Book Fun!

What is more fun than a room full of books?

A room full of books and the authors that wrote them!

I spent several hours this weekend at the second annual Author Expo in Buffalo, NY. It was organized by a great little bookstore called Monkey See, Monkey Do.

There was fun and surprises around every corner, and I left with several new titles under my arm.

Authors are wonderful people who just want to make people happy by sharing their stories. They are people who love words and the power they have over our thoughts and emotions. I had some wonderful conversations with several. Keep an eye on this spot over the next few weeks for some highlights.

The Universal Dylan

So, Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize for Literature this year. It’s an interesting choice. It made me stop and think.

As far as being a prolific writer, I don’t think anyone has had such an impact on the pop culture scene as Dylan. Most of his writing was done at a time of great upheaval in this country.

But what I love most about Dylan’s lyrics are their abilty to conjure up almost exact moments in your life. I know those songs by heart. He created characters that remain with me, Mr. Tabourine Man, the boxer, Quinn the Eskimo. Many echo a haunting passion for life – the human experience. It is that universality of his lyrics that have earned him the prize. And so many still ring true:

Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?

Now, Mr. Dylan, please come out of hiding to accept the award so many of us believe you have won for all of us.

Thanks all!

Wow! What a great day yesterday at Appleumpkin in Wyoming, NY!

First of all, a perfect Autumn day in Western New York. Sunshine, and 68 degrees.

Add to that some gently falling yellow leaves, a constant flow of foot-tapping country music my perfect perch on the porch of the Middlebury Academy, and it couldn’t get much better. But it did!

I met some wonderful people, who love ghost stories, history, books, quaint villages or a combination of any or all of the above! Not only did a bunch of people leave with copies of Relic, but I left with a great number of topics to research. Some will be future fodder for plot lines, while others will just be some great items to read about.

Some authors say that events like this make them feel less like authors – it’s not time spent writing. But I say otherwise. These folks, who share the excitement of my story – they’re the reason I write.

Thanks all who came out to meet and talk!

Book Signing Set!

I am mega-excited!

On Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., I will be signing copies of Relic at the Middlebury Academy in Wyoming, NY, as part of the annual Appleumpkin Festival!

This is truly a special occasion for me because the village of Wyoming was the inspiration for Willowbend, the setting of Relic. Many of the line drawings that begin the chapters started out as photos from the village.

And I'll be sitting on the porch of the building you see here, the Middlebury Academy -- the academy on the hill -- which served as the inspiration for the school that Abigail attends.

So, Relic really will be coming home to the setting of inspiration. If you've read Relic, come down and see the beautiful village first-hand. While you enjoy Appleumpkin, make your own scavenger hunt. See if you can spot the places that head many of the chapters!

And, please, find your way to see me on the porch of the Middlebury Academy! I'll gladly sign your copy of Relic. If you haven't read it yet, come down, buy a copy and get it signed!

I can hardly wait!

Good fun!

Summer Inspiration

One of our last summer trips was to Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, NY, which is serving as the inspiration for my second novel.

Like Relic, the plot in Eye of the Peacock will be totally fictionalized and will not resemble the real story of Sonnenberg at all. At 26,000 words in, I needed a little renewed inspiration. I needed to walk the paths my characters are walking, look out the windows they are gazing out, and hear the sounds they would be hearing. It did more than serve the purpose. We also took a formal tour of the property – something we have never done. I got some good basic information and also a neat nugget that might serve as the novel’s big twist.

Not only that, but I was after some photos that might serve as the basis for the cover of the novel.

Quite a productive and enjoyable day!

Women's Rights in Relic

     Mrs. Van Dansk lifted the flap of the envelope and pulled out a letter.

     “Dear Elizabeth, it starts. A letter to Elizabeth Cady Stanton? Oh, now this is exciting!” She adjusted her glasses on her nose and glanced at each of us, a child-like grin dancing at the corners of her mouth, but it wouldn’t last.”

In Relic, the original owner of Hydrangea Hall, Olivia Ainsley Wagner Roth, was a suffragette who kept company with the likes of Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

During some recent travels, I took a chance and turned off at the exit for Seneca Falls, the home of the women's movement, to see what I could see.

Alas, it was not much.

The museum dedicated to women's rights pioneers like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony was closed for the day. I’ll visit again.

If you try to find it, be warned…we passed it four times before I stopped in an extreme state of confused frustration to ask a shop owner where it was. I was expecting something grand, but found it to be an equivalent to 12 Grimmauld Place. My oldest daughter, a women’s libber in her own right at 13, said, “It couldn’t have been better hidden.”

