Otto Grows Down

Jealously of a sibling is definitely something my kids can relate to. That’s why I was excited to get a copy of the new picture book OTTO GROWS DOWN by Michael Sussman. I wasn’t disappointed.





In Otto Grows Down, Otto’s little sister, Anna, spoils everything—by being born. When Otto makes a birthday wish that Anna was never born, strange things start to happen. Otto’s life switches into reverse! Everything goes backwards starting with Otto giving his birthday presents back to his friends, to a strange day at school, bringing in the trash, and to Otto’s joy, returning Anna to the hospital.

Otto soon realizes that all is not bliss. He keeps growing down. Plus he feels a little guilty for making his baby sister disappear. What's a boy to do when he’s only got five birthday wishes to try to get things back to normal, and fewer and fewer words to make wishes?

My entire family has had great laughs with Otto Grows Down. There are all sorts of funny backwards happenings to get a kick out of, one that may be a bit shocking or totally hilarious depending on your sense of humor. Otto Grows Down has opened up many discussions with my little ones as they imagine what it might be like to live life backwards and wonder what would happen if Otto didn’t figure out how to fix his wish. It’s also caused them to talk about jealousy and being kind to one another, which is always a good thing.

Otto Grows Down is the best book on sibling rivalry that I’ve read in a long time. Scott Magoon’s illustrations add the right amount of humor to the story. The dark pages set the mood and let readers know that something isn’t quite right. And when the love finally comes into the story, you can feel it.

I liked Otto Grows Down so much that I asked author Michael Sussman if he would grant me an interview. Not only was he kind enough to say yes, he’s also going to give away a signed copy of Otto Grows Down! Come back Thursday, April 2nd to read some great insights from Michael and enter to win a copy Otto Grows Down.

Otto Grows Down is published by Sterling Publishing.

An Orange in January

I love oranges in the winter, they're always so delicious, so full of flavor and color. When I saw the book AN ORANGE IN JANUARY, written by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Julie Maren, I had to pick it up.



The story follows an orange from the time it blossoms on the tree, to its getting plucked, then follows the orange's journey all the way through to the grocery store where a little boy chooses it. This boy loves his orange. He plays with it... he dreams about it... finally he shares it.

The illustrations by Julie Maren are irresistible. Bright and colorful, lots of orange, of course, but really, very warm. The depiction of the orange's journey is wonderful and one that is great for kids to think about. It's always enlightening to know where your food comes from, to know of the great journey it takes to reach your mouth.

The lyrical text and beautiful visuals show how an orange feels like summer, even in the coldest of months. It was just what I needed to get me through these last dreary days of winter.

An Orange in January is published by Dial Books for Young Readers.

Earth Hour

Today people are going to make a stand for the earth by participating in Earth Hour, where they all turn off their lights for one hour. It seems to be a great way to bring attention to that fact that we all use too much electricity unnecessarily.

But I wonder, will Earth Hour change the way people think? It is definitely a start, but are the cities and corporations that are turning off their unnecessary lighting for an hour going to flick that switch right back on at 9:31? (Earth hour starts at 8:30 p.m. wherever you live.) Will people be checking their watches to see if they can turn their lights back on yet? Of course, some will, but maybe some will find a new way of thinking in that dark hour. A new way of doing things.

We definitely don’t need all the lights we turn on throughout the course of a day. We don’t need to leave our outside lights on. And I think we should go farther. Electronics use phantom loads. They use electricity even though they are turned off. It’s not hard to be electrically conservative. I live this everyday, and turning things off, all the way off, is second nature now that I’ve been doing it for so long.

So what can people do to use less power? Turn off lights when you aren’t using them, of course. But go further. Do you really need that light? Could you just open the curtain? Could you sit in the same room as someone else and use one light instead of two? Do you use energy efficient light bulbs? Unplug the television/stereo, etc. when you aren’t using it. We have our television system on a power bar so turning it off is just pulling on simple plug, the same with our computer. We don’t use outside lights unless it’s necessary. And you won’t find any fancy gadgets here—-no electronic picture frames or electric pencil sharpeners. Sure, these are little things, but if we all can cut out some of the little things, together we can make a big difference.

I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy convenience. Everybody does. But it seems that we may be taking convenience too far. Here we are, thinking that turning off our lights for one hour is an amazing thing, when people lived for centuries without so much as a light bulb, and many people today still live without the conveniences electricity brings. I feel like I can speak to this and see things from both sides. I lived for two years without electricity or running water. Sure, there were inconveniences, but there is also great peace in avoiding some of our modern ways. We can all find a balance that uses much less and perhaps brings us even more. Think about all the things you use that require some sort of power: water and sewage pumps, transportation, heating, etc. What do you hold most dear without even realizing it? What could you live without? In Pakistan they are being forced to undergo a 14 hour blackout. I bet they wish it was only turning off the lights for an hour.

Here's a link to an interesting article that gives alot to think about.

