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| How to know when you've been cooped-up too long. She's fabulous. |
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| Me with the wonderful Bruce Coville. What a joy. |
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| A bird on the head is worth . . . |
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| Dottie the Chicken. |
Some Random pics
It Really Does Take a Village
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Here’s the thing, it takes a village—for many things—especially
a writing career. This morning I was thinking about ALL the people who had a
hand in making Cake a success. It’s some village. I could go ahead and make a
huge, long list but that would get a little loooooonnng. Suffice it to say if
you know me, know my name or mentioned Cake in some way YOU are on my list. All my Twitter buds, FB friends,
Librarians, Teachers, Editors, Illustrators, Publicists (phew!) and of course the Readers. O my, I have the best and most loyal readers included. I am sometimes astonished at the number of people who were clued into
Cake just from a simple short Tweet, or a FB mention or a friend’s suggestion, an
article, an advertisement. It’s astounding. And so, it’s pretty fair to say
that Cake is a hit because of YOU. Even some folks across the ocean! Criminy!
So I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has
been a part of Cake.
Here’s the thing, it takes a village—for many things—especially
a writing career. This morning I was thinking about ALL the people who had a
hand in making Cake a success. It’s some village. I could go ahead and make a
huge, long list but that would get a little loooooonnng. Suffice it to say if
you know me, know my name or mentioned Cake in some way YOU are on my list. All my Twitter buds, FB friends,
Librarians, Teachers, Editors, Illustrators, Publicists (phew!) and of course the Readers. O my, I have the best and most loyal readers included. I am sometimes astonished at the number of people who were clued into
Cake just from a simple short Tweet, or a FB mention or a friend’s suggestion, an
article, an advertisement. It’s astounding. And so, it’s pretty fair to say
that Cake is a hit because of YOU. Even some folks across the ocean! Criminy!
So I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who has
been a part of Cake.
It’s an awesome village.
Oh, and we're NOT done yet. There is till more Cakey goodness to come so keep the talk going!
Top Ten Questions Kids Ask Me
Q: How
much money do you make?
A: I
just smile and laugh, inside, ruefully
Q: When
will the book be made into a movie?
A: Someday,
maybe
Q: Did
you write all the books in this store?
A: Nope
Q: How
long does it take to write a book?
A: About
18 months from start to finish. This is usually when the student looks at me
with bugged out eyes.
Q: Did
you draw the pictures?
A: No,
but some really nice, talented people did. This is usually when a look of
disappointment passes over the child’s face.
Q: Are
you famous? Do you know J.K. Rowling?
A: No,
I am not really famous except around here and no, never met J.K.
Q: How
about the Diary of Wimpy Kid guy?
A: Nope,
but I met Colonel Sanders once. This is usually when the child looks at me like
I just spouted broccoli out of my ears.
Q: Did
you have to read the book when you wrote it?
A: This
is a very interesting questioning. Yes, I say, I read the book about ten times.
This is usually when the students look at me like I have just sprouted broccoli
out of my ears.
Q: Are
you rich?
A: (Shaking
head) Nope. This usually confuses the child because they really think all
writers are loaded down with bags of money.
Q: What’s
the best thing about being a author?
A: Meeting
great kiddoes!
I Get Mail
Love this note from one of the kids who participated in the Sweet and Sassy, Creepy, Crawly Character Kitchen Funshop at the Helen K. Furness Library. He is one smart kiddoe whom I expect to hear a lot about in the future. Thanks, Pierce!
The workshop at the
Helen Kate Furness Library was VERY FUN! One of the coolest things was that I
got to meet YOU. I also loved how we got to create a new story together with all the other children who came for the
workshop. One of the best parts was that after the presentation and you
read a chapter of your book “Cake-Love, Chickens and a Taste of Peculiar”
we even got to have real cake!!!! It would be nice if all authors would
bring cake at the end of every workshop!
Dear Mrs. Magnin,
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| Pierce is in the blue and white stripes |
Another great part of the
day was that if you bought a book, that you personalized a note in the front of
the book. It was really nice too that I got to talk to you about my books
that I am writing and hopefully will one day have a book of my own at the Helen
Kate Furness Library just like your dream and now it is on the shelf!
Love,
Pierce
Why I Write for Kids
“You have to write whichever book it is that wants to
be written. And then, if it’s going to be too difficult for grownups,
you write it for children.”
—Madeleine L’Engle
Why do I write for kids?
What a
great question.
