Enjoying The Nature...

 

So, I'm preparing for my Maryland trip, and as often happens right before a book trip, I've found myself in the midst of an  icky cold.  Argh!  I'm hoping it will go away fast-- I have all kinds of cool things planned this week, and I want to have energy for them-- school visits to Dunloggin Middle (where I went!) and Clemente Middle (which I love, too). And then, on Saturday, the Baltimore Book Festival-- can't wait to hang out with readers and authors there... bliss.  Festival details here. And details on the awesome authors on my panel at 5:30 here.



In the interim between my two colds of September (I blame back-to-school germs), Ian and Lil Dude and I went on a beautiful weekend trip.  Lil Dude loves going out to "enjoy the nature", which is exactly what we did in the mountains near Red Feather Lake. Before we set up camp, we swung by the stupa at Shambala Mountain Center-- it's a peaceful and lovely walk along a Tibetan-flag-lined pathway.

Inside the stupa (am I spelling that right? Spell check says no)-- inside the stupa, is a giant golden Buddha-- about 30 feet tall.  It's really sweet to watch Lil Dude "meditating" on the cushion in front of the Buddha.  He can sit still for about 30 seconds, tops... but he claims he feels plenty of love and peace in his heart when he does. :-)

A little place for offerings...

Here's to a golden, light-filled autumn for us all!

xo,

Laura

I want to go there...

One question I'm often asked by readers of the Notebooks series is where I want to travel next.  Ahhh... I love these kinds of questions-- they inspire more day-dreaming.  Lately, I've been having fun posting my top destinations on my Pinterest board *Dream Trips*.  Can you guess where each of these is? And do you notice a pattern?

 

If you guessed southeast Asia, ding ding ding-- you are correct!  From top to bottom: Cambodia, Laos, Burma (Myanmar), Bali, Bhutan, and Thailand.  Alas, I don't know when these trips will come to pass, but they *will* happen someday, hopefully in the not terribly distant future.  (For more of my dream trips, see my Pinterest page.)

People in some of these countries (like Burma/Myanmar and Cambodia) are still recovering from harsh regimes, and I want to be sensitive to this when I visit... I came across this NY Times article with recommendations on traveling in a socially responsible way in Burma/Myanmar, so that you're supporting the people themselves, and not the dictatorial regime.

On a slightly different note, readers are often curious which countries I've traveled to... here's a quick list for you:  Morocco, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico (lived there), St. John's (Virgin Islands), England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Holland, Italy, Spain, France (lived there), Canada.

My favorites?  Hard to say, but Oaxaca, Mexico and Provence, France hold special places in my heart since I lived there and formed close friendships that feel like family.

Oaxaca

Aix-en-Provence

Since my husband started working from home last year, we have glorious travel flexibility, which we have yet to really take advantage of.  One dream I have is to spend a couple months living abroad (with Lil Dude, of course) every year or two, in different countries every year. There are so many great international home exchange/home rental sites online now, which makes it easy-peasy (or, at least, do-able.)  Excuse me while I begin hatching my plans...

Portugal perhaps?  I've always wanted to learn Portuguese, such a beautiful language...

Where do you dream of going next? (If you want ideas, you can go to the *fun and travel* page of my website, with links to my photos and travelogues.)

Happy travels to you, wherever you're headed next (or dreaming to go)!

xo
Laura

My writing group and what we do...

I'm often asked about my writers' group, so here are some details for you, in case you're one of the curious. (This is partly cut and pasted from my q&a page, and elaborated on a bit.)  So, here we are-- Old Town Writers' Group, in a photo taken as part of the promotion for this year's fabulous Fort Collins Reads program.

From upper left, clockwise: Laura Pritchett, Janet Freeman, Carrie Visintainer, moi, Dana Masden, and Karye Cattrell 

We meet for a couple hours every two weeks at each other's houses. We talk and laugh and eat and drink and update each other on what's been happening lately in our writing lives. We celebrate each other's successes and commiserate with each other over rejections. We tell each other about conferences, workshops, readings, contests, and other things we might be interested in.

For the second half of the meeting, we critique two members' pieces-usually between five and thirty pages per person. (We read it in advance-the members up for critique submit their pieces a week before the meeting via email.) Each member critiques the piece, going around in a circle, starting with the person on the submitter's right.

We always focus on the positive stuff first- specific things we loved about the piece-and then move into specific things that weren't working for us. The overall atmosphere is fun, productive, creative, warm, and uplifting.

