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News!Kathleen ErnstWinter, 2006
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News!Kathleen ErnstWinter, 2006
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| Highland Fling is here! This my first contemporary novel, about a girl who moves from Wisconsin to North Carolina and gets involved--not by choice--with the Scottish heritage community. It explores the idea of genetic memory (sometimes called ancestral memory), which suggests that some of our ancestors' memories are buried in our genetic code. We don't know how to access these memories...but someday we might. My main character, Tanya, begins to wonder whether her own ancestors' experiences might be affecting the present day. | |
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I have another new book this spring, too. Secrets
in the Hills is my second American Girl mystery. I had a
wonderful time exploring the area in New Mexico where the books are set.
I love learning about environments, periods in history, and cultural groups
that are new to me--this project allowed me to do all three!
If you are a Josefina fan, be sure to check our my Spring Contest. One lucky winner will win a Josefina doll--and an autographed copy of the book. |
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| I've had two wonderful honors come my way. On March 18, I will receive the Flora MacDonald Award from the Scottish Heritage Center of St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg, NC. This award is "given to a woman of Scottish descent who has made an outstanding contribution to the human community," and the award comes in honor of Betrayal at Cross Creek. Yikes! The director of the center was very helpful while I was doing research for that book. In fact, everyone I encountered in the Scottish-American community was very generous with their time and knowledge. The awards banquet will take place during the annual Charles Bascombe Shaw Memorial Scottish Heritage Symposium, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to attend all of the proceedings. | |
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I also just learned that Danger
at the Zoo has been nominated for an Agatha Award for Best
Children's or Young Adult Mystery! The Agatha Awards are given at a
wonderful cozy mystery convention called Malice
Domestic. I'll be heading to Arlington, Virginia, in April to
attend.
Malice Domestic is one of my favorite mystery conventions. The organizers have made children's books, and authors who write for children, very welcome at the table! |
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In January I participated in the Young Authors' Conference
sponsored by the North Shore Consortium of Gifted and Talented Students in
Glendale, WI. We focused on historical fiction, and was I ever
impressed! Many thanks to everyone who participated. I can't wait
to read the finished stories.
The next day I conducted a workshop on Historical Fiction at AllWriters Workplace and Workshop in Waukesha, WI. This is a lovely place to take a class, so if you're interested, check it out. |
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My husband and I escaped Wisconsin in February for a week
visiting our daughter, who is working in Guatemala as a Peace Corps
volunteer. We left in a blizzard...and ended up spending a lovely week
in dry, sunny weather. It was a fascinating trip.
After traveling to the northwestern corner of Guatemala, we spent a couple of days in beautiful Antigua. I enjoyed checking out some of the ruins left from powerful earthquakes, such as the church at right.
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| I am writing this on a gray winter day, but I saw three robins this morning, so spring must be on the way! I hope you've found plenty of time this winter to curl up with a favorite book. Happy reading! | |
