What the Kids Say...

"I loved your book.  It was a very interesting book with a lot of action and details.  I thought there were going to be five books because of the five tools but then my dad showed me where it said The Sardonyx Trilogy so I guess there are only three but it would be awesome if you wrote another series like this one."
--Caleb, 9

""Your book rocks I'm not quite done yet but so far its really good! On the book it said it was going to be a series is that true if so I'm going to read them all, because they are awesome!"

--Scarlett, 10

LAST DAY TO ENTER! $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD

Today is the last day to enter to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card! 

To enter the contest...

1. Be a follower


2. In the comments section, tell me what book on the list below you'd like to read.  For me, it's Athletic Shorts because I've read two Chris Crutcher books lately and really liked them.

Contest ends Friday morning at 9:00 am, Eastern time. All commentors will be assigned a number and the winner will be selected via the number selector at Random.org.



TOP 100 BANNED BOOKS OF THE 1990'S:

Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz

Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

Forever, by Judy Blume

Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson

Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris

Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine

A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Sex, by Madonna

Earth’s Children (series), by Jean M. Auel

The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson

In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak

The Witches, by Roald Dahl

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle

The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein

Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous

The Goats, by Brock Cole

The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard

Anastasia Krupnik (series), by Lois Lowry

Final Exit, by Derek Humphry

Blubber, by Judy Blume

Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam

Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George

Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane

The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras

Fallen Agels, by Walter Dean Myers

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton

The Pigman, by Paul Zindel

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier

Deenie, by Judy Blume

Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes

Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden

Beloved, by Toni Morrison

The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar

Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz

Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling

Cujo, by Stephen King

James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl

A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein

Ordinary People, by Judith Guest

American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)

Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard

Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole

What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras

The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy

Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly

Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher

Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan

Fade, by Robert Cormier

Guess What?, by Mem Fox

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

Native Son, by Richard Wright

Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday

Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen

On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer

The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende

Jack, by A.M. Homes

Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge

Family Secrets, by Norma Klein

Mommy Laid an Egg, by Babette Cole

Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya

Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle

The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney

Carrie, by Stephen King

The Dead Zone, by Stephen King

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez

Private Parts, by Howard Stern

Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford

Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene

Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume

Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman

Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher

Sex Education, by Jenny Davis

Jumper, by Steven Gould

Christine, by Stephen King

The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene

That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton

Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy

The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain

Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier



...

I loved this...

f READom

Banned Book Week Giveaway 2!

Yesterday, I spent fifteen mintues standing on a sidewalk downtown, reading aloud from a banned book.  It was part of Rediscovered Bookshop's Banned Book Week Celebration.  The book I chose -- A Wrinkle in Time.  Seriously...banned??  Excuse my language but, WTH?

So, for today's opportunity to enter my Banned Book Week Giveaway of a $20 Amazon gift card...leave a comment explaining why Winnie-the-Pooh is on the banned book list.  'Cause I have no freaking idea.

You can read the original post and official rules here. 

Banned Book Giveaway!

Photo courtesy of The Florida Institute of Technology.

In honor of banned book week, I'm giving away a $20 gift card to Amazon.com, where you can buy any banned book you like.  Listed below are the Top 100 Banned Books of the 1990's. 

To enter the contest...

1.  Be a follower
2.  In the comments section, tell me how many you've read.

Contest ends Friday morning at 9:00 am, Eastern time.  All commentors will be assigned a number and the winner will be selected via the number selector at Random.org.

TOP 100 BANNED BOOKS OF THE 1990'S:
Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Forever, by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Sex, by Madonna
Earth’s Children (series), by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
The Witches, by Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
The Goats, by Brock Cole
The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
Anastasia Krupnik (series), by Lois Lowry
Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
Blubber, by Judy Blume
Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
Fallen Agels, by Walter Dean Myers
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
Deenie, by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
Cujo, by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
Fade, by Robert Cormier
Guess What?, by Mem Fox
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Native Son, by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
Jack, by A.M. Homes
Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid an Egg, by Babette Cole
Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
Carrie, by Stephen King
The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts, by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education, by Jenny Davis
Jumper, by Steven Gould
Christine, by Stephen King
The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene
That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

...

FRIDAY FAVORITES!

Two favorites this week!  And a reminder...be nice to your neighbor!

Favorite One:
I've been so impressed with Lady Glamis's series of posts on self-publishing.  Why to do it; why not to do it; how to do it.  Yesterday she had compared the quality of self-published books with traditionally published books -- complete with photos.  If you're becoming curiouser and curiouser about self publishing, click over to The Literary Lab and check them out.  The first post is here.

Favorite Two:
Buffy Andrews has the trailer for the The Deathly Hallows on her blog today.  Wow.  I so can't wait!

Bonus Info:
Check back on Monday for a giveaway in honor of banned books week!

