David A. Kelly, author of Ballpark Mysteries

I’d like to introduce author David A. Kelly. Welcome to my blog, David!

I know you as the author of Random House’s Early Reader series, Ballpark Mysteries, but you’re also the Business Travel Guide for About.com, you’re a technology analyst for Upside Research and you’re a guest columnist for the website IT Briefcase. Incredible! Tell us a little about these other facets of your writing life.
I never really set out to be a writer. When I was in school, my mother had to review everything I wrote, to check for all manners of misspellings, mistakes, and simple laziness. It was definitely not an auspicious start. I guess over the years I developed a facility to write, but never really thought it might become a major part of my life. Instead, I went to school for computer science and found myself working in a variety of technology-related jobs, from programming to product management to marketing. After spending a lot of time writing marketing reports and customer case studies, I realized I actually had an aptitude for writing and that when I thought it about it, it was fun. So I started exploring it a bit more. I branched out (back in the 1990s) and started writing travel articles for newspapers like the Boston Globe and the New York Times. Writing travel stories taught me how to write interesting articles with lots of useful information. The experience is actually really helpful for my current focus, children’s literature and my Ballpark Mysteries series.

I continue to write occasional travel articles for newspapers, as well as articles for About.com, where I’m the Guide to Business Travel. At About.com I focus on business travel, from hotel reviews to miles and rewards to travel technology. In addition, I write for technology companies like Oracle and Oracle Magazine, as well as consulting with other technology companies on marketing and content development.

Can you switch easily from technology writing to writing for children? How are these types of writing the same and different? Do prefer one type of writing over another?
I usually can switch pretty easily, but it does take a day or two to get into the right frame of mind to be really productive when I’m writing for children.

For me, writing about technology and business isn’t really that different from writing baseball mysteries for children. I strive to make both types of writing clear and concise. (Okay, I can use bigger words and longer sentences when it comes to technology writing). All things being equal, I’d probably say that I find writing for children to be more interesting than technology writing because I get to explore a wider range of ideas and have to push myself a bit more to create a compelling story. But if I’m looking at my bank account statement, I’d have to say that technology writing is lot more interesting (at least for the moment!).

How did your career as a children’s writer evolve?
I have two boys, who are now in high school. When they were in third and fourth grade we were spending a lot time playing baseball and reading books. They were really the first inspiration for starting to write children’s books.

The Ballpark Mysteries were inspired by my love of reading and the level of excitement my two sons found from playing baseball. When I was younger, I used to love mystery stories—from the Hardy Boys to Encyclopedia Brown, and even to the Partridge Family mystery stories (try to find those now!). As I was reading books to my boys, the excitement and fun of mysteries came back to me. But my sons, like lots of boys and girls, were interested in sports and physical activities. They were so interested in playing baseball or watching baseball games that it opened my eyes to the power of sports and activities like baseball to fire the imagination of boys and girls. I looked around for children’s books that featured both sports and mysteries, but didn’t find many that fit the bill. That's when I realized that there was something missing in the market—adventure/mysteries that were set in the dozens of really cool cities and ballparks around North America.

What’s it like writing a series like the Ballpark Mysteries? Is it very different than writing a stand-alone title?
In each Ballpark Mysteries book, boys and girls can expect to discover something new (did you know that astronaut's don't eat pizza or that there's a hidden message in Fenway Park's scoreboard?) as well as be absorbed by an interesting whodunit that takes the main characters, Mike and Kate, into some interesting situations. The Ballpark Mysteries are simply mystery and adventure books set in baseball stadiums.

Each Ballpark Mysteries book is set in a different major league ballpark and while it usually involves a baseball game (book five is set during the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game!), baseball is more of a backdrop to the action, adventure, and mystery that drives each story forward.

Readers certainly don’t have to know anything about baseball (or other sports) to enjoy them. And because each baseball park and team is so unique there are great opportunities for even the biggest sports fan to learn something new. In each book, Mike and Kate visit a ballpark to take a tour or see a game, but lots of the action may also happen outside the ballpark. In the third book they visit a number of interesting landmarks around Los Angeles, while in the fourth book (set in Houston), they get to visit NASA and try on space suits.

I hear you travel to ballparks and watch games as part of your research. How cool is that! Can you tell us some interesting anecdotes about your trips?
Great question. It’s really pretty good that part of my job is to head out to a couple of baseball stadiums each year and spend a couple of months writing about them! Again, I never would have expected that would be part of my job a few years ago, but it I love it.

