A Writer's Week #71: Back in the Saddle Again

It's been a couple of weeks since I checked in with an update on my writing activities. The reason for this is twofold: first, Eric and Stig hosted the May meeting of the Character Book Club when they interviewed Millie from Millicent Marie is Not My Name, secondly, there just has not been a lot happening on the writing front of late.

Version 1 of the map

That changed this week. While I still did not get any writing done, I did receive an updated layout of Order of the Crystal Lion from layout artist Ana Vogel. This version of the layout included the map and the illustration for the chapters by illustrator Daniel Vogel. It was my first glimpse of these and I really loved them. I also received the first version of the cover. The artwork was great, but I did suggest some changes/tweaks. Now the ball is back in their court, but it should not be too long before I'm ready to send everything off to the publisher.

I also paid a visit to my son Christian's 5th grade class. A big thank you to Mrs. Mleczko and all the kids. They asked some fantastic questions and were really attentive in spite of the fact that it was right at the end of a really hot day. There were some aspiring authors in the class and they asked a lot of fantastic questions about the craft of writing. 

Whenever I visit a class I am always blown away by some of the questions they ask and their story ideas. Whenever I talk about The Deliverers, and ask them what they think will happen next, some of their answers have me wishing I had come up with those scenarios.

I have also confirmed that I will be at Preserve New Fairfield's annual Strawberry Festival at the New Fairfield Senior Center on Sunday, June 9th from 1 to 4. I'll be signing books and taking pre-orders for Order of the Crystal Lion. I hope to see you there!

 In the coming week, I'm hoping to receive version 2 of the cover and the final version of the interior of the book. I am also planning to resume work on book three in the Deliverers Series, The Golden Dragon of Ang. I'll let you know what happens next week!

What's Elizabeth Reading? Beware, Princess Elizabeth

Elizabeth has been reading like crazy (as usual)! This time around, she's going to be telling us about a book that's more fact than fiction. The book is called Beware, Princess Elizabeth, by Carolyn Meyer, and I'm sure Elizabeth did not read it just because she has the same name as the heroine. Let's see what she had to say about it.

Here's what Elizabeth says the book is about.

This is the true story of how Elizabeth Tudor came to be Queen of England. In 1547, her father died leaving her third in line for the throne. She is just a teenager, but while her younger half brother and older half sister suspect her of wanting to claim the throne for herself, she is faced with many dangers.

Many of the people who Elizabeth loves are beheaded in her relatives' ad scramble for power. One of them is the man she wanted to marry. She discovers that he is only using her to get himself onto the throne!

Here's what Elizabeth liked best about the book.

While reading the story in the first person, I felt like I was one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting--or somebody close to her--and she was telling her story to me. I liked how I could really imagine and feel what she was thinking.

Was there anything Elizabeth did not like about it.

No, I really enjoyed this book.

So, how did Elizabeth rate Beware, Princess Elizabeth, by Carolyn Meyer?

She gave it five out of five blue dragons!

Between the Lines: Sybil Ludington

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Since this is a day for remembering those who served and gave their lives fighting for freedom, I thought I'd recognize one of them. Because this blog is all about writing for children and talking about children's books, it seemed appropriate to see if I could find someone under the age of 18 who played a part in our country's struggle for liberty and freedom.

There are plenty of well known characters in children's historical novels that I could have interviewed, but I decided it would be cool to interview a real child hero. She's not very well known, but she played a key role in the history of the area along the Connecticut/New York border where I grew up. I was very fortunate that she was able to take some time to chat with me. Her name is Sybil Ludington, and she's a real honest-to-goodness heroine of the American Revolution. So without further ado, let's find out more about her.

Greg:  Hi Sybil, thanks for taking time out of your Memorial Day to talk to us.

Sybil:  Not at all, it is a pleasure to be able to be here.

Greg:  I don't know how many people out there will be familiar with your story, but you're better known now than you were 20 years ago or so. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Sybil:  Certainly. I was born in what was then called Fredericksburg, New York in 1761. During the revolution, my father, Henry Ludington, was colonel of the local militia. One night in April, 1777, a few days after I had turned 16, a messenger arrived at our house with news that the British had ransacked the town of Danbury, Connecticut, looted the stores of food and supplies hidden there and then set it ablaze.

Greg:  Wow. That sounds a lot like what happened in Lexington and Concord. Why did your father wake you up?

Sybil:  He needed to rouse the militia and get them turned out to come to Danbury's aid. We had about 400 men located within a 40 mile area, and someone needed to alert them. The messenger was tired and did not know the area. I volunteered to ride out and spread the alarm.

Greg:  That was really brave of you, to go out riding in the dark and spread the word.

Sybil:  I don't know about that, but it had to be done, and Father could not spare any of the nearby militia to do it. I pulled on my father's riding breeches while he went out to the barn\and saddled our horse. 

Greg:  Gee, that must have been scary, to ride out on a mission like that in the dark.

Sybil:  The night was dark, but I knew the route. I was not much concerned with the ride itself, but there were other dangers.

Greg:  Like what?


Sybil:  Although there were many patriots in the area, there were also a number of Tories--those who remained loyal to England and the crown. It was possible that they would try and stop me. There was also the danger of running into a British military scouting party. But beyond that, there were also highwaymen that roamed the roads looking for travelers to rob. We called them "skinners".

Greg:  So, what happened? Were you  scared?

Sybil:  I rode through the night and alerted all of the militiamen. I have to admit that I was scared. It was dangerous enough riding in the dead of night through woods and fields. I expected to be waylaid at any moment. But I knew that if I did not raise the militia the British forces might cross over into New York in an attempt to outflank General Washington in nearby Peekskill. At the very least, they would pillage the Connecticut countryside on their way back to their ships in Westport. I had to alert them. They were all that stood in the redcoats' way.

