Something weird's going on while I try to post this entry. There aren't any linky things at the top for photos or anything else so I'll do the best I can.
Yesterday morning, I got online to register for the New England SCBWI conference in April and was surprised to see that one session was full already! The registration began at midnight! Then, one of my crit friends said that she signed in at 9:30 and is on 2 wait lists!!! And this morning an email came through saying that over 300 people have already signed up and the wait lines are growing. Just goes to show how the "my" conference is getting a reputation of being one of the finest for children's writers! If you haven't registered, here's the link-hope it works.

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1033118

Another thing I'm excited about is here
http://www.bethstilborn.com/care-and-feeding-of-bookworms/#comment-422
You have a chance to win Emma Walton Hamilton's book Raising Bookworms. I did raise bookworms, but I know lots of you have or are teaching reluctant readers.

Now I'm a bit frustrated with this post-no photos, just news.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday to you my friends


and please think of the old guy and give him a break. He had a hard night!

One of my friends asked me what I gave him to drink! HO HO HO!!!!!!
Happy Happy to you.
ps-I hate to abandon those of you over here, but I've been posting over at Blogger lately...sorry!

My picture book muse has taken over for the month of November so lucky for me that I signed up for PiBoIdMo. The challenge is to come up with at least one PB idea a day for thirty days. So where do these ideas come from? Going to coffee on a Friday morning with the girlfriends isn't going to do it-or is it? 

Kids have pets they want to show off! An idea for a book? I think so!

An idea could "stem" from a walk in the woods, though be careful because the hunters are out there now too. But look at this. A story? Maybe


Or simply look up! There's always something going on.........


Write. Dream. Don't ever stop looking for that pot of gold. And if you ever get tired of looking, thinking there is no rainbow, reach out and take a hand that's offered, and when you're back on track, reach out again and offer yours.

Two books came in the mail this week, and both of them have a story. I know you’re thinking, ‘what’s up with her-that’s what books have, a story’. So let me tell you my story of each of these.

I was a winner again!!! Galaxy Games by Greg Fishbone was my prize for entering Debbi Michiko Florence’s  blog contest. Greg is kind of a friend of mine so it makes that book extra special. Okay, again you question, ‘kind of a friend?’ Well yeah. Greg and I see each other once a year at the New England SCBWI conference. We always meet up somewhere, usually the lobby, and have a bit of a personal chat. He's always happy and never hesitates to show me updated pictures of his beautiful little daughter. Both of us are early birds so we even had breakfast together one morning before our other friends woke up.
So come April, I’ll be excited to meet up with him so I can tell him that I read his book and truly enjoyed it. I’m reading it as we speak, and I’ll tell you, it is really a “different” story, and too too funny! I can’t wait to pass it on to my nephew who’s a good reader, but a truly reluctant reader. He’s a fun and funny kid and I know that he’ll love sharing Greg’s humor with his friends.  So that’s my story on this book.

The second book that arrived this week is one that I ordered, and that’s where its story is-the ordering part of it. Let me backtrack a bit and tell you the story behind the story! My friend's birthday was coming up and she was also going to have knee surgery. I know she reads all she can of Beverly Lewis's series and I also knew that she hadn’t read The Secret so that was going to be my dual gift for her birthday and recovery. I truly believe, that when possible, the right thing to do is- SHOP LOCAL. So, I tried to locate it at two of my in town book stores. They could order it, but neither had it available. I wanted it now! I’ve ordered from Amazon before and was thinking that would be my quickest means when I read a few blogs about an upcoming event at the Flying Pig Bookstore in Vermont. Some of my author friends were going to be there reading and signing. It got me thinking about expanding my local! I know author and co-owner Elizabeth Bluemie, and tada, flick light bulb, or whatever the moment was, I decided that The Flying Pig is still shopping locally for me! So I tried ordering through their online form and guess what, The Secret was available. I ordered it, had an email contact with co-owner Josie, and in a few days my friend’s book was here in the ‘ville.  So that’s my happy tale of this book! 

More stories to come from me I hope.
Jo Knowles' boost to writing, JoMoWriMo, is winding down and my muse has been playing picture book writer instead of novelist. 
   Now with November right around the week-end, NaNoWriMo is starting up as well as Tara Lazar's PiBoLoMo challenge. So what to do what to do?!?!?! Not to worry, I signed up to both! Right, like I'm going to write 50,00 words, is it a day on my MG novel, or be able to jot 30 new picture book ideas, but I'm ready for what this jumbled up mind of mine ready to produce. Just gives me motivation and goals to try and keep up with. It's not discouraging not to be able to keep up with all of this, but rather encouraging to think I have something to aim for, knowing that I will write something!
   Happy day to all of you. Happy story time too-there's always a story!

