Lisa Moser

Stories that grow on trees

2011-12-13T08:42:00.001-08:00

Many times, it's very difficult to come up with new story ideas. Oh but sometimes, sometimes it feels like stories grow on trees. They dangle there, and all you have to do is find the perfect one, reach out, and grab it.

This is literally true at Christmas time. As I look at the bright lights and sparkling ornaments, I see a hundred stories just waiting to be written. Questions pop into my mind that are the glimmers of a story.

What did this bear family do all day before settling down to read a book?

Who are these two reindeer friends? Where do they live and what do they do for fun?

.

Where is that snowman headed on his sled?

So if you're stumped for a story idea, spend some quiet moments looking at your Christmas tree. Take a walk and look in the store windows. The stories are all around you.

Most of all, I wish you a blessed Christmas. May your days be filled with the peace and joy of Christ's birth.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

2011-11-19T07:28:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas! Check out this wonderful youtube video to start your season off with joy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LyviyF-N23A

Soup and stories need to simmer

2011-10-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Like a good soup, a story needs to simmer. So many times when I'm writing a new story, it just will not come together. I may have all of the ingredients- characters, setting, plot, conflict, resolution. I can even see how the scenes will unfold in my head. But for some reason, I can't get it onto paper, or in my case, computer file. It's frustrating to say the least.

However, if I'm patient, if I step away from the project totally for awhile, when I come back, miraculous things have happened. All of a sudden, the story just flows. The time away has allowed all of the flavors of the story to mingle together. Thoughts and ideas have simmered in the back burner of my imagination without my even realizing it. When I was busy muddling around with other things, the story cooked into a glorious, bubbling soup.

Next time, my goal is not to be anxious when the soup isn't perfect the minute I throw the ingredients into the soup pot. It will take time. I'm going to enjoy the simmer.

A day of writing, but not a word on paper

2011-07-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

I spent the day writing, but I didn't put a word on paper.

Sometimes writing has nothing to do with words. Sometimes writing is feeling and filling.

So, I spent four hours in wonder. I sat in the sunshine and let it warm my bones. I breathed in the pine-scented, lake-drifted breeze. I watched Coach's silhouette as he looked out over the lake. And I felt my well filling. I didn't try to formulate a plot. I didn't try to develop a character's wants or needs. I just filled up my soul with God's goodness.

I looked over at a lone tree on the bluff, and I thought about Cair Paravel in C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. I walked through a sun-dappled birch path, and I thought about Prince Edward Island and Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. I thought about whales off the island of Nantucket. I watched a dragonfly on a purple clover. I was a child again on a warm summer day with nothing to do but dream.

These days are what fill a writer- and a person. God's creation is glorious!

Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope

2011-05-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

Great news! I just sold a new picture book story called Cowboy Boyd and Mighty Calliope to Random House. It's projected to be released in 2013, and I can't wait!

Happy Trails to all of you!

A wondrous walk

2011-03-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

I just took the most wondrous walk with our dog, Coach. For the past two days, we've received sleet and frozen rain-although, I was secretly glad because I get to sit by the fire and read and write guilt-free. Today, I knew I had to get Coach out for some exercise, so I put on my boots and took him on a walk through the 100-Acre Wood. This is my favorite path to take, because it's along this beautiful wooded path with a quaint wooden bridge.

As we walked, I studied the trees. They seemed pretty normal, even drab, with their brown bark and stark, leafless branches. I knew the ice had coated the trees, so if I looked closely, they looked a little wet. It was easy to pass them by, hustling along on the cold morning.

But when I reached the end of the path, I turned around and started towards home. What a wondrous sight waited for me. The same, drab, brown trees now sparkled and shone with a million diamond lights. I was now walking into the sun, and it dazzled and reflected off the icy trees, so that I felt I was in a different land. It was like each tree was a sparkler in a firework display. Truly, I was so overwhelmed with the beauty, that I stopped to say a prayer right then and there, thanking God for His amazing creativity.

