Susan Adrian

What kind of a post is this, anyway?

2012-01-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

This is what I think about when considering my blog these days.

Oooh, I wish I could talk about secret stuff that happened!

No. Can't talk about that yet. Drat. Well, that's past anyway. I REALLY want to talk about secret stuff that's going on now.

*sigh* No. Oh, I know. I can talk about what I'm working on! It's super secret and all that.

*stares at blog*
*doesn't blog*

Yeah. Let's see. Erm...I'm going to Hawaii next week with my family! Yes, I can say that! And...um, we've got winter again here, so it's really cold...hence the Hawaii...

Man. I'm just going to show you pictures of fuzzy kittens.

And this little guy.

And...I don't know how he got in here, but let's go with it.

Why I Love Twitter

2012-01-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

There's a lot of mockery out there about Twitter. Talk show hosts have sarcastic bits about tweets, making us Twitter-users sound ridiculous. People who don't really understand it relate celebrity tweets with scorn (or, equally bad, with awe). My husband thinks it's a complete waste of time.

Okay, yes, it can absolutely suck up time and energy that you should probably devote to something else, if you let it get out of hand. But as a working writer, as long as I tweet with a sense of balance, it is SO not a waste.

Here's what I get from being an active, thoughtful participant on Twitter:

A crazy-wonderful sense of community. I have different groups for friends, YA writers, agents, and editors. I can post about writer struggles and talk to people who UNDERSTAND, real-time. While I love the people in my real life, they just don't get most of those struggles. Or joys, for that matter. On Twitter, you can post that you finished a rough draft and friends will celebrate with you!
A bonanza of information as a reader. Daily I see new books I want to read, or reviews of books, and find new (or seasoned) authors I want to support. Half that stuff I'd never know about without poring through a hundred blogs. I don't really have the kind of time you need for blogs. But with Twitter I can dip in and out, and find out what I need.
Connections. I am VERY anti-schmooze, and I would never (ever ever ever) connect with someone for what they can do for me. But my friends on Twitter have helped me tremendously in this whole publishing process, in ways I couldn't have even imagined. And usually without my asking. (Twitter peeps, you are amazing!)
Crowd-sourcing for information. Whether you need to know which show to go to in NYC or which office supply store has the best service, or you want to hear some new bands, you can Ask. And you will Receive Answers.
Effecting change. Yes, we don't win them all. But when a strong Twitter community (like the YA lit crowd) sees something Wrong, sometimes we can do something about it.
FUN and DISTRACTION. Tiara days. Sparkle exchanges. Pun wars. Silly hashtags. It's like joking around with your favorite people whenever you want.

Wait. It kind of IS joking around with your favorite people whenever you want. And as long as you don't do it all day long, that can be pretty awesome.

So there, doubters. Did I convince anyone, or were you all convinced already? If you want to check it out, I'm at @susan_adrian. See you there. #TwitterRocks

Marinating

2011-12-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

I'm marinating.

It's the best word I have for that period between books, soaking up ideas, letting everything meld together until it's ready. Or steeping, maybe. I'm waiting for some things on Happy Sauce, so I can't do anything with it, and it's not the right time to work on the (possible) sequel. To keep active, I'm brainstorming something Entirely Different. I've got the basics of the idea, but I'm not ready to put fingers to keyboard quite yet. I'm pondering the situation and the characters, doing research, working out the kinks in my head. Reading, watching movies, absorbing ideas and thoughts and what I want. Usually I do this for a while until I'm so ready I'm bursting with it--I HAVE to go to the page.

It feels slow, though. It feels unproductive, after the rush of sending something out. But I have to remember that it's an important part of my process.

And it's fitting, I suppose, with all the waiting and drip-drip-drip of time during this week between Christmas and New Year's. Fortunately I'm getting lots of good reading in.

I know many of my writer friends are spending this time frantically doing edits or copyedits. What are YOU up to this week?

If I don't talk to you before this weekend, hope you have a WONDERFUL New Year's. May 2012 be happy and productive for you!

Nutcracker

2011-12-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

Come Christmastime, like many people I crank up Pandora on the Christmas stations. I like to listen to the old classics, the carols, and the classical holiday music. But that last one I only do sparingly. See, that one comes with a little risk. They might play Nutcracker music. And Nutcracker music instantly swirls me into memories.

Oh, God, it came on just now, as I'm typing this.

I first saw Nutcracker performed by the Sacramento Ballet Company when I was 8. I'd taken little kid ballet in L.A., but nothing serious. It didn't matter. I told my mother I WOULD be in that ballet. I started lessons at a local studio the next year. I worked hard, I learned. I tried out for the show in Sacramento when I was 9, and didn't get a part.

I tried out again when I was 10, and I did. One of the easiest parts in the show--Marshmallow Child, 2nd cast. (There was a definite pecking order for casts.) But only 2 years after my declaration, I'd done it. I was thrilled.

I worked harder.

The next year I got in again, as one of the party children in the first act. 2nd cast. That year, for Christmas, I got regular lessons at the Sacramento ballet school, instead of the local school. It meant a 40-minute commute, and at first it was only a couple days a week. But I was serious now. Nutcracker auditions were in September, and from that point until December rehearsals got progressively more demanding. We did 2 full weeks of shows at Christmas, and I had to take off school. My whole class did a field trip once to come see me.

The next year, as a Sacramento Ballet school student, I got a party child part again--1st cast. And a lamb in the Sheperdess dance. I started taking more classes. By the end of that year I think I was up to 5 days a week, maybe 6. I tried out for the apprentice company, and I got in.

The next year, 1984, I got to be Clara.

If you don't know the show, Clara is the lead. She's in nearly every scene, at least on stage watching. She gets to be on stage entirely alone during the most magical part, when the Christmas tree grows. It's an amazing opportunity, and I was ecstatic. I had to share with two other Claras--I was 3rd cast--but it didn't matter. I was freaking CLARA. When I wasn't doing that part, I was also a flower, and a soldier in the battle scene.

The next year I was in the full company. I was dying to be Clara again, but our director said it was time for other kids to have a turn. I was going to classes 6 days a week now, three hours at least on weekdays and all day on Saturday. But I was also starting to get injuries. I had Achilles tendonitis, and shin splints. Politics at the studio were insane, and the driving time was ridiculous, and my parents were getting a divorce. I was starting to be unhappy. I was 15. I got Chinese ( a very good part), and a snowflake, and a flower again.

And the next year, when I was 16, I made the decision, with my mom, to stop.

I was immensely relieved. My injuries weren't getting better, and with my body type (really small, in case you're wondering--I'm 5'3"), it would be a very tough go for me to be a dancer professionally. I did acting at school instead, and went away to university, and discovered writing, and all turned out well. It was the right decision.

Except for when I hear Nutcracker music, and it kills me.

It's funny, because I LOVE Nutcracker, still. I know every beat of every part of that music. I remember almost all the dances I did, for all the parts. I remember with vivid clarity being on stage as Clara, during a matinee performance, when one of the huge mice was sneaking out behind me and a child from the audience yelled "Watch out, Clara!" I remember paper snow sticking in my false eyelashes, and that tremendous swell of joy as the Christmas tree grew and I held up my candle to it.

But it hurts, too. I'm not sure why--I guess because it's part of the past, and I loved it so and it's over. Has been for many years. I don't regret the choice, but I miss it. And the music--that much beloved music--brings me back. Makes me feel it all, remember it all, just by listening.

I think I *might* be getting to the point where it hurts less than it pleases, though. Where the good memories win out over the loss, and I can be purely glad that it happened. I have my Nutcrackers--I got one as a gift every year--out in a row at home, and my daughter, who is 9, loves them.

Maybe I should go listen to it again.

Theme Song

2011-12-16T08:49:00.001-07:00

Last night hubby and I were watching Stephen Sondheim's Birthday Concert together
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/sondheim-the-birthday-concert/preview-the-concert/1041/), and when this song came on I stopped and listened, rapt.

This is my theme song right now. Every word of it.

Of course I'm not sure how well it works out for the character--he finds the love of his life, but doesn't he die within 24 hours of singing that song?

I won't think of that side.

Could it be? Yes, it could. Something's coming, something good. If I can wait...

Getting there!

2011-12-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Finally, I feel like I'm getting a handle on the holidays.

We went away for a week's vacation (ah, San Diego, you were lovely as always) the first week of December, so I didn't start anything until the 7th. But thanks to a flurry of internet shopping last week, I've got everyone done except my husband. That one might take a while. :)

And yesterday we decorated! The tree is UP, there are lights out front, and all my Nutcrackers are standing in formation, ready for Santa. It makes me so happy to stand there and gaze at the tree, every ornament a story. (Mind you, I've forgotten some of the stories, but I'm sure I could make one up for you if you asked.) It made me happier when Child was heading off to bed last night, and she stopped at the tree and sang to it. Just because.

I've got a lot of work to do today, but I think I'll crank up the Christmas music and light my Christmas Pine candle while I go!

Hope your holidays are going well too. I'll send you a dose of holiday spirit today if you need it.

Thankful

2011-11-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the impending holiday, I am so, so very thankful for:

My family being happy and healthy. They always come first.

My friends. I am blessed with SUCH fabulous, supportive, understanding friends!! May you all have friends like mine. And yes, I mean each and every one of YOU in that.

Jake. And Myka, Dedushka, Eric, and even Liesel. And in times past, Annie and Zilla, Jenna and Katherine. These characters who inhabit my head fully and allow me to inhabit theirs. I love spending time with them. (I admit it--I need it.)

All the hardworking lovely people in the kidlit industry, especially those I'm fortunate enough to know or work with: agents, editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, designers, marketing, sales...all of them. Together they bring books to kids and teens. How very cool is that?

I hope all you Americans in the crowd have a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving. For the rest of you, enjoy the quiet? :))

Love,

Susan

Sock-knocker: Originality--INCARNATE

2011-11-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

I was a very lucky girl last week, for many reasons.

One of the reasons I can tell you about is that I was given a Kindle ARC of an amazing new book coming out in 2012: INCARNATE, by Jodi Meadows.

I was looking forward to it, because I know Jodi on Twitter and she's super-cool. Plus I love the cover. How could you not?

Isn't that gorgeous? PLUS I wanted to read it so hard after seeing this blurb:

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

But I admit I was a bit nervous. Why? Because I like Jodi, and I expected so much, that I was afraid I'd be disappointed. It happens, sometimes.

FRIENDS. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. THIS BOOK BLEW MY SOCKS RIGHT OFF.

Why? I'm a tough reader. What did it?

Three things.

1. Originality. Good God, this book is ORIGINAL. It's not a twist on an old story I've read, or an interpretation of a myth, or different dystopian plots shuffled around. It is NEW. I have never read anything like it before. So new it had me getting excited, thinking of how this society would work, and how differently characters would react to each other in this world, and what all the implications were...I don't even know how long it's been since I was struck so by how *different* a book was. And in this case, different = amazeballs.

2. Characters. I loved Ana from the start. She's not perfect--in fact, she has some characteristics, especially at the beginning, that aren't really pretty. (low self-confidence, uncertainty, defensiveness) But you get why she's like that, and you see how she gets it herself, and how she counteracts those issues as the book moves along. Plus from the very beginning you see her strength shining through her upbringing. And Sam!! He's not perfect either, or sparkly or brooding, but he is just...aaahhh. I'll let you find out.

3. Writing. Jodi's writing is beautiful, but not in a self-conscious way. I felt from the very first page that I was in the hands of an expert. She never stumbled in pacing or characterization, never lost me to boredom (this happens easily with me). Brava, Jodi.

Definitely a sock-knocker. I think I'll still be looking for my socks when it comes out on January 31st!

Update

2011-11-14T10:05:00.002-07:00

A couple of people have asked me how my elementary school talk went. I suppose I can tell you...

FABULOUS!!

You guys, it was so much fun!! The first group was 1st-3rd graders, and my prepared talk lasted only about halfway through our time--I had a moment of panic. But they asked MANY questions. It was funny what the little kids were most interested in. It was all about numbers. "How long did your longest book take you to write?" "How many pages was it?" "How long would it take to write a BILLION words?" :)

The 4th-6th graders were pure awesome. They jumped in with intelligent, thoughtful questions right away. I ended up not only talking about writing process, but also self publishing, writer's block, social networking, having FUN with writing, my book (I let them see my plot board, and they were fascinated with the book--they all wanted to read it!), and even my friend's book. (Em, they all want to read your book too, AND see the movie!)

In short: it was an easy introduction to school talks. A little scary at first, but great fun. I love passionate kids!

There are many other things going on that I wish I could tell you, lovelies. Maybe soon!

MORE updates: As part of my presentation to the kids, I talked about my writing journals--my favorite tool--and let them see two of mine. I was tickled when the teacher told me yesterday that THREE of the upper-elementary kids bought their own writing journals over the weekend. :))

Where ideas come from

2011-11-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

I'm speaking to a whole elementary school of kids about writing on Thursday.

Fortunately, this isn't as nerve-wracking as it sounds. It's two groups of about 12 kids each, and it's at my daughter's school. They were doing a unit on the writing process, and I volunteered to come in and talk about mine, as well as the publishing process in general. (The kids call their stories "published" when they're accepted by the teacher. If only, right?)

The writing process part of the presentation was easy. I've got visual aids and everything (plot boards, marked-up manuscripts, pictures of screaming people...). But the teacher also asked me to "please talk about where your ideas come from."

O_O

I know. That question gets asked all the time. But this one I had to really think about. To me, ideas are kind of magical. Sometimes I circle around an idea for a while, pinning it down; sometimes it drops into my head whole. Sometimes it comes from a dream; sometimes a line of text. How do you express that to kids in a way that encourages them, but still expresses that I don't *know* how it works?

I've decided to try this:

Story ideas come from everything you experience: everything you see, read, listen to. Imagination draws inspiration from everyday life, and twists it in a new way, unique to you.

To get story ideas, first you have to pay attention. Then you have to think, and allow yourself to imagine. What if is a fabulous phrase. Play with it.

And then I thought I'd try some what ifs with them, and see what they come up with.

What do you think? How would you answer the dreaded "ideas" question?

Creativity

2011-11-02T13:28:00.000-07:00

I was sitting at a concert last week, and started thinking about creativity. What is it? How does this weird thing WORK?

For a large chunk of my childhood, my creative outlet was ballet. From 8-16, I danced nearly every day. Christmas meant Nutcracker time more than anything else. I was in a company; I had significant roles. I always felt a little queasy before going on stage, but once there I slurped it up. It was my place.

Though ballet is not a personal creativity, per se. Yes, you express yourself in the dance, but you do the steps as someone tells you to, in coordination with others. It's like the symphony, a joint effort.

Then I piled up too many injuries, and things happened, and I stopped ballet. Cold turkey.

I didn't know what to do with myself. All this time. All this lack of direction. I was just like...a normal person or something. Ugh.

So I took a drama class, at my high school. The first few classes I was shy and awful. You mean you want me to talk in front of people? But they can see me! But I had the revelation that I could let go in this situation. It wasn't as proscribed as ballet. I could improvise, have fun. By the end of that class I was voted Most Improved--and a month later I got one of the leads in the school play. Enter phase 2.

Acting is more creative than ballet, definitely. There's more of you involved--you now add voice to body and expression. But with the exception of improvisation, it's still someone else's words, someone else's story.

I rode on acting for a couple years. Then I graduated from high school and headed off to a huge university. I wasn't confident enough to try acting there. I didn't dance anymore. What should I do with myself?

I was an English major--so I read a ton, and dabbled in bad poetry, but mostly I just wrote essays. I was a little...lost. I didn't have any creative outlet. I thought about writing a novel, but I just didn't feel like I'd lived enough to have any stories to tell (I may have been right).

It wasn't until years later that I finally decided I COULD try writing, and I feel like right there, my true creativity was found. With stories, it's all me. My words, characters, plot, world. I've tried to stop writing, for various reasons, but it's never lasted long. Even when I stop, I still tell stories in my head.

Child acts, and dances, and even writes stories, but so far her true passion is drawing.

I imagine creativity as a force that comes from within someone, or maybe surrounds them. It ferrets its way out in whatever form it can find: music, dance, art, theatre, writing, comedy, whatever. And then if you stop that form, that outlet, it builds up pressure until you have to let it out somewhere else, or you'll explode. Or implode, perhaps.

But what of people who don't do any of those things? My husband doesn't, for one. Lots of people don't. Is the urge, the force, just not there?

I know lots of you are creative people. What are your thoughts/experiences?

Love Day Monday

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's time for a Love Day, because Monday needs a little brightening. Especially today--I can't even see the mountains outside, it's so cloudy/foggy/rainy. *peers at mountains*

Today I love:

FALL. Pumpkin-scented candles and salted caramel mochas, sweaters I'd forgotten I owned and everything orange and yellow. Halloween parties crammed with ghosts and vampires and witches.

BOOKS. Specifically, both books I'm reading right now: SUPERNATURALLY by Kiersten White and THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS by Rae Carson. Supernaturally is light and fun and escapist, and I love Evie. GoF&T is amazing in its worldbuilding. Once I started the sample on my Kindle I did NOT want to stop. In fact, it's calling to me right now...

FRENCH COMEDIES. Hubby and I have this thing for watching French screwball/romantic comedies every once in a while, and I really enjoy them. They don't do the same plot twists/character developments as American romcoms do, and I love that unexpectedness. I Do is a particularly good one we saw yesterday.

BRITISH DRAMAS. Downton Abbey. Sherlock. Luther. Oh, BBC, I adore you. But PLEASE COME OUT WITH NEW MATERIAL FASTER. Oh my god, the second season of Luther nearly killed me...it was *almost* too dark. So close to that line. But in the end I want more.

HAPPY SAUCE. I hope to finish revisions today or tomorrow and get it out to one more beta reader for a fresh post-revision opinion. Then...the synopsis. Dum dum dum. But I still love this book.

What do you love today?

Mascots

2011-10-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Each book I write is a very different experience--which makes sense, as they're all unique and lovely speshial snowflakes. *pets manuscripts*

No, seriously.

They each have their overlying themes, their "moods," their music, their various levels of beating the heck out of me--*glares at last book*--and their own mascots.

Mascots are for me to look at as I write, then later as I submit and bite my nails. When I'm first-draft writing I look at them often (or touch them, if appropriate). In the later, more difficult stages they remind me of that first-draft time when I was happiest with the book.

Much, much later, as I move on to yet another book and the old mascots sit on the shelf like abandoned toys, they remind me of what I've accomplished. But it's interesting to see how they change, and what they say about me at the time, and the books they represent.

Book 1: The Murderess's Tale
Didn't have one. I was flailing around, didn't know what the heck I was doing. It wasn't ready for a mascot. Anyone want a first novel YA historical based in 1387 England? *crickets*

Book 2: The Weirdest Thing about Jenna
It had flying monkeys. Hence, this lovely:

It's eyes actually lit up, once upon a time! It's also holding in its lap the mascot for a not-long-for-this-world manuscript, Book 3: Ghost Girl. (I had that title before the published book! I swear!)

Book 4: Salvaged
Did not ever have a mascot either. *shifty eyes* I think there is a reason for this.

Which leads us to:
Book 5: Happy Sauce (not its real name)
This lovely, which I am currently doing edits for, has TWO mascots because one could not contain its fabulous juju.

Mascot #1 is a monster that Child designed and sewed for me. She named it Annabelle.

She is a little creepy, I admit. But heck, the book's a little creepy too. In a GOOD WAY.

Mascot #2 I bought for myself. I saw it at the gem and mineral show, and when I lifted it, it made me happy. It is so smooth and slick, and just the right weight. It is also gorgeous, from all angles, with greens and whites and pinks that shift. It looks like clouds trapped in stone.

I use this one like a worry ball--when I'm pondering plot twists or what to leave in/take out, I roll it in my hands and it HELPS.

I can't be the only one who does this sort of thing, am I? Do you have mascots for your books?

The Unexpected

2011-10-10T09:04:00.003-07:00

Happy Monday, y'all.

Good news today: I'm in the middle of the 4th round of revisions on Happy Sauce, and I still love this book with an unholy passion.

Bad news: ...Yeah, I don't really have any bad news.

Child is back safely from her 3-day school campout (they always make me so nervous)--and even though they got rained out at the end, she had a good time. I have new, sexy ankle boots. I have coffee and chocolate. The sun is out, after a week of rain.

All in all, pretty fabulous.

Also, I wanted to tell you guys about this amazing show husband and I saw last week. It was an acrobatics performance, kind of like Cirque de Soleil except based in the old west. It's called Boomtown.

http://www.birdhousefactoryshow.com/BoomTown/index.htm

There were lots of flips and amazing balancing feats:

I actually gasped more than once. But my favorite part--the part that made my husband and I both laugh so very hard it HURT--was when they brought an audience member up on stage to interact with the clown, and he totally flubbed it. More than once, in a hilarious way. It really made the evening.

So there are two morals, one for writing and one not.

One: Go see BOOMTOWN if you get the chance.

Two: Embrace your mistakes. Embrace the unexpected. Sometimes what you think is a disaster--just when you're panicking that you've totally messed things up--it turns out to be the best thing you could've done. It twists into the highlight of the show, or the book.