Since each of the Ballpark Mysteries is set in a different MLB park, I have to write about a new baseball team and stadium for each book. Usually I start by going out and spending 5 – 7 days in each city that I’m going to write about. I take a tour of the ballparks, and usually try to watch between 2 – 4 games if my schedule allows. I also have to spend a fair amount of time sightseeing and checking out all types of possible sights, attractions, historical areas, and shops that might fit into the story or mystery. At this stage of the writing I never know what the mystery will about, or what I’ll need to write the book, so I hustle to take lots of notes, lots of pictures, and see lots of sights.

In terms of interesting anecdotes from my trips, I’m not sure I have many, though I still shiver with thoughts of the night games I watched in San Francisco. It was the middle of August and I’ve never been so cold in all my life! Everyone around me had warm, wooly hats on and winter coats. After a few nights at Giant’s games I can fully appreciate Mark Twain’s alleged remark that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco! Other than that, I’ve had great times in Kansas City, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and more. But usually, I’m so busy writing and taking pictures not that much interesting happens!

Your latest Ballpark Mystery, The Astro Outlaw, takes place at the Astrodome. Tell us about that story.
The Astro Outlaw (set in Houston, book 4) is an exciting book because it covers a lot of ground—NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Apollo Moon missions, a missing moon rock, and huge steam train (right in the stadium!). I had a great time writing it because it combined another favorite topic of time (space and technology) with baseball. The story is also one of my favorites because I was able to tie an interesting baseball play into the story in a way that becomes critical for the main characters, Mike and Kate, for solving the mystery.

You also wrote a nonfiction book about baseball, Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse. Can you tell us a little about that?
Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse is a chapter book for elementary school children about baseball great Babe Ruth and two main teams he played for—the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. It explores Ruth's hard-luck childhood (six of his seven brothers and sisters died as babies!) and the "curse" that befell the Boston Red Sox after trading him to the New York Yankees.

I came up with the idea to write the book after my editor at Random House asked me to write a true-life adventure story. I thought Babe Ruth would be perfect. He’s just such an amazing character. He wasn’t always nice and he didn’t always do the right thing, but he was one of the best athletes ever, and he had a heart of gold. Of course, living in Boston it’s almost impossible not to be a Red Sox fan, so I wanted to combine Ruth's story with the excitement of the 2004 Red Sox World Series run, where the team battled back from incredible odds to finally win another World Series after decades and decades of draught.

So far, all your children’s books have been for Early Readers. What draws you to this age group? What are the special challenges of writing for this group?
Well, would it be bad to say “the length?” Or, more specifically, “they’re short enough so that I thought I had good chance at finishing one?”

Seriously, I never really considered writing books or stories for a living. I didn’t think I would be able to really write and publish a book, so I thought that if I was going to try, I should at least try something that wasn’t going to waste too much time. That ruled out adult books, as well as middle grade and young adult books. I looked at the types of books my boys were reading, and pretty quickly figured that I could at least have a chance of writing one of a similar length (about 10,000 words).

While now I envision actually writing some books for older children, I love writing for this age group (ages 6 – 9, roughly, although the books really seem to appeal to old, reluctant readers really nicely). The stories have to move along quickly. The writing has to be clean, short, and interesting. And things can’t be too crazy. I think over the series (I’m up to book 7 now), my writing has gotten crisper and cleaner and I have a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

I don’t think there are really any special challenges in writing for this group. I don’t worry at all about specific word choices or vocabulary, but do I do work hard to make the sentences short and keep things clean. I’ve also learned over and over again to show, not tell, when I’m describing something. I think that’s particularly important for this level.

You have a new book coming out called Baseball Mud—really, Baseball Mud. Can you tell us about that book?
Sure. Baseball Mud is a picture book scheduled to come out in the spring of 2013 from Lerner. It’s the great story of Lena Blackburn and how he discovered baseball mud. Most baseball fans might know a lot about their team, but they probably don’t know that every one of the 70 – 90 brand new baseballs that major league teams use every game have to be rubbed in mud before the game! And that the mud that’s used comes from a secret, hidden place in New Jersey! And that it comes from one company, which has been supplying major league teams with mud for 75 years!

