Dirty Laundry

Michigan Library Association’s Thumbs Up Award 2010 Honor Book

I can’t tell you how excited I am this morning.

But I’ll try.

I just received an email from Pat Hemingway, a chairperson for the Michigan Library Association’s Thumbs Up! Awards, informing me that SWIM THE FLY has been chosen as one of three Honor Books in the 2010 Awards. I’m not going to tell you who the actual winner was, or what the other two Honor Books were, because I haven’t seen the official announcement on the internet yet and I don’t want to give anything away (well, except for the fact that Swim the Fly was chosen as an Honor Book). I will say, however, that I feel incredibly lucky to be in such great company.

It’s super cool that the book has been recognized like this. Not only because it’s my very first novel, but also because there is so much of me in Swim the Fly. So an ENORMOUS THANK YOU to all the Michigan teens and librarians who read and enjoyed the book enough to vote for it!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In other cool news, the iPad.

Yes, I got one. And it’s better than I ever imagined it could be. It is probably my favorite gadget ever.

Yes, yes, I know that everyone says it’s just a big iPod Touch. But that’s the very reason it’s so amazing. The iPod Touch is great. The iPad (at four times the size) is four times as great.

It’s impossible to describe really why it’s so magically wonderful, but it is. And this is from one of the skeptical people. Because, honestly, I wasn’t sure what I would use it for. Now, I’m not sure if I could live without it.

I use it for practically everything. Research, and outlining, and for quick notes on the new book, and looking up recipes, and reading newspapers and books, and watching videos, and playing games, and checking emails, and keeping my life organized. I have to say, it hasn’t left my side in the two weeks that I’ve had it. My wife is getting a little worried about me, I think.

Seriously, I was going to wait until the next generation when they added a camera and all but I’m so glad I didn’t.

And finally, a belated congratulations to The Chicago Blackhawks for winning the Stanley Cup. After the Canucks and Penguins got knocked out, I was rooting for the Hawks all the way and I was happy to see them win it. The series was hard fought and exciting. And now, the hockey drought begins. Two solid months of just drips and drabs or hockey news. I’ll have to survive on the draft and free agency and trades and the NHL Network where they show all the old games.

Posted by Don Calame on 6.19.10 at 09:59 am in Prattlings. (0) Comments

Top Teen Fiction at Chapters/Indigo!

Just browsing through Chapters on West Broadway today, looking for some good hockey literature to ease the pain of the Canucks and Penguins early exit from the playoffs and look what I found!!!

The fabulous Glen (who I must apologize to for my wobbly handed out-of-focus iPhone shot) at Chapters was kind enough to have me sign their stock of Swim the Fly and then he looked up on the computer to see that the book is not only Top Teen Fiction in his store but NATIONWIDE! So, apparently every Chapters/Indigo in Canada will have Swim the Fly on their Top Teen Fiction table. Which is super cool!!!

Anyway, I just wanted to thank the great people at Chapters/Indigo for their support of Swim the Fly. It put a big smile on my face today to see the book displayed on that table and made me that much more excited about getting to work on the third book in the series.

Posted by Don Calame on 5.28.10 at 03:09 pm in Prattlings. (1) Comments

Things That Are Over

Some happy things and some not so happy things to report.

First, let’s dispense with the negative. As far as I’m concerned the Stanley Cup Playoffs are done. Over. Finished. Oh, I’ll watch the Finals, sure. And I’ll pick a team to root for even if my heart won’t be in it. Maybe Chicago. Maybe San Jose. A team from the Western Conference (yes, Chicago is in the Western Conference for all you hockey neophytes and no it doesn’t make much sense) The Vancouver Canucks have been eliminated. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been eliminated. The New York Islanders eliminated themselves waaaaaaaay before the playoffs even started. I could go on a long hockey rant about the piss poor play of my favorite players on my favorite teams but that would just be sour grapes. Roberto Luongo has given me much to cheer about the last few years. Quadruple that for Sidney Crosby. Not so much anyone on the Islanders but what are you going to do? You can’t have everything all the time. Sometimes other people have to win. That’s the nature of sports. If your team won all of the time it would get pretty boring. So, I will leave it at that and move on to things more positive.