I'll add that I started this group with several other writers back in 2003, three years before my first book was published. Members have come and gone for different reasons-- the mix is ever-changing, which keeps things fresh and interesting-- but we've also formed long and strong friendships from being in the group together.  I'm the only one who writes primarily for a young adult market-- the others write fiction and creative non-fiction for adults, both short and book-length.  I really don't think I could have published my books without the help of my writing group-- I've truly needed their feedback and encouragement over the years, and still do.They're a HUGE and WONDERFUL part of my writing life!

If you're not in a writers' group and you want to be, you should join one or form your own. That's usually the first bit of advice I give to aspiring authors.  Being in a writers' group helps you see your own work through new eyes, which is essential if you're serious about publishing.  It's also really important to learn how to handle constructive criticism, and how to use it effectively in your revisions.  It's worlds better to develop this skill with your writing group *before* you start revising with an agent or editor. Okay, good luck! :-)

xo,
Laura

p.s.  If you're in the Ft Collins area, stay tuned for our annual reading event coming up, tentatively scheduled for the evening of Dec 5, 2012, at Bas Bleu Theater. So excited about this!  More details to come!

Tour de Fat!

I'm so grateful to have a creative job and live in a creative town with creative friends... and days like Tour de Fat remind me of this! The parade (sponsored by New Belgium microbrewery) goes right by our house, and it's 20,000 people strong.  We ride in it every year and every year, I love it more!

The parade goes through Old Town for a mile or two.

It's full of merriment and music, and quite family-friendly.

Happy people abound.

We watched for a while with friends and then jumped in at the end.

Lil Dude in movie star mode... enough pictures, Daddy!

Beeker, hehehe... 

Gnome mob...

A wee bit sweaty under there, I'm guessing...

People hook up all kinds of zany things to their bikes... like couches...

Lil Dude greeting a fellow superhero...

A DJ pulled by bike...

There I am in the striped dress and green hair...

So fun to run into friends all along the way... here's awesome artist friend, Kirsten Savage (also raised in Maryland, thus the crab on her head.)

Hubby Ian attached a toilet seat to his bike and a lampshade to his head.

Thanks for swinging by!  (Maryland friends-- I'm getting excited about my school visits and Baltimore Book Festival panel coming up in a few weeks-- can't wait to see yall!)

xo,
Laura

Lil Dude in Kindergarten and Book Recommendation

Hey guys!

So, my Lil Dude started *kindergarten* last week!  Can you believe it?  (This morning he's home sick with a cold, though, dressed in a Superman outfit and, at this moment, directing (bashing, actually) his remote control police car into my desk chair in an attempt to get my attention.

*time lapse*

Okay, situation under control now.  So, as I was saying, car-bashing aside, my Lil Dude is now becoming a Big Dude, *sniff sniff.*.... If you've been reading this blog for a while, you might remember this post I did just after we adopted him from Guatemala when he was nine months old.

On a different note, I thought I'd let you know about one of the many great books I've enjoyed this summer. Here is Jeannie Mobley's charming older-middle-grade novel, Katerina's Wish (ages 8-12)... such a sweet cover, isn't it?

Jeannie and I have much in common-- she also has an anthropology background, also lives in northern Colorado, and has the same agent as me (Erin Murphy).  Jeannie and I actually worked together in the anthropology department at the local community college (where she still teaches.)  I already knew quite well that she's a clever, hard-working, and warm-hearted person, so I wasn't too surprised to find those same qualities in Katerina, the loveable main character of her debut novel.

I was lucky enough to get a review copy over the summer... and I loved it! I'm in awe-- Jeannie is a master of historical fiction.  Here's the blurb I gave:

I adored this beautiful debut novel about a spunky Bohemian immigrant girl who dares to realize her family’s American dream through creativity and hard work.  The loveable characters, vivid setting, and magical folktales completely drew me into Katerina’s world, and I didn’t want to leave.

You can visit Jeannie's website here and see the starred reviews and honors this book has already received (and it's just coming out this week!)

I've read some other wonderful new middle grade books dealing with immigration this summer, like Natalie Dias Lorenzi's Flying the Dragon, which I plan to review here soon (stay tuned!)

Big congrats to Jeannie on her book release!  I'm planning on attending her launch party (open to everyone) at the Longmont Public Library from 3:00- 5:00 on Saturday, Sept 8.  Maybe we'll see you there...

And speaking of events, just a reminder to you Maryland folks-- I'll be on the Baltimore Bred panel of the Baltimore Book Festival  on Sat, Sept 29 at 5:30. Please come and chat if you're in the area! 

That's it for now!

xo,
Laura

Oprah and California Pics!

Hey, guys!

