I went to the Robert Frost farm in Derry NH today. It's only about a half an hour or so from my house. You'd think I'd have been there before, but I guess we don't see the things that are closest to us.
Robert Frost's poetry is something I came upon when I was in high school. I entered an oration contest, based on an essay I wrote about him. I like that his poetry is all mine, not something I discovered because my husband introduced me to it, or I learned it from my parents. In fact, I don't really remember studying his poetry in school although I must have. He's just someone I've always been interested in.
The house is a small farm house, with a large barn set on several well cared for acres. I was amazed that unlike the federal museums I've worked in, this house was almost entirely open. You could touch the soapstone sink or open the lids to the woodburning kitchen stove and look inside. The phone that Frost would listen in on (a party line) to get gossip as well as learn the local dialect was on a wall, easily approachable.The books he used to home school his kids are there, as well as a selection from his home library. When I worked at the Smithsonian or in the Lowell Museums, they stressed how oils from our fingers would wear away quilts, stain walls and mar metals. Here, there were no such worries. It was more of a tour of your great-grandfather's house. It made me remember what my son said about visiting Russia. There is no air conditioning or climate control in the buildings, and the famous paintings and furniture, etc. are displayed openly. It makes one wonder how long these things will last.
A few wonderful stories. They had two kid's bedrooms. The ones that got along the best that day, would sleep together that night. They painted all the floors red because they liked how vibrant and happy they looked, esp. at Christmas time against the Christmas tree. Frost was in charge of teaching the kids astronomy. He would have the kids each pick a star in the sky. They would then all study where it was, and how it moved through the seasons. That way, when they looked up in the sky, they would always see their family.
So often when we love a book, we idolize the author. But this first Frost farm (he had 5 in NE all together) made him more human to me than demi-god. He failed as a farmer, and yet all his poems are about the things you would find on a farm. A walking tour around the fields and through the woods helped me to see how his life was in his poems. Here is the fence he had to mend. Here is where he would sit and watch the butterflies on the milkweeds, here is where he would watch the turtles leap back into the water, or here is where he sat, exhausted after picking apples for days. He wrote about the little things all around him. And sitting there, surrounded by quiet and nature, I was able to think about his poems in a different way. I was able to take him off his pedestal and imagine him listening to the world around him, and thinking.
I was so pleased to see where "the pasture" was, and to hear that it was written as a love poem. I've always thought of it as a very romantic poem and even used it in my own wedding. What could be more loving than to say you want to do the simplest things in life with your partner, no matter how small.
I picked up the journals of his daughter, growing up on the farm. They are actually all scanned in the book "New Hampshire's Child" by Lesley Frost. I look forward to seeing how his emphasis of looking at the little things in their lives shows up in her journals as well.
Robert Frost's poetry is something I came upon when I was in high school. I entered an oration contest, based on an essay I wrote about him. I like that his poetry is all mine, not something I discovered because my husband introduced me to it, or I learned it from my parents. In fact, I don't really remember studying his poetry in school although I must have. He's just someone I've always been interested in.
The house is a small farm house, with a large barn set on several well cared for acres. I was amazed that unlike the federal museums I've worked in, this house was almost entirely open. You could touch the soapstone sink or open the lids to the woodburning kitchen stove and look inside. The phone that Frost would listen in on (a party line) to get gossip as well as learn the local dialect was on a wall, easily approachable.The books he used to home school his kids are there, as well as a selection from his home library. When I worked at the Smithsonian or in the Lowell Museums, they stressed how oils from our fingers would wear away quilts, stain walls and mar metals. Here, there were no such worries. It was more of a tour of your great-grandfather's house. It made me remember what my son said about visiting Russia. There is no air conditioning or climate control in the buildings, and the famous paintings and furniture, etc. are displayed openly. It makes one wonder how long these things will last.
A few wonderful stories. They had two kid's bedrooms. The ones that got along the best that day, would sleep together that night. They painted all the floors red because they liked how vibrant and happy they looked, esp. at Christmas time against the Christmas tree. Frost was in charge of teaching the kids astronomy. He would have the kids each pick a star in the sky. They would then all study where it was, and how it moved through the seasons. That way, when they looked up in the sky, they would always see their family.
So often when we love a book, we idolize the author. But this first Frost farm (he had 5 in NE all together) made him more human to me than demi-god. He failed as a farmer, and yet all his poems are about the things you would find on a farm. A walking tour around the fields and through the woods helped me to see how his life was in his poems. Here is the fence he had to mend. Here is where he would sit and watch the butterflies on the milkweeds, here is where he would watch the turtles leap back into the water, or here is where he sat, exhausted after picking apples for days. He wrote about the little things all around him. And sitting there, surrounded by quiet and nature, I was able to think about his poems in a different way. I was able to take him off his pedestal and imagine him listening to the world around him, and thinking.
I was so pleased to see where "the pasture" was, and to hear that it was written as a love poem. I've always thought of it as a very romantic poem and even used it in my own wedding. What could be more loving than to say you want to do the simplest things in life with your partner, no matter how small.
I picked up the journals of his daughter, growing up on the farm. They are actually all scanned in the book "New Hampshire's Child" by Lesley Frost. I look forward to seeing how his emphasis of looking at the little things in their lives shows up in her journals as well.
Back in 2007, we got an e-mail from a girl named Bridgetta Tomarchio in which she complained to us. Not about what we'd written about her on the site, mind you, but about the fact that we filed her under "Random Fug." See, we hadn't recognized her name or her face, but according to her, that was an oversight on our part because she'd done tons of stuff, and thus she demanded the "random" label should removed immediately because she was famous. Silly us, she was right: We should've recognized her from her work as Red Team Wrestler and Runner #1 in two separate episodes of Poorman's Beach Bikini, as well as "Model" in Entourage and of course "Contestant" in something called Lingo. And we've since seen her in many ads for the erection-enhancer Extenze, so clearly, her star is -- ahem -- on the rise.
I for one have learned my lesson. I will not soon forget her.
And now, neither will you -- because whenever you think fondly upon all the good times you've shared with Mr. Snuffleupagus, you'll remember where you were the day you found out the name of the girl who killed him and turned his feet into boots.
I for one have learned my lesson. I will not soon forget her.
And now, neither will you -- because whenever you think fondly upon all the good times you've shared with Mr. Snuffleupagus, you'll remember where you were the day you found out the name of the girl who killed him and turned his feet into boots.
One of the recommended reads in this month's issue of readergirlz is the non-fic pick Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith. Many thanks to postergirl Miss Erin for bringing this cool, do-it-yourself book to our attention.
Wreck This Journal is exactly what the title implies: a journal you tear up, draw in, decorate, and create! I think The Plain Janes would be all over this book. Check out the awesome intro page as well as the Flickr group. Way to wreck a rec!
Want to win a free copy of Keri Smith's next book, How to Be an Explorer of the World? Click here to leave a comment with your email address at the readergirlz blog. One winner will be selected at random on Tuesday, July 14th and notified via email that day.
Note: Entrants must be residents of the U.S. or Canada and have a valid email address.
- feeling:
thirsty - ear candy:Amy's Song by Switchfood
I'm sure model Erin O'Connor was tickled to play on the Serpentine
Gallery's name by showing up in something slithery and green.
But this goes in the "Just Being Physically Able To Do It Doesn't Mean You SHOULD" file. Which on most people would go by the name "Goodwill Pile." Seriously, if you are making me yearn for the relative practicality of Lady Victoria Hervey's string bikini top, then you are laden with problems.
But this goes in the "Just Being Physically Able To Do It Doesn't Mean You SHOULD" file. Which on most people would go by the name "Goodwill Pile." Seriously, if you are making me yearn for the relative practicality of Lady Victoria Hervey's string bikini top, then you are laden with problems.
Fellow author Dean Whitlock and I have started to put together a series of resource sheets for writers and teachers of writers. The first one is (finally!) up.
Go here for the main teaching resource page.
And here for the How to Create Characters? pdf.
Go here for the main teaching resource page.
And here for the How to Create Characters? pdf.
Obviously I am going to have to shake off the shackles of my own laziness and check out singer Roisin Murphy's work. In truth, I have avoided the issue somewhat so far because I'm afraid her day job could never live up to her appearances on the red carpet.
I suspect this is what a mother of a Mouseketeer would wear at her child's wedding -- assuming, of course, it's performed on the steps of the Magic Castle, followed by a lavish coronation as the monarch of Prosperityland, a brand new wing of Disneyland designed to help us all forget there's a recession and we're too broke to go to theme parks in the first place.
I suspect this is what a mother of a Mouseketeer would wear at her child's wedding -- assuming, of course, it's performed on the steps of the Magic Castle, followed by a lavish coronation as the monarch of Prosperityland, a brand new wing of Disneyland designed to help us all forget there's a recession and we're too broke to go to theme parks in the first place.
Here in New York, there's always something interesting going on. This is a welcome change from growing up in The Middle of Nowhere, New Jersey, where nothing interesting ever went on. Like, ever.
These things happened recently in NYC, courtesy of New York magazine:
I'd like to share some other highlights of my nabe, including something very interesting that went down at Carrie Bradshaw's stoop a few weeks ago. I was walking by her stoop (where the Sex and the City scenes are filmed, even though Carrie is supposed to live on the Upper East Side), when I saw this:
New paint for the railings! Could it be for the next SATC movie, which I totally hear they'll be filming soon?
These finger paintings are really sweet:
When I see things like this, I completely get why it's called the Village.
The Fourth of July fireworks were awesome. They were at a lower altitude than usual (I think because it was so windy that night), but still awesome. I was mostly looking forward to the smiley face ones and the heart ones. When I saw some smiley face ones over in New Jersey before the Macy's show started, I tried to capture one for you:
Clearly, I need a lot more practice with the Fireworks setting on my Nikon Coolpix. But see the smiley face? Sort of?
