Yes!

I happen to be a natural optimist. It comes very easy to me to see the positive in most situations. I look at obstacles and conflicts as things that will lead to growth. And I have to tell you, that trait was extremely helpful in dealing with years of rejection letters (as well as lots of other things life throws at me). But let me be clear... sometimes the glass is not only half-empty, it is bone dry.


Anyone who thinks optimists are always happy doesn't understand optimism.

Here's the truth about optimism and that glass half-empty or half-full question: Despite how much water is in my glass, I know how and where to get more. I know how to turn on a faucet.


Sounds obvious, right? But think about what it really means. Instead of emphasizing the present view of things, it focuses on my ability to be resilient. It acknowledges that there will be times when everything will go wrong, and I'll feel terrible. But an optimist sees those times and those feelings as temporary. An optimist is able to time-travel, so to speak, and put faith in the future when this immediate crisis or obstacle will be a thing of the past. An optimist looks for ways to get to that future.

I could go on and on about optimism and resiliency, but I don't have to because there is a fantastic new blog all about this topic. It's called The Irrepressible Writer, and it's written by Carol Grannick, one of my critique partners. Carol gives fabulous step-by-step practical advice about how to bring optimism into your life. Optimism CAN be learned. And it can definitely improve the quality of your life. Check it out!

You've finally done it. You've finished your novel! It's amazing. You actually wrote an entire story from start to finish. It's brilliant. It's original. It's a masterpiece. It will certainly go to auction and become a bestseller and get you on Oprah.

No? That's not how it works?

But why not, you cry!

Because, you have to revise. Every successful author revises. And as overwhelming as that might seem, there are ways to wrap your brain around the process. There are tricks. There are things that work and things that don't. There are ways to get lost in the revision, spending years changing things without making any real progress, and there are ways to revise purposefully and powerfully.

To learn how to revise like a pro, please come to The Book Stall in Winnetka, Wednesday, November 11 at 7 pm. I'll be giving away all my secrets.

I hope to see you there!

I'm trying really hard to finish this first draft of my next novel. Here are some things that are helping:
1. My critique group is loving it so far.
2. My daughter is loving it so far.
3. I am loving it so far.
(These three things are totally mind boggling, considering this is a first draft.)
4. I feel some pressure to finish this draft by the middle of December so I can a) enjoy winter break without feeling guilty for not working and b) sell the book sometime next year before everyone forgets I'm an author.

And here are some things that are definitely not helping:
1. I just cut about 20 pages because I'm pretty sure I was heading in the wrong direction. I was following my outline when I should have been following my characters.
2. My time gets sucked into the abyss by: doing laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, exercising, doing my hair, walking the dog, driving kids places, Facebooking, reading, watching TV, volunteering at the middle-school library, planning a retreat, buying birthday presents, teaching a writing workshop, doing school and library visits, being a friend, a wife, a sister, a daughter, and a mom. I fully realize that most of these things are the fabric of my life. I'm lucky and blessed to be able to do them. But still... they all take time. A part of me wants to hide away in a little cubicle and spend two weeks doing nothing but writing. I wonder how that would turn out.

And last but not least, here's something that might fall into both categories...
1. I'm taking a Harvard class online called Through the Looking Glass - The Philosophy, History, and Literature of Childhood with Professor Maria Tatar. Yes, it will take time (There are fabulous lectures to watch, books to read, and discussion groups to attend!), but I'm hoping I'll be richer for the experience, and maybe that will make me a better writer.

Come to think of it, all those "distractions," all those things that suck my time, they are all things that can enrich my life if looked at from the right point of view. So that little cubicle... no matter how inviting it seems... is really not the key to my happy life. My happy life is all around me, pulling me in a million directions, keeping things busy and interesting.

Maybe I'll finish this draft by winter vacation, and maybe I won't. But I will try my best. And I'll enjoy the journey.

Camp Star Lake, the fictional camp Jemma goes to in Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire, is based on a real camp: Camp Birch Knoll in Phelps, Wisconsin. It is a fantastic place for girls ages 8-16 to make friends, learn new things, and have the time of their lives. Sessions are flexible, anywhere from 1-8 weeks.

The director of the camp, Gary Baier, is available to come to your house to give you the scoop, or you can come to one of his open house presentations that he's holding at The Courtyard by Marriott in Deerfield, lllinois on Thursday, October 22, 7 pm; Wednesday, October 28, 7 pm; Sunday, November 8, 1 pm; Tuesday, November 17, 7 pm; or Sunday, November 22, 1 pm. Gary is very low key, and you will not feel any pressure to make a commitment. You will simply be getting information.



Please know that I do not get any kickbacks from Camp Birch Knoll. I simply love that place and wish as many girls as possible can have the experience I had growing up there. If you have any questions about CBK, feel free to shoot me an email. You can also call Gary directly at 1-800-843-2904.

I'm trying to include a file here that tells more about the open houses. Hopefully you're able to see it: OPEN%20HOUSE%202009-pdf.pdf

I love naming characters because it's challenging and fun, and when you find the right name, you just know it. Unlike naming babies, where the child is just a bundle of sweetness who you hope will grow into his or her name, naming characters is all about making the name fit the person (or not, if that's the effect you're going for).

