Monthly Archives: April 2012

It is Well With My Soul: Thoughts Upon the Man at the Cemetery

I was recently thinking of “my friend” at the cemetery.  I have still seen him regularly, though there have been days he has missed, or perhaps, just altered his time.  For some reason I think of this song in my thoughts of him lately:  “It is Well with My Soul.”  In preparing this blog, I googled the title and learned something interesting about the resilience of one unknown man faced with the greatest of tragedies.

 

According to Wikipedia, “It is Well with My Soul” was written by Horatio Spafford in the late 1800’s after several shocking events.  His son died at age four which was then followed by a financial loss in the family due to the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.  Sending his wife and all four of his daughters ahead on a ship to Europe for a trip while he finished dealing with financial issues, he received a telegram from his wife saying, “Saved alone,” as she was the lone survivor in his family after an Atlantic collision that sunk his family’s ship.  It was soon after this event that he wrote the song.  One cannot even begin to imagine the great pain that must have been in his heart.

 

¶ Verse 1 
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

¶ Refrain 
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

¶ Verse 2 
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
 (Repeat refrain)

¶ Verse 3 
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
 (Repeat refrain)

¶ Verse 4 
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
 (Repeat refrain)

What have I learned from this research?  The human spirit, with God’s grace, can rise above the most awful of circumstances dealt upon a person.  It is not easy.  It is not desirable.  It is downright hell on earth many, many times.  But the human spirit can rise again.  At least that is my hope…

 

And it is because I can hear my Grandpa singing this song in my head, that I have chosen to show his picture.  He was one of the closest people to God that I have ever known.  And I miss him.

Meet Grace: My Picture Book Main Character

Copyright belongs to Amy Kuhl Cox, 2012

Meet Grace.  Grace is the seven year old character in my picture book, Am I Like My Daddy?  When presented with an assignment at school to write about someone special, she chooses to write about her Daddy.  But Daddy died when she was five, and her memories, though she has some, are sketchy and unfulfilled.  She begins a journey to learn more about Daddy and wants to know, too, if she is anything like her Daddy. Grace is a typical little girl, full of questions for the people in her Daddy’s life.  She learns that some people will talk openly to her about her Daddy while others still cannot,a hard lesson to learn about how people grieve differently.  Throughout her project, Grace journals her discoveries, her thoughts, and feelings.  She learns ways in which she is like her Daddy, and ways in which she is different.  But most importantly, she is reassured that her Daddy loved her and lives on through her life now.

 

 

The above picture is a work-in-process illustration of Grace journaling, done by my talented illustrator Amy Kuhl Cox.  The unique coloring process involves the computer extraction of colors from pictures of stained glass windows at a church in South Carolina that are then inserted into my illustrations.  Notice the stained glass effect of Grace’s hair.

Sharing My Picture Book for the First Time With a Children’s Grief Group

My Dad, Sister, and I

Today was the first time I shared my picture book, Am I Like My Daddy? with a group of children who have all experienced significant loss in their lives.  True, the book doesn’t come out until the fall, but my wonderful illustrator, Amy Kuhl Cox, and publisher, Bronze Man Books, sent me a computerized early draft form of the storyboard with words next to text.  I brought my laptop and virtually turned the pages and showed the pictures as I read my book.  I have to admit I was nervous.  There are children in the group who have lost their Dads like the main character Grace has in my book.  I chose not to look at them as I read, knowing that I could choke up and lose it at any minute.

 

 

They were so receptive to the story.  They  asked great questions about the book, my own grief story, and then, finally, shared their own memories and how they try to learn more about a loved one, the theme of my book.  I hope the book and my personal story will touch other children and give them tools they need to fill in their own missing blanks about lost loved ones.  It is not a sad story, but one of hope.  I hope I gave the kids that today through my story.  I know God is bringing this all full circle for me personally, and I am grateful.