Four bad things and one nice one

• Last night, we had a volleyball game and played like kaka.  Maybe it was the full moon.  Or serving gremlins.  Or maybe we were all drunk and didn't know it.  Whatever it was, we lost.  Badly.  I'm embarrassed.
• I spent about five solid hours yesterday doing PTO things.  I am my worst nightmare. 
• I hate medical insurance. 
• My friend facebooked me yesterday:  "I am LOVING your book, Amy. I want to read it to my kids.  I feel like I'm the kid who eats this book up. I would've worn this book to dust when i was younger. LOVE it."  Leave it to a writer to write something this nice.  Dust.  Awesome!
• Below, The Boy and his bridge.  He has a big, bloody scrape down the side of his leg from this bridge.  He tried to walk across it.  Needless to say, it did not hold his 68 pounds.

Tuesday Things

1. The weekend at Wallowa Lake was fantastic!  It didn't rain until we left and we had a great time hiking, shopping and spending time together.  (Above, the Boy and I in downtown Joseph.)
2. If you live in or around Boise and want to show your support for banned or challenged books, consider participating in Rediscovered Bookshop's Banned Book Reading.  They plan to have people standing outside their shop, reading aloud from a banned book all next week.  You can call 376-4229 to schedule a fifteen-minute shift. 
3. My son finished The Iron Bodkin last night.  It's the first time he's read one of my books.  He said he loved it and he would like to design the cover for Book Two.  Hmm...
4. Speaking of The Boy, he's getting much better on the trombone.  It sounds more like an instrument these days, and less like whales.
5. I started reading The Shack this weekend.  I put it down pretty quickly.  It's set at Wallowa Lake, which was kinda cool.  But it's about a child abduction and murder, which I don't do well with because a friend of mine was abducted and killed when I was six, but mostly the writing was freaking atrocious!!!  It was flat and predictable and I found a split infinitive!  Egads.  Have any of you read it?   What did you think?  Maybe it gets better...

Today's Troubles...

I have no idea where my ms is going.

and also,

I just punctured my foot with a fork.

Friday Favorite: Wallowa Lake

We're heading up to our cabin...for the FIRST time this year!  I'm so looking forward to seeing those beautiful mountains again.  Our cabin snuggles right in between the rounded mountain on the left and the poinky one in the middle.

This is the super cute town of Joseph, where we'll shop and eat lunch.  We might go through the historical museum and sit in the teepee and grind corn in the ancient pestle.

Saturday night, we'll drive past the green-green farms to the town of Enterprise...

...to the Terminal Gravity Pub & Brewery.  If you live in the Northwest, you might be able to get their IPA...if you're lucky.



The Boy loves this place.  We normally sit outside at the picnic tables so he can play in the creek while we wait.  But this weekend is supposed to be rainy, so we'll probably have to eat inside.  That's ok. 

It's pretty in the clouds too.

What are your plans for the weekend??

A New Review...

"The Iron Bodkin is a magical debut from a promising new author. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!"
--Judy Cox, author of twenty-one children's books, including Don't Be Silly, Mrs. Millie!   A Time magazine "Top Books" pick for 2005.

Quick Five

1.  I really want those donuts.
2.  Our cat has been missing for a week and we just found out she's been under our deck the whole time.  We think she's mad at us for breaking up her fight with another cat by throwing water on them.  
3.  The Boy practicing his trombone sounds a lot like that cat fight.
4.  I received my first paycheck for The Iron Bodkin.  That's pretty cool but...
5.  I have a feeling that something really bad is about to happen.  Do you ever get those feelings?  Ick.

2010 Boise SCBWI Conference Wrap Up

At the book signing with (starting at top) Kelly Milner Halls, Sydney Salter, Chris Crutcher, me & Laura Bingham. 

We had a good crowd and ended up staying half an hour longer than planned.

At the conference on Saturday, Chris Crutcher gave a seriously moving talk on challenged books, including why some of his books have been challenged (banned) and why those books need to be available.

Cheryl Klein (sr. editor, Arthur A Levine, on right (w/ Neysa Jensen)) gave us seventeen revision tips and Jill Corcoran told us how to write a super query letter.  (I don't know why I don't have a photo of Jill).

In the break-out workshops, I heard from Sydney Salter how to make a manuscript stand out in the slush pile. I took Kelly Milner Halls class on school visits, which had a freaking ton of great info.  And I sat on the debut author panel with Laura Bingham and Sarah Tregay and told folks how to keep safe when submitting to small and unknown presses. 

After the conference, some of the speakers and organizers went out for dinner.

(L to R) Docena Holm, Kelly Milner Halls, Neysa Jensen, Sydney Salter, Jill Corcoran

(L to R) Cheryl Klein, Sarah Tregay, Gloria Skurzynski, me, Melissa Jensen

All in all, a great conference!

