KAREY SHANE

Happy Birthday Oprah

Since this is the last season of the Oprah Winfrey show, and since it's her birthday, I wanted to pay tribute to her. She is a woman who has had more influence on me than any earthly person other than my mother and Harriett Tubman, my childhood hero.

Oprah's performance as Sethe, in the movie adaptation of Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Beloved, has been an anchor in my life. I've kept the picture of her with Beloved next to my computer for eleven years, or on my vision board. The picture of it in my Vermont office in 2000 is below. The strength she portrays in that picture has inspired me in unspeakable ways to hold on when times have been tough. God bless you, Oprah.

If you are looking to someone or something for strength, look to God and yourself first, then to someone who inspires you, as Oprah has inspired me. God bless you to grow into the person you are meant to become. You are loved. You are seen. You matter.

The Future of Education {for Girls}

A little video I put together while I was sick in bed with a cold last week. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! Thanks. If you go to OneMillionButterflies.org you can see more about this thing I'm doing called One Million Butterflies that I'm hoping others will want to be a part of. You can read stories there about women who are making a difference because of education. Yippee!

We Are the World: New version / Original version

After spending a 12+ hour day getting the Secret Speakers files ready to submit to the printer on Monday, it was, sigh, wonderful to turn on the TV and catch the entire We Are the World 25 video playing on CNN, thanks to Don Lemon. It's been a lonnng day, and this left me with such a good feeling. Of course, the message goes far beyond just making us feel good...we can all be someone's hero and make a difference. I've spent the last hour watching the old version, looking up why Taylor Swift wasn't in the new one, (which might have to do with cupcakes in Fundon?) and I'm about to post the old and new versions and the lyrics below (from the original version).

There comes a time when we heed a certain call

When the world must come together as one.
There are people dying and it's time to lend a hand
To life - the greatest gift of all.

We can't go on pretending day by day
That someone somewhere will soon make a change.
We are all a part of God's great big family

And the truth
You know
Love is all we need.

We are the world
We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving.
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives.
It's true
We'll make a better day
Just you and me.

Well
Send them your heart

So they'll know that someone cares

And their lives will be stronger and free.
As God has shown us by turning stone to bread

And so we all must lend a helping hand.
We are the world

We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving
There's a choice we're making
We're saving our own lives
It's true we make a better day
Just you and me...

SCBWI

I attended the SCBWI Conference in Salt Lake City last weekend and met lots of Superheroes. That's the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for those in the KNOW (which I now am as of last week). If you're writing for young adults or children, these conferences are on now on the top of my list for adding to your possibly non-existent social life.

How did I get there and why did it matter? Wellll . . . Let me just tell you that I believe specific prayers get specific answers. Last week I spent a good hour snuffling out my frustration to God between wads of Kleenex. I blubblered all sorts of, But I've been working so hard's, and It's like nothing I've done is ever going to work's. Then I got wise and remembered all the good things that have happened along the way. I started to feel grateful. Grateful. That was a good thing. And then I remembered how the Lord said somewhere, "You gave no thought, save it were to ask me." 

Great job putting on the SCBWI Conference, Sydney!

    Quel joie de rencontrer un jumeau en francophilisme!

I'm so glad we got to meet, Elizabeth. Ring that Cow Bell!

   

I actually met other human being writers. Hey Emily and Sarah.       

    So I decided to ask. I asked for direction. Next thing I knew I found myself jumping from website to website like lily pads, going nowhere in particular--or so I thought. But THEN, I was on Laini Taylor's website reading about all the fun stuff she does besides write, as in her amazingly beautiful ladies that she makes out of paper that you hang up. On one of her pages she talked about SCBWI. I thought to myself, that sounds familiar. I think that has something to do with me.

So I popped over to the SCBWI website which I re-learned is for children's writers and illustrators. That's right, I heard of this once and told myself to "get involved." So I looked for any conferences coming up in my area. Lo and behold, the big conference of the year was in, get this, two days. Yes, I KNOW. Two days. The hand of God was nudging me along.

So I contacted Sydney Salter, got on the list, and in two days I was in great company: Elizabeth Law from Egmont USA, Laurent Linn, the art director of Simon & Schuster, and a literary agent, who sadly focuses on picture books. And I was around other writers and illustrators! I met lots of wonderful people, and I have to say my absolute favorite time was chatting about nothing in particular with Laurent Linn, who happens to like speaking French as I do.

With my French-speaking and literary needs met (yes, in that order. I think I was supposed to be born in France but the earth turned a bit fast the day my sister and I arrived in our mother's arms because we landed in the good old USA) I left that afternoon full of hope that all is well, God is in his heaven and at the helm of my life, and that this Jesus-loving girl just might be OK. I've written the best story I could write. I gave it my all. Not one page was written without a prayer first. Not that it means everything will be peachy keen in the end, but I know and have peace in my heart that I did what I felt called to do, and that I'm fine with God. That's just fine with me.

