You will be doing a bit of walking, so wear sensible shoes or realize your feet might be barking. Wear layers. You know how ballrooms are: air on, air off. Shed a layer, pull on layer. But this is NYC in January so you need a whole other wardrobe for heading outside. Think about how you can add to the clothes you are bringing so you don't suffer when you step out into the freezing cold air. My own personal outerwear tip for the trip: wear it all on the plane, including your bulky boots (if there's no room in the suitcase). They don't charge you to schlep warm things on the plane. So bring lots (warm coat, gloves, hat or earmuff, and a scarf). Okay, now I will stop talking to you like I'm your mother (but I just want you to be warm).

Can't wait to see many of you there. And for those of you who won't be there, I hope you'll be with us on the OFFICIAL SCBWI BLOG. TEAM BLOG will be providing LIVE blogging straight from the ballroom floor, and the breakout session. We'll also be tweeting with the official conference hashtag #NY11SCBWI.

Here's the crew (blogs and Twitter IDs):

Alice Pope - @alicepope

Jaime Temairik - @jaimetem

Lee Wind - @leewind

Martha Brockenbrough - @mbrockenbrough

Suzanne Young - @suzanne_young

and ME - @cuppajolie

and @scbwi.

Monday Moment #104: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-01-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

Preparing for a big event is trying, exciting, overwhelming, and exhausting!

The big SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC is this weekend, and I fly away on Thursday morning. Really I need to leave on Wednesday night, given my distance from the airport. (Add to my to-do list: check with buddies to see if I can crash at their place on Wednesday night.)

What is it with big events? I'm so excited for it. Been looking forward to it. But there is SOOO much to do before I leave. And why do things always come up when preparing to leave town, like my hubby having to suddenly leave town and my kid getting pneumonia (Again! But she's already on the mend, so no worries.).

There's this massive build up of preparing to be out of town. There's also the preparation to be ready for the conference itself. How 'bout the laundry? Preparing the kids? Preparing those who will take care of the kids? Other work? Volunteer commitments? It's enough to make a person eat a whole plate of cupcakes, or just go to bed, or work until collapse, or a great opportunity for procrastination.

Me? I make lists. Lots of lists. And then start plugging through them. It feels so very lovely to cross things off. And I'm this close to hitting "publish post" so I can cross this Monday Moment off the list. Phew. Feels good!

How does your character react to the stress of preparing for a big upcoming event?

Monday Moment #103: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-01-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Saturdays mean watching our girlies play basketball. I look forward to each and every weekend. But this weekend, during one of the games, I was completely distracted and missed most of it. BOO!

I snuck away to the restroom when my kiddo wasn't in the game, and as I made my way back to the court, a little dog ran in from outside, onto the court. It was just like a scene from a kid's TV show or movie. The pup was shooed back outside, but because I was making my way by the door I could see that dog really wanted back in the gym, back onto the court.

I decided I should poke my head out and see if I could see any signs of an owner. I didn't want the dog running around loose. But I saw no one. I checked its tags and it had many, including a recovery tag with a number and ID in case the dog was lost. I was pretty sure he was exactly that. Lost.

The rest of the game I spent with my hand wrapped around a dog collar, on hold with the recovery company as they tried to reach the owner. The pup's name was Harry. He was sure a cute little guy (he reminded us of Harry the Dirty Dog, but brown) and all that he wanted to do was play ball with those girls.

I spent almost the entire game attempting to watch it from the door. A custodian finally got me a jump rope to put around Harry's collar so I could hang onto him more easily. Needless to say, I missed a lot of the game, including a basket made my girlie. *sigh*

The recovery company had still not reached the owner by the time the game ended so Harry headed home with us (Luna, our pup, was not happy). And now I know why that little dog wanted on the court so badly. He loves basketballs. That little pup could push around a basketball as well as some World Cup Soccer players.

The happy ending? Harry's owner came and picked him up, grateful we had found him. She had been in the same area and left a window down then returned to her car to find it missing her pup. Clearly nothing was keeping Harry from making his way to the sounds of fun spilling from the gym.

What unexpected distraction has made your character miss something important to them?

Monday Moment #102: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-01-10T05:27:00.000-08:00

As embarrassing as it is, I'm calling myself out right now. (Well, I actually already called myself out of Facebook, but in case you missed it there, here it is. This time with more detail.)

Several nights ago I was at the gym. I headed out to the dark parking lot, keys in hand. Just like always I pressed the unlock button on my key fob, but there was no click of the car door unlocking. I tried again and again. No luck. It had been acting up lately, so it didn't surprise me. (Do these things take batteries? I'm thinking it needs batteries.)

No problem though. I have one of those nifty number code things on the door. For years I've been typing in that code to unlock the door for one reason or another. Uh...wait...what was that code again? I went completely, totally, ridiculously blank. But I gave it try, hoping feel alone would guide me.

No luck.

Try again.

And again.

Okay. Time to regroup. I headed back into the gym to rifle through my wallet for the card that has the code on it. I was pretty sure I had it in there. Or did I get rid of it? Looking...looking...looking...and NOTHING.

Back out to the car.

Try again. I punched button after button after button until the lit-up number keys started flashing and so did the lights inside the car. I'm pretty sure the car though I was trying to break in at this point and wouldn't let me in even if I did get the code correct.

What to do?

I know. Call my husband. Maybe he remembers the code.

I took out my phone and started to dial. One ring. Two...

