I'm it!

Scott Bury, a fellow author and blogger, recently decided to play tag.  I guess he's still a little kid at heart.  I like that.  I'm not a fast runner, so he got me!  Thanks a lot, Scott!  Now I have to answer the questions he posted and then I have to tag 11 others.

Further below in this post I answer Scott's questions but I'm not going to tag others because I know how busy my writer friends can be and I want others to be able to participate.  Instead, I invite everyone who visits to respond to my questions by leaving a comment at the end of the post or by responding on their own blog (if you are responding on your own blog, please post a link to it).  You can answer many of the questions in just a few words.  So, kids, parents, authors, bloggers, teachers, librarians, and all other visitors please join our game of tag.  Feel free to invite others to do the same.  When answering the questions, please remember that this is a family-friendly blog. 

Because I write for children, I thought I'd ask questions that bring out the child in all of us.
1.  What is your favorite dessert?
2.  What board games do you like to play with your friends and family?
3.  Who is your favorite family member and why?
4.  What was the hardest elementary school project you ever had to do?
5.  What kinds of books do you like to read?
6.  Do you have a pet?  (Tell us a little about him/her.)  If you don't have a pet, would you like to have one and what would it be?
7.  What was the grossest lunch your mom or dad ever packed for you?
8.  Did you ever throw up in grade school?  Please give us the juicy, or shall I say, disgusting, details!  (If not, what was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you in grade school?)
9.  What was the best Halloween costume you wore as a kid?
10.  If you could meet a famous person, who would it be and why?
11.  What is your favorite word?


Here are my answers to Scott's questions:

1. What’s your Easter egg—in other words, what unstated message do you want readers to take away from your writing?

That a kid's job is to be a kid.  Play, imagine, be silly, pick on your siblings, eat sweets... shall I go on?

2. Other than your main character, which character in your work is your favourite?

I actually have two; Piggy and Stimpy.  They are two guinea pigs who are really good actors.

3. Who is your favourite fictional character from any writer’s work?

Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind.

4. If you write in a genre, which convention or rule frustrates you most? Which would you like to change?

I prefer not to follow any rules.

5. Among the genres in which you have NOT yet written, which two would you like to combine in your next work?

I'd love to take old letters or postcards, you know, the kind you find in a beat-up box in the back of an antique store, and create my own context for them.  So, how would you describe that genre?  I don't know but I'm sure I'd be combining more than two!

6. Do you ever include real people, from your own life or elsewhere, in your work?

Yes, the characters in my book, A Reel Cool Summer, are all real people or family pets.  I often get ideas for characters from the people in my life; past and present.

7.  What do you hope that fans will say about your work?

That wackiness is bound to ensue.

8. What do you dread that readers will say?

Stop writing!

9. If you could appear as a character in any other writer’s work, which one would it be? And what role would you like to have in that story?

I would love to be the main character in a Rod Clement book.  One of my favorite children's books is Grandpa's Teeth which he wrote and illustrated.    

10. Is there a living writer, other than yourself, whom you feel does NOT get enough recognition today?

This one is hard to answer.  I have met many indie authors since I published my book and so many of them are terrific children's and young adult authors.  I hope they will soon get their much -deserved recognition. 

11. If you have a soundtrack for writing, name the first three songs on it (yes, I’m copying carrying this idea forward from Sylvia van Bruggen).

My current soundtrack is the noise of a busy city and the awesome and thunderous roar of mighty military jets!  God bless our troops!


Tag, you're it!

Until next time... stay cool!

Martha

This is a dream, right?

Wide eyes in all shapes, sizes and colors, big smiles (some with missing teeth), listening ears eagerly awaiting the first word, and a touch of awe at meeting an author.  That's what I witnessed last week as each class entered the Sacred Hearts Academy Lower School Library.  It was a week I will never forget!

The excitement had been building for me since November when Ms. Taylor, the Lower School Librarian, and I began making plans for my first school visit.  My daughter is a senior at that very special school where students and their families feel a genuine love. I figured that if I made any mistakes there, I would be among family and friends. They would surely forgive me, hug me, and help me get back on my feet. 

