Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor:


I think out of all the characters [in The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis] I am more like Elvis because I am not afraid of getting in trouble and I have a lot of siblings.


I love kids.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

It's official!


How to Steal a Dog is going to be a movie.....


in Korea!



I had announced that the Asian rights had been sold way back in August of 2010.


But the movie business is slow and complicated, so I've been twiddling my thumbs waiting to see what was going to happen.

*whistles*  *twiddles thumbs*  *taps foot*


It was explained to me like this:



4 장 조항 세 B는 섹션 십팔 이전에 시작된 있어야합니다 B 조항 A. 네 소유자가 다음 더 이상 십팔 개월 작가로 불리는 섹션 이십일 본으로 개정하기 전에 보상됩니다


But now, it's really, really going to happen! (Don't have production schedule yet.)


So I have to pick out my dress.


Such a dilemma.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Be prepared

I spend a lot of time on the road visiting schools in New England.

Having had a couple of close calls with blizzards and the possibility of getting stranded on the side of the road, I now keep a winter survival kit in my car.

Hat, gloves, scraper, quilt, de-icer

Shovel



Snacks, forks, tissues, toothbrushes


I'm ready!

Monday, January 23, 2012

I'm going to miss the live action





I'll be at a school, so will miss it.

Good luck to all contenders!

Cereal Box Book Reports

 While Mr. Mason's students were hard at work on their writing, I checked out their fantastic cereal box book reports.








Monday, January 16, 2012

As time goes by


Another writing workshop.

Another great group of kids showing off their timelines.


Thursday, January 12, 2012

Look what I got

Island's End by the brilliant and beautiful and oh-so-sweet Padma Venkatraman.

I loved her Climbing the Stairs, so I can't wait to get into this one (which has only received, like, a gazillion starred reviews.)


I had the pleasure of meeting her:




Things I Love Thursday



This tiny china dog.



When I was a little girl, a visit to my grandmother's house was a mysterious adventure.

She lived in a tiny, dark, low-ceiling-ed house set way back in the woods, at the end of a long, long dirt driveway. (I know I need an editor for that sentence.)

Geese and turkeys waddled around the yard.

Inside, a stuffed fox stood on a table behind the couch. His orange glass eyes followed me around the room.

My grandfather owned a small general store. There was a candy display in the dining room! Can you imagine being a 7-year-old girl with a candy display in your grandparent's dining room? Life savers and Zero candy bars and PayDays and Turkish taffy.

In one corner of the room was a small, round, three-tiered table. On each layer there were china figurines.

Ladies with parasols.

Leprechauns doing somersaults.

Horses prancing.

And that little china dog.

He was my favorite and I played with him for hours. (Thus, his chipped ear....)

I still love him.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor:


I'm like Popeye [from The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis] because I never get what I want.


I love kids.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Capitol Choices for Owen Jester

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester was named to the 2011 Capitol Choices List (Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens.

Lessons from Blondie's University of Experience

Lesson #670:

If you accidentally throw away that little license plate sticker when your new car registration comes in the mail...and you go to the Registry of Motor Vehicles to get a new one, that little square thing with a number on it that the check-in lady gives you is the STICKER, not your customer number.

True story that I have never told a soul except my BFF until now:

I accidentally threw away that little license plate sticker. (Okay, okay, I actually did it TWICE.)

I went to get a new one.

I stood in line with everyone else in the state of Massachusetts (actually, they call it a Commonwealth. Don't ask me why.....must be a Yankee thing).

When it was my turn to see the check-in lady, I told her what I wanted and showed her my registration. She handed me a little orange ticket with a number on it.

She had handed everyone little tickets with numbers.

So how was I supposed to know she had handed me the actual sticker? Heh...

I sit on the bench with everyone else in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and wait for my number to be called.

I was #11.

The lit-up sign read: Now serving customer 78.

Dang!

I was going to have to wait until it went all the way to 100 and starts over again, I guess.

Wait....wait....wait.

I look around.

Hmmm, everyone else's little tickets looked a little less orange than mine.

Actually, everyone else's little tickets were yellow.

Uh, oh.....

Light bulb moment.

I was holding the license plate sticker.

Okay, now I've got to get up and walk out of there like I knew this all along.

La la la la la....*strolls nonchalantly past the benches filled with everyone in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts*.....la la la.....

*Strolls past the check-in lady*

*Shoots check-in lady a small glare*

Was the check-in lady smirking?!

*Gets to door and bolts out of there*

So now, the next time I accidentally throw away that little license plate sticker, I know how to do it.

Lesson learned.

Heh

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor:

I like Boo [the dog in The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis] because I'm more like him because I'm lazy.

I love kids.

Monday, January 2, 2012

My wonderful Christmas

My Christmas was wonderful.

We continued traditions.

Like Santa bringing us a remote control helicopter to torture, um, I mean, to entertain the dogs.






I received some super gifts, including this garden ornament in honor of Sherman, the pigeon in my upcoming novel, On the Road to Mr. Mineo's.





My favorite part of the day is dinner.



We open our stockings.



I am blessed.