WOW. JUST WOW.

Day One of my two day visit at Homewoond Middle School, and I cannot wait to share some pics with you. I spoke to 6th, 7th and 8th graders, and I was brought to tears more than once by the way this community of teachers, parents and readers embraced LEAVING GEE'S BEND and made it as personal as possible.

Not only did a group of students travel to Gee's Bend to meet the quilters, but they also...

...dressed up like characters from the story.


...created displays based on passages in the book. Like this one, about napkins folded like birds.


...invited quilters to come stitch and share sewing tips and some of their favorite quilts.


...made 3-D storyboards. SO VERY AMAZING! This one shows Mrs. Cobb's house and barn.


...rounded up quilting gear for tablescapes and made lemon cake and decorated the lunch boxes in fabric-pieced ribbon and and and...


More to come. The group presented me with a gift I will treasure ALWAYS. Can't wait to share!

But first. Must sleep. And prepare for my return visit tomorrow.
Thanks, y'all for sharing my joy. And HMS students, parents and faculty: You are amazing, and I will cherish this experience forever. xo

FROM CHICKEN COOPS TO PIANOS

For Poetry Friday I thought it might be fun to put on my editor's hat.

It has been my privilege to serve as poetry editor for Birmingham Arts Journal for the past (gasp) almost TEN years! It's a great job. I love reading submissions, love being inspired, love the worlds I get to explore through other people's stories.

What I don't like is sending those rejection notices. It's awful. Sometimes the work just isn't ready. Other times, it's just a matter of lack of space. Every time, I detest it.

But every now and again, something wonderful happens. One of those striving poets writes me back and asks if I might possibly provide some feedback.

So I do. And more often than not, I also pass along the following fabulous poem on revision. Big shout-out to poet Marianne Worthington for first introducing me to this poem... it still resonates after all these years.

Hope it resonates with all of you, too. Don't forget to check out Poetry Friday Round up: Tara at a Teaching Life Happy revising, all!

Poetry Workshop
by Jim Wayne Miller from Vein of Words (Seven Buffaloes Press, n.d.)

Try to think of your first draft as a creek
in flood time, roaring out of banks.
There’s been a night storm on your mind’s headwaters
so the poem comes trash-filled, tumbling,
full of chicken coops, barbed wire,
tin shed roofs scraping down over rocks.
It’s tearing along through trees on either bank,
dropping fertilizer sacks and two-by-fours in branches.
It’s swirling and standing out in bottomland.

Now you work with it until it drops
every tin can and bottle and runs clear
again between its banks. Of course, you’ll want
to leave a few surprises, so the reader,
out in your poem like a trout fisherman in waders,
rounds a bend and comes on a piano
lodged high in the forks of a sycamore.

photo found here.

HOW SWEET IS THIS?

MAN, STORM, STICK

This week I've been listening to an audio version of WOODSONG by Gary Paulsen. This is a special book, and I am still trying to decode my intense emotional reaction to it.

Yes, I love the woods. Yes, I love it when people learn things about themselves over the course of a lifetime and are brave enough to share it. And yes, I love dogs. Especially right now with little Ruby in the house.

But. What touches me most is this idea that we can learn from other animals. The magic happens for me when somehow all the differences between two species are bridged -- as in Gary Paulsen's story about his dog Storm and a stick the dog used to communicate his satisfaction or disatisfaction.

This kind of connection with another species requires a stillness, a letting go, a deep listening. And since my guiding light for 2011 is DEEPER, this sounds like a worthy way to spend some time -- to be alert and attentive to that kind of connection that another species may be offering, if only I'd pick up on it.

And how does this tie to Poetry Friday? Well, read the poem below and tell me if it doesn't affect you and perhaps change your perspective about the "ranking" of species. Then visit Laura Salas for Poetry Roundup!

