Book Festival Season, Ohioana Style by Kathy Halsey

It's book festival time! They are popping up like crocuses. Last weekend, I explored the 9th annual Ohioana Book Festival in downtown Columbus and am sharing my writer take aways.

The festival boasted panel discussions by illustrators, poetry, publishing tips, and over 100 Ohio authors! Twenty-four of those authors were children's/middle grade/young adult. 

In the exhibitors' hall, I reintroduced myself to the amazing Margaret Peterson Haddix, who remembered her visit to my intermediate school library when the Shadow Children series was new. I volunteered that I wrote now, and she graciously took my business card. Connect and share with other authors...the famous ones are usually uber nice.

Marlane Kennedy, Margaret's booth mate, shared her new series DISASTER STRIKES and the fact that she'd written for 14 years before her debut book ME AND THE PUMPKIN QUEEN took off. (Persistence pays off. Great ideas that resonate w/kids -disasters- pay off in a series. Each is set in a different locale and has diverse characters, too.) I am studying the 1st one for clues on structure.

I also met Dr. Kevin Cordi, professional storyteller, professor, and co-director for the Columbus Area Writing Project at OSU. I am already devouring his newest book, PLAYING WITH STORIES. In this craft book for writers, educators and storytellers, Kevin says we forget to play with our work. He has tons of exercises to open writers up to "what if's" and different ways to approach our stories before we even commit them to paper. 

Janet w/Choose to Read Ohio Poster

M.Anne Touvell, Meg Brown, and Thurber House volunteer

I wrapped up the festival by connecting w/ librarian friend Janet Ingraham Dwyer, library consultant at the State Library of Ohio, and the directors of Thurber House. SLO, the Ohioana Library Association, and The Ohio Center for the Book has created wonderful toolkits for Ohio authors' books to be used by educators, families, and caregivers. Janet and I worked together on the teacher toolkits back in 2011. Take a gander at these for ideas for your own teacher toolkits.

The Thurber House is another great Ohio literary stop, home of humorist James Thurber, which hosts literary picnics, featured writers, and writer-in-residence programs, too. I shared my experiences of teaching and writing and pitched an adult class for beginning picture book writers. I followed up this week w/my resume and have my fingers crossed. Even if I don't teach a class there, I know I'll volunteer and get to know this fabulous resource better.

Enjoy festival season and soak up some literary goodness with the GROG. Where are YOU going this year to feed your creative soul? Let us know in the comments. 

Meet author Eileen R. Meyer ~ by Patricia Toht

This woman is one of the most diligent writers I know:

While I often sheepishly show up to critique group with nothing in hand, she consistently crafts and revises. This spring marks the birth of her third book, and I think she's someone you might like to know. Welcome to the GROG, Eileen R. Meyer!

How long have you been writing for children?

Eileen: I joined SCBWI and took an introductory class from local author/teacher, Carmela Martino, when my twins were in preschool. Last fall, they left home for college – so it’s been almost 15 years since I started down this path!

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?

Eileen in second grade.

Eileen: I’m a bit of a late bloomer. I grew up in a big, noisy family. Books provided escape – I was hooked on reading from a young age. But, I never thought about writing as a profession. 

The three adorable Meyer boys
(from left - Mitchell, William, Christian).

Fast forward a few decades, and I found myself once again in the children’s department of the library with my three young sons. All were born within a two-year period so I had my own toddler reading circle! We lugged home 20 - 30 new books each week and read story after story. I began to think more about writing for children, so I signed up for Carmela’s class.  Today, my sons still love to read books, and in this digital world, I consider that one of my best accomplishments!

Your new picture book, Sweet Dreams, Wild Animals: A Story of Sleep, combines nonfiction and poetry (my favorite combination!). How long does it take to research a picture book? Any tips?

Eileen: Each project is unique. Sweet Dreams, Wild Animals showcases fourteen animals in a lyrical bedtime story about the unusual ways that animals sleep. 

Natural history notes explain how each one sleeps, from the frigatebird that naps while flying to the walrus that sleeps with its tusks anchored in floating ice. This book took about three months to research and write. But a different manuscript (about a famous historical figure) has taken well over a year to painstakingly research and write. The complexity of the subject matter can dictate how long a project may take. 

