Props for Writers

Hello! Official excuse for not updating: I've been sitting in a corner thinking Deep Thoughts.*

*This is not true. I've been alternately detoxing from thesis push and catching up on everything, including getting back to writing. Yay!

To ease my way back into the blog thing, I created a meme for writers, to encourage each other. I don't tag people, but if you're so inclined, please copy and post for yourself! I'd love to see your names!

Props for Writers

It's all about sharing the love for fellow wordsmiths. Let's face it, this is not the easiest business to be in, and we can all use each other's support. I tried not to repeat names, since there are so many to give props to, but feel free to repeat if you wish, and list unpubbed authors too!

1. Name 3 "classic" (however you choose to define that term) authors you love to read.

William Shakespeare
Jane Austen
Douglas Adams

2. Name 3 current authors you love to read.

Courtney Summers
Libba Bray
Maggie Stiefvater

3. Name 3 authors you admire for their skill.

Vicki Pettersson
Melissa Marr
Bill Cameron

4. Name 3 authors you admire for their persistence in this crazy, potentially soul-sucking gig.

Joanne Levy
Emily Hainsworth
Linda Grimes

5. Name 3 authors who deserve props for their support of other writers.

Diana Gabaldon
Joanna Bourne
Linda Gerber

6. Name 3 people who really "get" your work--whose love of your stuff carries you through.

Janet Reid
Linda Grimes
Kris Reekie

7. And for a switch, name the 3 things you love most about writing.

The escape
The satisfaction of having written
That transcendent moment when it all clicks in

And you?

That meme

Carol tagged me on Friday, and I'm finally getting around to it. Because that's how I am. As usual, I reserve the right to not completely follow the rules and not tag anyone else specifically. If you're one of the two people who hasn't done this meme yet, join in and let me know.


A Meme about Various Things

• What were you doing ten years ago?
  
  Um. You know, that's a really long time ago. Let's see, I had been married for 2 years, no Child yet. I was working at Academic Press in San Diego. I think I'd just started dabbling with my first book, then called TRUST.
  

• What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order)?
  
  
  • Fill out insurance form for next year.
  • Work on choosing websites to focus thesis on.
  • Do some planning for this weekend's trip to Seattle.
  • Review possible pictures for next year's calendar (work).
  • Edit at least one chapter of GG.
  
  

• What are some snacks you enjoy?
  
  I LOVE snacks. I'm one of those grazers. Chips & salsa, nuts, chocolate, limes or lemons with salt, popcorn.
  

• What would you do if you were a billionaire?
  
  Spend lots of money. Duh.

• What are three of your bad habits?
  
  
  • Eating too much salt (see above).
  • Not exercising at all.
  • Solitaire.
    
  
  
• What are five places where you have lived?
  
  
  • Penryn, California (teensy-tiny)
  • Long Beach, California
  • San Diego, California
  • Brighton, England
  • Butte, Montana
    
    
• What are five jobs you have had?
  
  
  • In-home pet caretaker
  • Retail goddess
  • Copyeditor
  • Desk Editor
  • Publications Editor (aka Goddess)
    
    
• What were the last five books you read?
  
  
  • A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read
  • One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
    
  • The Killing Floor by Lee Child
  • Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
  • A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
    
    
• What are five web sites you visit daily (in no particular order)?
  
  
  • Google Reader
  • Pandora
  • Statcounter
  • Facebook
  • The Blueboard (Verla Kay)
    

More meme

It's Meme Season, apparently. Or maybe I'm just feeling meme-y. I borrowed this one from Melissa Marr.

You're feeling: headachy, because I messed up my coffee schedule this morning

On your mind: Work work. I have to figure out my 2009 budget by tomorrow. Which is why I'm doing this instead.

On your desk: Piles of paper, aforementioned budget, big jug o' water, a Baked Apple Pie-scented candle, and my Ghost Girl mascot

Last meal: donuts (what? I bought 'em to thank my staff. So I got to have some too...)

You dread: being stuck in a small confined space

You crave: coffee

A smell that cheers you up: the smell of pavement after a good rain

A food that you despise: curry (bleah)

How long since you last shaved: this morning

Current state of your hair: messy. My hair looks just like my avatar's at the moment.

First stop in a bookstore: kid's books. Child and I always read together in bookstores.

Free afternoon activity choice: writing! Or reading...

