THE DAY I MET THE NUTS is out!

Don't listen to him up there. He's a nut!

It's out! My book that is....available for the masses. I'm so excited about this book because it will help all those kiddos out there who must suffer through food allergies. I'm allergic to those crazy nuts as well, and so is my son. In fact, Roman was the inspiration for this story. He is a true allergy champ.

Portions of the proceeds from my book help to support a good cause, FAAN. FAAN is the world leader in food allergy and anaphylaxis awareness. Their mission is to raise public awareness, to provide advocacy and education, as well as to advance research on behalf of all those affected by food allergies and anaphylaxis. http://www.foodallergy.org/

Thanks for checking out my book and for supporting all of us who must find a way around those crazy nuts!

Nut free and lovin' it,

Mary Rand Hess

Book Trailer for THE DAY I MET THE NUTS... Coming Fall 2009

I hope you enjoyed THE DAY I MET THE NUTS trailer. I'm very excited about this book and the audience it will reach, as well as the charity it will help. Be on the look out for an official release date soon!

Happy writing and reading,

Mary

Blown Away By First Grade Poets

Today I conducted a poetry workshop with first graders. Let me just say, I was blown away by their poems. For many of them, it was a first attempt at writing rhyming poetry (however, they have clearly touched on poetry and its other forms before with their fabulous teachers).

My favorite line came from a student who stood up and read his poem before both classes. The last line of his poem was, "Spring is King." It gave me chills.

As these students filed out for recess and gym class, they asked if they were coming back for more poetry. I'm not kidding...they wanted more. Watch out folks, future poets on the rise.

~Mary

April Rocks Because of National Poetry Month

I love April. Spring is in bloom (though it is still a bit chilly), the birds are happy, the children are rediscovering their favorite outdoor hiding spots, and people everywhere are writing poetry. Poets have their month in the sun to shine, to reach out and say, "YES POETRY MATTERS!" And it does, and it should be encouraged and cherished every month of the year. Once upon a time, poets were the celebrities of their towns, their countries, enriching the lives of kings and commoners alike, as they nestled in around their hearths at the close of a day. A treat...sweet words in the ear. A mystery...tugging at the heart.

O Captain! My Captain!

~Walt Whitman

"O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done;

The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we

sought is won;

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting.

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!!

O the bleeding drops of red

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and hear the

bells;

Rise up-for you the flag is flung-for you the

bugle trills..."

All Good Things...

So I haven't been around in a few weeks....but that is because I'm busy stirring up a pot of all good things. Some exciting developments, which I plan to share around the corner. Until then, I wanted to post a few favorite writing quotes that are good for the soul.

"Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass."
~Anton Chekhov

"Love the writing, love the writing, love the writing... the rest will follow."
~Jane Yolen

"To me the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the music the words make." ~Truman Capote

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." ~Albert Einstein

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." ~C.S. Lewis

"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out." ~Ray Bradbury

"Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar." ~E.B. White

And this last quote may seem daunting, but it inspires me to know we all must fail from time to time, and begin and again.

"Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers." ~T.S. Eliot

Signing off,

Mary

Black Turtlenecks

I have to admit, I've had my share of black turtlenecks...still do. I even have black capes and black hats; the mysterious-looking uniform of a writer. But what does it really take to be a writer. And why do some writers persevere and others give up. Watch this interview with Kate D'Camillo to find out.

http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/dicamillo

I found Kate DiCamillo to be humble, down-to-earth, and purely honest. I love when, after she decided she was going to become a writer, she "bought a lot of black turtlenecks and started looking sophisticated and world-weary." She said she spent the next ten years that way, until she realized she wasn't going to be a writer unless she started writing something.

Thank you, Kate DiCamillo for your honesty, and mostly for your bravery to keep writing even when the rejections were overwhelming. Your literature has made quite the difference!

~Mary

My Connection to E.B. White

My second grade teacher once said she had nightmares about me. To think I could give a teacher nightmares at the young age of 8 shocked me quite a bit. She said something about my never ending, incessant daydreaming. Then one day, we were to present our book reports on a favorite story. I chose E.B White's Charlotte's Web and decided to adapt the story into a puppet show, with homemade puppets to boot. After my performance, and to the teacher's surprise, the class asked for an encore. That was the first inkling I would become a storyteller/writer someday.

Fast forward quite a few years later...I had just graduated from college and befriended (briefly dated) E.B. White's great (or great, great) nephew. One day, he presented me with an old book of E.B. White's letters. I knew it was a special book and held on to it for the past 12 years for two reason....inspiration, and on the off chance I should run into my friend again. Well, it just so happens we ran into each other...on Face Book. It was an interesting day, to say the least. I had just received interest in one of MY books from an amazing agent in NY (fingers crossed, faith in check), then just moments later received an inquiry from my old friend asking if I still had that E.B. White book. The timing was inspiring. And I knew it was only right for me to let go of this precious book, and give it back to my friend. I am gently sending the book along its way this week. It will be sad to let the book go, as I have a special connection with E.B. White. I can't say exactly what it is...maybe it's that he gave me courage to create stories, even when I was a teacher's worst nightmare. And I kind of hope there's a spiritual writer's torch that is being handed down to me...saying, "go forward...do your best...give them your all." I'll tell myself that and keep writing my best. Thank you, E.B.

~Mary