That's when it hit me. I left the gym with keys in my hand. Keys typically start a car, but they also UNLOCK doors. The more frightening things was (yes...calling myself out) I wondered if there was even a keyhole in the car door. I certainly had never used it. But, sure enough there was the keyhole. And the key fit. In fact, it even turned and...

TA-DA

Car unlocked.

How novel. A key that unlocks a door.

*hangs head in shame*

What has your character become so used to doing that when an element changes they don't know what to do?

Monday Moment #101: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2011-01-03T09:20:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011!

I hope it's off to a spectacular start for you.

I'm not sure how I'm doing in 2011 yet. I started it by believing my children were returning back to school today. I was sure. Then yesterday my oldest (who had just returned from a sleepover) said, "Are you sure we have school tomorrow?" Yeah, I was sure. The she said, "Because Donna said we don't have school tomorrow."

Checks school calendar. January 3 blocked out as Winter Break. Great.

Me: Okay, girlies. You don't have school tomorrow.

Perhaps I was just anxious to get back to a schedule and regular work. Or, I don't pay careful enough attention. Hopefully I can only do better from here.

Topic switch...

Just prior to Christmas, Monday Moments hit number 100. Woot-woot! A cool milestone for me. I knew it was a bad time to celebrate, but that's when it hit and I'm so glad some of you left a comment. I placed your names in a box, pulled one out, and... *drum roll*

Wanda Vaughn I want send you a cuppa. :)
(And now you should go check out Wanda's blog because she's a polar bear. CrAzY. That is something I will never do. But I'm impressed. Hats off! )

Thank you so much for a being a reader. To all of you for being readers.

It's fun to a be a winner, of things big and small.

What something your character has won?

Monday Moment #100!!!: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-12-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a milestone for Monday Moments.

NUMBER 100

It's been almost two years in the making. The very first Monday Moment was posted on January 12, 2009. It was just an idea I had; something I did as a writer. I didn't know if anyone else would find them useful. I didn't know if I'd continue posting them. Or for how long. But it seems Monday after Monday I found some personal experience in my life that could possibly relate to your characters.

So...for #100 I thought one of you wonderful Monday Moment readers should get a CUPPA! (Details below.)

Getting to 100 (of anything) takes a bit of waiting, patience, and perseverance. A whole lot of what we do as writers, no?

I also did quite a bit of waiting yesterday. I was crazy enough to think the Santa line at the mall wouldn't be a mile and a half long on the Sunday before Christmas! I'm sure you're all thinking, DUH! OF COURSE IT WAS THAT LONG!!!

So I put on my patience pants and waited in the line as my girlies wandered around the mall with their grandma and papa. I also felt the need to be the one waiting since I think the picture was for my own good and not theirs. They're now 8 and 10 and just hitting that age where...well, you know.

How'd I make it though that long line without crumbling like a tasty Christmas cookie? I tweeted about about my people-watching experience while I waited. People watching in the Santa line is quite fun.

Here's my tweets:

For my own entertainment I will tweet from the Sunday before Christmas Santa line. #santaphotos

Little girl: Santa, please bring my mom a skirt long enough to cover her cheeks. #santaphotos

I'm fairly certain those two little guys just asked for spray paint for their future graffiti masterpieces. #santaphotos

Sibling fight is breaking out behind me. Mom may ask for a new set of marbles. #santaphotos

Young girl just swiped extra candy canes from Santa's basket. I hope this doesn't jeopardize her list standing. #santaphotos

Here comes the classic clinging to mom's neck, do not make me go near that guy experience. #santaphotos

This might be the last time my girls do this. I think this year they are taking the photo for me. http://plixi.com/p/64041579 #santaphotos

Al. Most. There. #santaphotos

Little tiny people are so stinking precious. (But my big ones can take themselves to the bathroom.) #santaphotos

Two year old: *stares at ground* When will this be over. I will NOT smile. #santaphotos

Two year old trying so hard to smile he can't keep his eyes open. #santaphotos

Success! http://plixi.com/p/64047163 #santaphotos

I had to sneak a shot with Santa too. http://plixi.com/p/64048098 Whispers: Do the elves make MacBook pros? #santaphotos

What has your character had to wait for? Did they have patience and persevere?

And in honor of this 100 Moment milestone, I would love to thank all of you who visit Cuppa Jolie and read Monday Moments. I know you don't always comment, but I know you are out there, reading. And, I know you all have been in the same WAITING-PATIENCE-PERSEVERANCE boat when it comes to writing. I would love to hear from you in the comments, whether you've read Monday Moments 1 or 100 times.

So here's the deal. From now until Monday, January 3, leave a comment about a time you have had to wait (requiring patience and perseverance) whether it relates to writing or not. For all those who comment, I will put your name in a drawing for a CUPPA (a good cup coffee or other drink of choice) at your favorite spot.

(Monday Moments will take a holiday on December 27.)

THE WARMEST OF HOLIDAY WISHES FROM ME TO YOU.

Monday Moment #99: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-12-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

99 MM posts on the blog, 99 MM posts! You take one down, pass it around...

99! How'd that happen?

Okay, getting to it. I apologize ahead of time for the bit of bah humbug in this post, but a particular person sucked it right out of me over the weekend.

Isn't it amazing how one person, ONE, can bring a certain energy to a room big or small, with few or many? That energy can be amazingly positive or ridiculously negative. Unfortunately, I had the experience of the latter over the weekend.

I was so looking forward to watching both my eight-and-ten-year-old girlies play their basketball games on Saturday. But once my eight-year old's game started, all the fun was drained from the gym. It's hard to imagine how that can be when there were two teams of young girls, full of energy and sparkle, out on the court, surrounded by family, cheering them on.

