tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39812529806236576292024-02-18T18:12:48.506-08:00Kimberly Willis Holt BooksUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger551125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-29219745687613880282013-07-18T13:40:00.004-07:002013-07-18T13:40:38.519-07:00ELEMENTARY EDUCATORS, WIN A FREE ADVANCE COPY OF MY NEW PICTURE BOOK <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://whatsnewwithkimberly.blogspot.com/2013/07/elementary-educators-win-free-advance.html" target="_blank">CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-11034391903812626492012-08-14T15:26:00.002-07:002012-08-14T15:26:57.314-07:00CONGRATULATIONS, MAGGIE KNAPP!!Maggie Knapp from Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, TX is the winner of the classroom set of PIPER REED RODEO STAR and a SKYPE interview with me.<br />
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Congratulations, Maggie!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-38022669256471358382012-08-04T09:20:00.000-07:002012-08-04T09:47:14.847-07:00EDUCATORS, HERE'S A GIVEAWAY JUST FOR YOU!Are you an elementary school educator?<br />
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If so, here's your chance to win a classroom set of PIPER REED RODEO STAR and a SKYPE interview with Kimberly Willis Holt.</div>
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To celebrate the debut of PIPER REED FOREVER FRIEND (the final book in the Piper Reed Series) and the paperback version of PIPER REED RODEO STAR, Macmillan is giving away a classroom set of PIPER REED RODEO STAR.</div>
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And to double the pleasure, Kimberly is giving away a SKYPE interview for your class or book club. To enter the drawing, elementary school educators should email their name and school address to Kimberly at kwhevents@suddenlink.net.<br />
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Deadline Monday, August 13, 2012 noon (central time).</div>
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Drawing will be held, Tuesday, August 14th, 2012. </div>
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Good luck!</div>
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For information on the PIPER REED SERIES, visit the <a href="http://www.kimberlywillisholt.com/piperreedbooks.html">Piper Reed page</a> at Kimberly's website.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-55902251950919326362012-07-30T07:03:00.003-07:002012-08-17T07:38:17.018-07:00PIPER REED, FOREVER FRIEND<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjydZ-wumNZEQQVJfeE3Mh_dpPkUPd-x7dnxYkJd8EEaeiHfCSvC8NUdEZQmKAjSKEWOy0h3qP6rqE8yptxKVp6_BZ2GwOH8dyXxrDFnUxZ_Qq81SZrl_mKUwvuUVm5US1mhseOKtTv4/s1600/Forever+friend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjydZ-wumNZEQQVJfeE3Mh_dpPkUPd-x7dnxYkJd8EEaeiHfCSvC8NUdEZQmKAjSKEWOy0h3qP6rqE8yptxKVp6_BZ2GwOH8dyXxrDFnUxZ_Qq81SZrl_mKUwvuUVm5US1mhseOKtTv4/s320/Forever+friend.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Good News!</span></span> </div>
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PIPER REED, FOREVER FRIEND will be released <u><b>Tuesday, August 7, 2012</b></u>. This is the 6th and possibly final book in the well-loved PIPER REED series.<br />
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To celebrate, we've put together a <u><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>Blog Tour</b> of <b>reviews, interviews and giveaways</b></i></span></u> starting August 5th and continuing through August 31st. </h3>
Bookmark this page and each day check out what these bloggers have to say and participate in their giveaways!<br />
Enjoy and "Get off the bus!" <br />
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Sunday, August 05, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.trooppetrie.blogspot.com/">Troop Petrie</a><br />
Monday, August 06,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.fabulousarmylife.blogspot.com/">This Fabulous Army Life</a><br />
Tuesday, August
07, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.spousebuzz.com/blog/2012/08/review-piper-reed-forever-friend.html">SpouseBuzz</a><br />
Thursday, August
09, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.carianthony.blogspot.com/"> An Intentional Life</a><br />
Friday, August 10,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.thericeoflife.wordpress.com/">The Rice of Life</a><br />
Saturday, August
11, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/">Cynsations</a><br />
Sunday, August 12,
2012 <br />
<a href="http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/2012/08/author-interview-3-book-giveaway-piper.html">I am a Reader, Not a Writer</a><br />
Monday, August 13,
2012<br />
<a href="http://mrsmamahen.blogspot.com/2012/08/piper-reed-book-review-give-away.html">MrsMamaHen.com</a><br />
Tuesday, August
14, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.ldspaz.blogspot.com/">Musings from a LDS Writing Mom</a><br />
Wednesday, August
15, 2012 - The Review<br />
<a href="http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/">Gerbera Daisy Diaries </a><br />
Thursday, August
16, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.just4crows.blogspot.com/">The Crow Family Blog</a><br />
Friday, August 17, 2012 <br />
<a href="http://raisingmonkey.com/blog/"> Raising Monkey, Loving Sarge</a><a href="http://www.raisingmonkey.blogspot.com/"> </a><br />
Saturday, August 18,
2012 - The Interview<br />
<a href="http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/">Gerbera Daisy Diaries</a><a href="http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/"></a><br />
Sunday, August 19,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.cammostylelove.blogspot.com/">Cammo Style Love</a><br />
Monday, August 20,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.homefrontunited.com/">Homefront United Network</a><br />
Tuesday, August
21, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.thelongyearahead.blogspot.com/">The New "Normal"</a><br />
Wednesday, August
22, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com/">Rachelle's Writing Spot</a><br />
Thursday, August
23, 2012<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.bethanylebedz.blogspot.com/">Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom</a></span><br />
Friday, August 24,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.oneguyinahouseofgirls.com/">One Guy in a House of Girls</a><br />
Friday, August 24,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.robertsonclann.blogspot.com/"> The Robertson Clann</a><br />
Monday, August 27,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.armytankerswife.com/">Army Tanker's Wife</a><br />
Tuesday, August
28, 2012 <br />
<a href="http://www.mama2six.blogspot.com/">Our Crazy Life</a><br />
Wednesday, August
29, 2012 <br />
<a href="http://www.lifelessonsmilitarywife.com/">Life Lessons of a Military Wife</a><br />
Thursday, August
30, 2012<br />
<a href="http://www.tristascreations.blogspot.com/">Trista's Creations</a><br />
Friday, August 31,
2012<br />
<a href="http://www.homeschoolescapade.blogspot.com/">Homeschool Escapade</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-77574726553870645352012-06-04T19:22:00.000-07:002012-06-07T07:50:39.018-07:00THE WATER SEEKER EXCERPT<br />
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The paperback edition of THE WATER SEEKER debuts this week. Here's the first chapter:</div>
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CHAPTER 1</div>
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BITTERSWEET CREEK 1833</div>
