Plot This

We've Moved!!!

2011-01-07T09:55:00.000-06:00

Hey Y'all!

After much discussion and a relaxing few months at home, SF and I have decided to venture forth into 2011 with separate blogs. SF is going to focus her attention on all things picture books and middle grade, while I am going all into young adult (not to mention my surprising new foray into adult non-fiction.)

It's a new year and we are super excited about all that's happening, so come see us at our new blogs! We need some followers ;)

Katies is here, and SF's is here.

Can't wait to see you on the other side!

Katie and SF

To Blog or Not to Blog. That is the Question...

2010-10-03T10:30:00.002-05:00

SF and I have been discussing a hiatus lately. We have loved every minute of our two years writing this blog, but, more and more, we feel pressured to promote ourselves and not only does this feel artificially cocky sometimes, but we aren't sold on how effective blogging is for our intended audiences. There have been many posts about this lately, including this one by the Shrinking Violets, all of which have caused us to want to re-think our positioning.

And let me say that there is a difference between what I would call destination blogs (like Nathan Bransford's where we found this link), and ours. Nathan's is a go-to source for all things writerly. He is "an authority" on the industry, and he spends a lot of time developing his blog for this purpose. By design, we haven't chosen to have a blog with a purpose--we're just trying to have a little fun out there. Yes, we are both writers, and yes, we like to write ABOUT writing, but we know that our blog is no different in content from hundreds, if not thousands, of others. And we don't want it to fall into the same category as hundreds of blogs that exist soley to promote the writers who own them.

Another issue we are having is that we are building two separate careers, targeting two very different audiences. SF is growing her picture book and MG career, while I am focusing on expanding my YA books, as well as adult non-fiction. Therefore, we have totally different marketing tracks. This is really fun when we chat on the phone and hang out, but when it comes time to blog, leaves us stumped as to how to reach both markets effectively.

We also are working on some marketing and publicity ideas that are much larger and more interesting than what we are currently doing, and would like to continue to find new avenues to reach our target market - avenues that are more personal and creative. (*I'd like to insert that IF I sell my book, and IF SF's idea for marketing it works, I will just explode with joy. She has come up with an incredibly innovative and different idea for launching my book and I am about to bust to do it.)

As for now, we have decided to go on a blogging vacation until 2011. We will still be around reading and commenting on all our bestie's blogs, but our main focus is going to be writing and coming up with creative alternatives to reach our readers. We will see you in 2011 with new websites and good news!

XOXO

Katie and SF

What's your "Blue Dog"

2010-09-27T12:48:00.006-05:00

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Louisiana artist George Rodrigue.

Here, this will help:

His iconic image of "Blue Dog" is one of those images that stays with you. It's haunting. It's compelling. It's intriguing. There is ONE blue dog, and he appears in every one of George Rodrigue's paintings.

I saw George speak a few years ago, and he talked about working as a painter for years before he painted this image. He had had some success as an artist, but it wasn't until that auspicious day, the day that "Blue Dog" emerged from somewhere deep within his consciousness, that he hit that next level. He became a very successful artist--one whose works sell for huge amounts of money and whose works hang in museums, galleries and collections around the world. The "Blue Dog" image has been compared to the Mona Lisa for having that unique quality that resonates with people. That je ne sais quas. Even George Rodrigue said that he doesn't quite understand why that one image hits an emotional chord with people. But it does.

Katie and I attended the MidSouth SCBWI Conference in Nashville over the weekend. It was a great conference, and we both left feeling energized and inspired. But, on the way home, we started talking about what it takes to make it in the publishing world. We were surrounded by so much incredible talent--both the illustration and writing talent. We heard some incredible first pages read and the illustrations exhibited were AMAZING. I was truly humbled.

But, talent aside, the reality is that many of the people in that room will never be published--that's just statistics! It can be disheartening when you really think about it--you're good enough, but you might not make it.

So what is it that brings a few people to the top? Hard work--yes. Tenacity--yes. Talent--yes. Fearlessly submitting--yes. Revising and rewriting--yes . . . .

But, I think that there has to be something else. A little bit of God, luck, or good karma.

That "Blue Dog" quality.

You have to have that little something extra, some little flair, that gives you that tiny edge. There must be something iconic in your work that sets you apart--whether it's a great character, hook, writing style, or voice. And, you have to be able to recognize those "Blue Dog" moments when you have them and exploit them for all they're worth. Okay--maybe exploit isn't the right word. But, you do have to latch on to those moments of brilliance (I believe EVERYONE has them at some point) and have the good sense to run with them.

So, everyone . . . what's your "Blue Dog"?

Gellin' in Nashville

2010-09-25T13:27:00.012-05:00

I am currently reclined just like this in SF's and my hotel room in Nash Vegas, Tennessee where we are marinating in the fabulous advice found at the SCBWI-Midsouth writers conference - one of our favorites.

SF just went downstairs to the first pages discussion while I prepare to "take a break" and work on the ol' revision. But, ten minutes later and I am still sitting here, so I've decided to blog instead.

(* note: I'm so brain dead that I have had to edit this durn post like 80 times due to all the typos. Hopefully no one here in Nashville will decide to google us and read it.)

Anyhoo, most of you know that SF is our Resident Notetaker Extraordinaire, and you will definitely want to tune in next week for her killer notes, but, in the meantime, here's a glimpse of the kind of notes I take:

Ask Kelly Sonnack where she got those killer gray boots.
Ruta Rimas is a rockstar editor. She LOVES words and analyzes them as if they are separate brushstrokes within a canvas. Very cool and so technical that I love it!
Gigi's is giving away coupons for cupcakes.
Ellen Hopkins thinks about her characters for a month or so before she ever starts writing. Has awesome handout.
Take extra teeth wax on long trips.
Tell organizers to make more coffee.
Rethink the relationship between your MC and her nemesis. I think they are more similar than you previously thought.
Read Crank.
Figure out what motivates every action your MC makes. Make sure it's motivated by her own desires and not yours as the author.

As you can see, I rely totally and completely on SF for the full conference breakdown. I prefer to absorb the genius and gel with it for a while. But this works well for me. By the time I go home, I will be a revision machine (and know where Kelly got those boots).

Later Gators.

The Braces Saga Continues...

2010-09-23T11:13:00.008-05:00

I just had my bottom brackets removed...

No, "removed" sounds so nice - like removing toe nail polish or makeup. I just had my bottom brackets pried off with pliers and the remaining glue underneath them filed down with an industrial sanding machine. To say that it was scary would be an understatement. I wish I had asked the nurse to take a picture of my face, I think it must have looked like this:

You see, my overbite was so deep that my top two teeth were the only teeth that touched the bottom. My entire upper jaw was being stopped by the lower brackets. This kept my jaw permanently ajar and made eating solid food impossible.

Doc agreed to remove the bottom brackets until the tops moved out enough that I could chew again. We estimate a few months.

BUT....

On the way home, I had a horrifying discovery. I could feel that my mouth was now touching on one side in the back, but something still felt off. Pulling down my car mirror, I opened my lips with my finger and could see that I had just created THE SAME PROBLEM but on my back molar! Now, still only one tooth makes contact with the bottom and instead of being my front one, it's the back right molar. But like the front problem, it isn't touching the bottom molar like I want it too. Now, it's touching the bottom metal bracket that is attached to the molar.

Remember: Tooth + Metal = OW!

Sigh.... I don't know why I thought getting braces would be easy. My teeth are complicated to say the least. As complicated as the story I am currently reworking. Oddly, the new problem didn't make me want to ditch the braces entirely, it made me so mad that I am determined to figure out a way to eat better, brush better, and mentally will my friggin' jaw to function again in record time. It did nothing but increase my drive to succeed.

This is what I realized I do with my writing. The fact that it's so hard to sell a book does nothing but make me more determined. Why is this? Am I a glutton for punishment? A lover of pain? Maybe I should have been a Navy Seal. I would have probably kicked butt in boot camp.

NIGHTSHADE CITY!!!

2010-09-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

SF and I are thrilled today to interview Hilary Wagner, the author of the new classic, NIGHTSHADE CITY!

Let me start by saying that I was not sure what to expect with a book about rats, but boy was I hooked! Hilary is an incredible writer which makes reading about all of her rats fascinating and addictive. I predict this book has a shelf life like none other. It is destined to be a classic.

Hilary has been on a whirlwind blog tour and today we have the privilege of talking to her about all things creepy crawly :)

1. Why rats? Did the story evolve like this or did you consider horses, frogs and bunnies first?

Oh, I always knew it would be rats. I'm a kid at heart and being born just a few days before Halloween, I've always adored the holiday and the books and movies that came with it! In the stories I read and in animated movies, they tend to use rats as creepy background. Nothing more than bony, sinister-looking rats rummaging around a dark alley in the beginning of a movie or in a part of a novel where things really get scary! I decided it was time to make rats the main characters, to explore their world. If you do some investigation, you'll discover they're far more then creepy critters. In fact, they are smarter than most animals as a whole.

2. I love the world you created for them as well as all of their different looks and personalities. Did you have to do any research for this?

Yes indeedy! I love doing research! Who knew I was such a nerdy girl? Okay, I was always nerdy, but I had no idea I was this nerdy! I read several non-fiction books on rats, taking meticulous notes and scoured websites, even got in touch with some known rat experts who were gracious enough to help me. Even still, my rats are very different than the ones that roam the real world. They have "humanish" qualities and not just because I needed them to talk in the book. There is a secret reason for their uniqueness, one that even they have yet to discover.

3. You are so good with these intriguing animals. Do you have plans for any other types of creepy crawlies in future books? Is this going to be a Hilary trademark? :)))

I can't believe you asked me this!! KINGS OF TRILLIUM, Book II in the Nightshade Chronicles, which comes out next year, has some new and intriguing creatures and let's just say my inclination for creepy critters comes back into play and then some. Don't worry though, no talking spiders or anything like that--don't care for spiders, especially talking ones! ;) Also, I'm working on a new animal series, one I'm under lock and key from my publisher not to talk about. I feel all super spy! I'm very excited about it. I'm doing research now and learning about creatures I never even knew existed!

I suppose what I like so much about animal series is having a chance to explore their world--to discover what their lives are like--to try and feel what it would be like to have a long spindly rat's tail or the ability to travel deep under the ground or possibly up into the trees--the sky! To me, animals give us endless possibilities for wonderful storytelling.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog! Your questions were so much fun to answer! Every time I talk about my rats I get all inspired--has me thinking about Book III now! ;)

NIGHTSHADE CITY is available on-line, at Barnes and Noble stores nationwide and Indie Booksellers as well.

Final Thoughts and Painful News

2010-09-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I promised I would tell you the cool advice Robin gave me about plotting, so here it is.

She tries to end each chapter on either an emotional high (+), an emotional low (-), or a cliffhanger (*).

She makes sure she alternates these feelings to always keep her reader on their toes and actually marks them at the end of each chapter with the symbols above.

If she sees too many (-)s, she inserts a (*) or a (+).

COOl, huh? Try it!

PAINFUL NEWS:

I got BRACES yesterday! And, believe it or not, I asked for them for my 40th birthday (coming very soon). I just had no idea how painful they would be! I am in too much agony to really do a bunch of blogging, so I thought I'd leave you with some before and after pictures. These were taken before the insides of my cheeks were ravaged by spiky metal thumbtacks. Not to worry, I've gobbed enough wax inside my mouth to form candles, and I've purchased the mac daddy food processor and all kinds of special toothbrushes too. I plan on being the poster child for perfect brace care. Why? Cuz that's just how you roll when you're 39 and choose to get these things.

Does anyone remember their braces?

Toodles...

Oh. Remind me next time to powder my chin before photos. That sucker is beaming. Ick.

New promo cards

2010-09-15T06:42:00.000-05:00

Soooo . . . I've posted about how the conference season is upon us (and I'm counting a "season" as going TWO conferences). I'm getting ready--got my notepad, my new black stretchy boots, my first pages printed up, my illustration for the contest, my promo materials . . . .ACK!!!! I've been using the same promo cards for about three years, now.

Here 'tis:

That's Izzy who's the main character in my forthcoming picture book. I love her--this image on my business card is what started the ball rolling with Viking. But, I need some more postcards to put out with Izzy. Surely she's lonely (and surely people are tired of seeing her). So I decided to give her some friends:

Yay! Now, let's just hope Fed Ex comes through for me and my cards actually arrive BEFORE the Mid South conference.

:-) sf

Fall Fashion 101

2010-09-13T07:00:00.002-05:00

Okay guys, some of you know SF and I are die-hard fashion lovers. SF is known to troll fashion blogs on a daily basis while simultaneously sending me links to "members only" shopping sites. We never miss an episode of Project Runway, want to move our offices into the nearest Anthropologie store, and have spent far too much time looking at winter boots on Zappos.com. Flat or heeled? Flat or heeled? Any thoughts?

Anyhoo, when I saw this video, I had to take a break from posting about writing.

Here is my dear friend Sarah and her business partner Beth, kickin' it with their friend, Gwyneth Paltrow.

Too fun!

Conference Season

2010-09-10T08:57:00.003-05:00

First, I'd like to extend a gigantic thank you to Carol Valdez Miller for her In Gratitude post. Unfortunately, I think I'm posting this too late for you to enter her fabulous ARC giveaway, but be sure to stop by and tell her "hello". This generosity of this writing community is amazing!

Thanks Carol!!!

I'm going to give you all a break from the mini outlining seminar that we've got going on to talk about something else:

Conference Season!!!

Okay, so I'm calling it a "season" which for me means two conferences this fall (both regional SCBWI), but it feels like a season. There's a lot of preparation that goes into conference attendance. If you've signed up for a manuscript or portfolio consultation, then you've got to get your work whipped into shape, so that maybe, just maybe, the editor of your dreams will fall in love with your work (no pressure, right?). Often, the conferences have contests that you can enter--the MidSouth conference has both a manuscript and an illustrator contest judged by a wonderful editor and art director. More prep work . . .

Plus, you need to be able to speak articulately about your books and have questions ready for editors or agents (not stalker-type questions--stuff you genuinely want to know).

It's a lot of work just to get ready to attend conferences.

PLUS, you want to pick out clothes that reflect who you are . . . okay, that's not work, but it's kinda fun. You want to give off the right vibe and present yourself the way you want to be perceived, right?

The upcoming MidSouth SCBWI Conference in Nashville will be my first conference to attend as an agented writer with a book deal. Whoa--I can't believe I just typed those words. I think on some level, I'll be more relaxed. But, on another level, the bar has shifted a little higher. I'm feeling the pressure to really get my portfolio looking as good as it can. I'd love to connect with an art director or picture book editor so that they'll remember my work for future projects.

And, I want my publisher Viking to be proud of me, too. I feel like I'm representing them as well as myself, and I want to get people excited about my book.

No pressure. Yikes!!

Here's a picture from the LA SCBWI 2009 Conference. I love all my conference friends!! Miss you guys . . .

Walking Through Peanut Butter

2010-09-08T13:47:00.007-05:00

I have no idea if walking through peanut butter is hard, but I think it must be. And hard is where I am these days. I swear this revision is like trudging through sludge. Super slow moving sludge.

uurrgggh

The book is better, if not the best it's ever been, but it is taking FREAKING FOREVER and I am getting impatient.

That is all.

Back to my revision cave.

And I will give you those cool outlining tips next time - when I'm in a better mood :)

(SF here: I'm doing the same thing over here with illustrations. Total sludgefest. Literally--this painting I'm working on looks like it's been smeared with peanut butter . . . blech!!)

Outlining 201

2010-09-06T07:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome back aspiring outliners! So we covered ACT I in last weeks post and now we are moving on :)

IF you are new to my series I fondly refer to as "Outlining for Dummies," go back and read my first post about making a timeline and splitting it into 3 acts.

After I broke ACT I into 15 chapters (according to Elana's rough breakdown), I needed to break ACT II into 20 chapters. This seemed daunting but I had followed her instructions and ended ACT I with a bang so that made the beginning of ACT II a *reaction* to the big bang. And, I also knew that the end of ACT II is where the CLIMAX of the entire book lies, so I basically had to go from big bang to climax, which is a steep hill of action and emotion.

This post will help tremendously in learning about what you need to include in this section. And it's so informative that it is has a part two, * found here*.

The above posts are written by Alexandra Sokoloff, a screenwriter who brilliantly describes things in the second Act like The Midpoint:

The Midpoint launches ESCALATING ACTION/OBSESSIVE DRIVE

In the second half of the second act the actions your hero/ine takes toward his or her goal will become larger and increasingly obsessive. Small actions have not cut it, so it’s time for desperate measures.

So, for now, try to write a few skeletal sentences about all 20 chapters in your second act. You can do it! Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

After you finish that, I want you to do the same thing for Act III. Here is Alexandra's breakdown of writing this act. It too has a second part, and should be comprised of approx 15 chapters.

Whew! Now, after you have done all that, you may think you are done, but Robin Mellom and Sherrie Peterson have given me some extra cool tips I will share with you later this week.

Happy Outlining!

Katie

P.S. I have had several people ask me how on earth I wrote a novel withOUT an outline and all I can tell you is it felt like solving the number puzzle pictured above. I slipped and slid chapters and scenes around until they all fit just so. It was a marvelous time in my creative life, but as someone once said, "All good things must come to an end."

