I've tried so many different ways to keep up with this blog...doing different tags for the week (WOW, BRW, etc.) but my life has become so crazy and convoluted that I've decided the only way I can successfully do this is by talking about my process only.
     I'll still throw in a WOW or a new book review every now and then, but for the most part I'm saving this space for my writing life and what affects it. It may get messy sometimes, but if you stick with me, I promise I'll be nothing if not honest and hopefully entertaining. To those of you who have been following me in the past, thank you!
     I hope my new format will keep up...wish me luck!

When I was writing this blog more regularly, my Friday's were dedicated for WOW (Word of the Week). Finding a word, defining it, and applying it to what's going on in my life and work. Well, it's back again, although I'll be alternating between Friday and Saturdays when I post the new one.

In case you've not seen WOW before, I generally take it from the marquee of the elementary school I work at. Except during the summer...for obvious reasons.

So without further ado, the WOW for this week is...Acute.

Acute: adj.
- Having a sharp tip or point.
- Keenly perceptive of discerning.
- Reacting readily to stimuli: sensitive.
- Of great importance or consequence.
- Extremely sharp or severe; intense.

It never ceases to amaze me how the WOW posted applies to my life in some specific way. For the word acute, it's the part of the definition that states - Extremely sharp or severe; intense.

If you read Monday's post, you have a taste of what I'm talking about.

It's been, personally, an acutely frustrating week (which has ended with me losing my voice). I'm dealing with not only personal stuff, but the knowledge that I had two magazine manuscripts rejected about a week ago, I'm back at work at my day job, and I've been sick...again...for the third time in one and a half months. I'm never this sick...

However, the great thing about WOW is there's a new one next week and that means a better week is just a word away.

Have a great weekend. :)

BRW #2 - The Future of Us by: Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

For this week's BRW, I decided to take a walk on the YA side of things. YA is generally where my kidlit taste tend toward since that's what I mostly write. However, this was the first novel (I'm sorry to say) I've read with the dual-author approach, but I'm glad to say it won't be the last.

I must fully disclose here that I am I huge fan of both Jay Asher (Thirteen Reason's Why) and Carolyn Mackler (The Earth, My Butt, and other Big Round Things & Tangled) and I had been following with bated breath both of their Facebook pages in anticipation of the book's release.

I am happy to say, the book far surpassed my expectations!

Not only did I enjoy the book's premise (about 2 teenagers in 1996 who unwittingly discover Facebook and use it as almost a time-travel portal of sorts), but the way Carolyn and Jay's voices blend as Emma and Josh makes you forget that these are fictional characters. It made me wonder why I haven't taken the time to read other novels like it (Let It Snow, Dash and Lily's Book of Dares, etc.) I will certainly be correcting that one...soon...

Here's the book's trailer:

The subject matter is fairly tame and I would have no problem letting my 13 year old read it. In fact I've already told her she can borrow it.

Needless to say, I finished the book within 48 hours and highly recommend it! If you have questions, feel free to comment.

Until next week....Enjoy! :)

I post a Quote of the Week every Monday on my Facebook page and the one I posted tonight was this...

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." ~ Carlos Castaneda

Those of you who know me well know that I believe everything happens for a reason. Thankfully a friend of mine posted this just when I needed it the most.

The past three months have been very stressful for me for a variety of reasons. But, my writing (and my characters) have helped me get through the bulk of it. However, the past month in particular has been rocky. Just when I got through one crisis with one part of my family, another one reared it's ugly head. I'm still dealing with that situation right now, and let me tell you...it's been a dark couple of days.

Tonight I was feeling low...hitting a place I have heard about, but haven't really been to until recently. I knew I wasn't going to be working on Cat, or any of my other stories, but I hid away at one of my local Starbucks for half an hour with my writing notebook just in case.