What The Dog Perhaps Hears

by Lisel Mueller

If an inaudible whistle
blown between our lips
can send him home to us,
then silence is perhaps
the sound of spiders breathing
and roots mining the earth;
it may be asparagus heaving,
headfirst, into the light
and the long brown sound
of cracked cups, when it happens.
We would like to ask the dog
if there is a continuous whir
because the child in the house
keeps growing, if the snake
really stretches full length
without a click and the sun
breaks through clouds without
a decibel of effort,
whether in autumn, when the trees
dry up their wells, there isn't a shudder
too high for us to hear.

What is it like up there
above the shut-off level
of our simple ears?
For us there was no birth cry,
the newborn bird is suddenly here,
the egg broken, the nest alive,
and we heard nothing when the world changed.

THE HEAVEN OF UNFINISHED PROJECTS

This is my dining room table. Not a lot eating goes on here, as you can probably tell. And because it's cold, and because it's the start of a new year, and because I am feeling a bit scattershot this week, it has become the Project Table aka The Heaven of Unfinished Projects (after Neruda's "heaven of lost stories").

Among the projects:

a red "City Blocks" quilt I am piecing for a sweet little boy named James who is 5 years old and loves the Disney CARS movie. I'm using fabric from my stash, and on the back I am using a panel I bought with Lightning McQueen and Mater. I also purchased 2 yards of "Map of Radiator Springs" to carry the theme. Getting there!

my 2010 scrapbook. Have I mentioned that I marked 2011 as the year I switch to all-digital scrapbooking? Yep. No more paper and double stick tape for me! I love the ease of producing digital books. But I've still got to finish up my 2010 book before I can completely move on.

one of my wips, the one most calling my name at this very moment. I've got a complete first draft and need to read and revise. So excited about this one!!

poetry submissions, all printed up with lovely cover letters and SASE. It shocks me that there are so many literary magazines out there still NOT accepting electronic submissions. So, a-licking and stamping I go.

a map of the Pacific Ocean, which my middle son wants framed for his bedroom wall. After starting a successful gum business at school, he's graduated to e-bay, where he is selling maps from 19th Century atlases. But this one shows the shipping routes, and he doesn't want to part with it. The whole thing has got me thinking: what map would mean something to me? Of all the places in the world... what geography am I most attached to? Still thinking.

What projects do you have in the works this January? If you had a map on your wall, what would is show?

FOR POETS AND DREAMERS

Welcome to Poetry Friday Roundup!!

It's such a pleasure to host, and thanks as ever to Mary Lee at A Year of Reading for always putting out the call and providing the code and basically making Poetry Friday easy-easy so we can all focus on the joy we find in poetry.

What have I been doing so far this new year? Well, reading. A lot. As in a mad frenzy of reading to be ready for next Monday's Newbery Award announcement.

One of the titles I adored was this one, THE DREAMER by Pam Munoz Ryan and Peter Sis, about young Pablo Neruda -- before he called himself Pablo Neruda! What a beautiful book, and what a hopeful story for anyone who has felt a parent doesn't approve of one's life choices.

Of course, I love Neruda's poems. No poet writes so beautifully about love. And this little book illuminated the roots of that poetry. So today, for the first Poetry Friday of 2011, I offer you this poem:

YOU WILL REMEMBER

You will remember that leaping stream
where sweet aromas rose and trembled,
and sometimes a bird, wearing water
and slowness, its winter feathers.
You will remember those gifts from the earth:
indelible scents, gold clay,
weeds in the thicket and crazy roots,
magical thorns like swords.
You'll remember the bouquet you picked,
shadows and silent water,
bouquet like a foam-covered stone.
That time was like never, and like always.
So we go there, where nothing is waiting;
we find everything waiting there.

- Pablo Neruda

ONE LITTLE WORD FOR 2011

After much thought and consideration about where I am in my life as the calendar flares "2011," I've made my choice.

For all the words I considered, there was always this one word coming back again and again, like an echo across a wide canyon. You can't ignore something like that. And it's a word that makes sense, too, after a year spent in the more superficial celebratory mode of launching a debut novel.

This year I want something different. This year I want to go...

