Becky's Blog

Springfield, here I come!

2012-02-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

Crazy busy week. Taking Terry's dogs to a fostering family today (thank you, Melissa!!!).

School is always there, and FRIDAY, I'm going to Springfield, MN to be guest author at the elementary school for the morning. I'm looking forward to that. I just hope I'm not to tired to remember what I plan to say! Talking about "Prairie-Dogging Your Way to a Story." Subtitled: "From Here to There by Way of the Zoo: Animal imagery for writing to completion."

Creative Writing class is fun. I'm actually working on a poem for the first time in ages. Will post it if I finish it in some form that I like. Title: "I Speak Bike."

Sick of us yet? More GIRL MEETS BOY Blog Tour stuff!

2012-02-03T16:20:00.000-08:00

I screwed up. Maybe royally. I guess it's not the end of the world, but last Saturday, Jan. 28th, I was supposed to be the host blogger for our GIRL MEETS BOY Blog Tour. With everything going on with Terry Davis, I FORGOT completely.

When I first agreed to host a day of the tour, I was planning to have a conversation with Terry Davis about our experience writing shared stories...but with him in St. Marys in Rochester, that didn't happen. I had plenty of conversations with him there, but none that you'd want to read about here.

One of the things I wanted to talk was how it's OKAY to be FRIENDS with your EX. If you live long enough and perhaps a certain way, you do collect an ex or two. The kids who are characters in GIRL MEETS BOY most likely will all have an ex or two (some already do) by the time they reach 30 or 40 or 50.

I learned more about writing from Terry Davis than from any other single human being on the planet. Getting to write a shared story with him was an honor.

I talked about this process in an interview on The Book Cellar that's up and running today. Kelly Milner Halls, the illustrious, prolific, and crazy-delightful editor (and one of the contributing authors) of GIRL MEETS BOY interviewed me. This sums up lots of what I wanted to say about the experience of writing this story.
Check out the entire BLOG TOUR through the schedule HERE on Kelly's page.

A helluva Month

2012-01-30T09:36:00.000-08:00

I'm ready for February. A new start. January wasn't so hot.
1. I broke my arm (technically in December, but the bulk of the result has affected January, not December).

2. Terry Davis fell off a ladder onto a cement floor, ended up being airlifted to Mayo Clinic, went into a coma; we were told he was going to die; he came out of it, had surgery, got labeled "Lazarus," and is recovering at St. Mary's in Rochester. He still has a tough, long road ahead.

Good things about the prior item:
a) My kids came home and I got time with them as a bonus, albeit in circumstances less than ideal.
b)Terry is ALIVE and retains his sense of humor and intelligence in spite of the fact that he was supposed to be DEAD.
c) My boyfriend Tom once again shows his true colors in that he's man enough to be supportive of my friendship with Terry instead of being jealous or intimidated by it. Tom amazes me.

3. I'm not a finalist for the Minnesota Book Awards. Strangely, I sort of knew that I wouldn't be. There were sooooo many spectacular nominations in books for young people this year, I didn't think anyone knew me enough to make the top four (although some egotistical part of me wonders if anybody did read Chasing AllieCat while doing the selecting, and maybe it's good that deep down I believe Chasing AllieCat is a good enough book to have made the final cut)...

The top four finalists are SPECTACULAR writers and deserve it entirely. Kurtis Scarletta (who has been deserving this honor for a long time, in my opinion), Pete Hautman (who wins every year he's nominated and that's most years 'cause he's that brilliant), Jacqueline West (whom I don't know and am going to go READ), and Brian Farrey (my editor for Chasing AllieCat!) are amazing writers and kudos to them!
And in children's (younger) books, thrilled to death that Laura Purdie Salas made finalist!

I'm in great company among the talent that got passed over: Rachael Hanel (one of my besties cycling as well as writing, in my writing group!) Anne Ursu (loved Breadcrumbs), Geoff Herbach (I thought he'd win the whole shebang), Marion Dane Bauer (Holy smoke! She's one of my idols), Lynne Jonell (finalist last year--consistently great), Steve Brezenoff (just being in his company for this rejection makes it all okay), Loretta Ellsworth (Also amazed she didn't make the cut), Susan Niz, and a whole bunch of people I don't even know--and where the heck was Kelly Barnhill on this list in the first place?
And in children's (younger books): Stephen Shaskan wasn't a finalist? Okay, I'm fine with not making the cut.

Another good thing: Girl Meets Boy (Chronicle) is out in the world, and if there's ever a time that's honorable to have my story paired with Terry Davis's story in anthology, this is IT.

So time marches on...so does the good and the bad, the fabric from which this crazy, unreliable life is woven. Bottom line: I'm glad to be alive and to love and be loved by so many wonderful people.

There is one

2012-01-20T07:16:00.001-08:00

atheist in a foxhole. I know him well.

Girl Meets Boy gets press

2012-01-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

Girl Meets Boy gets press at Chronicle

AND here's the trailer...

At least I wrote a story that is getting some press and PR. Don't care if my name isn't front and center...I'm in there, and I like my story...along with most of the others in this book. Great interview with Kelly Milner Halls, editor of the book and one of the authors in the collection.

10 things it's hard to do one-handed

2012-01-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

Especially when your dominant hand is in a clumsy cast.

1. Squeeze shampoo into your hand (while one hand is encased in a garbage bag, taped and vaselined into waterproofness while in a cast and held over your head to avoid leakage), close shampoo, and distribute shampoo onto hair and replace shampoo bottle on shower shelf. *Note: Hold shampoo bottle between knees. Squeeze into hand. Slather hair. Replace bottle.
2. Wash arm NOT in cast and in garbage bag held over head. *Note: impossible.
3. Shave armpit under useable arm. *Not impossible, but tricky.
4. Chop vegetables/onions/fruit. *Dangerous.
5. Cut food on plate.
6. Eat politely.

7. Brush teeth. *I found myself holding toothbrush (AFTER I finally got toothpaste on the brush) holding the brush in my inept left hand and bobbing up and down. Thankfully, floss comes on little pronged picks, so it can be done one-handed.
8. Dismantle artificial Christmas Tree. *Gave up on this one. May have Christmas tree up and use it for Valentine's Tree.
9. Carry heavy boxes. *Haven't figured this out yet. Works with 2-wheeled cart if stairs aren't necessary.
10. Type. *Pain in the A*@#$$. But if I tilt my keyboard so the right-angle of my casted arm fits the keyboard, I can do it. My shoulder will either be a)exhausted or b)buff by the time I get out of this cast.

Finally. A good review in VOYA.

2012-01-13T17:33:00.000-08:00

Finally. I wrote something that got a good review in VOYA. Kerry's story, "Mars at Night," is the one I wrote. So glad I AM working on that novel!

VOYA (Voice of Youth Activates)

Review

1/1/2012

"In this collection of six vignettes, readers experience both the male and female perspective of affairs that are challenging, life-changing, or seemingly inexplicable. Bobby Wildcat bemoans his short stature and the bullying he endures in his close-knit tribal community. Then, without warning, he finds himself drawn to Nancy Whitepath, the town’s large and successful basketball talent. Bobby’s insecurities often lead him to misinterpret how Nancy is responding to him. In “Want to Meet,” Max plans to meet his online crush, only to be shocked that Alex is a girl (“Alex, it was a gay chat room, okay?”). Alex’s reasons for starting a relationship online are just as complex as Max’s. “The Mouths of the Ganges” and ”Mars At Night” look at the challenges that Kerry and Rafi experience in their relationship. He is Bengali, from a devout Muslim family, while she has grown up on an Iowan farm and lives with constant disapproval and guilt trips from her grandmother. Their relationship is only one of the many issues they face, including the post-9/11 prejudice Rafi endures and the potential destruction of Kerry’s farming way of life.

These short stories are collected in the same “he said/she said” format made popular by books such as Cohn and Levithan’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist(Knopf, 2006/VOYA April 2006) and Barkley and Hepler’s Scrambled Eggs at Midnight (Speak, 2007/VOYA August 2006). For some of the stories, there simply is not enough development for the reader to cultivate firm opinions about characters, their motives, or their situations. Some of the breakout stories, such as Rafi and Kerry’s tale, beg for a home in their own novel. With its proliferation of romance and hormonally-charged electricity, this book should be an easy sell to readers who like escaping in lighter contemporary relationship stories."- VOYA

"He thought …, but to her it seemed… As long as there have been two sexes, there have been two views of each relationship. This collection of stories by proven YA authors explores this dilemma through the novel device of dual accounts by two writers, one male and one female. In Chris Crutcher’s “Love or Something Like It,” uber-handsome John Smith enlists school “bad girl” Wanda to help him understand women, while Kelly Milner Hall’s “Some Things Never Change” explores Wanda’s preemptive-strike attitude toward men. In other stories, a Native American star at women’s basketball begins to see possibilities in a shrimpy, artistic schoolmate; Alexis helps her lonely, gay, on-line buddy Max find a possible relationship; an African-American girl and a white admirer connect in sex ed class; and a Muslim boy falls for an Iowa hog farmer’s daughter and uncovers a shocking political deception. The final story departs from the format to present a jointly-narrated account of transsexual Stephen’s (nee Stephanie’s) decision to accept an overture from an unsuspecting childhood friend.

This diverse collection will appeal to a broader readership than many short-story anthologies, due to its innovative format and universal theme. Some stories are naturally stronger than others: “Mouths of the Ganges,” by Terry Davis, for example, breaks new ground, while its partner, “Mars at Night,” by Rebecca Fjelland Davis, is more conventional. Casual profanity and frequent references to sex (more thoughts than action) will not surprise YA librarians. This is a strong choice for older teen readers."-VOYA

"[A] proliferation of romance and hormonally charged electricity" -VOYA

"A strong choice for older teen readers" -VOYA

Girl Meets Boy study guide

2012-01-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

A study guide out from Chronicle for GirlMeetsBoy!

My story in this book, "Mars at Night" is about the same characters as are in the novel I'm working on now. Fun to see Kerry and Rafi out in the world.

Overheard...

2012-01-05T18:48:00.000-08:00

(to me): "Do you have a punch-card at the orthopedist?"