My journaling is sporadic at best (as proven by my blogging skills). I was never one of those people who grew up using a journal as an outlet. Hell, I had a hard enough time keeping a diary. But occasionally I need to, and this was one of those times. At first I wrote all the woe-is-me crap I had been feeling. Wallowing is not a luxury I can afford with six other people living in my house. Once I got all the dark stuff out, I pulled up my Facebook on my phone and found a friend had posted the quote above.

And that was what I needed to hear.

I flipped to the next page and started writing out all the ways I could deal with the situation I'm facing, and you know what? I had filled out the same amount of space on each page...had spent the same amount of time on writing out the bad feelings vs. the possible solutions. But the way I felt after writing each of them was drastically different.

So I can honestly say I will always write, whether I want to or not, because in some way it helps me. Regardless of it's about Cat dealing with curve ball, Sophia figuring out how juggle Nathan and Mac, Hope fighting for her life...

Or me learning how to live mine.

When I originally started this blog two years ago, I had planned on having one day's blog dedicated to reviewing kidlit books (both present and past - because there's just too many good books out there). Of course, it somehow got lost in my shuffle, but I have had the great fortune this school year to have some extra reading time.

So introducing...BOOK REVIEW Wednesday!

I'm so excited to be doing this! I will commenting on all forms of kidlit (picture books, middle grade, young adult, etc.) and like I mentioned both past and present. If you find a book in the library and are curious about it...please let me know, I just may have read it. ;)

BRW #1 - I Want My Hat Back by: Jon Klassen



My first BRW book is a picture book because, let's face it, we all start with picture books. They are the books that fill our memories the most from when we are wee little ones. I know for me it was In The Night Kitchen and Clifford the Big Red Dog. For my kids it was Rolie Polie Olie, Goodnight Moon, and The Grouchy Ladybug.

I'm sure for future generations, I Want My Hat Back will also be on that list.

I enjoy all kinds of picture books, but I have a soft spot for funny ones. On occasion, I pick up picture books on a whim when I'm visiting my local indie bookstore, but rarely does one make me laugh out loud. In fact, I hadn't had that happen since I'd read Martha Speaks some 15 years ago. But, I Want My Hat Back changed that...and I'm so happy it did!

Here's the book trailer I found... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYYQW_uCdzM

What made me laugh the most about this book was the punchline-type twist at the end that both myself and my 13 year-old daughter loved. It is definitely a book that transcends the ages and would be just as much fun for a 40 year-old than it would be for a 4 year-old.

Let me know what you think and ENJOY!

Yes...I realize it's been nearly six months since I've posted on here. This morning I sat with my new "goal's journal" and wrote down the goals I will work on accomplishing this year. One of those goals (as it was for 2011) is to post as least twice a week. We'll see how that works out...

2011 was a very interesting year to say the least. Both in good and bad...personally and professionally. But because I talk mostly shop on this blog, I'll be sticking with my kidlit news.

I wasn't sure how many of my goals I would complete, especially since I had some lofty ones (like getting both of my finished novels sold, HA!). However the smaller ones I did get accomplished have all laid the ground-work for the larger ones I didn't. At least, not yet. ;)

So here are my high points for 2011...

1. Reviewing all my picture book manuscripts and deciding to revise a couple of them into short stories. One of them is now being considered by Sparkle Magazine, and my revision of another is being held at 2 other magazines. Hopefully I'll get some answers this month.

2. Sending CAT to LA for the SCBWI summer conference. It was critiqued by a wonderful editor from Dial. Although it was overwhelming and intense getting all the info of her critique at the time, a HUGE amount of inspiration came to me after the conference to make it better! I have basically been ripping the novel apart, and haven't finished yet. But, the editor would like to see it when I'm finished with my revisions! YAY!

3. Getting involved with the SCBWI Oakland conference that happened in October. I decided to take over one of the major volunteer posts with another gal and had an AMAZING time! Not just because I got a good critique for my other novel with a different editor (which launched me into doing a third set of revisions, ending with me submitting it to 2 editors and an agent who I met in Oakland) but simply because I was in a situation of meeting and visiting established professionals in my field, talking about books and publishing. For 26 hours, I was in heaven...and I still haven't come down off the high.