Deeper in my writing, in my relationships, in my spiritual life. I don't want to get all lazy and stop. I don't want to cave to the multitude of excuses that come with a life that chock-full.

This year I want to keep going, keep pushing, even when it gets itchy and tight and my stomach starts to lurch.

This year I will embrace the itch, create the burn, take more risks. This year I'm going deeper. And I'll share some of my experiences, here, with you, my friends in cyberspace.

Now. What about you? Have you chosen your one little word? I'd love to hear about it!

2010 BY THE NUMBERS

You may recall that every year I choose one little word to be my focal point. I'm not sure yet what my word will be for 2011, but I can tell you that 2010's word was "celebrate."

And celebrate I did!

Delivering a debut novel to the world has been a grand adventure. I've learned so much about myself and met so many wonderful people I would never have known otherwise. I am so grateful.

Here's the hard data an intense look at my calendar revealed:

100 + formal presentations
11 states
30 schools
16 bookstores
13 libraries
9 conferences
3 quilt guilds
3 Skype visits
2 book festivals

and

10,000 + miles on my van!

So many fantastic moments... some heartbreakers, too. Ups and downs and all-arounds.

Was it worth it?

This came up on the Class of 2k10 listsrv recently, because book promotion is such a confusing world to navigate, and because we live in a culture that is driven by the one number I didn't list above: number of books sold.

I'm curious about how many books have sold (and how my efforts affect that number), and I look forward to my next royalty statement. But that's not how I measure worth. It is simply ONE indicator of success.

Writing and sharing stories with others, making those human connections-- that's my purpose. And while I don't expect/plan to live another year quite like 2010, I am proud and pleased that I spent so much time these past months in celebration of what I love. Ultimately the measure of worth has to come from within. Only you can answer that question for yourself.

My answer: YES

And THAT is something to celebrate.

LOVE POEM WITH CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

For Christmas Eve Poetry Friday, I thought I'd share a video. Check it out! Then head on over to A Year of Reading for roundup!



and here it is in print:

Love Poem with Christmas Lights
That first Christmas without
your mother, I watched you unpack

a box marked Decorations.
First you unfurled the crumpled garland,

straightened the plaid ribbon
and worked to reshape the swag

into something resembling evergreen.
Then you set about repairing

the broken hooks on plastic ornaments,
broken plastic attached to intact hooks.

And when the Christmas lights failed
to blink, even after you removed

the busted bulbs and twisted
new ones in their place, you shook

your head and said, I can’t fix this.
Then you gently placed the lights

back inside the box, gathered wrench
and ratchet, began to build our son a bike.

- Irene Latham

from THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS

EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT

...and her name is Ruby!

OVERLOOKED BOOKS

Every year there are really excellent books that don't get stars from reviewers or achieve NYT Bestseller status or find the audience who would certainly adore them.

And when you consider these statistics (provided on the listsrv by our new Southern-Breeze co-RA Claudia Pearson), it's not all that surprising that great books slip by unnoticed:
"According to Table 1 /American Book Production, 2004-2009, on pages 484-485, in 2009 the number of children's book titles published was 21,878, and the number of young adult book titles published was 4,644.
These are preliminary numbers and do not indicate how many were work for hire texts."

The market is so big that only a small number can rise to the public's attention. (MOCKINGJAY, anyone?) It's enough to break a book-loving girl's heart. When I read a book I love, but no one seems to have heard of it, it gives me that shout-it-from-the-rooftops feeling. I want everyone else to share my joy. And there's something American about it too -- rooting for the underdog.

So here's two of my favorite books from 2010 that you may not have heard of:
SEA by Heidi R. Kling (contemporary YA, romance, exotic locale)

BIRTHMARKED by Caraugh O'Brien (dystopian, first of series, amazing world-building)




Did YOU read any overlooked books this year? If so, give 'em a shout-out!

POETRY GIVEAWAY!

As we move into 2011, I am thinking POETRY! Of course I am pretty much always thinking poetry, but you know. I'm thinking it extra right now. And as there are a number of poetry books with giveaways at Goodreads -- THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS among them -- well, it seemed worth of a blog post.

