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Congratulations, Laurie Halse Anderson!

The talented Laurie Halse Anderson (halseanderson ) just shared the news that her historical novel CHAINS has won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and I couldn’t be happier.  My 7th graders and I will be reading the final chapters tomorrow and Friday, and I was excited about that even before I heard today’s news.  CHAINS is about Isabel, a slave girl trapped in New York City and torn between Loyalists and Patriots as the Revolutionary War  ravages the city.  Yesterday, President Obama (I love writing that) gave us a brilliant connection to this chapter of American history when he quoted Thomas Paine’s "The Crisis" in his Inaugural Address.

"Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it."

Just days after Paine shared those words, General George Washington did what no one believed was possible — defeated the Hessians at Trenton after the famous river crossing immortalized in this painting by Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze.


      George Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851 – Metropolitan Museum of Art

In my classroom this week, we’ll be talking about turning points and history and hope.  And we’re going to write letters through time, to tell Isabel and Curzon from CHAINS all about what happened in Washington, DC on a cold day in January, 2009.  We’ll let them know about Laurie’s award, too.  On both counts, I know they will be so very proud.

Possibilities

Sometimes in the middle of January, it’s hard to remember the promise of summer.

And sometimes, in the midst of news about a troubled world economy and violence in Gaza,  it’s hard to find hope. 

But not today.

Today, I’ll join 450 students and staff members in our middle school auditorium to watch Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States.

Today, an African American will hold our nation’s highest office for the first time.

Today, Americans of all backgrounds will gather by the hundreds of thousands in Washington, DC .  They’ve come by plane and car and bus to celebrate the leadership and promise of a man born in 1961 —  when it was still illegal for blacks and whites to ride together on a bus in some southern states.

Today, I will sit with my students and listen and watch.  I will fight back tears, unsuccessfully, I am sure.  And together, we will celebrate how very far we have come as a nation.

Today, it will not be hard to imagine the possibilities.

Guess where I skated today!?

It’s frozen!  It’s really frozen! 

After weeks of wistfully watching the ice of Lake Champlain form and break up and form and break up again, we were finally able to head out on our ice skates today.  Of course, when you skate outdoors, you have to be your own Zamboni.

If you’re looking for me over the next few days, I’ll be out shoveling the lake.

The truth about evil editors

I’ve noticed that when I talk about writing with people who aren’t writers, many ask about the role of editors in the book-making process.

“Doesn’t it upset you when an editor wants you to change something in your book?”

Sometimes, when I say no, people say, “Hmph.”  Like I’m lying, afraid the evil editors will find out if I tell the truth.  I think they’re picturing editors as power-hungry monsters, waiting for unsuspecting manuscripts with red eyes and red pens.  But I haven’t met any editors like that.

This weekend, I’ve been revising two picture books with feedback from two really smart editors.  One is my picture book that’s under contract with Chronicle, OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW.  The other is a new book that’s out on submission now, and an editor has suggested some revisions so she can decide if she’d like to move forward with it.

In both cases, I’ve been amazed at the depth of the feedback in those editorial letters – feedback designed to strengthen the heart of the story rather than change it.  This weekend, I’ll be:

  • Cutting bits of dialogue – and a handful of proposed spreads – that aren’t absolutely essential to the heart of the story.
  • Streamlining a plot so it doesn’t meander.
  • Adding more evocative, sensory language to one particularly vivid scene.
  • Switching two spreads to better foreshadow a coming event.
  • Researching some more to add new details.
  • Changing an ending to make it more organic to the story.
  • Looking for a new title. (It probably seems like I’m always looking for a new title, but that’s a post for another day.)

Interestingly enough, both editors appreciated connections in the text that I made subconsciously while writing but hadn’t thought to develop . I love it when that happens, and I’ll be building on those connections, too. 

So does it upset me when an editor wants to change something in my book?

Nope. It thrills me that someone cares about it enough to want to make it stronger. And while a book may start out as mine, by the time it’s been helped along the way by a village of loving literary aunts and uncles like writer friends and agents and editors, it’s not just my book any more.  It’s our book.

The editors I’ve been fortunate enough to work with don’t have red eyes, and they use email attachments more often than red pens.  They don’t say, “What you’ve done here is all wrong.”  They say, “Look what you’ve done here that’s so right.  Build upon it.  Finish it.  Make it shine.”

Sneak Peek and a Chance to Win!

If you’re like me, you’re already having 2009 book thoughts…and wishing some of the books scheduled for this year would hurry up and release already!  Personally, I’m jealous of anyone who snagged an ARC of Wintergirls, though I’ve been lucky enough to do some early reading of my own…particularly when it comes to my fellow 2009 debut authors…THE DEBS!