4. Meeting numerous authors who came through our local indie bookstore (Copperfield's Books)...and making Ally Condie laugh when my daughter and I were giving each other a hard time while she was signing our books.

Thankfully these good times helped me overlook the rejections I received over the year and the unexpected passing of my Grandma in September. But what I have taken away from 2011 is the belief that I am almost there...and that my patience has and will continue to pay off.

I just have to keep believing....

I know it's along name for a post, especially since I haven't posted in over a month, but I have a good reason for that. And an even better story...

Have you ever had one of those times where the planets, stars, and everything else alligns in just the right way to give you something really unexpected and cool?

Today was one of those days for me.

This morning I was on the phone with my mom, which in itself was not that unusual, but what we were doing was...looking at Facebook together. She was asking me questions about how to send messages and stuff. I gave her the info she needed then scrolled through my friends' posts. Nothing was out of the ordinary until I read this from our local indie bookstore:

First person to come in to Copperfield's TODAY (6/15) that sings us a verse of 'Don't Stop Believing' gets an advance copy of "Forever", the third and final book of the Shiver series. Starting right NOW.

I noted that a mere 23 minutes had passed since it was posted. I gave out a squeal to my mom, told her I needed to go, hung up on her and yelled out to my kids I was running an errand. As I drove, my hand was frantically searching for my iPod because I KNEW I had that song in my playlist. At the next stoplight, I found it and played it over...and over...and over for the 10 minutes or so it took me to get to Copperfield's (thanks to shortened stoplights, traffic through downtown and having to park in the parking structure).

Popping into the store, I went to the front desk and asked the gal, "Has anyone won Forever yet?" She looked at the childrens' section and told me, "Ask Patty."

I virtually skipped to Patty. But as I was about to say something, I noticed a friend of mine who I've known for some 10 years was standing there looking thorugh the YA section. Patty saw me coming, shifted her body toward me and greeted me with, "You should definitely know this." as I preceeded to sing the first verse, very quickly and nervously, of "Don't Stop Believing".

She smiled and congratulated me. As she went back to grab the book, my friend started laughing telling me, "Lisa, you are too funny!"

I thanked Patty, said good-bye to my friend and literally floated out of the store with my copy of Forever sitting snuggly in my purse. When I got in the car, I called home. My 12 yr old daughter answered. This is the conversation that ensued:

Me: "Guess what I just did?"
Daughter: "What?"
Me: "I got an ARC of Forever!"
Daughter: "How?"
Me: "I went to Copperfield's and sang the first verse of 'Don't Stop Believing' at the store."
Daughter: "No you didn't."
Me: "Yes I did!"
Daughter (panicking): "You did not!"
Me: "Yes, I did! And Mrs. Rocca was there to hear it."
Daughter (horrified): "Oh my God, you did not just do that!"
Me: "Yep, I'll see you when I get home."

So that is my story of how I won an AWESOME book and embarassed my daughter at the same time. And trufully, if I got the chance to do it again, I would...in a heart beat. At least I know what I'll be reading this weeekend...

Hmm, I guess I'm starting to change things up with this weekend version of WOW. My youngest keeps telling me Sunday is technically the first day of the week, so I think I may just have to keep this going.

Okay, with that being said, this weeks WOW is a very appropriate one for many reasons. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The week's WOW is...

Farewell

Farewell - n. An acknowledgement at parting; a goodbye. OR int. Used to express goodbye.

I realize both defintions are basically the same, but I have a reason for doing that. On Friday I, and the rest of our school, had to say farewell to my boss and our principal after 19 years at our school district. After school ended, the staff at both schools in our district joined together in a celebration. And even though there were a lot of tears, there were a lot of laughs and much reminiscing.

For me, though, this parting is very bittersweet. This man was my older child's biggest champion during a very dark time for him in elementary school. He was the reason I could tell my son, "I know you don't want to go to school, but keep your eye on the prize...it will get better."