I am SO EXCITED to deliver this book to the world... would love for one of my faithful readers to win. Good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Color of Lost Rooms

by Irene Latham

Giveaway ends December 31, 2010.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

GINGERBREAD AND SUGARPLUMS

How 'bout this sweet little gingerbread village?? Adorable, and so much fun with some sweet girls in my life:
Vonda, who awarded prizes that had us howling!
Lisa, whose cute ornament I was so very happy to win in the ornament exchange. It's now sparkling on my tree.
Randee, who decided to decorate a wee village we all thought belonged in the Appalachian foothills.
Lori and Trina, who teamed up to create this charmer... talk about curb appeal!
Martha, who got out of the ghetto this year! Here she is being all Vanna White.
And the Grand Dame of the Party, Phyllis, who brought lace and buttons and little blinky candles! She was SO CUTE when she dashed over to add a sprinkle of powdered sugar for a lovely snowy touch.

To Carol, Sally, Julie & Rhonda: we missed you!! Looking forward to next year. :)

LIFE IS A SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS

So, in my effort to continue to be the best presenter I can be, I read this book by Tony Jeary.

I sort of wish I'd read it a long time ago. As it is, I found it validating, in that I already do a lot of the things recommended here. Like scope out the room early to reduce the "surpirse" element, involve the audience, keep a "Presentations Arsenal" of quotes, stories, statistics, visuals, etc. to enhance your presentations.

But I did pick up a few new tips:

Tell the audience "why" your message is important. This focuses not only you, but the audience.

Start with a bang and get right to the meat of your message because "most audiences spend the first 3 minutes of the presentation sizing up the presenter."

Use "breathing spaces" to allow your audience an oportunity to reflect on what you've just said. This can be taking a sip of water, whipping out a great prop, asking for audience participation.

Make people feel smart, not stupid. In other words, don't ask them questions hoping they won't know the answer. Frame your information in a way that reduces that discomfort. "When possible, set your audience up to win."

Use an evaluation tool to not only help you improve your presentation in the future, but also to provide a takeaway to reinforce your message.

Happy presenting, all!

THE CHRISTMAS CARD YOU WON'T BE GETTING

Ummm, yeah. Youngest son was not feeling the Joy at the tree farm this year. And now we have this picture to remember the day FOREVER.

Thanks, Eric, for making us laugh. A lot.

We love you even when you're grumpy. :)

SOMETHING JESUS SAID

So I was reading this article in Ode Magazine by Rabbi Rami called Standing Barefoot before God about the "agony and ecstasy of writing as a spiritual practice."

Rabbi Rami cites the Gospel According to Thomas:

"Don't cease seeking until you find. When you find you will be troubled. When you're troubled, you will marvel. And when you marvel, you will reign over all."

I wish there was a cyber link to this article. Instead I guess y'all will have to go out and buy the magazine instead!

Or, even better: GO OUT AND MARVEL.

Speaking of marveling...the lovely spiderweb photograph is by my amazing sis Lynn Baker. We are producing some postcard swag for THE COLOR OF LOST ROOMS that include her photo and my poem "The Faith of Spiders."

Stay tuned!

THE BEST PART OF THE ZOO

Not the flamigos, although Stella in my new book DON'T FEED THE BOY really loves them -- and they are gorgeous.
Not the gorillas, although I do love the story of the Birmingham Zoo's Babec, who is no longer with us except in spirit.
Not the macaws, although wow were they talkative this visit! And colorful, as ever.
Not the zebras, which were way too busy enjoying their hay to pay us much attention.
Not even this guy, who posed just for me.
THIS FELLA. He's the one.

So, yes, part of our Thanksgiving holiday included a trip to the zoo. I'm so excited about TRAILS OF AFRICA, coming Spring of 2011. Meanwhile, I do believe it is still National Family Stories Month. Which means I have a prompt for you:

Share a story about an encounter with a wild animal (human or otherwise!).

Tell your story.

