Book Birthday Blog with Vicky Lorencen

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Vicky Lorencen on the release of The Big Book of Barf

 A Spewnami of Sick Science, Hurled History, and Body Oddities

 

 

How did you come up with the idea for your book? 

My husband and I were chatting, and he mentioned the new lineup for a team he volunteered with at our church—including someone named Ralpha. The unusual name immediately tickled my imagination and made me think of “ralphabet.” That’s when the lightbulb/barf bag appeared over my head. “THAT could be something!” I said, and my husband immediately agreed. I wasn’t even thinking of writing non-fiction for kids, but the idea was too fun to pass up. What started as a ralphabet book of weird words for vomit exploded into THE BIG [as in 288 pages!] BOOK OF BARF. Proving once again, much like vomit, you never know when inspiration will spew something at you! 

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book? 

First, my goal was to create a book with an intimidation factor of minus 10 so that kids who are shy about exploring science will feel welcome to wade on in. Because it’s arranged in ralphabetical order, young readers can jump into any page to find digestible chunks of facts, stories, activities or recipes. I hope kids will become so fascinated, they’ll want to keep reading.

My second hope is that kids will come to a whole new appreciation of their amazing bodies and be encouraged to take good care of themselves. 

What inspires you to write? 

I can’t “not” write. Writing helps me see what I’m thinking (if that makes any sense). It’s how I entertain myself and how I connect most easily with others.  

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it? 

THE BIG BOOK OF BARF is available through big box retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Target, but I’m very pleased it can also be found in independent bookstores across the US and even around the world—after all, barf is a global experience! 

What's next for you? 

My agent is sending out a proposal for another non-fiction middle grade with a whole new cast of characters who introduce loads of cool sciencey stuff. Fingers crossed! 

More about the book . . . 

THE BIG BOOK OF BARF A Spewnami of Sick Science, Hurled History, and Body Oddities is for curious, science-minded kids who love to digest (and then regurgitate) cool and crazy facts. This colorful and engaging book is hosted by 10-year-old Chuck, his buddy Queezy, and their knowledgeable friend Professor Anita Puke. THE BIG BOOK OF BARF is filled with myths and history about vomit, humorous health hacks to keep your food down, facts about your digestive system, activities for home, jokes—and even recipes! All this gastronomic gargle-gravy goodness will entertain and inform young readers whether at home, in school, or especially [cough, gag, heave] in the bathroom.

Publisher: Bright Matter, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books

More about the author . . .

Vicky Lorencen has been in healthcare communications for more than 15 years, writing about everything from allergies to Zika virus. Her previous writing-related roles include college writing instructor, freelance journalist, and associate editor for Kids in Common, a family resource magazine. Vicky’s work for young readers has appeared in Highlights for Children, Ladybug and Girls’ Life. Vicky and her husband live in Michigan with their feline proprietor Finn.

Find Vicky via her website/blog "Frog on a Dime" at https://vickylorencen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicky.lorencen 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickylorencen/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vlorencen.bsky.social 

 

 

 

Writer Spotlight: Vicky Lorencen

 

Granny Franny, Julie Andrews, 'Frog on a Dime,' and Acme anvils: Vicky Lorencen finds non-fiction on her quest to write a MG novel

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet blogger, doodler and pre-published (for now) writer Vicky Lorencen.

 When did you know you were a writer?

Early edition of Vicky

I’ve known I wanted to write children’s books since I was a little girl, like five. Not just a writer, but a writer of that specific genre (even though I didn’t know that word back then). But why?

I blame it on a certain book: Childcraft, Volume Two, Storytelling and Poems, copyright 1949. It was part of a 14-volume set my Granny Franny originally purchased for my mom and her sister when they were little girls. Volume Two included poetry by Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg, among many others, and a stunning variety of illustrations by exceptional artists.

Page from Childcraft, 1949

My mom kept the set intact in the hall closet of my childhood home for years, but somehow that precious Volume Two vamoosed to WhoKnowsWhere. Over the years, I thought about Volume Two. It may sound silly, but I longed to see those images of Miss T. dining with her grandparents, an elephant on the telephone, the dancing potatoes, the tiny black kitten curled on the blue rug. And I wanted to read those poems again. Those amazing poems. The combination of art and rhythmic words was like an incantation. So powerful. So magical.

I’m sure that book is the reason I loved making cards as a kid. I drew an “illustration” for the outside and wrote a poem for the inside. Voila! A mini book!

I’m happy to report I finally found Volume Two online and it is now lives at my house. Sure enough, seeing it again takes me to the same place of contentment and delight that made me want to write for children, even while I was a child myself.

