Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.

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Wednesday, December 30th, 2009
lisa_schroeder	7:42a	January blog event - are you ready? Are you ready to DREAM BIG in 2010? If not, I want to help YOU. Inspire YOU. Move YOU to dream big. Because I do believe - "It may be that those who do most, dream most." ~Stephen Butler Leacock I've asked 26 amazing authors for kids and teens to write around the topic "Dream Big" and they came through in a BIG way. You will hear from: Becca Fitzpatrick, author of the NYT bestselling novel HUSH, HUSH L.K. Madigan, author of FLASH BURNOUT, a William Morris award finalist Liz Garton Scanlon, author of the NYT best illustrated book ALL THE WORLD And many, many more!!! It all starts January 1st, right here. I hope you'll join me and make 2010 the year YOU dream big!! (Comment on this)
cynthialord	8:22a	2010 Books! Congratulations! Here comes a whole new year of bouncing book-babies!  If you are one of my LJ Friends or regular blog readers and you have a book with a publishing date in 2010, please comment and tell me the title and release date (or month/season if the precise date isn't set yet).   Anyone else? January 1. 8th Grade Superzero, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich 6. Chasing Brooklyn, Lisa Schroeder February 1. Hot Rod Hamster, Cynthia Lord and Derek Anderson March 9. It's Raining Cupcakes, Lisa Schroeder 10. Front Page Face-Off, Jo Whittemore 15. The Reinvention of Edison Thomas, Jacqueline Houtman April 6. The Exile of Gigi Lane, Adrienne Vrettos 13. How to Survive Middle School, Donna Gephart May 3. The Hive Detectives, Loree Griffin Burns 25. The Seventh Level, Jody Feldman June July 1. The Healing Spell, Kimberley Little 13. Sleepless, Cyn Balog August September 1. Never Ever Talk to Strangers, Anne Marie Pace 1. Touch Blue, Cynthia Lord October November December Fall, exact date not set yet  Cousins of Clouds: Elephant Poems, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer For the Birds, Peggy Thomas and Laura Jacques Current Mood: excited (17 Comments |Comment on this)
cynthialord	6:33a	You know it's cold when. . . Scarborough, Maine. Photo by my husband, John The snow squeaks under your boots. Current Mood: cold (2 Comments |Comment on this)
susanwrites	1:57a	Of Dogs and Writing - Taking Care of Business Cassie is not a fan of the rain. When she rings the bell to go outside normally all I have to do is slide open the door and watch her trot out back to take care of business. Except when it's raining. The door opens and she sniffs the air then glares at me as though the stuff falling from the sky is all my fault. She steps out, hesitantly. She really has to pee but she doesn't want to get wet. So she stands in the middle of the patio (getting wet because there's no overhang or tree for shelter) and instead of just racing on and doing what she needs to do she folds her ears back, tucks her tail between her legs, and waits. For a creature descended from wolves it's really laughable to watch her cower in the pouring rain. I want to tell her to hurry up. That the sooner she takes care of things, the sooner she can come back in and get dry. But I don't know if it would make a difference, even if I could make her understand me. It's like she wants to have something to complain about. In some ways I'm a lot like Cassie. When I think about some writing projects, some assignments I might have that aren't at the top of my fun list or some kind of business part of the job that I keep postponing, I know I should just jump in and take care of them so I can cross them off my list. But I don't. I wander around the house, moaning and complaining about how much I don't want to do something and probably spending more time whining about it all than it would have taken me to do whatever needed doing. I watch Cassie getting more and more wet as she makes no attempt to move off the patio and do what she is supposed to be doing. I sigh, and utter the magic words, "Go potty and you can have a cookie." She looks back at me and gives a few short wags of her tail before finally walking off behind the back of the house. A few minutes later she bounds back inside, glued to my side until she gets the promised treat. She's been rewarded. All is right in her world. I think sometimes I forget to give myself a cookie, or even the promise of one. I'm working on changing that. How about you? (1 Comment |Comment on this)