IN THE KITCHEN WITH GRANDMA

This is one of my treasures: a favorite recipe written out for me in my grandmother's own handwriting.

I love the way she made the recipe her own and noted her changes.

I love every stain on the paper, because it shows how well-loved this recipe has been by my family all these years.

I love how my youngest son lists this recipe as his very favorite and made sure I was making this year, even though I am not cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

And this year, the first Thanksgiving Grandma Dykes is not with us, I especially love the many ways she injected sweetness into my life.

Notice I've made her recipe my own as well: balls instead of logs.

Now. In honor of FAMILY STORIES MONTH, I offer you the following prompt:

Share a story about a memorable family meal.

Tell your story!

HERITAGE QUILTERS, HERE I COME

Tonight I'm traveling to Huntsville to talk quilts and stories with the Heritage Quilters! I'm super-excited, because I love talking quilts and stories. Especially during FAMILY STORIES MONTH.

One of the props I am bringing is the little green dress featured in a photograph of wee me:

Isn't it sweet?

My mother made it - smocking and everything.

When I think about her as a young mother of two active sons and still-nursing infant me, I wonder where in the world she found the time to do the stitching. Was it while we were all sleeping? Why did she choose green gingham? Where did she get the smocking pattern? Was she taking a class?

These are the kind of questions I need answers to in order to preserve this family story. Fortunately my mama is still around to answer them. But she won't always be. That's precisely why it's so important to tell these family stories now.

So today's writing prompt is this:

Share a story about a handmade garment or quilt or some other something made out of fabric.

I'd like to write a whole series of these. Perhaps I will!

Tell your story.

MEET WALDO THE JUMPING DRAGON

One of the things I discovered during our Girls Weekend Devoted to the Preservation of Memories was that one of my early favorite books was WALDO THE JUMPING DRAGON. I loved it so much that my mother brought it with her for my 18 month photograph session. Here I am "reading" it.

How strange and wonderful, because I have no recollection of this book! But, I thought, surely my psyche does. And being a writer, I am all about delving into the psyche.

So. I contacted my friend Jim Reed, booklover/writer/owner of more memorabilia than can possibly fit into one room (but somehow does) at REED BOOKS and said, hey, can you find this book for me?

Jim answered within minutes and said simply, "I'm holding it in my hand."

JOY!! He didn't have to hunt for it, he already had it there on his shelves, waiting for me.

I picked it up right away. And what I found was a whimsical tale with lots of action (I mean, come on, Waldo is a JUMPING dragon, after all), and an ending that made me think, yes, this has definitely been in my psyche all along.

Here's one of my favorite pages:



Which brings us to our prompt in celebration of FAMILY STORIES MONTH:

Share a story about a favorite childhood book.

Tell your story!

CREATIVE KIDS GO TO EGYPT

Ready for another great family story? Me too! Gosh, I am loving FAMILY STORIES MONTH! Thanks to everyone who has been sending me stories in response to these posts. I love it!!

Okay, today's writing prompt:

Share a story about a secret hiding spot from childhood.

My story involves this movie:


Our family had this movie on disk -- some movie technology that was popular for a very short time before they came up with VHS. And a movie we watched over and over again was THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

We were fascinated by the story of Moses, of his relationship with Queen Nefertiti and Rameses. So fascinated that we created a whole imaginary world inspired by this movie and all things Egypt.

We lived across the street from a giant pasture with a creek winding its way through the middle. That was The Nile (of course), and we named the two giant oak trees that straddled the creek Nephertiti and Rameses. We rode the ponies over and created all sorts of magical scenarios, all inspired by what we knew of Egypt from this movie, our trip there when we were younger, and what we could learn in books.

And this became our secret hiding spot. Our very own kingdom where we made the rules and everything happened according to our imaginations.

Our Egypt.

Lynn and MJ, I seriously cannot imagine my childhood without it. As much as I think I'd like to write about our experiences in a novel, I fear I could never do it justice.

Any writers out there have a similar feeling about some real-life adventure? Like it was so very important that you can't fictionalize it?