Lastly, I want to leave you with a photo I took on the High Line. Enjoy the summer breeze this weekend!
These things happened recently in NYC, courtesy of New York magazine:
- During a massive food fight, staff at a high school called the police for backup
- A man who had been impersonating his dead mother for six years in order to collect her Social Security was arrested
- There was a runaway pony
- Two balloon artists threatened a rival balloon man in Central Park
- Office managers called the police about a Wafels & Dinges truck because it was making the neighborhood look unprofessional
I'd like to share some other highlights of my nabe, including something very interesting that went down at Carrie Bradshaw's stoop a few weeks ago. I was walking by her stoop (where the Sex and the City scenes are filmed, even though Carrie is supposed to live on the Upper East Side), when I saw this:
New paint for the railings! Could it be for the next SATC movie, which I totally hear they'll be filming soon?
These finger paintings are really sweet:
When I see things like this, I completely get why it's called the Village.
The Fourth of July fireworks were awesome. They were at a lower altitude than usual (I think because it was so windy that night), but still awesome. I was mostly looking forward to the smiley face ones and the heart ones. When I saw some smiley face ones over in New Jersey before the Macy's show started, I tried to capture one for you:
Clearly, I need a lot more practice with the Fireworks setting on my Nikon Coolpix. But see the smiley face? Sort of?
Lastly, I want to leave you with a photo I took on the High Line. Enjoy the summer breeze this weekend!
Dear Anonymous:
I know it's easy to drop your keys/water bottle/Blackberry/sweaty towels on the nearest piece of equipment, but what about those of us who actually want to use it, but don't want to violate the unspoken "don't touch my stuff' rule?
Dear Middle-Aged Guy in the White Snake T-Shirt:
Dude, I know it seemed like a genius idea to cut off the sleeves to give yourself more mobility. But what possessed you to cut out the sides as well? I could see way more of the reason you decided to start going to the gym than I really wanted to.
Dear Guy with the I-Pod Who Did One-Million Rapid Sit-Ups with Rabid Intensity:
Maybe you can't hear yourself over your music, but the rest of us can hear your loud pants and groans, as your breath gets faster and faster. It's like porno without the visuals. Just sayin'.
I know it's easy to drop your keys/water bottle/Blackberry/sweaty towels on the nearest piece of equipment, but what about those of us who actually want to use it, but don't want to violate the unspoken "don't touch my stuff' rule?
Dear Middle-Aged Guy in the White Snake T-Shirt:
Dude, I know it seemed like a genius idea to cut off the sleeves to give yourself more mobility. But what possessed you to cut out the sides as well? I could see way more of the reason you decided to start going to the gym than I really wanted to.
Dear Guy with the I-Pod Who Did One-Million Rapid Sit-Ups with Rabid Intensity:
Maybe you can't hear yourself over your music, but the rest of us can hear your loud pants and groans, as your breath gets faster and faster. It's like porno without the visuals. Just sayin'.
Heather and I just admitted to each other that we were both literally unable to accept the fact that Rosamund Pike here is wearing....knickers.
We were like, "that's totally a skirt, right? Like, an UGLY, UGLY skirt?" But, no. These are instead the ugliest harem pants ever created by human hands. In fact, I think they might have been created by INHUMAN hands. Yes, that's right. I just floated the theory that Satan spends his spare time kicking back down in Hell, stitching wee pieces of picnic tablecloth to diaphanous white material, and cackling about the retina-searing, soul-inflaming, leg-havoc they will unleash on any weak mortal foolish enough to don them, and the accompanying horror that will wash over any innocent bystanders to said donning. AND APPARENTLY HE WAS RIGHT.
The rest of this is terrible too, but I can't really see it all that well. SINCE I'M BLIND NOW.
We were like, "that's totally a skirt, right? Like, an UGLY, UGLY skirt?" But, no. These are instead the ugliest harem pants ever created by human hands. In fact, I think they might have been created by INHUMAN hands. Yes, that's right. I just floated the theory that Satan spends his spare time kicking back down in Hell, stitching wee pieces of picnic tablecloth to diaphanous white material, and cackling about the retina-searing, soul-inflaming, leg-havoc they will unleash on any weak mortal foolish enough to don them, and the accompanying horror that will wash over any innocent bystanders to said donning. AND APPARENTLY HE WAS RIGHT.
The rest of this is terrible too, but I can't really see it all that well. SINCE I'M BLIND NOW.
This is what I had on my breakfast cereal this morning: blueberries, raspberries, golden raspberries, and strawberries.
Hurricane Season, an annual national playwriting competition/new play festival, opens tonight. Nine scripts were selected from the submissions, and three one-act shows run back-to-back-to-back per weekend.
I'm performing in a comedic fairy tale entitled Lovely Day, which comes complete with knights, dragons, fair maidens, lots of quick costume changes, and lots of laughs.
Only six performances!
Friday, July 10th @ 8 PM
Saturday, July 11th @ 8 PM
Sunday, July 12th @ 2 PM
Friday, July 17th @ 8 PM
Saturday, July 18th @ 8 PM
Sunday, July 19th @ 2 PM
The line-up for the first two weekends is as follows:
Mastermind
Written by Michael Patrick Sullivan
Directed by Susan Lee
Featuring Brad Wilcox and Beth Ricketson
Lovely Day
Written by Kirsten Fatland
Directed by Maria Markosov
Featuring Allie Costa, Gwendolyn Druyor, Kristi Koehl, Vanessa Rice, Rendon Ramsey, and Zach Tewalthomas
Master of None
Written by Mira Gibson
Directed by Kerr Lordygan
Featuring Elan Garfias, Mason Hallberg, Albert Stroth, Erin Treanor, and Biff Wiff
The Sixth Annual Hurricane Season
at the Eclectic Company Theatre
5312 Laurel Canyon Boulevard
North Hollywood, California 91607
For more information, visit http://www.hurricaneseasontheatre.com - Click here for the full festival line-up!
To reserve tickets, call (818) 508-3003, email HurricaneSeason09@gmail.com or buy them online via Brown Paper Tickets. Tickets are $15 - and remember, you're getting three shows for the price of one!
See you at the theatre!
- feeling:
excited - ear candy:Youthful by Anika Moa
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER comes out Tuesday (but you knew that already, right?)
In the meantime, three more events in St. Louis AND San Francisco, which were the top two vote-getters in my Facebook poll. Come see me...
Saturday, July 18: St. Louis, The Ethical Society of St. Louis (9001 Clayton Road), 8:00 pm
Tuesday, July 21: El Cerrito, Barnes and Noble El Cerrito, (El Cerrito Plaza), 7:00 pm
Wednesday, July 22: San Francisco, Book Passage Bookstore in the San Francisco Ferry Building (1 Ferry Building, #42), 8:00 pm'
Finally, a note for Kindle users -- I know the book is currently priced at $14 for Kindle, as opposed to $9.99 you pay for most titles. Amazon is responsible for setting the price. My understanding is that they list titles they expect to do well for $14 and then, after a week or two, the price drops to $9.99...but because it's Amazon, not the publisher, making the decision, I can't tell you how the price got set, or tell you when the price will change. All I can say is that I hope you decide that BEST FRIENDS FOREVER is worth $14, and that you enjoy the read.
In the meantime, three more events in St. Louis AND San Francisco, which were the top two vote-getters in my Facebook poll. Come see me...
Saturday, July 18: St. Louis, The Ethical Society of St. Louis (9001 Clayton Road), 8:00 pm
Tuesday, July 21: El Cerrito, Barnes and Noble El Cerrito, (El Cerrito Plaza), 7:00 pm
Wednesday, July 22: San Francisco, Book Passage Bookstore in the San Francisco Ferry Building (1 Ferry Building, #42), 8:00 pm'
Finally, a note for Kindle users -- I know the book is currently priced at $14 for Kindle, as opposed to $9.99 you pay for most titles. Amazon is responsible for setting the price. My understanding is that they list titles they expect to do well for $14 and then, after a week or two, the price drops to $9.99...but because it's Amazon, not the publisher, making the decision, I can't tell you how the price got set, or tell you when the price will change. All I can say is that I hope you decide that BEST FRIENDS FOREVER is worth $14, and that you enjoy the read.
USBBY meets here at ALA in Chicago. I will spend most of the day indoors in meetings, but I am relieved that the temps are lower and the attendees here seem to appreciate that as well. I will be tweeting and blogging as time permits. In the meantime, here is the one snapshot I managed to grab before we got underway. More later.
So, yesterday on Facebook I announced that Joe and I had officially decided to postpone our wedding until October 2010. This was really more for the benefit of my close friends and family than the general public, but since my LiveJournal posts feed into my Facebook page, I figured I'd elaborate here for their benefit as well. (I say all of this because I don't want anyone thinking that I think information about our upcoming nuptuals is Big News or anything remotely close to that, because it's not and I don't.)
Anyway.
The long and the short of it is this: the current economic climate has left us in a financial pinch that would make it difficult to pull off even a small, intimate wedding and semi-fabulous honeymoon in Mexico. We've chewed this over every which way we can, and it's just not happening. We found ourselves making compromises that felt uncomfortable, like cutting our best friends' spouses from the guest list just so we could meet a smaller quota. We even brainstormed alternatives to taking the Mexican honeymoon, like the possibility of a quaint road trip to Myrtle Beach or some such instead. After hours and days and weeks of discussing all of these compromises, we realized that there was no plan that would make us truly happy. Which is why, despite the fact that it's already been a year since we got engaged, we decided it was in everyone's best interest if we push the wedding back to fall of next year.
