Vermont Retreat with EMLA!

 

Hi guys!

So, I am a very lucky lady to be part of Erin Murphy Literary Agency.  We do an annual authors' retreat, and oh, what a retreat it was this year in Brandon, Vermont!

Here I'm hanging outside Cafe Provence with old friends Cynthia Levinson, Liz Garton Scanlon, Carrie Gordon Watson, Tamara Ellis Smith, and Jeannie Mobley...


Making new friends-- Kevan Atteberry and Laurie Thompson... (Ruth Barshaw's an old friend!)


Dressing up for the Time Snap party... here I am with other steampunk ladies...

 


Okay, I'm apparently too lazy to label everyone by name, but you can go to EMLA's client list and play your own match-the-author-to-the-time-traveler-game (note that some come from other dimensions entirely.)




And the illustrious, time-traveling, mad-scientist agent herself... Erin Murphy!


 A taste of the party decor...


The band Erin Murphy's Dog jammin' while a rapt audience listens and laughs hysterically at the funny songs.

 

Love attacks on Liz Garton Scanlon by Katniss (Phil and Kevin's dog)

 

There were games and raffles... here's a Bobble Ami-Joan Paquette doll that Anna won!

 Bobble Erin Murphy doll prize!

 

Pretty stuff encountered on walks around Brandon...




A taste of the decor of my room at the Brandon Inn... made me smile!


Robert Frost Hike!

 


A little-known Robert Frost poem that charmed us all...

 

Thanks for swinging by! (For you curious readers, I *do* still have secret, happy news that I can't share with you yet... just know that the Secret is sitting in the middle and knowing while you dance around in a ring, supposing... ;-)

xo,
Laura



Ron's Pet Skunk

Hello, dear readers!

If you've been suffering from a horrible allergy season, as I have, this skunk story might cheer you up.  It makes me laugh between sneezes.  (My allergies have been horrendous for the past 6 weeks-- I've gone through so many boxes of Kleenex that I'm going to plant some trees in my yard to make up for it.  Really, I am!)



So, my new manuscript has, among other animals, a rescued skunk in it.  I put out a call for real life pet skunk stories on Facebook as part of my "research."  My good friend Ron Cree sent this one.  (He's also an awesome YA author-- check out his books here!)   

Here's Ron's story, in his own words, and I hope it makes you laugh (between sneezes), too!

For all of my childhood, I wanted a skunk as a pet.  I mean, I was obsessed with the idea.  For all of middle school and for most of high school, I read about them, looked at pictures of them, devoured every magazine article and book I could find about them.
My parents were smart, though.  They always said “no way” whenever I brought it up.  It wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that my dream finally came true.

I discovered that a friend of my dad’s had somehow come into possession of a de-scented skunk and was looking to sell it.  I jumped at the chance, and without telling my folks, I paid him $15 and took possession of a gorgeous, grown male skunk.

I named him Prints, and he was the coolest thing EVER.

I bought him a small halter/leash, the kind you’d put on a poodle or small dog.  With that, I was able to walk him around.  Traffic would literally screech to a halt when people saw us.


Traits I remember about him:
  • ·         He would frequently go into “spray mode”.  If he was startled or felt threatened, his tail would stand straight up.  He’d arch his back and stare you down.  He’d stamp his little front feet on the ground and hop backwards a few inches.  If none of that worked, he’d whip his butt around and “spray”.  Then, feeling 100% confident that he’d succeeded in warding off any danger, he’d calmly proceed to go about his business.  It was pretty hilarious.
  • ·         He was nocturnal.  He’d sleep most of the day (curled into a tight ball) and was very active at night.  I would let him roam around my room while I slept, and he’d get into EVERYTHING.  He particularly liked going into the closet and under the bed.  He didn’t like being “exposed.”
 
