ARLENE SARDINE

Daniel Pinkwater loves this book. He reads the whole story and then talks about it. Listen here!



Um... I'm glad he likes a good suicide story. I've always been puzzled by this book. Puzzled and FASCINATED. I have to run out the door but more talk on this later! But listen to this story and check it out. Then we can "discuss." Or I'll discuss and you can read....

teeth and work and balance

Last Thursday I had a tooth pulled. I've been having some other teeth issues related to teeth grinding and a misaligned bite that require me to wear a mouth guard during the day for 4-6 months. I've already had a mouth guard to wear at night since college for the aforementioned teeth grinding and TMJ. (I have bad teeth in general--lots of cavities. I think it's genetic.)

Anyway, long story short, the oral surgeon said to me before the surgery, "I guess it goes without saying that you have a stressful job!"

I paused. Because the truth is, my job IS stressful. Or, at least, I get stressed by my job. Everyone in my company gets stressed out. My first assistant would grind through mouth guard after mouth guard. But I laughed and said, "Well, yeah, but it doesn't sound like it would be stressful. I'm a children's book editor."

I realized how ridiculous that sounded.

I remembered this post from about five years ago--"It's not brain surgery." Anyway, I think I take myself too seriously sometimes. I need to remind myself to keep things in perspective.

Getting a random comment such as the one from Anonymous (of course) on my post last week didn't help any. Because the comment was so ridiculous, I have to assume that it was a joke, or at least something written, for whatever reason, to make me angry. It DID make me laugh, and it DID make me a little angry. But anyway. Being a children's book editor is my job. Not my life. I value the work I do, and I dedicate way more than normal working hours to it, but I'm not a robot. I have to remember that balance in my life is important. It's important in everyone's life. Whether we ARE brain surgeons, or authors, or illustrators, or editors, designers, engineers, or teachers. We should all strive for excellence, but we need to also strive for balance. Yes, there's always something more we can do, but without balance, we'd be unstable, without balance, we burn out. With balance, we can do better jobs, and live better lives.

So, in honor of balance, let me share these quotations, all from the reliable source called the internet:

"What I dream of is an art of balance." ~ Henri Matisse

"Happiness is equilibrium. Shift your weight. Equilibrium is pragmatic. You have to get everything into proportion. You compensate, rebalance yourself so that you maintain your angle to your world. When the world shifts, you shift." ~ Tom Stoppard

"People with great gifts are easy to find, but symmetrical and balanced ones never." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Living in balance and purity is the highest good for you and the earth." ~ Deepak Chopra

"Balance is the perfect state of still water. Let that be our model. It remains quiet within and is not disturbed on the surface." ~ Confucius 

Is W#1 Martin Kaymer a Teutonic Robot?

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I only ask because he's frequently been described as Teutonic.  And his on course demeanor is... well, admittedly, robotic does comes to mind.  Some refer to him as The Germanator, which he scoffs at, but I'm guessing he doesn't really mind. 

As he gets ready to face Luke Donald later today for the Accenture Match Play tournament title Martin Kaymer is also being called World No. 1,  though he's quick to clarify that he won't actually feel like the top golfer until the rankings are officially posted on Monday. 

You see? Herr Kaymer's got feelings, so clearly he's not a robot, and as for German stereotypes, well has anyone ever seen W#1 in lederhosen? I think not.  His on-course look is elegant and classic: Hugo Boss,  though he added his own sartorially brilliant touch yesterday when he wore a distinctive scarf known as a Buff, designed by Black Fly Outfitters for... fly fishermen.

The fact is, golf is still considered something of an exclusionary, niche sport in Germany, and until his PGA Championship win Martin Kaymer was arguably more well known outside of his own country then within it.  Though Bernard Langer placed Germany firmly on the golfing map in the 1980s, his ego was not made for the limelight,  and his impact on German sports fans was somewhat muted by the enormous celebrity of tennis player Boris Becker, whose larger-than-life persona and youthful triumphs overshadowed Langer's amazing accomplishments. As such, golf has a huge potential for growth in Germany... which by the way is among six bidding nations for the 2018 Ryder cup... and Kaymer's rapid rise seems perfectly timed to allow Germany to take advantage of that potential.

Martin Kaymer may or may not win this afternoon, but he is W#1, and as more golf fans get to know him, I'm guessing the Teutonic Robot rumors will be put to rest quite quickly.

