Carole Marsh's Blog

 

Thank you so much for your patronage to my site!

Please note that we have moved my blog over to a brand spankin' new website!

 

I can't wait to catch back up with you on the new blog!

 

 

www.BlufftonBooksBlog.com

Who IS Carole Marsh...

Questions Asked and Answered, Short and Sweet*

*Hey, Carole Marsh is short... and sweet! 

1. Home base? 

My new home on the South Carolina coast! 

2. Job? 

Writing as many books as I can! 

3. Working on? 

A book about my 34 years of school visits! 

4. New Year's Resolution? 

Finish the book! 

5. Family? 

Papa, a son, daughter and 6 grandchildren, 18 months-18 years!

6. Favorite thing? 

Sitting on my porch reading a book and eating something chocolaty!

7. I'll never get tired of... 

WRITING!

8. I secretly want to be... 

A fourth-grader!

9. Least favorite thing? 

Kids who don't say yes sir and no ma'am!

So, where were you?

That's the big question going around.

I was in class.  It was announced over the PA system.

We could not believe it.  Our president—ASSASSINATED?!

This was not in the history books we grouched about...this WAS history, being made, alas, before our eyes.  It was a whole new world. 

A LOT of kids today would read the above paragraph and have no idea what I was talking about.

Think about it:  A LOT of kids today were not even born when 9/11 happened. 

So for kids or teens, or even adults who can't see why we bother to study history—get a life, as they say:  your life...because this IS your history, my history, our history. While it helps if we all speak the same language when we are trying to communicate, it really helps if we all understand the history of where we came from...what happened...why...

As it has been said, "History isn't the past...it isn't even history."

If you don't agree, tune in to all the media coverage of the 50th anniversary of JFK.

We don't forget, because we don't want to forget, nor should we ever forget.

It's easier to learn history when you are in school, and then never let up, but continue the story, the saga—if you think it's dull or boring or unnecessary, well...

The next time a kid grouses "Why do I have to study history?" sit down and give them a really good answer.

If JFK doesn't do it for you, then try WWI, WWII, MLK, 9/11...all the things we care about so much we eventually distill it into a snippet of letters or numbers.  But behind those snippets is history worth learning.   

You can be an adult without learning history, but you really can't be a valid part of the national conversation, a part of common ground, a part of the curiosity that creates, cures, and cares.  

Light the fire of the eternal flame of history under some kid you know.

Because BISO (Because I Said So) is not nearly a good enough answer.

People love zombies.  I did not know that.  I just wrote a book—MY LIFE AS A THIRD GRADE ZOMBIE.  I didn’t even know that I love zombies, nor why, but after signing books at the annual Savannah Children’s Book Festival, I have some new insights into zombie love.

First off, to my surprise, it seems to have nothing to do with The Walking Dead; out of 100 people, I only heard one reference to this popular TV show, and it was,“I don’t watch it; it scares me.”  [This was from a 20-something year old man.]

I sat right by the display for My Life as a Third Grade Zombie.  As you can see, it’s a small book for kids.  It has the title on the cover and Joe, the main character. Joe looks, well, like a kid who’s a zombie. He’s “thumbs-up,” as you can see, and not particularly gory or scary, but he is a zombie.

For six hours, I watched people from age 3-4 to age 73-74 approach our table and this book, as in making a beeline for it.  What fascinated me was the look on their faces.  It took awhile for it to register with me, but whether kid, mom, or man, they all looked at Joe, not with disgust, horror, curiosity, etc., but with the exact same look that they would have given…AN ADORABLE TEDDY BEAR! 

I did not understand.  People puckered their lips in tenderness; they grinned like Joe was a long, lost friend.  Kids picked up the book and held Joe close to their eyes.  Adults grabbed the book and said to their kid, “You want this one, don’t you?!”

I did not understand.  However, later in the day, a small boy approached our dwindling supply of My Life as a Third Grade Zombie books and said (with a tilt of his head and a goofy sad smile)  “He broke.”  Then he handed the book to his dad to buy for him.

