An Interview, a Few Links, and Song

Let’s take it around the horn:

1) I recently answered a few questions from the good folks at the pithily named blog, Books We Love from the Park Ridge Public Library Children’s Staff.

Here’s a taste of the goodness you’ll find there:

Do you find it hard to stop editing/revising, or do you have a definite ending point?

Well, deadlines help, because they force you to knuckle down. I generally know when a book is finished, and I’m all too happy to push myself away from the desk and say, “Done.” But when I read my so-called “finished” books — published books that have sat on my shelves for years — I still come across things I’d like to change, do differently. It’s never perfect, far from it. I forget who said it, but somebody once observed, “Books are never finished, they are abandoned.” That kind of makes sense to me.

(And so on and so forth.)

2) The ever-entertaining Julie Halpern, author, librarian, blogger, sugar addict, and pop culture vulture, had some fun tweaking an old 1991 book cover. It’s part of a new series of blog entries she intends to write, “Julie’s Most Awesome Book Covers.” If you like that kind of stuff — and who doesn’t? — then git on over there. Julie’s new book, Into the Wild Nerd Yonder: My Life on the Dork Side, is coming out someday. I don’t know exactly when; just ask her.

3) Sometimes we get busy and forget. So this is just a reminder of what great children’s book blogging looks like. Count me in as a big Peter D. Sieruta fan.

4) And while we’re talking blogs and swapping links, nobody does a better job at eliciting lively, thoughtful discussion in the comments section than Roger Sutton. He’s been having a very good week.

5) Sometimes I worry that with the influence of “American Idol,” and the over-the-top song stylings it favors (we used to call it “showing off”), people may have forgotten what a great vocal performance sounds like. The difference between real soulfulness and the trappings of soul. Click on this one, featuring Mavis Staples, and remember . . .

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One comment

  1. Julie H says:

    Thanks a lot for the plug! You are a famous rock star with much influence, apparently, and got me a mention on Fuse#8! W00t, as the kids say. Now I have to make the blog live up to it…

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