Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Neil Gaiman wins the Newbery!



Neil Gaiman won the Newbery award for The Graveyard Book. Congratulations Neil! He still has it up for free on his site. He did a chapter reading at various book stores and posted them for all to see. So, in effect, you can get the book for free if you choose. I still suggest buying a copy. It is a great book and you don't have to be a kid to like it. The best part is that they are going to make it into a movie.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Favorite Trailer

Neil Gaiman says this is his favorite Caroline trailer. I have to admit it isn't bad, if you like that sort of thing. Since I grew up watching the Addams Family and the Munsters, I guess I do like weird and strange sorts of things. Reality sometimes isn't what you think it is. Then again, maybe it is.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Save the books

The new law, which goes into effect in February, states that toys, etc. must be tested for lead before they can be sold. The law is called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act and it is designed to protect children all over the country from the dangers of lead.The premise of the law is good since it protects our children from lead poisoning. The problem is that the experts said there could be trace amounts of lead in books because of the ink. That's why the government wants all books, old and new, tested for lead. The testing costs more money that libraries have. For a book, it could between $300 and $600. The American Libraries Assocation is lobbying Capitol Hill to exclude public and school libraries from the new law. If not, it said millions of books will be taken off the shelves and destroyed or kids won't be allowed in the libraries.
Yes, we want safe products for our children, but how far should we go? What happened to all the millions of kids, like myself, who survived the reading of "unsafe" books? As far as I can tell, nothing. The trace amount in books would not hurt the average child, unless, maybe they ate it. It is curious to note how many adults managed to survive a world with peanut butter, dangerous toys, unsafe books, bottles without child protection lids, etc. The number one killer of kids throughout history was disease. Fortunately for us we have antibiotics and immunizations. I'm all for protecting our children. We need laws which do that. However, we need to be careful how far we go. I can envision a world where kids are strapped in foam and sent out into the cruel world of dangers which lurk in every corner. Even bicycles would be banned since we all know that kids will fall off of them or worse yet, run into something.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Creative bliss

I've just found the "lost chapters" of my latest book. I had quite forgotten them. Suddenly, as if a lightening bolt struck, I nearly shouted, "my additional chapters were missing!" Apparently I had been editing an earlier version of my book. I was quite pleased with myself, when much later, the missing parts hit me full force. Life, for me, was put on hold until I retrieved those errant chapters. I could do nothing else. I found them. They were hidden within a backed up version of my book. I copied them and pasted them right where they needed to be. I've since re-edited the book and feel so much better. It was almost like I had lost someone dear to me. I knew they were somewhere but could not feel at ease until I found them. Now, all is right in my world, at least for now. I'm back on track and looking forward to the whole novel tuning process. Here's to creative bliss, may it descend upon you like a spring rain, showering its imaginative and productive deluge of wonder.

Monday, January 12, 2009

A Discussion with Neil Gaiman and Stephen Jones


For fans of Neil Gaiman, there will be a live webcast on Thursday at1 PM EST or 12 PM CST. They will be talking about the upcoming Coraline movie.
Link

Click on the "Authors on Air" banner to see the complete author schedule.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

More ravens, more tales

My first and latest project is well under way. Actually it is completed. It is my first real novel, an allegory of spiritual proportions. The Wormhole Adventures was written after this book. However, I am dedicated to this novel and shall persevere to the very end (or actually beginning). It's all how you look at it. I have a real connection with Finley: A Raven's Tale. It is where I started, evolved and eventually will end up. Here is a link to my preview page (a work in progress).
I know there is an avenue for this book and I shall connect with it. I will keep you posted on the latest developments.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Looking in

Getting back into my usual routines seems a bit constrained. Having time off during the holidays is hectic and nice all at the same time. I'll be back into the groove by the middle of the week, I'm sure.
I will be having a book signing in Terre Haute, Indiana, though I don't have the date yet. I'm wanting to get through February. Last year we had some bad ice storms in February. If you look back at this blog, you can see that they were very beautiful ice storms too. Still, I do not wish to drive on ice covered streets. Last year they melted off the streets quickly allowing me to drive around and take pictures of the ice covered trees.
I am currently polishing up my first book, which I haven't sent out yet. It is an allegory, written for all ages. It is the novel that got me started writing many years ago. I have put quite a bit of heart and soul into this novel. I am quite proud of it and intend to find my "soul agent" out there who sees the world in a different way. One that follows the beat of their own drum, even if only they can hear it. Meanwhile, my current book is still being read. I've had some great feedback on it from children and parents. I've written the sequel to it, but like the other book, I'm still polishing it up. Here's to our real life adventures, may they all be fascinating and wonderful.