October 2006 Archives

This morning, I drove out to Barriere to talk to the grade five students. The session was pretty fun, especially since almost everyone was in Halloween costume. My apologies to the boy who I thought was a vampire. I didn't notice the shirt that said Darth Vader until the end of the session. I was so thrilled to hear all the stories about troublesome pets, and I hope that the students will take inspiration from my session and write their own tales of woe about their cats.

I'm in Abbotsford now and enjoying the mild weather. No snow! Yay!

Well, this is my second day in Kamloops, and boy has it been fun. I spent the morning with the grades 4 - 7 students at McGowan Park Elementary. The kids in grade four were really interested in the Line that divided the French from the English. Thanks for all your great questions. The older students were part of my voice demo, and for some reason I couldn't get Mr. Florence's name right. Did I get the principal's name right this time? I hope so.

In the afternoon, I spent time at the North shore library, talking to some students as well as some adults. The session was pretty fun, especially the demo with the lost dog that had rabies. That was the first time that I nearly lost it. The students were hilarious. Thanks to everyone for making my day of presentations so fun.

If you're looking for copies of the books, go to Bookland. The store just opened and it's right across the street from the North Shore Library. They have tons of copies in.

Okay, here I am and kissing terra firma. Oh man, I do not like flying when there are crosswinds. But the good news is that there is no snow on the ground. Ha, ha! I love leaving the city when there's snow on the ground. Maybe the snow will melt by the time I get back to the city. Okay, I have to prepare for my sessions tomorrow. I'm looking forward to working the students at McGowan Elementary on story ideas and voices.

Great way to end the week. Today, I found out that The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul has been nominated for the Golden Eagle Children's Choice Award, a reader's choice award that takes place in the southern district of Alberta (around Claresholm). Ten Alberta books will be on the list for young readers (between grade 4 and grade 8) to read and pick their favourite. The grand announcement will be made April 4, 2007. I can't wait to see which other authors made the list.

Today, my Edmonton Journal article on my fear of mice came out. The photo is hilarious. A mouse perches on my shoulder while I freak out. He looks so cute that if I wasn't so scared of mice I might have kept him. But I think my cats would have had a field day with the poor fella. Anyway, seeing the article made my week. Now I have to get cracking on my next article, which will be very timely for flu season.

My publisher and I came to an agreement about the third book. I couldn't finish my revisions in time for their 2007 catalogue. As much as I wanted to have my third book out next year, I knew that I wouldn't have enough time to get it right. My publisher told me to take the extra time to polish the draft. I'm a bit down about not making the cut, but I'd rather have a manuscript that I like and that I'm proud of than to have another book out in 2007. This was a tough decision for both of us to make but in the end it's the right decision.

After a long drive, I'm happy to be home. I finished four sessions at Strathcona-Tweesmuir School near Okotoks. Wow! This is the dream school that I wished I could have attended when I was a student. I knew this was a cool school when I saw the comfy chairs in the hallway and the impressive alcove leading into the library. I almost thought I was walking on to a college campus.

My first three presentations were geared to high school students, and I was able to talk about Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl. It's been a while since I had to talk about the play, but I was thrilled to hear the students reaction to the script. One student asked about the use of stereotypes. I thought his question was very thoughtful. Another student wanted to know my parents' reaction to the play. Aiya!

The practical demonstrations were a lot of fun. I'm not sure why we started talking about seeing calves, but I'm sure the producers of Entourage are thrilled that their comedy bit is now a part of the pop culture vernacular. The day ended with grade nine drama students. They seemed keen to see The Bone House. One girl brought up a good point that she probably wouldn't be scared during the performance because I told her all the tricks in the blackout. This makes me think that I have to change up the blackout effects for the people who saw the show the first time around. Anyway, I'm excited to try to get the play back on its feet and maybe tour it to the Calgary area.

I had an awesome time at the school. My thanks for the book, the great coffee mug and the pen. But now I'm starting to run out of steam. Off to bed and then another reading first thing in the morning.

This weekend was a marathon of DVD watching. The Break Up was a somewhat depressing flick that was promoted as a goofy comedy. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I knew it was going to be darker in tone. Still, I think Vince Vaughn is a very funny actor. I skimmed through X-Men 3. Even at fast forward, this movie was boring. Thankfully, United 93 saved my movie watching experience. Wow! It's a disturbing film that brought me all the way back to 9/11. On that day, all the focus was on the WTC, and very little was devoted to the passengers of United 93, who stopped the plane from crashing into the White House. To lighten things up, I watched the satire Thank You For Smoking. Very funny flick, but very dark. Next time out, I think I'll grab something a little lighter in tone.