susanwrites	12:01a	31 Blogs You Might Not Know - Terri, wildlife rehabber/author I love animals. A lot. But there's no way I could do what wildlife rehabber (and children's author) Terri does. I read her blog for the animal stories but I also read it for her writing journey. She often weaves the two together. A couple of my favorites are Of Deer and Men which talks about what to do if you come across an injured deer and If I had a Hammer in which Terri reminds us writers that we were all beginners once upon a time. Thanks, Terri, for doing a tough job that many of us think we would love to do but probably couldn't handle. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
lindsey_leavitt	5:23p	My house and heart are bursting with JUBILATION. Jubilation and the Post-Christmas Toy Apocalypse Alternative Title: Some Wonderful Gifts I Acquired This Holiday Season. 1. Tea cup from Irene Latham (author of LEAVING GEE'S BEND, out next week!) and Rachel Hawkins (HEX HALL) Rachel, Irene and I had a little pre-baby tea party at our local literary watering hole, Miss Rosemarie's Tea Room. Now, I'm not a tea drinker (much to the disappointment of Miss Rosemarie, who gives me this look every time I say "Just water"), but I am a lover of scones, and Miss Rosemarie ROCKS the scones. I actually take a picture of them every time we go there. But even better than the scones (OK, maybe tied. We're talking some major scone-age, people) was the lovely tea cup Irene and Rachel got for me! I can't wait to have an office so I can put it on display next to all my yet-to-be-acquired awards. At least I know between the two of them I can brag that THE Irene Latham and THE Rachel Hawkins gifted me something fancy. 2.  A Clean Home My Christmas gift from my mom was possibly one of the best presents ever--sanity by way of a clean house. Between revisions and pregnancy and holiday madness, my house was looking like The Funk. These women came in and FIXED that. They vaccummed the stairs! I will not embarrass myself and tell you how long it's been since I've done that. Even better, I still get two more monthly visits from the blessed cleaning angels. After that, I might be treating myself to a Valentines present. Then Saint Patty's Day. Then...   2. Author copy of Princess for Hire (Egmont UK edition) I came home from the hospital with my baby to find a book baby in the mailbox! I had no idea it was coming, which made it even more exciting. And I didn't know the gold lettering would be so shiny. Soooooo shiny. Sorry about the blurry pic, but do you see the glow? For a better shot, go to Amazon UK and since you're there, feel free to buy it. UK version will be out Feb 1, which is only like... whoa, a month away or something. Wait, what is the date today? It's still December, right? 4. Books for girls from publisher AND another package... loads and loads of books for my girls from my wonderful publicist! The beauty of Hyperion is that they have all these great picture books/easy readers from the likes of Mo Williams, but since they're Disney-owned, we have the princess hook-up. I'll admit, I usually only buy picture books that mommy wants, so TV/movie characters are a no. This made my daughters even more excited, that mommy was "letting" them have Disney princess books. 5 And, of course, the arrival of my beautiful baby girl... Princess Logan (Yep. I said PRINCESS. Just an FYI to that stupid hospital nurse who informed me Logan is supposed to be a boy name. Well, Chiquita is supposed to be a banana name, so let's let bygones just... yeah). Once again... You're probably at work right now and just let out an audible "Aw" and everyone is looking at you, huh? That's OK. Show them the picture. You're not human if you don't awww at a baby like that. Not that I'm biased. Here's a confesssion: this pregnancy was different than the others because I had so much going on that I didn't spend as much time really mentally preparing for the event. Even after I delivered Logan (which, hate me if you must, was an easy and quick experience), I kept looking at her like, Wait, where did you come from? How am I going to do this? How exactly do you change a diaper without getting peed on again? But now that she is here, in my arms, she is mine. And I'm so grateful to have a baby at this time--this time of year, this time in my career, this time in my life. It's been wonderful to give myself so completely to this little angel. I've had some great Squee! moments this past year--selling another book, seeing my words in print, building wonderful writerly friendships--but it's still different than that ache in my arm from holding my baby too long, or that moment when her eyes flutter open after a succesful feeding and my heart just bursts with absolute joy. More joy in the daytime, not so much during her Hey Mom, Let's Kick it/CRY night-time hours.  But still, loads of joy. Hope your holidays were likewise magical. I can't believe 2010--also known as The Year I Try Not To Go Nuts--is upon us soon. (It hasn't happened yet, has it? It is still December, right? Wait, what day is it?)   (41 Comments |Comment on this)