Sacred. I guess that's the word I'm thinking. So sacred I know I must tell my story. But maybe not as fiction??

Tell your story!

DRIVING AND CREATING

I'm not sure how it happened, but here we are in week #2 of FAMILY STORIES MONTH!

I didn't plan this exactly, but talk about living the blog theme: I just spent a lovely three days with my mother and sister in a quiet little cabin where we talked family stories, scanned old photographs, scrapbooked AND took new family photographs. It was precioussweetwonderfulunforgettable.

Since I was the one driving, it got me thinking about the following prompt:

Share a story about being pulled over for speeding.

I have more of these stories than I should probably admit to. The good news is not many of them actually resulted in tickets. But I do have a "lead foot," as my papa used to say. He also was quick to say I inherited that trait from my mother. And I do recall from driving lessons that my mom told me it was okay to drive five miles over the speed limit --- but my dad said I should drive five miles under the limit.

So, yeah, I like to GO. Driving, for me, has always been a great time for setting things in order. My mind responds well to the monotony, and lordy, I have schemed and dreamed and conjured and remembered for many a mile! Every now and then the lead foot does fall.

So, let's see, the last time: March of this year, somewhere in Virginia. I was alone, on my way to Charlottesville for the book festival. That cop was just itching to pull someone over... and perhaps my Alabama tag was just too much enticement. Anyhow, I used to feel all embarrassed, like oh man, someone CAUGHT ME DOING SOMETHING WRONG. The shame!!

The older and wiser me is like, yeah, whatever, let's get this over with so I can move on.

Tell your story!

BEST PART OF THE SCHOOL DAY?

Welcome to another edition in celebration of FAMILY STORIES MONTH!

Today's story prompt: Share a story about how you or someone in your family spent school recess.

I do remember playing hospcotch and jacks, but I avoided all other games/sports because I didn't think I was very good at them. I hated PE so much that I would do pretty much anything to get out of it.

Actually, I think this is due more to the fact of my introversion than athletic abilities. To be at bat? *shudder*

So I made creative arrangements with teachers through the years: I cleaned chalkboards, banged erasers. In high school I helped Coach with the bus schedules. I learned early that making myself useful in other ways was a strategy to avoid doing the things I didn't particularly like.

But my most memorable recess was a story I tell when I make presentations about LEAVING GEE'S BEND. It has to do with how my mom made clothes for me, and how they were NOT cool. So everyday I changed into other clothes on the school bus. And this worked beautifully! Until one day.

I was on the monkey bars at recess. I looked up, and there was my mother, sauntering down the sidewalk. She flashed me a smile. I looked down at my clothes and remembered what I had done. I'm sure my face was enough to give me away, but I silently prayed, don't let her see.

But she did see. All she said to me was, "that was not what you wore to school today." Then she continued on her way to check out my brother who had gotten sick and called her from school.

I had the rest of that school day to worry about what was going to happen to me when I got home. Recess was never the same after that.

Tell YOUR story!

WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY

Hello, and welcome to November, aka FAMILY STORIES MONTH!

And since I adore family stories, I am dedicating my blog adventures this month to promoting the recording of family stories. I hope you'll join me -- because everyone has a story to tell.

The way it will work is this: every post I create during November will include a FAMILY STORIES MONTH prompt. Your job is to write. And share. Very important, that sharing part!

Okay. Here goes. Prompt #1:

Share a story about a funny moment you witnessed at a wedding.

The funny moment that leaps to my mind is not from a family wedding -- well, not technically family. It was the wedding of a girl I once babysat. She looked SO BEAUTIFUL, and the church was one of those out of a fairy tale... then the priest got up there and asked the groom: "Do you take this woman, to be your lawfully wedded HUSBAND?"

Ummm, hello, that would be WIFE to you, Mister! The congregation laughed, and it probably helped make everyone more comfortable. Heck, now that I think about it, the priest may be onto something!