  • ·         He was very curious.  He’d often strain to see what I was doing if I was at my desk or in bed.  (Of course, he could have just been looking for food.  He ate A LOT.)
  • ·         He was sort of like a cat, in the sense that you could pick him up and pet him.  He’d sit in your lap or fall asleep while you were holding him.  His personality was cat-like, as well.  Sort of aloof, but dumber, if that makes sense.  Like a dumb cat.  Not sneaky, but confident.  (He really thought all he had to do was spray anything that messed with him.)
  • ·         He had a temper, and if I tried doing something he didn’t like, or pick him up when he didn’t want to be picked up, he’d bite, or try to bite.  He was definitely a wild animal.
  • ·         When picking him up, he’d often be real wiggly, and whip his head from side to side, as if trying to bite.  I eventually learned to pick him up by the skin of his neck.

 There was one time, when I was out of high school, that I took a cross-country road trip in February.  I had Prints in the car with me.  I’d made a wooden box with a small round hole cut in the side that I’d keep him in.  He liked the solid darkness of it (unlike a cage), but he could still poke his head out to see what was going on, if he wanted to.  I put the box on the passenger seat with the hole facing me, and he’d stick his nose out every now and then to check things out.

Anyway, we got stuck in a very bad snowstorm in Minnesota, and I-90 was closed.  So we were forced to stop at a hotel for a couple of days.  Trust me, getting a skunk into a hotel is not a good idea.  The first night, I left him in the car.  BIG mistake.  I’d forgotten about a box of Pop-Tarts in my baggage.  But he hadn’t.  He got out of his wooden box and DESTROYED the inside of the car, getting to those pastries.  He literally tore (clawed, gnawed, whatever) his way through the side of my suitcase.  Tore the upholstery.  Shredded clothes, other boxes, etc.  It was a MESS.

So I decided I had no choice but to smuggle him into the hotel.  He liked it.  He got to do his usual nighttime prowling around while I slept.  (Except he decided that chewing up the carpet under the bed was a good idea.)

Unfortunately, housekeeping caught him the next day and I got in trouble.  The manager was called and we were asked to move out, but it didn’t matter, since the freeway opened again later that morning.

I took him to Mount Rushmore and walked him around the plaza on his leash.  That was pretty funny.   
Again, I can’t emphasize enough the REACTION that occurred when people spotted us.  They’d do a double-take, then a retreat, then a confused, whispered conversation with whomever they were with, followed by an “are you crazy?” glance at me, before finally asking what the deal was.

 

Me again-- Laura here.  Isn't that all great?  HUGE thanks to Ron for taking the time to write this down for me.  I can't wait for you guys to meet the skunk in my upcoming book...

 xo,
Laura

Battle of the Books!


Hey guys!

I just had the best time in the Terre Haute area of Indiana, presenting as part of their awesome Battle of the Books!

 Star in the Forest was one of about twenty books involved in the battle, and I was honored that they asked me to come and meet all the participating kids, who came from schools throughout Vigo County.  There were a few hundred kids total, and they were all amazing!  And so were the teachers and librarians who worked so hard to organize the Battle events.

I wish I'd remembered to take pictures at the presentation, but I was so busy chatting with these incredibly enthusiastic students that I completely forgot.  (Thanks, Angie Miller, for the above photo!)

I did manage a few pictures with my delightful liaison, Kathy Deal, who gave me the warmest welcome an author could hope for...



My farewell lunch included this gigantic milkshake... I didn't even get hungry on the plane ride home.


 I was so impressed with all the friendly cooperation among community members to make this event a success!  Thank you, Vigo County, for an unforgettable visit!

And now, on a different note.... I can't resist whispering this to you:  
Exciting, new-book-related stuff is happening in my life right now!  I hope to be able to tell you about it soon... but in the meantime, let's be secretly happy together! :-)

xo,
Laura


Costa Rica trip!

 
Playa Pelada-- the beach a three-minute walk from our rental house...

Hello everyone!

Thought I'd share some images from the trip I took with Ian and Lil Dude to Costa Rica over spring break.  We stayed at Playa Pelada, on the Nicoya peninsula... bliss... (except for all those times we got lost because none of the roads were marked... and a few other moments (stay tuned for more on that)).


Riding on horseback through the jungle (Lil Dude and Ian did this without me-- I'm allergic to horses, hippos, hamsters, cats, guinea pigs, and bunnies.)


On the beach...


Mangrove swamp!



