I've been busy tending to my bruised ego, so haven't had time to make a post in a few weeks. Wounded ego, you wonder...yes, very. Because there is no you. Just me, typing and posting. No you, reading and commenting. Oh so ego-bruising. Last kid picked for baseball bruising. No one wants to dance with me bruising. You - who aren't there anyway - get the idea.
But then, last night after some wine and a bout of insomnia, I realized it eas freeing to not have a single reader, follower or whatever. I can say what I like. I'm only talking to myself anyway...no different than an Oscar acceptance speech in the showere except I'm clothed (really, I am). So, say anything I like, no arguments from you-who-are-not-there, AND I can now stop worrying about my increasingly atrocious spelling...and the infinite and somewhat hard to remember differences between Canadian and American spelling...and wondering which to use. Oh! And my egregious use of ellipses...I just love those three little dots.
Whooo, yeah, freedom!!
Yup, you (who-is-not-there) are not wrong, this has nothing to do with my picture book, adoption, or anything I said this blog was about. I'll return with some more relevant posts...(there they are again) but unleashed and probably with spelling errors. And this post, not even re-reading before posting. That's right, I'm a badass.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thank You Martin Amis
Thank you Martin Amis! You have done what only a Chisese visa officer and a paltry royalties cheque has done to date: made me feel qualified to call myself a writer.
A few days ago Amis was chatting about books on the BBC's new programme 'Faulks on Fiction'. When asked if he'd ever considered writing a children's book, he answered with this pearl: "If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book." A cynic might think it was a set-up for the new programme to get some press, or maybe Amis has a book about to launch.
But I am celebrating. I have just found out that some miserable old britlit snob desperately trying to live up to his daddy's legacy has proclaimed me qualified to write children's books! Finally, a seal of approval. What next? A Caldecott?
What is brain cancer and all its effects, if not serious brain injury? Life threatening, painful, gruelling to recover from...and a prerequisite to being a kidlit star.
Thank you Mr. Amis, renowned author of...of...oh shoot I can't think of a single title. Must be the brain injury.
A few days ago Amis was chatting about books on the BBC's new programme 'Faulks on Fiction'. When asked if he'd ever considered writing a children's book, he answered with this pearl: "If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book." A cynic might think it was a set-up for the new programme to get some press, or maybe Amis has a book about to launch.
But I am celebrating. I have just found out that some miserable old britlit snob desperately trying to live up to his daddy's legacy has proclaimed me qualified to write children's books! Finally, a seal of approval. What next? A Caldecott?
What is brain cancer and all its effects, if not serious brain injury? Life threatening, painful, gruelling to recover from...and a prerequisite to being a kidlit star.
Thank you Mr. Amis, renowned author of...of...oh shoot I can't think of a single title. Must be the brain injury.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
CHINESE NEW YEAR
This is one of my favourite times of the year: Chinese New Year. On February 3rd the Year of the Rabbit begins. Chinese New Year is a little different from the western, January 31st New Year's celebration. The focus for Chinese celebrations is on family, and the cohesiveness of family.
Food is crucial to the celebration. At the top of the list is the New Year's Cake Neen Gow. I love this cake, which by western standards doesn't really resemble cake. The brown slab sugar (peen tong) makes it sweet and the colour of toffee. The glutinous rice flour makes it ooey-gooey inside. Once the sugar slabs are melted and mixed with the flour, it's steamed for 45 minutes. After it cools it's sliced (about 1cm thick). The slices are dipped in egg, sprinkled with sugar, then fried to give them the soft gooey center. Think of a peice of McIntosh Toffe and you've got the idea.
The really important thing about Neen Gow is that it's made with glutinous rice flour which represents the cohesiveness of the family and absolutely must be eaten at this time of year.
Last year I made my first ever New Year's Cake and it was a huge success. Even my mother-in-law was impressed! You can get the slab sugar (be careful not to get the 'rock candy sugar') and the glutinous rice flour in any Chinese grocer. If you live near a TNT, just go there...in fact you can buy the cake there (all you have to do is dip it in egg and fry it). BUT for the more adventurous at heart, check out Grace Young's recipe on Epicurious. While we're talking about it check out Grace Young's cookbook / memoir The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen...the source of the recipe.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Food is crucial to the celebration. At the top of the list is the New Year's Cake Neen Gow. I love this cake, which by western standards doesn't really resemble cake. The brown slab sugar (peen tong) makes it sweet and the colour of toffee. The glutinous rice flour makes it ooey-gooey inside. Once the sugar slabs are melted and mixed with the flour, it's steamed for 45 minutes. After it cools it's sliced (about 1cm thick). The slices are dipped in egg, sprinkled with sugar, then fried to give them the soft gooey center. Think of a peice of McIntosh Toffe and you've got the idea.
