Day Another - Second Anniversary Post

Mrs. Stanley's class. Fourth Grade.
Can you find me? 

Barbara Stanley.

Mary Ann Schilling.

Jessica Treadway.

What do these three women have in common?

They were three teachers who helped me to become the writer I am today.

I mean, truly helped.

I mean, where-would-I-be-without-them? kind of helped.

Mrs. Stanley was the first teacher who marveled at my 9-yr-old writing, who nudged me to step out of the rhyming poem box and write free-form, who distinctly made me feel creatively special.

Mary Ann Schilling was my creative writing teacher in high school.  It was an angsty time for me and she went out of her way to not only let me know that my writing was good and special, but that my take on life was important and mattered and was worthy of being expressed however I chose to express it.

A good teacher's note:
". . . the honesty is there -- keep working with it --
otherwise writing is pompous and phony!"

You can see a few more photos from my high school journal I kept for her class, here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.606170666064387.1073741826.100000143780625&type=3

And, Jessica Treadway, an amazing writer (and published author) in her own right, who was my creative writing teacher in college at Boston University, probably one of her first years of teaching.

Her most recent award-winning short story collection,
Please Come Back to Me.

I could actually show you the skilled, encouraging and sincere feedback she gave me on pieces of my writing, except I'm too lazy to go get them down from my closet and photograph them. (forgive me, Jessica!)

Two things in common for me about these three teachers:

a. I am NOT a saver, but I have kept all their handwritten notes/assessments of me and my writing from that period of time,

b. I distinctly remember how each of these three women made me feel when I showed them my writing. I can remember the exact feeling of someone thinking what I did was valuable, worthy and special.

Through my book -- and the magic of facebook -- I have been back in touch with each of these extraordinary women. I am grateful for them, grateful for the chance to thank them, and grateful for the lasting connection. This has most definitely been a  highlight of my first two years in publication.

more tomorrow!

gae

A Few of My Totally Random Favorite Things (in NO particular order)...

So, I think I may have talked about how fickle I am before. *rolls eyes*

Not so much with people (thank goodness... i am a pretty loyal soul) but with things. Objects. Books. Art. Music. Entertainment. Clothing. Oh, lord, clothing. What was I thinking when I bought that last year?!

My tastes can change from moment to moment; what appealed to me so much last winter, this winter not so much.

So instead of doing any sort of year end list of new things I love, I thought I'd just do a top ten list of totally random things I constantly love. Never get sick of. Find myself craving, day after week, after year. . .

Why? No reason. It just occurred to me as I was updating my private facebook page* with the photo you see above and a wonderful cover photo that I illegally lifted, but totally credited to, the stupendous Maira Kalman:

Maira Kalman: New York, Grand Central Station, 1999

Oh, how I love Maira Kalman.
By love I mean, covet.
As in, wish I could be her.
Wish I had written her books.
Wish I could spend many hours of every day reading her books.
Wish I could... well, you get the gist.



Maira Kalman: What Pete Ate From A - Z
we read this so many times aloud. . .  

My younger son, especially, and I would spend hours reading her picture books together. The whimsy and sophistication never ceased to entertain, and still don't. There's just something about her art and prose that fill my soul.

So, Maira Kalman is #1 of Things I Don't Get Sick of (TiDGSo); 


While we're at it, #2: birds. Birds and Botanicals. Botanical, aviary-type birds. And their cages. I love pretty bird cages, too.

Like the birds I put on my photo up there. Or, say, these (notice the botanicals on my chairs and table! I never get sick of my table. You should see how pretty my table is... if you bug me to, I'll go take a photo...):



yep, see, birds. . .

 



Oh, don't fail me, YMI jeans...

#3 YMI jeans. Cheap and well-fitted.




Need I say more about that?

 

#4 listening to my husband sing...



and play his shakers and guiros! :)


And, while we're stating the obvious #5 Water in general,

and open water swimming... in particular. . .

photo credit: Carol Moore

#6  Cherry blossoms...

And, some more obvious, but, oh, so true:

#7 Listening to Sam play guitar:

          or, #8 watching Holden play basketball:

photo: courtesy Rick Kopstein

 #9. This store, Heartichoke, in Northport, NY... (ah, the baubles and trinkets... even lots of birds and botanicals ;))

and,

come on, guys, the number one

(or, um, #10)

totally random (shiny) thing I (almost) never get sick of... even when I wish that I would?

facebook!

oh, how you distract me with your blue and white hypnosis. . .

That's it. My totally random, highly incomplete, no-order top ten list for all time and/or 2012.

Hope you're all having wonderful holidays. See you for some resolutions or wishes in the New Year.

xox gae

* if you are a lovely, wonderful YA reader and want to follow me on fb, please follow me HERE and not there. :)

Casting Marcia Brady and Pie in the Sky

The Pull of Gravity has been optioned for film.

Don't throw confetti or sound the party horns just yet.


First, I know this may be news to you, but it isn't news to me. I've known since last summer there was interest.

In fact, the Producer and I have emailed and Skyped on and off for months and we seem to be dilly-dallying and taking our sweet time about getting the option agreement signed, even as the film plans forge ahead.

(I tell you this: Lawyers are their own worst clients. Author/lawyers, likely worse than the worst).


So, I know I don't sound uber excited.

But, I am.

But, here's the thing:

A movie option is a very Iffy thing. Like that, with a capital I.

IF they raise the money, and IF they get the right people, and IF blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., THEN a movie will (might?) get made.

I know a bunch of writer friends with stalled or dead option deals. It's just the way that it goes.

So, it's not that I'm not flattered and excited, because, trust me. I promise you, I am.

It's just that it's all very pie in the sky.

Now, I like pie.

And, there's no better place to enjoy some nice pice than in the sky.

(why not?)


You just can't count on it. Not yet.

But, what I can count on?  The news bringing me some laughs.

"I want to play Scoot. Sure, I'm a middle aged
black guy, and he's a sickly white teen. . ."

For a facebook addict like me, the best thing about good
(or fun or exciting) news
is sharing it
with my ridiculous virtual friends. 

True story: I typed virtuous by accident first, instead of virtual.

And, trust me on this, my facebook friends are anything but virtuous.*


But they are funny and sincere, and, on the high and low days, especially, a source of constant comfort and entertainment.


So, yeah, good news is fun, like, say, if you have a movie option on your book.


But it's really only fun if you have good peeps to share it with, and join in the fun. Which I do, and am grateful for every day.*

- gae

* if you are under the age of 19, and because we are not always virtuous on my private page, please join me on my public facebook AUTHOR PAGE HERE.

If you are over the age of 18 and want to join me on my private page, it's HERE.