by Chrysa Smith After all of these years writing children’s books, it just struck me the other day—tonight, some children, somewhere, might be falling asleep to one of my stories. Wow! That amazes and humbles me. And it got me to thinking about the very best things that come with this sometimes strange career path…
Detailsby Chrysa Smith Seems on the East Coast, during the warm months, everyone heads down the shore. In NY, it was the beach. Regardless of what you call it, there’s just something so calming, soothing about ocean air wafting up through your nostrils and sand firmly planted under your feet. It seems a naturally great…
Detailsby Chrysa Smith I’m a born and bred New Yorker. For better and worse, it’s my stomping grounds. It’s the place where I lived, grew and worked, and like most early life experiences, is deeply imbedded in me. So, when I decided to write The Upside-Down Gardener, I decided to set it in a city…
Detailsby Chrysa Smith So here we go. I’m unstuck–at least a little. I’ve got a manuscript. It’s on the right track and far better than the first two attempts at an eighth book. It continues as a Dory Oslo Adventure—the baseball-playing gardener from The Upside-Down Gardener. The story line is close enough to be…
Detailsby Chrysa Smith Well, shops and restaurants aren’t the only things shut down this past year. So is my creativity. With the desire for another book looming, all inspiration has seemingly dried up. And here’s what I learned. Since 2007, I’ve been able to pump out children’s books about every two years. It was…
DetailsMadonna sang “We are living in a material world and I am a material girl.” That song, or rather, the melody keeps spinning in my head. I’m living in a virtual world and I’m gonna be a virtual girl–or author. Or both. That’s my song this year, and no doubt, the start of another school…
DetailsWhen I work with young children, I often experience two ends of the spectrum. There’s the one group who writes diligently, taking off on a topic. They even ask if they can ‘write more’ than what’s suggested. Good for them. But then there are those who stare blankly at the paper, waiting for inspiration to…
DetailsA pandemic. Political feuds. Killer Hornets. When William Wordsworth said, “The world is too much with us” could he have possibly been speaking of 2020? Usually during troubling times, small comforts run large. And right now, nothing is luring me more than the great outdoors. No, I’m not talking about hiking and swimming—that’s for a…
DetailsWhen Pat Achilles agreed to illustrate The Upside-Down Gardener, I was thrilled and honored. Her whimsical style was right on for the project. And while I’ve written many a post about my inspiration and how my ideas came together, I thought it might be interesting to see inside the mind of an illustrator. So after…
DetailsWhat a wonderful breed! Not only does their non-shed coat keep your house looking great, but they’re pretty adept at swimming as well—though you wouldn’t know it from my land lubber guys. Originally bred in Germany, the name poodle comes from the German word which means water dog. And yes, they’ve made good retrievers, but…
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