My Friend at the Cemetery Has a New Car

He has a new car!   My friend at the cemetery…has a new car.  When the cemetery comes into view as I return home from work, the first thing I always see is a dull dark  pick-up truck, the symbol of a grieving man’s heart, dull and dark, running on empty.  But lately I haven’t seen the brown truck.  Lately, as I turn the bend I’m confronted with a bright, shiny red sports car.  So, maybe not a sport, sports car, you know, like a Corvette or a Mustang.  More like my bright red Chevy Cavalier I so proudly owned out of college.  But bright and red and cheery, none-the-less.  It gives me hope.  Maybe he’s treating himself to a little joy and happiness.  Maybe the cloud of grief is lifting…

Fifth Graders: What Books Do They Want to Read? Most Poplular Series’ Requests in the Library

 

It’s been awhile since I have written a blog post about a children’s book recommendation, so I am doing that this week…sort of.    In my day job I am responsible for the operation of an elementary school library.  I conduct classes, order books, check out books, check in books, fix books…You get the picture.  The building is grade kindergarten-fifth.  My fifth graders are, on the whole, a very avid group of readers.  Today I am sharing with you some of their most requested book series.   Do you agree with their choices?

 

What series do your fifth grade students or children most want to read?

The Shadow Children Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix:  In this seven book series beginning with Among the Hidden, the dystopian country forbids families from having more than two children due to the theory of overpopulation purported by the government.  Families having more than two children live in fear of the Population Police who will destroy further children.  The story centers around Luke, a third child, or shadow child whose journey becomes that of one to try to overthrow the Population Police and overthrow the laws against shadow children.

 

The Missing Series by Margaret Peterson Haddix:  With four books of a proposed seven book series complete, Haddix has scored with my young readers once again.  The first book, Found, follows 13-year-old Jonah, his sister Katherine, and friend Chip, adopted children who start getting odd letters warning them of danger.  Mysteries involving the FBI and people who appear and disappear “at will” keep the reader engaged.

 

The Seekers Series by Erin Hunter:  Interestingly enough, “Erin Hunter” is a team of authors writing under this pseudonym.  This six book series follows four bear cubs who look for a peaceful place to live without human meddling.

 

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:  I won’t insult you by telling you about this wizard boy series, but, yes, it is still very popular with fifth graders coming to the story for the first time, many without having seen the movies yet.  Yeah!

 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan:  This five book series follows the adventures of demigod Percy Jackson in a world based on Greek Mythology.

 

Tunnels Series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams:  Currently with five books in the series, Tunnels is the first book.  Fourteen year old Will Burrows and his father enjoy archeology.  When Dr. Burrows goes missing Will and friends discover an underground community called the Colony while on their hunt to recover him.

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series by Jeff Kinney:  Currently there are six books in this humorous series that follows the misadventures of Greg Heffley and his misfit group of middle school friends.

And…Then there is The Hunger Games Series.  Yes, they ask often.  And, my answer remains the same.  NO.  It is a parental decision, not mine to make at school.

 

Review of The Hunger Games Book: Why I Didn’t Want to Read It, Didn’t Like Reading It, and Why I Have to Read Book 2

Book design by Phil Falco, Book by Suzanne Collins

Probably many of you reading this have already A:  Read The Hunger Games or B:  Watched The  Hunger Games movie or C:  Done both.

 

As I run an elementary library in a school that goes up to fifth grade, I have had several students asking me about The Hunger Games.  I didn’t want to read it.  I felt compelled to read it.  So, after being lent a copy from a fifth grade student! I “got to work” during spring break.  Yes, “work” is the correct term because I experienced a lot of procrastination before I found the courage to start.  Now, for those of you that have already been down The Hunger Games path, perhaps you think I am being a tad melodramatic.  But keep this in mind:  This is all I knew about the book when I started reading:  The premise of the story is kids killing kids in a survival of the fittest type of government “game” to see who has the wits and strength to live longer than anyone else.  Yikes!   This also might be a good time to tell you that I am an overprotective mother who still watches her children cross our sleepy subdivision street to get to the school a block away and the mom who insists her preteen children still wear bike helmets.  Why would I read a book where kids kill other kids???

 

Because I had to…..

 

I am a follower of sorts, and society told me I had to read this book.

 

The first 100 pages were very slow for me, lots of description of the “games” that have been created in Post-Apoplectic  North America by the Government featuring two children, a boy and a girl, from each of the 12 districts who are placed into an artificial setting in an arena to fight for their survival.  The premise overwhelmingly kept clouding any interest I had in reading further, but I did….  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, from the poorest district, 12, begin the book being trained for the unknown before the games begin.  Their “relationship” within the games doesn’t really get going until the second half of the book.