It took the crappy energy of one single man, the other team's coach, to take ever bit of fun out of the game. He stood on the sideline, never once cracking a smile, only yelling, yelling, and yelling. You'd think he was Bobby Knight or something. He required those girls play so aggressively, there was no fun to be had. He ordered them to run, even if they were headed back to the bench. He'd shake his head and get upset if they did something wrong. I don't think I ever heard him shout encouragement. Again, these are 3rd and 4th grade girls!

I could tell even the supporters of his team were shaking their heads at the scene. Thank goodness there were no chairs around for him to throw, or he might have thrown one.

When has your character been in a situation where one other person has changed the energy in the room for better or worse?

SCBWI TEAM BLOG Pre-conference interview: LINDA SUE PARK

2010-12-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

I've had the immense pleasure of hearing Linda Sue Park speak at a couple of SCBWI conferences. Not only that, but I've also had the opportunity to sit and talk with her, and let me tell you, the words that come out of her mouth are so great, so helpful, so smart that you won't want to dare miss them when she's gives her keynote presentation at the upcoming SCBWI Winter Conference.

Linda Sue Park is the award-winning author of many books for children, including A SINGLE SHARD which won the Newbery Medal in 2002. The list of awards Linda Sue has won is as long as my arm, and sure to keep growing. Linda Sue also serves on the SCBWI Board of Advisors.

I'm so honored that Linda Sue was able to find time for this interview as her latest book A LONG WALK TO WATER was just released on November 15. Check out her great book trailer and PW interview about this booked based on a true story.

Then, if you haven't already, click here to register for the conference and ENJOY the interview.

As I mentioned in the introduction, you are on the SCBWI Board of Advisors. How and when did your involvement begin with SCBWI, and what has it meant to you?

I attended my first-ever SCBWI conference in the fall 2001; it was organized by Ellen Yeomans, who was then RA for upstate New York. I had already published three novels at that point, and Ellen invited me to be on a panel, I think. I was fortunate because we have a well-established children's writers' group here in Rochester--the Rochester Area Children's Writers and Illustrators--so I had been active with them for a couple of years before that, and Ellen used to visit us once in a while.

After the conference, I signed up to attend the national SCBWI conference in New York; I think that was its first year? I had always wanted to go to LA but couldn't afford it, so I was delighted when Lin and Steve brought a big conference to New York. And just a couple of weeks before the conference, the Newbery Award for A SINGLE SHARD was announced! I remember Lin announcing from the podium that this year's Newbery winner was in attendance at the conference--as a participant, not as a presenter--and I felt so honored by that.

Then I was invited to join the Board. Unlike some authors, I don't have stories about how SCBWI helped me 'break in'--I was already published when I found out about SCBWI. But what RACWI and then SCBWI in turn have given me is invaluable: the camaraderie of other people who care about children's literature as much as I do. For people who spend much of their working lives alone in a room with a keyboard, that kind of companionship is invaluable. Being on the Board is a way for me to give back to a community that has given me so much over the years.

I think I can call myself a conference vet, having been to more than I can count. That said, I believe the best conference take-away I’ve ever had came from you at an SCBWI conference years ago. You said it never hurts to try something new (changing POV characters, tense, etc.) for a few chapters. So, thank you for that.

What’s been the most helpful tip someone has shared with you?

My most valuable tip came from Katherine Paterson, who wrote in an essay about how she tries to finish two pages per day. I read that when I was starting work on my first novel, and it was a huge light-bulb moment. I thought, I can do that! I don't know if I can ever write a whole novel, but I sure as heck can write two pages a day. I've written every single one of my novels that way, and I'm positive I never would have written even one if I hadn't read that tip.

I also read about Lois Lowry's general outline for novels:

--Character

--Quest

--complications and choices

--climax

--conclusion

--change

I've modified this over the years to suit my own temperament and style, but in essence it's still the first thing I write down when I'm working on a new story.

I think you (and Katherine) just gifted me with another favorite tip! But I have to ask, what gets you through on those days when finding the words seems impossible, and how do you keep yourself from being distracted by those tasks that easily pull us away (email, blogs, etc)?

I give myself a mandate to write two pages, AND permission to write two BAD pages. Most days, I start my work time by throwing away a lot of what I wrote the day before. If I can salvage half a page, or a paragraph, or even a single line of dialogue...that's progress. To paraphrase Thomas Edison, it's a vital part of the process to find out what *doesn't* work!

But I do get distracted, and many are the days that I spend way too much time on e-mail and the internet. (I am, alas, an eBay fan....) On those days, when I get close to the end of my writing time, I'll look up from the screen, slap myself mentally, and crank out two bad pages.

In general, though, the two pages thing is a habit for me. By that I mean, I don't ever say to myself, "Oh--I must make sure to brush my teeth today." I don't have to say it, because it's a habit, an automatic part of my day. It took me many months of trying and failing, but eventually the two pages became a habit. When I'm in the groove working on a novel, *not* writing my two pages feels all wrong to me...just like when I don't brush my teeth!

That makes such great sense!

You’ll be giving a keynote at the conference on Sunday morning. Can you give us a little teaser?

I usually write my speeches a couple of weeks before I have to give them, so at this point I haven't yet written the keynote. But what I'm planning to talk about is doubt: How to keep writing and do our best work in spite of all the doubt demons that plague us. I hope it's a topic that almost everyone will be able to relate to. But for those folks who never have doubts about themselves or their work? They can go for coffee during my presentation. ;-)

I have a feeling I’ll be hanging on your every word during that keynote!

