All Characters Welcome!

Hello, Kids, Educators, and Families,

School has resumed in many cities across the country. Farewell, Summer!

Attentive readers may remember that I taught school for thirty-five years before retiring in 2013. Back then, here in San Diego, classes began the day after Labor Day. Now, school begins much earlier–in fact, on August 11 this year–to accommodate a huge transition to a year-round school schedule for part of the district.

If I were still teaching with that original later start, I’d be back in my classroom now, anyway, getting bulletin boards up, furniture arranged, and my parent-letter packet photocopied. I did all of that early for self-preservation: There were too many meetings, interruptions, and distractions once adults had returned to campus. I was willing to forgo a week of my vacation each August to enjoy having the place to myself and the gift of time to prepare. (Yes, I’m a chronic Type A+ personality.)

The first day of school can be stressful. Not just for kids, but for teachers and parents, too! My goal in welcoming my new students and their families to my classroom on Day One was first and foremost to ease everyone’s stomach flutters. Then could come some fun and the business of getting to know each other, the rules, and a brief overview of what they could expect in their new grade.

I had my first-day outfit and accessories chosen at least of week before the big day. I would wear a cheerful print dress or skirt to set a friendly but professional tone. Team teaching afforded me the privilege of focusing on the language arts components. (Thanks, team partner and BFF, Barb R!) So, I had an enticing “All Characters Welcome!” bulletin board just inside the classroom door. Each student’s name and photo were posted. Their names and birthdays were listed on a colorful chart with twelve bubbles, one for each month. I enjoyed seeing their smiles when they found themselves on it. A new pencil beckoned, and a colorful nameplate stood like a little index-card tent on each desk so they could settle into their new classroom.

Then, it was time to relax and get a bit acquainted. I would invite the kids to join me on the big classroom rug. I’d say, “Raise your hand if your stomach was doing flip-flops last night or this morning.” Nearly all hands went up. AND SO WOULD MINE! They looked surprised. “Did you know that even we teachers get nervous before school starts?” I asked. Surprised looks again. “Well, believe it or not, I’m a human being like you. I feel joy, fear, and sorrow, too. And I tend to have a repeating nightmare that one of you got so scared that you ran out of my classroom! How would I explain it to the principal?” That was always an ice breaker.

I would offer silly requests such as, “Raise your hand if you like burnt marshmallows. Sauerkraut. Black licorice, etc. Responses were interesting, including mine.

Then, I had a story to share. “Thumbs up if this statement is true; thumbs down if false: Once, my heart stopped beating for six hours, and I lived to tell you about it.” Their fifth-grade heads were shaking, and most thumbs were down. “Impossible,” one would say. After a dramatic pause, my thumb went UP! “No way!” they’d shout. Then, I told them the story of my open-heart surgery in 1994 to correct a birth defect. You could hear a pin drop. The surgeons had to stop my heart for six hours to operate on it. I explained how they stopped my heart (gasps), and about the heart-lung machine hook-up. Mainly, the boys wanted the gory details about the blood and operation. But many girls were all ears, too.

The First Day galloped along with some quiet reading time at their desks as I checked reading levels. Recess. Where to line up. Lunch. A chapter book teacher read-aloud started. A fun art project. A session of, “Ask the Teacher Anything that is School Appropriate.” That parent-letter packet distributed and discussed. Homework: Write a letter to me of any length. The dismissal bell.

Before they left, I would say, “Don’t forget to come back tomorrow. If you don’t, we will miss you. My heart will be sad. Let’s make this a place for our hearts to sing–every day, and where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves.”

I never tired of the smiles on their faces as they bounded out the door to rejoin their parents. Some even said, “Thank you, Ms. J. I’m going to like being in your class.”

I miss that.

(Photo Credits: Atlantic Ambience on pexels.com–left; Pixabay on pexels.com–right)

Grand Postcards

Hello, Kids, and All Readers,

Do you enjoy receiving postcards–at Summer Camp, on a Staycation, or just while enjoying the season as your lucky friends or relatives travel the world?

It can be exciting to see what the sender chooses: something unique to them, tailored to you, or a must-share, spectacular site visited.

