On talking to oneself.

I know other people do this, I mean my Grandmother does. Always has. My husband teases me because I run down a list of things I need to do - out loud. My brother does the same. It's like hearing it helps us remember. Heck, I can even remember taking exams in college, I could tell you the answer was on the right side of page #72, but I just couldn't SEE it. I'd run through the entire Krebs Cycle or what not in my brain, searching, hoping, for the missing point. If only they'd had a jingle. Or an awesome acronym.

But some days, I'm pretty sure I'm just crazy.

For instance, I've been looking at pictures, and naming, my own flock of fictionalized Icelandic sheep for 72 hours.

It's research, I pinky promise.

(And, yes, I'm aware of Research's evil twin, Procrastination. We first met in junior high.)

How fun is this?

Don't you know this kid could hardly go to sleep? Be sure to watch to the end. Mayer gives him the red guitar and signs it "To Austin, You rock. Keep playing. See you at your show."

On Being Great

This post comes by way of Moonrat, an anonymous editorial assistant.

There are different definitions of what makes a writer "great", and the ways that different writers go about being their version of great varies a great deal, too. So unfortunately there is no simple formula for greatness. But I do strongly recommend reading every day and writing every day, faithfully and persistently, and wanting to live the rest of your life that way. Greatness is not achieved through a passing interest or periodic dabbling, and most writers' first work (or works) do not get published. I can tell you at least that no one ever achieves greatness by wanting to be a writer-- only by being one.

It isn't pretty.

It is 116 pages of boggy middles, plot holes, weird formatting, and a spark of an ending. But it's one heckuva lot closer than before I'd started!
A big thanks and a promise of no pot pie this week to my husband for the new, speedy printer.

Posted via email from Another Gray Day

Tuesday Teaser

Garrett’s mouth went dry. Space Camp? The Space Camp? Space Camp where kids float in zero gravity and test flight simulators and eat real, live astronaut food? He looked wide-eyed at Zach whose mouth was so huge with disbelief the space shuttle itself could land inside.

Graham Cracker Goodness

I first saw the recipe for this on Cheryl Klein's blog. I added the crushed peppermints because:

1. Who doesn't love peppermints and chocolate?

2. I was in a real pickle. I needed some cookies for a Christmas cookie swap and fast.

These would make great Valentine's treats too. And if you have small kids at home, you can probably make these without going to the store. The ingredients are staples in most households with preschoolers. Plus they can store for a long time in an airtight container or in the freezer. (That is, if you have more willpower than we do.)

Graham Cracker Goodness

1 sleeve graham crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 pkg chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 10" x 15" cookie sheet with tinfoil. Place crackers flat on the cookie sheet so that they're all touching each other and so that they extend right to the edges. (Use pieces of crackers if necessary to make it work out.)

Melt butter and sugar.

Boil 3 minutes.

Pour over crackers.

Put in the oven for 5 minutes, or until bubbles form all over.

Find your nearest tattooed chef with homemade paper/Scotch tape apron and begin pounding peppermints like there's no tomorrow. Set a timer, so you don't forget your goodies during the mint crushing frenzy.

Pull out the cookie sheet and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Put in the oven for an additional minute, then take it out and spread the chocolate to the edges.

Sprinkle on the crushed mints. Isn't it pretty?

Let it cool. Put in the freezer for 3 hours (or more), then take out the frozen sheet and peel off the tinfoil. Break the bark into pieces. Can be frozen, stored in a tin, or consumed - my personal favorite. Enjoy. Happy Valentine's Day to all.

The Babysitters Club Great Comeback

Scholastic is launching a comeback of Ann M. Martin's best selling series, The Baby-Sitters Club with a prequel thrown in!

Here's the link to the press release. Two hundred and thirteen titles?! Don't believe me? Look here. Holy guacamole! That's a ton of books! Interestingly, Ms. Martin wrote over 60 of the original series herself. (That's still a ton of books.)

"David Levithan, the editorial director at Scholastic and an editor of “The Baby-Sitters Club" said the publisher decided to bring back the old series because of requests from fans who wanted a comeback. “This whole generation of girls who had grown up reading ‘The Baby-Sitters Club’ were now teachers, librarians or mothers,” Mr. Levithan said. “And at any opportunity they had, they let us know they wanted them back. We couldn’t go to a convention without having women come up to us and say, ‘You’ve got to bring these books back.’”

Hee. Hee. I LOVE it. Claudia was my favorite character. I loved her artsy style and mismatched earrings. Maybe she had more guts than me. And remember Stacey always dotted her i's with hearts?

If you need a refresher, click here for a fun trip down memory lane. Be sure to tell us who your favorite character was and why!

Tuesday Teaser

Picture book edition:

Days passed with no news.

Aren't you on the edge of your seat? LOL.

I did have "Days went by with no news" but just now changed it to "passed". See how many times I can read something and STILL not realize it's too wordy!

How not to feel lost in your story. (Or, will it ever end?)

This is how I'm feeling lately with my WIP. Lost.

Gail Carson Levine had a super post about this. Here is a small excerpt below, and I hope to see you waiting for me at the van in the parking lot sometime soon. (Someone save an ice cold Dr. Pepper for me, okay?)

"As for feeling lost, that may be the sensation I hate most when I’m writing and the one I experience the most often. You and I need to develop a tolerance for it. For me, finding a story is like picking my way through a jungle. I know that on the other side of the vegetation is a parking lot and a van with The End painted on the side, but the only trail markers are occasional notches in the stems of a species of meat-eating plant.

To continue through the jungle - rather than standing still and howling, or jumping on the first helicopter out - is hard. It may help if you get interested in the details: the fauna and flora around you, the bird whose cry sounds amazingly like popcorn popping, or the flower with petals the color of a sunset. You’re still lost, but you’re entertaining yourself as you inch along."

If I'm not around,

Here's why:

"Reading blogs will not turn you into a published author. Writing blogs won't either. Writing books will. You have precious little time after your other responsibilities and if the goal is to write a book, well, then... write it."

--Laurie Halse Anderson, on her blog.

I've got a book to write! I'll have to earn my blogging minutes.

There is still time left to participate in the scavenger hunt giveaway. I'll email the winners directly.

Happy Writing!

Giveaway Scavenger Hunt

Begins in two minutes. Rules here.

And a hint: WE really LOVE Valentine's candy.

Good luck!

Conference Updates and a Giveaway!

Check these ladies' blogs for photos and thoughts on the Austin SCBWI conference last weekend.

PJ Hoover

Sara Lewis Holmes

Kirby Larson

On to other exciting things, I'll be hosting my first giveaway, starting at NOON CST* on Wednesday, February 3rd.

It's a first come, first find basis.

The first two blog readers (from the US) that snoop out this valentine candy

anywhere on my blog, and email me the correct link (not this post, obviously), are the winners. You have 24 hours or until the first two correct links hit my inbox. I love a good scavenger hunt, don't you?

Two winners will receive one AUTOGRAPHED novel by Clara Gillow Clark.

1st prize: Secrets of Greymoor , a signed, hardcover copy, in which Hattie makes her own Valentines and solves a puzzling mystery.

2nd prize: Hattie's first rip-roaring adventure, also signed, in paperback, Hill Hawk Hattie!

Now tweet and blog it far and wide. The more, the merrier, and the fiercer the competition. Good luck to all! Get ready to snoop!

*The image will not be posted before noon on Feb. 3rd to ensure fairness.