Taking in the Sights

In the far left corner, Romanesque marble columns supported the domed iron grillwork of a garden house. A pillared pergola draped with vines waited for an evening stroll along the entire right side of the view.

 “It’s just that I’ve never seen something so…. Well, I just can’t believe I’ve lived here all my life and never realized this place was here.”

    “Well, I hear that people who live near Niagara Falls don’t go to see it either!” Ida mused.

Early in Eye of the Peacock,

Ida, the head docent at the historical manor, makes light of people who don't take time to cherish what is in their own back yards.

You don’t need Pokemon Go to get out there and learn about your surroundings. So instead of looking down at electronic devices, the family went off to Niagara Falls – which is actually in my “back yard” – and made a day of it.

I don’t think we laughed that much as a family in quite a while. With a real feel temperature of 95 degrees, we rode The Maid of the Mist without our protective ponchos, got soaked again at The Cave of the Winds, enjoyed the colorful displays at the Niagara Aquarium, and hiked Three Sisters Islands – all before quickly eating gigantic dripping ice cream cones from The Twist of the Mist!

Get out there and see what is great near you!

Fun Times

What a wonderful time we had at the tea party at Monkey See, Monkey Do Wednesday!

I made some new reading friends and was supported by some old reading friends. I thank them all for coming!

We were able to experience some of the items from Relic that kids might not be familiar with – Depression Glass and Samantha’s “torture device” – and we were also able to eat some of the goodies straight from the pages of the book!

It’s always wonderful to have kids tell me they want to be writers. It means they have ideas and are creative. Those are the kinds of kids that should populate our planet to take us into our future!

Can You Find the Freebies?

I took a bike ride the other day and found two “free” libraries in my neighborhood. I put a copy of Relic in each one.

So, there they are. Free copies to anyone who finds them!

Enjoy!

My hope is that who ever reads them, will also review Relic on Amazon.com and then return it to a free library so others have the chance to enjoy Samantha’s story.

That goes for the rest of the readers out there. Please consider writing a review of the story on Amazon!

Thanks!

And by the way, send me the location of a free library near you and I’ll consider dropping a copy of Relic there, if I’m in the neighborhood!

Summer Thoughts

Camping with friends and family recently made me think about the little things that truly encompass summer.

Those that came to mind quickly:

o   The crispy, extremely sticky sweetness of a roasted marshmallow.

o   The relief you feel when temperatures recede ever so slightly as night falls after a 90-degree day.

o   When the high-pitched crescendo of cicadas is the only sound you hear.

o   The sporadic, magical, blinking glow of fireflies in the night.

What are some of the sounds, smells and sights that tell you summer is here?

Treasure Found!

Look what I found!

The original draft of Relic!

I knew it was somewhere, and I had been keeping my eye peeled for it for the last year or so as I did my weeding out. Then, a week or so ago, as I was cleaning out the deepest, darkest recesses of my classroom, I found it buried on the bottom shelf of a cupboard.

What is cool about this draft is that it was written years ago on a Brother word processor and is literally cut and pasted together as I rearranged paragraphs. You can also see where I added hand-written sentences as I changed the draft. It wasn’t like writing on a computer where you can go back into your paragraph and make immediate changes!

What fun!

Tea Party

Join me from 4:15 to 5 p.m. Wednesday July 20 at Monkey See, Monkey Do bookstore, located at 9060 Main Street in Clarence, NY.

We plan to turn the visit into a tea party Mrs. Van Dansk would be proud of! We’ll be serving tea in china and pink depression glass tea cups. Mrs. Van Dansk’s very own peanut butter and lemon cookies will be on the menu, as well as Mrs. Whitaker’s shortbread with berry preserves.

I'll discuss the writing of Relic and answer questions. I promise a reading or two from Relic, and I’ll sign your copy if you bring it with or purchase at the store.

See you there!

More Summer Must Reads

Now for the summer recommendation for young adults:

The must-read series for older kids is The Lunar Chronicals by Maissa Meyer. In the first book, Cinder has a way with machines. She’s a gifted mechanic because she’s had to learn to deal with herself – she’s a cyborg. Among other things she has an artificial foot and her mean step mother hasn’t allowed her to spend the money to replace it since she was about 11, so it’s too small. Sound familiar? It should, but there are some clever twists. One day, a young man brings an adroid to her booth for her to repair. He has his sweatshirt hood pulled up over his head and when it falls down, it is none other than the hunky young prince.

