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I hope you’ve had a lovely June. As you’re reading this, I’ll be on a cruise ship, floating around Alaska, celebrating my twentieth anniversary (today!) and soaking up the scenery while reading this book. I imagine my children, who are with my parents, are eating entirely too much ice cream and spending loads of time at the pool.

This is another month of busyness around here — there’s a quick jaunt to Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Phoenix (we won’t melt…there will be a lazy river involved). I’m still hard at work on first-round edits of my Klondike Gold Rush book (hence the novel I took on the cruise). And my first picture book launches mid month, the same day as another little book you might have heard of.

Those of you who live in Albuquerque, I hope you might consider joining me for one of two Over in the Wetlands events! There will be games, coloring pages, gator cookies, and reading, of course. On July 30 I’ll be at Cherry Hills Library (6901 Barstow St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111) for the 10:30 story time. Page One Books will provide copies to purchase, and the library will have copies available for check out.

On August 22 at 10:30, I’ll do it all again, this time at Bookworks (4022 Rio Grande Boulevard Northwest, Albuquerque, NM 87107). Same stories, same coloring pages. If there are gator cookies left over, I’ll be sure to stick them in my freezer and bring them by!

Finally, in celebration of Over in the Wetlands and as a thank you to my readers, I’ll be giving three personalized, signed copies of the book away through my newsletter toward the end of the month. This is a 3-4 time a year publication delivered directly to your inbox, where you can get the inside scoop on new books, what I’m reading, and a few other details I don’t include on the blog. I’d love if you’d consider signing up. Simply click through to do so.

Let’s get back to this regular blogging thing…

The post Of Books and Travels and Gator Cookies appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

I’m taking my blog sabbath a month earlier than I usually do. This is a practice I started four years ago, and it’s something that refreshes and resets me in more ways than I know how to explain. In addition to the blog, I will also be off social media.

I’ve chosen June over July this year for a couple of reasons. First, I’m on deadline this summer. These early weeks, when I’m finding my way back into my manuscript, feel especially important. I don’t need any other computer time vying for my attention.

Second, we have a lot of family things going on next month. My boys are home from school. My parents are moving back to town. My husband and I are going on a cruise to celebrate our twentieth anniversary. This is a perfect time to step away.

Finally, I have a book coming out in July, and I want to be here to share its story.

I’ve scheduled some posts to re-run — a “new” one each week — that I hope will interest you. Enjoy your summer, friends! I’ll see you again soon.

The post June is for Life and Living appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

I few months ago I linked to Kate Messner’s post on bullet journaling. She’s such an on-the-ball author (Kate has seven books coming out this year, I believe), I knew any organizational system she uses would be worth looking into. I found her explanation and examples of bullet journaling really insightful.

I started my own low-key version after reading her post. While I don’t list day to day events (I still use my calendar for that), I’ve found it helpful to have one place to stick all my notes — work related or not. Here’s a glimpse at what I’ve got down for May.

On the left I have notes about my son’s eighth-grade dance. Our church, which meets in my boys’ school, tries to give back throughout the year. One way we’re helping this time around is by decorating for the dance. It’s an 80s theme. Think Rubix cubes, fun movie posters, and Pac Man!

On the right is May at a glance. My current calendar is a weekly one, giving me plenty of space to write in daily tasks. But if I want to see the general flow of the month, I can’t. That’s why this overview is so handy.

Here’s my checklist for May, which I know will grow as the days pass. It’s life, it’s work, it’s big stuff and small. I’m working again on a manuscript I affectionately call Jasper. Though it’s not due back to my editor until August 10, I want to be sure to get my rhythm down now. I’ll check off each day I work and record the amount of time I’ve spent (my own version of a sticker chart).

I’m also deep in the middle of my Laura Ingalls Wilder class. Well, I’m actually a bit behind. Thankfully participants can finish at their own pace.

Over in the Wetlands releases in July (!!), so it’s time to start thinking about some guest blog posts as well as add to my Louisiana mailing list (my plan is to send postcards to the schools and libraries in the ten coastal parishes).

