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Okay, so after a long absence, I was going to write this blog post all about how I've been AWOL because I've been spending every extra moment rebuilding my website to the point that I'm dreaming in html . . . you know, with pointy brackets around every action I take. But that's all gone out the window. I just have to stop the presses for this:

A Kirkus review that authors dream about. Yes, notoriously-hard-to-please Kirkus likes Bubble Homes and Fish Farts! That Kirkus reviewed the book is fabulous. That they liked it is chair-dancing "Squeeee!" territory. Here's what they said:

"Bayrock's love of "way cool science" bubbles over in this surprisingly substantial book. How do animals use bubbles? For sailing, running, breathing, nesting--even playing (dolphins seem to blow bubbles just for fun). Sixteen double-page spreads cover 16 wholly different ways that fish, insects, amphibians and mammals use bubbles. Did you know that one species of spider creates a bubble home to live in underwater? That the popping bubbles of snapping shrimp can be "so loud it gets in the way of U.S. Navy sonar"? That the water shrew can actually run across the surface of the water courtesy of the bubbles trapped between its hairy toes? Lively expository prose deftly combines straightforward facts (the scientific name of each animal), sound effects (the "fwap-fwap-fwap-fwap" of tree frogs creating foam) and kid-friendly comparisons (the gourami fish spitting eggs into its nest looks like it's playing basketball). Conahan's whimsical watercolor illustrations, complete with conversational bubbles, add humor and interest. Three pages of additional facts and a combined glossary/index round out a volume that's sure to rise to the top. (Informational picture book. 5-10)" --Kirkus Reviews

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What's that old Chinese curse? "May you live in interesting times."? Yup, well, I'm livin' it. Life at Casa Bayrock has certainly qualified this past week. Parts of town have been under an official "State of Emergency" declaration due to extreme flooding and landslides. Our house and property have been fine, but our phone service (and internet...ack!) was out for several days, and getting up and down the mountain to go to town has been interesting (there's that word again!), as one way was blocked by landslides and the other was limited to one lane when the outside lane slid 3' down the mountainside. Interesting, indeed.

But phone service is back, road passage is stable, so we're thankful we're not wading through 3' of water, or having to contemplate how to rebuild things destroyed by landslide, as some folks are.

I've missed a couple of Bubble Stampede links. So here they are. Promotional Giveaways and Book Signings vs. Book Events are the latest topics Laura and I talk about. Come on over and eavesdrop. Maybe even leave a comment.
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Happy New Year!

What better way to start 2009 than with a celebration, so, here's the long-awaited shortlist for the 2008 Cybils Nonfiction Picture Book Category as announced this morning. I missed being on the panel this year, but I'm the category organizer and am looking forward to being one of the judges picking the winner from the shortlist. It's gonna be a tough decision! Here's the shortlist:

Melissa Sweet

Astronaut Handbook

Alfred A. Knopf

Written &

Illustrated by:

Meghan McCarthy

Duel! Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words

Walker

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Written by:

Dennis Brindell Fradin

Illustrated by:

Larry Day

Fabulous Fishes

Peachtree

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Written & Illustrated by:

Susan Stockdale

Nic Bishop Frogs

Scholastic Nonfiction

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Written & Photographed by:

Nic Bishop








Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw

Viking

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Written & Illustrated by:

Deborah Kogan Ray

Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa

Harcourt

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Written & Illustrated by:

Jeanette Winter

What a terrific list! Visit the Cybils Blog to read descriptions of each of the books. The other category shortlists are here.

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P.S. Fabteen#2 thinks I should blog about how amazingly awesome she is. She aced her English exam today and one of her profs asked if she could submit Fabteen#2's term paper to a writing contest, so Fabteen#2 is feelin' mighty good, and, well, she is amazingly awesome, even without the exam ace and invitation, so yeah, I'll blog about her. :^) Love ya, darlin'.

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I just confirmed book launch dates! I'm so excited that both places at the top of my Dream Launch Location List said "Yes!" I'm busy playing with big bubbles---really BIG (hee hee hee, want to step inside one? ;^)---and thinking up other bubblicious fun, goodies, and nibblies. Par-tay!

So, if you're around the BC Lower Mainland in March, I'd be delighted if you'd join me in celebrating the launch of Bubble Homes and Fish Farts at one or both launches:

The Vancouver Aquarium

Saturday, March 14, 2009
8:30-10:30 a.m. (Members)
9:30-10:30 a.m. (Non-members)
Everyone welcome!

