On the Road Again: June - Part Two

June 1 -- Flew from LA to NY on Sunday. Not enough time to do anything but unpack, get a haircut...

And then we were off to Boston. Lively event at Pine Manor College hosted by the 5th graders at Ward Elementary School in Newton. Open to the public. Randy and Elliot came, too. Elliot said, "I'll always come with you for a talk -- but no more book signings. Waiting around for an hour and a half while you sign books isn't that much fun." I totally understand. Especially when you're 16 and starving. Especially when you got braces on your teeth that morning. (PS We had a great dinner but it wasn't until close to 9pm and it wasn't easy for Elliot to eat anything.)

(5th graders from the Ward School)

Spent an overnight on the Vineyard with Randy, Elliot, Larry. Got to see our beautiful peonies in bloom after all. Lilacs, too.

Then back to NY for a few days --
again, not enough time to connect with friends but we did manage a couple of meals with Mary and saw a great play August: Osage County.

Then it was off to Minneapolis. Many years ago I had a visit from a young woman, Karen Nelson, who drove cross country and stopped in to see me in Scotch Plains, NJ to explain the Kerlan Collection -- a library devoted to children's books. For years I've been sending manuscripts and papers to them on loan. Now, finally, I was going to see the collection. And it was impressive! Sorry to have missed Karen (Karen Nelson Hoyle) who was away but we did meet some of the library specialists who very kindly assisted me in my research.

I was hoping to find something for George Ella Lyon who is writing a book about Dick Jackson (my first and most extraordinary editor) and how he works his magic with his writers. Going through those boxes was like visiting my past. An emotional experience. Our time was limited so I got to see just a sample of what I'd sent over the years, going back to Margaret.

That night Minnesota Public Radio, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, and the Loft Literary Center, sponsored an event at the beautiful Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. It's Garrison Keillor's home base for A Prairie Home Companion. I love that show. It's also where they shot the movie version so I was pretty excited about appearing on stage there.


I was interviewed by Kerri Miller, who was warm, funny, and on top of everything. To listen to the show go to: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/16/midmorning2/


After, another book signing -- ending late -- you know what that means -- scrambled eggs and toast at a diner, my late night comfort food. Thanks everyone in Minneapolis, for making this a great event.

No time to write about politics. But I still hope to get out and work for Obama. Here's a picture of Amanda and Jim with our candidate, taken when Obama was in Albuquerque, giving a speech about women. And what a strong speech that was! Almost as strong as Amanda.


I promise to do a better job of keeping up-to-date over the summer. No deadlines -- that's reason enough to celebrate!

Happy Summer to all of you!
I'm trying to remember how it feels to relax. Will let you know...
Love,
Judy

On the Road Again : June - Part One

LA -- We left Key West on May 29, heading for the west coast and the biggest book convention of the year, BEA. If you have a book coming out in the fall, your publisher may ask you to attend. It's a way to introduce the fall list to the booksellers. Since Going, Going, Gone! will be published in September I was invited to speak at the Children's Book&Author breakfast in front of about 1200 booksellers and publishers (that was the expected audience, anyway).

I said Yes! because 30 years ago, at the first Children's Book&Author breakfast, the guest speakers were Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and me. I don't think anyone on this year's committee realized that and I didn't tell them because I have a priceless (to me) photo of that event taken by Jill Krementz and I decided to share it with the audience. I mean, we're talking 30 years ago! I wonder if anyone in this year's audience attended that breakfast? Do I even have to say what a thrill it was for me to appear with two of my heroes in Atlanta, May, 1978?


(This photo is copyright by Jill Krementz and may not be reproduced)

When I first began to write I wanted to be the next Dr. Seuss (to my left in photo). Everything I wrote was in rhyme -- very bad rhyme. Fortunately, I was taking a course at NYU in writing for young readers, and my teacher suggested (very gently) that I might want to try prose. Whew! Thank you, Lee Wyndham. And Maurice -- well, who doesn't love Maurice and his incredible work?

When that photo went up on two huge screens, one on each side of the dais and I told the audience (because I'm not sure they recognized us) who we were -- well, it was a magic moment for me. I think I forgot to tell them Elliot took that photo to his kindergarten class for sharing. All the kids knew about Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak. I doubt any of them had ever heard of me but Elliot got a lot of points for having his grandmother in the picture.

