The End of an Era: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

 by Jenny Ramaley

After rereading the last three Harry Potter books (then watching the accompanying films) to get back up to speed, my daughter and I went to see the final Harry Potter film. Author J.K Rowling pulled off the hard task of keep the series engaging and ending Harry’s quest in a satisfying way, while the filmmaking team did a superb job in recreating the story visually.



Despite the dangers Harry faces,
the first book is A-Okay for 10-11 year olds.



Harry’s been a part of our lives since 1997. It took 10 years to publish the books covering the seven years at Hogwarts, and beginning in 2001, it took 10 years to bring the story to the screen.  My girls grew up with Harry and anxiously awaited each new book. Looking back, it was a blessing that they were the right age at the right time to grow with the boy wizard. Each book grew a little darker, the danger levels ticked upward. The main characters of Harry, Ron and Hermione not only had to grapple with the threat of Lord Voldemort, but also with puberty, hormones and snogging – which at times was more terrifying than dark magic – at the same times that my daughters grappled with growing up. Priceless, as that credit card commercial points out.



The last book is not only dark in tone,
but very complicated plot-wise.
Probably not okay for 10-11 year olds.



Plots also grew increasingly complex with each book. The last book was so convoluted that I remember walking away confused. It took a revisit to Year 6 and a reread of Year 7 to really grasp the complicated intertwining storylines of the horcruxes, wand ownership and the three hallows.

So here’s a word of advice to parents whose offspring are ready to begin the series: take your time. Having a book released every year gave readers time to be ready for the ever increasing complications and darkness. My offspring experienced the delicious anticipation of waiting for each new publication release date, one that, unfortunately, new readers can bypass. A child reader who may delight in devouring the Year 1 book, may want to tackle the whole series in one school year, but may not be ready to plow through the entire series. It won’t be easy, but try to slow down your young reader.

Perhaps begin a tradition (ok, a bribe) of buying your reader(s) a hardcover  book as a birthday present every year or half year, maybe along with the film of the last book.  Give them an incentive to wait.  If you can, encourage your young readers to take Harry’s journey slowly, so they are ready to tackle the later books when they have matured (just like Harry) and are truly ready.

         Readers, any suggestions to pass along?

DEAR BEN

This letter is addressed to the main character in my upcoming series of early chapter books:

Dear Ben,

     I thought long and hard about writing this letter to you. However, the events of last week made me realize that the relationship we’ve had over these past six years is about to change and we need to come to an understanding that will be beneficial to both of us.

     Last week I received a phone call from a prominent publisher. It came out of the blue and I must admit I was quite taken aback. This publisher is planning to send me a contract for a total of four books. Of course you are going to be featured as the title character, no problem there. And I know you will continue to be a shining example to other authors of how a main character moves the plot forward, shows learning or growth, and is changed by the events of the story.

     You and I know we’ve had some rocky times together (just ask my writer’s group!) There were the times I cast you aside and said there’s no way you’d ever get published. And how about all those changes I made to the plot? I was constantly tinkering and fixing, revising and editing. I know it drove everyone crazy. But I did stick with you. I was loyal to your character to the very end. I embraced all your little quirks and foibles and never changed who you are: a third grade kid with a talent for doodling and a knack for getting into trouble.

     So here is the heart-wrenching problem you and I must face together. When I sign the contract you will become the property of the publisher. Yes, that’s right. We will legally be divorced. They can market and promote you in any way they feel is necessary to boost sales. They even suggested turning you into an app for an I Pad!

     Ben, I’m so torn my heart is breaking in a million pieces. Yes, the excitement and prestige of finally getting my fiction published is amazing. But to give up control of you is tearing me apart.

     So I’m writing this letter with the hope that you’ll understand I have to do what any struggling writer would do. I’m going to sign on the dotted line and trust that the publisher will take care of you with the same love and devotion I’ve shown you all these years.

All my love,

Judy

For the Benefit of Veterans

Posted by Fran McDowell

Though I consider myself a pacifist, when I think of patriotism my mind immediately pulls up images of World War II. Not that I was there, but I spent many hours as a child looking through photos of my father and uncle on leave, looking so young and dapper in their Navy and Army uniforms. They took any chance they could to go home to their aunt and uncle in southern Indiana. One picture, in particular, of my gently, unworldly father posing with his pet duck tucked under his arm, leaves me no doubt that joining the service in time of war was a harrowing experience.