As for research tips, I think everyone has their own methods. Being open-minded when a lead takes you down a completely different path is important. Your manuscript may end up being quite different than you first intended!

What inspires you to write? How do you come up with your ideas?

Eileen: I love the process of working on a new manuscript! Each project is an exploration -- a challenge to learn something new and share it with young readers. Choosing a potential topic is great fun, and inspiration is all around:

1) Keep a journal. Something you read in a newspaper or hear on the news may spur an idea.

2) Write a book that should be available. My first book was about animals and their respective speeds, from slow movers to speed demons. Existing books compared only fast animals or focused on one particular animal in detail. So my first book, Who’s Faster? Animals on the Move, filled a void in the marketplace.

3) Work with a topic that complements part of your life. My second book, Ballpark, was written during the time that my sons played Little League. We toured ballparks all over the U.S. – so I was immersed in all-things baseball.

Eileen's poem, "Fossils"
© Highlights Magazine
November, 2007

What do you like most about writing poetry?

Eileen: I enjoy the challenge –  each poem is a puzzle. Before I sit down to write, I think about what I’m trying to achieve. Will the poem be humorous? Should there be a twist at the end? Free-flowing in style or clipped and terse? Informative? Silly?  Once I have an idea, the challenge is then to write a great poem. It’s all a learning process.

What do you like least?

Eileen: The fact that the finished product can be a very hard sell. Many editors don’t want to see poetry collections or picture books written in verse, and agents don’t seem too keen on poetry either.

You sold your first three books without an agent. Well done! Do you have any advice for writers who are submitting their own work?

Eileen:

1) Send only your best work. Share your text with a critique group and revise, revise, REVISE! Make every word in your PB manuscript perfect. Sending your best work is the only way I know to rise to the top of the slush pile. 

2) Consider submitting to smaller publishing houses. Many have open submissions policies and are supportive of publishing new voices.  My first picture book sale was to a smaller house and they’ve been great to work with. I sold another book to them a few years later.

3) To gain access to closed houses, attend writing conferences. Take note when editors identify what they’re looking for or what would “make their day”. I sold my second book this way – an editor said she was interested in picture books about sports, so I submitted Ballpark. Months later she asked for revisions (which I gladly did!) and they offered me a contract. Ballpark was published in 2014, is now in paperback, and is offered in Scholastic Book Club and Book Fairs.

When you do school visits, what do you find resonates well with students?

Eileen: HUMOR! I try to introduce some funny elements at the beginning of my programs. When students know we’re going to have fun, they loosen up.  Also, BE PREPARED. It takes a lot of advance work to make things look “effortless” the day of your program!

Here’s a question that we love to ask: If you could invite any author or illustrator to dinner, who would it be?

One of Douglas Florian's
many books.

Eileen: Tough question! I have to choose just one? I think it would be author/illustrator, Douglas Florian. I adore his poetry collections. His work is quirky and insightful; he’s distinctive and approaches each topic in a unique fashion.  I also admire his spare, simple verse, which is quite difficult to write.

Are you working on something new?

Eileen: I am almost finished with a poetry collection about an important figure in American history. I’m revising it to submit for a critique at the SCBWI LA conference this summer. (Can’t wait – I’m a first time attendee at this event!) I’m also researching a picture book biography of a sports figure. I began it years ago, but couldn’t figure out the right framework and set it aside. Now, five years later, I have an idea of how to write it. I need to revisit my research, digging deeper into the person’s life and experiences.

Where can we find you on social media?

Eileen: My website is www.eileenmeyerbooks.com.

More information about my new picture book, Sweet Dreams, Wild Animals: A Story of Sleep, can be found here. Purchase it here or here. 

Find me (and "Like Me"!) on Facebook here.

Thanks, Eileen!

Stretch With Ekphrastic Poetry and Writing

View image | gettyimages.com

By Janie Reinart


It's time to “work out” your writing muscles. Take a deep cleansing breath and stretch! 

Today, I invite you to bring the visual arts and creative writing together. 