Currently, my almost-ten-year-old granddaughter is at a two-week summer camp. She liked the postcards I sent her there last year, so I decided to make it a tradition. I found some fun Animal Joke postcards online and snapped them up. I sent seven to her, one per day, starting last weekend, so they would all be sure to arrive during her stay. There are many left, so I plan to send a steady stream of them to her at home to continue our fun.

Her brother, my four-year-old grandson, could not be left out, so I tapped into his current passion: Batman. You can find just about anything in online stores now, and I hit the jackpot: a boxed collection of 100 Batman postcards in a beautiful cardboard keepsake box. I understand from his dad that they are a hit with my little Caped Crusader! He feels very special, getting one per day from “Gigi”–my grandma name–out of the mailbox when he gets home from preschool.

So, get a clue, readers. Do you have some special kids in your life who would appreciate hearing from you in this fun way? It helps erase the miles between my grandkids and me, provides an opportunity for the three of us to get to know one another better, and fosters a love of reading and writing. And what great memories and souvenirs we are creating with this tradition. May you do the same with your loved ones of any age. Happy Summer!

(Photo Credits: All photos taken by the author)

 

Cut It Out!

Dear Kids and all Readers,

Years ago, I started collecting cookie cutters.

I now have cans and bags of them for every season as well as some evoking the seashore, the farm, fruits and vegetables, and miscellaneous activities and objects.

Long before I had grandchildren, I envisioned making cut-out cookies with them someday to create fun, delicious, and memorable events; hence, the collection. Now that I have grandkids, I usually pack a fraction of my collection in my suitcase when I travel east just in case anyone is in the mood to bake. It never takes any persuasion!

Last month was no exception. For my grandson’s fourth birthday, I gifted him with three cookie cutters that I knew he would love: a train, a truck, and a sports car. He proudly “drove” them around the top to the coffee table! The next day, the sugar cookie dough was made and chilled. Then, he, my nine-year-old granddaughter, and I created some sweet magic. The little guy had fun learning how to position the cutters just right to optimize the dough between roll outs. Then, with his big sister’s help, he pressed down on each cutter and removed the excess dough to form the perfect cookie vehicle.

After a brief trip to the basement to take shelter during a tornado warning (!), we returned to the kitchen to sprinkle their creations with multicolored sugar, bake the treats, and devour them.

As a writer, I look for inspiration everywhere. It was natural, then, for me to think about the pros and cons of cookie cutters. They are excellent tools for crafting fun, delicious treats that can leave fond memories in the hearts of the bakers. But foisting cookie-cutter characters upon my readers is unacceptable! Why? Because readers should expect and writers should deliver characters that are deliciously three dimensional. Flat, predictable, cookie-cutter characters are boring and hard to relate to.

Readers, here is what to look for in well-formed book characters. And Teachers and Writers, here is how to bring your characters to life to support sizzling fiction. Ask yourselves my Baker’s Dozen Character Questions:

  1. What do the characters look like? What do they wear? Are they individuals or conformists? Is there adequate description so you can visualize them in a setting?
  2. What do their facial expressions and body language say about their joys and inner turmoil?
  3. How would you describe their personalities? Are more layers added as the book/series progresses?
  4. What do they say and think? Do their thoughts, words, or conversations sparkle, reveal deeper personality traits, and square with their motives and actions?
  5. What makes them tick? Do they have unique mannerisms, habits, hobbies, quirks, and/or witticisms that make them interesting–for better or for worse–while avoiding stereotypes?
  6. What are their strengths and weaknesses? Do they sometimes blur the lines between good and evil? These make them humble, sometimes stumble, maybe questionable or admirable, relatable human beings.
  7. What are their flaws, needs, and wants? These can further their relatability and help explain their motives, expectations, and actions.
  8. How do they treat others? This can give insights into their values, morals, and humanity.
  9. Do they make us feel what they are feeling so we can take deep dives into their motives and actions and our own?
  10. What are their backstories? These add context, interest, relatability, and understanding.
  11. Do they grow and evolve over the course of the story or series? This plumps dimensionality.
  12. Do they have strong, meaningful relationships with friends, enemies, family, pets, newcomers, and/or the community? These help us see into their hearts and souls.
  13. Do they serve a purpose in the story? Do they have an important role in furthering the plot? If not, jettison the clutter like so many burnt cookie crumbs!

