News!Kathleen ErnstSpring-Summer, 2006
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News!Kathleen ErnstSpring-Summer, 2006
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Happy Summer, everyone! Is yours speeding by as quickly as mine? I celebrated the publication of Highland Fling at the Highland Games sponsored by the Illinois Saint Andrew Society, as a guest of Anderson's Bookshop. I had a wonderful time meeting readers and dancers (and readers who dance.) At the left is Louisa Mei Ishida, demonstrating how it's done. She might have been the model for Tanya, on the jacket of Highland Fling!
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OK, let's back up a bit. In March I had a wonderful
experience attending the Scottish Heritage Symposium held at St. Andrews
Presbyterian College. While there, I received the Flora
MacDonald Award. This award is given "to a woman of Scottish descent who has made an
outstanding contribution to the human community"--in my case, for
accurately portraying the Scottish experience in North Carolina in Betrayal at Cross Creek.
Yikes! What an honor! I had a grand time in North Carolina. Thanks to all who made me feel so welcome!
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Bill Caudill, Flora MacDonald Gammon, me, and a representative from St. Andrews Presbyterian College. |
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Danger
at the Zoo was 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, held each spring in Arlington, Virginia.
One of the great things about attending conventions like this are seeing friends. That's me on the right, with Sarah Masters Buckey. Sarah's book The Curse of Ravenscourt was also nominated. 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 June I spent a week teaching children's writing to an energetic and talented group at the Write-By-The-Lake Retreat, sponsored annually by the University of Wisconsin-Extension. The week flew by. Two days later, I got on a plane and traveled to Costa Rica with my younger sister Stephanie. We spent several days by the Caribbean coast, and several more at higher elevations exploring the cloud forest. We saw lots of wildlife, including monkeys, sloths, crocodiles and caimans. I've always loved watching birds, and even got a quick but memorable look at a quetzal, an amazingly beautiful bird. Stephanie is on the left in this photo, taken during a late-day ride near Monteverde.
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Writing-wise, I've been finishing up my next American Girl
mystery. More on that next time. In between, I've also been working
on the rough draft of an adult mystery, and having lots of fun with that.
My reading time has been devoted to mysteries, poetry, and historical novels for
my book group. My gardening efforts have waned lately--it's just been too
darn hot.
I hope that your summer is full of adventures, family, friends--and, of course, good books! |
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