this and that Archives - Caroline Starr Rose

I’ve had an author website and blog in various forms for almost twelve years now. My hope is this little corner of the Internet is a friendly, welcoming place that is also a resource for readers, writers, teachers, librarians, and homeschooling families. But how do you know what’s here if you haven’t explored? Today’s your chance to do so!

This post is best read on the blog itself. If you’re reading via email, I invite you to click through. Let’s get straight to it:

How do I find…

information on your books? There are a couple of ways to do this. Either click on “books” in the main menu and select a title in the drop down menu or click on a cover in the sidebar. Underneath the covers, you’ll find a sidebar menu where I’ve also included each of my titles. Click on any of these to read blog posts about a particular book. And if you’d like a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the writing of my specific books, check out my new monthly series I’m calling The Notebook Series. You can find links for the first three posts under the “teacher resources” tab in the main menu.

posts about writing? In the sidebar menu, click on “the writing life.” You’ll find a number of posts about writing, including writing links, interviews with other authors, and my own thoughts on writing. Posts that touch on publishing can be found in the sidebar under the “publication” tab. To read the most popular posts I’ve written on writing, click on “bio” in the main menu and scroll to the bottom where you find a list of posts to choose from. If you’re looking for answers to frequently asked writing questions, you’ll find those under the “bio” tab, too, including some links with writing wisdom from other authors, articles on how to get your book published, and advice for young writers.

interviews with other authors? I run two monthly interview series: Straight from the Source, where authors talk about writing historical fiction and non-fiction, and Classroom Connections, meant to introduce teachers, librarians, homeschooling families, and all other readers to new releases. I keep a running list of both interviews under the “teacher resources” tab in the main menu. The Classroom Connections interviews are divided alphabetically into picture books, middle grade, and young adult. Each has a brief description about its setting, theme, or form. This list is an incredible resource! It represents almost ten years of interviews. If you’re looking for something new to read or want to learn more about authors’ writing experiences, Classroom Connections a great place to start.

If you scroll down a little further, you’ll find the Straight from Source interviews, listed alphabetically by author’s name. These are a treasure trove of information and (can I say this?) my favorite interview series. I have learned so much about other authors’ writing processes, their challenges and triumphs, and their reasons behind why they write what they do. A friend recently told me she read through a number of these interviews while working on her own non-fiction project.

Classroom Connections interviews can also be found via the sidebar menu. Click “classroom connections” and / or “teaching” to find them. From the sidebar, you can find Straight from the Source interviews by clicking either historical fiction or non-fiction. If you click the “authors” link in the side bar, you can find both interview series.

Classroom resources? I’m glad you asked! I’ve created teaching guides and other helpful documents for almost all my books. You can either click on “books” in the main menu and go to the title you’re looking for to find downloadable resources, or you can go to the “teacher resources” tab, where all the handouts are grouped together near the top of the page. Beyond the reader discussion guides, you’ll find some general handouts that I use in presentations: The Stickman Character Development handout, which is a great, easy way to introduce young writers to creating characters of their own, Going Deep with Young Readers, which is a collection of quotes I gathered for a state library association conference talk that showcases the importance of student choice and exploration when it comes to reading, and 10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Writing While in the Classroom, which is exactly what it sounds like — concepts I’ve learned as an author that I wish I’d known to offer my students during my teaching days.

Under this tab you’ll also find a reading assignment I developed for my social studies and English classrooms called Where in the World Are We Reading? , a collection of state reading lists where you can nominate favorite recent releases for state awards, and some wonderful professional development interviews with superstar author and teacher, Donalyn Miller, author of The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild. If you’re interested in starting a book club for kids, you’ll find a series of posts about my own after-school club under this tab, too.

Information on classroom or virtual visits? This one is easy. Both have their own tabs in the main menu. The “author visits” page opens with statistics on why such visits are wonderful ways to encourage and inspire young people in their own reading and writing. If you’re a teacher or librarian looking for hard facts on if a school visit is worth the investment, these are golden. But don’t just take my word for it. Have a look! Scroll down to see what kinds of talks I offer and how to contact my booking agency, the Booking Biz, to schedule an in-person or virtual visit.

information on your events? My “events” page is woefully out of date at present. But I hope that changes in the months ahead. Stay tuned…

your critique service? Click on the last tab in the main menu, “Writing One to One” for a rundown on what I offer (and what I don’t), what you can expect, and how to get the ball rolling if you’re interested in learning more. I’m thrilled to say three authors I’ve worked with have published or are soon publishing manuscripts I’ve read. What an honor to play a small role in their stories!

If you’ve benefited from something you’ve found on the site, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

10 Things to See and Do in Prince Edward Island for L.M. Montgomery Fans

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Because I’m on deadline without much time to spare, the next few weeks I’ll be running some posts from the past. This is one of the blog’s most popular and a personal favorite — a collection of photos from a trip to PEI the summer of 2016. It might seem a bit cruel to share this while we’re all mostly homebound, but I hope this glimpse into the world of Anne and Emily might instead be a welcome distraction!

My friend Jamie and I have dreamed about a Prince Edward Island adventure for years, so to see it finally come together this July was just plain magical. I flew to Connecticut and spent a day with her family (look at the gorgeous veggies those Martins grow!), and early the next morning Jamie and I jumped in a rental car and drove straight through to the Land of Maud.