Even knowing that, I wasn't sure what to expect and, I have to admit, I was a bit nervous. Is my book good enough? Will the students laugh at the funny parts? Are there actually funny parts, or am I imagining the whole thing? Is the story right for their grade and reading level? Am I a good read-aloud reader? Is that "so-so" review I received a few days ago right? What was I thinking?

Finally, the day arrived. No more time to ask questions I couldn't answer.

As I walked into the school office to sign-in and get a visitor's pass, Ms. Ching greeted me with open arms. She had actually been expecting me and was just as excited about me being there as I was. What a great way to start the day! She showed me to the library where I met Ms. Taylor and Ms. Maggini-Mackay, the Library Assistant. Smiles and hugs came my way! I thought that maybe we should just stop right there. It couldn't possibly get any better than that. 

My nerves returned for a split second. Again, I questioned myself, my book, my being there.

Then, Ms. Taylor told me how much she and the children had enjoyed my book. The students had been engaged in the story and had laughed in all the right places.

I asked myself, "This is a dream, right?"

Well, yes, it was a dream. Not a black-and-white, fuzzy dream whose details escape you as soon as you awake, but a full-color, every-detail-etched-in-your-mind-forever kind of dream.

I read A Reel Cool Summer to six classes of smart, sweet, curious, silly, beautiful girls in three days. They listened carefully to the story, making mental notes of each detail. They laughed out loud as the characters in the book did, and said, harebrained, ridiculous, funny things.

More fun was in the works when students dressed up as the characters in the book and reenacted the movie scenes from the story. Those very simple costume pieces I had purchased and made brought out the actor in each child. One became a pirate who doesn't really like broccoli, another turned into a princess who gets help crying from an onion, two squeaky girls transformed into cute guinea pigs who turn out to be mean, evil aliens, and, finally, an artistic visionary stepped into the role of movie director shouting, "ACTION!" and "CUT!" at just the right times.

The students asked questions and told me their favorite parts of the book. One told a story about making a silly movie with her dad and brother. Another student talked about important things to remember when writing her own book for a class assignment. "Always start a sentence with a capital letter and finish with a period or a question mark," she reminded herself and her classmates.

Pictures were taken and hugs were given and received. The beautiful crocheted and fresh flower leis, the delicious cookies, and the adorable handwritten notes are treasures I will always cherish... although I must admit the cookies are already in my tummy. So yummy! 

It was a dream come true. The pesky questions that had been floating around in my head finally got their answers. 

As the children left the library at the end of their time with me, they repeated lines from the book and talked to each other about their favorite characters. I had just spent three amazing days surrounded by sweet children and the terrific adults who work every day to encourage them to read, write, explore and wonder.  What more can a children's book author ask for? Nothing, I say! 

There really aren't enough words to express my gratitude to the students, faculty, and staff of Sacred Hearts Academy for their warm welcome, wonderful smiles and great hugs. They will always have a special place in my heart. They will always be "reel cool" in my book!

Until next time... stay cool!

Martha

P.S.  I also want to thank my daughter, Jacqui, and her friend, Jhunette, for joining in the fun and reading to two classes with me.  You're the best!

My Clearest Me is Very Sweet!

My Clearest Me by Claudine Gueh Yanting is a sweet book about Wynn, an adorable, quiet, and very shy six-year-old boy who carries his teddy bear everywhere he goes.  He knows he’s different from his classmates.  On this day, he overhears his teacher telling his mother that she worries he will have few friends, “Or worse!  That he will let Dreams pass,” if he doesn’t change.  Wynn wonders what he’s supposed to be. 

As his mother tucks him in that night, she assures him that she loves him no matter what.

“You are a breathing wind,

A bout that flies and flows at night.

Be quiet, be loud, between,

You’ll always be my King of Bright.”

But, still, in his dreams he wonders.  Should he be loud, like a crowd or like the bang of a drum?  Is that his “clearest me?”   Or can a shy and quiet boy, one who is like the soft music of a flute, fit in with the other children?    

