mountain goats at 3:00 am

You know how some authors talk about waking up in the middle of the night with an amazing idea?

Not me.  Not ever.  

When I go to sleep, I sleep.  When I wake up, it's morning.

But last night I mis-set my alarm for 3:00 am.  (I have no idea how I managed to do that.)  Anyway, it was on vibrate so I must have gradually reached consciousness...and when my brain was awake enough to think in words, it kicked back to the impossible mountain goat poem I was working on for Four Famous Faces.  And somehow, it sorted itself out! 

No, I didn't scribble the idea down.  (I can't even find my shoes in my bedroom, much less a pen and paper!)  But I reset the alarm for 5:00 (good grief!), slept a bit, and began my day.  I sent the revision to Debbie (my editor) at 7:45, and things seem to be good to go.

Good news, right?  Yeah, but now I'm so tired I can hardly see straight.  As Dad would say, "Ohhhhh, you can't fly with the owls at night, and soar with the eagles in the daytime!"

The whirlwind begins...

I should have known better than to say that the whirlwind had stopped! 

I pushed the publish button of my last post...and then the phone rang.  It was Becky from Parkston.  "Can I have you tomorrow?"  (i.e. "Can you sub????")

My answer?

"Yes!" 

Here's a secret.  I like to sub.  It's a challenge -- an enormous challenge.  After all, I can't "plan."  I have to jump in with two feet and pray.  But it separates me from my perfectionist tendencies and forces me to realize that I can't control the world with pre-planning. 

Besides that, I really like the kids and the school and the teachers.

It's one thing to come in as an author (like I've been doing throughout South Dakota and Kansas for the last month).  But it's entirely different to be in the trenches. 

Kansas recap

Okay, the whirlwind has stopped for the time being.

But first, a recap on the Kansas whirlwind.  After the Franklin County Lit Festival on Wednesday, I had a relaxing supper with my parents. On Thursday morning I headed to Bethany Home to speak to residents.  On Thursday afternoon, I headed straight to VisionTech (Lindsborg's charter school) for help getting nonfiction samples together on a pdf for my agent, Alexandra Penfold.

Then Friday.  Wow!  In the morning, I spoke to students at Marquette Elementary School, one of the best schools in Kansas (which unfortunately is closing after this year).  In the afternoon, I spoke at Soderstrom Elementary to the third and fourth graders. 

It could have been disaster.  (A gym full of kids in the last hour of the day before dismissal for spring break. Ack!!!)  But the students were inquisitive and attentive. Phew!

And yes, it was amazing to see the kids of friends I went to school with...and to be standing in the "old gym" -- the same gym still packed with memories.

Franklin County Literature Festival

This Wednesday found me in Ottawa, Kansas, at the Franklin County Literature Festival.

What an honor!  I spoke here several years ago and was thrilled to be invited back again.  As usual, the organization of the event was top-notch.  I can't say enough about Vickie, Linda, and the others who work together with the community to bring authors and students together.

It was also great to see familiar faces from years ago (maybe even decades ago???), including Mary Casanova (who first encouraged me with If I Had a Snowplow in 1996) and Dandi Daily Mackall (who I met at Chautauqua in 1996 or 1997).  And I even got to meet Robert Burleigh, whose work I have admired for years.

Now I'm back in Lindsborg at my parents' house.  For the last three weeks, I've been on the road more than I've been off...and it's time for a good night's sleep.  Tomorrow morning I'm speaking again, this time to a small group at Bethany Home.

A Week in Sturgis (not the Rally!)

When most people think of Sturgis, they think of motorcycles. 

Not me.  I'm spending the week at the elementary school in Sturgis as an artist-in-residence.  Today was an especially good day. 

The kindergartners and first-graders are using the pattern in If I Had a Snowplow to write their own poems. ("If I had a dump truck, you know what I'd do? I'd deliver beef Chinese noodles, just for you!")

The second- and third-graders are looking at my rough drafts of The Girl Who Struck Out Babe Ruth and beginning to learn how to revise using the technique of substitution.

The fourth- and fifth-graders are getting a sneak peak at my newest book (Four Famous Faces), due to be released in May 2014.  I'm giving them the opportunity to write some of the animal poems.  Be on the lookout for the bat rap from the fifth-graders!

And then...

At the end of the day, a teacher brought me a note addressed to "Jan or something."  Inside, this is what it said:

"Dear Jan or something, I Do not know your name but you are the Best elastrater ever You are Awesome.  Love, ---   To Jan or Something have a happy time and keep Righting OK your Books are great Keep Righting."

I think I may enlarge this to poster size (even though I'm not Jan or an elastrater!)