The launch, reading, and signing will take place during the March aquarium "Super Saturday". The talented aquarium folks will create the daily theme around the book. Way cool. Plans include:

• Bubble fun!
• Kids' activities!
• Guided "walks" with one of the animals from the book!
• Refreshments!
• Book sales and signing!

• Bubble fun!
• Kids' activities!
• Free draw for school/homeschool visit
• Refreshments!
• Book sales and signing!

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It occurred to me that since I'm not on the Nonfiction Picture Book Nominating Panel this year, I haven't been updating regularly about nominated books (so many yummy ones!). As the category organizer, I'm happy to report the panelists are reading, reading, reading, and are deliberating behind closed doors as I type. The judges are on deck, stretching and rubbing their hands together in anticipation of receiving the shortlist at the end of December.

If you're curious about this year's nomination list, be sure to drop into the blogs of panelists who are reviewing:

Jone's posts at Check It Out
Becky's posts at In the Pages
Debbie's posts at Readerbuzz
Tricia's posts at The Miss Rumphius Effect

And this post on Tricia's blog is full of linky-goodness to other reviews around the kidlitosphere, too.

Can't wait to see the shortlist!
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Bios. Wouldn't it be nice if you could write just one and be done with it?

Three down, one to go.

SCBWI website? Check.
Publisher's website? Check.
Vancouver Library Panel? Check.

Chilliwack Library Talk? On deck.
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It was Term Paper Central at Casa Bayrock this weekend as the Fabteens finish up their first semester at the U. Not for me, though. My English class ended on Friday. And what an ending.

The instructor had known from day one that I was a published writer (she waived the pre-reqs based on my publishing record, so no getting around that), but after three months of classes, none of the other students knew of my author identity. To them I was simply the mature student in the back. I wanted to be treated like any other student, and keeping mum about my writing allowed that to happen.

Just as everyone was getting ready to go home on Friday, though, I pulled some promotional postcards from my purse and gave one to each of the classmates near me---the ones I chatted with before class and during breaks. "Hey, if you're not doing anything in March, come to my book launch."

The initial reactions of surprise and disbelief---"What!?" "You're kidding." "You're an author?" "Really?" "No way."---morphed into variations of "That's so cool." and then into "You kept this from us?" "You should have told us." "I feel duped." Uh-oh.

"But, but…" I tried to explain. And then the "duped" classmate said, "If we'd known you were an author, we would've reacted differently to your comments. We would've taken what you said with more authority, not questioned you."

Bingo. That's exactly why I didn't say anything. "So, which would make for better class discussions, I asked, "with the questioning or without?"

"With."

"So hiding my identity was the right thing to do?"

"Yes." A grin erupted on her face. "But I'm still mad at you."

Mission accomplished.
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I've recently discovered the delights of audio books. I know, I know, that's so last century, isn't it? I wasn't dragged kicking and screaming into the modern book age, though. It's just that until now, I've not had consistent listening time available. I work from home, so no regular long commute times to fill, and when I'm home, I'm either working, doing something that requires my attention, or among other people.

However, when I ended up having to drive into "the big city" three days last week (a 3-4 hour return trip each), and I was under the gun to get Life of Pi read for my English class, I decided to give the audio thing a whirl. Wow. . . not only did I finish the week with most of Pi under my belt (Pi and pie...pumpkin, to be exact ;^), but I realized that with my daily trips to drop off the Fabteens at the U this year, I do have a commute now, albeit a little one, in which I can sneak some audio reading time.

So I'm feeling pretty smug about finding a way to sneak more reading time into the day without sacrificing anything else. It feels like I won a time lottery or something.

And who doesn't like having a story read to them? Bonus.
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Those Charlesbridge folks must have been pretty busy last week. Not only did the advance copy of my book arrive at Casa Bayrock, but fellow Charlesbridge author Chris Barton received the final layouts for his upcoming picture book, The Day-Glo Brothers [Fall 2009]. Congrats, Chris!

Check out those eye-poppin' Day-Glo colours on the cover and then head over to Chris' blog where he's posted a pic of one of the spreads. Cool stuff.

I'm looking forward to finding this one at the book store!
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If you're in and around the lower mainland this Wednesday, don't miss the annual Hycroft Event presented by CWILL BC and the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable. You'll be treated to presentations by 43 local authors and illustrators about their new books hot off the press, as well as guest speaker Kathy Stinson, and tea, dainty pastries and interesting conversation, all in a most elegant venue.