I hope you find my characters in the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries fully fleshed out and memorable, not flat! I try to make them 3-D and distinct in every book.

If you would like to add any ideas to the above Baker’s Dozen Character Questions, please email me at kidsauthor@sherrilljoseph.com. Please put “Cut It Out” in the subject line.

If you would like to learn more about how to avoid cookie-cutter characters as a reader, teacher, or writer at any skills level, check out K.M. Weiland’s book, Creating Character Arcs.

So, get a clue. Cookie cutters have their place, especially in the kitchen. They help us create delicious treats. But never expect them or use them to populate a book!

(Photo and ad credits: By the author. Here is a fraction of my cookie cutter collection. I do not share my grandchildren’s faces on social media, but in an image in the first ad, you can see a bit of the two making cut-out cookies last month using my grandson’s vehicle cutters and lots of colored sugar!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mentor: In Memoriam

Hello, Kids and All Readers,

Jacqueline Bouvier. Inveterate Reader–from childhood. Inquiring Photographer. Jackie Kennedy. Jackie O–a disrespectful nickname, I feel. Wife. Mother. First Lady. White House Restorer. America’s Queen. Influencer. Survivor. Writer. Editor. Grandmother.

These are a few of her names, titles, and roles. But to me, she was Mentor.

I met my mentor-to-be in my living room via television on January 20, 1961. I was eight years old. Her husband, the dashing JFK, had just been inaugurated as the thirty-fifth president of the United States. That day, at age 31, Mrs. Kennedy became the third youngest first lady in US history.

On the spot, youngster I was mesmerized by her elegance, sophistication, and beauty. But what truly tickled me was that an infant (JFK, Jr.) would be living in the White House for the first time since the turn of the century! Many in my family were abuzz over it. I remember secretly wanting to go to Washington, DC, to play with the two-month-old baby and his big sister, Caroline, age 3. In fact, I wanted to become their bigger sister! I decided that Mrs. Kennedy would be a wonderful “second” mom for me while I was visiting them. I did not realize yet how far away their house was from mine in California!

That day in 1961 began my lifelong admiration for Jacqueline Kennedy. As I grew, I watched her grow into her role as our stunning, intelligent, yet shy First Lady, who spoke four languages fluently, plus some German, Polish, and Greek. She was a proud Francophile and American who attended Vassar College and graduated from George Washington University with a degree in French literature. Her uppermost goal as First Lady was to raise her children as privately as possible for their well being. While living in a fish bowl called the White House! Can you imagine? But she managed it gracefully, working diligently to keep Caroline and John, Jr. away from the cameras whenever possible while spearheading the restoration of the president’s home, and Lafayette Park across the street. She petitioned her husband and Congress to send government funds to Egypt to help save the monuments at Abu Simbel, and brought Nobel laureates, the arts, and good taste to the White House. Years later, she saved New York’s Grand Central Station from the wrecking ball. Being very private herself, she declined nearly all requests for interviews for the rest of her life. If she were living today, she would not be sharing about herself on social media!

Shortly before my eleventh birthday in 1963, I tearfully watched a composed Mrs. Kennedy lead the president’s funeral procession, the world, and me through the dappled-gray windswept November streets of Washington with the horse-drawn caisson carrying the president’s flag-draped coffin, clacking over the avenue, to the beat of military drums. Then, she led us up the hill into Arlington National Cemetery to the cadence of bagpipes. I had never witnessed such courage, class, and fortitude as she nobly demonstrated during that epochal event. My mentor stood erect the entire awful, four-day weekend, which is seared into my memory forever. My heart still aches over it. After the funeral, Mrs. Kennedy returned to the White House, removed her black mourning veil, and individually thanked seventy-two heads of state for coming. Then, she quietly climbed the stairs to the living quarters and supervised a birthday party for her son, who turned three that same day his assassinated father was buried. Our First Lady was only thirty-four years old. She gave me goosebumps. But she taught me resilience, the need for continuity and dignity amidst chaos, and noblesse oblige.

