Sikh Parade in Edinburgh
Sunday we headed to Origano Pizza again - couldn't resist another visit - and stumbled across the most colorful parade heading down Leith Walk. I ran to catch up and take pictures. A reporter shared the event in her native tongue, so unfortunately, I couldn't understand her, but I did ask a man in a blue turban what was going on. Turns out it was a celebration of Guru Nanak's birthday, the founder of the Sikh religion. (Read more about that here.)
Illustration Challenge #47
In honor of the raptors I recently had the opportunity to draw - I challenge you to draw birds! They can be round little balls of squishy feathers and cute little beaks, OR they can be raptors, with enormous beaks and claws!
So, here's a story for you...
First off, please give a cheer - my TEDx Talk "Is Your Stuff Stopping You" has over 10,000 views on YouTube - woohoo!
Now, on to the story...
So I returned to the studio after most of Spring Break passed only to discover that every locker in our room was open. (Except for the ones with actual locks on them.) That was weird. Then I noticed that my bag of peanuts and raisins was open. No way I left it like that. I looked at the other desks - food had been left out there too. In fact, on one desk there was a half-eaten ice-cream cone. Strange (on so many levels).
I concluded that somebody had been pilfering through our things looking for something to steal and sell, and eating our food while at it. There had been some random thefts in the building, so I figured this ought to be on Security's radar. So, I reported it to the building's receptionist. She called security and soon after, they stopped by to talk to me and whoever else was there (not many folks had returned yet).
Turned out, other departments had similar stories. Interior Design thought they had a rodent because of the food mess left behind, and the cameras caught somebody sleeping on the 5th floor that same night. We definitely had an intruder, but luckily, nothing of value was taken. Although, Security took a few items they felt probably had good fingerprints on them for documentation, just in case. They were on it. (I mean this positively - truly, they were on top of it.)
As follow-up, we received emails to please be aware of who follows us into the building when we use our pass cards. Problem with that is, we are art students. Sometimes art students can look pretty rough, so who's to say who looks suspicious or not?
I also got an email requesting that I file a police report. But, um, nothing was taken (except by security) other than food, and I just wasn't willing to go to bat on that one.
No matter. A week later, who should show up but two officers of the Scottish Police Department. Our receptionist pointed them to me. Spring Break was way over at this point and the classroom was full. Can you say embarrassed?
Why are police going to Elizabeth's desk?
Gads!
However, the officers were very nice and said that they really needed a point person on the police report (?!?) to use for future reference, and since the intruder took my nuts...
*ahem*
Ever so nicely I explained that I really didn't want to have my name in any police reports, and certainly not one where I complain that somebody stole my nuts.
Imagine! If I ever needed to file a serious report and my name came up in their system with that! Well, they'd think I was... I was... (forgive me) NUTS!
At any rate, the kind officer understood and said he'd try to find a work around. Meanwhile, Katy Wiedemann got a picture of the whole thing...
P.S. - Nobody had any guns.
Now, on to the story...
So I returned to the studio after most of Spring Break passed only to discover that every locker in our room was open. (Except for the ones with actual locks on them.) That was weird. Then I noticed that my bag of peanuts and raisins was open. No way I left it like that. I looked at the other desks - food had been left out there too. In fact, on one desk there was a half-eaten ice-cream cone. Strange (on so many levels).
I concluded that somebody had been pilfering through our things looking for something to steal and sell, and eating our food while at it. There had been some random thefts in the building, so I figured this ought to be on Security's radar. So, I reported it to the building's receptionist. She called security and soon after, they stopped by to talk to me and whoever else was there (not many folks had returned yet).
Turned out, other departments had similar stories. Interior Design thought they had a rodent because of the food mess left behind, and the cameras caught somebody sleeping on the 5th floor that same night. We definitely had an intruder, but luckily, nothing of value was taken. Although, Security took a few items they felt probably had good fingerprints on them for documentation, just in case. They were on it. (I mean this positively - truly, they were on top of it.)
As follow-up, we received emails to please be aware of who follows us into the building when we use our pass cards. Problem with that is, we are art students. Sometimes art students can look pretty rough, so who's to say who looks suspicious or not?
