The Secret Life of Walter Mitty- Short story

In the 1939 New Yorker Magazine, there is a short story by James Thurber that was turned into the new movie, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".

The movie was great. They added the storyline of the love life of a single Walter Mitty, but it was still good. I like the original idea that Walter was married and bossed by his overbearing wife. It gave him a reason to escape, the nagging wife. Read the short story in the The New Yorker.

 

Biography.com

James Thurber was an American author and cartoonist best known for his contributions to The New Yorker magazine. He was on The New Yorker staff from 1927 to 1933 and remained a consistent contribution thereafter. His cartoons became some of the most popular in America. By 1952, Thurber had to give up drawing because his failing eyesight had developed into full blindness.

First Publish of story!

My very first story will be published in Skipping Stones!
It is a multi cultural magazine and will publish my story the "Disappearing Language".
They gave great feed back and I will let you know what edition it will be published! Very happy!!

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers

TODAY was the first day at my first conference. It has already done what I wanted it to do. What is that? you may ask.
Given me HOPE again. I had almost given up and had I not signed up in January, I would have never gone in June.

I want to ditch my first novel because I see some things wrong. I could fix it, but I get too excited to move on to my next idea because I see all the things I'd do differently.
Some questions to ask yourself if you are writing and write it down!...


1. What is your plot? What happens?

2. What is your story? Who is it about?

3. Tell me about your favorite character in two lines.

4. Why should someone care for your character?

5. What does the character figure out in the end that he didn't know he was going to find out?     (emotional conflict).

6.) What is the concrete conflict?

7.) Does the concrete conflict tie into the emotional conflict?

8.) What happens if the main character doesn't resolve that concrete conflict? What if he doesn't relize his emotional conflict, what happens? (there must me something that happens or the reader is not vested)

Thanks Kris Chandler for a great first day!

I learned that I have too many sub-plots going on in my first book. I think I have so many things to say I thought I'd do it in one novel. Too hard to write and too confusing for readers.

And my daily gem I took from today is.....write down what your story is about in 25 words! or less.

 

The Alchemist

I loved the book. Santiago was a wonderful character that "followed" his destiny. Through conversations a couple of days ago I heard a woman say that she was going to wait to get married because of "The Alchemist." She said had Santiago gotten married he would have never found the treasure. Was "The Alchemist" about waiting to get married and finding your treasure, or following your destiny? I am sure you can see my point of view. If this poor girl waits around to get married and never finds her treasure because all along her destiny was to get married. Who knows if her treasure would have been a husband and/or child/children? Whether or not you get married, you can still follow your destiny. It will FIND you if you call it.

Santiago's destiny was to travel and to be enlightened. It was a different time period. Today, there is people that can't travel, and people who can. If you have the desire to travel, you can find a way.
I think that so many people look to books, movies and other people to tell them what they should be wanting...when all along they needed to simply look to themselves. People vacillate too much in our world. Make up YOUR mind and follow YOUR destiny. That is what  "The Alchemist" was about to me.

Southwest Writers Contest 2013

Southwest Writers contest is going on until May 1st. It is a great fun contest, no pressure and you can get feed back (if you pay the extra bucks). I submitted last year and was a runner up in the Children's poetry division. They have all the divisions.This was one of the few good reasons I spent a few months of my life in New Mexico chasing tumble weeds.  Check it out http://www.swwcontest.com/

Literal Latte Literary Magazine Submission

There are a million Literary Magazines out there. I found this one and will submit my first short story with hopes of publication. I would love to win the Pushcart Award, but that may be pushing it...pun on words.

It is on abortion in the 1930's. It was fascinating to write and learn what I thought I knew.
I was a teen that was pregnant, so that part of the story came from personal experience. I did not get an abortion though. The story started out in the modern world of abortion and clinics and quickly changed to the 1930's. The reason it was so easy for me to write about this was through conversations with my dear old friend, who was Spanish, Irish, and French. She was born in 1940. Her sister had went to Delaware for an abortion.

It takes place in 1937, after WWII, when the number of unwed women getting abortion were rising. This is compared to pre-WWII when it was mostly married women and a form of birth control. It captures the feelings of abortion, which was not much guilt. It was a matter of fact act. But, the death of abortion was a very real thing. In 1915 death of Anna Johnson, to a doctor perforating a girls uterus and pulling out her intestines were just a few of the stories told. It was an era that women did not discuss there sexual organs or abortion in public. You just didn't.

I will let you know if it makes it to the magazine!!

Morning after Pill for thought....

Chicago


In 1915 Anna Johnson got pregnant by her boyfriend. Marshall, the boyfriend got abortifacient pills from Dr. Shaver's son for Anna. When the pills failed, Marshall arranged for her to go to Dr. Shaver's home for an illegal abortion.

What happened next was not thinkable. In a abortion gone bad night, Anna Johnson was found dead. Dr. Shaver said that she had hired Anna Johnson as a maid and the girl had committed suicide.

It was speculated that Shaver killed Anna to cover up a bad abortion.

Newspaper headlines such as "Unmarried Lead Deaths" and "Health Committee to Take up Baby and Women Killing Inquiry at Once" all emphasized the deaths of unmarried women following abortions. The Tribune grandly displayed photos of Shaver's apartment, Anna Johnson, and the pills she had taken. 



