Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in cynthialord's LiveJournal:

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Saturday, December 5th, 2009
7:57 am	Hamster's in the House! I knew my first hardcover copy of HOT ROD HAMSTER was scheduled to arrive yesterday. Nothing makes a day longer than waiting, does it?! Every time I looked out the window at the empty street or came home to an empty porch, it made it harder. I found all kinds of things to do in the yard so I could I watch for the delivery truck. I picked up branches that fell in the wind this week. I filled the window boxes with spruce and bittersweet branches. I cut some holly to bring inside. I pruned the arbor. UPS drove by TWICE and didn't stop. Finally around two-thirty, I was talking to my husband and glanced out the window: "DHL!" I screamed and nearly trampled the poor man in my driveway. It doesn't SMELL like a hamster. . . "LOOK!" I made everyone at my house admire the box before I opened it. OPEN IT! When I reached inside, my fingers immediately knew that hardcover size and feel. I've read many, many picture books to my kids and my students over the years. The feel of it really hit me before I even pulled it out and unwrapped it. It has beautiful raised letters and foil on the cover, which isn't something I've ever had on a book. I kept babbling things like, "It's so SHINY!" It made it too hard to take a photo, though. The flash mirrored off the shiny parts and it was too dark without it. But the cover is beautiful, fancy, and so appealing. My husband got out his special photography lights and took this no-glare photo for me: Ready to ROLL! Derek and I have our names on the cover, but a lot of talented people at Scholastic worked on this book--especially our editor, Leslie Budnick, and our art director, Marijka Kostiw. I've been blessed to work with brilliant people. As an author, it feels like magic to write a picture book and have it come to life away from you, in other people's hands. I remember the first time I saw my daughter's face, I thought in my mind, "Oh, it's YOU!" It's a lot like that to see a book character, too. Though this isn't the first time I've seen Hamster, it was him for real. Right there in my hands. "It's YOU, Hamster." And since I held my first real, sharp-cornered, tightly-bound, hardcover copy yesterday, December 4th is the first winning date in my waiting contest. No one chose that exact date, but the closest person picked December 3rd. borealowl ! Barb, as your prize, you can choose one of my author copies of HOT ROD HAMSTER (Derek Anderson and I are going to sign and swap some of our author copies, so I could send you one signed by both of us) or I'll send you an ARC or copy of TOUCH BLUE when those arrive. As Hamster says, "Which one would you choose?" Current Mood: chipper (22 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 4th, 2009
9:12 am	Mainers: Maya Angelou, Anyone? There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. ~Maya Angelou "Bug Light" South Portland, Maine. Photo by my husband, John Maya Angelou is coming to speak at the University of Maine in Augusta on Monday night, April 26th at 7:00. The tickets are $25 and I'm sure this will sell out way in advance. Details are here. Anyone want to come with me? Current Mood: good (8 Comments |Comment on this)
7:53 am	Five Things on a Friday 1. My editor sent me a cryptic email which makes me think my first hardcover copy of HOT ROD HAMSTER is in the mail to me. 2. Which means that someone is about to win my contest!!! 3. HRH got a second great review. This one from Kirkus! It's an unusual book, so I'm beyond grateful that two of the people who've written industry reviews have "got it" so well. 4. We have our Christmas tree up. So far, Milo has been very good about it. Last year, all the ornaments ended up in the top 2/3 of the tree because of this naughty-boy behavior: Don't get comfy, Frosty! You're NEXT! 5. I heard the "Christmas Shoes" song yesterday!!!! That darn kid buying his dying mom some shoes--it always makes me weepy! Usually, I try to change the radio station when I hear it, but it snuck up on me this year! Current Mood: cheerful (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