Sigh...

Outlining illustrations

2010-09-03T13:43:00.005-05:00

Katie and I have been doing a lot of talking with each other about outlining these days. And, as we've been talking about outlining our novels, especially when Katie told me about looking at a dress form as a type of outline (go back and look at this post) . . . it hit me.

I'm having to learn how to outline my illustrations.

Here's a sketch I've been working on for an SCBWI conference contest (we're supposed to illustrate a classic fairytale). This is my "outline". I've been doing most of my sketching on my computer. This enables me to change things easily, to erase, and move things around. This is all happening before any paint hits the paper. (Yikes, and now that I've posted this, I see some major changes that I need to make!!)

It is a huge change for me to work this way. When I work as a fine artist with my big drippy paint brush, there are no rules or parameters. Not really. I can paint a landscape any way I want to--if I want the sky to be pink, then I paint it pink. If I want there to be a gnarly old cedar tree in the foreground, I put one there. It doesn't matter what's really out there in the world. I'm creating a new world on the canvas--one I completely control. And, since I usually paint using acrylics, I can put layer upon layer of paint, covering and redoing as I go along until I have a balanced composition. A finished piece.

With illustrations, there ARE parameters. You are constrained by the story that you (or someone else) is telling. If the text describes a little girl in a black dress, then I pretty much have to paint a little girl in a black dress. If she's unhappy, then I'd better show her with a sad face. If she's opening a window later in the story, I'd better be sure that I paint a window in the room.

While there is still some freedom with illustrating, I can't just make up the painting as I go along. There are certain things that have to be shown, and if I don't plan for them, I end up with a hot mess. And, then I have to start over. Completely.

This has been a hard process for me to learn. I like to paint quickly, freely--I don't like feeling boxed in. But, I've found that the rewards are huge--the planning really pays off. I don't throw away as many illustrations anymore. I put much more thought in what I'm doing--each brushstroke has become intentional. I actually think each time I'm about to touch the paper with my brush, What is this bit of color going to do to the overall composition? What is this going to do to the action on the page?

I do still allow for freedom and happy accidents to happen on my paper. But, I'm learning to allow these accidents to happen within the framework of a story.

Outlining . . .

Outlining 101

2010-09-01T07:11:00.018-05:00

Okay folks. Roll up your sleeves because I have some info to give you. But before I do, I want to say that I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of other bloggers - bloggers who have taken the time to send me LONG emails with detailed notes, many times, even including their own outlines as examples. It has been such a blessing and so I hope some of you will be blessed by my passing it on too.

Here we go.

Now, the first thing I was advised to do was write a few sentences about what was happening in each chapter. As easy as this sounds, I knew that was almost too advanced for me - especially because I couldn't see how that would benefit anything. I needed something more skeletal.

Sweet Elana Johnson sent me gobs of great information (which I will share in pieces) but first she sent this very basic link. This is a great airplane shot of a story, but once again, I had no idea if my major plot points were in order. I had written a very tight and very complicated story, but it didn't seem to fit this standard diagram.

Therefore, the first thing I did was something no one told me to do. It was just something that felt right. I drew a line from left to right and labeled the major scenes I knew happened in the book along the line. It looked like this timeline that I found of Benjamin Franklin's life.

But, unlike Ben's, I noticed that I instinctively wrote a few things below the line that were, in fact, part of my sub plot. It was so weird to see that my brain naturally felt compelled to write several scenes that didn't pertain to my MC below the main timeline.

Then, Elana told me the most helpful thing by far. She said that ACT I in a 300 page novel usually includes chapters 1-15 (approx), ACT II includes 16-35, ACT III includes 36-50ish. These were rough guidelines, but she suggested that ACT I generally end around page 100 and end with a bang. In this chapter, things should spin out of control a bit. She even suggested I read this VERY LONG description of what Act 1 should include.

I should warn you that the above website is awesome for story structure but terrible for short attention spans. But just buckle down and read it. Perhaps, do what I did and only focus on ACT I for a few days.

After that, I scanned my Ben Franklinish timeline and, lo and behold, I could clearly see 3 separate sections. They weren't as perfectly planned as I wanted them to be, but I let that go and just narrowed in on ACT I.

Next, I was ready to do what my sweet friend Shelli advised as far as breaking this section into chapters with a short sentence describing each one. For this task, I used the outlining template in my word processor. I literally wrote chapters 1-15 and then started describing them. I'm sure you don't have to have 15 chapters, but I used that as a guide, knowing I would be cool with 13 or 16, should that be the case. The goal was to make sure I ended ACT I with a major twist.

BUT, how to make sure the tension rose all the way through?

That was actually easy. However, Robin Mellom sent me a really cool tool that helped with that also. I will tell you more about her suggestion in my next post :)

SO, for you non-outliners, take these five small steps towards your outline before we meet again.

1. Read the post about what ACT I should include.

2. Draw a simple timeline of the book, trying to split it into 3 distinct sections.

3. Break the first segment (ACT I) into 14-15 chapters.

4. Make sure the last chapter in this section is a kicker.

5. Breathe. I'll see you in a few days.

* And cling to this verse from 1 Corinthians that has really comforted me as I have struggled to learn this new skill, "God is not the author of confusion, but the God of ORDER." We serve a God who is not only a God of detail, but a God of order, and I am holding on to that promise as I forge ahead.

More next time :)

I Have Hit a Wall.

2010-08-30T06:00:00.005-05:00

I have hit a wall.

A wall I have avoided for a long time now.

A wall most professional authors need to learn how to climb.

A wall I have learned to hate.

A wall called... OUTLINING.

As most of you know, I am in the process of revising my book, but "revising" isn't a strong enough word. I am in the process of a full-on rewrite. This is something I chose to do but at the time didn't realize how painful it would be.

Last week, after successfully completing 40,ooo words, I realized one of my sub-plots wasn't working. In addition, the time frame was off and another sub-plot felt extraneous. To say that I felt like crying would be an understatement. I felt like ripping my hair out and stabbing myself with pencils. How could I have gotten 40,ooo words in and screwed up like this?

The answer?

No outline.

In my defense, I write like some wonderfully talented people paint. I apply layer upon layer of words until I get it right. If something doesn't feel right, I add (or cut) more words, smashing and crashing it around until a beautiful portrait emerges. This method has served me well, until now. Right now I need a master plan. An outline. And what really drove it home for me was watching my new favorite show "On the Road with Austin and Santino." Just like Project Runway, I noticed the guys draping their dress forms to decide what the finished dress would look like BEFORE they began actually constructing it. They were draping and pinning and moving fabric around without ever stitching a thing. Not to mention the sketches they were pausing to create. These were master craftsmen who were, in essence, OUTLINING their creations.

Sigh.

Yes, the dress form sealed it for me in terms of deciding I had to do this, but actually writing one still scared me to death. Outlining meant knowing everything that was going to happen before I wrote it. Right? Well, sometimes I just don't. Sometimes I discover my story AS I write it, so this outlining business has always made me feel boxed in, un-artistic, and uncomfortable.

Ack.

SO, I did what I have learned to do for any dilemma. I prayed about it.

And the answer was the same: YOU NEED TO LEARN THE SKILL OF OUTLINING!

But, as God so often does, he sent several angels to lead the way.

To be continued...

Katie

To be continued with all of the outlining tips I have received and more about how I intend to achieve this. SF will also be posting about her experiences with outlining, including how it pertains to illustrations. And PLEASE, if you have any advice, we'd love to hear it! In fact, we beg you for it :)

Go Read This Chapter!

2010-08-26T09:05:00.006-05:00

They aren't lying. It really is fantastic. And can you believe PW sent this insanely wonderful publicity?! Go Beth, Go! P.S. I LOVE the cover!

The Relatives Came . . .

2010-08-25T10:29:00.003-05:00

Me. This week.

I didn't get any writing done. But, I heard LOTS of great stories . . .

:-) sf

Let it Slide

2010-08-23T06:55:00.006-05:00

This last week, I was forced to lay low as I had dental surgery that left me in excruciating pain all day. So, the first few days, I couldn't even think about my book, but, at about day four, I started to slowly get back to revising. However, that was also the day I had out of town company arrive.

This chaos made writing the "sub-plot" of my day, rather than the main one. But I have to say, it was refreshing!

Sure, I still wrote, but I had too many other things going on to really obsess about it. I just did what I could and let the rest slide. But here's what was weird. Rather than getting upset that I couldn't write as much, I found that I was using my writing time WAY better. I was slowly and steadily climbing that mountain and it was productive to say the least.

I dunno. I woke up this morning hoping to hold onto this very relaxed mode of writing. It works. It isn't stressful and its productive. You just do what you can and let the rest slide. Try it, you'll like it :)

Keep it Simple, Stupid

2010-08-20T07:55:00.003-05:00

I recently read a great middle grade novel, NATURE GIRL by Jane Kelly. It's a classic fish-out-of-water tail about a New York City girl named Megan who gets lost in the woods and decides to hike the Appalachian trail. The voice is authentic and snarky--I fell in love with the main character. It is a great book.

While I was reading this, I kept thinking about a novel that I wrote several years ago--a similar story of displacement which was written in first person. The story is about Katherine who makes a connection with a wonderfully wacky art teacher whom she unexpectedly finds in a small Southern town. The art teacher has Katherine turn everything upside down that she has ever learned about art and technique--frustrating her and making her grow at the same time.

This novel has been sitting untouched for a LONG time, and I was eager to reread it and see if I could do anything with it.

Well, it's terrible. The language is overly descriptive and flowery, not at all the way a thirteen year old would speak. The book is episodic and full of flat characters. But worst of all? There is no action plot. None.

My book is all about the emotional plot, and that doesn't fly in children's books (I think adult writers can get away with it--think Eat, Pray, Love . . . no action plot at all, purely about Elizabeth Gilbert's emotional angst and growth). So, when I kept asking myself "What is the main character's goal? What does she really want? What stands in her way?" I couldn't come up with anything concrete--just a bunch of touchy, feely words like "she just wants to be happier."

We're all familiar with these plot diagrams. But, here's the deal--you need a diagram like this for BOTH the emotional plot and the action plot, and it's best for the emotional plot to resolve just before the action plot resolves.

In NATURE GIRL, there is an intense emotional plot in the book. The Megan's best friend's mother has cancer, and her friend has been pushing her away. Megan's also miserable about being out in the country and about having to deal with her older sister and her boyfriend. So, when she gets lost in the woods, she decides to go on a quest to reach a certain mountain where her best friend is staying for the summer. Throughout the book, the reader is pulling for Megan to reach the mountain despite all of her obstacles--both physical and emotional.

Simple, right? She wants to reach something that is real and tangible. She wants to climb a mountain. The other emotional stuff resolves as she makes her journey.

I've been listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in the car as I sit in carpool lines. JK Rowling does the same thing--she has a very simple action plot that threads it's way throughout the entire novel. Harry is preparing for and competing in a wizarding tournament, and the reader really wants him to win (or at the very least, survive). There is plenty of emotional plot going on as well--Harry's longing for a parent, Harry being ousted by his best friend, Harry being misunderstood . . . but without the wizarding tournament to pull the reader through the book, it would be pretty boring. A school tournament--simple.

Sooooo . . . with my novel, I have come up with something to pull the reader through--an art contest that the main character desperately wants to win so that she can go to a summer art camp in New York. The book has got to be COMPLETELY rewritten, but I think it could work this way. When I think about it now, it just seems so simple . . .

THE BACHELOR PAD

2010-08-18T06:30:00.001-05:00

I like to think I'm evolved... But the fact that I am hopelessly addicted to THE BACHELOR PAD might prove otherwise. Thankfully, my darling husband is addicted too, making me feel slightly less shallow.

What I love about this show is that it takes Survivor type tactics to a whole new level. The producers have wickedly pitted the boys against the girls, but they all share the same room. AND, they have to kick off members of the OPPOSITE sex.

It's hard to explain here how this all plays out, but let me just assure you, it's delicious.

Last night, one sideways move by a key player, and the entire game was thrown off. It was a sight to behold as Gia (my total fave) chose the wrong guy to give her rose to, which had drastic repercussions in the end.

Do any of you watch it? What's your take? My husband and I were sad to see Craig M leave because he is so drama. But we can't WAIT for next week!

Yours Truly,

Katie

Revisions . . .

2010-08-16T14:17:00.003-05:00

Before I begin this post, how about a huge THANKS to everyone who made WriteOnCon possible. Was that a great conference or what? I hope all of you organizers are getting to hibernate for a few days (or at least, getting to have that much needed chocolate or ice cold mojito).

Soooo . . . . I received my much anticipated revision letter from my editor at Viking a few weeks ago. I was thankful to see minor revisions and lots of kind words. Most of the text changes were necessary to make things more clear to the reader, the reader is probably in kindergarten and really doesn't want to be confused, after all. It is amazing how much better my book reads after some minor tweaks and changes here and there.

Big sigh of relief (although, I will say that I would have turned the book upside-down and on its head if that's what my editor thought would make it better--just sayin'). These revisions were just changes of the text, so I'm not looking at my illustrations yet. Yet . . .

But, one of the suggested revisions involved a change that necessitated a change of the illustration. My editor had me flip two pages and when I did that, the facial expression on my character didn't make sense. I couldn't help doing a minor edit to the illustration, just so the story flowed properly.

This reminded me just how interconnected the illustrations and text really are in a picture book. And, I strongly believe if you write picture books, even if you aren't an illustrator, you need to do some kind of visuals as you write and revise--stick people thumbnails are fine. It can make all the difference in the pacing of the story, and it can make you see how big an effect a change in a fifteen word phrase in an 800 word picture book will have on the overall story.

What say ye picture book writers out there? I've never written a picture book text without also doing some sketching and thinking about the illustrations. I'm interested to know if non-illustrators who write picture books think about them visually or is it more of a verbal thing with the cadence of the words, etc.

WE LOVE THE DUFF!

2010-08-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

We have been waiting so long to post about this incredible debut and we can finally talk about it! YAY :)

Kody Keplinger has captured something truly insightful in her debut release THE DUFF.

So many people have written such glowing reviews of this book that we had a hard time coming up with something unique. But, one thing that we loved about this book was its complete and total universalism. Not only could we relate to feeling like Bianca as a teen, but we still feel like her sometimes at 40!

We loved how Kody captured that feeling of being "on the outside" whether you feel like you are not in the right clique in your job, or your community, or you aren't achieving what you thought you would in your career. We all know what it feels like to feel like you are on the "outside" of a circle of people. But what was so beautiful about this book was that it let you know that you are not alone. And more oft than not, you are NOT outside the circle. You're inside. You just feel like you're outside because you're human.

And we all feel that way from time to time.

Hi, this is SF, chiming in . . .

YES!!! Great post, Katie.

I, too, thought The Duff was amazing, and it really hit on that feeling of inadequacy that stays with all of us throughout our lives. How we perceive ourselves so often is a result of labels or self-perpetuated insecurity.

Kody hit one out of the park with this one!

Check out these other great Bookanista posts!

Christine Fonseca - PARANORMALCY

Kirsten Hubbard - GIRL, STOLEN

Beth Revis - LIPS TOUCH: THREE TIMES

Carolina Valdez Miller - THE DUFF

Myra McEntire - VORDAK THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE

Bethany Wiggins - TELL ME A SECRET

Lisa and Laura Roecker - THE IVY

How Cool is Writeoncon??

2010-08-10T22:12:00.004-05:00

I am having so much fun with writeoncon. Are you?? If not, you need to head on over there STAT!

One of my favorite posts so far was this one by Rosemary Clement-Moore. I'm not sure why it struck me so much. I think I've never thought of my manuscript in terms of a sequence of REactions. I really think it will help me in my revision to stand back and think through how my MC REacts to her situations, and where those REactions take her.

I also loved the post by MG author, J.S. Lewis.

And the incredible one on revision by Kendra Levin. Great stuff!

I can't WAIT for tomorrow!

Thank you so much to Elana, Jamie, Lisa, Laura, Casey, Shannon, and Jen :) You guys take the cake!

Getting Tipsy

2010-08-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Not that kind of tipsy! This is when I give you a tip about writing.

So, I was stuck in my revision last week because I was drowning in stuff like this: MC goes to first period, then maybe we see her at lunch, next she visits with a friend, then at home, and before long, I was bored.

Problem: I was setting up her personality and other important facts in the story, but, I was being TOO linear.

Solution: Ask yourself how your MC would tell this story to her 50 year old friends on a bench in the future someday. Actually, that might not work, but I loved this photo. But asking myself this question did help me remind myself that I am not telling the story, she is. It's first person. So what would she tell me next if I didn't know her story. What would she think was important. What would she leave out, etc...

Bingo!

She'd skip all the mundane junk I was stuck in, maybe summarize some things, and then get right to the next important event.

Tah dah!

Tip. No. 1: Imagine your MC is the storyteller, not you.

Duh. How could I have forgotten?

Into the Box

2010-08-06T08:24:00.004-05:00

I just dropped my three girls off at school this morning. Excuse me while I take a deep breath. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

The summer has been fun--I've gotten a lot of reading done (I'm working through my mountain, I mean stack, of books next to my bed). But, I haven't gotten a lot of writing done. For that, I need blocks of uninterrupted time, and I just haven't had that. I'm actually shaking, I'm so excited about digging back in. Plus, my first revision letter from Viking arrived this week--brilliant revision suggestions AND nothing too major. Yay!