This softly rhyming story is beautifully written and illustrated.  Very young children may need some help understanding the rhymes but it’s a great opportunity to spend extra time snuggled in a comfy chair with an attentive little reader talking about the meaning of the words. 

It is wonderful to follow Wynn as he discovers his “clearest me” in his dreams.  The illustrations by Sarah Quek Rui Zhen are wispy and calming, like a sweet dream and, at the same time, bright and bold like children playing and laughing.  The details of the illustrations dance beautifully with the descriptive words and the silly scenes will put a smile on your face.

It is clearly a sweet book!

My Clearest Me is available on iTunes.  Coming soon to Kindle, Nook and Sony.  To purchase a copy or for more information please visit the Carry Us Off Books website.

Watch the book trailer on YouTube.

Follow on Twitter: @carryusoffbooks

Like the Carry Us Off Books Facebook page


DISCLOSURE:  I would like to thank Claudine Gueh Yanting for sending me a review copy of the book in PDF format.  NOTE:  In the e-book, the words are separate from the illustrations for text-to-speech application convenience.

He's My Baby Brother!

My little brother was born today.  He woke Mommy up at three o’clock in the morning because he wanted to come out of her tummy.  I was asleep so I didn’t know he was going to be born today.  When I woke up, Grandma said, “Good morning,” and told me I was a big brother.  She made my favorite breakfast, yummy waffles with syrup and chocolate milk.  How did she know that was my favorite?

I’m excited to meet Danny.  That’s his name.  Well, his name is really Daniel but we’re going to call him Danny because Daniel is a big name for a baby.  That’s what Mom says. 

After breakfast, I run upstairs with Grandma so I can get dressed.  It’s really cold outside and there’s a lot of snow on the ground.  When I squish my face on the window, my nose gets really cold and I have to rub it to make it warm again. 

I can get dressed by myself because I’m almost three and a half years old.  I like my soft pants.  Dad says they are called sweat pants but I like to call them soft pants because they are really, really soft.  They are warm, too.  Grandma says I have to put on a t-shirt, then my sweatshirt so my belly button won’t get cold.  I can tie my own shoes but she says she wants to help.  She makes perfect bows and always makes double knots.  I love my grandma.

We’re ready to go visit Mom and Danny in the hospital but we have to wait for Dad to pick us up.  It’s so hard to wait.  I play with my cars for a little while and then I hear Dad’s car outside.  I get on my tippy toes so I can look out the window.  “Grandma, dad’s here!” I yell.

I say, “Hi, Dad!”  He says, “Hi big brother.”  That’s funny.  I ask Dad if we can go see Mom and Danny now.  He says, “Yes.”  I jump up in the air and yell, "YES!" 

It’s still cold outside so I have to put on my coat and my hat and my gloves.  Now I can’t really move that much and it’s getting hot in here.   We get in the car and drive to the hospital.  It takes a long time to get there.  I like watching the snow plows making snow mountains.  I see a snowman and some kids playing in a snow fort. 

We get to the hospital and Dad tries to find a parking space.  Grandma is looking one way and Dad is looking the other way.  Grandma points to her side. “There’s one!” she says.  Dad parks the car and we get out.  We walk into the hospital.  There are a lot of grown-ups inside.  There’s a lady at the desk.  She asks us who we are here to visit.  I yell out, “Mom and Danny!”  She laughs and asks me who Danny is.  I tell her he’s my baby brother.  She gives us stickers that say we are allowed to go on the elevator. 

Dad lets me push the button on the elevator and we start going up to the sixth floor.  When the doors open, I see nurses holding babies.  “Is that Danny?” I ask Dad.  “No,” he says.  “How about that one?” I ask.  He says no again.  “Where is he, Dad?”  Dad tells me that Danny is in the room with Mom.  He tells me the room number is 613.  I look at all the numbers on the doors.  610, 611, 612… 613!  This is the room!  The door is closed.  It’s big and heavy so Dad helps me push it open.  The room has two beds.  Mom and Danny are in the first bed. I run over to hug Mom and give her a kiss.  Then I see my baby brother.