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JAKE WAS KNOWN as the dowser. With a forked branch, he’d made his way from the Arkansas Territory to Missouri, stopping at farms to find water for new wells. His plan was to raise enough money so he could do what he wanted and never pick up the branch again. But the dowsing was a gift. And a gift might be abandoned, but it will always be there, waiting to be claimed.</div>
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One farmer didn’t have money, so he paid Jake by giving him a parcel of land with a cabin. Since winter was settling in, Jake decided to stay there until spring, when he’d take up trapping. His cabin sat a hundred steps from Bittersweet Creek and about a mile, as the eagle flew, from the Hurd place. When their oldest daughter, Delilah, showed up at his door, begging for a place to stay, he’d not been with a woman in a long time. Without thinking, he said, “Well, I reckon I could marry you.”</div>
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A few months later, Jake went west to trap. He left each fall and returned in the summer after the trappers’ rendezvous. The life suited them. Delilah had a safe haven from her pa’s temper, and Jake had someone to come home to. And most satisfying to them both were the months of solitude that they craved.</div>
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DELILAH STROLLED through the woods, thinking about how that day felt especially hot. Jake would be making his way from Green Valley, and when he arrived he’d expect a clean house and a hot meal. She hurried home to prepare for him.</div>
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Anticipating Jake’s arrival always brought on dread and excitement. Every year, Jake traded for supplies with an artist who painted the mountain man’s way of life. Delilah looked forward to getting new paints, brushes, and paper. But she also loved her time alone in the woods. And the birds. She loved the birds.</div>
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Delilah treasured walking among the pines and cypress trees. She’d grown to appreciate the smell of her own sweat and the way it mixed with the musky smells of the earth. Now she’d have to wash all that away. Jake’s return meant she’d have to bathe more often, keep house, and cook meals.</div>
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From him, she’d learned how appearances deceived. Her pa, Eb, was a small man who looked as gentle as a cat, while Jake was stocky, barrel-chested, and furry like a bear. He could talk until the sun fell out of the sky, but Jake didn’t have a temper. To Delilah, listening to Jake drone on and on about his trappings was a good trade-off.</div>
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A FEW DAYS later, Jake arrived. He grabbed hold of Delilah and pressed his lips against hers. When it seemed he’d never let go, she wiggled free and grabbed the leather satchel in search of the new paints and brushes. She moved so quickly that the bag dropped with a thump to the floor, causing a glass to crack. Staring down at it, she could clearly see her own reflection. “What’s that there?”</div>
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Jake sighed and collapsed upon a chair. “A mirr-o. Was one.”</div>
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She took off his boots and fed him a bowl of vegetable and bacon soup. Jake gulped down the broth in less time than it took to sneeze. Then he fell asleep.</div>
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Delilah carefully set the hand mirror on the table next to her tablet and stared into it. The crack ran the entire length of the mirror, but what she saw fascinated her. She touched her red hair that frizzed like the threads on a ball of wool. When Delilah was a young girl, her ma braided it in a long pigtail and smoothed the wild hairs with lard. Delilah’s finger stroked the lines of her nose and her wide chin. She smiled, not just because she was amused, but because she wanted to see what would happen to her face. She had a space next to her black tooth. She’d lost the tooth when Eb punched her for not milking the cow a few years back. Delilah was amazed that a piece of glass could reveal the history of her life. A fire burned inside her, and she began to draw.</div>
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IN THE MIDDLE of the night, Delilah heard Jake ease out of bed and pull on his boots. She knew what was next. He did it every summer when he returned. And she knew for sure he thought she didn’t know. Last fall, she’d lifted the rock under the oak tree, hunting crickets for fish bait. She discovered the muslin sack buried in the ground under the rock. When she saw the money inside, she fell back on the ground and laughed. Jake didn’t know her at all. Money didn’t mean a thing in the world to Delilah.</div>
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For three months, Delilah cooked and cleaned for Jake, all the while gazing outside the window, praying for cool weather to come. Several weeks before the leaves turned crimson and orange, Jake packed up his mule and headed toward the mountains.</div>
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A month later, a sour taste formed in Delilah’s mouth and she vomited her breakfast of bread and blackberry jam. Immediately she felt better, but the next morning, the sickness returned. Two months later, her belly began to round out like a melon. She cursed Jake’s name to the trees, even threatening to kill him.</div>
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Then one November night, as if the heavens had heard her cries, light poured through the cabin window, awakening Delilah from her sleep. She hurried to the porch and discovered streaks of light streaming across the sky. All the stars are falling, thought Delilah. But instead of being afraid, she settled on the top step and watched. There were thousands, too many to count, and so she didn’t even try. She just waited and watched. The light was so bright she could clearly see a doe and her young buck in the thick of the woods. The heavens had given her a gift. And hours later, when the shower of light ended, she felt sad.</div>
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The next day, Delilah awoke craving bread. Before sunset, she’d baked twelve loaves and eaten three. She tore the other loaves in tiny pieces and scattered them on the porch. In the morning, the birds had discovered her offering. She pushed the table next to the window and began to paint.</div>
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By the time winter arrived, Delilah’s resentment had disappeared and a softness for the life inside her was growing. Though at times she believed they were in conflict with each other. When Delilah curled up in bed to sleep, the baby kicked, hard, until she got up and walked the floor. At which time the baby became still. Whenever Delilah settled at the table to draw, the baby caused a burning inside her gut that made her drop the pencil and give up for the day.</div>
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She began to dream the same vision each night. In her dreams, she heard a baby cry. Then she saw herself standing by a long winding river. A baby floated by, his little arms stretching toward her. But try as she did, she could not reach him. Downriver, a woman picked up the baby and handed him to another woman. That woman handed him to yet another. And so it went, the baby being passed down through a chain of women along the river. This dream occurred so often, Delilah started to think of it as a premonition. No matter what, she believed her child was destined for trials and tribulations. He would struggle. Delilah was certain of it.</div>
