Earth-Friendly Friday

I love to garden but hate garden pests, which makes life difficult for an organic gardener.

So, is there any way to reduce garden pests without resorting to toxic pesticides?

Yes! And here are a couple tips to help you.

1) Build healthy garden soil rich in organic matter.
2) Start with healthy plants.
3) Ladybugs can help. Purchase some at your local nursery. These pretty predators of garden pests will eat some of those vicious villains destroying your garden.
4) Read up on Good Bugs - Bad Bugs. If you know the enemy (and don't mistake the good guy for the bad guy) you'll be miles (or blooms) a head.

:) happy trails (and not slug ones)

Crafting

My kids can all sculpt. Unfortunately, it's not one of my talents. But one night when my husband was on a business trip, my daughter and I sat down with some clay. She was trying to teach me how to sculpt. First we started with wax paper. Then we rolled the clay around in our hands to warm it up.
Then she showed me how to make a penguin.
Of course, mine didn't turn out like hers but it was fun. So, if you have a few free hours you might want to try sculpting ;)

Flower Frenzy

I love flowers and Irises are one of my favs. This weekend I went to the store and when I came back, the flowers were blooming.

So pretty, so suddenly.

SCBWI - Spring 2011 Writer's Conference

Saturday I spent the day at the SCBWI writer's conference.

It was an inspirational day. I had a great time and saw some old friends and made some new ones too.

It all began with Diane Muldrow from Little Golden Books giving one of the keynote speeches. She talked about her imprint and how she works and what she acquires but the thing I enjoyed the most was the blast from the past that she shared with all of us. It was a smorgasbord of stories she shared with us. One cover after another flashed up on the screen. These were some of the great stories LGB has published during the last 70 years. It brought my childhood swimming back before me in a whoosh of digital cinematography. Those stories colored my life like a kaleidoscope when I was growing up. I loved Little Golden Books then, and I still do.

We took a short break and then it was time for another wonderful key note address by another leader in the publishing industry. We sat down to hear the words of wisdom that Bonnie Bader's talk would impart to us on Writing for the Masses.

This was another educational keynote speech. Bonnie talked about her imprint, the process of acquiring manuscripts and what it takes to get a manuscript picked up by her company. But, that wasn't all. She not only talked to the writers in the room, she also talked to the artists. She said that copy artists (which I think of as a 'sort of' form of fan art) are always in demand. I thought that was very encouraging since I have two artist sons.

Then I went to a workshop put on by Sandy Asher. It was "a different way at looking at revision of scenes, chapters, and entire stories..."

Since I'm currently working on revising a MG manuscript, I thought I could use the help from a pro. She talked about the emotional aspects of a story and did a few exercises with us to help get the point across. I came away with some new insights.

Then it was time for lunch.

Right after lunch it was time for another workshop. I chose to go to Pamela Smith Hill's presentation on Plot, Setting and Character.

I really loved Pamela's presentation and the examples she used. She even gave me another blast from my past by pulling out some examples from classic writers. She read a couple passages that reminded me of times I read those stories to my kids. I'd forgotten how wonderful the classics can be.

Then it was time for a break, a brownie and a cup of coffee for me.

After my snack, it was time for Martha Mihalick to talk about what goes on behind the scenes of publishing. I'm always curious about this "business" of writing. And, it was fun to hear a perspective from one of the people who sees the "man behind the curtain". She had a bubbling personality and lots of energy, which kicked the atmosphere into high gear--even at the end of the day, which is nothing short of amazing.

Then it was time for a faculty panel question and answer session followed by door prizes and book sales.

I left feeling inspired but exhausted. It was great fun but with so much energy floating around the room and so much information swimming around inside my head...I was ready to curl up on the couch with a good book. So I did. That's when I read Elsewhere.

Hope you all had a fun-filled weekend, learned a little something, and were inspired by someone along the way :)

Book Review Monday

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

My daughter got me this book for Mother's Day. I told her it really sounded interesting because it's about a girl on a journey to heaven or hell...or Elsewhere.

She said, "I thought you'd like it." And, I did--overall.

This is a story about a 15 (almost 16) year-old girl who gets hit by a taxi and wakes up dead. She's on a cruise ship taking a journey to . . . somewhere. That's part of the mystery...where will she end up?

It's a fun, entertaining story with a twist that's similar to Benjamin Button.

I really enjoyed Liz's adventure until I got to page 224. That's when Liz took a turn on her journey that was hard for me to follow. It went a little too fantasy for me.

I know, I know, a girl wakes up dead and that's no problem for me but mix in a little fantasy and you lose me. But she didn't lose me entirely; I kept reading.

So, like I said, overall I really enjoyed the story--all 276 pages. Plus at the end there's a section called "Gofish" which includes questions and answers from the author. I really enjoyed that section.

Earth-Friendly Friday

You don't have to use up the natural resources of the world to have pretty things. Just look at this recycled cotton gift box...

So, the next time you're out looking for a gift or a trinket for your house, look for recycled goods because they can be just as pretty and also be sustainable at the same time.

Happy Shopping.

10 Tips to Enjoy a Writer's Conference

I know, attending conferences can be overwhelming. There's so much you hope to get out of it: information, networking opportunities and tools for your craft. But if you expect too much, you're bound to be disappointed. So don't set your expectations too high. If you do, you'll get your attitude all out of whack. Go hoping to learn a little, while making some new friends along the way, and you'll be bound to get your money's worth.

I'm not saying I know it all--that would be crazy--but I've gone to a few writer's conferences and I remember my first. I was nervous. So, I thought it couldn't hurt if I shared a couple ideas that might help you.

1) Wear comfortable shoes. You'll be walking from one session to another and wanting to check out the book sales so don't make it hard on yourself.

2) Just like number 1 above, wear comfortable clothing. Nothing too formal. Of course that doesn't mean sloppy either. The perfect thing would be business casual.

3) Join a table with others. You'll have more fun if you share the experience with others.

4) Speak up. Don't be afraid to comment or share ideas, if you're asked.

5) Bring a business card to hand out. It doesn't have to have more than basic information: your name, number, email address. That way, if you make a connection, you can provide your contact information easily.

6) Have a positive attitude. Even if the conference doesn't turn out to be everything you'd hoped, you can still get something out of the event. Sometimes the end result will come much later.

7) Bring a couple first pages of your manuscript. You might not need them but you never know and if an opportunity presents itself, you'll be prepared.

8) Don't forget to bring the tools of your trade: paper, pencils and a pen. You might want to take notes - even if you aren't a note-taker you might hear something that inspires you and, if you don't write it down, you might forget.

9) Introduce yourself. If you're standing in an elevator, in line at lunch or waiting to buy a cup of coffee, say 'hello' and you might make a new friend who has similar interests.

10) Relax. This is supposed to be fun.

If anyone else has an idea or two - please add them to the "comments" section.