-
And the winner is…
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman won the 2009 Newbery Medal this morning. I am absolutely thrilled. It was my pick this year, but I didn’t think it was eligible based on some internet rumblings. You see, there’s an award exclusion criterion for works or portions of works previously published, and a chapter of The…
-
Because I'm a little obsessed right now…
Here’s an NPR interview with Pat Scales of the Association for Library Service to Children, in which the recent Newbery controversy is discussed.
-
On Graphic Novels
Recently, Shannon Hale wrote a blog entry on books with pictures. In that entry, and in its follow-up, she argues against the idea that young readers eventually need to be weened from books with pictures in them, that it’s not a mark of maturity to no longer need the images to enjoy the story (in…
-
Newberiness
Later this month, the American Library Association will be broadcasting the ALA Midwinter Meeting on January 26th, 7:45 AM, MT. This conference, among other things, is the time at which the winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal will be announced. For those who want to watch the event, the ALA will have a first-come, first-serve…
-
The wait is over…
Because I heard back from my agent, Stephen Fraser. Before I go into his response to my manuscript, I should say that although I referred to him as “my” agent in the last post, we hadn’t yet signed a contract. Prior to today, we had a gentlemen’s agreement. He anticipated representing me, and I anticipated…
-
Waiting
There are two things every beginning writer needs. Patience, and a very thick skin. If a writer wants to be published, sooner or later they will have to submit their work someplace that will print it (or post it, in the case of online markets). And since editors and agents receive a lot of work…
-
A couple of firsts
One of them being my first You Tube video. I recently uploaded a clip from a trip my wife and I took to Ireland the summer of ’07. We were driving the Sheep’s Head Peninsula when we came upon a Road Bowling game in progress. We pulled over to watch and were welcomed by the…
-
Favorite Books of 2008
That is, favorite books that I read in 2008, not books that were published in 2008. Sometimes I read a book the year it comes out, but not usually. I’m behind the curve that way, either slow to hear about the book or waiting for my public library to acquire it. That being said, there…
-
Last supper
I was listening to a Radiowest podcast on photographer Melanie Dunea’s new book My Last Supper. In it, she asks 50 famous chefs a few seemingly simple questions about what they would like for their last meal in life. What would they eat? Who would prepare it? Where would they eat it? Who would they…
-
Here we go…
Ah, the first blog post. The one where I feel compelled to announce that this is my first blog post, to acknowledge that this is the beginning, to let you know that you are not walking in on a conversation that was already going before you got here. Well, consider it acknowledged. So, here we…