I Have a Dream...

This speech was given 47 years ago, when I was 9; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream..." speech.  It still resonates today.  It still gives me shivers when I hear it.  There are few leaders today who could come close to Dr. King's oratory abilities.  He was a man of vision.  A man of compassion.  A man who, if he were alive today, would, I'm sur,e be speaking out against poverty and injustice.  I've pasted a few lines of the speech below, but I urge you to follow the link and acquaint or reacquaint yourselves with a man whose message is as relevant today as it was all those years ago.

From "I Have a Dream Speech" by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

...I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character..."

This and that

It was too cool and windy to have tea outside in the sunshine as usual this morning.  Sure hope that summer isn't over. Will be visiting my friend Margaret today, and she'll want a report on the Mockingjay which I haven't yet had time to read or even pick up for that matter, although I'll try and call into the bookstore before I head out to the airport to pick up a friend returning from Edmonton.  I'll probably bring the book to read on the ferry tomorrow morning since I'm going over for the day.  If I'm lucky I'll get a chance to see my friend Linda Bailey for dinner.  I have her newest Stanley's Little Sister and I want her to sign it before I send it off to my newest little niece, Chloe in Seattle.  Of course I have something for her "big" sister too.

It doesn't pay to disinvite authors, and Mockingjay is out!

Two big news days.  Yesterday Teen Lit Festival in Humble, Texas was cancelled; I gather, due to so many authors pulling out after Ellen Hopkins was disinvited.  I'm sorry to see this happening.  I'd really rather that the decision makers rethought the withdrawal of their invitation to Ms. Hopkins.  In a perfect world I guess...sigh.  So you Humble teens.  You'll just have to get to the library and read.

In other news, today is the release day for Suzanne Collins MockingJay.  I can't believe that my agent Suzie Townsend was lucky enough to get into a bookstore where Ms. Collins was speaking along side of her editor, the equally great David Levithan.  Not only does Suzie have the book, she's already READ it!  I'm not far behind you Suzie.

My idea of a perfect summer day

Yesterday was my idea of a perfect summer day.  Sunny but not too hot.  A lovely breeze.  After a gorgeous bike ride on Lockside trail, a stop a Maddock's farm for ice cream, and a burger downtown, we wandered into Munro's Books along Government St.  I love this bookstore, although I find it dangerous to step through it's impressive (formerly a swanky bank) glass and wood doors.  I think last night's visit set me back a couple of hundred...Yikes.  So many books to read though.  Linda Bailey's new title, Stanley's Little Sister, The Gryphon Project by Carrie Mac (which I've been meaning to read since it won the Sheila Eggoff Prize for YA Literature at the BC Book Prizes), and InkDeath, the last in Cornelia Funke's trilogy which I've yet to read.  So exciting, I'll have to get through these really fast because the fall list will be in soon, and the "too be read piles" will just get higher and higher!

What a view!

Had the most wonderful 3 day visit with my middle daughter, Cloe.  Of course very little writing got done while she was here, but sometimes living life is more important than writing about it.  Today, before she left for a weekend with her girlfriends from high school, we went for a lovely 3 hour walk along Beach Dr. and up to the old observatory.  Here we are at the top.  It's quite the view...so lucky to live in this gorgeous part of the world.  So lucky to have even one of my girls home for a few days.  Hoping to see the other 2 soon.

It's expensive to donate!

In the last week I have sent off book donations to LA airlift due to the empty library shelves in some schools, Raise a Reader for a book auction, and The Elizabeth Fry Society of Saint John New Brunswick, or is it Saint Johns?  I never can remember.

Please don't anyone ask for more book donations...I can't afford the books (you might not be aware that authors have to pay for their own books aside from a few comp copies upon publication which you are supposed to use to help promote the book) or the postage...$47 to give books to people in need!  Yikes.  The total on this latest donation was $200 plus.

Between the Covers B&B and the Saltspring Island Young Adult Book Club

After a wonderful visit on Pender Island, I hopped over to Saltspring Island where my writer friend Margriet Ruurs picked me up.  She and her husband Kees moved to Saltspring and opened up a Book Lover's B&B called Between the Covers last year.  And what a perfect place it is.    If you tire of the quaint outdoor cafes in Ganges overlooking harbor, the dozens of art galleries, or sipping wine at one of three local wineries, the b&b is a perfect place to hang out.  They've outfitted  their poetry and fiction themed suites with shelves of books available for your reading pleasure.  Or you can enjoy the sight of bald eagles catching an updraft, or the smell of lavendar wafting from one of Margriet's fields. It's a perfect place to get back to nature.  When you leave, don't forget to bring a little of the country back home; either with a dozen free range eggs from Margriet's chickens or a bunch of fresh cut lavender.

While I was on Saltspring for work (having been invited to attend a young adult book club that was discussing my novel The Smell of Paint), I was not above enjoying a few of the above mentioned perks at Margriet's B&B.  And, I was lucky enough to be invited to a fabulous pot luck dinner provided by the members of the book club.  Before the night was over, one last treat was in store; slipping into the  hot tub after dark and enjoying the stars and the dramatic sky show of the Perseids meteor shower which was at it's peak.  Life couldn't get much better.

Thanks Saltspring Island Young Adult Book Club, and thanks Margriet for a delightful stay at Between the Covers.  I'd go back again in a heartbeat, and if you haven't been, a shelf full of delightful books awaits you.

Pender Island visit

Had a wonderful time on Pender Island visiting my writer friends Andrea and David Spalding.  Of course it helps that Andrea is a fantastic cook and David has written books and articles about everything from whales to geology.  Andrea has created the most gorgeous labyrinth and I also enjoyed a visit to a couple of their local art galleries, and the island bookstore.  The weather was perfect for a walk out to the nature preserve on South Pender.  Notice the street sign in the picture,   Kloshe Rd.  Kloshe means "a beautiful place" in the Chinook First Nations Language.  I couldn't agree more.

