Fine

I was going to put up the Author Fair ad I put in the paper today but it won't work. So fine. Whatever. I don't get all this computer stuff. Hmph.

Stuff!

We're moving back home at the end of this week. Finally! It seems this winter move has practically trickled into summer. At home the grass is long, the hills are covered with flowers, and the air is fresh. I can't wait to move back to the peace of the mountain. Ahh! Relaxation.

One problem. Stuff! We had a yardsale yesterday and got rid of a lot of things, but my gosh! How much stuff do we really need? We've been moving things from there to here and here to there. The living room is full of boxes, and we still have half our things in town.

My mission: get rid of anything we don't need. How long will this take? Judging by how long it takes me to just do my regular everyday things-a long, long time.

Waiting is for Losers

Yup, you heard me. Waiting is for losers. That is my new motto. Why? Because I lost my building today because we were waiting around for things to happen; not moving fast enough on loans and business plans and all the stuff you have to do to purchase a commercial building. And now somebody else has bought my building and stolen my "plans".

As if that wasn't a lesson enough, I found a book today that I was going to write. No two books on the same subject are alike you say. True enough, but I don't know. This is a pretty narrow, contemporary subject. Not sure there's room for another book on it. I'll have to check the book out when it's released but I am doubtful.

Sure, I can make other plans and write other books. But the lesson I want to take away for today is to get to work! Waiting is for losers. One of these days I'd like to win.

Four Formats

I just learned that my little picture book, Bedtime Monster, is coming out in four formats! English/Spanish translation and English only. Both in both hardcover and paperback. Raven Tree Press is known for their english/spanish translation picture books, so that is all I expected. And only in hardcover. I wish I could find my catalog to see if this is the norm. Will I ever learn to not carry important papers around and not set them down in completely random places!?!

Hey, I learned something!

It's been so crazy around here since I went to the society of children's book writers and illustrators conference I haven't even had a chance to look at my notes. I did manage to pull them from my bag and set them on top of my computer, but that's as far as I've gotten. I'd better hurry up and type them up before my random pieces of paper become engulfed by all my other random pieces of paper and I can't find them anymore. (Yes, I'm a total dork. I forgot to bring a notepad to the conference and had to write on the back of my computer printouts I had in my backpack. Brilliant planning, eh? Um yeah, really, I was planning! Reduce, reuse, recycle!)

There is one thing that keeps running through my mind that I did retain from the conference. Mo Willems said that if there is only a few words on a page, the reader reads slower. If there is a whole bunch of words on a page, they read faster. And yes, it's true! I do it with all of his books. There's always that one page with lots of words and I read fast and it evokes the feeling that really brings the characters problem to light. Yes, Sam is really having a bad time and I can feel it! Check out Leonardo the Terrible Monster and you'll know it too. It's funny how something like this is so obvious, but I still don't get it until someone tells it to me. I wonder what other nuggets of knowledge I have buried in my pile.

Now I know this doesn't help you writers of long books. Sorry, maybe I'll find something for you when I look through my notes. But as a picture book writer it's definitely something to think about.

Trip

When I left Seattle it was raining. I pushed my way through the hills and valleys admiring their beauty. Wishing I could go into the forest and mingle with the trees. Afraid I'll be forever stuck inside watching them pass me by. Not even noticing.

Craigslist and Coldplay

My husband listed our house for sale today on craigslist, "just to see what happens". I know we need to sell our house. Need to move closer to town so the kids can do more things. But that doesn't make me happy about it.

He proudly showed me the listing as Coldplay played in the background, "For you, I'd wait 'til kingdom come, Until my days, my days are done. Say you'll come and set me free, Just say you'll wait, you'll wait for me. ..."

Well it wasn't a good combination. That song gets me anyway, and it was quite difficult for me to hide the tears in my eyes so the kids couldn't see as I looked it over. Hard to steady my voice. And the tears are welling up now. If you know me I am not much of a cryer darn it.

I guess it's just that we've sacrificed alot for that place. Built it with our own hands investing years into it. Our children have lived there their entire lives barring our recent "winter vacations". Where we live is beautiful and peaceful. I don't know if I will ever have another place like it and that scares me. I'm fine living in town knowing that I can go up there anytime. I don't know if I can live here knowing that I can't go back.