Friday, May 14th, 2010

Interview with Joëlle Anthony!

$\"\"$ In celebration of the launch of her debut novel, Restoring Harmony, I am honored to interview Joëlle Anthony today. Or, as she would spell it due to living in Canada, I am honoured to be on her blog tour. Her book came out yesterday in the United States and will come out on May 18 in Canada. To read the brief description of her Young Adult novel, you can scroll down to yesterday’s post here on my website. All right! Let’s proceed to my interview with Joëlle. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I asked her to answer the interview questions that she typically asks other authors on her own blog. I love her questions. Here they are. Happy reading!

What’s on your iPod or CD player?

I have a little music, bluegrass and my husband’s music, but for the most part I use it for audio books. Right now, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is on there. I’ve read the book, but wanted to listen to it too. Also, Eat, Pray, Love is always on there. I think I’ve listened to it three times.

What do you read in the bathroom?

Usually magazines. The Nature Conservancy one, Westworld (a BC mag), and the SCBWI bulletin.

What’s the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in high school?

I can’t think of one for high school, but when I was in college, I was on my way to The Rocky Horror Picture show and I was dressed like Columbia from the movie and I got in a car accident. The police came and everything, and I was standing there giving my report in fishnets and shorts and crazy make-up. Pretty embarrassing! I told them I was going to a costume party, but they looked very doubtful.

Are you a sports fan? What’s your team?

I am a die-hard lover of baseball and a lifetime fan of the Cubs. I can hardly wait for baseball to start each year. My husband and I listen to the games on the internet radio and they’re so much fun.

If you could live anywhere for a year, where would it be?

I think I’d like to break it up into four three-month stints. I’d want to live in France, Switzerland, Italy and New Zealand. And I’d want to be in very small villages so I got to know lots of locals and bought my food from farmers and artisan bakers and cheese makers!

What author or book have you recently discovered that you want the world to know about?

I am so in love with C.J. Omololu’s debut novel, Dirty Little Secrets. I think it’s going to win awards. If it doesn’t, it should!

Go on, give us some writing advice. You know you want to!

I always say, “read,” but today I’m going to say write. I’ve been teaching writing to the Grade 6&7 class at the school and they have reminded me of the most important thing…you just have to write. They’re not interested in talking about writing, and they’ll ask questions if they’re stuck, so there’s no need for lengthy instructions on the assignment. What they want to do most is write. And they end up with wonderful stuff because they’re not afraid to try.

Thank you, Joëlle!—and congratulations on your wonderful book. For all you readers out there, feel free to leave a comment here on my blog or click over to Joëlle’s website for the chance to win prizes, share your thoughts, hear some lovely fiddle music, see her book trailer, and to find out more about a truly exciting book, Restoring Harmony.

Tags: restoring harmony

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Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony

I’m so happy for my friend today because a long-awaited dream has become a reality. Joëlle Anthony’s beautiful first novel, Restoring Harmony, is officially out! It is not only a page-turner with heaps of action and adventure... it is also romantic, deep, and inspiring. I predict awards. I predict a movie, too, because it feels cinematic how it rolls out page by page and fills your heart with such incredible imagery. Okay. I could rhapsodize for hours about her book, but instead why don’t you get up right this minute and get busy. You can trot on down to your bookstore and buy it now or order it to be delivered to your mailbox. Oh, and be sure to read every page. My name is in there, too. Oh, my! I am so touched to be mentioned on her acknowledgments page. Thank you, Joëlle!

You can read about Restoring Harmony on her website:

The year is 2041, and for Molly McClure, her life is pretty much the same as it’s always been. She was only six when the Collapse of ’31 happened, ending life as the world’s population knew it. When she is forced to leave the comfort of her home and small island in British Columbia to travel down to Oregon, Molly discovers how hard the Collapse has been on the rest of the world.

What starts out as a quick trip to the U.S. to convince her grandfather to return to Canada and be the island’s doctor, turns into a rescue mission, a test of Molly’s strengths, ingenuity, and sheer determination. Will a farm girl like Molly survive in this upturned world? Will she be able to return with her grandpa in time for him to help her ailing mother? And just how much will she have to compromise to succeed in getting back to B.C.? Find out in Restoring Harmony by Joëlle Anthony, May 2010 Putnam for Young Readers

A word about our friendship… Joëlle and I met in 2006 at a Novel Revision workshop taught by Darcy Pattison and sponsored by SCBWI-Midsouth. Joelle had been writing for years and reading YA novels forever. To me, she seemed to already know all that can be known about the publishing business. I was not wrong in my first impressions, by the way. Due to our experiences at the workshop, we became critique partners for the next few years—what a treasure! I even visited her lovely island home last year and discovered that she is not only a wonderful writer but also a great cook and hostess. She taught me how to make no-knead bread. She introduced me to the deer that live in their yard, showed me around the island, took me to a poetry festival, and fixed snacks for us at midnight. She even let me sleep in their bed with their cats! She and her husband, Victor, slept in another room but I had a luxurious wide bed with a fluffy comforter for warmth. Now, how’s that for hospitality?