The WINNER!

2011-09-23T12:29:00.002-07:00

The winner--by random draw--of the signed copy of Witch Eyes is...

Sara M.!!!

Congratulations, Sara, and thanks for playing! I'll email you with the details. :)

Thanks, everybody!

I...um...promise I'll be back sooner than last time.

Win a copy of Witch Eyes!

2011-09-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

It's here. *drum roll* The Scott Tracey interview and GIVEAWAY!!

Scott!! Welcome!!

First, let me say how fabulous it is to have you HERE. We've been part of Team Sparkle together for a couple years and many thousands of emails, but this is our first formal-ish interview. I feel all official now.

It's launch time,and you've done a bunch of interviews about your book, what it's about, your path to publication, how you write, music questions—all that good stuff.

So that's not what I'mgoing to ask you about.

*shrug* It's already there, right? Today, we are going to have simple FUN. And be silly. And giveaway a signed copy of your book!

Let'sbegin.

In Witch Eyes, Bradenhas magical eyes that let him see through lies and spells. So let's talk abouteyes today. Eyes are the most expressive aspect of a person…and the mostrevealing.

1. Who has thecreepiest eyes you've ever seen?

Creepiest eyes ever? Steve Buscemi.

Don't believeme? There is a Tumblr called 'Chickswith Steve Buscemi eyes' and it's traumatizing.

http://chickswithstevebuscemeyes.tumblr.com/

*Note: Scott is not kidding with the traumatizing. Click on that link AT YOUR OWN RISK.

2. Most beautifuleyes? Male and female?

Oh jeez. This isalways so hard! Matt Bomer for the guy, for sure.

For the girl, I have two. Sharbat Gula, for the best 'real person' eyes. If you don't recognize her name, she was the'National Geographic cover' girl with the startling green eyes. She actually comes up (or she used to) whenyou search "Witch Eyes" on Google Images.

For the celebrity, I'm going to go with Kristin Kreuk fromSmallville (ahem, or Chuck guest star!). Or Elizabeth Taylor if we'retalking old Hollywood.

3. There's abeautiful shot of Braden's eyes on the cover. Is that what you imagine themlooking like? If not, what did you imagine?

If you took a snapshot, that's probably as close as you'dget to Braden's eyes. Aside from the"witch eyes" aspect of his powers, his eyes are constantly shiftingcolors, so while his eyes are blue and green on the cover, if you took a shot asecond later, they might be brown and gray, or gold and black.

The lightning is fairly symbolic image of the power of theeyes, because I don't THINK he can shoot lightning out of his eyes (althoughwho knows? There's always the sequel).;)

4. Quick, writingshort: write me a story, in 50 words or less, about some sort of special eyes.

Whisper Tony was a legend in my town. Everyone had a Whisper Tony story; my brotherswore ours was true. He never said a word, and his eyes were likechocolate and arsenic. With a look, he'dlull you in, and poison you just as fast.

I miss my brother.

50 words exactly.

5. I'm watchingyou…in your nightmares, what kind of eyes are following you around in the dark?

I don't have a doll phobia, but when my little sisters weregrowing up, they had one of those My Size Barbies, right? And the Barbie stayed in the basement, wherethe laundry also was.

So on morningswhen I had to go iron my uniform before school (which was almost everymorning), I would stumble downstairs, bleary eyed and half asleep, and thefirst thing to greet me was that doll. And in those early morning hours, her eyes would follow me.

So if I gripped the iron like it would have to double as aweapon at a moment's notice, that's totally rational.

6. Show time: let'ssee YOUR eyes. Close up, please.

Now Scott is watching US!!

And he wants to hear from YOU.

Scott is giving away a SIGNED copy of Witch Eyes to one lucky reader. Here are the rules:

1. Contest closes Friday morning, 11 am MST.

2. To enter, comment on this post!

3. For EXTRA ENTRIES:

(1) Include a link to a picture of eyes that affect you in some way: that you love, that creep you out, or intrigue you. Anything.

(2) Write a 50-word short about eyes and post it here!

One entry added for each of these things. Total of 3 entries possible.

You WANT to win this, you guys!!!

Trust me.

GO!!

Scott Tracey is coming here! Tomorrow!

2011-09-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Guys!!

You know Scott Tracey, right?
*hint: Scott is one of the FABULOUS 7-member Team Sparkle, where I spend all my email time.

But do you know that Scott just released his debut book, Witch Eyes?

Well, tomorrow I'm going to give you a chance to find out a little more about Scott, and Witch Eyes...and even win a copy!!

Also eyes. This interview has a lot of Things about Eyes.

Be ready, my friends. Tomorrow!

(also Friday is Tiara Day, don't forget!!)

2011-09-07T08:20:00.001-07:00

It's been so long since I posted here, Blogger has completely redesigned and I can't figure out where anything is.

*flails*

How are you all, my lovelies?

I've seen many of you on Twitter and such, which I've ~~been sucked back into~~ been visiting again now and then, so I'm not completely off the map. Just haven't gotten back here.

The good news is that I've been busy with:

1. Vacation! We went for a lovely, restful week to the Oregon coast and a tiny smidge of a visit to Portland. The week included 3 visits to the science museum, 2 visits to the air & space museum, 2 visits to the Tillamook cheese factory, 2 evenings at the waterpark, 2 days at the beach, 1 steam train ride, 1 jet boat ride, 1 motor boat ride up the river, and lots of fudge, ice cream, and cheese. *happy*

2. Book! Still working away on self-edits for Happy Sauce. I'm doing line-by-line now, which is by turns excruciating and exhilarating. Sometimes I forget what I'm supposed to be doing and just read. I like it when that happens.

3. Back to school/dance/art class. This one's mostly for Child, but it does involve a great deal of parental participation. I admit I might have been a bit late on getting the rides scheduled/tap shoes bought/art supplies ready etc., but I *think* we're there now. And Child wasn't going to audition for Annie, but now she's not sure. We may be adding more to our schedule!

Hope you all are well!! I will try to be back here more often...

WINNER of THE NEAR WITCH

2011-07-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for playing along, you guys!! I loved your Victoria pictures. :)

I had Child draw a number from the entries, and the winner is...

ANNIKA!!

Congratulations, Annika! Email your address to me at susan (dot) adrian (at) yahoo.com, and I'll get your order on the way. I'm ordering my copy too!

INTERVIEW with Victoria Schwab! And CONTEST!

2011-07-27T08:55:00.001-07:00

A year or so ago, I had the honor of reading an early version of Victoria Schwab's debut novel, THE NEAR WITCH. I've always loved fairy tales, and this is an instant classic: it envelops you in the dreamy fairy tale landscape, it intrigues you, draws you in...and WHAM scares the crap out of you.

Okay, so I'm not a lyrical writer like Victoria. But it's true. This story will both scare and captivate you. The language is gorgeous, the landscape and characters whole and real.

And it's out officially on August 2nd!! I can't wait for the rest of you to read it.

To celebrate, I cornered V for a little one-on-one interview time--AND I'm giving away a copy of THE NEAR WITCH, mailed to your (North American) door.

Are you ready? Here we go!

1. The Near Witch is in the best tradition of fairy tales: creepy, magic, and possible enough to scare the heck out of you. I know you've picked Little Red Riding Hood as a favorite classic, but for research you must've read some more obscure, off-the-wall stories. What's your favorite out of the ordinary fairy tale, and why?

You know, it’s interesting, but most of my research revolved around the WAY stories are told, passed down from generation to generation, and the way they shape a community. Truth becomes relative, and tradition becomes law. But I have indeed read a good deal of fairy tales and fables.

One of my favorites is Godfather Death by the Brothers Grimm. I have always had a weakness for personifications, especially those of Death (the first book I ever wrote, and one I’m determined to revisit some day, involves Death) and in this one we get God, the Devil, and Death. A man with many children is overwhelmed by yet another, a boy, and goes into the road to seek guidance and a godfather. God walks by, but the man refuses, accusing him of being unfair. The Devil walks by, and the man refuses him, too, knowing his cons. Death walks by, and the man, knowing he treats all equally, chooses him. Death goes on to guide the child, to elevate him to a position of power. But the boy crosses Death once, and is forgiven, but he does it a second time, and in the end Death claims him.

2. Creepy! I am so impressed (always) with your lyrical, almost dreamy use of language—which fits perfectly in the world of The Near Witch. Tell me about the language in this book. How do the village and the moors shape the words? How aware of this were you when you were writing?

The language in the book is incredibly important. Writing a fairy tale means landing the style, and in this case the narration, between fantasy and reality. The tone has to be slightly more formal, without being lofty, well-drawn, but sparse. So much of writing a fairy tale is the WAY in which it’s written. I could have done NW and had it read like high-fantasy, or like paranormal, but I didn’t want to. I wanted a fairy tale, down to the timelessness. And it turns out, as many, many rounds of fine-tuning will attest, finding that little “timeless” patch on the spectrum of style is actually really hard.

3. You're stuck alone in an elevator with Neil Gaiman, and you have time to ask him ONE question. What would it be?

(O_O).

Can I have this dance?

4. You get to bring Neil ONE type of chocolate or baked good, without it being at all creepy. :) What would you bring?

GASP. I’d probably bring him a batch of chocolate cake cookies. Because they are apparently quite eatable, and in my mind he’d take them home, and keep snacking on them, and then I’d leave a more lasting impression than say, a cupcake :p

5. Explain your obsession with narwhals.

Narhwals are the unicorns of the sea!! But seriously, I find them enchanting. They are proof that there is still a little magic in the world.

6. Like everybody, you've had ups and downs in this crazy publication path. Tell me your favorite thing that's happened so far. What do you look forward to most?

Oh yeah, it’s definitely been a roller coaster. But one of my favorite things has been so small and random. A friend and fan of the book (that second F-word sounds sooooo weird) told me that one of HER friends recommended THE NEAR WITCH to her after the friend’s mother, a high school teacher, told her daughter about it, after she heard a group of students in the hall talking about books they wanted to read that summer.

Yeah.

I still can’t process that people out there who are not directly related to me/friends with me even KNOW about my book, so that was pretty wonderful.

**************

Victoria's the coolest.

Okay, so you want to win a copy of this book, right? RIGHT?

Here's what you do.

You saw how I scattered images throughout the post, to illustrate? I want YOU to go on an image scavenger hunt.

1. Go forth and find an image or images of things to do with THE NEAR WITCH or Victoria. Suggestions include, but are not limited to:

narwhals
chocolate
cupcakes
Neil Gaiman
Fairy tales
Witches
Yorkshire villages

Note: You are NOT allowed to steal the images from (a) this post or (b) anything V herself has posted. Search the internet a *little* further.

2. Post your picture(s) somewhere, and tell me here or on twitter (@susan_adrian) where. You can post it on twitter, your blog, Flickr, Tumblr, whatever. Just post and say what it's for (#thenearwitch), and TELL ME! You get an entry point for each picture, UP TO FIVE.

3. You also get one point just for commenting here or twittering with #thenearwitch hashtag, for those people who don't want to mess with the pictures. See how easy I am?

4. Contest ends Friday at noon!! Then I'll do a random draw and order copy of THE NEAR WITCH for the winner!! North American entries only, please. Though everybody is welcome to post pics.

TWO fabulous things!!

2011-07-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

I know it's Monday, but I have GOOD THINGS to tell you!

Good things are always more necessary on Mondays, don't you think?

GOOD THING #1:

On August 2nd, the rest of the world will be able to read THIS utterly magical book:

by THIS utterly adorable and extremely talented person (on the left below. Yes, VICTORIA SCHWAB!):

To celebrate, this Wednesday July 27th, I'll be hosting an interview and CONTEST to win a copy of The Near Witch mailed to your door! It will be fun, people. Stay tuned.

GOOD THING #2:

On Friday I finished the first draft of Happy Sauce!!!!

*dances*

It feels a little false to celebrate because:

(1) it only took me 8 weeks to write--it gushed out--and it's really really really rough. I'm already making lists of plot points I didn't thread through or people I kind of dropped or need to re-work.

(2) it's not like Jake's even taken a break from my head. See above RE lists. Also, ideas for how to make everything deeper, more intense, etc. are spilling in. And then there's Book 2, which I'm not allowing myself to think about yet but HE is ready to get on with. And the research I need to do in the next few weeks...

But still. Rough as it is, it's a whole story start to finish, and I still love it, and love Jake. So yeah. We can do a little dancing.

Join me?

See you Wednesday!!

Things I learned over the weekend

2011-07-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

This weekend was, in general, FABULOUS. It is perfect summer here at the moment. Highs in the 70s and 80s (mostly), sun, afternoon thunderstorms.

I love thunderstorms. It's left over from childhood.

But I did learn a couple of things, in our Summer Adventures. There's always more to learn.

1. The middle-of-the-night sprinkler breaking thing can happen again, exactly the same, three years later. Down to the time of it breaking (1:30 am) and the depth (and coldness) of the water under the house when I had to jump down there. Ugh. I'm calling the sprinkler people today.

2. It is an absolute glorious high to catch a big, fat brook trout on the first cast with a new lure. Even more of a high when my husband and I caught 25 fish between us. (20 rainbows and 5 brooks! It is a RECORD!)

3. If I realize, after we've been out on the boat on the lake for about an hour, that we both forgot to bring our cell phones, we WILL have engine trouble. It is fated.

4. No matter what husband says, I am not quite strong or big (or coordinated) enough to row a metal boat with three people and gear on it by myself. I can, however, manage one oar if he does the other. For a really short distance. And am sore afterwards. *ow*

5. Almost six hours on a rowboat is a long time, especially when for the last hour you have serious concerns about getting back.

6. Still, those 25 fish--and a full day in the sun, on the water with hubby and Child--are worth it.

Hope y'all are doing well! Still working away on the first draft of Happy Sauce (58k today!), and other Things. Wish me luck, and I'll wish you the same.

OH. And GUYS!! Did you know that Victoria Schwab's wonderful book THE NEAR WITCH releases in 2 weeks??

Did you know that I'm going to be hosting an interview and contest in this space, soon, where you can WIN A COPY of said book?

Stay tuned, lovelies.

Things that Make Me Happy

2011-06-21T08:04:00.001-07:00

*waves*

Let's not discuss the whole continued absence thing, shall we? It's for a good reason, so we'll just leave it at that. I STILL LOVE ALL OF YOU. *~*~*~*~

Now. It feels like time for a Love post, or things that are making me happy right at the moment. Because we should recognize and celebrate happiness when we find it! So these are things I have found recently that I love and can't resist sharing:

EDITED TO ADD A NEW NUMBER 1: THIS: http://tiffanyschmidt.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-wonderful-thing.html

Yeah, that's right. Another sparkler rocks a book deal!! Go T!!

1. Sherlock, from the BBC.

You GUYS. We ran across this accidentally on Netflix and watched the first episode on a whim...and I fell in absolute nerd-love. I didn't even read the books (I know, shame), but this series is SO GOOD. It's Sherlock moved to modern times, but so very cleverly: the writing and acting are both top-notch. Unfortunately there are only 3 episodes so far, with a promise of three more to come, probably next year. *sigh* WANT. NOW.

2. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak and Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell.
Yes, I'm combining them. Yes, one is theoretically YA(ish) and one is absolutely not, but they remind me of each other, and I love them both. I am in a very boy-narrator sort of mood at the moment, and both of these characters are so authentic and original. Thanks to Martha Mihalick and Janet Reid for those recs! (ages ago, in one case, but I don't read fast...)

3. The weather, today.
Today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Other than that we've had cold, windy, rainy weather pretty much every day. But today is supposed to be 77 and sunny. Finally, a real Montana summer. Aaaaah.

4. Last but not least, HAPPY SAUCE.
Which is taking up all of my time and my brain, but making me HAPPY, hence the code name. *pets*

Now, I also want to throw in Things I'm Looking Forward to. I am getting desperately behind in reading (because of HAPPY SAUCE, mostly), and there are SO MANY books I am dying to get my grubby hands on and devour, but just can't. Yet. They are tantalizing me. Here is the LIST of must-haves that I already know I will love when I have a second (this is embarrassing, I am so behind):

Imaginary Girls by the lovely and extraordinarily talented Nova Ren Suma, with whom I have shared a cupcake and many good conversations. YES. I can't believe I haven't read it yet. I've been waiting for it for ages, and now it's staring at me reproachfully.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Edited by the fabulous Molly O'Neill. Again, glaring at me, daring me to just crack it open.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire

At least I sort of have an excuse for this one, as it just came out. Still, it's waiting. I hear wonderful things.

And last (on the TOP of the list), but not least...Vicki Pettersson's The Neon Graveyard, the last in the glorious Signs of the Zodiac series. I've followed Joanna's adventure since that first manuscript, before she was published, and loved every minute. Now I get to see how it ends, finally.

Well. When I come out of the cave. Whenever that is. Or maybe I'll just go into a reading cave instead?

Oh, HAPPY SAUCE is calling me--I'd better go.

Please tell me, lovelies, what YOU are loving right now. What are you reading/writing/watching/doing that makes you giggle?

Yes. I've been giggling a lot.

I KNOW. It's a good thing.

Hey there!

2011-05-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, when I go away, I really go deep, don't I?

I'd tell you what I've been up to for the past couple months, but then I'd have to come find you and extract the memory from your brain--and that would just take too long for all five of you, or however many are still reading this. It will have to remain a MYSTERY.

I actually was going to wait to post another blog entry until my tulips bloomed, but I am still waiting. It snowed yesterday (really), so all of spring is still kind of on hold around here. Maybe we'll just dive right into summer!

So considering my MYSTERIOUS activities, saying that I'm out of the loop is a serious understatement. I hope you're all doing well, writing and publishing books and doing all your good stuff. If you feel inclined, please comment and say hello, and let me know you're still around!

Later, gators...

Self-Improvement

2011-04-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a lot of exploring lately, forging a new path for myself. Why not? If you stay on the same path your whole life, you stop paying attention to your surroundings. Sometimes you need to shake things up and consider new options, reimagine yourself in a different way.

I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I wanted to tell you about something I discovered, in case you haven't run across it already: iTunes University.

You guys! There are hundreds of high-level lectures, on about everything you can imagine: business, engineering, math, leadership, languages, science, philosophy, history...for FREE! Anytime you want!

I've been listening to lectures and seminars on politics, international relations, and ethics so far, but I plan to keep going. Between that and TED I have plenty of fascinating things to ponder while I'm tweaking images in Photoshop or doing layout.

And for those writers among you, there might even be something useful in there for research.

This message has been brought to you by an absolute nerd, and proud of it. :)

Hey there--

2011-04-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

Hello all!

Just wanted to check in and say that I'm here and doing well--very well, actually. I have a lot of interesting things going on, and have been Busy. I hope you are all enjoying life as much as I am!

I probably am going to continue my general quietness, but thought I'd leave you with a couple goodies.

First, the word of the month:

I have a sticky note on my computer that says:

DON'T FREAK OUT.

Be positive.

Be patient.

This seems to apply to pretty much everything in life, as far as I can tell.

Second, as I never got around to the Hawaii post, I thought I'd share two of my favorite pictures.

Yes, I'm being kissed by a dolphin (actually, a "wholphin")! Lifelong fantasy!


Aaaaaahhh.

The track, I am back on it

2011-03-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

Have you ever not realized how deep a slump you were in until you pulled out of it? You shake yourself off and say man, that sucked, and I didn't even know how badly.

That was me. I was having some issues before the lovely 12-day vacation to Hawaii (yes, there will be more about that with pictures later, once I organize the pictures on the right machine!). I was depressed, listless. I wasn't getting anything done in any part of my life, and I hated myself for it--which then made me continue to not do anything, which made me feel worse... Nasty, nasty cycle.

Anyway, vacation was just the trick. I came back with a clear brain and renewed discipline. Starting the day after we got back, I am:

writing every day
exercising (30 minutes at least) every day
(gasp) taking my calcium :)

Granted it's only been 4 days, but it FEELS different. It feels like I'm myself again, back where I used to be. I like this self. And I think I can keep it up.

You're going to root for me to keep it up, right?

Eventually I will also manage to get back to good twitter habits, email habits, and maybe even blog or blog reading habits (though I don't promise). But I think I've got the important things going.

The Story that GETS You

2011-02-17T10:49:00.001-07:00

Have you ever found a story that feels like it was told just for you? Not one you wrote--that's cheating--but one you read, or watch. It pushes all your buttons, your passions. The situation, characters, and complexities keep you up into the night, imagining. You finish a chapter or an episode with a goofy grin on your face (YES!), and then immediately turn the page or watch the next episode or click PLAY again to keep that feeling going as long as possible.

I hope you have. It's an immersive, complete high (without drugs!), and it's damn fun. I hadn't had that feeling for a while--the last time was with Jane Austen, maybe, or earlier with The Princess Bride. I found it again this past month in what was (for me) an unexpected place: a tv series.

Meet my latest obsession: CHUCK.

I'm not much kidding with the obsession part either. I had been mildly attracted by the ads for a little while, so one lunch break a month ago I decided to watch Season 1, Episode 1 and see if I liked it.