And it has.

This man was also saw in me enough potential offer me a job at our school one afternoon while I was waiting for my younger son to get out of Kindergarden. I had applied for another position, and during the interview, his last questions to me was, "It this position didn't work out, would I be interested in something else?" Of course I said sure...even though I had no idea what I would be getting myself into.

What I got into was the opportunity to work with special needs kids and utilizing all of my strengths my mentor teachers had expressed to me while I was getting my credential, even though they knew teaching in front of a class wasn't my passion.

I am so grateful and so sad...yet, I am so very happy for him and this opportunity. And I wish him all the happiness in the world.

So, farewell, Dr. Mahoney...you will be missed! :)

It's been a nutsy kind of week. Although most schools have another couple weeks of school left (and some are open until the middle of June), we - thanks to our bankrupt state - are having our last week of school this week. Because of that, I've been running behind, as usual, but I had not forgotten this week's WOW.

So without further ado, the WOW is....

Understatement

Understatement - n. The act or an instance of stating something in restrained terms, or as less than it is.

That having been said...to say this has been a nutsy week is a vast understatement! In between packing and moving my curriculum out of my current classroom, to dealing with my son's 3rd grade play, and MORE baseball...it's taking all my strength just to keep my head above water.

However the school has stopped posting their WOW, starting with this one, so I'm on my own. I've already got my next one for Friday, so I'm a head of the game. Thank goodness!

Have a great week!

I originally posted this last September. But in honor of Beverly Cleary's 95th birthday a couple weeks ago, I'm reposting it because it's just as true now as it was then. Enjoy!


Why I feel like Ellen Tebbits . . .
I am a HUGE fan of Beverly Clearly. Apart from not reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, I've read nearly every book of hers out there (including her "teen" books - Fifteen, Sister of the Bride, etc.)

Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve her books . . . Like when I lost my 9th birthday party (don't ask why) but I still got a couple of presents and one of them was Ramona and her Mother. And then there was the time I cured myself of reading in the bathtub when I accidentally dropped my beloved copy of Ramona the Pest and made it 3 times its normal size.

I do have my favorites: Ramona the Pest, Socks, Fifteen, Emily's Runaway Imagination, Mitch and Amy, and my all time favorite . . . Ellen Tebbits.

Last week, during quiet reading time at school, I pulled out a copy of Ellen Tebbits from our class library and suddenly I was 9 years old again. And I realized that of all the Beverly Cleary books I have read, Ellen Tebbits is the only one I could probably recite, part and parcel, the entire story from beginning to end.

And that made me wonder . . . why is that?

After mulling this question over and over in my brain this past weekend, I figured out it probably has to do with how much I identify with Ellen. Then as much as now.

Ellen tries her best to be perfect . . . to do her best at everything. Obey her mother, desperately wants her teacher's approval and is devastated when things don't work out the way she plans.

For better or for worse, that was me as a kid. And to a certain extent, that's me now. The great thing about Ellen is that she does learn from her mistakes.

And just like Ellen, I like to think that I do too. :)

I was hoping to get this posted yesterday, but with baseball/softball/whatever stuff going on in my life, I didn't get a chance. However, I'm here now....

I'm hoping the WOW for this week has future applications for me since I have less than 3 months until LA!

So this week's WOW is: JUBILANT!

Jubliant: adj. - Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

Now I have had jubliant times that had nothing to do with writing. In fact, I've had quite the opposite experience in many cases - especially when I see that dreaded manilla envelope in the mailbox - but I can tell you the jubliant times I've had related to my writing are the reasons why I'm still writing now.

- Hearing the happiness in my Grandma's voice when I explained to her Grandma's Secret was written for her.

- Getting my first magazine acceptance from Boys' Quest (even though it was going to be 5 years before my article would be published).

- Listening to whoops and hollers my 6th grade class gave me last year every time the teacher told them I was reading to them...and having those same kids come up to me every other day to ask me, "Are you reading to us today Mrs. Aikins?"