Like the fact that the moving is OVER!!!!! We’ve moved. We’ve unpacked. We’re finished.

Well, mostly. There are a few little bits to sort out still but the bullet train has slowed and we’re coasting into the station. I must say, I’m exhausted. But in a very satisfied way. The new writing room looks great. The house is beautiful. Life is good.

And more good news. Look what just arrived at my doorstep.

That’s right. It’s the galley (or ARC, as they say in the Biz) of BEAT THE BAND. (photo credit to my editor, Kaylan Adair, as I was too lazy to take a shot of the one that’s sitting on my desk) How cool is that cover? I’m pretty pleased, I must say. It’s one of the best things about being an author. Getting that book in the mail. Seeing how it’s going to look on the page. Of course, getting the actual hardcover is even more fun but this is a very cool preamble. Now I’ll just cross my fingers that people enjoy it.

Finally, I’m going to start actually committing new words to paper. Which means, hopefully, a third book to complete the trilogy. I’ve got a story in my head and hopefully my editor will like the treatment and sample chapters I’ve yet to write. We shall see, we shall see. But I’m getting antsy to start writing again and so I will end this blog and get to work.

Posted by Don Calame on 5.14.10 at 02:21 pm in Prattlings. (0) Comments

LA Festival of Books and Calabasas High

Just back from my three day whirlwind tour of Los Angeles, Calabasas, and Encino.

First things first. I must apologize to the Los Angeles Kings for coming down to L.A. and rooting for Vancouver so passionately and loudly at the Staples Center that the Canucks took my cheers to heart and won the game. There. I said it. I feel so much better. Now I can move on and start watching the second round of the playoffs.

All right, on to the good stuff:

I had a phenomenal time at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. The Kids Are Alright panel with Meg Cabot, Rosalind Wiseman, and Robin Benway was a blast. We were up there for an hour but it felt like only a few minutes. I wish we could have spent another hour answering all the great questions people were asking. And as long as I’m wishing, I wish I could have gone out to dinner with the authors on this panel afterwards because they were so fun.

And also, a BIG thank you everyone who got a book and came to talk to me afterwards. I love meeting readers and future-readers of my books!

On Monday I got a chance to visit two AP English classes at Calabasas High. The English teacher, Diane McEvoy, was super cool. The students in her class are really lucky to have her as their teacher. And she gets extra points for dressing up as T.C. Boyle, one of her favorite authors, during a “Dress As Your Favorite Author” day. She showed me a picture and it made me smile. And get this, when she sent the picture to T.C. Boyle, he wrote her back and thought it was fantastic! (By the way, saw T.C. Boyle in the lobby of my hotel. I wanted to go up to talk to him but I chickened out!)

The students in both English classes were awesome. They asked interesting questions and the class periods just flew by. I must admit that I have a tendency to blather on a bit and go off on these long and winding detours, but the kids stayed right with me the whole time, which was a credit to their will power and long attention span!!!

To top the whole weekend off, I got to visit the Barnes and Noble stores in Calabasas and Encino where they had me sign stacks of the new paperback edition of Swim the Fly. The staff at both stores were wonderfully embracive and kind to me.

Now, it’s off to finish up the packing, so I’ll leave you with a few shots from the weekend. Once again I was without fancy-cam so the photos lean toward the grainy side.

****************************************************

Um, me and Meg Cabot anyone? How cool is that! (She is incredibly nice, by the way) Somewhere out there exists a picture of me, Meg, and Rosalind Wiseman, though not on my camera apparently, which I’m a little bummed about.

Can you believe how many people came to the festival just to see little old me? Okay, so they were there to see Meg, Rosalind, and Robin as well. Still, I must apologize to those who couldn’t get into the panel. Next time we will have to hold it at the Staples Center.