What I Learned from NaNoWriMo

1. Even though I had a brand new baby boy, sleep was at a minimum, AND I was a literal milk machine, everyday I was driven to write, specifically to get my word count up. I was addicted to updating my word count on NaNoWriMo's site and watching my chart soar. I had to stay about the line-even the thought of dipping below the average made me afraid that I wouldn't finish. So I pushed myself and kept my fingers clicking away even when I didn't know where my story was going (which was often since I started only with a basic concept and NO plan!)

2. Taking a day off (Sundays) really helped me see my story clearly, and gave me a break so I came back stronger each Monday.

3. My Crit Group were wonderful supporters-we became a much more positive, cohesive group during Nano. Instead of tearing down each other's writing we were each others cheerleaders-rejoicing in each day's success. We emailed our daily word count and our last line to each other--I blamed my boring last lines to new babyhood and wondered (secretly) if my crit partners were stopping on super cool lines.

4. My husband thought I was crazy for the entire month. "You're not getting enough sleep, the house is a disaster, I'm cooking all the meals, and you're writing AGAIN."

5. When I'm writing for word count I overwrite big time. On my first read through I cut out 7,000 words.

6. It took my almost 2 years to complete the 1st draft of my 1st novel. Writing a complete draft in a month (with new baby) I felt like a superhero.

7. I want to do NaNoWriMo every year--to be part of something so big, to be able to write crap and still feel successful-I loved it.

NaNoWriMo Winner

NaNoWriMo is only

7 days and counting

I did it. I finally signed up for National Novel Writing Month, am I scared? terrified? thinking I might poop my pants?

Yes, all of the above.

But, I'm also really excited to do it. I've heard about NaNoWriMo for years, and always envied those people doing it, but never thought it would be me, but now I have my 1st novel drafted and Mara is ready to sit for a little bit, do some digesting, and get some new eyes in December. Meanwhile, I'm going to attempt the amazing feat of writing 50,000 words in 1 month. Not only that, but I'm also giving birth to baby number 4 (due Nov. 3) so I'm setting some lofty goals for myself. Hoping I can figure out a way to sling my little guy so I can have lots of hands free baby holding at the computer.

4 of the ladies in my writing group are doing NaNoWriMo and one of my local writer friends as well, so I'm excited to keep up with people I actually know! Hopefully we'll buoy each other up and make this a really good experience.

So, for those of you mathematically challenged, November has 30 days.
50,000 words/ 30 days =1666 words per day

With Mara I made myself write 1000 words per day minimum and often 2000 and I discovered it was possible for me to write that much, but, no Sunday writing and I'm sure to not be writing on baby day and probably not the day after either, so that's 6 days minimum I won't be writing so:

50,000 words/24 days =2083 words per day

Can I do it? We're about to find out . . .

Wish me luck! And let me know if you're doing NaNoWriMo too.

I think I'll become a soaps writer

When I was younger as a family we'd do this church pageant every summer. I always had more fun being the wicked people jeering and booing as opposed to the righteous ones who stood there smiling and cheery. And besides, the bad guys had cooler costumes with rich vibrant colors and fancy head dresses. Acting wicked is jolly fun.

Now I'm realizing that soap opera writers have jolly fun on a daily basis. They get to kill off the same characters over and over, bring them back some impossible way and then do it all over again.

Why am I talking about this you ask? Well, I did that in my rough draft. I killed off my bad guy twice and since I followed a strict NO GOING BACK policy it's not until today as I'm revising that I'm taking the first one out.
And it's painful.
I loved killing my character this way. It was thrilling to envision, to write, to revel in the satisfaction of bad guy getting his just deserts. And now I have to take it out. Boo. If only I was writing a soap opera I could totally make this work . . .

Also on my mind:
I can't help think of Stephen King's Misery and Annie Wilkes  making me write a satisfying enough death so I can get out of her house! Yikes. And I thought writing with kids was hard . . .

