In addition to it being the Happy Scrappy Scrap Release Day, the book’s STARRED!!!!!!!!!! Kirkus review came in last night. What a surprise that is. Only 10% of Kirkus reviews are starred. (I had no idea, but I looked it up).
“…a powerful, painful family saga that slowly gives way to hard-won understanding. A richly detailed, harrowing account of household mayhem and the struggle to forgive.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
Almost twelve years ago, I was blogging about the various patterns that are found in Scrap. And the book already had that title then! I can hardly believe it, although the book did not look anything like it does today. Anyway, one of my posts was about the motif of scrap. Here is the most important part of that post:
Today is one of my non-emotion patterns: SCRAP, which happens to be the title of my book. The motif of scrap(s), trash, theft, salvaging, and re-use runs through many scenes. Scrap represents destruction and chaos until scraps can be salvaged and re-used.
On the more positive side of trash and scrap, when I was a kid, my father sold teepee burners to dumps and then started his own garbage business. When Dad had his own business, he used to find all kinds of usable trash. He brought me boxes of books and costume trunk clothes that had been thrown into dumpsters.
When my grandmother entered the nursing home, she left behind with my parents a Victorian crazy quilt, made of irregular scraps. I think of it as a guiding image for my book. 
Like most crazy quilts [of that era], the scraps are velvet and satin and embroidered with designs. Many of the designs are floral.
My father uses scrap metal to make art:
The metal flowers are my favorites.
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The quilt can be found in Scrap: Salvaging a Family, as can my father’s metal creations.
