Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Choldenkoed

Eh hem.

Hello?

Is anyone there?

(Cue microphone feedback.)

I would just like to say that if anyone is actually reading, I have missed you. And...I am back!

Well kind of.

Let's see. Where to begin after such a long blogcation.

My name is Elizabeth. I write for children.

Oh, forget it.

I had a wonderful holiday season. It was filled with joyous people, fattening food, well-deserved wine, a trip to Disneyland, two kids' birthdays, the start of three, real-out-of-the-house, no-baby-drool jobs, the first days of my last semester of grad school, and the scandal of all scandals, Bunnygate 2013, involving the adoption and loss of this dude:


If you've seen him hopping around your neighborhood, please send me a message. I prefer sky-writing.

BUT, before all this craziness began, I attended my regional holiday mixer for SCBWI.

There was a book tree.



There were brownies.

(To the left. Mmm...)

And there was Gennifer Choldenko. Eep!



WE BREATHED THE SAME AIR.

As the speaker at our cozy event, Gennifer described her life experiences that led her to becoming an author. Oober interesting. All of it.

But the most memorable piece I took away from her talk was a quick, don't cough or you'll miss it, aside comment she made. She said that before she was published, she knew she had talent. She felt it.  She possessed something special.

It just made me wonder if that is what we all feel. Is each talented person born with this feeling in their gut?

I had the chance to monopolize her post-talk book signing  chat briefly with her. I giggled. I praised.  And then I looked her straight in the eyes and told her that her confession gave me chills.


(That's me. And Gennifer Choldenko. I'm the Andre the Giant look-alike on the right.)



Eh? Anyway. Back to the story.

Know what she said?

She said she had never told anyone that before.

Now, I just have to believe that this comment was meant for me to share with the world. That if you feel that warm, jittery, sometimes-you-just-might-be-sick-because-you-love-something-so-much feeling in your gut, you must follow it.

Because Gennifer Choldenko did. And look what it got her.



81 comments:

  1. Lovely post. It made me laugh and it made me think!

    Donna

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    Replies
    1. What else could I ask for in a reaction, Donna! You made my day! So glad to be in touch again!

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  2. Welcome back, Elizabeth! YES to following your passions and doing what you love. It's one of the things that makes life wonderful. :)

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    1. Yay, Heather!!!! And life is wonderful isn't it? So glad to be back in the blogosphere and back to my Caring Critiquers. xo

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  3. Hallooo, we missed you too. I hope the bunny is safe.

    Yes, I think, at least at our best moments, that we need to believe we have something special to offer!

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    Replies
    1. JOANNA! The bunny is back. We think the people we adopted him from took him back while we were out of town. Scandalous?! I think so. =) He is soooo cute. You would love him! Thanks so much for your comment.

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  4. Nice to hear from you again! Fun post!

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    1. Hi there Tina! So glad to hear from you! I have thought about you over the last couple of months when my Korean students describe their country. Crossing my fingers I get to visit someday. =)

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  5. You're so funny, Elizabeth! I took a workshop once from Gennifer Choldenko at the Book Passage Writer's Conference and I got to interview her for the Acorn via email, but I got the WE BREATHED THE SAME AIR moment too and hoping that somehow her success would pass on to me via cyber space. Welcome back to the blogosphere. I've been out of it too, so have to get back in.

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    1. So great to hear from you Natasha! Are you going to Spring Spirit? I am! I will be serving attendees refreshing beverages. =) Hope all is well! Take care!

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  6. Great to see you back on-line. Wonderful post!

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    1. Thanks so much Jeanette! So great to be back among this fun community.

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  7. So glad you are back, Elizabeth! I missed your funny self. Confidence in ourselves and our abilities is so important and yet most of the time feels so elusive...when we have those moments of clarity and certainty, we need to grab onto them and never let them go!

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    1. AMY D.! I've been thinking about you and have wondered what you've been up to down there, not so far away from me. =) I hope all is well with you and that you have had a productive winter writing and just being your charming self. Are you going to Spring Spirit? Love those moments of clarity. I think they become more frequent the deeper I beome involved in this awesome community. Just love it. Take care and don't be a stranger. =) xo

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  8. Replies
    1. Rosi! So great to see you here! Loved your Kathryn Fitzmaurice posts. =) Thanks so much for your comment!

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  9. Oh dear, a missing bunny. That is hard. I hope you are feeling refreshed after a nice long break. It's nice to hear your voice again!

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    1. Carrie! The bunny has been returned to up! Yay! So great to hear YOUR voice again. Thank you so much for your comment and I am excited to be back in it with all you wonderful people!

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  10. Glad to have you back, Elizabeth! You had a lot to keep you busy during your "break." Now your escape begins with your writing. Looking forward to more great posts from you.

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    1. GREAT point Romelle! What kind of break was that?! =) Writing is the best escape there is. Thanks so much for your comment. So glad to be back. =)

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  11. Happy you're back, Elizabeth!!

    Passion not followed makes life feel off kilter. :~O



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    1. Yay Lori! Great description. "Off kilter." So true! That is not a comfortable place. =( Thanks so much for your comment! Looking forward to my critiqueathon this weekend! xo

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  12. So glad to hear from you again ESO! You have been missed!

    Loved this post. We must all listen to those little whispers (or strident shouts) that come from within. :-)

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    1. Yay Cathy!!!! So glad to hear from YOU again! Thanks so much for your comment! =)

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  13. The quote masters didn't paint the whole picture, seeing is not believing. Believing is believing. The only ones who get to 'see' the truth are those who trust in what they believe. You had your truth-radar up, dintcha? Great post - so glad you've waded back into the blog bog.

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    1. "Believing is believing." Love that. So glad to be back in the blog bog with you! Thanks so much for your comment Julie!

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  14. Great to have you back, Andre, er, Elizabeth- you silly woman!

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    1. Ha! You're funny, Iza. You always make me chuckle. =) So glad to be back and to hear from you again! Thanks so much for your comment. xo

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  15. Welcome back! I LOVE that 'confession' from Gennifer. My cousins tell me that when we were little, I had notebooks full of autographs. MY OWN autographs! I had barely learned cursive, and was filling notebooks practicing how to sign autographs. I wonder what raging talent I had in mind......

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    1. Oh my goodness Genevieve! You are hilarious. I can just see you with your own autograph books. Too cute. Love that. Thanks so much for your comment. Great way to be welcomed back into the blogosphere. =)

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  20. I am so glad you're back. This was a whole lotta Elizabeth fun! Your humor just made my day!

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  21. Awww...Penny! I am so glad to be back! Thank you so much! Seeing your comment made my day! Hope all is well with you! xo

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  25. Loved your post--love Gennifer Choldenko. She and her books are wonderful! I've met her a couple of times and gone walking with her in Chicago on an early morning before a day at ALA or some other big conference. And I kind of felt the same way: Oh my god, I'm walking with Gennifer Choldenko. Don't trip. Don't trip. Don't trip.

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  26. Hi Elizabeth. I discovered your blog through another writer's blog (I think Katie Davis maybe?) Your Site name intrigued me so I hopped over to Banana Peelin' and scrolled down to this post. I loved hearing about your experience with Gennifer - thanks for sharing that comment. It's inspiration like this that keeps us traveling on the writing road, eh? I had the privilege of hearing her speak to students on writing at a school in Marin where I worked a few years ago...I was a bit "star struck" myself ;)

    I'm looking forward to reading more of your site.

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