Here's the thing, here are several reasons I enjoy and appreciate this age group. From a writerly standpoint it's because middle grade and even younger literature is some of the best literature available. Authors know that children crave concrete images, things they can see and hang their hats on. But authors also know that this a strange and wonderful time between childhood and adulthood. A time when kids can be so utterly child like in their manners and thoughts and yet in the next instant more profound than imaginable. This is what I like to capture in my middle grade books. The concrete fused with the abstract and thoughtful, with a touch of whimsy. Children are still willing to believe in magic even though they know it’s not real. I hope that through the use of magic in my books children will also learn something about faith. Because what is faith but believing in things unseen.
Here's the thing, here are several reasons I enjoy and appreciate this age group. From a writerly standpoint it's because middle grade and even younger literature is some of the best literature available. Authors know that children crave concrete images, things they can see and hang their hats on. But authors also know that this a strange and wonderful time between childhood and adulthood. A time when kids can be so utterly child like in their manners and thoughts and yet in the next instant more profound than imaginable. This is what I like to capture in my middle grade books. The concrete fused with the abstract and thoughtful, with a touch of whimsy. Children are still willing to believe in magic even though they know it’s not real. I hope that through the use of magic in my books children will also learn something about faith. Because what is faith but believing in things unseen.
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| Reading Cake to the kiddoes |
But,
writing for children is serious business Psychologist, Bruno Bettelheim wrote
in The Uses of Enchantment,
"In order to master the psychological problems of growing up... a child
needs to understand what is going on within his conscious self so that he can
also cope with that which goes on in his unconscious. He can achieve this
understanding, and with it the ability to cope, not through rational
comprehension of the nature and content of his unconscious, but by becoming
familiar with it through spinning out daydreams."
Occasionally,
although thankfully not often, I am asked if I will ever graduate to writing for
adults. This obviously from folks who don’t know about my books for grown-ups. And
I usually respond by saying that first of all writing for children can be more
difficult than writing for grown-ups in many ways and that it’s not fair to
assume that children’s literature is in any way dumbed down or written in a
childish way.
E.B.
White said, "anyone who writes down to children is simply wasting his
time. You have to write up, not down. Children are demanding. They are the most
attentive, curious, eager, observant, sensitive, quick, and generally congenial
readers on earth." Who wouldn’t want to write for that kind of audience?
More than frosting filled those cakes…
When Wilma Sue arrives at her new foster home, she keeps her head down as usual, anticipating the next move. But strange things are happening at the home of the oddball sisters, Ruth and Naomi. Was that really a goldfish swimming in the lemonade? Did butterflies really come out of the cake? As Wilma Sue bakes and delivers cakes, she begins to wonder if she might truly be welcomed into this “home,” as Ruth and Naomi keep insisting. Just as her heart begins to soften, a string of neighborhood crimes point to Wilma Sue. Will the sisters turn her out, or will she get her own much-needed dose of love, trust, and faith?
The magic in Cake is that Wilma Sue learns that she is eminently worthy of love--no matter what. To give love and receive love.
First Line Fridays
Do you know which book? It's one of all-time favorite novels.
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since."
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since."
Celebrate National Library Week
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| When I was a girl, the library was housed in the old farm house |
Here’s the thing, it is National Library Week. Please visit
your local library. I’m sure they have many events scheduled to celebrate. I
have the honor of participating in two events to help celebrate libraries in my
community. I love libraries. Don’t you? Do you have a favorite library? When I
was a girl I could usually be found crawling the stacks of the Seller’s
Memorial Library in Upper Darby. It truly was a haven, a safe place for me. A
place of wonder and delight and discovery. It is where I discovered Ray
Bradbury, Sherlock Holmes, Harriet the Spy, Virginia Woolf, Mark Twain, Robert Heinlein,
Tolkien, Hemingway, E.B. White, etc. etc. etc. I remember sitting in the window seat with a book in hand
and staring out at a rainy day thinking about what it would be like to have a
book I had written in the public library. It seemed so far away but a dream I
refused to give up on. I dreamt about returning to the library one day and
reading from my book. Gee, it’s a dream come true. I am often astonished at
this. I thought having a book in
the library would be the greatest of all delights. And it is truly. Truly a
delight. But something happened the other day that is even better. I was in the
Youth Room of a local library and I saw a kid pick up a copy of Cake. She kind
of looked through it and then sat at a table and started to read it. My heart,
needless to say, sped up just a bit as I watched her turn the pages. A few
minutes later she brought the book to the counter and checked it out. Now
that’s the stuff dreams are made of.
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