I had come across the fact a few years ago, and after finishing Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse I was looking for something that would make a good picture book. Out popped Baseball Mud. It’s a story that’s a lot of fun to share with people.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our visitors?
I can’t think of anything. Other than perhaps a question that I get asked a lot about how to become a children’s book writer. The key for me was persistence (and luck!). My first attempts at a baseball mystery story were definitely weak, but I worked to solicit feedback from other writers and editors and received a lot of very helpful advice and suggestions. I worked hard to incorporate them and eventually broke through by selling my first manuscript. I think you not only have to be a good writer to get published, but you have to persistent AND be willing to flexible. I was never wedded to one particular story or one way of writing, which was really helpful as I received feedback and revised my works.

And one last thing—don’t forget to look for the next book in the series this June. The All-Star Joker (book 5) takes Mike and Kate to this summer’s All Star game in Kansas City, where they have to find the culprit who’s playing practical jokes. Random House will also be releasing an audio book compilation of the first five books in June, which is really cool as well.

Thanks so much for joining me on my blog! Don’t forget folks, if you’d like to be entered in a chance to win a signed copy of David’s book, The Astro Outlaw, just leave a comment on this post.
You can find out more about David and his books at http://davidakelly.com/, the Ballpark Mysteries website: www.ballparkmysteries.com, or his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ballparkmysteries).

Earth Day Guest Blogger

I'm very excited to be today's guest on the Authors for Earth Day blog.
You can link to my post here:
http://authorsforearthday.org/blog/?p=302

In support of Authors for Earth Day http://authorsforearthday.org/

, I will donate half of my next school visit fee to an organization that supports conservation. You can contact me about visiting your school through my website at www.lindacrottabrennan.com

And in honor of Spring, and all things baseball, I've invited David A. Kelly http://davidakelly.com/books/ author of the Ballpark Mysteries, to be my guest on this blog on April 25th.

You'll have a chance to win a signed copy of his latest book in the series, The Astro Outlaw, just by leaving a comment after his interview. See you there!

Thanks to you and to Secondary Characters

Thanks to all who stopped by and left a comment on my interview with Hazel Mitchell. We do have a winner! This give-away was so much fun that I plan to do another soon. (More about that in future posts.)

I’ve been staring out the window, watching the snow fall, and searching for some nugget to share with you today. Finally I decided I’d just refer everyone to Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s insightful post, “The Major Role of Secondary Characters.”
http://lyndamullalyhunt.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/the-major-role-of-minor-characters/

Lynda’s debut novel, One for the Murphys, will be out from Penguin this May. I can’t wait to read it and meet Toni.

Hazel Mitchell Interview and Contest

I'd like to welcome Hazel Mitchell to my blog today.

To celebrate her visit, I'll be holding a book-give-away. Just comment on this post to have a chance at winning a copy of Hidden New Jersey.

Drawing and horses were Hazel Mitchell’s great escapes growing up in Yorkshire, UK. She attended art college, but left to run away to sea. She says the Royal Navy taught her to be a graphic designer. Now she lives in Maine doing her dream job—writing and illustrating children’s books.

She wrote and illustrated the e-book, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, winner of Utales.com Classic Tale. Her latest illustration projects include a four book chapter book series ‘All Star Cheerleaders’ by Anastasia Suen and ‘How to Talk to an Autistic Kid’ by Daniel Stefanski, which is a ‘Books for a Better Life’ Finalist 2012. She’s here today to talk about her latest release, ‘Hidden New Jersey’ by Linda Barth, and published by Charlesbridge imprint Mackinac Island Press.

Welcome to my blog, Hazel!

Thanks, glad to be here!

1. Folks always love to hear about all that led to a contract and that exciting phone call or email. Could you tell us a little about how you were chosen to be the illustrator for Hidden New Jersey? – Sure. Yes, this one was quite exciting, because it came from all places, Facebook. The developer for the book saw some of the work I had posted on my fan page and thought I would be a perfect fit for the book. So she sent me an email and we went from there.This is the third book in the series, Michigan and Ohio have already been published.