Then there’s that dance. The shelves in my office closet. A writing mentorship (I’m reading and responding to two picture book manuscripts a month for a local writing friend). A birthday sleepover. The end of school. An eighth-grade graduation. Other books I’d like to read. A piece of writing for SCBWI-NM’s Enchantment show. My calendar is great for the everyday, but I’m loving the bullet journal for fleshing it all out.

Anyone else out there bullet journaling?

The post Bullet Journaling My Way Through May appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Art is what happens when you dare to be who you really are, when what is most alive in you is offered as a gift to others. — Emily P. Freeman

Human, generous work, that might not work, that changes someone else for the better. — Seth Godin

If it is art, it is not for all, and if it is for all, it is not art. — Arnold Schoenberg

The post Definitions of Art appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Some of you might remember the days I worked in a closet office, a tiny 3′ x 4′ space where I wrote May B. When we moved to New Mexico, I graduated into a full-sized office. Last week the office closet got a little makeover.

Here’s how it all started — a jumbled mess.

Closet insides now on the outside.

Here are my wonderful new shelves from California Closets.

There’s even a special nook for my fake sod brick (doesn’t every author who writes about pioneers have one in her closet?).

Getting organized…

I wrote some words in every single one of these books! Way too fun.

I’m hoping this little fella sends his joy and inspiration over Jasper‘s way.

And here it is! Isn’t it beautiful? I trust nothing will fall on my head the next time I pull back that shower curtain…

The post Office Transformation appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.
— Emily Dickinson

The post The Power of a Word appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Here are two new resources for those of you interested in learning more about Blue Birds.

Educator’s Guide
Lost colony timeline

And breaking news! Evidence that colonists indeed were on Hatteras Island (Croatoan)!

Archeologists Find New Evidence of Lost Colonists on Hatteras :: The Outer Banks Voice

The post BLUE BIRDS Resources and Lost Colony News! appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Remember this (relatively) neat and tidy picture from a few weeks ago? Things have changed a little around here. Part two of the Laura Ingalls Wilder class has begun, meaning I have five Laura books to re-read plus her daughter Rose’s Young Pioneers (Something I read just a few months before thinking up May B. I know it played into my story in some way. Curious about finding parallels.).

I finished Fish in a Tree and You Are Not So Smart (both so good!) and have added in Amherst (because I can’t pass up an Emily Dickinson book, especially one that deals with a key storyline in Lives Like Loaded Guns: Emily Dickinson and Her Family’s Feuds, which I read a few years ago.). Then there’s Bone Gap, which has gotten such amazing buzz (and was super quick to show up in my request queue).

My younger guy requested a new Agatha Christie to read together. So I added A Pocket Full of Rye to the pile. This is the same kid who made me that wonderful paper airplane.

The purple notebook is full of notes I took while reading You Are Not So Smart and will perhaps, perhaps be used in some sort of future novel. Who knows? The stickies I used to mark quotes have been transferred to You Are Now Less Dumb , since I’m sure there’ll be more I’ll want to write down. One, of course, is decorating my paper airplane because it’s extra pretty that way.

There are three pens stashed up there because I’m always convinced I won’t have one when I start on the Sunday crosswords. I suspect the pencil is left over from picture book drafting (because I can’t draft in pen and I refuse to work a crossword that way).

So now you know what’s going on in my little corner of the reading world.

The post So. The Nightstand Kinda Exploded. appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Last fall I decided I wanted some sort of artistic representation of Blue Birds. It was meant to be a gift to myself, a celebration of the love and hard work I’d put in, and perhaps something I could share with readers, too. Some of you have seen (and received) the lovely, lovely Pinch of Daring print Annie Barnett of Be Small Studios made.

Today I want to share another beautiful Blue Birds token.

Kerry Gauthier of CS Literary Jewelry has designed two different Blue Birds rings, each with a different portion of a poem. I have four rings to give away.

The way to enter to win a ring is super easy. Simply take a picture of yourself with a copy of Blue Birds and share it on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #BlueBirds. Because the book is about friendship, here’s where I sweeten the deal: Take a picture with a friend, add in a copy of Blue Birds, and you’ll both be entered to win. Winners will be announced Wednesday, March 18.

I can’t wait to see what you have to share!

