Joyce Moyer Hostetter

In an industry where books published by the New York houses get the lion's share of the attention, it's a comfort to know that Midwest Book Review is looking out for the small presses.

Their review of Comfort popped up on Amazon last week and I just now noticed. You can read it at the Midwest Book Review site.

Their reviews are brief introductions and sometimes an opinion as well. In this case the opinion offered was as follows.

"Comfort" is a moving story of one girl trying to overcome her ailments to better her life.

In other Comfort news, the American Library Association is meeting in Chicago as we speak. If I'm not mistaken, the Notable Children's Book Committee discussed my book a few days ago. With a little luck it remains on the table where it meets the competition of fall titles added to the list. (I'm not exactly sure how this all works but I did sit in on one book discussion a few years ago so I have a vague idea.)

Perhaps, if I'd known that yesterday was National Cow Appreciation day, I would have blogged about it. The thing is I need someone to tell me these things.

So, 4 of my grands came by last night to inform me. Seems they were on their way home from Chick-fil-A where they enjoyed free meals for coming as cows. It just so happens that I am especially fond of cows right now. I did not expect this when I started writing a book about a 1940's mental hospital. But then I had no idea that mental hospitals provided so much of their own food through full working farms. (with much hard work from their patients!)

To be honest, a cow has always been just that, to me. A cow.

But I have friends who are avid dairy farmers. And my father worked on a large dairy operation in the forties. Very helpful in terms of my 1942 story! This, dear reader, is the working definition of an expert. Someone who knows the itty bitty details of how cows were milked some sixty-odd years ago.

And also someone like my dairy farming friend who once said to me, "You know, cow manure smells good."

"Uh. Okay."

I am thrilled to ask questions of experts who don't simply know cows. They actually love them! And to be honest I am starting to become especially fond of bovines myself.

Why else would I have this photo as the background on my desktop?
The cows my daddy milked in the 1940's.

P.S. A little more research shows that various people appreciate cows on different days of the month of July. It appears that July 18 is actually the most commonly accepted day for Cow Appreciation. Ha! Wouldn't you know - it's my birthday! And not only mine. But my dad's as well.

I wasn't intentional about reading CHAINS during the week of July 4th. I read it because it was right there within easy reach at the local library. Because it is historical fiction. And because I know how Laurie Halse Anderson writes!

Indeed.

What an astute move on Laurie's part to tell a slavery story that takes place in 1776 - right there in New York City where Loyalists and Patriots were duking it out over the colonies' desire to be free from England.

Isabel is supposed to be freed upon her owner's death but the owner's greedy relative snatches her and little sister Ruth up and sells them. However, Isabel's knowledge of her intended freedom and her own belief in the right of all people to be free, do not allow her to ever be fully enslaved.

She works for her viscious new Madam because she must. But when she meets another slave - a boy who works for the Patriot's cause, she finds herself in a position to work against her Madam and the Loyalists. The risks she takes lead her into deep trouble.

But it's possible that risk-taking ultimately leads to her independence.

Of course we do not know for sure what happens to Isabel. We will have to wait for January 2010 to read the rest of her story in FORGE, a sequel.

First line of Chains: The best time to talk to ghosts is just before the sun comes up.

Chains won the Scott O'Dell Award 2009 and was a 2008 National Book Award finalist. Laurie won the Margaret A. Edwards award for lifetime acheivement in young adult literature.

Huzzah! Huzzah!

Here's to the freedom of all people everywhere. And freedom from our own chains which we unwittingly cling to because we're afraid to take risks.

In January I met a quietly powerful woman with an eye for making a difference in the world. Today you can meet her too. Please listen in while Johnna Bockover and I chat.

Johnna, If a photographer could catch the essence of you, what might that photo look like?
More words in my eyes than on my lips! I believe the eyes truly are the window to the soul, and I would want the essence of me to be revealed in much more than meets your eye. I would want you as a viewer to see that a photograph can capture emotion and not just a subject. Therefore, it wouldn't matter what I would be wearing or what environment the shot was taken in... but most importantly what you can read through my eyes. I would want the image to convey life, peace and rest.

"Speaking of capturing emotion in a photograph... I recently captured a great image while photographing a family. These two siblings were in their innocent minds simply thinking, and I believe much emotion can be read in the eyes of this little boy."
Wow! You're right! Those eyes speak volumes...

