Archive for Uncategorized

ADDENDUM: Norman Rockwell in Troy, Down the Street from DeFazio’s Pizzeria

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I had one of those days today. Suffice it to say that it included a lost wallet and a visit to Motor Vehicles. And those were the highlights!

On my way home, I decided to treat myself to a pepperoni pizza from DeFazio’s. I needed it.

I parked about a block away in front of this sign:

 

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If that’s difficult to read on your phone, it says that Norman Rockwell frequently visited Troy and used this site as the setting for a painting, “The Street Was Never the Same.”

I ordered my pizza and, with ten minutes to kill, looked up the 1952  painting.

Then I stepped across the street, tried to get the perspective more or less correct, and snapped this photo:

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Pretty cool, right? Nice they’ve kept the colors. I imagine somebody with the city is on the ball, perhaps even supporting the building owner to keep those exact colors. 

Too bad they don’t still keep a 1903 Ford Model A parked on 4th Street. 

In my experience, that’s Troy. A city filled with unexpected treasures. A city with a past, a rich history. It’s why Scorcese picked Troy as the location for filming “The Age of Innocence.” It’s why they film “The Gilded Age” here, too. And the latest installment of “The Conjuring” franchise.

The city evokes something, another time, another world. And if you haven’t tried DeFazio’s, my goodness, you’re in for a treat. 

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ADDENDUM, October 29th:

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This is too cool. 

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In 2008, Troy’s Historic Little Italy Neighborhood conducted this recreation featuring neighbors. Just fabulous. Thank you, David H. Graham, for passing this along. I need to dig into the backstory on this one, but am a little jammed up — book due tomorrow, ack! Hopefully can follow up when things settle.

In addition, local artist John Connors shared his version of the building. Again, so cool to see. 

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A Brief Excerpt: 200 Words, Including “Petrichor,” from My Middle-Grade Novel, SHAKEN

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EXCERPT from pages 102-103, Shaken.

 

He was her petrichor.

And it smelled, to her,

like the rarest of all things:

freedom.

 

 

 

She’d ask where they were going and he’d look at her as if it was the most preposterous question on earth. “That would ruin the surprise,” he’d say. This was an entirely new way of thinking for Kristy, whose life up to that point had been measured out in teaspoons. She had learned a word recently, petrichor. It described the smell that came with the first rain after a period of dry weather. Or, more simply, petrichor was the smell of rain. But not really. It was more complicated than that. One sleepless night Kristy went down the rabbit hole on her phone, hunting down the science. How do we smell rain? she wondered. She learned there was a bacteria in the earth called geosmin that gets released into the air when it rains—and for some reason humans are really, really good at smelling this particular odor. People smell it and smile and don’t even know why they are smiling. That’s how Kristy thought about Jimbo. He was her petrichor. And it smelled, to her, like the rarest of all things: freedom.

It was the fragrance of a window opening. Of a path untrampled.

Of climbing out into the dark unknown.

 

SHAKEN was listed by Bank Street Center of Children’s Literature as one of the “Best Children’s Books for 2025.” Ages 10-up.

FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #340: Brock’s Artwork

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I received one of those terrific letters the other day, a thing of beauty. It came the old-fashioned way, delivered through rain, sleet, and snow. The envelope looked like this:

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Inside, I found a wonderful piece of artwork which, I gather, is mine to keep. 

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I replied:

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Dear Brock,

Thank you so much for sending along that terrific piece of art. How kind of you!

I enjoyed visiting your school at Jackson Heights Elementary. It was a great day for me, a happy day, full of books and art and ideas. 

I remember that I talked about making my own books when I was young like you. I drew the pictures but needed help with the words. A lot of kids in your school nodded in agreement. They liked to draw, too. And maybe some of them will make their own books, too. 

I see that you had help addressing the envelope. Isn’t that great? That there are people in our lives who are there to help us? I’m thinking you might owe someone a big hug.

As for your picture, I’ve got it hanging on the wall of my office.

Look:

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Thank you, my friend!

Keep reading, keep writing, keep drawing those awesome pictures!

My best,

James Preller

 

P.S. Brock, buddy, if you happen to see this, please know that a real letter is in the mail with a very small bonus gift (don’t get your hopes up).

Photos from Some Recent School Visits

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I just thought I’d post a few of these shots, with and without captions, depending. 

I’ve got a busy week ahead of me, with four days of school visits, Tuesday-Friday, and then on Saturday the Poughkeepsie Children’s Book Festival. 

I’m dancing as fast as I can. 

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This is from last week, a local school.

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This last shot was kind of amazing. My first day in Tulsa, OK, and my first presentatiion: 450 5th-graders in a gigantic gym. Whoa!

 

TEACHERS, PTO MEMBERS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS:

In the world of author visits, I am fairly unique because I can share age-appropriate books, in paperback (cheap!), for PreK-8. Each presentation is different and, like the books themselves, geared specifically for the age and interest levels of the audience. 

I live in the Albany area of NY state, and will happily travel by car or plane to any location in the U.S. and beyond. 

Some titles typically discussed: 

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What Makes a Great Photograph?

 

What makes a great, award-winning photograph?

I mean, what qualities lift a photograph above the commonplace?

Is it the lighting? The composition? The careful arrangement of objects? An emotion captured? A storyline conveyed? The inclusion of Yoda?

All of those things, I guess.

When I look at this photograph of Colin, a lad I’ve never met, sent to me by Erin, a mother I’ve never met, I know I’m looking at something special. 

Doubly so. 

Thanks, Erin, for passing this along, and for your desire to gift my new book to your classroom teacher.