The upside: Joe and I have chosen 10/10/10 as our new wedding date. Joe's really into numbers and codes, and in binary, 101010 = 42. Fans of Douglas Adams will recognize the significance immediately, but for the uninitiated, you should check out this Wiki entry here. A fall wedding also opens a lot more possibilities than a winter one; for instance, we can now hold the ceremony outdoors (something that wouldn't be wise in February). And the biggest boon of all is that it gives us more time to save up for the wedding/honeymoon we truly want, instead of something we're just settling for.
Anyway, yeah. Nothing too terribly sexy about the story, and obviously we're not thrilled about waiting another 15 months to officially become husband and wife. But at the same time, we don't HAVE to tie the knot anytime soon; it was a preference more than a necessity.
As to why I've been off the grid for a few days: I'm swamped. It's been a couple of years since I've had to usher a new book into this world, and I'd forgotten how completely exhausting all of the prep is. My web site overhaul should've gotten started months ago, but per usual, I was Last-Minute Lara, and am only just getting the last bits of content needed to![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
slayground today. This for a site we're relaunching on Monday, in anticipation of THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON's Tuesday release.
But finally - finally! - the bulk of the work is almost complete, and I think I might actually get to have a non-working weekend for a change.
Squee!
Anyway.
The long and the short of it is this: the current economic climate has left us in a financial pinch that would make it difficult to pull off even a small, intimate wedding and semi-fabulous honeymoon in Mexico. We've chewed this over every which way we can, and it's just not happening. We found ourselves making compromises that felt uncomfortable, like cutting our best friends' spouses from the guest list just so we could meet a smaller quota. We even brainstormed alternatives to taking the Mexican honeymoon, like the possibility of a quaint road trip to Myrtle Beach or some such instead. After hours and days and weeks of discussing all of these compromises, we realized that there was no plan that would make us truly happy. Which is why, despite the fact that it's already been a year since we got engaged, we decided it was in everyone's best interest if we push the wedding back to fall of next year.
The upside: Joe and I have chosen 10/10/10 as our new wedding date. Joe's really into numbers and codes, and in binary, 101010 = 42. Fans of Douglas Adams will recognize the significance immediately, but for the uninitiated, you should check out this Wiki entry here. A fall wedding also opens a lot more possibilities than a winter one; for instance, we can now hold the ceremony outdoors (something that wouldn't be wise in February). And the biggest boon of all is that it gives us more time to save up for the wedding/honeymoon we truly want, instead of something we're just settling for.
Anyway, yeah. Nothing too terribly sexy about the story, and obviously we're not thrilled about waiting another 15 months to officially become husband and wife. But at the same time, we don't HAVE to tie the knot anytime soon; it was a preference more than a necessity.
As to why I've been off the grid for a few days: I'm swamped. It's been a couple of years since I've had to usher a new book into this world, and I'd forgotten how completely exhausting all of the prep is. My web site overhaul should've gotten started months ago, but per usual, I was Last-Minute Lara, and am only just getting the last bits of content needed to
slayground today. This for a site we're relaunching on Monday, in anticipation of THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON's Tuesday release.But finally - finally! - the bulk of the work is almost complete, and I think I might actually get to have a non-working weekend for a change.
Squee!
- feeling:
content
A fellow engaged friend turned me on to this community and it looks like you all have some GREAT ideas!
Name: Emily & Quincy
Wedding Date: May 15, 2010
Wedding Location: Tennessee
Wedding colors/theme: "Hannah Montana" Blue (Turquoise, but brighter if possible!), Silver, and Pink
What DIY projects are you doing for your wedding? My uncle is a florist so technically all of our flowers will be DIY. Also, wedding favors, invites, possibly programs if we can pull it off. Hair clips for the bridesmaids and myself, and who knows what else! (We posted our StDs on Facebook... :D)
I'm all about saving money and time. We've got ten months 'til our big day and we're both still in college so our budget is pretty small. I look forward to reading all of your great ideas and seeing some inspiring photos.
Name: Emily & Quincy
Wedding Date: May 15, 2010
Wedding Location: Tennessee
Wedding colors/theme: "Hannah Montana" Blue (Turquoise, but brighter if possible!), Silver, and Pink
What DIY projects are you doing for your wedding? My uncle is a florist so technically all of our flowers will be DIY. Also, wedding favors, invites, possibly programs if we can pull it off. Hair clips for the bridesmaids and myself, and who knows what else! (We posted our StDs on Facebook... :D)
I'm all about saving money and time. We've got ten months 'til our big day and we're both still in college so our budget is pretty small. I look forward to reading all of your great ideas and seeing some inspiring photos.
CakeSpy: Cake Byte: Layer Cake Shop Opens!. An online cake supply company, I'm swooning over the cupcake liners (zebra!) and sugar decorations (tiki!).
Unique flavor combinations | Ask Metafilter.
Vodka + Watermelon = Crazy Delicious | Ask Metafilter. Tips on getting that vodka watermelon right.
I like almonds (the nut) and cherries (the fruit), but once they're "processed" in any way, the flavor changes and I dislike it to the point where it'll almost make me queasy. | Ask Metafilter. I find the same dislike of what the asker has, the thread seems to pinpoint what it is.
Chocolate On My Cranium: Petite Watermelons. Made using limes and red jello, so very cute. Via john cabrera.
Fancy Fast Food. A site dedicated to manipulating fast food meals into something that looks spectacular, with complete recipe directions.
THE FAMILY MAN by Elinor Lipman- adult novel
Lipman always writes
great characters and humor,
like in this novel.
JENNIFER JOHNSON IS SICK OF BEING SINGLE by Heather McElhatton- adult novel
A fun chick lit book
with a very brave ending
which I disliked. Sigh.
THE STRANGER BESIDE ME by Ann Rule- adult nonfiction
A good book about
serial killer Ted Bundy.
But I'm so scared now.
FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE by Melissa Wyatt- young adult novel
A quietish book
with "just" great characters and
fabulous writing.
THE PROPOSAL- romantic comedy movie
Not exactly deep
or original either,
but a fun romance
Lipman always writes
great characters and humor,
like in this novel.
JENNIFER JOHNSON IS SICK OF BEING SINGLE by Heather McElhatton- adult novel
A fun chick lit book
with a very brave ending
which I disliked. Sigh.
THE STRANGER BESIDE ME by Ann Rule- adult nonfiction
A good book about
serial killer Ted Bundy.
But I'm so scared now.
FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE by Melissa Wyatt- young adult novel
A quietish book
with "just" great characters and
fabulous writing.
THE PROPOSAL- romantic comedy movie
Not exactly deep
or original either,
but a fun romance
Yesterday I took music suggestions from my friends on Facebook and Twitter. I needed to create a new play list to use when I run. I wanted some upbeat songs that would keep me moving because I think I've been running to the pace of the (slower) music I've been listening to.
Here's what we came up with. I love that I'll be able to think of all my friends on every mile of my run! The list has 60 songs...and I did keep some of the slower songs on there because...well...I like them! There are several on there from many of you!
Here's what we came up with. I love that I'll be able to think of all my friends on every mile of my run! The list has 60 songs...and I did keep some of the slower songs on there because...well...I like them! There are several on there from many of you!
It has a chip for “Enhanced 911.” It’s a type of GPS that helps rescuers find you if you are lost in the wilderness. It’s not so important when you are in the city and there are many cell towers. But if you are in the wilderness and miles from a cell tower, finding you might involve combing hundreds of square miles. In fact, that problems plays a key role in a YA thriller I have coming out in 2010 from Holt (title is still under discussion).
Here’s a story about how enhanced 911 saved one man’s life.
http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/media
Curious note: the guy featured, Rick Aberle, is someone I went to high school with!
Here’s a story about how enhanced 911 saved one man’s life.
http://www.koinlocal6.com/content/media
Curious note: the guy featured, Rick Aberle, is someone I went to high school with!
- feeling:
nervous
I'm headed out to the airport for ALA, but I couldn't pass this one up.
There is a Wall Street Journal article that talks about the high quality of literary YA fiction. (Thank you, Anne M. for the alert!)
Enjoy.
(I promise to post from ALA. And I'll be tweeting, too.)
There is a Wall Street Journal article that talks about the high quality of literary YA fiction. (Thank you, Anne M. for the alert!)
Enjoy.
(I promise to post from ALA. And I'll be tweeting, too.)
This week, I have brought up a few of the adversities that writers experience. Whether you have writer’s block or are stymied by bad reviews, similar ideas, or bad feedback, sometimes it is hard to write.
Sometimes we all contemplate NOT writing.
- We feel like our ideas are stale.
- The blank page is intimidating.
- The revision is not going well.
- We can’t sell our work.
There are many antidotes for these feelings. Here are TWO of mine.
1. COME TO THE PROCESS FROM A DIFFERENT POV:
Try drawing. Painting. Hit the pottery wheel or simply play with clay. Do something artistic that is NOT writing. Let your writing mind relax and let your hands create. You don’t have to show your work to anyone, and for me, a lack of expectations really helps the “play” process.
By drawing, I have renamed characters. And made big decisions. With my hands in clay, I have found new plot twists. I have let my subconscious relax…and great things have emerged.
2. COOK SOMETHING DELICIOUS.
When I’m fully immersed in a manuscript, my family always notices how much more creative my cooking is. Well, cooking has a palliative effect, too.
When I’m down or stuck or feeling morose,
I cook. Savory and sweet.
Here are three recipes:
Pulverize the following ingredients in your food (word) processor:
2 cups chickpeas
11/2 tsp kosher salt
1tsp garlic
1/2tsp cinnamon—you may want more
1tsp cumin
1/3 cup tahini
½ cup lemon juice (fresh, please…)—I sometimes like more
1tsp lemon peel
1-2T olive oil
Sometimes, I top with olive oil and paprika. Sometimes I pulverize some hot peppers into the mix.
