Monthly Archives: March 2016

Another pile of books for ReFoReMo

The challenge has ended, sort of. ReFoReMo may be over in one way, but I have a lot of work to do yet. On our own we were to read through each book and then analyze it – study how each was written, observe the POV and universal theme, choose our favourite line, write a little about the story’s main character, and more. It’s been educational for me to find out what is popular now, the many different types and themes of picture books, and the variety of ways to present stories. I’ve learned what type of book I’m not interested in writing and what style I’d like to try. A few I didn’t enjoy reading, a couple brought tears to my eyes, a few were educational and I learned fascinating things I didn’t know before; some stories were funny, a couple were hilarious (to me), and many were sweet stories in a variety of ways. This has been a great experience. (Thanks Carrie Charley Brown!)

I got more books from the library on Saturday and I’ve also started returning books. That’s the sad part.

Here are some of the latest ones I borrowed, I have a few others to photograph,  and there are more on hold for me.

batch 5 -11 Have you read any of the above?  They are:

  • Gravity by Jason Chin
  • One Day, The End by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
  • Birthday Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka
  • Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead
  • How Hybrid Cars Work by Jennifer Swanson
  • Sparky! by Jenny Offill
  • A Dance Like Starlight by Kristy Dempsey
  • Wolfie the Bunny by Amy Dyckman
  • if you want to see a whale by Julia Fogliano
  • When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan
  • Locomotive by Brian Floca

I’ve read over eighty picture books through March because of Reading For Research Month, and I’m not done yet. That’s more books than I would normally read in a year! Some people have read many more than the 100 suggested, in only this month.

Now we’re learning from the special posts written for our further insight and inspiration. I’m so glad I did this, although now I’m behind in some other things I was doing – blogging and 12×12, to name only two. What I’ve gleaned through ReFoReMo should help in my writing though, so it’s all good.   🙂

On Sunday eleven of us shared Easter dinner at my dad’s, then I came home for my week off. I have a lot of reading, writing, revising to do and also publishing to finish! I am a writer and lovin’ it! 

When is the last time you read a picture book to a child or for your own enjoyment?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

 

           

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My 4th giveaway of 2016; your chance to win!

Are you ready for another giveaway?

In keeping with writing and reading, this month I am offering something handy and a little different.

I thought you might like to have this lovely blue ink pen – blue pen with blue ink. The unique thing about this keepsake pen is that you can insert a small photo in the top of it. Cool, huh? You twist the writing point out because of that feature.

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This pen also has a clip back so you can clip it onto a page of stationery or a shirt pocket to make it harder to lose.

photo pen.3photo pen

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to enter the draw for a chance to win this keepsake photo pen, leave a comment telling me if you devised a clever way to not lose your pens, or if you are like me and often have to search whenever you need one.

Draw date for this giveaway is at 10 PM AST, that’s 9 PM Eastern, on  Wednesday, April 13. This gives you lots of time to pass the word on to others, too. 

I will use Random.org name picker to find out which of you is the winner. Watch here the next morning for the announcement, and don’t forget to check your email. These could be yours!

Remember, you have until April 13 to get your name into the draw, but don’t put it off!

PS: I have been trying to find things easy to mail so that I can send them anywhere. I was told at the post office that to mail overseas it’s much easier to send something that is paper, otherwise postage leaps in price – as in doubles! – even if it’s the same weight. Seems a little ridiculous to me, but that’s their rule – not mine.  Because of that, I am very sorry that I can offer this item only to my readers in Canada and the United States.

I AM WILLING AND ABLE TO SEND THIS ITEM ANYWHERE. (CHECKED AT POST OFFICE AND FOUND AN ACCEPTABLE RATE FOR THIS.)

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

 

A fourth pile of books for ReFoReMo!

For a week I haven’t posted the newest books I’ve received from the library for Reading for Research Month! The librarian has been faithfully bringing them in for me and the notifications have been popping up in my email. (I currently have 64 out on loan.) Even though today’s mail brought another notice, I am posting a photo of the nineteen books I haven’t shown you yet. The others can wait – I’ll show them to you later since I haven’t been able to get them today anyway.

batch 4 - 19They are:

  • Sophie’s Squash by Pat Zietlow
  • This is Sadie by Sara O’Leary
  • Fox and Squirrel by Ruth Ohi
  • Cock-a-Doodle Oops! by Lori Degman
  • The Snatchabook by Helen Doherty
  • Max the Brave by Ed Vere
  • Home by Carson Ellis
  • Swan by Laurel Snyder
  • Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley
  • No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart
  • Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
  • Won Ton: a Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw
  • Waiting by Kevin Henkes
  • One Word From Sophia by Jim Averbeck
  • Be a Friend by Salina Yoon
  • I Dare You Not to Yawn by Helen Boudreau  [let me know if you keep from yawning when reading this one]
  • The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdös by Deborah Heiligman
  • No Nap! Yes Nap! by Margie Palatini
  • The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt  [hilarious!]