The post Four BLUE BIRDS Poetry Rings: A Giveaway appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Reset expectations instead of raising them. Hard to do if you’re a public company, but probably worth considering if you’re a human intent on making your art.

— from Seth Godin’s blog post, the paradox of rising expectations

The post Reset Expectations appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Today is the last day you can receive this beautiful print if you pre-order Blue Birds. Details below.

My husband’s first pastorate out of seminary was in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington DC. He was a youth pastor and I was a teacher, and we were still pretty new to town. One Sunday a young couple visited our church. I casually chatted with them — a British fellow with the name Steve Martin (isn’t that fun?) and his lovely American wife, Jamie. And in those few moments I had one of those weird experiences I’d only had once before: I knew immediately that Jamie and I would become very good friends.

It was a strange feeling with no real basis, other than an underlining conviction we had clicked in a meaningful way. Almost fifteen years have passed since that Sunday. We’ve lived apart for eleven of them. But the fledgling friendship that started that day has been one of my life’s dearest gifts.

One spring Jamie came to visit us in Michigan. As the two of us wandered through an antique shop, she handed me a worn school primer she’d found on a shelf. Maybe it will be helpful for that new book idea you have, she said. It ended up being key. On the day May B. came into the world, Jamie wrote something that to this day makes me cry.

As I struggled with writing Blue Birds, Jamie was the one to tell me good work is often hard work. Each time I’d email about how difficult it all was, she’d remind me the writing was hard because it was important.

This time last year I was deep in the midst of second-round edits and desperate to connect with Alis and Kimi in a meaningful way. So I started wearing a strand of pearls. Everyday. With sweats and dressy clothes and everything in between. Unless I was sleeping or exercising, the pearls were there. My Blue Birds girls share a pearl necklace (you can see Alis wearing it on the cover). Wearing pearls was a constant reminder of their friendship, a way to meet them beyond my writing sessions, to carry them with me to the grocery store, while walking the dog, into life’s small, quiet moments.

It was during this time I found this treasure in my mailbox. A gift from Jamie (who knew nothing about the pearls). And that’s when I knew with certainty exactly who this book was for.

If we’re lucky, we find friends in this world who love us as we are and bring out our best selves. I hope that’s what I’ve captured in Alis and Kimi’s relationship. It’s what Jamie Martin has given me.

This post is part of a week-long celebration in honor of  Blue Birds. I’m giving away a downloadable PDF of this beautiful Blue Birds quote (created by Annie Barnett of Be Small Studios) for anyone who pre-orders the book from January 12-19. Simply click through to order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, IndieBound, or Powell’s, then email a copy of your receipt to [email protected] by Monday, January 19.

Join the Celebration!

An Interview with Caroline Starr Rose, author of Blue Birds :: From the Mixed Up Files…

What I’m Reading: Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose :: Views from a Window Seat

Blue Birds :: Augusta Scattergood

Blue Birds Interview with Caroline Starr Rose :: Reflections on the Teche

Book Review: Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose :: Book Covers

The post The Gift of Friendship appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

It wasn’t easy deciding what lines from Blue Birds would work as a visual taste of the book. When I flipped through it with Annie’s art in mind, I was sure I would settle on words about friendship. That’s the heart of the story, after all. But it was these words instead that I returned to again and again:

How ordinary life is
without a bit of fancy,
without a pinch of daring
to fill our days.

The funny thing is, I can’t say I wholly agree with my character Alis. Here’s a twelve-year-old girl with an adventurous side who is surrounded by newness at every turn. An ordinary life would be dull in comparison. But my forty-one year old self isn’t so convinced there is an ordinary life. I’m pretty sure every life is extra-ordinary.

Here’s where I do track with her. Those bit of fancy/pinch of daring moments are the glimmers that can make us feel most alive. They can be small, unassuming things or enormous, life-changing events. They are those times we feel most content, most joyous, most brave.

As I was driving home from my run last Thursday morning, I caught Malcolm Gladwell on NPR’s TED Radio Hour. I might be botching exactly what he said, but it went something like this:

You’re never most alive as when your world is turned upside down.