One of the best books that I picked up this summer was Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit.

Twyla is a world famous dancer and choreographer, and her book is about the work and structure that is necessary if you are going to be a creative person. It sounds a little counter-intuitive, yes? To be creative, you must have structure? But, she's right. I think unless you establish some sort of routine to protect your creative time and space, it's easy to let life's distractions get in the way. I highly recommend her book, it's just what I need and I'm going to spend the next week or so figuring out how to organize my time (for example, do the things

that I can do when my children are at home, when they are at home--no more laundry folding during the school day!).

And, today, I'm going to take Twyla's advice from her chapter titled "Before You Can Think Out of the Box, You Have to Start with a Box". Whenever Twyla begins a project, she unfolds a cardboard storage box, takes a marker and labels the box with the name of the project. She uses the box as a receptacle for anything having to do with the project--magazine articles, music, notepads . . . anything at all. When she is finished with the project (whether or not it results in something finished and performed), she stores the box away on a shelf.

I LOVE this idea. Although, Twyla recommends starting a project with a box, I'm going to work backwards, for now--I have several projects that are either duds or they are on the back burner, and I have disorganized stacks sitting around everywhere. Yesterday, I went to Office Depot and bought a package of cardboard boxes, and I'm going to archive my projects and store them away. That didactic, rhyming picture book with the "too fine art" illustrations (my first attempt), will go in a box with the rejection letters, illustrations, and marked up drafts in varying stages.

This is much better than tossing everything into the recycling bin! I love knowing that my work will live in an attic box somewhere, just in case I ever want to refer back to it.

Of course, I'll have to use a different process to archive my novels, but it will be easy to do on the computer. I'm going to create a file titled ARCHIVES, and divide it up by project. I can paste email rejections and revisions suggestions. Drafts from critique buddies. It'll work the same way, I just won't have a tangible box.

From now on, I'm going to keep boxes around so that if a good idea begins to form, I have a place to put it and everything else that goes along with it. And, then, when I'm ready, I can step out of the box and write my heart out!!

Have a great day, everyone!

A Dramatic Turn of Events

2010-08-03T06:00:00.003-05:00

Last week I posted an entry entitled, What Kind of Writer do You Want to be? That question led me to wonder what my voice was. And was it possible that I had written a book in one voice, but my own was entirely another?

As many of you know, I wrote a book called KISS & MAKE UP - a book I am immensely proud of. But, through the submission process, I began to feel like there was more to the story. That maybe I hadn't gone deep enough. And maybe I hadn't even been true to myself as a story teller. Maybe I had altered my own God-given voice. Maybe?

These revelations were troubling, to say the least. I think they started to surface as I was working on EPIC NOVEL NUMBER TWO, which just sounded different than KISS. More insightful. Juicier.

And I wanted that for KISS.

In addition, I was blessed to read a few books during this period of time that touched me deeply and I knew I had shied away from that kind of tension in KISS.

And lastly, I listened to a book on tape. As I heard the voice of the first person narrator, I realized my MC did a whole lot more telling, than showing. D'oh! A total novice mistake.

SO, after much drama, boatloads of prayer, and many, many Tums, I decided to decline an offer in order to rewrite the book.

The book is great, but I want to make it fantastic. And I'm scared to rush out something I'm not 100% confident about, just to be published.

To say I am terrified would be an understatement. On the one hand, I know I am doing the right thing, but, the deeper I get into the rewrite, the more it veers from the original plot and the more scary it becomes.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. But without blogging about it, I feel like I have nothing to say. So I decided to just be honest. So often we hear of writers selling their books and we wonder how? We think it was easy. Fast, even. Yet behind the scenes, more often than not, I hear that it was a long, tearful journey. Tearful in that it took much hard work - more than they ever thought they were capable of. But joyous at the same time. We're getting to chase our dreams, and really, how many people ever even get to try?

The day I declined the offer was one of the best of my career. I never thought I'd face such a low and at the same time feel more at peace than I had ever felt before. However, that Feeling lasted about a week and a half before its brother, Fear-of-Failure showed up for coffee. And it has become a daily struggle to shut him up.

Today I am on chapter eight, feeling really good about what I've written so far. Dare I say, it's the best thing I've EVER written. But, I honestly have no idea how this will all turn out, or how long it will take. I'm just trusting God to show me the way, leaning on this wonderful verse

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will make your plot straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Oh wait. That should read: "And He will make your PATH straight."

Wish me luck!

Go On, Bake a Cake!

2010-07-30T06:30:00.000-05:00

In honor of SF's big announcement, I suggest you bake a cake. Why? Well, not only is her sale totally cake-worthy, but I have discovered two insanely fun, TWO INGREDIENT cakes!

Cake number one: Mix any boxed cake mix with 10 ounces of any diet soda. You have to take a few sips of the standard 12 ounce can first, BUT, I am told this makes one helluva a cake. Cool, huh? My neighbor told me about it yesterday after mixing a chocolate cake mix with a diet strawberry soda. That was the only soda she had but it was still a Win-ner! She recommends a yellow cake with a diet sprite.

Cake number two: Mix any boxed cake with one 15 ounce can of pumpkin. I've heard this one is awesome too! And best made with a chocolate cake. SF actually told me about it.

Both recipes are intended for cupcakes, and I think you cook both at like 375 for maybe 20 minutes? You might have to experiment. But still. Awesome, huh?

Go on, bake a cake!

I'm . . . legit!!

2010-07-29T08:10:00.003-05:00

Hi all!

My Publisher's Weekly Announcement ran this week. I feel (as Holly Hunter said in O Brother Where Art Thou?) BONA FIDE!!

Children's:
Picture book

Sarah Frances Hardy's debut PUZZLED BY PINK, about two sisters who couldn't be more different and how they work together to save the day, pitched as Wednesday Adams meets Fancy Nancy, to Regina Hayes at Viking Children's, by Joanna Volpe at Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation.

And, be sure to check out my agency's new website and blog!

Art is Art, No Matter What Your Medium

2010-07-25T19:23:00.007-05:00

We are still on our family vacation in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Colorado. We're absolutely loving being out here. The weather is gorgeous (polar fleece at night), and we are having such a great time doing things that we all like to do--hiking, biking, inner-tubing, wading in creeks, eating great food . . .

And, yesterday! We went to the Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp for their open house (Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Beil, and many other famous performers were students). It was like being on the set of Fame except that the dance studios were glass or open air pavilions that looked out over the mountains and sat on the banks of streams. A doe was walking right outside of the window during one of the rehearsals.

What struck me as I was watching the dancers and actors perform and take direction from their teachers was how all art is the same. We are all striving for the same level of expression, no matter what the medium.

The first rehearsal that we watched was a group of younger girls performing a gorgeous modern dance. During part of the dance, some of the girls were suspended from canvas strips that were attached to the ceiling and they were performing beautiful acrobatic moves. After the first attempt, the teacher called the girls over and started talking to them about a certain movement and the curve of their arm. She used the term "phrasing" and showed how a different arm position gave the pose a different feel. She wanted the dancers to show a closing in rather than a reaching up and a subtle twist of the arm gave the pose a completely different mood. Phrasing.

Next, we watched a group of pre-professional dancers. A flamboyant instructor kept us all entertained as he walked the dancers through a group of steps--steps that looked incredibly complicated to me! I was amazed at how quickly the dancers learned the steps as he took them through the moves. When they had finished learning the sequence, the instructor spoke to us and said, "Now, they have learned the moves. We have blocked them in. Later in the week the choreographer will color the movements--add the little nuances . . . make it art." Coloring.

Finally, we watched the cast of the school's upcoming production of Pippin as they rehearsed the opening scene. It was fascinating to watch the instructors giving direction to the cast members and to watch the cast take that direction. I noticed how the lingering of a syllable in a word made such a difference in the feeling of a scene. At one point, the director told the lead actress to hold back or let it swell. She said, "You're too good to put it all out there the minute you get out on stage. Give the audience little hints at the beginning, but wait and let it swell." She also talked to the other actors about setting their intention the minute they entered the stage. Swelling. Setting an intention.

Phrasing. Coloring. Swelling. Setting an intention. Sounds like great writing advice.

I was reminded yesterday that all art is essentially the same. We are all striving for the same level of honest expression and artistry. But, I was especially reminded of how much WORK it takes to achieve that level of artistry. And, I was reminded of the value of a great teacher, critique partner, writer's conference . . . anything that helps us along the way.

Katie Anderson, Master Baker

2010-07-24T10:39:00.006-05:00

This morning I decided to clean my house. And by "clean" I mean, DEEP CLEAN.

As I was taking every last item out of my pantry, I found, way high up on a top shelf, a plethora of cookie making hardware. I'm not sure if hardware is the right word, but I found loads of fancy copper cookie cutters in tremendous shapes, as well as expensive icing dye in colors like poppy-red glitter, iridescent gold, and glistening evergreen.

It made me laugh because there was a time when I aspired to be a master cookie chef, rivaled only by Martha Stewart herself.

I went as far as to order my supplies from high-end New York suppliers and remote specialty shops. I have strange bottles of something called Lemon Emulsion (?) and weird gloves and icing tips.

What the heck?

It must have been right after I finished my short-lived career selling make-up and stationary, and right before I tried to get a black belt in Karate.

Lawsy.... thank God I found my true calling in this wonderful world of writing.

Anyone want some cookie stuff?

Because I sucked at it.

Greetings from Steamboat Springs

2010-07-21T09:11:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone!!

This is gonna be a cop-out post (where I totally quote other people's writing tips!) because I'm on our annual family vacation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado--where there is zero humidity and cool mountain air. Bliss.

We drove out this year so that we could bring our bikes and other equipment. Plus, we're going to be out here for two weeks. So, we're talking TWENTY-TWO hours in the car with no DVDs and three little girls! Believe it or not, the trip was fine. We listened to one of the Harry Potter books, and I spent some time reading through some really great writing sites that I had downloaded for the trip. Here are a couple of things that I found:

Neil Gaiman: 8 Good Writing Practices

(I found these on the Paper Wait but check out Neil Gaiman's journal if you want to enter his fabulously eccentric world for a bit)

Neil Gaiman has become so popular he is often considered the “rock star” of the literary world. He trades mostly in science fiction and fantasy in a variety of forms—novels, children’s books, graphic novels, comic books, and film. Among his trend-setting works: Coraline, The Graveyard Book and The Sandman series. He takes readers, of all ages, to the very edge of imagination.

8 Good Writing Practices
1. Write.
2. Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.
3. Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.
4. Put it aside. Read it pretending you’ve never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.
5. Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.
6. Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.
7. Laugh at your own jokes.
8. The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it’s definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.

10 Writing Tips That Can Help Almost Anyone

from Janet Fitch's blog (you should go and visit--she's amazing!)

1. Write the sentence, not just the story
Long ago I got a rejection from the editor of the Santa Monica Review, Jim Krusoe. It said: “Good enough story, but what’s unique about your sentences?” That was the best advice I ever got. Learn to look at your sentences, play with them, make sure there’s music, lots of edges and corners to the sounds. Read your work aloud. Read poetry aloud and try to heighten in every way your sensitivity to the sound and rhythm and shape of sentences. The music of words. I like Dylan Thomas best for this–the Ballad of the Long-Legged Bait. I also like Sexton, Eliot, and Brodsky for the poets and Durrell and Les Plesko for prose. A terrific exercise is to take a paragraph of someone’s writing who has a really strong style, and using their structure, substitute your own words for theirs, and see how they achieved their effects.

2. Pick a better verb
Most people use twenty verbs to describe everything from a run in their stocking to the explosion of an atomic bomb. You know the ones: Was, did, had, made, went, looked… One-size-fits-all looks like crap on anyone. Sew yourself a custom made suit. Pick a better verb. Challenge all those verbs to really lift some weight for you.

3. Kill the Cliché.
When you’re writing, anything you’ve ever heard or read before is a cliché.They can be combinations of words: Cold sweat. Fire-engine red, or phrases: on the same page, level playing field, or metaphors: big as a house. So quiet you could hear a pin drop. Sometimes things themselves are cliches: fuzzy dice, pink flamingo lawn ornaments, long blonde hair.Just keep asking yourself, “Honestly, have I ever seen this before?” Even if Shakespeare wrote it, or Virginia Woolf, it’s a cliché. You’re a writer and you have to invent it from scratch, all by yourself. That’s why writing is a lot of work, and demands unflinching honesty.

4. Variety is the key.
Most people write the same sentence over and over again. The same number of words–say, 8-10, or 10-12. The same sentence structure. Try to become stretchy–if you generally write 8 words, throw a 20 word sentence in there, and a few three-word shorties. If you’re generally a 20 word writer, make sure you throw in some threes, fivers and sevens, just to keep the reader from going crosseyed.

5. Explore sentences using dependent clauses
A dependent clause (a sentence fragment set off by commas, dontcha know) helps you explore your story by moving you deeper into the sentence. It allows you to stop and think harder about what you’ve already written. Often the story you’re looking for is inside the sentence. The dependent clause helps you uncover it.

6. Use the landscape
Always tell us where we are. And don’t just tell us where something is, make it pay off. Use description of landscape to help you establish the emotional tone of the scene. Keep notes of how other authors establish mood and foreshadow events by describing the world around the character. Look at the openings of Fitzgerald stories, and Graham Greene, they’re great at this.

7. Smarten up your protagonist
Your protagonist is your reader’s portal into the story. The more observant he or she can be, the more vivid will be the world you’re creating. They don’t have to be super-educated, they just have to be mentally active. Keep them looking, thinking, wondering, remembering.

8. Learn to write dialogue
This involves more than I can discuss here, but do it. Read the writers of great prose dialogue–people like Robert Stone and Joan Didion. Compression, saying as little as possible, making everything carry much more than is actually said. Conflict. Dialogue as part of an ongoing world, not just voices in a dark room. Never say the obvious. Skip the meet and greet.

9. Write in scenes
What is a scene? a) A scene starts and ends in one place at one time (the Aristotelian unities of time and place–this stuff goes waaaayyyy back). b) A scene starts in one place emotionally and ends in another place emotionally. Starts angry, ends embarrassed. Starts lovestruck, ends disgusted. c) Something happens in a scene, whereby the character cannot go back to the way things were before. Make sure to finish a scene before you go on to the next. Make something happen.

10. Torture your protagonist
The writer is both a sadist and a masochist. We create people we love, and then we torture them. The more we love them, and the more cleverly we torture them along the lines of their greatest vulnerability and fear, the better the story. Sometimes we try to protect them from getting booboos that are too big. Don’t. This is your protagonist, not your kid.

So . . . I'm not getting much writing done while I'm out here, but I'm doing a lot of reading about writing (as well as working my way through my to-be- read stack). I'm gonna be rarin' to go when we get home and my kiddos go back to school (school starts August 6th in Mississippi--can you believe it????).

Later!

What kind of writer do you want to be?

2010-07-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

Recently I got an email from our dear writer friend, Shelley Thomas. She said that sometimes when she's stuck, she asks herself this question and her answer generally gets her unstuck. What kind of writer do you want to be?

I have thought about that idea many times since then, and sure enough, it does help you refocus when you're stuck. Do you want to be a funny YA novelist? Or a snarky one? A romantic? Or Poetic? Do you want your picture books to rhyme? Even when the pros say not to? Do you want to win awards? Or hit the bestseller's list? What kind of writer do you want to be?

I think it's almost like asking yourself over and over again, "what is the core message in my novel?" Or "What is the core theme?" And then making sure you adhere to that.

So, I followed Shelley's advice and asked myself, "What kind of writer do I want to be?"

And the answer was this:

I want to write memorable characters like Kathryn Stockett. Characters you can feel and might think of later when you're at the grocery store, like an old friend. I want to use metaphors like Jandy Nelson, in that way she nails what everyone is thinking in one, short sentence. I want my romance to feel like Simone Elkeles. *swoon* I want to be as creative as Laini Taylor, thinking out of the box and drawing on those things that interest me. I want to create a world like J.K. Rowling that my readers want to climb inside and visit. I want my book to make people laugh, and cry, and eat it up like their favorite candy. I want readers to really feel my setting. I want to speak to schools and writer's groups about how I didn't grow up a writer. How I had to learn the craft. How it was hard. And then harder. But how the passion never leaves. How it worked its way inside my being like an infectious disease that affects every cell in my body. I want to continue to be a writer who loves being critiqued and listens to other's advice. I want to be so creative and different that people notice. I want to make a difference.

Piece o' cake, huh?

What kind of writer do YOU want to be?

The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little

2010-07-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, it's Thursday and time to be a Bookanista!

Check out what the other Bookanistas are reviewing today:

Elana Johnson is spreading some cover love with BAD TASTE IN BOYS
Christine Fonesca is dishing about TELL ME A SECRET
Scott Tracey is gushing over PARANORMALCY
Beth Revis is spreading some cover love with XVI
Carolina Valdez Miller is raving about FIRELIGHT
Myra McEntire is loving SIREN
Shannon Messenger is digging THE DUFF
Michelle Hodkin is embracing the awesome of THE REPLACEMENT
Lisa and Laura Roecker are grilling author Lee Bantle

I have the privilege of reviewing The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little. Here's what, ahem, Richard Peck had to say about this book:

“An incantational tale of Cajun magic and gators on the bayou and of the love and silence between mother and daughter.” RICHARD PECK, Newbery Medalist

Yeah. Not too shabby to have Richard Peck blurb your book, huh.

