Kimberly Willis Holt's Blog

When my first book came out I asked schools if I could "talk to their students." I had to sell myself to do a free visit. That was over 15 years ago. At Texas Library Association in 1999, Caroline Kienzie, then with Irving ISD, invited me to visit her schools. After that, invitations rushed in.

If you are one of the educators who booked me, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've loved visiting your schools. Meeting readers has given my work more meaning. Presenting to young people has allowed me to show how inspiration for stories can be found everywhere, as close as the kitchen table. I've had the opportunity to talk about the importance of revision in my work and theirs. I'm an example of how an ordinary person's dreams can come true. As one student said, "If you can make it, I know I can."
Many times I'm asked to give writing workshops.  I now have a small taste of what it must be like for teachers when they are able to help a reluctant writer realize they can indeed write. 
The invitations have continued to come in, but school budget cuts have caused many schools to have to decline. That's why I've decided to offer new prices for my visits. If you're interested in knowing how to book me, contact me at kimberlywillisholt@gmail.com. 

Congratulations to the winners of THE BACK TO SCHOOL CONTEST FOR EDUCATORS! 
Third Place Elementary Winner: Barbara Updegraff, Crawfordville Elementary School, Crawfordville, FL
Third Place Secondary Winner: Kathy Anthes, Standifer Gap SDA School, Chattanooga
Second Place Elementary Winner: Kelly Matlock of Townsell Elementary in Irving, TX
Second Place Secondary Winner:  Sylvia Malone, Meigs Middle School in Decatur, Tennessee
Grand Prize Elementary Winner: Alicia Glenn, Hutchison School, Memphis, TN
Grand Prize Secondary Winner: Lisa Helens, McCarroll Middle School, Decatur, TX

Congratulations to all the winners! And thank you to all the educators who share their love of books with young people everyday. You are all winners to me.

Back to School Contest for Educators Only!
TWO GRAND PRIZES: (One for an elementary educator and one for a secondary educator)
Classroom set of books (PIPER REED, RODEO STAR for elementary and THE WATER SEEKER for secondary)
A 45 minute SKYPE interview with Kimberly Willis Holt
A 100 dollar Target gift certificate 

Two Second Prize: (One for an elementary educator and one for a secondary educator)
A 45 minute SKYPE interview
Third Prize: (One for an elementary educator and one for a secondary educator)
A signed book of your choice of any of Kimberly Willis Holt's books.

How to Enter:
1. Like Kimberly Willis Holt's Book Facebook Page (If you already haven't)

Kimberly Willis Holt Books

2. Post your name, school's name and school's city on the KWH Books Facebook page.
Winners will be chosen using a random name selecting tool.

You may enter now until August 21, 2013, noon central time. Winners will be posted on this blog on August 22, 2013.

of my new picture book DINNER WITH THE HIGHBROWS!
The pub date isn't until April 8, 2014, but you can have a chance to win a copy now.
How?
Simple, here are the rules:
1. LIKE my Kimberly Willis Holt Books Facebook page (if you haven't already) 
2. Post a table manner on my page and the name of the school where you work.
That's it. Entries will be printed off and put in a drawing. SIX winners will be selected randomly.
Deadline Monday, July 22, 2013, noon, central time.
Winners will be announced later that day.

Good luck!

When I was a military kid, I didn't like to move. Now I'm grateful for a childhood that taught me to be adaptable in different situations.

In the PIPER REED series, I wanted to write about a girl who embraced her military childhood. But even Piper finds that a challenge sometimes. That's what happens in PIPER REED FOREVER FRIEND.  Today the story is out in paperback.



To read more about it, here's a review from the THE CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW.

WE HAVE OUR FIFTY WINNERS! (As of May 1, 3:50 pm, central time)

Thank you for those who entered and gave a shout-out to their local public library. Winners, to receive your book, please email your snail mail address to my assistant and right hand lady, Kari at karivwork@gmail.com.

How do you know if you are a winner? If I clicked "Like" by your posting, you're one of the lucky 50.


Kari will be sending the books out next month. You should receive your copy by mid-June, just in time for summer reading. Meanwhile check out your local library for some great reads!

And while I'm at it, I'll do a shout-out for my public library--SUMMER READING ROCKS AT ARLINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY!

 Kick off your summer reading by entering the

SUMMER READING ROCKS AT YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY CONTEST

TOMORROW, MAY 1, 2013.

The Prize: A Signed Copy of One of My Books



The rules:


1. "Like" my Kimberly Willis Holt Books Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Willis-Holt-Books/119479071463391?ref=hl

2. Beginning tomorrow, May 1, 2013--

 GIVE A SHOUT-OUT to your public library by posting:

"Summer Reading Rocks at (the name of your public library)!" Example: Summer Reading Rocks at Arlington Public Library!

First 50 people to post will win a signed copy of one of my books.

Good luck and happy reading!

 Kick off your summer reading by entering the SUMMER READING ROCKS AT YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY contest.

The Prize: A signed copy of one of my books



The rules are simple:

Click "Like" on my Kimberly Willis Holt Books Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Willis-Holt-Books/119479071463391?ref=hl

Beginning May 1, 2013--post a picture of you holding your public library card

and 

then give a shout-out to your public library by posting, "Summer Reading Rocks at (the name of your public library)!" Example: Summer Reading Rocks at Arlington Public Library!

First 50 people to post will win a signed copy of one of my books.

Good luck and happy reading!