Sedaris & Sushi

Image by apc33 via Flickr

A rainy Saturday morning...meaning I didn't have to jump out of bed to water the garden (the city is in water conservation mode from May through September).  Still reading David Sedaris When You Are Engulfed in Flames, which I may finish if I laze about long enough.  He's very funny but I do prefer longer fiction to short stories.  Later I will be learning how to make sushi with my friend Cathy Takagaki, who is coming over from Saltspring Island and who learned how on her mother's knee.  Can't wait.  I love sushi.

I love my new i-phone

Yeah, my new i-phone has arrived.  Of course it meant transferring everything, but now I can sync my phone with my computer meaning I don't have to update contacts, calendars, and email on both.  I love it!  And the camera is so much better than the one in my old phone.  Check out the path I'm building around the garden (I'm only about 1/4 done but it's looking good). And, I'm still managing to get in 500 words or so a day on the new novel.  That's  nothing compared to the 3000 words Marsha Skrypuch pulls off (aka facebook status), but hey, I do my best.  And now I'm off to have tea (definitely ice tea today!) with my housebound but 'reads more books in a week than I can in a month' friend, Margaret.

Vancouver Folk Music Festival

Had a wonderful time in Vancouver visiting my girls and going to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.  Here are a few pics from the Folk Festival.  As you can see, the crowds were huge, the weather gorgeous, and the setting superb.  The music was pretty awesome too.  Hard to beat.

Below are one of my favorite groups, Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens.  Some of the other groups that were totally awesome were The Malahat Revue with Adidan Knight from Victoria, the Peatbog Faeries from G.B., Sarah Harmer, Tao Seeger (grandson of the great Pete Seeger), Nathan Rogers (son of the   late great Stan Rogers), and the United Steelworkers of Montreal, and these were just a few.

Have a great summer

It's been quiet around here for a while; been working on a new book.  Tomorrow I'm over in Vancouver for a bit, and then off to visit friends on the Gulf Islands so probably won't post for a while.  Have a great summer, and drop me a line if you read a really good book.

Later...

Best Books for Kids & Teen in 2010

Hurray.  I just received The Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens in 2010.  I can't wait to read it.  This is a fabulous resource for anyone stocking bookshelves in schools, libraries or at home.  It includes information about award-winners, interest levels, reading levels, and thematic links like sports or science or history.  It has a section for audio and magazines and even includes resources for teachers and librarians.  It's easy to get too.  All you have to do is be a member of the Canadian Children's Book Centre which supports and promotes Children's Literature in Canada.  The cost is $60 a year, and from my perspective, it's the best deal going.

A heads up for those of you south of the border, or overseas:  Best Books for Kids & Teens only covers Canadian material, so if you what to know what's up in the Canadian publishing scene for kids, this is the place to find it.

Salish Sea

Image via Wikipedia

It's amazing how important language is to all of us.

On July 15, the area that is now called the Strait of Georgia, Juan de Fuca Strait, Haro Strait and Puget Sound, will all be christened the Salish Sea in honor of the original First Nations who paddled these waterways.  Lieutenant Governor of B.C. Steven Point (a former provincial court judge and chief of the Skowkale First Nation) will be honoring the name change with an original song and a canoe he carved under the guidance of a master carver. 17 canoes, some from as far away as Alaska and the Oregon coast are expected.

There has to be a story in this people.  Get writing.

Coming soon

Spent a bit of time this morning writing the script for a book trailer for The Smell of Paint.  In some ways it's a lot like a pitch, using 6 or 7 lines of script, but in other ways it's quite different because the visuals can do so much, especially for a novel.  When you think about it, it's a little bit like picture books.  You start with a story in very few words, and then  the artist comes along and tells the bits between the lines.  So, now I'm looking forward to seeing the end product.  I'll post it when it's all finished.

Happy 4th of July

Image via Wikipedia

Happy 4th of July to all my south of the border family and friends.

Happy Canada Day Happy Reading

Happy Canada Day.  It's raining so no bike ride for me today.  I may just stay in bed all day and read one of the 3 or 4 books I have on the go and drink copious quantities of tea.  Life could be worse...Happy reading.

...Or if you happen to live in a place where you actually have summer happening, unlike here on the west coast... Happy bike riding.

not so big news on Canada Day eve

So, almost 7:30 on the eve of Canada Day, our version of the US 4th of July.  Just finished working and my big plans for this holiday evening include: watching a home renovation show or two, reading a few hundred pages of The Girl Who Played With Fire, and drinking a couple of glasses of some lovely Chardonay.  Hopefully tomorrow we'll get a little sun and I can go for a bike ride to offset the calorie build-up from a full day of sitting on my butt at the computer working on a new novel,  Sad to say that I didn't even get very far.  7 hours of work netted me about 700 words...sometimes it just doesn't come.

Did have a really good conversation with my former editor, Ann Featherstone, who, after many years, has become a very good friend. We talked about books we've read, books we should be reading, and books we'll send to each other.  Of course, the frustrations of writing and of editing came up.  We both concluded that neither of us could leave the business even if we wanted to...it's too wrapped up with who we are.

If you ever get a chance to work with the wonderful and very talented editor, Ann Featherstone, you are one lucky writer/illustrator.  She's awesome.

Hot Guys Reading

Just came across this "Hot Guys Reading" site passed on by a writer friend.  Check it out, and if you see any hot guys reading, snap a pic and email it on.

Strawberries & chocolate

Too full of chocolate covered strawberries to blog...ugh!