Now, 84 years later, the abortion pills are available over the counter without a prescription.
Now, there is no shame. You do not have to go to the abortion clinic. There is no moral decision making to do. Because that would exhaust you. Just pop a pill and live with out responsibility and consequences  It's like giving kids a pill to take if they crash their car. Take the pill and your car will be good as new tomorrow. No consequences. Do it again next week...We are raising people who lack ability to make moral decisions and an understanding of direct consequences.
source



2006 state status and morning after pill



update on per state legislation click here
As of 2012 there are some states that have the right to refuse to fill and vice verse  they can't refuse to fill the prescription.



update and stats on morning after pill usage. click here
Pennsylvania College and Morning After Pill vending machine click here

Don't Go It Alone

Whoever heard of a great Baker without the help of an oven.
Or the momentous Speech with out the help of a mouth.
Or the Swimmer without water to glide in.
Or the man who doesn't pray.
For only the fool thinks he can do it alone.
For you see, we do nothing a lone.
The writer has his pen.
The Entrepreneur has his customers.
The best Cardiologist uses an EKG machine.
The Pianist would be nothing with out the keys.
The Child his mother.
God has his prophets.
The Greats all had support.
They didn't go it alone. 

Being the Perfect Mom is Over-rated

I have been a mom for almost 18 years. I have washed dishes 365x18...6570 and then some, because we all know that we have to do dishes more than once in a day. I have taken my kids on family field trips. I have taken them to church almost every Sunday. I have read to them every night until they could read on their own. I have been as close as I can to the perfect mom.
I have also never cared what other people think. I have done it all for my kids. I have never cared if they wanted to wear shorts in the snow. Because, sooner or later they would learn it is better to be warm. I have relished in learning moments for the kids. When they got their first F or when they forgot their lunch. I have quietly relished in the moments I simply suggested they make a plan and theirs didn't work out. I believe the best lessons in life are learned, not taught.
I have learned a lot being a mom. I have never compared myself to other moms. I have had fleeting thoughts about my style of parenting but I have erased those thoughts as I have always thought about what was best for my kids.
The biggest lesson I have learned is that I am not aiming to to the perfect mom. Whoever thinks they are the perfect mom is striving to please others, to look good in front of the neighbors. My kids will not answer my question.." Am I the perfect mom?" kid 1: "I'm reading." kid 2 "hah, you can answer that."

I like not doing the dishes every now and then. I like sitting down and relaxing. I like reading my book. I like saying NO. I like saying Yes. I like saying I don't know. I like not pretending to be the perfect mom. It's less stress. I am only trying to teach my kids I will always be there for them and that I love them, not that I was the perfect mom. That would only be a medal around my neck, not theirs. 

Writing a Synopsis

One of the most important parts of sending in a manuscript is the synopsis. I am still editing. I have edited two times. I am on my third. It is exausting. I keep adding things and taking away and finding little mistakes. It is tedious. I feel like I may be able to move on to the next phase of getting ready to send in my cover letter (resume), synopsis, and manuscript.

This is a helpful website. I had wished I could see a successful synopsis and it is here. I am still just investigating all of the recommended sites, but so far, so good.
Tell me, are you writing? What brought you to this blog?
Click here
http://www.charlottedillon.com/synopsis.html

Tutoring over the Cell...

I have a past foster kid, (the one the book is based on) that is in second grade. He lives with his momma and  little brother. He is in Philadelphia and is reading at an emergent level, beginning first grade. Since the book is based around him, roughly, and I want him to be able to read it one day....I have started tutoring him over Tango! We do a lesson a day after school. He even told me that he doesn't have school on Saturday and Sunday so he can do a lesson on those days too! He is excited to learn and I have begun helping him with his homework. He calls and is ready to work and we can see each other like face-time, except it is over Tango. Not as good a connection, but it works.

He called yesterday and had homework and then we did the reading book. I use the

I have one here and I sent him one in the mail. It is nice for him to have something tangible that he calls his.  Someone told me about it in New Jersey and I have used it for all my kids. He started on lesson 49. He loves the stories and loves doing it. When he called to do his homework he didn't know what to do because he needed crayons for his homework (he didn't have any.) I told him to use a pencil to shade it in.

This could really turn into something. Think of all the kids that need help with their homework and their moms are working or do not know how to help them. Kids need help. It only takes 20-30 minutes a day and you are helping a kid who would have fallen drastically behind and then given up. There is so many uses for the technology we have. It wouldn't even have to be adults tutoring, it could be high school kids. What do they have to do besides texting on their phones after school. If they just took a little out of their day it could make the work more literate!  I will keep you posted how this turns out. 

Finished the Book!

I have been a little busy lately. I printed my book and sent it to a few recipients (mom, son, and nephew). I hope to hear back. Moms are so great. They are the best self esteem boosters and encourage you to do anything, even if it was to join a convent. (not quite.) I love the feed back she gives me and it is that last boost one needs to get the job done.

I look forward to sending it out to agents. It is scary and I still wish I had more on my resume. Building a Resume before writing would have been good advice, but I just didn't know about it until I was almost done and I couldn't stop writing!

I will still work on articles for magazines. One will be about my niece and her blind best friend. They are paired up in school and she helps him. They are in second grade, a really cute pair.

Writing and Illustrating Conference in Sandy Utah!

Yes, I am sooo excited that this is something I can go to. I look forward to going, but can not find out how to sign up?? Am I retarded? I don't know. If you figure it out let me know. Maybe I shouldn't be writing books if I can't figure this out. And if it hasn't opened up registration, do it already!!!
http://www.wifyr.com/
http://www.wifyr.com/

"Use-ta-be Mormons"

I have recently moved to Utah. Capitol of Mormons. That is not any big deal if you are one, but according to some people if you aren't a Mormon, you will be ostracized. Another term I will use here is Use-ta-bees. I can not tell you how many people I meet that will say, "I use-ta-be a Mormon."