Of course, had it not been for the war, I wouldn't be here today, as my father met my mother at a USO dance while stationed in New York City. They made quite a couple; Manhattan lady working at the NYC library on 5th and 42nd streets, and country boy who dipped water from a well with a tin cup and used the outhouse at night. He says it was my mom's ankles that caught his eye.

This past February, the last know American WW I veteran, Frank Buckles, passed away at the age of 110. But for me, a true product of WWII love, the quickly diminishing nimber of survivors from that war touches my heart.

Survivors are now in their 80's and 90's, and, in so many cases, we, their children, are caring for them. My father lives with us, every day missing his "darling", and ever-so-often mentioning her pretty ankles. Each year that passes becomes more difficult. In fact, each month seems to present a new challenge as his strength seems to seep slowly away through the pores of his tissue paper skin. I am in constant pursuit of ways to make his life not only easier, but also somewhat rewarding, all the while trying to avoid my husband and my lives being consumed by my quest.

Each week, it seems, I have a conversation with someone trying to give care and comfort to an aging parent. They are either providing it themselves or wrestling with the best alternatives that they can find and afford. Though each case is different, similarities in the overriding challenge abound. It helps to talk, to pick each others' brains for ideas and solutions.

My friend, and fellow blogger, Jenny Ramaley, turned me on to something I hadn't realized existed--Veteran's Benefits. As it turns out, the veteran, or the surviving spouse, may qualify for benefits by submitting an application. It can be a very long wait for approval. But benefits are awarded retroactively from date of application. My father will be eligible for a generous monthly stipend that will allow us to pursue assistance with his care that we might not have taken advantage of, otherwise. Details are available through local VA offices.

Though I don't believe we do enough for so many of our vets who need help, young or old, this benefit is a huge boon for my father. Maybe is could be for the Vet in your life, as well.

S C Poe Joins Rt19Writers Blog

With varied/mixed emotions*, we introduce Rt19Writers' new contributor, S. C. Poe.

Poe is not actually new to the Route19Writers, qua critique group. But Poe is new to the blog. Indeed, Poe is new to blogging. When it comes to the Internet Tubes, Poe is Miniver Cheevy. Regrettably, Poe has always rather scoffed at blogs. . . .

But Poe has achieved a finished first draft (or, as Poe prefers to spell it, draught) of a middle grade novel. Now, Poe is revising. The time for queries draws near. And nowadays (how Poe hates that word!) with queries comes the requirement that the author establish a platform on the Internet.

So into the (back)light of computer-screen day (at bitter last) comes S. C. Poe.

Setting the Internet aside, we find that Poe has much in common with other Route19Writers. Poe shares a passion for fairy tales and folk lore with Kitty, for history with Susan, for suspense and military stories with Carol H, for the bildungsroman with Marcy and Fran, Jenny and Dave. Poe stands in awe of Andrea's versification, of Judy's craft with comedy, Cynthia's scientific prowess, and of Carol B's versatility.

Poe is a devotee of history, mythology, and the classics of all traditions. In reading and writing, Poe eschews contemporary settings. Indeed, Poe considers Mike Mulligan's steam shovel painfully modern. Poe consents to blog, but Poe will not twitter. And Poe does not cook. If you're waiting for ice cream recipes from Poe, you will wait a long time.

Say something to the nice readers, Poe.

[Poe gulps and mutters something that sounds like "h'llo."]

*Trepidation, relief, indifference, and that special glee that is only stirred up when one is able to say "I told you you'd come to this in the end."