Tomorrow I interview her for this blog. She has weekly interviews on her blog and asks such great questions that I thought it would be fun for her to answer her own questions here…check it out tomorrow. Or actually, later on tonight…I plan to stay up late and post it after the stroke of midnight. Enjoy!

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P.S. This fabulous photo was taken by her remarkable photographer/musician/songwriter/organic gardener husband, Victor Anthony. It's from her website where there are links to more great photos (and songs!) by Victor. There is so much creativity bubbling in their little house, as you can tell. Bravo! And again, congratulations on your debut novel!

Tags: restoring harmony

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Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Do the Write Thing for Nashville

My hometown, Nashville, experienced a devastating flood which began on May 2. Many people throughout the city are suffering from the loss of their homes, businesses, jobs, and many more suffered major or minor loss of their belongings. In an effort to alleviate the situation, some writer friends put together a wonderful fundraiser called Do the Write Thing for Nashville. It has already raised over $27,000 and there are still a few days left in the auction. Take a look at the prizes that you can bid on and be amazed! Authors, agents, and editors have donated the gift of their time, their books, and their expertise for the benefit of Nashville charities. Thank you!

Tags: nashville

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Monday, April 12th, 2010

Restoring Harmony book trailer

\n Watch this beautiful video about my friend Joelle's new novel!

www.youtube.com/watch or you can go to Joelle Anthony's website by clicking here or (hopefully) you can watch the trailer here on my website, if I can figure out how to embed it. I will keep trying...it's a really great book trailer and even more wonderful book!

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Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

When the world speeds up...

$\"\"$ I haven’t known what to blog lately and so I’ve left it alone. In all that I write, I strive for sincerity and nothing has come to mind in the last few weeks that was worth recording on this vast, worldwide tablet—a tablet that never truly erases, even when you hit “delete”. You have to be mindful about what you say on the web. It’s entirely possible that the words you write on a blog or in an email will be available for all eternity (more or less).

Or perhaps not. Some experts comment on the fragility of life online and why it might not be a good idea to rely upon it—or to do away with hard copies, books, and the printed word. On NPR’s Morning Edition, Tina Brown recently quoted seasoned print publisher Jason Epstein, who made two compelling arguments against the total digitization of publishing. “He says that the whole fragility of life online is such that ... with one terrible sabotage thrust, you could wipe out the whole of our cultural civilization,” Brown says. “More important,” she adds, “he talks about the fragility of copyright, and how we have to preserve this or we're going to impoverish writers.”

There is much food for thought when it comes to “living online”—questions such as “Living? You call this living?”—which is an important question to ponder when you realize that nearly every 14-year-old currently owns at least one electronic device and probably spends half her waking life texting, emailing, or whatever. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get my point. What is life when you live half your life online rather than in direct, bodily contact with this lovely planet? When pondering life online, questions come to mind—questions having to do with wondrous human virtues such as honesty, sincerity, mindfulness, and serenity. When you depict yourself on Facebook or any of the other online social scenes, are you honest and sincere, and can you be serene (tranquil in your spirit) about all that you say and do? I ask these questions of myself, and sometimes I just leave it blank. Why post just for the sake of posting, right? There’s already too much chatter in the world.

Somewhere, long ago, I heard a Native American elder offer this wisdom: “When the world speeds up, you slow down.” It is one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever heard. Slowness can be a comfort to the harried and weary. In slowness, we might discover the time to reflect, find the flow, learn resilience, and acquire a peaceful presence—serenity. And, magically, time seems to stretch when you slow down. Try it. Feel the stretch. And don’t let anyone call you Slow Mo (slow motion).

Enjoy your slow, delicious life whenever humanly possible. There's nothing like the presence of a small child or a childlike old person to keep you planted in the present! Aren't these the most beautiful eyes? I adore them, whenever he comes to visit.

Until next time...

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Friday, February 5th, 2010

Snow in Tennessee!

\n Snow is rare here in Middle Tennessee and snow that is good enough for really FAST sledding is almost unheard of, but we got an abundance of it last weekend! Six inches of snow followed by a crunchy thick coating of ice made for perfect conditions to bring out my ancient Flexible Flyer from our attic. As you can see, it still works!
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Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

My work for Gallagher Guitars

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$\"\"$ Every few years, Don Gallagher of Gallagher Guitars asks me to sketch a new design for the inlays on their guitars. Lately, I’ve been busy drawing the latest design for a hush-hush project—sorry, but that’s all I can say for now! It will be a while before I can blog about the new project. But I have Don’s permission to post these lovely photos from his website’s picture page on My Space. These are pictures of dogwood blossoms and a hummingbird that I drew for Gallagher’s a few years ago.