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Spring arrived, and Delilah spotted new nests every day. She discovered them in tree branches and corners under the porch cover. She even found one in the hole of the barn wall. The birds crafted their nests from bits of twigs, dead grass, corn husks, and Delilah’s hair. She loved seeing her red strands woven in with all the other textures. She always believed she was a part of nature. This was proof of it.</div>
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In May, the baby birds began their flight lessons, and a feeling came over Delilah that she, too, was about to spread her wings and take off. She couldn’t explain it, but the feeling became stronger each day.</div>
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One afternoon, as she walked through the woods, an old black bird called out to her. A-mos, it said. A-mos, a-mos. The wind began to howl, but she could still hear the bird’s chant. A-mos, a-mos, a-mos.</div>
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When it was time for her baby, she had no choice but to fetch her ma. She set out for their cabin, walking the mile through the dense woods. Even though it was May, the mornings remained cold. And since there was no worn path, Delilah followed the smell of smoke rising from her parents’ chimney. The pains in her womb kept her from noticing the cloud of birds flying above the treetops that towered over her head.</div>
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As she’d predicted, her brother Silas was hoeing the garden with Eb.</div>
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“I heard you coming the whole way,” Eb said. “I could hear those dad-gum birds. They’s always following you.”</div>
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Eb feared birds ever since one swept down and pecked him in the nose. The incident happened three years ago after he’d taken a strike at Delilah. That was when she took off for Jake’s cabin.</div>
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A huge flock of crows landed in the garden. Silas removed his hat and waved it overhead as he ran about trying to scare them away. His long thin limbs caused him to resemble a scarecrow that suddenly came to life. The birds flew away from Silas’s reach, circled the garden, then returned.</div>
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“Shoo! Shoo!” Silas hollered as he flapped his hat, turning to his right, then his left. He started to spin.</div>
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If she’d not been in pain, Delilah would have laughed.</div>
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Eb narrowed his eyes at Delilah’s stomach. “Looks like you got yourself in a heap of mess, gal.”</div>
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“I had me a man to help.”</div>
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Wiping his forehead with his sleeve, he said, “I can see that.”</div>
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“Jake’s my husband.”</div>
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“I reckon you want your ma. Lolly’s in the house.” He turned away from her and joined Silas in his crusade, stomping his feet at a circle of crows.</div>
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Delilah felt the air close up around her. Just returning there had brought back all the bad thoughts. Then Daisy, her seven-year-old sister, ran over and hugged her legs. The tiny girl stared up at Delilah’s big stomach and said, “You’re as fat as an old grizzly bear.”</div>
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Delilah stroked her sister’s golden red hair. “And you’re as tiny as a little squirrel.”</div>
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Her other siblings acted as if she were a stranger, cowering behind the ladder that led up to the loft. That bothered her most, more than seeing her pa. They’ve been poisoned against me, she thought. Or maybe they resented her for leaving because Eb had gone to hitting one of them. Her eyes searched each of their faces and arms for bruises, lingering longest on Daisy’s. Relieved to discover none, Delilah figured she was probably the lone thorn in her pa’s side.</div>
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Delilah wanted to return to her cabin for the baby to be born, but Lolly insisted on finishing Eb’s dinner first. The pains came quicker, and Delilah paced on the front porch until Lolly finally joined her. They were making their way through the woods, heading back to the cabin, when Delilah’s water broke. Before the sun was down, she was crying out for Jake.</div>
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The birds’ chatter grew so loud that Lolly hollered, “Them birds are driving me crazy!”</div>
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The labor was long and hard, which puzzled Lolly since she’d merely grunted and pushed one time to bring each of her babies into the world. And when Lolly saw more blood coming from Delilah than she’d ever seen with all her own births put together, she suspected the outcome wouldn’t be good.</div>
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Delilah’s screams turned to groans, and her groans became whimpers.</div>
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Lolly went outside and found a stick, then gave it to Delilah. “Here, bite down on this.”</div>
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Delilah yanked it from her mouth and slung it across the room. “It tastes like mud.”</div>
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When the baby finally came, he was red as a ripe raspberry. Wails escaped from his wide mouth as he shook his tiny fists in the air.</div>
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Chuckling, Lolly held him up. “This boy is mad.” She placed him next to Delilah’s breast to suckle. “He’s a strong one. What you reckon you’ll call him?”</div>
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Delilah’s lips brushed the light fuzz on his head, and she closed her eyes. Her words came out soft. “Amos is a good name.”</div>
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“Amos?” Lolly mused. “Where in tarnation did you get that from?”</div>
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Delilah didn’t answer. She just said, “Tell Jake I done my best. Don’t let my baby forget me.”</div>
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With that, she took her last breath. The cabin and the world outside the window grew silent. And every bird at Bittersweet Creek flew away.</div>
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Excerpted from <i style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: italic; font: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The Water Seeker</i> by Kimberly Willis Holt.</div>
<div style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
Copyright 2010 by Kimberly Willis Holt.</div>
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Published in First edition—2009 by Henry Holt and Company.</div>