Thank you so much, Linda Sue. I feel like I just had a short writer’s therapy session.

Monday Moment #98: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-12-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

The sleeping hours. Aren't they wonderful?

Well, yes! That is, if you're actually sleeping.

Don't you just hate it when you wake up in the night, for whatever reason, and can't go back to sleep? For us adults we tend to have to-dos, or too-much-to-dos, on our minds. You they there. Flip over. Keep thinking. Think of something else. Flip over. Check the clock. Been an hour. Flip again. Replay the list. Check the clock. And on, and on, and on...

But remember how different it was as a kid? At least it was for me. I certainly wasn't playing to-do lists in my head.

What was playing instead? My imagination! In dark-scary-night- imagining ways. For me, every nighttime noise, familiar or not, was something frightening. I still recall one night when I heard scraping on my ceiling, slow and constant. And loud. Right above me. Now I'm sure that it was a mouse, doing it's mouse thing, but in my scared-kid-nighttime brain, it was a scary guy in my attic digging through the ceiling with an ice pick. Yes, I was sure it was an ice pick. I still recall nights when I'd hold tight to the pillow just under my head with one arm and my favorite blanket with the other, just in case I was taken during the night and held captive in a cave. This way I wouldn't have to use a rock as a pillow.

I was a normal kid, I swear. But perhaps the nighttime stories I freaked myself out with were some of the first signs that I'd one day become a writer. Do you think?

What does your character think about when they wake up in the middle of the night? What kinds of nighttime noises do they hear?

Season of Love and Hope

2010-12-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

Help Bridget kick cancer!

Most of you probably know about the great auction happening to help young-adult author, Bridget Zinn. The Season of Love and Hope Auction has all kind of great items/services for auction to help Bridget as she battles stage 4 colon cancer. The auction ends tomorrow, so check it out and start bidding!

Five other WA writers, as well as myself, are offering a super-loaded critique. Here's the description:

Five Washington writers (Kim Baker, Martha Brockenbrough, Joni Sensel, Jolie Stekly, Laurie Thompson) and one very insightful writer/illustrator (Jaime Temairik) will critique up to 50 double-spaced pages of a picture book, middle grade, or YA manuscript and/or a query letter and synopsis. If you have a 50-page picture book manuscript, we'll REALLY critique it.

Six published and otherwise, creative, and grammar-wise ladies with lots of experience workshopping and critiquing manuscripts in multiple genres will provide a thoughtful, detailed editorial letter full of constructive feedback along with additional manuscript notes.
And, we'll send chocolate.

Bid HERE.

I will leave myself out of this, and just say about the other five ladies...uh, THEY ROCK. Not just rock at life in general, but if you want some kick-ass feedback (yes I said kick-ass because it's true) these five will knock your socks off. And she might hate me for saying this, but all you novel writers out there, some of the most insightful thoughts will come from our lone illustrator, Jaime. So, what I'm really trying to say is, if a critique would be valuable to you, bid away and help Bridget kick cancer!

There's also an awesome SCBWI WWA package. If you go to our conference and participate in our events, you might as well bid. This way, you'll get what you usually pay for anways AND know the dollars are going to help Bridget. What could be better?

The 2010 December La La: State Your Goals

2010-12-01T15:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but December can give me a serious case of the Fa la la la las!

Anybody else? Or perhaps you just don't know what I'm talking about?

Two years ago I had to do something to keep myself writing and pushing through in December. (You can check out my 2008 post here.) And, each year, I feel the same. I want to end December proudly beating my drum. Pa rum pa pum pum.

This year's no different. As I said yesterday, I want to serve up a major helping of productivity with a nice side of outside accountability this month. If that's something you desire too then lets help each other get through the December la las.

What's that mean? Well, what do you realistic want and need to accomplish this month? State it in the comments and together we'll help each other through by checking in and cheering each other on. The more the merrier.

The December La La Returns

2010-11-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

Anyone else wondering how it's suddenly November 30th. The holidays are here. Smack...right in the face.

Personally, I had a productive October, but November was a big Wah-Wah-Wahhhh! I know how easily December can get eaten up with happenings other than writing. So, I'm returning to my plan from a couple years ago: The December La La.

If you want to indulge in some serious December productivity with side of accountability, come back tomorrow and declare your goals!

(And, a huge congrats to all you NaNo Winners.)

Monday Moment #97: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-11-29T06:02:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Did you burn off some of those extra T-day calories with some serious shopping in the days following?

I'm not one of those 4-A.M.ers, hitting the stores for the those early hours Black Friday deals. What I did this year (and loved!) was Small Business Saturday. Anybody else? Such a great promotion to remind us all what a huge impact shopping at small businesses can make.

I love so many of the stores in my small town, and I had several finds. Some of which will be gifts and others that just made me giggle. One huge upside of shopping small business? The gifts can be quite unique.

I took some photos to tweet out while I was shopping.

Every seen this game?

I really think I should go back and buy those cards. What could the game be? I was thinking maybe they're just playing cards, but it says "Card Game." Curious.

And I've been looking all OVER for these!!!

Bonus! They make them for him...

and her!