Another wedding (besides my own!) that comes to mind is my parents'. That's them pictured above... at their FIRST wedding. Yep, they got married, got divorced, got married again, then got divorced again! I (along with all my siblings) was there for the second wedding. And I remember it as such a special day. It was like our whole family got married. I would imagine that I am still in a minority when I say, "hey, I was at my parents' wedding!"

Love is such an intensely personal thing. When Paul and I look back on our own wedding, which was small, we think we should have done it even smaller. Like, just hop on down to that little chapel at Bellingrath Gardens, just the two of us. Sweet....

DOGGED HEARTS

Hello, and welcome to Poetry Friday! Round up is at The Writer's Armchair.

My contribution is this poem from Ellen Dore Watson's collection DOGGED HEARTS.

I LOVE THIS BOOK. It's from Tupelo Press, and it's all persona poems that illuminate small ordinary moments with inspired thought and vocabulary. It's no wonder Ellen was hailed by Library journal as one of "24 Poets for the 21st Century." I wish I'd known when I met her at Colrain how much I would later enjoy her work. Alas.

Give this one a gander:

AS IF LOVE
were cool and simple, jade against skin.
As if early gifts could negate late inattention.
The way she just stands there, tippety
with counterweights, hands jammed in pockets.
As if even my seeing them would be a thanks
I don't deserve. As if her wrists, bare as the day
I pinned them to the table, and oh her mouth,
never-ready, like the elbow she used to offer me,
to steer her smiling into the sea of smiles.
As if trust didn't sail in both directions.

- Ellen Dore Watson

MISSISSIPPI ON MY MIND

I've been hearing lots of buzz about this book:

Can't wait to read, especially after my recent trip to Vicksburg, where I had a lovely time with all sorts of wonderful librarians, but most especially the crew from Oxford: Dorothy Fitts, Nancy Opalko, Judy Card, Laura Beth and Corey. Thanks so much for the invitation AND for the good time. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Mississippi!

Now for something that made me laugh: What's wrong with this picture?

Ummm, yeah. That lovely bespectacled woman ain't me! In fact, none of us could figure out who she was at all. So, Lovely Bespectacled Woman, if you're reading, please do speak up. Would love to meet you.

My luncheon talk with the librarians couldn't have gone better -- except for my hair. Lordy, did that Yazoo River do a number on my badly-in-need-of-a-trim locks! (Adding to the to-do list: Get A Haircut)

Another highlight for me was watching Sarah C. Campbell receive the Book Award for WOLFSNAIL. I snagged this pic from her post with the details.

I also waved when I passed the exit for Chunky, MS (at least one reader knows why), then stopped in Meridian on my way home, to visit writer friend Richelle Putnam who is always ALWAYS doing something creative and exciting. This time she showed me her offices at Blue South Publishing, where she is the managing editor of a soon-to-debut arts and culture mag called LEGENDS. SO exciting! And great, as always to share time and space with such a generous, visionary spirit.

What's next, you ask? Well. I've decided to do NANOWRIMO for (get this!) an ADULT project. Yep, it's happening.... happy last week of October, y'all!

FAVORITE SHOT FROM THE WEEKEND

(l-r: Mary Ann Taylor, Irene Latham, Pat Weaver, Stacey Barney and Jana Hutcheson)

Vulcan: it's #14 in the book 101 THINGS YOU MUST DO IN ALABAMA. And it was so much more fun than #54 (or whatever number it was), which was something about getting eaten up by chiggers.

Ummm, NO. Not gonna be the one responsible for introducing Excellent Editor to chiggers. Makes me itchy just thinking about it....

FRIENDS, WRITERS, COMPATRIOTS...

So. Got a lovely email yesterday from a friend who very gently asked, "Where the heck have you been?!"

Sadly, not much on the interwebs. Or, NOT so sadly. Depends on how you look at it.