Aren’t they beautiful? 🙂  Some I enjoy more than others and for different reasons.  I’m impressed by every one … and for different reasons.

Have you read any of the above books?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Spring forward; did you change your clocks?

This is the time of year I find to be hard on my inner clock. I don’t much like losing an hour’s sleep. It takes me awhile to adjust.

Tonight – actually at 2:00 AM Sunday morning, March 13 – we set our clocks ahead one hour. If you are in Saskatchewan, Canada – or in the USA in Hawaii or somewhere in “most of” Arizona – your clock goes along as usual; no time change for you.  And it seems that in Europe it doesn’t happen until March 27.

remember to change your clock or you will be arriving an hour late to church or wherever you have to be on Sunday.

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Have you ever forgotten to change your clock and as a result you arrived somewhere an hour late? 

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!

 

Giveaway #3; We have a winner!

Thank you to all who entered my March giveaway contest!

The prize is this set of three magnetic bookmarks:

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I used Random.org name picker and found out that …

The winner with this comment:  I collect book marks and have a great supply from all over the world. Friends often bring one back for me on their travels too. I use them in the book I am reading, my reference books and in my cookbooks to hold the place of favourite recipes. I love book marks! These look fabulous.

is

DARLENE!

I’ll get these into the mail to you this week, Darlene.  🙂

Thank you to everyone who participated. I will soon be posting a new giveaway for April, so please check back to see what I’m offering next.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!

Giveaway reminder & a third pile of books for ReFoReMo!

Reminder: As you can see by my countdown counter on the right, the time is nearly here for my 3rd giveaway. If you haven’t yet left a comment on my February 18 post to enter the draw, please don’t delay. I will again use Random.org name picker the evening of March 9 (Wednesday) to select a winner. The next morning I will be announcing here who will be receiving my giveaway this month! Go HERE to check it out.

I’m continuing to read lots of picture books this month – and loving it! On Saturday my husband and I stopped in at the library to collect more of the books on my list. They always send me an email when more are in and being held for me, so I am visiting the library more than I have in a long time.

This trip I came home with seventeen more books.  🙂  Now I have on lend forty-five picture books.  Later that day we had visitors, one being a twelve-year-old who enjoyed reading many in my stack of books.

batch 3 - 17 books Have you read any of these?

  • I Want My Hat Back  by Jon Klassen
  • You Nest Here With Me  by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple and Melissa Sweet
  • Bridget’s Beret  by Tom Lichtenheld
  • Seaver the Weaver  by Paul Czajack and The Brothers Hilts
  • Everyone Loves Bacon  by Kelly Dipuchchio and Eric Wight
  • Brave Girl : Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909  by Michelle Markel and Melissa Sweet
  • Rain!  by Linda Ashman and Christian Robinson
  • I Don’t Want to Be a Frog  by Dev Petty and Mike Boldt
  • Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle  by Chris Raschka
  • Let’s Sing a Lullaby with the Brave Cowboy  by Jan Thomas
  • Henry’s Freedom Box: a True Story from the Underground Railroad by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson
  • Rabbityness  by Jo Empson
  • How to Read a Story  by Kate Messner and Mark Siegel
  • How to Babysit a Grandpa  by Jean Reagan and Lee Wildish
  • Heckedy Peg  by Audrey and Don Wood
  • Mustache Baby  by Bridget Heos and Joy Ang
  • My Name is Elizabeth!  by Annika Dunklee and Matthew Forsythe

If you are a reader, do you change it up once in a while with a picture book or any other genre from your usual?

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂

Ideas needed for my story, please

Here I am posting again so soon. I have a good reason.

When I was waking up Thursday morning I was still working out a dream I’d been having. It was a story, one I was “writing” while sleeping!  I seem to have an editor who works at night!  This is not a story idea I’d been thinking about before I went to bed, I hadn’t thought of it until I was sleeping. Really! Isn’t that cool?

Here’s what I need from you, if you will kindly oblige me in a comment. 

If you have ever gone on a cruise or a theme vacation – or any vacation, for that matter – and something went wrong, I’d like to know about it. It could be funny, embarrassing (not personal or intimate details please), disastrous, jumbled up, maybe something went missing or you got lost, or you missed a connection, or had an accident of some kind. Please tell me about it. Maybe it is a vacation mishap a friend told you happened to them.

I already had a few ideas and some members of the writing group I’m in told me of some funny and inconvenient things they experienced. I am gathering as many anecdotes as I can so that I can sort through and maybe even combine a few. This is for a picture book so they have to be child friendly – and hopefully funny.

Thank you so much for any anecdotes you care to pass along to me.

Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings!  🙂