The First Book Came

The first proof of Secret Speakers arrived via UPS just as I was backing out of the driveway on Friday. After two long, long weeks of struggling naively to get it to print, this was one moment worth waiting for. I immediately drove over to my twin sister, Gwennie's to celebrate. She was waiting in her driveway, camera in hand, for the moment. The mailman took this picture of us.

She had me pose with mailman Ted . . .

And on her porch . . .

Stay tuned for video of our little jig, and my arrival. Little did I know she was videotaping my it. When I pulled up and saw her holding the camera, I thought she was getting ready to take a picture. it turns out she was taping the whole thing. But for now, I'm going to bed early. I'm beyond tired. I slept 12 hours last night and could have slept all day. But I went to church, then with my sister's family for a drive up Provo Canyon to see the autumn leaves. Beautiful.

I am NOT a stalker Sara Zarr. I promise.

Hungry to leave my life as a solitary writer behind, I drove up to The King's English in Salt Lake on June 6th to meet some local Utah author's who were doing a signing, including Sara Zarr. Also, it was the perfect place to buy my own copy of Neil Gaiman's, The Graveyard Book. I could hardly drag myself out of the house, thanks to Wilbur, my parasitic friend. (Do NOT garden in freshly turned manure with a cut on your finger.)

I got there just as everyone was wrapping up their book signings. I feebly muttered, "Oh hi, I just wanted to come meet you all." I got blank, very worn stares--almost as blank and won as mine--and I wondered why in the world I'd driven 45 minutes only to turn right back around.

But then I met Jen, the marketing person for The King's English. Fabulous Jen with whom I'd spoken a few weeks earlier. When she saw my business card she said, "Karey Shane! We talked not too long ago!" I was amazed she remembered. We talked about BEA and other sundry things.

She let me know they're already looking forward to getting a review copy. She was fantastic to talk with, and I left TKE ready to go devour some lamb kebab next door at Mazza's for old times sake. It turns out Sara Zarr was at a table with two other authors. I'm sure they must have thought I was stalking them. If I'd been thinking I would have secretly taken their picture and put it up here to prove that I WASN'T.

Simon Vance wins AudioFile Golden Voice!

I just finished doing cartwheels and a few jigs. Why ever for? Why, the Audio Publisher's Association just named Simon Vance, who narrated Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate, to AudioFile Magazine Golden Voice status. Did you notice how I put it in bold? That's because Simon is one of my superheroes.

For those in the know, as I'm sure you are, that's basically the Hall of Fame for narrators. Last month he lost out to the worthy and also very superheroish Neil Gaiman in the Tournament of Audiobooks on Audible. But then, perhaps that leaves Simon wide open to win next year's tournament with Secret Speakers! Start strengthening that finger to push "vote" next year. Standing upside down balanced on one finger should do it.

Way to go superhero Simon! Oh, and he won another Audie (June 2009) in the Classics division for his narration of Great Expectations.

Simon Vance is recording right NOW

Simon Vance is recording Secret Speakers and the Search for Selador's Gate this week, May 4, 2009. I'm really looking forward to hearing the way the story sounds with someone else reading it besides me! I'm meeting with the folks at Audible.com this week to talk about possibilities. Yay!

If you haven't heard Simon yet, go to audible.com and choose from 23 pages worth of audiobooks done by him.

Thank you, Simon! It's been fun this week going over the pronunciation for character names. I've saved all your messages on my cell phone so I can imagine what Secret Speakers will sound like when I get the file from you next week. Then it's on to post-audio production and mastering with Kenny Hodges.

Shannon Hale and I are BEST friends

Here are Shannon Hale and I after solving the problems of the universe. We came up with the answer as superheroes do, naturally, but it will be a long time before we reveal the information. It's difficult keeping it from the bad guys. By the way, our private, super important superhero conference took place during UVU's Children's Writing Conference, but that's beside the point.

During the writer's conference, I met so many amazing people, including Shannon. (Oh wait, did I say we just met? We've known each other forever.) Carol Lynch Williams, whose novel, The Chosen One, comes out soon, was the most peaceful, kind woman I have met in a long time. Hearing her read outloud makes me wish

The Monkster

Monk is is on a quest. He lives his story so, well, perfectly. I wrote a poem in his honor.

Ode to Monk

Smudges on noses, and wipes used for mittens.

White shirts that all match and paychecks unwritten.

Crimes to be solved by the Monk on the wing.

These are a few of my favorite things.

When my fears bite, when my doubts sting, when I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite show, and then I don't feel so bad.

Thanks Tony Shalhoub. I bet you grew up eating huge frisbees of Lebanese bread.

P.S. Monk is one of my superheroes and he's not even real. How silly is that! But the thing is, he helps me get through the bad days when all I can do is lie on the couch in pain. Besides, it's all about the story. The quest. The spin. The bean. The Monkster faces his fears. We all need to face our own fears every day. If he can survive, then we can, too. Even if we feel like a worm that just got stepped on and no one noticed.