Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 13

Popham Beach, Maine

1. Half a Chance received a lovely review from Shelf Awareness.

2. I had a wonderful time last night and this morning seeing my friend, Kevin Slattery! We became online friends ten years ago (how is that possible?), and last night, I surprised him by showing up to his reading. Kevin had surprised me when I keynoted the New England SCBWI conference several years ago by coming to cheer me on, and last night, I wanted to do the same.

3. I have had enough of February! I am officially calling it March now. :)

4. "Kate DiCamillo has penned a letter to fellow authors and illustrators, asking them to volunteer at their favorite bookstore this May 17 in honor of Children’s Book Week." I've agreed to visit Children's Book Cellar in Waterville, Maine that day!

5. I love that in my line of work, a goldfish can be a business expense. Ripple is part of my research for the second Shelter Pet Squad chapter book that I'm currently working on.Here she is hanging out near the sink while I change her water.



"Wide Mouth," indeed.

Happy Book Baby to me! Books take so long from the time you get the idea until they are published that you get used to them as being "in process." And then suddenly, they're here!



Now I need to get used to answering the "How many books do you have published?" with "Five."

My two rabbits love music. I realized this when I started writing in our house this winter. For the past few months we've had lots of days where it has been too cold to work out in my writing shed. So I started writing in the room where our bunnies live. My work-in-progress novel is set in rural Maine, and I have been playing some CDs that I brought home from Vermont. They have the right feel to me.

The bunnies reacted to the music, and now when I play it, they cuddle right up in their "happy" position with their ears flat on their backs. When I'm done working, I often just leave the CDs playing just for them.

Here's one of the songs, perfect for this warm-ish, melting morning. We may get more snow, but I know spring is coming.



Follow Into Spring by Spencer Lewis--recommended by rabbits

The view from my desk at Debbi's house in CT

1.  My editorial letter came for my 2015 novel, Bee Dazzled.   I used a whole pack of Post-Its planning out this next revision!  But I'm starting my way through it.

2. I also went to visit my friend Debbi in Connecticut for several days last week. Debbi is a writer and we got some great work done together. She gave me a desk overlooking a frozen pond, and it was a great place to face that editorial letter and get started on it.

3. Hot Rod Hamster Monster Truck Mania will have a lovely review in School Library Journal on March 1st, and Half A Chance was BookPage's top children's pick for March.

4. All my pets are doing well, though I think we're all tired of winter! Poor Milo is so little that it doesn't take much snow to overwhelm him, and we've had storm after storm after storm this year!

5.  Last fall, I planted some spring bulbs but I had one package of crocuses that just didn't make it into the ground. I left them in my writing shed, where they've sprouted!  So I brought them inside and they're popping up in a plant pot.  Sometimes accidents are beautiful!

6. About a month ago, I was reading an article about unusual things you can borrow at certain Maine libraries (fishing gear, cake pans, etc) and two Maine libraries loan out American Girl dolls. I thought that was a lovely idea, especially since not every family could afford one of those . Kids can borrow them for a week. So I put on my Facebook page that the first Maine public library that would like to try that and commented to me would have the doll of their choice sent to them as a gift from me.

In the end, I decided I wanted to honor the first three requests that came in. And so I bought three dolls. Marie-Grace when to the children of Biddeford, Caroline went to Winslow, and Josefina went to Appleton.  I bought each doll a nightgown, an extra outfit, a hairbrush, the first book for that doll, a blank journal so the child can write about the doll's adventures at her house, and a totebag to keep everything in.

Here I am with Samantha Cote, the Winslow Children's Librarian and Caroline on the day I dropped her off.
And Angie at the Appleton Library told me there's already a waiting list for Josefina.



It's fun to imagine these dolls visiting their new friends. :)

I smell something good. . .



YUM! It's a box! I love cardboard!



Thanks for the carrots, too!

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is full of treats, too.

I've been working on my second Shelter Pet Squad book this week. The second book is called Merlin, and he is a ferret. I have a full draft now, and I'm reading it through a few time before sending it to my editor.

When I have a whole book to read through, I often pick a library that I've never been to before. The change of scene helps me see the words fresh again. Yesterday I chose the Totman Public Library in Phippsburg.

Phippsburg is a pretty place with Popham Beach. My friend, Charlotte, saw a snowy owl at Popham Beach last week. So I took a walk there to see if I could see one.



Other people told me they had seen one that day, but I just saw other beautiful birds, including my favorite ducks: Buffleheads.



How can you not smile saying that word?



Here's a countdown to the first Shelter Pet Squad Book that comes out in August.

I love the colors of a winter sunset. I drove down to the open ocean and the wind was so cold that it made my eyes water.



But it was worth it.

Here's the cover of the first Shelter Pet Squad chapter book (release date August 2014).

Suzannah has always wanted a pet of her own, but she lives in an apartment where there are absolutely no pets allowed. What she can do is volunteer at a local animal shelter. Though she's the youngest member of the Shelter Pet Squad, Suzannah quickly finds herself making friends with the kids and bonding with the animals.

Then a girl just her age brings a guinea pig named Jelly Bean to the shelter. Suzannah promises that she'll find the little creature the perfect home. But what if no one wants a guinea pig?

In this charming illustrated chapter book series, the Shelter Pet Squad kids find the perfect homes for animals in need.

The fabulous illustrator is Erin McGuire.



and the cover model is. . .

my guinea pig, COOKIE!

Almost too pretty to open!



Hooray! It's my first hardcover copy of Hot Rod Hamster Monster Truck Mania!



Derek Anderson always paints Milo in the book. "Where am I?" Milo asks.



"There I am!"

I've had a wonderful time doing school visits and speaking at the BooksAlive book festival in Panama City Florida.



After my session at the book festival, I went outside and put my feet in the ocean. Yes, I'm sure the Floridians who saw me thought I was crazy. But the coolest the water gets here in the winter is the warmest it gets in the summer at home.



I loved the moss hanging from the trees.



The kids at Tommy Smith Elementary School gave me a fun Florida duckie to add to my collection.



Thank you to the BooksAlive festival, Northside Elementary School, Tommy Smith Elementary School, and the Bay County Library system, especially Elaine and Sandra, who made my visit so special and fun!