Back from Australia and ALA in Seattle...

After my last trip to Seattle for the American Library Association Conference and book signings with author friends Debbie Hodge and Linda Bailey I had one more trip planned. I had thought I would be going to Toronto for the Ontario Librarian's super conference, but I'm just not up for it, so my plans are to stay home and write. Unfortunately, flu season has slowed me down. Hopefully, I will soon be back to the novel I'm working on as well as one new picture book and two board books.

In the meantime, reading, mindless television and the sun finally shining is keeping me sane. Check out my book blog for a review of Debbie Hodge's new picture book. Here I am at American Library Association Conference in Seattle signing my newest book. I am with two fantastic Fitzhenry & Whiteside Sales Reps. Stephanie Stewart (left), and Penny Taylor (right).

Tomorrow night our Children's Literature Roundtable will also be hosting Eric Wilson; Canada's million-copy selling mystery author for kids. He always gives a fantastic talk, so will let you know how it goes. Later, Sheryl

Reviews

Hey,

I just discovered two reviews of my new book, The Smell of Paint. One is on Amazon.ca--go to the review at the bottom of the page. The other is on a Book Blog. Check them out. S.

Back from sunny Australia and rainy Seattle

So, I'm finally back from a wonderful trip to Australia where my three lovely daughters and I enjoyed surf and sun, great wines, and fantastic museums and art galleries for almost a month. Arrived home to power outages and a foot of snow. Yikes! That was followed by wind storms, downed phone lines, and then computer problems. I fit in a trip to Seattle for the American Library Association Conference and book signings for A Pod of Orcas and The Smell of Paint with author friends Debbie Hodge (she has a new picture book out which you should totally check out called Lily and the Mixed Up Letters --watch for a review soon on my book blog with Tundra Books and Linda Bailey (who has new picture book coming out in the spring called Sweet Pig) which was also lots of fun. So, you see I have plenty of excuses for not updating this blog for a while. No more slacking off though…

It was a pretty busy fall with lots of travelling, lots of school presentations and festivals. The winter is supposed to be my writing time, so I'll be home a lot more. I'm especially looking forward to hearing Eric Wilson talk at the Children's Literature Roundtable (a group of teachers, librarians, parents and writers who love and want to support kids books) on January 29th. Eric has a new book out called Red River Ransom. With more than a million books sold in 10 countries, and 30 years of writing under his belt, Eric has tremendous insight into writing for kids. I am especially interested to hear of how he always gets feedback on manuscripts from a small group of kids. What a cool guy. Then near the end of February, our Roundtable is hosting Deborah Ellis who is also fabulous. But, I'd better get back to writing. All for now, Sheryl

Update

So, I'm home now and will be for several weeks after pretty much being on the road for several months. Such a busy fall with multiple trips to Vancouver, up-Island, Toronto, Arizona and Seattle. But, being home has not been quite as relaxing as I'd hoped as I arrived just in time for a major snow storm, power outages, and artic weather hammering the usually wet West Coast. I spent three hours digging out my car and shoveling foot deep snow. I trudged to the grocery store in my rubber boots (I don't own winter boots) and came home with blocks of ice instead of feet! I must admit, it is pretty though, especially now that I have power back and can make a cup of hot tea and I don't have to rely on very wet wood and an ineffient fireplace and piles of blankets to keep me warm. So, aside from getting ready to host the last Children's Literature Roundtable of the year, judge a kid's writing contest for the Canadian Children's Book Centre, and work on my next book, catch up on letters and emails resulting from dozens of school and library visits, I have glorious time to read read read....

