wedding thanksgiving

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

A Thanksgiving meal is all about the organization, isn't it? (Well, when it isn't about the FOOD.) And I am this kind of organized:
I consider it art. It makes me happy. But it doesn't make an easy go of preparing Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd. But that's fine -- I like the challenge. Perhaps someone else doesn't...
I woke up early this Thanksgiving morning to find that someone had organized.... everything. Down to the cheese drawer in the fridge. Down to the pantry shelves and the drawer with the plastic leftovers containers and the drawer with the foil wrap and the rolling pins.
Smeone had even typed up the menu we decided on a week ago, and had printed out the recipes!
All of this was waiting for me in my silent kitchen as I padded into it just before the sun rose on Thursday.
As I searched for the turkey pan, I found this:
Really! I am not making this up. Does this young woman deserve a medal or what? She is one of the things I am thankful for this season.
As the morning turned into early afternoon, the house filled and many hands made our day happen.
Hands rolled the dough and chopped the pecans and washed the dishes.Several hands tended the fire.And when the feast was ready, we ate it... in my office. It was a touch too cold to eat in Irene, so we cleared off my door desk, shifted furniture a bit, and -- voila! -- had a grand dining room in what was originally the living/dining room of this old house.
What an amazing, strong, lively family I live in the midst of. We are not perfect, thank goodness. What we are is full of good humor, graciousness, and grace. These are our pearls of great price. They sustain us through the long absences and they lift us up in time of celebration.

My son Jason is married tomorrow. The celebrating that surrounds this event has already begun. It has brought family from near and far. Jim's mother is here from Charleston -- another mother for me to love. Steven is home -- how did we ever do without his smiling face and loving presence? And Stephanie... Stephanie is a beautiful gift to us all -- another sister for Hannah and Zach, another daughter in our family.

Something I learn, over and again, that gives me comfort on a Thanksgiving day is that humans are maybe the most resilient beings on earth. They keep putting one foot in front of the other, reaching for love. And, eventually (or maybe all along), it's there. It's there. It is.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.

it is finished

Dear Alan Smagler: We have never met, but you wrote me the most wonderful, heartfelt letter 21 months ago when Scholastic acquired "The Sixties Trilogy:Three Novels of the 1960s for Young Readers."

Last night I finished the last-gasp refashioning of the scrapbooks for book one, which we have titled Countdown, and which will be published in May 2010. I clicked and sent the whole shebang back to my editor, David Levithan, and sat back, dazed at what we had created -- a documentary novel, maybe the first of its kind.

Then I looked at the pile of homemade cards that Scholastic sent me, lo these many months ago (and which has kept me company for almost two years), and pulled randomly from that pile of lovely cards, your note. I read it again. I got teary. Thank you, and thank you to everyone at Scholastic, for your amazing support. It is finished.

the mechanicals are here

Here it is. Thanks so much for all your opinions. We've got the mechanicals! I'm reproducing them here, but keep in mind that the color is a bit washed out in these photos -- the final product will be deep and rich and layered and... all that jazz. :>
When you open the CD package, this will be inside the front cover:
This will be opposite it, inside the back cover, and under the cd tray:
This is the back cover:

And -- ta da!

The front cover:

We loved all your input, and we can't wait to hold the actual CD in our hands. It's the best yet, full of surprises and outstanding jazz compositions played by world-class musicians... we're thrilled to be THIS CLOSE to release!

January. That's when you can get hold of your own copy. Details to come about a CD release party/concert for Jim Pearce's latest masterpiece, coming to a theater near you, especially if you live in Atlanta. Thanks, all, for your enthusiasm and support!

long week's end

These young gentlemen are part of Club Bili, a boys-only reading club in two middle schools in the D.C. area (Alexandria, Va.). They were guests of the Children's Book Guild of D.C. yesterday, where they told their stories about how "real men read." Charming doesn't begin to describe these guys. They made us laugh with delight and hope.
Read the article in the link above to see how Club Bili works. See if it doesn't make you smile. We met and listened to the dynamic reading resource teachers behind this program, Jodie Peters and Rob Murphy, who, I am convinced, never sleep. If you want to know more about Club Bili, or about how to start one in your school/community, drop me a line and I can send you contact information.