If you’d like to learn more about what’s on the way for 2009, become a watcher of the LJ Community debut2009 . The best part? Besides learning about great new books way in advance, you can enter to win fabulous, fun prizes during the 12 Months of Debsness!

Find Out What's In The Bag And Win It Today

And hurry…the deadline to enter for the first month is midnight tonight!

(Pssst….The contents of the cool, orange goody bag are top secret, but I’ll give you a tiny hint. Among other things, there is chocolate involved!)

Are you cold yet?

If you’re not in the part of the world facing sub-zero temperatures this week, here’s a Lake Champlain sunrise to get  you into the spirit.

The thermometer reads -12 this morning, and the snow is squeaky.  It’s…well…a bit painful to be outside, but there is something about the extreme cold that produces extreme beauty, too.  For that, for hot chocolate, and for thick socks, I’m thankful.

Chilly Wish Granted

This is what Lake Champlain looked like this afternoon…

Okay, in truth, I’m cheating a tiny bit because this photo wasn’t taken at my house; I snapped it on a cross-country ski trip to Point au Roche State Park, where the bays freeze a bit more quickly than the broad lake.  E and I had a deal…we’d go out as soon as it warmed up to 15 degrees.  Once that happened and the sun came out, it was gorgeous.

The ultra-cold temperatures combined with afternoon sunlight made the new snow absolutely sparkle.  I’m pretty sure this photo doesn’t do it justice, but it truly looked like someone had sprinkled glitter all over the fields.

This is also perfect weather for my current revision project.  I just got the editorial letter for my picture book, OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle Books),  about a child who goes on a cross-country ski trip and discovers the secret world of animals living under the snow.  I asked my editor if she did that on purpose…sent the letter at the height of the outdoor winter sports season.  She says it was just a happy coincidence, but either way, I couldn’t ask for better inspiration.

Think Cold!

That, my friends, is a full moon reflecting on clear, cold Lake Champlain ice.  It’s frozen from my house all the way to the island, frozen in that perfectly clear, smooth, ice-skating sort of way. 

We haven’t been able to skate on the lake for at least three winters because the ice has to be thick enough to be safe and free of big bumps and chunks.  But temperatures tonight are expected to drop near zero again.  Think cold thoughts with me, okay?  If we have a few more frigid nights without wind, there just might be some skating soon.

Links for a snowy day…

The snow is falling outside my office window, my HOME office window, since there’s no school today because of the storm. That means a day of reading and soup and a fire in the fireplace…and time to share some links that I’ve been meaning to share.


First of all, if you’re an author or illustrator, there’s still time to sign up for KidsHeartAuthors Day, the brainchild of author Mitali Perkins, who decided that Valentine’s Day 2009 would be a great opportunity for us all to show our love for independent booksellers. Click here to sign up if you’re an author/illustrator type…or here to sign up as a bookseller. If you’re a teacher or librarian or parent or kid or other fabulous reader, I hope you’ll join us at a signing at your local indie on February 14th!

Now that 2009 is here, those of us with debut books coming out are turning cartwheels.  My editor for THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z (Walker, September 2009) emailed last night with a list of queries from the production editor that made my heart flutter — not because they were difficult to address but because the book is so far along in the whole process.  2009 is actually HERE! 

There are some great places online where you can learn about all the amazing titles that are on the way.  Check out AuthorsNow for a huge listing of 2009 debuts.  And have you met the 2009 Debutantes yet?  Become a watcher of the LJ community debut2009  for terrific book talk with 2009 debut authors and great giveaways, too!  Wouldn’t you like to win one of these nifty goody bags, for example?

The 12 Months of Debsness Giveaway is Coming!

Here’s another great opportunity for teachers & school librarians. Author Fran Cannon Slayton is giving away a set of 30 Advance Reader Copies of her book WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS, which is historical and funny and full-of-heart and wonderful. Just sign up for her email list to be entered in the drawing.

One last link…kellyrfineman is hosting a great conversation about happy endings on her blog today. It resonated with me because I was thinking about this recently, when I was in the middle of a book and SO hoping it would end well without being too sappy. I’m also revising a novel that has a mixed-emotions sort of ending right now. Endings have been on my mind, and Kelly, as usual, has pulled together some thought-provoking ideas from the great authors who joined her in the conversation.

I’m off to make a cup of green tea and then get back to reading with E by the fireplace…one of lurban ‘s recommendations…

We’re thankful to Linda – and to Emily Jenkins for writing such a perfect snow-day read-aloud.  What are you reading today?