Book Giveaways

Liesl is one of my writing friends I met this summer because of WIFYR. And, we're related-my sister married her uncle, so we're practically family. She's a lovely in person and fun to read on her blog. Plus, even more exciting, when I met Liesl her agent was submitting her middle grade novel Rump to editers AND now she has a publishing house-Knopf/Random House. Yeah Liesl! Yeah Rump! I'm so excited for her and glad that I got to read her book over the summer. It was just sitting there, innocently, on my sister's end table. I couldn't help myself, I gobbled it up and then belatedly apologized for not asking her first. Liesl was very sweet about the whole thing, but I do have to wonder if she asked her uncle to move her manuscript to an undisclosed location:)

Here we are together. I know, I don't look the best, but it's the only shot I took. Plus more proof she's amazing. She gave away her 5 page editor critique to my best writer buddy. I'm excited for her book-we need more funny, middle grade boy books. By the time Rump is published my son will be ready for it.

Over on Writer Ropes Liesl Shirtliff is giving away a book for every day this week. I know it's already Friday, but you still have until midnight tonight to enter all four giveaways. They are books from her publisher Knopf. Plus, if you read today's giveaway entries for Flipped, you might just learn about my first crush the summer before 7th grade.

Books she's giving away-

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

The Book Their by Markus Zusak

The Emerald Atlas by John Stevens
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Also in Book Giveaways is my critique partner Taryn Albright. She's giving away an audio book of The Fox Inheritance over on her site A Fool's Golden Paradise. This website is fun and quirky-lots of writer thoughts, book reviews, and illustrative pictures. Taryn makes me smile each time I read her site. For example, I've recently feasted on hot swimmer guys as she compares writing genres, seen the "plotting room" and her latest entry is entitled "On Making Out with a Pool Deck." You can't beat that.

Because of Taryn's posts I'm currently reading The Adoration of Jenna Fox and I'm so glad I am. I can't get enough of her grandmother Lily and of course the mental workings and struggles of Jenna herself.

Goodreads summary:
Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn't remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

This fascinating novel represents a stunning new direction for acclaimed author Mary Pearson. Set in a near future America, it takes readers on an unforgettable journey through questions of bio-medical ethics and the nature of humanity. Mary Pearson's vividly drawn characters and masterful writing soar to a new level of sophistication.

Read book. Read book now.

A Day Late and A Pedicure Short

I tried, I really did, to finish my book yesterday. I wrote 5,300 words,  my biggest day since I started the Month to Complete challenge, but I hadn't realized how big endings needed to be and that glossing over some of it, just to get to THE END would be cheating myself and cheating my book.
But tackle her again I did, and my first rough draft of my first book is complete. I can now say . . .

wait for it . . .

I have written an entire novel!

I know, I know, revisions are awful and long and hard, but today I don't want to think about them, today I'm celebrating my success. Tomorrow or the day after, or the day after that, I'll deal with the R word.

I finished my first ever novel!
It's a journey that started Jan of 2010 with lots of revisions at the beginning, tons of changes, then a WIFYR conf. big plot change that forced me to write almost my entire book over, throwing out over 40,000 lovingly crafted words. I don't regret it, I'm glad for the experience, and I can tell you now that writing quick and dirty and getting to the end feels pretty dang incredible. If I were a drinker I'd be popping that champaine cork right about now, but instead I'm putting some sparkling apple cider in the fridge for tonight.

The honey and I are going to celebrate! I might even convince him to eat a little chicken-he's paranoid with all that estrogen they shove into them these days. So, party tonight at the Hall House.

A day late and a pedicure short, and although my toes may be regretting it, me and my book, we're very happy:)

Bad, Robin, Bad

This morning I did the unthinkable and slept in. Yes, my body didn't wake me up like it's supposed to and I awoke when my husband's alarm went off. Oh no, I thought, I should be writing. And then I listened to my house. Caramel, our wiener dog, outside excited that Stan was up, jumping on the sliding glass door to our bedroom, and from the girls room-chattering already. How come I needed extra sleep and they needed less? Okay, maybe it had to do with the seven errands I ran with my three children here and in the town 30 minutes away yesterday and the stress of forcing my five-year-old to have her blood drawn so that she could go to school. Feeling the dislike of the technician, "We don't force children here." and my unacceptable response, "but she can't go to school without this". I was lowered to those awful moms that bribe their kids and then when that still doesn't work help hold them in place. Trust me, I hated myself too, but that phlebotomist, her disgust in me ran deeper. Let's just hope she's not the one when I go in for my glucose test.

