A Bad Day…

A bad day might begin with a coffee maker that gurgles and sputters and then spews boiling water all over the counter and floor, while brewing nothing. On a rotten day, this happens only minutes before an author needs to hit the road to drive to an early morning presentation.

A bad day might also include a cat throwing up on an author’s presentation, as well as on a batch of shiny, new bookmarks for both BUCK FEVER and DOG GONE. At least kitty doesn't read novels, so the hurl couldn’t possible be any sort of critical review… Right?

A bad day could get more frustrating if an author returns home to another mail delivery without an expected check or missing in action, overdue, important documents. On an especially cruddy day, an author might even think that mail consistently not being delivered to its destination is a wee bit funny, as in suspicious. Said author might wonder, briefly, if some mail delivery people have deep-seated issues with authors of novels for young readers.

A bad day might also include a manuscript that won’t play nice, revisions that refuse to gel, and a crashing computer or uncooperative copier. That’s about when the bad day turns into the “&*%@#”! day. That’s about when an author might drink tea (because there is no coffee) out of an Eeyore mug while relating to the wisdom and insights of a certain curmudgeonly donkey.

Happily, though, bad days end. Sometimes, they even lead to better days.

Puppy Love

Anyone who has read DOG GONE has probably figured out that I love dogs. At least I hope this is obvious.

Anyway, the other day, I was settled in my favorite bookstore café, working on a new novel, totally immersed in my writing. Until this beautiful black Labrador Retriever and her person came strolling down an aisle beside me. Like most labs, this girl was grinning with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth, loving life. Adorable. The bright yellow doggie vest draped over her back announced that she was in training, which explained why she was allowed to be in the bookstore.

Like most Labradors that I know, the minute this dog caught me grinning like an idiot at her, she trotted toward me, tail wagging in overdrive. Guess who was no longer interested in her work in progress.

Thankfully, the very, very nice lady handler introduced Ms. Lovable Black Lab as Maggie, and gave me permission to pet Maggie. As it turns out, Maggie is part of a program called Puppies Behind Bars. She is being raised and trained by an inmate to be an explosive detection dog for law enforcement. Puppies Behind Bars also trains inmates to raise pups to become service dogs for the disabled, including veterans. On certain days, volunteers such as the very, very nice lady handler, take the dogs out into the world for extended training beyond what the inmates can do, given their incarceration. As I’m sure you can imagine, both the dogs and the inmates benefit from this program. Be still my heart.

If you love dogs, or just want to check out a really heart-warming website and organization, take a peek: www.puppiesbehindbars

Now, that's puppy love. : )

What Do You Mean I Have No Internet Connection?

“Really?” I snapped at my beloved Mac. “You have got to be kidding me. No, seriously, this is so not the time for you to be messing with me.”

But is there ever a good time to lose one’s connection to the outside world? I think not.

Despite yelling, threatening, begging, still the words YOU ARE NOT CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET burned into my retinas. I considered a down and out temper-tantrum, wasn’t above throwing myself onto the ground and pounding the floor while screaming, kind of like a terrible two. I’m not proud of this, but there it is.

“P-l-e-a-s-e,” I whined. “I’m in the middle of running a Dog Gone and Buck Fever give-away,” I explained to my stubborn Mac. “And I have a manuscript to finish, emails to respond to. Seriously, if I don’t tweet, I might die. #Kidlitchat is on Twitter in only three minutes!”

Nothing.

“Rats,” I snarled. Okay, maybe I uttered more than one word. Maybe those words were not as politically correct as “rats,” and flamboyantly more colorful. Maybe my husband did say that I had a potty mouth. Let’s just chalk it all off to “venting.” But I digress.

The point is this: As I spent hours with the very patient cable company customer service folks and Mac helpers (all lovely, I might add) I came to the very real and very harsh realization that I am a total slave to the Internet. There, I said it. Maybe that’s the first step in recovery…

And then again, maybe not. Who am I kidding? I’m a writer. The Internet is my connection to the world. *She sighs with a sense of acceptance.*

As it turns out, I had to apologize to my beloved Mac. Because the router was the problem. May it rest in peace.