Yesterday contained two phone meetings with my editor, a Book Guild luncheon meeting, time with two writer friends, and a bookseller/librarian (really, more friends) dinner, then a drive back to Frederick through the rainy dark.

My trip is over. I fly home in a few hours. This week marks the mid-point of an experiment:

-- After literally years of road-warrior travel, get off the road and stay home for almost a year. Pat nervous system into place, gather routines, settle into new-home Atlanta.
-- About six months into being home, give yourself a work week away and see how that feels.
-- Then go home to Hotlanta and stay there a few more months before the Big Travels next spring.

Hypothesis: This experiment will change my life. I will come to the travel so rested, mentally and physically, that it will feel just fine to leave home for a week and do my job.

Conclusion: It has. I did. It did.

I worked a twelve-hour day yesterday, much of it play time, too, although I have learned to call it all work when away from home, as it requires a mindset of "you are on the road, and on the clock. You have X minutes to spend here, and must be ever-mindful of the next event, the next travel, and the next conversation. Hold your shoulders back. Sit up straight." etc.

The good news is (and this was part of my hypothesis)... a little balance works wonders. I am tired, but it's that good tired that one feels after good work. Hooray!

The quick catch up:

1. Two editor meetings yesterday, and some light at the end of the novel tunnel. My work is cut out for me this weekend. We'll talk.

2. I'm back on facebook, and twitter. I'm experimenting again in my never-ending quest to understand social networking better and not freak out about it as I do. On my schedule page (on my website), I direct young readers to my facebook fan page (remember that?) where they can write me, and they do. This is in an effort to cut down on snail mail, as I'm so very bad at responding via snail mail. But I'm killer on my facebook fan page. Ha!

2. Song permissions for book one of the Sixties Trilogy have overwhelmed the permissions budget, so I have spent time this past week away from book two and back in Franny's world in book one, re-working the scrapbooks. I think, in the end, we're going to have even stronger scrapbooks. Who knew?

3. Regarding book one of the Sixties Trilogy: We need a new title. I have buried the lead here, I know, so if you have read this far... well... maybe you can feel my pain. :> More on this from home as well. (We do have a new official title as of yesterday, and I think it's better than than ever, but for heaven's sake!!) Soon I will have a cover to show you.

Safe travels to everyone today, wherever you go. Happy Weekend!

the ghosts of story

I almost called this post "when worlds collide" because it's a bit like whiplash, careening from one world to another this week while I'm in D.C. But it's not a collision of worlds that's happening. It's a realization of ghosts. Everything has its season, then passes on. See if you don't think so, below.

Twenty four hours in three different worlds:

Teaching at St. Patrick's in Washington, D.C. These students are gathering their stories, their personal narratives. We tell our stories in song, dance, art, words and more. How will these students choose to save their stories... or will they?
Walking through Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. Here lies John Brown, along with the ghosts of history, stories saved, and stories we will never know.
Touring Andrews Air Force Base and remembering my childhood days in Camp Springs, Maryland in the sixties. This is Franny's world in book one of the Sixties Trilogy. It was my world, growing up. Now I am visiting ghosts and retelling my story, casting it as fiction, in a novel for young readers.
My character Franny lives at the corner of Coolridge and Allentown, as I did in 1962. This is the road she walked to school. I walked it yesterday, with the ghosts of my past.

Soon we will all be ghosts, even the students above. How will the stories they leave us help those who come after us live on?

