Jennifer J's Journal

Books, books, and you guessed it, more books

2009-07-10T14:30:38Z

I've enjoyed these books lately:

Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating by Mark Bittman. I went back for a second helping of this book, meaning I read it twice. It’s a very sensible way to lose weight and help save the planet at the same time, plus there are more than 75 recipes included, and they taste delicious. If I go back for a third helping from the library, I think I should buy the book.

How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yalof – I adore the Stephanie Plum series, and I listened to this book on CD, hoping for some insight. I enjoy hearing how my favorite authors craft their novels, and Evanovich dishes. She has lots of good writing advice, particularly for beginning writers.

Masterpiece by Elise Broach – Marvin is an artistic beetle who lives with his loving family in a crack behind the kitchen sink, and James is a quiet boy whose parents are divorced who hasn’t figured out what he’s good at – but he has figured out that it’s very important to his mom that he be good at something. Marvin and James can’t communicate in words, but together they can foil an art theft, and learn something about friendship along the way. This book made me want to wander the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since I can’t, the next best thing is rereading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream by Adam Shepard – A young man decides to conduct a social experiment. He gets off a train in Charleston, with nothing but an empty duffel bag and $25. Can he be self-supporting in a year’s time? It’s an interesting memoir, but I wonder if Shepard would have the same result today, in the midst of a recession, with record unemployment.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr – Deanna Lambert thinks she’ll never live down the mistake she made three years ago when she was 13. I had been meaning to read this book (which was a finalist for the National Book Award) for a long time, finally made time, and am glad I did. There’s lots of wisdom packed into one slim book about starting over, second chances, and how friends can buoy you up in ways sometimes family fails you.

Squeeeee!

2009-07-08T15:28:15Z

Lynne Avril is in Paris, and she's working on the illustrations for my picture book--in Paris, did I mention!

I am hyperventilating!

That's Paris, FRANCE!!!

Takeaway

2009-06-29T19:02:53Z

I have two bruised knees, but it isn’t Michael Jackson’s fault, even if I was fiddling with my CD player, to take the volume down a notch on Thriller. It was because I wasn’t paying attention to what my feet were doing that I tripped in the gym locker room. Being tall only adds to the drama when you go down.

Luckily when I fell I didn’t take anybody out, and although my knees are sore and technicolor, they’ll return to normal soon.

Lots of newsprint and web space has been devoted to Michael Jackson’s life and legacy this week, but I think what I would most like to remember is his creative spirit. What an entertainer he was!

I can’t listen to his music without wanting to get up and dance. Sore knees and all.

Hanging with Big Green Monster

2009-06-27T22:57:51Z

After our talk to the Adlerian psychologists, Big Green Monster from Ed Emberley’s book Go Away Big Green Monster hung out with janni, Patricia McCord, and myself. Specifically, he joined us for brunch in the terrace dining room at the Westin La Paloma.

The waiter asked what BGM wanted to eat, and I said, “He’s on a diet,” but I thought later, I should have asked, “Do you have any fresh children?”

But that would have been very, very bad of me.

Life changing, lifesaving words

2009-06-26T14:52:12Z

Tomorrow morning, janni (Janni Lee Simner), Patricia McCord, and I (that would be Jennifer J. Stewart) will be speaking at an international conference of Adlerian psychologists. Our topic is “Life changing, Lifesaving Words—Books for Children and Teenagers.”

I had the privilege to hear Drs. Joyce and Gary McKay speak last night at the Ansbacher lecture, and believe me, these are my kind of people. Two snippets: “Encouragement is to a child as water is to a plant” and “Don’t be afraid to be imperfect.” There was a lot of infectious laughter in the room, as Gary told jokes and talked about using humor as a form of encouragement.

My part of the panel presentation will be focused on the early literacy programs of MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS. I have some wonderful picture books and props to show off, including a very large big green monster, as in Go Away Big Green Monster. I will have to spring for valet parking to get the monster and all my other props inside, but it will be worth it just to see the expression on the parking attendant's face when I haul out big green.