This Book&Author breakfast was very different -- instead of being the new girl on the block I was the grande dame (or something) sandwiched between a group of young(er) turks. Naughty boys all (or pretending to be naughty boys -- I'm not sure). First we had Jon Scieszka, the first national ambassador for young people's literature, warming up the audience. Then we had Eoin Colfer (Irish writer/comedian) introducing each of the three speakers in alphabetical order. First speaker was Sherman Alexie. I'd recently read his first YA book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. He was charming and told a poignant story about one of his fans. Then it was my turn. Then Neil Gaiman (black leather jacket, jeans, curly black hair) a sexy looking guy with a British accent. No wonder he had groupies lined up at his book signing afterward.

Here we are just before the Book&Author breakfast.

(to my left, Neil Gaiman, to my right, Eion Colfer, Sherman Alexie, John Scieszka)

In the world of children's books it felt very odd to be the only woman on stage. What was that all about? Or did the planners of the event think the audience would enjoy the guys more? Hmmm.... in 1978 it was the same thing, wasn't it? Either way, the early morning audience (we began at 8am) seemed to enjoy the raucous program. Maybe it woke them up. I know it woke me up -- it was freezing on the dais! I kept thinking about Neil's black leather jacket and wishing I'd had mine with me. But, okay -- I admit it was fun! When the audience is with you it feels really good.

On Saturday night Random House Children's books hosted a party for 300 guests at Dodger Stadium. I once saw a movie set in LA where two families were competing for most outlandish Bar Mitzvah of the year. One of them was to take place at Dodger Stadium. I couldn't help thinking about that movie during our party.

The nine Random House writers sat in the dugout and as Chip Gibson (head of RHCB) introduced us we ran out.


I was Judy,The Scooter, Blume.

Then each of us was escorted to a table under an umbrella to sign -- No, not our books -- but baseballs. Nine signatures on each baseball. The RH Team! Did I mention I was freezing? Never again will I go to LA without a leather jacket and boots.

Best part of the evening -- I asked Chip if I could use the loud speaker system to wish George a Happy Birthday. Wow!! Then everyone joined in, singing Happy Birthday to George. He handled it well.

June, Part Two to come...

Almost ...

It's been a hectic month but I've just sent in revisions on the 4th book in the Pain and Great One series and will be doing a catch up blog over the weekend. And there's a lot to catch up on!
xx Judy

May is Full of Promises

Key West --May was full of promises.

May 7 --Visited a 4th grade class at Poinciana School in Key West. The kids were well prepared with questions but there's always the unexpected when you visit with a class of 9-10 year olds and this time I got a marriage proposal. That's right -- first he professed his love for me, then he sent a girl from his table to give me a message -- he wanted to marry me. He understood that meant I'd have to divorce George but that was okay with him. George doesn't seem worried.



May 8,9 -- Gail Rosenblum, reporter from the Minneapolis StarTribune came to Key West, along with photographer Steve Rice, for a story to coincide with an event on June 12 at the FitzGerald Theater in St. Paul, sponsored by the StarTribune, the Loft, and Minnesota NPR.

Gail interviewed me at length. I think she knows more about my life and work than I do. Steve was also making a short video that will run on the paper's online site (info to come). Then we rushed off to tap class where Gail observed, and seem to genuinely enjoy, our group. Steve followed us with his video camera. Bruce (our teacher) put us through one of our best, and fastest moving classes. I thought we were going to drop by the end, but troopers that we are, we all made it to the end.

May 10 -- Today would be my mother's 104th birthday. She died twenty years ago. But there's still so much I'd like to talk with her about. So many questions I wish she could answer. She always wanted a great grandchild and she'd be thrilled to know Elliot, who's named for her. We always celebrated her birthday and Mother's Day together. Even after I became a mother, I thought of Mother's Day as her holiday.

Yesterday I received a package from Randy with a blue hoodie, perfect for the Vineyard. Holidays mean a lot to her and I feel sad that we're not together this year. I know we will be soon -- I'm speaking in the Boston area on June 6 and I'll stay with Randy and Elliot. Also spoke with Larry, Amanda, and Elliot. Sweet. I'm lucky!

May 13 -- Pub date for Cool Zone. Exciting! This is the second book, following Soupy Saturdays, in the Pain & the Great One series. Can't wait to hear from kids telling me what they think. There's a story about a bully on the school bus who finally gets what he deserves, another about losing a first tooth. All of the stories are about life in school.