2. Your characters are so expressive. Could you tell us a bit about the technique and materials you used for your illustrations? Working on this book was like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Each page is different, dealing with a specific area of the state, (although there are some themes that run through the illustrations … children canoeing and the little bumblebee who is the ‘mascot’ of the book – as well as the hidden objects throughout). My first task was to read through the research for each page, find out about them and sketch out a design for each page incorporating all the different facts. The rough sketches went for approval and then I worked up a final drawing about 150% larger than the final page. I scanned each drawing at high resolution and then used photoshop to add the final colouring. I also had to decide which objects would be hidden on each page and where I would hide them.

3. Did you do a lot of research and field trips to the places mentioned in the book? Do you have any interesting stories to tell us about that? All my research was done online, unfortunately. I live in Maine and the book was completed in about 4 months so there wasn’t a lot of time for field trips. Luckily my husband is from New Jersey so he was able to help me a lot! I really enjoyed finding out more about the state … it is so much more diverse and historic than I imagined. Linda Barth, the author, lives in Somerville New Jersey, and is an historian, so her fabulous research really helped me.

4. Which of the illustrations was the most challenging and why? I think one of the most challenging illustrations was ‘The Gateway’ that looks at the proximity of New York City and involved bridges, the Statue of Liberty, the Colgate Clock, a horse, the skyline, ferries. There was a lot of detail to incorporate and I wanted to make the design quite dramatic.

5. Did illustrating this book open any new avenues for you? This was my first real non-fiction book and I really enjoyed doing it, so I hope I will do more. Who knows, I might even get to do another state!

6. Do you have any new projects in the works? I will be working on the final book in the first series of ‘All Star Cheerleaders’, a four book series by Anastasia Suen, published by Kane Miller. I am also working on writing and illustrating my own picture books so hope that in the near future one of those will be in a bookstore near you!

To find out more about Hazel Mitchell and her books, and to see a trailer of Hidden New Jersey, visit her website at http://hazelmitchell.com/

Book Give-Away and Golden Scissor Award

In what state can you eat salt-water taffy on the boardwalk, hike the Kittatinny Mountains, ride the tallest and fastest roller coaster on earth, and catch the calf-roping at the Cowtown Rodeo? New Jersey of course!

Find out more about the state’s hidden treasures in Hidden New Jersey. To earn a chance to win a copy of the book, just stop by my interview with illustrator Hazel Mitchell next Thursday, February 23, and leave a comment.

Announcing the Golden Scissor Award
Do agonize over cutting a single word of your precious manuscript? The Golden Scissor is for you. Award it to yourself when you gamely hold your breath and clip away, leaving masses of excess verbiage in heaps on your virtual office floor.

I’ve decided I deserved the Golden Scissor this week as I attacked an old nonfiction manuscript, hacking away at the dross to reveal the story within. I had been captivated by the subject’s tale of exploration and adventure, but my sails lost wind as my manuscript became submerged in details.

Back then, I felt I had to report on every aspect of the explorer’s three year journey. With experience, I’ve learned how to moor in the exciting moments and sail swiftly past the rest. Halfway through my edit, I’ve trimmed over 20 pages from my manuscript.

How can I bear to do this? I keep a copy of my old version of the manuscript, so nothing’s entirely lost. I can retrieve pages and paragraphs if I need them. But as the essence my story is revealed under my careful cutting, I realize I don’t need them. My manuscript is much better without them.

Out of the Writer's Cave

I’ve emerged from my writer hibernation, blinking a bit in strong light of day. My series is complete, and I’m eager to return to other projects that have been put on hold.

I have some wonderful guests scheduled on my blog in the months ahead. Illustrator, Hazel Mitchell, will be stopping by February 23rd to discuss her just-released Hidden New Jersey (Charlesbridge). In honor of her visit, I’ll be holding my first-ever contest, giving away a copy of her book. The winner will be chosen at random from one of the commenters on Hazel Mitchell’s post. You can view a trailer of Mitchell’s book at her website at http://hazelmitchell.com/

Right now, I’m preparing for the New England SCBWI Nonfiction Academy, held as part of the region’s annual conference this spring, April 20-22 in Springfield, MA. http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1033118. I’ve been checking out recently released nonfiction titles that have garnered some acclaim.

Last night I read two books where the illustrations beautifully supported the text, making these books to experience, not just read. The first was Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen. Sidman’s poems evoke the mystery of the creatures of the night while Allen’s hand-colored prints are luminous, glowing in the darkness.

The second was Can We Save the Tiger? written by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Vicky White. Jenkins makes a powerful case for working to save the creatures that share our planet. And White’s creatures loom out at you with a few strokes of her pencil. These books exemplify the best in picture book nonfiction.

