Cats and Jammers Studio

When a Good Girl Goes Bad.....on Pinterest

I tried. I really really tried. But..but I didn't try THAT hard.

Of course, my reputation is still intact. I am talking about my obsession with finding imagery and posting it on Pinterest. And lately, my biggest pleasure has been finding old paperback pulp fiction covers and then adding my own captions. 

You don't know about Pinterest? That might be a good thing, because it is already an addiction for me when I need a few minutes of down time from work. It's like keeping scrapbooks of your favorite imagery, and getting to share it with EVERYONE. And the site is growing. Here is a piece on it from Mashable.

My Flag is Down is actually from my own paperback collection. As my friend Liz said, "I bet it won't be down for long."

And I just discoverd the newer, less "upright" cover for this novel. By the look on his face, I'm not so sure this Taxi driver will know what to do to get that flag up again.

Pop over to my Pinterest Board and have a look see for yourself. But be warned--Pinterest is great fun!

(Incidentally, I happened to catch Tarrentino's Pulp Fiction on TV last night. I do love that movie!)

Finally I have this to say: I am going to try to figure out a way to use the word "SWELL" on a daily basis. And it will have nothing to do with sprains.

Back to business and blogging...as time allows...

It's been a Loooooong while since I was able to carve out blogging time. I am hoping that I can get back on schedule after a solid year of non-stop art work with books and fabrics.

Mind you, I am not complaining. I am thrilled to have the illustration work and the inspiration to create. But balance it always good, and so, after having stuffed myself silly with work this year and stuffed myself silly with food over the Thanksgiving weekend, it is time to regroup, step back, and assess. 

So stop back and visit me again soon. I'll be posting  some "deep thoughts" something later this week.

 

 

I've been given absolution...

It's been quite a while since I last posted anything on this blog. I know that and it has gnawed at me. It's not that I imagine that I have a regular audience or anything. It is just that this blog is my way of reflecting and processing things that seem to speak to me. And I haven't done that here for a spell now. And I haven't wanted to. And it's bothered me, sort of in the same way it does when you have homework to do that you don't feel like doing.

At first, I was just caught up in a few distractions. I actually had something very specific and very wonderful that I wanted to post a big blog about, but things got in the way. In September, I had taken a trip to the Museum at Bethel Woods, which is essentially the upstate NY location for the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, and, more famously, the site of the Woodstock Music Festival which took place in the summer of 1969.

The museum is so much more than a museum about Woodstock. It is really about the entire decade of the 1960s and the incredible changes in society during that time, with the music festival serving as the climax to all of it. If you have not been, you really need to go, no matter what your age or your taste in popular music.

But I could not get to that Bethel Woods post when I should have, which is right away, after I went. And then, the time had passed, and it even got later, with the winter weather rushing down the pike at full speed. So, that is all I want to say about that right now, because the Museum and the site are really worth a serious and lengthy write up and it's better that I push my blogging about my experience there until the spring or perhaps even closer to the 40th anniversary of the music festival itself, when maybe some people will be inspired to go there and have the experience for themselves.

But surely there have been other things that made my wheels turn and made me want to blog? Well, yes to the former, but no to the latter. Yes, I have been doing a ton of planning and thinking and developing projects. I have new manuscripts. I completed a new picture book dummy. I went away on a writing retreat. Lots of good stuff. But, no, I have not wanted to blog. It is very hard for me to say why, except that my blog is strongly muse driven by a need to share. The blog muse has to kick me in the ass and say, "You must blog about this. You must share this." And she hasn't. And I haven't. So that is it in a nutshell.

And knowing that I have not felt like sharing has gnawed at me. Like having a goldfish with a bowl that needs cleaning, so you just put it in an out-of-the-way place so you don't have to look at it. That's my blog. A dirty goldfish bowl. Problem is, pretty soon, you can't even see the damn fish anymore. Is it alive? I was in fear of letting the fish die, 'cause the longer you let it go, the less you want to do it.

Until today! The water is clear, the fish is still swimming, and the muse is back. Why? Because I have been given absolution that it is OK to only write when I feel the need to. In this morning's times there is a nice piece about "slow blogging." Titled "Haste Scorned: Blogging at a Snail's Pace" and written by Sharon Otterman, I am now happy to know that I don't have to blog at a pace that is not who I am. Sometimes I bustle and sometimes I crawl. And sometimes I am in between. And that's how I blog. And guess what--there are others who blog the same way.