In the past, the 2-minute time limit per presenter has resulted in very creative and entertaining performances, so it's a lot of fun. And it takes place at Hycroft, a big old beautiful Vancouver historic home. Guests are invited to sip tea and nibble on wee pastries in the grand diningroom following the presentations. Books will be for sale, and authors and illustrators will be milling about chatting and signing.

It starts at 6 pm. On-street parking. And it's free. Come.



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After turning in two magazine pieces yesterday, I reveled in a much more leisurely pace today, stoking the wood stove and reading, reading, reading with a cuppa always at hand. I squeezed in some homework, some research, a few newspapers, and a little gem of a book on the craft of writing: Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew [The Eighth Mountain Press, 1998] (love the subtitle!), wherein Ursula K. Le Guin quotes Virginia Woolf:

"Style is a very simple matter; it is all rhythm. Once you get that, you can't use the wrong words. But on the other hand here am I sitting after half the morning, crammed with ideas, and visions, and so on, and can't dislodge them, for lack of the right rhythm. Now this is very profound, what rhythm is, and goes far deeper than words. A sight, an emotion, creates this wave in the mind, long before it makes words to fit it..."
[Woolf quoted in Le Guin p.47]

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Are your trim sizes in a knot and your endsheets in the gutters? Ever wondered why a 48-page book starts on page 7? Know the difference between a signature and a spread, but you don't have a clue if that picture book you're holding is self-ended or separate-ended? For a great explanation of book anatomy, check out the Editorial Anonymous blog this week. Well done...nice and simple, very clear.
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So, about that earthquake yesterday. . . the magnitude 2.7 earthquake that occurred 40 miles from here (as reported by the U.S. Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center) around the time I checked my mailbox? That one? Um. . . well, with all the jumping around I was doing, it's quite possible I caused it.

But I had a good reason. You see, yesterday was like a very special birth day---an advance copy of Bubble Homes and Fish Farts arrived in the mail from my publisher! A book, a real book, the very. first. one! Not galleys or F&Gs or layouts or, or, or. . . but a real hardcover BOOK! So, yeah, there was a whole lot of "Squeeee!"-ing and jumping around at Casa Bayrock yesterday around mail time. Quite possibly enough to cause an earthquake, I should think.

This book has been a long time coming, and oh, it's so been worth the wait. It's beautiful, absolutely gorgeous. It's not bragging for me to say so. Sure, I wrote the text, but the whole visual feel is due to Susan and the amazing folks on the Charlesbridge design team and to my brilliant illustrator Carolyn Conahan, who found the perfect way to express the science and whimsy I had hoped for. I can take none of the credit for that. It's such a scary thing for a picture book writer to relinquish creative control to the art department and illustrator, but these guys totally got what I was trying to do and made it real. Oh, and you want to know a really cool detail? The dust jacket is a lovely matte finish except for the bubbles. . . they're all shiny, like bubbles should be! Those Charlesbridge folks are the awesomest.

Seeing your book for the first time has to be one of the biggest highs in an author's life, so, join me in a big "Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" won't you? :^D
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If you're interested in book marketing, head on over to Bubble Stampede, (sounds like I'm sending you to the OK Corral, doesn't it? LOL!), where Laura Salas and I are talking about where we're aiming our marketing efforts.

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Always interested in why people think writers do what they do, I was fascinated to read Margaret Blount's comments in the introduction to In Animal Land: The Creatures of Children's Fiction [William Morrow & Company 1975], wherein she lists three reasons a writer would choose to write about animals:

REASON #1 - The writer loves animals and can't help writing about them. (e.g. Jack London and C.S. Lewis)

REASON #2 - The writer is critical of the human race and finds animals a "more innocent, congenial alternative with which to populate the earth" (e.g. Beatrix Potter)

REASON #3 - The writer has a strong moral urge to comment on or teach something about the human race. (e.g. C.S. Lewis, Kenneth Grahame)

Interesting. So, how do these apply to this writer's writing about animals?

Without a doubt, my nonfiction and poetry writing about animals is directly attributable to Reason #1. From microscopic to whale-size, animals fascinate me on so many levels. I get excited about them and want to share that excitement with others. It's a big component of the joy in my poetry and nonfiction work.