Also. Why is the tooth fairy so fickle? Last night she forgot to come to sweet Eliza's room and Eliza was in tears this morning. "How could she forget me? She never forgets Israel (her older brother)." What could I say to this tear stained face? Well what I did say was that she must have been a novice and I'd have a talk with her. I also traded the tooth for 4 quarters and told her I'd put her tooth under my pillow tonight. Stan explained that the tooth fairy is a lot like Tinkerbell being naughty and not doing what Peter asks of her. Eliza, a Peter Pan lover, totally related to this explanation. I asked Stan later which one of us was Tinkerbell. He laughed and refused to say, meaning of course ME. 

So, not only did I not wake up early and fail to perform my tooth fairy duties. Instead, I lay in bed, finishing Sarah Dessen's Along for the Ride and waiting for my girls to make their way to my bed for snuggles. And after that, I stayed in bed, coming out only to pour milk, and go pee of course, I am 6 mo pg after all. I read page after page, tearing up as I neared the finish. Loving the vibrancy of Dessen's characters, her ability to write full-circle, and just feeling so many of the emotions of Audin, her MC. These feelings I have reading Dessen, I want to have with my own book, with my MC. I chose reading over writing, compelled to finish Audin's tale instead of finish mine. What does this tell me about my own writing? The depth that I've taken my MC? How much further I need to go? I want my readers to feel this same longing, and understanding of Mara's life (my MC) as I did with Audin. I want their hearts to respond as mine did this morning. Here's to hoping that I can get there.

And thank you Dessen for the wonderful example of getting it done right.

This is my fifth Dessen read in two months and my favorite. This North Carolina author, professor, and mom blows me away. If you haven't read Dessen yet, add her to your list.

Now to figure out where in my day I'll be able to fit in my 1000 words . . .as one of my critique partners would say of my morning, "BAD ROBIN, BAD." Capitals included.

Week Two Report

Goal Achieved! I can't believe I did it. It feels really amazing to have written this much. I know for some writers they can churn this out in a day, but I already have a day job, and a night job, so this goal has challenged me and let me know that I can write more, and focused. I do have to admit my eyes drift constantly to that word count tally at the bottom of the page. It's such a rush to watch the numbers climb.

10,625 words last week.  Biggest day: 3303 words
I haven't rewarded myself yet via kindle purchase, but I'm carefully looking over my options.

My current goal spans until Aug 24th-finish my rough draft. Write every day, 1000 words minimum as usual. I think I'll need 12000 to finish it, so I'd better get back to writing.

Planned Reward: Pedicure
And I usually only get one a year for Mother's Day. I finally clued my husband in that I didn't want vacuums or double strollers for Mother's Day, I wanted pampering, so each year he gets me a massage and a pedicure.

Happy Writing!

Writing Goal Week One

Daily Goal: write every day but Sunday-1000 word minimun. Can slip up 1 day/week
I wrote every day this week, but on Thursday failed to reach my goal. I eeked out 634 words before utter brainless failure.
Goal achieved.

Weekly Goal: 5000 word minimum
7,843 total.
Goal achieved.

Next Week's Goal: the same with a bonus treat (my first non-free kindle book purchase) if I can write 10,000 words

I should be sleeping . . .

But I woke up in the night at 3 am:
1. having to pee-that's what pregnancy will doing for you
2. having to eat-also what pregnancy will do to you

3. unable to stop thinking about Louise Plummer's thriller Finding Daddy that I started at 7:30 the night before.

So finally, I crawled out of bed trying not to wake my husband (success), grabbed my cell phone and Louise's book, and headed for my favorite reading chair in our living room.

I won't tell you about the book, except to say that if I'd read one more chapter last night I would have had to read it to the end before I could fall asleep. What can I say, as a totally unbiased student of Louise-she is AMAZING. It also freaked me out a little that it was written for her granddaughter that died at 4 months so I have to admit I looked up her obituary to make sure it wasn't from the causes written in the book (it's not).

Then I got online, because, well, it was 4:30 and I usually get up around 5:30 in the morning to start writing. No alarm guys, my crazy body just wakes up and I use this precious quiet time to get in my mandatory 1000 words a day. I shoot for another 1000 or so as the day progresses, but this morning time, well it's sacred. And since I was early, I had to read Taryn's Post because it's about our critique group. The best thing I took from WIFYR was an incredible critique group. There are 5 of us girls and Taryn, the most experienced, youngest one of all wrote about us on her blog last night.