While a deadly plague ravages Earth's population, the Lunar people watch from space. Cinder, and eventually her crowd of cronies, is caught trying to save the world by uncovering her past.

Cinder is a great read that twists a familiar fairytale. It is followed by Scarlet, Cress, and Winter, all of which add other fairytale favorites in this futuristic fantasy. If, after finishing the series, you can’t get enough (and I know several people who couldn’t get enough!) there’s Fairest, which gives you the background on Queen Levana, and Stars Above, which is a collection of short stories involving the same characters.

 

Also due out in the fall is Heartless, the story of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. It's not a continuation of the series, but a stand-alone that promises to be just as captivating.

Summer Must Reads

With summer vacation only weeks away, I’m going to recommend my favorite reads from this year:

First, for my middle grade followers, the must-read series for the summer is the Tupelo Landing series by Sheila Turnage. The series starts with Three Times Lucky, a Newbery Honor Winner. The main character Mo LoBeau, whose life itself is one big mystery, ends up trying to solve her small town’s first murder. She feels she must since her best friend Dale is the chief suspect.

The book is stocked with marvelous supporting characters: The Colonel (who may or may not be a colonel) and Miss Lana, who took in Mo 11 years ago when she washed up in hurricane; Attila Celeste, the girl Mo hates most in 6^th grade; and Grandmother Miss Lacy Thornton.

The first mystery is followed by The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing  and The Odds of Getting Even.  All are pure entertainment from start to finish. The stories run the gammut of emotions from funny to tear jerking. They are guaranteed page-turners you won’t put down.

Use Photos to Inspire

As the school year winds down, I’m gearing up for a writing summer.

Part of that pre-writing preparation involves finding photos that inspire me. For my next supernatural mystery, Eye of the Peacock, I am lucky enough to have photographed the location that provides the most inspiration for the story. But I also scan the internet for people, scenery, and historical events that help keep my descriptions focused and help me imagine the story.

Sometimes I drop these photos right at the top of my page as I write, and then remove them later. In Relic, some of the photos even made it into the book as chapter illustrations.

I’m even collecting photos for my next project, yet untitled, but planned to be a futuristic adventure.

Book Group Challenge

I heard through the grape vine the other day that several young readers plan to read Relic as a book group this summer. I think that is a fantastic idea! Reading is often such a solitary thing, and it doesn’t need to be!

Get together with two or three friends. Make a timeline so you’ll all be in the same place at the same time, and then stop and get together to talk about it. (Don't forget to have some snacks!) If you have what I call “I wonder” questions, post them on the blog in the comments section, and I’ll make sure I respond.

Then I can be a member of your book group, too!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all the mothers out there had a great, relaxing day.

I received great hand-made presents from my girls. Those are the best. My oldest, wrote me a beautiful card and it made me remember the power and beauty of hand-written notes. I will cherish it forever.

Remember to hand write someone a letter soon.

Poetry Finale

If you’ve wondered why so much poetry lately, it has been because April was poetry month. Since today is the last day of the month, my last poem will run today. Maybe more poetry will appear occasionally, but I think I need to get back to Peacock. It’s been a fun poetry run.

My Purse

Slung over my shoulder, years ago

It was fashionable.
But decades have changed things.
The envelope design,
The faux alligator texture repulses me.
Or is it that?
I open the flap and prayer cards spill out.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus,
The Assumption of Mary,
The Holy Family.                                  
The prayer of St. Francis,
The twenty-first psalm.
My father,
Marcia’s father,
Kathy’s mother,
Uncle Sy,
Bonnie,
Lynne.
I tuck Brian’s inside
with omnipresent tissues.
It has become my funeral purse.
                      - Roberta Worthington

Talking Writing with Teachers

Today I had the true pleasure of talking writing with colleagues. Teaching and writing buddy John and I discussed why, when and what we write in an attempt to inspire more teachers to find their inner novel.

We talked about how being a published writer adds a layer of credibility to you as a teacher.

As a teacher of English, writing Relic made me practice what I preached. I battled point of view, re-writing almost the entire manuscript as I changed from third to first person. I also can personally attest to how much effort goes into word choice to help create the tones associated with my scenes and characters. Both word choice, tone and point of view are aspects I want students to pay close attention to as they read to see how they affect the book as a whole.
We also got to chat about publishing, especially indie publishing.

Great fun!

