Librarian Party

Yesterday I got to be one of four authors to present to a group of librarians in Danvers, MA. The other authors who presented were Jill Stover, Sue Goodman, and Deborah Noyes. It's always fun to be able to meet other authors. Working alone all the time can get frustrating, so it's good to be able to whine and complain and kvetch with others. (Actually we always get together and discuss how wonderful our lives are and how simply smashing our publishers are.)
My biggest disappointment of the day was after almost everyone had left, Deborah (who is also an editor at Candlewick) came back and said her battery was dead. She asked if I had jumper cables. I said that I thought I did and would be happy to help. "Ah! HA!" I thought, "I will jumpstart her car and she will be forced to publish my next book!! Mwah, ha, ha, ha!"
It was unfortunate that I stopped at the bathroom on the way to the parking lot (it was a long ride home) because she enlisted a few of the maintenance guys to help her. They were SURE they had jumper cables, unlike my 'pretty sure'.

So be on the lookout for an upcoming book written by a couple maintenance guys and published by the fine folks at Candlewick...

Save me from the glamour!

So, some people wind up being jealous of me because I don't have to get up and go to work every day. I'll admit; that is cool. Working for a living has many faces, however.
My life is not the unalloyed glamor that some people think it is.
Yesterday, for example, I was planning on installing a small area of hardwood floor in my library. We have a 200 year old farmhouse and every job has potential to be a thrilling spiral downward into disaster. When I pulled up a few boards to get down to the sub-floor, I found that the floor, the joists and part of the main beam supporting that part of the house were rotted and moldy.
Hooray!
So much for easy installation of flooring. Hello major structural renovation. At least the crawlspace beneath the room is cramped and dusty and dank.
I've posted a few pictures so you can share in the fascinating joy that being a writer can entail.
Remember these pictures the next time you are tempted to quit your job and become my competition...

Hooray! I met the Ambassador!

I finally got around to making a blog so you can all see what a thrilling, amazing, fun-filled life I have.
Saturday, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and introducing Jon Scieszka at a local talk he gave. He's a very funny guy and I gave him a few of my books in a shameless attempt to ingratiate myself to him and bask in his reflected glory.
I have a feeling that making bunny ears on The First Ambassador of Young People's Literature is possibly frowned upon in diplomatic etiquette manuals, but Jon was a very good sport.

Sunday I was down in Boston with my buddy, the very talented children's musician, Steve Blunt. We played at the Read and Romp, an annual event to raise money so all children can have books in their homes. We had a great time playing music at lunch. There were a lot of people reading and romping at the Read and Romp.

Steve and I are working on some programs that we'll be offering together, as well as a CD that is going to be really cool. Stay tuned for more details on that...