Scholastic Makes Sherry A Book Trailer!

This book trailer for I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES is fantastic!

It's cute, funny, captures the mood of the book. It's a nice length: 1:22

But you know what I really truly love about this video? The voice.

The voice is perfect for Sherry. So perfect, it gives me the chills.

So...whose voice is it?

A little research uncovered that this is the voice of Caryn Clark, The Hip Chick Voice.

Caryn's a Floridian (a fun word to type and say) who's done professional voice overs for a variety of products. In fact, you probably recognize her voice. From TV commercials for the upcoming Olympics. And TV commercials for Hannah Montana and iCarly products. As the narrator for the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus game. To name only a few.

Thank you Scholastic for the wonderful book trailer with the perfect voice!

And thank you, also, to Stacy of the Cat's Meow for her recent review of I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES. It's lovely.

(p.s. Sorry Facebook friends. I know I already mentioned the new book trailer, but I don't know how to turn off the auto feed from this blog to Facebook. And if I did figure out how to turn it off, I'd probably never figure out how to turn it back on. And then you'd miss all these delightful blog posts! :) )

My Town Monday: Castroville, CA

I do love an artichoke.

I am still working very hard writing I SO DON'T DO FAMOUS.

Do these two statements connect? Yes, it's a little convoluted, but they do indeed.

Artichokes. You can eat them hot or cold. If you time it right and find a baby artichoke, the entire thistle is edible. The yummiest part of the artichoke is the heart, also called the choke.

80% of all commercially grown artichokes are grown in Castroville, CA. Castroville is about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Castroville, CA is the Artichoke Capital of the world. Here is a link to this year's artichoke festival, the 51st annual festival.

On June 1, 1947, Norma Jean Mortenson was crowned the very first Artichoke Queen.

You probably already know that Norma Jean Mortenson became Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe shows up in I SO DON'T DO FAMOUS. As a ghost.

Voila!

"I do love an artichoke" and "I am still working very hard on I SO DON'T DO FAMOUS" are irrevocably connected.


Here she is! Miss 1947 Artichoke Queen

Please check out the posts by the other My Town Monday participants by clicking here.


Oh, you're still in the mood for more about artichokes?

If you're intimated by the artichoke, here's a link for how to eat one.

If you're short of artichoke recipes, here's a link with lots of artichoke recipes

sources:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Produce-638/artichokes.aspx
http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2007/06/queen-of-artichokes.html

The Book Review Club (February 2010)

Welcome one and all to the lucky THIRTEENTH meeting of The Book Review Club! Sorry to be starting a little late today. It's all due to small bumps in the road of life: a child with some tough math homework (fractions, ugh!), a little teen drama, an unfortunate run-in with the delete key. But, we're here and happy and ready to talk books!

First off, Happy Belated Ground Hog Day! Yesterday, on Gobbler's Knob in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. However, many groundhogs around the country did not. Which means we're either in for another six weeks of winter. Or... we're not.

In either case, your life will be that much more interesting and fun with some books lying around, just waiting to be read. And that's where we come in. :)

A few weeks ago, Child #2 and I were riding in the car. I tuned the radio to NPR where an author interview was underway. Barbara Demick, Beijing bureau chief of the Los Angeles times, was talking about her December 2009 release, NOTHING TO ENVY (ORDINARY LIVES IN NORTH KOREA).

Barbara's book chronicles the lives of six North Koreans over a period of 15 years. These people are all from Chongjin, a very poor industrial town in northern North Korea. Chongjin was particularly hard hit during the famine of the 1990s when its factories shut down due to lack of energy and raw materials. In NOTHING TO ENVY, the six North Korean citizens (a pediatrician, a widow, the widow's daughter, a college student, an orphan and a kindergarten teacher) "fall in love, raise families, nurture ambitions, and struggle for survival. One by one, we experience the moments when they realize that their government has betrayed them." (amazon.com) And we experience how they each decide to defect to Seoul, South Korea.

By the end of the radio interview, Child #2 (a 16 year old boy) and I knew we wanted to read NOTHING TO ENVY.

I don't read a lot of adult nonfiction. But I can say NOTHING TO ENVY is one of the best book I've read in the last six months. Not one of the easiest, mind you, because the subject matter tugs at your heart strings. But well, well worth it.

The title, NOTHING TO ENVY, comes from a patriotic song North Korean children learn, much the way our children learn "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

On a personal note, I find anything to do with Korea fascinating. Child #4 is adopted from South Korea. From the guarded bridge at the DMZ (demilitarized zone, I have looked out over a little corner of North Korean. One of my sisters has visited North Korea twice with food-aid groups. She returned with details similar to many of the details in NOTHING TO ENVY. Even without these connections, though, this book is excellent.

Please click on the links below for amazing reviews from amazing reviewers!


MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS


Stacy Nyikos: THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie (young adult)

Thao of Serene Hours: THE NAUGHTY CLUB by Suzanne Young (young adult)

Sarah Laurence: BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (young adult)

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: PETRONELLA SAVES NEARLY EVERYONE: THE ENTOMOLOGICAL TALES OF AUGUSTUS T. PERCIVAL by Dene Low (middle grade)

Linda McLaughlin: THE SHAKESPEARE STEALER by Gary Blackwood (middle grade)

ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel (historical)

Kaye of the Book Review Forum: THE LOST QUILTER by Jennifer Chiaverini (historical)

Scott Parker: THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Patti Abbott: CROSSROAD BLUES by Ace Atkins (crime fiction)

Prairie Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden: HARDBALL by Sara Paretsky (mystery, V.I. Warshawski series)

Beth Yarnall: DEEPER THAN THE DEAD by Tami Hoag (suspense)