This, I believe, is the sacred trust of literature.

st. patrick's episcopal day school

Loving these two days at the St. Pat's annual book fair. I worked with the fabulous Seymour Simon yesterday, and go solo today.
Yesterday: sixth, second, first, and kinders. We wrote and told stories.Kinders ready to go on a field trip right after our time together:
But not before they dance to ONE WIDE SKY:
Got to go! Today: fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth graders. Thanks so much, everyone at St. Patrick's!

midland's battle, and mine

This was the scene on Saturday morning in Midland, Michigan, where I spoke to 500 fourth and fifth graders and their parents, in two sessions, for their annual Battle of the Books kickoff, sponsored by the Grace A. Dow Memorial Library. To say I was floored is an understatement.
I mean, we're talking Saturday morning (and afternoon) on a sunny, balmy Michigan November day full of basketball games and family obligations. These families came to the library.

This is the 31st year the library has sponsored Battle of the Books. Fourth and fifth graders wait eagerly for this November Saturday every year, when an author kicks off the Battle and the 20 books are revealed. Then, 60 or so teams are formed and the battle begins! The whole process ends in March after much reading, many rounds of written and then oral questions, a whittling down of the teams amidst intensified cheerleading, and then finally a winning team is declared. Here's how it works.
RUBY was on the Battle list last year. ALL-STARS is on the list this year. I came to Midland to spend a day in this community that values literacy so much it funds this program year after year and promotes it in such a way that kids wait in anticipation each fall, to take part. It took my breath away, as did the children's department in this library. Likewise the youth services staff. What dedicated, smart, warm, funny human beings!

That's Stephanie Williams, director of youth services, on the left, moi pretending to be a librarian for a day, Char and Monica -- we're missing several others including Vicki, Katrina, and Kathy. When I walked through the enormous children's section of their library, I felt like I'd gone back to the sixties, when money for libraries flowed, and books (and literacy) were valued as essentials to a balanced, fulfilling life.

It was hard to say goodbye. When I got to the Flint airport, Sarah Miller was waiting for me in her orange pants and super sweater. We took silly photos of ourselves sitting together at a corner table of a cafe near the security gate, me exhausted after a long day's work, and she full of the same fizz she infuses Annie Sullivan with in her novel Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller. I bought coffee and she brought cookies. They were good.
Sarah's finishing a new novel, OTMA: Daughters of the Czar, about the daughters of the Russian royal family. I find this history fascinating and can't wait to read Sarah's book (we'll have to wait until 2011, but it will be worth it).

I'm blathering. Shiny-tired, but happy. I zip off today to D.C., where I'll be working in schools and catching up with family and friends. After seven months home, this is a welcome week of travel, and the only week of travel until February, when my road-warrior self will be completely ready for the tarmac again.

I've written some catch-you-up notes and will send them along tomorrow. Lots is brewing on the Sixties Trilogy front. I seem to be battling myself, coming and going, not to mention significant developments beyond my control. Here's a hint of what's coming next, lifted from John Irving's The Hotel New Hampshire:

"You've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. And keep passing the open windows."

See me (and Scholastic) walk right past those open windows. No jumping here, but maybe some hair pulling... okay, a lot of hair pulling. Stay tuned.

eclectic sunday mix

Stories here and there this week and weekend. Family for supper and music. This photo is also an excuse to show off my bird tree in the background. Found this in Virginia Highlands, bought it from a guy selling it on a corner, and brought it home. It will be my Christmas tree this year.
Found this, too. She needs a name. Hmmmmm?
View from my kitchen window.
Vespas lined up in Cabbagetown, a cool former mill-town neighborhood in Atlanta.
Where the Vespa owners went:
The fourth annual Cabbagetown Chomp and Stomp. Somehow we threaded through the crowd to the main stage to hear The Dappled Grays (which was why we came):
They sang "Autumn Leaves" and this couple danced. (Note they are actually a threesome):
The crowd was so immense, and we didn't have a rooftop to sit on:
So... after-while we mosied the ten blocks to our car. Passed this old shotgun house:
And, after all those photos of community, here's the one I love best:
These are eggs from Allison Adams's girls. They are sitting on a 49-cent Ikea cotton dish towel. I'm about to put the hand gathered eggs from a new friend into an old RevereWare pan that has the dents and hues of decades past in it -- it belonged to my mother. I love it when the past and the present come together like this, when stories blend, and something new is created. A new memory. New connections. Community.

