Happy New Year!

With 2011 drawing to an end, I want to say Happy New Year....

....and...

....thank you all for reading my little corner of the blog universe....

....and for helping to support my work and get my books (and all books) into the hands of young readers.

So....I toast blog readers and teachers and librarians and bookstore owners and writers and readers and parents.

A Year in a Minute (or Two)

The Chick Palace has arrived!

Here it is!!

Ho Ho Ho

Wishing y'all peace, joy, hope, happiness, health, cheer, beer, and all things good.

See you next year!

You know it's winter in New England....

....when you see this sign on the door of a school.

Things I Love Thursday

This little painting in the style of the Florida Highwaymen.

Read this book

I'm a sucker for Southern books.

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood is Southern through and through.

But so much more:

an important story about race, friendships, small town life, and sisterly love.

Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create her memorable debut novel.

A writer to watch, to read, to enjoy.

Available January 1!

Read this book.

Bookends

What writer doesn't love bookends?

Since, I'm married to a handyman, I love these.

Read this book

The day after Christmas, when you're through eating and opening gifts and all that stuff....

....and are relaxed by the fire....

....go to Barnes and Noble Nook First

....and buy....

...The Chick Palace...

....by Leslie Davis Guccione.

(available exclusively through Barnes and Noble beginning Dec. 26)

Three Dilemmas

Two Friends

One Deserted Tree House

during a simmering summer on Lake Allamucy


Don't have a Nook? You can download the Nook app to your computer.

Toot toot

Tooting a little horn for The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester and The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis.

Both are on ALSC's (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Early Elementary Reads list.

Toot toot

Tree is up!

Ready for Santa

Tis the season to be jolly.

The O'Connors are ready.

Things I Love Thursday

Coffee Crisp Candy Bars

I love Texans

Look what one of my favorite Texas librarians, Angela Sides, gave me!

It's made from an okra pod.

How cool is that?

A great book blog

Check out this blog by school librarian and author, Shelley Sommer.

And, um, this particular post is, um, particularly nice!

I can relate

Thanks to Bookshelf Blog

Coast to coast and back again

One day this week, I was visiting a school on the opposite coast. (They are on the West Coast. I am on the East Coast.)



Then I was at a school here in New England that made me feel so welcome. They posted this sign on every door and up and down the halls.

In case you were wondering

This clock really does set itself!

Power was out today. Clock all set!

Things I Love Thursday

These little Christmas ornaments that were my grandmother's.
They are porcelain bells.

I love kids

From a school report by a fan:

Barbara O'Connor is a speaker at conferences all around the World. One of Barbara's books is called A Dog on His Own.


Um, I really hope this kid got a good grade on that report, but, um, Mary Jane Auch wrote A Dog on His Own. Just sayin....

School Library Journal Best Books of 2011

Here they are!

Macmillan Newsletter

The December newsletter from Macmillan Children's Publishing is up!

Great news for my BFF

Leslie Guccione's fabulous novel, The Chick Palace, is a December 26 launch title for Barnes and Noble's Nook First.

Look for it on December 26!!

Go, Gucci!

The 4:00 Book Hook

A super newsletter published by a group of super writers.

"...aimed at people who share books with kids: parents, homeschoolers, teachers, librarians, grandparents."

The December/January issue offers some great gift-giving suggestions (including a couple from Yours Truly).

Poor Matty

My grumpy little guy had a tooth pulled.

He is not a happy camper.

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor:

What do you do when you're not writing? I want to know to see if authors like you do normal things.

I love kids.

Things I Love Thursday

This vintage drying rack I scored at an antique fair.

Sometimes you gotta keep it simple

My husband thinks it's hilarious that I have every electronic, computerized gadget known to man....but I still use this little file box with index cards.

But, hey, you need a backup plan if the power goes out.

So proud of my BFF

Some exciting news coming!!!!

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor

I am like Starletta [from The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis] because I am more like a dirt girl and I like to play with rocks.

I love kids.

Eureka! (sort of)

Every time I finish a book, I have this terrible feeling that I'll never have another idea as long as I live.

I have almost wrapped up On the Road to Mr. Mineo's (coming from Macmillan Fall 2012), so now it's time to jump into something new.

But my idea box has been frightfully empty.

Until a few days ago, when: Eureka!

I got a teeny weeny teeny tiny flicker of an idea.

Will it grow?

I hope so.

Things I Love Thursday

On this Thanksgiving Day

I love

My family

My friends

My dogs

My health

My work

My life

Gobble Gobble

Headed to the Big Apple to spend Thanksgiving with my son.

Have a good one, everyone!

Gobble, gobble.

Just call me Gadget

I have several nicknames.

One of them is Gadget.

Because I love gadgets.

My philosophy is: why do it yourself when you can buy a gadget to do it for you? (Although I could have lived without that battery-powered shower scrubber my parents gave me for Christmas one year.)

Quite a few years ago, I bought a Brookstone "Atomic" clock. It would automatically reset for Daylight Savings Time. The problem is that the government conspired against me and changed the dates of Daylight Savings Time.

There was NO way to reset that dang clock.

I lived with it for a while but then it started randomly springing forward and falling back on weekdays. Not good when you have to go to work.

So I bought a NEW Brookstone clock.

This one not only changes for Daylight Savings Time, but it sets itself when you plug it in!

Guys Read Book Club

The Browning School in New York City has a father/son book club called Guys Read: 3rd Grade Book Club.

According to the website: It was "begun by Susan Levine, Assistant Librarian, as an opportunity for dads (or uncles, grandfathers, or other close guy friends) to share the experience of reading in a participative and fun way."

They recently read The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester.

Pretty cool!

Setting map

For some of my books, I draw a VERY rough map of the setting. (I'm terrible at drawing.)

It is a valuable tool to help me maneuver my characters throughout the story.

I drew one for my upcoming novel, On the Road to Mr. Mineo's.

I never dreamed I would show it to anyone.

Today my editor asked me if I could sketch a little map for the jacket artist (Greg Call), who was working on a map for the book jacket. (She added that it didn't need to help me get into Pratt. Good thing...)

So, I sent the one I used. Pretty rough....but, hey, it helped!

Things I Love Thursday

This photo booth pic of my son and me from a long, long time ago.

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor:

Your next book should be "I AM NOT GOING TO SCHOOL."

I love kids.

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor:

My hobbies are video games, football, and having fun with my life.

I love kids.

Things I Love Thursday

This little Buddha incense burner my son made when he was little.

P.S. Can you tell he grew up going to a Unitarian church? :-)

Dear Barbara O'Connor

Dear Barbara O'Connor:

My hobbies are hula and singing lullabies.

I love kids.

In a pickle

While these students were hard at work during my writing workshop....

I snooped around the room, looking at the bulletin boards.

The students had drawn pictures illustrating idioms.

Luke was in a pickle when he couldn't decide wether [sic] to go to the football game or to his best friend's birthday party:

When I [was] playing outside it randomly started raining cats and dogs:

When Jane lost her softball game she was down in the dumps:

The Bushe's Baked Beans were to die for:

Sakura Medal

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester has been nominated for the Sakura Medal, an award voted on by students in international schools in Japan.

How to make a Yoohoo boat

Things I Love Thursday

This wall pocket I got in England.

I love it because I remember so clearly the little town in the Cotswolds where I got it.

Memories.

I love kids

From a reader:

My favorite hobbies are bowling and writing letters.

I love kids.

If you have to be stuck in traffic...

....you should be behind a Jelly Belly car!

As time goes by

Mrs. Mansfield's fifth graders at John F Kennedy School are eager to show me their timelines during a biography-writing workshop.