From the Greek meaning to describe, ekphrastic poetry or writing uses a painting or work of art as the jumping off point for entering into that work of art and creating something new in our response.

View image | gettyimages.com

An example is John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn where the figures are in motion but frozen in time.

             What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
            What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
               What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

View image | gettyimages.com

Don McLean's hit song Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) is another example of using paintings and Van Gogh's life to create music.

Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze, 

Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.

One of my favorite authors, Tracy Chevalier, wrote a story using the painting of the Dutch painter Vermeer as her jumping off point, Girl with a Pearl Earring.

In an interview, Tracy says," In the painting the girl’s clothes are very plain compared to other Vermeer ladies, and yet the pearl is clearly luxurious. I was fascinated by that contrast, and it seemed to me that the pearl was not hers. At the same time, I also felt she knew Vermeer well, as her gaze is very direct and knowing. So I thought, "She knows him, she’s close to him, but she’s not well off. Who is she?" His servant. It just seemed right."

I had the opportunity to participate in a project partnering works of fine art with poetry called Silver Apples of the Moon.  Each participant juxtaposed a favorite poem with a piece of visual art and then explained how it enriched our lives and touched us in a personal way.

The poem I chose was When Someone Deeply Listens to You by my friend, John Fox. The painting,The Red Kerchief by Claude Monet was at the Cleveland Museum of Art. 

Here is an excerpt from my essay, The Deep Color of Love, dedicated to my friend and colleague, Jane Clark. 

Silence frames this fleeting moment like the delicate lace curtains painted by Monet. Listen. Just listen. Loneliness glances out the window of a bare nursing home room...

I search her face for signs of her old self. There is blurriness there-like Monet's sketchy brush strokes. She is ensnared in her body, frozen, just looking back at me... 

As the red cape in the picture draws my attention, so my eyes are drawn to my friend's right hand. It is the only part of her body that she can move now. 

Her fingernails painted a deep red-the color of passionate living, of love, of life-blood-are her last act of defiance against her brain tumor...

We share three precious hours in that room...Her death a few days later leaves me staring, frozen in grief... Her memory " is now at home within." 

Share your creations with us in the comments. Mention what work of visual art was your inspiration.

Save the Scraps: Guest Post by Carrie Charley Brown

Revision ignites my thoughts… Oh, the possibilities!  And with so many directions to turn, why ignore any of them?  As writers, we are quick to dismiss an idea that doesn't sit right. If you are like me, typing most drafts directly into the computer, that little backspace action can permanently erase a perfectly good idea. Fast. But, what if you had kept your nearly dismissed ideas?

Most of us already have a bank for our initial ideas.  We know enough to write them down and stuff them into a special container, folder, or notebook. So, why not do this when revising, as well? It’s easy when we receive a critique back. Even if we aren't initially ready to accept the feedback, we can save it for later when our defense walls have dropped.

When writing first drafts, we all approach them a bit differently. In fact, I don't always do it the same way every time, either. Sometimes, I brainstorm the plot bones first. But mostly, I am a pantser. I just want to get the ideas on the paper and see where it leads me. That’s when I encounter the little angel/devil friends sitting on each shoulder.

Angel:  “Now, now, now…you need to follow the rules.”

Devil:  “Don’t listen to her. You’re going for unique. Live a little.”

Before hitting the delete key, copy and paste that idea and put it in a document dedicated to your manuscript. I use the title of my manuscript followed by the word “brainstorm” or “ideas.” The page looks like a hodgepodge, but at least the ideas are still there. It comes in super handy when revising.

I suppose I’m the same way when critiquing professionally. I like to share all of the ideas that pop into my mind, and the result is a very honest, detailed critique, that takes about two-four hours of my time. I would much rather share things ahead of time with a client. We value those first impression opportunities with agents and editors too much to waste them.

Through it all, you can always turn back to your hodge-podge of deleted phrases, sentences, and ideas. You can also turn to mentor texts and the countless articles that are posted online.  



If you have not yet joined an online writing community of some sort, the support is priceless. My go-to communities are the 12x12 PictureBook Challenge, PiBoIdMo, ReviMo, KidLit 411, and my own ReFoReMo . Each community has a Facebook group where writers can ask questions, recommend mentor texts, and share valuable articles found on the Internet.