tamarak	2:41p	Sold! Tammi Sauer's BAWK AND ROLL, in which razy chicken gals are ready to shake a tail feather with Elvis Poultry at McDoodle's Barn, but the ducks have other plans, to Frances Gilbert at Sterling, by Laura Rennert at Andrea Brown Literary Agency (World). BAWK AND ROLL is the sequel to CHICKEN DANCE. I am over-the-moon thrilled to be working with Santat again. :) (20 Comments |Comment on this)
lisa_schroeder	6:24a	Bookish news First of all, um, ONE WEEK UNTIL RELEASE DAY. EEEEEEK!!! 1. If you are a Portland, OR peep, I will be signing and reading next week. Tues., January 5th at 7:00 pm, to be exact, at the Clackamas Barnes and Noble. It's kind of weird, barnesandnoble.com has me on their events page! Go HERE and wait a minute, and you'll see me as the ad scrolls from THE HONOR OF SPIES to CHASING BROOKLYN. 2. A few early reviews have been posted, so thought I'd share... "Schroeder masterfully creates a parallel structure within the text, the energy and emotion of each scene heightening its overall drama, underscoring the sorrow and, above all, strengthening its final message of hope." —Kirkus Reviews "Schroeder has covered a few rough topics in one novel and she weaved [them] together in a magnificent way." —http://agoodaddiction.blogspot.com "Lisa has written a story that to me was emotional, powerful, strong and filled with love." —http://alifeboundbybooks.blogspot.com "As a reader, I got the feeling that I was reading the diaries of friends and felt the sympathy and urgency and thrill of healing right along with them."—http://yahighway.blogspot.com 3. FAR FROM YOU makes a very cute paperback. I really like it. My new editor sent me a couple copies of each book until I get my author copies from the warehouse. Here, I took a picture for you: Tomorrow - Find out what BIG plans I have for the month of January. It's so awesome and so exciting, I can't wait to share it with all of you!! (15 Comments |Comment on this)
cynthialord	8:29a	You Can't Get There From Here (at least not with a 40-minute connection time) At Chicago O'Hare Some of my winter and spring event organizers needed to put my flight cost into their budget before year end.  So amid all the recent considerations of airport security, I've been making flight reservations for events as far away as next May. Coming from Maine, I almost always have a connection to make.  So I was interested to see this list on USA Today of airports that experience the most delays. 1.   Chicago O'Hare 2.   Newark 3.   Miami 4.   Dallas Fort Worth 5.   NYC LaGuardia 6.   Washington Dulles 7.   San Francisco 8.   Chicago Midway 9.   NYC JFK 10. Atlanta I've run full-speed through at least four of these airports, and I even spent the night once at Dulles. My personal favorite connection airports:  Detroit, Charlotte, Cincinnati, and Washington Reagan.  In addition to some familiar airports, I'll see a few new ones this winter and next spring:  Long Island, Buffalo, and Kansas City.  In fact, I will have three hours to wait at the Kansas City airport, so if any of you live in that area and want to hang out in April, let me know.  :-)    Current Mood: busy (10 Comments |Comment on this)
susanwrites	1:20a	31 Blogs You Might Not Know - L.K. Madigan Some people can make you laugh one moment and catch your breath at the beauty in a photograph in the next. That's the way it is with author L.K. Madigan. She has a fun feature called authorial intrusions which are "not your typical author interviews" but some of my favorite posts are the ones where she has Tim Gunn (from Project Runway) in her head while she is trying to write. Check out this one and this one too! (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, December 28th, 2009
lindajsingleton	3:57p	Hi LJ friends, It's been a while, I know. Please excuse LJS for her absence for the following reasons: * I've been busy writing my spin-off SEER book about Thorn. Up to page 120! Yay! * I wrote two picture books this year. Both have been submitted. Fingers crossed. * Family comes first. Sorry, writing has to wait sometimes. Family has been busy! * Parties, exercise, reading, weekend trips and every-day-adventures. * I saw Avatar. Yes, it's a verrrry long movie. But worth it. * And my guilty pleasure reason for not posting here as often: Farmville. It's become an addiction. I don't understand it but I'm obsessed. Excuse me but I'm going to open more holiday gifts on Farmville. (6 Comments |Comment on this)
