Cat's Corner
Blogging About Books, Writing, Travel, Film & More
|
I'm excited to be working with BeachBoundBooks to coordinate a Book Blast for two charming picture books by Lisa Marie Schinski, That'th what I thaid! (No, not a typo in the title; it's a lisp pronunciation) and The Sore Prickly Bear.
The giveaway runs from March 28 to April 10, 2016. To enter, just click on the giveaway widget entry below. Then read on for details about the books, and meet Lisa Marie, their author. btw....you'll find another cute Fuzzy inside the pages of Lisa Marie's book. Her Fuzzy is a bear who's having a bad day. This Fuzzy is likely a second-cousin of the blue rabbit in my Finding Fuzzy -:D. Good luck with the giveaway and happy tales! Enter Giveaway
The Books
Title: The Sore Prickly Bear
 Title: That'th what I thaid!: R's and S's
The Author
About the Author: Lisa Marie Schinski  I was born and raised in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. I currently reside in King of Prussia. I wrote the story about the Sore Prickly Bear when I was 8 years old. My teacher, Mrs. Ulrich encouraged me to write and also gave me the young author's award. I found this book after my mom passed away last year. I had a great childhood but when I wrote this book, my parents got divorced, we moved and I changed schools. A lot of changes for an 8 year old. So I guess I felt like Fuzzy. I am so grateful for my family and friends.
Have a look around. Like what you see?
Click below to receive this blog by RSS feed or email. 
​Would love to have you to sign up for my newsletter with updates and special offers.
Subscribe and receive my free downloadable tale for the young at heart: Driving Down to Dillon: A Very Short Story of Love and New Beginnings.
Connect with Cat on Social Media
2 Comments
My writerly pals and I are Spring-cleaning our work space (Mercy, that was a ton of dust!) and sharing results of our labors in the Creation Station Blog Hop.
I hope you’ll find ideas, inspiration, and maybe some chuckles with a peek at my writerly nest. Did I mention there's a short video tour, too? 
Would love to have you visit the awesome bloggers listed at the end of this post, who also invite you into their workspace. So, click on over. Hey, we’ll even serve y’all up some virtual sweet tea and treats while you visit and find ideas.
Creation Station
If a train station is where the train stops, what's a work station?
Welcome to my Creation Station—the place for my writerly and creative pursuits. When telecommuting in the private sector in a former life, I repurposed a small bedroom as an office. Kept it intact when I turned to blogging and writing children's books.
An L-shaped desk holding a computer, printer, and other essentials anchors my office. In addition to traditional bookcases and file cabinets, a vintage maple hutch from the 1960s serves as display and storage unit for photos, office supplies and school visit material. Love that eclectic mix of old, new, and tech. With its east-facing windows, my Creation Station is also filled with light throughout the day. Keeps me from snoozing, and plants love it. Don’t be shy! Come on in and look around. Make yourself comfy. Please start your visit with this 60-second video tour. Equipment Thank you paper clips, for being like staples that can't commit.
JM calls me an Apple Apostle. Yep. Unashamedly adore all Apple products, down to my iPad, iPhone and little Shuffle for the gym.
Did you notice the dual-screen display monitors in the video? My MacBook is connected to a huge secondary screen and Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. That makes it easy-peasy to tackle complex layout and graphic designs. Best, I have the convenience of mobility by just unplugging the laptop to take anywhere. I can’t work in a quiet space, can you? I need gentle background sound. Nothing distracting. A Bluetooth speaker fits the bill by streaming relaxing film scores without vocals...but definitely not elevator music -:D.
Coffice
Coffice: a café that a customer uses as a place in which to conduct business.
Your Creation Station can be anywhere. Unless on the road, I usually don’t work at Starbuck’s. BUT I power up the laptop on a road trip or at the kitchen table, when I need a change of pace.
On my to-do list: meet a group of authors at a coffee shop for conversation and idea exchange. Join me? 
COFFICE: great place to work, meet
Play Stuff The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.  Play in my Creation Station
My Creation Staton is a time capsule of happy memories. It started with Mama giving me a Star Trek action figure that morphed into a collection of playthings that bring pure joy whenever I see them.
Then there's my ‘art.’ A 6-inch rubber version of Rodin’s “The Kiss.” Framed prints from art exhibits. Old-Timey photos taken by my great-grandfathers, who were photographers in Minnesota and Washington during the turn of the 20th century.
You’ll also find a few well-behaved plants that don’t mind neglect or my talking to them. And the quilted wall hangings I made encourage me to keep creative juices flowing.
Office, Sweet Home Office
Stages of working from home:
Working from home gets lonely, especially for this extrovert. There are many days when I crave human contact. Though I stay connected with people in cyberspace all day, I relish my in-person time with family and friends. Okay, true confessions: I flex my hours during the day to squeeze in exercising or grabbing a cuppa with pals. Oh, and twist my arm for a $5 Tuesday afternoon cinema treat with my Matinee Movie Mavens buddies.  Window on the 'hood
I also keep connected with life from windows overlooking my neighborhood, despite moments when I’m so into writing that I don’t even hear the doorbell.
I can see what’s going on outside in all kinds of weather. Winter is most fun, watching sledders and drivers maneuver the big hill during our infrequent southern snows. No worries. They stay safe, and I watch to be sure. 
I love having you visit my writerly space! Thanks a ton for stopping by.
What do you enjoy most about your work space or home place when it comes to writing or reading? Please let us know in the comment section. And if you want to join the Station Creation Blog Hop, just post your family-friendly link in the comment section, and we'll give you some blog loving in return.
