April showers, May flowers

Tags

gardens, seasons, travel

It’s been one of the wettest Aprils in English history – the soggiest in over a century. But at least I can attest to the truth of that old saying: April showers really do bring May flowers.

Our family missed some of the sogginess because we spent much of April traveling in America, where it was so hot I had to go shopping for sundresses. As always, it was wonderful to see friends and family. I even zipped down to New York to meet my editor and agent face-to-face for the first time, which was great fun. But the super-busy busy schedule had our whole family pretty tired by the end… and then I got food poisoning. So lesson learned: The next trip will be shorter and slower-paced. (Dear friends, if I don’t get to see you next time, it isn’t because I don’t miss you! Write a letter, give me a call – we’ll find other ways to bridge the distance.)

My suitcases are unpacked now, and it’s a joy to be home. And those May flowers are one reason why:

My Snake’s Head Fritillaries, aka Checkered Daffodils, Chess Flowers, Frog-cups, Guinea-hen Flowers, Leper Lilies, Lazarus Bells, and Checkered Lilies. They love all the rain we’ve been getting

The Angelique tulips were just coming into bloom when I came home

This clematis brightens our kitchen sink window.

Even the greenery is radiant.

Daffodils in the neighborhood

I’ve been a little mad about daffodils this year, I confess… but truly, how could anyone resist these?

I grew up in the Adirondack Mountains, where it was too chilly on May 1st for most flowers to bloom, so the bounty here is a continual astonishment and delight to me. Of course the weeds grow, too – I started hoeing them down yesterday – but I’ll happily pay that price for flowers like these.

Happy May, everyone!

Thankful Thursday: Writing Retreat

Tags

outings, retreat, travel, writing

My word for this year is GROW, and that means doing some things I thought were beyond me. I did one of them last week: my first writing retreat.

I’ve always wanted to go on a writing retreat, but until now it never worked out. Sometimes money was the problem, sometimes health, sometimes family circumstances… sometimes all three.

Mostly I’ve been resigned to this; I have bad retreat karma, and that’s that. But when I heard that Kindling Words was holding a retreat here in the UK in March 2012, I desperately wanted to go, especially since some very dear friends were going to be there, friends I rarely get to see.

I just didn’t see how I could make it work.

Last fall, when we were supposed to sign up, I was going through a lupus flare. These happen sometimes, and I just grit my teeth and get through them, but this one was bad enough that my doctors decided it was time to try a new treatment… and the treatment just wasn’t working.

But then, in mid-February, I finally started to see some results. It’s not a cure (those are really, really rare with lupus), but the pain finally started to recede.

Unfortunately, the improvement had come too late for the retreat. Or so I thought. But then out of the blue, lovely Alison James of Kindling Words wrote again, just before the retreat began, urging me to come just for the weekend if I could; she said they would find space for me. I pieced together the travel arrangements and snagged the very last room in the hotel. My generous husband offered to cover for me at home and helped me pack. And suddenly I was on a train to the Lake District, headed for the misty hills of Derwentwater:

As you can see, the weather was blustery – perfect for curling up with a manuscript, or for a writerly chat over tea and scones. But we had sunny hours, too:

The lovely jeannineatkins, taking a post-breakfast perambulation with me

The view from the hotel window

My three days there were filled with laughter, hugs, and book talk. I wrote. I meditated. I spooned up sticky toffee pudding. I got soaked to the skin on a soppy lake cruise. I stayed up for late night heart-to-hearts.

The food was incredible, the company even better. An enchanted weekend, right down to the fairy butter sculpture:

Really, truly, she’s made of butter.

Look at those wings!

To be honest, the trip was at the limit of what’s possible for me at the moment, and I’m still in recovery mode back here at home. But as I told a friend the other day, I know the exhaustion will fade – and the memories of that weekend will be with me forever.

Highlights from the SCBWI Winchester Conference

Tags

conferences, travel, writing process

I’m writing in the wake of an exhausting but oh-so-wonderful weekend at the British SCBWI annual conference in Winchester. So much to think about, so many people to thank, so much unpacking to do! But I did want to write down a few highlights right now, while they’re fresh in my mind.

Frank Cottrell Boyce (author of Millions, Framed, and Cosmic) spoke for two sessions, and he made us laugh and made us think in both of them. Here are a couple of the things he said that won my heart:

“Children’s books are about taking something you love and passing it on.”

“If you’re disciplined you’ll get what you planned for… but there is a grace in chaos.”

David McDougall, the Art Director at Walker Books echoed many in saying he was excited about digital possibilities, but he added:

“In a digital age, it is important to make books you want to keep” (He cited the truly astounding A Monster Calls as an example.)

Finally, one of the most amazing speakers at an amazing conference was Candy Gourlay, winner of the European Crystal Kite Award for her debut Tall Story. Candy is a legend within British SCWBI, and her speech is worth reading in full, but here’s a taste of it:

“…I got that this long journey was not just about getting published, it was about LIVING A CREATIVE LIFE and all the striving, the struggling, the honing your craft, the finding the time, the rejections? That was part of the package. I had to stop yearning for the Creative Life because the Creative Life was NOW.”