Julie Bowe

It's time to announce the winner of my book giveaway!  But first, here's a little recap of how the lucky winner's name was chosen at my school visit yesterday in Osceola, WI:

I had decided to have the students help me choose the winner of the giveaway by finding "secret notes" (a tie-in to the book) hidden around their classroom. Each note included the name of a person who had entered the drawing (and candy because there is nothing like Smarties to sweeten the hunt! :))

Whose name will be chosen??? The suspense is killing me! :)

Since there were 17 people entered in the drawing, and 19 kids in the class, I had to enter two people's names twice so each kid could find a note. I decided to give Amber and Amanda a double-shot of luck since they were the first two people to enter the contest. (See? The early bird DOES get the worm! But does she also get the book??)

I pulled into the parking lot at Osceola Elementary right on time yesterday afternoon. As I parked, I saw two little girls sitting on the front steps (but they hadn't seen me). As I got my stuff out of my car, I could hear them chanting, "Julie! Bowe! Where! Are! You?! " over and over again. As I walked around my car and came into the girls' view I heard, "Julie! Bowe! Wher--" Then there was a moment of silence, a gasp, and... "Are you Julie Bowe?" I nodded and the girls gave me the biggest smiles. There's nothing like a couple of second graders to make you feel like a star.

The girls helped me sign in at the office and then led me to their classroom where I met the other students and Miss Jorgensen. We sat together on the reading rug and the kids had fun taking turns dipping into my "show and tell" bag and pulling out objects that have to do with the characters, setting and plot for My Last Best Friend. Since Miss Jorgensen had been reading the book to them, they were quick to figure out how each object fit the story. Usually when I visit schools I read aloud the first chapter from the book. But this fun bunch had decided to save the last chapter for me to read to them. It was really quite special for me to read the final chapter of the book to a group of kids who were hearing it for the first time. It was also quite special to receive a very cool T-shirt from the class!


Miss Jorgensen and the very cool T-shirt!
It says, "Plant Trees. They give us two of the most important elements for survival: Oxygen and Books"


All the kids had decorated the back of the shirt with their handprints! :)

After wrapping up my presentation, I told the kids about my book giveaway and asked if they would like to help me choose the winner. (Would they!) So, while the kids covered their eyes, Miss Jorgensen and I quickly hid the secret notes around the room:


No peeking!

And then (Ready, set, go!) the hunt was on:


Yes, even Brett Favre was on hand to help with the hunt. ;)

Finally, every note had been found and all the kids were back at their desks. Then I asked, "Whose birthday is closest to today?" One boy's hand shot up because his birthday is just days away. He showed me the name on the note he had found and we had our winner!

That's because I get to head north to visit my folks in lovely Luck, WI, where I was manufactured, along with the original Duncan Yo-yo.  

But, even better, on my way I'm stopping in Osceola, WI to visit with the students in Miss Jorgensen's 2nd grade class! (Yea!) This morning while I was getting ready for the visit I had this super fun idea. You know that book giveaway I'm doing this week? Well, I've been trying to think of a creative way to choose the winner. Draw a name out of some old, boring hat? Pin the names to a board and shoot darts at them?? Design an elaborate machine from pulleys and levers and string and let it select the winning name???

All fun ideas. But then I thought, "Hey! Why not ask the kids in Miss Jorgensen's 2nd grade class to choose the winning name for me?!" Doesn't that sound like a whole lot more fun than getting shot with a dart? (Oooo... unless Miss Jorgensen has darts and we....) So, that's my plan! I'm bringing all you lucky people with me to Osceola!

If you have not yet entered the drawing, there's still time! Just reply to this post or send me an email before tomorrow (Thursday) morning and you'll be heading north with me too! I will announce the winner (and hopefully provide pictures of the drawing) Friday morning right here.

Good luck! (and I say that with some authority) :)
 

 I'm celebrating the release of My Last Best Friend in paperback with a book giveaway! If you haven't already entered the drawing and would like a chance to win a copy of MLBF, just let me know by replying to this post or by sending me an email. I'll announce the winner on Friday, May 9!

