April 28, 2008

This morning I had the opportunity to speak to about 100 fifth graders at Center School in Thomaston, Connecticut.  Because my books are written for adults, I don't usually do speeches for students this young, but their teacher assured me they were a bright and mature group and she was right.  They are also very, very imaginative.

We spent some time brainstorming ideas for plots.  The kids were very engaged and extremely creative.  One of our stories involved a man named Willis who lives in Italy and makes a living, but not a very good one, importing maple syrup to that country.  However, his real dream is to be a claymation artist and so the story would revolve around his attempts to make that dream a reality.  I'm not sure exactly how this plot will work out, but you can see that these youngster have a wealth of ideas and are willing to take risks - absolutely crucial qualities for writers.

We didn't have time to write out our stories, just to get some rough outlines.  However, after we were finished, a few of the young ladies came and told me they were going to work together to actually write the stories we'd plotted during my visit and then have them copied and bound at the local printer.  Good for you, girls!  I hope you stick with it and when you're finished with your book, I hope you'll send me an autographed copy! 

April 23, 2008

I'm home from Hawaii with the remnants of my first, and probably my last, tan.  My sisters have nicknamed my husband and I "the albino twins" - a moniker not too far from the truth.  We aren't just pale, we practically glow in the dark.  However, my accidental sunburn (turns out SPF 30 was inadequate protection for my alabaster self), has mellowed into a color decidedly less than bronze, but darker than marshmallow - very exciting.  

All in all, it was a wonderful trip, the whale watching was beyond spectacular and I enjoyed getting to visit with old and new girlfriends.  However, I'm thinking that in the future, it may not be a good idea for me to travel six time zones from home when I'm on a writing deadline.  I've been home for three days and I'm still waking up at 3am ready to party, then moping around the house in a daze during daylight hours.  Can't seem to get anything done.  It's starting to worry me.  Is there such a thing as chronic jet lag? 

April 13, 2008

Life is good!  I'm on the beautiful island of Maui with five girlfriends.  We're here to celebrate the 40th birthday of one of my dearest friends, Pamela Helm, and we're all having a great time!  It was a long flight to get here, I was up 25 hours straight before I was able to go to bed, but it was worth the trip and then some.  

This morning, we all woke up bright and early (well, they did and then they made me get up to, after the administration of a large cup of coffee) and we went for a walk along the beach.  As luck would have it, we walked by an open air restaurant that hosts a church service right before it was starting.  So that's how I began my day, in the company of friends, serenaded by the sound of the surf, blessed by the beauty of creation, and in the presence of God.  This truly is as good as it gets!

April 3, 2008

Well, it turns out that while I am very good at cheating at Pirate Mini-Golf, my son cheats even more shamelessly than I.   Still, Florida was a lot of fun and we had many exciting and serendipitous adventures.  

My favorite was the night we were driving back from a book signing to our hotel and saw a giant white circus tent by the side of the road.  We pulled off, bought two ringside seats, and enjoyed a spectacular performance by Circus Sarasota.  At intermission, I bought us sno-cones, one red and one blue, only to learn that my son had never had a sno-cone before!  What kind of deprived upbringing have I been giving this boy?  How does as person get to be fourteen years old and never have eaten a sno-cone.  

My maternal guilt was in full flower over that one.  However, in my own defense, I must say that during my boy's prime sno-cone years, we were living in Mexico where one had to be careful of all things made with ice (and questionable sources of water), especially if they are sold by street vendors. 

So, now we're back home, my son is back in school and I am back in my office, working on my next book.  It's good to be home, but it's even better to get out and have an adventure now and again.