So, back to that critique we saved for later. Now that the ideas have sat in the back of our minds, we'll be open to experimenting. Don’t be afraid to start a rewrite or let your plot go in a new direction. You’ll never really know if it works unless you try it. You might have 20 different versions that include 3 different points of view, 5 different plots, and varied word lengths. That’s okay. It’s part of getting to know your story and finding the one that clicks. It’s also part of being open to growth and finding your best inner editor. It will take some time. Be patient with the process and enjoy the opportunities that revision places before you.

Carrie Charley Brown is a professional critique mentor with an editorial eye. She is the founder of ReFoReMo, a research challenge for picture book writers. Carrie is a children’s writer and contributor at Writer’s Rumpus and Kids Are Writers. She was a 2014 CYBILS award fiction picture book panelist and was formerly an elementary teacher. You can follow her writing journey at www.carriecharleybrown.com. 

Wherever You Go: A Moving Experience by Kathy Halsey, inspired by Pat Zietlow Miller

I hope this post inspires you and me. Sometimes we writers must write for us, and that's where I am today after moving from Phoenix AZ back to Columbus OH. That's about 1,870.7 miles with a Corgi, according to this cake my husband's congregation gave us. 

I welcome new adventures, just like the rabbit does in Pat Zietlow Miller's new rhyming PB, WHEREVER YOU GO. In fact, this inspiring book was literally on my door step the day we received keys to Hedley Place. This cheery book, reminded me that I can always find the road home again. But, it HAS been hard to keep my writing momentum going for the least 2 months.

Pat's opening lines reminds us to "just open your door." She tell us that "Roads...reach;" and "Roads...grow," and "Roads...climb."

My road to Ohio has loomed like a mountain. But the rabbit and Pat remind us on our ascent, we'll be 

"Clinging to cliffs,

Chasing a cloud.

Reaching the top.

tired but proud." 

So what did I do when life made it hard to write? Here's what helped and is still helping:

1. Pack a writing notebook and a WIP. I did jot notes and ideas as we traveled, but I never touched the WIP. Just having it in the car made me think about another way to approach the story, though.

2. Keep reading & connecting. I  kept up nightly w/FB posts on writing. It was all my brain could manage, but my tribe nourished me.

3. Look at illustrator Eliza Wheeler's spread above. Our MC, Mr. Rabbit, found some friends to help him climb. I began to connect to Ohio writers before I left AZ. I emailed my SCBWI Ohio RA, made plans to meet YA writer Jody Casella (THIN SPACE, YA debut) in person, and attend a critique group that meets at the Upper Arlington library monthly. 

4. Make commitments. I won't wobble off the road if I make promises to others. This week:author interview Monday w/Patricia Toth, this GROG post, and the Ohioana Book Festival Saturday where I'll meet Jody and an old friend from the Sate Library of Ohio. 

5. Grow your road and make it new. I have a new office set-up, my files are organized, and my picture book/middle grade library is alphabetized now. 

I am tired, proud, and I have this lovely tree, new to me, in my backyard! Thanks to Pat Zietlow Miller - I also have inspiration to keep going for the summit.

Meet Author/Illustrator Sue Shanahan ~By Suzy Leopold

Today is a special treat as I share an interview about an admired author. She is also an amazing illustrator. The blog post today is All About Sue Shanahan and includes a dozen questions and answers. Without further ado, please welcome Sue and her sweet smile. 

Sue Shanahan

Q 1: Tell us about your book, Love You to the Moon and Back.

A 1: I wrote Love You to the Moon and Back in response to an app company’s request. They liked my art and wanted to use it in a children’s book app. I wrote a poem around pre- existing illustrations that I had painted. My intention for the book is to give the children in your life a tangible sense of your all encompassing love. 

Sue's precious daughter and grandson.

Q 2: Tell us about your lovely illustrations, magical realism. What medium do you use?

A 2: For years I painstakingly drew with colored pencil over watercolor washes. I would put 40 to 60 hours into a piece! Yes, I know it was crazy. It began to sap me of the joy of creating. Last October I invested in an array of Daniel Smith watercolors and decided to paint with abandon. Using them as my primary medium allows for less control and more fun.