Modeling Your Writing

One of the techniques I love to use when teaching young poets is modeling poetry directly from well-written, classic poetry. Here, I’ve used a poem called “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon. I analyzed the poem, line by line, to determine what each line was about and then wrote it to reflect my life. Granted, it’s not an “original” poem, but it’s an excellent exercise to play with words. Here is my version of her poem:

based on Where I’m From by George Ella Lyon

 

I am from white shoe polish

from Murphy’s oil soap and Johnson Wax

I am from the face powder under my mother’s dressing table
(fine, smooth
it smelled like roses.)
I am from the pussy willow bush,
the Catulpa tree
whose white flowers I remember
cascading with confetti strings.

I’m from panuche and bowling balls

          from Ruth and Robert.
I’m from the pinochels
          and Michigan rummies,
from You can be anything! And Listen to me!
I’m from thou shalt not
         under a canopy of crossed swords
         and the Act of Contrition on a cheat sheet.

I’m from Emil and Magdelina’s branch,

chicken and dumplings and sauerkraut.
From the lungs my grandmother sacrificed
          to her cigarettes,
the finger my father had sewn back on during the war.
 

In the upstairs closet is a potato chip carton

protecting old pictures,
a puzzle of known and unknown faces
to float in the recesses of my mind.
I am from those moments --
snapped before I was thought of --
the oldest branches from the family tree.

                              - Roberta Worthington

In Celebration of Shakespeare

Shakespeare is 400 years old today! Most people speculate his birthday was today, anyway, his death was.
 

I appreciate Shakespeare although I must confess I have not experienced the bulk of his writing. A painting reflecting A Midsummer Night's Dream hangs in my youngest daughter’s bedroom. I have a Shakespeare nutcracker and I can recite lines from my favorite plays: Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth and Julius Caesar.
 

He invented words, was a writer in the truest sense of the word – he knew his audience and wrote for them. He is bawdy and funny, serious and thought-provoking. He wrote to make a living – developed a five-act plot formula that worked every time. And he was a poet – ah, what English teacher hasn’t used his lines to teach iambic pentameter?
 

But his words – his ideas – still resonate today. The lines below from Romeo and Juliet introduce the idea of love at first sight!

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows,
As yonder lady o’er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.

Nighthawks

One of my favorite paintings has always been Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. Art often serves as wonderful inspiration for a writer, so why not choose a picture and write a poem? Or a story!

Light from the diner

slices through the night
like a knife through ham on rye
at Phillie’s.
Strong 10 cent coffee
sits cooling in indestructible mugs,
untouched.
A man at the counter
huddles over the nutty smell
of his roasted blend
pretending not to be
listening
to the couple’s conversation
that wanes with the early morning hours.
She finds the matches
more interesting
than the man with the cigarette.
Its ashes and smoke
cast a fog over their relationship
on display for everyone to see –
except there is no one,
but the white-capped boy
behind the counter,
whose comment shocks the stillness.
"Have you heard?
We’re at war!”

            -Roberta Worthington

Pancakes and Relic

What a wonderful morning!

I spent several hours at the Smallwood Elementary School pancake breakfast! Although it wasn’t an occasion to sell books, I got to talk with a lot of great folks about writing, publishing, and, of course, Relic!

Lots of foks – old and young – were interested in Relic, and I’m hoping pick up a copy at one of the local stores or through Amazon. If you do pick up a copy, catch up with me at another event and I’ll sign it for you!

Thanks for a great start to my day!

 

Ides of April Poetry

 

Chinese Politics in My Notebook

Mike knew all the words
to John Denver’s “West Virginia,”
and after gentle
but continued verbal prodding
from the more fun-loving
members of the group,
shared his rendition --
as long as we sang along –
(his only condition).

Pungent fish markets

and cyclists
flashed by our windows.
The stark contrast of country roads
taking us home
and congested highways taking us
to the Great Wall.

He was really Zhao Ying.

His hated American name
chosen to make him
more palatable to us tourists.
His father was an architect
before Mao came to power,
imposing
imprisoning
the country’s intellects.
His talents wasted,
his politics hardened
in a cement factory.

This son’s future

soon cut in stone --
no money for education.
A brain wasted as a tour guide.
His story jotted in my notebook
along with his comments
on a government long gone
but still resonating:
“Those who had nothing
Thought he was great.”
                     - by Roberta Worthington

Happy Monday Poetry!

My Hand Held Device

I am warned:
“You’ll get one.
They are a must with kids.”

How did we survive?

Unattached by
the cellular umbilical cord,
we went home
when the streetlights went on,
called from a neighborhood game
of hide and seek
running through yards,
hopping hedges
as twilight turned the sky violet –
not by our mother’s voices,
but by the flicker
of illuminating street lights.

