NCTE Convention, Orlando, Florida

Hi, all! Just returned from the National Council of Teachers of English national convention in Orlando, Florida. I had a *wonderful* time! I was asked to be one of the featured authors for the special Saturday luncheon, and that was a great time. I was there with Lois Lowry, Arnold Adoff, Carole Boston Weatherford, and too many others to list. I was placed at a table with the marvelously gifted poet Marilyn Singer (pictured with me above), and she and I talked about our work and told stories for the others at our table. The book signing afterward was also a lot of fun because I got to meet a bunch of wonderful people. The convention was at the Coronado Beach Resort at Disney World, so I got to stay in one of the Disney resort hotels - -and even had time to visit all four of Disney's kingdoms. I think I'd have to say I liked Animal Kingdom the best, although the Magic Kingdom is still hard to beat. The weather was nearly eighty degrees, and no rain fell while we were there. All in all, it was a glorious time. I'll post a few photos of the trip.
I'm still writing the next story and am having a great time doing so. More about that in a future post. Until then, I hope all of you have a holiday season full of peace and joy! Jeff


Description of pictures shown, from top to bottom:

1). Marilyn Singer and me at author luncheon.
2). Me with Sally Walker at the book signing in the
main convention hall.
3). Carole Boston Weatherford and me at the book signing.
4). Linda and me at the Coronado Beach Resort,
main convention hub.

Researching Murder!

Hi, all!
I'm still conducting research to find out more about the gruesome murder that will be described in my next book. I managed to dig out records that had been "lost" (conveniently, I might add) for a very long time, and these records shed light on the subject in ways I could not have imagined. As a matter of fact, I got chills as I read through the documents - and I hope readers will have the same reaction when they read the story. I'm having so much fun with this next book!
I've also taken some time for myself -- just to have fun. I've also done some more book signings for Olivia's Story and Inman's War. I'll try to attach a couple of pictures to this message. One is of a recent signing, and the other is the Pumpkin Festival in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Happy reading!

JSC

American Pickers

Hey there!
I hope all of you are having a wonderful and safe Labor Day holiday. I've had a blast. Yesterday I got to spend some time with Frank and Danielle from the "American Pickers" television show. It airs every Monday night on the History Channel, and if you haven't yet seen the show, you really should. It isn't the Top Rated cable television show in America for nothing! All I can say is this: Frank and Danielle are wonderful people! I also visited the American Pickers' shop, and if you get a chance, you should, too. It is like a museum to the past -- and a lot of fun to see how the business is run.
I'm also writing today because I wanted to share what Danielle is now reading. Take a look at the picture attached to this post and you'll see her holding a copy of Olivia's Story! I know this all probably falls into the area of shameless self-promotion and I'll apologize in advance for that, but I was so impressed by Danielle that I wanted to share this.
Again, I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend.
More soon!
Jeff

Wonderful Travel!

Hello, all!
All I can say is this: The British Isles are gorgeous! I did some book stuff and sightseeing while making my way through England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. I did a major chunk of a chapter for the new book while on a ferry in the Irish Sea, visited a wonderful historic site in Ireland related to the subject matter of the new book to get inspiration, and even sketched out more chapters while in London. Of everything I've seen along the way, I think I loved Edinburgh, Scotland the most. Edinburgh was home for Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns -- and even J.K. Rowling is claimed now as a "family member of Edinburgh." I did see the restaurant where she wrote a good part of the first Harry Potter book, and I can now certainly understand how the city inspired her. I also got to visit the Writers' Museum in Edinburgh and was struck by just how important this city has been to the world's literary heritage. I'll post with this message a picture of the view from my balcony in Edinburgh. What a beautiful sight to see upon waking each morning! What a place to write!
I'll write more soon.

JSC

St. Louis Writers Guild

The *wonderful* folks at the St. Louis Writers Guild asked me to speak to the group this past April about writing narrative nonfiction stories. I had a great time with this group of incredibly talented writers. After the presentation, I was also asked to write a few words about the literary elements of narrative nonfiction, and these words were just published in their publication called "The Scribe." My article is called "The Art of Narrative Nonfiction" (on pages 1 and 6). For those who'd like to read the article, the article appears in the "Summer 2010" edition, so please get a copy of that. Also, here is the link to the St. Louis Writers Guild: stlwritersguild.org

Enjoy!

Jeff

Exciting News!

Exciting news! A mighty fine writer/producer from Hollywood has just secured rights to work on making Olivia's Story into a made-for-tv movie. We visited several times about this, and the made-for-tv movie format just seems to be a perfect fit for a story of this type. I'm so excited about this I can barely sit still! Right now, a "story-treatment" is being put together, and I've been asked to consult as this is being created. A story-treatment is, basically, like a "story board." That is, it is more or less a very detailed description of the different events and scenes that will be in the production. I am really looking forward to helping with this project. Hey -- when the made-for-tv movie is completed, that will also be the excuse I need to get a new, gigantic, flat-screen tv!
More later..................

Researching new book!

Hello again!
I'm sorry I haven't written in a while. I have been doing quite a few book events related to Olivia's Story, which was released in February. I've participated in events at bookstores, writers' guilds/groups, student groups (at the high school level and at a university), and even talked with a genealogy society that was interested in how to conduct historical research for stories. I've had a great time at all these events, and I will have many more related to Olivia's Story as the summer moves along. Olivia's Story has also rekindled interest in Inman's War, so I've also been asked to speak to more groups about that. Some groups have even asked me to come speak about both of these books! I also found out some wonderful news yesterday. A very talented Hollywood producer has decided Olivia's Story would be a fine story for a "made-for-tv" movie, and he is now in the process of agenting the project to the appropriate television networks that do original movies specifically for the tv format. I'd *love* to see Olivia's Story as a made-for-tv movie, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I should know more about this soon and will give updates as I can.
I'm also already under contract to write my next book, and I've also been on the road quite a lot to do the background research for this project. I typically take about a year to do the background research for a book, and then it takes me about six months to write it. A writer can not rest after a book is published -- he or she is always looking at the next project; that's just the life of a writer. It was back when I was doing research for Olivia's Story that I actually ran across information that spiked my interest for my next book. At this point I'm not supposed to say any specifics about what the next book will be about, but I can tell this much: It will be another historically true story told through the voices of the people who were involved in it. I can also say it will be the story of an important American who eventually ended up being murdered. I can also say I think I can now, beyond a shadow of a doubt, show that the person who was said to have done this murder really didn't do it! The story will have plenty of mystery, mayhem, and even an exciting tale of murder. The only other clue I'll provide now is that the picture of the statue posted with this entry has something important to do with the story. Sorry -- that's all the clues I can give now. I'll write more about my research for this book from time to time and will be adding more clues as I write along.
I hope all of you are enjoying Olivia's Story. If you get a chance, I'd appreciate it if you'd send me a note (either here at the site or in care of Paragon House) to let me know what you think of it.
Take care -- and read on!
Jeff