Hallelujah! Absolution! Guilt be gone.

Amusement Park Passion!

I am currently at work illustrating the next Jeffrey Bones mystery book, written by David A. Adler.

I like doing these books. Davd Adler has a wonderful, dry sense of humor that still comes through very nicely even though these are simpler texts for younger readers. This humor is especially enjoyable when the story has Jeffrey and his grandfather together.

Right now I am working on Bones book number 7 which takes the pair to an amusement park with a very scary rollercoaster.

SO what am I doing? I am looking at every picture of old roller coasters that I can find so I can to get myself into the amusement park mood and so I can create my own version of a traditional wild ride.

This is pure pleasure for me. I am finding great images online that really bring me back. My happiest memories as a child are those that I have from days spent at amusement parks of yesteryear, many of which are no longer in existence.

Like Olympic Park in New Jersey. I can still see that park and those rides in my mind's eye as though it were yesterday. That was my first roller coaster ride, my first Caterpillar, Wild Mouse, penny arcade, and so on. I also went to Asbury Park, Seaside Heights, Coney Island (though I NEVER, EVER got to go into Steeplechase Park before it closed!), Point Pleasant and several others.

But there is even more fun I am having. I am safely riding coasters again! Here is a great site I came upon, where you can actually take a ride on a roller coaster, courtesy of the magic of video and one brave soul who sat in the front and held a camera. Here is the wild ride I "took" this morning:

After I rode on few more coasters, I looked for nice Merry Go Round videos. This is the prettiest one I found, that also had the wonderful old band organ music:

Then, you can actually ride it:

Of course, I HAD to go on the WHIP (the Whip was right near the roller coaster at Olympic Park). Here is a nice video that starts out with a few historical shots, then turns in to a modern ride on an old attraction:

Then a ride on the Cyclone! There were lots of Cyclone videos, but this one most made me feel like I was really riding on it:

If you continue a search on You Tube there are wonderful amusement park videos to be seen. I saw a few from the 1940's of Coney Island that I will have to go back and watch again another day. This one in particular looked wonderful as well as this one.

Now, back to to work...after I am less dizzy from all that make believe coaster riding!

Retreat, retreat, retreat......

Today I retreat. I run away. I withdraw. That is to say I go off to the SCBWI Whispering Pines Writer's Retreat right here in New England.

I think I may have lost count how many times I have gone, but I know it is at least seven times.

That is seven escapes. Seven retreats from the front line of family life. Seven years of making sure every kid and routine is "covered" with an adult in charge, so I don't have to worry (even tho I still do). Seven times I have made my way down to the Alton Jones Campus in Rhode Island and driven through the quiet woods to find lodging, great food, inspiring speakers, and good friends.

This retreat is not as much of a "working retreat" as Rising River which is run by author Jackie Davies in New Hampshire, which I have also gone to, LOVED, and gotten serious work done on manuscripts (although WP might be if I carve the time out a little). No, Whispering Pines is more of a great listening and learning retreat, for it offers great "pep talk."

Just about an hour from Boston, it is set in a lovely wooded area, where deer and wild turkey roam, and where you can catch the glimmer of a winter sky on the partially frozen lake, or look for evidence of lingering ghosts in the partially haunted buildings on the property.

There are usually at least 2 editors, an author and an illustrator to share their thoughts and work. They all seek to inspire, educate, give inside information, and leave you feeling like you can take something home to chew on. And there is always great food and drink.

So, adios for a few days, while I regroup, head off with sketch pad and laptop, and try not to use my cell phone too much....

New year, new directions, same Elvis infatuation

Well, I took a bit of a break from the blog while we recovered from a trying autumn. I wanted down time. Thought I'd get into the spirit of December.

I love December. I love Hanukkah, and Christmas and New Year's. I love making the house cozy and indulging all of my loved ones with gifts. I also love the forced "take a break time" the end of the month imposes on you.

This year was an extremely relaxed and enjoyable time, although tinged with the melancholy of recent losses. Yet, life goes on, and one of the things I bought us for a present was a Nikon Coolscan, so my husband and I could begin to scan 35 years of slides from our own life together, as well as slides that go back to the 40s and 50s. Life does goes on, but it seems as though we still need to relive our youth.