Staci of Life in the Thumb: THE TIME OF MY LIFE by Patrick Swayze & Lisa Niemi (memoir, audio)

Stacy of The Cat's Meow: THE ANGELS GAME by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

NONFICTION REVIEWS

Beth of From the Desk of Bee Drunken: NO IMPACT MAN by Colin Beavan

Jenn Jilks of My Reflections: WORDS TO RHYME WITH: A RHYMING DICTIONARY by W.R. Espry, 3rd edition

Sarahlynn of Yeah, but Houdini didn't have these hips: WRITER MAMA: HOW TO RAISE A WRITING CAREER ALONGSIDE YOUR KIDS by Christina Katz

Jody Feldman: 101 PLACES YOU GOTTA SEE BEFORE YOU'RE 12 by Joanne O'Sullivan



**Exceptional previous reviews are only a click away.**




Note to Reviewers: You know the drill.:) If I missed you, leave me a comment and I'll rectify the situation straight away. And award myself one less cookie today!

My Town Monday: Thai Food in Oceanside, CA

This post can be labeled "Thai Food in Oceanside, CA" or "Escape from the Monastery"!

Last Monday, I wrote about a writing retreat I attended with my critiques partners, the intrepid Denny's Chicks. The retreat took place at the Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, CA.

There were many many things I appreciated about the retreat, such as the uninterrupted writing time, the other children's writers and, of course, hanging with my own Denny's Chicks.

But I very definitely didn't appreciate the food. It was, in a word, abysmal.

So, Saturday evening, I had a conversation with the Denny's Chicks that went SOMETHING like this:

Me: Guys, I'm starving. In fact, I'm so starving my stomach is eating itself.

Kathy Krevat: No way I'm facing another meal here. Let's leave.

Me: No, no. We can't just sneak out. The monks cooked for us. They're expecting us to show up with everyone else in the dining hall.

Kelly Hayes: Let's drive around Oceanside until we find some edible food.

Me: No, no. We can't be that disrespectful.

Kathy Krevat: I already Googled. There's a Thai restaurant close by.

Then, Kathy and Kelly strongarmed me out the door, into Kathy's van and to Ocean Thai Cuisine, 3846 Mission Avenue, Suite A3, Oceanside, CA 92058; tel: 760.967.9901.

O Oceanside Thai Cuisine, your Tom Kha soup was the nectar of the gods. Your Gang Ga-ree curry was heavenly. Even your jasmine rice was of another world.

And then there was your aquarium...

Hands down, this is the BEST aquarium I've ever seen in a restaurant. And we were seated right next to it.

This is a shrimp goby. I think I'd like to own one.

I'm not sure how well you can see it, but this little bit of straw is in the shape of a rose. Yes, they treated us like delicate divas.


Please check out the posts by the other My Town Monday participants by clicking here.

photo credits: my blackberry

My Town Monday: Writers' Retreat, Oceanside, CA

Sorry to have been so MIA. i so don't do famous is taking up A LOT of my time. Just ask my family!

And then there are the usual suspects like water polo practice, swim team practice, piano lessons, SAT classes. Child #4 is giving a speech on Harriet Tubman. Child #2 is in finals week. Child #1 is over mono (yay!) and starting a new job.

So....last weekend I went on a writers' retreat with the San Diego SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). My critique partners also came along. The retreat was at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, CA. The mission was built circa 1798.

This is a typical room. Fairly sparse. Which was fine because I was there to write. Poor internet connection. Which was better than fine because I wasn't tempted to skip around in cyberspace, thus wasting precious writing time.

Denny's Chick Critique Partner Kathy Krevat hard at work in the room.

Denny's Chick Critique Partner Kelly Hayes hanging out in the hall.

A view of the grounds. The setting was beautiful and peaceful. I loved the sound of the clock bells.

I will tell you something I learned about monks. They are not good cooks. No doubt they excel at praying. And this group seems pretty talented at gardening as well. But they definitely do not take cooking seriously. Kelly, Kathy and I snuck out for a delicious Thai dinner on Saturday evening. I know our secret is safe with you.

All in all, I had a very productive weekend.

And I came home to a google alert about Green Girl in Wisconsin's contest for a signed copy of i so don't do spooky. Thank you, Green Girl! You are very generous. And your blog is uberentertaining!

If you haven't checked out this week's My Town Monday blog, you can do so late. With me. :)

From my inbox...

The following is a true story.

A loving and caring aunt gave her niece a copy of I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY for Christmas.

The niece sent the email below to the aunt (who forwarded it to me):

Aunt M,

Thank you SO much for I So Don't Do Spooky. I am enjoying it SO much.
I try not to read it too fast so that I don't get to the end too quickly.
Thanks again!

The happy niece. And look how neat and tidy her room is!


"I try not to read it too fast so that I don't get to the end too quickly."
This is the kind of sentence that stops an author's heart.

Thank you for the forward, Aunt M.

I will be basically incommunicado this weekend. Yes, dear children, this counts for you too. I'm going to a writers' retreat through my local SCBWI. We're spending the weekend at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, CA. I will be writing up a storm. And eating meals prepared by monks. Yes, you read that right. I hope we're not talking unleavened bread and water. I'll post about the experience on Monday.

Why I love my critique partners

Why do I love my Denny's Chicks?

Do I love them because they're great writers and plotters and friends? Yes.

Do I love them because they're great at critiquing and finding all the holes and monstrosities in my work? Yes.

And gently, or not!, pointing out said holes and monstrosities? Yes.

And, of course, I love Kelly for her fantastic handmade birthday cards and the delicious little nibblies she bakes for our holiday get-together? And, of course, I love Kathy for always hosting said holiday get-together?


And I also love them because they buy me treats like this...



Oh, how I love my Marmite!

And here is a delightful Marmite website. Enjoy!