It’s all Laurie’s Fault!

With eyes too blurry from an eye doc appointment to tackle WIP (I know; excuses, excuses), I decided to catch up on blog comments. Co-Regional Advisor, Laurie Thompson, added a dandy set of questions with which I will bombard my next victim, I mean, interviewee. Of course, reading her comments lead me to Laurie’s blog…. Read more »

Hooray for Bear. . . and Mouse, too!

The news is hot off the press: my dear friend, Bonny Becker, is the proud recipient of this year’s Golden Kite Award (picture book category) for her charming, soon-to-be classic, A Visitor for Bear. Add this to a long list of accolades, including NT Best-Seller list. Did you hear Daniel Pinkwater and Scott Simon read… Read more »

Of Lions and Lambs

The wind last night was definitely lionish, but this morning’s blue skies felt said “lamb.” Add in these crocuses popping up at Shangri-Lar, and you’ve definitely got some spring going on (at least here in the great Pacific Northwest). We spent the night at the bay last night after helping my baby sister celebrate her… Read more »

Memory Lane

Kids always ask me about favorite books from my childhood when I visit schools. For two reasons — I read so many books as a kid and my adult memory is so bad — I can never really give an answer. Then, last night, my heart skipped a beat when I saw this at Secret… Read more »

Party Girl

I love to celebrate, especially if the celebration is tied to books. So I had a grand time tonight partying on behalf of Joni Sensel‘s newest book, The Farwalker’s Quest, at Secret Garden Bookshop. Not only did I get to enjoy dinner beforehand with a lovely literary crew (including Joni’s darling parents), and snuggle with… Read more »

One of the reasons I love reading other authors’ posts is to *listen* to their writing processes. And, judging by the number of comments on my posts, my 6 blog readers are drawn to the same thing. So this morning, about 4 (not sleeping much these days) I got an absolutely brilliant idea: I would… Read more »

Just Foolin’ Around

Whenever I speak to schools, some student always asks me about my favorite book, either one I’ve read or one I’ve written. To the latter, I always say, “That like asking your mom which of her kids is her favorite. If you’re an only child, it’s easy to answer. But if you have brothers and… Read more »

If It’s Friday, I Must Be In Boise

If you ever get invited to visit schools in Boise, say yes! I’ve had a great time this week, walking along the gorgeous greenbelt, exploring the downtown, eating to-die-for Crackly Orange Cookies from the Boise Co-Op and, of course, chatting with several hundred grade-school students. The day started out yesterday at Highlands Elementary where I… Read more »

More Boise Observations

You can’t have this one; it’s mine. I am going to write about a school where the school nurse is: At another school I visited today, the (utterly delightful) librarian was Ms. Friend. Dibs on that one, too! In addition to visiting with adorable children at three different elementaries today (I’m even counting the kid… Read more »

Sign of the Times

For some reason, I seem to be sign sensitive on this trip to Boise. Have you ever seen this on a sign before? It makes more sense if you know that the school one should keep off is this one, Amity Elementary, in Boise, recognized for its innovative design in the 1970s when it was… Read more »