Something that freaks you out : waiting endlessly

Something that makes you sigh: Child, and how short her childhood is

You have never: gone sky-diving

Would you: hmm...don't think so. Every once in a while I think so, then reality kicks in.

You never want to try: sushi (same as Melissa)

You want to but haven't: gone to Yellowstone Nat'l Park

Place you want to go for the first time: New York City

Place you want to go back to: Hawaii

Your favorite day of the week: Saturday

THE TASK:
Add a question in this sort of random way to the list here in the comments AND answer it and the rest on your blog.

Adventure! Danger! Snow.

The fun, adventurous part of living in Montana?

You'd think it would be some sort of outdoor sport, wouldn't you? Skiing, or mountain biking. Nope. It's the weather.

Last weekend, 70 degrees and balmy. This weekend, 7 inches of snow, record-low temperatures (7 degrees!), and ice. We're thrust back into ice-on-the-car, snow boots, and sliding around corners. I like snow and all, and it's very pretty out, in a Christmas card sort of way. But you know? I'm kinda ready for consistent Spring, and no more piles of white stuff.

This is just a warning to those of you who really want to tell me how beautiful it is in your part of the world right now, with all those flowers and blooming trees and grass. Yeah. Don't do that.

Now, I've been tagged by Heather. As with all tags, I reserve the right to change it completely. So here are the rules I'm following:

The rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.

The nearest book, I'm happy to say, is Lee Child's KILLING FLOOR. I just started it, but I'm in love with it so far. The voice is amazing.

Page 123, fifth sentence etc.:

It was clear Charlie didn't know anything. She thought her husband had been arrested because of some kind of mistake. Not because he was grabbed up in some kind of trouble which had just got two people murdered.

Whew, not a spoiler.

Now the rest of the rules were about tagging five other people, but I don't like to do that. So if you're reading this and you have a blog, consider yourself invited to play. If you want. :)

They say it's your...

Yesterday Precie tagged me with a meme challenge: write your memoir in six words. (Details here)

I wasn't up to it yesterday--Brain Full--but here's my attempt:

Dancer, writer, mother: living in hope.

No, I'm not a dancer anymore, but it was a huge part of my life for many years. I couldn't NOT include it. And all three of those things pretty much require living in hope. :)

(I'm not going to formally tag anybody to do this, but feel free to take on the challenge! If you do, let me know in the comments, please!)

In other news, today is my birthday. In my family, your birthday was the most special day of the year, when you were Queen. You got to pick out what the family ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you got loaded with presents, treats, and cake. The whole day was magical from start to finish. It's not quite that way now that I'm a grownup, but I still love my birthday. There's a trace of magic that tinges everything.

10 Writerly Questions

A meme! Instead of 10 Things I Hate about You, it's 10 Things about You as a Writer.

I answered, and am tagging everyone who reads this, is a writer, and has a blog. I'm looking forward to your answers!

1. Your genre(s)?

Young adult, baby. All the way—I love to read it and write it. (Though I do have an adult historical under the bed, and I never rule out anything for the future.)

2. How many books have you completed?

Two. Almost halfway through the first draft of #3. By the end of 2008 that number should be 4.

3. How many books are you working on now?

One, seriously. But my mind keeps dabbling with the next one.

4. Are you a linear or chunk writer?

Linear, but I do drafts. First shitty draft, second fix-plot draft, third clean-up, and fourth language (spit and polish).

5. The POV you're most partial to?

First! Definitely. It's what comes naturally. But I've played with close third, and might try that sometime.

6. The theme that keeps cropping up in your books?

The MC finds out something special about themselves they didn't know, or has to deal with being different. No, no ties to my actual real life, of course. {cough}

7. How many days a week do you write?

Five regularly (M-F) plus whatever weekend time I can grab.

8. What time of day do you get your best writing done?

Lunch! I close the door, and the time is all mine.

9. Who are your mentors?

Diana Gabaldon, Vicki Pettersson. Both have helped me immeasurably, in different ways.

10. Who are your favorite authors to read? (different from mentors)

Right now: Joanna Bourne, Scott Westerfeld, Melissa Marr. Piles of others, but those are on top at the moment.

Now, yours!

Meme

Jen tagged me. I don't know if this is good or bad...but here you go.