When I was in my early twenties, I worked for Gallagher’s full-time, using a bandsaw, routers, sanders, drill presses, and other machinery—Don and J.W. taught me how to do it all—and then I went on to learn finishing work and repair work, too. It was lovely fun, although incredibly dusty at times. And, best of all, I got to help make a guitar that my son now plays! When Collin was about twelve, he noticed the guitar under our bed and asked if he could learn to play it…and that was the beginning of his music career as a songwriter. The moment he met our Gallagher guitar, the two of them became inseparable. Today, Gallagher’s is legendary, making fine handmade instruments of heirloom quality. For more information and for links to their pages on My Space and Facebook, go to their main website by clicking here.

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Friday, January 1st, 2010

For the new year

\n Happy 2010 to everyone! Whether we call this Twenty Ten or Two Thousand Ten, the new calendar year has begun. I didn’t make any resolutions today but I did make a list of general goals. Here they are:

1) Clear the clutter. Not that I am aiming for Zen simplicity but I hope to give some of my clutter away or maybe sell it…or perhaps make something new and useful out of the old and used-up stuff. A lamp shade, perhaps.
2) Move my stuck chi. Stuck chi is any aspect of the house, yard, or in my own body that feels dull, weak, inflexible, or lacking in good energy. It can apply to art and writing, too—even a painting can have stuck chi. For example, in a watercolor, the colors will be muddied and lifeless. If it doesn’t zing, sparkle, flex, bend, or bounce with joy then maybe it’s got some stuck chi.
3) Making space seems to be a theme playing in my heart this year. My goal is to hold space or make space, allowing an opening to be created. Call it meditation. Call it inspiration. Call it stillness. My goal is to talk less and listen more. I don’t even know for sure what it means to truly listen, but I aim to find out.
4) I also aim to translate what I see and hear into my art and writing. Or perhaps it will flow right out of my hand. That is my hope. It can’t really be a goal, can it? It’s all about the process, not the end result. But, of course, I’d like to have some beautiful results, too.

And that’s my list. It’s the same list I’ve always aspired to keep, only this time I am blogging about it and sharing it with whoever is out there listening. Whoever you are, I hope that you have a beautiful beginning to your year!\n

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Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Traveling, whirling, and Restoring Harmony

\n $\"\"$ Happy belated Thanksgiving! Since late October, I’ve been traveling, visiting family and friends, teaching another one of my Yoga for Writers & Illustrators workshops, and having a grand time being a tourist in four states—Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wisconsin—plus a week in Canada! I attended a wonderful poetry festival which included storytelling performances, music, and even a workshop of poems and whirling inspired by Rumi…very inspiring. Dancing is wonderfully human and yet transformational, and as you add the whirling spiral motion, you can’t help but feel a tad ecstatic, even as a beginner.

The week before I left home, I bought a netbook (translation: a tiny laptop computer about the size of a folded piece of typing paper) and intended to post blogs from the road, but I was having too much fun. Be Here Now—always good advice, but I discovered that I actually live in the “now” when I’m on the road. Each day had its own rhythm and I didn’t want to miss a beat. I did manage to check my email almost every day…and it was handy to have the netbook for reasons of writing.

Speaking of writing, I just read an advanced review copy of the most fantastic book, a gripping and ultimately inspiring story—RESTORING HARMONY, a YA novel by Joëlle Anthony. It arrives in bookstores in May of 2010. I’ll post more about it later. Loved, loved, loved it— congratulations, Joëlle! And the cover art is beautiful!

And now…I need to go practice my whirling.

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Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Daydreaming, being, and bliss

$\"\"$ I practice yoga—imperfectly and with a few glitches—but that’s okay because there is always something to learn. My yoga time often feels like playtime and my body is the educational toy. At first, I always used music or a video for my home practice (and would sometimes break into spontaneous dancing between poses). But one of my yoga teachers advised that a home practice is just you and your mat—no video, no music, no book, no family or pets to distract you—just you and your mat. And wow, what a difference. I began to practice alone at home and it became a time of rapt concentration on subtle inner messages. It truly is meditation in movement—like art.

As a child, I spent hours (and years!) lolling around in the grass, staring at flowers and bugs, clouds and trees, and feeling the breezes. I wondered about the invisible wind—and the invisible being who made all this wondrous magic. I also attracted dozens of chigger bites and sunburns, but that hardly mattered because I was blissfully happy!

There is a great article about Being Versus Doing in Yoga Journal online which reminded me of being a daydreaming child. It said that if you link your self-worth to your outer accomplishments then you might sabotage your joy. Asking a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or asking an adult “What do you do?” is a normal question but it also sends the message that we are valued most of all for what we contribute rather than for simply being a human being.

Daydreaming, feeling the slowness of the moment, when time ceases to exist—this is a beautiful thing. Today, I watched a yellow butterfly enjoying a honeysuckle blossom. Yesterday, I rushed out of bed only moments before dawn and saw two shooting stars in the southern skies. I made a wish upon the stars. May you love every moment of your precious life. Namaste.

Tags: daydreaming, yoga

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