"He’s so little, Mom," I say.  "Look, his nails are tiny next to mine.  Can I give him a kiss?  Is he asleep?  Is he going to open his eyes?  How come he makes all those little noises?  Can I hold him, Mom?  Please!  Why is he crying?  Is he hungry?  Was I this little when I was born?"

Danny is cute.  His skin is soft and white.  He has black hair.  He doesn’t open his eyes a lot.  He’s very wiggly.  He doesn’t have any teeth.  His lips are really pink.  His toes and his nose are really small.  He cries a little.  He sleeps a lot.  When I put my finger close to his hand, he grabs it really hard.  He peed in the air when Dad changed his diaper.  It was so funny! 

Mom lets me sit on the bed and hold Danny.  He’s warm and he smells like baby soap.  He opens his eyes and looks at me.  He yawns and closes his eyes.  I give him a little kiss on his head.  “Hi, Danny,” I whisper to him.  “You're going to love yummy waffles with syrup and chocolate milk.”

Copyright 2011 Martha Rodriguez

Happy Birthday, Danny!  We love you more than you will ever know!

Walking and Writing: One Hundred Steps at a Time

I spent a few minutes on-line this morning trying to find out how many steps the average person takes in a day.  I knew it was a big mistake the minute I typed the words into the search bar, but I thought it would be a fun fact to know.  Well, I was right: it was a big mistake.  How can anyone really know?  Who goes around counting their steps and posting the number on the internet, anyway?  No one, but  that doesn’t stop people from giving their opinion so, aside from finding out that it’s anywhere from zero to infinity, I found quite a few sites that told me how many steps I “should” take if I want to be healthy.  That was not my question!  I love you internet, but sometimes I wonder why I even invite you into my home!

You’re probably wondering what all this silliness is about… assuming you’ve gotten this far.  Well, it’s about my latest writing project, a children’s book of short stories about the details we often miss as we take our few or many steps throughout the day.  Each story is about taking one hundred steps.  Where will they take me?  What will I see, hear, or smell?  Will I be surprised or bored?  Will I meet people and their look-alike pets?  Will a beat-up, old-fashioned car bring back memories from my childhood?  I hope to share the answers to all these questions soon.  In the meantime, here is a sneak peek at part of the first story.  I hope you enjoy it. 

The First One Hundred Steps

I’m standing in the hallway just outside the front door to my apartment on the nineteenth floor.  My back is against the door.  It’s chilly in the hallway but warm right where I’m standing because the hot Hawaiian sun is streaming in through the window opposite my door.  I haven’t taken the first step in my silly experiment yet but I will in the next few seconds.  Standing here I can see a small portion of Koko Head, a tuff cone made of volcanic ash, in the distance and many buildings between Koko Head and mine.  It’s a sunny day but there are a few puffy, white clouds in the sky.  I can tell it’s windy because the palm trees are swaying softly back and forth.  I’m anxious to see what else is waiting for me outside as I start my one-hundred-step walk.  Will I even make it outside the building?  What will I see?  Will it be super exciting or super boring? I guess I’ll never know if I don’t take that first step.  Here goes!

Wait!  I don’t want to waste too many steps just to get on the elevator.  I should plan a strategy.  There’s no one else in the hallway so I can be as silly as I like.  Well, even if there was someone in the hallway, I’d probably be silly anyway.  I’m going to take giant steps until I get to the elevator button.  One… two… three!  Not bad, only three steps.  I push the “down” button and wait.  I’m not moving a muscle.  Don’t want to use up anymore steps. 

I realize I may have a slight problem.  There are three elevator doors in the hallway.  I’m standing between the two closest to my apartment.  The “down” button is between these two doors.  I’m close enough to both of them that it will probably only take me one or two steps to get inside either of the elevators when one arrives.  But there’s a third elevator, further down the hallway.  If that’s the elevator that comes first, I’m going to have to waste a few extra steps or wait for the next one.  I cross my fingers and wait.  Five seconds go by before I hear a familiar dinging sound, like a doorbell.  It’s just the elevator telling me it’s on the way.  I still don’t know which one it will be but it sounds like it will be the second one.  Suddenly, the door to the second elevator begins to open.  Nice!  Only one giant step will get me inside.