May 14 - I'm working 7 days now, writing and revising Friend or Fiend, the 4th book in the Pain & Great One series. (The third, Going, Going, Gone! will be published in September.) Just today when I added up the pages of my manuscript I realized I have 15 too many. This is better than having 15 too few but it might mean cutting one story from Friend or Fiend. Or cutting down each one. My goal is to send it to my editor next weekend. That will leave me a couple of days to pack up here and prepare a talk for the Book&Author breakfast at BookExpo in LA on May 30th. (Update -- I cut one story out.)

Although I have to stay away from the political blogs for now (in order to concentrate on my book) things are looking good for my candidate, Barack Obama. I'll be holding my breath until it's official (see my April 1 blog on why I'm supporting his candidacy).

Have also been working on a Q&A intro to The Best American NonRequired Reading, an anthology edited by Dave Eggers. I'm a fan of Dave's and couldn't say No when he asked. Will I never learn?! This is a stressful time. I'm trying to take it one day at a time but time is running out.

I'm missing dogwood, lilac and peony season in the northeast.
I hope spring brings them to you -- or something equally fragrant and beautiful.
Love,
Judy

Alert -- 50 Free DVDs

Sheila the Great on DVD....
First 50 Teachers to Write Receive Free Copy!

May, 2008—Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great is finally available on DVD through Judy's website. This is Judy's favorite of any adaptation of her books. She hopes teachers and parents will enjoy it with their classes or at home. The DVD also features a discussion between Judy and her son, Larry, who directed the movie. If you're a teacher and would like a copy, send a message to Judy's Guest Book telling a bit about your class. The first 50 teachers to write (include your school's snail mail address) will be sent a DVD.

Where the Wild Things Are

Key West - No, I'm not talking about the democratic primary or John McCain though things are getting pretty wild. Every day it's something else. I'm still ardently supporting Barack Obama (see my post of April 1). And with the Indiana and North Carolina primaries looming I've been obsessed. If I weren't working on a tight deadline I'd be in one of those states right now. Instead, I have very different Wild Things (forgive me, Maurice) in mind this morning. Key West is a small city and we live close to our neighbors on small lots so I've been surprised, to say the least, by some of our recent visitors....

CHAPTER ONE
Iggy

Yes, this creature sometimes allows me to see him. Here he is at our outdoor dining table, right outside my study. Interesting, isn't he? So prehistoric!

I've been told that after iguanas eat they need to rest their bellies on a warm slab in order to digest. Concrete around a pool is a favorite choice on a sunny day. And once they've digested -- well, they're ready to poop. If you're lucky they'll let it out on the concrete, not in the pool (they love to swim). Not that I'm happy having to clean up iguana poo around the pool, but I'd be less happy if it landed in the water.

I know where "Iggy" lives. In a tree near the pool. And I know what he likes to eat. He's especially fond of a flowering vine climbing the wall outside my bedroom. I know he's got friends, too, because sometimes they congregate on the roof of our house. Not that I can resist watching when he's around but I've been warned he, like all iguanas, carry salmonella on their skin, so no touching!


CHAPTER TWO
Free Range

George parked the jeep at the post office in town and when he came back he found an egg on the seat. An egg! The post office is a favorite hang-out for local chickens. For those who don't know, chickens are protected in Key West. They're all over town. If I were a chicken I'd want to live here. So George found this egg in the jeep and knew it was unlikely that some passerby had dropped it there. This means while he was gone a chicken flew into the jeep (it's open) sat down, laid an egg, then left. George was pretty excited. He brought the egg home, refrigerated it, and meant to eat it right away. But by the time he got around to it a week had passed and without thinking he mixed it in with his scrambled eggs one Sunday morning. I kept waiting for something bad to happen. But nothing did. After all, it was truly an egg from a free range chicken.



CHAPTER THREE
Wolverine

We were awakened at 4:30 in the morning by screaming and splashing in the pool. Our bedroom is at one end of the pool and we sleep with the doors partly open. You know how it is when you're awakened from a deep sleep -- neither of us could figure out what was going on. But when we looked we saw what appeared to be two animals at the side of the pool, and another in it. They were screaming in distress. Pretty scary, actually. George ran for his camera but he's like one of those guys with a gun who keeps the gun locked in one place and the ammo locked in another. He finally managed to get his camera out of its zippered case but finding and attaching the flash was something else. Meantime, another of the animals either fell or jumped into the pool, trying to rescue the first. My initial reaction was, we have to save them! But at this point we didn't even knowwhat they were. By the time George got it together and stepped outside with his camera, the two who were poolside (by then only one was left struggling in the water) lumbered off, leaving just the one screaming swimmer.