(another presenter at the conference today): "My mother told me I was the kind of little boy she didn't want me to play with."

"I'm an illlustrator. Can I draw this story instead of writing it?"
(me): "Well, I guess so. So draw the parts of your story that other people are writing."
(time passes): "I don't know how to draw the problem part. Can I just leave that out?"
"Is it a story without a problem? Give it your best try."
(a few minutes later) "I gave up on that. I'll do the other parts. But I don't know how to draw a city, either. That's the setting..."
and so it went. The kid is some kind of metaphor for writer's block I think.

SW/WC Service Coop Young Writers' Conference today was a blast. But I'm tired.

I met a bunch of awesome kids. Some of them are really good writers. All of them seemed to be good listeners and readers.

Even my keynote speech was fun (I was scared to talk to a gym full of 1000 people. I wonder if it showed). I guess it went okay! I was surprised every time the whole gym laughed when I said something funny.

Moon over UNIMIN

2011-12-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

Moon Over UNIMEN
I took a break from grading and walked the Kasota Prairie when the sun was setting. The sunset is pretty amazing over the hills and the wetland. And, note, there's a BEAR on the prairie, too. :) Freya, who was crazy-wound-up that night. Then as we were leaving, we ran into a friend dog and owner, so that was all the better.

After the sun set, I turned east and low and behold, the full moon was rising over UNIMIN. Had to get a photo of that, too...even though the colors don't do the moon justice.

Oh, and another day last week, I rode my mountain bike at the Prairie. I posted one of these photos before, but I love the idea of giving new meaning to "snow tires."

P.S. I'm DONE grading research papers!!!!!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

I have to immerse myself in grading research papers and stay off the internet for most of the week. So just in case I don't come up for air for awhile, Happy Holidays from Freya and me!

This photo was taken last night at the South Central College Holiday party. Freya was a BIG hit with kids and adults alike. Go figure. She gets mauled--at one time eight people were petting her at the same time. She just takes it in stride.

Her antlers, however, didn't last past one shake of the head--definitely not long enough for a photo!

Fun at the Kasota Prairie

2011-12-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of the "dog party" at Kasota Prairie last weekend, before all the snow fell.

And here was my last ride, perhaps of the season--at least until the ice goes off the roads--which gives meaning to "snow tires."

It's back to the trainer for awhile. Sigh.

PW review of Girl Meets Boy and upcoming events

2011-11-29T05:35:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night, I'll be signing books in Mapleton, at the Public Library, as part of the Snowflake Dazzle festivities. That should be fun! All sorts of Holiday stuff happening in Mapleton, if you're anywhere nearby.

Sunday, I'll be in Grand Rapids, MN signing at the Village Bookstore from noon to 2 p.m. It's a great Indie bookstore!

Publishers's Weekly reviews our anthology Girl Meets Boy. They liked my story--I'm so honored because I'm in this book with so many hugely terrific and successful writers.

Lastly, have I mentioned how much I love teaching Children's Lit? I do. I have such a great group of readers (and writers) in my class this fall. I love Monday nights. We had a great discussion about Chris Crutcher's Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes last night.

November

2011-11-26T11:53:00.000-08:00

I finally broke down and rode my bike on the trainer today.

The wind is howling, Freya is snoozing, and I'm trying hard to get some writing done on the newest project. Too much to do, even on a long weekend.

I need to grade for a few hours, too.

The DVD player didn't work when I got on the trainer, so I couldn't do a workout video. I read instead, and it's hard to keep my cadence and heart rate up when I'm lost in a story, but I managed most of the time. Most, I say.

I'm reading John Coy's Top of the Order because I read Kurtis Scaletta's Mudville recently. All this is because my newest complete novel, Slider's Son features a 12-year-old who wants to be a major league pitcher. I wanted to see how other Minnesota writers whom I admire handle their baseball stories. I love both of these books, by the way.

Back to work. This time, on my Iowa political intrigue and romance story...with religion and race mixed in. I hope I can make it all balance into a coherent story.

Sadie and Allie get around today...

2011-11-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

Today, Rainy of the Dark's blog is hosting an interview with Sadie and Allie. It's kind of fun, so check it out!

We're also very excited (Sadie and Allie and me, that is) to visit Sanford Middle School this afternoon in Minneapolis.

November morning walk

2011-11-16T07:04:00.000-08:00

Crispy frosted grass

crunches under Freya's paws

and my hiking boots

Shadows trot ahead

Freya's is interrupted

smelling coyote scat

Life life to the fullest...

2011-11-15T20:17:00.000-08:00

THIS is SO cool. You have to watch this youtube video.

My daughter sent me the link, and I love it.

Second Story Series today and in April

2011-11-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Second Story this afternoon at the Loft:

Kelly Barnhill and Anne Ursu were delightful, and read enticing passages. I just finished Breadcrumbs by Anne. Can't wait to start The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly.

I graded several hours this morning, spent a delightful afternoon in Minneapolis, and am back at grading again. It was worth the two trips to the cities in one weekend to take in this event and Stephen Shaskan's yesterday.

And: I'm soooo excited. Swati and Heather have asked me to read in the Second Story Series in April--with A.S. King!!! OMG. OMG.

Best thing, however: a sixth-grader ? seventh? told me tonight that she "LOVED Chasing AllieCat" and read it three times. Best thing in the WORLD that I could hear.

A Dog is a Dog

2011-11-13T04:51:00.000-08:00

A DOG is a DOG, right?

Not when it's STEPHEN SHASKAN, reading from his new picture book, A DOG IS A DOG.

Yesterday, I went to the Red Balloon, and besides a jam-packed, crammed-with-people-of-all-sizes-and-ages store, this is what I saw.

His new book is adorable and FUN. Can't wait to give it for Christmas!

MIA, and Art that stops you dead in your tracks

2011-11-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

Here's what I keep discovering: the bigger your world gets, the more you want to learn, the more you realize you don't know, but the more wonder you hold for what you do see.

I've been to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts more times than I can count. I've been taking students there almost every school term since 1997. Everytime I go, I see something I haven't noticed before.

My students will confirm that I can't shut up in there...I want to show them everything that excites me or fills me with wonder. However, after an hour of being dragged around, listening to me rush from amazing piece to amazing piece, their feet hurt from walking on the marble floors more than their hearts are open to much more amazement. I turn them loose to wander on their own, and all I do is say to myself, "Oh, I should have showed them...the Magritte, the Picassos, the Dalis, the other Monet, the veiled lady...." but there's only so much I can pack in. They have to find the rest on their own. That's what a good teacher should do, right? Prime them to want to discover on their own? I hope so.

Anyway, my big discovery this year is directly linked to my own year. I've seen Charles Caryl Coleman's "The Bronze Horses of San Marco, Venice" many, many times. This year, however, is the first time I've seen it after being in Venice, after standing on that same balcony of St. Mark's Basilica in St. Mark's Square. Here's the painting, and here's the photo I took. This is why art can stop me dead in my tracks sometimes.

AASL

2011-11-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

At the FLUX booth at AASL (American Association of School Librarians) this past Friday. So much going on, I can't quite get it all posted and do everything else I'm supposed to be doing (including WRITING!!). Here I am with Marissa and Bethany (in the back), from FLUX, and fellow FLUX author Lisa Albert, and with Steven Pomije from FLUX. Maggie Stiefvater came a bit later (see the FLUX blog post).

Halloween!

2011-11-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

Some images from Halloween.

In the "Dead Bride" get-up Saturday night, with "The Keeper," dancing with Tom as "The Big Guy," with Bec the Zombie, Padfoot at my Children's Lit Halloween party, and most important: As a witch at the Mapleton Library Halloween Story Time!

Buena Vista University

2011-10-30T17:43:00.000-07:00

Has anybody reading this been to Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa? The campus is beautiful! It feels so collegiate. I had great visits with two classes: an upper level Composition Class, and a Creative Writing class. Then I was more than slightly overwhelmed by the packed auditorium for my evening reading--well over 100 people, sitting on stairs and standing in back when all 96 (I counted the chairs) filled. Gwen Hart and Roger were spectacular hosts, of course. We had much fun together, and we were exhausted at the end of the day! I also got to spend time rubbing and smooching Freya's buddy Newfie, Buster Brown. She was very jealous when I got home and she could smell him on my clothes and bags!

BVU and American Association of School Librarians

2011-10-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a busy week. I feel a tiny bit guilty for missing Thursday classes again, but it can't be helped. I'll be at Buena Vista University Thursday, in Storm Lake, Iowa. I get to visit a couple classes, and I'm doing a reading there that night.

Friday, I'll be at the Minneapolis Convention Center at the AASL Conference. I get to sign copies of Chasing AllieCat at the FLUX/Llewellyn booth from 11:15-12:15. I'll be part of the Author Showcase from 1-2. Should be FUN!

Oh, and Saturday morning, I'll be the witch reading scary Halloween stories at the Mapleton Public Library. Hopefully, photos will be forthcoming!

Slider's Son

2011-10-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

So, finally, finally, finally, with weddings and all the other stuff going on in life (oh, and there's full-time teaching and paper-grading, too), I FINISHED editing Slider's Son. It's as good as I can make it until some editor tells me what he/she wants me to do with it.
I like the story. A lot. I sure hope some editor snatches it up fast, so I can have a book coming out in 2013.

This is the story of a 12-year-old boy growing up in North Dakota on the tail end of the depression. All he wants is to be a major league pitcher. His dad is the county sheriff, and there's a murder in town... Lots of things get in the way of his dream...
I'll keep you posted on how this manuscript does.

AllieCat on the Flux blog, after MIBA

2011-10-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

FLUX blog...Chasing AllieCat made the blog news.

Harvest and Cycling, my autumn treasures

2011-10-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Autumn has a way of making us pensive, don't you think? Of course, it makes us aware of the passing of time. This year, it's all the more true: my son is getting married in a week, and my grandson turned one year old this past week. But I don't feel old. I just feel as if I'm gathering more information about the world inside. I can only, only hope that makes me a better writer.