These seem writer friendly. :)

Small Business Saturday got me thinking about how much I do enjoy shopping at these great boutique stores, and how much my girls love them, too. Which also got me thinking about all the small stores I loved growing up. As kids, we know the big name stores, but all of us had those great stores, within our own communities, that are/were our favorites. For me it was a corner grocer where I could get 10 cent candy, a knickknack, touristy store called Sax & Fryer (which still exists), a crafty store called Wilmer's, and the card/gift store which had Hello Kitty and Precious Moments (two things I loved).

What's your character's favorite small business/store and why?

Monday Moment #96: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-11-22T10:06:00.000-08:00

This Monday Moment is on SNOW DELAY, just like everything else in the Seattle area (except my kids' school).

When it snows here, people freak out. Kind of funny, because I do too. Didn't used to be that way. I grew up in Montana. When I moved to the Seattle area (at 15) I was shocked by a couple of weather factors:
1) How warm the winter weather was. I think the first year we were here I never once zipped up my coat.
2) And, when it snowed, school was cancelled! What!?! This was unheard of where I came from. School had never once been cancelled for anything.

Here, there's this build up of excitement. Snow's coming! Kids go to bed (okay, and parents go to bed) excited then wake up eager to peek out the window to see if there's any of the white stuff.

This morning...

NOTHING

Honestly, not one stinkin' flake.

DISAPPOINTMENT

But THEN...what starts to happen? Small flakes spit from the sky. Kids eat breakfast. I pack lunches. Flakes get bigger. The ground is white.

Five minutes to bus time. Phone rings...

Nope. It's not a school delay.

More DISAPPOINTMENT.

Off to the bus stop. No bus. Waiting. Still no bus. And just when we think maybe we've missed an announcement...THE BUS.

Even more DISAPPOINTMENT.

But really, now I'm nervous I sent my kids to school. Will I be able to get them home? It's quite seriously a winter wonderland here.

And just for fun...my hummingbird friends.

Can you spot him in the photo below. He looks just like one of the rose bush leaves.

How about when he turns his head and you get that flash of red?

Really, depending where in the world you live (or what world you live in) all of our characters would have a different reaction to snow.

What does you main character think of snow and how would they react to it?

Monday Moment #95: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-11-15T09:15:00.000-08:00

Wrinkles!

Yeah, they've been on my mind lately. Especially the ones I feel like I have the power to prevent, and yet...I don't feel like I can make it happen. I am not powerful enough.

I have always ALWAYS been a side and tummy sleeper. What's that have to do with wrinkles, you might ask? Well, you can cause wrinkles by sleeping in the same position over and over. I know this, because the people on TV told me so. :)

But it's true. At least it is for me. Not only do I sleep on my side and stomach, but my head almost always faces one direction, and I can see the two spots that smoosh together creating my sleeping lines. Not the pillow kind that go away, but permanent creases that I can only imagine will get deeper and widen as I smash my face in my pillow night after night. Gah!

But, what to do? I can't sleep on my back. I'd have to strap myself down. But then, I wouldn't sleep.

What is something your character does often that has left a physical mark on their body? Is the mark something they are proud of, or wish they could get rid of?

Monday Moment #94: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-11-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

Monday Moment #94, take two!

Last night I returned from a long, but wonderful, three-day writing retreat. I guess it was a bit more than that for me, since I am the Retreat Director for SCBWI Western Washington. But I will say our Weekend on the Water was fantastic, and I was going to write about here for Monday Moment #94!

BUT!!!!

I can't load any photos. And what good is it if I can't show you some of the weekend's delights through photos? Arg!

(Maybe one of you out there can help me. When I click to add an image, it pulls up something called Google Cloud Picker and wants me to sign in. Huh? Since when? But then it says the application I need to use is unavailable. Frustrating. I've given it time, and then come back to it. Same thing happens.)

So, I'm moving on with plan two. I'll tell you about the retreat in a separate Cuppa post another day when I figure out this whole picture thing.

Until then, has this ever happened to your character?

Here's one bit to share from the weekend. I can tell you, my Monday Moments were absolutely validated by the lovely editors (Jill Santopolo and Nancy Mercado) who were leading us over the weekend. Being able to answer any and every question about your character (regardless of whether it something that happens within the pages of your book) will creates stronger work.

So, I ask you: When was a time your character was frustrated by something that didn't work and how did they react to it?

Monday Moment #93:a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-11-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

How could this Monday Moment not be a post-Halloween Moment?

I have a bit of a Halloween hangover. How 'bout you?

And it's not that I had too much to drink or too much sugar (I think) but it was just all so much. Too much!

I told you last week that my fellow and instructors and I launched our new programs dressed as Wonder Woman. There were 8 of us! That was a whole lot of Wonder to behold: quite a sight.

Here I am, taking off to teach.

Based on your comments, and the encouragement of my family, I also wore the costume OUT! Yes, I walked our little town's parade in this get up. Although, with all the wind and chilliness, this Wonder Woman was happy to be wearing a red puffy coat. At least it matched the outfit. But all that wind kept whipping my wee little skirt up and my cape around my neck.

That's me with my handsome hubby heading to the parade.

I love this town when it come to Halloween (and lots of other things). The downtown streets close down at 4:00 and all the shops are open for the kids to kick off their night of trick-or-treating.

The streets were packed!

I loved my girlies' costume ideas this year.

My oldest wanted to be a rag doll. I earned many Mommy Bonus Points making that yarn wig. She did her own make up. Love it.

My younger girlie decided she wanted to be Frankenstein, but a girlie one, and not the Bride of Frankenstein. She said, "I want to be pink. Not green." I love the idea.

Even my adorable mom and pops got into the act.

So, what were you for Halloween?