Case #1
My neighbor that is not a Mormon, who is really nice, crosses the street to tell me:

"You are so lucky. I watch you talk to all the neighbors and you already have friend. I am really jealous of you. When I moved here it took so long to have what you have in just a week."

"Really?"

"I wasn't a Mormon, and so it just wasn't like that for me. You are really lucky."

"Well, that isn't how it is suppose to be. I am sorry."

"oh no, It's great now. It was just so bad then. I had my two little girls and they never had anything to do with me and I stayed home just like them."

"Well, I hope things are better now!"

"Oh, it's different now. My kids are grown. But it woulda been nice to have had friends when they were young. But, (points to a Mormon house) She is great. She is great and this is just a wonderful neighborhood."


Case #2 


This is a young man. He tells me he works at BYU, contracted.

Me: "oh, what is it like working at BYU?"

Young Man: "Oh, it's different. Everyone is Mormon."

Me: "ohhhh, yeah. That is one reason I was nervous about moving here."

Young man: "yeah, if your not one of them, you'll never fit in."

Me: "I'm Mormon. I have always heard about the "Utah Mormons" but so far so good.  Everyone seems not as bad as I expected.

Young Man: "Yeah, I use-to-be one. They never accepted me."

Me: "That isn't how it is suppose to be?"

Young man: "Ohhhh...they let you know if your not one of them."

He really shut down after I told him I was Mormon. The conversation died off real quick.

Case #3


I am in Costco. I am with my 4 year old daughter and we purchase a piece of pizza. When we go to find a seat there are none available. So,  I see a man sitting alone and ask if we may sit there. He gladly says that is fine. He is in his sixties, black leather jacket and appears half way normal (whatever)

Man: "I have been watching those twins. They are somethin' else."
He smiles at my daughter.

Me: "So are you going somewhere for Thanksgiving?" (It is the week of Thanksgiving.)

Man: "No. I have kids but they are all busy. How about you?"

Me: "We just moved here and are happy to finally be able to go to family's house for a Holiday."

Man: "Oh, where'd you move from?"

Me: "New Jersey."

Man: "Oh, I could tell you're not from around here. Because any other woman never would have sat by a man. Not a woman from Utah!"

Me: "Really?"

Man: "Oh, yeah. They are really strange here. They don't talk to men. There are a lot of Mormons here."

Me: "Oh, yeah. I have heard about the Mormons...."

Man: "Yeah, I use-ta-be one. You see the SUV with the sticker of all their kids...yeah that is how many kids they have. They are encouraged to have a lot of kids."

Me: "Oooohhhhh.....I have seen that. Its that right?"

Come to find out he doesn't talk to his kids any more. That is why he didn't have anywhere to go for the holiday. I don't know his whole story, but he seemed very down. He thought that Mormons were weird and different and he never knew that he was talking to a Mormon the whole time. Why didn't I tell him? Because I had met others that said, "I use-ta-be one" and they stopped talking. I wanted to see what the whole story was.

(on a side note to go with this one. My son started HS and on the first day he was sitting with a group of kids that were not Mormon and they said, "the Mormon girls won't talk to you unless your Mormon." It was matter of fact.)

Case #4

I met someone through my husband. She was really nice and just moved her from Vegas. She was fun to talk to and easily carried on a conversation. Then it turned to this: She has a friend that is not Mormon. Her friend moved to Spanish Fork, Utah and her kids were ostracized for not being Mormon. She then moved to American Fork, Utah and it isn't much different.

Girl: "Yeah, the Mormon men are traditional...they expect the woman to stay in the kitchen."

Me: (I had complained to her about my husband, so I really may have built her argument.) "Really...?"

Girl: "Yeah, they expect the woman to do everything. My friends husband just sits on the couch while she serves him. And (so and so) well...his wife rubs his feet when he gets home from work!"

Me: "Wow. Well, I guess I haven't said too much that can argue with that!" (BTW, I do not rub my husbands feet.)

Case #5

I went to get my massage, facial and manicure...that my son bought for me! The woman that did my nails was fun to talk to. She asked me what my son was doing after high school.

Me: "He'll go on a mission. Are you LDS (a Latter Day Saint/ Mormon)?"

Her: "Well...I use-ta-be one...I really don't go anymore. I married a non member."

Me: "Oh...why are there so many people is Utah that Use to be a Mormon?"

Her: Laugh "There are...I don't know? I just try to not be friends with any of them. I mean, I'll go once in a while. It's not bad. They just really are different?"

Me: "Yeah, the school here are a lot more clickish than other schools my kids have been to."

Her: "They shouldn't have a problem fitting in because they are Mormon." (insinuated that if they weren't they would have a problem.)

Me: "Not really. She actually doesn't hang out with any Mormons at school. She prefers the non-mormons."
         Not that we don't go. I really have a strong testimony of the things they teach and the programs are          
        wonderful for the kids. There is nothing negative taught. I am suprised thought. Utah Mormons are a
         lot more normal that I thought. (I mean it could have looked like FLDS! Nah, they have been great
        so far. The only thing I hate is when you meet someone that is not LDS, they think you are trying to
        convert them if you say HI!)