You’ve been a magazine editor, freelance newspaper reporter, feature writer, copywriter and college-level writing instructor. Whew! Can you describe a memory from one of those jobs?

Besides writing courses, I taught a class designed for students in need of extra help to get their reading skills up to college speed. I’ll never forget a student, a dad in his 40s, who made a point of telling me he’d finished reading the novel he’d selected for class. “It was the first novel I’ve ever read,” he said. “That wasn’t too bad.”

I imagined dominos (that looked like books!) in a line so long, I couldn’t see the end. Helping a dad discover reading for fun was the first domino to tip. Let’s say he keeps reading, his kids see him reading and want to read with him, they ask for more books and grow up to be book lovers . . .  tip-tip-tip . . . Yes!

 

You won the Shutta Crum scholarship? What do you remember most about your trip to the “Big Apple”?

I remember feeling overwhelmed. Visiting Winnie the Pooh in New York public library, falling in love with Grand Central Station, spending time with SCBWI-MI friends and making new ones, eating mashed potatoes out of a martini glass, and of course, meeting editors and hearing from top shelf authors like Jane Yolen and Mo Willems. 

I’ll be honest, the “authors” I was least anxious to hear were Julie Andrews and her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton. Don’t get me wrong. I think Julie Andrews is brilliant as a singer and actress, but I assumed she was writing children’s books on a lark and capitalizing on her celebrity. (Wrong, Vicky!) 

Julie and Emma (like we’re on a first name basis, ha) actually made a point of saying how they work hard to make sure their books are the best they can be and not rely on Julie’s name. The more they shared, it was obvious they were legit and had a real admiration for children’s literature.

I’ll always be grateful to Shutta for making that whole experience possible. She’s a gem.

What WIP are you currently most excited about?

Right now, I’m working on two non-fiction projects. My comfy place is contemporary middle grade fiction, but then, I tripped over a couple of NF ideas demanding to be explored. I am so grateful for the non-fiction workshop hosted by SCBWI-MI in 2020 (just before “you know what” invaded!) I learned how to write a proposal, how to track sources and was exposed to the many ways to approach non-fiction.

You like to doodle in pen, creating paisley patterns. A form of relaxation, or focus, or just fooling around with pen and paper?

I discovered, entirely by accident, doodling helps me focus. Distracting my brain with doodling allows me to truly focus. Go figure! I might look like I’m bored and tuned out, but the reality is, I am more engaged. Without doodling, my overactive imagination gland goes into overdrive and distraction takes over. The trick for me is to doodle without any plan in mind. Just let it flow. Then I can focus. That’s normal, right?

 

You’re best known for your blog “Frog on a Dime,” which has been going strong for coming up on ten years. To what do you attribute its longevity?

Darcy Pattison presented at an SCBWI-MI conference eons ago, and she stressed the importance of establishing an online presence with a web site or a blog. I don’t have any published books to promote, so I decided I could start a blog that would be a source of encouragement, especially to pre-published writers like me. The need for encouragement is as strong as ever, so I that’s why I’m still at it. Plus, I’m certifiably stubborn. And that helps.

You’ve been pursuing publication for a long time. What keeps you going?

On a Saturday morning in January of 2022, I stumbled on this quote from Mary Oliver: “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”

That flaaaaattened me. We’re talking steamroller followed by one of those Acme anvils. My poor husband. I was crying too hard to explain myself. Wow. When I finally got it together, I tried to express how painful Mary Oliver’s words were for me. For as much time as I’ve invested in my writing, it always needs more time than I can give. I’m never going to get there.

But by the end of that day, after I bought more Kleenex, I figured I could be miserable because I’m not published yet, or I can quit and be miserable wondering what would have happened if I’d kept trying just one more year. I chose the former because it has an ounce of hope left in it. The latter would be relentless torture.

In August of 2022, I got some unexpected encouragement. That’s all I want to say about that right now, but let’s just say, I may be glad I kept going.

Follow Vicky here:

Facebook.com/Vicky.Lorencen

 

@VickyLorencen (on Twitter)

 

 

Creative Gifting

All around us, people are using their creativity to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical staff are finding new ways to treat patients. Grocers, farmers, restaurants, non-profits, and neighborhood groups are finding new ways to supply and deliver food and partnering to help vulnerable and struggling residents and businesses. Teachers and parents are finding new ways to educate children. We’re all in this together, but not equally; the reality looks very different even within the same city. I could go on and on, but I know you're all discovering new partnerships being created every week in your area.

