Why I do this

A huge thanks to the kids at Elsmere, Clarksville and the Learning Project for the super-ridiculously-awesome cards and pictures. They were all incredible. THANK YOU!

I'll try to post some for everyone to see.

Hey Boston! I'm coming by land!

Very pleased to say that I will be venturing east to the land of Pedroia and Puritanism on April 27, 2011. I'll be reading and speaking at the Learning Project in the Back Bay, where my sister Mary teaches. (And where the future of US Soccer, Mr. M., attends.) Get those questions and ideas ready!

I'll also be stopping by the Wee Care preschool in JP for a reading with my nephew Andre.

I am wicked psyched.

Thanks, Elsmere and Clarksville

I had a super time visiting Clarksville Elementary and Elsmere Elementary this week. 
The kids were ready to go! All that creative energy and the fantastic questions and comments had me on my toes.  It was very inspiring and gratifying to meet  so many sharp young writers and artists. Keep it up!

Special thanks to Principal Melanie Painter at Clarksville, Principal Kate Kloss at Elsmere, and especially to Librarian Anne Rappoccio, who coordinated the whole thing.

I'm very grateful...

...for this extremely  nice note that I received from Susan Fowler at the Delaware Community School in Albany following my visit there:

"During our Spring Literacy Festival this past March, my second graders were treated to a visit by author Andrew Pelletier.

From the moment he stepped into the class he engaged and delighted the children. My students are very excited about writing, so having a "real writer" to visit was something special. Andy talked to the kids about what it's like to write a book.He went over the process from ideas to publishing. They were very interested in his "idea book" where he writes down images or notes for future stories. Andy then read his delightful adventure "Bathman" which the children really enjoyed.


Our favorite part of Andy's visit was when he opened the floor to questions. They couldn't keep their hands down! Even the shyest kids had SOMETHING they wanted to know about becoming an author. The kids later surrounded Andy wanting autographs! You would have thought Justin Bieber was in the room! Even better than Justin Bieber, having Andy visit was a real treat!


Thanks again Andy!"

No, THANK YOU.  I had a great time.  Keep writing, you guys.

Stuff you need to look up

I am not the type of writer who spends a lot of time on research-- if I need a fact, I tend to make it up.  But there are occasions when I find myself in a bit of a quandary-- how would that work?  how would they do that?-- and I find myself heading to Wikipedia or even to an actual reference book for some backup. It's typically something obscure, something to lend authenticity to the backstory.  So, today the question was "how do farmers separate milk from cream?" Milk separators? I don't need to know much about them, really, and the answer will likely never make it into the story that i'm working on, but I'll know just enough to be dangerous. Hopefully that will make things more believable.

Maisie Dobbs

The eighth  novel in this series by Jacqueline Winspear comes out today.  It's a truly engaging series.  Maisie Dobbs has risen from the  lower classes,  survived being badly wounded in WWI, and now plies her trade as a private investigator/psychologist  in London between the wars.  There are many threads interwoven with the mystery angle... post war traumas, anxiety about the rise of Hitler, and a large dollop of class conflict make these very satisfying.  The writing is top notch.

Sap Snow Monday

Here are a few more ice sculptures, inspired as always by standing stones, steles and barrows