Today is the official release day of My Last Best Friend in paperback!

To celebrate, I'm hosting an Ida May Give Away!

The winner will receive:


A copy of My Last Best Friend!


A bookmark!


An autograph! ;)

And best of all....


A sneak peek of the sequel, My New Best Friend!

In order to be entered in the drawing, just reply to me here, or send me an email. I'll announce the winner at the end of next week.

The more the merrier so I hope you'll play along! :)
 

Two particular things I'm thankful for today:

1. My Last Best Friend received a lovely review from TeensReadToo. Thank you!

2. The Children's Literature Network is hosting a "Conversation with Allyn Johnston" dinner party in Minneapolis on May 22. The event is limited to 30 CLN members. Just a few hours after announcing the event it sold out, but I made it in (whew!) I'm very much looking forward to meeting Allyn Johnston and having the opportunity to thank her for the role she played in bringing my books (and little ol' me) to Harcourt.

:)

I seem to have survived spring break, which began last Tuesday for my kids and ended today. But I wonder if my perennials will. I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up all the leaves and such that were still partially covering them. It looked so pretty and green and springy when I was done. Then I woke up this morning and all that green is covered in snow. I hope they are hearty plants.

Have you seen the older movie, Stand By Me? It's based on a Stephen King story (The Body) although it's not scary. My son bought a Stephen King novel (The Shining) at a thrift store last week where we were perusing for rollerblades. He read much of the book that night (had to turn all the lights on from his room to the hallway to the bathroom just to brush his teeth. Swore he wouldn't look in the bathtub. Did most of his brushing without looking in the mirror) and the rest of it the next day. He liked it, apparently, a lot. Now he's on the lookout for 'Salem's Lot (via his mother's recommendation. I spent much of my high school daze with my nose in one SK book or another.) So, anyway, all this Stephen King talk got me to thinking about that movie, Stand By Me. So we rented it this weekend and watched it twice. It's such a good movie. If you haven't seen it, or haven't seen it lately, i recommend watching it again.

I finished reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and I started reading it again last night. That's how much I am in love with this book and this writing. From Elizabeth Gilberts website: "When I was writing “Eat, Pray, Love”, I had just as a strong a mantra of THIS SUCKS ringing through my head as anyone does when they write anything. But I had a clarion moment of truth during the process of that book. One day, when I was agonizing over how utterly bad my writing felt, I realized: “That’s actually not my problem.” The point I realized was this – I never promised the universe that I would write brilliantly; I only promised the universe that I would write. So I put my head down and sweated through it, as per my vows."

I also worked a little on Ida3. Just reading through pages I printed off and editing it a bit. Now I need to make the changes on the computer and delete some stuff that doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

And my cousin-in-law, Nikki, wrote (thanks, Nikki!) from Brunswick, Maine to say:  "The other day I remembered to take my camera while taking Rusty for a walk, and we often stop in to the Gulf of Maine Books store to get a treat for Rusty (sometimes 2 treats!)  And what should I see on the children's book display table but a very familiar tome!" 


Nikki is an avid reader, genealoger (new word!) and dog walker. You can read her musings at Exile's Return.

My Last Best Friend officially releases in paperback on May 1 but I see it's available on Amazon already. I haven't actually seen a copy of the paperback and I'm not sure if comp copies are part of my contract (I looked, but I am contract challenged) and I feel goofy asking, so I ordered a few copies today. I'm mostly curious to see if they included a teaser to the sequel, which was the plan.

My web gal Vicki at Winding Oak just finished designing some really super cool bookmarks for me. They match my new website. I ordered 2500!  Anyone want a bookmark??? 

MLBF got a nice little mention on Geek Buffet. It's the 50th anniversary of the Crayola 64-count crayon box and to celebrate, Crayola had kids (like, 20,000) choose eight new colors which are available in specially marked boxes. The colors have funky names like "Awesome" and "Bear Hug." Hmm. But the Geek Buffet blogger commented that one of the new colors (which just happens to be named "Best Friends") is "a nice, dark lavender that reminds me a lot of the cover to My Last Best Friend by Julie Bowe."  So cool! Thanks, Geek Buffet!