As I continued the walk, I began to think that the trees were a lot like people. We pass them and don't take much notice. But if we turn around. If we look at them in a different way, we are amazed at how glorious they are. One turn. One new way of looking. What was once a dull brown tree is now a rare thing of beauty. What beautiful God-given gifts lay inside of people that we never even imagine?

Sure the walk home was harder. I was walking directly into the arctic wind, blowing and biting at my face. But, oh, it was so worth it to see the trees sparkling in the sunlight. My goal this Lenten season is to try to walk the harder way and see the different side of people. I think it will be a wondrous walk, indeed.

Loving the Chronicles of Narnia

2011-02-20T16:57:00.001-08:00

I have loved the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis for years. I gave the entire set to my daughter when she was probably in the 4th grade. I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe outloud to her and my husband, and we all marveled at this incredible story. Then she ventured forth on her own with the rest of the books. But after finishing each and every one, she'd run to my room, flop on the bed, and say, "Mom! You've got to read this book! You've just got to!" Oh, the joy and excitement of sharing a book!

I don't think I can put into words how moving this series has been for me. I saved the books for just the right time- a time when I needed the joy, or the healing, or the wonderful buoyant fantasy of the series. The books were like apples ripening on a tree, and I would pick them to savor and enjoy when I needed them most.

I finished the last of the series, The Last Battle, and I was simply overwhelmed by it. It's a rare and mighty thing when a book affects you so immensely. I felt different, changed. I had an understanding of heaven and God's love that was new, and different, and enlightened. What a gift C. S. Lewis has given to all of us in this series!

If you're looking for a book that will change your world, pick up The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Even though it's the second book in the series, it is the touchstone upon which the series is built. Then go back, read the first book, and all the books that follow. And fall in love with them.

Happy reading, everyone!

Murray the mouse is interviewed

2011-02-02T06:22:00.000-08:00

Murray the mouse from Perfect Soup was interviewed by Fuzz, the wonderful possum from the Cork and Fuzz series by Dori Chaconas. It was a nose-to-nose interview!

Check it out here:

http://dorichaconas.com/Nose%20to%20Nose%20Current.htm#Lisa_Moser

Smithsonian magazine

2010-12-14T12:55:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
What a great Christmas gift! I found that Perfect Soup made the Holiday Gift Guide for the Smithsonian Magazine. And the best part? My best friend, Sara Akin, had her book, Three Scoops and a Fig featured, too! How cool is that?

Here's the link if you want to check it out:
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2010/11/30/holiday-gift-guide-new-childrens-books-about-food/

New book announcement: Squirrel's Fun Day

2010-12-08T15:27:00.000-08:00

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! I just signed the contract for my book Squirrel's Fun Day with Candlewick Press. This will be the sequel to Squirrel's World, and the wonderful Valerie Gorbachev will do the illustrations, again.

I absolutely love writing about this character, and so I feel overwhelmingly blessed to be able to add the next book in Squirrel's adventures.

Hope everyone is staying cozy and warm. And I wish everyone the brightest, merriest Christmas. May God's peace envelope you and bring you great joy.

Love,
Lisa

2010-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited about the upcoming story time and book signing for Perfect Soup.

Join me Saturday, November 20th at 10:30 a.m.

The Next Chapter Bookshop

10976 N. Port Washington Rd.

Mequon, WI 52405

I'll be presenting and signing with my best friend, Sara Akin, who also has a wonderful book out called Three Scoops and a Fig.

Children and adults will love it as we'll do a few craft activities, read some stories, and eat delicious gelato. Then take time to browse the beautiful Next Chapter Bookshop. It's an extraordinary book store and the people are absolutely, positively wonderful!

Hope to see you on Sat., Nov. 20th!

Wishing everyone happy friendships and warm soup!