I think I don't have to tell you that it’s sure to be fun!

Waiting for the rain

2009-06-19T17:59:59Z

That could be a metaphor for writers, too...

It's that time of year in the desert, when you look at the sky and wonder, is today the day the monsoon begins? The sky is different today--hazy and off like something should happen. I think the darkening clouds aren't my imagination.

Bring on the rain! Although this June isn't as hot, thank goodness, as it usually is, I watch the animals as they forage for shade, and I get it, as I sit typing in my swamp-cooled home.

Yesterday, a lazy bobcat sprawled on my east patio in the afternoon. Because I couldn't resist, I meowed at him, and he yawned back at me. We had a silent pact, that I wouldn't disturb him, as he napped on the shady bricks for a couple hours.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's back again today.

P.S. I'm reading The Hot Garden: Landscape Design for the Desert Southwest by Scott Calhoun. It seems appropriate.

Prison break

2009-06-14T16:37:07Z

If I'm yawning in church this morning, I hope I'll be forgiven.

You see, the kitties we are babysitting -- named totally appropriately Chaos and Mayhem -- decided to make a break for it. They were in my office, all chewable electrical cords having been removed, but apparently they were smart enough to figure out how to work the door handle. So at precisely 2:36 a.m., I was awoken by a strange noise, a growling noise. My own kitty, who sleeps at my feet, saw one of the interlopers and raised the alarm.

Using a flashlight, I tracked the miscreants down, and also discovered my little dog, fast asleep on the couch, where he knows (when we are watching) that he is not supposed to sleep.

Once the furry monsters were tucked back in my office, my husband slipped a chair under the door handle to prevent another escape.

So far, so good, although the warden is nervous.

Cats attempting world domination starting at my house

2009-06-13T17:24:00Z

There are two extra kitties in my house through Monday, and since they don't get along with the pets we already have -- another cat, a dog, and a bunny -- they are locked in a room. They cry piteously if they are left alone in the room, so my daughter attempted to sleep with them. They did not let her sleep, as they think someone who pulls a blanket over her head is someone who should be pounced upon. She has just vacated the room for her bedroom, and doesn't care if they cry piteously, since they pounced on her all night and she got no sleep.

They have also figured out how to turn off the rocker switch on the power strip that controls the internet...

Books, books, books

2009-06-11T23:43:31Z

Besides writing books (actually, I’ve been in revising mode this week), I have been reading them, and here are my recent favorites. As usual, it’s a pretty eclectic list.

Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day by Meg Cabot. M.C. has been very successful writing for teens, and now she’s tapping a younger market. Lots of fun!

Everlost by Neal Shusterman. I am going to have to read many more books by N.S. Wonderful characters, wonderful plot, no wonder at all he’s so successful.

Priscilla and the Hollyhocks by Anne Broyles, illustrated by Anna Alter. If you loved Crossing Bok Chitto, you will love this. I like how the illustrations – Priscilla is a lighter color than her mother, who is cruelly sold away – add an extra layer to the text.

Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Set during the Vietnam War, in Barrio Hollywood, Sammy’s story will haunt you.

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott. A very funny look at first love, which is hard enough without having notorious parents that have you thinking you’re doomed to become a nymphomaniac.

Tanglewreck by Jeanette Winterson. A time travel fantasy, where weather becomes the vehicle for moving people through time. I hope she writes more books for children.

Hmm... what should I read next?

Kindling Words West

2009-06-08T17:12:57Z

Yes, it was as wonderful as you can imagine.

For me, it was a time of renewal. A time to take a glimmer of an idea, and turn it into a real idea, that I hope will be novel worthy. To dig deeper into a manuscript. To finish the draft of another. To experiment and take risks in a safe place. To thwart that inner censor/critic. To write poems, which I hardly ever write -- I don't think I can explain it, but writing poetry opens up my soul.