- Receiving such a favorable response from an agent last year about Sophia with her telling me, "This was my favorite manuscript of the conference!" - Even though things didn't pan out.

There are many more instances I could tell you, but it is Saturday night and I do have a manuscript to polish for LA...

So I hope you all have a jubliant night and fabulous weekend!

I never thought I'd say this, but I'm hooked on Twitter.

About two and a half years ago, one of my best friends suggested I go on Facebook. We were about to have our 20th high school reunion, and she said it would be a great way to connect with people before and after the reunion. So, I did.

Since then, Facebook has been a great resource for me. Not just in finding long-lost old friends, but also keeping up with long-distance cousins and family members. Then last year, after the 6th graders in my class told me they wanted to keep up with my literary accomplishments, I started my own "fan page". That's been pretty cool, and I have to admit, easier to keep up on than my blog. *cough, cough*

Then last Spring, on the recommendation of several friends and comments from the Kid Lit world, I decided to take the plunge into Twitter. I signed up, and then did nothing.

Within a few days, I found there were a few people following me even though I only made one or two tweets. Of course those people un-followed me and my poor twitter page went south.

For some reason, with the upcoming LA SCBWI conference coming up, I decided to blow the dust off my Twitter account and actually Tweet.

I'm here to tell you I am SSSSSSOOOOOO glad I did!

Within two weeks, I have just over 100 followers, have entered two pitch contests for my YA novels and got the inside scoop on an additional critique opportunity in LA. Plus, I have found a really fun, cool group of peers that I wouldn't have otherwise met.

So am I still using my Facebook, absolutely.

But unless something better comes along, I'm a tweeter for good. If you want to follow me, I'm @elabkwrm.

Have a great night! :)

I know it's been a while, but I'm finally back to working on my Friday WOW (word of the week). Unfortunately, now that I have only 3 weeks of school left, I only get to borrow 3 more words from our school's marque. So, I'll be back to making them up myself. Bummer!

However, the one of this week is a doozy.

Drum roll, please....

This week's WOW is: SERENDIPITY

Serendipity - (n) The occurance and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

I love this word, because just about everything I have written in the past 15+ years has come out of some sort of event, meeting, or person. I know I've written about this before, so I'll not repeat myself, but I truly believe people and events happen to you (good and bad) for a reason. Serendipity is the word for the good stuff.

Short, sweet, and too the point!

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

I know, I know...I've posted this before.

I'm BBBBBAAAACCCKKKK!

Only to have something else in my life come up and screw everything up. And of course when that happens, the one thing that suffers first, is my blog. But no longer. I'm back with a new layout, a new attitude and renewed hope that I will do everything with this blog that I hoped to do...talk about kid lit.

So Hello again! And welcome! :)

Jeez! I turn around for what seems like a moment, and suddenly nearly two months have gone by with no posts! However I have good reasons . . .

Well, semi-good reasons . . .

To start with, I haven't been able to get much writing done lately. Work, my family, and other obligations have been taking away what little writing time I have. Then there's the fact that I got yet another rejection of a short story I had submitted about a month ago. What made this one so hard was not only the particular story that got rejected, but that I had received some confirmation of the manuscript's receipt and I mistook it as a possible acceptance. I obviously WON'T be making that mistake again. Then I had my picture book critiqued, and I was disappointed in that . . .

Basically, I was not feeling very optimistic about my writing life.

This is where baseball comes in . . .

Baseball is one of my passions. I became a baseball fan when I was about 12 and my Dad took me to Dodgers Stadium for the first time. Then I saw an exhibition game there during the 1984 Olympics. When I started dating my husband when I was 16, I became a SF Giants fan. And have been ever since.

Now if you've spent any time following baseball lately, you'd know the Giants won the World Series this year (on my birthday - November 1st - to boot!), so this past month I have been glued to the TV or the radio listening to all the playoff games (not that I wouldn't have even if the Giants hadn't been there, but obviously I was a little more interested than in past years). So there you go.

