News, Notes & Inside Info from a Children’s Book Author

Archive for September, 2009

Hills Gleam Dimly: Karla Kuskin (1932 - 2009)

Sunday, September 13th, 2009 Posted in Interviews & Appreciations | No Comments »


"I put it down and I begin to understand it better." -- Karla Kuskin. Karla Kuskin died in late August, 2009. I was away on vacation at the time, off the grid, not even looking at newspapers, so I missed it. ...

Remembering . . .

Friday, September 11th, 2009 Posted in Current Events | No Comments »


You might be moved to read this, by Sarah who blogs at The Reading Zone.

Some Recent Adirondack Photos

Friday, September 11th, 2009 Posted in Family | No Comments »


The last gasp of summer, some photos from our sublime vacation on Rainbow Lake in the Adirondacks. There's nothing quite like a cabin by a lake, some high peaks nearby, and a willing family to share it with. And yes, I'm ...

Fan Mail Wednesday #59 (Thursday Edition!)

Thursday, September 10th, 2009 Posted in Along Came Spider, Fan Mail | 1 Comment »


Check it out, y'all: Fan Mail Wednesday is busting out all over the place, spilling onto Thursday, causing a ruckus. My three kids started school yesterday: Maggie, 3rd grade; Gavin, 5th; and Nick, 11th. And after a long, wonderful, and ...

My Brother John . . . in BYSTANDER

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 Posted in Bystander, Family, Greatest Hits, the writing process | 2 Comments »


When I was writing the first draft for BYSTANDER, I had to contend with the issue of the new boy in town, Eric Hayes. I knew he would have a problem with a bully -- but why? My sense of ...

Children Full of Life: Inspiration for Teachers

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 Posted in Around the Web | No Comments »


This video below touched my heart and my brain, made me feel and made me think. It is an excerpt from an award-winning documentary recently made available on youtube. Every teacher should see it. Every parent should  see it. What can ...

What Is a Smile If Not a Baring of Teeth?

Monday, September 7th, 2009 Posted in Bystander, the writing process | No Comments »


The end of summer? Oh, let's call it the beginning of autumn. I'm excited to embrace the daily routine, my kids at school while I quietly hum along downstairs. We break out the sweaters, play soccer and baseball, rake leaves, build ...