Back to you and photos. Do you have a favorite self portrait you’d like to share with us?
That's why I'm a photographer... because I like to be BEHIND the camera! ha! But ya know what... I should have a self-portrait, huh? This question has just motivated me to do so! So watch my blog for an image soon!

I did recently have a photo shoot by Underpin Photography to get a headshot of me for my website. (see below) It's a good image, but I still am not overly excited about being in front of the camera. On a side note... the last photo shoot I experienced prior to this one, was for my high school senior portrait in 1996! I know you have a non-profit called Star Shooter. Tell us about that.
Star Shooter is a nonprofit organization I established one year ago in July 2008, to merge my skills and passion together to help children. I have a master's in psychology and have enjoyed photography since I was a child. I have worked with abused and neglected children in the social services field for 6yrs. and have a huge heart and vision to restore hurting youth through a creative means. Star Shooter has five wonderful Board Members who have helped lay the foundation to what it is today. Learn more at our website.
 

• Star Shooter's Mission: to equip children with a tool for expression using photography and allow them the opportunity to discover the "star" within themselves.
• Star Shooter's Vision: for all children to be emotionally healthy to live out their destiny with confidence. "Here is a photograph of the children in our first workshop. I worked with children at an after school program for at-risk youth. These two children worked hard at photographing images that portrayed their own personal life and choosing the best images to be printed in a book. The culminating event included displaying their big smiles and books at Barnes and Nobles in Myrtle Beach, SC. :) "

What is phototherapy and why is it important to you?
At Star Shooter, we define phototherapy as: "Using a camera as a catalyst, the client has a tangible opportunity to express what's not so tangible inside of them." Phototherapy can be viewed as a form of art therapy, which allows creative expression for a child. Phototherapy is important to me as I work with children, because it gives a child an opportunity to express, heal and change... and learn a skill that could possibly turn into a career.

Is there a particular group of children that you have a special concern for? Who are they and what dreams or plans do you have for working with them?
Yes, I particularly care to reach out to at-risk children that have been abused or neglected. Even more definitive, my ultimate location to conduct a Star Shooter workshop would be in the Gaza strip, Israel, where children are traumatized by violence. I would love to teach the children how to shoot a camera rather than a gun. Currently, Star Shooter is planning a trip to South Africa this October to conduct a workshop with aids-affected orphans! Stay tuned-in to our blog for updated information.

"This image was taken in Bethlehem, Israel on Christmas Eve 2007. Entering this "little town", my eyes were opened to the poverty and violence of the local Arabs. My heart immediately went out to the many children occupying alleyways." - Johnna

I know there is a contest we want to hear about but first, can you share one random thing you'd like us to know?" Random is good. I'll share a bit of "behind the scenes" of Star Shooter. Star Shooter was birthed out of rest. I worked pretty intensely in the social-services field while going to school for my Master's degree. To say the least, I was worn out. I took a large step back and decided I didn't want to live my life in a ball of knots... so I obeyed what I felt God was telling me, which can also be found in Hebrews 4. He actually commands us to rest! "Labor into rest" was my new primary occupation which brought forth Star Shooter! I just relaxed, started pursuing things that brought joy and fueled life... and Star Shooter was birthed with just a few pushes! Star Shooter is one year old July 2, 2009! I believe with continued care and support from people like you, we can together raise up a mighty Star Shooter to help children in need. Bless You All!

Thanks, Johnna! And now, about your contest - is it too late for people to enter? If not, tell us how to get involved!
It's not too late YET... but the deadline is August 1, 2009. Star Shooter is conducting its first fundraiser by way of a photo contest open to the public, any age, from anywhere in the world. The theme is general, but the judges will be looking for a fresh, new perspective on life! The judges will consist of Star Shooter's five board members and a few professional photographers. Submission fee per photo is $25 and proceeds will benefit the organization in purchasing cameras for the children to use in our workshops.

It's easy to submit your photos:
1) E-mail your titled image to contest@starshooter.org
2) Submit fee via paypal link on the site (or mail it all). Visit http://starshootercontest.org for full details.

Oh... the most important part about this contest is that it has a BIG PRIZE! A new Canon 5D Mark ll (a super fancy 21 megapixel digital camera with video feature) or $2,000.00!!!

So there you have it folks! If you need a camera (or a few extra dollars) and if you want to help Johnna make a difference in the world, do enter the contest.