You might remember I’m a tad obsessed with author L. M. Montgomery. I’ve read all of Maud’s novels, many multiple times. And I’ve committed to re-reading every ten years the journals she kept from the age of fourteen until her late sixties.

As we drove, we listened to the the last Anne book, Rilla of Ingleside, and the musical Hamilton. Jamie and I both agreed that though the trip was long, crossing the Canadian border and watching the gorgeous landscape grow more rural and hilly and somehow even more beautiful was the perfect introduction to PEI.

The island is rolling hillsides and lovely farms that run to red cliff beaches. We arrived at our rental — an nineteenth century farmhouse in South Rustico, PEI — during the sunlight’s golden hour.

There were four bedrooms to choose from. Look at mine!

Jamie and I spent the next day in Cavendish at Green Gables Heritage Place, which includes the home that inspired the setting for the Anne series. The home itself was owned by Maud’s cousins, the McNeills, and was was within walking distance of the Montgomery homestead.

It was a little strange knowing that while Anne Shirley was not a real girl, this house was set up to reflect her world. That red liquid in the cupboard is raspberry cordial — at least that’s what my imagination told me.

This was meant to represent Anne’s room. Less austere than the picture in my mind!

What’s fun is that Lover’s Lane and the Haunted Wood weren’t only places in the Anne books, they were very much a part of Maud’s real life. Here’s Lover’s Lane.

The Haunted Wood, just beyond this gate, led from the McNeill homestead to the Montgomery’s.

No house remains at the Montgomery homestead, but it’s not hard to picture young Maud’s love of nature developing on this land.

Maud’s childhood school (no longer standing) was near the Haunted Wood and within walking distance of her home. From its window she could see Cavendish Community Cemetery where her mother lay — and where Maud herself is now buried.

Here’s a sweet token we found alongside the grave.

That evening, we drove to Charlottetown and saw Anne and Gilbert: The Musical.

It’s a blend of Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island with a few liberties thrown in and was beyond fabulous. Jamie ended up downloading the music, which we listened to during the rest of our stay. Perhaps now that I’m back home, I’ve been known to break into “Mr. Blythe” while making dinner.

On our second day we drove to Lower Bedeque to visit the Leard House, where Maud boarded while teaching at the school across the road.

Fans of the journals and the recent Maud biography, The Gift of Wings, know this house well. While Maud lived here, she and the Leard son, Herman, had a secret romance. Both were engaged to other people. Eighteen months later, Herman died. Maud, who by then had broken her engagement and was living back at home, was distraught but could never truly mourn him as she would have if their relationship had been public. Doesn’t this remind you a bit of Una’s inability to fully grieve Walter’s death in Rilla?

The Leard House opened to tourists just a few weeks before we arrived. Visitors can walk through the upstairs room where Maud boarded and eventually will be able to spend the night there. The downstairs has been converted into the Fable Tea Room.

I might have been a little silly about the whole Leard House thing. Evidently, when we arrived, I told the woman who answered the door, “We’re here for Herman,” which entertained Jamie to no end.

Here’s Maud’s room.

And here I am, ridiculously posing with Herman. (At Jamie’s suggestion! I claim no responsibility for this!)

Downstairs we pored over old copies of Kindred Spirits magazine while eating an amazing lunch (I recommend the lobster roll).

Oh, Maud. You certainly did have a lively time in Bedeque!

The Fable Tea Room tables were covered with various pages from Anne books.

The Lower Bedeque Schoolhouse was a couple hundred yards down the road. Our tour guide was a charming college student who was working his way through the journals himself.

On our way back to Rustico, we stopped in Clifton / New London at the Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace museum.

That evening we had dinner at Dalvay by the Sea, which was the White Sands Hotel in the Anne of Green Gables movie.

As we were leaving, Jamie and I pulled off the road to capture one of the most gorgeous sunsets I’ve ever seen.

On our last day we visited Park Corner, a 110-acre farm which belonged to Maud’s cousins, the Campbells, and the place she felt most at home. While the Campbells still live here, the house is also open to the public as the Anne of Green Gables Museum.

Park Corner served as inspiration for The Story Girl and the Pat of Silver Bush books. If I remember correctly from the journals, it’s Maud who first referred to the Campbells’ house as Silver Bush.

We took a carriage ride past the real Lake of Shining Waters and down to the shore.

Maud was married at Park Corner next to this mantle, where avid fans sometimes hold their own weddings!

After Park Corner, we stopped at the Blue Winds Tearoom, where we were welcomed by this beautiful tangle of flowers.

The building has no direct Anne or Maud connection, but Terry, the owner, is a true Anne expert. She moved to PEI from Japan many years ago because of her love for the series. I recommend trying the New Moon Pudding, which is a recipe found in Maud’s journals and is similar to lemon meringue pie.

From there, Jamie and I visited the Cape Tyron Lighthouse, where the model for the lighthouse in Anne’s House of Dreams once stood. This new lighthouse doesn’t have a lightkeeper’s quarters as the first one did, but it’s easy to imagine Captain Jim there.

I was in the midst of third-round edits for Jasper and the Riddle of Riley’s Mine while on our trip and worked throughout our stay in this sweet room at “our” farmhouse.

On our final morning, we packed up our things and waved goodbye to our dear temporary home. Until next time, Prince Edward Island!

Thank you to Prince Edward Island Tourism for making our trip extra special.

July is for Rest

Seven Ways to Make This Website Work for You

10 Things to See and Do in Prince Edward Island for L.M. Montgomery Fans

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