Somethin' special for the new year

Do you know Bob Dotson? Not KNOW know him, I mean more like know of him. He travels the globe reporting for NBC about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Finding the people in the shadows and sharing their stories. If you're familiar with him, I don't have to tell you he's an incredible storyteller. But I just did anyway. The American Story titles his ever expanding story collection. There are countless ways I appreciate his journalistic contributions.
He's been known to compare stories to onions. The layers.
And he's also said, maybe on more than one occasion, "We are the result of the many hands that push us along, who help us do better than we think we can." I couldn't agree more. Well, I could but that would just be wrong.
One story in particular he told a couple of years ago focused on the life of a young man who seems especially remarkable, even today.

I have visions of collaboration and a prosperous new year....


http://www.sethchwast.com

Mmmmmmmm

Have I told you I secretly wish for my own book not only to be published, but also for it to be celebrated in cake form? It's true. But first book, then cake.

Until then, check out some other sweet favorites....

http://www.pbs.org/parents/booklights/archives/2009/06/books-good-enough-to-eat.html

A little something

I like to think of myself as hip and happenin'. In the know. With it. Unless it comes to movies. When cinema is involved, I'm behind the times I gotta admit. So many choices, so little time. Enter Netflix. Ahhhh, Netflix. Netflix is revolutionary. I share with you that piece of personal history because, without it, you would be forced to deem me a a real weirdo when I tell you I saw Akeelah and the Bee just the other day. Or four years late. In the grand scheme of things, I suppose when I saw it doesn't matter much. I just saw it. I expected it to be a sweet, heartfelt show perfect to share with kids, but I didn't expect it would speak to me as a writer. It was quite a nice surprise. Midway through, Akeelah recites these words from a passage hanging on a wall:

Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

Some refer to Ms. Williamson's words as a poem but I know them as an excerpt from her book
A Return to Love. However you come to know them though, they can't help but make you feel shiny.

psst....Philomel....over here....

I'm pooped. The annual scholastic book fair completed its week long run at my kids school today. Everyone there was very gracious to let me be in the mix of it all in the library for extended amounts of time (considering I ate my fair share of Krispy Kreme too). I took advantage of the time to watch and listen to kids and parents. What books they were looking for. What caught their eye. What didn't. What selections they made. It might have been borderline creepy had I been in a different environment. No one seemed to have issue enabling me though. I was thankful. At one point I swore I drifted off into a dream sequence of sorts - there I was standing before an entire display case of carefully arranged hardback copies of....Philomel, are you listening? I'm over here!

I AM A WRITER! (not a photographer)

Tis the captivating capital of the great state of Texas you see before you. It was host to the Texas Book Festival I recently dragged my family to one fabulous fall day not so long ago. That's the festival map out in front of the colossal building. I'd never been to the festival before so, like most other first-time stuff, I was a bit overwhelmed. The good kind of being overwhelmed though. So much to see and do. Author signings. Children's activities. Food. No parking. And bazillions of books. Yeeeessss. I had several brief moments when I considered meandering through the crowds and assuring the visitors (the sweet natured ones anyway) I would be back to sign a heaping stack of my own books very soon. No worries. Well, at the very least, just considering it all put a smile on my face. I decided in the end not to pester Nana and her two sisters. Back to work....

Max

Yep. That's a pumpkin. The kids' dining hall at school had a pumpkin decorating contest and a couple of brilliant moms and I got together and entered this guy for my 1st graders class. Sam my just-throw-somethin'-at-me-and-watch-me-go husband built the boat. Max is currently positioned a top the milk cooler in the dining hall (better known as "where the wild things are"). I'm normally not fond of mentioning pumpkins and fuzz in the same sentence but this is an exception. Sendak never ceases to inspire....

Check it Out

New contest....http://kidlit.com/kidlit-contest/

Had to share. Good, good times. I can't recall what grade I was in but you gotta know it all still rings true today. Except the part about my grandparents. They're long gone. Oh, and the parrot thing....that's a little cooky. No offense parrot lovers.

Let me think....

I thought I wasn't a big fan of surprises. Then I thought again. The trees you see above inspired me. They don't REALLY belong in my part of Texas, but they're hiding out here anyway. Surprise! That's my kind of surprise. It's right up there with winning the lottery, fresh bread, and "A's" in geometry (never happened). No fake blood, no screaming, creepy characters, and not an EPT stick in sight. Could it be that some day, SOME day (may I be so bold as to hope for a heck of a lot sooner than later?), there may be hoards of readers wonderfully surprised by all that I have authored? Bring on the surprise!