I get up a little slower when I've been sitting on the floor, but otherwise, I still feel as physically capable as ever. Maybe I'm fooling myself. But then again...I had a happy realization while cycling last week. I love watching the long shadows during an evening ride in the fall. What I don't love is that dark comes so quickly. Twice this year, I've squeaked home on my bike in the throes of darkness. A couple near misses. Time to mount my light for safety--just in case.

But watching my own shadow, I snapped this self-portrait. I remember how when I started riding fifteen (!!?) years ago, the guys' long shadows were so smooth; their long shadow legs looked like smooth, fast pistons stretching out, up and down the ditches as we passed. Mine looked awkward and certainly not smooth by comparison. Last week, I watched my shadow and made this happy discovery: lo and behold, somewhere, somehow in the last decade and a half of riding, my own cadence has become smoother. My legs looked like pistons, too. I'm going to relish that realization.

Then again, there's the beauty of harvest. It's sad to me because it means soon the fields will be bare and brown-black although there's a certain beauty of bounty in that, too. It also means the long Minnesota winter is too soon upon is.

The harvest itself fills my heart so full that sometimes I think it will burst (to embrace a cliche). Riding my bike alongside tractors, golden beanfields, or a combine like the one in this picture I took last week reminds me of the richness our soil still holds (IF we take care of it). The smells and sounds wash over me with memories: walking out to Dad's combine in my Halloween costume to show him my ghostly self before we went trick-or-treating; riding rounds in the combine with him, working aloud on my Confirmation memory work; just riding, my forehead pressed against the glass window (exactly as Lainey does in Jake Riley: Irreparably Damaged), watching the grain or corn wash like a wave up into the combine header. And those glorious last autumns at home, when both my brother Bill and Dad were out in the field and they trusted me to do the chores all by myself. I felt so useful. What a good thing to feel.

There was the night when I was probably sixteen when I drove the Cub Cadet into the hog lot with a cart full of 5-gallon buckets of feed, and realized I couldn't back it out without the cart twisting sideways. I was utterly stuck. What did I do? I emptied the buckets, fed the pigs, and then straightened the cart behind the little tractor by herking it around by hand so I could back out. I don't think I ever told Dad or Bill about that and here I am, publishing it for the world. I still can't back a wagon or a cart to save my neck.

But I can ride my bike down county highways, flanked on both sides by golden, browning fields of grain and corn, and breathe it in, and be glad to be this tiny part of the plenty of the earth.

September Visitors by David Budbill

2011-09-26T09:15:00.001-07:00

September Visitors

by David Budbill

I'm glad to see our friends come:
talk, laughter, food, wine.
I'm glad to see our friends go:
solitude, emptiness, gardens,
autumn wind.

"September Visitors" by David Budbill, from Happy Life. © Copper Canyon Press, 2011. Reprinted with permission.

(From Writer's Almanac)

Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, The Depot, Minneapolis

2011-09-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Trying to catch up...

2011-09-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Wow. I've been editing Slider's Son every spare second, so I haven't taken time to blog for ten days. So much to say, and so little time.

Rainbow theme:
First, Kirstin Cronn-Mills was on a panel last night at the loft, discussing GLBT YA literature, and the evening was fascinating and fun. So far to go in getting full acceptance of honest literature. Kirstin was the "token straight ally" author. I want to read every book represented there. Marion Dane Bauer, David LaRochelle, David Levithan, and Pat Schmatz. See my facebook page for a photo of the rainbow snacks provided (Jello made by DivaE, aka Kirstin).

Makes me delighted that in our upcoming anthology Girl Meets Boy, the stories include at least one gay romance.
I'm also gratified that in Chasing AllieCat, the issue isn't an issue--it's just part of who a character is.

David Levithan and Brian Farrey both read from their recent novels, and they ROCKED.

We're lucky to live in Minnesota with such a supportive writing community!

Posts coming in the near future (in between or after editing): Kurtis Scarletta, Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna, and some thoughts on fall cycling...:) stay tuned.

2011-09-06T20:48:00.000-07:00

Maybe half ??? done with this edit of Slider's Son. I hope. It always takes longer than I anticipate.
I'm trying hard to write, do necessary schoolwork, and get out on my bike at least a little bit while the weather is so perfect.

Tonight, I had a short ride, but a satisfying one. I rode the County Road and the Rabbit Road (isn't that a great name?) to St. Peter, and then rode up the Hwy 99 hill, and at the top, turned up Co. Rd. 21 to the crest by the golf course. The hill is 1.4 miles from bottom to top. I was pretty happy to maintain 10-11 mph the whole way up. That's nothing to racers and riders who hammer--stronger riders than I--and TDF riders would go up that hill like it was nothing, but for me--I was very happy with that! (I've ridden up that hill at 6-8 mph before, and I haven't climbed all that well for the last few years...this is a vast improvement--a sort of breakthrough). Then, after I rode along the ridge for a few miles and came back down, I caught a tractor that was going about 20 mph.

Next goal: a train, running parallel to me. I realized it would be across the tracks ahead of me, and I'd have a long wait because it was a long train. So I took off like a bat out of hell, to use a bad cliche, and realized I was riding along, passing train cars. Finally, I overtook the engine! I got to the intersection/RR crossing when the engine was still a quarter mile away. Very satisfying.

The experience, riding between the River valley ridge of hill and a moving train, pasture and fields in between, was surreal...like being in a movie...full of movement and beauty.

I am more aware of trains than ever, too, because trains play an active role in Slider's Son, the novel I'm editing. It all seemed like an epic ride, even though it was just a little casual after-work ride. These golden, green, blue, sunshiny days are all too fleeting. I'm still trying to absorb every moment of them that I can.

Weekend...

2011-09-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

A long weekend ahead. I'm glad. After one meeting, I can do my own stuff.

I got the last of my readers' comments back on Slider's Son, so I can throw my heart into the rewrite of this novel. It's interesting how readers disagree, yet when there's a general thread that appears in several readers' comments, you know you have to address it, and then, finally you see how the story can be fixed, and you dig in. So enough here. I'm digging. I hope to not resurface for a couple days (Except to ride my bike!).

WIldlife Summer

2011-08-29T06:47:00.001-07:00

I've gotten quite a few miles in this summer on my bike. Thank goodness. One of my favorite things about that--besides simply being on the bike--is being so in touch with the wildlife around me, as well as the evolving season.

This summer, the wildlife highlight was seeing the red-tailed hawk snatch a bullsnake out of the ditch and perch on a telephone pole, feasting while the feast's tail dangled a good two feet down the pole.

There was the salamander migration day, when suddenly salamanders were traveling across county roads, away from swampy wetlands, toward grain fields. If anybody can explain that behavior to me, please do. Going to feast on bugs, maybe? And a teenage girl was on Co.Rd. 9 on a four-wheeler, scooping up the little guys and helping them across the road so they wouldn't get smushed!

Grasshopper day this past week. The roads and ditches were bouncing, alive. One kamikaze hopper zinged into my spokes and then thudded to the pavement. Sigh.

Frogs of all types, including tree frogs. Wetland frogs singing as I pass. I had a tree frog in my shower last week. I captured him and ran outside (soaking, dripping, naked) to free him in the grass...my backyard is entirely secluded, now that the corn is six feet tall. Have no fear.

Owls. Not on my bike, but at home. They hoot every night. And there was the early morning when Freya had a back-and-forth conversation with one for about fifteen minutes. Owl hooted. Freya barked. Back and forth and back and forth. Hilarious.

Coyotes. Sometimes too close for comfort, and Freya thinks she needs to be outside barking then, too. That worries me, so I bring her in. I've seen a couple coyotes on my bike this year, too.

The corn, the beans, a bit of oats. I love watching the crops mature, from dodging tractors and giant planters in the spring, to watching baby spring green spouts pop through black soil, to growing knee-high, to now, when beans are lush and full, and corn tassles are turning and corn silk is browning. The world is a rich place.

Sometimes now, when I steal a ride down the county roads, it breaks my heart that it will all brown and waiting for snow in a matter of long weeks. Can't dwell on that. Think about now. Soak up every second. Ride, ride, ride, whenever I can.

Davenport B&N Tomorrow, and Girl Meets Boy Anthology, January 2012

2011-08-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

We got the cover! This week, Kelly Milner Halls sent the cover to all of us whose stories are in this anthology. Pretty cute, huh? It contains some pretty heavy subject matter, I'll tell you that much. The cover may somewhat imply the weight of the stories within...

I'm honored to be in the company of the authors in this book. I'm excited that it's actually in the works and will be in bookstores in January. My story is called "Mars at Night," and the main character is an Iowa farm girl. Go figure. The catch, however, is that she's in love with the only Muslim in her high school. And her beloved pig farm is in danger...

Closer to home, and closer to the moment, TOMORROW, I'm signing Chasing AllieCat in Davenport, Iowa, at the big Barnes and Noble

Magers and Quinn

2011-07-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

What a delightful evening, this past Monday, at Magers & Quinn in Uptown, Minneapolis. Thanks, everybody, who came! It was fun.

Here are some amazing and brilliant young women who are members of a book club at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in Minnetonka. Thanks, Pamela Klinger-Horn for bringing them and helping get this set up!

Magers and Quinn is a delightful, Independent Bookstore in Uptown (near Calhoun Square) if you've never been there. It's everything a bookstore should be!

Magers and Quinn tonight!

2011-07-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

I stayed up too late watching the recorded Tour de France, and then of course I didn't sleep very well. I never do if I have a big book event the next day.

It's exciting to be invited to Magers and Quinn to read from and talk about Chasing AllieCat tonight. 7:30.

3038 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55408-2614
(612) 822-4611

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She would have been 91--I'm not sure she would have liked being 91, so maybe it's a gift that she died at 82 when she was still driving and fully capable of life. I missed my family, though--and a birthday party for my nephew-in-law. I had to stay home and work--too much going on this week to be gone an entire day, and I have to finish this edit of the next novel. I also had to cut down maturing cockleburs before they're dry enough to infest Freya's fur. I have about a 5-foot stack of dead cockleburs to burn in my yard right now.

That said, I'd better get to work. Now.

In honor of my dad

2011-07-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

Thinking a lot about reading. How what we read affects us. Affects how we think. Affects how we view the world.

I just realized that all my main characters in the books I write are readers. Maybe that's because I don't really understand the inner workings of people who don't read. Maybe it's because I best understand people who do read.