Just got back from a delightful week-long vacation to northern California. On my arrival home, I heard the happy news that The Queen of Water is an Oprah book pick for ages 12-14!  The book's in great company-- some of my all-time faves are also on the list, like Feed by MT Anderson. Very big honor!  The list was compiled by the ALA Children's Book Council and the Association for Library Service to Children (but I like to think that Oprah herself might feel inspired to read it, too.... :-)


Lil Dude

So, my vacation.  It was fun! We've had a hot and fiery and smoky summer here in Fort Collins, so a trip to the coast was just what my family needed.  The weather was deliciously foggy and cool-- I got to wear sweaters and scarves and jeans!  Bliss. I still managed to get sunburnt, though... on my bottom lip of all places! (Bright side: some people pay big bucks for this beestung look.)


Ian

Ian and Lil Dude and I met up with our dear old friend (from middle and high school) and her family, and explored beaches just south of San Francisco.  We spotted seals, sea otters, anemones, dolphins (or porpoises?), and all kinds of sea birds.  Oh, and this funny creature that kept popping up and disappearing, and reminded me of that game whack-a-mole (but no whacking occurred).

I love looking at and touching small things that make patterns, like these blue pebbles on a beach at Punto Lobos...

 And these succulents on the hills by the beach at Bean Hollow...

 

And these pretty, tiny treasures I gathered...

Ian enjoyed swinging giant ropes of kelp around, lasso-style...

Lil Dude spent hours playing catch with the waves.... he'd run back and forth with an exuberant smile, shouting "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!  Oh, dear!"  He can't pronounce his r's, which made it extra-amusing to witness.

 

Relaxing on the rock crags...

We swung by the Santa Cruz boardwalk so Lil Dude could go on some rides... brought back memories of my own childhood summer vacations in Ocean City, Maryland.  Rides, mini-golf, funnel cake, softserv vanilla cake cones with rainbow sprinkles, fresh-squeezed lemonade.

The drive along Route 1 is so breathtaking... we went a couple hours south of San Francisco-- down to Carmel-by-the-Sea, stopping lots along the way (including sweet Half Moon Bay, where I've done author visits). I'd love to drive farther south sometime, to Big Sur and beyond.

Lil Dude is such an enthusiastic traveler-- really bold and adventurous-- although his favorite parts of any trip are usually the hotel breakfast and pool. Here he is giving me a kiss on top of a  stone "castle" we found on the beach, where he declared me a queen and him a knight. He's precious... and believe it or not, he'll be starting kindergarten next week. Gulp.

 

I didn't bring my laptop on the trip, which was really nice... I just read and scribbled a bit in my notebook and thought and dreamt of my book-in-progress-- just what I needed.  Now I'm feeling like I have a better perspective on it, and more confidence that my brain can handle the intricacies of this story (I was starting to have doubts before...) I think the waves and wind and salt and sand did my brain some good.

Thanks for reading!  Oh, and if you're in the Maryland area, please come chat with me at the "Baltimore Bred" panel discussion (5:30, Saturday, Children's Stage) at the Baltimore Book Festival at the end of September!!!

xo,

Laura

Hints about my book-in-progress...

Hey guys,

So I just started using Pinterest to collect inspirational images for my book-in-progress.  Many of you have been asking for details about this next book (thank you for being curious!)  I've been a little mysterious about it, since my creativity seems to work better that way, at this stage at least.  Sorry about that... but I thought these Pinterest images could give you some intriguing clues to my next book.  Maybe you can imagine what the story might be...

There is chocolate.

There are jungle ruins.

There is a magical tree.

There are ancient secrets.

Here is my Pinterest link, in case you want to peruse more of these images, or if you're interested in connecting with me that way: http://pinterest.com/laureysr/ .

Thanks for swinging by.  Now I'm off to my son's preschool "Peace Party."  Apparently the kids came up with this theme on their own.  Sweet, isn't it? It made me remember when he was about two, and we rewarded him with a little sticker after we brushed his teeth.  I had a booklet of stickers, and one of the pages featured lots of tiny peace symbols.  These were his favorite. He'd let us brush his teeth, and then I'd tell him to pick out which sticker he wanted.  He'd smile big and shout, with happy abandon, "I WANT PEACE!"

Hope you're having a peaceful and joyful summer!

Oh, and Baltimore friends: I got confirmation that I'll be at the Baltimore Book Festival at the end of September.  My panel, called "Baltimore Bred"  is with some great kids and teen authors-- all of whom grew up in Baltimore!  Check my Events page soon for exact day and time. I'm so excited about this!

And another upcoming event, for my teacher and librarian friends-- the NCTE conference in Las Vegas in November.  I'll be speaking at the ALAN workshops-- yay!  More details to come soon on my Events page.

xo,
Laura