Join me

October 8th is the date -
www.readfortherecord.org
Spread the word!

Oops

So I'm late but I'll add two and do a little renaming to make up the difference....

SEVEN SERIOUSLY STINKY THINGS NO ONE EVER LOOKS FORWARD TO:

1. loss
2. disease - mind, body or spirit
3. ABC Gum under tables
4. Poop
5. Bedtime without books
6. Sonic soda - no ice
7. Morning breath

Yeeeessss!

Just as I was set to register for a picture book writing workshop online, I found one to do locally. Pretty cool. Anastasia Suen will offer her insight and guidance to me and nineteen other aspiring PB authors over the course of the first weekend in November. It should be good, good, good stuff....But, I have to confess it's probably entirely possible that I'd commit to a whole host of things if, by chance, they included the word "workshop" in their detailed description. The word "workshop" just works way better than the term class or course. It conjures up images of elves and other quirky creatures and I kinda consider myself a quirky creature. Share away should you have any tips!

Arrrrrrrr!

Ahoy! This be a picture to share. Join in the fun....

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

Later

Can't blog now, I'm doin' a little dirty dancing in tribute to Patrick Swayze. I will miss him....

Born to read

Very cool program available to new babies in my area. I hope cities across the US have similar programs....

http://www.saplf.org/borntoread/index.php

Let us Give Thanks

I'm not waiting for November. I'm giving out great thanks - TODAY. Sooooo many reasons but three in particular....

#1. Rain. I didn't think I'd recognize it. It's been far too long. There has been no measurable rain at my home since the beginning of the year. Ouch. My yard has felt the pain. BUT, I went to bed last evening listening to the rain and woke this morning to find, you guessed it, RAIN! Can't say I'll ever take rain for granted again. Well, I suppose I could say it, but I'd be wrong.

#2. This morning a man by the name of Tom McDermott (www.tommcdermott.com) visited my kiddos school. He's a storyteller, author, singer and, I quickly learned, a man of great talent. One of the story's he told left the theater of listeners with the message that it's great to be filled with hundreds of thousands of thoughts but more important to be guided by one really good one. Something to think about in this "mine" world where enough is never ever enough and very much like writing.

#3. James Taylor. Love, love, love him. He played in town last evening. I missed out. I really did. Seems James autographed nearly everything in sight during intermission. A fellow crazy James Taylor fan I know got the chance to speak to James and check something off her bucket list in the process. Man, oh, man. Oh, it seemed she was somehow able to keep her wits about her and HAVE A T-SHIRT SIGNED FOR ME!

How sweet it is....

Mark your calendars!

Wanted to pass this along....

National StepfaStep-family coach Caudette Chenevert, founder of Coaching Steps LLC, based in Herndon, Va., is offering an opportunity to win a $50 gift card to a restaurant in the United States as the prize in a contest in honor of National Stepfamily Day.
Chenervert writes on her blog:
“National Stepfamily Day is on September 16th. It was started by a woman named Christy Borgeld in 1997 to put aside a day where stepfamilies could come together and honor the good they do. Too many times, we emphasize what is not working in a family. Let's take this time to celebrate all that is right within our stepfamilies.
"In honor of National Stepfamily Day, I have created a special contest. Stepfamily members are asked to submit an example of an activity that draws their family closer together. All participants will receive a free article on creating rituals and special moments, and their submissions may also be published in the Coaching Steps newsletter. The person who submits the most creative inspirational idea will get a $50.00 gift card to a restaurant in the United States. The contest ends on National Stepfamily Day, September 16, 2009. Send your submission to claudette@coachingsteps.com"

I'm in!

Good stuff

Yipeeee!
http://www.texasbookfestival.org/Authors.php

Oh well....

I'm the smiley writer. My older sister symbolizes the editors and publishers whose mailboxes have been filled with my manuscripts. *Sigh* Right after this picture was taken, I took hold of my sister's ponytail and ever so innocently wacked her right off her seat. A girl can dream, right? Anyway, I have also frequently dreamt my stories would one day be told by Levar Burton on PBS's Reading Rainbow. Man, I love that show. But after twenty-six years, it's coming to an end because of lack of funding. *#2 Sigh* But don't take my word for it....(sniff, sniff)

What if....

