I don’t have much time this morning, but I wanted to post a quick video from last night. This is for Kate Messner, who couldn’t be here at BEA because she is a dedicated teacher and she is teaching this week.
That did not stop her book, The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, from winning a big honking award last night.
Our chickens are two weeks old and all seem very healthy. Incredibly healthy. In fact, I am wondering if our proximity to the nuclear power plant is influencing their stupendous growth rate.
BH has been slowly turning a pile of scrap lumber into the coop, but some recent chicken test flightsaccelerated the schedule. Below you’ll see a video of random clips filmed when we moved the chickens. The dog was very interested in the entire process.
(Note to chicken experts: this is only one part of the cop. Right now it is in our garage. When we move it outside, it will have roosts and a roof and a fenced-in yard that will be electrified (solar-powered!) to keep out hungry predators.)
If you are in the mood for a fix of fluff and feathers, enjoy.
There is a kid in Oregon who loves CHAINS. He loves it so much that he wrote an original song about it and then made this video. Be sure to watch all the way to the end. There is a surprise there that might bring tears to your eyes. That’s what happened to me.
Many people think that the life of the author must be incredibly glamorous, filled with cheering crowds of adoring fans, travel by limo, and being heralded by marching bands.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that the reality is very far removed from that fantasy.
Except for yesterday.
The Teen Book Festival in Rochester is the top teen book fest in the country. Maybe the world. Thousands of teens came to listen to a couple dozen YA authors. We were all blown away by the magnitude and wonderful atmosphere of the event.
And when we got to the Nazareth campus, Ellen Hopkins and Terry Trueman were transferred to a motorcycle & sidecar. At the front of the procession? An honest-to-goodness marching band.
That was when I knew the day was going to be a waking fantasy.
We all spoke on a "lightning round" panel in the gym, then broke off to give workshops to smaller audiences. Thank you everyone who took the time to hang our at my presentations!
At the end of the day we met back in the gym to sign books. And sign books. And sign books. For hours. It was heavenly.
ESPECIALLY….
Now I head back to the Forest where there is no marching band, but there is a handsome husband, overzealous dog, baby chickens and a garden that needs some attention.
Thank you very, very much Teen Book Festival. Amazing experience.
(Zen can be found at the bottom of this post.)
A couple of people have written to ask how our dog, the Creature With Fangs, is taken the arrival of the baby chickens. (The CWF is a large, neurotic German Shepherd.)
We have not made the necessary introductions yet. There is a very good chance we never will. Some dogs take well to having chickens around. Other view them as a combination toy/snack.
And then there is the tennis ball problem. The CWF loves to chase after tennis balls, grab them in her mouth, and gnaw on them.
I am not sure the CWF would see much of a difference between a tennis ball and a five-day-old chicken. We are not going to test those waters quite yet.
Garden update: we’re still have frost in the morning, so I dare not transplant the veggies that like it hot. But they’ve all outgrown the little containers (also known as old egg cartons) that I started them in. So this morning I transplanted them to bigger pots of dirt. Another week or two and I hope they can go outside. Maybe I’ll just stick them out there sooner, and dress them in a jacket and scarf.
In between gardening, chicken-sitting and fussing over the compost heap…. oh, and writing; I do that, too, I am packing for this weekend’s trip to the ab-fab Rochester Teen Book Festival. You should join us!!!! It is the best, rockingingest YA book event east of the Mississippi River and it is FREE!!!!!
I’ll be there giving presentations, hanging out, signing sneakers, and laughing too loudly along with Holly Black, Coe Booth, Robin Brande, manga writing duo Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges, Marissa Doyle, Simone Elkeles, Ellen Hopkins, James Kennedy, A.S. King, Daniel Kirk, Alisa Libby, Barry Lyga, Mari Mancusi, Lisa McMann, Ben Mikaelsen, Alyson Noël, Sarah Ockler, Matt de la Peña, Amy Kathleen Ryan, Lisa Schroeder, Jennifer E. Smith, Terry Trueman, Vivian Vande Velde, and Martin Wilson.
Can you freaking believe that line-up?
You know you want to join us. Come on, it’s Saturday. You don’t have baby chickens to take care of. Come hang out with us!!
My chickens said I should post the following picture for those of you who are feeling a bit stressed. They meditate quite a bit, my chickens, and I think it is the secret to their happiness.
Moment of zen.