lisa_schroeder	6:16a	Supporting authors when your heart is bigger than your wallet January 1st is almost HERE, and I have many things I want to share with you before Friday. So today is the last day of the December reruns. Hope you enjoyed them. This one is something I wrote last year, and I think it's worth repeating now, as we look forward to another year of LOTS of amazing books.  *** As the current year winds down and we look forward to a new one, I'm thinking about all the books I'm looking forward to in the coming year. I'm sure you know there are a LOT of great books for kids and teens coming out in the coming months. A lot as in hundreds and hundreds, many of them by debut authors who need all the help and support they can get. Unfortunately, most of us can't really buy hundreds of books each and every year. So I thought I'd post a list of ways we can support our fellow authors in other ways besides purchasing the book. When we can buy the book, wonderful! But when we can't, we can do other things that will help the author in the long run. I'm sure you know most of these, but I thought it might be a nice reminder for all of us, me included!    Lisa's Top 10 list of ways to support your author friends 1. Ask your public library to order a copy. There's a box at my library where you can request titles for purchase. Some libraries have it on-line. It really only takes a minute to do it. Usually you can request that the library reserve the title for you once they order it. That way you're first on the list to read it! 2. After you read a book you like, blog about it.  If you're like me and don't have the time or talent to do a really thorough review, put the cover up and give it two thumbs-up, or whatever. robinellen does a monthly blog post about books she read with a rating system, and she's honest! Not everyone is comfortable with that, I know, so you can be what Laini Taylor calls a "book recommender." That is, only blog about a book when you like it. Just do whatever you're comfortable with. 3. If you see an interesting interview or a great review about an author you know, put the link in your blog and point people there. Stuff like this is much more interesting when it comes from someone besides the author herself. 4. E-mail the author and ask if he/she has any bookmarks or postcards you could pass out to teachers, librarians, friends, etc. 5. Have a few book lists ready in your purse or wallet, in case a conversation comes up where you have a chance to give some recommendations. This happened to me just the other night, when a girl said she was done with BREAKING DAWN and didn't know what to read next. Word of mouth is HUGE, especially for authors that aren't well known, so be ready when the opportunity strikes! 6. Post a review on Powells.com, Barnesandnoble.com, and/or Amazon.com. Good reviews are helpful to an author, especially when a book first comes out. I know I've slacked off on this lately, and I need to get back to doing it. The other thing you can do is find areas on message boards to talk about books, like Verla Kay's board has a "Book Talk" section where you can comment about books you've read. 7. If you go to a fellow author's event, take a picture and talk about the event on your blog, and if it's a really good picture, maybe try submitting it to the Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookshelf on-line newsletter. 8. Make a list on Amazon, and put your favorite books in a certain genre, or favorite books of the year, or ten books you're really excited about in the coming year, whatever. People DO read those lists! 9.  If you have a kid's birthday party to go to, give a book! Combine it with something else, if you'd like, to make it more fun and interesting, but buying books as gifts is really a win-win situation, right? Good for the kid, ultimately, if he/she ends up reading it, and good for the author and publishing industry. 10. Respond to questions on Goodreads, Amazon, LJ groups, etc. and recommend new titles. I often see the same titles being recommended over and over again, and while I know that's because they are GOOD books, there are other books, not well known, that could be getting some well-deserved air time too. Are there any other good ones you can think of? (5 Comments |Comment on this)