There’s nothing better than this super chocolate croissant bread pudding: also adapted from The Blanchard’s…
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
¼ cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
A bit more than 1 cup chocolate chips (don’t skimp!)
1 egg
2tsp vanilla extract
4 cups of croissants, cubed
1 cup cream for whipped cream
Preheat oven to 325.
In a saucepan, heat cream, milk and sugar. Don’t let it boil. When sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and add chocolate. Let it melt. Don’t eat yet.
In a separate bowl, combine egg and vanilla. Whisk. Then whisk in chocolate mixture. Stir until slightly cool.
Add croissant cubes and stir until coated. Put mixture in your baking dish. Bake about 45 minutes or until center is JUST set. (don’t over cook)
While you are cooking, whip some whipped cream. Add vanilla and a bit of sugar. Sometimes I add a little flavor—liqueur…yum.
Tanya Lee Stone sent me this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen at just the right moment. I was in need of a break and I had no chocolate in the house…and berries are in season. This cake is super easy to make and very moist! Even Elliot ate it!
Adapted from Gourmet, June 2009
You can just ignore the word “raspberry” up there and swap it up with any which berry you please, like blackberries or blueberries or bits of strawberries or all of the above. This is a good, basic go-to buttermilk cake (not unlike a lemon yogurt cake before it) — moist and ever-so-light — a great jumping off point for whatever you can dream up.
By the way, I was having a “moment” when I made this and for once, remembered to weigh my ingredients as I measured them, for all of you people out there that know weighing is way easier than dirtying a zillion cups and spoons. Now let’s just hope my scale is accurate.
Makes one thin 9-inch cake, which might serve eight people, if you can pry it from first two people’s grasp
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (146 grams) plus 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large (57 grams) egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries (about 5 oz)
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup (146 grams) sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.
At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined.Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter (see Note) raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 grams) sugar.
Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.
[Baking time updated, shortened, after so many of you concurred that this cake bakes crazy quickly.]
Note: Directions like “scatter” always scare me. Where’s the science? Here’s what my neuroses taught us: the ones that were downward were almost all swallowed by the batter. The "o" ones stayed empty, like cups. Both were delicious.
Make your own buttermilk: No need to buy buttermilk especially for this or any recipe. Add one teaspoon tablespoon [updated, as an astute reader pointed out that the larger amount is more common] of vinegar or lemon juice to one cup of milk and let it sit until it clabbers, about 10 minutes. Voila, buttermilk!
So that's it, Writers. Sometimes writing is hard. Sometimes the process gets you down. But it doesn't mean you are not exactly where you should be.
Try them out. Write well. Enjoy the process. Don’t let the little and big things distract you.
Cheers,
Sarah Aronson
- feeling:creative
My writing supervisor
1. It's sunny! According to our news, we had 23 days of rain out of 26 recently. I just want to stand in the sunshine today, throw my arms out, and twirl in it!
2. Julia and I were watching "So You Think You Can Dance?" this week and when Tyce said that thing about orange juice, I said, "He and Lil' C should get together."
"Yeah," she said. "They could have a 'Metaphor-Off.' The first one who reaches the point where the audience has no idea what they're talking about, wins!"
I love that show for so many reasons.
3. Today, John and I are painting the bathroom! It's the last step of our renovation. Our bathroom floor has a pretty, light purply-blue as one of the squares, and we decided to pick up that color on the walls. So I brought home lots of paint sample strips and laid them all out on the floor to check against those squares. "Sapphire Number One" seemed the closest. I'll post a photo when it's all done.
4. I received the nicest letter this week from a media specialist at a school where I had spoken last spring. She told me about some wonderful things that happened after I left--including one sweet story about a boy who came to tell her he was enjoying RULES.
We chatted for a while and he mentioned that he had taken his Nintendo DS into bed with him, under the covers, the night before. I thought we were now going to launch into a conversation about video games--until he explained, "I used the light from the DS to read."
I don't even have words for how much that story warms my heart.
5. To those of you going or at ALA--have a blast! And a special, "wicked proud " cheer for my Maine Silver Sister, Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet!
- feeling:
painting!
Today is the last day of writing camp! The students submitted their final pieces and cfaughnan will put them in a booklet so all the students can have a copy of the collection. They've also invited family and friends to a final reading and celebration. I'm so happy that I get to go too! :-)
I also got to see the first little bit of my first print review for Jumping Off Swings from Kirkus. Somehow, Kirkus always seems to be the first one, and with their reputation, that's a pretty hard first when you're already scared stiff. However, for what I can see, so far, not too bad!
Knowles, Jo JUMPING OFF SWINGS
July 15, 2009 - A heartbreakingly honest, measured work of fiction about a teen's unintended pregnancy is narrated in four voices in this latest from Knowles (Lessons from a Dead Girl, 2007). Ellie, Josh and their respective best friends Corinne and Caleb have...
For those of you with access, I'd really rather not see the rest unless it's nice. I'm trying to be good this time around and not beat myself up over every criticism. ;-)
Have a great weekend, Everyone!
xo
cfaughnan will put them in a booklet so all the students can have a copy of the collection. They've also invited family and friends to a final reading and celebration. I'm so happy that I get to go too! :-)I also got to see the first little bit of my first print review for Jumping Off Swings from Kirkus. Somehow, Kirkus always seems to be the first one, and with their reputation, that's a pretty hard first when you're already scared stiff. However, for what I can see, so far, not too bad!
Knowles, Jo JUMPING OFF SWINGS
July 15, 2009 - A heartbreakingly honest, measured work of fiction about a teen's unintended pregnancy is narrated in four voices in this latest from Knowles (Lessons from a Dead Girl, 2007). Ellie, Josh and their respective best friends Corinne and Caleb have...
For those of you with access, I'd really rather not see the rest unless it's nice. I'm trying to be good this time around and not beat myself up over every criticism. ;-)
Have a great weekend, Everyone!
xo
1. Today, I leave for Chicago and ALA. I honestly cannot believe I am going out of town again. I counted it up and this is my sixth flying trip since the end of May. Which is a lot for anyone, but especially someone who normally tends towards a hermit-like status, like myself. I am doing my best to rally, though, and I know I will before I get there, because ALA is super fun and I'll get to catch up with so many people. Just a reminder, if you're going to the convention, you can find me at the Penguin cocktail party tonight and at Anderson's bookstore in Naperville with Laurie Halse Anderson at 7pm on Saturday (call 630-355-2665 for more details). Sunday, I'll be at the YALSA YA Author Coffee Klatch and the BBYA Pizza Party. I'm signing at the Penguin booth, #2120, from 10:30-11:30 on Sunday. Then it's back here to stuff my suitcase in the closet and collapse for a few days. I've never been to Chicago before, though, so I am hoping to get in some shopping, which I hear is great, as well as some deep dish pizza. Oh, and wind. I will be expecting wind!
2. Because of all this coming and going I am SO behind on my TV it's ridiculous. I mean, I have TWO episodes of Weeds to watch, a show I usually can't wait even five seconds to get to. While in Cape Cod, we had the most basic of basic cable, most of which was showing Michael Jackson coverage, so I was glad we'd brought along some DVDs for the few times we wanted to just relax for a little while. What really did the trick? The Office. Thirty minutes, season three, and it always made me laugh out loud. I loved it so much I bought season four to take with me to Chicago. If I have a free moment and am not sleeping (unlikely, but possible) I'll be all about the Scranton party. Ain't no party like a Scranton party, cause a Scranton party don't stop......
3. I've written here off and on about our trials and tribulations with the deer and how they've made it SO hard to have plants and a garden. This year, we put up a fence, but I was hesitant to get my hopes up that they, and the rabbits, would not find some way to scale it and pick everything clean, as they always do. But it worked! We have had greens and beans and squash and now I have sunflowers and zinnias. It's amazing. Check out the latest bounty:
This week, I made the first batch of spaghetti sauce using our tomatoes. Man, it was good. I am planning to make a LOT and freeze it for the winter. We're like pioneers! (Okay, pioneers with a freezer. And, um, a coffeemaker. But whatever.)
4. One of the results of all this traveling is that I have TOTALLY missed out so far on one of our serious summer rituals, watching The Tour de France. Normally we are in from Stage 1, but we were gone, and now we are trying to both catch up AND avoid spoilers because of the time difference, which is not easy. But Lance is riding again, which is SO inspiring, and by all accounts it's been really exciting so far. With me gone this weekend, I have a feeling my husband will watch nothing BUT cycling. Break out the red wine and blue cheese, we are touring!
5. Do you ever feel like so much has happened, and you wish you could just go back and SLOOOW it all down so you could enjoy it all over again? That's how I feel about the last month or so. I mean, taken alone, ANY of the stuff that happened---the book hitting number one, being on GMA and Today and in EW, me on NPR---would be huge. But altogether, with the traveling, it's just like a crazy big fun blur. But it has been fun, so fun, and I'm kind of sad to see this leg of it all end. I wonder if once I'm home, or even next month, it will be too late to try to still savor it all? Eli and Auden would say no, it's never too late. I hope they're right. On a sort of related note, I was reading US Weekly last night and there's Lauren Conrad, whose LA Candy came out the same day as Along for the Ride. First, she does NOT look all fried and exhausted like I do. She is cute and fashionable and fresh-faced (in my defense, though, she also does not have a toddler. Just saying.). But in one quote, she says, "I'm almost done with my second book!" And okay, I'm not trying to be competitive, but WHOA. I haven't even started my next book yet. Uh-oh. Guess it might be time to get back to work?
Have a great day, everyone!