Funny enough, the first chapter in my first novel takes place on Halloween and is quite memorable for my main character.

What one Halloween was most memorable for your main character and why?

Monday Moment #92: a writing prompt for you work-in-progress

2010-10-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

It's still Monday, right? I'm still getting this posted on Monday. Just. In. Time.

It's been a bit nutty for me lately and the things that are burning hottest are the ones getting the water. It's that time year, and I'm guessing it's not just me feeling the heat. Your feeling it too?

We're less than a week out from Halloween and my kids still don't have their costumes. We finally know what they are going to be, but given where we live, I'm wondering when in the world (and where) I'm going to get the stuff to transform them. (The Halloween Fairy will come to save the day, right?)

Me, on the other hand. My costume is all ready to go. The funny thing is, that's not a joke. My costume: done. My kids: not. (Sorry, girlies.) But it's all for good reason and part of what's keeping me sane at a crazy time.

My gym launches all their new fitness classes (we do this quarterly) and we celebrating Halloween in the process. That means I've been 1) getting my workouts in, and 2) I have a costume ready to go. I'll be teaching my two classes (along with my teammates) as...

Drum roll
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

WONDER WOMAN!!!

It's fun and hilarious and I think our members are going to get a huge kick out of it, or should I say, kick out of us. (And let me just note, we have skirts instead of little briefs.)

But here's the thing, I feel brave enough to wear that costume in the gym with my teammates (who are wearing the same costume), but the thought of wearing it out to the Halloween party the next day makes me a cringe a little. I don't know that I'm brave enough to go out. In that.

What do you think? Should I?

I think this leads to a good question when thinking about our characters.

What is your main character brave enough to do in certain situations, but not in others?

Monday Moment #91: a writing prompt for you work-in-progress

2010-10-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

CAKE!

I'm a sucker for cake. Actually anything with frosting. Cookie, cupcake, cake...if it's covered in frosting, I can't resist.

That's said, not so much if it's chocolate. I know, all you many chocolate lovers out there, you think I'm nuts! I too like chocolate, but not quite like you. And not in my frosting.

Fresh off my birthday has me thinking about cake. About how as we get older we settle into our favorite and tend to have a certain "kind" for our special day. I'm fairly certainly this doesn't just apply to my family and friends. You too, right?

Me? I'm Angel Food with Seven-minute (never-fail frosting).

My hubby: Carrot Cake
My dad: Cheese Cake
My mom: Chocolate on Chocolate
My brother: Chocolate with Brown Sugar frosting
My daughers: still working it out

I'm sure each of those cakes speaks a bit about who we are (each certainly would in a novel, right?). I'm mean, I'm Angel Food with seven-minute frosting, angelic and sweet at to my core. :)

How about your main character? What's their favorite cake and what does it say about who they are?

Monday Moment #90: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-10-11T05:23:00.000-07:00

It's my birthday! It's my birthday! It's my birthday!

I thought it might be kind of odd to do a birthday post, but then I thought, Why not! Today's the day. And what I love most about birthdays is hearing from family and friends, or even better spending time with them. So I might as well share it here and celebrate with all my blogosphere friends, too.

Some memorable birthdays from my past:

I don't remember the age, but I do remember a particular cake. It was an Orange Blossom (one of Strawberry Shortcakes friends) doll cake. I thought it was sooo pretty.
My fifteenth birthday, when I was new to the Seattle area, when I had no friends and bangs that had just been cut up to here! *holds fingers just below my widows peak* Yes, that short!
For my sixteenth birthday, my parents gave me a hot air balloon ride to take with a friend. How cool is that? (Yes, I had finally made a friend.)
And for my 30th, I threw myself a party! Because I wanted to.

So, I have to say, thanks for stopping by here today! It feels like you're part of my celebration. I just wish we could share a piece of cake together.

What is your main character's most memorable birthday (for either good or bad reasons)?

And if you have your own particularly memorable b-day (again good or bad), please share!

SCBWI 2011 Winter Conference in NYC

2010-10-06T04:32:00.000-07:00

I feel like I was just in LA with all of you (literally or on the blog) but it's already time to start thinking about the winter conference. In NYC. Yeah, Baby!

Here's the thing: REGISTRATION OPENS TODAY at 10 am Pacific Time. Like really soon!

So, set your alarms and ready your fingers, especially if you're interested in participating in the Intensives on Friday before the conference begins. The Intensives are HUGELY popular, as well as successful. I consider myself as a success story and I know of so many more. If you're interested, register before they sell out.

Then there's the conference. Want a little peek of who will be there?

You do, don't you!?!

Ladies first...

LOIS LOWRY... I know. How unbelievable cool.

SARA ZARR... Love her!

JULES FEIFFER...Seriously!

R.L. STINE... I mean, come ON!

MO WILLEMS...Going boneless here!

Don't know about you, but I'm already sold.

And I really hope I see you there.

I'll be typing away, live blogging from the conference floor, with my peeps on Team Blog.

Here's where we blog and tweet:

Team Captain - Alice Pope (Twitter @alicepope)

Jaime Temairik (Twitter @jaimetem)

Lee Wind (Twitter @leewind)

Martha Brockenbrough (Twitter @mbrockenbrough)

Suzanne Young (Twitter @suzanne_young)

...then there's me! (Twitter @cuppajolie)

The twitter hashtag will be:

#NY11SCBWI

Monday Moment #89: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-10-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

Seriously. It's true. It wasn't always that way, but it is today.

Now get your mind out of the gutters.