Greg:  Did they make it in time?

Sybil:  Not in time to save Danbury. When I returned home at dawn, they were already mustering. My father led them off later that morning and they arrived in time to reinforce minutemen in Ridgefield, Connecticut, on the southern border of Danbury. They were led by Benedict Arnold and David Wooster.

The Battle of Ridgefield was small, but we managed to do some damage to the British. We built a barricade to bar their way, but they forced their way through. In the fighting, General Wooster was killed. He was a great patriot. The militia harassed the British all the way back to their ship. They paid dearly for those stores.

Greg:  I heard that you were hailed as a hero. General Washington and the French general, Rochambeau, personally thanked you for your service. I'd like to personally thank you, too. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story with us.

Sybil:  Yes, and thank you for having me. I think anyone in my situation would have done the same. When something needs to be done, you just do it. It's not a case of being brave or anything.   The real heroes are those who fight to keep us free. I'd like to thank all of them, thank you.

My Favorite Books: A Wizard of Earthsea

Last week, I wrote about The Hobbit, a book that cemented my love of fantasy. Shortly after reading about Bilbo Baggins and his adventures, my mom got me The Lord of the Rings and I was hooked.

After I finished that book, I started looking around for other fantasy novels. In my local Waldenbooks (anyone remember them?) I came across a set of books that looked promising. While not as long as The Lord of the Rings, the cover of the first book really appealed to me (I had a thing about dragons in those days). Besides that, the back of the book said that the Earthsea Trilogy had been compared to The Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia.

Nowadays, I'm not so easily swayed by back cover blurbs, but as a boy of about 13 that was enough for me. I bought them and took them home. I dove right into them.

I had no idea who Ursula K. LeGuin was. She sure had a funny sounding name. The front of thee book told me that she'd won some awards--the Hugo and Nebula. I had no clue that she was an accomplished science fiction writer. If I had, I don't know if I would have bought the books.

The fact is she's just a great writer, period. I loved the entire trilogy, which chronicles the journey of an orphaned shepherd boy in a remote mountain village. The boy, Duny, learns he has some small talent for magic from his aunt, the village witch. After saving his village from invaders by calling down a fog, he is apprenticed to a mage named Ogion.

From there, Duny is given a new name, Ged, and he becomes a powerful wizard. However, he falls victim to his pride and makes a dreadful mistake and unleashes the dark side of himself. The rest of the book follows Ged as he is hunted by his darker self and his realization that he can't run from it forever. I found it to be gripping, thought-provoking stuff. The rest of the trilogy was just as good. As a matter of fact, I think I need to go back and reread them.

What books that you read when you were young made a lasting impression on you?

Between the Lines: Doctor Dolittle

This week I'm on location in the charming little fictitious English town of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. I'm here to speak with its most famous resident and the world's most famous animal lover, Doctor Dolittle. He can talk to animals, and was kind enough to invite me here to talk with him about his remarkable story.

Greg:  Thanks for inviting me, doctor. This is really a very pretty village. Did you always have a love of animals?

Dr. Dolittle:  Oh yes. I've always been a bit of an animal lover. I never missed the opportunity to take in a sick or abandoned animal. My cottage became so crowded with animals that I lost all my human patients. My income was drying up and I would have been destitute if it weren't for Polynesia. 

Greg:  Polynesia?

Dr. Dolittle: My parrot. At first, he was just a pet and i taught him all sorts of words. Then one day, the most extraordinary thing happened.

Greg:  What was that?

Dr. Dolittle:  He began speaking on his own. By that I mean he did not just repeat the words I had taught him, he actually spoke for himself. 

Greg:  What did you do?

Dr. Dolittle:  I was taken aback, I can tell you. I could scarce believe what I was hearing. However, after Polynesia assured me that he could in fact talk, he made a very intriguing proposition. He offered to teach me how to talk with animals.

Greg:  Hey, that's pretty cool.

Dr. Dolittle:  Quite. My thought exactly. It was an opportunity not to be missed. Think of it, a chance to know what animals were thinking! It would also aid me in discovering what was making them sick and would help me cure them.

Greg:  So what happened?

Dr. Dolittle:  Polynesia opened a whole new world to me. I became a veterinarian. Animals came from all over the world so that I could cure them. Sometimes, if they could not come to me, I went to them. That set the stage for a host of adventures.

Greg:  Like what?

Dr. Dolittle:  I enlisted some of my animal friends to sail to Africa to cure an epidemic that was sweeping the Monkey Kingdom. Naturally, the trip was not without its problems. Animals make clumsy sailors at best, and we were shipwrecked. 

Greg:  Shipwrecked? What did you do?

Dr. Dolittle:  We managed to extricate ourselves and made our way to the Monkey Kingdom. With the help of my friends, I was able to snuff out the epidemic. The Monkey king was so grateful he presented me with the rarest of creatures. Something than no man had ever laid eyes on before.

Greg:  What was it?

Dr. Dolittle:  A pushmi-pullyu. I believe it was a cross between an antelope and a zebra or something of the like. It had two heads and four legs. There was one head in front and one behind. It was a priceless gift. The pushmi-pullyu was a little hesitant at first, but when we finally got back to England (we had a bit of bother with pirates), they were pleasantly surprised. I think everything turned out most satisfactorily for everyone involved.

Greg:  That's wonderful. Thank you so much for having us over to visit with you.

Dr. Dolittle:  No bother at all, my pleasure entirely. We are getting ready to take the pushmi-pullyu on tour to raise awareness for animal welfare. He should really impress the customers coming and going! Cheers!