Addendum to last post

I meant to avoid lists or anything like them, but I did intend to mention in the last post that while I read many great books for young readers this decade, two really stuck it to me, made me feel like I needed to be a better writer and (I hope) nudged me in that [...]

Read Full Post »

Back in the Ooze

We’re nearly done with with the decade and we never decided what to call it. The oughts never took on. It makes us sound like Grandpa Simpson, you know. I myself will call them the 00s, pronounced “Ooze,” as in, “remember the ooze?” and “I spent most of the ooze in Minneapolis.” So the end of [...]

Read Full Post »

To People Googling "The Girl Who Threw Butterflies"

I’ve seen a lot of hits lately from people looking up book report info on Mick Cochrane’s excellent YA novel, The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, because I’ve written about it previously. For example, in the last few days I’ve seen multiple hits for “Setting of The Girl Who Threw Butterflies” and “Tone of The Girl [...]

Read Full Post »

2009 Year-End Prize Giveaway Bonanza!

It’s time for the second annual year-end prize giveaway bonanza™! Last year’s winner went on to publish a debut novel with two starred reviews, move uptown, and learn ballet.  What good fortune awaits this year winner, only time will tell, but so far every single winner of this honor has gone on to have extraordinary [...]

Read Full Post »

CLN Trivia Answer

I accidentally planted a clue to this one, without remembering I had a standing trivia question on the topic. The Christmas story by the creators of Frances the Badger is none other than my favorite Christmas story, Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. How much do I love this story, especially in Muppet form, I can’t begin [...]

Read Full Post »

We're back in your aggregator!

If you’ve been reading this blog through your aggregator, you (might) see a flurry of posts from me today, after a 3-week seeming absence. It seems like my rebuilt (and hopefully more spam-free) blog was blocking Google Reader and other aggregators like Feedburner, probably due to overzealous security installs on my part. This has been [...]

Read Full Post »

CLN Trivia for December 25

What holiday fable was adapted for the stage as a musical by Mel Marvin and Timothy Mason? Answer by January 8 to win. (Enter Here)

Read Full Post »

Trudi the Christmas Hedgehog: A Bonus Holiday Story

My wife bought me a stuffed hedgehog for Christmas, which I received early. Her name is Trudi. When a friend and fellow writer suggested that my picture book career would now commence, I quickly composed the following story, which is sure to be a timeless classic with songs, TV specials, and other treatments. Why, I’m convinced [...]

Read Full Post »

QNABS: Favorite Holiday Movie

Questions nobody asks but should: What’s your favorite holiday movie? Of course the answer to this is usually going to be a Christmas movie. How many other holidays have movies? Especially ones that aren’t of the mad slasher genre? The answer is, practically none. For me the answer is not exactly a movie, but a [...]

Read Full Post »

Awessssssome Snake photos (and a bonus owl)

A reader alerted me to this very cool gallery of snake photos. And by “a reader,” I mean, “my wife.” http://www.thisblogrules.com/2009/12/amazing-photographs-of-snakes-like_16.html She also directed me to this video, which she found via the same neatorama blog. This is one of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with [...]

Read Full Post »