However, when it comes to my fiction writing about animals, none of these reasons fits. I don't have a problem with the human race, and I am definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY opposed to didacticism in children's writing. (Did I say that definitely enough?), so Reasons #2 and #3 don't apply. And although I'm sure Reason #1 is peripherally involved, it's not the main motivator. What is? Well, sometimes an animal is just an animal---you can't tell the story you want to tell without that animal as a character. When you choose the best character for a story, that character sometimes turns out to be not human. I'll add to Blount's list:

REASON #4 - Animal physical or behavioural characteristics stretch the plot possibilities beyond what's possible with human characters---a story can go in so many more directions because the characters are animals and not human. For example, hippos have an affinity for mud baths, flying birds observe activities below, anteaters have long tongues, and turtles can become stranded upside down on their shells. All of these create plot opportunities not possible if the characters are human.

Sometimes you need an animal to tell the story you want to tell.
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Is there some corollary to Murpy's Law that says a website will be hacked in a week in which the owner has the least amount of time to deal with it? Because my website got hacked this week. Not once, but twice. Guess that makes it a double corollary, huh?

The hack job was innocent enough. My homepage was replaced with a new blank one with one silly juvenile-stupid sentence on it. I won't mention the hacker's handle or the sentence gift he left since hackers get their jollies from the notoriety of their handiwork---how far it spreads through the internet. My hacker won't get the pleasure of seeing this blog post pop up on his latest vanity Google search.

But what a pain in the keester. Forensic computer digging, way too much time with FTP, several phone calls back and forth with my ISP, and reuploading every webpage...twice! Aaargh. All for someone's kicks.

Why do people DO that? It takes creativity to think up pranks like that and a certain level of skill to pull it off. If they applied that same skill and creativity productively, they could be raking in the dough...maybe become a jet-setting computer mogul livin' the high life and earning real fame, instead of hunkered in some basement cubby somewhere wreaking havoc on hardworking children's writers.

Okay, rant off.

Have you checked your website lately? Take two aspirin, Google yourself in the morning, and drop in for a regular checkup. You know what they say...most corollaries can be prevented. ;^)
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Today's the final day of nominations for the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards! Nominations close tonight at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.

Anyone can nominate a book in one of nine categories by leaving a comment at the Cybils Blog. Just scroll down and click on the category of your choice and leave the title and author of your nomination in the comments box.

Which 2008 books with a blend of literary quality and kid appeal would you like to see win?

Find out more about the Cybils here.
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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, everyone! Yes, I'm elbow deep (literally) in pie pastry and turkey stuffing today in preparation for The Big Turkey Supper with all the fixin's.

These past few weeks have been busy.

I manned the reception desk at the fabulously successful Fall Book Harvest held by CWILL BC (my professional writers and illustrators group) at the Vancouver Public Library on October 5. So many authors showcasing their new books to crowds of people...teachers, parents, and kids, kids, kids. It was a great afternoon.

I took a preliminary research trip to a local animal site (Shhh! This project's still at the secret stage, but I'm very excited!)

I've been up to my eyeballs organizing the Nonfiction Picture Book Category for the 2008 Cybils Award. So many great books are already nominated, but so many aren't on the list yet, so if you haven't stopped by the Cybils blog to nominate your fave, get on over there. Nominations close on October 15...only a few more days left! (Just scroll down, click on your category of choice, and leave a comment with your nomination.)

I've also been nose to grindstone reading and writing for my English class (I got an A+ on my essay! I got an A+ on my essay! Sheesh, you'd think I'd won the lottery the way I'm jumping around and carrying on, but it's the first university class in over a decade, so it's pretty exciting stuff, let me tell ya).

And if you're looking for more interesting reading today, Laura and I are talking about social networking sites over on the Bubble Stampede blog, and it's Nonfiction Monday...as always you'll find links to great book talk about kids' nonfiction on Anastasia's blog.

Now I'm off to finish making pie and getting that turkey in the oven, as I contemplate how much I have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Emily over at Emily Reads has sent me some bloggy love. Awwww, thanks. Apparently, I'm her "favorite [sic] Canuck". Out of 30-some-odd million folks on the planet, I'm her fave? Sa-weet.

According to the rules of this passing-on-the-blog-love thing, I'm supposed to link to seven blogs I heart, but ya know...this has been one. of. those. weeks. I've been stinkin' busy this week with the Cybils, a feature assignment for CWIM, Bubble Stampede, my English class, my SIL needing writerly help with an obit, a manuscript critique, booking book events for spring, and stuff, stuff, stuff. I am so behind on my blog reading---hey, somethin's gotta give---that I don't know who's already feelin' the bloggy love.

So, I'm going to be like that branch of the family tree that chooses not to have children...the branch ends here. Well, sort of. I'm throwing the bloggy love right back at Emily Reads. I heart your rockin' Haiku reviews, Emily!

And...hee hee...that [sic]'s for you! [ducking and running]
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