Oh my GOD. A month later and I have watched every single episode of 3 and a half seasons. Avidly. Several of them more than once. That world and characters was so compelling for me it was hard to drag myself out of it every day. Yesterday I finally caught up to the series in real-time, and I just want to go back and watch my favorites.

Now being a storyteller myself, of course I had to try to analyze WHY. What made it so compelling? What was/is the magic? (how do I put that magic into my own books?) So here 'tis. Why I love CHUCK:

THE GENRE MASH-UP

From Wikipedia: "Chuck is an action-comedy television program from the United States created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The series is about an "average computer-whiz-next-door" who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working in the CIA; the message embeds the only remaining copy of the world's greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain."

It's not just an action-comedy. It's action, comedy, drama, romance, and spy stuff, with geek references. It really does a great job of mixing it all up, every week. I've read and watched so much that I get bored by the predictable, and it's never predictable when you can dip into any genre and steal the best stuff. This you can definitely translate to books.

Takeaway: Don't go for the simple and predictable because you're "supposed" to, because it's in the genre. Throw in whatever you like best. Mix it all up together.

THE SITUATION (WISH-FULFILLMENT)

At the start, Chuck is about your everyday guy--bumbling, nerdy, not living up to his full potential, but smart. Through no fault or intent of his own, he gets an extremely valuable power (knowledge) thrust upon him. He not only has to figure out how to handle it--or how to try to get rid of it--but how to deal with all these people who are suddenly fighting with him and over him for it. Yes, it's an old story, but it's one that appeals to everybody. Who doesn't want to suddenly find themselves special, valuable, and fought over? And yet the struggle is that it also puts him and the most important part of his life--his family and friends--at grave risk. So does he want to keep the power, or doesn't he? Does he really want to go back to the way he used to be? I loved that he doesn't embrace his skills right away and just turn into a super-spy. He's actively trying to rid himself of them, even while everything in his life is changing under his feet.

This situation does change after Season 3, but by that point I was hooked enough to want to see the character grow. It was a natural development, and would have been stagnant to keep it as it was. And they still find ways to put in the everyman theme.

Takeaway: It's okay to use an old story if you keep it fresh with new twists. Keep the stakes astonishingly high, and not just for the main protagonist, but for others we care about. Also, I love spy stuff and powers. *cough*

THE WRITING

Day-am there is good writing in this show. The characters are so very well drawn it's hard not to feel like you know them. Even the minor characters are complex. There are strong plot arcs that keep you coming back and fabulous dialogue. I adore Casey's grunts and Chuck and Morgan's nerd repartee. All the wonderful inside nerd jokes, from movie lines to game references and props. Yes, I am a nerd herder.

It's SMART writing.

People warned me off Seasons 3 and 4, but I'm still right in there addicted. Yes, some of the episodes aren't as strong as others--that's just the way of things--but when they hit the heavy plot arcs of family, loss, relationships, romance, and discovery of self, they always bring it back. By this time I trust the writers. Go Josh and Chris and your teams!

Takeaway: Pay attention to all the details of the story. Make EVERY part of it sing, and it will show. Have fun with it. These writers seem to have great fun. Also, don't underestimate your audience. Assume they're smart; assume they'll get it.

THE ACTING

This part unfortunately doesn't translate well to writing books, but I have to give props to the actors. Zachary Levi is outstanding as Chuck. One moment Kung Fu action hero, the next showing the pain of self-sacrifice to save someone he loves. He really does carry the show, and I don't think it would've made it this far without him. Yvonne Strahovski, of course, as Chuck's handler/love interest Sarah, is fabulous. My favorite episode of the two of them, still, is Chuck vs. The Honeymoon. They seemed to have a great time together, and I do love their relationship.

The supporting cast is all fabulous, though. Joshua Gomez, Adam Baldwin (grunt), Sarah Lancaster, Ryan McPartlin, and all the guest stars (Timothy Dalton and Linda Hamilton FTW). There isn't a weak link, and that's important to keep it GOOD.

WHAT I HOPE COMES NEXT

A Season 5, of course. I've already joined the campaigning. But I also hope the writers live up to that trust and keep it strong, keep the stakes HIGH, not just devolve into standalone bad-guy-of-the-week episodes. I don't think they will.
(spoiler speculations below in white text)
I do think in Season 4 they haven't exploited the potential danger to Ellie/Awesome/Clara enough. Chuck and Sarah are so high-profile now, with many people having seen them in action. I'd love a storyline where the danger is real and they have to seriously consider putting Ellie/Awesome/Clara away in witness protection. Before the wedding. It would take us back to Chuck seeing how this life affects his family, which is a primary theme. *hopes*

****

This is probably getting a little embarrassing now. Okay, We probably passed that point a few paragraphs ago. :) But I hope a few of you take a look at CHUCK, if you were thinking about it. Or if that's not YOUR story, the one that GETS you, I hope you find a story you can get that passionate about, if only for a little while.

I'm off to figure out how to MAKE a story people can get that passionate about. This obsession has been good for the creative brain.

Now, tell me about the stories that were made for you! Which ones have really gotten under your skin?

NY Extravaganza

2011-01-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Christmas was my last post? Really, Christmas? Huh.

Well, there was Christmas and then holidays and EXTREME WORK DEADLINE CRAZINESS and freelance work and then a trip to NYC with hubby last weekend, so...I forgive myself. :)

Do you want to hear about the NY trip? I am going to imagine that you are all cheering and yelling YES, TELL US.

We flew into New Jersey late Friday night, after a day of traveling. It takes a surprisingly loooong time to get from Montana to New Jersey (more on this flight later, if I manage it). We'd arranged a car, and our driver was waiting for us at the bottom of the escalator with my name on a sign. I don't know about you, but this made me feel *fancy*. We goggled at the city until we arrived at our hotel, IN TIMES SQUARE.

It was about midnight when we arrived, so we checked in and headed right back out on the street to check it out. It was still packed, and everything was open. We managed to snap a picture or two with the cell phone and get the feel of the place before we decided it was WAY too freezing to wander around anymore in our leather jackets, so we ducked into a restaurant for drinks & an appetizer.

There was a LITTLE sticker shock when we got the bill--$66 for 3 drinks and nachos--but what are you gonna do? This was a romantic getaway, after all. We weren't looking for cheap.

Next day we set out (a bit later than we meant to, but the bed was so comfy...) to Rockefeller Center, and signed ourselves up for the NBC tour. We headed up to the Top of the Rock until it was our time. AMAZING views! Then the NBC tour, which accounts for our major celebrity sightings (naturally). Most of it was interesting, but the most fun for me was the Saturday Night Live set, where they were rehearsing for that night's show. We saw Kenan Thompson, Jason Sudeikis, Jay Pharaoh, and...the host, Gwyneth Paltrow, sitting on the set in a brown wig. She looked up and waved at us, which was pretty cool. Yeah, I'm such a tourist. Sometimes that's okay. :)

Next we went to St. Patrick's Cathedral, where there happened to be a wedding starting in five minutes. Of course we stayed to watch the procession. It was gorgeous, with 10 bridesmaids all in vibrant Indian saris, walking down to the church organ playing Bach...

We headed down Fifth Avenue to Grand Central, ogled the ceiling, and then had a fabulous lunch at Zocalo before heading back out into the cold to check out the Chrysler Building (M's favorite) and the NYC public library. Somewhere there is a picture of me with the lions, but I don't have it here at work, so you can imagine.

Then it was time to go get cleaned up for the big event, the reason we came to NYC: our Broadway show. As soon as we saw that they were showing DRIVING MISS DAISY with James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave? Had to come. That's a once-in-a-lifetime event, in my opinion, seeing two masters at work live.

Yes, it was THAT AMAZING. It really was. I cried.

To top off the night, we headed to Sardi's after and had a wonderful dinner and bottle of wine. Perfect.

The next day we originally intended to go on the ferry, but it was way too freezing (I swear, it really WAS colder in NY than Montana. 20 degrees and biting wind, with humidity? Ugh.), so we slept in again (what?) and then took the subway down to Brooklyn. We wanted to have lunch at Grimaldi's. I was NOT aware that there are often hour-long waits outside just to get a table! Fortunately we timed it perfectly (accidentally) and got in just as it opened. YUM. Second celebrity sighting: Uma Thurman came in just as we were leaving. We think. :)

Then we headed up to the Morgan Library and ogled all the original manuscripts and documents (this is such an artsy-nerd type trip, isn't it? Fitting). We bought Empire State Building/Chrysler Building salt and pepper shakers. Then we decided to get some drinks and then go see THE KING'S SPEECH, which we currently can't see in Montana without driving for an hour each way. It was so good! I do love Colin Firth and Helena Bonham-Carter.

We went to dinner at Manzo at Eataly (walked right in--another example of our perfect timing) and had a crazy-good gourmet meal. Complete with chocolate drink for me and vanilla mousse/hazelnut/chocolate dessert. Because that was not enough of a day, we stopped at the Empire State Building and went up to the very tip-top.

The next morning we headed up to Central Park. We took pictures at the Dakota, walked across the park and over to the museums. A very long, cold walk, but worth it. We went to the Guggenheim and tried to go to the Whitney (boo, closed, no Edward Hopper exhibit for us) and then walked ALL THE WAY back down Fifth avenue. We finished off with lunch at the Playwright's Irish Pub near Times Square, then met our driver for the ride to the airport and the trip back home.

I have no idea if you wanted to hear all that, Internet, but I was happy to type it all up, as it helps me remember what a fabulous time we had.

*happy sigh*

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

Since today is the last day of work before CHRISTMAS, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for coming here (even when I have very little to say...*cough* lately *cough*). You're fabulous.

I hope you each have a wonderful holiday!!

Fall for Anything!!

2010-12-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Today...I'm pretty darn excited. FALL FOR ANYTHING by Courtney Summers is out in the world!

Y'all *may* know that I'm a huge fan of Courtney Summers' books. CRACKED UP TO BE stole my breath with its awesomeness (Go Parker!). SOME GIRLS ARE punched me in the gut with its truth, its glimpse into both sides of bullying.

FALL FOR ANYTHING, in the immortal words of Bill Cameron, punched me in the soul.

FFA is the story of Eddie Reeves, an enigmatic, sarcastic, complex mess of a girl--eminently relatable--dealing with the suicide of her father. Eddie wants more than anything to know why, and she thinks somehow if she can figure that out, the rest of life will make sense. Of course it's not that simple, and it hurts to be immersed in Eddie's head. But oh, readers--it is so very worth it. Once again Courtney jabs right to the truth of the world of this girl, this time the truth of grief, and loss, and mourning, and the terrible fact that life keeps going on.

Courtney's writing is spare and beautiful. Her characters are so real they live in my head for months after--even secondary characters. Milo, Eddie's best friend, is fabulous. And Culler...well, I'll let you find that one out for yourself.

The best way to summarize my feelings for this book is this: READ IT. PLEASE. And then we can talk. :)

I already gave away my early copy of FFA to a lucky Twitter winner (thanks to everyone for playing the #fallforanything contest!), but I'm heading out today to buy my for-real copy. Are you?

How to Liven up Shakespeare

2010-12-09T09:41:00.001-07:00

The title is a joke, because I'm a complete Shakespeare NERD and I think Shakespeare plays are pretty lively as they are. But last night, Child's school managed to make it even more interesting.

Her school did Twelfth Night for their Christmas play last year, and this year they tackled Midsummer Night's Dream (abridged versions, both--this is for 1st through 6th graders to act). I was thrilled when Child was given the part of Hermia. She's never tried a major part before, but that one's perfect for her. She's "petite" like her mother, so all the "little" lines totally fit.

Because I am so dwarfish and so low?
How low am I, thou painted maypole? speak;
How low am I? I am not yet so low
But that my nails can reach unto thine eyes.

The audience laughed loudly with the last line. She practically growled when she said it! AWESOMENESS.

Also, she was paired with her best friend who's a boy (sort-of "boyfriend" though that doesn't mean much at this age) as her lover, and Helena was played by her female best friend. The 4 of them in all those scenes have a great time together, and you can tell.

Anyway, the performance went fabulously, the audience packed full of appreciative parents and grandparents, until, in the middle of the second half...one of the players broke the lantern, right in the middle of the stage.

Broken glass, scattered all over the stage. The whole parent-audience groaned as the play continued, the kids dancing over and smashing the broken glass. I don't think any of us were looking above the level of the floor at that point--we were all just watching where the glass was, spreading as they crunched over it.

But these kids had shoes, and they were okay. Some of us knew from dress rehearsal that the next scene was fairies. Barefoot fairies.

The quick-thinking narrator ran out and got a broom and swept the stage while delivering her lines, but she's 10 or 11 and didn't really have the knack of how to sweep glass. She dramatically swept the bulk of it off into the wings (with flourishes), but we could still see the remnants, lots of them, winking at us in the lights.

They'll stop the play, I kept thinking. They have to stop it and clean the stage.

But the kids kept going, saying their lines perfectly. And then Puck--the oldest girl in the school, a sixth grader--came on, and stepped squarely, firmly, right in the glass, with her bare feet.

The whole audience gasped. One parent ran backstage, one ran back up the aisle to the teacher in the sound booth. Puck kept delivering her lines as we all wondered if she was cut, murmuring to each other. And then all the little kids, dressed as fairies, appeared at the back of the stage, their feet bare, and prepared for their dance--and we knew it had to stop.

The teacher ran down the aisle and jumped up on the stage, herding the little ones away from the danger area. They kept dancing, but away from the glass. Puck conveniently had to sweep the stage for her part then, and got the rest of it. Then she gave her speech, they did bows, and it was all over.

I'm pretty sure Puck did cut her feet a little. When my husband asked her in the reception line if her feet were okay, she winced. (The wife of the head teacher is a doctor, so I'm sure she also got fixed up quick if she did.)

But as it all came through okay at the end, we were able to appreciate the extra drama of the evening. My husband turned to me as we were waiting for Child and said "What do you think we should try tomorrow to top that? Boiling oil? Real swords?"

Probably not. But it did make the whole ending pretty darn exciting.

It's TIARA DAY!

2010-12-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all!!

It's Tiara Day again! This one was called in celebration of two things officially: the birth on November 16 of my beloved friend Tiffany Schmidt's twin boys (helloooo Asher and Bradford: welcome to Sparkle-Town!) and the new agent of the lovely Julie Butcher-Feydnich (@jimsissy on Twitter), who ASKED for a TD. :)

(It's also unofficially for a couple of OTHER lovelies who had good news last month, but I can't reveal those. You KNOW WHO YOU ARE.)

Now, you're probably wondering about that kind of funky tiara pic I've got going this time. It does look odd, yes. But there's a good story behind it. (I told this story before after the trip, but I'm REPEATING IT, okay?)

When I made my first trip to New York City in January last year, for the SCBWI conference, I got to meet up with the Fabulous Sharkly Agent Janet (of course). It wasn't the first time I'd met her in person, but the first time in her beloved city. I knew she had a couple of plans of where to take me. But when I saw her, she was practically giggling.

"You'd better laugh when you see this," she said, "or I'll disown you." She studied me. "Never mind, you're going to laugh."

She maneuvered me through my first subway trip, and stood me right here.

A tiara! On the wall of the subway station!

See me grinning my head off? Nah, she doesn't know me AT ALL.

Then she took me to a chocolate restaurant for lunch, Max Brenner's.

So in light of the fact that today's Tiara Day is half about an agent matchup, and that it's almost January again, it's the perfect Tiara Day avatar. Don't you think?

Hope you join in the celebration!

Walk Pics

2010-11-30T14:25:00.001-07:00

Remember the whole "Daily Walk" thing I had planned way back in the summer?

Not so much daily. More like occasional. But that's okay with me, really. I have a problem with required activities, even if it's me that came up with them!

I had to walk across campus today with the big camera in hand, and decided it'd be nice to take a few shots of what it looks like now. Quite a bit different from those pics in summer.

(oh, and sorry I've been so long without posting, etc., hope you had a happy thanksgiving and holiday and ALL THAT. I have just been BUSY. And reading many manuscripts and writing, yes! It is all good!)

Mountains in the distance. I love the smell of these pines in winter.

Massive icicle. The scary thing is how many more of these there were on the ground nearby. (duck!)

Not much going on at the football field today.

It's snowing in the far mountains!

Tuesday, November 16th, ROCKS

2010-11-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today has been incredible in my circle of friends. Lives were changed, hopes realized. All came out WELL.

Some of this news is sekrit, but I can share the biggest and the best:

WELCOME to Asher and Bradford Schmidt, the two newest members of Team Sparkle!!! They made their entrance early, but it still feels like we've been waiting for them forever.

Congratulations and Happy Birthday to their parents, Matt and Tiffany Schmidt. Tiffany is a CP, a confidante, and an AMAZING person.

I am so happy today.

The big SPLAT

2010-11-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

Normally I am not one for the moral in a story, but this one just might have a moral in there. WATCH FOR IT.

So on Saturday, Hubby, Child and I were lounging around purposeless, as you do on a Saturday, and decided to go see MEGAMIND. It was gorgeous and warm, so we walked. We watched, laughed, snarfed popcorn and Mike & Ikes, and headed back. It was twilight, with just a bite of cold in the air, enough that Child and I were talking about lighting pine-scented candles and giving her a warm bath. All three of us were laughing, happy. I actually thought to myself How happy I am right now.

Then Child said, "Let's race home!" and I was feeling so silly and giddy that I said "You're on!" and we took off. It was only about a block further.

She was ahead, going in the gate by the garage, and I thought "I'll fool her and go in the other gate and beat her," and just as I thought that,

the ground wasn't there anymore.

I was in the air, with nothing under my feet, and then I was on my face on the gravel, spread-eagled.

Being in the family I'm in, I popped RIGHT back up and started walking for the door as if nothing had happened. Yes, we're like cats.

But it HURT. Oh my GOD it hurt. The heels of my hands, my elbow, my left knee, all on fire at once.

"Are you okay?" Hubby yelled, behind me.

"No," I said, through gritted teeth, because I could get up, but I couldn't lie that much. But I kept walking to the house. I let us in, went straight to the bathroom, and rinsed off my hands with cool water. It was all I could think to do, to make it stop burning.

Hubby appeared in the bathroom door. "Are you okay?" he repeated. Demanded. "You tore your jeans."

I kept rinsing my hands. "My jeans are the least of my worries right now."

"What are your worries then?"

"My hands. And my knee. My knee hurts like..like mad."

He looked at my jeans, at my face. "Show me your knee."

Yes, dear readers, it was a bloody mess. Is, though it's much better now. But that night, all of a sudden I was an invalid. I couldn't stand to have anything touching it. Couldn't stand to bend it, to move. Couldn't sleep for how much it hurt. I got up to go to the bathroom in the night and it was ten minutes before I could do anything but wait for it to stop hurting like that.

Of course I was also trying to be brave about it, so Child wouldn't feel bad. She'd suggested running, so she thought it was her fault.

But what was the moral that I kept thinking about all that sleepless night? How quickly things change. You're happy, oblivious, chugging along, and you make one innocent decision and BLAM. SPLAT.

I know, this was a minor oops on the grand scale, but I think most accidents, most life-changing oopses, are like that. Life is one way, and then it's not anymore, and all of a sudden you have to adjust to the new reality. Whatever that is.

Sheesh, you'd think I could fall without having major life epiphanies, but YOU WOULD BE WRONG. :)

(also, my other major thought was THANK GOD IT WAS ME AND NOT CHILD. But you parents knew that one already)

THE MOCKINGBIRDS giveaway!!

2010-11-03T08:59:00.001-07:00

AND THE WINNER IS, by random draw...LINDA GRIMES!!

This makes me laugh only because I think she's entered every one of my contests and never won. It had to happen eventually! :) Congrats, Linda!

To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout. Jem. Boo Radley.

Gregory Peck as the hot single-dad campaigner for justice.

Oh, I'm sorry, I got distracted for a minute. *shakes self*

Anyway. You loved the book and the movie, right? I even loved the play.

So imagine if you took the spirit of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD--the hard, cold edge of justice standing up to powerful forces, the complexity of crime and personal relations in a small community--and you infused it into a YA novel? With excellent, turn-the-page writing and strong, breathing characters?

You'd have Daisy Whitney's debut novel THE MOCKINGBIRDS, which came out yesterday!!

I had the privilege to read this book a while back, and let me tell you, it's good. It's strong, and brave, and very different from the rest of the books out there on the shelves right now. And I'd like to share it with YOU.

To win a brand-new, shipped-to-your-house copy of THE MOCKINGBIRDS, all you have to do is comment below, with:

--your favorite scene from the book or movie of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

--OR the reason you want to read this book!!

Contest will close Friday morning at 8 am my time, and I'll buy the book and ship it off to you. North American entries only, I'm afraid. (yes, Canada!)

You want to win? Want to see what everybody's talking about? GO!

Democracy in action...

2010-11-02T07:28:00.001-07:00

Conversation on the way into school today:

Me: I get to vote today.

Child: Oh, me too.

Me: What?

Child: We have school elections. *pause* I'm running for Senator.

Me: O_o
Me: Really? I...um...didn't even know you were having elections.