2. Because of all this coming and going I am SO behind on my TV it's ridiculous. I mean, I have TWO episodes of Weeds to watch, a show I usually can't wait even five seconds to get to. While in Cape Cod, we had the most basic of basic cable, most of which was showing Michael Jackson coverage, so I was glad we'd brought along some DVDs for the few times we wanted to just relax for a little while. What really did the trick? The Office. Thirty minutes, season three, and it always made me laugh out loud. I loved it so much I bought season four to take with me to Chicago. If I have a free moment and am not sleeping (unlikely, but possible) I'll be all about the Scranton party. Ain't no party like a Scranton party, cause a Scranton party don't stop......
3. I've written here off and on about our trials and tribulations with the deer and how they've made it SO hard to have plants and a garden. This year, we put up a fence, but I was hesitant to get my hopes up that they, and the rabbits, would not find some way to scale it and pick everything clean, as they always do. But it worked! We have had greens and beans and squash and now I have sunflowers and zinnias. It's amazing. Check out the latest bounty:
This week, I made the first batch of spaghetti sauce using our tomatoes. Man, it was good. I am planning to make a LOT and freeze it for the winter. We're like pioneers! (Okay, pioneers with a freezer. And, um, a coffeemaker. But whatever.)
4. One of the results of all this traveling is that I have TOTALLY missed out so far on one of our serious summer rituals, watching The Tour de France. Normally we are in from Stage 1, but we were gone, and now we are trying to both catch up AND avoid spoilers because of the time difference, which is not easy. But Lance is riding again, which is SO inspiring, and by all accounts it's been really exciting so far. With me gone this weekend, I have a feeling my husband will watch nothing BUT cycling. Break out the red wine and blue cheese, we are touring!
5. Do you ever feel like so much has happened, and you wish you could just go back and SLOOOW it all down so you could enjoy it all over again? That's how I feel about the last month or so. I mean, taken alone, ANY of the stuff that happened---the book hitting number one, being on GMA and Today and in EW, me on NPR---would be huge. But altogether, with the traveling, it's just like a crazy big fun blur. But it has been fun, so fun, and I'm kind of sad to see this leg of it all end. I wonder if once I'm home, or even next month, it will be too late to try to still savor it all? Eli and Auden would say no, it's never too late. I hope they're right. On a sort of related note, I was reading US Weekly last night and there's Lauren Conrad, whose LA Candy came out the same day as Along for the Ride. First, she does NOT look all fried and exhausted like I do. She is cute and fashionable and fresh-faced (in my defense, though, she also does not have a toddler. Just saying.). But in one quote, she says, "I'm almost done with my second book!" And okay, I'm not trying to be competitive, but WHOA. I haven't even started my next book yet. Uh-oh. Guess it might be time to get back to work?
Have a great day, everyone!
I am not old, but old enough
To know that you are very young.
It might be said I am the leaf,
And you the blossom newly sprung.
So I shall grow a while with you,
And hear the bee and watch the cloud,
Before the dragon on the branch,
The caterpillar, weaves a shroud.
- Interlude by Scudder Middleton
View all posts tagged as Poetry Friday at Bildungsroman.
Consult the Poetry Friday roundup schedule at Big A, little a.
Learn more about Poetry Friday.
To know that you are very young.
It might be said I am the leaf,
And you the blossom newly sprung.
So I shall grow a while with you,
And hear the bee and watch the cloud,
Before the dragon on the branch,
The caterpillar, weaves a shroud.
- Interlude by Scudder Middleton
View all posts tagged as Poetry Friday at Bildungsroman.
Consult the Poetry Friday roundup schedule at Big A, little a.
Learn more about Poetry Friday.
- feeling: thirsty
- ear candy:TCM score music
The winners for June's books are up.
Reminder--what books?:
"I have 6 autographed ARCs of MY SOUL TO TAKE (Rachel Vincent) and 3 un-signed copies of the LJ Smith 2 books in one omnibus (containing The Awakening & the Struggle).
Why these? (& why 9?)
9 seems like six, but yanno, wrong side up. . . so why not?
Rachel's YA is a beansidhe (also spelled "banshee") book. It's the only YA faery book I've blurbed. I had great fun sharing my research w Rachel, and I'm eagerly awaiting your responses to her series.
LJ Smith's vampire series was good fun back when it was first released (in the 90s), & I'm glad it's getting a new set of readers--and a TV show. Yes, I don't watch TV, but for my paranormal fun I will. (I watch True Blood, watched Dresden Files, Witchblade, & of course BtVS.) I'll be checking out the Vampire Diaries."
OTHER:
I will be participating in the Ballads of Suburbia blog. The what? Watch this YouTube commercial thing for answers.
So, in essence, we picked a song, wrote something confessionally, & are giving it to Stephanie to post out there in the wild. I'm a little nervous to be honest, but it is what it is, right? I love her books, including Ballads so I took the task as seriously as possible. I'll post a note once I know the date it'll go live. Or, umm, not . . . depending on how my nerves do as we get closer. The confessions start next Monday.
Reminder--what books?:
"I have 6 autographed ARCs of MY SOUL TO TAKE (Rachel Vincent) and 3 un-signed copies of the LJ Smith 2 books in one omnibus (containing The Awakening & the Struggle).
Why these? (& why 9?)
9 seems like six, but yanno, wrong side up. . . so why not?
Rachel's YA is a beansidhe (also spelled "banshee") book. It's the only YA faery book I've blurbed. I had great fun sharing my research w Rachel, and I'm eagerly awaiting your responses to her series.
LJ Smith's vampire series was good fun back when it was first released (in the 90s), & I'm glad it's getting a new set of readers--and a TV show. Yes, I don't watch TV, but for my paranormal fun I will. (I watch True Blood, watched Dresden Files, Witchblade, & of course BtVS.) I'll be checking out the Vampire Diaries."
Winners:
"38 cinnleigh
19 hotchilly
79 morwen
93 mina
14 blue ivy
7 silver masquerade
101 alexia561
28 karen
42 lael
107 meow mix
12 aria
I've had 2 people not claim books from prior months, so I still have1 unclaimed TITHE (claimed) & 1 unclaimed GRACELING. I'll add another copy of Rachel's book, so there are still 11 books to give out.
Email me at melissa AT melissa-marr.com with your name, first & second choice for books (or the phrase "surprise me"), and an address. First come, first serve."
79 morwen
93 mina
14 blue ivy
7 silver masquerade
101 alexia561
28 karen
42 lael
107 meow mix
12 aria
I've had 2 people not claim books from prior months, so I still have
Email me at melissa AT melissa-marr.com with your name, first & second choice for books (or the phrase "surprise me"), and an address. First come, first serve."
OTHER:
I will be participating in the Ballads of Suburbia blog. The what? Watch this YouTube commercial thing for answers.
So, in essence, we picked a song, wrote something confessionally, & are giving it to Stephanie to post out there in the wild. I'm a little nervous to be honest, but it is what it is, right? I love her books, including Ballads so I took the task as seriously as possible. I'll post a note once I know the date it'll go live. Or, umm, not . . . depending on how my nerves do as we get closer. The confessions start next Monday.
This week's Poetry Friday entry are the terrific poems from yesterday photopoetry of 15 words or less. Here was the picture:
And here are the poems!
Watch your step
you never know where they go
way down
into depths of despair
-- Anne McKenna
Watch Your Back
Planks remain bare
Poisonous vines
don't tread visible paths
They climb directly
into your heart
--Laura Purdie Salas
Conquering
Breath catching
Heart palpitating,
searching depths
Mastering fear,
Take a step!
been afraid too long
-- melissa
I'm so glad
I'm not Jimmy Stewart
In that movie
VERTIGO
Instead,
Here I go!
-- slatts
The view--spectacular!
But now....
Spinning, spiraling....
Where's Jimmy Stewart
when you need him?
-- Kathy Q.
wordsrmylife
Round
and round
redwood tight-gripped
I wish
life
had so graceful
a bannister.
-- sartorias
Wasn't sure
where I was headed.
Pick a card,any card.
Life's a gamble.
-- Martha Calderaro
Round and round
One step down.
Round and round
Two steps down.
All around. Ground.
-- Louise Henriksen
July 9 Post - 15 word poem
Cycles, circles go around,
Until the way of dusty death and ground.
-- G Grenley
Each day
fans out
from Summer
separate
but connected
in their uniformity
of season.
-- Diane M. Davis
Steps too narrow.
Feet too long.
Thanks--
I think I'll stay
up here.
-- Cynthia Cotten
Board
Board, so bored,
with the same steps.
Time to stop looking back and go up.
-- Sue Douglass Fliess
The Board Monster
Board monster's here.
Couldn't nail him down.
It spins wooden paddles
spanking kids in town.
-- Joyce Lansky
Here I stand at the top of the stairs
Wondering which way to go.
-- Barbara Van Deusen
Jama has the round-up of all the Poetry Friday posts today!
the body falls
into an upturned truth
its been waiting to meet
all its life
-- Shutta Crumm
I may have mentioned I'm working on a relaunch of zeisgeist.com - it's not up yet, but the first stage will go live on Monday (the day before THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON debuts!). Well, since my last web redesign and this one, a little site called Playlist.com came along. Which means that my book soundtracks can now be imbedded directly on my site. This isn't revolutionary - lots of authors do this now - but when I first started creating soundtracks for my books, they were a bit of a novelty, and I'd get lots of reader e-mail asking me to upload the songs. Since that is (cough) illegal, the best I could do was link to an iTunes playlist that they could then purchase, should they desire. But now - NOW - there's Playlist.com. Only, I can't find every song from my original soundtracks on there, especially the one for BRINGING UP THE BONES, which was published in fall 2002.