I am so grateful to everyone who came (you know who you are), to Kathi Appelt for fearlessly leading us, and to the staff at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House for taking such good care of us all.

The long goodbye, and the last one

2009-05-20T22:54:19Z

[Comments disabled]

My beloved mom-in-law died Sunday morning. I had told myself I wouldn’t have a hard time when she passed, because it’s a blessing -- she isn’t suffering any longer -- and because we’ve lost her in bits and pieces over the years, as mini strokes robbed her of everything.

There has been a lot of grieving along the way.

But death is so final.

When I visited, I always wondered if just for that day, there would be a spark of recognition. That sounds so dumb. I know dementia doesn’t work like that, but still, I looked for a miracle.

A friend sent me these two stanzas from “After the Burial” by James Russell Lowell:

Your logic, my friend, is perfect,
Your moral most drearily true;
But, since the earth clashed on her coffin,
I keep hearing that, and not you.

Console if you will, I can bear it;
'Tis a well-meant alms of breath;
But not all the preaching since Adam
Has made Death other than Death.

My new job title

2009-05-05T16:25:04Z

I had the very great pleasure of speaking at the Reading Rainbow Contest Award Ceremony on Sunday afternoon at the University of Arizona Poetry Center (in Tucson, you might catch the winners on Arizona Illustrated on KUAT Wednesday evening).

When the woman who was organizing the event emailed me, firming up some final details, she asked me for my title.

I thought about it, and then I emailed back, "Mistress of the Universe," because "Writer" sounded a little plain. I also briefly considered "Hermit," because I had been holed up in my office, but that sounded a little pathetic.

"Mistress of the Universe" went into the program! It did call for some explanation, so in my speech, I tied it into writing stories, how you become boss of the world you create, although sometimes your characters don't do what you want them to do, or they argue about it first.

It was so much fun to read the winning stories, and to meet their creators, students in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades.

Catching up on my reading and my blogging

2009-05-03T14:31:36Z

It seems like a hundred years since I’ve blogged about reading. That’s what an in-your-face deadline will do to you. I didn’t stop reading, of course -- I only stopped blogging about it. Here are some recent favorites:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman -- I actually got this novel on reserve at the library the day Gaiman won the Newbery Award, way back in January, but one of my daughters made off with it before I could read it, and didn’t give it back, so I had to wait for a second reserve copy to come in, which took a long time, since he got the big award. It takes a graveyard full of spooks to raise a live boy, whose name is “Nobody,” or “Bod“ for short. If you’re the kind of person who likes poking around old cemeteries and imagining what the long-buried inhabitants would have to say, this book is for you.

Scat by Carl Hiaasen -- This is his third novel for children, and it’s just as funny as Hoot and Flush were. I was delighted by the reference to Edward Abbey, who is the answer to the My Life edition Trivial Pursuit card question, “Who was the first author you ever met?” Although I was too shy to exchange more than a few words with him, I read all of Abbey’s books after that. I’ve read nearly all of Carl Hiassen’s grown-up books as well, and I think that perhaps he’s managed to reach more people, calling attention to environmental issues, than just about anyone.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson -- Thanks to janni who lent me the ARC she scored at a conference, I was able to read this amazing book, without waiting for a library reserve copy to come in. (And I'll return it as soon as I get it back from book stealing daughter, I promise!) The novel focuses on a girl’s struggle with anorexia after her best friend dies of the same disease. I put this one into the “books as lifesavers” category. It’s not an easy read, but then, few powerful books are. Lia’s story will haunt you.

Local writing contest (but entries don’t need to be)

2009-04-22T00:08:13Z

The Society of Southwestern Authors 2009 Writing Contest is now open for entries. There are four categories: Short Story (2,500 words max); Short Story for children 6-12 (1,500 words max); Personal Essay/Memoir (2,500 words max); and Poetry (40 lines max). The deadline is June 1st. Download an entry form at www.ssa-az.org, and follow the rules.