I tend to be overly critical when I read books or watch movies about the South because so many actors and writers completely botch up our dialect and use syrupy, mangled Southern vernacular. Frankly, it drives me crazy--throwing pillows at the TV crazy.

Therefore, when I began to read The Healing Spell written by Kimberley Griffiths Little (who lives in New Mexico!!), I did so with more than a little prejudice. But, I have to say that she nailed it. I felt like I was part of this Louisiana bayou family with their spot on names (T-Boy, Cricket. . .) and slow, easy manners. I fell in love with the setting and felt Livie's struggle with guilt and responsibility and helplessness as she is faced with her mother's incapacity.

But, the best part of this book for me was the scene where Livie went to visit a voodoo healer or trateur. Livie poled her pirogue through the Louisiana bayou and "drifted through a graveyard of ancient cypress stumps" to make her way to "Miz Mirage Allemond" who gives her a charm and an ancient healing spell that Livie hopes will miraculously revive her mother from a coma.

I won't spoil the end for you, but this book has one of the best endings that I have ever read.

Check out the book's awesome trailer. And, for the record . . . I LOVE the girl's accent in the trailer and I could sit on my porch and listen to those blues all day (with a mint julep, of course).

This is a book that I cannot wait for my daughter to read. And, one that I will be rereading. Thanks for such a gorgeous book, Kimberley!

PLOT HEADS

2010-07-12T06:00:00.003-05:00

So today we wanted to get lit on plot. And what better place to do it than over at Kimberly Derting's blog!

COME ON OVER :)

Books are the New Black!

2010-07-08T06:00:00.009-05:00

Today is the first launch day of the new book review bloggers - The Bookanistas: Books are the New Black. We are a group of writers - in various stages of the publishing process – who have decided to band together and review the special books of our peers. We – as fellow writers – have decided to only post positive reviews, therefore, only reviewing the books we LOVE. No negative reviews here!

The Bookanistas give nothing but love!

Starting today, we will post reviews every Thursday that cover various topics– upcoming ARCs, books we love, special diamonds in the rough, classics, and even our new favorite covers. This fashionable badge represents our group (club/gang/posse/secret society/peeps).

Here is a list of the Bookanistas: Christine Fonseca, Jamie Harrington, Michelle Hodkin, Kirsten Hubbard, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Elana Johnson, Myra McEntire, Shannon Messenger, Carolina Valdez Miller, Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton, Beth Revis, Lisa and Laura Roecker, Sarah Frances and Katie (Plot This), and Scott Tracey

The Bookanistas think books are the best accessory. If you would like one of us to review your book or ARC, feel free to contact one of us and we will add it to our list.

Today we are reviewing the following:

Elana Johnson - THE HEALING SPELL
Me - ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS
Lisa and Laura - STRANDED
Christine Fonesca - NIGHTSHADE CITY
Shannon Messenger - LINGER
Shelli Johannes-Wells - DARK GODDESS
Scott Tracey - OTHER
Kirsten Hubbard - THE DUFF
Beth Revis - PEGASUS
Carolina Valdez Miller - MATCHED
Jamie Harrington - ARCHVILLIAN
Bethany Wiggins and Suzette Saxton - NIGHTSHADE CITY
Okay. Let's get this party started! It is my great privilege to kick things off with a review of ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS, by Stephanie Perkins!

Now I don't know about you, but I sometimes come across a blog that I become addicted to. And, after a while, I decide that I can't wait to read this blogger's book. Stephanie Perkins was that writer for me. Her blog posts were always so creative and adorable that I just knew her book would be the same. So when my family was headed up to ALA, I begged them to get me a copy of her ARC, and I was not disappointed.

Here is the blurb from PM: ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins, in which American Anna Oliphant spends a year in a Parisian boarding school and falls for her multi-national classmate, plus a companion novel, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR, to Julie Strauss-Gabel at Dutton Children’s Books, in a very nice deal at auction, for publication in Fall 2010, by Kate Schafer Testerman at kt literary (World English).

In short, it's about a girl. It's about a boy. It's about Parisian boarding school, almond-scented macarons, famous cemeteries, and cinemaphiles. It's about heartache. And it's about true love.

One of my favorite things about Stephanie's book was how real the romance felt - even awkward and frustrating at times. It's one of those books that after reading, I later found myself thinking about the characters, wondering what they were doing, and then having to remind myself they weren't real. Ha!

And more importantly, it's the first book I have ever given to my daughter to read - and I read a lot of books. But like I said, this one seemed to capture a real romance, and in my opinion didn't glamorize sex, drugs and rock and roll to an unrealistic or unhealthy degree. Just a great read.

BONUS** Check out this post we did a while ago about Stephanie's first trip to France to walk in her characters footsteps! Ah-mazing.

Writers are Inherently Brave.

2010-07-05T06:00:00.001-05:00

I was thinking today about the mess that is my epic WIP, and how no one can tell me how to to fix it, but me. It's not broken, really - just out of order. And I have to tell myself everyday that it's okay. That KISS started like this. That it's a work-in-progress and I just happen to process stories in an unusual way.

That got me thinking about everyone's process and how no one does it the same way. We all write differently and no one can tell you exactly how to do it. You have to find your own way - which I assure you is not like any other's.

I was reading Hannah Moskowitz's blog the other day (I'm newly fascinated by her and can't wait to read one of her books), and she said she can write a book in 8 days. 8 days! That's a first draft mind you, but still... Robin one time told me she talks to her characters while running, and Shelli brainstorms on the phone. Then you have your outliners like Lila. And your non-outliners like Elana. And then you have me - a non-linear thinker, who can clearly see my MC's love interest in all of his quirky wonder way before I get to know my actual MC. Weird, right?

Not really.

Because, there's no right way to do it. To write a book, I mean. Which, in my opinion, makes writing a book a very brave endeavor. It's like climbing a mountain without a map. At least that's what it feels like to me. So, I have to trust that I will indeed get to the top. It's a mountain I have climbed once before and thank God I remember all the side routes I took, and how I felt all wonky like this, and how I really did make it. I did.

So, I can do it again. And so can you. You don't need a map. You just need to trust the one person who is strong enough to do it.

You.

Doug Dennis and the Flyaway Fib

2010-07-01T22:09:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of going to hear Darren Farrell author/illustrator of Doug- Dennis and the Flyaway Fib read at my favorite bookstore (if you have a moment click on that link and read about the store's opening).

Doug-Dennis is a sheep who goes to the circus with his best friend, but he gets himself in some trouble (he eats his friend's popcorn) and tells a lie to try and get out of it. His lie inflates and grows and makes poor Doug-Dennis float away up into space where many others are floating around, tethered to their monster fibs.

The illustrations for this book are so much fun--I kind of want Doug-Dennis sheets, and I have laughed so hard at all the silly flyaway fibs floating around through space. This is definitely my birthday present pick of the year--I always keep several copies of one of my favorite books, wrapped in a drawer for those birthday party emergencies . . . and I can give signed copies of this one. Bonus!!!

Later that afternoon, my husband and I were able to entice Darren, his Southern friend Jason, and Jill from Square Books to stop by our house for drinks. Darren is a fellow Penguin-ite, so I got to quiz him about the process of working with Penguin as an author/ illustrator. Well . . . I didn't quiz him too hard--we mostly just laughed and listened to my daughter play guitar. And, Jason came up with a great idea for a book. It involves a toenail kept in a jar of formaldehyde. Watch for it someday. It's gonna be huge.

And, look! We got a mention on the Doug Dennis blog!!! Woo hoo!

Hope everyone's having a great summer!

Who wants to laugh??

2010-06-30T20:02:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I just sat down to write a blog post, and since I love to procrastinate . . . I checked my email first. I had a message from Katie directing me to this site.

And, now I'm laughing so hard, I can't possibly be expected to post anything. I'll be back tomorrow after I've scrolled through the entire "Catalog Living" site.

later,

I Won The Lottery!

2010-06-28T08:00:00.006-05:00

As I watched my husband rush out of the house this morning with a zillion things to do (things he was dreading, but all part of his job), I looked down at the fabulous book in my hand and thought, "How is it possible (or fair) that my job is to read fantastic books and watch incredible movies, all in the name of research?

Are you kidding me?

My bedside table is swimming in books, and my netflix account is locked and loaded. My TV is poised with the latest movie (in this case, AWAY WE GO) and my twitter feed is a plethora of creativity. I spend my days taking notes about interesting quirks, or photographing unusual events. I read recipes with an eye towards metaphor, and smell flowers, thinking of poetry. My boss, otherwise known as me, suggests I work in my pjs with frequent coffee breaks. "And feel free to work-out whenever you want to," she adds as she eats another Twizzler.

How did I get this lucky? Paid or not, I am living in some kind of dream, having won the lottery of all jobs.

And I pray to God I never have to wake up.

Inspired.

2010-06-27T12:55:00.016-05:00

As I sat on the beach last week, reading WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON, I thought about the books that have inspired me in the recent past. Books that made me want to be a better writer. Books that literally changed the way I think about "story." So, I thought I'd share a few.

First, LIPS TOUCH. I have posted about this book twice already, but, if you missed it, read this. I find that the more I write, the more I want to be creative with words. To mold them like clay, and to really express things in alternative ways. To think out of the box, and to take my readers on a real journey. This book did that for me.

THE HELP. I not only read this book, but listened to it as well and it. is. incredible. It is no surprise that it has remained on the bestseller list for well over a year.

PERFECT CHEMISTRY. I flat love anything and everything Simone Elkeles writes. She captures teen love like none other.

THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE. I am reading this one now and the writing is utterly beautiful. I can not WAIT for what Jandy Nelson writes next.

THE DUFF. Kody Keplinger has truly created a heartfelt masterpiece. I could not put this book down.

HARRY POTTER 1. I just re-read this book because it's told in 3rd person like the one I am currently writing, and I fell in love all over again. Jo's ability to create such memorable characters is something I have studied again and again.

And Finally, the aforementioned WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON. The authors captured something of "love" that you don't see much in books. They dealt with a fear of intimacy that I found totally fascinating. Loved it!

In other news, as you know if you read the post below this, I have been flooded with ideas for my WIP this week. But, as a person who probably has ADD, they are coming into my brain all wonky and out of order. This is both wonderfully creative and completely frustrating. Thank God for Scrivener, which I know will save me later.

I think what I am trying to say is that overall, the summer is progressing nicely, and writing has been more joyful than terrifying. I remain awed by the community of writers in which we find ourselves, and blessed by this passion I call my "job." What's not to love? Go read SF's post about doing what you love here. It's great!

Have a great day y'all!

xoxo

Bit by Bit

2010-06-23T06:00:00.002-05:00

First of all, I prepared a vlog for my dear blogging partner's big day but in my vlogging stupidity can't attach it properly. Nonetheless, it wasn't very good at all.

Silly, in fact.

Trust me.

But not to worry, I shall compose a letter:

Dear SF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited for you! And I am proud to claim you as not only my blogging partner, but my dear friend. You deserve every bit of your success and I am so honored to have been able to watch it happen, bit by bit.

Yours truly,

Me.

Speaking of bit by bit. The craziest thing has happened to me this week. As I have been chillin' with the family on the white, oil-free beaches of Destin, Florida, I have been discovering pieces of my WIP like tiny, glistening seashells in the sand.

I don't know why it's happening on vacation, but everyday I have found a phrase, an image, or an idea that has sent me running inside to jot it down. And then today, I wrote a whole chapter!

I am reminded of the fact that sometimes writing, like life, is easier in tiny bits. Big ideas have the power to overwhelm some of us, causing us to freeze up. Sometimes we do better with just a crumb. And if we follow all the crumbs, we will eventually get out of the forest.

At least I think so...

Have a great day y'all and YAY SF!!!!!!!!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2010-06-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

Well, I've got some news to share, so I thought I'd do it via vlog.

3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Action!!

Thanks to all of you who suffered through that horrible first part of the video. I had originally planned to talk about all of the Viking Children's books that touched me throughout my childhood and all of the people who helped me along the way . . . until I realized that such a post would be totally maudlin, sappy, and self indulgent. So I kicked up the blah at the beginning and finished with the fun video that an announcement like this should be. Those of you who stopped watching after the first ten seconds can now go back and look. :-)

A huge thank you to my uber-supportive family (all of you!!!), this entire fabulous community of children's writers, my super-amazing agent Joanna Volpe, and everyone at Viking Children's who believes in my book (especially my main cheerleader Doni!).

And, most importantly, thank you Katie. If it weren't for you, I'd still be a "closet writer."

Champagne and cupcakes all around!!!!!!!!

Huge smiles,

What Up Wednesday?

2010-06-17T07:06:00.000-05:00

What's up?

Here's what's happening over here.

1. I have hit the 20,000 mark on my WIP and although I love it, I have found myself in that part of writing a story that is hard.... Like, so-hard-I-have-a-headache hard. The kind of hard that makes me want to bake cookies instead. Focus Katie, Focus!!

2. Mississippi is hot. The thick, steamy, fog-up-your-iphone kind of hot! I am wiped out by 3 p.m. on a daily basis.

3. The kiddos got home last night and I have washed 9 loads of laundry so far and have at least 4 left before we leave on vacation this weekend. whew!

4. I just read the ARC for a book that I ADORED! I can't wait to review it properly! Squeee!!!

5. What is cooler than writeoncon?? Like seriously - give me one thing cooler. Those gals are an inspiration!!

That's it. Get some shade people :)

xoxo

Katie

What Children's Writers can Learn from Hemingway

2010-06-14T07:30:00.004-05:00

Ernest Hemingway's style is minimalist, crisp, and characterized by emotional understatement. He is a master at "eschewing obfuscation."

Legend says that when asked to create a short story in under ten words, Hemingway came up with this:

"For sale: baby shoes, never used."

He once confessed to F. Scott Fitzgerald that he wrote "one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of sh*t." How's that for self-editing?

This is exactly what we need to do as children's writers. Kids don't want to read books that are weighed down by emotional baggage. They want writing that is clear and packs an emotional punch without a bunch of flowery adjectives. The best children's writing is poetic, clear and charged with subtle emotion that bubbles just below the service of one carefully chosen word.

I've been spending my writing time these last few weeks doing some heavy duty brain storming. I've been putting myself through a mini PiBoIdMo (I'm brainstorming the heck out of picture books--coming up with a manuscript a day). When I go back and look at what I've written, I'm trying to come up with a simple sentence to encapsulate my story. And, then later this month, I'm going to cut, cut, cut--and probably throw away a good ninety-one pages.

I hope I have ONE diamond in the rough that survives!

"Embrace the Big Shaggy"

2010-06-10T07:23:00.004-05:00

I love reading David Brooks' op-ed pieces in the New York Times. He reminds me of a pragmatic older gentleman who speaks his mind with great wisdom and balance. I don't always agree with what he has to say, but his views are always expressed with a depth and sincerity that is missing in our flash! bang! twitter-fied world.

He wrote a great piece earlier this week about the importance of the humanities and a liberal arts education. It seems that when the economy tanks, people run away from history, literature and the arts, and into the arms of an accounting degree. Hmmm. . . this sounds exactly like what happened to me when the recession of the early nineties sent an art major to law school, yes?

He wants us to embrace "The Big Shaggy". Here's what he means:

The observant person goes through life asking: Where did that come from? Why did he or she act that way? The answers are hard to come by because the behavior emanates from somewhere deep inside The Big Shaggy.

Technical knowledge stops at the outer edge. If you spend your life riding the links of the Internet, you probably won’t get too far into The Big Shaggy either, because the fast, effortless prose of blogging (and journalism) lacks the heft to get you deep below.

But over the centuries, there have been rare and strange people who possessed the skill of taking the upheavals of thought that emanate from The Big Shaggy and representing them in the form of story, music, myth, painting, liturgy, architecture, sculpture, landscape and speech. These men and women developed languages that help us understand these yearnings and also educate and mold them. They left rich veins of emotional knowledge that are the subjects of the humanities.

In writing, I think "The Big Shaggy" is what it's all about. Without mystery and messiness, characters end up being predictable and two diminsional. Without romance and emotionally charged decisions and behavior, fiction can't exist. Our characters can't always act like textbook caricatures. They've got to do some weird things . . . and we as writers need to understand why they act this way on an emotional level.

I've got a novel wip in the works, and I'm kicking around some new picture book ideas. So, I'm off to do some shagging (and NOT the Austin Powers kind!).

Yay for Middle Grade!!

2010-06-08T11:37:00.003-05:00

I've just gotten the word about a fabulous new blog that is geared toward writers and readers of middle grade books. Check it out here!

I love YA, but it's not what I'm writing. I'm a picture book girl and a wannabe middle grade writer. I haven't found a ton of sites that deal with middle grade fiction, so I'm thrilled about the launch of this blog--especially since I am diving back into one of my middle grade manuscripts. It's been out with some super-awesome betas, and I'm ready to roll.

Plus, they're doing an awesome giveaway.

What's your magic number??