PS -- The Iron Bodkin is going to be unavailable for a few days, but it will be back on Amazon on Friday.  The Rediscovered Bookshop in Boise does have copies. 

Friday Fun!

I have my first book signing tonight at Rediscovered Bookshop!  I'll be in great company -- with Award-Winning YA Author Chris Crutcher and my friends Sydney Salter, Angela Meuser, Laura Bingham & Sarah Tregay.  But I'm already too nervous to string together a real blog post. 

So while I'm dithering over shoes, trying on every article of clothing I own and trying not to puke, I thought you guys might like to poke around in Pickingill's Magical Notions.  There are floor plans for each floor of Lux's home & store.  Enjoy!

PS--for you Kindle folks, The Iron Bodkin is now available on Kindle for the fun, low price of $4.99!  That's cheaper than a Big Mac Combo Meal and has way less fat!

Five Things on Monday

1.  The long weekend was awesome.  It's not often that I *don't* look forward to going back to work.  But we had such wonderful days, I wanted it to last forever.

2.  Part of the weekend wonderfulness was me reading Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley.  It's a story about selkies.  I can't wait to finish it.  Terri Farley is one of the mentors of the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program.  I met her last year when she spoke at a conference in Salt Lake City.  She's best known for her Phantom Stallion series.

3.  Hubby took The Boy and The Girl rafting on the Boise River Sunday.  They got stopped by a river ranger as they were putting in.
River Ranger:  Excuse me sir.  Do you have a whistle on this vessel?
Hubby:  A what?
RR:  A whistle.
H:  Erm...no.
(The Girl:  (Hysterically laughing).)
RR:  You're required to have a whistle on your vessel.
H:  (Points at nearly naked, bikini-clad girl floating by in an inner tube)  I bet she doesn't have a whistle.
RR:  That's not a vessel.
Luckily, not having a whistle seems to be a common problem.  The River Ranger gave them a nice pink, plastic whistle and sent them on their way.  Unfortunately, they lost it when hubby and another guy had to jump into the water to save two morons girls in inner tubes who'd tied themselves together with a ten foot rope, went over the dam and got caught on a piece of deadfall. 

4.  Last night, the Boise State Broncos played their first game of the season against Virginia Tech.  I was bringing The Boy home early from watching the game at hubby's brother's house when we were almost hit by a drunk driver.  I got over and away from him as fast as I could.  As he sped past, he careened into the median and wiped out four metal poles with reflectors on them, then swerved back into his lane and over into mine.  I reached for my cell phone to call the police, but realized I'd left it at home.  It was so scary.  I kept thinking of The Boy in the backseat and how I would have killed that driver on the spot if anything had happened to him. 

5.  Our SCBWI conference is this weekend.  Our RA's have scheduled a book signing for Friday night and I'm super excited to be included.  And super wondering...what do I *wear*!??

and the winner is...

Lynnette Labelle!

Congratulations Lynnette ~ You won the virtual mini donuts above and a signed copy of The Iron Bodkin! 

Let me know who you'd like the book addressed to and where it should be sent!  My contact info can be reached via the link in the upper right corner of my blog that says 'contact'.

And thanks to everyone who played.  :) 

Fact for Friday

Trombones cost $841

The Giveaway winner will be posted this afternoon, after I finish applying for a loan for a trombone.

BEST MOMENT SO FAR!

This is Hank Phillipi Ryan.  Some of you may know her as the multiple award-winning author of Prime Time, Face Time, Air Time & Drive Time.  I met her (virtually) when she judged The Sandy writing contest a couple years ago.  She's been encouraging me ever since.  But I wasn't thinking about her Tuesday when my local bookstore called to say a man had ordered two books and wanted to have them signed before being shipped.  I tried to figure out what man it might be.  My brother?  A friend? 

But it wasn't a man at all.  It was Hank!!  And it was my first book signing.  I admit, I felt a little weird signing a book for a writer who is seventy times more famous than I'll ever be.  I also realized it's super hard for lefties to sign books, what with the binding in the way.  But I signed, and even though the final product looked like a kindergartner wrote it, I hope she knows it came from the heart. 

Thanks to all the folks who stopped by yesterday for cupcakes!  Today, we're going to play a game called pick your power!  In my book, the original five witchcraft families each held a different gift:

Shape-shifting

Future-telling

Vanishing

Mind Control

Teleportation

Which gift would you choose?  Anyone who plays gets entered again for a copy of The Iron Bodkin.

Lastly, if you have a copy of The Iron Bodkin, and you'd like it signed, I have bookplates!  Just send me a SASE and include the name of the person to whom you'd like the book addressed.  I'll send you a signed bookplate to stick in the front of the book.  You can find the address to send your SASE on my contact page.