That’s what fiction is all about, those life-turned-asunder moments. They propel characters toward the change that has to happen for a story to exist. For those of us who live outside the world of books (you know, as living, breathing human beings), those upside down moments aren’t always pleasant. While I love the idea of a new year and all the fresh potential it brings, I’m also firmly aware of the equal possibility for sorrow and disappointment. And you know something? That’s scary. Life in its glorious ordinariness sometimes takes a measure of bravery.

I only just realized that Alis’s words kind of echo one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite characters, Francie Nolan from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Perhaps I subconsciously meant for it to be that way:

Let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry…have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere — be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost.

 In the wonder and joy and even the sorrow, here’s to your own bits and pinches of the extraordinary. 

This post is part of a week-long celebration in honor of  Blue Birds. I’m giving away a downloadable PDF of this beautiful Blue Birds quote (created by Annie Barnett of Be Small Studios) for anyone who pre-orders the book from January 12-19. Simply click through to order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, IndieBound, or Powell’s, then email a copy of your receipt to [email protected] by Monday, January 19.

Join the Celebration!

Childhood, Best Friends, and Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose :: Kimberley Griffiths Little

Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose :: Melissa Sarno

MG Book Review — Blue Birds :: Akossiwa Ketoglo

A Celebration of Caroline Starr Rose’s Blue Birds: We Were the Fortunate Strangers :: Valerie Stein

Celebrating Blue Birds with an Interview with Caroline Starr Rose :: Faith Hough

Roanoke Lost Colony Imagined in Blue Birds :: Pragmatic Mom

The post A Pinch of Daring appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

I’m so excited to share with you a recent conversation I had with Sarah MacKenzie of the Read Aloud Revival Podcast. We talked poetry, how I stumbled into writing verse novels, and what three books I would take to a desert island.

Swing by and have a listen!

The post A Conversation with Sarah MacKenzie of the Read Aloud Revival Podcast appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

It felt like time to pull this post out again, as I’ve gotten questions of late. Here’s the inside scoop.

Because it seems to come up often during school visits and while chatting online (there’s even been some confusion at Random House), I thought I’d explain my name today, specifically the Starr business.

Starr is my middle name. It’s not my maiden name. It’s not hyphenated. Just my plain ol’ middle name. I know my email address doesn’t help make things clear (I don’t use my last name, just my first and middle). I was named for my grandmother, Gene Starr, and my mother, Polly Starr. As I don’t have any daughters, my boys have graciously named the dog Boudreaux Starr.

When I was a middle schooler, Starr felt like a curse. I was always asked if my parents were hippies and if I had sisters named Moonbeam and Sunshine at home. Now I like it. A lot. It flows so nicely with Caroline and Rose.

So now you know!

Anyone else with a unique name?

The post Caroline Starr Rose: Making Sense of My Name appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

It was so, so lovely to talk a few weeks ago with Sarah and Beth Anne of Brilliant Business Moms. They sought me out after reading this guest post at Modern Mrs. Darcy. Here are a few of the things you can expect in the podcast:

01:15 – Roald Dahl, the Oregon Trail, and My Journey
04:24 – The Most Honest Thing I’ve Ever Written
07:48 – What about Mr. Chapman?
09:59 – The Apprentice Stage
13:34 – Maniacal Optimism
16:54 – Why a Traditional Publisher?
19:29 – How to Get Published
22:50 – Finding an Agent
24:59 – Advice for Apprentice Authors
29:31 – Does a Web Presence Matter?
31:02 – A Day in the Life
34:34 – How Much Does an Author Make?
38:56 – Resources for Aspiring Authors
44:30 – What My Boys Think About Having an Author for a Mom

The podcast is live! Click through to have a listen.

The post A Podcast with Brilliant Business Moms appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

It’s been five years since I stepped away from teaching, but everything that Donalyn Miller writes still deeply resonates with me. After reading her BOOK WHISPERER, I interviewed Donalyn, blasting her with way too many questions. She graciously answered every one. That interview became a series I ran in four parts. The posts continue to be some of the most popular on the blog.

