News!Kathleen ErnstAutumn, 2006
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News!Kathleen ErnstAutumn, 2006
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Hearts of Stone is now available! I'm so excited. The publication of every book is exciting, of course, but this one feels special. I worked on this novel for many years, revising and rewriting, before finding the perfect home for it with Dutton Children's Books. And, this novel was inspired by a weekend spent at a Civil War reenactment event I shared with some of my family. What fun! |
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I can also share the cover art for my next American Girl mystery, "Midnight in Lonesome Hollow." Last autumn I spent a week in Kentucky doing research for this book. Kit fans will have to wait until spring for this one. In January, I'm going to start researching my next book for American Girl. |
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My autumn got off to a good start when I participated in the Children's Book Workshop in San Antonio, Texas, sponsored by the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and Express-News. My only regret is that the trip was so short--just one day in that fascinating city. Otherwise I had a blast, and I send hearty thanks to the sponsors for inviting me! |
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Both of these photographs were taken at the San Antonio Children's Book Workshop on September 9, 2006. Above, I'm signing books for a lovely group of Girl Scouts. At left is the lucky winner of a Josefina doll! |
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Bouchercon was held this year in Madison, Wisconsin.
Bouchercon is a world mystery convention, and it was great to attend and see
friends, old and new. I sat on a panel about writing mysteries for kids
and young adults with Dan Hale, Stacey Cochran, Pete Hautman, and librarian
extraordinaire Amy Alessio. (Amy is a Civil War reenactor, so we had a lot
to talk about!) We had a lively discussion and I'm grateful to the
conference coordinators for including a panel for those of us who write for
young readers.
Bouchercon 2007 will be held in Anchorage, Alaska. I can't wait! |
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| In late October I traveled to Colorado Springs, Colorado to attend the Women Writing the West Conference, "A Peak Experience." WWW is a community of creative, strong women, and I always have a wonderful time attending. Before getting down to business, we took time to see some of the gorgeous scenery. That's me at the entrance to Garden of the Gods park. |
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This year I joined the Board of WWW as President-elect. I also gave the keynote talk at the luncheon to honor Finalists for the WILLA Award, named for Willa Cather and designed to honor very best women's stories set in the west. I joined WWW when my book Secrets in the Hills was a WILLA Finalist, so it was especially rewarding to welcome those being recognized this year. Thanks to Alice Trego for the photo at left. |
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The past few years have been full. Wonderfully full! At times, though, I found myself spending extended periods of time doing non-creative work: editing, proofreading, and other essential but not rewarding tasks. To feed the muse, I began writing poetry--something I hadn't played with for years. It's challenging! I'm used to sprawling out in novels, and distilling an idea into a single poem can be hard. But after a day spent revising, or catching up on correspondence, I find it satisfying to spend a few hours tinkering with a new poem. I'm proud to say that my first published poem, "Inarticulate, 1908" appeared in the autumn issue of Appalachian Heritage. |
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The coming of cooler weather always leaves me wanting to curl
up with a good book. On the adult side, my Historical Fiction book group
will soon be discussing Mary Sharratt's The Vanishing Point.
Since I grew up in Maryland, it's been interesting to read a book set during
the colonial period there. My
husband and I have been working through Tony Hillerman's Chee/Leaphorn mystery
series, reading aloud and thoroughly enjoying them. (And when
we're finished with a book, we ship it down to our daughter in
Guatemala. She loves them as well!) I also recently read the
latest from one of my favorite mystery authors, Julia Spencer-Fleming.
Her All Mortal Flesh literally kept me up to the wee hours, reading in
bed with a tiny book light.
As for children's books--I have an ever-growing stack, waiting my attention! I'll try to have some recommendations for young readers next time. I hope these short days are leaving you lots of time for good books as well. And whatever your faiths and beliefs, I wish you a peaceful and joyous holiday season. |
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