Some posts ago I answered an 8 things meme about myself. One of the things I confessed to was my obsession with the passing of time. Well, it seems that everything that has happened in the last six months has contributed to that obsession. Let, me tell you, NOTHING makes you feel nostalgia more than looking over old pictures. Getting a glimpse of childhood and old relatives is a toughie. SO is getting a glimpse of young adulthood. How many times could I say, "So much hair, so few pounds" in a five minute period? Thousands.

But enough of that. I could literally go on and on and on....

Instead I will wish a happy birthday to the king. He still rocks. He is eternally young. And we may have never said "so few pounds" but we also never said "so little hair."

Moving Forward and Making a List

A lot has gone on in our family this fall. Actually a lot has gone on our family for the past 21 years, since my husband and I first became parents, and even before, but this fall it was was especially so.

Some of it has been the normal stress and chaos involved with raising three sons and trying to juggle our work and passions. Even when we think things are settling down and on an even keel, something comes up and we say, "Never a dull moment. Why on earth can't we have some DULL moments?"

But some of what my husband and I have dealt with this fall has been especially sad as we come to terms with the cycle of life with regard to our close family members. Even when a family member has led a long, healthy and happy life that should be celebrated for its fullness more than it is mourned, when the life cycle comes full circle, it affects you in ways that go beyond what you expect you will feel as you grieve.

I have found myself not only thinking of the loss he and I have experienced in the past month, but I feel overwhelmed with the very shortness of life itself and the speed with which time flies. Yes, I know that these phrases are as cliche ridden as they get, but sometimes the very truth in them can hit you in the face like walking into a wall does, and your aching head stays with you in the midst of everything you do, think, and say.

Just a post back, before the sadness in our lives descended, I was preoccupied with the whole concept of becoming a collectible on ebay, and how quickly 31 years flew by. Now as we think about lives led and lost, and passing years I spend a good portion of every day reminding myself that as fast as the past 31 have gone by, so will the next 31. And, with that goes the notion that time spent doing things of little importance or enjoyment is time forever squandered.

So I have been trying to charge forward. Seriously. I am trying to think of things I need to get done or have always wanted to get done. Yes, I know that there is some sort of "things to see/places to go before you die" kind of thing out there. But do we really need someone else to make those lists for us? Shouldn't we sit down and come up with our own lists?

Aside from the obvious, like seeing my kids grown, happy and healthy (always a worry and a challenge), and making sure my husband and family, and extended family are warm, safe and loved, as well as trying to always eat, drink, and be merry (a real problem for number 3), here are some of the things I have put on my own list:

1. Finishing up my MG/YA novel
2. Really learning to play my banjo well
3. Sticking to my diet
4. Working on big, empowering canvases again, with paint flying all over
5. Seeing the Northern Lights up close and personal
6. Having some serious time in France
7. Letting my hair grow very long again (have a good head start on that, no pun intended)
8. Getting my bull dog Bitty house trained....

And especially making books for kids-- my obsession and passion.

Some of the things above I have been better at than others, or are more reachable than others--easy to figure out which, I am sure. But one thing that has been the bulk of my time is the book work. And so I have been writing up a storm, and come the new year I will get to work illustrating the books I am contracted for, as well as creating the dummies for the new work that will be, or is in the process of, being shopped around. I am juiced. I am driven. And I am inspired. I feel like the final gift our loved ones leave us when they move on, is the message to embrace life and time, and go for it.

SO--are you moving forward with your own list or putting it off? Have you even made your list? Well, it is that time of year again, isn't it? Don't let someone else tell you where to go, and what to see or do. Figure it out for yourself. Then make it happen. Time might be a-wastin'. And if not that, let me tell you, it's a-flyin' for sure.

Reading the Daily Muse

It is amazing to me how fast the fall is moving into the winter. Seems like I just finished going through my re-entry-into-home-atmosphere-school year phase (always touch and go in my house), and now we are just about to hit Thanksgiving which will be shortly followed by the madness of everything December. I really do not want to think about New Year's resolutions.

Why? Because Fall is always my time for setting new goals. SO far, except for the diet and exercise regime I almost signed in blood, I have been focusing on those things I promised myself I would work toward. That means I have adhered to a regular writing schedule, which has me in my studio working on stories most week day mornings at about 9 AM, and stopping somewhere around 1 PM. I did finally set up my sound machine and, let me tell you, having the white noise of rain, or ocean, or wind to tune everything out does get me to THAT place to lose myself in a story. It is almost as good as spending 4 hours in the shower...