Here I am with Tayrn. I shamelessly took pics on the last day with our entire class so that one day, when they're all famous I can prove that I know them- and that just maybe I helped them be a better writer:)

This is my longtime friend AND the one who got me started writing my book: Kathyrn Purdie

 Emily with Kathryn. Emily was everyone's new best friend and has an awesome reading voice to boot. She lives in sunny CA too, but in Northern CA, so she's just as far as my Utah writing friends (boo). And I had to add the link to her kindle post. I've just gotten a kindle (finally with my b-day money from Jan.) I kept dreaming about one, but then fighting them because I love holding the thick books, turning real pages, enjoying their crispness or their library use, imagining all the people who had read the copy before. And in the back of my mind always was Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Honestly, did this book hold back any other kindle interested people? Here's her post: Ahem. Public Apology #1.

 Ilima (with me) Isn't she gorgeous? and her book-well I just got to read the entire manuscript (on my new kindle) and I'm so excited for her. She's already working on the sequel. AND she homeschools. I am in awe, complete and utter awe.

Well, that's my group. Thank you girls for your inspiration, your knowledge, and your ability to tell me when my writing is awful and when I'm getting it right.

WIFYR 2011

I'm finally home after a month away and wanted to share some of the gems from my novel class experience.  First-to answer my previous post, some of the classmates looked just as I had imaged and some were pleasant surprises.  The biggest surprise for me was that my favorite submissions were from the teenagers in our class.  We had 3 amazing girls-one who's on her 9th book and working hard to get an agent. One just turned 16 (the minimum age for the conference). My main surprise was Louise Plummer-I didn't know what to expect, but I don't think I would have ever expected her. She is  funny and so real. We did a lot of laughing in there along with all the learning.

Main things I learned:

1. I'm not as good as I thought

2. I had some uncontroled side characters that were hi-jacking my book. I took Kathleen Duey's advise and cut them out-gave them their own folder with a promise to write their book one day, then went back into my book and changed their names
3. Don't be afraid to go to my dark side (direct quote from Louise)  Even though I'm writing YA I worried I'd be corrupting young minds with the dark parts of my story. Embrace them-use them . . .
4. If I'm struggling with a scene do what one of the amazing teens taught me-write the scene from the bad guys perspective (or anyone elses really). I was amazed what happened when I got inside my bad guy's head. What I wrote scared me, and when  I wrote the scene from my protagonist it was so much stronger and spot on. Everyone was impressed with the rewrite(thank goodness). I read it holding the paper in front of my face so nobody could see me blush.
5. I need to just get a nitty gritty complete first draft done. Then I can come back and revise. Goal-write every day. Have a completed draft before school starts as the end of August.
6. If I want to write and be published I just need to keep trying, continue to improve my craft, and eventually I will succeed.

Through Their Words

Don't judge a book by its cover, we've all heard, but what about judging an author by the words they write?
These last two weeks have been filled with the first 30 pages of my 12 classmate's manuscripts. I just realized this morning that although I haven't met any of these aspiring authors, I already have a mental picture of what they're going to look like, their intellectual level, and if I'm going to really mesh with them.

So, that brings the question-If I've spent 4 hours pouring over and critiqueing the start of someone's work am I really getting to know them or is it all in my head?
I know with reknowned author Cassandra Clare I had my image of who she would be-thinking that she would be much like her red-headed, demon destroying heroine (who just happens to have a similar name)Clary Fray. I had read three of her books-I just can't get enough of them (and have now read all that are available)-even if Stan won't stop making fun of me for reading a book with this cover.

When I watched this B&N interview and realized she had not based Clary on herself.
I laughed for a long time at my silliness in thinking she must be just like Clary.

So, back to my classmates, I keep wondering, am I doing the same thing again?
And what might they be thinking after reading my manuscript? What have they decided about me before even seeing me for the first time? It will be interesting to see how knowing each other first for our work will affect our classroom structure and the way we will interact with each other.

