Cynthia Lord's Blog, page 18

Greenfield, Massachusetts. Photo by my husband

Tuesday, November 5--Wednesday, November 6, School visit, Falmouth Elementary School, Falmouth, Maine

Friday, November 15, American Association of School Librarians conference, Hartford, Connecticut

Wednesday, November 20--Friday, November 22, Library and school visits, Grand Rapids, Michigan

I grew up in a family of huge Red Sox fans. I remember being very small and sitting in my grandparents' living room, watching the game with my grandpa. He never saw his beloved Red Sox win a World Series, and they never seemed to do very well in the years of my childhood. I even told him once, "You need a new team, Grandpa."

"I've stuck with them this long," I remember him saying simply.

What grandparents say to children is powerful. I took away from that how you don't give up on the things or people you love--even when they don't give you back everything you hoped for.

When they'd inevitably lose, he'd switch off the TV. "Well, that's that," he'd say.

Even as a tiny child, I'd nod. "Yup, that's that."

This morning as I'm getting ready to drive to MA to see my mom and thinking of my daughter who has seen both the darkest moments of living in Boston and some of the brightest this past year, I feel that bittersweet pull of wishing my Grandpa was here to see this day, too. Having stuck with the Red Sox all those long years of losing, I hope somewhere he's smiling.

"That's THAT, Grandpa."

Freeport, Maine. Photo by my husband

Last weekend, I had a wonderful and inspiring time at the Mid-Atlantic Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference in Dulles, Virginia. I led a 3-hour intensive on "Deepening Your Novel" and gave a keynote speech.

Such a nice group of people! I saw friends I've known for years, as well as made some fabulous new ones!


Photo by Emellia Zamani

However, I have a cold!  So I've been trying to get rid of that!

Arrowsic, Maine. Photo by my husband, John

Yesterday, I received a packet of galleys (ARCs) in the mail for Half A Chance. The actual book comes out March 1st.

This photo is from an international school in Italy! I love it. :)

I had a fabulous time with the staff and students at Mason Intermediate School.  All of the fifth graders had read Rules, and they had such great questions and thoughts about the book to share with me. I received so many wonderful notes and drawings and rules and duckies.  I appreciate every one of them!

One of the teams even made me a lovely book and they included 6 rules for me on the cover. Given that my current novel-in-progress has a title of BEE DAZZLED, I'm taking Number 5 as a very good omen.



And indeed, it was a good omen, because while I was in Mason, I found out that my proposal for that book was accepted. :) So I'll have another novel coming.

The Mason Schools Foundation helped fund my visit, and they gave me a goodie bag including Buckeyes!  Yum! These are peanut butter and chocolate and really good.



One of my events in Mason was an evening presentation to the community. When I heard that they had set up 200 chairs for that program, I thought, "Wow, that's very optimistic" and assured them that I would be happy no matter how many people came (or didn't!). Families have many things to do and to come out on a school night is hard. So truly, I'm always happy with any number of people.

It is a huge testament to the parental and community support in Mason, OH that not only were those 200 chairs filled, they had to set up more chairs. Kids told me about the people they love with disabilities and showed me photos of their guinea pigs, and one mom brought me some cookies! One child even handed me a note, because what she wanted to say to me was too hard to say out loud--and I loved that she found her own way to tell me. I signed books and took lots of photos with wonderful kids (and I even made it back to my hotel in time for Project Runway!).

After my last presentation at school, I had the pleasure of seeing Cincinnati with two of the members of the Foundation and their lovely families. So much fun and such a nice ending to a great visit!



Thank you, Mason School Foundation and Mason Intermediate School!  As Jason would've said in Rules:

You. Are. Awesome! And. Dazzling!

I'm at the Portland Jetport waiting for my flight to Charlotte and then to Cincinnati. I'm spending a few days in Mason, Ohio with the wonderful staff and students at Mason Intermediate School.  This is my second visit to this school, and last year, a student named Libby gave me this wonderful duckie that she had made.

I have it on the windowsill in my writing shed. Usually, I don't like to look at things related to my previous books while I'm writing (so most of them are on the walls behind me).

But I made an exception for this one.