Oh, and do the children of the world, a favor, will you? Spread the word about the contest! Hurry now.

I just made a phone call to a stranger in Williamsburg who I hope to interview. He wasn't home but his wife said I can call back this afternoon.

I'm a morning person so certain tasks I've learned to do when I am awake and feeling on top of things. By afternoon, the energy often wanes and I find myself disinclined to make phone calls. Especially those that require an extra measure of courage.

I remember when I was seeking info regarding HEALING WATER and I had to wait until noon to call anyone in Hawaii. (5 hour time difference). By then, I'd already spent the best part of my courage and writing energy.
Calls to Hawaii always seemed to lead to some sort of runaround. I think I figured out why and knowing did not make it easier to push through. Eventually I did find the expert I needed to proof the language component of my story but I craved more Hawaiian input. I wanted so much to make sure every sentence felt authentic to the toughest of Hawaiian critics.

I'm getting braver with time. So if I had it to do over, I think I'd be less intimidated. But so much of writing is practice.

Which is why I'm calling this man in Williamsburg back this afternoon.

A storm rocks the boat carrying Puritans to America. But young Susannah Hutchins huddles into the safety of her mother's arms.

The family expects to find freedom of religion in this new land. What they find instead, is a classic religious battle between grace and law. The reader feels the tension early on in the pages of this picture book. It is communicated through Micahel Dooling's muted photo-realistic paintings and Jeannine Atkins skillful use of symbolism.

As everyone gathered, the minister said, "The Lord sends storms to punish the wicked among us."

"This minister speaks too much of storms," Mother said. "In the New World we hope to spend more time giving thanks for the blessings of blue skies. We are not going there to be frightened again."

As the story emerges we discover that Susannah's mother is a strong Christian woman who uses her gifts of midwifery, encouragement, and teaching in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

But the puritanical community is not ready for a strong, confident woman who experiences God as a loving Being. And so the conflict ensues. Young Susannah loses the safety of her mother's arms.

Read the book to discover what happens. There is much more than can be contained in a 32 page picture book, of course. An Afterword provides additonal info. And you can read more here.

Anne Hutchinson's Way is a picture book for all ages. It does just what I love - brings a little known piece of history into the light where contemporary readers can experience its relevance.

And it is relevant!

It seems I have a vague recollection of Anne Hutchinson from my elementary history classes. But mostly, I've forgotten about her. Thankfully, jeannineatkins brought this strong confident role model to my attention!

Yesterday we began the day with our grands in the backyard. We hooked the tractor to our wagon and took the kiddos for a ride through the maze trail our son created in the "back forty".

We picked Queen Anne's Lace.
And they all helped unload the mulch since I had done half the truckload on Thursday.
Collin is like me. He loves to ride in the back of a pickup truck.
That's Lily. I so love working and playing outdoors with her and her cousins!</div>

I decided to put writing on hold for a few days. At least until the end of June. I just wasn't feeling my story. I needed to let it go for awhile. Get to work on something I could accomplish.

So I drove our truck to the mulch yard. Asked for 2 scoops. Came home. Made a sandwich to fortify myself. Checked email while I ate.

Heard from a librarian who'd helped me back in January with my work-in-progress. Now she was sending me brand new links to an oral history project. I listened to the first link - it was an interview with an 85 year old woman who lived and played on the grounds of the mental hospital where much of my story takes place.

Not only that, I soon recognized her as someone I'd read about in an unpublished memoir written by someone who worked at the hospital.

Wow! It almost knocked the mulching right out of me! But I decided to stick with my plan. I mulched. I asked my character questions while I worked.

And later I began to explore the oral history links. I still haven't had the time to really give them my undivided. But I will.

What I've gained so far?

• descriptions of the general area
• names of local businesses in the 40s
• names of prominent people in the area
• general info about the era
• street names and intersections
• a sense of time and place
• specific descriptive info about the hospital
• new ideas and characters for my story

I'd planned to Write Every Day in June. Repeat in July. Produce first draft by August.

I've been researching for more than a year. And I've done this book writing thing before. So I figure I should be able to do it again.

But sometimes it can be so hard to go to the places where my stories live. It might be a physical issue - the story's setting may have deteriorated from a dynamic, living campus to a pile of rubble. Or been replaced with a meadow of weeds and wildflowers. My lethargic imagination has to recreate the place.

