Vaccation

Oscars tonight.  Hawaii tomorrow.  Life is not bad...I have a few posts scheduled to appear while I'm away.  Otherwise, see you in two weeks.

Sheryl

No news is good news

The news is that it's snowing here in Victoria AGAIN...
Fortunately, an Air Canada seat sale has come to the rescue.  I'll be off to Hawaii on Monday morning, so take that snow!  No, I'm not bringing my laptop, so no news will be good news at least until I get back.

Later.

Sid Fleischman Award for humor announced

Congratulations to the Sid Fleischman Award Winner

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg Aladdin

SCBWI Golden Kite Awards announced

Congratulations to the Golden Kite Award Winners

	FICTION: Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm Random House Books for Young Readers
	NONFICTION: The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie by Tanya Lee Stone Viking Juvenile
	PICTURE BOOK TEXT: Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan Viking Juvenile
	PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION: A Pocket Full of Posies by Salley Mavor

Golden Kite Honor Recipients

	FICTION: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine Puffin
	NONFICTION: Fort Mose by Glennette Tilley Turner Abrams
	PICTURE BOOK TEXT: Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein Candlewick
	PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION: Bunny Days by Tao Nyeu Dial

snowy day

Oh my.  This is what I woke up to.  I've shoveled, because there was so much snow that  Ruby disappeared when I let her out to pee.  Just to clarify, she didn't run away.  The snow was so deep it was over her head! She was quite freaked out... It's still snowing though and is supposed to keep going through tomorrow!  Yikes.

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

Further to my Freedom to Read post, fellow author Cheryl Rainfield has just discovered that her book Scars is being challenged in KY.  Talk about timing!  Here's a link with Cheryl's take on the whole situation.  You can help by blogging about the book or buying the book for yourself or a teen who has self-esteem issues. Literature can be the key that unlocks the door to a young person's personal hell.  Why take that opportunity away, especially when it can be so helpful? Banning or challenging books isn't new, but we don't have to lie down and accept it.  We all have the right to choose what we want to read, and what we don't.  If you have difficulty with a book, close it.  It's as easy as that.

Freedom to Read Week

It's Freedom to Read Week so get involved. Get your students to make bookmarks using banned book titles, host a public reading of banned books, read a challenged book and leave it on a bus for a stranger to find, ask your local librarian for a list of classics that have been banned or a list of current literature being challenged, and share it with colleagues.  For more ideas, check out the Freedom to Read Website above.

Google alerts

I love Google alerts.  This review of What's That Sound? In the City at Publisher Weekly just popped up.

Off to the Calgary City Teachers' Conference

Off to Calgary for the Calgary City Teachers' Conference.  It will be fabulous I know, such great organizers so I hope to see you there at one of my two workshops: one on writing and one on using picture books across the curriculum.

I only wish I had a warmer coat...brrr.  It's supposed to be -15degrees Celsius tonight.

Canadian Writers Speak Out on Copyright

The Book Business

So it's happened...after months and months of teetering on the edge; Borders has gone under.  They declared bankruptcy today.  Some of you might be shrugging your shoulders.  "Big deal," I can hear you saying.  Well, just so you know, it is a big deal.  Things are in lock down mode.  Staff aren't being paid, and debts, including those to publishers & distributors aren't getting paid either.  That means that vulnerable publishers don't have money to pay royalties or go ahead with printing spring and maybe even fall lists.  I already know of a few writers who've had books cancelled, and the list serves are abuzz with talk about what all this means.  Don't forget, this event isn't in isolation.  Last week HB Fenn (a publisher and one of Canada's largest distributors) went down, and  the week before Key Porter Books closed show...and Key Porter books have published some of the biggest names in books in Canada, including Margaret Atwood!  It's so discouraging to be involved in books right now.  Senior writers are worried if they'll have enough money to pay their bills, and so many of us had gone back to part-time work to keep the wolf from the door.

I know there will always be readers, and books will always be published in one form or another.  But with it being less lucrative to publish, will only a few houses and on-line book giants control what is available?  Will vibrant young writers bursting with ideas and talent want to be involved in a business that can't support them?  It's all so worrisome...and I can only hope that there are still a few out there who will want to take chances, who will want to bring out books that are just safe but push creative and intellectual boundaries.  I look forward things settling down in the book business soon.  But I hope we don't end up with a mediocre model.  I know it's hard to be creative when financial worries keep knocking at your door, but I also know that books change lives.

All of you out there who've been touched by this have my every sympathy.

Sad state of affairs

Oops.  Posted this last night on the wrong blog!! 
A sad state of affairs...too tired to blog after a day of working on the second of two conference presentations for next week, my 24 minute interval run, then walking the dog.  Sadly, this is NOT how I looked now...& I'm pretty sure it's not how I'm gonna look at the end of April when I run the 10k.  But dreaming is good.