I also got an email requesting that I file a police report. But, um, nothing was taken (except by security) other than food, and I just wasn't willing to go to bat on that one.
No matter. A week later, who should show up but two officers of the Scottish Police Department. Our receptionist pointed them to me. Spring Break was way over at this point and the classroom was full. Can you say embarrassed?
Why are police going to Elizabeth's desk?
Gads!
However, the officers were very nice and said that they really needed a point person on the police report (?!?) to use for future reference, and since the intruder took my nuts...
*ahem*
Ever so nicely I explained that I really didn't want to have my name in any police reports, and certainly not one where I complain that somebody stole my nuts.
Imagine! If I ever needed to file a serious report and my name came up in their system with that! Well, they'd think I was... I was... (forgive me) NUTS!
At any rate, the kind officer understood and said he'd try to find a work around. Meanwhile, Katy Wiedemann got a picture of the whole thing...
P.S. - Nobody had any guns.
Friday Linky List - 29 April 2016
Interesting TED Talk: Elif Shafak: The politics of fiction What do you think?
From Janice Hardy's Fiction University: Are You Being Taken Advantage of as a Writer?
From Bookshelf: Fifty Shades of Grey fort - you gotta see to believe!
Book Birthday! THE STORY CIRCLE ~ El circle de cuentos by Diane Gonzales Bertrand and Wendy Martin - Click the cover to learn more
At Jane Friedman: How to Save Money and Do Online Book Publicity Yourself
From Cynsations: Lara Herrington Watson on Analyze This: A Grammatical Breakdown of Favorite First Chapters
From Rachel Maddox: The Secret To Being A Successful Creator: It Hurts.
From The Mixed-Up Files: The 2016 Green Earth Book Award Winners have been announced. I love this award because A BIRD ON WATER STREET won a Green Earth Book Award Honor in 2015!
From Sarah McIntyre: 'Can you illustrate my book?' Some tips for writers approaching illustrators
From Janice Hardy's Fiction University: Are You Being Taken Advantage of as a Writer?
From Bookshelf: Fifty Shades of Grey fort - you gotta see to believe!
At Jane Friedman: How to Save Money and Do Online Book Publicity Yourself
From Cynsations: Lara Herrington Watson on Analyze This: A Grammatical Breakdown of Favorite First Chapters
From Rachel Maddox: The Secret To Being A Successful Creator: It Hurts.
From The Mixed-Up Files: The 2016 Green Earth Book Award Winners have been announced. I love this award because A BIRD ON WATER STREET won a Green Earth Book Award Honor in 2015!
From Sarah McIntyre: 'Can you illustrate my book?' Some tips for writers approaching illustrators
Deborah Hopkinson's A BANDIT'S TALE
Writing A Bandit’s Tale
by Deborah Hopkinson
My new historical fiction middle grade novel, A Bandit’s Tale, The Muddled Misadventures of Pickpocket, is set in 19th century New York City. Although the book deals with some serious themes, including poverty, child labor, and animal rights, I didn’t want the story to be depressing. So I decided to write the story as a rather light-hearted picaresque novel.
I’d never tried anything like it before, and I had so much fun doing it. As I researched the genre, I learned that the word “picaresque” comes from the Spanish “picaro,” which means “rogue” in English. The first picaresque novels were published around 1600 in Spain. One common characteristic of picaresque novels is that the protagonist is not well-born or aristocratic. Instead, like Rocco in A Bandit’s Tale, the hero is a poor individual forced at a young age to live by his or her wits in a hostile society. The story is often told in first person and has an episodic plot structure, as we follow our rogue from misadventure to misadventure.
One of the masters of the comic picaresque novel was Henry Fielding, who wrote The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1749) and Joseph Andrews, or the History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams (1742). When I was writing Bandit, I often turned to the online versions of these books (available through the Gutenberg Project) for inspiration, and the chapter headings definitely reflect Fielding’s style. My favorite one is chapter nineteen, which takes place during the famous Blizzard of 1888: “Containing a storm so terrible that the reader cannot laugh even once through the entire chapter.” And it is a terrible storm, indeed.