Problem!  There’s a video camera inside the elevator.  If someone at the front desk in the lobby is watching the computer screen, they will see me taking that giant step.  They’ll probably wonder if I’m crazy.  It won't be the first time someone has thought that.  I can’t worry about it right now because I have to save my steps.  I take a big step, my fourth one, as the automated lady’s voice says, “Going down.”  My body is just inside the elevator door.  If I’m too close to the door, it won’t close so I tuck my behind in, just in case.  Success!  The door closes.  I’m standing right beside the panel of buttons, from “L,” for Lobby, to 39.  I won’t need to take any extra steps to choose.  I press the “L” button and wait to start moving down. 

The elevator is on the outside of the building and has a big window through which I can see the same things I saw from the window in the hallway.  My stomach feels a little funny as the elevator begins to go down all nineteen floors.  I lift my left foot off the ground a little and pivot my body around on my right foot as we get closer to the lobby.  Now, I’m facing the door.  It's very shiny, like a mirror, and I can see myself in it.  I can also see the reflection of what’s outside the window.   The palm trees are still swaying.  I can’t hear it yet, but I know they are making a beautiful, peaceful sound.  I’ve heard it many times. 

As the elevator door opens onto the open-air lobby, and the automated lady’s voice says, “Lobby,” I finally hear the “Shhhhhhhh, shaaaaaaaa, shhhhhhhh, shaaaaaaaa,” as the wind blows the palm fronds from side to side and tosses my hair all around my face.  Step number five takes me out of the elevator where another camera is looking at me.  By the time I reach the front desk and greet the men working there, I’m on step number twenty-five.

I pretend that I hadn’t taken a giant step when getting on the elevator and cross my fingers that the men hadn't seen me on their computer screen.  The nice men say, “Hello,” and ask how I am.  “Fine, thank you.  How are you?” I reply.  Turns out they are fine, too.  That’s nice.  They are smiling big side-to-side smiles.  I think they saw my giant step.  I don’t mind.  This is fun.

The lobby is beautiful.  Some of the walls have pretty wood panels on them and the floor is made of tiles; some big and some small but all shiny and sparkling clean.  The furniture is comfortable.  I need to remember to come down and sit here more often, but today I’m on a one-hundred-step walking mission.  I can’t stop now.  I say goodbye to the men at the desk and walk toward the twelve-foot-tall doorway that leads to the outside of the building.  The doors are made of iron.  They are black.  No, they are green.  Actually, they are both.  They look very heavy but they aren’t.  They make a soft, creaking sound when I push them open to step outside the building with my forty-fifth step.

I could hear them before I could see them; the construction workers and their trucks fixing the road just to the left of my building.  This is usually a quiet street.  I often sit on a bench here to listen to the birds chirping, smell the lovely aroma of the Plumeria flowers, and people-watch as folks go walking by.  Today the sounds, smells and sights are different.  The street has a big hole in it and there are men here to fill it, like a dentist fills a cavity or a scab forms over a cut.


There’s more to the story and I look forward to sharing it soon.  Oh, and to answer my own question, “Who goes around counting their steps and posting the number on the internet, anyway?”  I do, and it’s great fun!  I hope you’ll read this sneak peek to your children and students and encourage them to observe the world around them and to write in detail about their one hundred steps.

Until next time… stay cool!

Martha

The First One Hundred Steps
Copyright 2011 Martha Rodriguez

This Short Story Goes a Long Way!

Toonopolis Short: Anchihiiroo
by Jeremy Rodden

I recently read Jeremy Rodden’s book, Toonopolis: Gemini and loved it (read my review here), so I was very excited to learn that Jeremy had written a novella about one of the characters in that book.  What a great way to meet this interesting character, to learn his back-story and to see how he fits into Toonopolis: Gemini.   

