Queen Book Release Pics!

March 14, 2011 Laura Resau

Thanks to everyone who came to my party at Old Firehouse Books on Saturday night (in body and spirit!)

So much fun to see old friends and meet new ones!

Apparently, I make lots of funny faces when I read... I'm not aware of this until I see photographic evidence...

Music and little kids are essential ingredients to any festive occasion...

So many great friends of all ages came out to celebrate... teachers, writers, readers, book clubbers, librarians, dancers, musicians, poets, computer programmers ;) ...

Old Firehouse Books is an amazing place... if you're in Ft Collins and you haven't been to this store yet, you should take an afternoon to wander the shelves, talk to the super-knowledgeable staff for book recommendations, and have tea at the Cambodian teahouse "Happy Lucky's" next door.

My NIA friend Bev won a signed book in a drawing... She had to answer a question about Queen to claim her prize. Here it is: What was the staple of Maria Virginia's diet for the first 7 years of her life? She had this food for nearly every meal, every day, usually in the form of soup. In early drafts of the book, there were so many scenes focused on this food that someone in my writers' group suggested the book be called Maria Virginia and the ________s" (fill in blank with the food in question.) Can you guess?! *See answer at end of post.*

Thanks for swinging by!

xo,
Laura
P.S. See below for answer to mystery question...

*POTATOES!* (which are native to South America... she harvested and ate potatoes of all colors and sizes, and always wished for the BIGGEST potato in the soup.)

Interviews and articles for Queen!

March 7, 2011 Laura Resau

Hi dear readers!

I've been doing some interviews in anticipation of the release of THE QUEEN OF WATER (tomorrow, March 8!)

Lyn Miller-Lachmann (author of the great Gringolandia) did this interesting article and interview with me for her "Waging Peace" Column for the Times Union blog.

Here's the beginning of her article:

"For the next two weeks, my “Waging Peace” columns will focus on the plight of workers, particularly child laborers, throughout the world. This week’s column takes us to Ecuador, a country where for five centuries the indigenous people have faced systematic discrimination and exploitation at the hands of large landowners and the country’s political, economic, and social elite. Laura Resau, an anthropologist who lived and worked throughout Latin America before becoming an award-winning author of novels for young people, is most recently the co-author of The Queen of Water, a fictionalized account of her collaborator, María Virginia Farinango’s, life as a child domestic worker..."

Read more here. In the interview, I discuss why we decided to fictionalize the book, how I met Maria Virginia, the cycle of domestic violence, and more...

Another interview is up today over at Children's Publishing Blog. (Just go to the link and scroll down a little). This interview focuses on my writing/publishing journey, with advice to writers.

And another interview focuses on my creative space-- my little silver trailer. You can read about it on Jenn Bertman's blog here.

Finally, there's a very wonderful and thoughtful blog review of Queen on the SLJ blog, A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy (don't you love the name?!) Check it out here.

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow THE QUEEN OF WATER will be officially released! Yay! Maria Virginia and I are so excited! You can get it in bookstores, or on indiebound or amazon.

And if you live near me, please come to my release party this Saturday!

Saturday, March 12, 6:00 pm, Old Firehouse Books, Fort Collins

The Queen of Water Signing and Chatting - Come one, come all! Join me to celebrate the book release!

Hope you like our book!!!

xo,
Laura

Green Goo Supervillain!

March 1, 2011 Laura Resau

Hi wonderful readers,

Since I usually focus on good stuff in this blog, you may not know that I was plagued by terrible headaches this winter. Here is what I looked like much of the time (um, around my house and trailer, that is...):

I'm wearing my cold headache pack full of delightfully fluorescent green goo (which makes Lil Dude compare me to his favorite supervillain from a Backyardigans episode.) And, paired with my green goo mask are my grubby hot rice pack booties:

They also function as mops, collecting dust and dirt as I shuffle around the house.

I read that heat on the feet and cold on the head is good treatment for migraines and headaches, and it actually is (for me, at least)! (And believe-you-me, I've tried nearly everything.)

Another thing that worked well was reducing my stress, which had sky-rocketed. Here's one thing that brought my stress level down to a non-headache-inducing level: the completed manuscript of THE JADE NOTEBOOK! I finished it in January, got it in to my editor, she liked it, sent it back with revision comments.... and now here it is, all ready for me to dive back into.

I'm actually really excited (and *not* stressed) about revising it! I don't even need my booties and goo mask to tackle it!

In all fairness, I should mention the other things that helped my headaches go away: this brand-spankin new ergonomic monitor that helps my neck stay stretched out; the *necksercise* my massage therapist friend Paul showed me how to do to prevent migraines; massages; biofeedback (this really works!); awareness of breathing, visualizations... Whew! That sounds like a lot of stuff, but actually, it's all pretty peacefully manageable.