It was my zombie eureka moment.  I slept on it and came to these possible reasons why we love zombies, love them so:

Zombies are broke.  Joe has sickly hair, a bad eye, yucky teeth and green goo dripping from his mouth.  His shirt is ragged and torn, his face is dirty (or something), but he’s grinning, thumbs-upping, and hanging in there with his “Save Haiti” tee and book bag slinking on his skinny body.  He looks like he needs love, attention, and a friend.  We may have our own issues, problems; even kids do.  But clearly, we are not as bad off as Joe.  Zombies just seem to bring out the charity in us, the empathy, the “I want to take you home and make your boo-boo better.”  Zombies, if nothing else, are a mess of boo-boos. Even 35 years later, I recall an early postcard mail-out I did to sell a few of my early kid’s mystery books.  The front side of the card had a graphic of a teddy bear.  He had a patch over one eye and one fuzzy leg was in a cast and he had a crutch.  That simple postcard drew more orders (percentagewise) than anything else we ever did.  I think it was because the bear looked so sweet and in need.  He was just a boo-boo bear who needed love.  A zombie bear? Yes, we sold lots of zombie books at the Savannah Children’s Book Festival, but mostly, I think people just wanted to take Joe home and give him some love?  It’s sort of the way I feel when I see that current TV commercial with the guy who insists that he’s not a zombie…then a chunk of his face falls off.  He’s just so pathetic…you want to help him, even if you don’t actually want to hug, or smell, him. I recall being at St. Vincent’s Hospital’s famous ER in New York City after Bob broke his wrist at a book show.  While I waited, folks wandered in:  One had her jaw completely popped open, her mouth wider agape than seemed humanly possible; she was in great pain, drooling.  A young man, rushed from a job site, held one arm (the detached one!) under the other arm.  Another man ran in and out of the ER, arms akimbo, legs stiff, and eyes wild, in some kind of drug overdose reaction.  Zombies all:  gross, yes, but more so pathetic, needy, broken.  You didn’t want to look, but like that train wreck, you just had to, and you wanted to help. 


Zombies are interesting, even fascinating.  Kids know what a zombie looks like, but not really what a zombie is, or how he/she got to be a zombie, I don’t think.  I have done a LOT of research on zombies and there are a lot of scientific facts, a lot of legend and lore, and a lot of mumbo-jumbo voodoo spells, and such.  I can vouch that there really can be “walking dead.”  But, if they are walking, just how dead are they?  I think this dichotomy intrigues us.  On occasion, I have felt like a zombie, even looked like a zombie (usually both at the same time after New Year’s Eve.)  We just have some kind of human connection to the walking dead, whomever, whatever they are.  As I said, when people looked at Joe (people old and young), they just seemed to recognize something/someone there.  Their oldest kid off in college?  Weird Uncle Joe?  Crazy Aunt Mable?  You gotta love 'em, relatives and zombies all, cause if you don’t, who will?  And in what can be a boring world, well, at least zombies are not boring.


Zombies are fun!  Really.  For our annual office Halloween party, three perfectly normal, sane, attractive women of a mature enough age ALL dressed up like…Joe, the third grade zombie!  Take a look!  They had the look, the walk, the talk, and they had a blast!  They, hand’s down (or up…you never know with zombies) won the costume contest—I told you we all love zombies.  They looked perfectly awful, their fake, bloodshot eyeballs hanging on their cheeks, but all we wanted to do was hug them.  Most of us got out of our itchy, cheesy costumes and make-up as soon as we could, but not the Three Joes.  They stayed in costume and character the rest of the day.  For all I know, these perfectly respectable, church-goin’ women went to lunch…as zombies.  If so, I’m sure they got a lot of laughs, thumbs-ups, and maybe pats on the back, just in case all that stiff-legged walking was not fake but a little arthritis or something? 

I still don’t understand.  But I do want a Joe Save Haiti t-shirt and a Joe coffee mug, and maybe a Joe sock-puppet to sleep with.   At least I know Joe’s ok; I wrote the book, so naturally, I had the inside scoop to help him.  I had to help him, and Maria, his zombie girl friend in the story.  I love him.  He reminds me of a certain very young boy who used to live in my house a long time ago (Hi, Michael!), as Maria reminds me of a very young girl who also lived in my house once upon a time (Hi, Michele!), who went through those awkward, uncomfortable ages and stages—I’m sure you parents have all seen The Walking Dead come downstairs to your breakfast table on occasion?  

Joe and Maria found a lot of good homes this weekend.  I know.  I saw their new families wear their hearts on their sleeves and in their smiles.  It was surprising, it was touching. 

Zombie love—who knew?

COME ONE,
COME ALL, LADIES AND GENTS, COWBOYS AND CITY SLICKERS, BOYS AND GIRLS OF ALL
AGES!