Now, time for WOW . . .

I know I'm shifting days, but I wanted to use this last week and couldn't get myself together enough to get it done. So the WOW for the week is . . .

SOURCE : The point or place of which something originates.

Now when I looked up the definition, there were some six different ones, but this one applies best to this post.

All my stories have a source. They come from people and experiences I've had either as a kid, or as a grown-up. But recently I sent the first 250 words of one of my novels to a YA pitch contest and the source of the book came from a familiar place . . . baseball.

When I started seriously writing, I wrote down a half-page story of what it was like to be at the NLCS in 1989 when the Giants beat the Cubs for the pennant and chance to go to the World Series. I wrote down the sights, sounds, and my feelings about what it was like to be in Candlestick Park on October 9th, 1989. Even though we lost the series, that was one of the most memorable games I've ever experienced.

Then in 2002 the Giants went to the World Series. I saw game 5, but we lost the series . . . again.

But during that time, the little bud of an idea started. A year later I told my niece the story of a girl, Cat, who had a passion for baseball but because of a series of conincedences and situations, was dangling between playing baseball and softball. The first thing she told be when I finished the story was , "When is it getting published?" My response was, "I have to write it first Katie."

And so I did.

It took me nearly a year and a half to write the first draft. Then I talked to a writing coach about my concerns about the character development of Cat, and she gave me 3 pieces of advice. The biggest one was for my to write it in Cat's voice.

And so I did.

When I finally finished the "second" first draft, I thought about that short story I ahd written all those years ago and realized, I had written about Cat before . . . in my recollections of that baseball game.

I am grateful for (and to) all the sources of my stories. But I hope this year Cat finally catches someone's eye and will some day get into the hands of some girl or boy who has the same passion as I do.

Until next time . . . have a good week.

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 9/26/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  WOW, Add a tag

Hi all!!

Well it's been another crazy week, so yet again I'm posting my WOW on the weekend. I actually was going to post it on my usual Friday, but when I got out to write about it . . . I realized I hadn't written down the word and then promptly forgot it. UGH!

Anyway, after a quick drive past my school, I refreshed my memory. So without further ado the WOW for this week is . . .

COINCIDENCE!!

Coincidence: n - 1. The state or fact of occupying the same relative position or area in space. 2. A sequence of events that although accidental, seems to have been planned or arranged.

Interesting how one word can have two TOTALLY different meanings. But the definition I'm writing about is the one that's probably most well known - "The sequence of events that although accidental, seems to have been planned or arranged."

I am a very intuitive person. I'm sure I've written this before, but I honestly believe that all things, situations and people who come into your life (good or bad) are for a reason. Usually it's to teach you something. But there are many people who believe coincidences rule the universe . . . everything that happens in this world is a accident.

In fact the people at "The Free Dictionary" where I got this definition, even state: ". . . that although accidental, seems to be have been planned or arranged."

So which do you believe? Do you believe that there is no such thing as coincidences . . . or is the opposite true?

Just something to think about on this summer/fall Sunday afternoon. :)

2 Comments on Another weekend WOW . . ., last added: 9/26/2010

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Crystal said, on 9/26/2010 9:31:00 PM

I do believe in coincidence - I think it's all a numbers game!

Elisabeth Aikins said, on 9/26/2010 10:09:00 PM

Explain . . .

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 9/20/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  QotW, Add a tag

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized for it anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't" - Eleanor Roosevelt.

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 9/18/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  WOW, Add a tag

I've been a little neglectful in my blogging duties these past 2 weeks. It's not necessarily from lack of wanting, it's been lack of time. I could go into it on here, but I'm not going to because . . . I'm just not.

Our school FINALLY started re-posting our WOW's on the marquee. I REALLY wanted to post the one from last week because it was just so perfect, but unfortunately I couldn't so instead I have a double WOW to share.

My first one is . . . (drum roll)

CHARACTER!