cynthialord	5:42a	2009   2009 was a year of ups and downs, but looking back I had lots of wonderful moments.  Here's one highlight from each month.     January:  I went to Florida to keynote The Space Coast Writers' Guild conference and saw pelicans, manatees, orange trees, an armadillo, and Winn-Dixie grocery stores for the first time.     February: In New Jersey, I did fun school visits and played wii bowling with author Lisa Mullarkey's son.       March:  I did my first-ever full week of school visits: seven great schools in Carmel, Indiana.       April: I keynoted my home SCBWI conference: New England Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I also gave a workshop with author Linda Urban, and my wonderful agent, Tracey Adams, came to hear me speak.         May:  I met Derek Anderson, fabulous illustrator of HOT ROD HAMSTER, at a conference in Tennessee.     June:   I went on two productive and fun writing retreats with friends.     July:  Took my daughter with me on a speaking trip to Connecticut.      August:   Using 26 pages of Mapquest directions, my daughter and I delivered over 1,000 books to 13 Maine elementary schools as part of the "Read with ME" program.      September:  Rode in a limo to Dairy Queen at a "One Book One Community" read in Mattoon, Illinois.        October:  In Ohio, my friend Kate and her husband took me to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and I accepted the Buckeye Award for RULES.        November:  Attended Phil Hoose's National Book Award send-off party and was so pleased to hear he'd won!     December:  Received my first hardcover copy of HOT ROD HAMSTER and my cover for TOUCH BLUE. Here's to a bright, peaceful, satisfying, and successful 2010 for everyone.    Current Mood: pleased (15 Comments |Comment on this)
lisayee	12:44a	Christmas Feast and Fun Peepy had the most wonderful Christmas! We both did. It began on December 24th when we went to this very festive place . . . In Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally), Bobby's favorite food is/are donuts. Son loves them, too, and gets a box every Xmas. On Christmas Eve, I was determined not to repeat the mistake my family refers to as "The Year Mom Ruined Christmas." So this year we watched this . . . . . . and recalled the fun we had when we saw one of the animators who worked on the film. Plus, we were thankful that no one was bludgeoned to death in this movie. The next day was a present opening frenzy. I plan all year for Christmas, buying gifts when I see the perfect one for each person. And then . . . and then . . . it's over in about 2-1/2 seconds! We got lots of cool gifts ourselves, like these lovely new Snuggies which we are wearing AT THIS VERY MOMENT AS WE WRITE THIS BLOG!!!! (Um, mine's dark brown and therefore hard to see. But it's surprisingly soft and cozy!) Now, I'm not sure if many of you are aware of this, but I am Asian. Yes! Asian. Which translated means . . . all my relatives get together for Christmas and we EAT, EAT, EAT, EAT, EAT. If you don't believe me, look this this . . . Hope your holidays were grand!!! Subscribe to Lisa Yee's Blog and get her fresh baked blogs e-mailed to you! Email: Or you can click this for a RSS feed... (8 Comments |Comment on this)
susanwrites	12:01a	31 Blogs You Might Not Know - Miss Rumphius Effect Tricia, at the Miss Rumphius Effect, blogs about a lot of things related to kidlit but I'm addicted to her Monday morning poetry stretches. I don't always play (though it is my goal to participate more in 2010) but I always stop by to read. They're great poetry prompts for all ages. Here are a couple of my favorites:  Childhood games  and What Isn't There. And since today is Monday, you might want to try stretching yourself while you're there. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 27th, 2009
susanwrites	1:30p	and yet more zentangles DSC02849, originally uploaded by susanwrites. This is all just one stroke and repeating patterns. and FUN! (1 Comment |Comment on this)
susanwrites	1:29p	more zentangles DSC02850, originally uploaded by susanwrites. a few more zentangles. These make me feel like I am drawing something, even if they are just doodles. (Comment on this)
susanwrites	1:25p	my first zentangles DSC02848, originally uploaded by susanwrites. I have been learning how to doodle. Not draw, just doodle, patterns. These are called Zentangles. Thanks to Zentangle.com for the easy tips!   (12 Comments |Comment on this)
susanwrites	12:01a	31 Blogs You Might Not Know - Melissa Wiley When I want to feel like I've been hugged, this is one of the blogs I head for, Here in the Bonny Glen. Author Melissa Wiley has created a warm and friendly place in the blogosphere that is about writing and raising kids and homeschooling and living green and being real, right here, right now. I'll warn you, a lot of her posts will move you to tears, but they never leave me feeling sad. Often they leave me wishing I was a part of what sounds like a wonderful family. The Boy with the Perfect Heart is a great example of a perfectly told tear-inducing story and this one which talks about how some of us have a tendency to have more "tearing up moments" than others. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, December 26th, 2009