So there are some substitutions, but the essence of each soundtrack is essentially the same. Tonight I was actually finalizing the one for BONES, and oh my god, suddenly it was like I was 26 all over again. Hence the subject heading "musical time capsule." What strikes me is how incredibly sad the playlist is, and how, even after all of these years, I still tear up whenever I hear Edie Brickell's "He Said," Tori Amos's "China," and the acoustic version of Colin Hay's "Overkill." (Oddly enough, the acoustic version was playing in BJs yesterday, which totally caught me of guard. I mean, hello! One minute I'm picking up a six pack of black beans and the next I'm fighting back the weepies.)
Anyway, here it is, in all of its heartbreaking glory:
So there are some substitutions, but the essence of each soundtrack is essentially the same. Tonight I was actually finalizing the one for BONES, and oh my god, suddenly it was like I was 26 all over again. Hence the subject heading "musical time capsule." What strikes me is how incredibly sad the playlist is, and how, even after all of these years, I still tear up whenever I hear Edie Brickell's "He Said," Tori Amos's "China," and the acoustic version of Colin Hay's "Overkill." (Oddly enough, the acoustic version was playing in BJs yesterday, which totally caught me of guard. I mean, hello! One minute I'm picking up a six pack of black beans and the next I'm fighting back the weepies.)
Anyway, here it is, in all of its heartbreaking glory:
- feeling:
nostalgic - ear candy:Soundtrack to BRINGING UP THE BONES
I’ll be attending ALA’s Annual meeting in Chicago this weekend. Since I’m going as both an author and Past-President of ALAN (www.alan-ya.org), I have both an official author schedule and an unofficial professional /fanboy schedule. Come say, What’s up, dog? Or just Hi, if that’s not your cuppa tea.
Author Schedule:
Saturday: HARPER FICTION BREAKFAST - 7:15 –9AM - InterContinental Chicago, 505 N Michigan Ave. - 3rd Floor, King Arthur Court.
Saturday: FIRST NOVELIST BOOK SIGNING - 10-11AM – HarperCollins Booth #2011 – Exhibition Hall – Signing copies of Soul Enchilada and making faces at my fellow Greenwillowite, Cindy Pon.
Fanboy Schedule:
SATURDAY: A couple of receptions and an Abram’s celebration.
SUNDAY: YA Coffee Klatch (if I can score a ticket from someone who can’t attend [hint, hint])
SUNDAY: Slipping in the back after dessert’s served at the Newbery/Caldecott.
MONDAY: Dinner with Little Brown
MONDAY: Printz Awards
Otherwise, I’ll generally be stalking Laurie Halse Anderson and narrowly missing David Lubar, as usual
I know so many of my LJ friends suffer from migraines, as I do.
Well, maybe there's a silver lining.
""In this study, we evaluated the relationship between migraine and breast cancer risk and found that women who have migraine have a 26 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women without a history of migraine," said study author Dr. Christopher Li, an associate member of the epidemiology program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle."
Read more here.
PS For those of you with migraines, do yours switch from side to side from one time to the next? Mine do, but it seems kind of weird.
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Well, maybe there's a silver lining.
""In this study, we evaluated the relationship between migraine and breast cancer risk and found that women who have migraine have a 26 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women without a history of migraine," said study author Dr. Christopher Li, an associate member of the epidemiology program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle."
Read more here.
PS For those of you with migraines, do yours switch from side to side from one time to the next? Mine do, but it seems kind of weird.
Subscribe with
JacketFlap's
Children's
Publishing
Blog Reader
Just a reminder, all new posts will now appear at http://librarillyblonde.blogspot.com, or on Livejournal via http://syndicated.livejournal.com/librar
Come join me! I promise it's the same content, just a different home.
Come join me! I promise it's the same content, just a different home.
The economy has been hit hard here. Oregon has the second-highest unemployment in the nation (after Michigan, and we don't make cars).
But I just found out something that plain freaks me out. Not only did Portland's Twenty-Third Avenue Books, a small but well-stocked bookstore, close in January, but it's owner became HOMELESS. She ended up panhandling in front of the store!
"Neighbors got together to get Griffin’s cellphone reconnected — she owed $400 to the phone company. And they helped her find a place to live temporarily, so she could stop couch surfing and carry on with the job searching."
That's so horrible I can't even contemplate it. I've seen two of my favorite authors at her store - John Dufresne and Susan Fromberg Schaffer.
You can read the article at http://blogs.wweek.com/news/2009/07/0
I'm back in Oklahoma for a few weeks this summer, visiting my parents and hanging out with Ally. Last week, my mother asked me if I could go through my old "book closet"- which is lined with shelves and is home to a few thousand of my favorite books (no exaggeration on the numbers). I obliged, and nine hours later, I had everything organized, had collected five bags of books to donate, had boxed up six boxes of books that I didn't need constant access to while in this house, and then managed to get the rest of the books (still 1000+) on shelves. I felt accomplished and was rewarded with the following treasures, all of which were found buried in the closet:
Old Magazines
I have 3-4 years worth of back issues of SEVENTEEN, circa the late nineties, and they are a thing of beauty. My favorite is the one with the entirety of N'Sync on the cover, though Katie Holmes in her Joey Potter guise is also a total mind warp. Needless to say, I kept them all. I am convinced they will just get funnier as more time passes.
Old ARC's
Granted, none of the ARCs are *that* old, because I only started getting them after I sold Golden, and that was a mere five years ago, but still! A lot can happen in five years, so it was totally trippy to look back at ARCs of books like Twilight and The Clique.
Tween Favorites
Most of my books from elementary school and earlier were packed up years ago, but I did find some quality favorites from when I was about twelve- like the SWEET VALLEY HIGH super special where the Wakefield twins find out there's some third chick who's identical to both of them, and she's a murdering psychopath. Or the sequel, wherein it turns out that psycho murder chick ALSO has an identical twin, who is also psychotic, so there's four of them running around. Good stuff right there. I also found a bunch of Christopher Pike books, including THE LAST VAMPIRE series (being reissued in a couple of months... whoohoooo!) and REMEMBER ME, and such quality R.L. Stine classics as "Cheerleaders: The First Evil" (and like seven of its sequels). I may or may not have already started re-reading.
Juvenilia
I found a good dozen journals in which I wrote stories when I was but a tiny Jen. I never got more than about ten pages into them and can't for the life of me remember what most of them were about.
**
All in all, I'd say it was nine hours very well spent. Especially because afterwards, I discovered I had room for more books and went out and bought FAIRY TALE by Cyn Balog, EYES LIKE STARS by Lisa Matchev, THE STOLEN ONE by Suzanne Crowley, BLUE MOON by Alyson Noel, and...ummm... L.A. CANDY by Lauren Conrad.
Old Magazines
I have 3-4 years worth of back issues of SEVENTEEN, circa the late nineties, and they are a thing of beauty. My favorite is the one with the entirety of N'Sync on the cover, though Katie Holmes in her Joey Potter guise is also a total mind warp. Needless to say, I kept them all. I am convinced they will just get funnier as more time passes.
Old ARC's
Granted, none of the ARCs are *that* old, because I only started getting them after I sold Golden, and that was a mere five years ago, but still! A lot can happen in five years, so it was totally trippy to look back at ARCs of books like Twilight and The Clique.
Tween Favorites
Most of my books from elementary school and earlier were packed up years ago, but I did find some quality favorites from when I was about twelve- like the SWEET VALLEY HIGH super special where the Wakefield twins find out there's some third chick who's identical to both of them, and she's a murdering psychopath. Or the sequel, wherein it turns out that psycho murder chick ALSO has an identical twin, who is also psychotic, so there's four of them running around. Good stuff right there. I also found a bunch of Christopher Pike books, including THE LAST VAMPIRE series (being reissued in a couple of months... whoohoooo!) and REMEMBER ME, and such quality R.L. Stine classics as "Cheerleaders: The First Evil" (and like seven of its sequels). I may or may not have already started re-reading.
Juvenilia
I found a good dozen journals in which I wrote stories when I was but a tiny Jen. I never got more than about ten pages into them and can't for the life of me remember what most of them were about.
**
All in all, I'd say it was nine hours very well spent. Especially because afterwards, I discovered I had room for more books and went out and bought FAIRY TALE by Cyn Balog, EYES LIKE STARS by Lisa Matchev, THE STOLEN ONE by Suzanne Crowley, BLUE MOON by Alyson Noel, and...ummm... L.A. CANDY by Lauren Conrad.
The couture shows were this week in Paris, and oh my god, is that stuff amazing. Also, some of it is totally insane. We took a look at all the glorious, CRAZY clothes for NY Mag:
"When you want something bad enough, there's nothing you won't consider trading for it: a limb, a motor vehicle, a generally disliked member of your extended family ... maybe even a generally nice member of your extended family. And nothing engenders that kind of self-destructive lust like haute couture."Aren't you dying to know what could possibly tempt us to happily go without lunch for a month? You KNOW we love sandwiches. Check out the slideshow here and find out.
Every company seeks to extend its brand. Kelloggs went from cereal to cereal bars. But if it branched off into toothpaste, it might be too big a leap.
Borders UK now has a dating site, called Happily Ever After. The site says, “In all the best fairytales, girl meets boy and frog turns into prince. If only real life was so simple! Sometimes fate needs a nudge in the right direction, so sign up to Borders' Happily Ever After dating site today. With hundreds of like-minded singles to meet online, search to see who's already joined us and start a whole new chapter in your love life.” You can check it out here.
One columnist imagines users getting updates that say "Did you enjoy, Mark, 34, of Swindon? Then you should try Gareth, 36, of Slough." Or: "After dating Sally of Birmingham, 86 per cent of customers go on to date Jayne of Devizes."” Read more of the column here.