A) Four jobs I have had in my lifetime:
1. Scientific editor
2. Bookstore manager
3. Pet caretaker, when people go on vacation
4. Telemarketer (for 4 days before I quit…awful job)

B) Four movies I would watch over & over:
1. White Christmas
2. Lion, Witch, & Wardrobe (newest version)
3. Emma
4. Sound of Music

C) 4 places I have lived:
1. Butte, Montana
2. San Diego
3. Brighton, Sussex, England
4. Penryn, California

D) Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. ER
2. Saturday Night Live (sometimes)
3. Baseball
4. Um. That's all, really.

E) Four places I have been:
1. Florence, Italy
2. Dublin
3. The Bahamas
4. Winnipeg

F) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
1. Julie
2. Vic
3. Husband
4. Dad

G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Mexican
2. Thai
3. Salt (popcorn, chips, nuts, lime dipped in, you name it)
4. Chocolate

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
Maybe home writing/reading, but otherwise I’m good.

I) Things I am looking forward to this and next year:
1. Signing a publishing contract!! (positive visualization)
2. Attending Child's Kindergarten graduation
3. Christmas
4. Finishing Ghost Girl, starting the next one

A tag!

Renee tagged me--it's been so long since I've blogged regularly that I've very nearly forgotten what a tag is--so look! A post!

(In general, I've just been too life-occupied to post much lately. Summer is busy time, and add on re-working Jenna, reading a very engrossing book, and {ahem} ignoring my thesis work, and poof! No blog time. Oh, did I mention WORK? And holiday/vacation stuff?)

Anyway, on to the tag. 7 random facts about me.

{fingers lightly tapping the keyboard while I stare at the screen}

The problem is, what don't you already know? Hmmmm. {tap. tap.} Screw it, let's just go.

1. I like to swear (see above), and seriously had to clean up my mouth when I had a child. (ooops, my Dad reads this blog, but oh well. It's true. Sometimes swearing just makes you feel better.)

2. In college I wrote some mighty horrible poetry. Some day I will drag one of these out and make you all laugh. Or, more likely, not.

3. I walk like a duck, from many many years of ballet. I also turn my feet out when I stand, and sometimes idly point my toes or even stand on my toes without realizing I'm doing it.

4. I am a natural mimic, and cannot carry on a long conversation with someone with a different accent without starting to unconsciously imitate it. This has gotten me into serious trouble when people think I'm making fun of them.

5. I'm short-ish, and nearly all of my friends are tall. For some reason this surprises people when they meet me after knowing me online. (yes, you, Julie. And Kreekie. And Daryl. And...oh, all the rest of you.)

6. I have recently discovered that I really, truly like bellinis. And mojitos too.

7. When I started college I intended to be a comparative psychologist, and work with dolphins. Or maybe chimps; I hadn't decided. I quickly discovered that the Animal Science major at UC Davis is NOT about that at all. On the upside, I know my grades of beef and how to castrate a sheep, should that ever be necessary.

Done! I guess I'm supposed to tag 7 people, but that's an awful lot, especially since Renee already tagged several of the ones I know. {frown} Lessee:

Rose
Sara
Deb
and Jen.

That'll do. Guys?

Getting to Know You...

Which I'm supposed to email, but I'm going to do it as a meme instead. Though if anyone really wades all the way through my answers, I will be shocked. {g}

Welcome to the 2007 version of getting to know your friends. What you
Are supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire email and paste
it onto a new email that you'll send. Change all the answers so they
apply to you, and then send this to a whole bunch of people including
the person who sent it to you. Put your name in the subject line. The
theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your
friends, if you did not know them already.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:03 am

2. Diamonds or Pearls? Diamonds!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Music and Lyrics

4. What is your favorite TV show? The Good Night Show on PBS Sprout
(well, it's the only one I watch regularly)

5. What did you have for breakfast? Shared cereal with Child

6. What is your middle name? Adrian (Ha!)

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican

8. What food do you dislike? Green peppers

9. Your favorite chip? Salt & Vinegar, totally

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Um. I listen to Pandora
Radio and Yahoo Radio. Maybe 8 1/2 Souvenirs.

11. What kind of car do you drive? Honda CRV

12. Favorite Sandwich? BLT

13. What characteristics do you despise? Meanness

14. What are your favorite clothes? My hot pink cardigan and jeans

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Tahiti

16. What color are your eyes? Green. Okay, hazel

17. Favorite brand of clothing? Brand?

18. Where would you want to retire? Pacific Northwest, maybe. Or Hawaii.

19. Favorite time of day? Evening

20. Where were you born? Long Beach, CA

21. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball

22. Who do you think will not send this back? I have no idea!

23. Person you expect to send it back first? We'll see, won't we?

24. Pepsi or Coke? Don't drink soda

25. Cats or Dogs? Neither!

26. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Night owl.