Thank goodness it's Friday. I am exhausted. Readings across the province have worn me out. I have very little time to recharge this weekend before I hit the road for Neerlandia and Okotoks. I was hoping to take a little down time, but all the work that's been piling up on my desk while I'm visiting schools is now screaming at me. I have to clear my baskets and catch up on a bunch of paperwork. Plus, I have to write an article about hypochondria. I think I may have to e-mail my publisher and tell him that there will be a delay on the delivery of my first draft of the third book. I don't want to send something that isn't ready. Someone, send in the clones! I need at least three of them this weekend to help me get my work done.

Anyway, today, I visited some students from Norwood at the Sprucewood Branch. The small group was very attentive, and I think they were all pretty excited to read both the books. Afterward, I went to St. Basil school to talk to the grades 4 - 6 students. The principal informed me that St. Basil was the only Polish bilingual school in the province. Very cool. The kids were pretty excited. At times, they were more interested in asking questions than hearing about the books. I always think it's a good sign when there are lots of questions, because it means the audience is interested.

Okay, I've got to get some sleep now. If you don't see a blog entry in the next few days it just means I can't get to a computer. To the lurkers on my site, have a great weekend!!!

Okay, so I've finally come to terms with my middle-agedness. A few years ago, I could easily do a day's worth of meetings, followed by an evening of writing, and then start all over first thing the next day. Now, I find myself completely exhausted after a day of touring. I visited the Camrose high school today and talked to grade 10 students all day long. They didn't ask a lot of questions, but they seemed to like the demonstrations. I was pleased to meet many of the teachers who had remembered me from my CBC days. Very cool to know that after six years I'm still remembered.

Anyway, I came home for supper, then I ran out to a board meeting. Now I'm trying to sort out what I need to get ready for tomorrow's presentation. I can't even think about the revisions to my book or how the heck I'm going to write my next Edmonton Journal article before I hit the road again. Ugh, all I want to do is crash and sleep for a week. Maybe I need to pace myself better. Does someone have the map to the fountain of youth?

My fear of mice article is scheduled to run in the Journal on October 27. Today, I had to go into the studio to take a shot with a mouse. Talk about confronting my worst fears. At first, I had to hold the tiny rodent in the palm of my hands. My editor did not inspire confidence when she said the mouse had just peed on her hand. But I knew I had to suck up the courage to do the photo. I cupped my palms and put the tiny thing in my hand. The first few shots freaked out the mouse and he started to crawl up my sleeve and on to my shoulder. I didn't have to act very hard to look scared. The photographer and the editor laughed and laughed. The mouse was very photogenic, and my reactions to the furry beast were priceless. I can't wait to see which shot the paper goes with. If I have to reshoot, forget it. I want a stuffed mouse.

What a wild way to end a very wild day. I did four different presentations at Graminia School. The students ranged in age from 5 to 15. One of the coolest questions I heard was someone asking me if I was a vegetarian. I'm not sure why the boy asked the question, but it definitely ranks right up there as one of the questions that I'd never expect to be asked. Anyway, I hope the students enjoyed the sessions.

Today, I talked to the students at Graminia School. I started off with a storytelling session for K-2 students. They were very well behaved, and I'm sorry that I didn't have more time to get to their questions. Maybe next time I'm at their school. My second session was for the grades 4 and 5 students. They seemed keen on The Mystery of the Frozen Brains, and some of the teachers were cringing when I told the story about the corduroy pants. I'm back at the school tomorrow to talk to the junior high students, the grade three kids and the grade six students. It's going to be a full day, but I'm looking forward to it.

This afternoon, I visited some students from Archbiship MacNeil School. The kids were awesome. Everyone was curious about Max and Buddy. In one session, some kids suggested that I have tracking devices so I could find my stolen pens. That's a very cool idea. I never thought of it.

The kids walked over from their school and they were pretty chilly. I hope that they enjoyed the session. Some of the teachers looked like they had to wear corduroy pants in their youth, because they were nodding along when I was telling my clothes shopping story. One teacher looked extra fidgety. I'm not sure if she liked my stories or if she had ants in her pants. The kids were cool, and I hope they get a chance to come out to the South Point Chapters on October 28.

This morning, I had the treat of talking to various students from the Sherwood Park area at the Strathcona Library. I did two sessions for about 100 kids each. There were tons of awesome questions. Everyone wants me to write the Buddy and Max story right away, and as soon as I find time, I will.