8:41 am	Thank you, Mendham Township Middle School I close my eyes and make a new wish. I wish the refreshment stand has grape soda. I've been touched many times at my school visits, but I was nearly brought to tears when I turned the corner of the middle school and came face to face with this display. There's simple and honest love in that moment where Catherine makes that grape-soda wish. So to be startled by it suddenly. To see it in such a concrete way--right in front of me. Wow. This was a "One Book/One School" visit. As an author, it's beyond describing to know that everyone you see in the audience, in the office, in the hallways has read your book. It's very cool to be walking in the corridor and see RULES carried in kids' arms, along with their textbooks. Or to have the superintendent stop in the library to chat with me and have his book signed. Or to be following the media specialist up the stairs and hear a boy yell down from the landing above, "I loved your book!" And I was showered with duckies! These duckies were made by a group of sixth graders who took plain duckies and created unique ones for me. No one's ever done that before. I had lunch with the "Mock Newbery" book group at the school, which was great fun. And look what they gave me! A duckie necklace! "Dare me to wear this through security at the airport?" I asked the kids. The security people at Newark must see it all, though, because no one even batted an eye! Meg, the media specialist at the school, is amazing. She has really energized the school around books. It was a big honor to be there. And Meg told me a funny story. Before becoming a media speicialist, she was a publicist for Simon and Schuster. We talked about how most books get a budget of $0-200 for extra promotion from the publisher, and how hard that can be on both the publicist and the author. But to give all of us some hope. . .one of her authors, who fell in that $0-200 category for his first book was: Dan Brown. "I couldn't even get that man a booksigning for Angels and Demons!" she said. I had a fabulous visit. Thank you to everyone at Mendham Township Middle School for your thoughtful questions and comments, your enthusiasm, and for all the fabulous duckies and memories I've brought home with me. Current Mood: thankful (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 30th, 2009
7:53 am	Off to New Jersey! I'm heading off to New Jersey tomorrow morning for my last school visit of 2009. This year, I spoke at 31 schools, 6 libraries, and 4 conferences. I enjoyed every one of them. But after this visit, I am looking forward to two months of putting down the author part of me and just being a writer again. My speaking starts up again in February, but until then, it'll be nice to focus on what's on the page, instead of what's on the screen in the gym. I've had lots of funny school gym and cafeteria moments. One aspect of gyms and cafeterias is that they have functions and they are the domain of other people. So I always try to thank the gym teacher or the cafeteria staff for working around me that day. And I am respectful and flexible that I'm in their space. One of my favorite gym stories was at a school where they brought me down to set up in the gym and I was very surprised to find a huge volleyball net stretching the full width of the room and perpendicular to the fixed screen. I asked if we could take the net down and was told no, it was too hard to put it back up and they would need it the next day. So the plan was for the kids to sit on the floor, half on each side of the net. I spent each presentation walking and peeking from one side of the net to the other. I just put it in my mind that for every other slide change, I needed to switch sides so all the kids would see me for at least half the time. We made it work! The New Jersey school told me they have an auditorium. That should be easy. :-) Current Mood: amused (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 29th, 2009
7:21 am	Cybils Sunday Today's featured panelist judge in the Easy Reader and Early Chapter Book category of the Cybil Awards is Jennifer, a Youth Services librarian at the Matheson Memorial Library in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Her blog is called Jean Little Library (named for one of her favorite authors). Jennifer reviews all types of books for children and teens, but her reviews for our Cybils category can be found here! I'm excited to see which books are chosen for the short list. That list will be announced January 1st and then the final judges (including me!) will choose a winner by Valentine's Day. Current Mood: excited
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
7:41 am	Online Holiday Book Signing I'm participating in an online book sale and signing at the University of Southern Maine on Dec. 10. Here's how it works: To buy a signed copy of RULES (or a signed book by Melissa Sweet, Toni Buzzeo, etc), go to the University bookstore website. Click on the book cover you would like to buy. A window pops up, with space to enter a message or a name to whom you would like the book inscribed. When you're finished, you simply check out through the USM Bookstore website. The authors will personalize and sign all books on December 10th at a signing party, and the bookstore will mail all orders on December 11th. A signed book might make a nice teacher gift. . . .? Current Mood: cheerful (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 27th, 2009