It's About the Writing

I picked up my mail at the post office this morning. The only thing there was a big manila envelope. One I'd been waiting for. Really waiting for. But I had the feeling, if the envelope was there the news wasn't what I'd hoped. I'd been rejected.

It so happened that a writer friend of mine was at the post office too. She asked me how I was and I said, "I just got rejected," because, ya know, she'd understand. And she did. She reminded me of something I sometimes forget. She looked me in the eye and said, "it's about the writing... the rest will come, eventually".

It's about the writing. So simple. So true. I didn't used to write because I cared if it got turned into a book. I wrote because I like to; because I find it relaxing and fun. Because a story is something that I can--I won't go as far as to say control--but it is something that I can create.

Now that I write with the idea of getting published always in the back(sometimes not far enough back) of my mind, for better or worse, it changes the choices I make when writing a story. I'd even venture as far as to say that it at times has even influenced which story I work on. I know that I've improved my stories now that I think of arc, page turns, and emotional payoff. I try hard to make my characters sympathetic. I do my best to make my plots unique.

Truly, I know that writing for publication won't take over my writing. I can't help but write what I write. But, my thinking as a writer has evolved, and it's a good thing. It's still about the writing. I just want mine to be the best it can be.

Random Things About Winter

I've been thinking about winter because, well, it's getting so darn long. Here are some of my random thoughts:


Snow ice cream is really good.
You can leave food in your parked car all day and it doesn't go bad.
Milk freezes well. Half and half doesn't. The barbeque makes a good freezer.
The cold isn't that bad if it's not windy.
Cross country skiing is really relaxing.
I like to chop wood, unless it's apple wood. Apple wood is really hard.
Pull-start snowmobiles are not a good idea, plus once I finally get the snowmobile started, driving it makes my thumb hurt. Husband: "Why do you use your thumb?" Me: "?"
You can drive your car on top of the snow if it is cold enough. It's not cold enough anymore.
Snow caves can keep kids busy all winter.
I don't mind not going anywhere for long periods of time.
Even though I hardly ever go anywhere I am still extremely busy. What's up with that?
Boys are not afraid to ride their bikes downhill in the snow because flipping over your handlebars isn't supposed to hurt.
Dogs that jump like bunny-rabbits through the snow are crazy.
A snowmobile without brakes is a motorized sled that goes really fast.



I know there's more. I'll add more when I think of them. I have to go cook dinner on the woodstove. We ran out of propane.

Bedtime Monster has an Illustrator!

Yay! I received the new cover for my picture book, BEDTIME MONSTER, and can share it. It's light yet a little mysterious--see the shadow? I like the assortment of toys and, of course, there has to be a bed for the bedtime monster.

Raven Tree Press has chosen Bonnie Adamson to illustrate. She does wonderful drawings, cute children and adorable animals. She's already illustrated a few books for Raven Tree Press including I WISH I WAS STRONG LIKE MANUAL written by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook.



I wonder what the boy and the monster will look like. I'm sure it will be a while before I find out. Bonnie is just starting the inside illustrations and BEDTIME MONSTER isn't coming out until 2010. Still, it's exciting to see a picture book cover with my title and name on it and with illustrations inspired by a story I wrote. It's something I've been waiting for for a long time.

Rock On!

I’ve wanted to play the guitar for a long time now. My sweet husband bought me an acoustic as a birthday gift before we were married. Unfortunately, I get frustrated easily and never played around with it for too long before setting it down. My husband has gone through periods of fooling around with the guitar too, but hasn’t stuck with it. I guess we have short attention spans.

Thank goodness for long winters. We are finally learning a few things on the guitar. Well, I’m learning a few things. My husband is learning a whole lot of things. He plays while he sits at the computer and trades stocks every day. He plays in the afternoon. He plays in the evening. Me, not so much. I play when the kids give me a bit of a break and I don’t feel like writing, which was like, um, never.

And since I was playing never, my husband decided I needed a guitar that was more my size. He got one from his dad, who happens to be quite a musician and has lots of guitars laying around. He gave us a 1956 Fender Music Master. Doesn’t that sound official? Well, it was officially thrashed.



It happens that my husband is a do-it-yourself sort of guy. After playing on that ugly guitar for a few days he decided to do something about it. And viola! A beautiful “new” guitar. Isn’t he good? Now we just need to find a cover for where the strings connect at the bottom of the guitar. Yeah, I’m sure there’s a better way to explain that, but I’m too lazy figure it out.




This guitar is a ¾ size and it’s quite a bit easier for me to hold down the strings. I’ve actually been practicing, a little. If I could just remember where the fingers go for the chords and what they’re called. Sheesh! I am able to pick out single notes, by ear a lot of the time, so at least I can do something. One song at a time, I guess.

We’re teaching ourselves, which is a challenge in itself since we know nothing. But it’s fun. The kids are digging it too and are learning here and there. There are lots of good sites online that give guitar lessons (we like Guitar Noise ) plus we are able to find the songs we’re trying to play and listen to them online, which is cool. Maybe this time I’ll actually learn to play an entire song.