Ok,
you're not gonna want to miss this!

Just now
strung and hung and waiting for your eyeballs! No it’s not just one, but TWO,
exciting, rare, unheard of in the South, art exhibitions that are just a
gallop away!

The High
Museum of Art (you know, the big white Guggenheimy-looking building on
Peachtree Street) is hosting GO WEST!  ART OF THE AMERICAN FRONTIER FROM
THE BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST, now through April 13, 2014.  Aw,
don't moan and groan...you DO love Western art, you just don't know it yet!

And this,
pard'ners, is the creme de la creme of Western art.  As some of you know,
Bob and I go to Cody each year to the "Buffalo Bill" (a swank, Smithsonian-affiliated
museum of five wings of some of the most beautiful art, artifacts,
sculpture, and more than you've ever seen!) for their annual soiree—a
black tie ball right there in the museum, no less!  This year the guest
of honor was Prince Albert of Monaco! You will want to bring
children, especially middle-schoolers and teens, who can SEE the
things they've only read about in school.  We are blessed that the
Center of the West is sharing.  

Now, I
know they can't bring every last Remington, Russell, N.C. Wyeth, and other
world-class art that they have, but they have shipped more than 120 pieces—none
of which you will want to miss.  We know the Southern culture like the
back of our blue-veined hands, but, hey, get up off your chaps and come, see, and
feel the authenticity, the sheer outrageous talent, the dust, the
"Dang-its!" and more in this exhibition.   

The
lovely Native American pieces are worth making a visit, and your kids will
love "Buffalo Bill" Cody, a master showman and world ambassador of
his day! Not to mention Annie Oakley, whom I believe said, "Well if you
want to be a legend, then just go on and be one."  My sentiments,
exactly!   

I know
where you live.  I'll know if you go!  I'll kick ya if you don't!

What?
 You've got five months!  You'll probably spy Bob and I wandering
around the exhibits, revisiting our friends from the walls of yesteryear.
 It will be magical.  Hey, and then, you can mosey on down to Ted's
Montana Grill and have some bison burgers and other cowboy grub.  Yeah, it's
ok to wear your jeans and boots—but it will be the Thomas Moran's...or
something...that will make you shed a tear.  

The
passion of the West and for the West is what you'll find, and you don't find
that in the South every day, do you?  Get your calendar; mark it; send me
an email how you liked it...loved it!

AND….ALSO
AT THE VERY SAME TIME, MIRACULOUSLY...

The Booth
Western Art Museum, just 45 minutes more or less, up the road also has – from
the Buffalo Bill Center of the West – CONTEMPORARY WESTERN ART!

Now,
we're talking!  This absolutely gorgeous 120,000 square foot museum in
Cartersville is another "must see/must do!"  Again, bring a
kid—they will love this more modern view of all things West, and so will
you!  For the little types, there's a Sagebrush Ranch on the lower level.
 The permanent exhibitions will make you swoon, so all this added extra
wild and wooly and even wacky and colorfully wonderful Western art will really
get your...your...your...well, I don't know, but don't be surprised if you run
out and buy some spurs or something!   This truly is our favorite local
museum, bar none; you will be stunned!  

There's
also a fabulous gallery of Presidential Letters and Portraits (again, be sure
and bring those Common Core kids...maybe they can get some extra credit!), and
a magnificent Civil War gallery.  I go and I drool, honestly.

If you
have a little more time, head to the quaint downtown of Cartersville, Georgia
and do some holiday shopping or scoot over to the nearby Tellus Science Museum.
 If you have not seen a contemporary science museum in awhile, well
get ready to get your mind blown!  

Truly, we
are fortunate to have such great art from such a distinguished source right
here down South. Go Sunday and have Sunday brunch at Table 1280.  Museum
stores are my fave places to buy Christmas gifts.

Now that
I've opened my big mouth, I guess I will have to rent a sleigh or a van to cart
all our grandkids to these worth exhibitions.

There is
NOTHING more thrilling (or worthwhile) than to see a kid go gape-mouthed over a
piece of art.  Sometimes, they just mutter, "I didn't know..." and you
know what they mean.  

Ok, I had
Papa proof this and now he insists we go out for chili and cornbread for lunch.

What did
I say?

Yehaaaaaaa!
 