Interview with Diane Mayr, author of Kids of the Homefront Army

Today I have a special guest, Diane Mayr, here to talk about her online poetry collection, Kids of the Homefront Army: Poems of World War II America.

Diane is a multi-talented author, with a varied career. Before we get into your poetry collection, you just received some exciting news about your Thanksgiving book, Run Turkey, Run?

Yes, that's right. Run, Turkey, Run! will be opening off Broadway as a musical in the fall of 2012. By "off Broadway" I mean way, way, way off--downtown Portsmouth, NH! It will be performed at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre http://www.seacoastrep.org/. A talented young man by the name of Miles Burns, is the director of the children's program there. He used my book as a starting point and wrote a script and a score. It should be a fun production! I'm sure to have more news closer to the opening, so stay tuned...

Can you tell us about Run, Turkey, Run?

I was a children's librarian from 1986 though 1997 (I'm now an adult services librarian/assistant director). Back then, there wasn't a whole lot available for the story hour crowd that I thought my preschoolers would understand. Books about thankfulness went over their heads. The same for books about pilgrims. I wanted something that would be fun, and that would allow little listeners to participate. Since I couldn't find the book I needed, I wrote it myself! Ask my critique group--during my children's librarian days, I wrote a lot of holiday books! Basically the story is very simple--turkey needs to hide from the farmer, so he looks for places right in the farmyard. When that doesn't work, he heads for the woods. The book has everything you need for a preschool audience--it's silly, it requires the listener to answer questions, it's repetitive, and it has a happy ending. The illustrations by Laura Rader are perfectly suited to the story.

(Here's a little something for beginning writers--if you believe in your work, continue to submit it. Run, Turkey, Run! was rejected more than 2 dozen times! I used to say to myself, “If I ever get it published, I could die happy.” I believed in the book. I knew it would be perfect for story hour. And I wanted to die happy, so I kept submitting it.)

Our readers might want to check out Diane’s Littlebat’s Halloween Story, too.

Diane, you also have a number of nonfiction books available on a range of topics from apples to money. I wondered how you balance writing fiction and nonfiction. Is your approach to each genre different? Which do you prefer?

At the risk of sounding flaky, I'll say that fiction is a gift. Sometimes it seems as if fiction and poetry come from someone I don't know--”Did I write that?” Nonfiction is more like work. But, since I love research, it's fun work. I definitely prefer fiction and poetry right now. Writing nonfiction releases my “timidity” demons--Will I be able to research as much as I think is necessary? What if I leave something out? What if I write something and someone says, “Hey, you got it all wrong!” How scary is that?

Of course, if you're writing historical fiction, you have to get the history right, too! But the pressure is more intense with nonfiction, and, as most of the nonfiction work is on assignment, there's the added pressure of guidelines and deadlines.

Diane eschewed print with her current project, Kids of the Homefront Army: Poems of World War II America. Instead, she is using new technology to revisit history and publishing this collection of WWII poetry as a blog. Diane, could you tell us a little about why you chose this medium?

The truth? I could no longer wait to be discovered by an editor who shared my vision.

Before I wrote the book, I was in contact with many people who were kids during the war years. Some of those I interviewed, or those who filled out questionnaires for me, have passed away. I felt like I was letting them down by not getting the work published. I wanted to tell their stories, and to repay the favor they did for me by sharing their stories.

I started on the project in 2001. I had planned on writing a simple nonfiction book about kids during WW II. I abandoned the project for a while, and then had an “aha!” moment in 2006 when I realized that the story I needed to tell had to be told through poems. Everything fell in place and I wrote like crazy--sort of like I was possessed. (I warned you about sounding flaky! Linda, I was glad to read your interview with Padma Venkatraman who also mentioned being possessed!) I tried to sell the book to trade publishers and a lovely local publisher, but I ended up thinking that the editors' visions weren't the same as mine. I decided to remain true to my vision for the book and that if I were to die happy, I'd have to do it on my own. So, being a fan of blogs (I have a number of them), I decided to post the book serially. I publish two poems a week, on Mondays and Fridays, at www.homefrontarmy.com.

Diane’s poems take on a variety of viewpoints. Some are written through the eyes of a child. For example, we hear young Eddy’s voice in A General. Can you share that poem with us and tell us a little of what inspired it?