I'm talking about the Children's Writer's & Illustrators Market Guide or the CWIM. I love the CWIM and have for 10 years, back when I bought my first copy in 2001 ( I still have all of them). I remember looking for it at a Barnes and Noble and asking a salesperson to help me find it. I specifically remember looking for the name Alice Pope. So funny to think about that now, because, at the time, Alice was this stranger-of-a-person who I thought was probably a blue-haired lady (in a lunch-lady way, not a cute Stephanie Perkins way). Clearly that was before I really got to know the industry. And Alice.

Last week my door bell rang and it was the UPS truck with a package. For me. And I knew what it was the second I saw it. My CWIM. Not just my latest CWIM, but MY CWIM; the one I have a byline in. Also extra special since it was Alice's last.

So, do you have your 2011 CWIM yet? If you do (and haven't yet read all the articles and interviews), opening up to page 81 right now. If you don't, order it right now.

Whee!!! THAT'S MY INTERVIEW WITH LIBBA BRAY. Yes, that Libba Bray.

Such a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to interview her, and I promise you'll enjoy the read. Not because my interviewing skills are spot on, but because ANY question Libba answers is entertaining, at the very least.

Back in 2001, I never would have guessed/dreamed/thought that I would know Alice personally and be working with her on Team Blog, or that I'd have an interveiw featured in the 2011 CWIM. It's been a pure treat, I must say.

What experience has your character had that they never would have guessed would happen or be possible a short or long time ago?

Monday Moment #88: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-09-27T05:10:00.000-07:00

But now we're cleaning up and organizing in attempt to get ready for some rearranging, and possibly a bit of repainting. You see, my ten-year-old girlie seems to think she's got to be the ONLY fifth grade girl who still has flowers on her walls. (Does that seem oh-so flowery to you? The other two walls are striped. Well, I guess it does to her.) They also want to redecorate and move furniture to create more personal space for themselves (Hey, I get that!). And the other biggie? They want posters. Cool posters. (I'm clueless here.)

So, we we're working on it.

But I think it's something true of all of us and our spaces. We come to a point where we'd like or need a change, which must (especially in the youth years) say much about how we change as people. And our space (or what we'd like for our space) speaks volumes about who we are.

If your character could redecorate their bedroom or space, what would they do?

Weekend on the Water, SCBWI WWA's Fall Retreat

2010-09-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've already heard about it. Perhaps you've already applied. But if you haven't, time is running out.

SCBWI Western Washington's 4th annual fall retreat (November 5-7) is on its way and the deadline to apply and get your materials in is this September 27th.

I organize and run this event for our amazing Western Washington region and this year is sure to be great. The wonderful thing about this retreat is that it's small and intimate (with no more than 50 attendees), and this year we welcome two executive editors: Nancy Mercardo, Roaring Brook Press and Jill Santopolo, Philomel Books. Between the both of them they are a mass of experience, knowledge, and expertise. (Many of you know Nancy as @editorgurl on Twitter.) Personally, I can't wait to soak up as much as I can from them.
So much to look forward to:

amazing knowledge shared in a small group setting with our talented editors
beautiful location at the Alderbrook Resort and Spa (check it out)
delicious food
awesome people

Go HERE to register.

Monday Moment #86: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-09-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

This post is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you. Trust me! (But be careful if you choose to read on because this Moment comes with a challenge.)

So, here's the thing. We're friends, right? If you come here to Cuppa, then we must be friends. If this is your first time visiting Cuppa, well...we must become friends veryvery quickly because I can ONLY share this with friends. Seriously!

Why?

I told you already.

It's painful.

*deep breath*

It's that time of year!

SCHOOL PHOTO TIME

Which is all fine and good until you find out how bad your school photo really is. So, with a little help from my chuckling hubby, we chose one of my photos. Oh yes. We did.

6th grade. 'Nuf said? Did anyone have a good photo from sixth grade?

Prepare yourselves...
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Oh the volumes this photo speaks! The rolled-forward shoulders. The retainer. And yes...the MULLET!

So. Very. Bad.

But I see this photo and I think, "That's who Judy Blume wrote for." And that girl, and so many just like her, is why I write today.

And because my husband laughed so hysterically at my mullet, I present him in sixth grade...

What sucks is that he was totally cuter, not nearly as awkward and homely, with only a bitty mullet.

Don't say I didn't warn you. This is a special two part Moment, because before a I share the writing prompt, I throw down a challenge: I'LL SHOW YOU MINE IF YOU SHOW ME YOURS. If you are a blogger, I challenge you to share your awkward school photo in tribute to the kid/teen you write for then post your link in the comments so we can all share in your awkward joy. Come on. You know you want to.

And for the Moment:

What memorable school photo or school photo experience has your character gone through?

Monday Moment #85: a writing prompt for you work-in-progress

2010-09-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

My family has a particular Sunday night routine, and we were anxious to get it started, even though the TV season wasn't ready for us to start (we watched a re-run). Sunday nights for us usually includes a new AFV (Americas Funniest Home Videos) and dinner (usually a cheesy-meat dip with tortilla chips and fruit) in front of the TV. We get all cozied up together on the couch, with our finger-food dinner, then we laugh at people doing ridiculous things, or people taking nasty falls or smacks, or kids/animals being down-right adorable.

I suppose it's good to be getting back to that good, clean humor since most of our family giggles around the tube have been at the expense of people like this:

Oh the joy of the big balls! (Yes, I did just say that.) But if you watched any Wipeout this summer, you know what I mean. And if you didn't, you have no idea the laughter you missed out on.