<div id="yui_3_3_0_1_1338820918320_3706" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 8px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.</div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-1974811283437157882011-07-17T15:54:00.000-07:002011-07-17T16:14:51.808-07:00A DOZEN YEARS OR MAYBE MORE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPCQHvGrNYgJtVeyizN_aY9xQK5IT-caNJ13jCC69VCymx1hUjbwKBC9WxNs2_d8NukP0lI7dasX3K7euCTJUwMsS_lrsSUMsuX_9GjTNA-qhiQ5DGDspxlrsB38grE86yL6v_Qc0Hm0/s1600/99393369.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXPCQHvGrNYgJtVeyizN_aY9xQK5IT-caNJ13jCC69VCymx1hUjbwKBC9WxNs2_d8NukP0lI7dasX3K7euCTJUwMsS_lrsSUMsuX_9GjTNA-qhiQ5DGDspxlrsB38grE86yL6v_Qc0Hm0/s400/99393369.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630463002886483490" /></a><br />WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN recently got a makeover--a new cover and a new available format as an e-book. A lot happens in a dozen years. When the book came out in 1999 I didn't realize I'd written a story that would take me on such a wonderful journey. I've visited schools and stood at the podium at conferences all over this country and beyond the United States. To think, it began with a moment in my childhood.<br /><br />At thirteen, I visited the Louisiana State Fair and paid two dollars extra to see a sideshow boy. The young man was billed as "The Fattest Teenage Boy in the World." I was fascinated by the experience, but I didn't know twenty-five years later I'd write a story inspired by that moment. In a strange way, the book began there--a thirteen-year-old girl visiting a sideshow. Today I share that story with kids, telling them how powerful their lives are. They might see something today that they write about tomorrow or in a few decades.<br /><br />I'm thankful for that moment and I'm thankful for a book that has opened doors for me all over this planet. Hopefully that story will continue to stir imaginations. Maybe some kid is downloading that book right now and meeting Zachary Beaver for the very first time. Or maybe he's turning to the last page. Either way, I'm grateful.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-14609262419629988472011-03-27T14:39:00.001-07:002011-03-27T14:40:24.085-07:00NEW LOOK AND NEW BOOK<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAk_ZoLAO9kvsvUvmB8HdWkVS2J3HjNFoY0aokd0mFLbaGYD6c25f24XBYJLLvtRUlr1nau1KQ2XUUR6EABLD06IP1SXMpB7vQoTIJfA2GwZ-8U7M1UCfmESWRLtSGFh71W2dk8o3QvA/s1600/NEWLOOKPIPERREED%2521.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAk_ZoLAO9kvsvUvmB8HdWkVS2J3HjNFoY0aokd0mFLbaGYD6c25f24XBYJLLvtRUlr1nau1KQ2XUUR6EABLD06IP1SXMpB7vQoTIJfA2GwZ-8U7M1UCfmESWRLtSGFh71W2dk8o3QvA/s400/NEWLOOKPIPERREED%2521.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588877788545290962" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-75084604576307679242011-03-24T05:09:00.000-07:002011-03-25T06:41:32.022-07:00PIPER REED, RODEO STAR<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvg2BNKvrf4h066tWnu2ZXtDOkmEdLljrJ_fmC6lQ7eFRxI6tVEFBB-P2d-_AOLm7Mvu_HyJ_mQjyG7ywMdx8PXFUiDb1Y3sEa30rbHYsI1DIHatoArG5On3DvizjPIwxYAUFsF0mHJg/s1600/rodeo+star.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSvg2BNKvrf4h066tWnu2ZXtDOkmEdLljrJ_fmC6lQ7eFRxI6tVEFBB-P2d-_AOLm7Mvu_HyJ_mQjyG7ywMdx8PXFUiDb1Y3sEa30rbHYsI1DIHatoArG5On3DvizjPIwxYAUFsF0mHJg/s200/rodeo+star.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587967515827215682" /></a><br />Growing up, I secretly pretended I was a small town girl. And every couple of years, I got to live out that fantasy. My dad's military career meant we didn't get to see my grandparents often, but between his assignments, we visited my grandparents in Forest Hill, Louisiana, population 304. During those times, I rode horses, learned to drive in a pasture, hung out with my cousins. Lots of cousins. <br /><br />Piper Reed Rodeo Star is inspired by those sweet times. Piper and her sisters spend the Christmas holiday with their grandparents while their parents vacation in Paris. Piper is determined to have adventures while she is there. And wherever Piper goes, adventures follows. I hope you'll enjoy this new story with Piper and discover the virtues of small towns, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-36567003528861693422009-09-27T04:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.225-08:00HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BERNARD WABER<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhPiDBmn4aZOroQmT_1omlXKs9TidVXl4TjHa35uEmWlhQKLARN5kjnLrslc0vsBTTs_pkDeASe-70HCo5Gemv4iQZT7et95aCmESnFJCz1xWexETMCE4gp5DZXan-ljeOQTffHw1cPit/s1600-h/Lyle+Lyle+Crocodile.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 295px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYhPiDBmn4aZOroQmT_1omlXKs9TidVXl4TjHa35uEmWlhQKLARN5kjnLrslc0vsBTTs_pkDeASe-70HCo5Gemv4iQZT7et95aCmESnFJCz1xWexETMCE4gp5DZXan-ljeOQTffHw1cPit/s400/Lyle+Lyle+Crocodile.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348832278322449842" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsb0zp4s9N8fD1AkSYmIATAl9KINGLAK5tIO88p3ZZUVwLx_AexL1ScpCtuJICwrvpTlHxrsHpa1StD-dGq10633CvzNOQkRoiqGZ_HGRHsgomOoF3LOi2kdAeZLIsOz9QlAfUFQ7FqXM_/s1600-h/Bernard+Waber.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsb0zp4s9N8fD1AkSYmIATAl9KINGLAK5tIO88p3ZZUVwLx_AexL1ScpCtuJICwrvpTlHxrsHpa1StD-dGq10633CvzNOQkRoiqGZ_HGRHsgomOoF3LOi2kdAeZLIsOz9QlAfUFQ7FqXM_/s400/Bernard+Waber.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348832169205904546" /></a><br />Happy 85th birthday to Bernard Waber! <br /><br />Your books make me happy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-4448765923291597852009-09-11T09:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.225-08:00IT'S THE WEEKENDLet's visit Captain Kangaroo!<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/q3w7w58CREY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q3w7w58CREY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-193649443729385012009-08-28T09:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.225-08:00IT'S THE WEEKENDLet's play hopscotch!<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/inwuR30J0Y0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/inwuR30J0Y0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-40618388924337903752009-08-21T08:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.226-08:00IT'S THE WEEKENDlet's get ready to go back to school!<br /><br /><br /><object width="500" height="405"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IpIhzFh0yw8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IpIhzFh0yw8&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="405"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-60837853886031257132009-08-14T09:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.226-08:00IT'S THE WEEKENDLet's celebrate being different!<br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hpiIWMWWVco&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hpiIWMWWVco&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x234900&color2=0x4e9e00&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-46069335778285773462009-08-14T07:33:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.226-08:00ARE YOU ONE OF THIS WEEK'S WINNERS?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRx2ezmsxsCQbMqbVnSXZXw5N9cjUKG055mBh1LD-Wn2sscRB1W8OZKo9i9Xo7QBNL3CUyfR93b-JLoP5tRkxgvXITGQnliGSWX0Km5v-LTnYdRbzssl2oExf5cpC2mPBMy3fU9us7WV-/s1600-h/scan0002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRx2ezmsxsCQbMqbVnSXZXw5N9cjUKG055mBh1LD-Wn2sscRB1W8OZKo9i9Xo7QBNL3CUyfR93b-JLoP5tRkxgvXITGQnliGSWX0Km5v-LTnYdRbzssl2oExf5cpC2mPBMy3fU9us7WV-/s400/scan0002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369830624528602066" /></a><br />Congratulations to the following people who won a copy of <em>Piper Reed the Great Gypsy</em>! If your name is listed below, please email your snail mail address to kwhevents@suddenlink.net. <br /><br /><br />Melissa Kaye<br /><br />KK<br /><br />Linda(whose first job was pulling weeds in the soybean fields)<br /><br />Nita1060<br /><br />Debbie Archer<br /><br /><br />If you haven't won yet and have already entered, you are still entered for next week's prize. If you would like to enter, it's not too late. Just post a comment below about your first job. If you are an educator, please include the name of your school and you will also be entered in the drawing for the classroom set of <em>Piper Reed the Great Gypsy</em>.