Her bouffant hair styles and tasteful clothing choices continued to influence fashion worldwide long after she left the White House. In junior high, I took sewing classes for many reasons, one being to make those cute shift dresses she popularized. I had a closet full of them well into my teens and still favor that classic style. And in high school, I took French because Jackie Kennedy spoke it, befitting our mutual ancestry. I wore pearls and huge black sunglasses to imitate her style. In college, I majored in literature because she taught me the importance of its artistic, cultural, and historical scopes. After my daughter went off to college, I took horseback riding lessons because Jackie was an accomplished equestrienne. And she taught me to help preserve historic architecture and to write thank-you notes.

In my early thirties, about the same age Jackie Kennedy was when she became First Lady, I found myself a single mother. I looked to my mentor for support. She did not disappoint. I remembered two things she said when asked how she coped with raising her children without her husband present. First, she said she had resolved to continue “doing that which was right in front of her.” What was right in front of her? Her children. So, my attention became glued to my daughter. I quickly learned, as Jackie must have, that caring for children puts steel into your backbone, kindness into your heart, and priorities in the proper order. Second, Jackie Kennedy also famously said, “If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.” Right! My course was set. I would walk in my mentor’s footsteps and try not to bungle raising my daughter. (If I do say so myself, my precious girl is a remarkable person, wife, mother, friend, and caring, professional woman. I think Jackie would be proud of her and me!)

Regrettably, I never had the privilege of meeting Jackie Kennedy in person but have made it my mission since childhood to learn all I can about her. Sheila Lowe, a writer friend and professional handwriting analyst, recently shared with me what Jackie’s signature reveals: My mentor was “elegant and warm, but basically a loner who showed little of her true self.” Well, I certainly mirror the loner aspect and will continue to strive for her elegance and warmth. Still waters do run deep for us both. And frankly, I would like nothing better than to kick my social media presence to the curb.

I think of Jacqueline Kennedy often but especially in May–not only because of Mother’s Day, but because the anniversary of her death is May 19. She has been gone from us physically since 1994. Yet, I continue to seek her in spirit and gallop to catch up. If I had not come to know her, I would not be the person I am today. How fortunate for me that her and my time on Earth overlapped! I know that I chose my mentor well.

Mrs. Kennedy, you wore many hats–in all senses of the term. And you left us the pillbox chapeau, your kind, articulate daughter, and a legacy far greater than you know.  Avec tous mes remerciements!

Dear kids and all readers, who is your mentor? What accounts for your choice? What have you learned from her or him?

To read more about the storied life of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, please click HERE. You will be taken to a webpage of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum at <https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-jacqueline-b-kennedy>.

(All photos are from Wiki Commons and are in the public domain.)

 

Picture This!

Hello, Kids and All Readers,

Between working on Book 7 and all its related tasks, I’m keeping a decades-long promise to myself. Call it Spring Cleaning, Common Sense, or my Gift to my Descendants.

By choice, I became the repository of 150 years of family photos. You probably know where this is going. Three huge plastic tubs of my family’s pictorial history have been calling to me for almost fifty years. About ten years ago, I sorted them into year groups. Brava to me for that foresight because finally, I’m preparing the photos to scan onto flash drives.

My main reason is so my daughter doesn’t have to do it someday when I’m not around to provide the necessary backstories, identifications, and relationships. The other reason is that I can’t stand stuff and clutter! It’s time.

I didn’t realize the emotions this project would engender: Who was my great-grandmother and namesake, Annie Lavinia Sherrill Lanyon, really? I wish I had known her. Ah, those were the good old days when I was a kid! I had just met Nancy Drew, her chums, and their mysteries. I miss my relatives who are long gone. I wish we could all gather around the Thanksgiving table once again, and my grandmother would wrap me in one of her squishy hugs one more time. How can I have a daughter who’s in her forties now?  Wasn’t she just born a few days ago? And I even have grandchildren! (I’m not complaining.) And so on. And so forth. The big message that washes over me each time I return to the project is that time flies like the wind.

So, get a clue, dear Readers. It’s important to let those you love know it. Often. And ask them lots of questions while you can. Don’t take anyone for granted. And live in the moment! You’ll thank yourself someday. So might your descendants.