At any rate, Grant--the protagonist--in the novel I'm working on now, is an avid reader. He's also a baseball player who wants to make it to the big leagues. When I started working on this story, he wasn't such a reader. He was too "active" to want to read.

Then I sat talking with my Aunt Ruby--my dad's sister--who told me that my dad, Orland Fjelland--always had his "nose in a book" when he was growing up--that he read constantly. I knew my dad loved to read, but I'd never thought about him as a reading kid. I'd heard stories about using barrel staves as skis, sledding the hills in the timber in winter, swimming in the creek, riding bucking horses, riding the draft horses home from the fields, about sneaking away as a young man to ride in the rodeo...but I never thought about him as a voracious reader.

So in tribute to my dad, my character is now a voracious reader. And it's been fun to figure out which books he would be reading in the mid-1930s.

Just wish my dad were still around. I think he might like this book. At least, I sure hope so. I guess I have my "ideal reader" for this one.

New Ulm Public Library July 15

2011-07-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, July 15! New Ulm, here we come!

Sadie, Allie, Joe, and I (well, they're alive and well on the pages of Chasing AllieCat, so they're certainly coming with me) will be at the New Ulm Public Library on July 15.

At 3 p.m., I'm meeting the teen reading group.

Public reading and book signing 5:15-6:15.

Check out the cool New Ulm Public Library website.

Everybody's welcome.

Books available for purchase, of course.

And, um, bicycles are welcome, too, of course!

Riding, writing

2011-07-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my friend's dog peed on my living room carpet--quite out of character, but enough to push me over the edge: YES, I need to rip up the carpet NOW, and have a nice wooden floor--or at least a clean wooden floor--with rug(s) before Alec comes to visit and crawl around on it.

So, in the next days: I need to mow (before the next rains come), finish second and third drafts of Slider's Son (the pen and paper version is second, translated into computer for third), rip up carpet (doesn't that sound fun?), do a reading/signing at the New Ulm Public Library (5:15 Friday the 15th if you're interested and that will be fun), ride every day (finally feeling almost like my old self on the bike--why does it take half the summer!?), and watch the Tour (cause I'm addicted). Good news: I can watch the Tour and rip up carpet at the same time!

Oh, I have been riding in the mornings or mid-day most of the summer. Yesterday, I stole a 20-mile ride right before dusk, and saw two deer (in my path on the downhill--had to brake to avoid them) and a raccoon (on my path on an uphill so he saw me in plenty of time). Might need to ride later in the day more often to check the wildlife! Not sure if the raccoon's extra time to get out of the way was an indication of his speed or mine uphill. Ha.

Oh, and my man Voeckler is still riding in the yellow jersey today. Haven't seen the results today yet.

Back to work.

More summer stuff

2011-07-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

When I planted "Mini Bell" peppers, I wasn't expecting this! Barely bite-size, but sweet and good. The hot banana peppers have heat this year. Eight varieties of peppers are growing and blooming and starting to produce. Tomatoes are blooming to beat the band; onions and garlic are prolific; cilantro exploding....hopefully that means a giant batch of salsa and then pepper jelly later this summer.

Yesterday--I bought worms. Meal worms. Never in my wildest dreams thought I would purchase worms. But the bluebird babies are growing and bluebirds supposedly love meal worms. So I put some out. Opened the box, and jumped. Had to put on latex gloves to touch them. Couldn't bring myself to pick one up with bare fingers.

For now: I HAVE to stay in and edit like a S.O.B. all week. And try to resist the pull of being outside more than in.

I also have to sneak peeks at the Tour de France. Thomas Voeckler is in Yellow now and on my TDF fantasy team. Whooee!

I also have to ride. And get the rest of the matts out of Freya's fur.

Better get crackin'. Over and out.

Saturday, July 9

2011-07-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

Some happinesses of July: sunshine, long bike rides, ripe raspberries, and blooming hollyhocks.

Today was supposed to be our annual canoe trip down the Blue Earth River, but due to 1. thunderstorm warnings and 2. Tom being on call 24-7 because of the state shut-down, we're not going. Postponed until August sometime. Much of the Compound population is still going, though.

Got the galleys for Girl Meets Boy. I'm proud of my story in there, "Mars at Night," and happy to be included in that anthology! Pub date: January 2012. Now I have to sell something more so I have something coming out in 2013. I finished the first draft of Slider's Son. Editing, editing, editing. I wish I could just write a story right the first or second time.

So shut up, quit blogging, and edit. Okay.

Balance and living in the moment

2011-06-27T04:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a strange mixture of joy and trauma.

Got up and volunteered at the North Mankato Triathlon with my friend Barb. We had fun, cheered on the cyclists (many of them good friends) from our appointed spot on Judson Bottom Road, and then I went to the finish and saw lots more friends I hadn't even recognized as they zipped past us in their aero tucks.

It made me miss running, but made me glad that I can ride hard and sometimes fast.

Wrote for awhile, and then mowed and trimmed and weed-ate and had an idea for one of my characters, so I sat down at the kitchen table and wrote some more.

I was putting everything away, all cleaned up, and when I pulled the garage door shut, a big piece of the door fell off (the door is old and has been falling apart since I bought the place), and one big window came crashing out, and splintered into a million pieces on the cement. There I stood, surrounded by glass.

Here's where balance comes in: I can be disgruntled by the broken door (which I am), I can be frustrated by the mess of broken glass (which I am), because I'm tired from all the mowing and trimming, or I can be happy that the glass shooting out of the door in a sheet didn't hit me in the jugular or the shin or even a toe. I can be glad one pane of glass is still hanging there, to be removed without shattering. I can be glad Freya was up by the deck, watching. I can be highly irritated that the slivers of glass even bounced into her wading pool (because they did) and that I need to clean about 32 square feet of glass shards (which I do) or I can be grateful that Freya is pooped, too, and is showing no interest in trying to get into her wading pool at this moment (which she could be doing). I can also be irritated that now I can't close what's left of the door (which I am), or I can assess it (which I do) and climb up to figure out a way to get it to stay in its tracks so I can shut enough to keep most animals out over night (which I do and which takes some careful figuring and a big of hammering and longer than I had anticipated but it works).

Here's the balance: it's easy to fly off the handle (which I do often enough), but when I'm all alone at my own home and some small disaster like this happens, I know I have reliable Tom whom I can call, who can fix anything. OR I can look at the problem and figure out my own solution. After all, it was my own choice to buy an old farm place and live here alone with my dog. I'm not stupid. I can figure stuff out if I don't get too frustrated and just take time to look at how things work. And it feels good in the long run to feel somewhat or mostly self-reliant.

I closed the garage door, and when I turned around, fireflies filled the corn field. It seemed as if they turned their lights on while I was messing with the garage door, as if to say, see, even in the disasters, there's beauty when you look for it. Now, a garage door drama is not much of a disaster. It's small in the scope of the world's pain. SMALL. But when stuff like that happens, it's our world. It's what we're doing at the moment and it feels big. It's good to remember that it's not.

So as I tried to snap a picture of the sunset (and this is what I got), I thought about how the key is always to do what you're doing, even when it's an interruption, and not always what you want to be doing--it's what is right in front of you at this moment, and if you focus on that task, you live in the present, and that's what makes life a good place to live.

Okoboji

2011-06-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

Great ride yesterday--"University of Okoboji Cycling Classic." Rode the 50-mile route around the lakes, and after the jammed-10-mile-an-hour start on a clogged bike trail, we broke into the open and flew along the roads and trails--gently rolling hills and curves. It rained for awhile, but still, the route was beautiful.

Then this morning, I volunteered for the North Mankato Triathlon. That's a great, well-organized event. Several of my friends had a great race--and everybody seemed to have fun. YAY!

Good week

2011-06-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

Gearing up for some book events in July. New Ulm Public Library has a cool website. I'm there on July 15.

This is my birthday week, so on my birthday yesterday, I rode 55 miles -- Eeek. That's a mile for every year. Muddy, wet, rainy, windy, puddles, grit, but I did it.

Wrote all morning, then rode, then met my writing group for a birthday party/goodbye party for dear friend Jann who is moving to Fargo-Moorhead this weekend. Then Tom took me out. What a great birthday.

Now: back to writing.

Goofy Newfies.

2011-06-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

So, this morning...it's raining and Freya went outside to do her business and came RIGHT back in before she finished. At least we know she's smart enough to come in out of the rain. When the rain let up, she ran way out into the cornfield to do it! Good dog! I was so proud of her...until I noticed her foot prints...uh, maybe this will accelerate my ripping up of the carpet in my house.

Yesterday, Gwen and Roger brought Buster Brown, their brown Newfy up to play with Freya. We had a blast. Dogs swam, retrieving things unto exhaustion. Here they are, shaking in tandem. There was quite a bit of slobber in the kitchen all at once.

Photos on blogger: I give up. I put them up in order; I rearrange them. The way they appear has nothing to do with how I posted them. It's not worth spending time rearranging. Back to working on my writing.

Before and After

2011-06-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

What else I did this summer. Josh and Emily bought a house, by definition--a fixer-upper. I helped last weekend, and one of the things we did was this room. See Closet door before and after, and the whole room before and after. Now that is a feeling of accomplishment.

Tour de Suisse...once again, almost famous!

2011-06-12T19:56:00.001-07:00

So I've been out of the loop for two days, helping Josh and Emily work on their house. Tonight, I checked on the Tour de Suisse, only to find out that Cancellera (one of my favorite riders) won the prologue in Lugano, Switzerland! We (students and Kurt and I) were in Lugano just a couple weeks ago. I took this photo from Lugano, looking across the bay--look! It's the same mountain in this photo of Cancellera's winning ride! But wait. Eek.

Blogger cuts off the photo; Cancellera's not even in the picture the way blogger crops it! So check it out here if you're interested. Here's a youtube of most of the ride--the crazy fast turns on a downhill ride. Scaryfast.

Sirocco!

2011-06-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

I'm not flaunting this, but I think I have a pretty good idea how it feels to ride a bike in a Sirocco.

I just got done with 43 miles in howling HOT wind. Went through five bottles and got blasted with gravel, dirt, and sun. Not sure why other than it's what I do. I'm not sure it was fun, but it feels good to have done it.