(Child explains the complexity of the elections, the slates of candidates she has to decide from, and the rules. There are about 12 kids running for Senator (of 24) and 5 can be elected.)

As we pull up,

Me: Well, good luck then! That's exciting.

Child: Yeah, I think I'll need it. Everybody else has 3 to 5 signs up. But you have to make them during chapter book (a read-aloud period), and I'd rather draw. *shrugs* *runs in*

Not exactly an enthusiastic candidate, maybe. But still pretty darn cool, y?

Edited to add:

She won!! Her teacher told me privately that it was really a popularity contest, and "she's popular".

As a bullied, deeply unpopular kid at her age, this still made me happy. :)

Tiara Day!

2010-10-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's TIARA DAY again!!

Last time we sparkled against cancer. I am ALWAYS sparkling against cancer, but today's is more just about playing and having fun.

Also, kid-like. I am wearing my Mickey Mouse (Minnie Mouse?) ears with the tiara. I may or may not have bought this at Disneyland just for Tiara Day.

Okay, I did.

So to play, wear a tiara on your actual head, or slap one on your avatar for the day! Have fun and be silly!

Happy Tiara Day!!

Virtuosity

2010-10-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

Virtuous.

It's a stuffy, prim little word, isn't it? Like a proper old lady sitting in a brocade chair with her ankles crossed.

"Virtuous," she says, sipping her tea, nodding. "A lady must be virtuous."

THAT kind of virtuous I will never be, despite the efforts of proper old ladies everywhere. But over the past few years, I have learned the simple pleasure of bursts of virtuous.

I have bad habits, you see. I procrastinate, play solitaire, eat candy, sneak in reading or old TV when I know there are other things I should be doing, things that are important to me for my goals--or that make me feel accomplished. So when I actually do those things, I feel pleased. Proud of myself. Virtuous.

I feel virtuous when I:

not only get my writing goal in for the day, but surpass it.
actually do make lunches the night before.
exercise (hey, it's rare, but it does happen).
write a decent blog post.
cook an interesting, nutritious meal for my family (and they like it!).
clean the kitchen, completely, not in spots.
fold a load of laundry and get it put away in less than a day after starting it.
remember Child's increasingly complicated schedule and pack the right things
volunteer for something important to me.

You know that feeling, right? Kind of wow-I-am-a-successful-grown-up.

I guess it's an inner gold star.

What makes you feel virtuous?

Eeee! The Near Witch cover.

2010-10-12T13:59:00.001-07:00

I am so happy to be part of Victoria Schwab's Cover Release Extravaganza!!

Check out THE NEAR WITCH.

"The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life. But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget."

Also NOTE: THE NEAR WITCH just became available for pre-order on Amazon, here:

http://www.amazon.com/Near-Witch-Victoria-Schwab/dp/1423137876/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286924197&sr=8-2

The winner of ANNIE'S ADVENTURES is...

2010-10-01T10:09:00.000-07:00

TrishaleighKC!!

Congrats, Trisha! I hope you and/or your kiddos enjoy it. :)

I am not blogging more today because:

a) I have a horrible cough and I don't feel like doing much and

b) in spite of (a), it is Homecoming weekend and I have a zillion activities I have to do. So later, peeps!!

Sisters Eight Interview and Giveaway!

2010-09-28T08:36:00.002-07:00

As promised, here's Child's* interview with Jackie Logsted about her part in writing the fabulous Sisters Eight series. Jackie's 10, and Child is 8 (excuse me: 8 and a HALF!). Child loves to read the series, but I think she's also inspired by the idea that Jackie helps write it--she's started writing plays with her classmates at school. She also acts, just like Jackie!

*I promised I would reiterate that her real name is not Child. Child is her secret identity. :)

Here's the blurb about the Sisters Eight series:

It’s a good old-fashioned mystery with missing (or dead) parents, nosy neighbors, talking refrigerators, foul-smelling fruitcake (is there any other kind?), and even a little magic. Eight little girls, eight cats, and one big mystery—let the fun begin!

Stay tuned to the end of the interview to find out how you can win a hardback copy of Annie's Adventures!

Child: What part do you help with when you're writing the books?

Jackie: Well, me and my dad give tons of ideas, and the way I help is, I try to think of good ideas for my mom to write into the story, I tell her the ideas, and hope for the best.

Child: It's hard to pick because I like all of them, but I think my favorite sister is Durinda, because she's nice. What's your favorite character?

Jackie: It's really hard to pick, but if I had to choose, I think I'd choose Zinnia because, if you think about it, she doesn't lie, she's nice and she sticks to who she is. She's unique, and I like it.

Child: In the books, Jackie is funny and fast (like fast-as-a-train fast!). Are you like Jackie?

Jackie: Yes and no. Of course, I am Jackie, but I'm not fast. I'd even have to say that I'm one of the worst at anything sports-related in my class. I'm not sure if I'm funny or not. I'd have to say that I'm half like Jackie Huit. Everything else is all me. (Jackie's mom would just like to say that Jackie is very funny, whether she knows it or not.)

Child: So far my favorite adventure is Jackie's Jokes. What's your favorite?

Jackie: My favorite book would have to be Petal's Problems. It comes out in October 2010 and at the moment I'm writing this, it hasn't come out yet, so I can't tell you why I like it. I'll just say, I like it.

Child: If you could have anything from the Huit's house (like seasonal rooms or talking refrigerators), what would you have?

Jackie: I would have to say the Seasonal Rooms because if it was cold and I wanted to get warm, I could! If it was warm and I wanted to cool off, I could! I just think it would be fun and would come in handy.

Child: The sisters each have a cat. I have a dog named Daisy. Do you have a pet?

Jackie: I technically have a pet. In the past, I had two fish: Drink and Goldy. They both died. But a few weeks ago, I was with my friends Lawerence and Andrew and we found a newt! We keep it at their house, but it's technically both of ours, so I technically have a pet.

Child: (We had fish and they died too. That's just like me!) I want to be an artist when I grow up. What do you want to be?

Jackie: Up until recently, I had no idea what I wanted to be, but about three weeks ago I finally decided. When I grow up, I want to be an actress. I just love to act! It's one of my favorite things to do. Thanks for interviewing me!

Thanks for joining us, Jackie!! And as she mentioned, Petal's Problems will be out in a few days. I know we'll be lining up to see what happens when it's Petal's month.

In honor of Jackie's Jokes, we're going to have a little joke contest here on the blog.

To enter to win a copy of Annie's Adventures (read it yourself, pass it on to your favorite middle grader, or donate it to your local library or school library!)--or just to join in--share your favorite knock-knock joke in the comments below. Just make sure to say if you want to be entered to win the book or are just playing! (to clarify: I'll assume you want to be entered to win unless you say different. Thanks!)

Contest will be closed midnight on Thursday. We'll do a random draw on Friday, October 1, for the lucky winner!

What's your best knock-knock joke?

Another interview and giveaway! This one's for the MG-lovers.

2010-09-27T14:23:00.001-07:00

I know I usually talk about--and give away--YA books. Even grown-up books every once in a while. Tomorrow I'm talking middle-grade, with a special guest star.

Child absolutely LOVES the Sisters Eight series. She begs to read them at bedtime, during bath...whenever she can. She's also fascinated by the fact that while Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the primary author, one of the co-authors is her daughter Jackie. Just two years older than Child, and already a published author.

What's not to be fascinated with?

So I had the idea...what if instead of ME interviewing Lauren (so DONE), Child interviewed Jackie?

Much more interesting.

We've got the questions and answers ready for tomorrow, AND we'll be giving away a hardback copy of the first book in the series, Annie's Adventures. You can read it yourself or pass it on to that fabulous middle grader in your life.

Please stop by tomorrow to read and comment on Child's first interview, and have a chance to win!

Playing

2010-09-22T08:58:00.002-07:00

Inspired by Scott's short fiction today, I thought I'd post a little something something from my files. This was a piece I was just playing around with a couple years ago, for fun. Let me know if you post a snip too!
*****

She stepped light down the road, this mother, her feet pat-patting on the soft, red dirt. The weight of the one child pulled on her back, a sweet, sleepy weight. The other walked beside, proud at being so big. The mother shaded her eyes against the morning sun to judge the land, to know how far until they should stop to drink, eat some of their hard-saved beans.

The land was wide here, a stretch of red and brown dust, rock, and scraggle-tooth trees far into the sky. Only this road brave enough to go through it, this road and this mother.

Another two days, she decided, to the grandmother's house. They could make it that long on the beans. The water was closer—with the little one still sucking milk, the mother's mouth got dried up sometimes. Not dry like the deer bones next to the road, but almost.

"See that rock pile there, way down if you squint?" she said to the big one. Ahadi, her strong boy. Skin the color of embers at night, dark with glints of fire. Cheekbones and eyes just like his daddy. She cringed from that thought, back to the boy before her. Here. Alive. "We stop there to rest. You make it that far?"

"Yes, Mama." He gave her a smile, slow and small. He was quiet since his daddy gone. No telling if he'd seen it. She didn't want to know.

Why I haven't talked about writing lately

2010-09-15T11:08:00.003-07:00

Well. It's been a tough summer, writing-wise.

In June I sent off my manuscript with great optimism, thinking it was ready for the big show.

It wasn't. When I looked at it with all honesty, I hadn't given myself enough of a break between end of draft and revision (1 week) or end of incorporating revisions from crit partners and sending it out there (1 week). I was so dang excited about the concept and the book I didn't give it enough time, or room to grow and deepen. I didn't give myself enough time in any sense.

So that's what this summer has been about. On the writing front I was drained, and a little bit broken. So I took about a month and just filled the well. Read without guilt, spent time outdoors and on vacation with my family, watched movies, watched Buffy, all that good stuff. In the background, occasionally, I thought about the book--but not much. I let it be.

Then I took a month and went back and did research. I needed to add a lot more worldbuilding (in a contemp book!), so I read nonfiction stuff on the topic, first-person accounts, histories, newspaper articles, videos. When I finally felt stuffed with knowledge and restless to get started, I re-crafted the plot to reflect the research and my thoughts, and realized how very much of the book I wanted to change.

But you know...when you haven't really written in two months? It is HARD to get back in the saddle. Especially for a substantial rewrite. Your routines are gone. Your discipline is flabby. Your confidence--my confidence--was very, very wobbly. Is.

I'm finally getting it back, if still more unsteadily than I'd like. Along the way somehow I seem to have changed tense. (!) But I have a good, solid plan for how to make the book stronger, by far. The voice is still in my head. I am going to make this book work.

And if I make it work the way I see it in my head, I sincerely hope y'all will get to see this one someday. This book? It could be a kicker. Will be, I hope.

THANK YOU to Agent Sparkle Shark and Team Sparkle--Courtney, Emily, Linder, Scottopher, Tiffany, Victoria--for seeing me through this difficult summer. If y'all don't have a Team Sparkle to help you through the rough times (and in this business, I can guarantee there will be rough times), GET ONE. Writing friends are invaluable. They send you virtual cupcakes for the highs, but they also send you virtual whatever-you-needs for the lows. Encouragement. Confidence boosts. Chocolate.

I do keep whininess and personal disclosures to a minimum here, but I thought it was important that other writers see that there are struggles in every step, and you just have to keep going. So that's where I've been, and where I am. I'm ready to start climbing again.

DUFF contest winner!

2010-09-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Wow, this was fun. Thanks so much for playing, you guys! I loved reading your entries.

(and sorry for taking so long to get this up--I haven't even been near a computer.)

Best twist on the phrase DUFF: Lori W. I love "Damn Unexpected Fine Female Attention"!

Best owning of the term with attitude: Linda G. "Screw you, skinny friends. Enjoy your celery."

Best OUCH moments (and we've all known those, especially in high school): Mairead S., squinto, and Latoya Alloway. They all made me cringe.

Saddest by far: Deb. You're killing me, Deb! :)

LadyGenette, I loved "spaghetti-thin arms". Perfect!

Mandy: Day-am. Those are some mean girls!

And the winner, because it made me laugh out loud and I loved the twist:

Samantha Verant!!

Samantha, please email your mailing address to susan (dot) adrian (at) yahoo.com, and we'll get your copy sent off!!

Hope y'all had fun. I did!

THE DUFF: Interview with Kody Keplinger and giveaway!

2010-09-08T07:58:00.003-07:00

THANKS, guys!! Contest is closed. I'm swamped right now, but I'll get to this and announce the winner as soon as I can!

(Also, I looked up international shipping rates from Amazon, and yep I can swing that. So all entries will be considered.)

Y'all. Without any ado, may I introduce to the stage the fabulous, talented...Kody KEPLINGER, author of THE DUFF!

(also, you can enter to win a copy of THE DUFF here! Details at the bottom!)

Obligatory question: Tell me about THE DUFF and Bianca.

THE DUFF is, in my opinion, an edgy, sexy romance for teens. It’s about Bianca, a girl in her senior year of high school, who is informed that she’s the “designated ugly fat friend” of her group of friends. The word haunts her, but its not her biggest issue. She’s also dealing with a family that’s falling apart, and the only “escape” she finds is in a purely physical relationship with the school’s biggest womanizer. The same guy who called her the DUFF, in fact. But even cynical Bianca has to eventually admit that her feelings for the guy have gone farther than just the physical, but how could he ever feel the same about her when she’s the “DUFF”?

I understand you first heard the term "The Duff" in high school. What was your reaction to it? How did your reaction compare with Bianca's?

Luckily, I wasn’t in Bianca’s shoes. No one told me that *I* was the DUFF. I thought I was, and when I heard the word I remember telling my friends “Wow, I’m so the DUFF of this group.” But had someone actually called me that to my face the way Wesley does Bianca? Well, let’s just say Bianca takes it better than I ever could have.

Lucky for B, she’s smart, cynical, and pretty level headed. I think her cynicism is really what saves her from being completely crushed by this. If she was the romantic type, I think being called a “DUFF” would hurt much worse.

In the book Bianca comes to the conclusion that everyone feels like a Duff in some way. Do you think that's really true? (I know I feel like a Duff in publishing sometimes…) :)

Oh, I definitely think it’s true. There are so many incarnations of “DUFF.” You can be the DUFF at work, the DUFF of your friends, the DUFF in a classroom. DUFF doesn’t always have to mean the actually meaning, it can also just mean feeling like the least adequate. We’ve all felt that way, both physically and intellectually, I think. Insecurity is like the great unifier for women and maybe men, too. We all feel insecure sometimes. We’ve all been DUFFs.

I was impressed with the realism of your dialogue. Bianca and her friends sound like actual, smart teens. Did you read it aloud to make sure it sounded realistic? Did you give it to friends to vet?

I read almost everything out loud, or have someone read it to me, just to make sure it sounds all right. With the dialogue, it was my favorite part to write. I always find the things my friends say funny and clever, and I wanted to capture that with Bianca and Casey and Jessica. Some lines of their dialogue are right out of convos I’ve had with real life friends. Others just kind of felt natural for the character. With dialogue, I just try to remember – these are the girls *i* know. Not adults. Not geniuses. Just normal teen girls. I know them, so what would they say? Its’ actually really fun!

I think especially at high school age, we tend to set up ideals for ourselves—what "the perfect guy" should look like (as well as what we should look like as "the perfect girl"). I liked that Bianca didn't want to play into that romance ideal and yet she clearly had firm ideas of who she should and shouldn't be with (Toby and Wesley) and had to open her mind to different possibilities. Can you talk about fantasy vs. reality when it comes to guys?

I knew going in to this book that Wesley, though he was hot and clever and sexy as hell, would not be Bianca’s “type.” So I asked myself “Who would this girl crush on?” That’s how I got Toby. For those who haven’t read the book, Toby is Bianca’s long time crush. He’s basically this insanely smart, cute little political buff. To be fair, I think I’d have a crush on him, too.

I don’t have a lot of dating experience myself, but one thing I have found is that when it comes to guys, expectations and ideals are usually never as they seem. I once had a crush on a boy for MONTHS only to discover that, while we were great friends, he could really drive me up the wall and it was probably better that we never dated. Bianca doesn’t have that kind of realization with Toby or Wesley, but she does have to come to realize that boys can take you by surprise. The right guy can be the wrong guy for you. It’s not always fun to learn, but Bianca’s journey to figuring out who is “right” for her, or if anyone is really, was fun to write for sure.

And speaking of that (ahem), tell us about Wesley.

Oooooh, Wesley. *sigh* I had the most fun in the world writing about Wesley Benjamin Rush. He was one of those characters that took me by surprise. He was intended to be a very different character and, instead, ended up in a very different and much better place.

Wesley is a hottie, and he knows it. He’s a charmer and a seducer. A “man-whore” as Bianca calls him. But he’s also unexpectedly smart – the boy has a taste for classic literature – and he has issues of his own. He’s not what Bianca expects, and writing him was fun because, as Bianca discovered who he really was, so did I.

I was intrigued in looking at some reviews of THE DUFF that the only major criticism some people had was that Bianca was "too bitchy". I've been accused of that myself with my main characters, but have always felt it's important to not make a character too mellow in an attempt to please everybody. Can you talk about the fine line of "bitchy" vs. "too bitchy"?

I want to say upfront that, in my opinion, Bianca isn’t so much “bitchy” as . . . “negative.” And while some people have had issues with that, others have approached me and said, “I WAS this girl in high school.” The fact is that one character can’t appeal to all readers. And that’s the beauty of fiction – it’s a different experience for everyone.

That said, there is a fine line to walk. The trick, I think, is to let the reader see the deeper core of the character. If the reader can see the reasons WHY the character is so negative, then they are more likely to sympathize. Bianca has a lot to be bitter about – she’s dealing with family issues, she’s still a little scarred from a first love gone wrong, and now someone is telling her she’s a “DUFF.” Who wouldn’t be a little bitter?

But, to be fair, I love cynical, sarcastic girls in YA. Even completely unlikeable ones. Because lets be honest, not all of us are always likeable as teens.

After all that, a little bit of fluff. What's your favorite food? What would you hoard if you could only have one thing for a month?

Oh my God . . . favorite food is spaghetti, but if I had to, I could live – and live happily – on pepperoni pizza Lean Pockets. YUM!

****

So I was right--you want this, don't ya?

To win a brand-spanking new copy of THE DUFF, we're going to have a little flash fiction contest. Write me a story in 100 words or less, including the following elements, and post it in the comments to this blog post:

cherry coke
the DUFF
red Converse shoes
spaghetti

Contest will be open until Friday, September 10, at 8 am mountain time. Then I'll do a judgy-thing (enlisting additional help if necessary) and choose my favorite entry. Also, bonus points for tweeting/blogging/facebooking about Kody, The Duff, or this contest.

Got it? DO IT!

And thanks so much, Kody. I loved THE DUFF.

(and if you happen to not win? Go buy a copy. Really.)

The Duff

2010-09-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Guys!! Did you hear that Kody Keplinger's THE DUFF was released into the wild today?

I love Kody. She's YOUNG, a good mumble-mumble younger than me, but she's a smart cookie, and the girl can write a damn good story.

A while back I asked Kody if she'd be willing to do an interview with me, and she of course was a rock star about it and complied. So heads up: I'll be posting the interview tomorrow. And...

giving away a copy of THE DUFF!!

You know you want it.

Come back tomorrow to play!

The Disney

2010-09-02T08:44:00.001-07:00

Hola!

I am still refusing to accept the end of summer. Even though Child is back at school, even though the light is less and less each day, even though the mountains had snow on them again this week. No. Summer whipped by, and I'm not ready to let go of it yet.

One of the highlights of our summer was our epic, week-long trip to Disneyland at the end of August. We'd taken a few days out of a San Diego trip earlier this year to re-visit Disneyland, for the first time since hubby and I were kids, and WOW. It still held the magic. So this time we committed: we stayed just down the street, in a room with a balcony overlooking the fireworks. We bought a 5-day park hopper pass. We planned a few extra activities--a day at the Knott's splash park, a trip to the American Girl store for Child and doll pampering--but most of it was all about the mouse.

And you know what? Even though it was unexpectedly hot (94 degrees several of the days) and even though there were always crowds and bustle, it STILL held up. We had a blast on the traditional rides (Space Mountain and Matterhorn FTW!) and the more daring California Adventure rides. We zipped through Mr. Toad's Wild Adventure and Peter Pan. We all love Indiana Jones (I think it's my favorite). The World of Color light/water show was fan-freaking-tastic. Every day was fun.

But the best day by far was Monday. It was Child's half-birthday, and she'd kept asking if we could celebrate at Disneyland. She'd seen the birthday buttons and hoopla. I was skeptical. Half-birthdays didn't really "count", right? But we dutifully went to Town Hall first and asked.

"Absolutely!" the Disney guy said. "We count whatever you want! We count UN-birthdays even." He turned to the co-worker next to him. "It's my Un-Birthday!" he said. "Wish me Happy Un-Birthday!" and shook her hand. "It's your Un-Birthday?" she gasped. "Mine too!"

They grinned at Child, who giggled back. He made a "Happy Birthday" button for her, with her name decorated with Mickey Mouse ears (of course her name's not really Child, but we'll use Child for this post). He gave her a special phone, and she listened to a greeting from Mickey.

And thus the magical, Princess day began.