Sometimes I name my characters for the meaning behind their names...
I gave Cara Segal (main character in Julia's Kitchen) her name because I thought of her as a caring person who would learn to soar over her problems.

Sometimes I name my characters after someone I know...
I gave Jemma Hartman her name because the name Jemma is unique and sweet, and my adorable dry cleaning lady is named Jemma. (No, I do not get free dry cleaning now, but the real Jemma has bought many copies of my books!) Jemma got her last name from my cousins, the Hartmans, and it's Jemma's heart that's at stake in this story, so that made sense.

Sometimes I name a character for the sound of the name...
In my forthcoming picture book, the love interest is named Zoey Maloney. Isn't that just fun to say aloud? Zoey Maloney. Zoey Maloney. It makes me smile.

Sometimes I name a character for a real person who bids on getting their name in my book in a silent auction fundraiser...
Darby Coleman, the counselor from Jemma Hartman, Camper Extraordinaire, is one such person. I'm offering that opportunity again next month at a silent auction to benefit Lungevity, a wonderful organization dedicated to finding a cure for lung cancer. I wonder what the name will be. I like having to figure out which character will fit the winning name.

And speaking of names, have you been to Teaching Books Author Name Pronunciation Guide? This is such a fun website. Authors tell how to pronounce their names, and they also tell a little bit about their name. Ever wonder how to pronounce Jon Scieszka? Or Wanda Gag? Or Esme Raji Codell? Want to find out what D.J. MacHale's initials stand for? Or M.T. Anderson's? Want to know what the A stands for in my name or what my particular challenge was with my name when I was growing up? All this and more can be discovered with a simple click of the mouse!

I'm writing to you from Muscatine, Iowa, the pearl button and watermelon capital of the world! I spent the last two days meeting with all the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, talking with them about the writing process and about being an author. It's been a blast. The kids were great, and the teachers, librarians, and school administrators here in Muscatine have impressed me with their dedication to the students and their hospitality to little ol' me. Tomorrow, I head to Wilton, Iowa, for a few more presentations, and then I'm homeward bound. All these Iowa school visits happened because Julia's Kitchen is on the Iowa Children's Choice Awards reading list this year. I am so honored to be included with such fantastic books!

A few of my favorite moments:
Donating the books I collected for Mati Hepker, Little Miss Iowa, whose platform is literacy and who lost all her books in a house fire last week. Thank you so much to everyone who helped with this very fast book drive! If you want to donate books to Mati, shoot me an email, and I will give you the address where you can send them.

So you know that my first novel, JULIA'S KITCHEN, is about a young girl dealing with the tragic aftermath of a house fire. I'm heading to Iowa next week for a few days of school visits, and in a sad twist of irony, I found out that one of the teachers in the district I'm visiting just had a house fire last weekend and lost everything (but thankfully everyone survived!). This teacher has three kids in the district as well. Her daughter, Mati, is Little Miss Iowa, and Mati's platform is literacy. They had purchased numerous books for Mati to use as she presents to groups, and now all those books have been lost. There is a book drive to help replace the books. Since I am driving there on Monday, I thought I would bring as many books as I could to help with this book drive. If any of you have unused books you'd like to donate, please contact me at brenda at brendaferber.com.
Thanks so much!

This, for sure, is the number one question people ask me, and I'm guessing that's true for most authors. I have my standard answer... I get my ideas from real life plus imagination. But I just realized I could answer that question totally differently.

I get all my ideas in the shower.

It's true. My best thinking happens in that fifteen minute span of hot water, soap and shampoo. I don't know what it is about that time and space, but ideas and plans become crystal clear while I shave my legs or rinse out the conditioner. Just this morning I had the biggest, best epiphany about my work-in-progress. I am so excited to get to work.

What about you? Where do you think best?

Happy September! Okay, I realize I'm two weeks late, but it took me a while to get all my kids settled into their respective schools and for it to feel like September was actually here. To me, September means back to work. Productive writing time. A fresh, clean start. I'm ready to sink my teeth into my work-in-progress. This fall I plan to finish my first draft of this novel, plus I've got some fun school visits lined up, and I'm continuing to facilitate the writing workshop at North Shore Writers Studio with Jenny Meyerhoff. All good things!

Oh, and here are two links from The Prairie Wind (SCBWI Illinois' e-newsletter):

This one is my latest Book Look Column. Ever struggle with first person, past tense? I examined Gary Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars to see how a master handles it.

And this is a fabulous column from Carol Grannick, the irrepressible writer. She writes about dealing with self-doubt and negative emotions and being open to surprises in hard times.

Here's to a productive fall!

I'm so psyched! I just found out Tedd Arnold will be illustrating my picture book, The Yuckiest, Stinkiest Best Valentine's Day Ever!
I love Tedd Arnold. If you're not familiar with his work, he wrote and illustrated the Parts books, the Fly Guy books, and more. His artwork is wacky and sweet and loved by kids and adults alike.