AND...I'm off topic.

Let's get back on course.

We all have our own idea of what a typical Sunday night (or happening) would be, and so do our characters. I might even guess, that given our characters' current circumstances, Sunday nights may no longer be typical, but they'd recall typical.

So, what is or was a typical event or occurrence on Sunday for your character?

Monday Moment #84: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-09-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

Monday Moment #83: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-08-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my character(s) better just by answering the question. I hope you do too. )

Coming your way a little late in the day, I know. Thanks for being patient.

Yesterday, Cuppa celebrated 2 years. Two! Although, I must say, it pales in comparison to the 60 years (Yes! 60 years!) my grandparents will be celebrating on Friday. (Happy Anniversary, Grandma and Grandpa. I love you!)

Here's the thing: I thought about starting this blog for far too long, worrying about things that don't matter at all. Like what to call it, how to build it, what I'd say, and wondering if anyone would read it. Truly, none of that really mattered. When I finally decided to do it, I just did. Dove right on in. I did a little brainstorming with Jaime (thanks, Jaime) and decided on Cuppa Jolie then pulled it together in an evening. I wrote my first post. Then posted. The rest is Cuppa history.

I'm so glad I did.

Mostly, it's because of all of you. All the connections I've made. With readers. With fellow writers and bloggers. Basically, with my friends (whether I know you personally or not). You are all the reason Cuppa feels like a cozy place for me. A place I can pull my feet up on the sofa, sip on my latte, and enjoy!

There are anniversaries of all kinds. What anniversary does your character celebrate?

P.S. Can I just say that I wish I could celebrate with a copy of Mockingjay. I can't wait to get my hands on it. How 'bout you?

The Terrible Twos?

2010-08-22T15:48:00.000-07:00

No way! Two can't be terrible.

TODAY IS CUPPA'S 2ND BLOGIVERSARY!

Perhaps I'll eat a cupcake. Or something sweet!

Maybe even more appropriate, I'll have a cuppa something fantastic. I hope you will too!

Coming Out From Behind My Cuppa

2010-08-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

Some people just ooze talent. People like the amazing Sonya Sones. Not only does this amazing author of novels-in-verse capture teens with her extraordinary storytelling, but she captures people in photographs like no other. You can see some of her favorites HERE.

I've visited other author's websites and noticed their great photos, and often underneath I've seen, "Photo by Sonya Sones." And every time I've seen such a photo, I've always thought, Oh how I'd love to have Sonya take my photo.

Guess what?

She did. *squeeee*

She sent them to me last night.

Getting these special Sonya photos, paired with something learned at the conference, I'm thinking it's time to come out from behind my big white mug. What do you think?

During the conference, Team Blog's very own leader, the lovely Alice Pope, presented a session called Moving Your Career Forward with Social Networking and Blogging with social media guru, Greg Pincus. Now, while I was unable to attend that session, I did follow the tweets and read the blog post, and one point they made stood out to me. Here's the hot tip link. They mentioned how many people at the conference recognized them from their photos (featured on their blogs, Facebook, and Twitter) and said it's good to use the same photo across all platforms.

Of course this got me thinking. Because who could ever recognize me, unless I walked around with a big white mug in front of my face? (Although it has been fun when people have recognized the name Jolie and then asked, "Hey, are you Cuppa?" That gets me every time.)

So, you tell me. Time to change my photo to one of these by the fab Sonya Sones? And if yes, then which photo?

Photo #1

Photo by Sonya Sones

Photo #2

Photo by Sonya Sones

Photo #3

Photo by Sonya Sones

Photo #4

Photo by Sonya Sones

Photo #5

Photo by Sonya Sones

I also wanted to mention that those people who signed up for the Pro Track during the summer conference were also photographed by Sonya (that alone is worth the extra cost). Just one more reason to keep dropping those coins into your SCBWI 2011 jar. Anyone get their photo taken as part of the Pro Track during the conference? I would love to hear about it.

Monday Moment #82: a writing prompt for your work-in-progress

2010-08-16T05:36:00.000-07:00

(If you’ve already read this then skip past all the italicized blah-di-blah and start writing.) Monday Moments are writing prompts for your work-in-progress. They are questions that come from my experiences and are my favorite way to find out more about my characters. I find I learn a lot. Some of it I use. Some of it I don’t. But I always, always get to know my character(s) better just by answering the question. I hope you do too. )

Guilty pleasures!

I have 'em. We all do, right? Yes?

I just finished watching Big Brother. *head falls, a bit embarrassed*

So, I've never really tried to hide the fact that I love reality TV. I do. I really do. But watching some, like Project Runway or Top Chef, I feel I can justify a bit more. With Project Runway I'm fascinated by the creative process and seeing the end result. With Top Chef it's the food and I might just learn something.

With Big Brother, well, really...what good reason is there to watch it other than fantastic DOSES OF GUILTY GOODNESS?

Sure. I try to think of some. Like, I love to pay attention to character. It's true. I love watching the way people speak and interact and react. It's fascinating, and as a writer, I always feel like I can learn something from a cast of characters. See...I have reasons.

*pops another Hot Tamales in mouth*

Second guilty pleasure of the night. I admit it. I have a huge box of Hot Tamales right next to the computer and I've been popping 'em this whole time, even though certain friends make fun of my love of such candies.

So, I ask again. We all have them, right?

That's what I thought.

Then, so should our characters.

What guilty pleasure(s) does your character indulge in?