Her: "I joined when I was a kid. My neighbor use to take me to church all the time. My parent smoked and
        drank. That was why I joined. But now my husband isn't a member sooo... we just don't go."

We had a great open and honest conversation. I go back to get my toes done in a couple of weeks!

Case #6


I am at the Chiropractors office in a massage chair room. Three women. One in her twenties. One in her forties. and ME.


Between Me and Woman #2

-We moved her not to long ago."
-where from?
-NJ
-Do you like it?
-Surprisingly, yes.
-well, if you don't like it at your two year mark, get out!
-yeah, okay.
-you won't have a problem as long as your Mormon
-yeah, is it that bad. I mean we are Mormon, but I still think the school are clicky. My daughter doesn't want to be friends with some groups that are stuck up and mostly Mormon.
-Oh yeah, it is that bad. My daughters have been bullied out of two schools. I'll tell ya, I'd move if I could but we've been here so long. I use to have lots of Mormon friend, then as soon as they heard lies about my daughters they just quite talking to me, just like that. And we had been friends forever and they always said, "no we wouldn't do that to you, we will always be your friend.." and then just like that. They won't even say hi to me.

Woman #1 chimes  in:
- I am Mormon too. But the Utah Mormons are different. I am what you call a Minnesota Mormon. I imagine you (me) are a normal Mormon too because your from New Jersey. They are different.

Me: "I agree that there is that stereotypical Utah Mormon, but I would have to say my whole nieghborhood that is 50/50 is really great. Everyone is really nice.

( I am sure woman #2 is thinking : sure...because your Mormon.)
Look, there are a variety of people everywhere. But because you are a Mormon, you are expected to be nice. If you aren't it isn't because you had a bad day, or your still in your robe. It is because you are Mormon that you are not nice)

Case #7

This took place at my husband workplace. There are lots of Mormons and non-Mormon. Frankly, he has never worked with so many Mormons, so church conversation comes up more than usual. He and another Mormon were talking with a woman that was not a Mormon.

Woman: "Yeah, you Mormons tried to convert me the day I moved in!"

My Husbad: "What don't convert you mean?"

Other man: "Yeah?"

Woman: "They came over and helped me move in and we're all friendly."

My husband and other man: "So they were nice?" Doesn't mean they were converting you.

BTW: If a Mormon really wanted to convert you they would invite you over for dinner and have the missionaries over or simply hand you a Book of Mormon. I really do not know the type that try to convert a person the day they move in.

If your too nice, and your Mormon...then you are trying to convert them. If you are not nice enough, then you are ostracizing them. It sounds like a catch 22. 

 BTW Mormon's really aren't that bad. If you want to understand them more visit www.lds.org,  or  http://mormon.org/people

So, What do you think?

Why are there so many use-ta-bees?
Take note, Catholics just say I was raised catholic but I don't go? Everyone in Utah says, I use-to-be one?

And, are the younger Mormons in High School so snobby they bully kids?

I understand there are two sides to every story. Come on, tell my your story...

The Inuit Facts

Facts about Inuit Groups:

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com

There are eight main Inuit groups in Canada, the LABRADOR, UNGAVA, BAFFIN ISLAND, IGLULIK, CARIBOU,NETSILIK, COPPER and Western Arctic Inuit (see NATIVE PEOPLE, DEMOGRAPHY). The Western Arctic Inuit (or Inuvialuit) are recent immigrants, or their descendants, from Alaska, taking the place of the MACKENZIE INUIT, who were decimated by several smallpox and influenza EPIDEMICS at the turn of the century. The SADLERMIUT, in northwestern Hudson Bay, died out following contact early this century ( see NATIVE PEOPLE, HEALTH).

All of the Canadian Inuit speak one language, Inuktitut or Eskimo-Aleut, though there are six different dialects (see NATIVE PEOPLE, LANGUAGES). However, because of improved travel opportunities and the development of Inuit-language radio and TV programming, language differences are diminishing (see COMMUNICATIONS IN THE NORTH; NATIVE PEOPLE, COMMUNICATIONS). Traditionally, there was no written language, but after contact with missionaries, writing systems were widely adopted. Since 1920 the adult literacy rate has been almost 100%.

Ivalo Qumangaapik

Ivalo Qumangaapik, an elderly Inuit woman wearing thigh length women's kamik (boots) sits on her front step. Qaanaaq, Thule, Northwest Greenland. Stunning Photo Gifts From ArcticPhoto

Inuit hunters in their kayaks on a narwhal hunt in

Inuit hunters in their kayaks on a narwhal hunt in Inglefield Bredning. Thule, Northwest Greenland.. Stunning Photo Gifts From ArcticPhoto

August Eipe at his home in Qaanaaq with his wife Birthe

August Eipe at his home in Qaanaaq with his wife Birthe and their children Gideon & Jahanne. Thule, Northwest Greenland

Inuit boys play on a swing in the summertime at Qeqertat Inuit boys play on a swing in the summertime at Qeqertat. Thule, Northwest Greenland. Stunning Photo Gifts From ArcticPhoto

Best Sears Commercial

I really don't watch a lot of television, but once in a blue moon I will try to catch the morning news. This morning I saw this commercial. I love a good laugh out loud moment:

Debby Dahl Edwardson

Debby Dahl Edwardson is an author is far northern Alaska! I recently discovered her website and fell in love with her topic and motivation to write: Young Children of an aboriginal People the Iñupiat.