WIFYR-five days and counting-I'll have an answer to this question soon:)

Stan's Example

Every writer seems to struggle with confidence at one time or another. For me, it was the fear of even starting-I didn't want to be a failure. I didn't want to begin until I knew that I could actually accomplish my goal that I could not only write a complete novel, but that I could also get it published.
Five years ago my husband Stan and I were having a discussion. He insisted that anyone could write a book. I didn't agree. So, to prove me wrong he spent the next three years working and reworking a book.
The werid thing is that I forgot my dream to write for a while. I was in supportive wife role and busy young mom role. I kept up my insane reading habits, but didn't try to write again until Stan showed me his finished novel. "I wrote this," he said, "to prove to you that you can write one to. And make a ton of money and start supporting us." He said the last part jokingly and we laughed together.
Still it renewed my longtime desire. I would start writing again. If my husband could write a book during his master's program, then I could write a book too. I would.
Now finally I've taken the plunge. I'm calling myself a writer and I'm writing. Before I was pregnant I was writing every day. That first trimester messed up my record a bit. Even so, I've begun telling people what I am doing and it feels good. I know I'm at the start of a long, frustrating road, but I'm grateful to be on it. And what's more, I'm sticking with it.

Conference Jitters

I'm nervous about attending the WIFYR conference and showing up unprepared or dressed the wrong way. I want to put my best foot forward so to speak and to reach out of my comfort zone and meet and greet the other attendees and also the presenters, editors, and agents that will be present. So, I asked the novel class assistant if she could answer a few questions for me, which she did.  She also sent me this great link that I'd like to share with you as well. First time conference attenders need all the help we can get right?

This is the link she sent me from Mary Kole, one of the agents attending the conference http://kidlit.com/2010/12/03/conference-checklist/  After reading Mary's post I ordered business cards from http://www.vistaprint.com/
Since I'll be driving up from CA for the conference I need to come prepared with everything that I'll need and I want to get it right. So, I've been looking through my maternity, yes, maternity clothes for decent business casual. No easy task, especially when if I decide I need something more I'll have to drive over an hour to a store. I know clothing seems a bit of a silly consideration, but for someone who'll be 19 weeks at the conference I need to be comfortable enough with myself to network, network, network.
Wish me luck.

I Did It

Tonight I submitted to my WIFRY class my required first 30 pages. Even though these pages have been written and edited many times over the past year, I found myself terrified of letting them go. Until now it has only been my critiquing partner Kathryn Purdie and two sisters who have read my work. Knowing that 12 other classmates-well 11 if you consider that Kathryn will be there, complete strangers to me will be reading my work and critiquing it is really daunting. To numb myself before the process I sent just my 30 pages, into which I fit my first 3 chapters, to 3 other people. They responded favorably and without a large amount of helpful suggestions, but still, at least now a few more people have read it.

The submissions are due on Monday, the 23rd, and then we will be sent everyone else's work to critique and print out before the conference- That is three-hundred-and-sixty pages (it seemed more significant written out that way). Now the waiting. All my classmates will know my work before they know my face. I wonder how that will affect their opinions. I do hope that they are both helpful, kind, and specific in their criticisms. I hope to do the same.

Getting My Book Taken Away

I was a really good student in 5th grade-smart, but also into sports. I sat in Mr. Perguson's second row. He was the overweight teacher that turned away from the class and sneezed towards the chalkboard to cover up his flatulance.  I never got in trouble, until one day during silent reading.  This is the book I was reading:

See them walking on the beach in nightgowns? Does this look risque to you? It sure did to Mr Perguson.  He took my book away and asked me where I have gotten it.

"My mother," I replied.

He harrumphed and told me he'd be keeping it for a while and that he would be calling my mother after school.

As the daughter of a daughter of a high school principle I knew that if I got in trouble at school, I would be in trouble at home. My parents supported our teachers as much as they could. So I sweated it a little, but mainly hoped that my mom would just think it was funny. After all, this was Katherine Paterson, the author of Bridge of Terabithia and The Trumpeter of Krakow. And this one was the Newberry Medal winner in 1981. 

I went home and told me mom what had happened. Better she heard it from me first, right? She did laugh, just like I was hoping. Later that evening she talked to Mr. Perguson on the phone, but she did not share the conversation with me.

The next morning before class started he came to my desk and returned my book saying he had read it the previous night and it was okay for me to read.

No kidding, I thought, my mom is the one who gave it to me.

He didn't question my reading for the rest of the year. The flatulence I'm afraid though, didn't go away. If only I'd been a few rows further back . . .

Note: there are 21 different covers of Jacob Have I Loved, and this cover is still my favorite. 