 

I found out on Friday that My Last Best Friend has won the 2008 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People in the category of Grades 4-6! I tied for the prize with Armando and the Blue Tarp School by Edith Hope Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson. 

Yowza!
 

I had a great time visiting with some very fun readers at the public library in Altoona, WI last night! Most of the kids had read My Last Best Friend so they came with lots of super questions. They did a great job of figuring out what all the objects in my Show and Tell bag (sketchbook, granola bar, chalk, toy car, potato, and a stuffed monkey!) had to do with the story. And it was extra-special that my daughter had time to come along. When one of the girls asked, "What inspired you to write this book?" all I had to do was point to my daughter! :)

Here are a few photos from the visit:

Reaching into the Show and Tell bag... no peeking!


Books, friendship bracelets, and a bag of chocolate kisses. What could be better? :)


A very studious bunch! 

Just a quick note to say I'll be celebrating National Library Week with an author visit at:

 Altoona Public Library (1303 Lynn Ave., Altoona, WI)
Tuesday, April 15
 6-7 p.m.

 Everyone is welcome, baboons included!

The other night I had the opportunity to hear a presentation/reading by Michael Perry, author of Population: 485, Off Main Street, and Truck: A Love Story. Not only is Michael Perry a gifted writer, he is a wonderfully funny storyteller on stage.  If you have a chance to see him in action, I think you will be highly entertained. I checked his website and here are a few of his upcoming appearances:

April 29 - Traverse City, Michigan
May 7 - Monroe, WI
May 7 - Beloit, WI
May 8 - Madison, WI

Plus, he is just a really nice guy.
 

Short and sweet! :)

I had a fun time Wednesday night at the Literacy Leaders and Reading Partners event I posted about here. The program portion of the event was held at the State Theater in Eau Claire, followed by a book signing at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Library which is just across the street from the theater. The program included a readers theater presentation by middle school and university students who are part of the Reading Partners program, storytelling by Rob Reid, a bit of juggling and a visit from the Cat in the Hat! Following the program there were cookies and punch aplenty, plus a chance to admire student artwork and view the beautiful quilt panels made from more than 100 autographed and illustrated fabric squares provided by the students' favorite children's authors and illustrators:


The quilt was displayed in three panels which will eventually be sewn together. See that little square in the upper left corner on the big panel? That's mine! :)

 Here's a close-up of a small section of one panel:

Luv that pigeon! :)

So, the program and the cookies and the mingling were great, but soon it was time to head over to the library for the book signing with John Coy, Marsha Qualey, Rob Reid and me. Reading Partners had purchased copies of our books so that every child attending the event could exchange a gold coin they had received during the program for an autographed book. It was really fun to get "paid" in gold coins! :) Maybe I'm a pirate at heart.


John Coy, Marsha Qualey, me, and the invisible Rob Reid

The librarians had rounded up books from all the authors who had contributed autographs for the quilt! Yowza! Quite an impressive display!

Makes you want to read a book, doesn't it? :)
 

 My Last Best Friend debuted one year ago today! It's been a great year for me -- I have been blessed with an enthusiastic and encouraging editor, a good friend and guide in my agent, wonderful support from family and friends, and heartwarming comments from readers. And I can't imagine what the year would have been like without the Class of 2K7. I know my book would be a much tinier pin on the big map of children's publishing had it not been for their insight and camaraderie. Thank you, Joni, Rose, Ruth, Karen, Sarah Beth, Rebecca, Marlane, Greg, Thatcher, Suzanne, Sundee, Alice, G., Sara, Paula C., Rosemary, Paula J., Constance, Cassandra, Laura, Kelly, Carrie, Elizabeth, Aimee, Melissa, Jen, Ann Dee, Stephanie, Shirley, Judy, Heather, Sarah, Eric, Autumn, Tiffany, Jo, and Jay. 