2010-06-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

So, I've been working away on novel number two and loving it. BUT, I am slightly less than 20,000 words in. I ended up spending MONTHS getting the first five chapters just so. I could not go on until I felt like the set-up was perfect. That meant I rewrote those chapters from word one at least four separate times but I hope that since I finally feel like I've got them down, I can move forward.

Here's my question: Is there a point at which you feel like you've got this? Is it 10,000 words? 20,000?

I can't remember the magic number when I thought, "Yeah. I can finish this."

I don't mean to suggest that I wouldn't finish a book - as in put it down and start another. No way! I'm far too stubborn for that. I will work this mutha like a dog until it's a force to be reckoned with. I just wonder at what point do you kick into overdrive and zoom through the story. Right now I am still having to think through how my characters act and why.

Anyway...

L.L.'s IMPACT Initiative

2010-06-04T09:00:00.008-05:00

Writers are so cool. Today I read an awesome post by my friend, the uber cool, Lindsey Leavitt.

In her words, "I noticed a few weeks ago that I’d become so focused on accomplishing all the things I needed to do—for my family, for my move, for my work—that I wasn’t really reaching out beyond the immediate me. The excuses, however valid, just kept building up until they’d created a wall between me and those who I could potentially serve."

Lindsey went on to say, "I often write IMPACT when signing my name in books. It’s a word that has new meaning to my main character, Desi, as she takes on different princesses’ identities. I believe in that word—believe everyone in this world has the ability to positively impact others—but sometimes felt weird writing it. How could I tell others to reach out when my own arms were folded so tightly to my chest?"

What a great way to describe how so many of us feel. Especially as writers, I think we tend to live inside our computers much of the time, often neglecting what is *real* around us. To make her own impact, Lindsey rounded up twenty other authors who have all signed on to share ways they have "impacted" other people in their real world OR have been impacted by someone else. She is blogging about it all month long and I, for one, am looking forward to reading them!

Be sure to check it out!!! She's giving away tons of swag too, and I know how you all love that!

We Read MATCHED!!!!!

2010-06-02T06:02:00.001-05:00

Holy mackerel people. MATCHED by Ally Condie is soooo good. It reminded me of the Hunger Games in that it's unlike any story I have ever read before. And what's really cool and scary about MATCHED is that there's this element to it that seems really possible. Possible, and yet terrifying.

MATCHED takes place in the future in a society where all decisions are made for you based on a statistical formula that determines what is the best for you. Complete happiness is supposed to abound because there aren't any confusing decisions to be made (including who you are "matched" with as your partner in marriage).

There is a list of the 100 best poems, best songs, etc. and that is ALL that people are allowed to read. All the other works of art have been destroyed. This was the creepiest part for me because it reminded me of all of those lists: "100 Best Movies", "100 Best Children's Books", etc. What if that were all we were ever exposed to?? That part of the book made me want to seek out obscure titles from used book stores and READ them!

MATCHED comes out on November 30. You might want to go ahead and get in line to buy it--it's going to be huge!

And, isn't that just about the coolest cover you've ever seen??

sf and katie

Need some tunes...

2010-05-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

I lost my ipod recently and am in dire need of some new tunes with which to write. Any suggestions?

Lemme know all your favorite new tracks in the comments so I can load up my iphone for the coming weeks :)

Thanks peeps!

Summertime!

2010-05-28T13:03:00.005-05:00

This summer (like every summer), I vowed not to overschedule. The best thing about summertime is the days that stretch out lazy and sweaty . . . when you have nowhere to be but the pool or the porch. But, alas. I looked at my calendar, and I have a ton of stuff scheduled for my kids--camps, tumbling, art lessons.

But after four short days of official summertime, I'm glad to have some things on our plate.

Here's my problem. I have three girls.

Three. Girls.

Three is a toxic number. Someone is always left out or being picked on or staring at the other two until they cry. My oldest daughter has spent more time being OUT of the pool than in (I punish her by making her sit out on the side of the pool). And, there is a whole lotta pinching and whining.

Don't get me wrong. We're not in need of an intervention by the Super-Nanny. They're great, smart talented girls who are wonderful to be around . . . except when they're forced to be together 24/7.

My husband is taking my middle daughter to camp in North Carolina this week for a few days. When her camp ends her older sister will go--for three whole weeks. At first, I was thinking it would be better for them to be there together, but now, I'm looking forward to having just two at a time for a while. Plus, all these little tumbling and art camps for the younger sisters are going to give me some much needed time to write. It'll be in fits and starts, but it'll be better than nothing!

I'm not even going to comment on Katie's last post (she'll be without any kiddos for two whole weeks--whoa!) because I'm completely jealous and thinking about making a little Katie voodoo doll.

Just kidding, Katie. I'm actually happy for you for getting to have all that wonderful time. I can't wait to read your latest!!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Memorial Day weekend!

It's all in the mind.

2010-05-25T14:30:00.002-05:00

My chickens go to camp in one week and will be gone for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!!!!!!!!! In addition, my handsome rooster will be gone for at least half of that. This leaves me the most blissful writing time in my whole year, and I look forward to it like the funnel cake at the summer county fair.

As I've been preparing myself for the immersion, I sometimes have a small panic that I won't produce the volume of brilliance I anticipate. This thinking sometimes leads me to prepare a few strategies before the time arrives. Things like, "should I get a massage at the start to relax my shoulders?" or "Should I move into my husbands office and write at his desk instead of slumped on the sofa?"

Today, I wished I had a writing partner. I am sometimes jealous of those peeps like Lila, who write with one, ya know?

I think I would write faster if I had one. And it would be fun to receive a shiny new chapter in my inbox, instead of a stale old one I have worked on for months. I might even get competitive with my partner and try to "one up" her hilarity and what not.

SF and I wrote a kick-ass screenplay together and I remember loving when I got to read her sections because they would inevitably inspire me more towards my own. I know what this feels like. I know how to do this.

But...

I don't have a partner. And who am I kidding? - I'm too protective and selfish to trust my epic masterpiece to the mind of another writer.

But, today I had a revelation. I thought, "Writers are nuts, by nature, right? Why don't I just view my daily writing differently? Why don't I read a chapter as if I didn't write it, and then try to one up myself" Maybe it's all in the mind? Kinda like when I back up and try to picture my chapters on screen. I have found imagining my book as a movie will sometimes help me get really creative, so maybe imagining a few chapters with a new mindset might help me too?

Is that crazy? Will it work? Can I sit down and pretend it's my job to simply create the next chapter, instead of the next thirty chapters? Will this singular focus improve my writing?

Did this post even make sense?

Fasten your seat belts, people. I'm about to brainwash myself.

So Happy!

2010-05-23T21:27:00.002-05:00

Congrats Elana and Robin !!!!!!!!!!!!

Way to go selling your books! We are so happy for y'all!!!!!!!!!

Cheers,

us :)

Word to your Mutha.

2010-05-22T07:16:00.005-05:00

Inspired by SF's killer post about being true to yourself, I would like to add that being authentic means learning how to "rock what you got."

Take this couple, for example:

Well played Toyota :) Have a great weekend y'all!

Hungry

2010-05-19T20:44:00.003-05:00

I read about Crystal Renn's book Hungry several months ago. Crystal Renn is an incredibly gorgeous plus-sized model who talks in her book about her struggles with an eating disorder that she developed as a way to succeed in the fashion industry. It's not the kind of book I would typically read, but I took notice because Crystal grew up in Clinton, Mississippi.

I hadn't thought about her again until last week when I was flipping through some fashion blogs (one of my obsessions), and I saw this shot from the Chanel Resort Collection 2011.

It's Crystal Renn. And, this is not a "plus-size" show. She is on the catwalk with willowy models. How did she break through and become mainstream in the fashion industry?

I did a little googling and found this video of her promoting her book, and I picked up a copy of Hungry from our library. Watch:

I've just started the book and have read a few interviews, but here's her secret: She finally became true to herself. She let herself be the physical person she was supposed to be--without the dangerous starvation--and suddenly she landed spots in Vogue, Glamour, and all the biggest couture shows. When she was starving herself, she didn't get those kinds of jobs. Her body was never meant to look that way and it showed. She did some editorial work and walked the catwalk a few times, but it wasn't until she let herself be healthy and authentic that she found true success (both financial and emotional).

Hi. My name is Sarah Frances Hardy. And, I am a lawyer.

When I was practicing law, I was miserable. My job wasn't particularly stressful--no criminal trials or intense litigation--but I was in a state of complete dissatisfaction. I would work at the law firm everyday until around 6:00 and then I would go to my studio and try to paint until around 11:00. I wasn't doing a good job at either place, and my body reacted. My esophagus closed up, and I had to go to the hospital and have it stretched out. It was from stress.

Any of you who know me, know that I am pretty even-keeled. I'm not a walking bundle of neuroses, so I was shocked that my body reacted this way. My supportive husband told me that something had to give, and he let me choose.

No brainer. I needed to be creative. That was my authentic self.

I haven't popped a pepcid since.

As stressful as this whole trying-to-get-published ordeal is, I'm okay with it. I feel like I'm doing what I should be doing and that I'm being true to myself. If success comes with that, well, then that's just the icing . . . like Crystal, I feel like I'm letting myself have the cake.

Blue Tooth Virgin

2010-05-17T07:51:00.004-05:00

Have you ever been asked to read a manuscript for a friend? And, while reading it, you realized it was bad. As in, really BAD??

Several years ago, I was asked to read a manuscript for a friend (and NO--this story is not about any of our blog readers, recent writing friends, etc.--in other words, not YOU). She handed me her baby and I read it. I wrote pages of notes and spent hours of my life reading her novel. And, it was bad.

When I met with her to discuss her work, she was flushed and nervous.

"Did you like it?" she asked.

"Yes, but I think it needs some work."

"Oh. You didn't like it," she said looking down at her hands.

"No, no, no. It is a great idea. I just think it could use some polishing."

"Like what? I mean, I did spell check and read over it, like, three times."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. For example, you have two characters named Mary. It was confusing. In chapter two, you have Mary sitting at her desk in Jackson, Mississippi, and then two hours later "Mary" is at a cafe in Paris. I had to flip back and reread a couple of times until I finally figured out that they were two different people."

"Yeah, but you did figure it out, right?"

"Well, yes. But why not just change her name?" I asked.

"That first Mary is a minor character. She doesn't even show up again. It really doesn't matter what her name is," she said.

"Right, so then change it to Susan or something. Just to avoid confusion."

"But, who cares. I like the name Mary. . . ."

This went on for a while. Finally, I realized that if she wasn't going to listen to me about something as simple as changing a confusing name, she certainly wasn't going to listen to my concerns about plot holes, poor characterization, inconsistent tense and voice . . . So, I quietly folded up my notes and put them in my purse and slid her manuscript across the table.

"It's wonderful," I said.

"Really? You think? There's nothing else? So, I'll just start submitting to agents. Whew!"

Katie stopped by my house the other day and dropped a movie off on my counter. "Watch this. You'll like it," she said. The movie was called Blue Tooth Virgin, and it's about two writers. One is a scriptwriter who had a successful show several years earlier, but had been struggling ever since to write another hit. The second writer is a successful magazine editor (complete with a cool apartment and decent car).

The screenwriter meets his editor friend for coffee and asks him to read his script--a script he can only describe as starring edgy, morphing characters. The magazine editor begins to read the script . . . and it is HORRIBLE.

The rest of the movie delves into that complex relationship that we as writers and critiquers have with each other--and our egos. The movie also made me question my own motivations when giving critiques. Was I especially harsh when critiquing my friend's novel because I wanted to write and was having trouble. Did I think I could do better than she had? Was my own ego entering into the critique process??

I absolutely loved this movie and was sad to see that it only rated two stars on Netflix, but then I realized that only writers would truly get this slow-paced, introspective movie that is about, well, writing and critiquing. Grab it if you have a chance. I saw glimpses of myself in BOTH of these characters. Yikes!

Second Novel Neurosis

2010-05-12T21:47:00.014-05:00

I'd been solidly working on my new novel for several months when all of a sudden I had a panic. It happened about 50 pages in, and I found myself worrying I wouldn't be able to finish it.

Since I knew the set-up, it was really fun and easy to write. But as soon as I got about 10,000 words in, I started to fear I wouldn't be able to think of anything else good. Does this ever happen to you?

A friend of mine said yesterday, "There's a difference between writing everyday, and writing a cohesive book."

Yep, that pretty much summed it up. Would I ever be able to write another book?

About the same time another friend, who had been struggling with her second book for a very long time, called. "I have solved my second-book-block!" She was ecstatic.

She went on to explain that with her first, she was able to be creative and try new things. She would allow her characters to venture WAY off the outline and see what they might do. Conversely, with her second, she found that if she didn't know exactly where the book was supposed to go, she'd freeze. She was scared of taking chances and mixing things up. Once she allowed her imagination to run wild again, a new book started to form - and she was having fun.

Her comments resonated because when I wrote KISS, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I wrote it all out of order and went back and changed the storyline four times - the last time changing the whole genre! But for some reason with this new one, I felt like I was a bonafide writer now so I needed to know exactly how to crank out another novel- and quick! How much time can one realistically spend allowing their characters to play out of the box? If I let them run off the outline, would I be chasing them for years?

Thank God for writer friends who set me straight. They taught me that I needed to trust my characters. Let them fly. I had simply lost my mojo for a minute, but I could get it back.

And they were right. This second book is gonna be epic :)

:) katie

Embracing the Wait.

2010-05-12T08:03:00.007-05:00

Over the last few months I have talked to many different friends who are all in some stage of waiting.

There's the girl who received and offer, but has yet to get the contract. There's the guy who was told an offer was coming, but has yet to receive it. There's the woman who was asked to do a revision, but has yet to get the notes. There's the man who is waiting to hear back from a prospective agent, and another who has yet to hear back from his own agent. There are several who are waiting for inspiration. There's my friend who's agent is on vacation, thus a wait for her return. And there's my friend, who IS an agent, who is waiting to hear from an editor. Not to mention several more who have confirmed contracts but have yet to chat with their new editor. Or, are waiting for their cover/notes/book/ ARC... you name it.

Each of my friends are dealing with some degree of anxiety over all of this. And sadly, it struck me that this waiting thing never really ends. So why do we let it freak us out so much?

I was talking to SF yesterday about this and I came to the conclusion that maybe we were "blessed" to be a witness to all this waiting because it will inevitably prepare us for our own waits. Patience is a virtue, no? Perhaps we need to stop hating all this waiting and learn to appreciate it. To love it, even.

To see it as a form of mental training - the kind that prepares us for bigger, grander things.

I can see how some of my hardships in other areas were blessings that prepared me for the future, but I have never been able to do this with "waiting." But isn't it the same?

Don't get me wrong. I am not a proponent of non-action. My friends know that I am rather aggressive when it come to being pro-active about my career. But, there is a time to act, and there is a time to "wait."

And so today, I have decided to embrace it.

TAP KIDS!

2010-05-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Last week SF and I were lucky enough to go to a performance of TAP KIDS.

Talk about awesome with a capital A.

Tap kids is the most popular touring group of young tap dancers in the country and it's no surprise. The show told the story of one day at school complete with love, lockers, lunch, and detention all rolled up into an exciting display of dance.

Seriously, if you are ever able to go, DO IT!

Your welcome,

My kinda action hero

2010-05-07T19:14:00.001-05:00

The PERFECT Mother's Day gift. Yes?

Happy Weekend y'all!
sf

Ghost Writing . . .

2010-05-05T06:01:00.002-05:00

My studio/office is right off the back of my garage where most people have storage rooms. It's glorious to have my own space that is attached to my house but has a separate entrance from the outside (ie, you can't access my studio from inside my house). It's a door that I often forget to lock.

My family and I were gone all day Saturday watching the Kentucky Derby with friends. I had worked in my studio a little that morning, but I didn't return to it until later on Sunday afternoon.

I have a good bit of kitschy-chotsky in my studio--a flying frog, Tim Gunn bobblehead, ceramic lady with false eyelashes that doubles as a pencil holder . . One of my favorite things is a battered Underwood typewriter that I salvaged from my grandparents' attic (aren't all writers supposed to have one on a bookshelf??). It stays here:

Always.

Sunday afternoon when I returned to work, it was here:

And someone had been typing . . .

The ribbon is a good sixty years old (maybe older). There's some random letters and places where the carriage got stuck and letters were typed over each other. But, front and center.

New Neighbor

Cue the Twilight Zone music.

I replaced the typewriter on the shelf, scanned in the paper to my computer and ran inside to tell my husband that we had a specter. He looked at me and said, "Quit touching that. Don't you want to call the police?"

I must admit that calling the police had never crossed my mind. Besides, what would we say? Someone broke into my studio and typed???

It's been three days, and I'm definitely sleeping with my ear to the wall. There have been no more messages. No more visits from our "neighbor". I need to think of a witty response to type back to him/her . . . but I'm definitely locking my door from now on. Just to be safe.

Spread the Awesome!

2010-05-03T07:27:00.005-05:00

When Elana Johnson asked me to participate in a "recommended reading" thingy last week, I said, "Can I pick LIPS TOUCH?!"

"Of course!"

So here we are. I get to shout out again about the incredible LIPS TOUCH and it's adorable author Laini Taylor. But rather than trusting you to click my link back to my previous review, I thought I'd just paste it here. I'm easy like that :)

And after you read this, check out Kathy McCullough's review of THE EVOLUTION OF CALPERNIA TATE!! It's on my TBR list fo sho!