_More inspiration for your Creation Station......
Please visit these #Gr8blogs to find more inspiration for your writing or reading spots. Auden Johnson, Dark Treasury Corrina Holyoake, Venturing Into the Unknown Julie Gorges, Baby-Boomer Bliss K. Lamb, K. Lamb, Author Leigh,Shearin Leigh Shearin, Writer
Please have a look around. Like what you see?
Click below to receive this blog by RSS feed or email.
Would love to have you to sign up for my newsletter
Subscribe and receive my free downloadable tale for the young at heart: Driving Down to Dillon: A Very Short Story of Love and New Beginnings.
Connect with Cat
Ah, springtime! Chirping robins. Sunny days. Tender blossoms. AND cue that yearly collective moan: Turn clocks ahead one hour. Sigh. This annual time shift is one of life's unavoidable forces. Painful but for the best. Like having a root canal.
Even proactively nixing caffeine, sipping chamomile tea, and bedding down earlier to make up for the 60-minute loss fail to lessen the impact of sleep deprivation. Eventually, my circadian rhythms adjust, and I pop back to my old self in a few days. 
To ease the transition, I turn to three artistic and literary sources that examine time in a positive light. Here are my TIMELY recommendations for young readers and adults, as well as thoughts on this wibbly-wobbly subject from The Doctor himself.
About the Book Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. TIMEliness Hugo lovingly tends to the 27 clocks in the great Paris train station each day. He is fascinated by clocks and all things mechanical. 
What kids will like
With its air of mystery and train station setting revolving around all things mechanical, boys especially will be drawn to this fast-paced tale that evolves like learning secrets of our iPad. The book’s 500 pages won’t put off kids. Much of the text is padded with Selznick's drop-dead gorgeous illustrations that earned the book a 2008 Caldecott Medal, making the book more like a graphic novel. That’s a kid magnet right there, especially for reluctant readers, who use drawings to give context to text. Plus, the movie version, Hugo, will have kids wanting to read the book, or pull it out to enjoy again.
What parents and educators will enjoy
Smart, plucky Hugo is a great role model for perseverance and independence. Although Hugo is an orphan and does not go to school, his puts his curious mind into learning new wonders at every chance instead of slacking off. Yes, there’s that part about stealing from the toy maker’s shop, but it’s resolved in a way that sends a positive message. Hugo also learns the meaning of friendship from the shop owner’s goddaughter, Isabelle, and the value of honesty from an elderly couple. Adults will also love the illustrations. What I love about Hugo Trains, turn of the century Paris, and a plot based on the true story of one of the first motion pictures ever made. What’s not to love? After audio’ing the book, I later discovered its amazing illustrations by Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Selznick. D’oh. Selznick also turns the clock back metaphorically as a sweet tribute to Georges Méliès. He showcases this pioneer film maker's work in the early days of cinema with A Trip to the Moon. I was hooked long before Hugo and his new friends watch old movies together.
For Grown-ups
The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom Hyperion, 240 pages About the book The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time. TIMEliness In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time. Magical hour glass in hand, he stops time and travels between centuries in the blink of an eye. 
lWhat I love about Time Keeper
I was in the mood for a gentle, short tale, and Time Keeper hits those bases. Having read Tuesdays with Morrie and Five People You Meet in Heaven, I was confident Albom would deliver another feel-good read. And he did. The audiobook was a perfect stress-relief for listening and walking after long hours writing. The plot unfolds between its three main characters: Father Time, a dying elderly businessman, and a heart-broken teenage girl. Though the author’s non-linear plot shifts dramatically in time (think Tower of Babel to iPhones) and from the multiple perspective of this diverse trio, Albom ties the pieces together while revealing important life lessons along the way. Best, it has a satisfying ending. I just knew Mitch wouldn't let me down!
For Geeks
and those who like a scary tale Blink “Doctor Who” Season 3, Episode 10 9 June 2007 About the episode Blink, with its creepy Weep Angel aliens, is one of my all-time fave Dr. Who episodes. Featuring David Tennant as time-traveling Doctor #10 and a young Carey Milligan as heroine Sally Sparrow, the Doctor moves between decades to save the world from the Angels' evil. These menacing statues appear harmless and remain rooted in place. BUT they stalk you during the intervals when you blink, attacking and turning you into a stone creature. Super-scary. First time I saw Blink, I covered my eyes with a pillow whenever the Angels menaced. I had trouble falling asleep that night, certain inanimate objects in my house were out to get me. The Weeping Angels remain rated as one of Whodom's top baddies of all times. TIMEliness In addition to Weeping Angels, Blink contains one of the best-loved passages that explains the Doctor's time travel ability. In a now-classic scene, Sally Sparrow plays a recorded message made for her by the Doctor in the future that has critical importance in Sally's day. He offers Sally this brilliant explanation of time travel, so that she will believe him and take necessary action to ward off Weeping Angels who are endangering her current reality People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff.
Got it? If you haven’t seen the episode, here’s the 15-second clip:
I'm off to reset my clocks and try for an attitude adjustment about all this timey-wimey stuff. Good luck with your springing ahead!
What's your favorite book or movie that revolves around time? I'd love to hear about it in the comment section below.
Have a look around. Like what you see?
Please click below to receive this blog by RSS feed or email.
Would love to have you to sign up for my newsletter! Subscribe and receive my free downloadable tale for the young at heart: Driving Down to Dillon: A Very Short Story of Love and New Beginnings.
Connect with Cat
|
 Cat MichaelsBlogging about books, writing, family life, travel and more good stuff. Meet Cat
|
