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Need a last minute gift? Or some snow?

We’ve had about 8 inches of snow in the last couple of hours, with more on the way. It is officially a Snow Day in the Forest!

The dogs are loving it!

Truth be told, I am, too. As soon as I get the day’s writing done, I’m going to shift into decorating mode. Might make some onion soup, too, using the last of my gardens onions.

I suspect some of you might be snowed in, as well. Others are wishing they were. And a whole lot of you are not-exactly-working because you are shopping. Last minute shopping. Last minute shopping on the Internet.

What to give your favorite book geek? How about a Mad Woman in the Forest tee-shirt?

that tells everyone to Speak Loudly!

Or, given that its snowing right now, maybe a sweatshirt?

You can find all of this at the Mad Woman In the Forest Shop!

Thor and Kezzie say thank you!!

 

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And about that suitcase…

Given that many of you will soon be packing for end-of-year travels, I thought I’d let you know how my experiment with travelling lightly went.

(You remember – I only took a carry-on for my five week book tour. Details here.)

In a word – fantastic!!

It helped that all of my travels were complete before the snow started to fly. And that the clothes I brought rolled up tiny. I would like to nominate the person who invented Dri-Fit fabric for a Nobel prize in something. In everything.

I did have laundry done in a couple hotels, which was expensive, but not as expensive as checking a suitcase on every flight would have been.

But I will never again hesitate to bring only the bare minimum. It was very freeing, physically and mentally, to travel so lightly.

A couple of you wondered where I got the suitcase and the purse that turned out to be so incredibly durable and easy to clean. Plus they looked cool. I bought them at Sherpani. In addition to being the best bags I’ve ever owned, they are largely made from recycled materials.

Travel lightly, my friends!

 

 

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RIF, FORGE & me in DC

Here is a great video of me on book tour courtesy of RIF (Reading is Fundamental). This was shot at one of the KIPP Academies I visited in Washington, DC (You saw one their cool murals in Tuesday’s blog post).

 

Another highlight of the day for me was the chance to get to know Carol Rasco, RIF’s director, and learn more about the incredibly wonderful job they do getting books into the hands of young American readers. Thanks, Carol!!

(Be sure to check out Carol’s wonderful blog about literacy and learning.)

 

 

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Chill time

The good news is I got in a couple of hours of writing this morning.

The bad news is I hardly accomplished anything else I had planned because I spent three hours chiseling the ice of my dad’s driveway.

Some days you just gotta go with the flow. Or the ice floe.

In keeping with today’s zen attitude, here is some film I shot a few weeks ago. This is the southeastern edge of Lake Ontario, as both a storm was moving in and the sun was setting. Shot from inside my car because the wind was blowing so hard I could barely stand up.

Enjoy.

 

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Pigs DO Fly!

A lot of people have written to me in the last few months, asking what a typical book tour day is like.

Elizabeth Bluemle of Flying Pig Bookstore did a write-up of the day I spent in the Burlington, VT area. It gives you a pretty good picture of the day: three school visits, a late-afternoon public presentation, then a long car ride to Boston because my plane was canceled. It was a long and intense day, but I loved it, especially hanging out with the students.

There are many readers’ faces that I am going to remember for a long time after this tour. Like Clark Weathers, who showed me the comic book he was drawing  in his spiral notebook. I met him before I talked to the kids in his Austin, TX middle school. After my presentation, I made sure that Clark and his librarian had a chance to chat. She introduced him to a new term “graphic novel” and told him that the library had a lot of them. You should have see the excitement on his face!

Clark made this for me. Be sure you read the second sentence.

In other news, the sun was spotted in the Forest this afternoon for the first time since Saturday. In the extended forecast, they are calling for snow in the next 9 out of 10 days. I have a funny feeling I will soon be seized by an uncontrollable urge to bake gingerbread cookies.

And we’re getting our Christmas trees this weekend. I am taking bets on how long it takes the new dog, Thor, (AKA The Totally Insane Chimera Dog) to eat a few branches and then puke green.

PS – Looking for holiday shopping book suggestions?? Check out the Flying Pig’s newsletter!!