While we're talking about the big TBR list, do you want 60 recommendations?? That's right, you heard me. SIXTY MORE AWESOME BOOKS! Well, Elana has that too! She has compiled the complete list of everyone's favorite books with links to their review. Get ready to spend some time surfing :)

I give you: LIPS TOUCH - THE TIMELINE

Let me tell you how much I heart Laini Taylor's new book Lips Touch. Beyond being a lush collection of three tales in which the action all hinges on a kiss (and we all know how much I love kissing), this is how Laini's book rocked my clock:

Within seconds, I called my mother and said, "RUN out and get this book!" The prose is freakishly gorgeous in a way that only Laini's brain could write. Truly stunning!

Within minutes, I sat my 12 year old down and said, "Let me read you something."

After about three pages I said, "Good, huh?" To which she replied, "Yeah. Keep reading." I tried not to freak out that she was loving an actual book, but she was.

Within hours, I called SF and told her to go buy the book "because you will want to own this one." And then I did something I have never done before. I told her that if she didn't LOVE it, then I'd buy it back from her. Did you hear that?! I offered a money back guarantee!

Within a day, I was skipping Glee to read it - Not to mention emailing Laini an embarrassing amount of times.

Within a week, I was updating Twitter and Facebook telling everyone from friends to editors to race out and read it. AND, I ventured over to Laini's husband, Jim's blog to see if he had anything else interesting to say - which he did! One of those items was a description of the process of painting the beautiful illustrations found in the book. Did you hear that?! Jim did all the illustrations! In Credible. What a team.

Within months, I expect to purchase several for Christmas presents. *Jingle bells*

Within a year, I'm not sure yet - but I am thinking big here.*** UPDATE*** It was nominated for the National book award! Can I pick 'em or what?!

Look - Just take it from me. This is a must "own" book! Not since Harry Potter have I savored a book like this. Laini makes me want to be a better writer.

For real.

Seriously.

Read it.

Your welcome :-)

Katie Vlogs.... horribly.

2010-04-30T17:15:00.004-05:00

I bow down to all y'all who vlog...

This is my first ridiculous attempt at a vlog of... well, nothing.

Obviously one must plan extensively for this. Why didn't anyone tell me? I promise to force SF into the next one. I filmed it on my Mac imovie program and it apparently sucks. HELP!!!!! Give me all the tips you can in the comments and I promise to make a doozy next time :)

I don't even know how to remove my horrific choking on camera! yikes!

note to self: don't sit in front of boring white wall. Add some atmosphere, baby!

Fighting Shape.

2010-04-27T18:30:00.004-05:00

Looking back at my six years writing, I can honestly say I am relieved I haven't sold a book before. I wasn't ready.

Don't get me wrong - I thought I was ready all that time. I prayed for it daily! But now I can see I was in training. I was learning.

I was slow roasting.

Here's the thing: Only God knows what my future will bring, and only He holds my life in His hands. I *hope* His master plan involves a book contract but I am thankful it didn't happen last year. Or last semester. Or last month.

I was still in my word gym.

Today I was thinking about how, for the first time in several years, I feel different, grounded, stable and really good. And oddly enough, much of that feeling has been derived from failure. The single most pivotal events in my writing life have come directly from criticism. They were the hurdles I had to jump over, so that now, my legs are strong.

My lungs can carry me further.

Today I cherish those people who were honest with me and told me I needed to flesh out my characters. To make it harder for my MC to get what she wants. To resolve every. last. item.
These people enabled me to grow at the proper speed so that now, I know what I'm doing. I'm more patient, thoughtful, and can handle the pressure better. I make wiser decisions. I balance my time better.

Today I'm in fighting shape, baby!

Now I wake up and look at my WIP and think, "Bring it on, book. I'm ready!"

Are you?

Maybe that hurdle you just jumped was there for a reason.

Maybe the one you're approaching is a good thing. A great thing.

Maybe, you're getting stronger...

Children's Book Best Sellers

2010-04-26T06:59:00.004-05:00

I'm here at my mobile office in Naples, Florida . . . lucky me! I'm tagging along with my husband who has a conference, and I'm chilling out with my giant stack of books while he has meetings all day.

Yeah. It's pretty much bliss. We haven't gotten away sans children in a very long time. It's raining right now, but who cares? I'm in a quiet hotel room in a comfy bed.

As I was catching up on some blogs this morning, I spent some time looking through PW's list of children's books best sellers of 2009. Take a look at it here. A lot of it is not surprising ("Hello" Bella, Fancy Nancy, and Harry), but there were some books that were noticeably absent from the list. Where were the Mo Willems books? Where was Olivia? Have those books already run their course? And, I was fascinated by the backlist numbers, especially those for Dr. Seuss's books.

So what gives a children's book longevity? And, is it easier for a children's book to have longevity than a work written for the adult market? Lots of these big selling backlist books were my favorites as a child, and I assume that people in my generation are buying those same books for their children--keeping the book alive in perpetuity.

What say you? Any surprises on the list?

Saturday Stuff

2010-04-24T18:39:00.006-05:00

First of all, Weronika's going to Backspace!!!!

Whoa! If you read below you will see that Weronika needed a helping hand. Well, she got it. And fast! Thanks to all who donated. And Weronika - We expect a full recap of the conference! And pics with our beloved Jeanette :)

Have fun!

In other news, I just watched AVATAR. Oh. My. Gosh. Why did no one tell me how fab it was? I mean I know it was up for best pic but none of my bloggers told me to run to see it. As much as I hate those durn 3D glasses, I am sad I didn't see it in the theater :( I seriously adored it.

Also, I am wanting to build another house. I have been uber inspired by my new fave show, 9 BY DESIGN and am hot to rebuild, redecorate, redo! Check it out on Bravo this Tuesday - you won't regret it.

Let's send Weronika to BACKSPACE!

2010-04-24T07:55:00.008-05:00

Many of you know fellow blogger Weronika Janczuk.

What you may not know is this: She just won a scholarship to attend the uber cool Backspace convention in NYC! Cool, right? But here's the deal: her parents are dealing with some tough times and can't afford to send her there.

The good news is - WE CAN. You and me.

So, do yourself a favor and go read one of our favorites blogs, Ms. J Writes. She has organized a graduation gift for Weronika to send her to the conference. And what Ms. J wants, Ms. J gets :) Trust us.

She is setting up PayPal to handle the transaction.

For some reason, Jeanette's post made us reflect on this amazing community of writers we are blessed to be a part of. We are humbled beyond words. We love you people! Long live children's book writers!

Now, go send one of our own to Backspace :) And while you're there, follow Jeanette's blog. She is one of the funniest, kindest people I know. One who is gonna make it big one day. And when I say, "big," I mean GINORMOUS!

Hugs,

Katie and SF

Feeling the Blues...

2010-04-22T07:00:00.004-05:00

Before I start, I have to say that I am sitting in my coffee shop where I was just caught laughing out loud. Why? Because I typed "Feeling the Blues" into Google images and was greeted with this photo of Bella and Edward. WTH? Are they feeling the blues? Is their image supposed to get one OUT of the blues? It was too funny not to post. So, I give you a "Feeling the Blues" post with the blessing of the Cullens. HA!

Anyhoo...The blues to which I am referring are the dreaded Blog Blues, more commonly called, Blog Block. And I have it, baby. I can't think of a durn thing to blog about these days.

Recently, I read a book in which it was suggested that we writers use so much brain power creating stories that there is very little power left for anything other than zoning out in front of Mad Men - which I intend to do later.

Although slightly depressing, I have used this fact to my advantage. My husband often complains that I am forgetful, but lately I remind him that it is normal and simply due to my "dedication to my craft." You like? Go on - try it out. You use it like this:

"I'm sorry I forgot to take your shirts to the cleaners, honey. I've used my precious remembering-powers trying to plot my book."

Yeah. He doesn't go for it either. But then again, he's not a writer. He can't relate to mental exhaustion from doing nothing but thinking up things.

Do you ever feel this way? And is it a bad thing? Is being a hard worker to the point of losing your mind bad?

Do those marketing peeps who tell us we have to blog our little hearts out realize that if they want us to write intelligent, compelling books that our blogs may suffer?

I think perhaps this is an area in which I need to dedicate some time. There are some of you who are pros at this. You confidently rock both worlds - blogging and writing. Feel free to leave tips in the comments. As for me, I am going to shift gears now and work on my book - the one that takes all my brain power. But, since I friggin' adore it, I'm having trouble regretting the blues...

Mad about Mad Men

2010-04-19T21:11:00.004-05:00

P eople have been telling me about the AMC series Mad Men forever, saying that I absolutely HAD to see it. I've been meaning to . . . Then, my neighbor showed up at my front door this weekend with his box set of the entire first season.

"You must watch it so we can discuss."

John and I watched the first two episodes last night, and all I can say is OMG. The sets, the camera-work, the characters, the clothes (Oh my goodness--the clothes) . . . I'm in love. The show is absolutely smoldering.

For those of you who have been living under the same rock as I have, Mad Men tells the story of a group of Madison Avenue ad executives in the early sixties. Everything is authentic to the decade--the attitudes, the cars, the low ceilings. Take a look at these pix from the show:

And, I just read that Christine Hendricks (aka office manager, Joan) was just selected by Esquire Magazine as the sexiest woman alive.

I'll say . . .

And for a hilarious look at why some of us like this show so much, check out the Stuff White People Like blog.

Mad Men theme party? I'm in.

But is it still a book???

2010-04-15T20:38:00.002-05:00

The Alice In Wonderland App for the Ipad. Check it:

The coolest thing ever, yes?

But, tell me this . . . when does it stop being a book and start being just another video game??? I love it, but do we call it a book?

In the words Linda Richman (said in my best Cawfee Tawlk accent)

"Discuss amongst yourselves . . . "

What the Pho??

2010-04-14T19:45:00.009-05:00

Pho: A Vietnamese beef and noodle soup.[2] The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime, bean sprouts and peppers that are added to the soup by the consumer.

So, the other day I was having my nails done when the cute Vietnamese couple that owns the salon asked me which asian restaurants I like.

"I like the Pho at Cafe X," I replied.

Their noses wrinkled in disgust. "That's not real, you realize."

Huh?

They went on to say, "We make the real thing every other week. Do you wanna come over and see how to do it?"

"like, to your house?" I asked.

They nodded and then gave me directions to the Vietnamese grocery store in Memphis where I am supposed to get the bone marrow (gross!) and beef tendons (double gross!) that I need to make it.

Although horrified by the ingredients (since I am an aspiring vegetarian), I did think this might be a fun summer project - to learn to make "real Pho."

So, that's my plan.

Anyone else have any fun, weird, summer goals?

Katie

P.S. I'll take pics when I learn how :)

Set your DVRs, GLEE is back!

2010-04-13T08:04:00.004-05:00

In the words of blogger extraordinaire, Elana Johnson,

"Glee is on tonight. That is all."

Cool Stuff!

2010-04-09T09:23:00.007-05:00

Thank you Lila for consistently giving us stuff to blog about. HA! While SF and I are chillin' with Lindsey Leavitt in a coffee shop in Oxford, Lila is outing MS. BOOKSNIPER, who is taking questions on their blog! Check it out!

We'll be checking in inbetween cups of coffee :)

And thank you Lindsey! We have had a blast. Here she is at a school visit yesterday which she rocked hard!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Katie and SF

Lindsey Leavitt

2010-04-07T12:50:00.005-05:00

If you haven't heard of Lindsey Leavitt and her brand new book Princess for Hire, well, all I have to say is WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN????

Here is her American cover

And the British one.

They're both great, but I really dig the retro British look.
Here's the description of Lindsey's book which I totally lifted from her website. Oh wait. Take a moment and look around on her super cool website. I'll give you a moment . . .
Didn't you love the "Old Hollywood / Starlet of the Month" section? Me too. Okay, back to the description of Princess for Hire:
Coming from Disney-Hyperion in March 2010 Egmont UK in February 2010
When a flawlessly dressed woman steps out of an
iridescent bubble and wants to know, like, now if you’d like to become a substitute princess, do you
a) run
b) faint
c) say Yes!
For Desi Bascomb, who’s been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C–that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula “Royal Rouge,” she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?
Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don’t know? Or when a princess’s conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off–and you know she would want you to change his mind?
In this hilarious, winning debut, one girl’s dream of glamour transforms into something bigger: the desire to make a positive impact. And an impact Desi makes, one royal fiasco at a time.

Sounds really great. Yes?

Lindsey was kind enough to grant us an interview, and she will be here in Oxford at Square Books, Jr. tomorrow from

4:00 to 6:00.

If you could cast Desi in the movie, who would you cast?

My new favorite TV show is Modern Family and I LOVE Ariel Winter, who plays the smart, snarky Alex.

The best part is she’s not 19 playing a 13-year-old, so even if the movie was in production for awhile, she’d still look like a teenager.

Are the princesses that Desi stands in for based on real life princesses?

Yes and no. All the countries and monarchies are fictional conglomerates of various cultures. I always note a vague region where these countries lie, but they aren’t based on one single country or person.

Now, the situations the girls face our situations any teen girl can encounter. I really wanted to show that every girl, peasant or princess, has their own drama to get through. Princesses just have the luxury of paying someone else to help out.

If you could stand in for a real royal, who would it be?

Queen Rania of Jordan. She’s a huge advocate for education and women’s rights. She’s gorgeous and smart and kind. But if I could do just one day, I’d hop into her wedding because she had the yummiest cake I’ve ever seen.

Oh, maybe I should have said something more profound and political, huh? Nevermind. Check out this cake. She had two of them and they got to cut it with a sword.

SWORD.

Why is it easier for Desi to fix the princesses lives and NOT her own?

Even though she's acting as someone else, it is still acting in a way. It's not Desi's reality. I mean, I always gave my girlfriends smashing boy tips, but couldn’t even talk to my own crush. Listening to yourself, to your own advice, takes courage and Desi finds that courage through walking in other girl’s shoes. Er, heels.

Name something strange that we would find on the floor of your car.

Oh, so this is the Make Other People Feel Good Because They Are Less Messy part of the interview, huh? I kid thee not, there is a banana peel there now that I didn’t pick up from this morning. Maybe yesterday morning. Also, library books I need to take back, a cup lid, gum wrappers and a tennis ball that keeps rolling out of my car (yet I just keep throwing it back in).

Thanks Lindsey!!

Sarah Frances and Katie

Lila's EPIC contest!!!

2010-04-06T10:59:00.002-05:00

It had to happen sooner or later... an arm wrestling match for world domination. But to cap it off with giant prize packages?! That could only be the brain child of the mighty team Lila, otherwise known as Lisa and Laura Roecker.

Ya think Prosecco will be involved? I probably spelled that wrong and have never seen the drink in real life, but we're going for the 4th Roecker T with Twizzlers and Prosecco, babies!

Bring it!

Go enter their contest and be sure to tune in for the big ARM WRESTLE! ha! Love those suckers!!

Katie and SF

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

2010-04-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Jamie Oliver.

Period.

Love him.

And his new show on Friday night.

You should watch it.

And write him love letters - about how much you love his revolution.

That's all.

Aging Backwards

2010-04-02T07:00:00.002-05:00

Last year, I celebrated a significant birthday.

Moment of silence . . .

Over the last year or so, I started noticing something very disturbing. When I had my contacts in, I could not see my hand in front of my face . . or my book . . or my computer screen. Unless I put on reading glasses. So, I was having to wear both my contacts and reading glasses. In other words, I NEEDED BIFOCALS.

Call me Grammy.

I put off making my eye appointment for months, basically because I knew if I gave in to bifocals, then the next thing would be bunions on my feet, dinner at 4:30, and obsessive watching of PBS every night. But, a couple of weeks ago, I bit the bullet and called a new eye doctor and went for an exam.

When I sat in the chair, I hung my head as if admitting defeat and confessed that I thought I needed bifocals. He put me through the drill--reciting the letters E, C, L, . . . And, he kept saying "Really? Are you sure?" and "Hmmm." When we finished he wrote something on his chart and said, "Your contact prescription is twice as strong as it should be. You don't need bifocals. You just need much weaker contacts."

Me: "You mean I'm actually getting YOUNGER????"

Doctor: "Well, if that's what you want to think."

Me: "You mean, I DON'T need bifocals? And, I'm NOT about to break my hip and end up on a walker and have to start wearing Depends?"

Doctor: "I don't know about any of that other stuff, but no, you don't need bifocals. And, your glasses prescription is even stronger than your contacts are. Don't even put these on your face. No wonder you say you have headaches a lot."

Me: "How did this happen?"

Doctor: "I'm not sure. Your eyes may have gotten temporarily worse when you were pregnant. Or, some doctors think people would rather have perfect vision a hundred feet away than to be able to see up close."

Me: "That's crazy. I mean, I'm not a truck driver or a professional sharp shooter assassin. I spend my day reading, writing, looking at a computer, drawing . . . "

So, I present myself to you today as a person wearing the correct contact prescription who is reading her computer screen with no supplemental glasses.

I'm going to get my lenses changed in my glasses later this week. If my budget allowed, I would get the glasses worn by the prematurely aufed Ping Wu on Project Runway. Sorry, I couldn't find a picture of her wearing them, but trust me. They're fierce! Take a look.