(All photos are the sole property of my family and me for our use only. Thank you.)

Literary Pretenders

Dear Readers,

For better or for worse, we live in an age of identity and accountability. How often have you started to log into a site only to hear or read, “Let’s be sure it’s really you”? Next, you receive a text or email with the magic code to enter and confirm you are you.

Despite these important safeguards, scammers, phishers, hackers, and cyberspies bombard us daily. Seniors are especially vulnerable. But so is any taxpayer. We work hard not to be those threat actors’ next victims.

So, with such real-life headaches and heartaches dished out by pretenders, why do we love to delve into crime and mystery books with more nefarious characters? To answer that question, let’s investigate three pretender types. The first, every crime fiction reader knows: The Impostor.

An impostor (the preferred American dictionary spelling) is a person who pretends to be someone else with the intent to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain. They are grist for the crime or mystery story mill. Some famous tragic or humorous literary impostors can be found in these selected works: Patricia Highsmith’s successful The Talented Mr. Ripley series, L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz (the man behind the curtain), Peter Cameron’s Andorra, Nella Larson’s Passing (biracial mix-up), and many Shakespearean works, such as Twelfth Night (Viola), Measure for Measure (The Duke), and Othello (Iago). GoodReads has many more impostor-themed books to add to your TBR pile.

Literary impostors span centuries. They allow writers, readers, and moviegoers to explore themes of power, identity, and social roles. These impostors raise important questions about who we are, how we got that way, and where we wish to go. Through them, we might vicariously and safely experience a radical, inexpensive makeover and start a new life. Literary impostors, who send caution packing, can be compelling.

Another literary pretender is the doppelganger. The German word means “double goer” or “double walker.” This mysterious literary character can be an apparition or an evil double, clone, or dead ringer of a living person who is not related to that person but has the same facial features. There have been millions of actual doppelganger sightings worldwide over the centuries, giving rise to many equating them with evil omens. We remain fascinated by daring doppelgangers, as evidenced by such selected works as Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda, Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Double, Vladimir Nabokov’s Despair, Daphne du Maurier’s The Scapegoat, Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, Robert L. Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Edgar Allan Poe’s “William Wilson.”

Doppelgangers have long enthralled writers, readers, and moviegoers because they provide fodder for intricate comic or tragic plots of mistaken identities. And the plots thicken when relatives or friends wrongly swear that a character is someone they most certainly know—but do not! These dangerous doubles can also help reveal a character’s dark or bright side. Those who have seen or wish to meet their doppelgangers or twins may especially relish this subgenre of pretenders.

We cannot omit the avenger. Unlike impostors and doppelgangers, avengers can be quasi or complete do-gooders, perhaps part of the “superhero” set. Avengers are characters often disguised (like impostors) or morphed into stronger versions of themselves. Their goal is to punish or inflict harm in return for an injury or wrong done to themselves or others. They draw swords or lightsabers, shields, and blood in the name of good, not evil. Avengers appear in these selected works: Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, Faye-Lynn Wu’s Mulan: The Legend of the Woman Warrior, Howard Pyle’s Robin Hood, Johnston McCulley’s Zorro series, Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Black Panther, Luke Skywalker, etc., etc., etc. (Most have film adaptations.)

Sometimes—but not always—avengers pursue the rich and the greedy. These pretenders might earn or be granted carte blanche permissions that readers or audiences tend to expect and applaud. No wonder fantasy, comics, and pulp literature are replete with avengers and that Hollywood continues calling. Cha-ching! These characters can be powerful, brave role models to help us become our best selves and transform the world into landscapes of peace and justice for all. Avengers make us smile, cheer, and unite when they vanquish the evil forces. Soon, we forgive and forget any vicious acts they committed in the name of their just causes.

For centuries, impostors, doppelgangers, and avengers have appeared in classic crime and mystery literature. But we still might want to remove these pretenders’ masks, check their IDs, and reveal them as criminals for indictment or heroes for laudation. Crime and mystery writers, readers, and film aficionados do just that. The genre seems to preordain it. So please keep the security line moving!

(Graphics credits:  The book covers within my ad and the Zorro image are from creativecommons.org and are in the public domain. The free graveyard image is from Valeria Boltneva on pexels.com.)