Nearly every Disney employee we passed or interacted with that whole day said "Happy Birthday, Child!" They said it as they buckled her in rides. They said it as they checked tickets. As they gave her food. They announced it over loudspeakers, and everybody on the ride clapped for her 8-and-a-half birthday. She BEAMED. About halfway through the day we started laughing at each mention, because it was everywhere. It made her feel royal.

In the evening, we headed over to make sure we got good seats for the Aladdin show at California Adventure. It's an hour-long, real Broadway-type musical production. We'd seen it the first day from a top row in the balcony, but we wanted to see it up close. We made it into the 4th row, right near the action.

It was wonderful. This time we could see EVERYTHING, right there. It was even cooler when they came to the "Prince Ali" song, and acrobats and entertainers started dancing and flipping around us, weaving through the orchestra section, leading Aladdin back to the stage on a huge (not real) elephant.

And then Aladdin was right in front of us, smiling, waving at all the kids. "Wave!" I said to Child, and she did, looking up at him.

He looked right at her, smiled, and mouthed "Happy Birthday, Child."

I SWEAR. In the middle of a show. In the middle of a SONG.

We all saw it--we all looked at each other, and burst out laughing. It was so amazingly COOL. She was giddy. We were giddy.

She told everybody she met the next day about how Aladdin said Happy Birthday to her ("From an ELEPHANT in the middle of a SONG"). I think she will remember that always.

Disney, thank you. That little thing--asking employees to notice and remark on celebrations--it seals the deal. You really do it right.

Tiara Day winners!

2010-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you all so much for playing! That was FUN. Hooray! We can all use a little fun now and then, y?

RE the winners...I should NEVER promise I will do something internet-related on the weekend. Weekends are practically internet-free at my house. For more than 5 minutes here and there, anyway. Instead of drawing winners this weekend, we had pancakes with huckleberry syrup, went to an Irish festival, mowed the lawn, barbecued, read books outside in the shade of our crabapple trees, played Wii, watched movies, and bought back-to-school stuff for Child and water shoes for me (for an adventure I'm having soon).

Not much time for drawing winners!

But here they are, better late than never:

A copy of DAY ONE, generously donated by Bill Cameron: Elizabeth Ryann
First dibs on books: Elisabeth Black
Second dibs on books: Rhonda Cowsert

Congrats, guys! Hope you had fun!

Friday the 13th Tiara Day CONTEST!

2010-08-13T07:57:00.001-07:00

Hi all!! Happy Tiara Day!!

I'ts raining with a high of 60 today, so I am GLAD I called for the major sparkle patrol. I will need it to see what I'm doing over here. *murk*

So I've got some books to give away. Not ALL of them, but 2. Or maybe 3. There are only TWO things you can do to enter (I like simple contests):

Wear a tiara on your avatar or a pic of a tiara as your avatar today (Friday the 13th). Usually we play on Twitter (hashtag #tiaraday), but feel free to use it anywhere. Or wear one on your actual head and take a pic for me! Points only count once, though. Let me know through a comment here or an @ reply on Twitter (susan_adrian) that you're showing your sparkle. (+3 entries)
Spread the word about Tiara Day, via retweet or Facebook link. (+1 entry)

So the max entries you can get is 4. But just by plopping a Tiara on your virtual head, you get THREE entries! I'll do a random draw sometime tomorrow and announce the winners this weekend. Winners get to pick their choice of any one of these books:

If you can't see them all, that's:

BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver
THE DUST OF 100 DOGS by A.S. King
THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart
HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff
THE PALE HORSEMAN by Bernard Cornwell (adult-type book for you non-YA peeps)
BITTER NIGHT by Diana Pharaoh Francis (I just realized mine is signed--I forgot!--so I will BUY one if you pick this. It's really good.)
IF I STAY by Gayle Forman

OOOH, and update!!! Bill Cameron, FABULOUS agent mate, has also thrown in a copy of Day One as a prize!!

So there will be at least 3 winners now. I wanna see some sparkle out there!!!

Contest closes at midnight tonight!
*Drat, I forgot to say North American entries only. That one time I mailed a contest prize to Australia...my husband still talks about that. *cough*

Announcement: Tiara Day Friday the 13th

2010-08-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Tiara Day!! Why?

Because it's Friday the 13th.
To celebrate the coolness that has been WriteOnCon
To celebrate some sparkliness (good news) for Team Sparkle this week
To encourage the revisions I'm ~~slogging through~~ working on
Because I need one!!

Doesn't everybody need a Tiara Day every once in a while?

The twist this time: I'm going to give away a book or two.

All you have to do to play is dress your avatar (for Twitter, usually, but can be Facebook or blog or whatev) in a tiara, or use a pic of a tiara AS your avatar. Be silly and have fun.

More details on the contest and prizes tomorrow morning! I hope you join in and spread the word!

Math and Mortality

2010-08-09T14:33:00.001-07:00

Last night I'd just settled down on the sofa with Hubby--Child safely tucked in bed--when we heard the shuffling of small feet.

"Mommy?"

That's my cue. It doesn't happen too often these days, but it used to be pretty common, when she had nightmares or was worried about something. I'm the one who gets up and sorts it out, as many times as it takes, until she's okay.

It feels like a parenting challenge, like I'm stepping up to the plate. What's wrong? Is she sick? Upset? Just not sleepy? Is it a curveball? Will I be able to handle it right this time? Will I be caring and patient?

I take her by the hand, walk her back to her room, sit on the floor in the darkness, and pull her onto my lap. "What's up?"

"I'm worried," she gulps, hesitant. "What if I close my eyes...and then I just don't wake up in the morning?"

Oh dear God. It's not a simple nightmare. It's MORTALITY.

"But you will, boo," I say. I stroke her hair. "There's no reason you wouldn't."

"There's no reason," she counters, "but it's possible. It can happen without a reason."

Ah, my logical girl.

"Yes, it can," I concede, because I can give her nothing less than the truth. I'm spinning for ways to reassure her that are truthful, that acknowledge the seriousness of the worry underneath without making the fear worse. "But it's very unlikely."

"But possible," she argues.

"Yes." I nod. "It's possible." I kiss her hair. This is not helping. Think of something helpful. Logical. "But like I said, unlikely. Think how many mornings you've woken up already."

She looks up at me, big-eyed in the dark, interested. Aha. A way to diminish the fear.

"How many mornings do you think you've woken up?" I ask. "Let's see...8 and a half years..." Oh someone help me, MATH. "Times 365." Simplify, simplify. "What's 3 x 8?"

She thinks for far less time than I would've at that age. "24."

"Cool. So 300 x 8 is 2400." I consider if I can do the rest of it in my head, and concede defeat. "Plus all those 65 days times 8. You're probably at like...3000 mornings." (Hey, I was close.)

"That's a lot of mornings." She laughs. We're doing well at fighting the fear demon. She's definitely more interested in the days now than in the possibility of not waking up.

"And what about me?" I ask. "I've woken up a LOT of times and everything's been okay."

"How many?" She bounces on my lap.

Math fails. "Oh...um...I don't think I can multiply that high in my head."

"Let the calculator do it!" she says. It's something she can solve, now. "Get the calculator."

"If you get in bed," I say, "I'll get the calculator and we'll figure it out. And then you can go back to sleep, okay?"

She gets back in bed. I get the (magical) calculator. We figure out the *cough* high-ish number, and she is suitably impressed. Then I kiss her again, tell her I'd see her in the morning, and I love her more than anything.

Not hit out of the park, exactly, but I think I was on base.

It didn't work completely with the restlessness--I had to go in again about 10 minutes later, because she was hot and trying to open her window by herself--but we talked a little more, and shortly after that she really did drop off to sleep.

I never thought I'd use math to soothe my child's fears, or expected that I'd need so much creativity on a daily basis to try to figure out solutions to those everyday fears, struggles, issues. But then you never really know what it's like to be a parent, and face that challenge, until you're a parent, and suddenly it's THERE and you're the one responsible.

As I told her the other day, though: I highly recommend becoming a parent. In spite of occasional struggles, it's the most fun I've ever had.

Daily Walk Pics: August 5th

2010-08-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Daily walk pics for you!!

I love this church. It always looks gorgeous.

Poppies!!

There's something about boarded-up windows, particularly the ones that have been bricked over, that intrigue me.

But this poor house is going a little overboard with the blocked-off windows. I wish someone would fix it up!

Camp Stories

2010-08-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have been reading DaMomma's Briar Haven series with great interest.

It's so apt. Mare is almost exactly the same age as Child (I've been reading DaMomma's blog since they were both babies), and Child had her first camp experience last weekend.

The difference is we took a softer step first: Child chose the Girl Scout camp that only lasted 3 days, where I got to go with her.

Camp WITH Mom!

It was amazingly fun. We sang (lots and lots and lots of) songs, tie-dyed, made crafts, went on hikes, slightly burnt s'mores, learned to tie knots and build a proper Girl Scout fire, and had a little time for kicking back in the cabin besides. We roomed with a family with 3 girls (6, 7, and 9-almost-10), and Child made friends with them in the first 5 minutes. She spent many hours hanging out with the three of them, which made me only a tiny bit wish there was more Mom-n-me time in this Mom-n-me weekend, but mostly thrilled that she could make and enjoy friends so easily. She was quite upset that she had to leave them at the end.

My one and only camp experience was between Child's and DaMomma's. It wasn't awful, but I sure didn't enjoy it either. I clearly remember sobbing in the camp director's office that I NEEDED to call my mom and go home right now, though of course they wouldn't let me. I was the type of child then who targeted herself for bullies and mockery, so I was bullied and mocked even by strange new kids, almost right off. But I do have a few good memories in there too, of a kind girl named Rachel in my tent, and a counselor I don't remember but I remember I liked.

I'm so glad the next generation (at least in mine and DaMomma's case) seems to be doing this better. :) Child definitely wants to go to camp again next summer...we'll see if she wants me to go along with or not!

Phase 2

2010-07-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

...and the last couple days have been Illness, Phase 2. Both Child and Hubby came down with my virus at the same time. Fevers and the joys of stomach flu. So I was out of work again taking care of them...

*sigh*

STILL, both are nearly all better today, thank goodness. Just in time for Child and I to head out to the mother/daughter weekend Girl Scout camp we've been planning since April! It was touch-and-go there for a while, but I'm so happy we can go.

I'll be totally away from the internet for the duration, but hope y'all have a lovely weekend!!! See you next week, which I hope will be significantly more uneventful and more full of writing...

Daily Walk

2010-07-26T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ha. I DID manage to go for a walk today! Victory.

It was cloudy and muggy, but I got a few interesting pictures all the same. Strangely today's seemed to be more about the past and decay...but I love stuff like that too.

We had a busy weekend at Evel Knievel Days. Nope, I'm not kidding. I even rode in a monster truck. :) FINALLY feeling almost all well...thanks for the get-well wishes, guys!

Today's pictures:


I admit, I don't know what this is. I just liked the look of it sitting there.

Flowers!


Brief moment of sun. Doesn't this look Greek or something?


This one does not look Greek. I'm still trying to puzzle out what used to be written on the door.

Not quite so daily.

2010-07-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, my "daily" plan got blown out of the water straightaway...Tuesday night I came down with a 24-hour bug, which left me not really wanting to walk more than a few steps Wednesday or yesterday. Today I'm back at work, but still a bit "wobbly on my pins" as an old British woman might say.

Sometimes I channel an old British woman. Don't mind me.

Anyway, I will try to get back on my action plan as soon as energy levels warrant. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!! And thanks for your loverly comments!!

Daily Walk Illustrated

2010-07-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

I KNOW. I haven't posted in forever. It's not like I forgot about you--it's been an item on my to-do list nearly every day--and it's not like there hasn't been anything going on. July is festival month 'round here, so we've had 4th of July extravaganzas and the last year of the National Folk Festival, and piles of goings-on in between. I just haven't quite gotten to it.

Today, though, I started a little possible side project, and thought it would be fun to share with you.

Hubby and I had been going for walks pretty regularly in the afternoon, 1-2 miles a day...until we didn't anymore. He got busy, it was too hot, whatever. We stopped, and my clothes are starting not to fit again. Today I decided just to GO by myself, and along the way to indulge another craving I've been having: photography. Lately I see everything in still images, and I've been itching to take the good camera out for a run.

So my plan: go for a walk as often as I can, by myself or otherwise. Daily if possible. Bring the camera, and document interesting stuff. And post a few on the blog! Why not? It's exercise, creative, AND fun.

So here are a few pics from today's adventure, for your enjoyment! All copyright me, because I took them. :P

Love Day Thursday

2010-07-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

I haven't done one of these for a while, so here we go!

Love day is celebrating what you love RIGHT THIS MINUTE. I love:

The sunshine and 70-degree weather going on outside my window. I'm hoping to have lunch on a deck somewhere today.
My writer friends, and all the new people I've met over the past couple of days!
Agents and editors who are awesome (most, in my experience) and respond to emails and posts right away even though I know they're busy people.
The Lindt Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Sea Salt bar I've been snacking off of all week.
My husband, who just called me with two grammar questions in a row.
Paychecks.
The first day of the month, when I get to turn the new page on the calendar.
The prospect of taking Child to the library this weekend to discover new books.

How about you? What do you love?

Envy follow-up

2010-06-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

Wow. I have been overwhelmed by the positive response to yesterday's Envy post, both publicly and privately.

You guys are AMAZING. Thank you!

Also, apparently you all have the same issues I have. :)

I had to clarify that I'm not in a bad place right now--I'm happily working away on research for a big revision on SALVAGED, and it'll be a little bit before I'm on submission again. It's probably because I am feeling secure that I could write about it, actually. But obviously it's enough of a universal issue that it's important to recognize and discuss.

Thank you all for reading and discussing!

Envy

2010-06-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

This post is going to be brutally honest. I hope you don't think less of me at the end of it. But I think this is an important thing to write about, because I swear all us writers experience it whether we admit it or not, whether we want to or not.

Sour, stomach-twisting, soul-sucking ENVY.

I've been doing this writing thing off and on for 10 years. I've been doing the trying-to-get-published thing hardcore, with agented submissions and revisions and resubmissions, for more than 2. I've gotten close. I have high hopes for the novel I'm working on now. But I haven't yet quite made it past that hurdle, and it's been an emotionally drenched up-and-down run.

The writing community--especially the YA writing community--is close, a tangled knot of interconnected writers, where everybody knows and supports each other. I spend my days surrounded online by YA writers I love. I cheer with them, joke with them, read their work and blogs and emails. I feel that most of them are friends tangentially at least, and many are good friends. I adore these people. I truly want them to succeed.

And yet--and yet.

Still it kicks me in the gut when I read about another 3-book deal with an editor we submitted to. Still I have to take a breath before I smile when I hear someone's book went to auction in the first week of submission. Still I flinch when I see writers half my age sell their fourth book, see people who went on submission long after I did showing their covers or their release dates. Sometimes it's hard to be surrounded virtually by success at something you want so badly, but haven't managed. (yet)

But here's the good news, in my opinion. That horrible envy, those moments of selfishness? They're OKAY. It is perfectly normal and natural to feel a moment of bad for yourself in the midst of feeling glad for others. It's human.

The tricks I've found to feeling that way and still going on, without falling into the suck:

Allow yourself to feel bad, but NOT FOR LONG. Put a time limit on it. You can feel sorry for yourself for--oh, an hour. Max. And then you get the heck over yourself and you realize that person, that friend, has felt this way too, has had their own struggles, but they've finally made it. And now is their time to celebrate, and your time to HELP THEM CELEBRATE. They need you to. It's okay to feel the envy pangs--it is not okay to wallow.
Never allow your personal issues to show (erm, outside of this blog post). Envy is personal and private, and okay in that context. It's *maybe* okay to share with a close, trusted friend. It is never allowed, in my opinion, to let any sense of envy dictate your behavior: to say rude things or bring anyone down.
Realize that everyone feels this way at some point. Even if they seemingly sailed to this achievement, be absolutely certain they've had issues you have no idea about, that there's more behind the scenes.
Don't let up. Continue to focus on your work, on improving, on things you can control. That is how you will make it to the celebration stage yourself.

In short: feel it, but don't let it bring you down. Use that envy to up your efforts. If you have work you're excited about, it's so much easier to truly be happy for others.

And all my dear friends who have succeeded, are succeeding: don't be afraid to share your good news with me! I promise that even if it makes me hurt for a second, that is quickly overwhelmed by my happiness that you really have done it.

And hope that if you can, if I keep pounding someday I will too.

10 Weird Things about Montana

2010-06-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Because I've been a transplant for 7 years now, and I think it's time I confessed:

Top 10 Weird Things about Montana
(From a California perspective, with great affection. In no particular order other than how I thought of them)

People say "crick" for "creek". Really. It has two ee's in the middle. How do you get an "i" out of that? I may let my child say "pop" for soda (even though it makes me shudder a little), but I will not ever let her get away with "crick".
On the public radio station they interrupt to announce lost dogs.
Speaking of dogs, they wander around on their own or in packs, all over the place. It is very, very common to have traffic stopped on the main street to let a dog pass. Though now that I think about it, that might just be in this town.
The air sometimes smells like mountain scent air freshener, naturally.
They just don't use toilet seat covers. Anywhere. In CA they were *everywhere*.
They not only accept checks for everything, they EXPECT them. Even in the drive-through for fast food. Though god help you if you're not a local, because only local checks.
Everybody seems to like their coffee sickeningly sweet. From drive-through coffee stands. With straws in the hole of the to-go cup. Why would I want to sip hot coffee out of a straw and scald my mouth?
It is *always* okay to be dressed in jeans. It is perfectly acceptable for a woman to wear jeans to a wedding.
Maybe this isn't weird, but there is a huge loyalty (and discrimination) based on being FROM here, actually born in this town or at least in Montana. If an article is written about you in the paper, it will always say whether you are or are not a "native". This is one of the first questions asked in every social setting.
I live in a town of about 35,000 people. And it's a big town for Montana. I love that.

I do love it here. In spite of the winter and all the differences, it's gorgeous, and I can be in the mountains in 5 minutes--and it's a great place to raise a child.

Cycling

2010-06-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

I like cycles. As I get older, I see that much of life is cyclic, and somehow that makes me feel better. When I'm in a low I know I'll come out of it again, and when I'm in a high I ride it for as long as possible.

One of my more mundane but obvious cycles--and probably yours too--is groceries.

It starts out like this:

Hmm, I think. I need to go grocery shopping.

*Note: this image is a LIE. Even when my refrigerator is empty of useful food, it is still crammed full of sauces and jars of jam you'd have to scrape to get anything from and forgotten jars of purple cabbage stuffed in the back.

I love grocery shopping. It makes me feel all hunter-gathery.

Or Tartar-Warrior-ish. Like that.

Have I mentioned that I want to take archery lessons?

Anyway. I like to make lists based on weekly menus and go attack the store. I load up, always optimistically thinking OH and we can eat that!, sometimes buying too much for the week.

Generally I buy so much fresh stuff--fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, bread, juice, milk--that I have to cram it all in.

Aaaahh.

I feel happy and satisfied. I can make ANYTHING I WANT! LOOK! LOOK AT THE CHOICES!

This lasts for a day.

Then I start worrying about the food. How are we going to eat all this before it goes bad? It doesn't help that my husband, every time he opens the fridge, says "How are we going to eat all this before it goes bad?" :)

So we start in with the meals, eating our way through all that good fresh stuff. And about 5 days later, I am relieved. We've done it. The meals have been good, we've eaten it all. Success! But there's a little problem...

*sigh*

Writing's like that too: new idea! Play play play! Hate. Love. Edit edit edit! Send to people. Accept crushing feedback, rejoice in fabulous feedback. Regroup. Edit edit edit! Send to more people. Repeat of above. Edit edit edit! Let go. New idea!

Everything's a cycle. Right now in food I'm at the last image. In writing, I'm at the brain-break-before-editing phase.

It's all good. You've got to relish each part of the cycle--or get through it, if it's a bad bit. Or make do with the food you have on hand.

I think that's enough mangled metaphors for today, don't you?

Poetry Friday

2010-06-11T08:22:00.001-07:00

It's been a difficult, tumultuous week.

Interestingly, after difficult times I find myself thoughtful, introspective, and appreciative of what I have. I seek inspiration and hope everywhere, whether fishing (I caught 7 trout Wednesday night, hurrah!) or reading, hugs or emails.

For Poetry Friday I choose this one, celebrating something that I love.

Books
by Billy Collins
(borrowed from The Writer's Almanac)

From the heart of this dark, evacuated campus
I can hear the library humming in the night,
a choir of authors murmuring inside their books
along the unlit, alphabetical shelves,
Giovanni Pontano next to Pope, Dumas next to his son,
each one stitched into his own private coat,
together forming a low, gigantic chord of language.

I picture a figure in the act of reading,
shoes on a desk, head tilted into the wind of a book,
a man in two worlds, holding the rope of his tie
as the suicide of lovers saturates a page,
or lighting a cigarette in the middle of a theorem.
He moves from paragraph to paragraph
as if touring a house of endless, paneled rooms.