In all honesty I started studying the People of the Far North when it didn't fit my story for the North American Tribes to meet up with the Vikings. That was when I learned about the Inuit and have been studying them ever since. They are an interesting people and a very different culture. I think it has to be to be able to survive in their world. It is just that, like another world. And then again it isn't so different. They have the same problems we have, the same insecurities and joys of children. It is sometimes when we see the differences in people, that we realize we aren't so different. 

I used the Inuit in my story and had searched for books about them. I think that my husbands tribe, the White Mountain Apache, could relate to this story. The older generations were shipped off to BIA schools. Children need literature that is about their people!  

It frightens me that that people and publishers are saying that fiction is being taken out of schools. The core curriculum focuses on non-fiction. I asked my fifth grade son's teacher what books they would be reading in class and she said with the core curriculum there is no time to read fiction literature. I think it is up to the teacher to make time. I know that NJ has been following the core curriculum and they still found time to read wonderful fiction stories like, "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman, and "The Family Under the Bridge" by Natalie Savage Carlson. 

I just ordered her book, "MY NAME IS NOT EASY." 

BOOK REVIEW WILL BE POSTED...

This is from her website about the book. It was a National Book Award Finalist in 2011!

click here

"The elders say the earth has turned over seven times, pole to pole, north to south.

Freezing and thawing, freezing and thawing,
flipping over and tearing apart.
Changing everything.

We were there.
We were always there.
They say no one survived the ice age but they’re wrong.
There were seven ice ages and we survived.
We survived them all . . ."



"Debby Edwarson’s My Name is Not Easy brought me to tears as I remembered the loneliness and confusion I felt when I left my home and family in Arctic Alaska for boarding school thousands of miles away. This young adult novel evokes a time and place in the Alaska Native World that is important to remember, when far off governments and powerful institutions made decisions that began to change our world, challenging us to find new ways to survive. It is an excellent work of fiction with important truths to be remembered."

Ignorant Arizona Professor at ASU

Case and point: My nephew just went to the inaugration. This is his facebook post today:


"So my professor made a statement that offended me and of course the Apache in me called her out on it.... in front of the entire class.
 '
Your tribe can pay for the inauguration and phone, but not your books?'
First of all; I don't come from a tribe that gives handouts. Second, my tribe did not contribute to my trip. Finally, I pay for my phone"

I am amazed at how many people think that Natives get handed everything. Did she really think the tribe paid for his cell phone. She thought they should be paying for his books. Was she trying to say the tribe distributes it money incorrectly? And she could do it better?

I can't tell you how many times people say to me, "your kids are Native American...well they'll get a free ride."
It isn't like that. Natives still have to try. Get the grades and apply for scholarships just like the other minorities. Boy, that is an oxymoron, Native american and minority.

Infact, my daughter just told me that her teacher at the middle school in Utah said: "your Native, then you get all kinds of money."

blahahah...Where do these retarts get thier information. I have heard of a tribe in CA that gets a montly check. The facts are, it depends on the tribe. I can only speak for the White Mountain Apache and they DO NOT get a monthly check.

Here is another point along the lines of ignoramous people. Tucson AZ took thier Mexican-American studies away saying it was teaching race in the classrooms. Kids need to see themselves in thier studies, if they don't they won't pay attention.
click here for the CNN Story

Is Arizona Racist?

Like Sen. Helms, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also voted against a King holiday. And while U.S. Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) had opposed creation of the holiday in 1979, by 1983 he’d changed his mind.

Race problems are not as bad, just quietly justified?

If Bugers were Bad Thoughts...

Babies are taught how to get 'em,
Other kids eat 'em.
Adults are ashamed to pick 'em
old people dig for  'em,

It begins with dirt,
And then starts to grow,
Getting bigger and greener,
Some runny, some  puddy.

The nose is the entrance,
Sometimes we can dodge it
That thought goes to our brain,
And turns into bad logic.

Kids come from heaven,
And cleanin' it comes natural.
Then the kid feels the itch
They've got to get it, it's just factual.

Some little ones know the pointer,
Others are shown the perfect fit.
Mothers despise the missing joint,
And sometimes use their spit.

Kids show no shame,
Placin' those bad thoughts,
Right to their mouth for pain,
It's not sugar stirrin' in that pot.

By time the child is taught
It's not proper decorum,
He is like the rest of the adults
thinkin' he will just conform.

One exception is Hillary Clinton
She is one adult caught pickin'.
That can only mean one thing
She's got more then Bill Clinton.







The old man driving next to you
Was holding nothing back,
When he stuck his finger in,
You'd think he lost his tack.


If you have a lot you're told,
Don't let those bad thoughts test 'er.
I see no shame in babies and old,
Gettin' 'em before they fester!


Old and young you can get them,
You left your maker and headin' there.
In between, you've got to control em'
Just use a tissue, show you care.

10 Year old Rates Books 2013

I have a ten year old that is not as big of a reader as my others. But, he saw the other kids reading and has kept it up. I remember my 17 year old reading Captain Underpants when he was in third grade. Now, he is just busy doing homework.

Back to my 10 year old...His Numero Uno (Number one) series of all time is "Diary of a Wimpy Kid."


Thanks to Jeff Kinney. I am so happy that this silly, true to life can keep my 10 year olds attention in a technology age of X-box and I-pods! Truly, I am soooo happy!

I tried introducing him to Harry Potter.



 I introduced him to Micheal Vey, which is a fast pace book....