><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tWSToVxwTkpCkArjcVPZd9ywap1U3oeQ0s4FoL6mw83_cjKKiYt2j9UgOWkGh3BKCNrnDeEBgJe-tIZ1wFFLnG-pN2vlG9Qh1DZx_vFZv2ufnsja2mGfzhOkkHK58UxpccLSQRqmYZi5/s1600-h/Piper+Reed+Gets+a+Job2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4tWSToVxwTkpCkArjcVPZd9ywap1U3oeQ0s4FoL6mw83_cjKKiYt2j9UgOWkGh3BKCNrnDeEBgJe-tIZ1wFFLnG-pN2vlG9Qh1DZx_vFZv2ufnsja2mGfzhOkkHK58UxpccLSQRqmYZi5/s400/Piper+Reed+Gets+a+Job2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369830182670424898" /></a><br /><br /><br />Next week's prize is a signed copy of <em>Piper Reed Gets a Job</em>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-11779605971273636882009-08-11T17:13:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.226-08:00POSTCARD FROM THE NEST<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYunn4UmGcIJCKYCG5HDfZolzlQ2djJf1ALexaEYJapOg5ELS5Y0Ka16H4Bgw7u3tbRJdFXolxA2ULLHsvF-KcNwywrqKOWuiZHgnUbY2-GjNOUOdEdOtHBLM6wTK4l1MGYCFCqc_hU_f1/s1600-h/scan0002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 309px; height: 500px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYunn4UmGcIJCKYCG5HDfZolzlQ2djJf1ALexaEYJapOg5ELS5Y0Ka16H4Bgw7u3tbRJdFXolxA2ULLHsvF-KcNwywrqKOWuiZHgnUbY2-GjNOUOdEdOtHBLM6wTK4l1MGYCFCqc_hU_f1/s400/scan0002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368864109554591602" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-26037893595898257892009-08-10T05:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.226-08:00HIS AND HERS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKWfaihyf5tA-pegPvxob9dA8N8_wCiQid8rRhwIlpniXtKBE3vgZGZstv3zwq9fcWTkeYvUHZZzqWlmFtIZgHIBHMh47THnFiYVM-P_pYVpIUHiz6inykuGjZOhG9rkprORBBGbJvL4-/s1600-h/grill.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKWfaihyf5tA-pegPvxob9dA8N8_wCiQid8rRhwIlpniXtKBE3vgZGZstv3zwq9fcWTkeYvUHZZzqWlmFtIZgHIBHMh47THnFiYVM-P_pYVpIUHiz6inykuGjZOhG9rkprORBBGbJvL4-/s400/grill.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368102497654606674" /></a><br />This weekend I made lamb tandoori. After I pulled the chops from the marinade, I asked Jerry how to heat up the grill. His voice rose a couple of octaves. "Oh, you need the grill?" <br /><br />"Yes," I told him. "I was going to use my George Foreman but I thought why not use the real thing."<br /><br />I did not know that my husband was so possessive about the grill until I tried to place the chops over the grids. <br /><br />"I'll do that," he said, attempting to grab the pan from me.<br /><br />I pulled the pan from his reach. "I'll do it," I said. I'd gone through a lot of trouble. First I was going to make the sauce from scratch. After checking a cookbook out of the library and trying to find an uncomplicated recipe, I soon realized the reason for Indian restaurants. Then lucky me, I found a tandoori seasoning mix in my local grocery store. After that it was easy, but I'd paid a price to get to this cooking step. Like it or not, I was going to barbecue.<br /><br />Jerry hovered, watching me as if I'd cut off his oxygen. I sighed, turned the heat up to high and handed him the tongs. "Let them cook two minutes on each side to seal in the juices. Then turn it down to the lowest setting."<br /><br />"Okay," he said cheerfully. Then the barbecue maniac took over.<br /><br />Clearly twenty-four years had slipped by without my knowing the barbecue grill was <em>his</em> territory. <br /><br />I guess I can't blame him. I have my own places acquired by squatter rights. <br />There is the daybed on the screen porch where I take an occasional nap, and the apple green chair in the family room where I watch television. The third bedroom was converted into my office almost fifteen years ago. And I admit I have an uneasy feeling when I discover Jerry sitting in the bedroom chair where I write. When I do see him plopped there with his feet on my ottoman, I feel a bit like lazy Mazie in <em>Horton Hatches the Egg </em>who claims, "But it's mine!"<br /><br />Now that I think about it, giving Jerry sole rights to the barbecue grill is a small trade-off for the places I claim--the places that help me create stories or, at the very least, nurture my writer's soul.<br /><br />Do you have something or some place in your home that belongs only to you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-54572778797609543422009-08-07T09:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.226-08:00IT'S THE WEEKENDLet's make shadow puppets!<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9WlbQPmXg08&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9WlbQPmXg08&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-62232485070726185362009-08-07T05:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.227-08:00THIS WEEK'S WINNERS<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh595r0TPOlzRw287j_0aloYZN8upNFLftj9lyAdgvMBJZ9BzKBDIE_9Lpf9dYVM0JZ1bVMeDokPvkfgwrQts5GgLh63qmwjJJQuHHW5sVnrZaAJCaycudVE9Wikhql7xYbJ-NRCAxTsOc_/s1600-h/Piper+Reed,+Navy+Brat+cover.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh595r0TPOlzRw287j_0aloYZN8upNFLftj9lyAdgvMBJZ9BzKBDIE_9Lpf9dYVM0JZ1bVMeDokPvkfgwrQts5GgLh63qmwjJJQuHHW5sVnrZaAJCaycudVE9Wikhql7xYbJ-NRCAxTsOc_/s320/Piper+Reed,+Navy+Brat+cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367030261433111058" /></a><br />Here are this week's winners. Each will receive a signed copy of <em>Piper Reed Navy Brat.</em><br />If your name is below, please email me at kwhevents@suddenlink.net and send me your <strong>snail</strong> mail address.<br /><br />DRD <br /><br />Paul W Hankins<br /><br />J. Miskec<br /><br />Carol (carolscorner.blogspot.com)<br /><br />Georgette<br /><br />Congratulations!<br /><br /><br />If you entered last week and didn't win, your name will be entered for a chance to win next week's prize<br /><br />If you haven't entered, <strong>it's not too late</strong>. <br /><br />Just post a comment below mentioning your first job..<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_QYRLlNe33Ta4gmbevX6pKkzzjESwDJX9nVhyPCEAr83WCR-Rq8HXUKkQz108JgA8Zdcum421ZNI-HzBFm_BXPB2X-EcZ1RzLBo5pAY0okyv4mQKSooMAF28smmjJX4vNOUwb-N4Fk7K/s1600-h/scan0002.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia_QYRLlNe33Ta4gmbevX6pKkzzjESwDJX9nVhyPCEAr83WCR-Rq8HXUKkQz108JgA8Zdcum421ZNI-HzBFm_BXPB2X-EcZ1RzLBo5pAY0okyv4mQKSooMAF28smmjJX4vNOUwb-N4Fk7K/s320/scan0002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367031078851042738" /></a><br /><br /><br />Next week's prize is a signed hardback copy of <em>Piper Reed the Great Gypsy</em>. There will be five winners. If you are an educator, include the name of your school and get a chance at winning a classroom set of <em>Piper Reed the Great Gypsy</em>.<br /><br />So now, what was your first job?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-70654769872795440472009-08-06T06:31:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.227-08:00AN ARTIST AT HOME: LAURIE KELLER<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QMFmNkMEly4Q42i_4wMC2Y0eoQB8lA6uSRT-lJq-kWH2OHEuLHbIhdZU5sbZPaxPFR_dgadDNtUPdZud2GLhnGAnGRKFm0h3EAmo9OoWXns5LkZJY3Wx3GMzzgbIl8mMHqLapxXCiR7j/s1600-h/LK+WORKING+ON+BLUFF.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 355px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QMFmNkMEly4Q42i_4wMC2Y0eoQB8lA6uSRT-lJq-kWH2OHEuLHbIhdZU5sbZPaxPFR_dgadDNtUPdZud2GLhnGAnGRKFm0h3EAmo9OoWXns5LkZJY3Wx3GMzzgbIl8mMHqLapxXCiR7j/s400/LK+WORKING+ON+BLUFF.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366844026723713586" /></a> <br /><br /><em>Where do you work best at home?