Eddie

A GENERAL

I’ve been working real hard.
It’s nearly the end of the school year
and if I can earn a few more points,
I’ll get to be a one-star general!

Won’t Mom beam when she sees that!
She’ll say it was worth all those hours
helping me tie up bundles of papers
and crushing tin cans.

Grandpa will get tears in his eyes
when he sees my commission.
It was because he bought
so many savings stamps off me!

But I’ll be proudest of all!
Who cares if I got a D in 'rithmetic?
Or that teacher wrote on my report card,
"Eddie needs to pay attention."

No one will care
when I’m a general!

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

WW II was truly a shared experience. Everyone participated in the war in one way or another. For a kid, especially one who may not have excelled in other areas, there was the opportunity to make a contribution. That's the feeling I wanted to relay with Eddie.

All of the poems are from the point of view of a different child. They range in age from about 8 up through the teens.

In another poem, we hear Sylvie who is leaving school and heading to California to work. She’s bursting with anticipation. Can you tell us about that poem?

Again, as with Eddie, Sylvie was presented with the chance to do something out of the ordinary and to make a difference. There's a lot of hard work ahead of her, but there's also the romantic notion California. The Hollywood Canteen and all those boys await! For someone who may not have cared for school, the increased need for women workers was the perfect excuse for leaving and going to work.

Some of your poems speak of sacrifice and the sorrow of lives lost, but others show another side of war. I was particularly struck by Marguerite’s poem, When The Lights Go On Again… Can you tell our readers a little about it?

This poem was inspired by a memory that someone shared with me. This person, a teen during the war, was able to get a good job only because the normal labor force was employed in the armed services. He told me that at the end of the war, while others were celebrating, he was thinking about how his job would be gone shortly. It was the same for women workers who were expected to go back to being girlfriends, wives, and mothers once the men came home from war. When I came across the photo of a young black woman worker, the poem came together. Who would have a job once the war was over? Not Marguerite.

Kids of the Homefront Army is illustrated with marvelous photographs, posters, and ads from the 40’s. Where did you find all this wonderful material? Did the photos spark the poems or did you start with the poems and hunt for photos to illustrate them?

Ebay! I started collecting WW II memorabilia, postcards, magazines, etc. almost as soon as I started thinking about the project in 2001. As for the photographs, most are from the Office of War Information collection of the Library of Congress. We are so lucky to have the Library of Congress make these materials available online. Great sources for the ubiquitous governmental posters are the online collections of the University of Maryland and Northwestern University Library. The internet is truly a wonder!

Many of the poems were inspired by the photos. Others were written based on stories I was told, and then, I would search out photos to illustrate them.

It's amazing to me how much I didn't know about the early 1940s before I started researching the WW II homefront. The photographs provide a visual for today's kids who are unfamiliar with the social life during the war.

Things that kids take for granted today didn't exist back then. Shortages made life more difficult. Imagine life without rubber for the elastic in your underwear! (I've got a poem coming up on that topic!) Or being limited in the number of pairs of shoes you could purchase. Or imagine writing letters! How many kids today write letters outside of school assignments? It was a different world.

When did you begin Homefront Army? How long do you think your blog will run?

I wrote 80 or so poems in 2006, but I'm still adding new ones as I go along. I started posting in June of this year. I post about 8 a month. There are now about 90 poems, so, it will be nearly a year before they're all on the site.

Do you have any ideas for future blog projects?

Not at this point, although I started a book of poems about the great New England Hurricane of September 1938. I won't finish it because it is too depressing--so much death and destruction occurred. In 1938 there was no FEMA to help people recover and rebuild.

I'm using a Facebook page to augment the Kids of the Homefront Army blog: www:facebook.com/homefrontarmy . On the page I add related videos and links. Social media is a handy tool!

Are you working on any projects for traditional media?

No. What I'm working on most often is haiga (illustrated haiku and other short form poems). Some I post on my blog, www.randomnoodling.com, some are published in online haiku journals such as Notes from the Gean www.notesfromthegean.com.

Thanks so much for stopping by! We enjoyed hearing more about Diane Mayr’s work and about Kids of the Homefront Army.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak to your readers, Linda, I hope they will visit Kids of the Homefront Army, http://homefrontarmy.blogspot.com/and share it with others!