Golf Girl's Note: I HIGHLY recommend  reading Jason Sobel's  Martin Kaymer is One Cool Customer.  He perfectly captures the non-robotic charm of the soon-to-be-#1.

Photograph: (upper) Fadil Berisha/Rolex  

Photograph: (lower) Scott Halleran/Getty Images North America

City kids, country kids, and books

I'm a big Mo Willems fan, and was delighted to be asked to read Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity. In case you haven't read it: The heroine wakes up in the night and realizes that she has the WRONG KNUFFLE BUNNY. It's 2.30 in the morning, but her parents are about to call the other child's parents when BRNNG! BRNGG! The phone rings.

It's the other parents, calling to say THEIR child has the wrong knuffle bunny.

A dramatic exchange follows, with both sets of parents and their children rushing out into the night to return the knuffle bunnies to their rightful owners.

The child to whom I was reading (4) accepted all this as a matter of course, but I was horrified. Is this how parents are now? WIth some trepidation, I asked the parents if THEY would call someone up at 2.30 a.m. to exchange stuffed animals.

"Absolutely not," the mother said firmly. She said she too had been appalled.

But -- we live in a small, gossipy town, you call someone at 2.30 in the morning, the whole town is going to hear about it. Many will make comments ("Can you believe what a spoiled brat that _____ kid is? His parents called the _____s at 2.30 in the morning to get back a stuffed animal!").

The parents in the book lived in NY. Maybe there, this is exactly how parents, or some parents, would react. Or maybe Mo is just presenting things the way to a child, they OUGHT to be and of course, are. In the book.

I don't know -- but whatever the right answer to THAT is, I do know kids are raised differently in different parts of the country (Grace and I were talking about this, since she'd just come back from a visit to Mississippi).....and maybe the more interesting question is if hip urban children are over-represented in kids' books. Most editors do not after all live way out in the country, where not so many kids are hip.

Jim Thorpe on Doing Time & Getting Back to Golf

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As winter begins to recede and brighter days become more frequent, it's heartening to see Jim Thorpe, smiling, on the cover of the latest issue of GolfWeek magazine.

After almost a year in prison, he spoke with Golf Week's Jeff Rude about what life was like "on the inside"... and how it feels to be out. It's a video interview, Thorpe's first since being released from a Federal Prison Camp in Montgomery, Alabama into a Florida halfway house last month... and it's surprisingly candid.  ~ The affable golfer was pragmatic about his mistakes and reflective about what the future would bring. At 62, he's had a brilliant career. In addition to three PGA Tour wins he's chalked up thirteen victories on the Champions Tour... and he hopes add to that number once his suspension is finished.

The last tournament Jim Thorpe won was the 2007 Charles Schwab Cup. Shortly after that win, I made this video at a highly entertaining event he hosted at Foxwoods Casino. Watching it again I remembered just how graciousness and engaging Jim Thorpe was. He'll be free to play again in April and it looks like the Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am will be where he starts... and I'm quite sure he'll receive a warm welcome back.
 

Golf Girl's Note: It's weird how much things have changed in the three-and-a-half years since this video was made:  In November 2007 Tiger Woods had reached an other-worldly plateau of perfection; as an athlete, a role-model, a multicultural symbol and a global brand. Lorena Ochoa had won 7 times that season, including her first major championship, the Women's British Open, on the Old Course at St. Andrews.  Wages and salaries were still going up and many of us were still happily living beyond our means.  ~ And we were I was proudly documenting it all in these long, corny, over-edited, low-definition videos with crappy sound quality.  Life was sweet back in the day.

The Kindness of Knitters - Episode 140 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:


This week's episode has been sponsored by:

Abstract Fiber's crew just got a chance to try Schacht’s new travel wheel, the Sidekick. What a fabulous wheel!!  We were impressed enough to become dealers. The Sidekick will start shipping in May and you'll get four bumps of our FABULOUS fiber free when you order your Sidekick from us. Reserve yours now at AbstractFiber.com .