The funny thing: I rode 6 miles South in about 30 minutes, cranking with my head down AND cranking down the hills (max downhill speed: 23 mph).

Going West was a struggle not to blow off the road.

Turned North and barely had to pedal. When I pedaled hard, I went 3 miles in a little over 6 minutes.

June in bloom

2011-06-06T07:37:00.000-07:00

I love Bridal Wreath because it reminds me of my mom and my grandma. We had bushes like these at home. I should trim them in the fall, but it feels like butchery to cut them back. This year, it'll be necessary, I guess.

And thoughts on YA lit

2011-06-06T06:47:00.001-07:00

"Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness":

This discussion of darkness in YA Lit is worth reading.

Giro d'Italia

2011-06-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

So, the entire time I was in Italy, I kept watching for signs of the Giro d'Italia. This was as close as I got. The Liquigas van passed us on the way to Milan. When we stopped for lunch, the Geox TMC vans were at the same truck-stop cafeteria. I got to meet the guys driving the van. We were in Milan two days before the final Giro stage ended there.

Home again, home again

2011-05-31T05:17:00.000-07:00

Home from Italy, and I miss it. But today is my first "official" dayof summer, and I will get into a writing routine. First, a few Italy pictures.

My favorite places were Assisi and

Florence. Here's the castle in Assisi, then the arrow slots (about five inches across)--from which soldiers shot arrows to defend their city-state against intruders. Next, a cannonball of sorts is set in a window just big enough for it to pass through. Last pictures: and the passageway between fortress towers, and finally: how we looked in the passageway. I can't imagine running through there with a bow and arrow or spears, carrying only a little oil lamp. Stay tuned for more.

Italy or bust! And the garden and other odds and ends

2011-05-16T07:09:00.000-07:00

So...school's out, and I'm writing a last post for ten days. (okay, so I might be on FB later, but I'm not writing another note until I get back from Italy).

I had to share a few pictues:

1. Freya's new water dish (Tom's hand-made birdbath)

2. Happy garlic.

Neruda refers to fishermen's nets as sad, and it's a metaphor. Here, it's not a metaphor. Those little transplanted winter garlic sets are downright happy and bright green in their rows.

3. Half the tomatoes and peppers, grown from seed, eagerly awaiting their transplanting (the plan for tonight)

After I pack.

Tomorrow morning, twelve students, Kurt D, and I are heading to Rome, Florence, Venice, Assisi, Lake Como, and Milan. I finally, finally get to go inside the Uffizi Museum in Florence. Sooo excited to see Botticelli's Primavera and the Birth of Venus and Donatello's work...and more...

I know I'll be blown away by Michelangelo's David again--and now that I've read Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, I can't wait to see the Sistine Chapel again and identify all the prophets and sybils besides the old testament scenes. The crucifixion of Haman is a story I never heard until I read that book...want to explore more of that this summer (after I stare at Michelangelo's rendition).

The Giro d'Italia is also underway. Besides the art and Cathedrals, the architecture...and food, and landscape, and cobbled streets, and, and, and...I am desperately seeking a way to get a peek a the Giro racers. I'll let you know if that happens when I get back.

Happy summer. Happy end of the school year to those still in school anticipating summer, and those out!

FINISHED

2011-05-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm done, I'm done, I'm done.

Funny, how, even though I do this final grading, figuring and posting grades thing twice every year, it always feels like I seriously can't finish in time.

Got done yesterday at 4:15, rushed off to graduation festivities. Oh, and forgot my cap and gown, so had to bolt home to get it. Tom saved me--I called him and he fetched it and met me halfway.

Graduation, as always is way more fun than I anticipate. No matter how tedious the ceremony can be, students graduating after working so hard inspire me. It's worth the work and long hours to see someone walk across the stage who is the first to go to college from his or her family--or made it through with three jobs and still graduated with honors--or has a passel of kids and they're all sitting in the stands, shiny-proud of mom--or mom is there after saving six kids from a horrible life in Somalia, and she's there, bursting with pride at her daughter, the college graduate. It's worth it.

It's a delight to share in their celebration.

Finals Week

2011-05-12T08:09:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year that feels impossibly stretched in a bunch of directions. I'm like a sheet of hide (though much, much, much, MUCH thicker), stretched in so many directions and staked out, pulled until I can't breathe. So what am I doing? Writing a blog post. Go figure.

Grading: grading research papers is certifiably one of the hardest jobs in the world. I'll put it up there against most. Okay, okay, I'm rethinking that. What about mining for gold or copper in Africa, coal mining in West Virginia, diving for pearls off the California cost in the 1800s, garbage collecting, sorting recyclables, and dishwashing...Okay, so I'll quit whining. In a minute.

Give me the minute, okay? It's tedious and you cannot lose concentration, have to read for content, argument, support, organization, documentation, lack of plagiarism, and grammar...it's not fun. Some of the papers are fun, though, and I always learn stuff while I'm reading them. It's just such a huge job. This year, I got some exceptional and creative ones, too...so I'll quit whining.

When I'm done with those, it's a few stacks of final exams. Then figuring and entering grades. Enough said. It'll take me until sometime tomorrow, and I've been at it now for a couple weeks.

Also: the weather warms up (not today; rain streaks my windows) and I want to plant the garden, tune up the garden tractor and mow my hayfield yard.

And: I want to plan a trip to see my kids. Planning takes time. And money.

And: sunshine (when it's out) and the open road beckon me. My legs are itchin' to put miles on my road bike...haven't ridden nearly enough this year (hence the reason the hide is so thick, as noted above).

And: I am leaving for Italy with 12 students on Tuesday. Have I started packing or planning? Are you kidding? Have I had time to breathe? I did read Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling (on tape--no time to read a book lately), and now I want to make some diagrams of the ceiling, so I know what all of the figures represent when I see it this time. That's a task for after turning in grades.

Finally: I want to write! Have these two stories broiling around in my head, and half in the computer, and I want to work on them in the worst way, but if I do, I won't get all this grading done.

So, why, you ask, am I writing in my blog? I have no idea. Maybe it's some latent procrastinating gene that I can't excise. Maybe I felt like I needed to still be connected to the world. I don't know. But now, I'm signing out of the social world and retreating back to my grading desk, perhaps never to return...

Death in Italy

2011-05-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

Wouter Weylandt, a Leopard-Trek rider (my new self-proclaimed favorite team for the year in pro cycling) crashed and died today on stage 3 of the Giro d'Italia.

I feel a strange kinship...since I'll be going to Italy by the end of the race. Such a sad, sad day for cycling.

May the Best Dog Win by Kelly Hashway

2011-05-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

Today, I have a special guest on my blog. I had the opportunity to interview Kelly Hashway, author of the just-released picture book, May the Best Dog Win.

Here's Kelly, and her book, and below is our inteview. Here's my short review and blurb for the book:

Help! Dash thinks he's being replaced by the brand-new Sweeper. With an extra long leash, and a closet-bed all his own, Sweeper seems to be taking over the house.

What dog hasn't felt threatened by a new vacuum?

Dog lovers of all ages will smile all the way through this dog's eye view of the dog-sweeper conflict in May the Best Dog Win, a delightful new picture book by Kelly Hashway.

Here's a very funny BOOK TRAILER for May the Best Dog Win.

Here's our interview:

BFD: When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer?

KH: Pretty much the moment I learned to write. I used to write short stories all the time when I was growing up. I even wrote a novel. It was awful and all one paragraph if I remember correctly. I got serious about writing in 2004. I decided that I didn't just want to write as a hobby anymore, so I enrolled in classes, joined writers groups, and started writing everyday.

BFD: Some people ask if you write when you’re inspired or if you have a writing routine. You’re a full-time mom and writer, so I think I already know that you can’t wait for inspiration to hit in order to sit down and write. Can you talk about how and when you write in order to get so much writing done?

KH: I do have a schedule. I write everyday while my daughter naps. But I also sneak writing time in during breakfast and after my daughter goes to bed at night. Of course inspiration strikes when it wants to, so I keep notebooks all over my house and in my purse. I write by hand a lot just to make sure I get my ideas down as soon as I get them.

BFD: You have May the Best Dog Win coming out to charm picture book fans. You’ve also written YA horror, middle-grade fantasy and lots of other children’s fiction for many magazines. (An impressive list, by the way). Do you have a favorite?

KH: I do love it all. I think writing across genres and age levels keeps things fresh for me. But I have a special place in my heart for fantasy. I love stretching my imagination.

BFD: Can you decide, “I’m going to write…this kind of story now…” Or do you need an idea as a generator, and then let that idea dictate what type/genre of story you will write?

KH: I've done both. Most of the time I begin with an idea. But last fall I decided I would write outside my comfort zone, and I sat down to write horror for the first time. I wrote and sold two short stories that began simply out of the fact that I wanted to try that genre. That's not typical though.

BFD: And…do you find it difficult to go among different genres/types of stories? And is it hard to change the language you use for such a wide range of reader ages?

KH: I have a rule that I read whatever age level/genre I'm writing at that time. It keeps me grounded in the voice and language I need for my writing. Plus I get to read some really great books, so it's a win win situation.

BFD: Do you start with a character? A plot idea? A place? A theme? What’s the first seed of a story for you?

KH: It really depends on the story. For my middle grade fantasy I'm working on, I came up with the plot first. My main character developed to fit that plot. But for my young adult fantasy I had this voice in my head demanding that I write her story. I've learned to go with the flow and not fight what's working for that particular manuscript.

BFD: Do you ever work on more than one story at once?

KH: Always! Right now I'm working on a middle grade trilogy, but I also wrote the first draft of a young adult fantasy at the same time. In addition, I write at least one short story a week. I love working on multiple projects because if I'm feeling stuck with one manuscript, I can open up another and still get in some quality writing that day. Usually one of my projects takes the top spot and gets the most attention though.

BFD: An obvious question might be “What inspired May the Best Dog Win in?” but as a dog owner and obsessive dog lover, I have a feeling that I know what inspired it. However, I’m asking anyway--is there a story you want to share with us?