Life is full of choices and truths and dreams and obsessions and hobbies and love and  and  and........ 

So first I'll tell you of one of my obsession- the sky!  No matter what the color, clouds or no clouds, sun or moon, I have to grab my camera and shoot! Lately it’s been the reds and grays of pre dawn clouds and the night’s full moon. I not only take the pictures and sometimes post them, but that sky sets me to dreaming-real and fairytalish!

           Pink sky in the morning, sailor take warning!

      Another of my obsessions is writing for children, and with that comes dreams, fantasy, and  truth. I usually throw a bit of non fiction, or true facts, into my fictional tales. So when I write about the moon, I can color my once upon a time story with colorful words and mind images. But when the moon is involved, I must throw in a few real things in the mix in the mix of words. 

        I research before I insert the facts. So when a friend who knows that I have a full moon story itching to be published, she said, “Yeah, it’s October and it’s the Hunter Moon, right?” 

        Hunter Moon? Well that’s not what I thought. Not how I tell it in my story. So, I went back to the Farmer’s Almanac where I first found the information, and my friend was right-it is Hunter’s Full Moon. But, it is also Harvest Full Moon which is how I tell my story. 

                       Harvest Full Moon of October 2011
    

         Okay, so back to the choice and the obsessions and the truth. Truth is, I made the choice to write Harvest moon in my story. A moon to gather by rather than stalking and shooting. I have nothing against hunting. It’s what they do around here during the seasons.  But in this tale, I want kids to see pumpkins and apples and squash.  And, if by chance you’re questioning that the full moon of September might be the Harvest moon, well that’s true too. But there again, I had choices, so I picked Corn moon, another harvest thought! Tall stalks, mazes, silk, ears, bushel baskets, wheelbarrows.

           I made the choices for my story, choices for truth. Someday an illustrator will have their own images for the pages using my chosen words as influence!  

                                                               

    

  Yes it is September and that means a very special writing Schmooze at Poland Spring Campground.
Our friend and author tamra_wight  and her family are our warm hosts for this annual fall get together.
We have certain rituals that we must go through before we get down to the business of writing.
Socialize, eat, play, drink wine and Mike's and catch up with Tami and Dave's kids. Boy,they've grown up since we started Schmoozing way back then. Alex is a lovely young woman who's graduated from college and Ben has turned into Mr. Personality!!! You'll have to go over to Tami's Live Journal to see them. In the meantime, here are the early birds ready for the week-end...
Waiting for the pizza guy...from left to right-our guest editor, Sarah Dotts Barley, Harper Collins, CindyFaughnan, Jo Knowles, Valarie Giogas, and Tami (I'm holding the camera!). Wonderful company, wonderful friends. 
  We were up early and ventured out of our camper to the Poland Spring Room for our work day. We've settled into a routine that we don't stray from. Each of us gets a chance to read WIP, followed by the others' honest and respectful critiques, suggestions, edits and conversation. It's funny, because we don't always agree on the points made by each other, but that's good. In the end, the author makes the final call. And speaking of call, or caller,  Jeanne Bracken has always been our trusty time keeper!  

  Working, working, working...Reading, thinking,  jotting. One manuscript at a time- Word by word, line by line-periods, commas, tense, person, genre. 
Made us hungry, and you know what, writers can cook!!!

Salads, mac and cheese, chili, cheesy garden casserole, caprese salad, chili, faccacia and don't let the bread wrapper fool you, there are home baked whole wheat and white rolls tucked in there - and whoopie pies, raspberry squares and so munch more yummy food!!!! 
  When lunch break was over, it was back to work for most. I had to leave for nephew's wedding, but not before our "in front of the book case" group photo.
                                                                                                                                                                                     
Here are my Schmoozers...Me, Anna Boll, Denise Ortakales, Valarie giogas, Cindy cfaughnan, Jeanne Bracken, Jo Knowles jbknowles, -seated, Mary Morton, Tami Wight tamra_wight, Sarah Dotts Barley, editor.
  And then I left......and  zoomed down the highway
to a beautiful and fun autumn wedding reception for Cal and Kendra Pease and the "boys". 
   And today, was an apple picking day with girlfriends.
   Perfect week-end.... Hope yours was too.

 




                   

It came last week, and even though I could hardly wait, the timing was perfect. (though the date looks like it may have sat in the "out" box for awhile) My Letter of Merit from the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators was in perfect send out time with the monthly on-line Society newsletter announcing winners and letters of merit of the seven grants available. And tadaaaa........
 