I've been thinking about the many and varied paths we writers take as we strive toward publication. Each of us carries our own unique pack of tools and supplies.  There is no way I would be sitting here today, looking back on a year-old book and another one on the way, if I hadn't packed a hefty supply of persistence. Years and years worth. I didn't begin this journey with very much more than a love for kids and a desire to write for them. I read one book about writing for the children's market and joined one organization (SCBWI) and then I was off. I have learned lots and lots along the way, but perhaps the greatest lesson learned is to keep pressing on despite the rejections and setbacks. There just isn't any other way to get here, as far as I can see.

 The publication date for My New Best Friend is August 1, 2008!

 

The Reading Partner Program of Eau Claire, WI works hard to develop creative ways to enhance reading experiences between university volunteers and children who participate in the program. This year alone more than 200 volunteers have been reading with more than 250 Eau Claire area students, most of whom are English Language Learning (ELL) students or face other learning challenges.

Last semester one of the program leaders, Lucianne Boardman, began a project with a small group of 6th grade ELL students called Literacy Leaders. The group talked about friendships in reading and decided to create a friendship quilt with squares autographed by some of their favorite children's book authors and illustrators. I was contacted by the group and invited to provide a square for their quilt:


The group sent letters of invitation and fabric squares to 120 authors and illustrators. The response has been amazing, with 101 autographed and/or illustrated squares returned to date. I had a chance to meet with Lucianne last week and got a sneak peek of the quilt. It is absolutely beautiful and will measure 6' X 16' when completed later this week. I was completely taken aback by the autographs and illustrations already sewn into it -- so many incredibly gifted authors and illustrators took time to participate, including such familiar names as Jane Yolen, Lois Lowry, Katherine Paterson, Jerry Spinelli, Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes and many, many more (hey, cynthialord, I saw your square! :))  I am so amazed and flattered to have my little square stitched among all these names:
 


The Literacy Leaders and Reading Partners will host a Friends in Reading Opening & Art Show from 6:00-7:30 p.m. on April 2 at the Eau Claire Regional Arts Center. The event will include a reader's theater performance by the Literacy Leaders, student art show, a book signing by local children's authors (including me! yippee!), and the friendship quilt on display. I can't wait for this event and will try to get some pictures of the quilt to share with all of you.

"A word is not the same with one writer as with another. One tears it from his guts. The other pulls it out of his overcoat pocket."
~Charles Peguy

Wisconsin author, Ann Bausum, winner of the Golden Kite Award for her nonfiction book Muckrakers!

 Well how about that! I won the grand prize drawing over at Shrinking Violets Promotions! Okay, so actually there was only the one prize, but still it's grand and I won! 

If you haven't yet discovered Shrinking Violets (a.k.a. Marketing for Introverts), please do stop by. It's a newish blog hosted by maryhershey
and Robin LaFevers. Great stuff especially if you are somewhat (or totally) shy about promoting your books and/or being in the spotlight.

 

 This morning I was treated to a visit with Ms. Abbie Oleson's 2nd grade class at Lakeshore Elementary in Eau Claire. The class had just finished a language arts unit in which they learned about writing and revising stories. To celebrate, Ms. Abbie invited several guests to come and tell about how they use writing in their lives.

 The awesome Rob Reid talked about writing books and articles that help teachers and other leaders share their love for books and music with kids. By the way, if you ever have the opportunity to attend a Rob Reid workshop, don't pass it up!  TV 18 news anchor, Jerry Gallagher, talked about writing news stories and the need to sometimes revise them live and on the air! Ms. Abbie's sister, who likes to write poetry, was there as well and we all got to hear Abbie confess to sneaking into her sister's room when they were kids and reading her sister's poems :) I talked about writing (and revising, again and again) MLBF.

 After the introductions, the kids formed small groups and we grown-up writers got to listen to the younger set read their stories and talk about how they had revised them to make them better. I was really impressed! Finally, we shared a treat of popcorn and orange Hi-C (yum!) I loved how Abbie had everyone lift their cups while she said a toast to all the wonderful writers in the room. That was the best treat of all!

Thanks again, 2nd graders! Keep writing!