Best Question
Mella also does not suffer fools gladly.
Best question I’ve been asked during a school visit this year: If you were a character in one of your books, which one would you be?
Hmmmmm…. I had to give this some thought. My first reaction was Kata, from Deadly Flowers and Deadly Wish, because who would not want to be a deadly female ninja? But Kata’s life is very difficult. I’m not sure I actually want to live like that. In the end I said Marty, from the Secrets of the Seven series, since she is a) brilliant and b) rich. But after thinking it over, I’m leaning toward Mella from Dragon’s Egg. Because I want my own herd of small pet dragons. Yep.
Read MoreChenery Book Festival
Here I am with my fellow festival-ites! Ammi-Joan Paquette, on left, specifically requested that we not mention how she is holding her book upside down and backwards….so I won’t.
Had a lovely time yesterday at the Chenery Book Festival in Belmont, MA, where the dogwoods are blooming. The only drawback was that so many kids and parents wanted to drop by to talk about books that I didn’t get enough of a chance to hobnob with my fellow authors!
This reader didn’t want her face to show in the photo. But how cool to meet a reader whose shirt matches your book!
I did have some happy chat with poet Teresa Millstein (you know how some poets just look like they’re poets? She’s one of those) and novelist Tara Sullivan (I took home her remarkable and harrowing The Bitter Side of Sweet.) This fabulous festival held at Chenery Middle School and organized by super librarian Karen Duff (seriously, where’s her cape?) gets better every year!
Where Do Your Ideas Come From?
A Young Girl Reading, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, c. 1776
For some reason a lot of writers hate this question. I’m not sure why. Myself, I don’t mind it. I can usually track down where my idea for a particular book came from. (Dragon’s Egg came from a conversation with my nephew, Cub’s Big World came from the moment I learned that polar bear cubs are born in snow dens and don’t see the outside world until they’re a few months old).
But for everyday purposes I have a short and simple answer: From other people’s books.
I don’t mean copying, I don’t mean stealing (Who was it who said that if you steal, always do it from at least three different sources and call it research?); I mean inspiration. If I stopped reading tomorrow, I’d stop writing next week. Filling myself up with stories, characters, settings, facts, and discoveries is the only way to allow my subconscious to come up with new ideas of my own. The trouble is, it’s been tough finding enough time for the last several years to read as much as I’d like to.
So I am declaring a summer sabbatical. For a good part of the month of August, I am not going to write; I am going to read. Award winners, classics, new and popular stuff that I haven’t kept up with, books people recommend or books that just catch my eye. Anything you think I shouldn’t miss? Please let me know.
Read MoreSarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Readers will treasure the blossoming friendship between opposites in this whimsically illustrated tale. Short chapters and plenty of action make for an accessible and appealing reading experience. . . . Touching and inspiring.”
—Kirkus Reviews