I hear the voice of my mother reading to me
from a chair facing the bed, books about horses and dogs,
and inside her voice lie other distant sounds,
the horrors of a stable ablaze in the night,
a bark that is moving toward the brink of speech.

I watch myself building bookshelves in college,
walls within walls, as rain soaks New England,
or standing in a bookstore in a trench coat.

I see all of us reading ourselves away from ourselves,
straining in circles of light to find more light
until the line of words becomes a trail of crumbs
that we follow across a page of fresh snow;

when evening is shadowing the forest
and small birds flutter down to consume the crumbs,
we have to listen hard to hear the voices
of the boy and his sister receding into the woods.

These are a few of my embarrassing things...

2010-06-02T12:55:00.002-07:00

Tawna Fenske started it.

Actually, maybe Linda Grimes did.

And then @BostonBookGirl reminded me of a good tale of my own.

Ah, those shining moments of embarrassment, when you truly wish the floor would swallow you up, because whatever monster is wriggling under the floor is CLEARLY better than where you are. Visible. Hideously exposed. Not only not-perfect-and-cool, but a mockery of humanity.

Or just klutzy.

When people ask me my most embarrassing moment, up till now my mind has always flown back to those agonizing two minutes freshman year of high school, when I slipped and slid--facedown--across the slick floor of the hall...and then the bell rang and everybody in the known universe poured out to find me there. But that's just high school. There are MORE.

Sixth grade. My teacher sent me somewhere--don't remember where, but I was pretty much teacher's pet at that point, so it's not surprising he'd send reliable me on a mission. Except I got easily distracted (then, as now) and didn't look where I was going. I slammed my forehead full-force into the metal pole standing outside the classroom. In view of everyone. Oh, yes. Knocked myself out for a couple seconds, and had to be helped by one of my less-distracted, eye-rolling classmates to the nurse's office to check for a concussion.

*sigh*

Seventh grade, English class. We were doing a word-search contest for some reason, which I usually won (still teacher's pet and always a word nerd). Problem: I had a really bad habit of sucking on the back of my pens while working. Bigger problem: this pen...it exploded. In my mouth.

So I had to decide: try to hide this incident, and possibly die from ink poisoning? Confess, spit, get help?

I trotted to the front of the class, my mouth bursting with ink, blue-black dripping from the corners like I was a vampire dining on octopus. Nurse's office. Spitting. Reputation oh-so-cool.

Geez. It's a wonder I survived at all. I'm sure there's more, too--that's just what I can think of right now.

How about you? Wanna keep me company with some ~~fun~~ tragic episodes of embarrassment?

The best liar of the day is...

2010-05-28T08:35:00.001-07:00

Laurie Lamb! Laurie, send your address to susan (dot) adrian (at) yahoo.com so I can bundle off your copy!

Thank you all for playing along! I had such fun reading these, and I had a tough time deciding. Honorable Mentions go to:

--Bill Cameron, Patrick Lee, and CKHB for their lies about Sean Ferrell and each other. Because everyone loves to lie about Sean Ferrell.

--Linda Grimes (bff) for starting it off and shamelessly pimping the contest all over twitter.

Jenna, Amy Jo, Karla, Morgan, Carina, Sterling, Charles, Kristin, Nikole, Scarlet, I loved reading yours!!

Why did Laurie's win?

Because I wished it was true. And the whole thing made me laugh. Here's her lie:

Susan Adrian has compiled a nude calendar featuring notable people from her writing/twitter world. Highlights include: Miss January—Janet Reid swigging gin while ringing in the new year, Mr. March—Jeffrey Somers with his pussy cats, Miss May—Suzie Townsend and her puppies frolicking through a spring meadow, Mr. June—a sweaty Bill Cameron showing off Skin, and Mr. December—a snow-covered Sean Ferrell looking NUMB. Get yours! On sale now!

The Bill Cameron and Sean Ferrell lines are brilliant. Congrats Laurie!

BEA Sympathetic Swag Contest: Day 3

2010-05-27T08:14:00.002-07:00

The winner of FALLEN is... Natalie!! Congrats, Natalie! Email me at susan (dot) adrian (at) yahoo.com with your address, and I'll send it out!

Today, we're gonna have a little more fun. Today, I'm giving away a copy of Justine Larbalestier's fabulous and brain-twisting book, LIAR.

From Justine's website: Liar is a psychological thriller set in New York City told from the point of view of a compulsive liar.

You guys, I had such fun reading this book, never knowing what was truth and what wasn't. I've always loved unreliable narrators--they mess with you so! (It makes me want to write one. Okay, not quite yet. But someday.)

So believe me (ha) when I tell you that you want to win this one. But I'm going to make it a little more challenging.

To win this book, you've got to lie to me.

Post in the comments with your best, most outrageous lie. Bonus points for making the lie about somebody in our crazy cast of characters writing/twitter world (*cough* Janet Reid, Suzie Townsend, Joanna Stampfel-Volpe, Sean Ferrell, Bill Cameron, Victoria Schwab, Linda Grimes, etc..., but really anybody you want or anything you want. Make it a good lie.

Tomorrow I'm actually going to judge my favorite lie (extra judges brought in if necessary) and award LIAR to the winner! Contest closes at 8 am tomorrow.

So GO! Lie to me!

UPDATE: THE CONTEST IS CLOSED. Thanks for playing!

BEA Sympathetic Swag Contest: Day 2

2010-05-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Thanks for playing yesterday, everybody! The winner of a copy of RAMPANT is...

Derek Molata! Congratulations, Derek! (You're on a good news roll...) :)

Today's swag is slightly newer, still YA (of course): FALLEN, by Lauren Kate. It's gothic and romantic and intriguing.

Fallen

Some Angels are Destined to Fall
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

Want to read it for yourself?

For today's contest, I want you to go to today's BEA schedule of author signings. Pretend you're there, and find 5 authors you'd want to go get a signed book from. Even Rick Springfield and Neil Sedaka are there today!

Then post your 5 chosen authors in the comments field. Contest closes at 8 am tomorrow, when the final one will open!

BEA Contest: Sympathetic Swag #1

2010-05-25T07:56:00.001-07:00

Confession: I've been to BEA twice, but it was long, long ago. Before Child...before husband! Before writing.

Back then I was a shiny young bookseller/bookstore manager, and getting to go to BEA was a huge perk. Celebrity authors! I still squee a little over the memory of meeting James Earl Jones. Parties! I'm sure I didn't get to go to the super cool private ones, but I did manage to squeeze into a dark, pulsating party where Stephen King, Amy Tan, and Dave Barry et al. (The Rock Bottom Remainders) were rocking the house.

But most of all...SWAG. Oh my cupcakes, the amazing piles of books (Free Books) for booksellers to take! Galleys, hot titles, new titles...I dragged bags of them all over the convention center. I came home with a suitcase full. It was insane.

These days if I attended BEA I imagine I'd do a little more networking, visiting, chatting, and I'd certainly be a lot more aware of what was really going on around me. But I'd still scoop up the swag like nobody's business.

So in celebration of BEA and all the booksellers/authors/agents/editors/friends who are there this week, and in sadness that the rest of us are NOT there, I'm going to give away a little swag.

For each of the next 3 days, you can win one book. All you have to do is answer a question in the comments below. Today's book (hardcover!) I highly recommend:

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns…

The sparkly, innocent creatures of lore are a myth. Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. And they can only be killed by virgin descendants of Alexander the Great.
Fortunately, unicorns have been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
Or not.

RAMPANT, by Diana Peterfreund

Want it?

Go to PW's list of Kids' Galleys to Grab at BEA, then come back here and tell me in the comments which book or books you'd grab. If you don't read YA or kids' books yourself, which one would you snag for someone you love?

Contest closes at 8 AM tomorrow, when the next one will be gearing up. GO!

Between Books

2010-05-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

SALVAGED is sitting for a few days, ready to be gnawed on by the shark. It's one of those rare times when I don't have writing or revising or editing or re-reading (of my own work) to do. Writers will understand when I say it's an odd, uneasy feeling to be between books, even for a week or two.

So what do I do with myself? Well, work and shuttling Child and going for walks with hubby (when it's not snowing *looks out window, growls*), like always. But what about creatively? I can't just SIT. It's against my nature. There are two things I'm doing, that I always do:

1) Fill the well.
For me, this isn't just relaxing and going mindless with the ANTM. (There's a touch of that, but not mostly.) I'm reading*, watching movies, listening to news stories, paying attention. Collecting dribs and drabs that will be used somewhere else. Many of them go straight into:

2) Simmering the next book.
I don't often jump RIGHT into the next book. I have ideas of what I want to do, but the plot isn't quite there, I don't have a handle on the characters, I'm not sure of the setting. All that stuff has to work itself out in my brain before I start typing. So I *actively* simmer ideas. For a day or two I think of a possibility, twist it around, stretch it, and see how it would go. Usually at this stage it falls flat somewhere, so I add in something else or mix it up. I see which parts intrigue me most, which parts are unique (or at least not-done-a-zillion-times), which parts make me go "OOH that would be fun to play with." I make notes, look at locations, pick out character names. It's all prep work, and directly tied to #1 above. This weekend I was watching a movie and half-analyzing the character relationships, and halfway through I went AHA and went to jot some notes. My plot idea wasn't anything that was in the movie--it just followed on from what I saw. But I wouldn't have thought of it if I hadn't filled the well.

So far I have a main character, a setting, and some intriguing complications. Next week I might be ready to start exploring on the page. (If I'm not doing revisions of SALVAGED by then!)

I don't think a writer ever stops writing, even if it's only in her head.

*on reading: I'm not flush with money at the moment, so this weekend I poked around at the library for some new stuff to read. They didn't have ONE of the 10 books on my list (mostly recent YA), but I did find 5 books to check out. Interestingly, 4 of the 5 were written by men, with male POVs. Huh. This is unusual for me. Wonder if my subconscious is trying to tell me something...

Fabulous books: for middle-graders

2010-05-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

The craziness continues this week. So far we've had two dress rehearsals and a play cast meeting. Tonight and tomorrow are dance recitals, then Friday we're heading out with Child for a 3-day school campout. No internet! No *computers* even!

Good thing I finished the most recent rewrite of SALVAGED yesterday. I can spend downtime at the campout reading down that big 'ol pile of books I've got.

Speaking of books...I've been having so much fun re-discovering old books and finding new ones with Child. She's 8, and an enthusiastic reader. We read together every night, and she checks out stacks from the library herself. I always feel bad when I have to pull her away from reading, because she gets SO intense on a book she has no idea what's going on around her at all. It's a joy to see.

Since I've got a great list of books for 8+ that we love, I thought I'd share...and see what MG books you guys love!

Our Current Favorites:

Classics:

Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace
Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren
Judy Blume, especially the Fudge/Superfudge books
Ballet Shoes, Theater Shoes, etc. by Noel Streatfeild
Little House in the Big Woods (she just started it) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
James & the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Nancy Drew series
The Littles series by John Peterson
Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Any Beverly Cleary, but especially Ramona
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Recent books/series we LOVE:

Sisters Eight by Lauren Baratz-Logsted, Greg Logsted, & Jackie Logsted
Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley
Ivy & Bean by Annie Barrows
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell (she's reading this by herself, and she laughs out loud all the time while reading)
Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper
Spiderwick Chronicles by by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
Mary Margaret, Center Stage by Christine Kole MacLean

Other series books she gulps in an hour:

Magic Treehouse by Mary Pope Osborne
Cam Jansen by David A. Adler
A-Z mysteries by Ron Roy
The Rainbow Magic books by Daisy Meadows
Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
(many more I've forgotten)

Next I want to try Clarice Bean and Judy Moody. We also have the Anne of Green Gables set waiting for when she's interested. Given this list--and the fact that she really likes the more "challenging" books right now--what else should we try? What middle grade books do you love right now?

Do the Write Thing for Nashville: Bid on a critique from me!!

2010-05-08T09:03:00.001-07:00

Hi guys!!

If you haven't checked out the auction for Nashville flood victims, hop over there. It's amazing. If you're a writer or a reader, you'll find SOMETHING you want.

And...my item is up today!! You can bid on a 25-page critique from me. Go go!

http://dothewritethingfornashville.blogspot.com/

On Winning Books & Bidding on Books

2010-05-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, this morning is cool so far!

It didn't start out so well--I didn't sleep great, and I was feeling like a cranky sourpuss. Didn't want to get up, didn't want to take the car to the shop (well, I got that wish, but that just means we'll have to do it later), didn't want to deal with the cold and snow we've got going on today.

But then I checked http://thediviningwand.com, because I'd entered a contest a couple days ago and I knew the results would be up today. And I had a good feeling about it.

And I won!! The whole series so far of Lauren Baratz-Logsted's THE SISTERS EIGHT, an MG series Child and I started together that she loves. I'd made a mistake and bought the wrong one to read next, so she has 3 sitting there staring at her but she hasn't read 2, and it was driving her crazy. She was thrilled this morning, chattering up a storm speculating on the books and the characters, and what the last 3 books will be called.

THANK YOU for brightening my day, divining wand!

When I got to work I discovered the second cool thing, that the auction to help Tennessee flood victims had started! You guys, this is going to be AMAZING. Check out all the awesome stuff up so far here:

http://dothewritethingfornashville.blogspot.com/

I've donated a 25-page critique of your mss (or essay, or short story, or whatever) too--I think it'll be up for bid over the weekend.

Tomorrow, I think I'm going to give away a book or two of my own. Gotta share the love.

Now go bid!!

Spread the Awesome: Courtney Summers

2010-05-03T06:00:00.061-07:00

This post o' love is part of a whole mess of blog posts, called Spread the Awesome--authors celebrating published books we adore. This project was started by the fabulous Elana Johnson. She has a list of all the participating authors and books they're celebrating here:

http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/p/recommended-reads.html

After you read about Courtney, please check out Heather Petty's blog for a discussion of Terri Farley's SEVEN TEARS INTO THE SEA.

But first, the purpose for my post.

It's funny, because within 30 seconds of Elana's email, I knew who I had to write about. It wasn't even up for debate. Yes, I love many, many authors and their books: a tiny list includes Melissa Marr, John Green, Vicki Pettersson, Justine Larbalestier, Suzanne Collins...TINY list. But when I think *amazing* books that are life-changing, that I can't stop talking about or recommending...well. Courtney Summers is right at the top of the list.

I may have talked about Courtney's books here before. *cough* It might be getting a little embarrassing. And YES, I am friends with her fabulous werewolf-hating, Gaga-loving self. I admit it. But that is not why I am so driven to pimp, my friends. Oh, no.

CRACKED UP TO BE not only grabbed me by the throat, it wrung it, knocked me down and kicked me in the ribs, and I still went crazy for the thing. It's So. Freaking. Real. It's so meaningful, and truth-telling about what high school and pressure and relationships and guilt really can be. I can just see my teenage self gulping it, feeling better because of it. Here, watch the book trailer.

And then I got to read SOME GIRLS ARE, and I thought there was no way it could be as good as CUTB. And I was totally right.

It was better. And worse, simultaneously. It was vivid and heartbreaking and honest to all sides of the story, and I almost couldn't breathe during some parts. Book trailer #1 for SGA here.

What Courtney does so very well is honesty, and clear-as-glass voice. Heroines you root for and kinda hate at the same time, but you can't stop watching them. Stories you cringe from, but recognize.

If you're a teenager or you were, read them. Seriously.

TEN STARS.

Check them out: CRACKED UP TO BE and SOME GIRLS ARE

How a Splinter is Not Like a Book

2010-04-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

I had a splinter in my thumb this morning. A yucky one, a thick black chunk of wood. It hurt when I touched anything.

As I was the only adult in the house, I had to take it out myself or the stupid thing would be in there all day. Tweezers didn't work--couldn't grab it--so I sat on the bathroom floor, grabbed a needle, and dug.

I do not like doing this. I had to stop a few times to make faces and whine that it hurt, but no one was listening. So I kept poking and prodding my poor skin until I could grab it, and it was gone. I was triumphant. I had vanquished the splinter and I was FREEEEEE!!!

And then I actually sat there, tweezers in my hand, and thought, "Wow, this could be a metaphor for writing! I could blog about it: you have to dig and dig through the pain and the trouble, and then in the end it's out of you and you're done!" Since I just "finished" Salvaged again yesterday, it seemed apt. (I'm always thinking of you guys, you know!)

Except I realized two seconds later that it isn't a good metaphor at all. A splinter isn't like a book. It's just something that gets in your way. It's useless. And prying the thing out gives no joy at all. There's nothing to show at the end but a lack of pain.

Writing can be like a sickness, yes. The past week or so I have been pounding away on the book every minute I could, thinking of it constantly, trying to pry all those words out of my brain in the right order. But I loved it. I've been on such a high for the past few days, living in my book. Writing scenes that I loved, shaping the story so it made sense, so I could finally see that it was getting close to what I wanted it to be.

And in the end, I've got an actual book, a story that hopefully will take life and touch other people.

Nothing like a splinter at all. (Sorry, Potential Metaphor. You lose. Book, You Win.)

WHEW!!!!

2010-04-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yay.

I finished this major edit, and sent SALVAGED off to my beta-readers!

This means other people will be reading it!!

Wow.

This is a pretty cool feeling--I really do love this book!*

*now what am I supposed to do with myself again until I get edits back?? :)

gasp

2010-04-28T10:16:00.001-07:00

Almost there! 50 pages left!!*

*the hardest 50 pages, but who's counting THAT? :)

Onward! *waves*

Dear lovelies

2010-04-22T14:00:00.000-07:00

Dear lovely, lovely blog readers & friends:

I am still here!! I am so sorry for abandoning you.

However, I have promised the Fabulous Agent Shark that I will get SALVAGED to beta-readers by May 1.

*looks at calendar*

I will likely continue to abandon you in favor of Annie, Zilla, Xander, and Ben for another while or so. Rock on!

Love,

Susan

It's Here! Sparkle Against Cancer!!

2010-04-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

I'm wearing my tiara today in honor of Lauri (who passed away yesterday, after fighting the battle for YEARS), Carol, Phyllis, OMC II, and many others I won't share, but who still hold a particular place in my life or the lives of my friends.

Cancer is nasty. Let's combat the thing with some positive energy, at least.

Happy Tiara Day.

Announcement: Friday is Sparkle Against Cancer Tiara Day

2010-04-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hey all.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty tired of cancer beating around people I love.

My aunt Susan died of cancer long before I was born, when she was 19.
My grandfather died of cancer.
My beloved mother-in-law died of cancer when I was pregnant with my daughter--she felt Child kick, but never got to meet her.
My mother has cancer, non-Hodgkins B-Cell Lymphoma. We're very lucky and they've been able to keep her in remission for many years with regular treatments, but it's still there. It doesn't go away.

In the past few weeks I keep hearing about more and more people--friends, parents, fellow writers--who are facing this terrifying beast.

Did I ever tell you how Tiara Day really started? What its purpose was?

(No, I didn't.)

Tiara Day started as a way to support and cheer up a specific young girl who was fighting hard against cancer. We thought maybe, just maybe, all the positive energy we created with silliness, with enthusiasm, would spill over to her. We tried to focus all that energy on her, timing Tiara Days for when she was having rough times. And then it got bigger, and we had them for other reasons too. Almost always to either support someone who needed some good mojo or to celebrate good news.

I'd like to make this Friday Sparke Against Cancer Tiara Day. All you've got to do is put a tiara on your avatar or yourself to join in (there's a #tiaraday hashtag on Twitter). I'd love it if everyone who plays this time holds at least one person who's facing cancer, who's suffered from cancer, or who've they've lost to cancer in their hearts (everyone knows at least one) and dedicates this Tiara Day to them. You do NOT have to say who you're doing it for, but you can.

It may not do anything tangible in fighting against cancer, but I dunno. Energy never hurts. Sparkle Against Cancer.

Wanna play?

Hi all!

2010-04-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

*waves*

I've had an eventful couple of weeks. Last week at this time we were hanging out in the airport at Salt Lake City for 8 hours, hoping we'd get a flight back home after Delta conveniently (a) canceled our original flight the night before after keeping us on the tarmac for 3 hours, (b) "automatically" canceled the alternate flight we booked, in the middle of the night, and booked us on a flight at 8:15 in the morning, (c) didn't tell us about that flight and gave away our other seats, so we arrived at the airport at 11 am rather surprised.

BUT it all worked out in the end, and it was the conclusion to a really glorious 11-day vacation that included 3 days of Disneyland (and an earthquake, among other things, but I'll talk about that in another post!). So overall, life is pretty sweet.

I haven't posted since I got back mostly because I launched directly back into work and editing SALVAGED. I took a few days to read through and mark up the hardcopy, which is always satisfying. Today I'm making a plot board so I can check flow and pacing (and...um...PLOT). Then I get to dive into the words again--I can't wait for that. It's taking up at least 60% of my brain right now.

Which leaves me very little for blog posts. Sorry to be hermity, but I'm assuming in the end you'd rather read SALVAGED than blather. At least I hope!!

Back to it for now. I promise I'll post about Disneyland and earthquakes later, and I'm hoping to talk about bullying too.