Perfect Soup

2010-10-26T13:16:00.000-07:00

Great news! My new picture book Perfect Soup (illus. Ben Mantle, Random House) was released today. I'm so excited because I absolutely love how this book turned out.

Murray the mouse likes everything perfect- especially his soup. So when Murray discovers he's missing a carrot for Perfect Soup, he sets out to get one. But getting a carrot isn't as easy as it seems. The farmer wants him to haul wood. The horse wants bells to feel fancy, and that's just the beginning of the list Murray must fulfill. Just when things are bleakest, Snowman gives him a gift without asking for anything in return, and Murray discovers that friendship is much more important than perfection.

Ben Mantle did an extraordinary job with the illustrations, adding exquisite color and detail on every page. Every single time I read it-and I've read it a lot, believe me-I find something new and exciting in the pictures. One time, I'll follow the little bird throughout the story. Another time, I looked at how Murray's hat mimics his mood-enthusiastic, downtrodden, and surprised. I love to look inside the houses to see what kinds of things are in Murray's kitchen, Mrs. Wooly's teapot-shaped house, and so much more. Every turning of the page is an illustrated treasure.

I feel such gratitude for all the blessings that come with each book- the joy of writing it, the tremendous appreciation for the artist and illustrations, my wonderful, wonderful editor, the bookstores and libraries who will put it on their shelves, and the children and adults who will read it and hopefully laugh along with it. I thank God and Jesus for this dream come true!

Happy Reading All!

Love this quotation

2010-10-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

"God doesn't look at how much we do, but with how much love we do it." - Mother Teresa

Sheboygan Children's Book Festival

2010-09-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about presenting my program "Just Like You" at the Sheboygan Children's Book Festival. Through a Power Point presentation, I will talk about my stories, how I get my ideas, and how my writing process exactly mirrors the way children write at school. This program is geared for elementary students, parents, and anyone wanting to write for children. So, please, come and join me at the Mead Public Library in Sheboygan, Wisconsin from 1:30-2:30 in the Story Garden.

Also, please check out all of the wonderful authors attending and presenting at the Sheboygan Children's Book Festival. Their website is http://www.sheboyganchildrensbookfestival.org/ Come, listen, and learn from children's writers Avi, Keiko Kasza, Renae Graef, JoAnn Macken, and many others. What could make it even better? It's FREE!

Let's all gather for a literary event that everyone will celebrate.

A Thank You for the Breakthrough

2010-09-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed at God's gifts. They seem to come at just the right time and in just the right way.

I've been struggling with writer's block for quite a while, now. Maybe 9 months, minus the 2 1/2 months I take off during the summer. I just could not, could not, could not generate any new story ideas. Even the older stuff I was working on seemed to be mired in a standstill traffic jam.

And worse. . . I wasn't finding any joy when I wrote. Just this terrible pressure to produce. It doesn't get any worse for a writer.

So, I found myself praying to God and Jesus to let me find the joy again. I always pray as I write asking for Them to let me bring goodness to children through my stories. But I found myself needing the goodness from the writing.

And hours after the prayer, I found the gift. A story- fresh, new, never pondered before- opened up right before me. And there was joy.

Thank you, God and Jesus, for hearing us, leading us on when we are tired and joyless, helping us find the way.

Taking time to daydream

2010-09-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Daydreaming is an essential component to the writing process. And yet, I bet it is easily the most misunderstood. Today, I stared out my sunroom window for almost 3 hours. I didn't write one word in my notebook. I didn't revise an old story. And yet, I worked.

I let my mind travel unhindered in ten different directions. I let old and new characters play like a movie in my head. I let images drift in and out. I daydreamed.

Daydreams are funny little things. The slightest thing will trigger them. And then the mind takes off. For instance, I saw a crow fly at our big, plate glass window and peck at it in a menacing way. Then he flew off to join his friends, maybe bragging about what he had done. And here is my train of thought on seeing this event.