 

Once the character Rue is introduced, the book became more interesting as Katniss developed her first real “friend” within the game.  I am a relationship person, and I can’t read a book without emotional relationships or friendships.  Yet as the book progressed, so did the necessity for death as the game does not end until one remains, as stated in the rules.  Were it not for Katniss, a wonderfully written strong female character and the relationships she developed throughout the book, I don’t know if I could have continued.  However, by the end I cared about who lived and who died, and I wanted the protagonists to “win.”

 

So, why did I just purchase Catching Fire, book two of three in the series?  Because of the relationships.  Without wanting to give anything away, there are enough relationships created by the end of The Hunger Games, that I care about the characters and I want to…no, I need to know what happens next.

 

I’ll admit.  I came to this Hunger Games party a tad bit late.  But I’m here now.  I might as well “enjoy” myself.  Why do I have a feeling that I have to get through more violence and evil first?  Ugh!  Can’t we just have happily ever after?  No, I suppose not.  There’s not nearly as much money in happily ever after without hell getting in the way first.  Right?

 

So, what’s your view of The Hunger Games?

 

And in case you’re curious, I am not buying the book for my elementary library.  It’s that whole premise thing, you know?

It’s His First Easter Without His Wife ….

It’s his first Easter without his wife…..  Yes, this week I drove by the headstone in the cemetery that my “friend” visits twice daily.  He wasn’t there, of course when I was there.  It’s not my place to intrude.  And as I suspected, it is the loss of his wife that he mourns.  What I also learned was that she died mere months ago.   It’s his first Easter without his wife… Is he replaying his moments with her this time last year?  Are they happy memories, or was she suffering from some illness?  She was too young, too, in her 50’s.  He was there this morning as our family headed to church to celebrate Easter.  Is he celebrating, too?  May the God who gave us his only Son give comfort to those that mourn as we are wrapped within the same loving arms.  We do celebrate today, and I wish you all a Happy Easter.

 


http://marcyblesy.com/2012/03/12/while-life-goes-whizzing-by-for-one-man-it-stands-still/

Twitter and Literary Agents: What the Heck Can We Learn Before We Flush Away Our Dreams?

I am a twitter voyeur, rarely posting but often viewing.  Though I am being published in the fall, I am still in the hunt for an agent for my middle grade and young adult novels.  It seems nearly as impossible to get an agent as it is to get a publisher.  It is very competitive.  As I have learned a lot (and hopefully improved my writing) since the last time I queried agents a year ago, I hope I have better luck connecting an agent with my manuscripts.  Why do you need an agent, you may ask?  Because agents are the gatekeepers to the big publishers, you know, those that live in New York City like Random House or Scholastic.  And if I’m going to dream I might as well dream big.

 

So, on my twitter page I have assigned a list of well-known agents into a simple list called “Agents” which I view daily to glean any information that may prove helpful to me.  Here’s what I have summarized from this week.

 

1.  Get more creative with my adjective choices.

From Jen Rofe at Andrea Brown:  “Words on my radar that are presently most over-used: amazing, brilliant, genius. I vote to replace them. Stupefying.Superior. Mastermind.”

 

2.  Don’t compare my main character to the latest “hot” thing in literature. 

From Sara Megibow at Nelson Literary Agency:  “I recommend staying away from something like this, “My heroine is like Katniss only way better.”

 

3.  They do like their jobs!!

From Gordon Warnock at Andrea Hurst and Associates:  “I am continuously impressed by my clients. They make me love the job more every day.”

 

4.  Don’t write a sci-fi book about water, fire, earth, or air.  Too overdone.  And, uh, not a problem for me at all. 

Mandy Hubbard at D4EO Literary:  “I see a lot of #queries for teen books called ELEMENTAL. Most of them feature 4 characters, each of which control an element.”

 

5.  Only send queries on early spring days when the flowers are in bloom and light winds are in the air.

Jill Corcoran at Herman Agency:  “working outside with the smell of jasmine in the gentle breeze making me so relaxed and productive #fb”

 

And from my author “friends”:

6.  Judy Blume did not write the Ramona books.  Duh.

Judy Blume, author of Fudge books:  “Guys– I love Ramona as much as you do and while I wish she was my character she’s not. She belongs to Beverly Cleary. Thanks,Beverly!”