cynthialord	5:48a	Christmas Hope your holidays were filled with treats, Leftover lobster! people who love you,  my daughter made this to go on the wall of my writing house (everything she wrote or drew has to do with TOUCH BLUE). toys, Thank you to my parents, Holly, and Liz for my son's new friends! and peace. Ahhhhhhh. Current Mood: peaceful (8 Comments |Comment on this)
susanwrites	12:01a	31 Blogs You Might Not Know - Lisa Schroeder I'm a writer and a poet so I am naturally drawn to blogs that connect to my writing life so well. One of my favorites belongs to Lisa Schroeder. She takes you into the life of a writer/poet and shows you the good, the bad, and the "this will probably make you cry" kind of stuff. This month she's been running some reruns from her favorite posts from the past and I've loved reading all over again about the way her career has evolved. A couple of favorites of mine are I'm not the only one where she compares American Idol to the writing business and this one where she talks about getting an agent at last. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 25th, 2009
susanwrites	12:53a	Merry Christmas to all A very Merry Christmas from my house to your house. May all your creative dreams come true. (10 Comments |Comment on this)
susanwrites	12:51a	31 Blogs You Might Not Know - Lyttie Poe & Melodye Shore My Christmas gift to you is two blogs that hold a special spot in my heart - True Tales of Kindness and Stupidity & Front Pages. Both blogs are written by talented and creative woman who remind me that love is all around us, once we slow down long enough to really look. I love blogs that change my mood or my way of looking at something and these blogs both do that. They remind me that growth is always possible and that it doesn't take much for us to make a change in someone's life. Often we can do it just by pausing to sit with them for a while. Over at True Tales of Kindness and Stupidity, a couple of my favorite posts are A Tale of Uncle Al and Two Dolls and A Fool of Myself. At Front Pages I really enjoyed In my travels, two things and Creative Inspiration from the King of Pop. Melodye is also my Creative Art Journal buddy.   (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
lisa_schroeder	7:28a	Peace, love, joy and COOKIES!! Merry Christmas!! (5 Comments |Comment on this)
cynthialord	6:27a	If It Fits, It Ships! You know those new Priority Shipping boxes at the post office?  The ones where you pay a flat rate, no matter what's in the box?  Well, I tested that out yesterday by filling the littlest size box with 3 lbs 4 oz of. . . .ROCKS!   Our art director at Scholastic is creating the cover for TOUCH BLUE, and there are some rocks in the foreground of the photo. The book is firmly set in Maine, but to be honest, the rocks didn't look convincing to me. They kindly agreed to rephotograph the rocks. And they took me up on my offer to send some actual beach stones from Maine.  I went through the basket of popplestones I have in my kitchen and found ones that were the right size (very small!). But I tend to bring home beautiful rocks, never the more ordinary ones that are around them.  So I wanted some plainer beach stones to balance the beautiful ones and to give the art director more options to create contrast, etc. The book comes out in September, though. They need those rocks now.     So in between cooking and getting ready for our family party, my daughter and I drove to the ocean yesterday. The tide was not in my favor, but what can you do?  Time and tide and post office hours wait for no man!       My daughter is such a good sport.  It was freezing outside and we had about 3 feet of beach--because that's all you get within an hour of high tide--looking for rocks that were the right size and in a range of colors.     I'm afraid the art director may find a little sand in the box, too.  Though we wiped the rocks, I couldn't bring myself to plunge my hand in that frigid ocean to wash them.  And we wrapped a few stands of dried seaweed in the bubble wrap that filled the top of the box to keep the rocks from rolling around inside.  She can just throw that away if she doesn't want it, but it was right there mixed in the rocks, so we sent it.   The "possible pile" The kids in Maine will like the story of me mailing rocks to New York City, so we took some photos for my Maine Island visits next fall.    Have a great time in NYC, guys! The postmaster didn't even raise an eyebrow when that package thumped POW! on his scale. :-) Current Mood: cheerful (16 Comments |Comment on this)

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