School Visit in PA, Surprise Snowfall and Something SCARY

You know your school visit is going to be fun when the principal introduces himself . . . and he's dressed as a scarecrow!

I had the pleasure of visiting with some of the students at Newtown Middle School in PA.

Big thanks to media specialist, Jana Bovino, for pulling this visit together on short notice.

And the talented Selin, who created this welcome poster:

Selin is on the right . . . Beth is on the left.  (I'll tell you about Beth in a sec.)

Beth is the reason I was visiting Newtown Middle School.  I've been friends with her mom, June, since high school.  Beth has been a BIG supporter of my books.  When she e-mailed to ask if I could visit her school, I replied, "I just booked a flight to the area. I'd love to visit your school!" 

And it turned out to be a delightful visit!

Here's Beth at home with her new guinea pig . . .

And Beth's sister, Melissa, with her new rabbit . . .

After the school visit, it was off to Penn State -- Happy Valley to visit another high school friend, Monica, and her lovely family.

Here's Monica whipping up something delicious for breakfast . . .

I woke Saturday to something I hadn't seen in THREE YEARS!

This Florida girl really enjoyed it.  I drew pictures in the snow and threw snowballs and caught flakes on my tongue, but mostly I enjoyed it from inside . . . where the fireplace (and dog, Cocoa) was.  

Then I found out something scary.  There was a BEAR on the deck during the night.  A BEAR!  Fortunately, I slept right through it.  So no photos of the bear or what it did to the bird feeder, while trying to get at the seeds inside. 

As if that wasn't scary enough, I flew home on Halloween with my niece, Nicole. 

THIS is what we saw at the counter at Southwest. 

Reason #5938 why I LUV Southwest!

An October to Dismember, er, Remember

Writing:

I've LOVED Scholastic's Storyworks Magazine since our boys were in elementary school and I'd steal, um, borrow their copies.  Great stories, poetry, non-fiction, word games, etc.

When I discovered that the author of a delightful novel, Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree, was also the editor of Storyworks Magazine, I had to write to the amazing Lauren Tarshis.

Next thing I knew, Lauren had enjoyed my first book and I found myself writing a short story for Storyworks Magazine.  It appeared in their October issue.  I love the layout and artwork.  And I'm so proud to have my work in this publication.  Thank you, Lauren! 

Later, I found out How to Survive Middle School was the 2nd bestseller in middle grade books for Scholastic Book Clubs.  It ranked higher than James Patterson's middle school book. Check it out!


Food:

Halloween gives me a chance to combine two favorite things -- food and spooky stuff.  Here are a few ghoulish goodies:

Breadstick Bones

Carrot Claws

Mummy Pizza

Decorations in the hood:

Skeleton, Florida Style

The Raven . . . and the Lizard

De-Lightful Skeleton

Killer Kitty

Now, for the scariest thing of all:

Teddy surveys the damage caused by . . .

GHOST DOG!!!

  

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A HALLOWEEN TO DISMEMBER, ER, REMEMBER!

6-1/2 Ways to Carve a Fantastic Pumpkin with DAVID LAROCHELLE

To celebrate Halloween, we're revisiting David LaRochelle's popular pumpkin-carving post.

David has graciously added a couple new pumpkins for our viewing pleasure.

But first, a belated happy birthday:  "Happy birthday, David!"

And happy birthday to David's wonderful new book, THE HAUNTED HAMBURGER AND OTHER GHOSTLY STORIES, illustrated by Paul Meisel.

Onto the new pumpkins . . .

And now, David's original post . . .

TOMB it may concern: Halloween is my favorite holiday. And it's especially BOOtiful this year because the amazing pumpkin carver, David LaRochelle, is in the (haunted) house.

Before we get to David's astounding pumpkins, here are 6-1/2 things you should know about him.

1. His hilarious novel, ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOT, won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award.

2. This year, he is promoting TWO brand new picture books -- this one and this one.

3. Reese Witherspoon read his book, THE BEST PET OF ALL, at the WHITE HOUSE!

4. David and I have something in common. We both create puzzles and have been published in GAMES Magazine.

5. David has won some amazing prizes in a number of contests. (Watch the video link at the end to hear about a doozie!)

6. Once a teacher, David now does MANY school visits each year.

6-1/2. David is one of the nicest people I've ever met.

6-1/2 WAYS TO CARVE A FANTASTIC PUMPKIN WITH DAVID LAROCHELLE . . .

1. Choose the right pumpkin. Check it all over (including the bottom) for soft spots, especially if you buy your pumpkin a week or more ahead of Halloween. More than once I've lost a lovely pumpkin to rot because a teeny, tiny brown spot blossomed into a huge, mushy, rotten patch. And don't shy away from odd-shaped pumpkins or pumpkins with "warts"; these can be inspiration for a unique design.

2. Choose the right tools. Sure, you can carve your pumpkin with a kitchen knife, but for easier cutting and more intricate designs, buy yourself one of the inexpensive pumpkin carving kits you can get at the grocery store (I use PumpkinMasters, but there are other brands). For some of my designs I use a Speedball linoleum carving tool (you can get these at an art supply store) to scrape away just the outside layer of flesh rather than carving all the way through the pumpkin skin.

3. Clean your pumpkin well. Scrape the insides until the surface that you'll be carving is about an inch thick. You can test it with a pin. If it's thicker than that, it will be hard to carve a recognizable design; if it's much thinner, the design might collapse.

4. Be creative! As you plan your design, don't limit yourself to faces. I've carved pumpkins with dragons, snakes, words, a clock, the cover of one of my books, even a Halloween version of Grant Wood's painting "Amercian Gothic." Let your imagination go wild! And who says you have to limit yourself to Halloween ideas? Why not carve a flower, music notes, or even a happy hamster? And sometimes the simplest designs, such as a single question mark, can be the most striking.

5. Transfer your design to your pumpkin. I draw my designs on tracing paper, then tape the paper to my pumpkin and prick along the lines with a straight pin. When I remove the paper, the pin pricks show my design.

6. Lighting your creation. I usually use multiple (up to six or seven) tea candles inside each pumpkin. It makes them glow like beacons, and in case one candle goes out, the pumpkin will still look good. I've also lit pumpkins with Christmas lights. A single blinking colored light inside a pumpkin gives a very creepy effect.

And finally, 6 1/2. Don't worry about perfection. If your knife slips while carving, it will probably give your pumpkin more character. Some of the favorite pumpkins I've seen in the neighborhood are ones with lopsided mouths or mismatched eyes.






To watch David carve a pumpkin and discuss some of his unique carving experiences and amazing contest wins, click here. To go to David's pumpkin-carving page on his site, click here. To learn more about David LaRochelle, click here.

Here's hoping everyone has a Halloween to DISMEMBER. (Insert evil laughter here.)