Come and join us in a magnificent fiber and yarn club experience. Registration is open for the following clubs: The Sock Hop Yarn Club offers hand dyed and hand spun superwash merino yarn with patterns from Lisa Ellis Designs.
Then there is the Fiber Of The Month Club with many fibers grown and processed here in the US, the Mystery Fiber Club which we also call the GAME - if you find it on our club webpages you will know why - and the Exotic Fiber Club Part 2. Start the club journey by visiting this link: http://crownmountainfarms.com/clubs/





Knitter’s Magazine is celebrating a milestone of 100 issues by going digital! Download a FREE copy of K100 -- with more than 50 beautiful patterns -- Go to KnittingUniverse.com/Zinio for your FREE digital copy of K100
AND for details on how you can receive future issues of Knitter’s in print or digital formats.



Spin! Spin! Spin! The Purlescence Purl Girls are pleased to announce presales on Schacht's newest wheel, the Sidekick, the first folding travel spinning wheel from Schacht. We're expecting our first shipment of Sidekicks in early May. Call us today to reserve one for your very own with a modest deposit. We're also thrilled to announce that beautiful wheels are on their way from Kromski. We expect our first shipment from them in the next couple of weeks. As always, we have loads of wheels and looms in stock!

On the Needles: (00:36)

Gigi is knitting Cookie A's BFF socks for the Spin Control KAL. Jasmin is working on her Elemental Pullover (from Knitting 24/7). Gigi has finished her Cassidy! Jasmin's Cece is finished! Jasmin is making some great progress on her Mariah cardigan. Jasmin has finished one sock for Andrew out of the Creatively Dyed J'ouvert ("Cake").

Andrew socks: 

Cast on 64 sts, knit in 2x2 rib for 6", work heel sts in st st, continue ribbing instep sts for 1". Work a heel flap for 2 1/2". Do standard instep decreases until you have decreased down to 64 sts. Work the foot until it measures 2" short of the foot. Work toe decreases every other round until there are 32 total sts. Work toe decreases every round until there are 8 total sts. Graft.

Jasmin learns the knitted graft from Knitting Daily. Jasmin mentions Horst Schultz.

Stitches West recap: (15:02)

We do a quick recap of the adventures from the weekend. Things we mention:

KCL Woods
Pho Minh
Sweet Pea's

Events: (27:42)

- April 6-9: Camp KIP! (Check the site for the updates.)

Mother Knows Best: (28:36)

Two tips this week:

1) Be wary of limited time offers.

2) Always choose fun. Resting is overrated.

Review: (34:32)

This week, we review Rachael Herron's "How to Knit a Heart Back Home". We really enjoyed it, despite parts that Jasmin found a little hard to read. Give it a try!

Straw into Gold: (42:58)

This week, we talk about spinning silk.

ON THE RUN

VV CAMERA / FIRST ROLL

A good life

I won't spoil this by making comments beforehand: read it!

WGC - A Compelling Match and Ryo's Whimsical Ways

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I didn't get to see it...  and the outcome wasn't what I was hoping for...  but by all accounts, the Charl Schwartzel/Ryo Ishikawa match was a compelling one.  And though he did not prevail, the Bashful Prince gave us more than a glimpse of the prowess he's known for and provided spectators with ample excitement before Schwartzel claimed the win.  Here's the recap from pgatour.com:

The Japanese teen sensation played bogey-free golf for the first 13 holes, posting four birdies during that time. But he could not shake the pesky South African. Ishikawa was just 1 up through 13 before suffering his first bogey of the day at the 14th to square the match. That's when Schwartzel could feel the momentum turning. He took his first lead of the match with an up-and-down for birdie at the short par-4 15th. 

Ishikawa responded with his own birdie at the par-3 16th with a great tee shot that landed inside five feet. But he then bogeyed the 17th when he found the rough with his approach shot. With a chance to win in regulation, though, Schwartzel stumbled at the 18th when he three-putted. On the 20th hole, the par-5 second, Ishikawa hit a wayward tee shot, missed the green with his approach shot and failed to save par with an eight-foot putt. This is Schwartzel's third consecutive first-round victory in as many starts. 

What that summation didn't mention were Ryo's trousers.

Tablecloth plaid in pale turquoise, they generated tons of buzz on Twitter, and the showy style statement was proof positive that the Japanese champion is not about to change his sartorially whimsical ways.  And though he'll be missed by many this weekend as Match Play continues without him, we can definitely look forward the possibility of some Ishikawa brilliance at the Masters in a few weeks.
石川遼くんは   心が楽しくなる存在です。
 Thanks, yet again, to Noriko Yamada  for continuous Ryo updates!  

Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images North America

my six

Even though I've just finished up Dumpling Days, I'm already making plans for my next novel "Return to Sky." I admit I've been a bit scared to begin this one, even though I have been thinking about it for quite some time. Truthfully, I'm afraid my ambitions for it are greater than my abilities. But, I'm trying to take courage just like I did before when I first began work on Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. I had said I was going with Samuel Beckett's quote "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." I'm still going with the "fail better."

But a new quote has also crossed my mind. Recently, I read this post by Brenda Bowen where she excerpted Virginia Wolff's speech at the National Book Awards. In that speech Virgina Wolff talked about "Faulkner's six"--the six things writers should write about. Here's an excerpt:

Faulkner said in 1949 in the Nobel speech that if we are not writing about these six things we are not doing our job. They are love, honor, pity, pride, compassion and sacrifice. I think of them as Faulkner's six.

I thought that was interesting and quite moving, and it made me think of the things that are important to me write about, especially for this book. Right now, I think my six would be:

LOVE
KINDNESS
EMPATHY
RESPONSIBILITY
PEACE
JOY

But I think I'll keep tweaking and changing it. What would your six be?

A Changing World & the Golf Courses of Libya

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True: I write about golf.  But I've got to admit I'm finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the momentous events taking place in North Africa and the Middle East. Popular uprisings that started in Tunisia, and spread quickly to Egypt, are now inspiring the populations of neighboring lands to reject leaders who had once seemed invulnerable.  An historic geopolitical change... one that'll shape the future for everyone on earth... is underway.

And it sometimes makes writing about Tiger and tournaments and the latest golf fashion trends feel... I don't know... ridiculously inconsequential somewhat trivial?

Yes, but I love writing about golf... it's what I do in this space... and presumably, it's what readers come by for.  So while I'm finding myself intently watching what's happening in the world, I've always got golf on my radar... and I've discovered that the game is present just about everywhere, in some form or fashion.

Right now all eyes are on Libya, where protests are ongoing, violence is escalating and Muammar Gaddafi is clinging to the power he's held for over four decades.

The stakes here are particularly high, as this vast North African nation is one of the world's top oil producers and its beleaguered is ruler one the planet's most unpredictable. 

Despite its rich historical past and extraordinary archaeological sites, tourism is not highly developed in Libya largely due to the capriciousness of its leader.  International hotels are scarce... to non-existent. In fact Marriot, the first global brand to have property in the country,  opened the JW Marriott Hotel Tripoli in the Libyan capitol a mere two weeks ago.  As a result, the country's four golf courses can't exactly count on tourists to fill in those open tee times.

The golfers in Libya are mainly expats. You'll also find Libyans who learned to play while caddying for the oil company executives who introduced golf to the country in the 60s.  ~ In Tripoli they play at the Tripoli Golf Club or the Tajura Golf Club, both 18 holes courses.  There's also a course in the eastern city of Benghazi and one in the oil refinery town of Brega. The courses are all sand and the ex-patriot website expatarrivals.com qualifies them collectively with ... "as a high level golfer you won't find them very challenging,  but not bad for a good day of distraction."

I was hard pressed to find pictures of any of them. The photo at the top of the page is from The Wrigs in Libya, a blog that chronicles the adventures of a Canadian family living the expat life in Benghazi.  It's part of a post written in August of 2008 and the caption reads:

"This is the 18 hole golf course across from the Al Fadeel hotel.   It's a Par 68 course. We have yet to play but are planning on it. They have recently added another ATCO trailer and repainted the clubhouse as well as done some upgrades to the tee boxes."

From the looks of it the Wrigs never did get to play that desert course...  and their most recent post... from a couple of days ago...  tells of their reluctant departure from Bengazhi.  They're returning to Canada for the time being, in the face of Libya's increasing violence.

The prospect of a new government in Libya... one open to international tourism... has to be extremely tantalizing to course developers. With some of the best preserved archaeological sites in the world, an expansive Mediterranean coastline and an ideal climate, the country would be a perfect place for golf resorts...lots of them... and ambitious architects are no doubt already thinking that if the right kind of government came in, oil-producing Libya could become the next Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Unfortunately however, the contumelious Colonel Gaddafi seems prepared to resort to extreme violence in his attempts to say in power, and the road to Libya's future as an international golf tourism destination could be long and perilous.  We'll be watching what happens in the coming days and weeks, and hoping for the best.

