Becky Levine's Blog

Five Things on a Friday

2008-05-16T18:20:38Z

1. Right now, I'm looking at a copy of Jim Averbeck's In a Blue Room. Jim's been super active in our local SCBWI branches for years, and he's just published this wonderful picture book. If you haven't seen it yet, find a copy and fall into the story and illustrations. Jim's doing a blog tour, and he's stopping at my blog next week. Check back for the interview.

2. Writers are wonderful, kind, supportive human beings. I couldn't have picked a better population to belong to.

3. It is way, WAY too hot for Northern California. Especially when one's house isn't air-conditioned and one hasn't broken out the fans yet.

4.I took my son to meet Rick Riordan at Hicklebees yesterday and get his copy of The Battle of the Labyrinth. (Got to meet Jen Robinson, which made the trip extra cool.) Warm, funny talk, energetic reading, answered tons of questions from the kids, and posing for photos with every kid who came up to get his or her book signed. I'm sure this isn't the reaction his young fans have, but just let me channel my grandmother here for a moment. Rick Riordan is a doll.

5. What I'm reading: Delia Ephron's Frannie in Pieces. I met Delia's sister, Hallie, at the Mad Anthony Writers Conference last month, and Hallie mentioned that Delia had a YA out. Don't you love it when a recommendation from a friend or family member (of the author) turns out to be MORE than worth picking up? (I always worry!) I love Frannie's voice and I love the way she's so abruptly thrown into a mess that she pretty much has to climb out of herself. Sometimes this worries me, gets to me, when I read a book about a child, but its really working for me here. I'm not finished yet, but I'm betting on Frannie being strong enough to help herself through this.

I've Been Meemed

2008-05-14T19:33:35Z

Okay, a friend just hauled me on a four-mile hike up and over a mountain. And she walks FAST! This was all really good for me, and I'd do it again in a minute (okay, in a minute on another day), but I really also need to get a cup of tea inside me!

So while I drink and wake up, I thought I'd do the meme that susanwrites tagged me for this morning. Check through to the bottom to find out if I've tagged you!

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

What were you doing ten years ago?

I was in this same house and same writing office, although I think my desk was on a different wall. I was doing part-time, freelance tech writing and working on a mystery and trying to do it all with a walking toddler pounding at the door. (Actually, I think he'd just left the family daycare where I met the friend who dragged me up the mountain today!) And I was getting more and more fed up with the small dollar amounts that were showing up on my paychecks, in comparison with the disruptive craziness the few hours of work were creating in our home. (In other words, getting closer to quitting and trying to do the mom/writer thing full-time.)

What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

1. ~~Walk~~ Hike with friend.
2. Critique query for writing friend.
3. Do read-through on Chapters 3-5 of manuscipt that I'm trying to revise.
4. Brainstorm with other writing friend.
5. NOT nag son about big, end-of-school-year project.

What are some snacks you enjoy?

Tea
Nuts
Muscat Grapes (The "season" just ended!)
Salami (Salty, not spicy)
Trader Joes "Light" Brie (Just showed up...yummy!)
Ben & Jerry's Phish Food

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Give lots of money to the town library, Amnesty International, and AIDS research.
Get high-speed internet of SOME kind into our house.
Buy a flat in London.
Buy husband that brand-new, super-cool, titanium bicycle...the one he "needs" to match the titanium plate in his shoulder.
Add two rooms to the house for more books--one for me, one for son (Husband reads lots, but doesn't do as much keeping and re-reading!)
Buy son a year's worth of credit at local game store (But no video games 'till homework's done!)
Hire a personal trainer (that's the really selfish, lazy one) and see how long I could stand having someone TELL ME what to do to get in shape.
Buy a book (in hardback, if necessary!) for a friend or family member any time, any place, any reason that I felt like it.
Hire a cleaning service and a gardener.

Clearly, this one is too fun, so I'll stop now!

What are three of your bad habits?

Leaving clean laundry in ~~baskets~~ mounds for way too long.
Interrupting (purely out of interest and enthusiam, I promise, but still...)
To quote my brother-in-law, "Living in the wreckage of the future." :)
Reading instead of ____________ (Fill in the blank.)

I know, that's four, but rules are for breaking!

What are five places where you have lived?

Arroyo Grande, California (Next door to the more well-known Pismo Beach).
Balboa Island, California
Charlottesville, Virginia
Hollywood, California (Not as exciting as it sounds!)
Santa Cruz Mountains, California (The best of all.)

What are five jobs you have had?

Veterinary Receptionist, Dog-Holder (This one comes in handy later, when you have to hold your son down for stitches!), Cat-Cage/Dog-Run Cleaner, and Untrained Vet Technician
Closed-Captioning Editor
Bakery Counter-Person
Technical Writer (How many ways can you say, "Click Okay"?)
And...Drum Roll, Please...Tour Guide at (Ex) President James Monroe's House!