This is what is very funny to me: I do just the ooposite when I draw or paint. THEN I need a TON of external distraction so I work from my heart instead of my head.

Rising River (I wrote about that just a couple of posts ago) was truly a WONDERFUL boost in so many ways. I highly recommend this retreat run by author Jaqueline Davies. I came back a different person in more ways than I would want to bore you with. Here is what I wrote to a friend:

Jackie takes over a whole B and B up hear the Vermont border.
And she brings the chefs with her! There were only about 9 of us plus
Jackie. VERY serious working atmosphere!

I got work done on my YA, and also one-on-one feedback
on my chapter book, which I also am revising. Plus group input on my
picture book.

So, to sum it up: great food, great feedback, great time!

And lots of wine.

So I hope that those of you who set goals every fall, or even every January will think about giving yourself a retreat from the routines of day to day stress. I found it to be a very successful experience. I hope to go again.

That's my break for the morning. Back to the stories. Get back to yours, too.

Off to stroke the Muse....

I am allowing myself a wonderful indulgence this weekend. I am off to a writing retreat. And I am really planning to retreat.

I am leaving my studio and my household and my family and my French Bulldog, to gain some focus time. In the past, when I have felt like I am at a crossroads in my career or work, getting away from the normal routines and away from the comfort of the house I live in, has been the key to knowing what I really need to turn TO and FROM. In the past I have come back from these escapes knowing the answers to questions that I didn't even know I was asking. I am hoping that will happen this weekend.

The place I am heading to is Rising River, run by author Jaqueline Davies, who is a dynamo and inspiration to those of us who juggle family and passions. I have made sure all the manuscripts that I have in progress are loaded onto my laptop. I am bringing sketch materials and paper. I am bringing my white noise machine that will make me feel like I am in the middle of a rain storm, or on an ocean beach, or even in the forest. And I will have an ipod, although music can distract me unless I am drawing.

With any luck the muse will be in the back seat and looking forward to the trip with me.

I have a YA, a chapter book, and a serious handful of picture books to work on. I am not sure which of those will call my name when I actually sit down to work, but I am sort of hoping it is the YA. Those characters visit me all the time, and some new ones have introduced themselves, and EVERYONE is waiting to see where they are going next and what is going to happen. I hope I can tell them where they are headed by Sunday, even if I don't have all the details worked out.

I'll keep ya posted.

Down Time

I have seriously been in summer mode. That is good. I need down time--probably more than I realized. Oh, I have also been spending a lot of time getting ready for an art exhibit of my work at a small gallery in NH, having art framed and having prints made. And I am about to be doing some signings and speaking engagements, at libraries and book stores. But mostly I am working at winding down before the chaos of the fall and the back to school mishegas, which I hate with a passion. And I do mean HATE.

But for now, as much as I can, I swim in Newfound Lake, up in NH, which is what I consider to be like swimming in Holy Water. The lake is crystal clear and surrounded by mountains. I like to go out to the far ropes and swim and think. And tread water. And swim some more.

My family and I go late in the day, when the beach begins to empty--about four o'clock. We arrive with the ducks. They seem to wait for late afternoon, too. At that time the sun is shining on the beach and heading down behind the mountains. Wellington Beach closes at seven, and we stay until the lifeguard has announced that "the beach is closed and the gates will lock momentarily." He likes to say that. He likes to make us think that we need to hustle, or we will be locked in all night long. Like that is such a terrible thing. So we pack up, reluctantly, and leave at the very last minute. But the ducks get to stay and they do seem to gloat when we truck back to the car with our gear.

With every year, I love New Hampshire more and more. And we like to imagine what life would be like if we could live there all the time.

This summer, as in most summers, I have had the luxury of reading. Books. Real books. My son Ben and I read Because of Winn-Dixie, which we both loved. This is the first book by Kate Dicamillo I have read, and I love her voice and I look forward to reading all of her work.

I have been reading HEYDAY, by Kurt Andersen, but it seems to come in fits and starts, because that is the kind of book I want to lose myself in, without distraction, so I can drink in all the wonderful period detail, and with a house full of family, that is not so easily done. So I am waiting for quiet times to get lost in it.

A neighbor gave me Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg, and I have been reading that in little bits at night, so I can savor and enjoy the dialogue, which often makes me laugh out loud.

Coming up: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, by Michael Chabon. And a few others.

I have not done much writing or drawing. Little bits only. As I said, the muse has gone off for a while, on her own holiday.

I just wish the summer were longer.