Now when I looked this word up, I was a little intimidated because there were some 14 different definitions! Yes, you heard me right . . . 14!! Given the way my past two weeks have been playing out, I could probably have used any number of them. But after long and deliberate consideration I decided to go with . . .

Character: n - Moral or ethical strength.

I could probably fill up this entire blog with my explanation as to why I picked this specific one, but let's just say I've had enough trying experiences and changes these past two weeks to make me think a lot about my own character and how it allows me to do what I do everyday. Both with my job, as well as with my family.

And I'd like to think it's what's helping me survive right now . . .

Okay, now for WOW #2 . . . it is . . .

EVIDENCE!

I know, I know . . . how did I go from CHARACTER to EVIDENCE? I had to ask myself that same question. Thankfully, evidence doesn't have nearly as many definitions (only 3) but the one I picked was . . .

Evidence: n - A thing or things that are helpful in forming a conclusion or judgment.

These past two weeks I have been given plenty of evidence to help support my feeling regarding my character. Whether I wanted that evidence or not.

So there you go, a double WOW for the weekend. Can't wait to see what's up on the marquee next week.

Have a great weekend!! :)

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 9/6/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  ramblings, Add a tag

I am a HUGE fan of Beverly Clearly. Apart from not reading Dear Mr. Henshaw, I've read nearly every book of hers out there (including her "teen" books - Fifteen, Sister of the Bride, etc.)

Some of my most vivid childhood memories involve her books . . . Like when I lost my 9th birthday party (don't ask why) but I still got a couple of presents and one of them was Ramona and her Mother. And then there was the time I cured myself of reading in the bathtub when I accidentally dropped my beloved copy of Ramona the Pest and made it 3 times its normal size.

I do have my favorites: Ramona the Pest, Socks, Fifteen, Emily's Runaway Imagination, Mitch and Amy, and my all time favorite . . . Ellen Tebbits.

Last week, during quiet reading time at school, I pulled out a copy of Ellen Tebbits from our class library and suddenly I was 9 years old again. And I realized that of all the Beverly Cleary books I have read, Ellen Tebbits is the only one I could probably recite, part and parcel, the entire story from beginning to end.

And that made me wonder . . . why is that?

After mulling this question over and over in my brain this past weekend, I figured out it probably has to do with how much I identify with Ellen. Then as much as now.

Ellen tries her best to be perfect . . . to do her best at everything. Obey her mother, desperately wants her teacher's approval and is devastated when things don't work out the way she plans.

For better or for worse, that was me as a kid. And to a certain extent, that's me now. The great thing about Ellen is that she does learn from her mistakes.

And just like Ellen, I like to think that I do too. :)

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 9/3/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 8/28/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  WOW, Flipped, Add a tag

Okay, so it's another Saturday and I'm now getting around to my WOW . . . egads! Things have been quite crazy with my day job, so needless to say my 3 posts-a-week isn't quite happening right now. I'm still hoping once things calm down in the next week or two, I'll be back to normal.

Having said that, I need to get down to business . . .

The WOW for this week is:

IRIDESCENT!

Iridescent: 1. Producing a display of lustrous, rainbow-like colors.
2. Brilliant, lustrous or colorful in effect or appearance.

Iridescent is one of those special, unique words you don't see everyday. The kind you bring out during a special occasion . . . like when you bring out the fine china for an anniversary, or Thanksgiving.

In all the years I've been reading, it's one of the few words I rarely hear. However some 4 or 5 years ago, I was reading a Middle Grade novel that I had heard some good things about, and decided to give it a whirl. In the book, FLIPPED, by Wendelin Van Draanen, one of the main characters (Bryce) has a conversation with his grandpa regarding the other main character (Juli). The grandpa uses the word iridescent to describe Juli . . . saying how people like that are so incredibly colorful in their personality and beauty that nothing compares to knowing them.

The reason why I'm mentioning all this is because FLIPPED came out in the movie theaters earlier this month. Here's the trailer . . .



Sorry for the extended video border . . . having a hard time getting it to fit in my box.