 

Carole
Marsh

carole@gallopade.com

 

Remember
we have autographed copies of The Cowboy's Christmas Ball,

The
Crybaby Cowboy, and
more, for gift giving; visit gallopade.com to learn more.  

 

PS:
 One last comment, ladies:  Buffalo Bill didn't wear those tight
pants for nothing!

Go and see!

Space, or
Bust! 

That's
how I always felt as a kid!   

If you
did, or know a kid today who's space crazy, or needs to be, take them to one of
the many Challenger Learning Centers around the country!  I just visited a
great one in Columbus, Georgia.  As soon as you launch yourself through
the door, you are immersed in all things astronauty and space-agey, both
historical, and, as cutting edge as it comes.  (They had a new 3D printer
working away!)

Of
course, the Big Deal at a Challenger Center is participating in one of their
mission programs. On this day, a class of sixth graders divided into two
groups—one as the base crew and the other aboard a shuttle.  (They swapped
roles mid-way thru the mission.)  Each child manned a workstation and was
responsible for a role in getting the folks on Mars safely lifted-off for
return to Earth.   

But,
oops! Suddenly there was one of those "Houston, we have a problem!"
moments that the kids, I, uh, mean crew, had to take care of.  It felt
real and fun.  It reeked of science, math, engineering, and technology. I
am sure it is something that each child will remember forever, and some will be
inspired to make space their career.

If a
picture says it all, below is my granddaughter Avery, who came along
for the ride. 

God bless
June Scobee Rodgers and all the other astronaut spouses and others who came up
with this great idea in honor of the Challenger crew.  It's an awesome
experience expertly rendered.

Yes, we
need gravity (or so I hear), but we also need the freedom to explore – unhindered
– the possibilities that may lurk in our future.  Kids are the future and
they are up to the challenge!

There are
many, many book festivals held around America each year.Some of
them go wayyyy back, and are still popular as ever.  Bob and I have been
to many; but many we have never gotten around to attending.  

Each book
festival has its own personality.  We love the
Chicago book fair, which is held on one of the old streets, has a tunnel of
white tents, and a gazillion books...just a rip-roarin' literary fest, with warm
chili, cold beer, and more!  

This past
Saturday, our very own Fayette County hosted its first annual book festival:
 Books Down South. Joyce
Beverly, owner and editor of The Fayette
Woman, and her husband, Cal, owner and editor of The Citizen, did a great job organizing, hosting, and covering the
event in various media.  Gallopade was a sponsor and we had a lovely booth
and room for children's readings. 

My job
was the best:  sign books and talk to parents, kids, old friends, and
fellow authors… plus, eat a donut now and then! It's so much fun to be around
book-lovers and to see parents and children stew over "this book or that
one or both?"

I believe
BOOKS DOWN SOUTH will be an annual success.  

Why is a Grammy
so enamored of zombies?

Good
question!

I've
always been a big fan of the unusual, strange, and especially
"possible?" impossible!

My life
as an author just seems to lead me to weird subjects, places, people, and
events... hence my new book: My Life As A Third Grade Zombie! 

My
grandmother really did have a voodoo doll pincushion.  I have read many
scientific things about how there really can be "zombies."
 Along the same lines: (and especially since I plan sequels) My Life as a
Third Grade...Werewolf and My Life as a Third Grade Vampire, and perhaps, My
Life as a Third Grade Mummy, it's because I just know a lot about— 

a.  how,
scientifically, someone can be a werewolf, for example

b.
 and how it feels to be the geeky, shy kid, which is what these books are
all about—how to be yourself, love yourself, accept yourself, and not worry so
much about what other people think about you.   I know that's hard
when you're a kid, but really, we need to help kids get a self-determined
mind-set to help them take the initiative and cope with the stupid stuff that comes
their way, from peer pressure, to bullying, to just plain hatefulness.   

But back
to the fun stuff!  I really do have info on a man who was diagnosed with
porphyria; he was a young adult, in treatment, but left the sanitarium (in
western NC) before being cured; I always wondered if I ever, uh, dated this
guy?

I love
going to Anne Rice country in New Orleans and checking out all the vampire
lore; learned a lot when I wrote The Mystery at Dracula's Castle, set in
Transylvania, Romania.  Truth is truly stranger than fiction!

As for
mummies, well, it's been confirmed:  they really did get the brain out
with a hook put up the nose!

Made your
day yet?