</em><br /><br /><br />I live in a very tiny cottage along Lake Michigan so my "studio" is just a corner of the living room. It's fine for now but when the weather is nice my favorite place to write and sketch is by the lake. It's very peaceful and I just love hearing the waves. When it's time to paint though, I have to head to my corner in the cottage. I have lots of little trinkets on my desk that make me smile. I also have to set up an extra table so I have room to spread out a bit while I paint. I love the cottage (where I'm sacrificing space for location) but do look forward to having a bit bigger house at some point with a great studio. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4-UAODKHs2eUNpxv_S3tVf9kiO6pMEnbm8Nxcj-eraKrPyG84d-VVt-1ipZxa9OSABlfeJ5w2Tg1B1PlLR5JjcLDj7ADRLNxI1KUJ8wkJktvIPJ3FppV6sjA5BhZUkM2BcdE6ABpAgD5/s1600-h/LK+DESK.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs4-UAODKHs2eUNpxv_S3tVf9kiO6pMEnbm8Nxcj-eraKrPyG84d-VVt-1ipZxa9OSABlfeJ5w2Tg1B1PlLR5JjcLDj7ADRLNxI1KUJ8wkJktvIPJ3FppV6sjA5BhZUkM2BcdE6ABpAgD5/s400/LK+DESK.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366844175192489282" /></a><br /><br /><br /><em>What time of day would we find you there?</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp0MD9lIZJvif_VlNhPKtD11kbpxBk7sBfnWI45rsubA83AGDjRe0LRO3JTm3_i110sYmQJ5NyqX9o9CbJysHqVbgzOq8b_Dold_v2xNDOIHBUazUNHMtxxL09RbpVaUD4DKU0rQbRYhG/s1600-h/LK+animals.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwp0MD9lIZJvif_VlNhPKtD11kbpxBk7sBfnWI45rsubA83AGDjRe0LRO3JTm3_i110sYmQJ5NyqX9o9CbJysHqVbgzOq8b_Dold_v2xNDOIHBUazUNHMtxxL09RbpVaUD4DKU0rQbRYhG/s320/LK+animals.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366844941681887698" /></a>I don't have any set hours when I write or sketch, but I do spend good chunks of time each day working. When I'm in the illustration process though, you'll find me at my desk from early morning till late into the evening for about 3 months. I'm really trying hard to do an overhaul on my working style though. I tend to work on one story at a time for months until it's written, with a deadline set about a year away. Then I work on the dummy for a few weeks. By the time I get to the finished illustrations I usually have about 3 months or less to finish them before my deadline so it's always a race to the finish and everything else in my life falls to the wayside. It's an exhausting way to work and I usually feel pretty burned out for awhile afterward. So NOW, after just finishing another book, my goal (REALLY!) is to get several things written so I can illustrate them at a more leisurely pace and try to have more balance in my life. I always figured most author/illustrators worked the same way but I've met enough of them now to know that most of them have quite "balanced" lives -- raising kids, working, having a social life and all the while making as many (or more) books as I do. It's very inspiring to me!<br /><br /><em>What is your favorite comfort food while you work?<br /><br /></em>M&M's (plain or peanut). Since they melt in your mouth, NOT in your hands, they are the perfect food for an illustrator because I've found that publishers don't like your illustrations to be stained with food.<br /><br /><br /><em>What's on your nightstand? (you may include books as well as other items.)<br /><br /></em>I have an old chair from a flea market that poses as a nightstand and on it is a clock and a tiny metal lamp (and a bit of dust). Under it are always a few books I work my way through for about 20 minutes each night. Right now I have <em>The Adoration of</em> <em>Jenna Fox, The Not So Big House </em>(ha, go figure!), <em>The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules </em>and, no kidding, <em>Keeper of the Night </em>by Ms. Kimberly Willis Holt.<br /><br /><br /><em>How does home feed into your writing?</em><br /><br />Ever since moving back to Michigan into this little cottage in the woods, I'm very inspired by nature. It was back in Michigan that I came up with the idea for Do Unto Otters, starring a rabbit and 3 otters. I have several other ideas for stories that I'm playing around with that all star either various woodland animals and bugs or inanimate objects like leaves, acorns and sticks, etc. There's a window by my desk and just outside it I sprinkle lots of critter food so I enjoy watching the deer, turkeys, one rabbit, birds, chipmunks and squirrels that come by every day. I love watching the interaction between them and have gotten to where I recognize certain "regulars" in the yard. They've gotten quite accustomed to seeing me around, too, and don't seem that frightened of me....or my cat. She'll dart at squirrels and they've gotten so used to her that they barely move when she ambushes them. Then she'll just sort of stand there looking around like, "oh, lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfT-QLeq6ZEDg2LxaBw4mYN6mJADoaY39uT4TnOKd9ZvL0YhKCThoQLpQjHcKay_aIxDcBrVPX0gjIzK-8J4tc5D_APSvmXeeQ0UxDD2pgGFRIAykX83ilowFKiUAtiNa5UV-Ggu4_Xgp/s1600-h/LK+and+Niece.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 399px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfT-QLeq6ZEDg2LxaBw4mYN6mJADoaY39uT4TnOKd9ZvL0YhKCThoQLpQjHcKay_aIxDcBrVPX0gjIzK-8J4tc5D_APSvmXeeQ0UxDD2pgGFRIAykX83ilowFKiUAtiNa5UV-Ggu4_Xgp/s400/LK+and+Niece.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366844555169262834" /></a><br /><br /><br />Laurie Keller is the author/illustrator of 7 books including <em>The Scrambled States of America</em>, <em>Do Unto Otters</em>:<em> A Book About Manners</em>, <em>Arnie the Doughnut</em> and <em>Birdy's Smile Book </em>(Fall, 2010). She also illustrated the upcoming book, <em>Me and My Animal Friends </em>(September/2009) by <em>Ralph Covert of Ralph's World</em>. Laurie worked as an illustrator at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, MO and as a freelance illustrator in New York City but now lives back in her home state, Michigan, with her boyfriend Scott and cat, Jules. In her spare time, Laurie enjoys traveling, doing yoga, camping, hiking, biking, playing the banjo and spending time with her 4 year old niece. <br /><br /><br />Want to know more?<br /><br />Visit <a href="http://www.lauriekeller.com/">Laurie Keller's Website</a><br /><br />and read a wonderful interview about her at <a href="http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=1567">Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-14131098472220858942009-08-05T07:56:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.227-08:00TOMORROW'S VISITOR<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhzomNS8SDqCPmuBOr7DdD4cuSgAPWn4GNliV0DoPE-fYp0LfztYf2YZ6x6KvXVLOtFLYVjabiRYW9MVz1xlPaDvikhyphenhyphenBft_7PFiZO4yAsRi4Sr7UNNQC6gp4ZBDryfIiVdd3708F1DBV/s1600-h/LK.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 280px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhzomNS8SDqCPmuBOr7DdD4cuSgAPWn4GNliV0DoPE-fYp0LfztYf2YZ6x6KvXVLOtFLYVjabiRYW9MVz1xlPaDvikhyphenhyphenBft_7PFiZO4yAsRi4Sr7UNNQC6gp4ZBDryfIiVdd3708F1DBV/s400/LK.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366497710911177602" /></a><br />If I could be Laurie Keller for just one day...I'd start the morning at my local doughnut shop and wait for a glazed with pink sprinkles to talk to me. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0opjP9jL4qqBhg2ogwO6vK35h2mwJ5QLyGUt34c4htRXEitMRk_fomzkxSKgIjOYGdYHM_Zpjp7aj9aXOUblpEyk1_PTh1mtYcqatiAbVDXldYuiGPAChvxX-Mqrjh6zc_Q1G9SRiUey/s1600-h/Arnie+the+doughnut.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0opjP9jL4qqBhg2ogwO6vK35h2mwJ5QLyGUt34c4htRXEitMRk_fomzkxSKgIjOYGdYHM_Zpjp7aj9aXOUblpEyk1_PTh1mtYcqatiAbVDXldYuiGPAChvxX-Mqrjh6zc_Q1G9SRiUey/s320/Arnie+the+doughnut.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366497331131505170" /></a><br />I'd walk down the street and listen to the lampposts bend over and tell me what they witnessed during the night. Maybe I wouldn't walk at all. Maybe the sidewalk would move and take me to the grocery store where mangoes and kiwis danced the cha-cha. My head would buzz with funny opportunities all day long. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB84gKJ9ubLx1F2LJEuLQKpyAqLM6af-Eu3zcaYOctv3D3o61h3dzj79iW94vDJkBZDufyRxAI4kKTN54pnstXvcYrbSGqAfgNmtsrwZVqWdWHELRUt9jiAbIMILU54AsEUgLT4Dl6nZ8/s1600-h/open+wide.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 258px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWB84gKJ9ubLx1F2LJEuLQKpyAqLM6af-Eu3zcaYOctv3D3o61h3dzj79iW94vDJkBZDufyRxAI4kKTN54pnstXvcYrbSGqAfgNmtsrwZVqWdWHELRUt9jiAbIMILU54AsEUgLT4Dl6nZ8/s320/open+wide.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366497581627447378" /></a><br /><br />But alas...I can't even be Laurie Keller for one day. I don't have her zany sense of humor or her brilliant talent for making objects come alive. I will have to be satisfied reading Laurie's books. But that can be a very fun place to be, too. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hn36lIPRgB7S8DqxuxHnDtwrwRu2OmsaEVdXCHgGdfRtU43ufo6t8sLuuiqGGHdu1VDAvl1lpDP-H1C6b9uCz_1dzsNyZBAoSoPfLM_A1Qc-bGpyOS8rnJ167kvw3-DEqXrqDJBPKLwt/s1600-h/scrambled+states+of+America+talent+show.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6hn36lIPRgB7S8DqxuxHnDtwrwRu2OmsaEVdXCHgGdfRtU43ufo6t8sLuuiqGGHdu1VDAvl1lpDP-H1C6b9uCz_1dzsNyZBAoSoPfLM_A1Qc-bGpyOS8rnJ167kvw3-DEqXrqDJBPKLwt/s320/scrambled+states+of+America+talent+show.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366497483608271186" /></a><br /><br />Tomorrow, we'll fly to a cottage perched on the bank of a lake and visit Laurie Keller as she becomes our next Artist at Home profile.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-84857001813205149732009-08-05T06:30:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.227-08:00WE'LL MISS YOU, MAPLE STREET CHILDREN'S BOOK SHOP<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfI7Ki-Umc1nobJs2tPYqr4XX9PSUIWQzqZQSb0sqJ1dAlRFLHANG5ZDniW6rYWSd_KOCUV2DxWd89PmkEb_QUg7eBJc1U2uWTf3j9o3yNIz-96O0QfzoGE6tJ1reSp6d6Vli_sjjKgmD/s1600-h/Maple+Street+Children%27s+Book+Shop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSfI7Ki-Umc1nobJs2tPYqr4XX9PSUIWQzqZQSb0sqJ1dAlRFLHANG5ZDniW6rYWSd_KOCUV2DxWd89PmkEb_QUg7eBJc1U2uWTf3j9o3yNIz-96O0QfzoGE6tJ1reSp6d6Vli_sjjKgmD/s400/Maple+Street+Children%27s+Book+Shop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366474698065812306" /></a><br />I just learned that one of my favorite bookstores is closing. Maple Street Children's Book Shop in New Orleans has meant a lot to me over the years. Many people think that when a writer sells a book, the publisher sends them on a world-wide tour, but usually there is no tour for the first time author. Thank goodness I knew this and I created my own tour. <br /><br />There are so many people who were wonderful to me on that 16 day journey from Shreveport to New Orleans. One of them was Cindy Dike, owner of Maple Street Children's Book Shop. My old friend Laurie was living in New Orleans at the time and she suggested I contact their store when my book came out. In March of 1998 I called Cindy to ask if I could do a book signing in her store. Wise Cindy knew people don't usually show up for an unknown writer's signing, but she said, "I'll order some of your books and if you want to do a stock signing you can drop by my store." <br /><br />She also gave me the name of a school she thought might be interested in an author visit. They were. And as a result of that contact, the local SCBWI group asked me to dinner. A year or so later I returned to Maple Street Book Shop and did a signing. Cindy always welcomed me back. This was a bookstore owner that offered more than books. Cindy opened a door for me in New Orleans. And that's the kind of thing an independent book store does well. They go the extra-mile. They thrive on that old-fashioned way of doing business, creating friendships and playing a huge part in building a writer's career.<br /><br />If you want to read more about this special bookstore and their future plans, Susan Larson wrote a lovely article about them in the Times Picayune. You can read it <a href="http://www.nola.com/books/index.ssf/2009/08/maple_street_childrens_book_sh.html">here</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-74872830454726944632009-08-01T14:20:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.227-08:00AUGUST IS PIPER REED MONTHJoin the celebration by entering The <strong>Piper Reed Giveaways</strong>!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLtfg6w6yiS-PViNx_hFNxoSY7uWaRne_anOtPC81fsTxTltUQ41JL6kgt5wAAkndBnZIWpna91uJLyuCpH-AFNO_b1fwskPMSBCXtWIwl7VNMdwk04K3Ck7_Gg0Vrec8u0gTmyZ-F2IT/s1600-h/Piper+Reed,+Navy+Brat+cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvLtfg6w6yiS-PViNx_hFNxoSY7uWaRne_anOtPC81fsTxTltUQ41JL6kgt5wAAkndBnZIWpna91uJLyuCpH-AFNO_b1fwskPMSBCXtWIwl7VNMdwk04K3Ck7_Gg0Vrec8u0gTmyZ-F2IT/s400/Piper+Reed,+Navy+Brat+cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365113193852295762" /></a><br /><br />Week One: Five Winners will receive a signed hardback copy of <em>Piper Reed Navy Brat</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakdphMDDg8haH-JrY5I5jwgu2wbGDhePrpgJQF6pXFHS4hE5xPIbbUNpvj3vZlXuXCnaCbSods75IicrsvXCKz1sT7YJsZfGpA30ZUHLMZQ-Utd-LnUpzUTPLmVFWaGIQkJqfzHKxaMS_/s1600-h/scan0002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgakdphMDDg8haH-JrY5I5jwgu2wbGDhePrpgJQF6pXFHS4hE5xPIbbUNpvj3vZlXuXCnaCbSods75IicrsvXCKz1sT7YJsZfGpA30ZUHLMZQ-Utd-LnUpzUTPLmVFWaGIQkJqfzHKxaMS_/s400/scan0002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365113674152487970" /></a><br /><br />Week Two: Five Winners will receive a signed hardback copy of <em>Piper Reed the Great Gypsy</em><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbQaxvgfkAtPoc0DXglG1iHb7KctCLydfBvqAFBvO0mra4DP9TbzFaR5MKQk_vA7EwXJBtiQETCyZkDYIFMeUMuMLsV37FTtWeVNB79gjrYQPzLVsDrHH4vY7JS8WnmBCMjT0wMv1blr7/s1600-h/Piper+Reed+Gets+a+Job2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbQaxvgfkAtPoc0DXglG1iHb7KctCLydfBvqAFBvO0mra4DP9TbzFaR5MKQk_vA7EwXJBtiQETCyZkDYIFMeUMuMLsV37FTtWeVNB79gjrYQPzLVsDrHH4vY7JS8WnmBCMjT0wMv1blr7/s400/Piper+Reed+Gets+a+Job2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365112975160446514" /></a><br /><br /><br />Week Three: Five Winners will receive a signed hardback copy of <em>Piper Reed Gets a Job</em><br /><br />Week Four: Five Winners will receive a Cd of <em>Piper Reed Gets a Job</em><br /><br />Educators(only sorry) are also eligible to enter the drawing for a classroom set of <em>Piper Reed the Great Gypsy</em>. (If also entering this contest, please mention your school name, too)<br /><br />How do you enter? <br /><br />Answer the question: What was your first job? <br /><br />Post your answer as a comment below. Enter once and be eligible for each weekly giveaway.<br /><br />Weekly winners will be chosen randomly and announced Friday.<br /><br />So what was your first job?<br /><br /><br />For more information on <a href="http://www.kimberlywillisholt.com/piperreedjob.html">PIPER REED GETS A JOB</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-87293370593610581262009-07-31T09:00:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.227-08:00IT'S THE WEEKEND!Let's get swept off our feet!