I love this book so much . . . I hope everyone gets a chance to see just how iridescent all these characters are.

Have a great weekend! :)

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 8/21/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I can't believe it's been so long since I've done a WOW. Now I'm in a position to do it, and it's not even Friday!

Oh well . . .

Anyway, our school has begun, but the WOW has not. That means I'm still left to my own devices to get it done and I think I've got a very good one this week.

So without further ado, this week's WOW is . . .

PERSPECTIVE.

Now there are many, MANY different definitions of perspective, but in the interest of time and space I'm going to cut out any that involve the use of perspective in art. That leaves me with two options:

1. A way of regarding situations, facts, etc.; and judging their relative importance.

2. The proper or accurate point of view or the ability to see it; objectivity.

The idea for this word came to me during our opening meeting for the classified members of our school district (ie: teachers, aides, etc.). Our principal was talking about using perspective to see the good out of the difficult times our district has gone through this past year. The district had to make some hard decisions and we lost a number of wonderful people because of it (including my young son's kindergarten teacher who I love tremendously). He went on to speak candidly to us about his personal experiences growing up . . . using them as examples of how his life could have been so very different if he had looked at it in another perspective. Choosing a positive way instead of the alternative.

His words were encouraging and inspiring, and I'm so grateful he confided in us.

That got me to think about my own perspective about my life. It reminds me that ALL of us have the power to dictate which way our life goes. Making simple decisions such as whether or not you're going to be positive or negative about a situation that gets thrown in your lap . . . or even the tone of voice you use with your friends, your family, and your children.

I am in my writing life for the long haul . . . regardless of how frustrating or annoying it is because my writing time has been cut to nearly zero in the past couple of weeks . . . and will continue to be so at least for the time being. But I know things will calm down and eventually things will happen the way they are suppose to.

As long as I keep my perspective.

If I'm talking in circles, please forgive me . . . it's been a very long week.

Have a happy weekend. :)

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 8/18/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  SCBWI, update, LA conference, Add a tag

Hi all!!

I can't believe the last time I posted I was in LA and getting prepared for the start of the LA SCBWI conference . . . and now here I am, nearly 3 weeks later, and SO much has happened since then.

To start, the conference was exhausting, exhilarating, and brought things that were incredibly comforting and amazingly unexpected. And in the end I received a rejection, an acceptance, and had a potentially life-altering meeting.

1. The rejection - Unfortunately the agent I had Cat with decided not to represent me. When I received this, I had very mixed feelings. Although I was disappointed the agent didn't accept or understand my style, ultimately I believe this happened for a reason (more explanation at point #3).

2. The acceptance - Ironically, on the heels of my rejection, I received word from a magazine I had submitted to in April, and the news was good! My short story, Watercolor Walls, will be published in the October issue of Sparkle magazine!! YAY!!

3. The life-altering meeting - On the first day of the conference, I found out my critique of Sophia was with another well-respected agent who I had heard wonderful things about. Our meeting was on Friday, and what an exciting meeting it was. Not just because she raved about Sophia and "got" her . . . but because for the first time, I met someone (whether agent, editor, etc.) who I felt truly comfortable with. She was enthusiastic, helpful and very classy. After I informed her about the other agent who had Cat, she wished me luck and told me she would love for me to submit Sophia to her. So . . . I emailed the other agent, received my rejection, and subsequently (with fingers crossed) submitted Sophia to the agent from the conference . . .

Did you catch all that? lol!

Couple that with the fact my day job started on Monday (in addition to all 3 of my kids starting school), which helped make the past 3 weeks just disappear completely.

However, now that life seems to calming down (or at least starting into a routine), I will be back on my schedule of updating 2 to 3 times a week - complete with my Friday WOW's. Thankfully!!

Hope all you have a great new school year, and I'll see you Friday!! :)

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By: Elisabeth Aikins, on 7/28/2010
Blog: All Kid Lit all the time (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Picture books, Add a tag