Buck Fever Count Down

Is there anything better than seeing the UPS guy walk up to your house with a box of books? The other day I was gifted this excitement when multiple copies of Buck Fever arrived. Yea! And yes, I did launch into a full out Snoopy dance (after the UPS guy drove away, of course).

I’m also happy to report that Buck has been getting some lovely reviews. Booklist said “…The quietness of nature and small-town life is wonderfully reflected in Willis’ patient and artful prose, and every hunting detail feels authentic, from the construction of deer blinds to the skinning of animals. An unusually sensitive and reflective boy-centric book.” More Snoopy dancing (never mind that I’m starting to get dizzy).

All of this fun is revving up because, in less than a week, Buck Fever will be making its debut. And, as part of its birthday celebration, I’m giving away copies of both Buck Fever and Dog Gone (Let’s not forget the dog just because the buck is in town, right?). Anyone who posts a comment on this blog or sends me an email at www.cynthiawillis.com will be given a chance for a book. Oh, and I should mention that there is a link to a book trailer for Buck Fever also on my site. The contest officially kicks off on October 27^th, the day Buck Fever is released, but why not start the party early?

So, I’m breaking out the confetti and starting to blow up balloons.

More Ideas to Motivate Kids to Read

In my last blog entry I offered up a couple ideas on how to encourage less motivated readers into the fabulous world of books. Today, I’ll throw out a couple more ideas. Here they are:

How about a book chat?

Getting kids to ask and answer questions about books can be fun and encourage more involvement in reading. Often, if readers know that they are going to talk about what they are reading, they will pay a bit more attention and get more involved in that reading. What a lovely thought, right?

Let's say that there are two or more kids reading the same title on their own. After they finish the story, they could come together to talk about it. To begin, each child could share his or her opinion of the book. Next, why not give the readers some fun and specific questions to chew on? If children have read Dog Gone, for example, they might discuss how they would each describe Dill or how her buddy, Cub, influenced her as she dealt with her wayward dog, Dead End. Students could also talk about how they might describe Dead End and how he complicates life for both Dill and Cub and the other characters in the story. If children read Buck Fever, they could talk about how Joey wants to impress his dad. What advise would they give Joey when he finds out about the bet that his dad has made? What would children say to Joey or one of the other characters if children were to meet these characters on their own turf, say on the way home from school or in the lunchroom?

Book conversations can get really interesting as each reader brings his or her own experiences to the discussion. As an added bonus, lots of writers, including me, offer discussion questions for their books on their websites. So, often, book chat questions are just a click away. Why not use them in classrooms, at home, or for author-student discussions when an author visits a school or library?

Ever try a book graffiti wall?

It’s easy and can also be fun and motivating. My local bookstore tried this after I talked about it during a presentation to teachers and librarians. Everyone at the bookstore had great fun with this graffiti wall, I'm happy to report.

To make a book graffiti wall, spread out a large sheet of poster paper or butcher paper. Have children draw a pattern of bricks on the paper so that it looks something like a wall. Next, attach the "wall" to a real wall, bulletin board, or flat surface. Whenever someone has finished reading a book, he or she can draw book-related pictures, write a book recommendation, something about the author. . . Anything the reader wants to put on the wall is acceptable as long as the graffiti has something to do with the book. For example, someone who read Buck Fever might want to draw a picture of Old Buck or jot down a get-well soon note to Joey. Putting up graffiti on the wall can be fun for the person who read the book, but this graffiti also advertises elements of the story that might entice others to read it.

So, there they are--a couple more ideas for writers, teachers, librarians, and anyone interested in getting readers more involved with books and to (hopefully) make reading even more fun than it already is.