Creating outside your comfort zone

On Saturday night I attending the Gallery Project, an art opening that was the brainchild of my colleague Kirk, formerly the Associate Art Director for LBYR, now an Art Director for Orbit/Yen, our science fiction and graphic novel imprint.

As Kirk says, "We come to work and interact with each other within the confines of our job titles every day. But some folks lead a double life, creating art for no one other than themselves. Knowing this, curiosity got the best of me and I came up with The Gallery Project. The Gallery Project tasked 10 artists to create 3-5 pieces in three months." 

Here's Kirk explaining the inspiration for the project:



Here are a few of the artists with their creations. Most of the artists are coworkers, from design, production, and IT. Others are friends of coworkers. The art ranged from photography, to paintings, to aprons...and Legos!

 

It was a great show, and inspirational, too. I know many of my colleagues were nervous about the show--many hadn't created art in years, let alone art meant for others to see. It made me wonder--what kind of art would I create if tasked to do this? Perhaps photography...perhaps I would sketch or draw something. For you non-visual artists out there, what kind of art would/could you create?

Putting Better Than Ever. Vijay Singh's Inspiring Week

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"I'm feeling good, and I think I've still got it." ~ Vijay Singh

Is there anyone who wouldn't like to see Vijay Singh contending on Sunday's regularly again?   His presence... in any round, of any tournament... adds a dimension that's quite unique.  If you've seen him play live, you probably know what I mean.  A tangible intensity surrounds him... spectators feel it as he approaches the green. It's impressive. 

After a couple of years in which injuries... and reinjuries... have plagued him.  His second place (to Aaron Badley) finish at the Northern Trust Open yesterday seems auspicious.  Singh totaled just 105 putts for the week, and he closed with a two-under-par 69.  He described it as, "the best putting week I've had probably all my career."  

That would seem to bode well for the upcoming season.  
  
Photo: Golf Girl Media

Collage No. 4 / "An Afternoon of Failure" at MoMA PS1

SATURDAY APRIL 2ND / 3-5PM
@ MoMA PS1 / Long Island, NY

Saturday Sessions: Hosted by Triple Canopy and Dalkey Archive Press featuring "An Afternoon of Failure"

Triple Canopy and Dalkey Archive Press host an afternoon of failure, to celebrate the release of the Review of Contemporary Fiction's "Failure" issue, guest-edited by Joshua Cohen. The program will include attempted readings from the issue by Eileen Myles, Helen DeWitt, Sam Frank, and Keith Gessen; a botched tribute to the classics of American literature by John Collins and Scott Shepherd of the theater group Elevator Repair Service; mangled covers of pop songs by U.S. Girls; and an attempt to resurrect William Gaddis.

The Review of Contemporary Fiction was launched in 1981 to provide a critical discourse around innovative literary works of the highest caliber that have largely been ignored by the mainstream media. Over the years, the Review has provided an alternative canon for contemporary fiction and has introduced such writers as David Foster Wallace, David Markson, and Gilbert Sorrentino, well before they were embraced by the critical establishment. (Wallace served for a time as an editor of the journal, and guest-edited a "Future of Fiction" issue, in 1996.) The Review has also published numerous anthology issues dedicated to new writing from foreign countries, special issues dedicated to innovative publishers (Grove Press, Editions P.O.L), and special topic issues, including the present "Failure" issue.

For more info on this event, click here.

Creative or imaginative?

As some of you may remember, I write an article every week for my local PATCH.

This week, it's about an eight-year old artist. I included 11 photographs of things she's made, and her comments on them: the oil painting above was done when she was 6, the story-drawing below when she was 3. I wish I could draw and paint as well as she does, and create as effortlessly!



She is, literally, almost always making something. I wonder if being creative -- wanting to, or maybe even having to make something -- is different from being imaginative -- making things UP, but not feeling the need to give them physical form. This of course is not in the article, these pieces are about the kids themselves, not my thoughts!

I do wonder about it, though....maybe both start with an idea, but creative people need to form that idea into something physical? And those of us who are merely imaginative don't?