 Howler monkeys hung out in our yard and woke us up every morning before dawn... they made this low, growly sound that brought to mind a zombie apocalypse.


I love caves... and these were accessible only at low tide, which made them extra enchanting for me!


En route to the caves...


I hardly brushed my hair for two weeks-- the sea and salt and wind made it wild... and then one day, I noticed dreadlocks forming, and finally gave in and had a looooong session with the hairbrush.


The other end of "our" beach... a place where local, ex-pat, and tourist families all hung out together at sunset.


My boys...


Lil Dude is such a creature of the sea... the sand and water could entertain him all day.


He learned to surf from an instructor that looked like a Costa Rican version of young Brad Pitt.



Ian practiced surfing too-- he's still a beginner, but very enthusiastic. ;-)


We hung out at this gelato place in the hot, hot, HOT afternoons...


Lil Dude LOVED the pool at our house... that's his snorkel you see on the right.


Our porch, where I read some magical books and scribbled in my journal and sipped agua de sandia.



Bougainvillea is so pretty... I wish we could grow it in our garden in Colorado.


Hibiscus, too...


We snorkeled here one morning... the most exciting discovery was a giant rusted fishing knife as big as a sword.  Fake pirate fights ensued.



We watched many sunsets from many scenic spots...


I feel compelled to interrupt this series of sunset photos to show you how we afford an international vacation every year.  I present to you my car (which has no hubcaps, a torn interior ceiling thanks to Lil Dude ripping it off as a toddler, and -- in addition to transporting us--it serves as storage for junk for several months/years at a stretch until making it to Goodwill.)


So I occasionally ask myself, Laura, would you rather have a new car or go on yearly international vacations?  Laura, would you rather have hubcaps or pay for half a plane ticket?  Laura, would you rather have that ripped ceiling fixed or pay for the other half of a plane ticket? Laura, would you rather get the car detailed or pay for a night at a rental house in some tropical paradise?  You get the idea. I believe that making travel a part of our lives is largely about priorities.  And really, visiting another country will stimulate your mind and spirit and senses SO MUCH MORE than a nice shiny new car (or the latest technology) will.... Anyway, pardon that rant, and now, on with the sunsets!


Well, actually, I also feel compelled to tell you that although we did experience high levels of bliss on this trip, every day one of us threw a temper tantrum (as with every family vacation we take).  It could be me, Ian, or Lil Dude... and I've learned to accept this as the small price you pay for vacation bliss.  (For example, one day I threw a tantrum about the jackhammer noises thundering from the house next door.  Ian threw a tantrum because Lil Dude and I claimed it was too hot to accompany him on a tidal pool exploration one afternoon.  And Lil Dude threw a tantrum because Ian and I wouldn't clean out all the bugs and leaf debris with the pool net one morning.)  I just feel it's important to juxtapose these sunset pictures with a little grounding in reality, you know?


Okay.  Now back to reveling in sunsets.  It's funny how usually temper tantrums don't happen in the moment you're watching sunsets over the ocean... everyone stops what they're doing and stares at the disappearing sun and just soaks in all that beauty.


Here's to happy travels in your future!


xo,
Laura

Visit to the Southern Ute reservation in SW Colorado....

Hi guys,

One of the best unexpected perks of being an author is this...


... traveling over the Rockies to lovely nooks in my state that I've never had the opportunity to see before.


I do about a dozen school visits per year, mostly in Colorado, but also farther-off places like California, Texas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nebraska, Pennsylvania.... It's so interesting to get to know more of my country.  Above is Marcia Vining, the awesome librarian mastermind behind my visit with the middle and high schools.  I love meeting creative and BIG-thinking librarians like her... such an inspiration! Her community is really luck to have her.


It's also really exciting for me to meet students who are working on their own stories and novels.  I connected with several teens who are passionate about creative writing... Emerald, above, is one of them!

Thank you, Ignacio, Colorado, for the warm welcome!

I hope you all are enjoying these first inklings of springtime... I'm guessing my juniper allergies will kick in any day now (ugh)... but I'm eagerly searching for the first crocus of the year (yay), now that the snow here has *finally* melted.

xo,
Laura