Happy New Year! Will You Be a Mover and a Shaker in 2015?

“Happy New Year!  Will You Be a Mover and a Shaker in 2015?”

I’ve been helping my sister and niece move to a new home and the expression “movers and shakers” came to mind.  I was definitely a “mover.”  I hope I won’t be remembered as a “shaker,” as in rattle-rattle, was that glass?

If you’d like to check out the real meaning of “movers and shakers,” check here:  http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/movers-and-shakers.html

What about you, will you be a mover and a shaker in 2015?  Will you accomplish things that make you proud?

And your response:  Certainly!  Of course!

Here are some fun celebrations for January.  Perhaps you can start with traditional New Year’s Day foods and choose a few other celebrations to enjoy this month.  The complete list of January events can be found at http://www.brownielocks.com/january.html

 January is…

Book Blitz Month  How many books can you read in a month?  Reminds me of  “How low can you go” when doing The Limbo.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_(dance)  In this case, it’s how high a stack can you read?  What’s tops on your list?
Get Organized Month  Straighten, shuffle, do things more efficiently, and better.  How will accomplish this?
International Brain Teaser Month  What type brain teasers do you like to do?  In my mind, writing and illustrating for publication counts.  Do you agree?
Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month  Our older son took skiing classes while in college.  It was the best money we ever spent on physical education courses.  Do you ski? 
National Hot Tea Month Someone gave me a special hot tea mug once.  Now, that’s a serious hot tea drinker.  Are you?
National Skating Month  Spotlighting Tara Lazar and her upcoming publication, as announced here: http://taralazar.com/2012/06/21/ryan-gosling-makes-a-book-announcement/

LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD
illustrated by Troy Cummings
Random House
October 2015
National Soup Month Link  What’s your favorite soup?  Have you tried something new lately?  We’d love to hear about it. 
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month  Always needed and appreciated. 
Oatmeal Month  Do you eat oatmeal?  I like mine with raisins.  
Teen Driving Awareness Month  My niece just got her driver’s permit.  Makes this one personal to me.  Do you know a teen driver?  How can you show him or her support and courtesy?

Special Weeks in January:

World Leprosy Week: 25-31 Joyce Hostetter wrote a book called Healing Water.  Learn more about it here:

http://joycemoyerhostetter.com/my-books/

Healing Water
This is the story of Pia, a thirteen year old Hawaiian boy who is banished to the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement. Like so many others in the settlement he is in a fight for survival.  He finds he must choose between anger and forgiveness, goodwill and hatred.

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week: 26-31 Gather your favorite poetry books.  Invite friends to bring their favorites.  Sit around a fireplace and take turns sharing.  That’s a deviation on a cowboy poetry gathering.

US National Snow Sculpting Week: 28-2/1  Snow sculptures are amazing sights.  What would you like to sculpt with snow?  Why?

Special Days in January:
Argyle Day: 8  What is argyle?  Research to learn more about it?  Have you ever owned an argyle sweater?
Bubble Bath Day: 8 Do you shower or bathe?  Bubble bath or plain?  Favorite brand?  
Rubber Duckie Day: 13 Do rubber duckies join you in your bath?  Other tub or shower favorites?
Dress Up Your Pet Day: 14 Do you dress up your pet?  Only at Halloween?  On a regular basis?  Share about it.
Appreciate A Dragon Day: 16  Would you rather have a real or pretend dragon?  Why?  What is your favorite dragon story?
Cable Car Day: 17  Name three words that come to mind when you hear this.  If you can’t name three, research this topic, just for fun.  
Kid Inventors’ Day:  17  What would you like to invent?  Why?
Thesaurus Day: 18  Online or hardcopy?  Which do you prefer?  When do you use a thesaurus?
Martin Luther King Day: 19  How will you honor Martin Luther King’s influence on civil rights?
Popcorn Day: 19 I love popcorn.  Do you eat it at the movies, as a snack at home, or some other time?  Have you ever popped it in a big commercial popcorn popper?  Tell a popcorn story of your own.
Tin Can Day: 19  Why do you think this day is significant?  What is used today instead of tin?
Inauguration Day: 20  Have you ever watched a presidential inauguration?  What was special about it to you?
National Hugging Day: 21  Who or what would you like to hug?  What is a tree hugger?

Squirrel Appreciation Day: 21  Dogs like to chase squirrels.  People like to watch them.  Some even hunt them to cook squirrel stew.  What’s a squirrel story you could share?  Any favorite books with squirrel characters? 
National Pie Day: 23  Have you ever participated in a pie throw?  What is your favorite experience with a pie throw?  Do you bake pies?  What is your favorite.  Bake one today!
Belly Laugh Day: 24 When did you belly laugh last?  What made you laugh?  Did you cry tears too?
National Compliment Day: 24  What was one of your most treasured compliments?  Why?
National Peanut Butter Day: 24 What is your favorite way to eat peanut butter?  Try a different way today.  I recently tried it with pretzels.  Good!
Opposite Day: 25  Play a modified version of April Fool’s jokes today.  Say the opposite of what you mean.  Then call out, “It’s Opposite Day.” 

National Peanut Brittle Day: 26  Have you ever made peanut brittle?  I love eating it.  To me, it’s like potato chips, in that “it’s hard to eat just one.”
Holocaust Memorial Day: 27 Have you ever visited a Holocaust memorial?  What books have you read on this topic?
National Puzzle Day: 29 What type puzzles do you like?  Crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, life’s puzzles (real and in fiction stories)?  Tell about your favorite.
Seeing Eye Dog Day: 29  Like to read dog books?  Look for one on this topic. 
Inspire Your Heart with Art Day: 31  Do something artsy today.  How about every 

 

Here’s wishing everyone a super start to a brand spanking new year!  I’d love to hear your comments.  Thanks for visiting. Come again and bring a friend. 