Sadly, what wasn't waiting for me was book reviews for my new book. If you read it (The Smell of Paint), and like it, and I hope you do, think about writing a review for Amazon. Sigh...Getting a book review for a kid's book is almost as hard as getting one published! Until next time...Sheryl

Deborah Ellis and Andrea Spalding coming to Victoria

I'm such a slacker about updating, but then I have a pretty good excuse; I've been on the road! Actually, I've hardly been home all fall, Toronto, Arizona, up-island several times, Vancouver several times, so you can forgive me for not updating. I had an absolutely wonderful time in Toronto--teaching a workshop, and doing school and library visits as well as spending time with eastern authors and illustrators which was fabulous. Many bottles of wine and great dinners later, I'm back home. Writing is usually such a solitary thing so I always enjoy the time on the road. Still, it's good to be back home--wearing my lulu lemon pants and a sweat shirt, and getting back to eating veggies and not tempting myself with deserts (I have a serious lack of will power on this one. If I see it I want it!).

I have been wearing my other hat for the last few days, organziing the Victoria leg of Deborah Ellis' tour. Of course you all know Deb Ellis, the author of The Breadwinner, Pavana's Journey, Our Stories Our Songs: African Children Talk about Aids, and the very controversial Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak. Deborah will be speaking to our Children's Literature Roundable of which I am the chair. We are mostly educators, librarians, and parents, but a few authors also belong. I am very much looking forward to what Deb has to say. I heard her once before when she spoke about women and children's lives in Afghanistan. So if you happen to be in Victoria at the end of February, drop me a line to find out more details.

On a related front, we are very excited to have Andra Spalding coming to speak to the Roundtable in early December. Andrea is the author of so many wonderful books, Including Bottled Sunshine, and The Most Beautiful Kite in the World. More recently, she has teamed up with Judge Scow, a First Nations elder to write Secret of the Dance. Check out my book blog for a review. It is a wonderful and very important book.

Time to watch a little home reno tv, a favourite past time when the weather is too rainy and miserable to get out into my garden. Besides, I have to come up with some clever ideas for my fireplace front now that I've chipped away all those ugly broken tiles.

All for now. Sheryl

Good news from IBBY Canada

The theme this past spring for Nami Island's second annual international Children's Book Festival in Korea was"Journeys of the Imagination." The idea of this IBBY sponsored event was "... to evoke the notion that every child can travel around the world in their imaginationon and through books and dream of a peaceful future in which they meet each other are are friends." I was delighted to hear that IBBY Canada had included Waiting for the Whales, my first picture book in the exhibition that respesented Canada. The other 9 titles included are:
Florence et la Sainte-Catherine by Lysette Brochu and Chrisian Ouesnel
Le Chandail de Hockey by Roch Carrier and Sheldon Cohen
La grandmere by d'Aputik by D Groulx
Dragonfly Kites by Tomson Highway and Brian Deines
NothernLights: The Soccer Trails by Michael Kusugak and Vladyana Kyrorka
A Big City ABC by Allan Moak
Tiger's New Cowboy Boots by Irene Morck and Georgie Graham
Glaire's Gift by Maxine Trottier and Rajka Kupesic
Ghost Train by Paul Yee and Hrvey Chan

To find out more about IBBY Canada (Canadian member of the International Board on Books for Young People) check out their website. They do great work.

My new book, The Smell of Paint, is finally out!

So, I'm trying blogger out as a more user-friendly version of a website just to see how it goes. I'll start by posting my new book, The Smell of Paint which will be in bookstores near you in the next week or so. It's a novel for ages 11 and up, with the main character being 14. Check it out.

This is the ad copy written by my favourite editor Ann Featherstone...

For a track star, the race never ends

All Jess can do is run—from her mom’s illness, her family’s grief, her friends’ sympathy. But when Jess finally stops, who will be there to help her face the truth?

It's published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, and will be available in both the US and Canada. I've already had my first good review which included a not so great picture of me at the track with kids and the coach from my kids' former high school running in the foreground. I'd include a link, but it's already in the pay section of the oneline version of the Times Colonist's and I doubt that, however much you love me, you won't be subscribing to the TC just to read that article. If you happen to be in Victoria on October 16th though, you could drop by Spectrum School @ 957 Burnside Rd to a group launch that will include my new book along with new titles from Kit Pearson, John Wilson, Adrienne Mason, Penny Chamberlain, and Dianna Bondar.