For me, physically forming something is easy and satisfying when it's something like cooking, super-hard when it's something like a novel. When it comes to writing, I guess I'm more imaginative than creative -- THINKING of the idea is fun, writing it over and over and over to get it right is just plain hard work!

Automotive Marketing and the Female Golfer

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I've recently encountered some interesting facts (trends? tendancies?) concerning the way car companies market... or don't... to women, and in particular to women golfers.  I'll be writing about the topic here a bit later. 

In the meantime however,  I felt compelled to post this photo now due to  it's extreme awesomeness.

Women on Motorcycle with Side Car - © Simon Marcus/Corbis

Let It Snow...Let It Snow...Let It Snow: Repetition in Poetry

When I’m writing, I do my best not to repeat myself. I try to vary the way I begin my sentences. I try not to use the same words over and over again. There are times, however, when repetition can be used to great effect in poetry.
I wrote the following poem It’s Raining last April. I was inspired to write it after experiencing a long period of rainy days. It just kept on raining and raining and raining…and sometimes pouring. It seemed as if the rain would never stop. In my poem, I tried to capture the voice of a child who feels his/her world has been inundated with rain.

**********

It’s Raining


It’s raining…
Raining all around.
It’s raining puddles
On the ground.
It’s raining
On my booted feet.
It’s raining
Rivers in the street.
It’s raining cats.
It’s raining dogs.
It’s raining ponds
For polliwogs.
It’s raining
Drop by drop by drop…
A billion trillion—
It won’t stop!
It’s raining buckets
From the sky.
Don’t think the earth
Will EVER dry.



In the past month, we’ve had a LOT of storms where I live. Most of the storms deposited a significant amount of snow. It seemed we’d no sooner shovel ourselves out from one storm when we’d hear that another one was headed our way. The snow is really deep around here! It’s as high as an elephant’s eye—maybe even a giraffe’s eye!


Because of all the storms, I’ve been housebound more than usual this winter. I started taking pictures from inside and outside of my house. The pictures and the “serial snowstorms” inspired me to write poetry.

Here are two snow poems in which I used a lot of repetition. As in my rain poem, I tried to capture a child’s voice in these snow poems.




It Snowed and Snowed
It snowed all day.
It snowed all night.
It snowed and snowed.
Two feet of white
covered everything in sight.
Our yard,
our deck,
our walk,
the road
don’t look the same
because it snowed…
and snowed
and snowed
and snowed
and snowed.
I dress up in my winter wear
And step out in the frosty air.
I look around and what I see
is a marshmallow world
waiting for me!







It’s Snowing Again!

It’s snowing again.
It’s blowing again.
It’s snowing and blowing.
The traffic is slowing.
I watch the drifts growing and growing and growing.
It just keeps on snowing
and snowing and snowing.
I don’t think it’s
EVER
going to end.

At Wild Rose Reader, I have an original fairy tale poem written in the form of a classified ad titled Apartment for Rent.

You'll find the Poetry Friday Roundup at Great Kid Books.

Golf Distraction - When a Birdie Ruins Your Birdie

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So I've grinding away on a non-golf writing assignment today... deadline looming large...  and just got an email from a friend I sometimes play golf with. 

In desperate need of a momentary distraction, I opened it and found the awesome video clip below.  It's part of the trailer from the 3D animated film Alpha and Omega about two endearing young wolves who fall in love. 

The clip features Marcel a golf-obsessed French Canadian Goose and an amazing approach shot that ... does not end well. 

The clip however, was the perfect antidote to my ascending stress level. 



OK, now let me get back to that exciting text book supplement I'm writing. Yay.

Seven Tips to Grow Your Mailing List

This week the indomitable Katie Davis has agreed to fill in for Grace (who is on a 2-week school visit marathon). Katie Davis has published nine books and appears monthly on the ABC affiliate show, Good Morning Connecticut, recommending great books for kids. She produces Brain Burps About Books, a podcast about kidlit, a blog and monthly newsletter. Smart about marketing, books and balance, we're so glad Katie has agreed to share some of her insights with us here:



In my last guest post I talked about all the different things I do in my career as a writer and illustrator and how I balance them. I know a lot of people who read like that just shut down, overwhelmed by everything that could be done. Either that or their heads spontaneously exploded. So let’s pick just one thing you can do to promote yourself and your career.

