The vistas were completely different from last weekend’s hike. For one thing, it was mostly flat.  For another, there was water – lots of water.  Marshlands and wetlands and a river, which meant of course BIRDS!

We spotted a family of Canada geese on the path ahead, but the scooted into the water as we approached.  Here’s a better picture:

Aren’t they beautiful?  I’ve had a special place in my heart for Canada geese ever since I lived in Concord, Massachusetts. When I was growing up there, our house backed up to a conservation area called the “Old Calf Pasture.” My sisters and I could run out our back door, through the woods, and straight into 500 acres of meadows and forest nestled by a river.  Talk about the best backyard in the world!

One day, my dad went down to the river to go fishing, and came home with a goose instead.  It had gotten tangled in some nylon line of some sort and was scared to bits. Somehow, he managed to throw his jacket over it and carry it back to our house, where my sisters and I watched as he gently clipped it free.  We wanted to keep it as a pet, of course, but my father explained that it was a wild animal, and needed to go back to its family.

And if you’re wondering, yes, there’s quite a bit of Jess Delaney in me!

Our hike last weekend, which started out in the hot sun through meadows that reminded me of that pasture, ended up on a cooler, shadier trail through the forest.

Wish I was there again right about now…

Christina Katz is featuring my new book in her fun month-long giveaway, and today is my turn in the spotlight.  There’s a brief interview and then Christina poses a question (I totally ♥♥♥ the one she picked for you, and I can’t wait to read all your responses!).  Answer it ON HER BLOG (not here) to enter the giveaway.  Click here to head on over to Writer Mama.

Off you go — have fun!

Baby writer with her beloved mother

This is the view from my office window.  (Click on it for a full-screen view.)  I love looking out at the trees and flowers, and at my neighbor’s red barn.  What do you look out at from the corner of the world where you write?

I love your amazing books
They always make me grin
I spend hours reading them
The books take me within

The Mother Daughter Book Club
May be the best series on Earth
The price on the back cover
Is much less then they are worth

They are worth more than money
They fill me with joy every time
And so I’ll tell you in this poem
Written all in rhyme

I can’t wait for Wish You Were Eyre
I want to see what happens next
I think I might explode while waiting
Until September, I won’t rest

I am a writer, just like Emma
And of course a reader too
I love your books more than words can tell
And so I’ll say thank you!

Thank YOU, Zoe!  :)

Next up, an amazing collage poster made by Eileen:

I absolutely LOVE all the details — so fun!  Thank you, Eileen!

And now an adorable picture of Janna:

How cute is THAT?  Thank you, Janna!

Here’s a very cool poster designed by Leah — it was the winning entry in Emma’s movie-poster contest:

Thanks to both Leah and Emma for this!  SO FUN!

And finally, a full set of mother-daughter book club bookmarks, designed by Rachel:

WOWZA!  Thank you so much, Rachel!  (By the way, if you click on the above image, it should expand to full screen so you can print it out and make your own bookmarks.)

See why I have the best job in the whole world?   I ♥♥♥ you all!

I wonder if other writers spend as much time “getting ready to write” as I do.  Am I turning into the Adrian Monk of the literary world?  So many little rituals – a cup of tea (Yorkshire Decaf and Stash’s Lemon Ginger are my current faves), a moment or two spent arranging my pens beside the armchair where I write, lap desk just so, phones turned off, small pillow tucked behind my lower back.  Hmmm.  Way too Monk-like for comfort.  On the other hand, perhaps I’m being too hard on myself—is what I do all that different from a pilot running through his pre-flight checklist?  I muse for a minute on the aptness of this metaphor.  Writing is definitely a lift-off of sorts, if only for a flight of fancy, and that scramble down the runway toward the work each day, that leap of faith into the subconscious, is not unlike an airplane surging from the ground into the sky.  And that sudden, upward-soaring feeling when inspiration kicks in and you’re thrust deep into the slipstream of the creative process is definitely akin to the wind beneath a jetliner’s wings.

Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Am I the only Golden Retriever out there, circling the rug before I settle down and get comfortable?  What are your little rituals for “getting ready to write”?

They won the USA Hockey National Tier 1 U14 championships TWO YEARS IN A ROW!  This is the highest medal in girls’ hockey in the country.

WOW!  Talk about a golden girl!  Here she is making a goal:

Nice shot, Lucinda–your family must be incredibly proud of you, and so am I!

But still, how fun!  An international student!

Then next Friday, May 11th, I’ll be at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing at 4:30 for Book Fan Friday, a free writing workshop for young writers between the ages of 10 and 18. We’ll be having fun with fractured fairy tales.  Click here for more information.

Come join me if you can!

Giveaway judges Billie & Bonnie, ready to do their duty

Hat with names

Hat with names + dog treats (to interest judges)

Selection of winners in process

And we have lift-off!

Out of more than 60 participants in the fractured fairy tale Extrava-TOAD-ganza Giveaway, Bonnie and Billie chose:

Emma — Little Violet Sneakers

Liyah — Cinderella with the Too-Big Shoes

Mackenzie (not Sarah Margaret’s twin) — Princess & the Pea from the pea’s perspective

Congratulations, girls!  I’ll be contacting you shortly to get more information on where to send your prizes!