Finding My Inspiration

I've dreamed of writing a novel, of holding a book in my hands that has my name on the cover, some form or children's or young adult fantasy, with strong female leads, and difficult choices to make to save the world. Even so, I didn't know what to write. I needed my pearl, my grand idea. Would I dream of it like some authors do, or be inspired by a song, or something I watched? I looked for ideas and kept myself writing away- essays on my life, motherhood, short stories we tell our children about the fat, fat king, pages and pages of book ideas and themes I'd spend between a day to weeks exploring only to decide they weren't my book. Where was my book hiding?

I have a son who demands stories often- the second we get in the car (why did I sell the portable dvd player?), at walks, and of course bedtime. To keep my demanding son satisfied my husband and I would make up wild characters and tell about their outlandish adventures. Our son would often make us backup-we weren't telling the story the right way-and inform us what should be happening. I suppose you could say he is my first true editor.

Well one night I'd been thinking about my favorite fairytale-beauty and the beast- and I told Israel a story I didn't know I had inside of me. It was a story of a three year old girl and an experience she has on All-Summer's Eve. Israel was mesmerized, he wanted more, and so did I. I wanted to know what would happen to this character, what time she lived in, her family situation, her town and it's laws, well, just everything. So I began writing page after page, throwing out some, embracing others, and feeling the story, her story, come to life. A good friend told me of her own journey into writing a novel and so we began a pact, a plan to write and support each other on our journeys to first completed and published novels.

Baby Surprise

Three days after signing up for WIFYR conference I found out I was pregnant again. Oh, the emotions this brings out. Will this pregnancy make it? Will I be sick? Will I be able to write the 50,000 words I planned to write before the conference? Well, the answers are - Yes, I made it to my second trimester. Yes, I was sick, worse than any pregnancy before. And no, I would not be able to write at my previously planned pace. Even so, I'm glad to be able to announce that I'm 12 weeks along and hopeful to feel back to my wonderful busily writing self soon.

My First Writing Conference

I signed up for my first ever writing conference!
The Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (or WIFY for short) in Sandy, Utah this upcoming June. I'm excited and terrified at the same time. I will get to rub shoulders with some big names-Holly Black, Ally Condy, Carol Lynch Williams (did you read her amazing book The Chosen One?), Brandon Mull to name a few. My teacher is Louise Plummer. I hadn't heard of her before looking into the conference, but once I read up on all her amazing experience and read reviews from people who have taken her classes, I honestly can't wait. I just hope that she can tell me more than "you have beautiful hazeleyes" although I really do:) Read quote below to understand:
Louise, what can students expect to learn from your class?

"Students are expected to bring a finished or partially finished novel, of which I will read 20 pages during the week. Class members will read sections of each other's novels and critique these in class. We will also write in class, play around with verbs and adjectives, gossip about other living writers, and eat as much junk food as we can. I will either be funny, look funny, or both."

Would you describe your strengths as a teacher?

"I will grab you by the throat and say, "You can do this! You can!" Or I will say, "You need a year of apprenticeship before you send this to a publisher," or I will say, "Gosh, you have beautiful hazel eyes."

Do you think she knows I have hazel eyes? I take comfort in the fact that she answered these questions before I signed up.  Doesn't she sound like fun?

And the best part is that I'm taking this class with my very best friend, by writing buddy Kathyrn Purdie. We both write YA Character-Driven Fantasy, so we may have fit better in Holly Black's class, but it was already full.  Still, I think we're going to learn a ton in this class.

Here's to days filled with writing, and confidence in my 30 page submission required for the class. I'll keep you posted how the preparation and conference goes.

My Parents

I blame my parents completely for my addiction to books. My house was overflowing with them. For treats Mom would take us to The Intimate Book Shop and let us pick four or five books of our choosing. How I loved that store. I wish it still existed, but this post isn't about the takeover of local book stores, so we won't talk about that.

Each summer we took road trips-either out West to see our family or up the East Coast on camping adventures. And along the way Mom or one of my older siblings would read to us. Lots of Roald Dahl (isn't he wonderful?). I distinctly remember my mom reading Danny the Champion of the World and being so engrossed in the story that the car trip flew by as I was busy poaching pheasants and out smarting the town's nasty rich guy, what was his name? What a dream to live in a caravan with a father whose eyes smiled.
So, it's not surprising that growing up when I wasn't romping in the woods behind our house, catching crawfish in the creek, or flying on my bike, I would be reading in my room. "Hibernating" my mom called it.