Musings on the Writing Life

Rose and I at Branded





I had the pleasure recently of participating in a charity event called "Branded" which is put on by the Cariety Foundation and benefits Cooks Children's Hospitals in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It's a western themed event where we all put on our best boots and bling. The money raised goes to palliative care (easing the suffering) of children, many who have cancer. My friend Missy Hutton has been very involved in the event for several years, a would be receiving a humanitarian award at the event this year. She asked me if I would donate some of my signed books. They usually have some fabulous itmes in the silent auction and I really wanted to do more than just donate my two books. I asked my publisher Greenwillow if they could send me some signed books and they came through with two Kevin Henkes books including the Caldecott winning book, Kitten's First Full Moon. But the motherload of books came from my fabulous friend Rose Brock, librarian extraordinaire, and former Newbery award committee member. She put out the word with her author and publisher friends and they all came through with signed books. Among the publishers donating were: Bloomsbury/Walker Books, Simon & Shuster, Disney Hyperion, and Candlewick. Authors Jon Scieszka, Ally Carter, and Sonya Sones personally sent us their books. Myf riend Alex Flinn who I know from Florida when my daughter Caitlin and I attended a SWBWI workshop, signed a copy of Beastly for me (which has been made into a movie starring Vanessa Hudgins), and picture book author Melanie Hope Greenbery responded to my Facebook plea by sending her latest.



Kicking up our boots (and heels)at Branded: Me, Rose, and friends Doree, Missy, Connie (who is in my book club), Jill, Jill's friend, and Ditto

There were so many donated books, in fact, I decided to divide them in themed baskets, and if I had had more time, I would have divided them up even more, because there were so many wonderful, wonderful books.



Kevin Henkes basket Kitten's First Full Moon and Old Bear


I found an adorable plastic see saw and filled it with picture books, which included Jon Scieszka's Knucklehead and Stinky Cheese Man (my son wanted to pull this one of the basket and keep it for himself), Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo, God's Dream written by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and signed by the illustrator, Today I Will Fly by Mo Willems, Our Children Can Soar - signed by all 13 illustrators, many of them Caldecott winners (this alone should have had it's own basket, Lightship by Brian Floca, Good Morning Digger by Melanie Hope Greenberg,and Fartiste by Kathleen Krull. I added little tags at the top of all the books with enticing notes like "Caldecott Winner" or "Newbery Award Winner," an idea I saw at a TLA convention.



Picture Book basket with books from Melanie Hope Greenberg, Lisa Moser, Archbishop Desmond TuTu, Kate Dicamillo, Florence Perry Heide, Jon Scieszka, Brian Floca, and Mo Willems

I was thrilled when when author Ally Carter sent us all of her Gallagher Girls books, her most recent Heist Society (all signed), and a T-shirt. I put them with Alex Flinn's Beastly, Libba Bray's popular The Sweet Far Thing, M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing for which he won the National Book Award, my book The Stolen One, and two books by award winning Sonya Sones.



Young Adult basket with reading pillow


The middle grade basket included The Very Ordered Existence of Merilee Marvelous by me, A Whole Nuther Story, by Dr. Cuthbert Soup, Frankie Pickle by Eric Wright, Love, Stargirl by Newbery Award winner Jerry Spinelli, The Many Files by Christian Burch, and The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon



Middle Grade Basket




All for a very special cause! Thanks to all who donated!







Me at the event with the picture book basket







Visiting Rose Brock at her newly renovated library at Coppell Middle School West





A good time was had by all