When he finally made it out, George caught him on camera. Looks like he was in shock (the animal, not George). We put the picture up on the computer screen but it wasn't clear to us at 4:45am what it was. Wolverine? George asked. Do we have wolverines in Key West? We went online to check. No wolverines. But look at that face. Raccoons? Yes. there's a south Florida raccoon -- a smaller, blonder version of the kind we know so well from the northeast -- but these guys were neither smaller nor blonder. They were the real deal. If it hadn't been the wee hours I like to think we'd have spotted that striped tail from the get-go. Wet and bedraggled, here's our 4am swimmer!

All of this on a small, heavily populated island just 90 miles from Cuba.
xx Judy

Dancing Queen

Key West -- On Friday mornings I take a tap dancing class. My teacher, Bruce Moore, is the best! I come home singing and dancing every week. And Bobby Nesbitt is in my class! Bruce and Bobby are a talented duo who perform in Key West, sometimes together. Bobby is a piano man with a great voice. Bruce was a Broadway baby, who sings and dances. The rest of my class is a varied group -- everyone from grandmas, to brave guys who've always wanted to tap, to anyone who loves to dance and can get out of work from 11-noon.

Some learned to tap as kids and their feet have never forgotten. Some started last year when Bruce announced his class. I started when I moved from New Mexico to New York in the mid '80s and discovered a tap class over the local bagel shop. I was 45 at the time. Little did I know that Bob Audy was one of the best tap teachers in the city. I stood in the last row of the basic beginner class for the longest time, learning from those in front of me. For a couple of years I was obsessed. Forget about writing. Tap was all I wanted to do.

(Back in the day - 25 years ago!)

Many of the students were Broadway hopefuls. Some were preparing for auditions. I've never been in such good shape as I was then. I was determined to do double pull-backs for my 50th birthday, but I didn't make it. Oh well.
Growing up in Elizabeth, NJ, I took ballet lessons, starting in the baby class with Elsa Heilich. Miss Heilich (as we called her) wore beautiful outfits to teach. I remember her all in red with red ballet slippers. Her hair was pitch black (now that I think of it, probably dyed). There was piano music. We wore dotted swiss ballet dresses.

In 3rd and 4th grades, when I lived in Miami Beach, my mother found a dance/acrobatic studio. But it was nothing like Miss Heilich's. I was enrolled in a Saturday morning class. The star of our class wore a tutu and could do perfect cartwheels and backbends. She had toe slippers! I hated her. Okay, I didn't really hate her, I envied her. No matter how many times I practiced my cartwheels up and down the beach I never got both legs up straight.
That year we all saw Margaret O'Brien and Cyd Charise in The Unfinished Dance. The local shoe store claimed they had the actual slippers that Margaret wore in the movie. They held a contest -- I've written about this in Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself. The winner would get a free trip to Hollywood and maybe a screen test (my memory is vague here, confused between reality and what I wrote in the book). But of this I'm sure -- my fantasy was winning that contest. Alas, my feet were too narrow to fill out Margaret' s slippers. Big disappointment.

Back in New Jersey I wanted to take tap class but my mother considered tap vulgar. Jewish girls took ballet, others took tap. So I never learned.
Cut forward -- I stopped going to Bob Audy's tap classes after 5 years when he moved his studio to midtown and I realized my writing was suffering because my focus was on tapping. Soon George and I were coming to Key West for the winter. I always packed my tap shoes just in case. Once or twice I wore them to parties where I threatened to dance but never did.

And then, magically, Bruce Moore announced that he'd be giving tap classes! His classes remind me of Bob Audy's. Okay, there's no piano. And we're in a small room at the back of a gym (Body Zone South) in a strip mall . And sometimes there's a guy grunting on a mat on the floor. But none of that matters. Because we're dancing!

There's nothing like tapping to take you out of whatever else is going on in your life. For one hour you're thinking only of your feet, the beat, and the thrill of learning a new routine. Better yet, you're not thinking at all. It's just happening! Thanks, Bruce, for bringing tap to Key West!

Twenty-five years have past since my first tap class. But here I am with Bruce, doing a triple time step.