Ice Cream Heaven

by Cynthia Light Brown

It’s hot. And even here in normally comfortable Pittsburgh, it’s so humid that my brain can’t think in all this liquid. The gray matter is drowning. I can’t even imagine what it’s like in the middle of the continent. So I’m just putting up an activity from my Kitchen Chemistry book. Mmmm. Ice cream…

Supplies

• ¨ Measuring cups and spoons
• ¨ 2, quart-size zippered plastic bags
• ¨ 1 ½ cups whole milk
• ¨ 1 ½ cups heavy cream, also called whipping cream
• ¨ 3 tablespoons sugar
• ¨ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• ¨ 1 gallon-size zippered plastic bag (if possible, use a freezer bag)
• ¨ 3 to 4 cups ice
• ¨ thermometer (optional)
• ¨ 1 cup rock salt, or table salt
• ¨ cloth
• ¨ sprinkles, fruit, nuts, chocolate sauce, whipped cream (optional)

1. Pour the milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla into one of the smaller plastic bags and seal. Try not to leave too much air in the bag. Place the bag into the other small bag and seal.
2. Place one cup of ice into the large bag. If you have a thermometer, take the temperature of the ice, then add ½ cup salt.
3. Place the small bag in the large bag with the ice. Fill the large bag with the rest of the ice, add the rest of the salt, and seal.
4. Cover the bag with a cloth to protect your hands from the cold. Gently shake the large bag from side to side for about 15 minutes or until the ice cream is solid.
5. Open the large bag and if you have a thermometer, take the temperature of the ice/salt/water mixture. Did the temperature change? Wipe off the top of the small bag, open carefully, and…yum! Add any toppings you like. If the ice cream is too soft for your liking, you can put it in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. If you’d like, try this again without the salt. What happens?

Slurp, and enjoy!

Make Room for ROOM

 posted by Andrea Perry

When I think of patriotic things I am reminded of an old phrase that goes something like this: "...as American as apple pie, motherhood, and the 4th of July..." Or was the third thing fireworks, or the American flag? I'm not sure, but I am sure that when I think of motherhood, I am reminded of a book I read recently that I could not put down from the moment I read the first line, "Today I am five."
ROOM is the story of Jack, now officially five years old, who along with his mother has lived his entire life (!) in Room, an 11" by 11" place with Bath, Wardrobe, Duvet, Table, Skylight, Door, Rocker, Dresser and what turns out to be most ominous, Outside.  Not only does your curiosity about why these two are confined to Room make this book a page turner, but more riveting is Jack's voice, as the book is told entirely from his point of view.
  
     " I cried so my eyes nearly melted off."
     "Ma plays with Tank too long but not too long.  She gets sick of things fast, it's from being an adult."
     "What started Baby Jesus growing in Mary's tummy was an angel zoomed down, like a ghost but a really cool one with feathers.  Mary was all surprised, she said, "How can this be?" and then, "OK, let it be."  When Baby Jesus popped out of her vagina on Christmas she put him in a manger but not for the cows to chew, only warm him up with their blowing because he was magic."

Who among us has not heard time and time again over the years that editors are always looking for that 'voice'?  I can't remember ever hearing a more compelling voice than Jack's.  We learn all about Jack and his Ma's world through Jack's observations and in particular what Ma goes through to make their 11" by 11" life bearable.  How is she able to do it?  And can she continue to do it?

     "Today is one of the days when Ma is Gone.  She won't wake up properly.  She's here but not really.  She stays in Bed with the pillows on her head."

Dare I say this story was 'ripped from the headlines' when we have all just heard about Jaycee Dugard?  Mothers are out there who are driven to do incredible things, and thank goodness for their children.  I encourage you to pick up this book to learn about the power of motherhood, as well as to listen to Jack's voice.

Entrepreneurship. Creativity. The American Way.

by
Dave Amaditz

Change. Uncertainty. It's a bit daunting for most of us to think about. More so for me it seems, as I age. Daily routines and keeping close to the certainties in life are coping mechanisms I use to get by. Recently though, the stable foundations I crave were somewhat shaken. On second thought, I'd say they weren't just shaken, they were rocked to the core.

After waking from elective surgery, my right arm was in severe pain and paralyzed. This complication was completely unexpected, and in my case, magnified, because use of my legs and hands are already limited because of my spinal cord injury.

Although the details of what I had to go through between then and now aren't the focus of this post, I can say with certainty, that for the last four months, my life has been extremely uncertain. The reality of what I was facing turned out to be much different than what I expected.

I thought I'd be in the hospital for a few days. It turned out to be a month. I thought that following discharge I'd immediately resume my normal activities. Two months with the therapist coming three days a week and one month following that I'm still struggling to achieve my pre-operative functionality.