 

NO GO. He kindly told me after trying to read Michael Vey that it was confusing. I totally understand that. I can't stand confusing books. In fact, I just tried to read James Joyce and that was the hardest book I have tried to read in a long time!
So, I was in Costco and an author was doing a signing. I am a sucker for author signings. I bought it and turns out, it is his next favorite, next to Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
Cobble Cavern! By Eric Olsen


Thanks Erik Olsen for writing another exciting and non-confusing book for my 10 year old. We will be buying the second one.

Genre

Fiction
Non-Fiction
Flash Fiction
Flash Non-Fiction
Mystery
Realistic Fiction
Verse Novel
Fantasy








Name your Genre: I just learned about flash focus...There are so many!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever been cut down?

In order for a fruit tree to bear fruit it must be pruned. I moved into a house in New Jersey that had two beautiful apple trees. However, the apple trees had not been pruned in at least 20 years. The trees had become a sore sight with what appeared to be warts. It would bear apples, but they were all small and deformed.

The trees were nothing but a sore sight and a  nuisance.  In the fall time I cursed the apples my family and I would have to pick up, bags and bags of smashed bee infested apples. We would have some fun throwing the apples into the creek, but overall, it was not a well liked chore.  My kids paid the price many times with a bee sting. And the wood chucks got their fair share of small deformed apples. We tried making apple crisp with the few good apples it yielded. I would find the tiny edible apples, which was very few and have to cut out a bug or two. It was a fun try to a little dish of apple crisp.

If the trees had been pruned and cut down, they would have known their full potential. I talked to gardeners and they said they were too big to prune. I did cut one low branch and it started with little sprouts all over. It wanted to be an good apple tree. We ended up cutting down one of the trees and left the other.

 I went back to school and got a BA in English. I wanted to be a librarian, but it would have cost too much money to continue going to school. So, I loved kids and thought of teaching. I took the necessary classes in New Jersey for the alternate teaching degree. I finished and just needed to teach one year and I would have my teaching certificate. No jobs were available. Soon I had to move to New Mexico and there my teaching classes would not be accepted. I had to start over. I took a reading class and passed. Took my tests and passed. Then we had to move to Utah for my husbands job. There I left the possibility of having a teaching certificate. I have in the mean time, started writing. I frankly do not want to take the route of teaching and have changed my mind. If I had gotten the job in NJ and had my teaching degree, I am sure that is what I would be doing now. I am happy to be writing and look forward to someday, seeing my potential as a writer. I hope it doesn't turn out like the teaching degree!

 In life we get cut down like the apple tree. We get mad at why we had to be cut back and don't understand.  But We don't know our full potential. The master gardener does.

John Gogfrey Saxe

Sometimes we are all wrong, yet think we are all right because of personal experience!

Blind Men and the Elephant

poem by John Godfrey Saxe (1816–1887)

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
“God bless me! but the ElephantIs very like a wall!”

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, “Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!”

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a snake!

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
“What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain,” quoth he;
” ‘Tis clear enough the ElephantIs very like a tree!”

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: “E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!”

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
“I see,” quoth he, “the Elephant
Is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Moral

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

Pictures byG MIKE     POEM Borrowed from word focus

Setting for my YA Novel

How did I decide on the setting for my first YA novel?

I started by learning about the vikings and their routes. The vikings end up playing a small part in the book, but a major part. They traveled from Norway to Iceland and eventually Greenland. When I learned about Greenland I learned about the Thule people. The Thule are extinct, according to archaeologist  But the Inuit traveled across Alaska, Canada to Greenland. At the time they traveled there was all ice and so they easily accessed Greenland.

I am a bit infatuated with the meeting of Vikings and the Inuit. There is still debate as to if they met and what their meeting was like. There was a Viking coin found in Maine and there was a recent article in the National Geographic of some twine/ rope that was Viking found in Canadian Arctic. Patrica Sutherland wrote and article. click here for her article


I wanted the Vikings to meet. I wanted a love story. I wanted a mystery. And I wanted the story to be a mystery with a modern setting. Enter my main character: Derek.

My main Character lives in New Jersey. Why? Because that is where I lived when Derek came to life. He was inspired by a foster child I had from Liberia. Naturally, Derek is from Africa and has a necklace that was passed down through the generations beginning in Africa. He mother is from the Aken people and a little girl brought an amulet across the Sahara Salt Trade Route on a Zebra. She, like the rest of the Ancient Ghana people, later became the Aken people from Ghana. Derek's mom went to the U.S. around the time the Liberian's were fleeing their country. Grace, Derek's mom, is in America on her own and dies in a car crash. This is how Derek finds himself in the New Jersey foster care system.

Fellow Artist, HELP ME

This is an email I sent to Isuma TV because I have used and abused their website. I really want a person who knows and understands the Inuit because they are a large part of my book. I want the Inuit to like it and I want it to be real to life. I also post this on my blog so that I can see who I have harassed about reading my book! Come on Isuma TV!! Arnait Video Productions 5764 Monkland Avenue Suite 223 Montréal, Québec H4A 1E9 Canada tel: +1.514.486.0707 fax: +1.514.486.9851 Arnait Video Productions P.O Box 223 Igloolik, Nunavut X0A 0L0 Canada tel: +1.867.934.8809 fax: +1.867.934.8700 Jessica Ivins	9:50 AM (0 minutes ago)
to info info@arnaitvideo.ca

Hi,

I live in the US and have watched all of Isuma TV movies about the Inuit, plus many of the interviews! I have used them for research for my YA book.  I have read Jorn Riel's book, "Shipwreck" and look forward to his others. 

