birthday wishes to my mom

Happy Birthday to the beautiful woman who gave birth to me. I'm so glad she was born because without her there would be no me! Thanks for being so great and supportive and for teaching me everything I know.

superstar molly shannon

Image via EW's Shelf Life (Jeff Christensen/AP Images)

I love Molly Shannon, so I was super excited to read that she's written a picture book called Tilly The Trickster (Abrams) scheduled to be released in September of this year. In an interview with EW's Shelf Life, Shannon talks about being raised by a funny dad who encouraged goofiness, and says she feels it's important to pass on a sense of fun and silliness to kids. She also talks about how writing a picture book was harder than she thought, how it took a lot of trial and error, and that it's important to keep it simple. If you've ever tried writing a picture book I'm sure you can relate (I can) because you may have a spectacular idea, but that means nothing if you can't make it fit within 32 pages and make it compelling and unique.

On a personal note, I saw Molly Shannon once, a few years ago when I lived in New York City. I was at a restaurant/bar near the Hudson River, eating a hot dog and drinking beer, when she zipped by out on an afternoon run. I started laughing when I saw her - you know how some people make you laugh even when they're not doing anything at all? - well that's how adorable she is. I wanted to run out after her and say hi, but that would be scary and weird, so instead I told all my friends but nobody had seen her except me!

Anyway, now we all have something funny to look forward to in September. And if you want to read more about her inspiration for the book - like how when she was little she told other kids waiting for the school bus that the bus had already come so they walked to school while she rode an empty bus - then read the full article here.

a day of love

Art by Aimee Sicuro

My good friend is moving back to New York City. It's always so sad when a friend moves away, especially to a place so far. But I'm happy for her and excited to see what the next step in her life brings. Above is a special piece she created for Valentines Day.

Today is about smiling, being happy and sending out love....and giving Sadie as many belly rubs as she wants.

sadie cakes

It's time for a new picture of my little animal that I talk about so much, don't you think? Here's Sadie from this morning. This face either means, "Give me food" or "Stop kissing me mom!" Either way, she's pretty darn cute.

overused ideas and themes in kid's lit

I'm sure we're all guilty of at least one of these - both newbie writers like myself and the more distinguished - the overuse of common ideas and/or themes. Oh, don't raise your eyebrow at me Dwayne Johnson, you know what I mean!

(Yeah, sure. There's a character in my book who raises an eyebrow. He peers over his spectacles, too. And he calls them spectacles, not glasses. So what!)

Photo: Dwayne 'The Rock" Johnson. Google Images

I've been meaning to post about this topic since I read a very informative article in the SCBWI bulletin called, "The New Red-Haired Best Friend" by Joelle Anthony. In one year, Anthony read 3 to 4 books a week and was struck by the common themes threaded throughout most YA or MG novels. She says the idea behind the list was "to point out areas where authors seem to think they are being unique, but actually aren't."

In my own reading and critiquing, this is something my writing buddy and I point out to each other all the time. For some reason it's so easy to fall into these cliche-traps, but we all do it. Sometimes people will even unknowingly offer up suggestions to revise a manuscript so that it follows one of these overused patterns. There's a lot of the same out there - book ideas can be like fashion trends, once they catch, they spread like wildfire... to use a cliche.

So what are some of the overused ideas that topped the list? (below, as shown in the Nov/Dec 2010 SCBWI article):

- Stories of irresponsible parents with main characters who end up paying bills, cooking, cleaning, etc.

- Main characters who hate math. (Guilty!)

- Mean cheerleaders.

- Main characters who are the only ones in the world without a cell phone.

Are you guilty of any of these? Want more? The list goes on. Read all about it over on Anthony's red-haired list, here.

(Joelle Anthony's debut YA novel, Restoring Harmony, was released in 2010).

your manuscript's musical score

(Does it mean I think highly of my novel if I want this soundtrack as its musical score?...or maybe it's just my crush on Johnny Depp)

Last night I was attempting revisions on my manuscript while listening to various Hans Zimmer scores on Pandora, and I got to thinking, if my book Trevelyn's Shimmer was ever made into a movie, what would be its musical score?

After listening to quite a few selections, I decided that The Pirates of the Caribbean might just do the trick. I liked The Last of the Mohicans, too, and the soundtrack for Inception - but both seemed a little too...intense...although, there are a few hairy scenes in my book where they'd probably work well.

(I haven't, sadly, even seen this movie yet. But I can get a real good sense of what happens by listening to the musical score - well, all those trailers on tv helped, too.)

Do you listen to music while writing? Ever day dreamed and thought about what would be your manuscript's musical score if it was made into a movie? Up? Far and Away? Lord of the Rings (that was a good one, too).

Try going to Pandora to test drive a few while writing. Close your eyes and imagine your characters in real life with the score of say, Gladiator playing in the background. You might find listening to music takes your writing to a different level and you might just be surprised by what you create.

(I mean, come on, the last scene in the movie when Maximus is drifting off to Heaven and the Celtic music is playing, it doesn't get better than that!)

today show pulls newbery & caldecott interviews for...snooki

Reality tv star Snooki

Wow. Okay, where to begin... I watch reality shows on occasion, I won't lie. I've never watched Jersey Shore....well, that's not true, I tried once, I turned the channel after one minute, that doesn't really mean anything, but it means a lot to a devout group of followers who don't turn the channel after one minute of Jersey Shore, the ones who don't think Snooki's 15 minutes of fame are over and never will be.

2011 Newbery award winner Moon Over Manifest

NBC's Today Show is pulling interviews with the 2011 Newbery and Caldecott award winners to interview reality star Snooki. I don't want to assume the reasoning for pulling the winners of the highest award a children's book writer and illustrator can receive (the Academy Awards, if you will) for a reality tv star, but if I had to assume, it would be because the executives over at the Today Show believe that Snooki will bring in better ratings. If you have children or you read or write children's books, then you know how much precedence is put on Newbery and Caldecott winning books. They are the best of the best, they are the books placed on their own special shelves at book stores. They are the books you purchase when you want a guaranteed good read.

Executive Director of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Lin Oliver expressed her disappointment in a letter to the NY Times and LA Times. If you feel disappointed too, then send an email over to the Today Show letting them know how you feel: TODAY@nbcuni.com

Letter from Lin Oliver to NY Times/LA Times

Dear Editor:

As the Executive Director of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, a non-profit international organization of 24,000 professional children's book writers, illustrators, publishers, editors and agents, I have to express dismay at the decision this week of NBC's Today Show not to run the traditional interviews with the winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. The books that are granted these prestigious awards represent the best of what we have to offer children---great storytelling, strong values, a legacy of literature and hope and high-minded ideals. What they elected to run in that spot, an interview with reality star Snooki, represents the exact opposite.

In choosing not to run the interviews with Clare Vanderpool and Erin Stead, television has once again underestimated the intelligence of its audience. Parents are dying to get their hands on good books for their kids. Booksellers are eager to sell and promote good books for kids. It's good business, good broadcasting and good ethics to honor the best books for children.

Lin Oliver

Executive Director, SCBWI