7:30 BELLS: The Bells of Witness

On Saturday, high in the mountain town of Leavenworth, Washington, the bells rang for me during my book signing at A Book for All Seasons. My best book signing ever. Why? Because I had the privilege to witness something wonderful.

Three sisters came into the store. The littlest was about six, the middle one about eleven, the oldest about fourteen. I chatted with the middle sister about my book Eva of the Farm. She decided she wanted to read it. Then her little sister held up a book and cried, “but I want this one!”

The middle sister hesitated. I guessed she had only enough money to buy one book or the other. She put Eva of the Farm back on the table. “Maybe my library will get it,” she said. And she bought the book her little sister wanted.

How lovely this was! I said, “You are such a good sister.” After the girls left, I told one of the bookstore staff who had witnessed this too, that I’d never cried at a book signing before.

The story gets better.

Ten minutes later, a woman came in and asked if we had seen three girls. She turned out to be their mother.  The family lives in Leavenworth. The staff member and I told her about the wonderful thing her daughter had done. The mother—both proud and a little surprised herself—bought a copy of Eva of the Farm for her daughter.

I was thrilled to inscribe the book with the middle sister’s name and added, “for the best sister in the world.”

Witnessing this act of compassion and selflessness from someone so young gave me hope. If girls like the middle sister grow up to run the world, our future will be beautiful.

Thanks again to owner Pat Rutledge and all the staff for inviting to me to A Book For All Seasons for the best book signing ever.

LORE OF THE BELL:

Witnessing acts of love makes the bells ring

A Book for All Seasons

703 Hwy 2, Leavenworth

509-548-1451

WONDER AND REFUGE: My Lifelong Passion for Children's Literature

My passion for children’s literature began in my elementary school library, where I found both wonder and refuge. After six years there, I could walk past the shelves and feel new worlds waiting, feel beloved books calling to me like old friends. There was The Secret Garden. There, The Wind in the Willows. My passion continued at Mills College when I read The Wolves of Willoughby Chase during breaks from studying for English Lit exams. And it has blossomed over the past fifteen years as I wrote and published eight novels for children and teens from ages eight to sixteen.

Of course, given my young readers, my books explore themes of coming of age. Another of my recurring themes is the relationship between light and dark in the human spirit. But the literary theme I return to again and again is the way nature brings us fully alive. This emerged in my first three novels, Firegold, Aria of the Sea, and White Midnight, all young adult fantasy novels. The theme came to the forefront in my seventh novel, my first realistic, contemporary book, Eva of the Farm, written for middle school children. But not until my eighth novel, After the River the Sun, a companion volume to Eva of the Farm, did the theme of nature restoring the human spirit come roaring to life.

Inspired by my love of my father-in-law’s commercial apple orchard in the Methow Valley, After the River the Sun is set in Eastern Washington. Full of guilt over his parents’ drowning death, Eckhart is a city boy who loathes the outdoors and only wants to play video games. He is sent to live with his uncle on an orchard in the Methow Valley. There, the demands, beauty, and perils of living close to nature bring Eckhart new life and hope.

For me, books have always combined both refuge and the wondrous prospect of new worlds. Maybe that’s the best thing about them. The continuing dream of my life is to write books that will so capture children’s hearts and minds, that they will embark on a lifetime of loving books When sixth graders walk past my books on the library shelves, I want them to feel old friends calling and new worlds beckoning.

Poetry Friday: THE APPLE WITCH

For Poetry Friday I offer this poem by twelve-year-old Eva from my book, Eva of the Farm.

THE APPLE WITCH

Leaves whirling
from her moonlit skirt,
the Apple Witch sings
to the orchard trees:
"Winter will pass.
Wait again for me!"

Blossoms flying
from her twig fingers,
the Apple Witch blesses
the orchard trees:
"Spring will come.
Wait again for me!"

--Eva of the Farm
(page 89)

Poetry Friday: OLD MAN WOODSTOVE

Today feels like winter, so here's a poem from twelve-year-old Eva DeHart, from Eva of the Farm.

OLD MAN WOODSTOVE

Old Man Woodstove
chortles and snorts
belching heat
from his hot full belly
that steams wet mittens
hanging on hooks--
that steams the wet dog
snoring on the rug--
that steams wet me
bringing in more wood
from the snow
to stuff in his greedy belly
that keeps us warm
all winter long.

~Eva of the Farm
p 125

"I send all the Greater Powers to you"

A writer has no greater happiness than receiving a priceless letter like this one from ten-year-old Linnea, thanking her aunt for sending her EVA OF THE FARM.

My thanks to you, Linnea, for lighting stars in my day.

xxDia

POETRY FRIDAY: Same Old Bear

A poem by twelve-year-old Eva DeHart from my middle grade novel, EVA OF THE FARM.