 I recently finished a YA book that has a mélange many exciting characters.  I need an established writer to read my book. I have queried to a few agents, to no avail,  and will be adamantly querying when I am done editing.   I would really like it to be endorsed by someone that knows about the Inuit because I want to know it is true to life or something that the Inuit would appreciate. My heart also go out to the Inuit with the changing culture and the youth. My husband is a Native American from the Apache tribe and I understand the reality of suicide with the young generations. It is around 60K words. A realistic fiction turns fantasy. I have a BA in English and  a mind to see many different viewpoints. I believe in my book and hope that it can reach the hands of youth all over the world. 

Please let me know if you would be interested or if you know a way to contact Jorn Riel. 

My blog is jessicaivinswrites.blogspot.com

Thank you in advance for your time,

Here is my response I received! (same day)!

Hello Jessica;

Congratulations on writing your book.

I do not feel at ease to give you an email for Jorn Riel; I know he has an agent somewhere in Danmark.
He is quite reclusive and I do not feel it is appropriate for me to do.  I will forward him your email and if he writes back to you, good!

I myself could eventually read your book but only in the next few monts; I am finishing a feature film and a documentary series and I have very little time to not only read, but take notes and react. I would like to be respectful of your work but I can not do this right now with my occupations.

I am sorry I can not help you more; I am certain someone will read it though because you are convincing. Is it a book about the INuit? I am not sure I understand. Good luck.

And here is my response!

Dear Marie-Hélène,

Thank you! and thank you for responding! I understand about Jorn Riel. Thank you for forwarding my information.

It is a book that involve the Inuit. I would love it if you had time to read it. I would love to have you read it

when you are done with your current work. I understand that you are busy. Ii is the young adult

genre I enjoy and hope that kids of all cultures can connect with this book.

There is a Scandinavian father that has to hide his son from evil in the year 1000AD. He travels 

to Greenland and then on to the new land (Northern Canada) where the Inuit reside. He leaves his baby with

 an amulet in the snow.  

An Inuk woman finds the baby and some of the Inuit are superstitious of the baby with red hair. 

He grows up and is one of the family when he feels the need to return to his land, Scandinavia. 

He leaves the amulet with his wife and son and tells them he will return. When he doesn't return

the Inuit that were superstitious spread the rumor that ones with red hair cause 

death. The family hides the amulet and hope that no more red heads are born. The family continues 

to pass down the amulet but when a baby is born with that tinge of redness, it brings up the past and he is 

looked at as a bad omen. 

But the amulet is not the only one on our Earth. There are two others. One was in Africa and is

now with an African foster child in New Jersey. He puts the pieces together all the while being diagnosed

with schizophrenia. He meets a Inuk man and they embark on a journey with Fiona, another foster child. 

With the beauty of the East Coast and the sublime feeling of freedom, these unlikely friends meet a foster Inuk

boy and a Inuk grandma that help them solve they mystery.  

Children's Book Buying Market

YA- More than half the consumers of books classified for young adults aren’t all that young. According to a new study, fully 55% of buyers of works that publishers designate for kids aged 12 to 17 -- known as YA books -- are 18 or older, with the largest segment aged 30 to 44, a group that alone accounted for 28% of YAsales

where I got this

this graph is 2011, two years old.

where I got this information

With this all said, it seems that the marketing is directed at the non-hispanics/ whites.
I would like to quote my 10 year old.
Me: Would you read a book about a black boy?"
Him: Yeah, black kids are cool!

There you have it.  Denzel and Will Smith can successfully pull off a wonderful box office hit because it is not just blacks going to see their movies. Just as it would not just be black reading a book about a black boy.

As for the Native American aspect of readership, it isn't even on the graph. But Sherman Alexie pulled off being a best selling author with his "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian". 

Grandma's Afternoon Dowry

I just submitted, via email, to SteppingStones. It is a children's picture book about Erman's mother's dowry. She was the last one in that generation to follow the tradition of the dowry. It is most important to remember it as a tradition that is past and to tell our children about it.

I will also submit it to Lee and Low, a multi-cultural, book publishing agent.

This book was done with the help of my wonderful husband. He helped out with the Apache words! and is very creative! Thanks Erman for your help.

And especially grateful to the time we had with his parents while we were in New Mexico.

My First Story in 2009

I wrote this story June 1, 2009. This was the first time I followed through with that urge to write that would not leave me. It is republished from my family blog. 