There was a bit of a mix-up with the books that I sold. One boy who had a sister with the same name as one of the girls who bought a book thought the book must have been for his family. I'm sorry to the girl who didn't get her copy right away. And to the young man who ended up with the copy of the book, I hope that your sister isn't too confused when you give her the book. I hope everyone enjoyed the sessions.

What a wonderful day. I had a morning session at Braeside Elementary for the grades 3 - 6. The kids and the teachers were awesome. The kids were very curious about my cats, and I was so happy to hear them share stories about their own pets. I think the coolest thing about stories is that they help people think about their own experiences. I was thrilled that the kids wanted to share their own stories. I was even more thrilled at how creative they were. We did a mini-writing workshop and the kids came up with a short story about a boy and his pooping bird. All the students had a hand in coming up with ideas and I had two very good volunteers to act out the story. Big time thanks to Braeside for being such an awesome audience.

In the afternoon, I did a session with David Poulsen, an incredible writer and a great storyteller. He had so many great tales to share with everyone. I had heard so much about him before the event and I was so glad that he lived up to all my expectations. I can't wait to pick up his Salt and Pepper Chronicles series. The audiences were grades five and six, but I didn't find out what schools they came from, so I'm sorry that I can't mention your school names. If you were at today's session, leave a comment and I'll say hi to you all. The students in the afternoon session were very cool. I only wished that we had enough time to autograph everyone's bookmarks and programs. I signed some and left them with the Wordfest co-ordinator. She said she'd forward them to the students who had to leave early.

I haven't had much of a chance to explore Calgary while I'm here because of all my readings, but I did get a chance to meet the artistic director at Vertigo Theatre. He's a very cool guy with a beautiful golden retriever. He programs mysteries and thrillers for his theatre and I hope that I might be able to write a play for his company some day. Hmm, that means I have to find time to write something else on top of the book about Buddy and Max, and the next instalment of the Mystery series, and my grandmother's story, and The Forbidden Phoenix, and my Edmonton Journal articles... oh boy, this is going to be a busy winter.

Anyway, a big thanks to the Wordfest volunteers and staff. They've made my festival a real treat. Also, a shout out to Canada Safeway for helping to support Book Rapport at Wordfest. This festival is huge (over 70 writers) and it needs a lot of support from the community. I'm thrilled to see the corporate community like Safeway and Calgary First Savings and Altalink (and many others) show their commitment to literacy for young people.

Okay, one more session tomorrow morning, and that it's back to Edmonton. Hopefully, the snow will stay away for the drive. Brrrrrr!!!

A big shout out to the students of the Calgary Islamic School and Louis Riel School. They were in the audience at this morning's session, and boy were they great. If there were students from other schools, let me know in the comments section. I thought everyone was awesome.

Natale Ghent kicked off the presentation with a slideshow of 1970s icons, and I was instantly transported to my childhood. Her book, No Small Things, sounded so cool that I bought a copy after the session. She definitely rocked. She was funny and really engaging. I could have listened to her for the whole session.

When I got on stage, I kept thinking that the students were going to be disappointed because I didn't have any slides, but they were a great audience. They laughed at almost all of my jokes and they seemed keen to see a book about Buddy and Max. My question to everyone is should I write about Buddy or should I write about Max?

Anyway, the book signing afterward was so swamped that I didn't finish until 12:45, which made me a half hour late for my call. I had barely a half hour to get across Calgary to my next presentation. There a few frantic messages on my answering machine from the artistic producer, wondering where the heck I was. I think people figured it out when they saw the crowd of kids around Natale and me during our book signing.

Thankfully, I made to to my next session (Janet Johnstone Elementary) just in the nick of time. Two representatives from Calgary First Savings (the session sponsors) were on hand to watch me talk to the kids. I have to say that this bunch of grade four students were the most enthusiastic I had ever seen. Their teacher had read almost all of the book to the students before I showed up and I had only a few pages to read. I told the kids about my cats and about the first book, The Mystery of the Frozen Brains. They had some pretty cool questions, but the thing that I will remember forever is seeing a pair of green corduroy pants in the classroom. I even tried them on, and they fit.

Anyway, thanks to the kids from Calgary Islamic, Louis Riel and Janet Johnstone. You rock! Leave me a comment and say hi.

Today, I arrived in Calgary and attended the Word Feast fundraising dinner. I met some very nice people who were parents of one of the festival organizers, a writer from Australia and the famous Hazel Hutchins. I also got to see my two favourite playwrights, Clem Martini and Dennis Foon. There were so many playwrights in the room, I almost thought I was at a play opening rather than the kick off to a writers' festival. It was fabulous.

