NY Extravaganza

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!

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!!

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

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!

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

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

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

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!!

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...

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!

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

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.

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...

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!

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.

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

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

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!

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!

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.)