This mornings drama

Stayed up way too late last night working; not successfully I might add, on a project.  Was woken up this morning by a minor earthquake!  I think I might use this.  Very disorienting, and could make for a nice bit of drama, a case of "write what you know". It does remind me yet again though, that I should really put an earthquake kit together.  I did used to have one, but not since moving to my tiny house where a spot would have to be found in a space with no space left...Yikes!

More sad news in Canadian publishing

According to Publishers Crystal Stranaghan & Jared Hunt, Gumboot Books of Vancouver, BC will no longer be in 
operation after March 1st, 2011. The reasons given ack of improvement in the economic climate, and 
some unexpected health issues.  Such sad news.

Ann Walsh is February speaker for Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable

Next Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable Meeting: Monday, February 21, 2011

Victoria Children’s Literature Roundtable Meeting
Monday, February 21, 2011, 7:30 pm
Nellie McClung Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library,
(Cedar Hill & McKenzie).
Doors Open at 7:00 pm, come and browse the Cadboro Bay Books table.
Everyone welcome! Cost: $5.00 at the door, Students $4.00, $25.00/year

Guest Speaker: Author Ann Walsh
Ann Walsh is well-known for her novels set in Barkerville during the Gold Rush in B.C.  She will talk about her wide range of titles, such as Forestry A-Z, Horse Power, The Doctor’s Apprentice, and Your Time, My Time.

Ann Walsh is February speaker for Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable

Next Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable Meeting: Monday, February 21, 2011

Victoria Children’s Literature Roundtable Meeting
Monday, February 21, 2011, 7:30 pm
Nellie McClung Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library,
(Cedar Hill & McKenzie).
Doors Open at 7:00 pm, come and browse the Cadboro Bay Books table. 
Everyone welcome! Cost: $5.00 at the door, Students $4.00, $25.00/year

Guest Speaker: Author Ann Walsh
Ann Walsh is well-known for her novels set in Barkerville during the Gold Rush in B.C.  She will talk about her wide range of titles, such as Forestry A-Z, Horse Power, The Doctor’s Apprentice, and Your Time, My Time.

CBC News - Canada - H.B. Fenn book distributor eyes bankruptcy

Image by National Media Museum via Flickr

More sad news in the book world in Canada. CBC News - Canada - H.B. Fenn book distributor eyes bankruptcy.

First Key Porter Publishers and now Fenn. Sure hope their restructuring plans work out. The publishing world is facing very very tough times. 

2011 Share The Love Book Event

There are so many ways to share the love of books...
Buy a book for a child
Donate gently used books to a charity
Read a book to someone you love
Read to a stranger
Leave your favorite book on a bus for a stranger to find
Join a book club
Drop off a favorite book at a friend's place
Set up a book exchange between coworkers or classmates
Buy a book from your local independent bookstore
Visit your favorite author and their publisher's webpages and leave them an I love your books note
Review a book that you loved on-line via Facebook, Goodreads, etc.
Tweet about a good book.
Spread the word, and for more suggestions, visit Jenna @ One Mystake at a Tyme for more info. and to post on how you've been sharing your love of books.

Julie Lawson has a new book coming out...

Had a lovely walk & chat today with fellow author Julie Lawson.  Can't wait to see her new book coming out with Scholastic. Should be out soon so watch for it.

Night of Hearts: Artists for Aids

Tonight is the Night of Hearts: Artists for Aids event.  Artists on this island community of ours are so generous, but you can help too.  Bid on a painting and you  may have the privilege of hanging a beautiful piece of their work in your home or office as well as supporting peoples with AIDS.  Even if you don't live in Victoria, you can check out their work here.  Some of the artists include: George Littlechild, Phyllis Serota, Wendy Skog, Frances Semple, and Roberta Pyx.

Philip Pullman speaks out against library cuts

No matter where you live, libraries are being hammered.  Not only do they have to make do with less, but their dollars have to cover increasingly expensive technologies as well as books. So far, librarians and library administers have come up with creative ways to keep services going, but there comes a point when it will be impossible to keep afloat no matter how Herculean the effort. Libraries are bleeding, not only here in North America, but in England.  Many of us have stood up to support our libraries, but our voices aren't being heard.  Philip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass, has added his voice to the chorus.  Perhaps someone will listen if enough of us speak out. Read his speech here.

New Youth Literacy Website

Fellow author Pam Withers and a few colleagues have set up a pretty cool non-profit youth literacy website that you may want to check out.   It's called "Keen Readers" and it's full of resources including: articles, tips, interviews, reviews, writing contests, and even a blog that parents, mentors and kids will find useful. For example, I found a whole page of resources for reluctant readers.   Here's the link.