And, here's where you can buy a pair for yourself.

Making Lists.

2010-03-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

SF and I are both on a roll, loving our WIPs. But such love produces lists...

I have lists on my iphone, lists on gum wrappers, grocery lists, the backs of invitations. Lists on blank envelopes, in 2-3 journals, and a zillion other places.

Although I am loving the collecting of phrases, foods, colors, sounds, smells, places, and names, I have become panicked I will forget to include them all in my book.

So, this week I bought ONE new spiral notebook and titled each page with something different like Food, Plants, Phrases, and Names. My plan is to cross each item off the list as I write and include them ALL in the new super-epic novel.

In addition, NSEN (new super-epic novel) is set at a very peculiar Mississipppi event that happens only once a year. I really want to capture the feel of this thing so I have scheduled a research field trip to get a feel for the area before the big event. I can't wait!

Hmmm... what else?

Damn, I love this job!

UPDATE: I wrote this post about a week ago and saved it in drafts and today burst into tears because NSEN feels so epic that I am having trouble writing it at all. It just feels bigger than me. I'll get through it but I'm all about telling my truth, so there ya have it. If I ever do get this sucker down the right way, it WILL be epic. It's just that great of a premise. But now I'm braggin so I'll shut up.

I hope your Wednesday is tear free :-) Hugs!

Katie

Irene Latham visits!

2010-03-27T20:02:00.011-05:00

This past week, SF and I got to have dinner with our buddy Irene Latham after her signing at Square Books, Jr.

I'm telling you what, it's always a pleasure to have our writer friends come through Oxford but to get to eat with them and spend time talking about writing is just the\ cherry on top! Thanks Irene for delaying your drive a couple of hours to visit with us.

Although we haven't read it, we have been counting the days until we could get our hands on Irene's new MG historical fiction, LEAVING GEE'S BEND.

"Mama always said every quilt tells a story. Every piece of cloth, every stitch and every bit of cotton

stuffed between the seams tells a secret about the one who made the quilt."

- Ludelphia Bennett

Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but that doesn't mean she can't put in a good stitch. In fact, Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things are going wrong. But when Mama gets deathly ill, it doesn't seem like even quilting will help. Mama needs medicine badly - medicine that can only be found in Camden, over forty miles away. That's when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic - leave Gee's Bend.

Beyond the log cabins, orange dirt, and cotton fields of her small sharecropping community, Ludelphia discovers a world she could never have imagined. Fancy houses, cars, and even soda pop! But there's also danger lurking for a young girl on her own, and Ludelphia begins to wonder if she'll ever see Gee's Bend or her Mama again. Despite the twists and turns, Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mama proud, and may even save the day not just for Mama, but her entire town.

Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee's bend, Alabama, LEAVING GEE'S BEND is a heart-touching tale of a young girl's unexpected adventure.

This sounds like an amazing book, and it's gotten incredible reviews. We can't wait to read it! And, if you truly want to be inspired (and humbled), go check out Irene's wonderful blog. Scroll through and read some of the stories of her school, bookstore, and quilting group visits. Um, Irene? Do you ever get to, you know, sleep??

Thanks for being such an inspiration!

katie and sf

Parallel Universe

2010-03-25T09:18:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Libba Bray's Going Bovine which is an INCREDIBLE book. I'm a little bummed that I got my copy at the library because this is a book that I will want to reread again and again . . . I'll just have to go and buy it when I get the urge.

One of the things that comes up in Going Bovine is the idea of parallel universes--that there are places where the consequences of different decisions that you could make are being played out. I've been thinking about this as I'm revising--really trying to open up some new avenues and trick-out my plot. I've been going through and asking myself questions like "What if her mother slams on her brakes as she's leaning down in the car to tie her shoe? What if she slammed on her brakes because of a pack of runaway clowns?" Okay, not clowns. "What if it was a group of environmentalist protesters and her mother's car was a Hummer? And, she accidentally hit one of them? What if it was a crazy neighbor running through the neighborhood wearing a batman costume with beer cans tied around his waist and clanking behind him? What would change????"

The movie Sliding Doors explores this idea:

In this movie, the main character makes the subway train on time . . . and then she doesn't. Two different stories are played out based on that one tiny decision.

As writers, we get to actually create parallel universes and CHOOSE which story we want to exploit. It's hard to remember this--especially when you've been working on a manuscript for a long time. We tend to get stuck in the plot as is instead of as what might be.

So have fun out there. Ask yourself some crazy questions. Let your character trip over a fallen street sign, take a left instead of a right, miss her bus, wander onto someone's porch, have lunch with a street musician . . .

And, read Going Bovine. NOW.

Slow Down...

2010-03-23T08:00:00.003-05:00

During my interview with Stephanie Perkins, she mentioned a book that really helped her write her second book called Chapter after Chapter, by Heather Sellers.

I am loving it and thought I'd share some of it's wisdom.

RULE NUMBER ONE: SLOW DOWN.

Heather poses the question, "When you are afraid, what do you do? Run?"

She says if you are nervous about the amount of time and sacrifice a book project takes, your first impulse is to rush.

She says it actually takes loads of courage to slow down.

"In sex, in parenting, in listening to a friend, in caring for an aged person, in gardening, on the freeway - slowing down is really, really good. We live in a world where it's become a talent, a lost art, something we have to relearn: slow down.

Book authors regularly use speed like a drug. Because we are terrified - of failing, of wrecking up the first draft, of telling the truth, of sucking, of pretty much everything that has anything to do with writing a book - we rush."

She goes on to talk about fear and flight which was interesting but then she talked about how she came to this realization. And, like all good things, it was food...

"Then,"she says, "I read about Slow Food. Food I understand. Food and body = I am there.

So there is this movement, started in Italy (where else), devoted to all things that take an enormous amount of time. A reaction to McDonald's, Burger King, hyper-this and super-speedy-that, the Slow Food Movement embraces artisanal bread, old vine wines, meals that take hours to consume because each bite is savored, and the conversation is the most valuable dish served.

The Slow Food people like bicycles, beaches, books, and face-to-face meetings. They do not believe in gyms, cell phones, or cities in particular. The Slow Foodies like walking, talking, cooking... You get the idea.

Writing, just like the Slow Food movement, is counter cultural to our speedy way of life.

Writing is slow. Always has been.

Writing books is, and should be, really slow.

Slow is good. Slow is great.

Slow is the new fast.

Time soaked writing is good writing. Your books should be steeped."

This is one of the best books I have ever read on writing and I might share more later. But do you do this? Do you rush? Do you panic and think you'll never get there? Do you freak out when other people sell their books fast? Take heart, Dear Bloggers. Be cool. Take a load off and slow down. Your books will thank you.

Framed

2010-03-21T11:24:00.003-05:00

I have a super-cool, super-creative niece who is a sophomore in college. Okay, picture this: A gorgeous, artsy redhead with her own set of power tools--it just doesn't get any better. She gave our girls the greatest belated Christmas gift a couple of weeks ago.

Hand-made picture frames, painted white so that we could paint them ourselves. How great is that? Check out the back:

I love the pop tops used as picture hangers.

We're still in spring break mode over here even though it's snowing (!) this morning. Yes. This is Mississippi. And, it's March. Go figure.

But, there's nothing like a great art project when you've got nothing but free time.

I promised a playroom update a while back. Check out some before and durin

g pictures here. For the last few months we've been redoing our toddler playroom (before it was a playroom it was a kitchen way back when our house was chopped up into apartments), and we turned it into an older girl homework/art/game/puzzle room. We didn't do a humongous transformation, but we did move the computer downstairs and raise our pottery barn train table. And, we purged some toys. Big time.

The mystery of how to raise the table was solved pretty simply with these beauties. My poor husband spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to add new legs and rework the table . . . and then my neighbor walked in and said, "Oh, all you need are bedrisers. They sell them everywhere." Perfecto! Except, I'm thinking I need to get my girls to paint them so they don't look so white and clunky.

Spring break ends today. All in all, it's been a good stay-cation, but I'm looking forward to being back on schedule tomorrow.

Happy spring, y'all,

Spring Break

2010-03-16T20:21:00.006-05:00

Soooo . . . it's our spring break this week, and aside from a few day trips, we're hanging right here in good ol' Oxford. IF the weather had cooperated and been, you know, "springish", it would be a really fun week. Oxford is great when the college kids are gone and the town shifts down into low gear. But, the skies here are gray and it's chilly. So much for biking through the empty streets.

It's definitely not all doom and gloom, however. Here's a taste of what we have been doing:

Beignets for dinner (yes, that's bacon you see in the background).

Reading, reading, reading.

Catching up on hulu and youtube. Since I am such a Judy Blume fangirl (check out my post about seeing her in person here), I thought you should all see comedian Will Arnett (best known to me as Gob Bluth) reading from Are You There God? It's Me Margaret.

Now, let's all do a spring dance to summon the warm weather. It's time . . .

Stephanie Perkins, Paris, and Banana Crepes.

2010-03-14T06:56:00.001-05:00

Ever since the day I stumbled upon Stephanie Perkin's adorable blog, I knew I wanted to get to know her. I knew I'd read whatever she wrote, and I knew she was destined for great things.

And then it happened. She sold her debut novel at auction.

I'm sure she was surprised, but I wasn't. I knew this girl had something. Something like that "X-factor" thingy Simon Cowell is always talking about on American Idol.

Here is the PM announcement about Stephanie's book:

ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins, in which American Anna Oliphant spends a year in a Parisian boarding school and falls for her multi-national classmate, plus a companion novel, LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR, to Julie Strauss-Gabel at Dutton Children’s Books, in a very nice deal at auction, for publication in Fall 2010, by Kate Schafer Testerman at kt literary (World English).

In short, it's about a girl. It's about a boy. It's about Parisian boarding school, almond-scented macarons, famous cemeteries, and cinemaphiles. It's about heartache. And it's about true love.

So, this whole "set in Paris" thing intrigued me especially since I was under the impression from her blog that she had never been there. Heck, I'm having a hard enough time writing about Mississippi, I can't even imagine trying to write about Paris! And then, a few months ago I read that she was finally going to go to her romantic destination - for a MONTH!

I remember tearing up about this random writer, who I don't know from Adam, getting to visit the setting of her book FOR THE FIRST TIME! I just couldn't imagine what it would feel like to walk in her MC's shoes.

Could. Not. Imagine.

So, I asked her if I could interview her and she did not disappoint! Her interview is so good that it reads like a novel itself.

Bloggers, I am thrilled to give you Stephanie Perkins and our Parisian interview :)

"Why did you choose to write about Paris if you had never been there?"

Ha! Technically, I HAD been to Paris. But I was twelve years old and a Pizzatarian at the time (someone who only eats pizza, of course), so my memories weren’t the most reliable.

I wrote about Paris for the reason I do just about everything. Boys. I had a dream in which I saw a beautiful boy sitting on the steps of the Panthéon. He was reading a book. And I knew I was in love with him. Throughout the course of the dream, I learned his name, that there was something unusual about his accent, and that we attended an American boarding school together. When I woke up, I knew it was special. The boy arrived fully formed, and the story grew organically from what I knew about him.

I am very motivated by cute guys.

"What was the hardest thing about doing this?”

I was terrified of the French! I’d never studied their language, and there are so many stereotypes that immediately spring to mind — they’re beautiful, they’re better dressed, they have better food, they’re rude, they hate Americans. Intimidating, right? I hadn’t nursed Parisian fantasies since I was a little girl. I was scared that I’d get everything wrong. That I would misrepresent the French, that I would offend them, and that I’d reinforce the idea of the Stupid American all at once.

Naturally, I was wrong. While it’s true they are better groomed and their food is most certainly tastier, they don’t hate Americans. At all! And the rudeness thing is a misinterpretation of cultural manners. Everyone in Paris was very, very friendly and patient with me.

"Tell me a bit about the research you did."

Well, nearly all of the research occurred outside of France. I wrote about my research process here but it was, in short, exhaustive.

(let me interrupt this killer interview to say that you might wanna check out the above link even if you don't plan to write about a far away locale. Stephanie's blog posts are always adorable, and usually contain one or more HBMs - hot British males. Just sayin'.)

It wasn’t until a month before my trip — which was actually for the purpose of researching Book Three — that I learned I still had time to fix Anna and the French Kiss. My edits were originally scheduled to be completed before I left, but my editor pushed them back a few months. Which was awesome news for me! It meant I got to fact-check Anna in person. Amazing.

While I was there, the research for Book Three involved visiting as many new, peculiar locations I could think of. If someone asked if I wanted to see or do something, I had a rule. I HAD to say: “Oui.” Because you never know when something might come in handy! I took notes on everything from the color of garbage bags to the smell inside a Métro train, and I took thousands of pictures. I also attended a special Mystery Festival south of Paris, which I cannot possibly tell you more about. Ha!

“What was it like when you first stepped out of the airport?"

I was nauseous about spending a month there — What if I’d gotten everything wrong? What if they hate me? What if I don’t understand anything? — but as soon as I stepped off the plane, it hit me. Paris is just a place. The airport looked like any other, and it was easy to navigate through customs, baggage claim, to get a taxi. It was an incredible sense of relief. And when the taxi pulled out of the airport and headed into the city . . . profound happiness. I WAS THERE.

"What was amazingly similar to what you wrote? And what was glaringly different?"

This is a tough question, because I enjoy keeping the contents of my novel a secret! But I will say I was happy to discover that I’d gotten most things right. The intense research paid off. The most glaringly different thing was the positioning of two buildings — I knew where they were on the map, of course, but I hadn’t realized which direction they pointed in! Not a big deal, it makes for some tricky editing.

I also realized that the French were even more wonderful than my research had shown. So in my last major edit, I’m working on making sure that’s clear. I’m grateful to everyone I met there — how helpful and kind they were — and I want to do them justice.

“Was there anything you really wanted to do but didn't get to?"

A month is a long time. I was thrilled to see nearly everything on my list, most items more than once. But I’m bummed I never saw the medical museum (I like weird stuff), and I’d love to go back in the springtime so I could see the gardens in full bloom.

"What do you miss the most about Paris?"

Banana Nutella crêpes, from this one street vendor in the Latin Quarter. Or maybe the yogurt. Or raclette! Raclette is a cheese AND it’s a machine that heats the cheese. You pour it over potatoes and meat, and it’s really simple. But heavenly.

Yeah. Sigh. The food.

But I miss everything else, too. I’d expected to be homesick, but it never happened. The last three days in Paris were heartbreaking. I spent an entire month eating sinful food, staring at beautiful things, and hanging out with friends. It’s hard to imagine a better life.

Whew, Stephanie, Thanks so much for such a fun interview. We can not WAIT to read your books!

Bursting at the Seams

2010-03-12T08:46:00.008-06:00

Um, so here I am this morning . . .

I had a very scary thing happen yesterday. I had decided to visit one of my novels that I hadn't looked at since last fall. It is a middle grade novel that stars a main character who is similar to the main character in my picture book.

She's full of sass and mischief, and she has a bit of the devil in her.

So, I did some new writing on my book and hit "save". I got a message saying that I couldn't save my work because my computer was full. FULL!!!! After a few moments of panic, I saved my wip to a memory stick and got online to look for a way to backup my files off-site. I do have a hard drive that I use to backup my laptop, but if I delete files from my laptop, and they're only on my hard drive and then my hard drive crashes . . . . okay, sf, calm down.

I found a great site that would allow me to download unlimited amounts of data for a flat fee, and I set it to download the entire contents of my computer.

This was yesterday at noon.

When I checked the status bar this morning, I had backed up a whopping 3% of my files. At this rate, I'll be downloading for a month . . . meanwhile panicking that my computer will crash, dealing with slow emails and internet--and, here's the kicker, I can't turn the thing off while it's downloading. Soooo . . . I can't close my laptop and walk out the door or else the whole thing will have to start over again.

Proceed to Plan B. Now, I am going through my computer and looking for specific files that I can live without. I am backing those up and then deleting them. Everyone say a little prayer or have a moment of silence to help ensure that I can free up enough space on my computer so the evil message doesn't appear again.

At least this didn't appear:

Any of you who have been using a Mac forever will surely recognize this talisman of doom.

Right after the bomb appeared, your screen would shatter into a million little pieces. I'm speaking virtually, of course. That would really be something if your computer actually exploded! The last time I saw this evil little sucker, I lost a 30 page research paper (it was in college).

All righty, I'm going to check my status. Let's hope my new method has gotten me beyond 3%.

Watt Key

2010-03-09T20:59:00.005-06:00

Who says that there are no books for boys out there?? If you are looking for a really, really great "boy" book, read Watt Key's award winning book Alabama Moon.

As part of our book conference, several wonderful groups within our community also brought in an author to speak to the ninth graders (see our previous post about the fifth grade author Ingrid Law).

Watt Key started his speech with a completely gross story about trying to go out into the woods and live off the land . . . he ate a cottonmouth snake. And, it was

still squirming around after he had cooked it. And, while he was eating it. Yeah . . .gross. Naturally, he had those ninth graders' attention from the get-go!

Alabama Moon tells the story of a boy who is the son of an anti-government Vietnam vet. His mother had died when he was two-years-old, and the boy had been living with his father in the woods in Alabama his whole life. When the boy's father dies, Moon has to survive on his own, eventually returning to the society he has feared his whole life. But, he does so, as (in Watt's words) "a total badass".

