The Cover for Angeline is Here!

Let me know what you think.

Save the Dates- Pittsburgh

Heather McNaugher, Assistant Professor of English at Chatham University's MFA program, will be reading this Sunday, August 17th at 2PM at the Carnegie Library in Oakland.

The Fall Festival of Children's Books will take place Friday October 17th from 9AM-5Pm at the Children's Musuem on the North Side.

My picture book, Angeline Jellybean, comes out in February 2009!

Illustrations! Submissions! Readings! Oh, my!

I got to see some sample illustrations for Angeline Jellybean last night and--wow! I am so thrilled with them I could dance in the streets.

I've been working on a number of projects. My thesis (still not titled with only 10 pages left to go), a couple of picture books (Mr. Beta and You Oughta Like the Otters which desperately needs reworked and a different title), and random other things. I think my next round of submissions might be a picture book called Jason and Jamal. I wrote it around the time I wrote Angeline, so maybe that was when I wrote all of my brilliant work. haha.

I sent some poems out awhile ago. I'm not really expecting any acceptances. Of course it would be awesome, but I rather enjoy collecting rejection letters too. ;-)

Here's good news not about me: My boyfriend, Mark C. Bradley, will be a featured local writer at Ukazoo Books in Towson, MD on September 14th! Yay, Mark!

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It feels real now.

My bio on 4RV Publishing

http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/Crystalee_Calderwood.html

Thanks to Sarah for letting me use her awesome picture. :-) Although it's a little old, I haven't had anything professional-looking done since I was in high school.

Me, me, me all over the internet!

My name now appears on the 4RV publishing website here: http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/4RV-Authors.html

And look for my own bio page up within a couple of days!

Killing your darlings

They say writers must kill their darlings. I feel like I've already killed Angeline a thousand times. . . So one more time, for the sake of publishing a really, really good book, couldn't hurt, right?

I've written a brand new picture book in the same kind of style as Angeline. It's called Mango Dance, and it's based on an experience I had in Trinidad.

Oh, and that thesis is really running from me again! But it can't hide forever. Oh, no. I will catch up with it again!

Getting into Dodge

You know the expression "Get the Hell out of Dodge"? I have no idea what it means, but I wanna get into Dodge. The Dodge Poetry Festival in Stanhope, New Jersey, that is. As an English major in college, it was the coolest place to be at the end of September, and I always wanted to go, but never got to. This year, Ted Kooser is reading on Sunday! So, naturally, I want to go just to see him. And I've asked Mark to go with me and make a weekend out of it. After the last failed attempt, his time I will meet Ted Kooser, come hell or high water.

In other news: I am working on a short story for middle schoolers about a "sixth grade sleuth" with an over-active imagination. When he notices one of his fellow sixth graders going to the nurse's office every day, all kinds of crazy things run through his mind. Like maybe the kid is an alien getting tested by the nurse for the government. Turns out, his friend is not an alien, but a diabetic who must get his sugar level tested daily before lunch. So the "sixth grade sleuth" must learn a thing or two about diabetes and the mysterious box that is attached to his friend's hip.

And now for the official announcement: My picture book Angeline Jellybean will be published by 4RV Publishing in early 2009!! It still doesn't feel real to me; maybe that's why I haven't told anyone but Mark about it. But I secretely love thinking about my name on a book. This will be my very first book in print! Needless to say, I'm excited but overwhelmed with the thought.

Hehe

We now interrupt this blog for a bit of totally non-professional celebration:

*bounces off the walls with a big silly grin*

Ok, I'm good now. :-)

Angeline

Angeline might have home in a few months! I'll keep you posted.

About a thesis, jelly beans, Ferris wheels and power cords

I think my thesis needs a title. Maybe it'll make it seem more real to me that I'm writing a publishable book if I name it. I just haven't written a poem with a line or a title yet that has stood out to me as "that's it!"

News: Angeline Jellybean is now out at a publisher. My Ferris wheel article is on its way to Cobblestone magazine. Unfortunately, I forgot to put an SASE in both. :-( We shall wait and see if they get immediately tossed in the slush pile or if I get responses. *crosses fingers*

No news on the power cord yet. I think I'm going through laptop withdrawl. My fingers are itching and I'm bored as ever.

Love's Chance?

