For a while now, I've been trying to blog both at livejournal and blogger. 
I would post everything twice, but often would forget to post at livejournal. Not good.

Then Little Willow (

slayground

purpledesk

 I just read about this great site called FutureMe.org. Quite simply, it's a way to send an email to yourself to be delivered at some date in the future. And this is the perfect time of year for it.  I just sent one to my end-of-2008-self.

It's a great activity to do with your kids. (Whether that means in your classroom or in your house!)

And then if you want more accountability, post one of your goals for 2008 here!
I'll start:
In 2008 I will play more board games with my kids!

A while back I told you that I was hoping to join a marketing group called The Class of 2k8. And then I think I told you that I did, in fact, join.

Well now, I'm exciting to tell you that the year 2008 is almost here (which you may have already noticed) and the class of 2k8 website and blog and myspace pages are now all up and open for business!

And just to recap, if you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, the class of 2k8 is a group of 28 authors of books for school aged children and teenagers who all have our first books for this age group debuting in the year 2008. Because books by new authors are often teeny-tiny fish in a gigantamundic sea, we've all banded together (a la the fish in the book SWIMMY by Leo Lionni) to make ourselves a bit more of a presence. 

So please check us out! Our first two books THE OPPOSITE OF INVISIBLE, by Liz Gallagher and I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, by Lisa Schroeder are both due out in January, so treat yourself to a New Year's Present.

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! 
And to all who don't, we can still enjoy elf, right?

 What a day I had yesterday! I spoke to the fabulous students at South Park Elementary School about writing stories. The kids were so full of questions and ideas and I met several who told me that they wanted to be authors when they grow up. I'll have to be sure to start looking for their books in about fifteen years. (It'd be pretty young to have a book published, but I could tell from the way they helped me plan a story that these kids really knew what they were doing!) There I am right there standing in front of an oversized book filled with the giant story planning worksheets I've written for students.

And as I am the queen of worksheets (I've dubbed my own self this, but I don't think that makes me any less royal,) it makes me so happy to know that my elementary school worksheets are going to used by kids so excited about using them! The regular size ones, that is, that I left for teachers to photocopy and use in their classrooms as they see fit.

Now I really can't wait until my book is out! Because then I'll be able to talk to students about Polly Peterson too.

 The new season of Project Runway has begun! If you are not convinced that this is not your typical reality TV show, then listen to this.

Okay, good. Now that I'm preaching to the choir we can get on with things. I can't quite decide who my favorites will be this season. Maybe Rami and Victorya.

I just love seeing everyone's different creative process unfold right before my eyes. And of course, I love finding the ways in which writing is similar to designing. A designer will have an ideal dress in his or her head. Maybe the sketch comes really close to that ideal, but making it out of fabric is another story. It doesn't drape the way they thought it would. They can't figure out how to construct it.

Just like writing a book.

Before I begin I hold that ideal book in my head, but it never quite drapes on the paper the way I thought it would. (Thank goodness for revision.)

Author Alan Grantz and his wife, textile designer Wendi have made Project Runway a participatory experience. Over on their blog they are playing along with each weeks challenge using Barbie doll as models...Project Barbie. I read about this fantastic endeavor on Sara Zarr's blog. (As well as reading about her exciting experiences as a National Book Award finalist. Congratulations, Sara!)

So, a part of me would totally love to participate in Project Barbie. (I have a sewing machine. I sort of know how to sew, and I totally also have pictures of halloween costumes I've made to prove it, but, uh, my scanner isn't working?)

Anyway, I am about to begin a different, rather large project.

Project Revision--in which an author takes 65,000 words and tries to rearrange them, add and subtract from them, hem them, add topstitching and maybe a little ruching and hopefully come up with a book that more closely approaches her mental sketch and also the mental sketch of her editor which she can't really see because it is inside of her editor's head but her editor has tried to communicate to her with helpful thought-provoking questions penciled all over the manuscript as though it were muslin. Oh, and also it must look fabulous on and fit all sizes!

If only Tim Gunn would show up at my house, read my manuscript and cheer me on with a "Make it Work."

Something I know about my writing (which you may not have known but will now because I am posting it on the internet) is that events that are going on in my life at any given time will sometimes wind up in the book that I am writing at that moment.

For example, in THIRD GRADE BABY the main character's younger brother is teething. As I was writing that book I had a baby who was teething! Coincidence? I think not.

One thing that's begging to be put into a book, but alas hasn't yet, is how to live in a house with animals. Hmmm...you say. Many, many people live in houses with animals. They are called pets, and most people find this a very rewarding experience.

Those are not the kind of animals I am talking about.

I believe I have mentioned before that I live in a forest. In fact my town is a Tree City USA, and no one is allowed to cut down trees on their property without permission from the village. So, naturally my yard is habitat to many creatures. Which is cool.

In my yard I've seen deer,

a fox,
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possums
<a and coyotes.
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(That was kind of scary because they were right outside my door, and I was trapped in my house. Although, I have to admit, they guys I saw were a little mangier than that one.)

As long as the critters stay outside, I'm pretty much cool with them. But some little guys aren't content with the whole inside/outside habitat sharing arrangement. No. They are greedy, and come fall, want in on my central heating action.

We've had mice, a bird and some unknown something in the attic. Recently a chimpmunk came to visit not once, but three times. This was not fun for me, but as a result of this misfortune, I can now pass on to you some very important knowledge. A surefire way of ridding your house of a chipmunk should one ever come calling.

First find your self a bag of mini-cheese crackers. (They must be mini, as chipmunk-sized.)
Next, find last known location of chipmunk sighting and create a cracker trail from said location to the back door of house and out the door about a foot or two.
Then, hide in a location not too far from the door where you can see the chipmunk but it can't see you.
Finally, when the chipmunk munches its way out of your house, slam the door on its cute (only when it's outside) little tail and try to pretend your heart isn't pounding because you thought you were going to be mauled by a three pound rodent.
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Maybe I should write a book about exterminators?