And speaking of lethargy - right now I'm experiencing a whole different set of emotions than my character is dealing with. So frankly, who cares about his problems?

Not me. I've got my life to live.

I am pretty sure the struggles I experience today will someday nourish another story. And I'll be glad to have them in my bones to draw from. But right now they're not helping me.

At least I don't think so. But maybe they are. Perhaps my character needs to feel what I feel for a change. His problems might not be the ones I think they are. Maybe at the heart of our varied life experiences lie the same set of disillusionments, similar questions, and shared hopes.

Is it possible that, instead of trying to go to my character's time and place, I should invite him into mine? Wonder what he'd think if he could spend the day with me? Would he like me? Would he talk to me? And if he did, would I listen? Or would I interrupt him with my own opinions? (Bad habit I'm trying to kick.)

After a year of school visits, social networking, and trying to write a little in between, I'm concluding that it's time to live my life. Clear out some clutter in my office. The attic. The basement. Mulch the yard. Spend time with family.

My character can talk to me while I work. I'll ask him how my clutter compares to his. And how would he meet my challenges? And what is he passionate about?

Maybe if I listen to him for a change (instead of telling him what to do) I'll actually find his story.

Fellow North Carolina author, Clay Carmichael notified me that both her WILD THINGS and my COMFORT are being discussed for inclusion in the American Library Association Notable Children's Books Discussion List.

Which means it would be fun to be a literary-minded fly on the wall at the Annual ALA Conference in Chicago in July. Wouldn't I love to hear the committee hashing out the strengths and weaknesses of Comfort! Trying to decide if it fits the criteria. For that matter, I'd love to hear how each of the 20 titles on the list fill the bill. I would learn so much that would help me with my writing!

There will be another wave of books discussed later in the year which means the competition gets even stiffer. But for now, it feels A-OK to know that Comfort is undergoing the scrutiny of savvy librarians.

And what exactly will those librarians be looking for?

NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
CRITERIA (from ALA webpage)

Notable is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, the term "notable" includes books for all age levels through age 14) of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry, folklore, and picture books that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.

The evaluation criteria to be used are:
1. Literary quality
2. Originality of text and illustration
3. Clarity and style of language
4. Excellence of illustration
5. Excellence of design and format
6. Clarity of organization and accuracy of information
7. Subject matter of interest and value to children
8. The likelihood of acceptance by children.
(Board Action, June 1977

As Clay said, "Fingers and toes crossed for both of us!" Please!

Hubby and I went looking.
I thought we'd find what we were searching for beyond this barrier - up that path. It was a lovely hike in spite of gnats and stinging nettles. It led to the top of the mountain.I wanted it to take me to an old CCC turned CPS camp. (That's Civilian Conservation Corp turned Civilian Public Service). It did not. So we went back to the only other possible spot.
And discovered that this pile of rocks was not a pillar for a building but rather, someone had stacked them on a pallet to haul them away.
No wonder I did not find the large amounts of rocks I expected from the photos I'd seen! Someone has taken them.
We did find old road beds here. And saw that the power lines stopped at this site. Which seemed to indicate we'd found our spot.

Still, I wanted to find an artifact to help me know that this was the place. My hubby reached down and picked up this.
Yes, there were a few broken boards here. Not much considering the old dormitories, dininghalls, etc that used to grace this place.
Photo: Compliments of Guilford College Friends Historical Collection

We also found this. A boxwood hidden in the undergrowth - definitely a sign that someone cared about this place at one time.

Not much else to go on.

I love old buildings. They make my heart beat faster. Or stand absolutely stock still. I wish I could've seen the foundations, at least.

But, in spite of what was missing, there were things I found - the damp mossy mountain smell that my character awoke to each morning. The stifling heat of a June day and the cooling restorative power of Buck Creek. The ever-present sound of water running over rocks, a huge moss-covered boulder where my character may have sat to ponder his choices.
I found a few broken boards and a plethora of weeds to remind me why I need to tell the story of idealistic young men who lived here. Perhaps some reader will discover that his great-grandfather served time here during World War II. The grandfather may not have chosen this place but he knew he could not choose war either.

He was a conscientious objector who wanted to do work of national importance. So the government gave him forestry work. It was tedious and backbreaking. He may have stuck it out or he might have asked for a more meaningful assignment. Perhaps he volunteered instead to be a human guinea pig for medical experiments. Or to fight forest fires in Montana. Or to work in a Virginia mental hospital.

