PRUDENCE, THE PART-TIME COW mooooooves in!
Hey guys,
This was announced today on Publisher’s Marketplace! Super excited and thankful (despite the TINY TEXT THAT I AM UNABLE TO ENLARGE)!!
Mar 18, 2015 
CINDER EDNA by Ellen Jackson…Still delighting readers after 20 years
caregivers are still reading and loving this tale. (It’s still in print!)
Can you believe it’s been 20 years since CINDER EDNA was published?
my favorite fairy tale). For example, I could never understand why the prince
didn’t recognize Cinderella when he came to her house with the glass slipper.
He’d been dancing with her all night, and presumably looking at her. And why
“glass” slippers? That didn’t seem like the best choice of material for a pair
of shoes. My first thought was to write a humorous story that would explain all
those little discrepancies. But then it occurred to me that Cinderella wasn’t
much of a role model either. Why not have my Cinderella be spunkier and more of
a go-getter?
right. For example, at the end there’s a description of the Cinderella’s life
as a queen and daily routine. I wanted to make it funny, and I rewrote it
several times. And the same was true at the beginning of the book where I tell
about Cinder Edna’s chores. The details had to be funny, but appropriate and
not too distracting.
make children (and, hopefully, their parents) laugh. The “message” or theme
usually creeps in somewhere along the way, but it’s often just a part of how I
look at the world. In the case of CINDER EDNA, I was aware that Cinderella had
led me astray as a child. It instilled in me the idea that I needed to look for
a prince–someone who would sweep me off my feet and provide for all my needs.
And I’d better grow up to be beautiful to attract that prince.
I think that most can be interpreted in more than one way, especially
Cinderella. But I’m not beautiful and I’ve learned that it’s more satisfying to
improve your own life rather than expect a fairy godmother to do it for you.
All this was in the back of my mind when I wrote the story, but I wasn’t really
planning it all out consciously.
publisher acquired it. Some editors thought it should be a “magazine piece.”
Others thought fractured fairy tales were a dying genre. There were a lot of
different reasons why it was rejected.
very much an up and coming illustrator at Lothrop, Lee and
Shepard. Kevin and I did sign books together at ALA when CINDER EDNA
first came out, so I got to meet him. I thought he was absolutely delightful.
He’s a wonderful performer and very funny.
different theater companies, and made into a musical three or four times. My
agent has sold foreign rights to Germany, Korea, and several other countries.
favorites–has touched so many lives. Thanks a bunch for telling us about it,
Ellen. And continued success with your writing!
Readers, you can visit Ellen at http://www.ellenjackson.net/.
NINJA WARRIORS
They hide in the shadows. They balance like cats on overhead beams. They vault over castle walls. All to learn their enemies’ plans. And unlike samurai, if ninjas do their jobs well, no one will ever know they’re there.
Merry Christmas!
I thought you might enjoy these cute little guys my dad carved out of wood in his shop. He loved working with wood. I love you and I miss you, Dad. ~Jody
Tasty News
Happy Monday, All!
We’re experiencing the sun before the snow today in Missouri. It’s a gorgeous 65 degrees right now. But by 7:00 pm tonight, the temperature is supposed to drop almost 40 degrees, with a slight chance of snow. Ouch. I keep telling myself I love the four seasons. I love the four seasons.
On Saturday I was lucky enough to attend the Kansas SCBWI conference, and boy, was it awesome! Speakers and faculty included author Sharon Draper, agents Karen Grencik, Jen Mattson, and Heather Alexander, and editor Brett Wright from Bloomsbury.
While I couldn’t attend every breakout session, I did learn a ton from the ones I sat in on. Heather gave us great advice about improving our voice, and Karen used actual letters from editors (anonymously, of course) to discuss why manuscripts get rejected and how ours can avoid the same fate. Sharon inspired us with tales of her journey as an author and encouraged us to write what we know. And the five lines panel was sooooo interesting. It was fun to see the agents’ and editor’s takes on the first five lines of blind submissions. [I squee’d silently when they read and liked mine!]
Two of the best parts of the conference? Videos by Sharon and Karen featuring “Rise” by Shawn McDonald and “Words” by Hawk Nelson.
Thanks to Sue Gallion, my buddy, crit partner, and RA for the KS SCBWI chapter, for organizing such a great event!
In other news, if you’re near a current [December 2014] Highlights magazine, please flip to page 30 and read my rebus, “My Tasty Snowman.”
Hmm. You don’t think I brought on this cold snap, do you?
All the best,
Jody
The Steam-Powered Classroom on Youtube
Hey, everyone,
I had to interrupt my KC Royals love to share something I found today on the Internet. The Steam-Powered Classroom. What a great resource for kids and teachers! On the episode I watched, they discussed recent graphic science novels and how cool they are.
I agree! My VAMPIRES AND LIGHT (Capstone Press) is one of the featured titles. You can see the video review at about 1:45 in.
Thanks, Steam-Powered Classroom. Great work introducing cool books to cool kids!
Jody
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiL0VJE40T4
THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES!!!
Dear Friends,
Let me take this opportunity to depart from my usual blog discussions to say,
THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS
ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!
YEAH, BABY!!
I hope to return to my regular posts again soon. But not before I watch
THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS
IN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!
YEAH, BABY!!
Feeling Royals LOVE,
Jody
Go, ROYALS!
We LOVE our home team! Good luck on Thursday, guys!
Barnes & Noble Hosts Park University’s River Read Authors
This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of participating in a book signing at Barnes & Noble. The event was co-hosted by Sherry Polito of B&N and Park University’s Shannon Cuff. It highlighted authors who will be talking with elementary students at Park University’s River Read festival in mid-October. Here are some of my writing buddies. Thanks, B&N and Park University!
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| Debra McArthur and Anola Pickett |
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| Ann Ingalls and Dale-Marie Bryan |
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| Christine Taylor Butler |
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| Teresa Herbic |
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| Some of my books |
From Down Under to a Bookshelf Near You — BEARDED DRAGONS
Hey everyone,
It’s officially fall and time to open the windows, if you’re in my neck of the woods. A sure sign of the changing seasons in Missouri are the mums that decorate front porches.
I was lucky enough today to find something else decorating my porch: a box from my publisher, ABDO, with copies of my latest book.
I hope you get a chance to celebrate fall with a sweatshirt, a few colorful flowers, and a great book.
~Jody