What six people do you want to tag?

Honestly, I love getting tagged, but I always feel a little bit funny about tagging. So, to The Tagged: Truly, only do this if it sounds fun!

Lee Lofland (Lee, you can do it as part of the Weekend Road Trip posts!)
Barrie Summy
Martha Alderson
Jana McBurney-Lin
Olmue
Cathy Ipcizade

Contest Winner, Part Two

2008-05-14T04:14:13Z

If you've been following along, you know that a couple of weeks ago, we picked a winner for my first blog contest. You also know that, unfortunately, that winner never "came back" to claim her prize. After several attempts to track her down, Terri and I decided it was time to pull another name from the hat (or from the ziplock baggie, in this case!).

The official winner of a signed copy of Terri Thayer's Wild Goose Chase is jmcburneylin.

I actually know this winner, so...Jana: Tea and a book delivery sometime next week? :)

What's in Your Stack?

2008-05-12T18:53:30Z

I seem to have taken a hiatus on my research reading lately. Maybe it was all the traveling--after a long day at a conference or a workshop, I really need to curl up with fiction when I go to bed. Also, big, hard-back library books are just tougher to haul through the airport! Or maybe I was getting a bit overwhelmed with all the details and trying to figure out which direction to read next.

Whatever the reason, I feel rested and refreshed and am starting to dig back into the research. I THINK I'm STARTING to hone in on the narrower field of what I need to be reading about, what I need to find out. I met a wonderful librarian in Ohio who, as I get closer, I know will help me with specific questions and facts. For a while longer, though, I'm still reading on my own.

And in the middle of getting back into this reading,

susanwrites posted this blog about focusing in on one of her WIPs. She's got a photo of the stack of nonfiction book she's working with. How fun is that?

So I had to do the same thing.

My stack is a LOT smaller, but I figure it may not be by the time I've done all the reading I need to. Heck, who knows, I might even end up with a plant book in my own pile, even if I can't imagine that now.

What do I love about what Susan did? She lowered my intimidation factor! Sure, it's a huge mound of nonfiction for me to work my way through. And I'm still browsing for other books to add to the tonnage. When I saw Susan's photo, though, I saw a world--the world of specific details and concrete facts that she'll use to add depth and layers to her fiction.

And suddenly, my stack became the same thing--a world. Caro's world. A place to immerse myself, to step into and become part of--the place from which to build my story.

What's in your stack? Join the club Susan didn't even know she was starting. :) Post a photo of your research books, for fiction or nonfiction, and put the URL for your blog in the comments to this post. Show us your world!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T18:34:33Z

My Mother's Day card...

The front:

The inside:

A sweet card, a cup of tea, and a clean kitchen. That's my idea of a special day. :)

Happy M's Day to everyone!

Seasons

2008-05-09T02:05:44Z

I am not a hot-weather person. Where other people talk about winter slowing them down, making them sluggish, for me that's always been the heat of summer. I don't garden, and many people would say I walk through a garden in a daze, not even noticing the plants and flowers. They wouldn't be completely wrong.

My favorite season? Fall. Maybe it's because I live in California, where we get only a few colored leaves and just a touch of crisp air, but we don't have to get stressed about forthcoming blizzards and ice storms. I spent two falls in Virginia and loved them, even with the idea of winter on its way.

And spring? Well, I like it. I mean, it's okay. I do like that the sky gets lighter earlier in the morning, so I don't have to get up and actually function in the dark. I like seeing if we get a new bird or two on our deck--we had Orioles for the first time this year. And, lately, I do seem to be feeling the cold of winter more (I know, I sound ancient...), so the warmth that is hitting mid-day feels good.

But...spring also means summer, which means hot. Not Virginia hot, or New York hot, but warm enough for me and our non-air-conditioned house. And summer means unstructured time, which is always tricky for me.

I could worry about it, I guess, and a small part of me is. I have lots of writing I want to do in the next few months--a first draft I want to get rolling on, a revision I just stepped into and am getting excited about, a freelance article or two, and some other...possibilities. I'm setting some new running objectives, too, trying to up my strength and increase my speed--just enough so I feel like I'm not forgetting about this part of my life. What it all means, though, is that as my writing goals grow, my writing hours for any one project are definitely shrinking.

What am I going to do about it all? Well, I'm working very hard on NOT stressing. I'm going to pull out my calendar and get things scheduled out, because that usually makes a big difference for me. I am going to keep up the running, because if I let that go too long, I get more tired and cranky and unproductive. (Don't ask me when I became THAT kind of person!)