This is a beautifully written book that is full of all things "Southern boy"--guns, snakes, adventure, jails and trucks. But, I have to confess that this Southern belle absolutely loved it. I was right there with Moon, feeling every bit of his confusion, instinctive reactions, and general "badassness".

Put it in your must read pile, and you should also add the companion book Dirt Road Home which will be coming out in July.

Book Conference Savvy

2010-03-06T19:00:00.004-06:00

The Annual Conference for the Book was held here in Oxford this past weekend. As part of the Conference, each year several groups in our community (namely, the Literacy Council, Square Books, the University of Mississippi, and the Junior Auxiliary) pull together to host two children's authors. In addition to giving every fifth and ninth grader in the city of Oxford and Lafayette County a free copy of the author's book, the students get to hear the author speak in person. That's over 1,000 kids getting free books!!!!

Here's our packed house of fifth graders!!

I have been the chairman of the fifth grade part of the Book Conference for the past three years, and this year, I handed the reins over to someone else. I had such a great time helping with the conference instead of having to worry about whether someone's shuttle showed up or if the powerpoint was set up properly. I missed being intimately involved, but it was blissful to sit back and enjoy everything.

The author for the fifth graders this year was none other than the wonderful Ingrid Law whose first novel Savvy won a Newbery Honor. Her book is an incredible magical tale

of talking tattoos, hurricanes, and special gifts. Katie McKee, a University of Mississippi professor who introduced Ingrid Law, described Savvy as "an extraordinary story of embracing your individuality." Ingrid's "tall tale" (as she described it) is full of crazy words and beautiful language. The fifth grade teachers have had a blast reading her book with the students--my daughter's teacher had them pick out as many fun, kooky words as they could find in each chapter and try to define them on their own. We're talking words like "shilly shally" and "jim jam" and "easy peasy."

Ingrid gave a wonderful talk to a packed house of excited readers. She talked about the process of getting published (including the rejections), her process of writing and her love of rhythmic language. She described how her older sister read aloud to her and how a love of books has shaped her life. She explained the importance of research--and many of the kids were shocked to learn that "looking stuff up on your computer" is the same thing as "research"! She also talked about how important revision, courage and imagination are to the writing process. Ingrid is such an inspiration!

Here we are having a little picnic at Rowan Oak which is Faulkner's home.

Stay tuned for more conference info--including a post about the ninth grade author, Watt Key, who wrote Alabama Moon.

I just looked over at Ingrid's blog, and she's got a great post up about the conference. Check it out--I forgot to tell you about the t-shirts!!!

Books and Babies...

2010-03-04T06:00:00.001-06:00

After visiting my neighbor's new baby, I was thinking about my WIP (book 2) and how excited I am to get back to it - and then I realized I don't remember feeling this crazy love for my first.

Now, don't get me wrong, I grew to adore Book One but Book Two... it gives me tingles. Not in the writing of it yet - I'm not all that far and I've heard writing the second one is almost harder than the first. But, the idea and the research part has me all giddy.

It made me reflect on my babies and how I learned to mother with my first, making it part grueling, part perfect - kinda like Book Baby One. It was my first. I had a lot of learning to do.

But, with BB2, I know what I'm doing. I know about plot points and what they feel like and how to strengthen my characters etc... It's easier - almost blissful. Dang, I can't wait for you to meet my babies. They are completely adorable :-)

Anyone else feel this way?

Katie vists the ER

2010-03-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I guess it had to happen. My sweet husband gave me new knives for Valentines day (as well as chocolate, of course :), which was just about the most romantic thing ever because I didn't ask for them! He just knows that for anyone who loves to cook (me! me!) getting new knives ROCKS! Until you almost cut your finger off...

Enjoy the gory photos. Only a blogger would pull her camera out and document it. And fear not - I figured out how to type even though my hand is bandaged up. Desperation is the inventor of ... Wait, how does that go? Desperation breeds invention? Eh.. You get the idea.

P.S. Stay tuned for some awesome interviews we have coming up including a fascinating chat with Stephanie Perkins about her incredible trip to Paris! In addition, we are dining with Ingrid Law and Watt Key this week and hope to quiz them about their writing too. Oh! And then there's the little letter I sent to a famous man who's name rhymes with Ron Wisham, asking him about his foray into children's books. Keep your fingers crossed. I'm not sure that one will pan out. But ya never know!

Later Gators. I gotta go rewrap my pinky :-)

The Incredible Neil White...

2010-02-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

Neil White is our friend who is an incredible writer with an amazing story. His memoir, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, came out last year and we were among the lucky few to get an early read.

In Sanctuary Neil describes his incarceration in a federal prison in the nineties. But, the prison where he finished out his sentence doubled as the the last remaining Leprosorium in the US. Yep-That's a modern day leper colony, although after bonding with the patients, many who had been there their whole lives, Neil hates the word leper (and now so do we). What Neil didn't expect was for his stay with the patients in Carville, Louisiana, to change his life forever, and not for the worst.

Here's a brief description of his book from Harper Collins:

Daddy is going to camp. That's what I told my children. A child psychologist suggested it. “Words like prison and jail conjure up dangerous images for children,” she explained. But it wasn't camp . . .

Neil White, a journalist and magazine publisher, wanted the best for those he loved—nice cars, beautiful homes, luxurious clothes. He loaned money to family and friends, gave generously to his church, and invested in his community—but his bank account couldn't keep up. Soon White began moving money from one account to another to avoid bouncing checks. His world fell apart when the FBI discovered his scheme and a judge sentenced him to serve eighteen months in a federal prison.

But it was no ordinary prison. The beautiful, isolated colony in Carville, Louisiana, was also home to the last people in the continental United States disfigured by leprosy. Hidden away for decades, this small circle of outcasts had forged a tenacious, clandestine community, a fortress to repel the cruelty of the outside world. It is here, in a place rich with history, where the Mississippi River briefly runs north, amid an unlikely mix of leprosy patients, nuns, and criminals, that White's strange and compelling journey begins. He finds a new best friend in Ella Bounds, an eighty-year-old African American double amputee who had contracted leprosy as a child. She and the other secret people, along with a wacky troop of inmates, help White rediscover the value of simplicity, friendship, and gratitude.

Neil's story is an amazing story of redemption in an unlikely place, and Neil's writing is beautiful and gut-wrenchingly honest. He allows the reader to grow with him--suspending prejudice, selfish motivations, and a constant need for approval as the book progresses. In his final acknowledgments, Neil thanks the federal judge who sentenced him (this was especially poignant for me since the judge is a family friend, and I can assure you, he is never "thanked" for sending someone to prison).

It is a MUST read.

Last Wednesday we heard Neil speak about four women who had influenced him in his life. He spoke with self-deprecating humor and beautiful truth about how strong his experience at the Leprosarium had made him and about how these strong women continue to shape his life and keep him focused on the best things. We are proud to call him our friend.

Thanks for this amazing book, Neil!

Katie and SF

*I cannot finish this post without telling my favorite "Neil" story . . .

He was at a big writing conference and some youngish women came up to him and said, "I'll bet you were in a fraternity."

Neil replied, "Yes. As a matter of fact, I was president of my fraternity."

The women scoffed, "Puh-leeze, what do YOU have to write about?"

Neil, "Well, I was incarcerated in the last federal Leprosarium for a year. . . ."

Silence. Then . .

"You are sooooo lucky!!"

Neil said to us when he was telling this story (we pretty much had the same reaction when he told us the subject of his book)--"Only writers would think something like going to prison is cool."

Query Contest . . . TODAY!!!!

2010-02-27T08:42:00.003-06:00

Okay, I just read about this amazing contest that my super agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe is doing. Check out the details here and have your finger on your send button between noon and one o'clock TODAY.

She is going to read queries and give HONEST feedback. These are not queries posted publicly--you email her your query for a finished manuscript and she'll give you the low down on why it is or why it isn't for her.

This is a DON'T MISS--I'm speaking from experience. She's the greatest!!!!

Love and Blueberry Muffins...

2010-02-24T13:26:00.015-06:00

So you saw the picture of me the other day with this fabulous new picture book called Henry in Love.

I was so moved by this book that I had to post about it.

Here's what happened. SF and I were cozied up in B & N's big club chairs with coffee and tea in hand when I glanced over at SF's big pile of picture books. As I cracked a YA and scanned the pages, she put the aforementioned book down and said, "That was good."

Being the curious little mouse that I am, I reached over and grabbed it to read myself. The lovey-doveyness appealed to my romantic side immediately and the illustrations are incredible - they are beautifully sparse with very little color and have a strange japanese quality about them. Oh! and this author, Peter McCarty, is also the illustrator.

But here's what was weird. When I finished it, I looked up and said, "That was the dumbest book I've ever read."

SF looked at me.

I tilted my head in confusion. "But I think I want to read it again."

SF tilted hers.

"It's like the stupidest story but, it has this seed of truth and the illustrations... They rock! And, if I were a kid, I'd want to read it over and over again, I think."

She nodded.

I went on, confused. "I can't figure out if it's brilliant or bizarre?"

And I can't. I still can't and yet I wish I owned it. The text was as sparse as the illustrations making it almost boring in it's simplicity. This book made me wonder what the conversations were like between the author and the editor? Was careful thought taken to choose each word, or not?

This is obviously why I have found my niche in novels. They're easier. I once heard that picture books is the hardest genre to write and I believe it. I'm gonna leave them to SF - she's better at it. (Y'all aren't gonna believe what she's working on now!)

In the end, I can't decide what I think about this book - but it definitely made an impression. And you know what?

I think I loved it.

Checking out the Competition

2010-02-23T21:40:00.006-06:00

Katie and I took a little field trip today to a giant Barnes and Noble in Memphis. We live in a town with the greatest indie book store, Square Books, where the buyers carefully choose, read and review all of their selections. It is a dreamy place. But, every so often we like to go to a big box store and see what's on their shelves. Besides, I wanted to do some picture book sleuthing, and I needed to go somewhere where I could read lots of entire picture book series.

Here we our grabbing our iced tea (Katie) and vanilla latte' (me) before we hit the shelves.

Um. I got a little sidetracked by the journals. OMG!! There are so MANY!

Katie got a little sidetracked by this cute, subtle picture book that is a tale of love and a blueberry muffin.

Okay. Research. I like to read picture books and then quickly plot them out in a sentence or two. I'll go home later and look through them. I'm hoping this will help me brainstorm and come up with some new ideas for plot twists and storylines.

Katie's flipping through Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and reading me little snippets of Laurie's dead-on teen-speak.

After spending time at B & N, Katie and I both agreed that our little indie book store is truly a treasure. We have a much better selection of quality books in good ole Oxford, and nobody gives you weird looks when you pull up a chair and sit for hours with no intention of purchasing anything. Nothing against B & N overall (I actually love the one that we go to in Birmingham during SCBWI Conferences, and I think their website is great)--but THIS one was the pits. It was in a suburb of Memphis and was so picked over, I wonder if it is about to be closed.

I did actually make a few purchases: I walked out with a new journal (actually it is for my sister-in-law to use as a guest book in her cabin) and a copy of Australian Vogue Living (the most delicious magazine on earth). Oooo . . . I haven't even had a chance to look through it yet!

The Saga Continues . . .

2010-02-21T22:31:00.003-06:00

So, we're back in Barbie land. Last week, I found my daughters' Barbies up to some strange behavior. This week, more of the same . . .

As you can see. One of our beauties has taken up with a tiny wooden man in the attic of the dollhouse. At first glance, it would appear that she is nestling a tiny baby in an endearing maternal embrace. That is NOT the case. This fellow is a full-grown adult dollhouse man nestling at Barbie's bosom. And, look at the poor naked man who has been flung over the side of the house (still sporting the same goofy grin, bless his heart).

Let's go in for a closer look, shall we?

Hmm. Just as I suspected. The little wooden man is missing a foot. Did Barbie cripple him as Kathy Bates did to James Caan in Misery so that he could never escape from her? And, WHERE is the other Barbie who was with us last week and staring at the naked man with such rapture??

I will spend some time this week searching for the other Barbie and watching this bimbo to see what other tricks she is up to . . .

Ah. If I could only write a novel with this much tension.

The Never-ending Pizza Dilemma

2010-02-18T17:30:00.004-06:00

Ordering pizza at my house is a nightmare. Is it at yours? This is what happens at our house weekly.

Husband: Let's order pizza!

Katie: Gross. (I ate it every day, every meal, throughout my entire first pregnancy and have since been able to only eat it about once a month.

Chicken Big: Only if it's thin cheese.

Katie: Okay. I'll eat thin cheese IF it's from Pizza Hut.

Chicken Big: No. I want Dominos.

Husband: Yeah, Dominos. But, I want regular crust with pepperoni, sausage and mushrooms.

Katie: So if we go to Dominos, we'll get Daddy one like that and the girls can get a thin cheese.

Chicken Little: NO. I want THICK cheese. With cheese filled crust.

Katie: Wait. (Thinking hubby can get half of his and Chicken Little can get the other like she wants) Chicken Little? Can you eat regular crust with cheese?

Chick Little: If it's stuffed. Or a P zone from Pizza Hut.

Chick Big: Ooo! Can we get cheesy bread too?

Katie: getting frazzled and freaking out. No! No, cheesy bread

Chick Big: Why? It's free?

Katie: (has no idea what to do) I want thin cheese with green peppers perhaps? Or jalapeno peppers? And it must come from Pizza Hut.

Chicken Big: Mom, if you get that, our pizza will be disgusting.

Chicken Little: I thought we were getting Dominoes?

I have literally transcribed this conversation word for word until Chicken Little freaked out and gave a tirade as to why her flavor should be allowed. Apparently she has been forced to eat pizza at every friend's house she has visited the entire winter and now wants to be able to choose what she really wants. Now I must quit typing and figure out what to order. I'll let you know.

Oh, and stay tuned for sf's Barbie saga on Monday. I've been told that a little wooden man has entered into the story . . .

katie

Happy Fat Tuesday!

2010-02-16T21:05:00.005-06:00

We celebrated pre-Fat Tuesday Sunday night at our house with this gorgeous, glittery king cake from Sucre in New Orleans. Check out their website--the macaroons are de-vine!! And, they ship.

Then we continued our celebration tonight with our annual Mardi Gras Parade/ pancake supper which was followed by a variety show. Both of my daughters performed in the show. My middle daughter tapped her way through a selection from Hairspray with a friend, and my oldest (gulp) performed a guitar SOLO--her first public performance. And, oh my, there were over 200 people there!!

I know that you are dying to see Sallie tap dance, but I am sad to report that the video will not export from my phone to my computer. Yes, you read that correctly. I am a parent who does not own a proper video camera. Please don't report me to DHS.

What I can show you is a rather crappy, sideways video of a stunning debut performance by my daughter Anne who is singing Ingrid Michelson's Take Me the Way I Am (this video totally doesn't do her justice--she sounded great!).

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! Laissez les bon temps roulez!!

AND . . . Happy Chinese New Year! I've got dragons on my brain today . . . sketching dragons.

Changing Perspectives

2010-02-14T08:20:00.012-06:00

Today, I shall ramble...

First of all, while SF's darlings were playing naked Barbies, mine had 9 extra girls spend the

night, dressed in black, put war paint on, and rolled the neighbors houses - only the ones in which cute boys slept, of course.

In other news, I have been playing around with my second novel this month. After trying out at least six different beginnings that were not working, I picked up my favorite magical book of all time, HARRY POTTER, and decided to try working in 3rd person, past tense like my dear friend Jo :)

Viola! *magic happened* I was having a hard time getting into my MC's head, whereas I could clearly see what was happening around her. So, this way, I can watch and report from outside the scene in order to find the story. Does that make sense? I think it's going to work better. Like the famous HP, my new story is also magical so we'll see what happens.

And finally, I took the girls to see Percy Jackson today! Verdict: AWESOME! Look at little Percy - he's a hottie, no?

I think he might be the inspiration for my next MC's love interest - and speaking of inspiration... SF and I are working on a cool series of inspirational posts profiling other artists. These will include chefs, painters, clothing designers, singers and other such artsy people and what inspires them. I can't wait to find out!

That's all for now. Have a fabulous week!

Katie

Happy Valentine's Day, Y'all

2010-02-12T17:03:00.004-06:00

Soooo . . . I took a chance yesterday and did the stairmaster (while watching Weeds--my reward for all my sweat), leaving my girls to entertain themselves. When I finished, the house was strangely quiet.

I walked into the playroom and discovered this:

Then, I hiked up the stairs. Where I found this:

Awwwww. Valentine's boxes. They are playing "secret valentine", which is kinda like "secret santa."

And then there was this:

Have the Barbies kidnapped this poor, hapless naked large-headed man? Are they forcing that tiny horse up a snow covered mountain, like the Grinch did to poor Max?? What IS the story here??

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Hmmm. The girls are in complete pageant garb, and they are staring at this naked man with such profound adoration. His goofy smile is clear evidence of utter, dumbfounded enjoyment.

I'll just leave them alone and wait for chapter two to reveal more of the story. Tomorrow. If that's not a reason to get back on the stairmaster, I don't know what is.

Happy Valentine's Day!