How lucky am I??

This picture book journey of mine has been a lesson in patience, good things coming to those who wait, and the power of revision.
I wrote the first draft of this book when my twins were in 2nd grade. I revised it for five years. I sold it when they were in 7th grade. They're freshmen now. And they will be seniors in high school when it comes out! (And that's if everything goes according to plan.)
It's a crazy business, but I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Look what I got in the mail today:



What is that, you ask?
I asked myself the same question.
And then I remembered.
It's that book! The one about revising. The one that has a whole chapter devoted to how I revised the first chapter of Julia's Kitchen.
I'm not kidding when I say I had forgotten all about this book. I think it was four years ago when I gave Sandy Asher some drafts of my first chapter and answered her questions about the revision process.

Planning to retire?
Think selling that book will be the answer to your money woes?
Think again.
Author Barbara Kanninen polled over 100 authors (first time, veteran, agented, and unagented) about their advances and contracts for picture books they sold, and the results are here.

The truth is, I've never met a children's book author who is in this business for the money. We like making money, but we are compelled to write stories.

Bottom line... keep on writing, but make sure you have another source of income!

Introducing Eva...





What a cutie! She even has a flower barrette, just like Jemma. Eva is the latest winner in the Jemma Hartman Lookalike Contest, so I'll be sending her a free, autographed copy of my book. If you know someone who looks like Jemma, send me a photo, and they can win, too!

Sammy is home from summer camp! All three of my kids go to different camps. Why? Because all three are different kids with different likes and needs. Sammy goes to a theater camp called Harand. He loves it! One of the things that sets Harand apart is their philosophy about sharing starring roles. Everyone who wants to be a star gets a chance to shine. So for example, if they were putting on The Wizard of Oz, there might be 5 Dorothys, 3 Scarecrows, etc. The kids take turns being a star and being in the chorus. This way they learn the importance of both parts.

There are a couple of great things about being a boy at theater camp. First of all... there are plenty of girls! There are probably 3 or 4 girls for every 1 boy. But second of all... you get to have some pretty choice parts. This summer, Sammy got to have starring roles in two plays! He was Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls. And he played Harvey Johnson and Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie. Here are a few highlights from his performances:



Pretty impressive considering he learned both plays in about 2 1/2 weeks!

I was planning to write a great blog entry about my absolutely-amazing-highlight-of-my-writing-career visit to Camp Birch Knoll this weekend, but that post will have to come another day because this is just too funny...

When I first got a look at my beautiful book jacket, created by Greg Swearingen, I fell in love. It was perfect.



Then some people who knew me as a kid thought Jemma looked a lot like me, and I had to prove to them that I was not nearly as cute.


Then my daughter told me there was a girl at Camp Birch Knoll who looked exactly like Jemma. Lo and behold, I saw quite a resemblance.


But then I got an e-mail from the proud Nana of Clara Rosemary D. Clara is a dead-ringer for Jemma!

Do you know someone who looks like Jemma? If so, send me a photo, and I'll post it here. Girls who look the most like Jemma will win a free autographed book from me!

I had a blast this weekend in Eagle River, Wisconsin. It was Visitor's Weekend for most of the summer camps up there, so the town was packed with tourists. Perfect for a book signing!




What a fun book signing. My target audience kept walking through the door. A highlight for me was watching a girl's eyes open wide when she realized I was the author of Julia's Kitchen. She was from Kansas, where JK was on the William Allen White Children's Book Award List last year, so she was very excited to meet me.





Good thing I'm going back to Eagle River next weekend to make a special appearance at Camp Birch Knoll. Another stop at Tremblay's is in order.

As promised, here are a few pictures from my fun day at ALA.

Cool man of the hour (year?), Neil Gaiman, Newbery Award winner for The Graveyard Book. You should have seen the line to meet him!

Yesterday at the ALA convention, I was lucky enough to hear Laura Ruby give the author's perspective on writing about sexuality for teens.



I love hearing authors present. I can learn so much from them. Laura's speech was funny, poignant, and meaningful, highlighting the point that authors write to reflect kids' lives and struggles, not to create them. Laura read a letter from a fan who had experienced something similar to Audrey, the main character in Laura's fabulous book, GOOD GIRLS.



It was such a perfect reminder that we write to reach readers, not to win awards or get fabulous reviews or hit the best seller lists (though I wouldn't mind any of those things).

So this morning, I did something a little nutty. I wrote a fake fan letter from a future reader of my current work in progress. It was a really heartfelt letter, and I'd be thrilled to get one just like it someday. I have it right next to my computer, and it's helping to keep me focused on why I'm writing this particular story.

ALA was fantastic for lots more reasons. I'll write more and post some pix soon!

If you're going to be at ALA, please stop by and say hi to me. I will be there on Monday, July 13th at FSG's booth #1811 from 1-2 pm and at SCBWI-IL's booth #1626 from 3-5 pm.

I'll be signing copies of JEMMA HARTMAN and giving away all sorts of goodies.

Hope to see you there!