So what does all this have to do with writing, this month's blog topic of patriotism, or this posts title?

Well, when I finally felt energetic enough to think about writing, one of the first things I did was to check out this blog. We were posting about whether there would be a future for picture books, whether the traditional book would still be around since the advent of e-books, what role publishing houses, editors and agents would have in the acceptance and publication of our writing.

As a writer who's followed the business, these topics weren't completely new to me. However, perhaps because of the complications from my surgery, it seemed so blatantly obvious that change was a-coming and coming fast. It scared me. I felt somewhat lost and frightened. And I found myself wondering, even if only for a short time, if writing was something that would be there for me when I was ready to once again hop onto the writing bus.

The questions foremost in my mind quickly became... How these changes would affect me and what could be done about it? The same two basic questions I faced following my surgery.

In no particular order I settled on doing the following. It was not so much a conscious effort as something I simply did, my way of coping, you might say.

1. Obtain knowledge, since after all, knowledge is power. I read all the material I could find about what was happening in the business (by the way, during rehabilitation I used any spare time to educate myself on what had happened to me during my surgery)

I talked to those with first-hand knowledge about the situation... My doctors and therapists were the primary contacts when it came to rehabilitation. My fellow Route 19 writers were first and foremost regarding industry news. This helped to ease my mind. This let me know how to attack the problem.

2. Don't become complacent.  Just taking the first step instead of hiding in your shell where it is comfortable, where you don't have to face the problems or where you can pretend the problems don't exist seems so simple and obvious, but can be the most difficult. However difficult though, pretend you're in the Nike commercial and "just do it". The problem won't get better, and in some cases, may get worse by doing nothing.

3. Don't let the situation overwhelm you. If you feel this is happening don't look at the whole picture because the task might then seem too large to tackle. (This leads to the next suggestion.)

4. Establish goals. Take life and your problems one step at a time, one day at a time... and on those really bad days one hour or one minute at a time. Don't worry if the goals are too small. Keep in mind where you were so you can get a clearer picture of where you currently are and where you are going.

5. Keep in mind why you do what you do. For me, I write because I love to write. I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I complete a story. I'm happier when I get a story published or a positive critique, but it isn't entirely about that.

I did, and continues to do my therapy because I want to become the best person I could. I want to show my family, especially my children, what can be accomplished through hard work.

6. Keep the faith. Believe in yourself. Believe in those around you. Surround yourself with those who will support you. Surround yourself with those with knowledge that can help you become successful.

I take this one step further. I believe that whatever happens in life is all part of God's plan. I gave up long ago questioning "why" things happen. Instead, I find it much easier to move on and to move on quickly.

7. Find humor in the situation. Even when things seem the worst there's always something to laugh about. It probably won't be at the exact second something bad has happened, but as you reflect, there will certainly be something you will remember. During my most recent problems, I often complained that I was never "so tired or so sore from doing so little." My friends reminded me that that "I was, after all, getting older."

8. Think about others. When I think my situation is bad I put myself in the shoes of others. I quickly realize how fortunate I am. If that doesn't work, I read the newspaper, watch the television or volunteer to help those less fortunate. It doesn't take long to realize there are others whose lives are much worse than mine.

9. Don't let change keep you down. Don't let it frighten you. Look at examples from the past. I was reminded often by my father, through his father, that at the turn of the 19th century Americans were worried about jobs and about their future because of a new invention called the automobile. What would happen to those who made the wagon wheel, wagons, and those who shoed the horses? In the late 1970s the Pittsburgh area, known for its steel mills, saw thousands upon thousands of jobs lost. What would ever take the place of mother steel? Who could have predicted the success of personal computers and a little thing like the Internet?

So today, when you turn on your computer, your Ipad, Nook, or whatever other reading device you use to read the latest about the demise of the publishing industry, the downfall of picture books or the future of the young adult novel, remember it's probably not as bad as it seems. Have faith in your fellow Americans. Have faith in their entrepreneurship. Have faith in their ingenuity. Have faith in their creativity. Count on one of your fellow writers to let their creative minds develop a solution to the problems now facing the publishing industry. After all, change is inevitable and in America it happens quickly.

Who knows, future writers might think the worrying we've recently done is just a bit silly.