8:53 am	Five Things on a Friday 1. Thanksgiving was wonderful. There's nothing like looking around the table and seeing every seat full. I loved it. 2. The Scottish Terrier won the dog show! 3. I spent Wednesday morning researching chipmunks. It's amazing what little, surprising details come up at the end of a novel! 4. Hanukkah starts the 12th of December. Yikes. That's not far away. 5. I'm not going shopping today, but my daughter and I went yesterday in the late afternoon. LL Bean is only a few minutes away from me and they're open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. If you've never been, it's a fun store. Current Mood: full (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
6:38 am	Happy Thanksgiving! Here are a few Thanksgiving treats for you: First Thanksgiving by Sharon Olds (scroll down--any parent of a child in college can relate to this, I think), With All the Trimmings by Garrison Keiller (just because I love him), and finally, Turkey Tic Tac Toe, a game to keep the kids busy during the waiting times. The pies are baked, the turkey is cooking, the oven racks were remembered. Life is good. I know many people look forward to football or the parade, but for my daughter, Milo, and me, it's all about the dog show! I've never had a dog who likes TV as much as Milo does. Mom, the toy breeds are next! OUR winner. I hope you all have a wonderful day. Current Mood: thankful (18 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
6:46 am	List of Attributes that Make a Good Children’s Book Wharf Cat, Portland Maine. Photo by my husband, John A list very worth reading. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers’s “List of Attributes that Make a Good Children’s Book” Current Mood: thoughtful (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
6:51 pm	For my daughter who comes home from college tomorrow We're already waiting for you. Current Mood: impatient (11 Comments |Comment on this)
6:50 am	The Concept of November I wrote this post last November but it's what I'm thinking about this morning, so I'm going to repeat it. Deerfield, Massachusetts. Photo by my husband, John Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. - Elizabeth Lawrence Most of my daughter's friends at college aren't from New England. They are from far-flung Hawaii and California and other places where the weather doesn't provide the same fiercely-marked four seasons that we have here. So her friends have looked forward to seeing snow (some for the first time). They are ready for sledding and mittens now, but the days go on and on, and the only snow they've seen is a little "spitting" in the air. They expected foliage season to immediately morph into the dead of winter. "I've had to explain the concept of November to them," my daughter told me. I've been thinking about that ever since she said. it. We don't often celebrate the "between" times, but they are as necessary as the big moments in our lives. November is New England's deep breath, a quiet walk between the flaming leaves of October and the blank canvas of winter. To me, November is like that last look back at my house, before I back the car out of the driveway on a trip--that pause between leaving behind and going forward. I don't supsect many New Englanders would choose November as their favorite month. It's a bit forgotten, sandwiched between the wild glory of October and festive greenery of December. But oh, we would miss it. We need our pauses--our betweens--our Novembers. They restore us for the journey ahead. Current Mood: waiting (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 22nd, 2009
7:11 am	Thank you, Lenox Library I spoke on the phone this week with "Reading with the Girls," a delightful book group in Lenox, Massachusetts. The group members are 4th and 5th grade girls, each bringing with her a woman of her choice (a mom, grandma, aunt, neighbor, etc). The group had read RULES this month, because it's on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list for this year. The girls took turns coming up to the speaker phone and asking me questions. Most of the questions were about RULES and writing and my family, but then one girl asked me about my favorite books as a kid. After listing some novels I loved, I asked if the girls were familiar with the book Madeline. They were, so I said, "I'll tell you a secret. When I was little, that was the only book I was ever tempted to steal from the public library." There was an eruption of laughter on the other end. "I was only four or five at the time," I said. "And I didn't do it, because I knew it would be wrong. But I loved that book so much that I wanted it to be mine. And I remember thinking that if I hid the book between my mattress and box spring, Mommy would have to buy it!" We had a warm, fun chat. And yesterday I got a lovely email from the librarian who leads the group. She thanked me for being so approachable and told me one of the girls even said I reminded her of her mom. :-) Current Mood: cheerful (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 20th, 2009