<br /><br /><object width="580" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hcJQ3r3DXGg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hcJQ3r3DXGg&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="360"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-40951891526535653222009-07-31T06:35:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.228-08:00JUST AROUND THE CORNER<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZTaFWbYouAncpK_yTBtugUZVliy9jkXeD5lBZl7jQYLznUjLAx9E-HtLcUt9hotJtk2LpRKRbplbR-2udlTT3VSCWTIITB3aWI1ka9d5zvRJuFxEv_6pSEIo6lKvKyYUdKSQunTR-HLX/s1600-h/Piper+Reed+Gets+a+Job2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZTaFWbYouAncpK_yTBtugUZVliy9jkXeD5lBZl7jQYLznUjLAx9E-HtLcUt9hotJtk2LpRKRbplbR-2udlTT3VSCWTIITB3aWI1ka9d5zvRJuFxEv_6pSEIo6lKvKyYUdKSQunTR-HLX/s400/Piper+Reed+Gets+a+Job2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364621251001114914" /></a><br />August is the month of the middle child and you know what that means--<strong>PIPER REED Month!</strong> I'll be giving away Piper Reed books and CD's. And Square Fish Books has kindly offered to give a classroom set of <em>Piper Reed the Great Gypsy </em>to one lucky educator. So check back for details.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHBRJvpe4B4aodKGu5HDwdBy3Ne5HJyIlprZC0j0W3L9WInkMltqSz5vOa6-8u3raIub4oRLTjycGaYNOSsmQtgOTd4euBLsq83Yo2v0xX8NebX5hcCcUOPV4D6K1HAvsG9VT_oUMwmt-/s1600-h/LK-dunes.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHBRJvpe4B4aodKGu5HDwdBy3Ne5HJyIlprZC0j0W3L9WInkMltqSz5vOa6-8u3raIub4oRLTjycGaYNOSsmQtgOTd4euBLsq83Yo2v0xX8NebX5hcCcUOPV4D6K1HAvsG9VT_oUMwmt-/s400/LK-dunes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364620396745862898" /></a><br /><br />Also next week, author/illustrator, Laurie Keller will be our AT HOME profile. Laurie is one of my favorite picture book people. I can't wait to hear what she has to say about how her home feeds into her writing. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJwGf8pdV_n1DH0gvb9yvaAzfn1kfXqDx1uSzj8g0DHL3MGG0mUjpRnv3uQpBvqO7bGEWX_v2tC2Ytx9j1QZAf2QCqsZzMneolxu7VOc3M-sJEUV9AUgbqV8Oa3Eh9HpUBHwaiaVhiddg/s1600-h/scrambled+states+of+America+talent+show.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJwGf8pdV_n1DH0gvb9yvaAzfn1kfXqDx1uSzj8g0DHL3MGG0mUjpRnv3uQpBvqO7bGEWX_v2tC2Ytx9j1QZAf2QCqsZzMneolxu7VOc3M-sJEUV9AUgbqV8Oa3Eh9HpUBHwaiaVhiddg/s320/scrambled+states+of+America+talent+show.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364620141055731538" /></a><br /><br />Until then, Happy Friday, good folks!<br /><br /><br />* * * * * * * * *Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3981252980623657629.post-5981964610207152822009-07-30T12:44:00.000-07:002012-01-30T15:13:08.228-08:00LETTER TO A YOUNG WRITER PART TWO<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2k8mAoTp6xyuIAjK6Z1x6gZXue-ERy-ccrC5Z_268hu8kJtxw4lYnvngTeGqVVZmIt2saas2ec0lGfemhT_KfSLRxJPNtJXdB6GvXmBpMYf4zhOq92kiyU4-jIFHv2jZZdoz53WVqdtZ/s1600-h/window.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2k8mAoTp6xyuIAjK6Z1x6gZXue-ERy-ccrC5Z_268hu8kJtxw4lYnvngTeGqVVZmIt2saas2ec0lGfemhT_KfSLRxJPNtJXdB6GvXmBpMYf4zhOq92kiyU4-jIFHv2jZZdoz53WVqdtZ/s400/window.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364355587279626754" /></a><br />Today I'm continuing my answers to the young writer who wrote me with publishing questions. One of the questions she asked me about was getting an agent. <br /><br /><em>Should I get an agent before sending my work to a publisher?</em><br /><br />One comment I hear often is that writers can't get an agent unless they have a publisher and they can't get a publisher because they don't have an agent. Now that creates quite a dilemma. It's as if you are staring out a window viewing the world you want to be a part of, but you can't quite find the opening. And I can sympathize. Before I sold my first book, I received more positive feedback from editors than I did from agents. Not that the editors were making any offers, but several of them asked to see my manuscript again if I rewrote. So I rewrote while querying agents. All of them responded with form rejections. The most personal one scribbled, "Nice idea, but not for me."<br /><br />After I'd been sending out my story for about seven months, I heard an agent speak at a writing conference. I was impressed with the agent and the care she had for her clients. Unfortunately she didn't represent children's writers. Later I asked her if she knew of any agents that did and she gave me the name of another agent. I sent her a query letter and a couple of months later, I had an agent. Many conferences offer appointments with agents for their attendees. Usually those appointments go first. So register early. <br /><br />I obtained my new agent because a friend kindly recommended me. By then I had several books under my belt. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjxVP2B7Sbp3aWTC-Xyhs1V_8ce5s0yexmzZsrMQMLpW-B8O17dPoJcafvMZ7btiJXOda9YVwknz_ewbnNXHD8eEwFJLTJ0JXpdhWa1nBx1wt_KKRwI7eY6emctiIL55DUcKd_RsrBcU1/s1600-h/Guide+to+Literary+Agents.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjxVP2B7Sbp3aWTC-Xyhs1V_8ce5s0yexmzZsrMQMLpW-B8O17dPoJcafvMZ7btiJXOda9YVwknz_ewbnNXHD8eEwFJLTJ0JXpdhWa1nBx1wt_KKRwI7eY6emctiIL55DUcKd_RsrBcU1/s320/Guide+to+Literary+Agents.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364355750715943186" /></a><br /><br /><br />A couple of sources for agents: If you are writing for children, join Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators/ http://scbwi.org. For the price of the postage you can receive a list of agents who represent children's writers. And for all writers of all genres, check out a copy of <em>2009 Guide to Literary Agents</em>. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvGuBfuv9QqfMLeF-bQct8rmlprlHlL8fMGeY-3OT-M68Q0m-q4mRVprT4SDuKfDcXoSEubJAGAYH_Hdumdx83df92VQsRHAoJgdEQs6oAu6u_VDF_Qyj9DlOHrUooNDgjvoYDIo010eF/s1600-h/How+to+be+your+own+literary+agent.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 197px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvGuBfuv9QqfMLeF-bQct8rmlprlHlL8fMGeY-3OT-M68Q0m-q4mRVprT4SDuKfDcXoSEubJAGAYH_Hdumdx83df92VQsRHAoJgdEQs6oAu6u_VDF_Qyj9DlOHrUooNDgjvoYDIo010eF/s320/How+to+be+your+own+literary+agent.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364356036151909106" /></a><br /><br /><br />Some more tidbits:<br /><br />1. <em>How to Be Your Own Literary Agent</em> by Richard Curtis is an excellent book for every writer(even if you already have an agent.) Not only does it explain advances, royalty payments and contracts, it also offers advice for finding representation.<br /><br />2. A writer/agent relationship is a marriage of sorts. Make sure you have a mutual respect.<br /><br />3. Never ever pay an agent to read your work or represent you.<br /><br />4. Did I mention never ever pay an agent to read your work or represent you? I'm astounded how many smart people fall for flattering letters by "agents" who would love to represent them, if only the writer would pay a certain amount. Then they would help the manuscript get in shape and ready for publication. It's hard to get rejection letters, but please resist. No agent is better than a bad agent.<br /><br />5. Just because you aren't one agent's cup of tea, doesn't mean another agent won't be enthusiastic about representing you. When you get turned down by one agent, move on. Don't get mad and waste anytime fretting.<br /><br /><br />Another question I received from the young writer concerned age. <br /><br /><em>Will I have a harder or easier time getting published because of my age?</em><br /><br />Publishers don't care how old you are. They just want a good story told in an interesting way. If you happen to be very young or very old, your age might become a marketing asset. (After you sell the book.) But thank goodness unlike some fields, there are no age requirements or limitations. <br /><br /><br />I hope sharing these answers has helped some of you. At the very least, please know you are not alone looking out the window, longing to be a part of the writing world. The very first step toward getting published is easy. All you have to do is pick up a pen and begin.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0