You've played the game, right? I have the enviable ability to play it all by myself or with my kids. It's a great writing warm-up exercise. It's actually just good fun if, in fact, you have any slight tendencies to enjoy being silly. You can really make the whole game as kooky as you want. It's all up to you. Last Friday morning, as I was playing the game all by my lonesome (I know, pathetic), when I began wondering this....
I started out wondering what if marshmallows had crumbs which was quickly followed by if they did would it be possible to squish/piece a bunch of crumbs all back together to make a new marshmallow? You might guess I began wondering what if I ate them at that point.
But you'd be wrong. Sort of. As strange as it may seem, I began wondering something I'd not wondered about before....
What if, just what if, I was a competitive eater? Weird huh? I mean, I'm guessing, like writing or other passion, you gotta practice to further yourself. So I'm guessing a competitive eaters mantra might go something like "eat, eat, eat!" as opposed to "read, read, read!" Wow. The world of competitive eating is soooo fascinating to me. Really. Go ahead. You may now begin chuckling.

Psst....

It's hot. I mean REEEEALLY hot here. Hot and REEEEALLY dry. It's great weather if you're a writer - or a camel. But the McAllister Park Little League Team hasn't let the weather stop them from getting all the way to the Little League World Series. They play again tonight (ESPN). Now I'm not a baseball fan, but I do know that no team from San Antonio has ever, ever, EVER made it that far. And that's cool. I'm glad someone is cool. It ain't me.

http://www.mcallisterlittleleague.org

Storytelling

Enjoy!

When did you realize you were a grown-up?

Nothing beats writing for kids but this is awfully cool....


http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/inspiration-motivation/second-annual-life-lessons-essay-contest-00000000013682/
The Second-Annual Life Lessons Contest

Enter your essay in Real Simple’s yearly contest.

When did you realize that you had become a grown-up? Perhaps it was when you first paid taxes or met your son’s first girlfriend. Whether the experience was difficult, funny, easy, or bittersweet, share your lesson and you could win. Enter Real Simple’s second-annual Life Lessons essay contest and you could have your essay published in Real Simple; win round-trip tickets for two to New York City, hotel accommodations for two nights, tickets to a Broadway play, and a lunch with Real Simple editors; and receive a prize of $3,000.

Read last year’s winning essay: A Witness To Grace

1. HOW TO ENTER: This contest begins at 12:01 A.M. eastern time (ET) on May 1, 2009, and ends at 11:59 P.M. ET on September 7, 2009. To enter online, send your typed, double-spaced submission (1,500 words maximum, preferably in a MS Word attachment) to lifelessons@realsimple.com. To enter via postal mail, submit your essay by mailing your entry to Essay Contest, Real Simple, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor, New York, NY 10020. Entries must be postmarked no later than September 7, 2009, and received no later than September 14, 2009. Limit one entry per person or e-mail account. Essays should be submitted in English at a maximum of 1,500 words and typed and double-spaced on 8½-by-11-inch paper. Essays exceeding this length or handwritten may not be considered. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, or incomplete entries; postage-due mail; or entries not received for any reason. Entries become sole property of Sponsor, and none will be acknowledged or returned. By entering, Entrant warrants that his or her entry (1) is original and does not infringe the intellectual-property rights of any third party, (2) has not been published in any medium, and (3) has not won an award.

Can do....

"Do one thing every day that scares you." - Eleanor Roosevelt


Them are some mighty powerful words.
Can do.
My children will rise and shine early tomorrow to begin a brand new school year.
Scary.
I'm going to say my see-ya-laters and remain completely composed for an entire morning. Frightening.
I'll work at revising, reviewing, rereading.
Holding breath.
Make lunch.
Alarming.
Refrain from pestering children and husband to death about the doings of their days.
Terrifying.
Then I'll dream of doing it all over again. Or could be the reoccurring dream of fame and fortune.
50/50 chance I'll wet the bed.

My sincerest thanks to you Eleanor Roosevelt.

Work-In-Progress

Do I have vision or what? This is my work-in-progress for my works-in-progress. A retreat of sorts. Even in its present state believe it or not. Finding it for sale for pennies on the side of the road was the equivalent of finding my ancient copy of How the World Began. It had an extended stay at my father-in-law's home until my husband and I were able to bring it home in the depths of darkness (homeowners associations are soooo particular). In my grandest of dreams, this baby is an invaluable tool in a program called something like "Feed and Read". Dream with me here....me, traveling to neighborhoods cross country developing and feeding kids need to read. A never-ending story time with my very own stuff. That's my Friday favorite.

Five One-Word-S Friday Favorites

I won't keep you long....

1. seeds
2. stillness
3. sharing
4. straws
5. stories

Give it some thought....

Duh!