Children 13 years old or older may leave a comment. Read more about the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. (COPPA) See: http://www.coppa.org/coppa.htm

 

Who Would Write About Leprosy? Joyce Moyer Hostetter, That’s Who

“Who Would Write About Leprosy?  Joyce Moyer Hostetter, That’s Who” by Linda Martin Andersen

“A Writer’s Playground”–A place to find wordplay, writing, and monthly calendar activities for kids and those young at heart.

It’s World Leprosy Week–January 27–Feb. 2. 

You  have the opportunity to meet an author who says,

	“I write historical novels for young people. Sadly, I am drawn to tragic themes. However, my books do contain humor, and each are populated with spunky characters who tell their stories in a lively voice!”

Today, Joyce Hostetter will provide a question and answer session about leprosy and her book, Healing Water: A Hawaiian Story.

Join me in providing a warm welcome for Joyce Moyer Hostetter

*Applause.*

Leprosy Q & A:  A little Conversation With Myself

Why did you write about leprosy?

Yeah, really.  Because is there a more depressing topic?  And my book, HEALING WATER starts on a real downer, with my character, 12 year old Pia, being deported to the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement in Hawaii.

The Book Trailer will give you a glimpse into Pia’s experience.

I wrote this story after discovering that Father Damien, a Catholic priest, chose to live among Hawaii’s leprosy patients.  He found terrible living conditions and much despair but he loved the people and petitioned the government to meet their needs. Because of Damien, the leprosy settlement became a hopeful community.   And trust me, my book gets more hopeful too!

So, before we go any further, what exactly is leprosy? 

The World Health Organization offers some terrific info on the disease.  IF you take a close look at their site you’ll discover that.

• Leprosy is caused by a bacterium. Untreated, it damages skin and nerves and can lead to blindness and disfigurement. There are several types of leprosy.
• Leprosy is not nearly as contagious as we once imagined.
• Leprosy is spread through droplets from the mouth and nose of an infected person.
• At the beginning of 2012 there were 182,000 people affected by leprosy – mostly in parts of Asia and Africa.

Is there a cure for leprosy?

Not at the time of my story (mid 1800s).  But, today, yes!  There are several drug combinations for several different types of leprosy.  One type requires twelve monthly doses.  The other involves six monthly doses.

Why are people so afraid of leprosy?

• Untreated, leprosy can lead to disfigurement.
• In the past people with leprosy were nearly always separated from their homes and family.  That’s something to fear!
• The Old Testament (Leviticus 13) called leprosy a plague.  People with leprosy were considered unclean. In the Bible, leprosy typically referred to a variety of skin conditions – not necessarily leprosy as we know it today.  But the stigma followed leprosy down through the centuries.  The term “leper” is offensive; so many people now prefer to call leprosy Hansen’s Disease.

Why Hansen’s Disease?

In 1873 Gerhard Hansen of Norway, discovered the bacteria that causes leprosy.

Where do you go to research a story about leprosy?

How about Hawaii?  Actually I went to Hawaii to research life in Hawaii and also to visit the former leprosy settlement where my story takes place.  Doing so, gave me a feel for the landscape where my character lived.  However, I could only visit the leprosy settlement through a brief guided tour because former patients still live there and the state protects their privacy.  (That’s a good thing, of course.)

So how did you research leprosy itself?

I consulted the World Health Organization and leprosy related websites.  But I especially wanted to learn the kinds of things my character would have believed about leprosy in the mid- 1800s. I read memoirs by people who visited or lived in the Hawaiian leprosy settlement. I also interviewed three doctors who worked with leprosy patients in Africa and Trinidad.  They read my manuscript for accuracy and helped me get it right.

A favorite resource was an old book – The Path of the Destroyer: A History of Leprosy in the Hawaiian Islands and Thirty Years Research Into The Means By Which It Has Been Spread.  You’ve got to love a descriptive title! The author, Dr. A.A. Mouritz, worked with Father Damien.

Where can I learn more about Hawaii’s people and their history with leprosy?

Try these books.

Kalaupapa:  A Collective Memory – by Anwei Law

My Name is Makia:  A Memoir of Kalaupapa By Makia Malo

Molokai – by Alan Brennert – a novel set in the Kalaupapa leprosy settlement

Didn’t you write about some other disease too? What’s up with you and diseases?

Ah, such a good question.  I think tragedy calls to me.   My middle grade novel BLUE is about a girl whose family is affected by polio.  The sequel, COMFORT deals with the after-effects of polio and also post-war trauma.

So what disease are you writing about now?

Surprise – no diseases involved.   My work-in-progress is about fourteen year-old Amber whose mom has died. Amber regrets how she treated her mother and wants to undo the conflict in their relationship.  She goes on a search through some family keepsakes to recover her mother’s story.  Some pretty amazing stuff happened in her mother’s life which leads Amber to discover her grandfather’s story and on back through several more generations.  Each generation is a separate fully plotted story and they’re all threaded together by Amber’s emotional journey.

Thanks Linda for hosting this Q & A.  I’m impressed you are commemorating Leprosy Week.  Would you believe, I didn’t even know there was such a thing until you told me?

Guess what?  Joyce has agreed to give away a copy of Healing Water.  To enter, please leave a comment here before midnight February 2, 2013.  The winner will be announced on February 3, 2013.  Thank you for offering to do this, Joyce.  Please leave your email address on the post so I can contact the winner.  Thank you.

If you’d like to learn about the leprosy hospital in Carville, Louisiana that has now become a museum, check out Joyce Hostetter’s latest blog post at http://joycemoyerhostetter.blogspot.com/2013/01/in-keeping-with-world-leprosy-week-id.html

Copyright © 2013 Linda Martin Andersen