27. Pedicure or manicure? Neither. My nails are never done, either set.

28. Do you prefer funny or mushy cards? Funny

29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everyone?
Nah, I brag enough already.

30. What did you want to be when you were little? A dancer

31. What do you have in your trunk right now? Trunk? Who the F has a
trunk?

32. What is your best childhood memory? Christmas mornings

33. What are all the different jobs you have had in your life? Geez,
how much time do you have? General categories: salesperson, pet
caretaker, cold caller, bookstore clerk, bookstore manager,
copyeditor, production editor, web manager, editor. Okay, I skipped
some.

34. What is your favorite Holiday? Christmas

35. What is your favorite dessert? Orange cake. No, chocolate. No,
ice cream. No, orange cake.

36. Favorite Get away? San Diego

37. Ever been to Africa ? No

38. Glasses or Contacts? Glasses now (it's too dry here for contacts)

39. Ever been toilet papering? Yes

40. Been in a car accident? Yes

41. Favorite day of the week? Sunday

42. Favorite restaurant? On the Queen Mary (yeah, I don't get to go
there a lot)

43. Favorite flower? Poppies

44. Favorite movies? 40s movies, esp. romantic comedy

45. Favorite Past time? Writing! Playing with Child. Reading.

46. Favorite ice cream? Pralines & Cream from Baskin Robbins

47. Favorite fast food restaurant? Don't eat fast food at all

49. From whom did you get your last email? Kreekie

50. Sandals or tennis shoes? Sandals

51. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
I wouldn't. (I know, I sound like a prig, but I AM when it comes to
money!)

52. If the speed limit is 60 what is the fastest you will drive? 80

53. What is your bedtime? 11 or so

54. Whose response to this are you most curious about? Everyone....

55. Last person you went to dinner with? My hubby

56. What are you listening to right now? "Let's Do It" by Ella Fitzgerald

57. What is your favorite color? Forest green

58. How many tattoos do you have? None

59. How many people are you sending this Email to? I'm blogging it, baby!

60. What time did you finish this email? 8:39 am

Books meme

And a quick meme I got from Stephanie, because I found it interesting:

Look at the list of books below: *Bold the ones you’ve read* Italicize the ones you want to read* Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)

2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)

4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)

5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)

6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)

7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)

8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)

9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)

10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)

11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)

12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)

13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)

14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)

15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)

16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)

17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)

18. The Stand (Stephen King)

19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)

20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)

21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)

22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)

23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)

24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)

25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) Alternate TBR

27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)

28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)

29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)

30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)

31. Dune (Frank Herbert)

32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)

33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)

34. 1984 (Orwell)

35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)

36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)

37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)

38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)

39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)

40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)

41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)

42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)

44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)

45. The Bible

46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)

47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)

48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)

49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)

50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)

51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)

52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)

53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)

54. Great Expectations (Dickens)

55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)

56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)

57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)

58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)

59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)

60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)

61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)

63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)

64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)

65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)

66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)

68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)

69. Les Miserables (Hugo)

70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)

72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)

73. Shogun (James Clavell)

74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)

75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)

77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)

78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)

79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)

80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)

81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)

82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)

83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)

84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)

85. Emma (Jane Austen)

86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)

87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)

88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)

89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)

90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)

91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)

92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)

93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)

94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)

95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)

96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)

97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)

98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)

99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)

100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

I've read 43/100. Mostly for that English degree...it was interesting to me how many I really just don't want to add to my reading list, though. It's too big already!

Tag: 5 things

Hey! Right after I posted I saw Diana had tagged me. So 5 little-known facts about myself, eh? I don't know how "unknown" these are to my blog readers, but here ya go:

1. I was, for a brief period, a professional ballet dancer.

2. I have a thing for dangly earrings and pretty watches. Really the only girly things I wear.

3. I believe in ghosts and have had several paranormal experiences. I don't talk about those much because people think I'm crazy enough already.

4. I have an autograph somewhere from Dorothy Hammill.

5. I can flip a goat to check its teeth.