SAME OLD BEAR

Wood crackles the dawn,
and I know the same old bear is feasting
in the same old plum tree again.
Every year he swipes off whole branches,
gorging on glistening plums.
Does he dream of plundering our orchard
all winter in his stuffy den?

The tree looks worse every year--
mauled and broken--
but keeps bearing plums
as fat and red as a baby's cheeks.
The bear looks worse every year too--
muzzle grey, fut matted, one ear missing--
but keeps looting.

I keep expecting one of them to die--
the tree or the bear--
but they seem to need each other.
Which just goes to show you
that sometimes things work out fine
for everybody.
So long as that old bear
leaves a few plums for me.

--Eva of the Farm
page 55

Poetry Friday: THE DEMON SNAG

This poem by Eva Dehart, the hero of my middle grade novel, EVA OF THE SKY, was inspired by a snag in the canyon behind my father-in-law's orchard in the Methow Valley. This is an extremely zoomed in photo of the snag, which is high on a hill above the canyon.


THE DEMON SNAG

Halfway up the canyon,
the blackened snag on the hill
looms like a demon,
conjuring and cackling
evil dreams of the wild--
cougar teeth and bear claws and being eaten alive--
until fear cripples my heart.

I sharpen Dad's ax--
but a demon felled would be a demon still.
I call for a wizard,
but they are too busy fighting dragons.

If I were Joan of Arc,
I could defeat the Demon Snag myself
with a shining sword.
But I am only Eva of the Farm,
armed with a shining imagination
that makes me run home fast.

--Eva of the Farm
(This poem can be found on page 20 of the novel)

Sun Daisies and Italy!

Dia by lorieanngrover on Polyvore

25 % OFF Venice Photograph, Italy, Canals, Travel Photography - When...
etsy.com

My dear friend, the amazing artist and author Lorie Ann Grover, made this for me! I love the combination of two places I love--Venice and the Farm in Methow, Washington (represented by the sun daisies) that inspired my novel Eva of the Farm, and the upcoming companion novel, After the River the Sun.

Thank you, Lorie Ann!

Too Beautiful to be Believable?

A reviewer of Eva of the Farm commented that Eva’s poems in the book were too beautiful to be believable. Usually, I don’t respond publicly to reviews, but I do need to respond to this comment because I don’t understand it. Gentle Readers, perhaps you can help me understand.

What does it mean--too beautiful to be believable? Really. THINK about it. Consider the following:

Michelangelo’s David
This is the most beautiful works of art I have ever seen. Does its incredible beauty mean it cannot possibly be real? Perhaps it is an illusion, perhaps it was made by Martians, perhaps it doesn’t even exist. It is too beautiful to be believable.

Victoria Soto
A teacher puts herself in front of a madman to try to protect her students, sacrificing her life. What an act of astonishing beauty. Does that mean it did not happen? Is it too beautiful to be believable?

Sunset over the Grand Canyon.
This is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed. The color, light, and shadows on the rock and in the sky were more beautiful than anything I’d ever seen before at that age. I guess, though, because it was so beautiful, it could not have been real. Was I having a hallucination?

Now I suspect, Gentle Reader, you may say something like this. “The reviewer meant that Eva’s poems were too beautiful to believe they were written by a child.” But I find that baffling, too. Has anyone heard twelve-year-old Jackie Evancho sing? (If you have not, click here right now) Why can’t we expect  works of astonishing beauty from children?

Do we really only believe in beauty that is within our realm of understanding the world? Isn’t good art SUPPOSED to take us to a new level of appreciation for or understanding  of beauty? All I know is that I love to be astonished by beauty.

What about you, Gentle Reader?

Eva in Bloomers?

EVA OF THE FARM has just been nominated for the American Library Association's AMELIA BLOOMER BOOKLIST!


Here is what my character EVA told me when I sent her an imaginary e-mail with the news: What fun! I am a heroine at last--I am so glad people value a heroine whose shining sword is her imagination! Maybe I can find a pair of old fashioned bloomers at the Senior Center Thrift Shop in Twisp to wear when I hike up the canyon."


Description of the Amelia Bloomer Booklist:
"An annual booklist of the best feminist books for young readers, ages birth through 18.  We are part of the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association!"

Apple Basket and EVA OF THE FARM at PNBA

At the Night Capper Party at PNBA, (The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association) fall conference, Becky Milner of Vancouver's Vintage Books wins a basket of Honeycrisp Apples from the Farm--the orchard that inspired EVA OF THE FARM. Becky is standing on my left.

I had a farmer's market themed table, in honor of Eva from EVA OF THE FARM selling her poems at the farmers' market in Twisp, Washington.

Including packets of dried apples from the Farm!

What a fun evening!