-What in the world is that crow doing?
-Could he actually chip the glass in the window by pecking at it so hard?
-What are his friends over there thinking while he does this?
-What do crow's nests look like?
-Do they weave them out of soft little bits like the songbirds' nests I've seen?
-What would happen this crow found a bit of bright yarn?
-What if it wasn't a crow that found the yarn, but someone else?
-What could yarn be used for?

And then I was off the races. A darling little start to a story formed. All because I daydreamed.

So, fellow writers, allow the time for the hard work. Daydream.

World's Best Office

2010-09-10T14:52:00.001-07:00

The beautiful thing about being an author is that your office is portable. My favorite place to write is outside- by a pond, by this stream. There's something about a cool breeze and fresh air that opens up the doors of creativity. Ideas seem to bubble up from the springs and sprout like apples on the trees. Next time you're looking for a really good idea, try going outside, sitting quietly with pen in hand. You'll have the world's best office, too.

2010-07-27T08:28:00.000-07:00

I just took the giant leap onto Facebook. So, please join me on Facebook at Lisa Moser Books.

Railroad Hank

2010-06-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I just sold my picture book Railroad Hank to Random House Books for Children! Railroad Hank was just a terrifically funny character to write about, and I've always been enthralled with trains. Put those two elements together, and it was true joy in the creation process.

As always, I'm feeling so thankful and blessed that I continue on this journey as a children's author. This time by train! So, thanks to God for such happiness.

All best,

Lisa

2009-11-22T17:11:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, I went to the mailbox and found the wonderful news about Squirrel's World being selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Master List. Today, I went to my computer and found a note from my Candlewick editor saying Kisses on the Wind won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Medal Award! I am so grateful for these lovely blessings and will be sure to include them in my thanksgiving prayers.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

2009-11-22T17:02:00.000-08:00

The other day, I strolled down to collect our mail and was astounded by what I found. It was like going to the mailbox and finding a treasure box of gold- only better. It was a letter saying that Squirrel's World was nominated to the 2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List! I was absolutely overjoyed with this honor, and I feel very humbled and grateful. The best part is that Squirrel will go out and share his humor and good intentions with many schoolchildren in Texas via his book. As Squirrel said, "Today has been a good, good, good day!"

2009-10-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

I was just interviewed by fellow writer and blogger extraordinaire, Pat Zietlow Miller. To check it out, just click on this link.

http://patzietlowmiller.com/2009/09/16/an-author-you-should-know-lisa-moser/

Thanks, Pat, for the chance to answer your fun questions! I truly enjoyed it.

2009-09-08T13:00:00.001-07:00

I'm thrilled to announce that my new book Kisses on the Wind (illus. by Kathryn Brown, Candlewick) was released today! You can find Kisses on the Wind at your local bookstore or online.

Kisses on the Wind by Lisa Moser, illus. Kathryn Brown, Candlewick Press, 2009.

Lydia and her parents are preparing to leave on the Oregon Trail, but Lydia is about to burst with sadness at the thought of leaving her beloved Grandma behind. So Grandma takes Lydia by the hand, and through a very special walk teaches her how to say good-bye, and more importantly, how to keep love alive. Lydia learns that distance can never separate people who love each other. As the wagon leaves the farm, Lydia is filled with hope knows most certainly that Grandma will always be with her in heart. Kisses on the Wind is a celebration of love and a testament on how to share that love with others.

This book is especially dear to my heart because it was inspired by my beloved grandma. And while Grandma did not travel the Oregon Trail, she did indeed teach me all of the things in the story. To repeat the dedication on the book.
~My grandma loved me so well, and I loved her right back~

I am especially grateful to Kathryn Brown for the amazing work she did on the illustrations. Simply put, she picked up a paint brush and painted love. I will always be eternally grateful for the gift of those illustrations!

It's my fervent hope that Kisses on the Wind will bring goodness to children and peace and comfort to all who read it.