When the Whistle Blows

In the opening chapter of WHEN THE WHISLE BLOWS Jimmy reluctantly slips out of the house with his older brother in the middle of the night. It’s All Hallows Eve and their destination is the local funeral home. There they learn that childhood rumors are true. The town really has a secret group ‘The Society.’ And its members include their father and oldest brother.

Each chapter is engaging as the first and all take place on All Hallows Eve. Throughout the novel Jimmy attempts to puzzle out the mystery of his father. There is a palpable tension between father and son and Jimmy’s feelings for his father are a complicated stew of frustration, anger, desire, and fear. His emotions are so sharp, reading felt like eavesdropping.

One of Jimmy’s temporary solutions is to put a distance between him and his father. At the same time Jimmy is itching to get closer to his future. He can only imagine living the life of a railroader but his father insists times are changing. And this time, Dad is right.

Railroading life is changing for good. The town is slowly dying from the loss of jobs. And only a short time after his boyhood pranks, football tournaments, and family struggles, Jimmy finds a path for his future. But before that he figures out something that matters even more, his father.

Review notes:
1. I couldn’t shake the “This reminds me of something” feeling I got while reading WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS. I searched my mind. But came up with nothing. Old TV shows? No. A movie? None that I could think of. Another book? There is no other book like this one. Finally, it hit me.

Life.

WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS reminded me of real life. The complicated interplay between family members that exists everywhere.

2. When I first met Fran Cannon Slayton. I first met Fran at a SCBWI event. My friends and I were stragglers. Not wanted to leave the informal critique groups, we hung around reading, critiquing, and talking while other groups were breaking up.

Fran found us and joined in. We asked about her work and she was initially reluctant. “I have something I want to read,” she said. “But I just read it for the other group and I’m not sure.”

“Read it,” we insisted.

She read the first chapter of the novel that eventually became WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS and we were mesmerized. Wow. We all gushed over it. And then it hit us -she almost didn’t read it to us because of that mean other group.

“What did they say to you?” We wanted to know so we could defend her.

Shyly Fran shrugged her shoulders. “They liked it too,” she admitted. “But I wasn’t sure.”

Let’s talk BOLOGNA!

SCBWI Day Before Bologna Conference in association with the largest children’s rights fair in the world.

Featuring
Leonard Marcus speaking about what makes an award winning book
NY Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins
Agent Scott Treimel will hone pitches for authors and illustrators

Writers and SCBWI founders Lin Oliver & Steve Mooser
Editor Tessa Strickland of Barefoot Books (UK), Editor Sarah Grant of Working Partners (UK), Agent Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary (US & UK), Editor Sarah Foster of Walker Books (Australia), Agent Marcia Wernick of Sheldon Fogelman Agency (US), Agent Frances Plumpton of Richards Literary Agency (New Zealand), Agent Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary Agency (US), Agent Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary (US), Art Director Val Brathwaite (Bloomsbury) and many more publishers, editors, art directors and agents from across the globe.

Professional feedback from agents and art directors on your words and illustrations in the first pages and first looks panels.
(In 2008 the first looks panel led to more than one book deal and first pages panel led to many requested manuscripts.)


The conference is followed by the SCBWI Dance Party ~ party with publishing professionals from around the world.

Visit the SCBWI Showcase during the Bologna Book Fair for networking with professionals, dueling illustrators, quickie portfolio reviews, showcase of PAL members and international regions

All SCBWI Members are offered an extended deadline to enter the prestigious Illustrators Exhibit competition (Deadline is 2 October 09 SCBWI member entries are accepted through 1 November 09)

Registration will be open soon and is limited to 100 attendees to enhance networking opportunities

Email: Bologna@scbwi.org
Bologna Children's Book Fair www.bookfair.bolognafiere.it
Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/SCBWI-Bologna-Connections/103959557577

For authors who are not yet members

I'm sure you heard about the big settlement that the Authors Guild worked out with google. The details will be released soon.

And for those authors who are not yet members... here is more information about the authors guild

Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton will always be remembered for his amazing fiction stories. I thought I'd take a moment to remember him by posting a lesser known nf book. In TRAVELS Michael Crichton wrote about his adventures around the globe and the relationships that grew (or ended) as a result of these exotic travels. It has been awhile since I read this book, but I recall tales of being covered in a swarm of bees, climbing high peaks, venturing between tour buses after a landslide and fearing that his 'travel guide' was actually an escaped convict. Though a non-fiction memoir Crichton's writing in TRAVELS is filled with the same tension and honesty of his better known fiction novels. If you're a fan of Crichton or enjoy traveling to remote locations, you will love this book.

SOMETHING ROTTEN for free!

To celebrate the release of Something Wicked, Dial Books is offering a
special promotion: they're letting you read the first Horatio Wilkes
mystery, SOMETHING ROTTEN, for free.

You read that right. Free. Gratis. Complimentary. No charge.

You don't have to register, you don't have to give your e-mail address,
you don't have to buy something else to read it.

All you have to do is click here

Tell friends, tell teachers, tell librarians, TELL
KIDS. Promotion ends November 30th, 2008.

Frankfurt Tid Bits

Educational Publishers and New Technology. Summarizes a panel about the following topics: key markets for educational publishing in the future, interactive whiteboard, DNL ebooks, and Teacher Created Materials podcasts

Bloomsbury forms a joint venture in Qatar

and one of my favorite articles to come out of this year's fair How to Turn a Rat into an International Bestseller editors from around the globe discuss their acquisition of and marketing / promotions for the novel “Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife” by American Sam Savage.

Missing Frankfurt

Just found out I have to nix my plans to attend the Franfkfurt Book Fair this year. Grrrr.... I attended Rutgers and visited family in the US last year. But this will make two years in a row! I didn't have any major meetings (except a really cool pres party I wanted to attend) but I did plan to meet friends there... and that will be missed.

I've set my sights on Bologna in 2009.

See you there??