In which I have fun with a telemarketer

2009-04-09T18:01:23Z

I don’t get many telemarketing phone calls. I’m on my state’s do-not-call registry, plus I’ve memorized the magic sentence, “Please put me on your do not call list,” and it really works.

But this morning, the phone rang just as I came back from my gym workout.

The earnest man on the line had some trouble with my accent, and I had a little trouble with his, but he wanted to tell me about the internet book marketing website: www.bookwhirl.com -- he also wanted to put my book on his website, and make me the featured author. Would that be okay?

“No. I would have to look at the website first,” I said. I suspected the website would be overrun with self-published books, which my books aren’t. (I looked later out of curiosity; it is).

“Do you know what email marketing is?” he asked.

“Yes,“ I said. “It’s called SPAM.”

Well, one of us thought that was funny.

P.S. Can you imagine emailing hundreds of thousands of people with a book title that has the phrase "Close Encounters" in it? I can't put my book title in the signature of my email, because for many people who have smart software, it goes straight to the SPAM filter.

I lose a loud bet

2009-03-31T03:54:02Z

So, we were arguing loudly about monkeys, and typewriters, and whether putting the two together could produce Shakespeare.

I maintain never because the monkeys would either poop all over the keys or get bored and wander off and eat bananas instead of typing. And anyway, no one is going to do this experiment.

Husband says the probability of a monkey typing a Shakespeare play is not zero. Youngest daughter agrees, and starts googling maniacally to prove she's right.

I think monkeys can be taught to google.

Middle daughter says she thinks a monkey can be trained to recognize letters and then type them.

I call my sister and brother-in-law to settle the argument because they are the smartest people I know, and they have the doctorates to prove it. (In physics. From Harvard.)

They tell me the probability is not zero, but that the universe will end before a monkey types Hamlet.

I think this is the same thing as a monkey will never ever ever type one of Shakespeare's plays, but apparently I am wrong, and since the probability is not zero, and husband and youngest daughter say I bet on probability I have to pay up.

Cold tofu

2009-03-20T00:05:47Z

I want every weekend to be the Tucson Festival of Books, and I want to *not* present, so I can take in everyone else’s presentation.

I think I am going through withdrawal.

This is not a habit of mine

2009-03-16T04:05:49Z

It is not true that I go around picking up strange men in hotel lobbies. Okay, it may have happened last night, but obviously I read his name tag first.

It said “Neal Shusterman,” so I did what anyone would do -- I invited him to join me and my friends (Janni Lee Simner janni,Larry Hammer lnhammer, Cynthia Leitich Smith cynleitichsmith, Michele Parker-Rock, and her husband Larry) for dinner. And since Neal was contemplating a lonely room service meal, and since he had met Cyn before, he said yes. I think he is the adventurous sort.

We were all presenting/participating/and/or attending events at the inaugural Tucson Festival of Books. Kudos to the organizers, hurray for the crowds, and let’s hope we can do it again next year!

I’ll let janni explain about the proposed fencing tournament -- if she wants to…

In and out and about the Tucson Festival of Books

2009-03-12T23:08:58Z

I’ve been peripatetic lately, wandering to Bisbee, AZ to do some research, then driving north to Casa Grande, AZ for a school visit at Mesquite Elementary School (great students with terrific questions!), and finally, I flew to Los Angeles to visit my daughter.

If any of you are in the L.A. area, there is an excellent Dan Graham retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) until May 25th. Also, I caught my first improv show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. I was probably the oldest person in the theater, but who cares? Besides, I am young in spirit.

Catch me this weekend at the Tucson Festival of Books, along with a host of other children’s, teen, and adult writers and illustrators. Did I mention it's all free, even the parking?