The really important thing about Neen Gow is that it's made with glutinous rice flour which represents the cohesiveness of the family and absolutely must be eaten at this time of year.
Gung Hay Fat Choy!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Why???
Don't Write the Obit For Picture Books Yet
Reading through the Publisher's Weekly response to the front page NY Times article declaring an end to picture books, I kept wondering why the NYT's did it? It seems so lit-snob smarmy. I worked in publishing and know it when I smell it. There is no end of editors world-wide who will, um, crap on any book at all. So, really, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to take a dump in the picture book yard.
Bad decision it seems. According to PW, the Times online edition received 8 - haha - pages of irate emails cursing the article and its conclusions. What's worse is that some of the individuals interviewed felt completely misquoted and that their statements were creatively edited.
But Why? What would be served if we saw the end of the picture book? No more Eric Carle, Bruno Munari, Hillary Knight, Christoph Niemann, David Wiesner, Suzy Lee...my list goes on and on. I love the feel of good, heavy paper between my fingers; the smell of a book. To my daughter, page or ipad, it's all the same. And since the Barnes and Noble (nook) e-reader has a 4-colour screen the age of ebooks should not effect picture books at all. I declare the New York Times out of touch and snooty to boot! HA HA take that you charlatans!!
Reading through the Publisher's Weekly response to the front page NY Times article declaring an end to picture books, I kept wondering why the NYT's did it? It seems so lit-snob smarmy. I worked in publishing and know it when I smell it. There is no end of editors world-wide who will, um, crap on any book at all. So, really, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to take a dump in the picture book yard.
Bad decision it seems. According to PW, the Times online edition received 8 - haha - pages of irate emails cursing the article and its conclusions. What's worse is that some of the individuals interviewed felt completely misquoted and that their statements were creatively edited.
But Why? What would be served if we saw the end of the picture book? No more Eric Carle, Bruno Munari, Hillary Knight, Christoph Niemann, David Wiesner, Suzy Lee...my list goes on and on. I love the feel of good, heavy paper between my fingers; the smell of a book. To my daughter, page or ipad, it's all the same. And since the Barnes and Noble (nook) e-reader has a 4-colour screen the age of ebooks should not effect picture books at all. I declare the New York Times out of touch and snooty to boot! HA HA take that you charlatans!!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Dragons and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
I'm so happy to see that Christoph Niemann's new picture book SUBWAY was named one of the best 10 illustrated children's books of 2010 by the New York Times. His first picture book THE PET DRAGON is magnificent...a great story with an elegant illustrative twist.
A little girl is given a baby dragon. They become best friends and then the dragon goes missing. Throughout the friendship and journey ro find the pet dragon, Chinese characters are woven into the illustrations in a way that makes the meaning obvious. After a few times through the story, my daughter was able to identify nearly all of the characters.
It's a great book, still in print, and a wonderful way to introduce Chinese characters.
Ummm, I don't have anything to say about bears. I just like the Wizzard of Oz.
A little girl is given a baby dragon. They become best friends and then the dragon goes missing. Throughout the friendship and journey ro find the pet dragon, Chinese characters are woven into the illustrations in a way that makes the meaning obvious. After a few times through the story, my daughter was able to identify nearly all of the characters.
It's a great book, still in print, and a wonderful way to introduce Chinese characters.
Ummm, I don't have anything to say about bears. I just like the Wizzard of Oz.
Monday, November 29, 2010
READING
Last week I was invited to a party hosted by the adoption agency that facilitated our adoption from China. The room was full of girls (and 2 boys) , all adopted from China. Some were past the age of picture books but still argued which one of them was the 'tiny tiger'...my writer's heart skipped a beat. Holy cow they actually identify...and like it enough to have a spat over it! They didn't know I was the writer, so they had no idea they had made my day. And calmed my stomach, since I was under the impression that I was doing a reading later on...my first reading ever.
But after a long, somewhat painful, dance recital, followed by a weird, smarmy magician the girls -- and parents if truth be told -- were in no mood for a book reading and mercifully it didn't happen.
My relief at not boring the life out of the already sagging party was later followed by some disappointment. It turned out that I really wanted to read. And still do...At a party full of bored children, at a bookstore in the boonies, at the library around the corner with 2 kids listening. Who knows, someone might just fight over who the tiny tiger really is.
But after a long, somewhat painful, dance recital, followed by a weird, smarmy magician the girls -- and parents if truth be told -- were in no mood for a book reading and mercifully it didn't happen.
My relief at not boring the life out of the already sagging party was later followed by some disappointment. It turned out that I really wanted to read. And still do...At a party full of bored children, at a bookstore in the boonies, at the library around the corner with 2 kids listening. Who knows, someone might just fight over who the tiny tiger really is.
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