And the bottom line is that I'm going to write. Something every day, and maybe a bit of more than one project on any given day. I've played a bit with the idea of susanwrites' letters to & from her characters, and I may go a bit more in that direction. Maybe revise in the morning, and play with story and hero ideas in the evening? Juggling multiple, BIG projects looks pretty intimidating if I let it stare me right in the face, but if I step back and take some deep breaths, I'm pretty sure I can make some progress.

I'm thinking that's what it's all about.

How do you keep multiple projects moving forward? Are you able to work on more than one "thing" during a day? During a week? Or do you have to break your time into bigger chunks? How do you keep the stress levels down?

Oh, where, oh, where has my contest winner gone...?

2008-05-07T02:32:49Z

If you're anybody BUT the winner of my blog contest for Terri Thayer's Wild Goose Chase, you may happily hum that post title. If you ARE the contest winner, please email me (becky77 at verizon dot net) or Terri at (terri at territhayer dot com). Or send me your email in a comment, and I'll contact you. We need your name and address, so we can send you the book.

This is the winner who's comment said: A friend of mine gave me the book to review for a possible purchase for our quilt guild. Since my husband had a doctor's appointment, I took it with me to read. His appointment lasted all of 10 minutes and I found myself reading in the car while my husband drove and then when all errands were done, I plopped down in my favorite chair and finished the book at 6 that night. Dinner was not was promised but it was food. There are more important things to nourish our minds and bodies and emotions with than what we put in our mouth! Thanks Terri for an articulate quilt mystery. It kept me glued to the book!

Next Monday, our critique group meets again. If we haven't heard from you by then, we'll have to pick another winner! We can do this. The pieces of paper with the commenters on them are small and light. We'll drink lots of caffeine first.

But we really want you to send the book! :)

Vroman's...OMG!

2008-05-06T00:25:45Z

(Okay, google Pasadena, California. Pick something. The Huntington Library. The Gamble House. They're all wonderful, but for today, pick anything. It doesn't matter. Because today, it's just an excuse to go to Pasadena and spend a gazillion days here.

Vroman's Bookstore. I stopped today on my way back home, thinking the hour parking spot outside would be enough time. Well...THE ENTIRE HUGE TOP FLOOR IS ALL KIDS BOOKS! I don't know when, or if, I've ever seen so many books for kids in one spot.

And the bookseller there? She basically spent the whole hour helping me psychoanalyze my son's reading tastes and pick books he will probably, actually try out! I'd say a book, and she knew what it was. She'd mention a possibility, and it was something he'd loved. We browsed and chatted and basically took apart (and put back together) the poor kid's whole reading personality.

When I mentioned I'd read about the store on Lisa Yee's blog, her smile just about split her face. That smile wasn't for me, as glad as she was to have me there, but for Lisa--for the fact that Lisa is part of her world.

I'm telling you, break out the frequent flyer miles and your book budget for the next year, and just go!

Connections

2008-05-04T19:54:49Z

I have so many roots in Los Angeles. When my family came to America, this is where they "landed." My paternal great-grandparents came from Lithuania and the Ukraine and, with small stops in Boston and Chicago, ended up in LA in the early part of the last century. My mother left Germany in 1939, spent WWII in England, then traveled by boat and train (with an Old English Sheepdog!) and stopped here.

Her father and mother owned two pet stores, where she got to play with puppies and kittens, but also with lion cubs (leopards? cheetahs?) and monkeys. Is it any wonder she grew up to be a veterinarian. My other grandfather put his back out during the depression and came off nine months of no work to become one of the first four salesman for Rykoff company, a restaurant-supply business that's still around. Salary? None. A shy man, he had to go out and get a customer before he earned anything.

If you knew LA in the seventies and eighties, if you ever drove down the 405 past Westwood and UCLA, you knew the big yellow sign at the top of one of the skyscrapers. MONTY'S. Monty was my great-uncle, and he owned three steakhouses throughout the LA area. He knew Jack Webb, and his son occasionally played an extra, getting "arrested" on shows like ADAM-12 and CHIPS. You can imagine how cool we thought that was.

When I was young, the smell of smog was a good smell, because it meant coming to visit Grandma and Grandpa. We'd swim in the neighbor's pool, or at another great-uncle's. We'd sleep on the living room floor, watching the branches of the tree outside sway shadows agains the big, picture window. And we'd wake up to smell bacon, or to hear Grandpa coming in the front door, saying, "Guess who I met at the grocery store?" Who?! Who?! (Grandma and Grandpa lived in Hollywood, so you never knew.) Even when he held up the pancake mix box and said, "Hungry Jack!" we'd laugh instead of groan, because, you know...it was Grandpa.

After college, I had my first "real" job in LA. I did closed-captioning, and I worked on a studio lot, where we'd come giggling onto our shift talking about which star we'd seen getting out of their car. I could stand in the parking lot, look out the gate, and know that I was working directly under the HOLLYWOOD sign. Yes, that one. When I went down there to "house hunt," a favorite great-aunt who lived in the Los Feliz hills drove and walked me all over until we found the apartment I needed. The day I moved in, her husband (yet another great-uncle!) showed up with his toolbox, to make sure anything that wasn't perfect, became perfect.