Anyone know how I can get some recent copies of Love's Chance magazine? Apparently, they're so small that they can't afford to pay for publication in copies. I feel kind of dumb not knowing what kind of quality the magazine is, even after I've been published in it. Especially because it seems like they published me so quickly. I'm going to write a letter, but if anyone knows anything about the publication, could you please let me know? Thanks.

Getting my manuscript ready...

I'm planning on submitting my non-fiction article about the invention of the Ferris Wheel to Cobblestone Magazine. They're having an upcoming issue on great inventors, so I figured it would be a great fit! Yesterday, I sat down and wrote the cover letter and a fresh bibliography. Now, I need to write a detailed outline with all the info included in the article and send the whole package off. While I'm waiting for a response, I'll be attempting to cut the article down from over 1,000 words to a mere 800. . . what fun. :-P

Also, my new website (my children's writer-related one) has gone live. It's been up for awhile but I've been self-concious about letting a lot of people see it because I pretty much did the entire thing myself, and I know there are lots of mistakes. I should be proud of it, though. I needed very little help in its creation. You can find it at http://crystaleecalderwood.bravehost.com :-)

Rectangle

Today in the mail I received my two copies of the Rectangle as payment for publication! For those of you who don't know, the Rectangle is the literary journal of Sigma Tau Delta, the English Major Honor Society. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was among a great group of poets, including Cameron Conaway, former PSU-A classmate, Chatham MFA grad Nimi Finnegan, and current Chatham MFA student Meghan Tutolo. Congratulations to all of you! I'm honored to be listed among your talent. :-)

It's up!

My story Mickey's Baseball Dreams is now available in text, as an e-book, and as audio at http://raenidaystorystation.com/mickeysbaseballdreams.aspx :-)

Submission Opportunity, Thesis Update, and More

Ok, so it's been a long time since I've written here. So, it's about time I do a complete update of everything that's been going on.

I'm finding myself, at this point in my life, much more challenged and entertained by writing for children than poetry. Maybe it's because I work with children and children's books every day. Maybe I was just ready for something new. Poetry has lost its novelty for me-- I no longer feel like I'm a master of it, nor do I enjoy sitting down and reading a poetry book as much as I do a children's book or YA novel. . .

An online friend of mine has created a site for children which includes poetry, short stories and activities. It's absolutely amazing the amount of work that has gone into this thing! She's now accepting submissions from children's writers, so if you are one please check it out at http://raenidaystorystation.com/default.aspx . You won't get paid for your work, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing it's being read and enjoyed by children everywhere.

Anyway. . . I'm going full spead ahead on my "povel" as my thesis. I've been busy reading lots of povels and examining what works and doesn't work about them. I have my proposal submitted and have actually started the manuscript! More about that later, though.

I'm also currently working on a non-fiction piece for children about the invention of the ferris wheel. This paper is the first time I've ever written non-fiction for children, but the topic is interesting and the process has been so much fun!

In other news, the issue of Rectangle (Sigma Tau Delta's literary magazine) with my poetry in it is coming out next month! Yay! Now I have to get my butt moving and submit some more. I want to really start trying to get my picture books published.

Woo-hoo!

I received some good news via e-mail a couple of days ago. The Rectangle, the literary journal of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, accepted my poem "The Bradley Family Secret" for publication! Although I was a little surprised that they decided to publish that one (boy, do I feel like my poetry has matured since I wrote that poem!) out of all five or six I submitted, I am more than happy to be published again, especially in a journal that will be read by students and professors all over the country (including some at Chatham as well as my alma mattar).

Disappointment and Celebrations!

It's been a long time since I've posted. I've been meaning to write about my disappointment last month. Mark, Sarah and I were supposed to go see Ted Kooser read in Pittsburgh. Sarah and I even got our tickets for free. But Mr. Kooser got sick and couldn't make the trip. I was rather upset for awhile. Those of you who know me well know that I absolutely idolize Ted Kooser. It has been my dream since I was an undergrad to meet him. I hope he's feeling a lot better now, and understand his situation, but I feel like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity has passed me by.

Now, for some great news! Mark's book "Writing Poems in the Rain" is now available from PublishAmerica! I'll try to get the URL where you all can order it later, because I've seemed to misplaced it. It's worth it, trust me!

And more great news: Two of my poems have been chosen to be published in Love's Chance Magazine next year! Yay!