I Spy … a new edition!

Posted by HRH (Hyper Redheaded Harmonist) Dinah Galloway!

It began with Wilfred the cat, though my sister Madge insists she started it by leaving the back door open. Wilfred wouldn’t have been able to get out otherwise, she says.

That’s Madge for you. She has to be the center of any story. I guess it’s because she’s so pretty, with her burnished red hair, lupine-blue eyes and smooth, porcelain skin. It would be hard not to believe you were the center of attention, looking like that.

“My hair is auburn,” says Madge, miffed. She’s peering over my shoulder at the computer screen, where I’m writing this.

Well, she’s part of the story, I’ll give her that. And, by letting Wilfred go, she set things off: the discovery of the bucktoothed spy and the mysterious thefts, not to mention the high-speed chases. (Okay, so the chases were on foot. They were still high-speed.)

So begins my very first adventure, first published in 2002, and now featured in a skookum new edition! As you can see, the new cover is very film noir style, very sinister and mysterious. Well, natch. The spy I chase in this story is very sinister, and the plot is very mysterious! Not to mention featuring a nummy recipe for tomatoes, courtesy my soon-to-be-brother-in-law, Jack French.

Hey, and guess what? This is the book where Madge meets Jack! And double-guess what: at first she can’t stand him! Luckily, wisdom—in the person of yours redheadedly—prevails.

Here’s what Quill & Quire said (blush): “With writing as delicious as the fresh tomatoes Dinah loves to munch, Jackson weaves a lively mystery … [nothing] will stop young readers from adoring Dinah and gobbling up this entertaining new mystery series.”

So … if you’re into gobbling, check out Spy!

AlphaBETTER is AlphaBEST!

What do you call 1,000 children reading 100 books? Yes, that’s right… the Canadian Toy Testing Council’s Literacy Program.

These 1,000 smart kids chose Alphabetter as one of the top ten “Great Books” for 2007.

And really, how could a council of kids possibly be wrong?

Two Foot Punch Launched

Last week Anita Daher launched Two Foot Punch in Winnipeg, reading from the book to a packed room. Members of Winnipeg Parkour also answered questions about the sport.

Anita signs a copy of the book for Zeddy, with Hawk looking on.

The Winnipeg Parkour traceurs and Anita pose for a photo.

You can learn more about parkour from sites like Urban Freeflow… or even better, read the book!

Questions, Paths and Underbrush

I’m a day late with my blog because I had a couple of great visits with kids at Father Whelihan and Olympic Heights Schools in Calgary this week. Kids always ask me lots of questions of course, but I always manage to ask a few myself.

What books have you read lately that you really enjoyed? That question often leads me to investigate books I otherwise wouldn’t have read.

What do you find the hardest part of writing a story? That question often brings out answers I definitely understand. One idea we talked about is how story writing often starts with a great and wonderful idea but then dies a slow death as one struggles to put it into words. It takes a lot of planning mixed in with inspiration to write a story. And it takes a lot of faith.

I was thinking about the “faith” end of it this morning because I just received several new magazines about the latest, greatest books out there. Those magazines intimidate me. Even when one of the books in them has my name on it with a good review, I’m still intimidated. Look at all those great stories! I can’t do that!

But it’s not what other people write that I need to think about. I need to think about the story I’m working on. I need to have faith in the story itself and my ability to write it well. If I keep the faith, slowly I’ll find the path through all the doubts, dead ends and distracting underbrush that are part of writing.

Wishing you success in finding your own paths, wherever they may lead.

Hazel Hutchins

Canaries,

Stories are everywhere…including old stories with a new twist, or at least a twist I’d never heard before.

I heard a mining engineer talking about small birds in coal mines yesterday. You’ve probably heard the basics -when the small bird swayed on its perch and fell over, the miners knew there was deadly gas around and it was time for humans to leave the mine. Of course by then it was probably too late for the bird.

The twist I’d never heard before came in the form of a birdcage that was itself rescue equipment - for the canary. As soon as the bird began to sway on its perch: 1. the cage could be made air-tight so no more deadly gas would enter. 2. there was a small bottle of life-saving oxygen attached so a quick squirt could be given. The miners lived and so did the bird. Brilliant! And there has to be some way to fit that into a story.

Maybe a realistic story in which a child is caring for the birds in the mine office above ground. Perhaps a story in a fantasy land where someone’s beloved rare pet is needed in a similar situation, and the young owner finds a way to secrectly go along to try and protect it. hmmmmmm. time to get my notebook out!

you can see pictures of both kinds of cages here.

Except I wanted to ask a question before I go. Can anyone remember the exact moment they learned to read? The moment when you realized you could figure out the marks on the paper? I can’t. But I’ve run into several people who can. I’d love to hear your own stories about that moment if you happen to be one of those people.

Last post on Thursday this week. Bye’til then. Hazel Hutchins