YA Eco Mysteries, Memoirs, Novels & Travel
Guest Blogger
19/04/13 16:20 Filed in: Memoirs
Jo Kittinger our Guest Blogger
It is my great honor to host Jo Kittinger as our guest blogger. Congratulations to Jo for being honored with a Christopher Award. Next month she will travel to New York to receive the medal -- that's amazing! The Christopher Awards celebrate books, films and TV that affirm the highest values of the human spirit.
It is my great honor to host Jo Kittinger as our guest blogger. Congratulations to Jo for being honored with a Christopher Award. Next month she will travel to New York to receive the medal -- that's amazing! The Christopher Awards celebrate books, films and TV that affirm the highest values of the human spirit.
In Jo’s words:
A writer's life is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, happy Snoopy dances and tears.
Rejection is more common than acceptance, books go out of print, contracts fall through, royalty checks are too meager to buy a pack of paper. These "lows" plaque writers and cause us to ask, "Why would any sane person put themselves through this?"
The "why" is the occasional acceptance, breaking open a box and holding a new book for the first time, getting an email from a fan, or best of all -- winning an award. These "highs" fan the flames of our passion for writing and keep us going.
This past week, was one of those roller coaster rides for me. On the one hand, I was riding high -- I'd just learned that my picture book, THE HOUSE ON DIRTY-THIRD STREET, is being honored with a Christopher Award. Next month I'll travel to New York to receive the medal -- that's heady stuff! The Christopher Awards celebrate books, films and TV that affirm the highest values of the human spirit. Amazing that MY book would get that type of recognition, along with the films LINCOLN and LES MISERABLES which are being honored this year!
The low dip on the roller coaster was sitting through two book-signings at a book festival and not signing a single book. Thank goodness for other writer friends being there, to playfully pass the time! But, inside, there was that nagging notion that I was the ugly step-child, that my writing was no good, that I should just quit. Does anyone else ever feel that way? I don't imagine that I am alone.
One of my deepest desires is that my books will help make the world a better place, whether by encouraging children to appreciate the environment - thus building a generation of good stewards of the earth -- or by building empathy toward those who suffer. Of course, I also enjoy writing fun, humorous books because I feel that laughter and joy also make the world a better place.
I'd like to thank whoever invented chocolate, because chocolate helps celebrate the good times and soothes the bad days. I'd also like to lead a round of applause for all of you who write -- good for you! Keep at it! You can do it! YOUR writing can make a difference! Together we can make the world a better place.
* * * *
THE HOUSE ON DIRTY-THIRD STREET (Peachtree Publishers) is the story of a mother and child starting over in a dilapidated house in a depressed neighborhood. Faith and hope are restored as the community comes together to help, igniting the possibility of further community revitalization.
A writer's life is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, happy Snoopy dances and tears.
Rejection is more common than acceptance, books go out of print, contracts fall through, royalty checks are too meager to buy a pack of paper. These "lows" plaque writers and cause us to ask, "Why would any sane person put themselves through this?"
The "why" is the occasional acceptance, breaking open a box and holding a new book for the first time, getting an email from a fan, or best of all -- winning an award. These "highs" fan the flames of our passion for writing and keep us going.
This past week, was one of those roller coaster rides for me. On the one hand, I was riding high -- I'd just learned that my picture book, THE HOUSE ON DIRTY-THIRD STREET, is being honored with a Christopher Award. Next month I'll travel to New York to receive the medal -- that's heady stuff! The Christopher Awards celebrate books, films and TV that affirm the highest values of the human spirit. Amazing that MY book would get that type of recognition, along with the films LINCOLN and LES MISERABLES which are being honored this year!
The low dip on the roller coaster was sitting through two book-signings at a book festival and not signing a single book. Thank goodness for other writer friends being there, to playfully pass the time! But, inside, there was that nagging notion that I was the ugly step-child, that my writing was no good, that I should just quit. Does anyone else ever feel that way? I don't imagine that I am alone.
One of my deepest desires is that my books will help make the world a better place, whether by encouraging children to appreciate the environment - thus building a generation of good stewards of the earth -- or by building empathy toward those who suffer. Of course, I also enjoy writing fun, humorous books because I feel that laughter and joy also make the world a better place.
I'd like to thank whoever invented chocolate, because chocolate helps celebrate the good times and soothes the bad days. I'd also like to lead a round of applause for all of you who write -- good for you! Keep at it! You can do it! YOUR writing can make a difference! Together we can make the world a better place.
* * * *
THE HOUSE ON DIRTY-THIRD STREET (Peachtree Publishers) is the story of a mother and child starting over in a dilapidated house in a depressed neighborhood. Faith and hope are restored as the community comes together to help, igniting the possibility of further community revitalization.