*waves*

Pay It Forward: Catherine Karp

2010-04-02T06:00:00.021-07:00

The final interview of the Pay It Forward series!! Don't forget everyone else who's playing:

Click here for more inspiration: Lisa and Laura Roecker, Beth Revis, Leah Clifford, Victoria Schwab, Kirsten Hubbard, Elana Johnson, Dawn Metcalf, Kim Harrington, Carrie Harris, Amy Holder, Kathy McCullough, Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins, and Tiffany Schmidt.

*****
Catherine Karp & I have known each other for years. We worked together at Academic Press in San Diego, as editors of various types along the chain, on the same "team" even. She was my Mommy-mentor, pregnant a year or two before me. I went to her for advice and bags of hand-me-downs from her daughter to mine. (We *just* ran out of these, by the way!) We were both writing then, she more seriously than me at the time. We kind of lost touch when she moved to Oregon and we moved to Montana, but oddly enough we're both writing YA now. And her agent, the slithery Barbara Poelle, is great friends with mine, the sharkly Janet Reid.

As a certain Disney ride told me yesterday, "It's a Small World After All..."

Here's Cathy's interview. Enjoy!!

1. Tell us about your current book.
I'm working on a young adult historical ghost story/mystery that's tentatively titled Blackbirds.

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication (finding an agent)?
I've been lucky enough to have landed an agent twice, although I'm still struggling to reach that elusive publishing contract stage. I worked with the first agent back in 1998 and 1999, when I was writing historical fiction for an adult audience. It took me four years of writing, rewriting, and querying, but eventually I received a heart-racing email from an agent who said she was excited about my work. Unfortunately, the historical fiction market was dead back then, and she couldn't sell my manuscript, despite glowing rejection letters. We parted ways, amicably, and after co-founding a historical fiction publishing company, I came up with the idea for a modern-day comic novel about marriage, the suburbs, and a vampire. That querying process was a swifter one, and I started working with Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency after she suggested some revisions.

Barbara is fabulous and worked diligently to sell my manuscript for about two years, and we came, as she put it, as close as you can get to having a contract without actually having a contract. Last fall she and I started discussing going in the direction of young adult fiction. We met in New York this past January and chatted about my new project, so here I am today, working on Blackbirds, hoping the third time's the charm.

3. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?
There have certainly been moments along the way where I've questioned if I'm on the right path in life. But I've always received so much support and encouragement, plus I can't even fathom giving up writing. Deep down a voice inside me always tells me to keep plugging away.

4. How have your goals/dreams changed since you started the process?
At this point, after fifteen years of attempting to break into the business, I'd be thrilled to get even one book in print through a traditional publishing house. But I'd want it to be a memorable book. I've always admired Harper Lee's ability to produce a whopper of a novel and then gracefully give a bow.
5. What's the piece of advice you wished you knew when you started?
I actually received some wonderful advice from a screenwriter when I was in high school: Never give up. It's the most common words of wisdom given to writers, but it's so true. As long as writing makes you happy, keep on working away. If you're willing to constantly go back to the drawing board...and if you READ, READ, READ authors who challenge you to set the bar higher...you'll eventually get there.

Catherine Karp
http://www.catherinekarp.com
http://suburbanvampire.blogspot.com

Pay It Forward: Kari Lynn Dell

2010-04-01T06:00:00.011-07:00

Sometimes this writing business--especially the writing for publication part--is rough and bumpy. We all go through the ditches, and feel we're alone. It's easy to look at other writers and think it was easy for them, or that they have some kind of luck or talent we don't have.

This week, a whole big bunch of us are turning the spotlight on those who are almost there, writers who are agented but haven't quite got the deal yet, or writers who have sold but their books aren't quite out. Join us this week for 70 (yes 70!) success stories!

Each day this week I'm going to post an interview with one of these writers, to hopefully inspire you, provide hope along your way, and prove that you CAN succeed in this crazy business. You guys--you're going to LOVE these interviews. They were so inspirational to me!! They're doing it. You can too.

Click here for more inspiration: Lisa and Laura Roecker, Beth Revis, Leah Clifford, Victoria Schwab, Kirsten Hubbard, Elana Johnson, Dawn Metcalf, Kim Harrington, Carrie Harris, Amy Holder, Kathy McCullough, Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins, and Tiffany Schmidt.

*****
Kari is my agent-sister as well as my state-sister. I love that we have both writing AND Montana quirks in common, that we can trade anecdotes about weather and towns we know. That said, her experience on a real live ranch in northern Montana and mine sitting at my desk in southwest Montana are pretty distinctly different. I love to hear Kari's Montana for Real stories just as much as the New Yorkers, so I was so pleased when she agreed to be interviewed!

1. Tell us about your current book.

My current, as yet untitled book is the story of a woman who was rodeo’s version of a child prodigy, flamed out at age twenty, and is now confronting her past and attempting to make some kind of peace. It’s set on the pro rodeo circuit, so there’s a lot of action in and out of the arena. Emotionally, it’s the most complex thing I’ve ever written, with relationships—both human and animal—that stretch back over years and encompass both the best and worst of her life.
It’s also turning out to be the sexiest thing I’ve ever written, and a whole lot of fun.

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication (finding an agent and editor)?

I haven’t made it to publication in novel form…yet. I write a bi-weekly column for several newspapers. I do have an agent, Janet Reid of Fine Print Literary Management. She signed me after tolerating my very clumsy pitch at a conference, requesting a full and, in her words, “falling in love with your unique voice”.

Plus, she likes horses. ;)

3. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

I did stop writing almost entirely for the two years before and after my son was born. He was eleven weeks premature and even though he came through it like a champ and has no ongoing health issues, it took a lot out of us. Then we moved from Oregon to Montana and things settled down and the writing bug bit me all over again.

As for giving up entirely, yes, I think every writer who doesn’t have instant success hits that wall. In my case, I looked at my husband and said, “Do you really think I should keep doing this?” And he said, “Well, as long as you like writing it, I sure like reading it. And it doesn’t cost much.” So I kept writing.

4. How have your writing goals/dreams changed since you started the process?

I started writing on a whim, with absolutely no clue about publishing, or even writing for that matter. My only goal was to entertain myself. By the time I finished that first novel I was hooked, and went shopping for books on writing to help me figure out how it was supposed to be done. It wasn’t until the fourth book that I considered going to a conference and pitching. That was the one Janet read.

Obviously my goals have changed, but I try to retain the attitude I had when I started. Publishing is such a crap shoot, the only thing I can do is write a story I love, enjoy the process, and hope for the best.

5. These interviews will hopefully inspire those who are just beginning the writing process. What's the one piece of advice you wished you knew when you started?

Start sooner.

Just kidding. But I do wish I’d considered writing earlier in life. Still, the experiences I’ve had in my various professions definitely feed my stories, so nothing wasted.

I can’t say there’s one piece of advice that would have changed my path as a writer, or made it easier. In pretty much every part of my life I’ve been a slow starter. It took me seven years and two changes of my major to get through college. I started competing in rodeo at age eight, but didn’t get really competitive as a barrel racer until I was in my last couple years of high school. Then I switched to roping and took ten years to master that event. And let’s not even get into how long and how many false starts it took me to get ‘find a good man’ down pat.

Suffice to say, if history holds true, I’m getting to the point where I should just about have this writing thing figured out.

Thanks, Kari!! Hopefully I'm getting there too. *Montana writer high-five*

Pay It Forward: Daisy Whitney

2010-03-31T06:00:00.027-07:00

1. Tell us about The Mockingbirds!

The Mockingbirds is about an underground, student-run justice system at a prestigious boarding school that operates as the judge, jury and prosecution -- of the students, by the students. They take their name from "To Kill a Mockingbird" and their mission is to be the honor code the school doesn't have. The main character decides to turn to the Mockingbirds for help after she is dated raped her junior year. Ultimately it's a story about justice, honor and speaking up and fans
of romance will be happy to know there is some good forbidden romance in the story too!

[Don't you guys want to read this RIGHT NOW?]

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication (finding an agent and editor)?

Ah, it was a long and winding road with many many twists and turns. In fact, there are so very many that Courtney Summers has assured me she will travel in a small backpack on any book tour I might do and pop out from time to time to remark on my journey! She's been with me for
many steps along the way. I suppose I can best sum it up in numbers: four novels, three agents, more than two years on submission, more than 45 editor rejections for various projects, many more agent rejections, two rewrites while on submission. AND THEN I GOT A TWO-BOOK DEAL FROM AN AMAZING PUBLISHING HOUSE!! The point being, it's not easy. It's not supposed to be easy. If it were easy everyone would do it.

3. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

I never felt like giving up because that is not in my nature. I once did a bike ride called The Death Ride. It's a one-day, 129-mile ride over 5 mountain passes with 16,000 feet of climbing involved. I am not athletic, I am not fast, and I am actually a complete dork. I did not even train well for the ride. But I was determined to finish and I did -- I was one of the last riders to cross the finish line and now I can say "I finished the Death Ride!" But more so, I just made a decision when it came to writing to keep at it, to keep writing, to keep learning, to keep growing, to keep going. Plus, I held onto my favorite quote from Randy Pausch when I was being rejected six ways to Sunday: "Brick walls are there for a reason. To let us prove how badly we want something."

4. How have your writing goals/dreams changed since you started the process?

At first you focus on each step of the process - finishing a chapter, then a book, then landing an agent, then an editor, etc. Now, I'm eagerly awaiting my novel's release in November and my goals are more specific. I want the book to matter. I want it to matter to teens. I want it to matter to readers. And I want to hear from them if it does matter!

5. These interviews will hopefully inspire those who are just beginning the writing process. What's the one piece of advice you wished you knew when you started?

This might be a downer, but getting an agent doesn't mean you'll get a book deal. So keep writing! If the first one doesn't sell, maybe the second one will. If the second one doesn't, maybe the third one will. If the third one doesn't maybe the fourth one will. Yes, I was agented
for FOUR projects and it was the fourth one that sold. Which really means my advice is "Hold onto that dream and fight for it. Fight for it by putting your butt in the chair every day and writing."

Thanks so much, Daisy! I loved this.

Pay It Forward Interview: Sean Ferrell

2010-03-30T06:00:00.024-07:00

1. Tell us about NUMB!!

What's Numb? Oh, right. My book. Numb is the story of a man who wanders into a circus without memories or the ability to feel pain. He follows what few clues he has from the circus to New York City, makes money exploiting his talent for nailing himself to bars, and ends up meeting more than a few people interested in taking advantage of him. In short, I am not very nice to the poor fellow.

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication (finding an agent and editor)?

It was easy. I clicked my heels together and there they were. And you were there, and you, and... Hold on, that's not right.

My pursuit of publication was just like so many other writers' paths. I call it the shampoo theory of publishing: lather, rinse, repeat. You work on something, you submit, you get rejected, you rework, submit elsewhere, etcetera etcetera. I was lucky enough to have Janet Reid want to read my book. Then she offered to rep it. Then the shampoo theory reactivated only this time she was the one in a lather. I tried to let her do her job without troubling her for too many updates. What good would it be to have me calling and asking "well, well, well?" Instead, I worked on another book. And another, and then another. Not only did she find an editor who liked Numb, she found an editor who saw the same book I do, and I am lucky on every conceivable front: I have a great agent, an amazing editor whom I like and respect and trust, and I look good in a suit.

3. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

I think it depends on how you define "giving up." I know most people want to hear "ME? QUIT? NEVER! CAP LOCK!" The reality was that in some ways I did feel like giving up. I found excuses to not work. I found things to distract me from the work. I planned great writing sessions, if only the dishes were cleaned first I better do them and oh the rugs need to be vacuumed and I could really iron the napkins even though they are used and paper. For a time I thought about going back to school to pursue a degree in animation. It wasn't until my wife was pregnant with our son that I had a "What the #&@% are you doing?" moment. I was sitting in my living room in the dark, staring at a blank computer screen, and I heard a voice ask me, "When your son asks you what you do, what do you want to tell him?" The next morning I started getting up at 5AM to write. I did that for several months, even after he was born. Then we moved to a place in Brooklyn where my commute to midtown Manhattan was ninety minutes both ways. I wrote on the train, by hand, in leather-bound journals. Eventually I got a small netbook. I still get a majority of my writing done on the train, even though my commute is shorter now and my son older. Pregnant women and the elderly hate me. "No, you can't have this seat. Because I'm an artist, that's why." Through it all the reason I kept at it was "What will you tell your son what you are?" Did I follow my passion? Did I do what I HAD to do. At first, no. But eventually, yes. And I know now that it has stuck. I won't be stopping anytime soon.

4. How have your writing goals/dreams changed since you started the process?

At first it was very goal oriented. "I want to have a book published." Then you think you've become a "serious" writer when you no longer want the publication but instead just want an agent. That's bullshit. It's as much of a distracting goal as publication. The moment--and I am serious when I say "moment"--that I knew in my heart that I only cared about getting the words in the right order good things started to happen. Do I want my books to sell? Of course. But when I sit down at the keyboard I am completely absorbed by the issues my characters are facing and how to make the sentences clear, the plot work, the descriptions true. I have brilliant moments of self-doubt, beautiful certainty that I suck at this. I think of these moments as brilliant and beautiful because they remind me of what's important: the writing writing writing. Thank God I have those moments of doubt. The second I stop having them is when I'll be going through the motions and writing work that will most certainly be crap. Doubt is a sign of passion. Embrace it.

5. These interviews will hopefully inspire those who are just beginning the writing process. What's the one piece of advice you wished you knew when you started?

I'm a bit of contrarian. Sometimes for humorous effect, sometimes just because, and sometimes because by law I'm forced to utilize my Philosophy degree in SOME way. However, when it comes to writing, I really go the opposite direction from a lot of "how to"s. Some of the things I do wouldn't work for everyone. Some people are outliners; I'm not. Some people say "write in the morning" or "never listen to music, eavesdrop to learn dialog" or "Revise the day after/week later/month after you finish." I would never be so arrogant to recommend that others should write the way I write. What makes my way so special?

But there is one piece of advice I would question: "Know your audience." Why? Am I going to drive them to the bookstore to pick up the book? I always assume that my audience are people who like the things I like. If I fill a book with things I think are cool, people who might be like me will probably find some (I hope most) of it cool too. However, I enjoy lots of different things, and my tastes can change based on mood, weather, time of year. If MY interests and tastes can develop and shift how am I going to meet the interests and tastes of some anonymous "audience?" I spent a lot of time trying to write for a specific audience in grad school. The effect: I wrote very little, and what I did write was like someone else's work.

Thanks, Sean!! Go see Sean's blog for more general amusement AND advice, or follow him on Twitter @byseanferrell!

Pay It Forward Interview: Jodi Meadows

2010-03-29T06:00:00.054-07:00

Sometimes this writing business--especially the writing for publication part--is rough and bumpy. We all go through the ditches, and feel we're alone. It's easy to look at other writers and think it was easy for them, or that they have some kind of luck or talent we don't have.

This week, a whole big bunch of us are turning the spotlight on those who are almost there, writers who are agented but haven't quite got the deal yet, or writers who have sold but their books aren't quite out. Join us this week for 70 (yes 70!) success stories!

Each day this week I'm going to post an interview with one of these writers, to hopefully inspire you, provide hope along your way, and prove that you CAN succeed in this crazy business. You guys--you're going to LOVE these interviews. They were so inspirational to me!! They're doing it. You can too.

Click here for more inspiration: Lisa and Laura Roecker, Beth Revis, Leah Clifford, Victoria Schwab, Kirsten Hubbard, Elana Johnson, Dawn Metcalf, Kim Harrington, Carrie Harris, Amy Holder, Kathy McCullough, Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins, and Tiffany Schmidt.

My own interview will be featured on Tiffany Schmidt's blog this Tuesday. Please go check out all the posts this week, because you never know who's going to say exactly what you need to hear to keep moving forward.
*****
Jodi Meadows likes books so much she decided to write them, and recently found representation with Lauren MacLeod of the Strothman Agency. Before that, she spent a year and a half reading submissions and evaluating requested materials for another well-known agent. She's a smart cookie. LISTEN TO HER. And I don't know about you, but *I* want to read her book!

1. Tell us about your current book.

My current project is called THE NEWSOUL TRILOGY. The first in the series is ERIN INCARNATE, and I'm working on the draft of ERIN ASUNDER.

The idea behind the series is one I've been cooking for a few years now, but didn't have the guts to try until recently. It's pretty simple, I think, but there were a ton of places it could go, and consequences from just the worldbuilding... It was intimidating!

Since the beginning of recorded time, people are reincarnated over and over. They remember all their past lives, develop their society, and so things go for about five thousand years. Then someone new is born.

The story is about Erin, the newsoul, and her journey to finding out who she is, why she was born, and learning whether there are more like her. There's a lot of science, magic, and romance. Also a lot of death and mayhem. My favorite things!

2. Can you tell us a little bit about your road to publication (finding an agent and editor)?

Let me 'splain.

No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Once upon a time, I had another agent. We parted ways on good terms and I thought to myself, "Okay, I've had one agent. How hard can it be to get another?"

Famous. Last. Words.

Fast forward roughly two years of slaving over a hot keyboard, writerly angst, and several announcements -- mostly just in my head -- that I was going to quit the goal of publication and just write for my own darn self.
Well, obviously it didn't end up like that. I stink at avoiding my goals, so I kept writing new stories, kept querying, and got a job working as a slush reader for my former agent, which was really educational and gave me a lot of insight into what agents do and how writers interact with them on a submission level. I did note in my query letter that I worked for an agent, but aside from possibly garnering a couple more requests or personal responses than I'd normally get, it didn't really affect my submission process -- except once. It, ah, ended up a rejection.

Okay, so there was a *lot* of drama involved with finding a new agent. Two years of angst, ect.

At some point, I joined Twitter and met a bunch of cool people. There was this one chick who called herself @bostonbookgirl and her profile said she was an agent, though I hadn't seen her on AgentQuery before. After I'd gotten to know Lauren -- as much as you can get to know anyone through Twitter -- I sent her a query for the dark adult urban fantasy I had recently applied a new coat of polish to. And she requested the full! Hurrah!

Then she rejected it. She liked my writing and all that, but something about it didn't work for her. So I said okay and after I thought she had enough time to recover, I sent her a secondworld fantasy YA.

Well Lauren rejected that one too, saying she loved it...but... But she didn't know the right people to send it to. Honestly, I'd already known that secondworld fantasy was a hard sell, but a girl's gotta try.

After that, I was determined to write something Lauren a) loved, and b) could sell. I happened to be working on ERIN INCARNATE then, and of *course* she was the first one I queried when the project was ready. (I also queried a bunch of other people. I'm no fool. Well, not a fool like that anyway.)

No one will believe that's the sum-up version.

3. Was there ever a time you felt like giving up? Why didn't you?

Goodness, yes. As I said, these were mostly announcements in my head to see how it worked out. Never very well.

I never actually intended on quitting writing -- I knew that was impossible -- so I just tried to give up the goal of getting published. But as it turns out, I really like that goal. It drives me to do better and work harder, even when it hurts (really bad) sometimes.

I want to share my stories with other people, and the best way to do that is to get an agent and publisher. So I guess *really* wanting to do that is what kept me from quitting for real.

4. How have your writing goals/dreams changed since you started the process?

I was just about to say they haven't changed, but that's not true. I've learned a lot about the industry and I think the biggest thing has actually been very simple: people run it.

How did that change my goals? Easy. I went from thinking any agent/editor would do to realizing I want someone who's as passionate and committed to their jobs as I am to writing, and someone whose working style matches mine.

It's definitely harder to find the right person, but it's worth it. Perhaps any agent/editor can help me succeed, but the *right* agent/editor can help me succeed better. (And with 10x more fun.)

5. These interviews will hopefully inspire those who are just beginning the writing process. What's the one piece of advice you wished you knew when you started?

I ate one of those little pudding cups (vanilla with caramel on top, if you must know) for inspiration on this question, because I didn't want something generic like, "Don't give up!" or "Write better, yo!" but those aren't bad. (The pudding was sugar-free, which might have something to do with the lack of inspiration here.)

Okay, how about this?

Agents and editors aren't our enemies. They aren't trying to keep writers from getting published. They are, in fact, cheering us on and waiting for us to send them The Project. The one they a) love, and b) can sell.

We just need to give it to them.
***

Thanks, Jodi!! You can You can also find Jodi's blog here, or follow her @jodimeadows!

Mornings

2010-03-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

There are two favorite times in my day, every day.

One is none of your business. :) Two is my wake-up time with Child.

Every school morning I get up at 0-dark, stumble around and get myself ready. Then I open the curtains, turn on lights if it's November-March, and pad to Child's room.

"Good morning," I say, softly.

She's a much better morning person than I am. She whispers "Good morning." I warn her, and then turn on her light.

I sit on the end of her bed, in the little space next to her feet. When she's ready she pulls the blankets off her head, sits up, rubs her eyes, and climbs right into my lap.

I know this probably won't last much longer. She's 8. She's a big girl, and getting more independent by the day. But I treasure these moments. She's warm and sleepy, bright hair rumpled, and she clings to me, buries her face in my neck. We don't say anything for a while. Just hug. Sometimes I rub her back, feel her knobby spine. Every once in a while she'll rub mine, or comment on how soft my shirt is, or that I smell good, "Mommy-smell."