I was thrilled to meet a couple who were keen to hear about my childhood experiences and how they influenced my books. I'm sorry we didn't have more time to chat. One of these days I'll learn to master the art of conversation at a dinner table. How do you talk to everyone without shouting across the table or carrying your plate around? Next time, I'll figure it out.

The coolest thing is that I ran into one of the One Yellow Rabbit folks, and she invited me to their open rehearsal tomorrow. Apparently, they don't mind people dropping in to see what they're working on. Very cool and talented theatre folks who are theatre icons in Calgary and the rest of the country. I'm going to swing by on my lunch break.

Anyway, the festival is off to a wonderful start and I can't wait to get to my first session tomorrow morning.

I'm now at a computer at St. Andrew's School. My report of yesterday's session at the High Prairie Library is that it was a great success. The kids were great. I was so happy to hear their laughter and their questions. The librarian pointed out an art project that someone had created. It looked very cool. Thanks for the hospitality.

This morning, I did a session for the grades 4 and 5 students. They were awesome. They had already read some of the books and so I actually had a chance to turn the session into a writing workshop. The kids had great ideas and some were awesome actors. Now I'm on a break. I finish up the day with a presentation on China for the grade six students. Okay, that's all for my road trip. I'll be back in Edmonton in a few hours.

To all the wonderful staff and students I've met, thank you so much for being great audiences. I hope to see you all again next year!

Well, I'm sitting at a computer at the High Prairie Library as I get ready to do the last session of the day. Yesterday, I talked to some adults and kids at the Slave Lake Municipal Library. Lots of good questions, especially about how to get published. I was thrilled to meet Jacquie Guest, another Y/A author. She was in town doing a reading and came out to see me. I hope I get to see her presentation sometime in the future.

This morning I visited St. Mary of the Lake School and the Kinuso Municipal Library. The coolest thing about the readings was a met someone who lived in Morinville. I didn't remember her, but I remembered her brother. She was a teacher at St. Mary of the Lake. St. Mary was very cool because the students took the time to make their own titles for future books in my series. Thanks for the great ideas!

Kinuso was interesting because I met a teacher who was a CBC listener and he remembered my Dim Sum Diaries. The kids wondered about my age and that was a lot of fun.

Okay, now I have to go talk to the kids in High Prairie.

Day 3 of the Peace Region tour. The morning began with a gymnasium session for grades 6 - 9. The staff were great and I think I might have given the librarian a small heart attack when I told the risque origin story of The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul. The kids seemed to be attentive, but I always worry about gym settings because the floor is not the most comfortable place to sit for an hour. I was pleased to meet a fellow who claimed to be related to Jackie Chan. I thought the family resemblance was very close. Not! He was hilarious.

In the afternoon, I had a short session for the elementary kids at Smith School. They were eager to hear stories and we played a guessing game about my age. I was as young as 3 and as old as 45. Hmm, which one is the compliment? Anyway, I had a hoot with the kids and I hope they pick up the books and give them a read.

On a side note, my host and I stopped at Needful Things for lunch. The restaurant was an antique store as well. I felt a bit worried sitting at tables that could be sold for hundreds of dollars, but I forgot all about the antiques when I saw the fresh-baked bread. Nothing tops a grilled cheese sandwich on fresh bread. MMMMM.

This morning, I had the privilege of visiting some grade four students in Wabasca. My apologies for the scheduling problems. The students expected me at 9:00 am and my host and I thought we were on at 10:00 am. I'm sorry that the kids walked all the way to the library and back for nothing, but I'm glad that I was able to see them at 10:00 am in their school.

I hope they enjoyed the session. I had a lot of questions about where I was from. I don't know if a lot of Chinese people get up to Wabasca. Yes, I am Chinese. And as everyone heard in the session, I do not know kung fu. I had a blast talking to the kids and I hope they all get a chance to use "aiya" at some point in their lives.

I had the pleasure of working with all the grade nine students at this Slave Lake school. There were four sessions, and each one had its own cast of characters. My favourite memory is the student who came up with the great image of the headlight beams hitting the moose just before the car did. Very nice piece of writing. The demonstrations were fun to do, and I'm always amazed at how easy the ideas seem to flow when the students don't have to put them down on paper.

I hope that the kids realize that the next step is to be confident enough in their ideas to write them down. I know I threw a lot of information at everyone today. If they remember anything from the sessions, I hope the one thing that sticks with them is to start with their own life experiences and use the question "what if" to build their stories.