Book Fair by the Sea

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Aug 22, 2024 in Educators & Librarians, Events, Promotion | 0 comments

Lovely day last Saturday for the Camden Book Fair by the Sea. So great to hang out with Amy and Stephanie next to what has to be the prettiest library on earth!

Writer’s Block

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jul 25, 2024 in Writing Process | 0 comments

Is there anything worse? (Well, yes, plenty of things are worse…but writer’s block is pretty bad.)

I often hear people define writer’s block as not being able to come up with any ideas. But I find that I’m not actually bereft of ideas…it’s just that my critical, editor’s brain swoops in each time and declares each idea unworthy, dull, impossible, or idiotic before I can even get it down on paper.

What to do? Mostly, trust that unworthy, dull, impossible, and idiotic first drafts often turn out to be reasonably decent second drafts. Set a number of pages I need to finish before I can quit for the day, no matter how bad they are. And remember that I’m not trying to out-Shakespeare Shakespeare….I’m just trying to get to the end of the story I’m attempting to tell.

(It has witches, familiars, and poetry in it. I’m hoping it’s nowhere near as idiotic as it feels right now.)

Vacation

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jul 4, 2024 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Just back from a lovely (although very, very warm) vacation on St. John in the Virgin Islands. (I thought they must be named after Queen Elizabeth I, but no, they are actually named after St. Ursula and her eleven thousand virgins, in case you were wondering, as I was.) Trying to get my head back into the writing game…more next week!

Happy World Sea Turtle Day!

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jun 16, 2024 in Animals, Nonfiction, SERIES: Save the... | 0 comments

Celebrate with Save the…Turtles, and discover things like:

Which sea turtle is the largest turtle in the world? (The leatherback)

How do sea turtles navigate thousands of miles of open ocean to return to the beach where they were hatched? (We’re still figuring this out! But sunlight and the earth’s magnetic fields may play a role.)

How often does a sea turtle leave the water? (A female–just to lay her egg. A male–never after it reaches the water after hatching).

How can knocking down sandcastles, turning off lights, and reducing plastic waste help sea turtles? (Read the book to find out!)

Climb the Steeple of Old North Church

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jun 6, 2024 in American History, Nonfiction, PIcture Books | 0 comments

While I’m waiting to hear back from my editor on a collection of poems about Paul Revere’s ride, I thought I’d share this delightful resource I came across on during my research–a virtual tour of the steeple and bell tower of Old North Church. Follow the stairs and ladders up to the top and imagine yourself as Revere’s two friends (or maybe just one, the historical record is a bit on the skimpy side) toiling up the tallest point in Boston to light a pair of lanterns and let watchers in Charlestown know that the redcoats were leaving Boston over the Charles River…

Happy Book Birthday to Save the…Turtles!

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on May 30, 2024 in Animals, Nonfiction, SERIES: Save the... | 0 comments

It’s publication day for Save the…Turtles, the book that introduced me to the term “chelonian.” Meet Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise and the oldest living land animal…find out how turtles breathe through their butts (it’s true, they do)…and learn about the Wijsen sisters, teenage environmental activists. “Written in an engaging, easy-to-read style, this series works for both research and personal reading,” says Booklist.

A Summer Poem

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on May 23, 2024 in Animals, Poems | 0 comments

I’ve been working lately on a collection of poems united by themes of the natural world, the seasons, and clothing or textiles. Yep, clothes. Just a thing I’m playing with.

Since summer has arrived in Maine all in a rush (time to get the flannel sheets off the bed, I guess), I’m sharing one of my summer poems.