8:08 am	Five Things on a Friday My husband is quite a joker. 1. I went out last night with a neighbor of mine. Sarah Laurence is a wonderful artist and photographer and writer. It's always fun to talk about writing, and when you couple that with Oreo cheesecake. . .well, that's perfect! 2. I'm almost caught up on my mail, which doesn't happen very often! It's taken me all week, but I only have a handful of children's letters left to answer today. 3. I bought our turkey! It'll just be the four of us this year, but I'm driving down to Massachusetts to pick up my daughter at college on Tuesday. My parents live on that route, so my mom is coming with me. It'll be great to spend time with her. 4. Did you know that the hot toy this Christmas is a hamster?! And these "Zhu Zhu Pets" hamster toys have CARS. Makes me wish HOT ROD HAMSTER were available now, but I'm hoping some of that furry-ous enthusiasm will stay through February. Scholastic's wonderful trailer for HRH! Speaking of HRH, it received a great review in Booklist! It's a relief to have that first industry review behind me and to have it be so positive. 5. I only have one more school visit left in 2009. It's a "One Book/One School" visit in Mendham Township, New Jersey in early December. I'm looking forward to that visit and after that, I'm starting my next novel. Can't wait! Current Mood: rejuvenated (9 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
8:56 am	National Book Award Winner Phil Hoose At Phil Hoose's National Book Award send-off party last Sunday, he told us a story. A few years ago, he had been nominated for a NBA for his book, We Were There, Too! Young People in US History. He didn't win that year and when he returned home, it was to find an article in the Portland Press Herald that said, "Literary Prize Eludes Local Author." Not this time. Today, the Press Herald has a headline that reads, Portland Author Wins National Book Award. Congratulations Phil for going to New York City and nailing one of those crazy little prizes. :-) (If you don't know what I'm referring to, it's in the little video I shot of him singing "Kansas City" at his party) And I drew the name in my contest for winning a signed copy of Phil's NBA award-winning book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. Congratulations, Agy! You're the winner! Current Mood: delighted (8 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
3:31 pm	From my mail Here are some lines from the mail I answered today. Some that made me smile: I am creating a project on your life and work.--Dawson I was surprised that this book was amazing, because to be honest, the information on the back cover did not interest me at first. --Nikki Can you make RULES into a movie? You could get the guy that made the movie Shrek to do it. --Jesus Send me a letter when there will be a new RULES book and what will happen next. And you should probably take a break, you really need it. --Alejandra I'd like to meet you in person, but I'm at school right now. --A.C. What made you choose Catherine as the main corrector? --J.L. And some that touched my heart: You showed me that I was not alone. --Caroline It's really hard for me. Your book, RULES, made me feel like someone knew how I felt. --Tiffany Before I read the book I thought I was different because my brother had autism and where ever I went with him, people would stare at us. I just wanted to go over to that person and start yelling at them because my brother has feelings. I bet Catherine felt the same way. --Molli Current Mood: grateful (20 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, November 16th, 2009
7:22 am	Phil's NBA Send-Off and A Contest! Yesterday, I finished my copyedits for TOUCH BLUE. I had set myself a goal to send them to my editor by four so I could go to Phil Hoose's send-off party for the National Book Award last night. I hit SEND at 3:58. I picked up my friend, Josie, and off we went. The party was at a small music cafe in Portland, Maine. When we walked through the door, Phil greeted us immediately with a warm smile. He's one of the nicest people you could meet--gracious, funny, kind, and completely down to earth. CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE is his second book to be nominated for the National Book Award. It's nonfiction, a beautifully-written book about a young girl who dared to do something not many of us would. The party invitation had said to bring an instrument if you have one. Neither Josie nor I were quite sure what was planned, but when Josie introduced herself, Phillip said with great delight, "Do you know that song, 'Hello Josephine?'" Josie said her grandfather used to sing it to her. And I am so proud of Josie that I blurted out "helpfully" . . . "And Josie is a SINGER, too!" That's putting it mildly. Josie has four CDs. I have