Let’s get you a mailing list. You are going to grow your audience and then stay connected. (No, that is NOT two things. I promise. Besides, after you’ve collected a mailing list you will want to stay connected and it won’t even feel like a second whole thing. Think of it as part two of the first thing. It’s the psychology of just doing ONE thing.)

Here are tips to grow your list:

1 - Every time you make an appearance as an author, bring your guest book. Whether it’s on your iPad or in a spiral notebook, ask people to sign up. I’ve brought my guest book to school visits, book festivals, conference appearances …wherever people are gathering to celebrate their love of children’s literature, I bring it. Ask only for their name and email address. Make sure they know you won’t share that list, and, though this seems obvious, ask them to print clearly.

2 – When at professional functions, ask for people’s business card and then ask them if it’s okay to add them to your mailing list. At ALA I collected almost 100 cards and only one person told me he didn’t want me to add him. I separated that card from the rest and wrote myself a gigantic note on the card so I wouldn’t include it by accident.

3- Sign up on your site. Make it easy to find, right at the top of your home page (I’m in the midst of a huge overhaul of my site and I’m definitely doing this one!)

4- Don’t abuse your list. Send out things of interest that isn’t just about you and your books. Write articles, include info about other books, or include lesson plans.

5- Give to get…

Elizabeth O. Dulemba grew her list by establishing “Coloring Page Tuesday” which is when she posts a new downloadable coloring page. She has over 2,500 subscribers and over 1.5 million page views of her site last year. That doesn't even include RSS subbers, facebook followers, etc.

Dianne de las Casas sends a monthly newsletter that includes activities that link to her books, but also suggestions about things to do with kids, her tour schedule, interviews with reviewers and sometimes even a recipe or two!

My own newsletter (sample) has book recommendations and unique information from authors about their books, links to my podcast interviews with other authors and experts, videos and occasional tips. On my new site I plan to have a weekly drawing for all new subscribers.
On your site include a “Tips for …(writing non-fiction for kids/making friends on Twitter/whatever you are good at!” or “Secrets to…” article to download. The key to get the download is your visitor’s email address.

I contacted one of the most successful and well-known children’s literature bloggers, Cynthia Leitich Smith, creator of Cynsations to ask how she increased her mailing list. She actually doesn’t have one, because as she told me, “Email addresses change.” However, I’m not sure at her level she needs a mailing list. After all, she gets 80,000 views per month. She can put her message out on her blog and basically, a bazillion people will see it.

She also told me, “While nailing down specific reasons is about as effective for me as reading tea leaves, I suspect the following are factors: (1) the blog is hosted and mirrored (reproduced) at more than one location for greater outreach and subscription options; (2) I tweet links to the posts and feature them on my facebook author page; (3) I've been blogging for a long time--since 2004--which has allowed ample opportunity to build both an audience and create back links that continue to attract traffic; (4) Cynsations builds on the success of my already popular children's-YA writer and literature resource site, a portal to the world of creating, reading, marketing, and publishing books for young readers; (5) the content is of consistent quality, offered on a regular basis, and features notable voices and visions from throughout the field.
Building on the last point, the content is not only regular and substantive, it's consistently positive, with a focus on inspiring and informing the youth literature community, especially writers. While I may highlight, say, links about supporting library financing, I don't share the particulars of my own political beliefs or otherwise delve into matters beyond the world of books. Consequently, my blog readers know what to expect. At the same time, I do personalize it a bit. While I don't, for example, go into any detail about my Valentine's Day plans, I will be sharing a photo of the flowers I received. It creates a (hopefully) warm and inviting online destination, offering real value to visitors.”

6- Put your signup link in your email signature.

7- Freebies! It’s always nice to offer something for an email address. How about a weekly drawing? I met a guy on Twitter who actually gives a tee shirt for every email address he gets. That’s a big expense if you’re getting a lot of sign ups! Just giving a signed copy of your book would be a huge prize, and would get your book out there. Other great prizes would be, if you are an established writer, to offer a critique to any unpublished writers who sign up.

This isn’t brain surgery, I’m not saying anything new, and if you google “how to increase your mailing list” I’m sure you’ll find even more ideas. The thing is to do something. And my most important tip of all, which should have it’s very own category: once you start building that list, use it for good, never for evil.