I am listening

to breeze-rustled leaves,
birds whispering secrets,
old lyrics – one line of which
has caught in my brain.
My thoughts –
nothing thoughts.

I don’t want to be

connected
uploaded
friended
found.
I want the handheld device
to be my daughters’ hands,
my husband’s hand.
                     - By Roberta Worthington

Friday's Poetry a Day Late!

Chinese folklore says there is an invisible red thread connecting those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but never break.

Our Red Thread

It is said that a red thread
connects us,
but the symbolism is lost on me.
I look too deeply.

Is it a sewing thread
fine and agile,
manipulated with capable hands
and barely seen,
but holding us fast?

Or is it a woven thread,
coarse and nubby,
warp of a strong fabric
which we can wrap around us
like a culture blanket from another land?

I feel the warmth
of the fabric - sewn or crafted
and I drift to a memory
of a young man holding a book
and claiming with excitement,
“Look what I found on my father’s bookshelf!”
The complete memoir --  
a snippet of which
we had read in class.
And on the cover I saw the resemblance
of my German grandma
staring back at me through Chinese eyes.
My inexplicable connection,
years before I met you,
to a land I did not know.
                              - Roberta Worthington

Poetry Month: Take 1

Melting Doubt

I have seen the sunrise
just above the horizon --
an enormous, copper orb
sizzling with intensity
against the winter sky,
and I know spring is coming.
Its audacity
erases my timidity
my doubtfulness that spring --
that summer --
will ever come.

Though the vaulting sky
glows robin-egg blue,
cold still chills my bones.
Ancient stirrings caress
melting blankets,
waking myrtle,
and I know my blood
will warm.
The ground and my soul
will thaw together.

I have seen the crocus
just above the last snows –
a miniature, royal bud
bursting with intensity
against the frozen ground,
and I know spring is coming.
                           - Roberta Worthington

Small Bites

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
 

April is poetry month, and I've decided to dedicate Monday and Friday posts during April to the smaller bites of writing that I’ve been thinking a lot about lately.

My students wrote some found poetry a few weeks back, and it’s been on my mind ever since. Many teens think poetry has to be about love and all their internal problems. This type of poetry is usually filled with angst and may be theraputic, but rarely has any staying power. It’s too personal.

Talented poets can create a story in a very small space. They chose their words and the way the words play together very carefully.

I had the opportunity a few months ago to meet Amy LudwigVanDerwater, a poet and children’s author, who has a wonderful site called ThePoem Farm. She posts her poetry there. Every so often, she said she harvests poetry from the site based around a theme. She’ll bundle them up and propose an idea to her publisher. She now has two books in print, Forest Has a Song and Every Day Birds, the second recently published. When I talked with her she had the artists proofs for the book with her. They are beautiful collages made of textured papers.

Poetry is not an easy sell, but Amy has found a great outlet.

 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

There are so many chances for new starts, and I count Easter as one of them. Spiritually it means a lot to me, but also here in the northeast, there is more sunshine, longer days, and plants are starting to come alive. It all feels like a new start, especially with such favorable plans on the horizon for Relic!

So, eat a chocolate bunny ear, and take in all the smells and sounds of nature. Remember the impact on all your senses, store them away, and use them on your next writing day!

Relic News!

In an interview at the back of Cinder, Marissa Meyer said one of the most difficult things about writing is the publicity side. And she has a major publisher behind her.

As an indie author, I have to agree. She said that she has learned that following the publication of a book, the marketing takes a front seat and she has learned to write the next book during the lulls in between. Good advice.

Over the holiday break I have been working on making Relic more available. You can now purchase it as a Kindle e-book here. The paperback version will be carried in two local stores, Tile Pharmacy in Cheektowaga, NY, and Sinclair Pharmacy in Warsaw, NY. They may seem like odd venues for book sales, but both have a large gift-seeking clientele and Tile has a “locally-made” section.

The big news is that on July 20, I will have an author talk and book signing at the independently-owned Monkey See, Monkey Do book store in Clarence, NY. It looks to be a special event with cookies from the book and tea! Watch for more details. I can’t wait!

A Literary Great

Sad news this morning that author Harper Lee has died.

I’m currently studying her pulizer prize winning book To Kill a Mockingbird with my 8^th grade students. All I want them to do is love it.

It is an incredible read, so well crafted that there is absolutely nothing that happens randomly in the story line. Every word is so well chosen, every character so completely developed, that when I think of it, it is no wonder it is the only book the woman completed.

Ah, to have a title like that bearing your name. One was enough. Rest in peace Harper Lee.