Everyone is coping in their own way depending on their circumstances. Some of my author friends are writing up a storm, while others are literally and figuratively stuck in place. But creativity takes many forms, and I’m appreciating the various ways people are giving back when they've been gifted with safety and time at home - from quilting clubs making masks to chefs filming free virtual cooking lessons from their home kitchens. For those of you who attended my "Salted Book Launch Party" a few years ago and sampled my friend Laura's cooking, she's been sharing recipes and hosting daily Live at Five real-life cooking demos with limited ingredients, hungry teenagers, and the family dog barking in the background.

For some of us, being busy is a healthy coping mechanism; for others, our pace needs to slow. Here are a few of the ways our SCBWI-MI members are coping with the quarantine.

https://www.neallevin.com/

*  Remember Neal Levin’s Kiddie Litter cartoons? He created them many years ago when this blog was a newsletter printed on paper and snail-mailed to members around the state. Now, he’s created a number of quarantine cartoons. I had a hard time choosing just one to share here! You can see more on his Facebook page.












*  Author and SCBWI-MI Indie Coordinator/Shop Talk Administrator Dave Stricklen has been working on his 2020 ArtPrize non-partisan entry, The Spirit of America (come together and overcome together) about how we as Americans work together to overcome difficult times.

What to look for: The first view is how the painting appears to move as you walk by. The final stills show the detail when standing in place.

Did you notice? The doors open and close, the striped hallways stretch, and the spirit’s face follows you. Also, the shadows from the doors move as the doors open and the planes near the end move through the sky. If you ever get a chance to see it in person, be sure to move up and down (the face will also smile at you).

Many SCBWI members have created and shared activities to help teachers and parents with homeschooling kids.
*  Here’s one from author/illustrator, Amy Nielander.

CREATE A CHARACTER
Ages: Kindergartner to Adult

Families/kids can download a CREATE A CHARACTER activity sheet every Monday on my blog. Four BLOBS (inspired by real objects) are on each sheet. Kids can turn the BLOBS into any character they like using a medium of their choice. Amy will share her character designs on Friday (and encourages others to post their designs via social media using #theblobblog). Families can check the Blog Archive to see previous designs and Guest Artist’s artwork.This activity encourages creativity, imagination, design and problem-solving skills.

*  Here's a virtual 3D modeling class from author/illustrator/sculptor
Jeff Jantz:
"The organization that I work for is currently running interactive after-school activities through several different themed channels Monday through Thursday including an Arts and Craft channel, a Travel channel, a Health and Fitness channel and more. Also, homework help with certified teachers. I am working a lot with the MAKER channel, where we will be facilitating interactive engineering and design activities. Here's a link to our virtual page so you can see all the great things we have going on:
https://c2pipeline.wayne.edu/virtual  
I'm very proud to work for an organization that is so willing to make changes quickly to find ways to serve our students even in these uncertain times."

FREE Virtual 3D modeling class for kids. "3D modeling Mondays featuring TinkerCAD"
This Virtual class will be taught by author/illustrator Jeff Jantz and is sponsored by WSU C2 Pipeline in response to school closers across the country due to COVID 19. To join simply click on the Zoom Meeting link below during the scheduled time.

What is TinkerCAD? It's a 3D modeling program for kids. It can be used for 3D printing, lego builds or simply designing a project.

Who can participate? Kids and Teens age 6 and up. Kids who play Minecraft tend to catch on to TinkerCAD very quickly.

What's needed? An internet connection and a computer (preferably with a mouse). You can join Zoom from a computer or a phone. It would be best to set up a TinkerCAD account beforehand and explore it on your own before the class. To set up a free account go to https://www.tinkercad.com/

When? Every Monday, 3:30 to 5:00 PM eastern time, till May 25, 2020

How do I get on? Just follow this link during the scheduled time:
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYoce6srT8vprs6LnCE7o4kLrApEJfwrA 
Or use the Meeting ID: 825-674-345

Find more educational resources from SCBWI members in Michigan and around the world:

• https://michigan.scbwi.org/2020/03/18/scbwi-michigan-educational-resources/

• https://www.scbwi.org/digital-directory-for-remote-learning-resources/

*  You might have heard the inspiring story of how Ruth McNally Barshaw’s sketchbook journal of an SCBWI conference experience helped her find an agent and publish her popular Ellie McDoodle series. In recent weeks, Ruth has been keeping an "isolation journal" and sharing the sketches on her Facebook page. Her entries are full of humor and heart. Most of all, they speak the truth.

https://ruthexpress.com/

Thank you everyone for sharing your creative gifts in myriad ways. We'd love to hear more about what you're doing; please let us know in the comments. Whether it's working on the front-lines of healthcare or staying home and hugging your family members, we appreciate you. Here’s a gentle, encouraging post from Vicky Lorencen which sums it up beautifully: https://vickylorencen.com/2020/04/15/give-your-words/.

Stay safe and take care,
Kristin Lenz