 

7.  Make sure you use the bathroom before seeing Titanic in 3-D.

Jay Asher, author of Thirteen Reasons Why:  “So ashamed I had to leave to use the restroom during TITANIC 3-D. I never have to go during movies! It wasn’t even during the last 2 hours.”

 

So, that’s my wrap-up for the week.  Now I need to check the weather on the east coast, get out my thesaurus, ditch my Hunger Games rewrite, and… use the bathroom.  Happy Easter!  :-)

 

 

 

 

Meeting My Illustrator: First Illustration for Picture Book Revealed!

 

Copyright belongs to Amy Kuhl Cox, 2012.

Drum roll please.  Dum, Dum, Dum-Dum….It is my pleasure to announce that Bronze Man Books has chosen the illustrator of my picture book Am I Like My Daddy?  Amy Kuhl Cox, a resident of South Carolina, graduated from Millikin University with a degree in art therapy and a master’s degree in art history from the University of Illinois.  She is quite an accomplished artist with many awards to her name.  While her credentials provide a wonderful resume, the samples I have been able to see speak to her talent even more.

 

I have to admit I had butterflies before “meeting” Amy via Skype last night.  An hour and a half later I felt like I was having a conversation with a friend.  The conversation was easy and light, and I knew immediately that Bronze Man Books had chosen an illustrator with talent and heart, someone who could take a sensitive topic like children’s grief and convey my words through pictures in a way that will strengthen my story.  Viewing her sketches “live” was such a cool experience.  I was so giddy I most likely appeared like a young child on Christmas morning.

 

I am hoping that Amy will be a guest blogger in the future to describe her full process.  Currently she is creating 16 pictures (most children’s books are 32 pages, 16 pics and 16 pages with text).  The 17th sketch will be my cover.  Her deadline is extremely tight, and potentially by May I will get to see all of the pictures.  Insert giddy clapping again. 

 

We talked about how we can learn from all life decisions and experiences, some good and some not, and that no matter what happens we can take something from the experience.  I have felt that this book is providing me with some closure personally in regards to the loss of my dad 26 years ago.  Finally the circle is closing, and I am able to give back to others, to give children hope that they will feel human again, that they will be able to smile again, that life will be normal again.  Different, but normal.  I belive that Amy’s talent and vision are answered prayer and cannot wait to view the book in its entirety.  It is even more clear to me now that with a picture book, the words don’t mean near as much to the young readers without the proper illustrations to convey the text, and I am confident that they will.

 

Amy gets her color from pictures she has taken of a church’s stained glass windows.  As I understand it, she uses a computer program to pick the colors out of her window photos, and then inserts the colors into the illustrations for my book.   Cool, huh?  I believe the pictures are from Grace Episcopal Church in Anderson, South Carolina.  Grace is my main character’s name, and as my close family knows, the song Amazing Grace holds a special place in my heart.  Another cool, huh, moment?

 

Also, Amy has taken hundreds of pictures of a friend and her young daughter to better interpret appropriate body positions for Grace in her sketches.  It appears that Amy has just as much support from her friends as I have been receiving from mine.

 

I know I have not explained all of the scenes in my book yet (which I will), but I wanted to discuss the scene that the above image comes from.  Amy describes her process at the bottom of the image above, but it may be difficult to read.  The copyright belongs to her, and she asked me to tell you that the image is in its initial stages and is not complete.

 

The scene:  Seven year old Grace is looking for information about her Daddy to create a school project, but she has limited memories.  She has a teddy bear named Charley that her Daddy won for her at the county fair before he died.  The bear is important to her.  She wants to know what game he played to win the bear.

 

My reaction:  This is the image that nearly brought me to tears.  Amy’s interpretation was so moving and even better than I could imagine.  The silhouette of her Daddy walking with her means two things to me:  1.  Dad is still with Grace in spirit even though not physically there and 2.  Grace has “outline memories” of Dad, and tries to fill them in.  In the book Grace journals as she learns more about her Dad.  The childlike handwriting within the silhouette represents that journaling.  Wow!  More happy clapping! 

 

So, that’s what’s happening now in the production of Am I Like My Daddy?  The illustrations are flowing, and I am creating market lists for the audience that would most benefit from reading the book.   Exciting things indeed.

 

Some of Amy’s sites:


http://www.etsy.com/shop/amykuhlcox


http://www.zazzle.com/peacemontessori