Last week I finished Donalyn’s second book, READING IN THE WILD: THE BOOK WHISPERER’S KEYS TO CULTIVATING LIFELONG READING HABITS. It’s a look at how teachers can help their readers — even those enthusiastic ones — move from dependence to independence, how students can maintain an active love of reading well beyond the classroom. Donalyn developed a Wild Reader Survey to gauge “reading habits and preferences of adult readers.” Here’s what she found.

Wild Readers

1. Dedicate time to read
2. Self-select reading material
3. Share books and reading with other readers
4. Have reading plans
5. Show preferences for genres, authors, and topics

READING IN THE WILD focuses on these five Wild Reader traits and how they can be used to foster a lifelong love of reading. Here’s a taste of what Donalyn believes:

“A reading workshop classroom provides a temporary scaffold, but eventually students must have self-efficacy and the tools they need to go it alone.” (p. xvii)

“Children who love reading and see themselves as readers are the most successful in school and have the greatest opportunities in life.” (p. xix)

“We believe that teaching our students to be wild readers is not only possible; it is our ethical responsibility as reading teachers and lifelong readers. Our students deserve it, society demands it, and our teaching hearts know that it matters.” (p. xxiv)

Over the next few days, I’ll share more about each Wild Reader trait and will invite you to share your thoughts and experiences either in the classroom or as a wild reader.

Looking forward to learning from each of you!

The post READING IN THE WILD: 5 Things Wild Readers Do appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

The discipline of creation, be it to paint, composite, write, is an effort toward wholeness.
—Madeleine L’Engle

The post This Creative Life appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

When Choosing Themes, Write What You Don’t Know :: The Write Practice

The Gap: How to Make Your Story a Page Turner! :: Ingrid’s Notes

The Power of the Pre-Order :: Lisa Schroeder

Brava, Birdy! Kirby Larson celebrates CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY’s twenty years :: The Nerdy Book Club 

3 Insights that Lead to Successful Publishing Careers :: Writer Unboxed

Nonfiction Family Tree :: From the Mixed-Up Files

Artwork above by Maggie Steifvater

The post Writing Links appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Today we’re celebrating my wonderful critique partner, Kate Bassett, and her debut young adult novel, Words and Their Meanings, which releases today. Here’s a description of the book:

Anna O’Mally is a born writer—gifted, perceptive, headed for the stars. Or she was, until the tragic death of her uncle Joe. He was barely older than Anna herself, and she worshipped the ground he walked on. Best of all, Anna got to live in the glow of knowing that she was the most important person in his world, too.

Anna has promised everyone—her shrink, her parents, her best friend—that Joe’s one-year “deadaversary” will be the end of her period of mourning. But when a strange note suggests that her saintly uncle had deep secrets, Anna stumbles into a chain of events that changes everything she thought she knew about the past, the possibilities of love . . . and origami.

Praise:

“With a compelling voice and evocative prose, Kate Bassett establishes herself as an author to watch.”—Sara Zarr, author of The Lucy Variations and National Book Award winning Story of a Girl

“Bassett’s debut novel scores a hat-trick of literary merit in a strongly crafted and complex plot, deeply drawn characters with palpable grief, and beautifully woven and rich prose.”
—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)

“A heartbreaking and fantastic debut.”—VOYA 

In celebration of Kate, I want to share the wisdom she’s lavished on me and our fellow critique partner, Valerie Geary, over the years. Though what I’ve included here is often personal, it’s also universal, and I think all writers will benefit from Kate’s sensible, compassionate approach.

On First Drafts:

Own the fears and let them go…Even if the story is full of holes, it only means you are still discovering it. That it’s still just finding its way. It’s part of the journey– and leaves room for so much possibility.  Give yourself a minute or two of wallowing. Then get out for a run. Take some time to think of each character– let them try on ideas and personality traits and possible scenes like dresses. You’ll get there. We believe in you!

the first draft is about discovery, nothing more.  Plus, we are, of course, our biggest critics. We should make a pact to be gentle on ourselves.

Val, write, write, write through it. You’ll find the steam and soon first draft blues will be a thing of history.

