Sonia's Tour

My friend Sonia Gensler and fellow Inklings' member recently acquired a book deal with Knopf. Our writing group is so happy for her we feel like we each received a deal, too.

Sonia writes historical fiction, so we asked her to take us on a tour of her novel. I've been lucky enough to read it and was giddy to see where the story took place and hear Sonia explain hidden details not included in the book.

I've heard of Twilight tours and Harry Potter tours. Maybe we'll have The Revenant tours after the book is released in 2011.

Can anyone guess where we are?


Here is the same location years and years ago.

For some reason, no one came around when we wanted a group picture--maybe a bunch of giggly grown girls scared them away--so Kelly took this photo of the rest of us sitting on the stairs inside.

Tulsa Book Signing Tonight!

Come see me in Tulsa tonight at the Barnes and Noble on 41st. The signing begins at 7:00. It's a great opportunity to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Glamour makes a great gift for the teen or tween in your life--or the gal of any age who likes fairies, glamour, and glitz.

Max may or may not be there. I was up with him all night. He alternated between shrieking and collapsing into my arms. We think that either his tummy hurt or his ears are messed up from the flight. It's so frightening. As I mentioned in an earlier post, he doesn't complain unless there's something to cry about. He seems a bit improved this morning, so I hope it's all over.

So, please come by and see me...and you might even get to see Max.

Harwelden Mansion Book Signing

On November 20, I joined about 20 other Oklahoma authors at Harwelden Mansion in Tulsa for Oklahoma Ink's fourth annual book fair. Not only was the location beautiful, but also some proceeds went to a good cause. The money benefited the Tulsa Press Club's Scholarship Fund.

The evening was lovely. Friends came I'd not seen in ages, plus I got to make new friends. Lots of pictures were taken, but I've not seen them. (I've decided I'm not very photogenic and my pals just didn't want me to know.) The picture above was sent to me, and I had to post it. Aren't these girls beautiful...or should I say glamorous?

As I mentioned, other Oklahoma authors were there. Billie Letts, William Bernhardt, Teresa Miller and more sat at tables and signed books. I was honored to be in their midst.

But I felt COOL to be at the same event as Ally Carter. You know Ally Carter. She's the one who wrote I Could Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You. I've mentioned her books before as Hogwarts for spies. The National Spy Museum in Washington D.C. sells her books in the gift shop. Why? Because they're that cool.

And I got to meet her. And she bought Glamour. The latter, of course, completely increased her cool factor in my opinion. Most of all, she's a really nice lady. She seems like one of her characters you could pal around with...even though she just might know 120 ways to maim you with a paperback.

All in all, the Tulsa event was better than I expected.

THANK YOU!

This week has been great. I'm really behind on blogging and posting pics. Max has met lots of relatives and friends who have showered him with love.

Plus, Glamour has officially had her coming out party. Tuesday night's release party was incredible. Thank you to all the people who rolled out. I can't wait to share pictures with you. If anyone has some, please send them to me and I'll try to post them.

Kelly Bristow and Brenda Price hosted me as a guest author with Edmond Memorial High School students during the day. These students were incredible. They loved reading and writing. Plus, they asked great questions. I was impressed. (When a boy told me my shoes looked like Elphaba's from Wicked, I knew I was among my people.)

As if the workshop with the kiddos wasn't wonderful enough, the release party that night was even better. The library was decorated with fairy wings and frogs. Circle of Friends book club had delicious treats for people attending. Best of Books was there with stacks of Glamour--and they sold out! I heard they're ordering more, though, so drop by to get your copy. It was better than I ever could have imagined. I am so blessed. I loved getting to read my book to so many good people and friends and family. Thanks for helping me celebrate.

Tonight was a signing at Herwelden mansion in Tulsa, OK. Authors from Oklahoma sold their books. I was hanging out with the likes of William Bernhardt, Ally Carter, Kim Donner, and Billie Letts. Yeah, I felt pretty cool. Best of all, lots of pals from my hometown dropped by to get a copy of my book. It was great to see them. Again, if anyone has any pics, I'd love to post them on my blog!

Thanks to everyone who has made this week a total success.

Now, if Max will go to sleep, I can get some beauty rest. We need to leave Tulsa in just a few hours. I get to meet the students at Russelville Middle School in Arkansas tomorrow morning at 11:30.

The Happiest Baby on the Block

Not only is Dr. Harvey Karp's method of soothing crying babies in a book, but it's also in dvd form. I have both from the library. We watched the dvd.

He was impressive.

Tantrum-throwing babies calmed almost immediately in his hands.Remember Spock from Star Trek? It was like Dr. Karp put the Spock hold on the infants. An on/off switch. He claims it's a reflex babies have for the first three months.

Karp calls the first three months "the fourth trimester." He believes that babies are still developing and getting accustomed to the world. The only reason they have to come out is because their brains are growing so big...or something like that. Nonetheless, the techniques he uses to calm these babies imitate the mother's womb. He calls them the 5 S's.