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-08T22:46:22Z

My husband and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire with friends last night. Go see it even if you're a Netflix subscriber and don't like shelling out for high-priced movie tickets -- it's that good. Each of the three main characters are played by a different actor at different ages, and it all works. It's the best movie I've seen in a long, long time.

On a whim

2009-02-03T14:15:58Z

On a whim, after speaking at the Green Valley Library yesterday -- thank you to the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Society of Southwestern Authors -- I stopped at San Xavier del Bac.

I like being quiet after speaking. It's my gift to myself. San Xavier is a beautiful white church built at Padre Eusebio Kino's request hundreds of years ago, when he was riding around what was still New Spain, converting the native people. Large parts have been restored, cleaning off the sooty candle stains, and revealing the paintings, as if they were freshly painted.

It's a little discombobulating to see all those Anglo angels, when the congregation, which has been worshiping there for many, many generations, doesn't look like that.

Besides the Anglo angels, there were lots of Anglo tourists snapping pictures.

But I was watching the small woman, in her 50s, two dogs following her as she prayed before various saints. It was obvious she was in distress, and I caught part of her prayer, even though she made her plea in Spanish.

As I scritched the ears of one of her dogs, I said a prayer, too, for her son. And peace for her.

Big, fat books

2009-01-31T00:32:06Z

I did it to my book club again. I made them read a big, fat book, and it was so amazing I didn't read anything else for a week.

I'm talking about Vikram Chandra's Sacred Games, which is set in Mumbai and features a huge cast of characters, with all the mystery and romance you could want, along with a hefty helping of swear words; luckily there was a glossary, because those weren't in English. I think I now want to read everything Vikram Chandra has written.

But after a week, I got itchy, so today I read Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied, which is also an amazing book, very film noirish. It received the National Book Award.

I was hoping to read Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, which popped up on my library reserve list the same day the author received the Newbery Award, but one of my daughters saw it first and made off with it.

That is what happens with the good books in my house; they disappear. I'm still wondering where Elizabeth C. Bunce's novel A Curse Dark as Gold went. It seems all the other books in my house ate it, or have tackled Curse and piled on top, like one football team is going to do to other's quarterback on Sunday.

And yes, I do know which teams are playing. I'm just not making any predictions.

The opposite of hibernation

2009-01-27T00:52:09Z

I have 11 speaking engagements in February and March, and some pretty tight deadlines, so while it may look like I’ve gone into hibernation, it’s more like the opposite of hibernation -- frenetic activity.

My office is shaping up nicely. I have a desk by a southern window overlooking a palo verde tree which guards a small saguaro, another writing table on which my laptop sits, two file cabinets with organized files, a small sound system (I’m listening to Pink Martini as I type this), and a closet which stores my supplies and my book stash for school visits.

The walls could use a new coat of paint that is not white and punctuated with nail holes, glow in the dark stars with cement-like adhesive, and miscellaneous stickers also stuck on like barnacles, but I think these can all wait until the summertime.

Congratulations to all the ALA award winners today! I've read about half of the books, and look forward to reading the rest.

Change

2009-01-20T17:45:48Z

Welcome, Mr. President!

A tide of red ink, and no way to stem it

2009-01-19T19:21:57Z

So, I’m from Tucson, and for as long as I’ve lived here, there have been two newspapers, the Arizona Daily Star and the Tucson Citizen. I’ve been a subscriber to the Star for as many years.

Recently, the Star went on a forced diet, and its pages have slimmed down -- certain sections aren’t an everyday thing anymore.

Then last week, it was announced that the Tucson Citizen will cease publication on March 21st, unless Gannett finds a buyer. That’s unlikely, considering the economy’s state. I’m guessing a metropolitan area of a little over one million people can’t sustain two newspapers. Especially when circulation doesn’t remotely approach that number.

Still, it makes me sad. The Tucson Citizen has been around since 1870. I think healthy competition is healthy for the quality of the news.