Revisions:

I hear you. And I know that place in the process. But remember: it’s just a place. It’s just that rotten, wicked stupid seed of self doubt we all wrestle with, and while I wish I had magic words to take it away…the best thing I can tell you is to do the work. Even if you have to cry. Even if you feel so overwhelmed you need to walk away. Especially because the biggest doubts come to us when we know, deep, deep down this is our calling…You CAN do this. You WILL pull it all together with grace and tender, moving language. Because you are enough. You have the skills.  You are a writer. The hard stuff is what you do.

The Writing Life:

I get all grumpy and frustrated…but then, I take a step back and realize….hurrying never makes a good book.

Words are good. And they matter.

Writing and Doubt:

Hush those doubts, my friend. YOU are a beautiful writer.  Beautiful writing NEVER goes out of style. You’ve written ANOTHER beautiful book. And it will sell. I know it.

I’m convinced the new book fear will NEVER leave.  But maybe that’s what makes new writing good, right? I mean, if there was no fear, there would be no risk, no love, no creative force.  So be filled with the fear, and then translate that into a burst of beautiful writing like only you can.

And finally…

We’re each on our own journey, but it is sure nice to have friends along the way. 

 So happy to have you walking this path with me, friend.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Kate Bassett’s WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS, a Giveaway appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

We need books — and I want to publish books — that reflect the whole range of a child or teenager’s emotional experiences and take us through those experiences with them. So the stories come through a child’s heart and speak to a child’s heart; so they have the bravery and honesty to look at a muddle* and acknowledge its pain, and not to be moralistic or easy; and, in the end, to help us all make it through.

– Cheryl Klein, SECOND SIGHT: AN EDITOR’S TALKS ON WRITING, REVISING, AND PUBLISHING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS

*A muddle is a concept Cheryl has borrow from author E.M. Forster. “It’s the point at which your vision of yourself and your purpose in the world is clouded by other things — by other people’s opinions, by the fact that you don’t know who you are or if you have a purpose in the world. It’s an identity crisis, essentially.”

The post We Need Books: The Editor’s Perspective appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

You never again love a book the way you do as a child. Let’s make sure our books are worthy of their love.
– Linda Sue Park, SCBWI Los Angeles Conference, 2014

Yes, that’s original Little House art!

The post On Writing appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Please indulge me. I’m a bit gaga over my new book.

Those of you who receive my newsletter have already read this, but I thought it might be fun to share here, too. Since the cover for BLUE BIRDS was revealed in June, I’ve gotten a few questions, the first being this:

Where are the blue birds?

There are two ways to answer: The cover has zero…or three.

The wooden bird the Kimi and Alis share is a representation of the Eastern bluebird — a gift given to Alis by her Uncle Samuel. I sent the Balbusso sisters a link to John White’s watercolor of iacháwanes (the Roanoke word for this bird). I love the echoes of his work Anna and Elena have included, such as the shape of the blue bird’s tail.

The other two blue birds on the cover? They are my girls, Kimi and Alis. Which brings us to the second question: How do you pronounce these girls’ names?

Alis is the Elizabethan spelling for Alice (as is Alys or Alyse. Those Elizabethans, they never were consistent). I have to confess Kimi is a website find, a name simply listed as an Algonquian* girl name. I can’t speak to its veracity or even its proper pronunciation, but in my head Kimi is Keemee (and not Kimmy). Kimi’s name means secret, which was a huge draw for me, as the girls’ friendship is a forbidden one.

For those of you interested, BLUE BIRDS is already available for pre-order. And if you’d like to receive my quarterly-ish newsletter, simply sign up here.

*Algonquian is a language family with over two dozen dialects. The Roanoke spoke a now extinct Algonquian dialect.

The post A Few Questions About BLUE BIRDS appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

Three years ago I took my first extended blogging break. My family was going on vacation, and I needed some time to unwind. I scheduled links to old posts and left on a road trip, bringing along a copy of THE SHALLOWS: WHAT THE INTERNET IS DOING TO OUR BRAINS. If you haven’t read it, it’s a remarkable book. I wrote a few posts about it the following August, which you can read here and here.

This book and the month-long break were a real confirmation for me: I need to schedule regular periods of time away from the Internet. With a job that involves a lot of computer time, it is good and healthy for me to sometimes step away.  In addition to my blog break, I also refrain from Facebook and Twitter. If you’re looking for me, you can always drop me an email. Otherwise, I’ll see you again in August.