KH: I have a huge German shepherd, and I'm a compulsive vacuumer (yes, I know that's not a real word). I vacuum everyday--at least once. Well, my dog is ten years old but she still is afraid of the vacuum. She sniffs it, gets in the way of it, and just looks at it like she can't figure out what it is. So it made me wonder if she thought it was some sort of animal--maybe another kind of dog. May the Best Dog Win was born from there.

BFD: That makes me laugh because my biggest dogs were the biggest wimps around the vacuum. My Newfy, Freya, who weighs 167 lb., jumps on the bed when I get the vacuum out.

BFD: What are you writing now? And where do you see your career going in the near future?

KH: Right now, I'm working on a middle grade trilogy. I just signed with an agent for the first book in the trilogy, so we are moving forward with edits and then going on submission. I hope to make a long career out of writing. I can't imagine doing anything else.

BFD: If you could pick anything in the world to accomplish as a writer, what one thing would you like most to accomplish?

KH: This is going to sound simple, but I really would love to overhear just one child say, "Kelly Hashway is my favorite author." That would be a dream come true for me.

BFD: That doesn't sound simple at all! That's a very real dream, and I bet that it will happen, maybe sooner than you think.

Kelly, THANKS for being my guest today. All the best of luck to you and Dash with May the Best Dog Win. You are amazingly prolific and it's been such fun to talk with you!

(Side note: Kelly hosted me on her blog, and you can see our chat on her blog). She has a great blog, so check it out anyway!

Green day...green eggs? No ham.

2011-05-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

So... I buy my cage-free organic eggs (sometimes I get them free) from a neighbor. This week, I opened the carton, and lo and behold, two eggs are green! Most of them are the beautiful brown pictured here, but GREEN? I've never heard of a green egg except, of course, through Dr. Seuss.

I ate one of them yesterday morning, and the yoke was bright yellow, the white pure white, and I didn't eat ham. So what kind of chicken lays GREEN EGGS?

I'm going to do a bit of research, but at this point, I'm going with this theory: some smart hen is celebrating the fact that the sun is out (FINALLY) and the meadow is green, and baby tree buds are popping. And the hen thought she needed to join the trend.

Time lapse: I just found my answer. Fun!

Derek and Lindsey's short film

2011-05-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

OF DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES
is a short video made by two of my students for another class--their film class. I think it's well-done, and pretty powerful. Maybe some critics will say there's a bit of stereotype in it. But you know what? Sterotypes come into being because there's truth somewhere inside them at some point. (Maybe that's not a P.C. thing to say, but sobeit).
This time, the truth is all too powerful--and sad. And I think the film is very well done. I'm proud of the work they've done!
Way to go, Derek and Lindsey!

Holy Smoke

2011-05-02T13:17:00.001-07:00

I haven't had time to be online for several days, and I have a lot to catch up on....When I sit down to write, I guess I can see why. Holy Smoke.

Wed., the 27th, I spoke at the Summit Center about writing and biking, and read some from Chasing AllieCat. Small crowd, but every person there bought a book. Great disussion, and some wonderful senior bike enthusiasts. Keeps me inspired to keep at this biking thing forever. (And Freya went with me).

Friday, I got to visit a second grade class in Nevada, Iowa, with Freya, and the kids and Freya had great time. I love talking to kids about writing.

Saturday, I read and signed books at Borders in Ames. Again, not a huge crowd, but very receptive and all wonderful people. The crowd included my aunt and cousin, cousin's wife, adopted sisters-in-law (through my brother), former student (thanks, Heidi!), new acquaintance whose daughter is a librarian and is going to ask me to come for a library event, long-time friend, classmate (thanks, Glenda!), and a few more, including a woman from Des Moines trying to sell her first book. It feels so important to give back to the writing community. Funny, my road to publication was sooooo long and full of set-backs that I never thought the whole thing would feel fortunate, but it does.

Sunday, I rode the Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride/Gran Fondo--a timed 105-mile ride starting and ending in Lakeville. The wind almost killed me. But if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, right? After all said and done, it was indeed fun. Thanks, David, Lisa, and Carol for being such great riding partners, and Rachael, too!

Today, I visited Sam Pottenger's Preschool at the YMCA. Freya went along, of course. We read my Flowers and Showers: A Spring Counting Book. That was a blast. Freya sort of makes a splash of attention wherever she goes and makes getting out of any building a rather long task...but much fun.

Moral Dilemma

2011-04-28T03:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, I need to go on a bug-killing rampage at the BeckyFarm because there is a major infestation of Asian Beetles. But look at this video and tell me I'm not a mass murderer!

Who knew bugs had this much personality?

Nick Healy

2011-04-27T12:44:00.001-07:00

NICK HEALY is winner of the Many Voices Project Prize through New Rivers Press!

His work so deserves this recognition. Congratulations, Nick!

Give a Girl a Bike

2011-04-25T09:02:00.001-07:00

So...the Teen Book Scene Blog Tour is over, but you can still contribute to girls in India who need bikes in order to go to school. We have raised $206 dollars, which is enough for FOUR bicycles for girls who didn't have them before. The Blog Tour is over, but you can still contribute, and you too, can make a difference, and Give a Girl in India a Bike so she can go to school.

A bike changed Allie's life in Chasing AllieCat.

I figured her story would be the perfect platform on which to raise money for bikes to change girls' lives.

Go to THIS site and contribute, if you feel so moved!

If you want to see the entire tour, go to Teen Book Scene Blog Tour.

If you want to see a sample, check Reading Teen or Naughty Book Kitties for some fun reviews.

More Than Writing

2011-04-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

What a great Friday-Saturday. "More Than Writing" conference was a great success. Congrats, first-year MFA students who worked so hard to put the event on. And thanks to the faculty who helped so much.

Nicole Helget's reading was wonderful--funny, painful, beautiful--as is all of her writing.

We had a blast meeting up with old friends, making new ones, and being recharged to keep writing!

Snow...

2011-04-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

I wrote a guest blog essay on Books Obsession about how much I loved snow--back at the end of December, when cross-country skiing was a delight. Along with some pictures of Freya in the snow and my garden tractor plowing my driveway, I posted this picture (from my living room). For some reason, this morning, that link popped up in my computer's memory...as I was looking outside on April 20th at a sky full of snow.

Be careful what you wish for?

At least all the snow and the icicles (!!) in this picture have melted! And my gutters didn't explode, either.

I'm not complaining. I need to stay inside and work today...but I'd really like to ride my bike, and I'd rather not do it on the trainer in April. Looks like I will today, however.

Crazy weekend.

2011-04-18T08:17:00.000-07:00

Craziness. Friday, 46 students and friends/guests and I went to Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Ol' Spaghetti Factory, and to "Arsenic and Old Lace" at the Guthrie. A grand time was had by all, I think. Great play. Absolutely wonderful. So happy when I can take students to something so much fun that they want to repeat the experience.

Happy surprise: Liz Miller was in the middle of assembling her huge installation at the MIA. We got to watch for awhile. It's amazing, and I can't wait to see it finished...and it was the coolest of surprises.

Saturday, I went with Rachael and Lisa to the MN Book Awards, which was a delightful evening and although I really really wanted Swati's SPLIT to win, it just goes to show that everything is subjective, and great books don't win everything.

Sunday, I was honored to be the keynote speaker at the SW/WC Creative Writing Contest Awards Ceremony at Southwest MSU. Great kids, excited about writing and proud of their accomplishments. I got to put the medals around their necks. Talk about fun! The junior and senior first-place winners got scholarships to SMSU! What a terrific contest and event. The winners are all published in a slick-looking anthology. Lots of work, but those kids were loving it. Well worthwhile. Thanks, Marianne, for inviting me to come.

And Marianne and Jim and one of their students and I went out to Hunan Lion afterwards. That means I got curry twice this week. What a treat!

I'm a little tired today, but back to the school drawing board.

The Sistine Chapel

2011-04-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling. Most of my students know I'm a bit obsessed with Michelangelo and the Medici family's support of the Renaissance, Galileo, etc. Well, I'm learning a lot from this book.

I did NOT know that Bramante, the architect of St. Peter's Cathedral, wanted to be the Pope's favorite artist, and being the suave dude that he was, talked Pope Julius II into commissioning Michelangelo into frescoing (is that a verb?) the Sistine Chapel Ceiling...because he knew Michelangelo didn't want to paint it and certainly wouldn't want to fresco that whole ceiling on scaffolding, so Bramante figured Michelangelo would most likely fail. When and if he failed, Bramante would be considered the best artist in Rome. Well, HA, take that, Bramante!

Spring, Biking, Taxes, Good Thunder, West High School

2011-04-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Once again, the weekend proved to me: the worst/hardest day on a BIKE is better than the best day doing TAXES! It was windy, but a good workout, and a relief after submitting my tax returns at 3 a.m.!!!

Wow. I haven't had time to blog for a whole week. Good Thunder reading series was FUN. Kirstin Cronn-Mills and I had a good time doing the whole shebang together, and it felt like it went quite well. The reading and the craft talk were both lots of fun. I forgot to get out my camera until the very end. Here's a photo of KCM and me with students at West High in Mankato. St. Clair kids were fun, too, and I'm sorry I missed any photo ops.

Hmmmmmm.....who talks with her hands? Both of us?

April Fool's from FLUX

2011-04-03T19:39:00.001-07:00

Being humbled, and another review

2011-04-03T19:27:00.000-07:00

Here is another review. Kari, who coordinated the Teen Book Scene Blog Tour, wrote this review. I think she poured a lot into this, and I can't thank her enough for all the work she did to set up this tour. The review is wonderful, and I'm humbled. I had so much going on Thursday and Friday, that I didn't even find it until today!

Speaking of humbled, Faith Sullivan, whose books and work and life I so admire, sent me a package containing two of my books--for me to sign and return. I feel so humbled--and grateful.

Got a good bike ride in this weekend. If only it were more.

I ache for summer when I can write and ride and read every day. I never want to wish time away, but come the last weeks of the semester, it's hard not to...

Bibliophile Brouhaha

2011-03-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

I have been getting tired of talking about my own book stuff....feels like navel-gazing, but then comes along Bibliophile Brouhaha and knocks my socks off, and it makes me so happy that I'm glad to talk about it.