My book event schedule is jam-packed the entire month of October... tomorrow I will welcome Excellent Editor Stacey Barney to Birmingham, where we are having a Southern-Breeze conference. I've got big plans for Ms. Barney tomorrow, and I'm thrilled some of my best writing compatriots (hey Pat and Jana!!) will be joining us. Then on Saturday I'm giving a little session on Book Trailer Basics, and Stacey and I are jointly presenting a session called "The Author-Editor Relationship: What to Expect After the Contract." Fun, right??

WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

On Sunday I travel back to Auburn (location of probably the Best Writing Conference I Have Attended Maybe Ever-- Auburn Writers Conference) for a YA Panel at the Auburn Public Library with the fabulous youth librarian Eve and other Awesome Alabama Authors R.A. Nelson, Ginger Rue and Rachel Hawkins.

AND THEN...

On Wednesday I travel to Vicksburg, MS, for Mississippi Library Association, where I am the luncheon speaker. I am so very excited about this, because I LOVE Mississippi librarians! I had such a great time with them at Fay B. Kaigler this past April that I nearly decided I should up and MOVE to Mississippi.

Alas.

Will have to settle for visiting often. Looking forward to it! Also looking forward to watching Sarah C. Campbell accept the inaugaral Mississippi Book Award for her amazing book WOLFSNAIL. Sarah always inspires me, so I can't wait to chat, clap, hug, etc.

Also, I have been invited to a Halloween party by author-friend Gin Phillips (THE WELL AND THE MINE and forthcoming GHOSTS UNDERGROUND, which sounds every bit as amazing as her debut!) in which I am supposed to "come as a cliche." How brilliant is that?? Still deciding which cliche to go with... so many, so little time! Suggestions welcome.

So that's me. I hope all your worlds, both real and imaginary, are filled with joy and beauty. xo

Announcing the Classof2K10 230-Book Giveaway!

Announcing the Classof2K10 230-Book Giveaway!

CELEBRATE FAITH

I can't believe it's October. I mean, I love October. I just can't believe it's here already. But wow, is it ever. We've had some wonderfully cool evenings and delightfully sunshiney days, which are fantastic for taking a book out on the porch and reading for a spell.

To start with, there's DAYS OF LITTLE TEXAS by fellow Alabamian and amazing writer R.A. Nelson -- it's just out in paperback with an eye-catching new cover. And yes, it's about faith. It also has a ghost in it. Russ is cool like that.









And you don't want to miss LOSING FAITH by Tenner and 2k10 classmate Denise Jaden. This one is tightly written and mysterious and sad and hopeful... and I learned about church home groups and other stuff I knew nothing of. I was fascinated by the tension created by a girl of little faith growing up in a home bursting with faith... congratulations, Denise! May you write many more!!!







Finally, check out this collaboration from Elizabeth Dulemba and Susan Rossen Spain:


Elizabeth said, "be a peach," and I was like, well, sure because I already am! A Georgia peach, that is... yep, I was born there. Which makes me especially excited about this Christmas offering. I still remember my father reading The Cajun Night Before Christmas when we lived in Louisiana... love me some regional Christmas fun! Even in October. For me, anytime is a good time for Christmas cheer.

If you need me, I'll be outside, soaking up the season... hope you are too!

ONE WORD: KRASIVAYA

My Russian readers know what I'm talking about, don't you?

And come March 2011, all the rest of my readers will know as well... because that's when Ruta Sepetys' debut historical novel BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY will be released by Penguin/Philomel.

The book is based on the author's family and the real-life WWII events you may not have heard of: 15 year old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her familiy and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. (taken from inside jacket of ARC)

The facts are just as horrific as you can possibly imagine. But the story is written so beautifully, and with such love, that you come away from the experience partly slaughtered by man's inhumanity to man. More than that, though, you will leave this book inspired, humbled and in awe of the courage and tenacity of the human spirit.

So don't let the tough subject matter scare you away. This book will change you. And having just met Ruta at SCBWI Midsouth conference, I can tell you that her own indomitable spirit is every bit as powerful as what exists on these pages.

Congratulations, Ruta!! Thank you SO MUCH for writing this story. I look forward to watching its journey in the world! And for those of you who want to know more before March... there is a wonderful video found here.