I guess I'm telling you this to balance out all the good news about THE QUEEN OF WATER that I've been posting lately... so you know that despite a lot of extreme happiness, I still have struggles to deal with...

(but that you shouldn't worry about me, since it's nothing Green Goo Supervillain can't handle!)

xo,
Laura

You're invited...

February 15, 2011 Laura Resau

Hello dear readers,

Lil Dude is home sick today, so I'm grabbing a few minutes here and there to work (I couldn't for the life of me get him to take a nap... argh!) Anyway, real quick, I'll let you know about two upcoming book release events for THE QUEEN OF WATER here in Ft. Collins.

March 12, Saturday, 6 pm, Old Firehouse Books, 232 Walnut St., Fort Collins, CO
Chatting, signing, reading, music, food, fun... (I bought a popcorn popper for this event! My co-author, Maria Virginia, serves popcorn (or some variety of popped/toasted corn) at every meal...mmm...)

April 9, Saturday, 2 pm, Barnes and Noble, 4045 S. College Ave, Fort Collins, CO
Chatting, signing, reading, fun (I'll see if I can serve freshly popped popcorn at this event, too!)

Mark your calendars! Bring friends and family! Thanks for spreading the word.... I hope to see you there!

And before I bid you farewell and cuddle with Lil Dude and watch Wall-E for the 20th time, here's something cool: Random House put together a "Books of Laura Resau Readers Guide"! So pretty... you can see it here. (My mom and I are in the midst of writing a longer, detailed discussion guide specifically for The Queen of Water... I hope to post that next month, so stay tuned!

Okay, Wall-E awaits...

xo,
Laura

Teatime and Stars!

February 8, 2011 Laura Resau

Hi dear readers!

I'm here in winter wonderland, having a spot o' tea (as Lil Dude calls it) and feeling happy about *more* good Queen of Water news... a second starred review, this one from Booklist!

* "A moving, lyrical novel that will particularly resonate with teens caught between cultures."
-- ALA Booklist

And we have official word that Queen is a Junior Library Guild selection... hooray! Maria Virginia and I are so, so grateful that all these nice things are happening with Queen... each bit of recognition helps get the book into the hands of more readers.

In the midst of this excitement of preparing for the book's release, I'm also waiting (nervously) for revision notes from my editor on The Jade Notebook. And I'm still trying desperately to catch up with all the (very patient) friends I neglected over the last few months of being completely absorbed in finishing the manuscript. (Sorry!) Tea n cake times with Lil Dude have become more frequent... bright, warm spots in wintertime...

Mmmm....

Yummm....

Hip hip cheerio! (as Lil Dude says...)

Wherever you are, I hope you're staying warm and cozy...

xo
Laura

Starred Kirkus review for THE QUEEN OF WATER!

January 30, 2011 Laura Resau

Hey guys,

So, after seven years (I started this book in 2004!), The Queen of Water will soon become a reality.... on March 8th, just over a month away! Maria Virginia (my co-author) and I have been doing lots of happy-dancing (her in Ecuador, me here in Colorado)... not to mention LOTS of happy squealing over the phone... The reviews have been lovely, lovely, lovely! This book is very special to me for so many reasons (which I'm going to write about and add to my website soon). For now I'll just say that Maria Virginia and I are incredibly grateful that the story feels special to readers, too.

Here's an excerpt of the ***starred*** review from Kirkus Reviews, which calls the book "riveting.":

"Bright spots of humor and warmth are woven throughout, and readers will agonize for Virginia while seething at her tormentors. The complexities of class and ethnicity within Ecuadorian society are explained seamlessly within the context of the first-person narrative, and a glossary and pronunciation guide further help to plunge readers into the novel's world. By turns heartbreaking, infuriating and ultimately inspiring. (Fiction. 13 & up)"

Thank you thank you thank you!!! (You can read the whole review here.)

And there's more! VOYA calls the book "a richly described coming-of-age story set in a culture both foreign and familiar... by turns, shocking and funny."

I'm so glad these reviews mention the humor... I really love this aspect of Maria Virginia's story, too. She was an incredibly spunky girl (and still is!), and she found all kinds of creative and funny ways to resist her oppressors. And although she went through very rough times, she wasn't a victim, not at all... her girlhood was indeed inspiring.

In case you're curious what I've been up to since I handed in my manuscript a couple weeks ago... I've been doing all the fun, relaxing things that I put on hold during that final push to finish: long walks by the river, NIA dancing and yoga (very helpful, since those long hours in front of the computer wreaked havoc on my neck and shoulders), tea parties with my Lil Dude, reading books, watching movies with girlfriends (saw I Love You Phillip Morris (weird and funny) on Friday and plan to see The King's Speech, Black Swan, and Blue Valentine soon). And, the ultimate in fun-creative-inspiring entertainment... went to the Cirque du Soleil show "Allegria"! Wow, wow, wow! Breath-taking and so worth the money (er, pretty pricey).