[Full disclosure: my husband doesn’t read fiction, but our marriage still rocks!]
Borders UK now has a dating site, called Happily Ever After. The site says, “In all the best fairytales, girl meets boy and frog turns into prince. If only real life was so simple! Sometimes fate needs a nudge in the right direction, so sign up to Borders' Happily Ever After dating site today. With hundreds of like-minded singles to meet online, search to see who's already joined us and start a whole new chapter in your love life.” You can check it out here.
One columnist imagines users getting updates that say "Did you enjoy, Mark, 34, of Swindon? Then you should try Gareth, 36, of Slough." Or: "After dating Sally of Birmingham, 86 per cent of customers go on to date Jayne of Devizes."” Read more of the column here.
[Full disclosure: my husband doesn’t read fiction, but our marriage still rocks!]
- feeling:
busy
Ah, Chicago, where it is a balmy 79 degrees (versus the triple digits back home). But things are heating up very quickly here as word about a possible change to the BBYA Committee broke yesterday on Twitter and spread to LJ and YALSA-BK. Alex Flinn and David Gill and the Bookends bloggers (Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan) and some others have already cited chapter and verse about why this is an awful idea. I hope loads of folks show up at the meetings (almost impossible for those of us on selection committees, BTW) and shout it down.
On a brighter note, I got upgraded to first class on the trip in and managed to read THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS from cover to cover on the flight. Brilliant deliciousness. I loved the first Ruby Oliver book, THE BOYFRIEND LIST and perhaps this is when I fell in love with E Lockhart and her inimitable style. Of course the NBA and the Printz Committee had the great good sense to concur and THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU BANKS has been honored, too.
THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS (Delacorte, July 2009) is book three in the Ruby Oliver saga. It seems Ruby is almost back to square one, living in Noboyfriend land and having trouble with some of her gal pals as well. Her parents seems to remain clueless despite their good intentions (and I love that they name their new dog Polka Dot and get into all the t-shirts and totes and stuff on which one can display a love for a particular breed), and Ruby learns more about her therapist than she really needed to know (TMI, OK?). The tone is breezy and funny but that belies some of the hard truths Ruby faces. The English teacher in me adores the footnotes which only serve to underscore the wonderfully redemptive sense of humor Ruby possesses. Smart, funny, irreverent as needed: this was the perfect book to begin my ALA experience.
On a brighter note, I got upgraded to first class on the trip in and managed to read THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS from cover to cover on the flight. Brilliant deliciousness. I loved the first Ruby Oliver book, THE BOYFRIEND LIST and perhaps this is when I fell in love with E Lockhart and her inimitable style. Of course the NBA and the Printz Committee had the great good sense to concur and THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU BANKS has been honored, too.
THE TREASURE MAP OF BOYS (Delacorte, July 2009) is book three in the Ruby Oliver saga. It seems Ruby is almost back to square one, living in Noboyfriend land and having trouble with some of her gal pals as well. Her parents seems to remain clueless despite their good intentions (and I love that they name their new dog Polka Dot and get into all the t-shirts and totes and stuff on which one can display a love for a particular breed), and Ruby learns more about her therapist than she really needed to know (TMI, OK?). The tone is breezy and funny but that belies some of the hard truths Ruby faces. The English teacher in me adores the footnotes which only serve to underscore the wonderfully redemptive sense of humor Ruby possesses. Smart, funny, irreverent as needed: this was the perfect book to begin my ALA experience.
- whereabouts.: Chicago
- feeling:
amused
[Photo: Splash News]
Let's talk about this.
Let's talk about this.
- She's beautiful, of course.
- Does she look a bit...vampiric?
- Although vampires are really IN right now.
- I like hot pink!
- She looks hungry.
- FOR BLOOD?
- Maybe just for a sandwich
- That's a LOT of makeup.
- It's a magazine cover, you dolt! THEY WEAR MAKEUP. Besides, she's supposed to be SMOULDERING. What better way to smoulder than via massive amounts of eyeliner?
- That's an excellent question.
PLANET PREGNANCY Linda Oatman High
Sahara is 16 and pregnant and not sure what to do about it. Told in verse, this story doesn't offer much new in terms of plot, but the poetic, occassionally rhyming structure made it a quick read. Good for reluctant readers.
Sahara is 16 and pregnant and not sure what to do about it. Told in verse, this story doesn't offer much new in terms of plot, but the poetic, occassionally rhyming structure made it a quick read. Good for reluctant readers.
This one is fairly simple, Fug Nation -- or at least I think so -- but I am throwing it open to you anyway. Emma Watson is SO adorable and SO the anti-Lohan that I just want her to knock it out of the proverbial ball park every time; if I happen to be seated eating a hot dog and drinking bad beer out of a plastic cup when she does it, so much the better. Unfortunately, as much as I want to, I can't give this my full endorsement.
[Photo: Splash News]
It's like she wrapped a beach cover-up over a tank top, and then got drunk and went shoe-shopping. I'm not sure how else to explain those -- seriously, they are the color of those kidney-bean-shaped emesis basins that sit in hospital rooms, waiting for you to puke up the Jell-O you just ate. I am a little afraid she borrowed them from Daniel Radcliffe, who is clearly suffering from some kind of head injury that puts him on obedient auto-pilot anytime some dipshit with a toggle shows up at his front door.
The dress part has potential, but it's hard to see it when I'm being blinded by the rest. Clearly, I'd start a makeover with her feet: Avada Kedavra the hell out of those pink bastards and go with one of the chunky strappy sandals that all the kids love these days, or a cute pair of flats -- maybe even gold ones to play off her purse strap. And I'd like to see the dress without the tank, although I do so love Emma in color that I'd long for the chance to see if the polka-dot pattern worked even better in a hue. She's great in blue.
But what would you do? Get out your magic wands and wave them, although be careful if your co-workers are standing behind you trying to peek at what the hell is making you whip your arms around in the air like you just don't care. You don't want to maim anything except what's not working about this outfit.
You know the commenting rules: on-topic, no personal attacks, no Pepsi products, etc. Enjoy!
[Photo: Splash News]
It's like she wrapped a beach cover-up over a tank top, and then got drunk and went shoe-shopping. I'm not sure how else to explain those -- seriously, they are the color of those kidney-bean-shaped emesis basins that sit in hospital rooms, waiting for you to puke up the Jell-O you just ate. I am a little afraid she borrowed them from Daniel Radcliffe, who is clearly suffering from some kind of head injury that puts him on obedient auto-pilot anytime some dipshit with a toggle shows up at his front door.
The dress part has potential, but it's hard to see it when I'm being blinded by the rest. Clearly, I'd start a makeover with her feet: Avada Kedavra the hell out of those pink bastards and go with one of the chunky strappy sandals that all the kids love these days, or a cute pair of flats -- maybe even gold ones to play off her purse strap. And I'd like to see the dress without the tank, although I do so love Emma in color that I'd long for the chance to see if the polka-dot pattern worked even better in a hue. She's great in blue.
But what would you do? Get out your magic wands and wave them, although be careful if your co-workers are standing behind you trying to peek at what the hell is making you whip your arms around in the air like you just don't care. You don't want to maim anything except what's not working about this outfit.
You know the commenting rules: on-topic, no personal attacks, no Pepsi products, etc. Enjoy!
Because the Columbia Publishing Course magazine workshop begins on the Sunday of ALA Annual, I am not going to the conference this year. This upsets me because I've had to leave the Printz committee AND I don't get to eat the filet mignon they were going to feed me at the 2009 Movers and Shakers Luncheon. I also won't have the opportunity to attend any of the YALSA board sessions. If you're going, you can see more information on the YALSA wiki here. With your ALA member number and password, you can also see the Board documents in the "for members only" section of the site. Thanks to Jen over at Reading Rants, I saw a board document which I found deeply disturbing. It calls for the disbanding of Best Books for Young Adults and replacing it with a sort of reader's choice award. Personally, I say bring on the reader's choice lists. I think they're a great idea. I don't, however, think they're a great idea if it means taking away BBYA in the process. BBYA is 40 years old, and I think it's needed now more than ever because publishers are printing more YA novels than ever.
The need for BBYA as a vetted list done by a panel of YA literature experts with input from teens can best be summed up by the life of Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link.
Pretty Monsters is one of my favorite YA books of 2008. It's a beautiful, macabre collection of short stories, all with a weird, semi-supernatural twist. In Link's stories, a handbag contains a faery world. A group of friends form a fandom over a show that has no set broadcast time or channel. It got starred reviews and acclaim from Link's peers, as it should have. Those things, however, are forgotten as we move on to the next book. Pretty Monsters wasn't eligible for the Morris and it didn't get a nod at the Printz, but it did deservedly make BBYA. Now, it's got a spot on a list that librarians use for collection development, a list with an available archive.
Pretty Monsters would fade without BBYA. It's certainly not popular. It's published by a big house, but it wasn't a lead title. Short story collections, though they have a special place in my heart, are not popular with teen readers. The books that make BBYA are the ones we look back on as a profession and remember. They're the ones that stood out in a year when thousands of books were published. The BBYA committee makes an effort to read a range of genres and formats from both large and small publishers. They recognize quality and potential popularity in books that don't have big print runs or expensive marketing campaigns and they give those books a lasting home. Because books go out of print fast, and because it's easy for us to get saturated with YA titles, BBYA serves as a reminder of the great books of a year, ones on which we can build our collections and ones which are setting today's standard of YA lit.
One of the arguments in favor of disbanding BBYA is that a reader's choice award would allow more people to participate in the booklist selection process. I think there's room for a popularity contest, but why should BBYA have to suffer for the sake of wider participation? We already have rewards for popular books in place. Although not everyone can be a member of BBYA (and why should they get to be?), anyone can nominate a book for BBYA, anyone can contact any committee member about any book, and anyone attending ALA can attend the BBYA sessions. BBYA isn't done in a vacuum.
Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan wrote more about this at the Bookends blog: Replacing BBYA: What do you think? They have some great points about the work BBYA does and how it cannot be replaced by a popular choice award. Also, check out Alex Flinn's blog post about what BBYA did for her first novel, Breathing Underwater.
Please, YALSA, instate that popular choice award. Open it to all librarians and give everyone a vote. I'm all for more chances for YALSA participation. But keep BBYA, because the need for it is greater than ever before.
The need for BBYA as a vetted list done by a panel of YA literature experts with input from teens can best be summed up by the life of Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link.
Pretty Monsters is one of my favorite YA books of 2008. It's a beautiful, macabre collection of short stories, all with a weird, semi-supernatural twist. In Link's stories, a handbag contains a faery world. A group of friends form a fandom over a show that has no set broadcast time or channel. It got starred reviews and acclaim from Link's peers, as it should have. Those things, however, are forgotten as we move on to the next book. Pretty Monsters wasn't eligible for the Morris and it didn't get a nod at the Printz, but it did deservedly make BBYA. Now, it's got a spot on a list that librarians use for collection development, a list with an available archive.
Pretty Monsters would fade without BBYA. It's certainly not popular. It's published by a big house, but it wasn't a lead title. Short story collections, though they have a special place in my heart, are not popular with teen readers. The books that make BBYA are the ones we look back on as a profession and remember. They're the ones that stood out in a year when thousands of books were published. The BBYA committee makes an effort to read a range of genres and formats from both large and small publishers. They recognize quality and potential popularity in books that don't have big print runs or expensive marketing campaigns and they give those books a lasting home. Because books go out of print fast, and because it's easy for us to get saturated with YA titles, BBYA serves as a reminder of the great books of a year, ones on which we can build our collections and ones which are setting today's standard of YA lit.
One of the arguments in favor of disbanding BBYA is that a reader's choice award would allow more people to participate in the booklist selection process. I think there's room for a popularity contest, but why should BBYA have to suffer for the sake of wider participation? We already have rewards for popular books in place. Although not everyone can be a member of BBYA (and why should they get to be?), anyone can nominate a book for BBYA, anyone can contact any committee member about any book, and anyone attending ALA can attend the BBYA sessions. BBYA isn't done in a vacuum.
Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan wrote more about this at the Bookends blog: Replacing BBYA: What do you think? They have some great points about the work BBYA does and how it cannot be replaced by a popular choice award. Also, check out Alex Flinn's blog post about what BBYA did for her first novel, Breathing Underwater.
Please, YALSA, instate that popular choice award. Open it to all librarians and give everyone a vote. I'm all for more chances for YALSA participation. But keep BBYA, because the need for it is greater than ever before.
Well.
[Photo: PacificCoastNewsOnline.com]
Either Carol Channing has had a really severe mental break, or Lady Gaga woke up with a raging volcanic zit on her face this morning.
[Photo: PacificCoastNewsOnline.com]
Either Carol Channing has had a really severe mental break, or Lady Gaga woke up with a raging volcanic zit on her face this morning.
And the winner is.........
Whitney Miller!
Whitney, please email me your address so I can send out your prize pack...
Thank you so, so much to everyone who entered! I have more ARCs and books to give away (maybe even another copy of Catching Fire!) so if you didn't win, there will be more chances..
You can run, Linds, but you can't hide. We know it's you. Why?
[Photo: PacificCoastNewsOnline.com]
Because ONLY YOU would take the twin obsessions of spandex and self-tanner so far as to paint yourself a pair of FLESH LEGGINGS.
It's so ridiculous that I can't even be bothered to rag on your rubber dress, or the fact that I think you bought that bag at the Franchise Glitz Dealer they go to in Xanadu. Yes, flesh leggings may have broken me. Seek help, and I will do the same.
[Photo: PacificCoastNewsOnline.com]
Because ONLY YOU would take the twin obsessions of spandex and self-tanner so far as to paint yourself a pair of FLESH LEGGINGS.
It's so ridiculous that I can't even be bothered to rag on your rubber dress, or the fact that I think you bought that bag at the Franchise Glitz Dealer they go to in Xanadu. Yes, flesh leggings may have broken me. Seek help, and I will do the same.
I'm wondering if the same people on Gossip Girl who are sabotaging Blake Lively ALSO have a little bit of a hate-on for Taylor Momsen. Check out what she wore on-set recently:
[All Photos: Splash News]
It would seem Little J's plot this season could be all about how she spent her summer vacation as the semi-slutty mechanic's aide who likes to shove wrenches suggestively into her hot-pants pockets, and then check the oil over and over again with that erotic dipstick. Maybe she'll even relaunch her fashion line to be geared toward grease-monkeys who just want to give the guys in the tire-rotation trenches something to feel good about every day.
I don't feel good at all about this next piece, though:
NOW I am wondering if Little J got herself arrested over the summer, and is part of the world's hungriest chain gang at a minimum-security, maximum-exposure prison. Also, I am pretty sure I bought that hair at Aah's five years ago when I went as Hilary Duff (circa Raise Your Voice) for Halloween, and it looks right now, on Taylor, EXACTLY as it did the other day when I cleaned out my garage and pulled it out of a Tupperware storage bin.
Oh, TAYLOR. That lazy cross around your neck can't help you now.
[All Photos: Splash News]
It would seem Little J's plot this season could be all about how she spent her summer vacation as the semi-slutty mechanic's aide who likes to shove wrenches suggestively into her hot-pants pockets, and then check the oil over and over again with that erotic dipstick. Maybe she'll even relaunch her fashion line to be geared toward grease-monkeys who just want to give the guys in the tire-rotation trenches something to feel good about every day.
I don't feel good at all about this next piece, though:
NOW I am wondering if Little J got herself arrested over the summer, and is part of the world's hungriest chain gang at a minimum-security, maximum-exposure prison. Also, I am pretty sure I bought that hair at Aah's five years ago when I went as Hilary Duff (circa Raise Your Voice) for Halloween, and it looks right now, on Taylor, EXACTLY as it did the other day when I cleaned out my garage and pulled it out of a Tupperware storage bin.
Oh, TAYLOR. That lazy cross around your neck can't help you now.
Guess where The Miles Between road trip has taken us now?
Talk about coincidence! How perfectly appropriate that the ARC is visiting a town where at least a billion librarians are descending this week! (is that a hint or what?)
And OMG, our road trip blogger took some really fun pictures. Lions and tigers and . . . oh my! Her pictures made me smile and sigh as I recalled my past visits to this wonderful city. (It is also my mother's hometown so I know she would have been especially proud to see the ARC strutting down the streets.) And I loved how the ARC fit so perfectly into . . . well, you will just have to go look. Let her know which one is your favorite picture.
Our road trip blogger also sent me a very nice note about The Miles Between saying, "I loved the book! It made me cry, but in a good way." Thanks, KT! Like I've said before, only an author is happy when they make someone cry. I hope she had a few laughs in there too.
Speaking of which . . .
Over at Presenting Lenore book blog there is a review of The Miles Between where she says, "Not only does it explore deep topics such as the nature of fate and the role of coincidence in our lives but it is also full of zany fun." Yay for fun too!
She also says a lot of other very nice things. Thanks, Lenore. There's a short interview too, where I talk a little bit about coincidence. In the comments, Lenore invites readers to share their coincidences or dream road trips. So hop on over there and share yours. You might win one of five free ARCS she is giving away!
And last but not least, Readingjunky (I love that name ; ) has written a review that made me want to cry. I guess what goes around comes around. She says, "Mary E. Pearson weaves together an amazing and tragic tale as she turns four acquaintances into true friends. The range of emotions packed into this novel will take readers from laughter to tears and everything in between. This is a must read due out this September." You can read the whole review over at TeenReadsToo.
I am really enjoying seeing all the places that you live and love. This has been one of the best road trips I've ever taken. I wonder where we will visit next.
Talk about coincidence! How perfectly appropriate that the ARC is visiting a town where at least a billion librarians are descending this week! (is that a hint or what?)
And OMG, our road trip blogger took some really fun pictures. Lions and tigers and . . . oh my! Her pictures made me smile and sigh as I recalled my past visits to this wonderful city. (It is also my mother's hometown so I know she would have been especially proud to see the ARC strutting down the streets.) And I loved how the ARC fit so perfectly into . . . well, you will just have to go look. Let her know which one is your favorite picture.
Our road trip blogger also sent me a very nice note about The Miles Between saying, "I loved the book! It made me cry, but in a good way." Thanks, KT! Like I've said before, only an author is happy when they make someone cry. I hope she had a few laughs in there too.
Speaking of which . . .
Over at Presenting Lenore book blog there is a review of The Miles Between where she says, "Not only does it explore deep topics such as the nature of fate and the role of coincidence in our lives but it is also full of zany fun." Yay for fun too!
She also says a lot of other very nice things. Thanks, Lenore. There's a short interview too, where I talk a little bit about coincidence. In the comments, Lenore invites readers to share their coincidences or dream road trips. So hop on over there and share yours. You might win one of five free ARCS she is giving away!
And last but not least, Readingjunky (I love that name ; ) has written a review that made me want to cry. I guess what goes around comes around. She says, "Mary E. Pearson weaves together an amazing and tragic tale as she turns four acquaintances into true friends. The range of emotions packed into this novel will take readers from laughter to tears and everything in between. This is a must read due out this September." You can read the whole review over at TeenReadsToo.
I am really enjoying seeing all the places that you live and love. This has been one of the best road trips I've ever taken. I wonder where we will visit next.
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