"We have to break the spell!" said Annabelle.
Glory in the Morning

"Oh, my goodness!
You're a fairy, aren'y you?"
asked Annabelle.
Glory in the Morning

Q 3: What inspired you to write your first book?

A 3: The first book I wrote is Glory in the Morning. It’s funny, but for a long time I had no idea why this story burned in my heart. After I published it I realized it was about me. Because of the dynamics of my family of origin, I grew up feeling invisible. Like the fairy in my story, being seen and loved for who I was by friends is what kept me alive. I know that sounds dramatic but love does heal and transform. 

Glory in the Morning
By Sue Shanahan

   Q 4: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

   A 4: Anne Lamotte. I really like her writing in general, but her book, 

   Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life was a game 

   changer for me. I felt like she had taken me by the hand and 

   showed me how to be a writer. 

   Q 5: What books are you currently reading?

   A 5: Every morning I read 365 Affirmations for the Writer by Jane 

   Hertenstein. It's a daily shot of encouragement in the arm. Also, I just

   finished reading Nightbird by Alice Hoffman. I am a big fan of her 

   writing. As for a children's book I'm reading, Over the Hills and Far 

   Away: A Treasure of Nursery Rhymes. It's the kind of book you fall 

   into and linger over.

  Q 6: What is your current WIP or what is your next project?

  A 6: I am writing a children's book on guardian angels and working 

 on essays for Maria Shriver's website and the Huffington Post. I also 

 am painting a very special portrait of a little boy who has passed on. I 

 am painting him as an angel. 

  Q 7: If you could invite five authors and illustrators to dinner who 
  would you choose?

  A 7: William Joyce, J. M. Barrie, Susan Branch,
  Mary Engelbreit, and Beatrix Potter.

  Q 8: Share something about yourself that very few
  people may know about.

  A 8: When I was a teenager I wanted to be an 
  album cover designer. I painted a portrait of the     
  lead singer of Led Zeppelin and brought it to a        
  concert of their's in Chicago. I was hoping I could
  somehow give it to him. I met the drummer's
  girlfriend in the bathroom and she arranged a 
  meeting for me with Robert Plant so I could present
  him with the painting. He loved it! It was all crazy
  and surreal but left me thinking that maybe I did 
  have talent.

Led Zeppelin and Sue!

Q 9: When did you first know you would like to be a writer? 

A 9: In 2012 I decided to heed marketing advice and create a blog to help build a following for my art. When I introduced my blog, Commonplace Grace, I had no idea I could write or how much I would love the process. To my delight my work was noticed by Arianna Huffington and my blog has been a regular feature in the Huffington Post ever since. I've written and illustrated two children's picture books, Glory in the Morning, and Love you to the Moon and Back. They both are now available on Amazon and iBooks. 

Q 10: How do you come up with ideas to write about? 

A 10: My stories and essays are already in me waiting to come out. Everything I write is about me directly or indirectly. My book Glory in the Morning is an allegory of my childhood. It took me getting some distance from the book before I realized that. 

Q 11: What inspires you to write? What inspires you to create, paint and draw?

A 11: That is the age old question, isn’t it? To me inspiration is a mysterious driving force that is part of the fiber of our being. You end up putting down on paper who and what you are. 

     Q 12: Where can readers find out more about you?

    A 12: Amazon Book Links: 

Love You to the Moon and Back  

Glory in the Morning

Web Site for Sue Shanahan
Sue Shanahan's Blog: Common Place Grace
Facebook for Sue Shanahan

Twitter: @SueShanahanArt

Thank you for sharing your love of literacy with us and your special stories. What a delight to learn more about you, your books and your gorgeous illustrations. This Sue [Leopold] thanks you, Sue [Shanahan]. Hopefully, someday I can meet you in person and give you a big hug. After all, we both live in the Land of Lincoln.

And, now for a generous offer. Enter to win a book give away by Sue Shanahan. There will be two lucky winners.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Meet GROGger Kathy Halsey ~ by Patricia Toht

Here at the GROG, we writers come in a variety of flavors. 