I love to
help kids learn by learning that life is flabbergasting and that facts are a
lot more interesting than they think!

In this
new series, I also enjoyed mentoring Savannah College of Art and Design grad,
Dexter Blanding, who did the lovely (uh, did I say lovely?  maybe, more
like zombie-lovely) color illustrations.   

You can
see us at the Books Down South Festival next Saturday or at the Savannah
Children's Book Festival in November.

Oh...yeah,
you'll know me when you see me!

I AM MALALA!  (I will just
assume you know whom this means; if not, find out.)


Our government is just now finding
out that most of us (as a new poll proves) are independent, intelligent, do not
fit in a box, do understand what's going on, and are a threat to their often
assumed "automatic" vote to reelection. 


I think we're taking the wrong
approach with kid cyber-bullies. Instead of trying to get kids to not cyber-bully,
we should get kids who are vulnerable to being bullied (i.e., all kids who are
bullied) to think differently.  I know it might not work, but it's worth a
try.  

          Hey,
kid:


When
these cyber-bully jerks are pitiful adults, you will be in your best years—it
is worth waiting for.


Those
who bully you on the web (or in general) are either responding to a bad thing
in their lives, think they are cool, or are just plain mean. This should mean
nothing to you; it's all about them, not you; toss your cell phone and ignore
them. 


One
day you will be the cutest, coolest, smartest, nicest, have the best home,
husband/wife, kids, job, travel plans...and they won't.  It's always this
way, just ask anyone who's ever been to a high school reunion. So, hang in
there and ignore them; you WILL have the last laugh, probably sooner than you
think.


Yes,
it hurts, it's mean, and it’s not fair.  But the old saying about
"sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"
is just as true now as then.  I know it feels like it's killing you, but
YOU have the ultimate power...not to talk back, respond, or suffer.  Even
if you have to throw your phone in a river, tune out and tune in to good
things, good friends, or a good book. One good thing is worth more than a whole
lot of cyber jerks.  They hate to be ignored.


It's
just a fact of life that the Ugly Duckling often ends up winning the beauty
contest later… or the bullied geek, the Nobel Prize… or the shy kid turns out
to be a millionaire, or gets the cool spouse, who is, hmmm… a kick-you-know
what Marine.  Please don't give in or give up.


I could write this a thousand
ways...but it would still be the truth.  Adults, help kids understand that
good does triumph evil, though it sometimes takes time.


And if you still feel bad about your
life, in the meantime, I can send you a list of kids who can't cyber-bully
because...well, for a lot of reasons.


God Bless the Georgia high school
football coach who lets handicapped kids have a chance to be the 'player of the
week' and ride on the bus, run through the hoop on to the field, go to
training, and all the "I'm one of the team" things; you are part of
the problem or part of the solution.  He put it best; "I'd rather be
a great guy than a great coach."


Apparently, a lot of kids are
choosing to wait to get their driver's license.  Good!  The traffic,
weather, or stupid drivers won't get better, but you will get smarter, more
mature, and better able to cope with the chore of driving, all in good time.  


If someone can become famous by
creating cast iron skillets in the shape of U.S. states, then any of us can
achieve anything.  In the meantime, I sure would like to make some SOUTH
CAROLINA cornbread!

Well, mostly, we only hear crime that is grim, horrible, and just hurts our hearts and strains out brain as to "Why?"

However, while camped out at West Yellowstone, I actually enjoyed the Local Police Report.  A few highlights:

•Excessive noise on Madison Avenue.
*A person was driving without a license.
•A wallet was found in the middle of the highway.
•A suspicious phone call was reported.
•Report of an abandoned boat (hey, summer's over!)
•A brown wallet was found...and returned.
•Possible illegal campers at the LDS church.
•A vagrant was found sleeping on the porch of the National Smokejumper Center.
•A black and pink bike was found.
•People were skateboarding on the sidewalk.  (I'M AGHAST!)
•A man was yelling on Geyser Street.
•Possible illegal campers at the shooting range.  (Illegal, but not too smart?)
•A vehicle owner requested a locksmith.  (Oops!)
•A credit card was found and turned in.
•A burglar alarm went off in the street. (?)
•An illegal bonfire at Duck Creek.  (Duck S'mores, anyone?)
•A sow grizzly was spotted.

I think I will sleep soundly here tonight...as long as the mama sow finds her cub.
Life is good in the woods, and the sun's even coming out.