It is the moment I feel most complete, most brimming with love.

After a few minutes she pulls back, and we talk a little about how she slept, what's going on today. We laugh. We say "I love you." And "I love you more." And then she gets up to get dressed, and I head off to make lunches, make breakfast, get everything going.

That moment--that lasts me all day.

P, P, and P

2010-03-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

I'm going on vacation on Friday!! Yeehaw!

Therefore, the next few days are all crammed full of planning/preparation/packing (the three Ps) and getting work done.

HOWEVER, next week will be exciting! Even though I'm gone, I'm going to be participating in something really, really cool, with posts every day...

Now you're just going to have to wait in suspense to see what it is!

*out for the 3 Ps*

Happy St. Pat's!

2010-03-17T07:52:00.002-07:00

I don't actually celebrate St. Pat's. Three reasons, really:

I have not a DROP of Irish in me.
It's HUGE HUGE HUGE here, because we have a massive Irish population, and I'm such a curmudgeon sometimes I don't want to participate just because everyone else does enough participating for all of us. Plus uptown is taken over by drunks from about 10 AM on.
I'm still just a touch resentful of all those pinches from grammar school. I'm just saying.

But I did wear green today, to please Child. She's all into it, and who am I to deny her an extra holiday?

The weather has been absolutely thrillingly gorgeous here since Sunday, with full sun and 50-60 degree temperatures. We've taken full advantage. Sunday we swam outside, took an hour long walk/bike ride on the walking trail (Child on her bike), and played tennis. Monday hubby and I walked at lunch and while Child was in dance class. We tried to play tennis again, but the darn high school kids apparently take over the courts in the afternoon/evenings. Hubby jokingly said, "Get inside, kids! Go play video games!" But no. Yesterday we tried again, and ended up shooting hoops for an hour instead.

I love it. It's a whopping spoonful of summer when we should still be mired in snow. Mind, it's supposed to snow again tomorrow, but I will not complain!!

Blogiversary Re-post #1: How Publishing is just like America's Next Top Model

2010-03-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

LAST Blogiversary post!!!
Hope you enjoyed the look-back. It was fun for me!
From October 2, 2009:

*****

I watch America's Next Top Model. I've admitted it before. (I actually get an absurd number of hits from that one mention of ANTM and bikinis, and now I expect I'll get more!)

You might think it odd that I'm obsessed with this show. I'm 5'3". I'm not model age, nor remotely model-like--I've never for an instant wanted to be a model. I'm not even girly! The show is kinda wacked, and the shoots they get up to are pretty...kooky.

Not situations I--or, um, anyone I know--is going to be getting into in everyday life. So why the fascination?

I finally figured it out: because I have empathy with these girls. Because America's Next Top Model is Just Like Publishing.

I'm serious.

Let's break it down, and you'll stop mocking and see what I mean.

1. The first step for wanna-be models in ANTM is to be good-looking. Not in a typical "pretty" way, but some original take on beauty: an unusual mouth, odd-shaped eyes, the ability to walk on a runway with a "trademark walk" and pose well for the camera. This is equivalent to WRITING A BOOK. Your book also must be more than what's already on the shelves, something still "pretty" (entertaining) but different. Something that will make readers ooooh. Sure, it's a little more labor-intensive than...being born...but the similarity is THERE.

2. ANTM hopefuls make videos of themselves, trying to convince Tyra that they are not only beautiful but interesting, have a life story that will inspire others, and can handle themselves. This is THE QUERY LETTER. I don't even think I need to explain this one.

3. Hopefuls are then culled to a small group that will compete for the final prize. These girls are just like writers REPRESENTED BY AN AGENT. These select few get special advice and training from experts (revision), and then they have to put that advice into practice in photo shoots. In photo shoots they may have makeup and wardrobe and helpers, but in the end it's all up to the individual to perform, to show the best side of themselves. This is still revision, taking all the advice given to you and finding a way to weave it into the manuscript to make it the best possible work you can achieve.

4. After the photo shoot we head to the judging panel, where each model's fate is decided. This, of course, is SUBMISSION. Fortunately, we don't have to stand there in person while the judges critique not only our photos (our books) but the outfits we're wearing to panel, our hair, and that unfortunate scarf. Our agents handle both the submission and the possibly-brutal feedback. But we do have to remember that when we're putting ourselves all over the internet, blogging and tweeting and facebooking, we're still kind of standing there in panel. That unfortunate comment we made about a book that editor happened to love is just as bad--or worse--than an unfortunate scarf. I've seen girls get eliminated because of what they wore to panel being consistently bad week after week, when they didn't listen to judge's suggestions. Listen to your agent. Pay attention to how you appear. Don't be an ass.

Actually the judging criteria parallel submission and acquisition even more closely. Here are some qualities that are important both in ANTM models and wanna-be authors, if they want to seriously compete:

You have one chance to make an impression. The most important factor to the judges is that week's photo. Even if you rocked last week (last book), it doesn't really matter. What's in front of them right now, the book you're submitting, is what matters.
Presentation and personality do count when there is a decision to be made. ANTM judges will often favor the girl with a more positive, engaging personality. If you were an editor, would you choose the author who was easy to work with, upbeat, and willing to compromise, or the one who is always whining and complaining?
I said this above, but don't be an ass. Difficult, mean people never make it far.
Persistence matters. Attention matters. Judges look for improvement, for girls who listen to the advice of their experts. Who are willing to revise and revise and keep trying and striving, who put themselves into their effort wholeheartedly.

Now thank God, it's not *all* like ANTM. Authors on submission don't all have to live in the same house, on camera, and bicker at each other. We don't have to be naked on a horse (usually) or roll around in weeds or dirt or wear big poofy clown wigs. Usually. That stuff's just fun to watch.

But I'm in that critical SUBMISSION phase, standing there in front of the judges day after day. And every time I get a positive email from my agent, or even news that we're still out there, still under consideration, this goes through my head, in Tyra's voice. And I smile (smize), because I'm still IN there.

You're still in the running towards becoming America's Next Published Author.

Blogiversary Re-post #2: My 3 Life Lessons

2010-03-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

From January 23, 2009. Because they're still true, and I still need to learn them.

*****
I've slowly come to the realization that there are 3 major lessons I keep re-learning, over and over and over. Each time they dawn on me as Truth, as Revelation, even though I'm well aware I've learned them before. It's just so easy to forget. If I believed in reincarnation or karma, I'd say these are the lessons I'm working on in this life.

So I'm going to put them in writing this time, hoping that will help me keep them in mind. Y'all feel free to remind me, too.

Give without expectation. If you give love freely, or do things for others freely, without expecting anything in return (this is the hard part for me), the love will come back to you. People will choose to do things for you. CHOOSE, instead of being expected to, which is different and vastly better.
Do the work first, and inspiration will follow. This is really just a different version of butt-in-chair, but it is SO easy to get frustrated when writing or life isn't going the way you want it to, and want to give up because it isn't coming. I realized this one again yesterday when (whew) I had a big plot revelation for SSP...after banging my head against a wall for 11,000 words. Yes, I start with ideas, but the story doesn't coalesce until I put the hard work in. Often I struggle to scrape the words together for my daily goal, only to find that at the end of the session words come, I get into the flow, and I go over my word count. You have to go through the hard part.
Things happen for a reason. I know. This is an old saw, and can seem pretty flat when the world is falling apart around you. But it's true.

Example: I had some pretty miserable school experiences. I mean bad. At one point in 5th grade there was an "I hate Susan club", and many of my classmates were members. Yeah. Because I went through all that a little part of my psyche is still there, still dealing with social struggles and rejection.

Unforeseen Result: Now I write YA. I couldn't, if I hadn't suffered then. I understand what that place is like.

Example: Both my husband and I were laid off within 3 months of each other. We had a 6-month-old child, we had no income besides Social Security, and the economy was tight in our industries, so we had trouble finding jobs (sound familiar?).

Unforeseen Result: Instead of having our child in daycare, I was able to stay home with her for a year. Then I got a really good job in Montana, in a small town, and my husband stayed home with her for another year, until she was ready to start at a fabulous preschool that she loves. My mom moved here a year later (from somewhere else), and now Child is able to have a close relationship with her grandparents that she would not have otherwise had. It worked out in a way I never would have guessed 6 years ago.

I am NOT saying change is easy, or work is easy, or giving of yourself is easy. None of it is. It's freaking hard, and that's why I keep forgetting these lessons. (over and over and...) But I welcome the moments when I realize them again, and feel that surge of YES.

Blogiversary Re-post #3: Be Afraid

2010-03-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

This is my most popular post by far. Mostly just because Janet linked to it, which spread it far and wide from there. :)

*****

What is your biggest fear?

Rejection? Death? The unknown? Loss? Is your main character facing down that fear?

Why not?

I don't know where I read or heard this first: Robert McKee, maybe, or quite possibly Donald Maass, in his Surrey master classes. The advice: Find your fear, and dump it on the page. Make your character deal with it in just the way you've always dreaded.

It's hard. I've done it, stared at the screen thinking "No, I can't talk about that. Even thinking about that scares me silly. How can I possibly live every day with that ache, that trickle of fear, for months?" You can. You should. It brings a vividness to your book that will otherwise be missing, that will become the vague, undefined lack earning you "I just didn't love this" comments by the bucketful.

However, if you truthfully portray your fear, and your characters react to it honestly, your book will resonate with readers. See, the trick is you're not the only one with that particular fear. If it's cathartic for you to deal with it on the page and come through the other side, it's cathartic for readers as well. They'll recognize the truth, connect with the powerful emotions. Rip through the pages to see if your MC will overcome it. Cheer for her when she does.

Like everybody, I've got several fears that underlie everything, that can rise to the surface with one word. One is rejection.

I'm not talking about book rejection—that's just a step in the process, in my opinion. I'm talking about when your best friend for years starts going cold. Stops calling you. Tells you one day, in front of all the people you most want to impress, that she can't believe she was ever friends with you in the first place, you're such a loser.

Yes, that happened to me.

Or when your boyfriend, or husband, starts spending long hours away from you. Turns away when you try to kiss him, or worse, pretends. But you can tell. It's different. It's over, you just haven't admitted it yet.

Or when you're a kid, and one of your parents leaves, for reasons that are perfectly valid from a grown-up's perspective, but to a kid just means they've failed somehow.

Jenna dealt with that fear. Natalie's facing it too, in a different way from a different source. But I think it's a common anxiety, and important. And very, very real to me.

Another one I didn't even realize until I wrote Jenna was the fear of losing control. I hadn't realized the true terror of that moment when—because of medical reasons, or because you're just a kid—decisions about your life are taken out of your hands, and you no longer have a choice. I did that to Jenna. Of course she took control back, but she had to lose it first. I had to, to understand it.

Don't hold back. Don't sugar-coat issues, to make them safe. Face your fears. Make your characters go through those particular layers of hell.

And then, at the end, let them win.

Blogiversary Re-post #4: News (yes, finally!)

2010-03-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is a re-post of another of my seminal moments in writing life so far, signing with the wonderful, sharkly Janet Reid.

When I posted this, I think I rather thought the rough bits of my writing journey were over completely, but not quite yet. Still hanging in, but so glad to have Janet on my team!

*****
I am absolutely THRILLED to announce that as of this morning I have signed with Janet Reid, of FinePrint Literary Management!!!!!

I first ran across Janet at Surrey, as part of the panel of the dreaded SIWC Idol workshop. As in previous years, I submitted my 2 pages, this time of JENNA, to be read aloud and critiqued. Kristin Nelson stopped the reading, but Janet stood up for it, and said she loved the beginning and would have kept reading.

I didn't really consider submitting to her, though, because I knew she didn't take YAs. However, I ran into her again at the banquet, and reminded her that she'd liked my book...and she asked for pages right there. Sadly, I didn't have them hiding in my cocktail dress, but I slipped the first chapter to her the next day. She said she'd get in touch with me.

Fast forward to November. I hadn't heard from her, but I'd been submitting to other agents, and I still had her on my list as a long shot (no YAs, remember?). So I sent her a follow-up email with the first chapter again. Didn't hear right away, but that's standard. Kept submitting. In the meantime a few other agents asked for the full.

On December 18th, I got a wonderful email from Janet saying she couldn't believe she hadn't asked for the full right away, and could I please send it?

She read the whole thing IN ONE DAY and called to offer representation that night. She loved it. (okay, I feel like Sally Fields now; I will refrain)

We had to wait until the other agents considering the full had a chance to respond, which is why the long radio silence between then and now. But from the moment I talked to her that night, I wanted to sign with her. She's wonderful, and she LOVED THE BOOK. Just as it is. (yes, I did watch Bridget Jones last night, why do you ask?)

As to not repping YAs? I asked Janet that. She said "Well, we're just going to change that right now, aren't we?" :)

So there you have it. I have an agent.

Thanks to all of you for your support through everything!!

Blogiversary Re-post #5: Oh, it was a good one

2010-03-10T15:04:00.002-07:00

From December 26th, 2007:

****
Usually, Child wakes me up with a gentle tapping on my back. Sometimes it incorporates into my dream, like the alarm buzzer, but she just keeps up the tapping, tap tap tap, until I respond.

Yesterday it was more of a thump thump thump.

"HE CAME!" she said, in a barely restrained whisper. I rolled over immediately, to find two big eyes, right there. "He CAME and you'd never believe it I've never seen so many presents IN MY LIFE!"

She bounced up and down, clutching her teddy bear, beaming.

"Really?" I whispered back, snapping out of grogginess pretty quick. "Did he eat the cookies?"

"YES! I looked, and there were only CRUMBS LEFT! And he drank all the milk except for THIS MUCH!" She scrunched her fingers together in a fist, showing me a teeny gap, and grinned. Bounce, bounce, bounce. "And I've never seen so many presents, and you have to come look, and there's a present on top that's shaped like a TURKEY! Come ON!"

There was no "okay in five minutes" yesterday. There was only a smile between me and hubby, and a quick throwing on of socks and such, and an even quicker push of the coffeemaker button.

And then it was Christmas.

The rest of the day was wonderful, filled with surprises and playing and phone calls and a lovely time with grandma and grandpa. But that...that was my favorite moment. That lasts me all year.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas.

Blogiversary Re-post #6: I Wonder

2010-03-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today, the theme is Child. I have a bunch of "favorite" posts about Child, but I narrowed it down to two. I think. Both from 2007!

Here's the first one, from May 2007, called I Wonder.
*****

It hit me this morning, the perfect word about raising kids. In fact, I think this word was made to describe the experience of raising kids.

Wonder.

In that first moment, when you hold your first baby in your arms, wonder overwhelms you. Look at the little toes! The pink, squashed cheeks! The tiny swirl of hair! It is completely amazing that this...person...grew inside you, and is real.

And the sense of wonder really doesn't stop. You hang over her, entranced, as she sleeps. Breathing! Snoring! Then as she takes her first steps, toddling straight into your arms. As she says her first word. As she writes her own name. As she goes to school, as she learns to swim. If you're anything like me, you're constantly struck by how cool, how wondrous, all of these achievements are, day by day.

But there's the other kind of wonder too, and that's an equally huge part of being a parent.

I wonder what she'll be when she grows up?
I wonder if she'll like to read, like me?
I wonder what she's doing at school today?
I wonder how she can behave like that, when we've had this discussion before?
I wonder if I'm doing the right thing?

When I signed up for being a parent, I hadn't realized there'd be so much uncertainty, so much doubt. Sure, there are all the jokes about wishing they'd come with a manual, and the sober advice that they're all different, and you have to make up new rules for each one. But I had no idea that I'd constantly be wondering if I was making the right choices, doing enough, saying the right thing. Or worrying about her even when she's not with me (especially when she's not with me).

I'm not really looking forward to the teenage years, when my central worry might be "I wonder where she is right now?". Fortunately, I also expect there will still be some of that other kind of wonder--the amazement kind, at what an awesome kid I'm raising--to balance it out.

**side note, on Question 2: Last night when we were discussing reading, Child said "I can't IMAGINE not loving to read. It's so FUN. And you learn things!" So I guess I don't have to wonder about that one. :)

Blogiversary Re-post #7: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-03-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

I love this old post, from February 12, 2007, for personal reasons: it was when I flipped the switch and changed my writing life, turning completely from historicals to YA. I dropped a book on Isabella of Castile I had 9,000 words on, because I was starting to hate it, and I just didn't feel I wanted to write that way anymore. So I had a long talk with a friend, and posted this after making my decision. The VERY next day I wrote out the starting point and characters for JENNA, and found my voice.

*****
There are some big changes going on...in my head. {s}

On Friday I took a hard look at what I'm doing--what my writing goals are, what I'm passionate about, what kind of career I want to build. And what's not working for me now. With the help of a good friend, I realized that if I want to change course I need to do it NOW, before I get stuck on a track I don't want to be on.

In short, writing historicals isn't making me happy right now; it's making me UNhappy. I dread the research, I'm bored with characters whose lives I already know, in a world I can't experience yet have to stick to. I feel like I'm writing with both hands tied behind my back, and it's stopped being fun.

I'm yearning to write something of my own, a story that's wholly mine. Where I don't have to stick to a script--I make up the script. Where I can include elements that excite me, where I can let go and use my real voice, instead of trying to re-create someone long dead.

And I was thinking, la la la, I can write this new book, in a new genre for me, and still try to sell TMT.

No.

If I sell it--and I still think that I could, if I spent some time really improving it--I will be expected to write historicals for a good long time, to build my career. And I don't want to do that.

I made a list of all the things I love to read about, to think about. Of the things that I love from my favorite authors of all time (the humor of Douglas Adams; the other worlds of Susan Cooper; the adventure and pacing of Mary Stewart, etc.). And folks, I am going My Own Way.

So you will see a change already in the blog...the Book 2 counter is gone. The references to historical fiction are gone. And guess what--instead of that medieval lady over there in the profile that I was hiding behind? There's me. (Well, a cartoon representation of me, but that's the closest you get for now.)

And the Medieval Word of the Day? That was nice, wasn't it? But I'm sorry, that has to go too.

My word of the day: transform: To change the form of; to change into another shape or form; to metamorphose.

Blogiversary Re-post #8: The Sensation of COLD

2010-03-09T14:57:00.002-07:00

Happy Tuesday!! This re-post is just because I think it's useful in describing what Really Cold feels like. Before coming to Montana I had no idea. Thankfully today it's about 30 above zero, so this is a memory of what December was like this year...

From January 12, 2007, I bring you: BRRRR.

*****

This morning it is -24 degrees. Fahrenheit.

It's difficult to describe what that kind of cold feels like, but for the sake of an exercise, I'll try.

I bundle up of course; you have to. I'm wearing silky long johns under jeans, a long-sleeve shirt under a hooded sweatshirt, boots, a lined coat, gloves, and a hat. I never wear a hat unless it's really cold, but at this temperature it's necessary or there's a very real danger that my ears will get frostbite. It's happened before--with mild frostbite the lobes turn a mottled red and the skin flakes. Yuck. So I'm wearing a pale blue tuque that I got, unbelievably, at a San Diego Padres baseball game. Much more useful here than in San Diego.

I also have a soft black scarf wrapped around my neck and over my mouth. I wish I could wrap it over my nose too, but I wear glasses, and that means instant fogging up. Not good to be stumbling around outside when the goal is to get IN, as fast as possible.

Even with all this protection it's still painfully cold for that top half of my face that's still exposed. The worst, really, is my nose. The instant I step outside my nose hairs freeze--I'm not kidding! It's a nasty sensation. Tickly, but sharp, like hundreds of little doll-size needles inside your nose. I try not to inhale very much, or very deeply. My cheeks and my forehead ache with cold before I take ten steps. My glasses freeze and the metal frames become heavy; I'm aware of each point they touch my face. In spite of my gloves, the tips of my fingers ache and tingle, sending a warning to my body that I recognized even when I was a newbie at this. ("This is ridiculous! Why are we outside in this? Get the hell in!")

Cars, even new, fancy cars, don't start when it's this cold. Our CRV did, but only reluctantly after a couple of tries. Once you do get on the road every car pumps massive clouds of steam out the tailpipe, a rolling chain of fog. Everyone goes slower, because you have to wait for the car-cloud in front of you to clear before you go. If you stop somewhere for an hour or so the warmth inside the car, from your breath or the remnants of the heater, freezes inside the windows, and you have to run it for 10 minutes or so or drive anyway, peering through patterns of ice.

But we're in Montana, and we're supposed to be tough. So everybody smiles at each other once we're in, rubbing our gloved hands, stomping our feet. "It's a bit cold out today," someone says. "But actually not that bad," someone else answers. "Remember when it used to be -40, for 3 weeks at a time? We have it easy now."

Yeah. We have it easy.

Medieval Word of the Day: inlaw: One who is within the domain and protection of the law: opp. to outlaw.

(Okay, I had to laugh at that one. That would be confusing for time-travelers, wouldn't it?)

A poem

2010-03-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

A poem, just because.

Itch
by Susan Adrian

My shoulder blades itch.
I think it is because
they miss their wings
and want them back.
I tell them to hold on
for a few more years.
I am so not ready
for the burden of wings
again.