One spring day Cameron said, “Mommy, I wanna be a fire fighter.”
Cameron’s mom corrected him, “Say, I want to be.”
“Let’s go to the town fire station and see a real firefighter,” said his mom. Cameron was very excited. He waited, and waited until the day finally came.
Cameron and his family went to the fire station to see the fire trucks. It was a cool spring morning. He wore his fireman outfit: red snow pants with suspenders, his yellow rain boots, and black wool jacket. He felt like a fireman.
The firemen were kind and showed everyone the trucks and their gear. Cameron wanted a fire man hat. He learned about the hoses, the first aid gear, and the shooter. The shooter was the best part of the fire truck. It was only used on big fires. It is a powerful jet of water that could reach high and low.
Cameron was hanging on the fire trucks. He thought, this is better than a play jungle gym. He was jumping off the grated steps and hanging on the long door handles. He was jumping from fire truck to ladder truck…when suddenly, the fire alarm went “ whoooo whoooo whoooo whooo.” All the firemen came sliding down the pole. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight- firemen jumped into their boots and gear and onto the trucks. Cameron’s family quickly moved out of the firemen’s way. However, Cameron had climbed onto the next truck and had lost sight of his family. As he was hanging on the fire truck’s ladder he felt the engine roar and rumble and suddenly the firehouse doors opened. With in thirty seconds the fire truck were rushing out of the building with bright lights flashing, the horn beeping and Cameron was hanging on the back. Cameron was scared, but he held on tight. He started to feel like a real firefighter going to put the fire out.
When they arrived at the fire Cameron hopped off the ladder. He looked around at the hustle. Then a fireman handed him a hat and said, “Hey, you better get your fire hat on!” Cameron looked like a firefighter with his red suspenders, rain boots, wool jacket and now a real fire hat. Indeed, the firemen thought he was a firefighter. Although he was short, they did not hesitate because this was a three- alarm fire and they had called in the surrounding towns to help. Everyone figured he was from the other fire company.
“Take the shooter up top!” a fireman yelled.
“Sure” said Cameron. He had always wanted to aim the water at the fire.
The three story building was in flames. The shooter truck was parked in front ready to aim at the second floor. Cameron firmly stood his ground with his toes wiggling inside his yellow boots. Suddenly the handle began to shake and he could feel the water racing through the hose to the shooter. “Sssshhhhhh,” the water gushed out of the nozzle. Cameron used all his might to control the shooter at the fire.
The firefighters on the ground were using their hoses to help control the fire. After one hour and fifteen minutes the firefighter had control of the fire.
Cameron climbed down from the shooter truck. The fire was out and the people were safe. He felt proud.
Suddenly he heard his mom, “Cameron, Cameron, what happened?”
“Mom! I helped the fire men. I got to shoot the water high up in the air on to the fire!” said Cameron excitedly.
“Oh…sure Cameron, I am so proud of you,” said his mom in disbelief. “You need to stay next to me next time,” said his mom.
“Mommy,” said Cameron.
“Yes,” said his mom.
“I wanna to be an astronaut,”said Cameron eagerly.
His mom corrected him, “Say, I want to be an astronaut.”

Where is the Black Hero in Literature for Teens?

Disclaimer:
I am not suggesting there are race problems in America. In fact, we need to realize there is less racism than we think. Focus on the good. An interesting book on American view on race is :  Negrophilia: From Slave Block to Pedestal—America's Racial Obsession

I love literature. I love heroes and heroines. I once had a foster child that was two years old from Liberia. He was with us for two years. The one thing I wished he had was a black hero to look up to. At the time children had Harry Potter, Alex Rider, and most Super Heroes are Caucasian i.e. Spider-man, Thor, The Hulk. We need a black hero!

Our little boy stayed with us for two years and forever changed our lives and the way we look at the lives of others. I stay in touch with him and talk to his mother over the phone on Tango. She shares stories from Africa and shares that she misses Africa. She has been in the United States since about the age of 10 and still misses Africa! This surprises me because everyone wants to come to the United States, right? The United States isn't everything if you don't have help and support or family. She misses her family most of all. She said in Africa they help each other- in American we are expected to do everything by ourselves. This is hard for a single mother!

I now have a African American girl I have adopted. Her roots are in Louisiana and Cuba. The history of Cuba and blacks is very interesting and another story. But, her roots are now with us. And I want her to love herself for her differences i.e. kinky hair, brown skin, wide nose, full lips and a beautiful round bottom!
I don't want her to desire straight hair, fair skin, or less of her body. She is beautiful and I want her to love herself. I love every thing about her curled eyelashes to her brown toes.

The one thing literature is missing is a good black hero and/or heroine. My story did not begin with, "hmm...how can I have a black hero." It came about very naturally and I like it that way.  I started with my husbands roots, Native American. He is Apache, but I have chosen the Inuit of Greenland. The suicide rate is another story and I would like to work that into the novel. Greenland has the highest suicide rate in the world. I have heard once that you don't want to have one of each race in your story. Well, I have broke that rule. I have an African, an African American, Inuit, and a stuttering Caucasian. I love my story and know that others will too.

Our next generation is much more open about race and difference. Sometimes I feel that Caucasian families are taught to not look at color- color blindness. Instead, we should notice color and embrace it. We can't pretend we are all the same color. We are different and it is why we are beautiful. Having one of each character fits this generation because that is what is at school. There is more integration of races at school, they have friends of different colors and there should be one of each!

One other fact is that foster kids are an enigma to other kids. No one wants to say, "hey, I am a foster kid." We are afraid of what we do not know. Hopefully, other kids would not have such a stereotype for foster kids or fear them.

Statistics:
Foster kids facts

Every year, approximately 30,000 young people leave the foster care system without lifelong families – most at age 18.
There are more than 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system. 

Young adults aged 18 to 25 with serious psychological distress were less likely than other adults with serious psychological distress to have received mental health services: 29.4% of those aged 18 to 25; 47.2% of those aged 26 to 49, and 53.8% of those aged 50 or older with past year serious psychological distress received mental health services in the past year.

In fact, data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) show that between the ages of 8 and 9, the probability that a child will continue to wait in foster care exceeds the probability that the child will be adopted. Further, the number of children in this older age group is growing, now representing almost half of the children waiting to be adopted nationally.

New Jersey's facts of Children awaiting adoption: Mostly Black for the state of NJ.
click here

2011
Alaska Native / American Indian<.1
Asian 0.3
Black 47.7
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander<.1
Hispanic (of any race)18.3
White 24.6
Two or More Races 4.4
Unknown 4.5
Missing Data 0.0