Well, it wasn't a transatlantic journey or anything like that but I did it. I found Daniel Pinkwater. You remember Mr. Pinkwater right? The man who wrote The Big Orange Splot? (See first post)
Truth be told, I wasn't even actually looking for him at the moment I found him. He kinda found me instead. I think it was the eyes. I was heading out of the children's section of a favorite local bookstore when our eyes met. I must admit after reading the back cover of the book and realizing he's the author of MORE THAN 90 CHILDREN'S BOOKS, I felt a little *sigh* less like an aspiring picture book writer and a little more like a giant loser. How I missed him, I couldn't dwell upon for long though. Just passin' through "Loserville". I couldn't stay for long because Mr. Pinkwater was watching. And I'm listened to him. Both literally and figuratively. You see, I bought the book and it included a CD. The book Polka-Bats and Octopus Slacks is by Calef Brown. I'm a huge fan of his illustrations but he authors this book as well so, all in all, it's a triple bonus. Mr. Pinkwater reads Mr. Brown's stories and I get to read long as I listen over and over and over.....

Friday Favorites

Ta ta da....Okay, so perhaps it's not very original but I will say it's good fun! Each Friday I've decided to post five of my favorite things. Ready? Here goes....

FIVE of Leslie's FAVORITE THINGS

1. tree houses - the higher the better.
2. back road car trips - aahhhhh!
3. the squishy pillow I've had since....well, a really long time - aaahhhhx2
4. Stevie Wonder - here that? that's me singin'....
5. winks - givin' and receiving

Share some of yours if you have a minute or two....

Yet another confession. Feet have a tendency to creep me out, but footprints are inspiring. No one was interested in posing for the camera during our recent trip to the Texas coast so we decided to put our feet to work. They didn't seem to mind. At least at the time. But after four days of sand and surf, all five pairs didn't want to do much of anything. So that's exactly what they did. We figured they were deserving. They were instrumental in helping us make some great memories. They reminded us to slow down and savor in the simple things. That wasn't creepy at all. That was really cool.

What's In A Name?

Confession. I love names. I mean I REEEEEALLY love names. Friends and family have learned to proceed with caution when announcing an attempt to name a baby or any four-legged friend for that matter. My overzealous naming habit does wonders for my writing but it isn't nearly as helpful in trying to make friends and influence people. I don't know what it is but - it is.
A couple of weeks ago while I was swimming at the community pool with the kids, I met a precocious almost five-year-old named Calvin. I couldn't have named him any better myself if I'd tried. What a character. He was kinda like a Calvin and Hobbs Calvin, only better. "I'm open! I'm open!" he'd call and nearly cannonball right on your head if you weren't carefully watching. My kids and I desperately wanted to take him home with me but his mom wouldn't hear of it. Understandably so.
A couple of weeks prior to my meeting Calvin, my niece introduced me to Mrs. Pickleman, her old high school English teacher, from afar. She was definitely a "Mrs. Pickleman". I can't imagine their aren't at least a dozen stories already told referring to Mrs. Pickleman. What a fantastic name. Just typing the words "Mrs. Pickleman" makes me giggle so you can only imagine what saying the name aloud does for me. I think if I had to do it all over again, I'd like to be Mrs. Pickleman. At least for a day. Aaahhhhh names....

What do you have to say for yourself?

Inspiration truly surrounds us all. This year, over Spreak Break, my family and I paid a visit to the world's oldest tree near the Texas coast. It's well over 1000 years old! Whew! You can no longer get up close and personal with aforementioned tree, but it was treeemendous (sorry, couldn't resist!) It reminded me a lot of

The Giving Tree - but with a different spin. Oh, the stories it could undoubtedly tell. I was inspired and found myself doing a lot of listening while we visited. I hope it's around for 1000 more years. I have a few stories I'd like to share.

Check It Out

Daniel Manus Pinkwater (no, that's not a picture of him in the window). Never heard of him. Until now. Well, okay, about a month ago. I was invited to be a Mystery Reader for my eldest daughter's Kindergarten class. After great thought and just shy of googling my brains out, I selected The Big Orange Splot. Copyright 1977. It's author is Daniel Manus Pinkwater. I ordered it from Amazon for about $2.50 including shipping and handling. I'm no book reviewer in the formal sense of the title, but I have to say it's the best $2.50 I've spent in a very long time. The class LOVED the story - it's an incredible read-aloud. And this got me to wondering. I wonder why I'd never found Daniel Manus Pinkwater until now. Life just seems a little sweeter with his story around. Maybe even a lot sweeter. He can't be found anywhere in the San Antonio library catalog or even in my kids school library. But he should be there. At least his story should. Check out Daniel Manus Pinkwater's The Big Orange Splot. Go....