one in my kitchen that I play quite frequently, in fact. So we were having a great time, talking to people, eating cookies, celebrating Phillip's book and Claudette's life. . . then Phil got up on the stage with some friends to play and sing for us. How fun! Josie and I sat down at a table near the front, ready to listen and clap along, etc. "Where's Josephine?" Phil asked into the mic. OH NO! Phil talked Josie into going up on stage to sing "Hello Josephine" with him, and I thought, Josie will never, ever go to anything else with me again! Josie (in red) singing with Phil Phil told us all the story about how he had first read about Claudette when researching another book. He had asked to talk to her, and for years she said, "Maybe when I retire." But he kept trying every so often, and finally she said he could call her. Claudette currently lives in NYC, and she is going to the award ceremony with him. Phil said if his book wins, he is bringing her up on stage with him. I hope he wins, but no matter whose name gets called, he's already done something wonderful for the world. He wrote a book that truly matters. I asked Phillip to sign a copy of his NBA-nominated book, CLAUDETTE COLVIN: TWICE TOWARD JUSTICE, for a contest here. So if you'd like a chance to win this signed copy, just leave me a comment to this post by 8 pm on Wed. November 18--the evening the winners are announced. I'll draw a name randomly from the commenters. If you want to know more, here's a School Library Journal interview with Phil that also includes a link to hear him read from the book. And just for fun, here's Phil last night singing the Fats Domino (and others) song, "Kansas City." The quality is really bad, because I took it with my camera. Current Mood: happy (22 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 15th, 2009
6:46 am	Cybils Sunday Another hard-working Cybils panelist on the Easy Reader and Early Chapter Book committee is Melissa Young of Sweet on Books. Melissa is a mom and former elementary school teacher who has a great book recommendation website. Melissa and her partner at Sweet On Books created a unique rating system for the books they review. Not only do they rate the book from 1 to 5, but each review also contains a rating on: Laugh Meter, Fear Factor, and Subject Matter. Which can be very helpful to parents looking to make a good match between a book and their child's individual preferences, interests and needs. In glancing through the reviews, I see Melissa is a big fan of Mo Willems' Elephant and Piggy books (and so am I!), so I'm wondering if one of that series will be coming forward to the final judges. . . . Current Mood: working (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 14th, 2009
8:26 am	Thank you. Awesome. Classroom. Yesterday I had a fun visit with the sixth and seventh graders at Crittenden Middle School in Armonk, New York. A few days before I arrived, "Miss K," a special needs teacher at the school sent me an email explaining that her students had done a fun simulation centered around RULES and asking if I could come by during the day and see it. I said I would love to do that, and the school created time in my schedule. The students were very excited to show me what they'd been doing. There was a wheelchair set up at the end of the table. One person would pretend to be Jason and another would be Catherine. "Today, Mrs. Lord gets to be Jason first," Miss K said, and she handed me a word grid that had empty boxes along the bottom. I had just a minute or so to fill in those boxes with any additional words I thought I might need to have a conversation with "Catherine." I sat in the wheelchair and used only my grid to talk to one of the boys who played Catherine in our conversation. It was fun and very hard. When he asked me questions, I'd look at the few words I had and know I couldn't say what I wanted. Every answer I gave was a pale compromise for what I truly wanted to say. It was a powerful simulation for the kids and equally powerful for me. Thank you to the staff and students at Crittenden Middle School for stretching RULES outward to make the world a little more understanding of people with disabilities. Current Mood: pleased (16 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
3:58 am	Off to New York! I'm off to the airport in a few hours for a school visit tomorrow in Armonk, New York. This is one of those speedy visits. I fly into JFK today and back to Maine tomorrow night. I'm almost done my copyedits. I've made all the changes, but I wanted to read the whole manuscript on paper without the notations before I send it back on Monday. So I made a copy of the document and removed everything on that personal copy except the text itself. I was so afraid of mixing the two documents that I decided I'd name the second one something ridiculous. Snickerdoodle. Current Mood: busy (4 Comments |Comment on this)