Allison's new blog, The Southern Urban Homestead, is a must-read. I recommend subbing. Good writing, keen sensibilities, a smart and tender heart, a talented musician, and a search for balance in the city, while nurturing chickens, a garden, and friends. Thanks, Allison.

I'm off to make a soothing, fresh (with homemade mayo) egg salad for lunch today. What about you? What's happening at your homestead today? How are you looking for balance? How are you blending the past with the present, as you create your future?

Perhaps a few photos are in order, or a few words in your notebook, to remind you of these days, after the leaves have fallen and cold winter has come.

permissions and the heart's desire

Wow! Thanks for all the passionate opinions about Jim's new album cover possibilities. Everything from "pick up that red line in #5 and make the print that same color" to "#9, because there's a sweet little boy vulnerability to the back of his neck, like he's working a puzzle."

Y'all are good writers. And thinkers. Thanks for playing. We'll let you know how we proceed, although by far #6 got the most votes here at the Pomegranate.

Next: Novel permissions. Every song, photo, clipping, and sketch has an owner (save what's in the public domain). Sometimes more than one owner. And every one of those owners gets to set a price for giving us permission to use his or her song or photo, in the new novel.

We have a very generous permissions budget for the new novel, but now that permissions are almost all in, we can see that this budget is not going to get us everything we want to use. Time to think hard about what we can keep and what needs to go.

This is like cutting up your perfectly-formed baby.... what arm can you live without? What leg? How can I patch that baby back together to be almost as good as new? Or even better? Time for creative thinking and a new work-around for the song lyrics particularly.

I slept on this last night, and I think I have at least a partial solution. So here I go to the drawing board to see what it may look like. And... lesson learned. I have two more books to finish in this trilogy. They will all follow this format, very heavy on visuals.

What I have learned through this is that I do have control of what images and songs I select, so I will keep that in mind, going forward. Meaning... with this novel, I chose my heart's desire. Now I know what my heart's desire costs me.

Sounds like life, doesn't it?

your opinion please

I've been at 800East this week, Ken Gregory's recording studio, with Jim, who is ready to release his new jazz album. Yesterday I took 310 photos of Jim at the piano in various poses. We're hoping one of these photos will become the cover of the new CD, which is titled "I'm in the Twilight of a Mediocre Career." He's not. :>

I've shot the cover of this CD, and this one, and this one. You can take a look, to see what we've done and what we're going for (and you can listen to Jim's tunes, too!).

There are only so many ways you can shoot a piano player at the piano... or are there? The outtakes are hilarious, but I'll save those for later. For now, here are some of the cover shots we're considering. Tell us what you think, please -- write, or leave a vote in the comments!

1. Jim wants a shot of him playing the piano, but this seems too busy to me:
2. He really wants black and white, and we'd have to photo-shop that rug out of the picture. And there's no piano (and too much sunlight on the cheek, I think):
3. Too dark, but it could be lightened:
4. Too light, but it could be darkened (and I don't like the headphones, but Jim wanted some with headphones):
5. I'm not sure what we saw in this, but we marked it:
6. I like the play of the sunlight here:
7.... and here (and there's a goodly swatch for text to go in the piano top):8. I dunno about this one (but Jim likes it):
9. This is our current favorite:
That's a few of them... I think maybe the strongest ones. What thinkest thou? And thanks for your opinion. This is Jim's strongest work yet -- we're excited about it! Photos of the band at work, coming up when we start to make the inside collage in a couple of weeks....