Issue #33 - June 2020

Dear Readers,

Welcome, June! Welcome summer and gardens and berries all the sweet lovely things that warm weather brings. Welcome, fresh air and hopefully friends soon, too.

I still can't believe everything that has been going on.

We continue to isolate here with my parents, but we have got a routine going now that is working. Most of all, lately, I have been thinking of Ori, my little boy, and how the world is going to change in the future. For Luke and I, traveling was a big part of shaping our world views. Will Ori be able to travel in that same way? How will he experience the scope and wonder of the world? Or will it just be in a different way than Luke and I have done so? Of course, it's impossible to know. I'm not even sure I would want fortunetelling abilities if I could have them!

Mostly, luckily, I've been too busy to worry as much as I could. May included lots of library working time, and lots of outdoor time too.

Luke actually milled the cedar to make the garden boxes. He is hoping and planning to mill the planks for us to build our deck. Based on how gorgeous these are, I think it is possible, no?

Also, creepily, I found this picture/illustration all burned while digging:

This month has brought lots of other secrets, too: A treasure trove of books from my parents' attic. It's no wonder I fell in love with reading and writing. I realize that I was really, really lucky to have access to such great books.

These are the childhood boxes--I actually think I am still missing a few. I couldn't find my set of Beatrix Potter. So of course now I want to try and poke my nose into the other attic space in my parents' place to see if I can unearth it.

And writing stories, of course. I have lots of ideas but not sure if any of them are really good enough? Did I ever admit yet in this newsletter how riddled I am with self-doubt about my writing...

I have lots of projects that I want to get started on, and lots of projects I need to complete.

Some of the main ones include drafts of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Academy, (all I can share is this past announcement about it!) which is super light and fun and everything I need right now, and a draft of the fourth Anne of Green Gables Chapter Book (oh, dear Anne, you really should have checked that it was raspberry cordial you were feeding Diana... not current wine!!!)

So that is good, but will I write them well enough? Will I be able to do justice to the bright shiny idea that is in my head?

I can only try my best!

Talking about books and writing, I promised to feature other beautiful books that have come out this Spring that need a bit more attention!

Here is another just gorgeous picture book, Outside In, by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby. Deborah Underwood is the author of many fabulous children's picture books including one of my favourites, The Quiet Book, beautifully illustrated by Renta Liwska. Outside In poetically looks at all the ways that the outside is part our inside spaces. (Something I'm keenly feeling right now, as I write this post with sunbeams flickering in through my office windows).

I asked Deborah Underwood about where did the inspiration for this book come from. Listen to her amazing reply:

In 2015, I went to the American Library Association's conference in downtown San Francisco. It was fun to see friends and do a signing there, but the conference was huge and crowded. I needed time to recharge, so I left to walk around outside for a bit. On my walk, I noticed an old brick church with an unlocked door, and I went inside.

As I sat there in a pew, surrounded by stained glass, I heard a bird—a seagull, I think—flying overhead and calling. I was struck by the idea that a single bird call could penetrate this massive, human-made structure that had been standing for more than a hundred years. The idea of nature reaching out and calling to us even when we’re inside was so compelling to me, and that was the beginning of the book.

Cindy Derby, the illustrator had a lovely note to add about her process:

During the process of making this book, I had to let myself go wild. I transformed from a place of expectation and perfectionism to a place of moment by moment forgiveness and flexibility. I made some of the lines with string dipped in ink and some of the dotted textures with sticks and leaves.

You can order Outside In from lots of places--I'd highly recommend your local bookstore, if you can support them!

Now, last by not least, one of my favourite pictures of the last few days.... Gah! Is there anything cuter than little boys in sailor outfits? Seriously!?!?!?!

Lots of love and looking forward to writing again more about my progress on my stories next time.

xx

Kallie