I’ve scheduled some posts to re-run — a “new” one each week — that I hope will interest you. Enjoy your summer, friends!

The post July’s for Reflection and Rest appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

I have been waiting to share this beauty since the moment I first saw it. But here’s a secret. You won’t see it here but over at The Nerdy Book Club today. If you don’t know Nerdy, you’re in for a treat. It’s a blog that celebrates children’s literature with posts from teachers, librarians, readers, and authors.

Before you head over, though, I wanted to show you a little something. In February, when I knew my editor and Penguin’s art director were starting to think about a cover, I thought I’d try my hand at creating my own. I did this with MAY B. So did my older boy. With BLUE BIRDS, one image stood out. I tired to capture it here:

When my editor sent me the initial sketch from illustrators Anna and Elena Balbusso, there were goosebumps. Truly. Head over to the Nerdy Book Club to see why!

The post An Exquisite, Stunning, Gorgeous Cover for BLUE BIRDS! appeared first on Caroline Starr Rose.

I started blogging in September 2009. By then I’d been writing for over eleven years, and though I had no publishing leads, I decided to jump in feet first: I quit my teaching job and started writing full time.

Though opinions have since changed, anyone who was trying to get published “back then” was supposed to blog.* I’ve often been thankful I started writing long before the blogosphere was born. While it was sometimes lonely writing on my own, it was also simpler, too — fewer distractions, no one else’s writing regimen or sales to compare to my own experiences. I sometimes wonder if I’d started writing then how far I would have gotten. How easy it would have been to try and keep up with everyone else on-line and altogether forget about the actual writing thing.

I remember checking out a book about blogging, and though I didn’t understand a lot of it, one thing stuck with me: with so many voices out there, a blogger needed a unique angle. I decided my blog would be called Caroline by line, a name I hoped would be catchy, would be a play on “by line,” and would help people learn I was a CaroLINE and not a CaroLYN (Five years later, I still get LYN-ed as much as before). I opened a free account on Blogger and committed to talking about writing and reading, but also the publication process as I was learning about it. I also threw in some bits and pieces on teaching. These were the things I knew and loved.

Using a weekly planner I got through Writer’s Digest, I kept record of my blog posts. I posted five days a week until I sold May B. (roughly seven months in), then switched to three times a week. In 2010, I took off the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 2012 I gave myself a whole month of sabbath in July. It’s a schedule that I’ve stuck to since.

Though many who started blogging around the time I did have since hung up their fiddles**, I’ve continued on. Not because I’m so great, but because I’ve really fallen in love with it all. After sending manuscripts into the void, sometimes never to be seen again, having immediate feedback from readers was and is the most amazing thing. Some of my most popular posts have been my Running a Book Club for Kids series, this Third-Grade Reading List I created for the said book club, a post on sod houses, and my interview series with author/teacher Donalyn Miller discussing her title, THE BOOK WHISPERER.

I’ve tried regular features. Some have succeeded, some have fizzled, some I’d like to revive: Classroom Connections, a series meant to introduce teachers to new books; Fast Five, an up-close look at five books that share something in common; On Writing and Why We Read, which are simply quotes on the reading and writing life; Navigating a Debut Year for those new to publication; and most recently, Straight from the Source, a series of interviews with authors of historical fiction. Then there was Carpool Conversations, little nuggets I overheard while driving the neighborhood kids to and from school.

Some of you are new around here, and some of you have stuck around since the very beginning. I’m so grateful for all of you and this journey we’ve been on together, from those first days I stepped into the world as an unemployed, unrepresented author to the present, with one book in the world and four more under contract.

If you haven’t before, I’d love for you to introduce yourself in the comments below, perhaps sharing how long you’ve read in these here parts. If there are any topics you’d like me to blog about in the future, I’d love for you to let me know.

Thanks, friends! This blog wouldn’t exist without you.

*Now it seems those of us who write fiction have been cut some slack. It’s you non-fiction folk who are absolutely required / no excuses / get to it / must blog. Or not. Whatever works for you.

**Sometimes only frontier slang will do.

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