Buying homes from passionate gardeners has become quite a trend for us. I, too, love to dig in the soil, but my talents and dedication always fall short from the previous owners'.  Like good stories, beautiful yards take time. In that sense, revision and pruning have a lot in common. It takes courage to pick up the pen and pruners, again. 
 For the last couple of months I've been painfully aware of the scraggly state of the two hollies's bordering our entrance. Fear to begin had caused me to procrastinate. This afternoon the temperatures warmed into the pleasant fifties and there wasn't a rain cloud in site. It was just the right time to pick up the pruners and shape the hollies. I made my way to our backyard shed and dug out the clippers. As I carried them through the house and opened the front door, I felt a bit nostalgic. The last time I used them was to prune the roses in my former yard. I'd felt fearless then, readying the shrubs for the new owners. 
Now I focused on the hollies. Someone had kept them beautiful once, but today it was up to me. The hardest part was making that first clip. 
Isn't revision that way too? We procrastinate until the task at hand seems so daunting we don't know how we can ever begin, again. Then we realize all we need to do to begin is pick up the pen and take that first clip.

AN ADOPTION STORY

Seems an unlikely match, a writer with a paper-eating, pen-chewing dog. It's an odd one to say the least.

We'd had our last dog, Bronte, for almost twelve years. I met the breeder at the Claude, Texas Dairy Queen where I immediately agreed the champagne poodle pup was exactly what we needed. She was a gift for my thirteen-year-old daughter, Shannon, but thirteen-year-old daughters grow up and go off to college and any pets that were "theirs" end up belonging more to the folks who are left behind. When I traveled she was my husband's, sitting in Jerry's recliner while he read or watched C.S.I. But when I was home, she was mine. She was my writing partner and joined me wherever my desk was that day--my office, my club chair, my bed. A year ago she grew especially clingy to me, never leaving my side, even for short trips to the coffeepot or bathroom. I guess she knew our time together was coming to an end.  Her passing was one of my hardest goodbyes. She'd been an easy dog, fitting right into our lives.

When she died we were in the process of moving. The next few months my life was filled with a busy travel event schedule and unpacking boxes at our new house. By Thanksgiving, the traveling had stopped and boxes were empty. My days remained busy getting ready for my daughter's visit then and again at Christmas.

The day after Christmas, my daughter returned home. The house had an eerie quiet. My editor had graciously given me a break on the deadline of my next book, but I couldn't focus. Something was missing. I grieved all over again for Bronte. I spent hours perusing dog sites, first looking for a poodle from a breeder, then searching for a poodle mix on the shelter sites. As if she knew my yearning, Shannon sent me a link to an animal rescue shelter dog with a comment, "She looks smaller than a standard." The description with the picture said she was a Standard Poodle.

Jerry had reservations about moving forward. "We're not large dog people," he said.

I urged him to give the picture another look. "She's seems small and she's already two years old."

Jerry studied the photo again. "Look at those long legs. She's bigger than Bronte was."

Despite that fact, somehow the next day we were in the car driving to McKinney to "take a look."

The foster mother asked us to wait in her garage while she fetched her. When she returned with the dog, two things were clear--she was not a standard (way too small, more like a mix) and she didn't want anything to do with us. Keeping her distance from us, she sniffed around the place. Jerry and I exchanged glances. What would we be in for?

When another dog allowed us to scratch his back and head, she came over and allowed us the same privilege. We were sold.

The entire way home, she didn't whine, bark, or whimper. She was probably thinking, What am I in for?

It is a good thing we don't know what life has in store for us. The next day I had buyers remorse. I realized I had been trying to replace Bronte, hoping to find a dog with the exact qualities. Every hour that passed seemed to make a point--this dog was nothing like Bronte. She was timid and though she seemed to be housebroken, she gave us no sign that indicated it was time "to do her business." Those first few days, I spent constantly going inside and out. We'd been told she was leash trained on a harness, but when we tried to use it, the harness was a foreign device to her.

The next morning, I called my aunt who'd adopted several dogs. "Try just using the collar," she said. A few steps outside our home, she flopped on the grass like deadweight. Apparently the foster mother had been mistaken about her being "leash trained."

I'm stubborn, too, I thought. I proceeded to move toward the road, only to result in dragging her. And then something happened, a gut-feeling idea so strong that I couldn't resist trying it. I knelt next to her and petted her head and her back. With a soothing tone, I said, "It's going to be okay. We're just going for a walk." I repeated, "It's okay, it's okay," as I continued to pet her for a good long while. Then I stood and began to walk. And she did too.

I don't know for certain why Georgie-Girl is in my life, but I have a hunch she's going to teach me a thing or two. I'm usually one that tires early from scratching heads and rubbing bellies, but I spend a lot of time doing that now. She is needy for affection. She's appealed to my gentle side and I like that part of me.

As of a few days ago, she loves our neighborhood walks. That's as victorious to me as writing a fine sentence. She's made me see the value in small achievements. I love to see her race around the yard in circles, her little ears flopping from the speed. If the opportunity arises, she loves to eat paper and chew on pens, but precautions can be made to avoid those occurrences. I'll be the first to admit, I'd expected an entirely different kind of dog. But even if I had the chance, I wouldn't turn back the hands of time. I like my life with days filled with some uncertainty. And with Georgy-Girl that's what you get.  But there are certainties, too. Like our morning walks, scratching time on the couch, and moments like this very one as I write with Georgy-Girl curled up at my feet.

We still don't know what we're in for. She's reserved her trust for a small circle--my husband and me. Yet somehow we know, we're the lucky ones.