In addition to having fun with history in the storytelling, I definitely wanted to provide factual background information. When I read historical fiction, I’m always curious to know what’s real and what’s invented. And though I’m sure not all young readers will take the time to peruse the Author’s Note (which is entitled “Containing a variety of facts and resources of possible interest to the reader, as well as information illuminating historical personages”), they might, perhaps, be interested in the 19th century pickpocket slang.
Since I visit schools all over the country, I’m always attentive to how books can complement curriculum or enhance STEM connections. Social reformer Jacob Riis appears as a character in A Bandit’s Tale. His arresting photographs brought attention to the deplorable living conditions for children and families in the tenements of the Lower East Side. Yet those photographs were only possible because of the invention of flash photography, which allowed the self-taught photojournalist to bring these problems to light. In A Bandit’s Tale, we have included several Riis photographs, which I hope will help illuminate the time period and setting for young readers.
When I speak in schools, students often ask if I plan to write a fantasy novel someday. The truth is, when I write about history I am always learning, and I can’t think of anything more exciting or rewarding. I hope that young readers will take a chance on historical fiction and nonfiction, and can’t wait to share A Bandit’s Tale with them.
Award-winning master of historical fiction for children Deborah Hopkinson takes readers back to nineteenth-century New York City in her new middle-grade novel: A BANDIT’S TALE: THE MUDDLED MISADVENTURES OF A PICKPOCKET (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers | on sale April 5, 2016 | Ages 8–12 | $16.99).
“A strong chose for those who enjoy adventures about scrappy and resourceful kids.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review
“A dynamic historical novel ideal for both classroom studies and pleasure reading.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
P.S. - Here is Deborah's Office Assistant, Rue, and Rue hard at work.
Drawing Raptors at the College of Art
Apparently it is an annual tradition for raptors to visit the University of Edinburgh College of Art, for us lucky students to draw.
Coloring Page Tuesday - Spring Chickies
CLICK HERE for more coloring pages!
CLICK HERE to sign up to receive alerts when a new coloring page is posted each week and... Please check out my books! Especially...
my debut novel, A BIRD ON WATER STREET - winner of six literary awards. Click the cover to learn more!When the birds return to Water Street, will anyone be left to hear them sing? A miner's strike allows green and growing things to return to the Red Hills, but that same strike may force residents to seek new homes and livelihoods elsewhere. Follow the story of Jack Hicks as he struggles to hold onto everything he loves most.
I create my coloring pages for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents to enjoy for free with their children, but you can also purchase rights to an image for commercial use, please contact me. If you have questions about usage, please visit my Angel Policy page.
High Tea in Edinburgh
Tea Time is a common ritual in the UK, although High Tea is a bit (a lot) more special. Susan happened to be in town at the same time as my friend Amandine's mother. So Amandine decided we all needed a treat. We got dressed up for this one.
A parade of treats followed. First was an amouse bouche of mushroom soup with a cream-shaped heart.
With all that tea, bathroom trips were inevitable, and a delight. Susan got the great photo as to why. ROSES!
A parade of treats followed. First was an amouse bouche of mushroom soup with a cream-shaped heart.
With all that tea, bathroom trips were inevitable, and a delight. Susan got the great photo as to why. ROSES!
Fantastic Beasts
I can't believe we have to wait until November to see this next chapter in the world of Harry Potter. It looks FANTASTIC! (Click the image to watch the trailer on YouTube.)
Edinburgh like a local - prepare to drool
I decided that day 2 of Susan's visit would be a peek into normal life here in Edinburgh.
So first, Stan, Susan, and I walked along the Water of Leith. It's a beautiful path which makes it hard to believe you're still in the city. But you are...
And okay, this isn't quite a normal day in Edinburgh. We usually only go to Fishers for special occasions, which this was. Here's why:
Photos are © Susan Eaddy and © Elizabeth Dulemba.
And okay, this isn't quite a normal day in Edinburgh. We usually only go to Fishers for special occasions, which this was. Here's why:
Photos are © Susan Eaddy and © Elizabeth Dulemba.