Kathleen Says, Take Care Of the Little People

I'm running late this morning, and of course I'm going to explain why. But first--and this has nothing to do with being late, but it does tie in--I have a new book out this week. Okay, not really NEW new, but first time in this format. It's actually a two-for-one reprint of BROOMSTICK COWBOY and DEFENDER, and some of you were taking high school algebra when these books came out. But they're timeless. The book is called A CERTAIN KIND OF HERO, and for me that means the guy who steps up when it's time to look out for the women and children. Old fashioned, I know, but that's--sigh--my hero.

Also, I'm working on line edits. I take this part of the writing process very seriously. I read everything once, and I let it sink in. Then I go through again and do the easy fixes. More sinking in. Then I do any bigger pieces that need tuning up. By this time I have a good sense of what the editor sees that I missed. It's not always a big change in one spot that's needed. It's usually something that's there but needs beefing up. Like all aspects of the process, concentration is key.

Well, yesterday I was moving right along when the school bus arrived. I had approved a two-hour playdate after school because I was told there was a weather emergency. Winter has truly set in here in MN. We have only about an inch of snow on the ground, but do you realize how much that is to a fairy? The girls had a friend coming over to help them make winter homes for the fairies. "Or else they could die!"

Well, you should see the mess!

Okay, this will make me even later, but I'll go take a picture of what's on my counter this morning.

I know, I know. They should've cleaned it up. But they had to get their homework done and shower and you know how that goes.





And these are the houses. (One went home with the friend.) They don't look like much, do they? The cardboard was cut apart, floors were added with beds a-fixed upstairs and playrooms downstairs, and they're really darling on the inside. I asked about leaving a side open so we could see the rooms, but no. Theses aren't for show. Look closely. It says "Pixies Welcome" on the one on the right. These are for housing fairies.

Here's a bed that didn't make the cut. It didn't have a cushioned mattress. So where will these domiciles reside? In front, I'm told, IN FRONT of the Christmas tree. Santa will bring the fairies. "And not the toy ones we got last year, Nana. Real ones. Santa knows the fairies, and he'll be glad to see that we want to help them."

So you see my problem. What if Santa doesn't bring real fairies?

And if he does, will the dog bother them? And what shall we feed them now that it's winter in our woods?

Be my friend on Facebook. My next challenge is to figure out this cross-posting thing. What have the kids in your life added to the mix in your hall decking? And what kinds of stories go along? And how do you handle your revisions?

Kathleen: Fairies and Flowers and Filling the Hours

With the release this week of Michele and Lois's Faeries Gone Wild, I thought I'd celebrate with an ode to everyone's favorite--many of you said it already--Tinkerbell. No matter how old we are, thanks to Walt Disney most of us were children when we first encountered her. J.M. Barrie created Peter Pan in The Little White Bird, a novel for adults, in 1902, followed by a play in 1904. But Disney immortalized Neverland for us, for our children, and--wonder of wonders...

for our grandchildren!

Halloween 2007. My younger granddaughter was the Tinkerbell fan, while her older(by 2 years) sister thought Tink was for little kids. She loved the Disney princesses, especially Belle. Tink wasn't a princess. She was a fairy.

Fast forward a year and some months. Early 2009 the older granddaughter and her first grade friends discover the interactive Disney site "Pixie Hollow." Suddenly Baby sister's been ahead of the curve all along. Pixie Hollow is the latest thing with girls of all ages. If you haven't seen it
yet, you should take a look. Mind you, I'm not big on internet babysitters, but this is a site that really tickles the imagination.
So here you are in Neverland, site of Pixie Hollow, where the fairies live. It's free to join with a parent's permission, but you can buy a membership for about $6 a month (this is Disney, after all) and have access to more activities. (We started out free, tried membership for a month and decided to continue.) You get 3 fairy avatars. (I'm learning about avatars!) You play the game by being one of your fairies. You dress her, furnish her fairy home, move around in Pixie Hollow, make friends, have parties, play games--wow! Your friends have fairies, and you meet up with them and chat, play games, get on the phone and say, "Where are you? I'm in Bubble Bounce. Oh there you are! I see you!" You have to read and write messages, earn pine needles and leaves to buy new stuff at the Pixie Store (which means you do the math), decorate your abode for your party. I tell you, it's flutterific!

I will say that the first grade teacher had to limit fairy discussions in class this spring. But with her best friend visiting Grandma in Lithuania for the whole summer, Granddaughter is thrilled that they'll still be able to play together in Pixie Hollow.

One of our most exciting moments came when I had to call customer service on a problem with the membership. "I'm talking to the Pixie Hollow people," I said. Well, you'd think I had Hannah Montana on the line. The tech told me that she and her mother-in-law were into PH, too, while both granddaughters were jumping up and down wanting to talk. So the tech got on the phone and talked pixies with two totally thrilled little girls.

I do believe in fairies. It's Peter who never grows up and men who suffer (?) from Peter Pan Syndrome, while women go to self-help groups full of Wendys. But Tinkerbell is something else entirely. She's magic. That's something we never have to explain. It just is.

Pixie Hollow is a new attraction at Disney World. Has anyone seen it? I'm looking forward to a visit at some point, but I'm afraid it won't pack quite the thrill the kids expect--5-yr-old grandson is loving the fairy world, too--because the fairies are people. Not that the kids won't be all ga-ga over the outfits and the fun of chatting them up, but fairies in the flesh aren't fairies. (Heaven forbid Silvermist (in blue--one of our faves) should turn up on Showbiz Tonight in some scandal.)

Pixie Hollow is beautiful, safe, easy to use even with all its complexities, educational, and--did I mention safe? Imagination is a lifelong friend. Without it, there would be no Einstein, no Shakespeare, no Mozart, no Michelangelo ...

And no glorious convertible carrying 10 fiction writers and their wonderful friends!

When we talk about our inner child, it's so often something we're "dealing with." What part of you is still a kid? How do you celebrate that part? I wonder if it's different for men than it is for women?