Truly...it does provide me with "extra encouragement" for my writing journey. 
This happens to be the story that I've received the most hand written, positive rejections on....yes rejections or rather declines. Some of them were simply timing, others included beautiful words and encouraged me to keep subbing it. And one even said, "we almost accepted it."...now that hurt! But I will keep at it...most of you "know me".
         I also won something else very special. A crit for one of my picture books from the very talented writer,  Tara Lazar. It was kind of by default, but honest default...I sent the most people over to her picture book premise contest. And I must tell you that my very dear friend, Valarie Giogas, was the grand winner of Tara's  premise contest. So happy happy to both of us!!!!!  I don't know if Val has subbed her story to Tara yet. I'll be seeing her soon. I'm slow! I haven't decided which of my manuscripts to send-it's hard to decide. Stop procrastinating Mona and get to it!
        I've been trying to work up a query letter and have found lots of help right here on the 'net.
*Charlotte Dillon has several example- http://www.charlottedillon.com/query.html
*Harold Underdown has too, and much much more at - http://www.underdown.org/mf-cover-and-query-letters.htm
*And Jill Corcoran has a list of agents and their thoughts on query letters-   http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-write-query-letter-advice-from.html

These are only a few, but it will take me awhile to get through them...and if you have others, and want to share, I'd appreciate it.
     Schmooze week-end coming up. Have been trying to get my pages in order to take for round circle critique.  Can't wait to visit, read, write and have fun with some favorite writing buddies. It truly is a working event on Saturday, but there's all that time in between!!!! 
     Think I'll go to a  soccer game this afternoon. Life is okay...life is good!!!
     Have a great week
    

Dance! Dance! Dance! and sing Happy Birth Day turkeys!!!!!! This is a big day for my friend Brenda Reeves Sturgis...
I'm pleased to introduce her new picture book >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 
 

A few copies have appeared here and there before now, and I'm lucky to have  mine already, signed, autographed, and delivered in person from my friend,  the author herself. But today folks, is officially the day! Ten Turkeys ARE in the road!
Oh, and another BIG BIG BIG piece of news concerning this book - you will be seeing it in all the Scholastic book club orders.
CONGRATULATIONS Brenda Reeves Sturgis   http://www.brendareevessturgis.com/Home.html

I've been waiting for it to arrive...the letter!  It was going to be the first photo I posted, but...well, it's just not here so I'll post this- The Sturgeon moon of August.



This is a hint of the letter! And for my friend Esther, who wants to know!

Sometimes, quick plans turn out to be the best ones. Yesterday, with a few back and forth calls from daughters, we were on our way to "the" island to spend the day. Shelley navigated us in her Boston Whaler over to Friendship Long Island...it was glorious!




So much for the beautiful day on the Atlantic Ocean.
Now for some other things of nature-
My friends are posting their harvests and I usually do too-however today, I'll show you the creature that wants to steal my tomatoes...I have to go out a hunting every day-it's a match between (wo) man and beast!


I'd like to harvest my own fruits of my labor-thank you very much!
Clo
Clothes are hung on the line, emails read, a critique for friend done, clothes on the line, peeking in and out of WriteOnCon - a great on-line conference by the way.
And....babysitting right now!
For now-have a great day!

 Hip Hip Hooray...Hamster has a Birth Day!  CONGRATULATIONS Cindy!!!

Today is release day of my friend (Cindy) Cynthia Lord's Happy Birthday Hamster book...and for the life of me, I want to put a 'p' in there!  The Hamster's been cruising in Hot Rods, and now there's a party going on. Congratulations Cindy!!!! 

This if for my non-writer friends...Cindy is the author of the award winning middle grade RULES and her latest middle grade Touch Blue.  I read chapters of  Touch Blue a few years ago, to the multi class at the Jefferson Village School (left the rest for the teacher to read). Fifth and sixth graders sat mesmerized! I didn't even know they'd listen. 

I have "baby girl" today while her mom does some cleaning. We walked 'out back' and she loved socializing with her twin cousins and their cousins... happy happy kids. The boys are too funny with her. Marissa is napping now, but not before I let her eat lunch...her mama is going to crown me when she sees the messy pictures!

The day before yesterday, I decided that I was going to try and do something about my obsolete website...and found out the co and template I had used a few years ago is truly obsolete. So a nice guy at the hosting place said he'd send me a few other website companies that had templates. Oh Lordy, I'm dense!!! But something struck yesterday when I woke up..like I kind of remembered that my year old MAC Book has a program. Well I hunted, found it and voila!!! I have a new, kind of okay website...It will get better.                                                          
Took baby swimming this afternoon...God bless you mothers that have babies or young children and do all you do.  I'm amazed that besides the regular everyday stuff, my writer friends write!!! (and critique and go to meetings and conferences!!!!!)


It's still today so I can still celebrate with Hamster. I'm ready for the cake!!!