1. Swaddling. By keeping the baby tightly wrapped, he will feel back at home in the womb. Make sure to keep the arms down by the sides, not across the chest.
2. Side/Stomach. After swaddling, hold your baby and shift her to her side or tummy. Often, these first two techniques were enough to switch off the crying. In the womb, the baby is never on its back, so it makes sense that other positions are reassuring. Of course, once you put baby in the crib, she should always be on her back.
3. Shhhhhhh. Many cultures around the world make this sound to soothe crying babies. It emulates the sound of the womb. The key is to make the sound loudly. Shush as loudly as the cries. Apparently, the womb is noisy. Aside from shushing, other white noise is great for baby.Karp suggested vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, static from a radio station, etc. He highly recommends those womb sound makers like the teddy bears you can buy at the store.
4. Swinging. When mom moved, baby was rocked in utero. He likes that because it's familiar. If the other techniques aren't working, then swing the baby. Karp recommends a slight jiggling. This one makes me nervous because of Shaken Baby Syndrome, but he goes on at length about the difference between a slight bouncing and whiplash. He claims dads are better at this because they're more willing to shake the baby. O-kay.
5. Sucking. This technique is used after baby starts to calm. It allows her to slip into total relaxation. Following the "fourth trimester," babies learn the use of their hands and will often replace a pacifier with her fingers. This is a step toward self-soothing.

Well, we'll just see if this works.

Children's books

Dog Gone by Amanda Harvey
G: 3 of 5 rattles. It was cute. Illustrations were cute. It had a good message of giving something new a try.
B: 2 1/2 of 5 rattles. It's probably a good book for a child nervous about leaving a beloved pet in the kennel or in the care of another when on vacation.

Hunches in Bunches by Dr. Seuss
G: 4 of 5 rattles. It was interesting to see the older Dr. Seuss in this. It was his last book.
B: 5 of 5 rattles. Unfortunately, I identify with the procrastination of the protagonist!

Who is Your Favorite Monster, Mama? by Barbara Shook Hazen and Maryann Kovalski
G: 2 of 5 rattles. I didn't like the whole monster motif, but it would be a good story for kids with jealousy issues toward their siblings.
B: 4 1/2 of 5 rattles. This rating is conditional. First of all, it would be wonderful during Halloween. Second of all, it's really geared toward a middle child.

Dinosaur Train by John Steven Gurney
G: 3 of 5 rattles. The illustrations were fantastic. The story was a bit weak.
B: 2 1/2 of 5 rattles. The illustrations in this book are spectacular. I want to tear them out and frame them. The story...eh. It's probably a good example of why so many published children's books are written and illustrated by the same person. I doubt it could be published on story alone.

Where are my Chicks? by Sally Grindley and Jill Newton
G: 2 of 5 rattles. I didn't like the hypocritical chastising of the chicken and the goose. The illogical nature of once they got to five "chicks" she didn't point out that it was a goose and not a chicken. And the owl is really not that wise because he couldn't tell the difference between a goose and a chicken.
B: 1 of 5 rattles. Perhaps this is an example of a book a child will love and I just don't get. A couple of things bothered me. It's a counting book, but the illustrations weren't consistent in the counting. Next, Mother Hen and Mother Goose were rather nasty to each other. I thought the snide remark from the goose at the beginning just made Mother Hen seem above her--until she made the same comment at the end. It does not model mature or polite behavior.

How cool do I feel?

Sonia Gensler, my friend and critique group member, told me about this fascinating blog she learned about while at SCBWI in LA this summer. She's now a contributor.

Kidlit Central News provides all sorts of useful and interesting information regarding children's publishing--especially by or about those in the central United States.

Yesterday, August 21, Sonia was the contributing blogger. She offered an idea that was useful for her about how to critique online. Guess where she says she got it?

No, really, guess.

Moi!

She's so sweet and provides a plug for Glamour (coming to a store near you November 18), my website, and my author blog--which has weekly journal prompts and slightly different material than this site.

Learn more about Sonia by going to her website and her blog. You'll be glad you did. When her novels get published, you'll be able to say that you knew she'd make it big.
The above is a picture of Sonia from the OWFI conference this year. For the last two years, she's won 1st place with two different novels in two different categories. Yeah, she's one to watch!

Glamour

Okay... I've talked about how cool it is...

Here is the wonderful cover Nan Bishop designed for Glamour.

I know you want one of your very own.
Don't worry. Copies will be available in stores November 18.

Blogs that should be

Books in Transit
Perhaps this blog already exists, but I don't know about it. I love the public transportation system here in the northeast. I know some people enjoy driving, but I never have. To me, it's extremely stressful. However, if I'm on a train or a bus, someone else takes care of the details while I can relax with an iPod or a book. Garrett usually chooses the music, and I usually choose the reading material.

Lots of people choose reading material. I enjoy peeking down the subway or the train aisles to catch a glimpse of the titles people are reading. It's enlightening to see how many different kinds of people enjoy the same books.

Perhaps if I had a blog called Books in Transit, I'd simply list the books I see each week.

Or maybe I could randomly interview people about their favorite books.

Or maybe I could review the books they're reading.

Nevertheless, I think it would be a site I'd click on before going to the library or bookstore.