If I had to choose one flavor to describe my fellow GROGger, Kathy Halsey, it would be super-duper-confetti-cake-wonder-cream. (Okay, I cheated with all of the hyphens, but Kathy is all that!) Here's your chance to get to know her a bit better.

When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer? What drew you to writing for children?

Kathy: Since I was a child, books surrounded me. Both my parents read to us - MIKE MULLIGAN, MILLIONS OF CATS, and LYLE, LYLE CROCODILE, among other classics. Newspapers, Time, National Geographic, and Smithsonian magazines were everywhere.

After many years as a 7^th grade English teacher, I acquired certification as a school librarian and fell in love with books all over again. I experienced the power that reading had for K-12 students, the right book for the right reader, and I wanted to wield that power that writers have.

Now I write stories that I wish had been there for me as a child – biographies of women who knew no boundaries, adventure stories, and humorous tales to make kids laugh. Being a kid isn’t always easy. I advised many a student as an educator about big life issues, and I know they need to laugh.

 What inspires you to write? How do you come up with ideas that you want to write about?

Kathy: After my first PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) in 2011 with the amazing Tara Lazar, I found that ideas surround me and can pop up daily. I enjoy coming up with titles, and I carry a notebook in my purse for brain bursts. The sheer exuberance, honesty, and lack of artifice in children inspire me. They are society’s truth tellers.

I carry a notebook, too, Kathy. What a shame if those ideas slipped away before we wrote them down!

Can you share your author history with us? How long have you been writing?

Kathy: I wrote poetry in 5^th grade, kept a journal off and on since I was 12, and was accepted into a juried master class in poetry at Ohio State. Writing to publish began in earnest 2.5 years ago when I hit a certain birthday ending in zero. I joined SCBWI, hit Facebook, and joined every group I could for writing challenges and information. My 15 years as a school librarian gave me the deep reading background all writers need.

What authors have mentored you?

Kathy: At my first AZ SCBWI meeting, I was blessed to meet Dianne White (author of BLUE ON BLUE), who became my first mentor and part of a face-to-face critique group in Phoenix. Ada Kent, friend, librarian, and former Newbery committee member, encouraged me to go to The Mazza Museum Summer Conference in Finlay, OH, several years ago. They instituted a writers’ track that year, and Ohio author Michael J. Rosen gave me my first critique. Alayne Kay Christian, Miranda Paul, Dianna Aston, Kristen Fulton, and my agent Jodell Sadler have all made an amazing difference in my writing! My writing buddies include a myriad of GROGgers, and Pamela Courtney, Jackie Wellington, and Pam Vaughn. They inspire me.

Kathy and fellow GROGgers
kicking up their heels with Kristen Fulton

If you could invite any author or illustrator to dinner, who would it be?

Photo by manhhai

Kathy: My dad introduced me to Robert Benchley and James Thurber. I’d love to chat with Thurber. We both love dogs, went to Ohio State, and I am doing research on him for a biography now. I adore his illustrations and dry humor.

Tell me about the reading program you started at the indie bookstore in AZ.

Kathy with illustrator Lynne Avril
at Changing Hands Bookstore

Kathy: I’m always in bookstores, and I noticed how adults often looked lost when choosing books for kids. I reached out to Gayle Shanks, the owner of Changing Hands Bookstore, an indie that’s been around for 40 years, volunteering  to do book talks for adults. Her sister, another former educator, also had the same idea, and the Grandma’s Club took off!

This rewarding experience gave me a chance to hone my public speaking skills, read tons of new books from picture books to middle grade, and connect with local authors. When I go on my first book tour (I think big – Julie Hedlund taught me that), I know that Changing Hands will welcome me with open arms.

What else would you like to share with our GROG readers?

Kathy: Believe in yourself.  Surround yourself with people who share your goal to be an author. Look for opportunities – make them happen. Be bold, brave, and generous to others in the field. Remember, children’s writers write for the noblest audience there is! Give them your best.

Kathy and me at the SCBWI LA Conference,
affirming that two GROGgers are better than one!

I'm so glad to learn more about you, Kathy! Thanks for giving us a taste of your life, and best of luck with your writing.