Toonopolis Short: Anchihiiroo is the story of Yoshi, later known as Anchihiiroo and even later known as Han’Eiyuu.  The novella introduces us to five-year-old Yoshi at the moment he becomes an orphan and we follow him until he becomes a man.  Throughout his life, Yoshi suffers at the hands of evil men and is cared for by gentle ones.  There’s an underlying tug-of-war in his heart between good and evil.  He wants to protect his town from evil so the townsfolk won’t have to suffer as he has.  He trains for years to be the hero they need.  But, he also feels a need to avenge the death of his parents and the training he receives at the hands of his sensei will prepare him for battle. 

Will he ultimately be a hero or an anti-hero?  Will he use his mind, body and spirit strength for good or evil? 

As in Toonopolis: Gemini, the characters in this novella are extremely well structured.  They are so real that you forget that you’re reading about cartoon characters… well, until one of them says something wildly sarcastic and you quickly remember that you’re in a toon world!  That’s the great thing about Jeremy’s writing, just when you think something is very serious, he gets all goofy on you.  The comic relief is perfectly placed and always welcome.  And just as quickly, you’re back in the action and loving it.

The story stands steadily on its own but, trust me, you’re going to want to know what happens next and what happens next is in Toonopolis: Gemini.  Read separately or together, these are two great stories that everyone will enjoy. 

You’ve done it again, Jeremy!  I can’t wait to read more about your great characters.  Keep the stories coming because we want to keep reading them!

Until next time... stay cool!

Martha

Visit Jeremy Rodden here.

Purchase Toonopolis Short: Anchihiiroo here.  For pre-teens to 100+

Jeremy on Twitter: @toonopolis

Toonopolis Facebook Page here.

DISCLOSURE: I want to sincerely thank Jeremy Rodden for sending me a complimentary copy of this book to read and review.

Aaaaah, That New Book Smell

A comforting, calming feeling came over me the day Joey and I picked up the copies of A Reel Cool Summer from the printing house.  We had been working on our little book for about nine months.  Being separated by 5,000 miles and who knows how many time zones wasn’t easy but we made it work.  We spoke almost every day and emails flew back and forth by the minute.  Many times we emailed each other while on the phone.  I think we said, “I’m emailing it to you right now,” and, “Okay, I just got it, let me look at it,” a million times… at least it seemed that way.

It was an amazingly stressful and joyful time.  We worried a lot and we laughed a lot.  We made fun of each other and of ourselves.  One of us would ask, “Who writes and illustrates a book and publishes it themselves?”  The other would answer, “Apparently, crazy people like us!” 

Throughout those nine months we worked hard to move things forward with the hope of getting the book “there.”  We were thrilled when the “there” day came and after a few changes to the proof, we were ready to give the printer final approval – or were we?  That meant no more wondering if an illustration could be improved or if the story was lacking somehow and no more chances to proofread or make one last change to the cover.  It was hard to let go but the final proof did look great.  The colors were amazing and the illustrations were detailed and clear.  The cover was perfect, the pages were in the correct order, and the text had been proofread to death.  We hoped so, anyway!  It was time to click the send button on the email and give the order to print.  Wait for it.  Wait for it.  Click! It’s done.

The wait was only about ten days but it seemed like ten eternities.  On the one hand, I wanted it to be over, but on the other, I didn’t.  Thank God I didn’t have another hand!  Then, the call came from the printer.  The books were ready.  Joey and I jumped in the car and headed over there.  Nerves, excitement, nerves, excitement… why is this light red?!

Finally, I held in my hands the first copy of the book.  I smelled it.  Doesn’t everyone do that?  Aaaaah, that new book smell.  Every doubt and worry melted away.  The months of hard work and nervous jokes seemed like they had never existed.  I was calm and excited.  I didn’t cry, but it was close.  That new book smell defined our journey.  All our stinky blood, sweat and tears came out smelling like roses.  Here was our little book, ready to jump into the hands of little ones eager to read it.  Our hope is that the kiddos will enjoy reading it so much that the new book smell will soon be gone and replaced with whatever that smell is that brings back memories about reading a good book.

Until next time… stay cool!

Martha

We'd like to share more of our writing and illustrating journey with you on the GoodReads website.  We're having a Q&A session through December 31st.  Please stop by and join the conversation with me and Joey at Q&A with Martha Rodriguez.