Ideas That Might Motivate Kids to Read

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk with fifty plus teachers and librarians at an Educator’s Event at the Hamilton, New Jersey Barnes and Noble. It is always wonderful to meet and chat with teachers and librarians. Whenever I do, I often hear about those students who are not motivated to pick up a book. So, for the presentation yesterday, I tapped into my experience as a Reading textbook editor and presented ideas that might, hopefully, motivate kids to read. Since these ideas were well received, I thought I’d share a couple.

1) Back when I was said textbook editor, my fellow editors and I almost always included hands-on activities to be completed after the reading selections in the pupil editions and teacher editions. We did our best to tie these activities to the reading selections. Why? Because if students knew that an activity was coming that required them to know details from the reading, lo and behold, they often became more engaged in the selection. So, one idea to consider when helping kids get more enthused about reading is to incorporate story related crossword puzzles, games, art projects, and, or dramatizations to the stories being read.

For you writers out there, you might want to create some activities to go along with your books. I put together a crossword puzzle to go along with Dog Gone, for example. I give this puzzle to kids, teachers, librarians… Okay, to anyone who wants the darn thing whenever I’m at signings and events. Of course, one must read Dog Gone before one can complete the puzzle. Tricky? Mmmm, maybe. But who doesn’t enjoy a nice puzzle now and again?

2) Another idea is to engage children while reading a story aloud. Like most of us, children of all ages appreciate being read to. But once in a while, attention might wander. To hook a listener’s interest, try pulling attention back in by focusing on the reading strategies of making predictions and making inferences. Pause at points while reading aloud to ask children to predict what might happen next or make guesses about what is going on.

In Dog Gone, for example, children could be asked to make predictions and inferences (or guesses about what is happening) after only the second paragraph.

A Make Predictions question might be: What do you think Dill and Cub will do next? The story clues point to giving Dead End, the dog, a bath. As the reading continues, though, children discover that certain events keep Dill and Cub from delivering that bath. Children confirm or revise their predictions based on these story events.

A Make Inferences question might be: Where could the sour stench rising off of Dead End have come from? What could the greenish-brown smudges that mat his fur be? Again, as the story progresses, children can revise their guesses based on additional information or they can confirm that they guessed correctly.

So, there you have a couple ideas. In my next blog, I’ll share a two more while I’m still tapping into the textbook editor part of my brain.

It Takes More Than A Village (if you ask me)

And when it comes to putting out a novel, perhaps an army. There are so many talented people involved in the creation and birth of a novel. It’s really pretty cool, I think. From those willing to be interviewed in the name of research, to those who review a writer’s work in progress, to the agent, to the editor and all the amazing people at the publishing house responsible for turning manuscript pages into a stunning book, and then marketing and selling that book. Wow.

But today I’d like to focus on all the lovely people a writer relies on before the manuscript reaches the hands of an editor. Let’s begin with those who give up their time to answer questions and be interviewed in the name of research. For me, this was a veterinarian who discussed how and why people’s pets sometimes form dog packs (for Dog Gone). And the hunters who patiently explained every aspect of deer hunting (for Buck Fever) and read what I wrote to be sure my scenes were true. And the nurse who educated me regarding traumatic injuries (again, for Buck Fever). The generosity of people can be amazing.

And then there are the wonderful people who donate their time to critique all aspects of a novel in progress. No matter how hard I work on a story, squint at it, pine over it, and fuss with it, inevitably I miss something. Don’t even ask how many times I’ve slapped myself on the forehead and muttered Duh! after a reviewer has pointed out something in need of fixing.

Most recently, while wrestling with a title for a novel, I got unexpected help from the world of Twitter. While in the midst of tearing my hair out, because I so rot at titles, I vented on Twitter about my frustration. A wonderful fellow writer offered her help and guidance. Really. Isn’t that amazing?

So, whether it takes a village or an army to build a novel to the point of completion may be up for discussion, but I don’t think anyone can argue with the value of the guidance and the generosity of those who contribute to the end result.