Oy, readers, have I got something fun for you. :-)The first Wingfeather book club kit is now available! Head to the Book Club tab to find it. Kids, parents, teachers, homeschoolers—you're all invited. I can't wait to hear about the fun you have together.Questions or ideas? Click!
Thwaps in the totato garden
Sometimes when Oskar goes on a book-finding trip, he returns with a piece of art! This week, he came back with a book about sand-fishing, a book of cheese poetry, and this excellent drawing. The artist's name, he said, is Katie Grace. I love the colors of the thwaps. The green one is especially tenacious; look how it holds tight to that totato even whilst swinging upside-down! And I am fascinated by that beautifully-carved wooden leg.
Next week I'm going to be reading this section of Dark Sea, and I can hardly wait. :-)For those of you eagerly looking forward to the book club kit: It'll be posted in a day or two. I'm still working on it. It contains (spoiler!) a craft and some original artwork!
Goodbye to the old year; hello to the new year!
I don't know about you, but around here, last year was good—and really hard—and really, really good. Sometimes it's difficult to see how the two work together. We're a few days into 2016 already, but before we move on to the bright shiny year ahead, I would like to take a minute to dwell in thankfulness for 2015.Last year:
- Andrew went into the studio with next to no songs, and emerged as from a cocoon with a brand-new album. And it is glorious.
- Between the UK tour with Eric Peters, a release tour with Asher Peterson (and also Eric, and more friends besides), and the annual Behold the Lamb of God tour (with lots of friends, including Cindy Morgan), Andrew was on the road quite a bit.
- Here in the Great Library, we read through the entire Wingfeather Saga together, start to finish.
- We launched a brand-new feature on the website: The forum. And it was Good. We shared our favorite characters and quotes and more; we talked about movie-casting, about the ending of the series, about hard stuff we were going through in our own lives, about hope. We even made friends there. Andrew and I had hoped that the forum would be a good place to build community, but the way this actually worked out blew my mind. I am so grateful.
- A little writing cottage, the Chapter House, began to grow at the Warren.
- The whole Wingfeather series is now available as audiobooks, and The Warden and the Wolf King finally came out in paperback.
- Andrew grew a very impressive beard. Behold:
"To be alive and uneaten is a miracle worthy of notice," says Jennifer Trafton in The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic. Andrew and I both have a lot to be thankful for. If you're reading this, you're on the list. I hope that as you look back over last year, you find that you have things to be thankful for, too. (If you don't yet see those things, take heart. And come hang out in the forum. We'd love to encourage you.)Now for 2016!
- The Wingfeather Saga is complete, but Andrew is still writing. He started a brand-new story just this morning! :-) Stay tuned for a Chapter House update, too!
- The Book Club is also finished, but we can still read together. Although I won't be posting new excerpts, I am going to be reading through the series again this year. You can join me if you like. I'll be starting on January 18. More on that next week!
- The community that's been building in the forum is so good. Andrew and I would love to see that continue to develop this year. You can help. :-)
- Another hope I have for this year is that you might find ways to enjoy these books in face-to-face conversations with friends. Keep an eye out for a new Book Club tab in the menu above. It'll contain a reading guide, discussion questions, recipes, and maybe even activities—everything you need to get started reading with your friends. I'll post the kit for the first book next week. If you have ideas, let me know!
What else might happen this year? Around here, we're dreamers. Heads in the clouds, huge hopes, wild imaginations. And the Maker is also at work. Anything might happen! I think this will be our best year yet. Last year was good, and hard, and so good—and somehow, we can't stop smiling.Onward, dear readers!
Playing Wingfeather
From the left: Sara, Artham, Kalmar, Nia, Maraly and Gammon, Arundelle, Janner, and Leeli.
How do you play Wingfeather?Thanks for sending us this photo, Sandra!
A boy named Janner
The Wolf King
Christina, age ten (now eleven) drew this last summer—the Wolf King himself. Isn't he regal? His face looks both solemn and mischievous. Thank you, Christina! Great job.
This week—our very last week of the Ban Rona Book Club—Madame Sidler will be reading the end of The Warden and the Wolf King, starting with chapter 91. Come back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share one of your own. Meanwhile, how about hanging out in the forum? :-)Andrew has one more week left on his Christmas tour! Are you going? Check out his music site for dates and ticket info.
Paperbacks—Now shipping!
Yes, dear readers, the days of unmatched sets are but a tear-stained memory. Get thee to the Rabbit Room to purchase your velvety new paperback!But once you have your paperback, what will you do with your hardcover copy? Here are some ideas!
- Save it for your grandchildren (it is a limited-release heirloom, after all).
- Bury it in the backyard and make a treasure map.
- Give it to a friend and then
bullyexhort them into buying the other three. - Put it in a shadowbox on your wall (well-lighted with a museum-style gooseneck lamp).
- Pull out your colored pencils to illumine and illustrate it (if you do this, we want pictures!).
- You could even (barbaric! says the librarian) make Christmas tree ornaments or other decorations out of the pages. (And really, if you have to cruelly dismember a book, Wingfeather Christmas tree ornaments would be pretty awesome.)
- Put it under your pillow at night to ensure dangerous, delightful dreams. (Results not guaranteed.)
Any other ideas?Thank you, thank you, Bookbindery Guildmaster Pete!
Into the Book interview
Andrew Joyce at Into the Book recently interviewed Andrew about songwriting, storytelling, and whether hobbits enjoy totatoes. Check out the interview here.
This week, Madame Sidler will be reading chapters 87-90 of The Warden and the Wolf King. Only one more week to go! Check back on Friday for an excerpt, and to share one of your own; and in the meanwhile, we'll see you in the forum!Has anybody had a chance to catch one of the Behold the Lamb of God shows yet? :-)