But first he lived here (or in one of 150 other CPS camps) with like-minded individuals from various backgrounds. Here in this silent spot beside a gurgling stream he made his quiet stand against war.

I attended a fabulous program at our library yesterday. (Patrick Beaver Memorial). I failed to get the name of the drama duo but they were some kind of good. Two actorss played all the characters in Cinderella and Jack-in-the-Beanstalk. My daughter, my daughter in law, and the grands were there!
Afterward, the children's department was awash with young patrons. I bumped into Anna Catherine and her mom, Katie. I'd visited Anna Catherine's school earlier this year so I was glad they talked to me. And thrilled to find out they'd just picked up Comfort.
I also bumped into Mary Sizemore, our wonderfully personable library director. She took me to her office to get a picture of Lucy. That's her under the desk.

Lucy might just be our library's most beloved volunteer. She's a certified therapy dog who makes appointment with reluctant readers. They read. Lucy cuddles up and listens! How powerful is that?!

Kristy Dempsey, the author of Me With You is off on another continent at the moment. So when her book came out in May she didn't get the pleasure of seeing it on book store shelves. Which is where her online friends come in. We're finding it in book stores and posting the pics.

Kristy and I did a book swap of our titles so I've been lucky enough to have my own copy for awhile now. Still, I've been meaning to get into Barnes and Noble for a look see.

But there's so much to do at home! And I love it here so I procrastinate errands of all sorts. Last evening, however, hubby and I had dinner with a friend right next door to B&N, so afterwards I went hunting.
Right there at the entrance to the children's department, we found it. This gorgeous picture book is a lovely poetic tale (with stunning illustrations by Christopher Denise) that any grandchild would love to enjoy while sitting on a friendly lap. Preferably Grandpa's.
Chuck and I do overnights with the grands once a week and tonight is the night. We have our traditions (which include Frosty the Snow Man DVD every Thursday since Christmas). We read a lot too, of course!

And you know at least one of the titles we'll be enjoying again this weekend.

Life has been a little irregular around here lately. Hubby and I have felt the need of an emotional lift. My motto in times like this? When all else fails, move the furniture. It's cheaper than remodeling but it has the same effect. Change.

In this situation we wanted to move two bookshelves from one room into another. But, moving furniture is work. And moving bookshelves is the sort of tedium that forces one to dust and organize! I assured hubby I'd do the book moving and the dusting and later he could help move the furniture.

So he went off to his responsibilities.

And I promptly proceeded to get bogged down. It took me all afternoon to move and dust one bookcase of books.
Of course I had to check my email and visit my BLUE facebook page and comment on my LiveJournal friends' entries in between. Oh, and yes, I did a smidgen of writing.

Each of these things, it turns out, is more fun than dusting books. Or making decisions about letting go of books. Back before the turn of the century, I was a member of Writer's Digest Book Club so I have lots of this sort of thing on my shelves. Never mind that many are dated. They still have useful info which I hate to let go of, except for loaning to beginning writers.

I am drawn to old books like a woman to dark chocolate. Here's a few I've picked up. Definitely not letting them go! And of course, there are just books that I love - some by my contemporary writer friends Chuck and I are trying to declutter our lives a bit. We both have a tendency to behave like pack rats over anything that has the slightest bit of usefulness left in it. But I did manage to come up with a discard pile.

I do not intend to throw these books away. I heard on NPR about a woman who makes handbags from books. Not sure this is the same person but check this out! Maybe I should contact Double Booked Designs about making me a purse from that hefty Writer's Market.

Meanwhile if you need some writing books and want to cover shipping and handling, get in touch!

I never know, when I start researching a story, just what I'll find. But always, there are lovely surprises.

Like BOOK 1.
And BOOK 2.
Book 1 is supplementary, really. I'm not dealing with the starvation experiment so much as the motivation for those who participated. (Conscientious objection to war)

And Book 2? I didn't plan to write about Sergeant Alvin York. and I wasn't prepared to like him, either.

If you'd told me that one could be a conscientious objector and a sharp shooting war hero all at the same time, I'd have been more than a little cynical.

But having read his story in his own words?
Ah, York demonstrates so well the complexities of the human response to war. And for this, I love him.