I tweet about the review, which shows up in my status on FB. Then sometime or another in the next 24 hours, anything I put on my blog shows up as a note. I'm baffled by the timing of this, but all I know is that I'm not in control of when it happens.

Anyway, this reader GOT the story, as Connie pointed out, and the review itself is fun to read, so I don't mind promoting it. Yippee!! Hot diggety dog.

Zoe's review and the lovely Dodge's Review! YAY!

2011-03-28T08:20:00.001-07:00

Great review on a fun blog at Zoe's Book Reviews.

The Lovely Kristin Dodge, of Books for Breakfast, has reviewed Chasing AllieCat and given it 4.75 out of 5! Yippee!! Also on BookBook...YAY!

"Any day above ground is a good day," right? Any day above FREEZING is a good day! Looks like we'll get there again. :)

Author Visit to Ballard East and Cambridge Public Library

2011-03-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Had a GREAT time in Iowa the past two days. Ballard East students were a wonderful audience: great listeners with smart, thoughtful questions. I loved spending time with them. So did Freya. It never hurts to bring a big bear dog along for an author visit!! First thing I saw was this huge sign (so big I had to take two pictures to get it in my lens)! And then, afterwards, Mrs. Fjelland's class posed with Freya and me. Freya looks as big as the whole class combined. Freya loves helping with author visits. I think she had as much fun getting loving attention as we all did!

What a fun day, and what great students. It makes me proud to have graduated from Ballard!

Then, Saturday, I was a guest at the Cambridge Public Library. Thanks, Janet Thorson, for hosting a delightful event. Great to reconnect with some old (as in long-time, not old as in ancient! :) friends. It was great fun, and we had a good discussion. I hope the world keeps supporting public libraries like the one in Cambridge!

Should I feel guilty for failing my students?

2011-03-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

Should I feel guilty for failing my students?

Great article. Nicole Helget posted it, and I fell right in, reading it. Thanks, Nicole.

A tough controversy. It seems that it shouldn't be such a tough thing to do, but it is. Sitting in judgment of another's life--or a small section of another human's life and work--is indeed daunting. And what about being that "Encourager"?

To IOWA! and blog tour...

2011-03-25T05:39:00.001-07:00

Off to Iowa to see Bill and Cathy and Steph and Ian and boys.

This afternoon I get to do an author visit at Ballard West Elementary. Can't wait. And better get going! Tomorrow, I'm reading at the Cambridge Public Library. Fun! Anybody in the area is welcome!

Freya has been invited to go to school with me. This will be fun, no matter how it goes!

Blog tour continues with this review on Words and Whisperings.

Mn DOT worker, Liz Taylor, Christopher Paolini, and oh, yeah, blog tour

2011-03-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

Foremost in my thoughts is the Mn DOT worker who was lost in the flooding Minnesota River yesterday. Can't stop thinking about him and his mom...what more can I say...

Today, Liz Taylor died. Maybe this is the day I need to begin the story in the back of my brain reminiscent of National Velvet. I think I need to do that in her honor, even if all I get is a paragraph or two. (I have two other books to finish before I can throw myself into this one anyway).

So, Christopher Paolini has published the fourth book in his series. Inheritance. We'll all probably have to check it out.

Naughty Book Kitties is at it again, and it's his blogoversary, too.

Over and out. School calls. I answer.

SPRING! Theater, and Blog Tour continues.

2011-03-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Spring! Spring, spring!

Can anyone anywhere love spring more than Minnesotans and Canadians? It's not possible to be more grateful for melting snow mounds and the sight of bright green grass, is it?

And a bike ride outside (yes, I got one in this weekend in spite of an insane amount of work to do)!

Joe is on the block today on the Teen Book Scene Blog Tour. You can read his interview here at Reading Teen. And don't forget that you can click on the icon here to donate to "Give a Girl a Bike" through Global Giving. Every meaningful comment on one of the host blogs will result in a dollar donated, too. $50 buys a girl in India a bike, which means the difference between being able to go to school or not getting an education.

Besides trying to get a bunch of grading done this weekend, trying to finish my part of the Program Review for Liberal Arts and Sciences report, playing with Freya in the woods, and riding my bike, I went to two theater productions in the Twin Cities: "Annie" by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Middle School in Minnetonka, which was SPECTACULAR and made it hard to believe that it was all seventh and eight-graders on stage.

Five of my Humanities students and I went to the Guthrie on Sunday to see "A Winter's Tale" by Shakespeare. I'd never seen this play, or read it, which is sort of rare for an English major. I hadn't heard the best reviews about it, but I actually truly enjoyed it, and my students did too. We had quite a lot to talk about on the way home. The two time periods of the two acts made sense if we considered the first act to be about 1950, and sixteen years later put it smack-dab in the sixties flower children era.

At any rate, every one of my students can't wait to get back to the Guthrie, so it was worth every minute and every penny spent.

Oh, yeah, I also did a reading/book event at the Blue Earth County Library Saturday morning. It was small, but there were great questions, and we had a delightful discussion. Thanks, thanks, thanks to those of you who came, and to Jennifer Cassman for organizing it!

Gray day, but melting into SPRING

2011-03-18T07:34:00.001-07:00

And it feels like spring. YIPPEE!! I intend to get a ride in OUTSIDE this afternoon, no matter how windy it is. I can't wait.

THEN, I'm going to Minnetonka to watch "Annie" at the IMH with my new friend Pamela, AKA Deborah. She's the advisor for the the IMH 8th grade book club that read Chasing AllieCat.

All the girls in the book club are in the musical, so this will be a blast.

TODAY, Sadie, Allie, Joe, and I are booking along on the blog/bike/book tour at Bibliophile Brouhaha. These bloggers have the best names for their sites, don't they?

And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, but wanting to amend all I didn't do correctly with Jake Riley, and self-promoting, which is sometimes painful, I'm reading Saturday, 10:30 a.m. (March 19) at the Blue Earth County Library.

To follow that blog, go to Teen Book Scene. (Every comment on any of these blogs gives one dollar to "Give a Girl a Bike" so she can go to school--in India. If we buy three bikes, the rest will go to Japan.

You can still see the discussion on Kelly Hashway's blog, too.

NEXT Saturday, March 26, I'll be in Iowa at the Cambridge Public Library.

I'm seriously looking forward to both book events!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

2011-03-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

It's my brother's birthday, which is entirely what I associate St. Patrick's Day with. I wear green for him even if we're both 100% Norwegian.

So...blog tour goes on, and it's fun because I get to hear somebody new on Chasing AllieCat quite regularly. Hopefully, it also means Sadie, Allie, and Joe get to haul their bikes all over the country, too. Today, read the review by See Michelle Read. It's fun.

And, if your interested, I'm reading and signing books at the Blue Earth County Library Saturday at 10:30.
That's the corner of Riverfront and Main Street in Mankato.

April 26, I'll be at the Cambridge, Iowa Public Library at 10:30 a.m.

Blog Tour continues, and I'm reading at the BEC Public Library Saturday a.m.

2011-03-15T04:48:00.001-07:00

On Kelly Hashway's Blog today. What a fun interview! Thanks, Kelly.

Tuesday's blog tour visit: a Review at 365 Days of Reading.

You can still find Allie's interview on A Good Addiction from Monday, too

Saturday morning, I'm reading and signing at the Blue Earth County Library on Main and Riverfront in Mankato at 10:30. If you seriously wanted to come to Barnes and Noble and couldn't, this is your chance.

The library always does a good job of hosting events like these, so it should be fun. I'll read some of the same passages, and some different ones, if you want to be a two-timer. Or if you're like me, and you just like being read to...come on down.

Speaking of libraries, stay tuned. I'm coming to Iowa...and will read at the Cambridge Library on Saturday, March 26, 10:30 a.m.

April 7, my buddy Kirstin Cronn-Mills and I will be the readers at the Good Thunder Series at MSU.

Just so you know.

Chasing AllieCat on Blog Tour

2011-03-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

It's Allie's day to shine. Check out Kari's interview with her on:

A Good Addiction: Because there are worse things in life than buying books.

(Now isn't THAT a great name for a blog?)

Also, "Top Ten" list--Ten ways to bug Joe at Words and Whisperings by Caroline.

Remember, every comment on the tour site blogs results in a one dollar donation to "Give a Girl a Bike" through Global Giving. We're hoping to donate three bikes ($150) so three girls in India can go to school. Anything above and beyond that (We're shooting high) goes to Tsunami relief in Japan. Of course, you can go straight to the Global Giving website to donate, too!

Friday, Friday

2011-03-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Last day of first week of Teen Book Scene Blog Tour for Chasing AllieCat. Three weeks to go.

Every "meaningful comment" on one of the Bloggers' sites results in a $1 donation to "Buy a Girl a Bike" through Global Giving. You can also go directly to the website and make a donation. A bike changed Allie's life...so why not let the book change some girls' lives in India--where a bike can mean they actually can go to school?

If we get more than $150 worth of comments--enough for three bikes--then the rest will go to Tsunami relief in Japan, or whatever emergency is at the top of the need list in three weeks.

On the Road

2011-03-10T08:04:00.001-08:00

Sadie, Joe, and Allie (aka "This Awesome Chick") are on the road. Today, they're featured in a hilarious and delightfully written review by Brent on Naughty Book Kitties Blogspot. All part of the Teen Book Scene Blog tour. It's funny and worth checking out. Thanks, Brent!

KIPP: Gaston College Prep visit

2011-03-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

Monday night, a much-loved and much-respected student from KIPP Pride High in Gaston, NC (Where Josh--um, I mean Mr. DoBell teaches) dropped dead during a pick-up game of basketball. The student body at KIPP has had its share of tragedy and sadness, believe me.

Tuesday, I was scheduled to visit KIPP: Gaston College Prep to talk with Ms Russell's students who had just read Chasing AllieCat. The visit went on as planned, though all of the senior high kids were too busy with more important emotions and helping each other through the grief to want to attend and talk about a book. UNDERSTANDABLE.

I watched these teachers and kids, from the standpoint of a visitor on the fringe, and observed them act in a way that rings true for their motto, "We are a team and a family."

It was an amazing day.

But the visit I had with the GCP girls and underclassmen was no less amazing. Everybody had stellar questions, and our time flew by. They asked me questions about the characters, and it reminded me why as writers, we MUST know our characters like icebergs: We know the WHOLE people in our stories, even if readers just see the top 10% (floating above water) that makes it into the story. We know the whole submerged 90% as well.

Here are some photos from that wonderful visit. Thanks, KIPP and GCP!

When I'm not writing...

2011-03-09T12:44:00.001-08:00

"When I'm not writing" is the subject of my guest post on Zoe's blog as part of the Chasing AllieCat Blog Tour today.

I was just honest about what my life is like, and how I spend my time.

I certainly don't sound very profound, and I don't even think I sound interesting. Very strange--'cause I think my life is crazy-busy-fascinating. However, condensed into a couple paragraphs, it sounds rather lame.

Is that why "because it happened" is never enough reason to think something we write is interesting to the world? And of course we all think anything that happened to us is interesting because we were in the middle of it. Some people have bigger, more inflatable egos about that than others.

Sometimes writing what happened is fascinating, and truth is generally stranger than fiction. However, ruminating about this reminds me how sometimes we write lame stories 'cause they're our stories and we think the world would be interested...but we have to weigh what we say in the balance of what matters in the world. Sometimes our stories should stay in our journals and don't need to go out in the world.

Speaking of writing well, and making our stories matter, here's a wonderful post (which Rachael Hanel posted, thank you very much) about what we can learn about story from the film The King's Speech (which, if you haven't seen it, DO!).

And two last notes: the blog tour continues all through March. It's fun, no matter what, and at least more people who like books are hearing about Chasing Alliecat.

And last: I'm in North Carolina all week with my kids. It's balmy here. We walked with Alec (in the stroller) and Franklin (on the leash) in light sweatshirts. And it's snowing in Minnesota. Don't be too mad at me, but I'm GLAD I'm here!

Sadie, Joe, and Allie go on tour

2011-03-07T08:13:00.001-08:00

Teen Book Scene is hosting a blog tour for Chasing AllieCat. Welcome to the blog tour!

Giveaways will include some copies of the book, bookmarks and retro A-1 Bike stickers., and string-backpacks with a Chasing AllieCat logo. Check out the schedule here: Teen Book Scene

TODAY, Sadie is being interviewed by Kristen.

See her review at Bookworming in the 21st Century. She gave Chasing AllieCat 5/5 !!!!!!
Thanks, Kristen!

Sadie, Joe, and Allie, are finally out on the road!

Breakfast in North Carolina

2011-03-07T07:51:00.001-08:00

I had breakfast with Josh before coming to visit KIPP: Pride High and Gaston College Prep Middle School. Bfast: Eggs, GRITS, and WHITE bread. And Sausage. I can't remember the last time I had white bread.
A southern breakfast. When in Rome...

Kelly Berkey's art and gallery opening

2011-03-06T18:55:00.000-08:00

My good friend Kelly Berkey is in her first art gallery!

First, she made my awesome jewelry in this photo--both the necklace featuring the Chasing AllieCat book cover, and the funky peace earrings.

She also paints, so check out her art on her website/blog. She just finished my favorite painting of hers so far: "Aurora" which is going to the gallery show. I tried to copy it in here, but I couldn't, so you'll have to go to her blog to see it. She said she'll hang it in her living room if it doesn't sell, but um, Kelly, I think your hubby's out of luck. I'm pretty sure that one's going to sell.

Check out the Gallery off Broadway. The opening is next weekend. Congratulations, Kelly!

North Carolina

2011-03-04T21:03:00.000-08:00

I'm in North Carolina visiting my kids. This is soooooo much fun.

I got a new laptop. A MAC. I just named him. Amos MAC. Or MacAmos. Anyway, I've never had a really good laptop before. I've never, ever had a fast laptop. I'm so happy with this computer, I almost cried tonight. I've never been able to do anything fast on the internet at home. This is incredible. Happy, happy Mac. Amos.

It's below zero. It's Read Across America Day. Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-02T06:40:00.001-08:00

It's March. MARCH. Spring begins. It's below zero. What is going on?

On a brighter note, Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

In honor of his birthday, it's Read Across America Day .

Did you know that Dr. Seuss's And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street got 37 rejections before it got published? 37. Think about that, all you who write. I guess editors thought it would teach children to tell tall tales. Wow. I thought it was the best lesson ever when my son was in the tall-tale-telling mode. It helped us distinguish the two: fact and fiction.

Dr. Seuss, I love you!

Launch and Readings

2011-02-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

Can't thank everybody enough for coming out for readings at Barnes and Noble and at SCC. What a day. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

I can't believe my brother and sister-in-law drove all the way up from Ames, IA to be there. Thanks, Bill and Cathy!

Sarah Jamila Stevenson reviews Chasing AllieCat

2011-02-23T08:46:00.000-08:00

Sarah Jamila Stevenson made my day with this review of Chasing AllieCat:

http://writingya.blogspot.com/2011/02/monday-review-chasing-alliecat-by.html

Besides being a blogger and reviewer, Sarah wrote a spectacular YA novel, thoughtful and funny, with depth and characters that stick with us long after the read: Latte Rebellion.

I met her at KidLitcon in the fall, and we hung out at ALA in San Diego. She's a fellow FLUX author, and it's nice to have, as she says, another author buddy with whom I had an instant connection. Thanks, Sarah!

Guest on Memphis Writes

2011-02-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

Chasing AllieCat --Sadie, Joe, Allie, and I--are guests on Linda Jackson's blog today. She and I have become good online friends in the process. Check out the interview and review: http://memphiswrites.blogspot.com/

Best Book Event Ever

2011-02-20T11:02:00.001-08:00

Saturday morning, I gave a book talk at Excelsior Bay Books. My friends Steve and Leslie attended, but the chief attendees were the amazing and delightful girls in the Fabulous IHMCS Book Club. Here we are in Excelsior Bay. They asked good questions, and we talked about writing and books we love. I read the prologue of Chasing AllieCat.

After the bookstore event, we all went to have lunch at Pamela's house. She's the Book Club leader, and the girls are lucky to have her! After Chinese food, and literary mysteries, we had Chasing AllieCat cake!!

It can't get much more fun than that!

Blizzard all morning

2011-02-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

Freya and I went for a walk in the woods this morning. In the Blizzard. In howling winds. In pelting snow. With thunder rolling through the heavens above us. (Count the prepositional phrases: 8).

Still, it was wonderful to be outside. She looked like the abominable white snow creature when we got back. By the time I got my camera out, she was already melting, but you get the idea. Now she's recovering, snoozing soundly on the floor.

Chasing AllieCat events

2011-02-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit afraid people are getting sick of Chasing AllieCat news. I'm getting a bit self-conscious about this, but Nicole Helget once called this part of publishing a book "Shameless self-promotion" shortly after The Turtle Catcher came out (Which, by the way I could not put down, if you haven't read it yet).

It's what we have to do as authors. Sometimes it's hard. I love to do readings, but the promoting part is so hard. Frankly, I'd rather hole up and work on my next novel.

But since promotion is part of being an author, here's what's going on: I'm reading and doing a book talk at Excelsior Bay Books Saturday, Feb. 19 at 11 a.m. I get to meet a girls' book club group. Can't wait!

The official Launch Date is Thursday, Feb. 24. I'm reading and signing at noon in the Conference Center at South Central College (where I teach), where the bookstore is selling my Chasing AllieCat as of a few days ago.

That same night, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m., I'm reading and signing at the Mankato Barnes and Noble. Afterward, we're having a Launch Party at Tav on the Ave. Everybody is welcome.
I guess I'll keep you updated.

Also, I've got a KMSU Author inteview that's download-able. I haven't even had a chance to hear the whole thing yet, so I'm not sure what I'm promoting (!!!!), but here it is:
KMSU with Kara.

Blog Interview

2011-02-08T05:36:00.001-08:00

Here's an author interview on Children's Adventures in Publishing Blog:

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-stores-this-week-with-interviews_08.html

Brent Hartinger is interviewed on the same page! He's another Flux author, whom I met at ALA in San Diego. We had a blast together.

Kelly's review of Chasing AllieCat

2011-02-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

"Stacked"--Librarians. Reviews. Mayhem.
posted this review tonight:
http://stackedbooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/chasing-alliecat-by-rebecca-fjelland.html

Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson

2011-02-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

Latte Rebellion sticks with me. Asha is a character so likable and believable, that I keep wondering what she's up to now, three weeks after I finished the novel.

I picked up Sarah Jamila Stevenson's book at the ALA conference in San Diego. I started it in my hotel room before falling asleep, and I finished it on the plane ride home.

The first couple pages sucked me right in. Asha and her feisty best friend stand up for themselves against racial slurs, and their stance inspires a crazy money-making scheme to sell t-shirts with the Latte Rebellion logo as a statement of solidarity for "brown" people everywhere who don't fit easily into any categorized "group."

I loved the premise.

Then the scheme seems to fall into the less noble cause of funding the two girls' after-graduation vacation. For awhile I thought what, this book is about two suburban girls' struggle to earn money for a vacation? Why should I care?

But before that question could fully form in my head, the conflict had escalated--to racial tension, to friendship tension, to identity tension, to an educational struggle, to battle against expectations, to potential romance, to physical danger, to a very-real and deep daughter-parent confrontation, to possible expulsion-from school, and Asha's whole life is at stake. I cared deeply. And I couldn't put the book down.

Stevenson's pacing parallels the emotion of the book perfectly.

It's a coming-of-age story; it's a story of decidintg to stand for priorities, even in the face of losing friends and lifelong expectations. It's a story of coming into one's own as a girl and as a young woman.

Sarah Jamila Stevenson has created a multi-layered, complex plot, and a character we can't help but want as a friend.

I still wonder what Asha's doing. I loved this book!

http://latte-rebellion.com/book.html

Guest outlaw on Kirstin's Blog

2011-01-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

Not often one gets to be a guest outlaw. Kirstin is hosting me on her blog today. Thanks for the kind words, DivaE, aka KCM, aka Kirstin Cronn-Mills, fellow Flux author!

http://kirstincronn-mills.blogspot.com/