This great-aunt and great-uncle, two of my grandparents, and a third cousin who died much too young, are all buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park. I drove by the exit today, and I waved. At their funerals, I thought they were gone forever. I still miss them all, but I understand a little bit more today about how not-gone they also are.

I don't know if I'll ever write about Los Angeles, but if I do, it will be a story of layers, of generations, of comings and goings.

The freeway signs are the same. The cracks and bumps and curves of the freeway haven't changed. The smog smell was there today, not as strong as it used to be, but it was good again. When I left Los Angeles many years ago, what I mostly felt was relief. Believe me, there is a difference between Northern and Southern California, and there is a difference between the people who are happy in either place. In my small mountains, between San Jose and Santa Cruz, I've found that place for me. But still...

I wasn't sure, when I started out yesterday, about making the drive. It's a long haul, and my car isn't new. Maybe I should have flown.

This afternoon, I'm pretty sure I made the right choice. And I think I've already gotten back the price of gas.

Where are your roots? Whether you grew up there, whether you happily left it for somewhere else, where is the place that still feels like home?

On the Road Again...

2008-05-03T17:26:36Z

Who was it that told me to schedule two writing events on two subsequent weekends? Oh, wait, I remember. I told me.

Actually, it's not too bad. I had such a great time in Ohio, and while it did take me a couple of days and a couple of naps to recover, I also had a productive five days this past week. I got two first steps for "possibles" out the email door, and my co-author (Lee Lofland) and I sent the LAST CHAPTERS of our kids' book about police officers off to the editor. (Happy Dance!) I'm sure there'll be revisions to do, but there's a definite feeling of DONE around my office today.

Good timing, too, since today I'm off to Southern California, to moderate a panel for the monthly meeting of Sisters in Crime, Los Angeles. The panel consists of authors Betty Hechtman, Gay Toltl Kinman, Kathryn Lilley, and Gerald Schiller. We get to spend the whole meeting talking about writing mysteries for both kids and adults. My life is just so tough these days. :)

And the nice thing is, I'm not getting on an airplane. Not once. Normally, I love flying. I even like airports. But having just done it last weekend, and having done a LOT of sitting around listening to other travelers on their cellphones, explaining why they weren't where they were supposed to be yet...well, the car is sounding pretty nice. My parents live halfway between here and LA, so I'm breaking up the trip down at their house tonight--dinner, good company, and an early Mother's Day gift drop. I think my parents are still pretty amazed that their shy daughter actually goes out and talks in front of people (the daughter is pretty amazed herself, sometimes), so it's probably a good thing to stop by and reassure them that I haven't actually been taken over by aliens!

Then Sunday, I'll head down to the meeting and spend the night in Pasadena. Monday will be quite the drive--straight up California's central valley on Highway 5. For all the decades I've lived in California (pretty much since the day I was born), I've never driven 5 all the way from the South to the North. If any of you know the area, you'll know that, as dotted as the roadsides are with all sorts of green and growing agriculture, it's not exactly the most stimulating of routes. That's okay. I've got music and a couple of books on tape, including Bill Cosby's greatest hits. If Bill can't keep me awake, nobody can.

So think of me this weekend, and if you're cruising along 101 or 5 yourself, watch for a woman with ~~frizzy~~ wild hair laughing her head off as she drives.

Fairy GodSisters Alert

2008-05-01T02:56:41Z

Every now and then, someone asks, "Why do you want to be a writer?" There are all sorts of answers to that question. It feels great to put words on paper and see a story emerge. I love books, why wouldn't I want to add my own to bookstore shelves? I express myself much better in typed words than I do in those coming out of my mouth. I could go on.

Last week, though, I had a new answer. And that was, who wouldn't want to be a writer, when there are writers out there like these? Five incredible children's writers, Thalia Chaltas, Mary Hershey, Valerie Hobbs, R. L. La Fevers and Lee Wardlaw are offering a grant to this summer's SCBWI conference in Los Angeles.

For full information, look at the fAiRy gOdSisTeRs, iNk post on the Shrinking Violet Promotions blog.

What a good world it sometimes is.

Blog Contest Winner & Excellent Blog Awards

2008-04-29T16:20:56Z

Well, I call my first blog contest a success. (Success being officially defined as any blog contest with two or more entrants, I believe!) Yesterday, our critique group met, and Terri and I asked our third partner, Beth Proudfoot, to do the honors of drawing the winning name. And...we don't have a name!

Got you. No, we have a winner, but the commenter didn't sign her (I think!) name to the comment. So...trusting in all your inate honesty, would "Anonymous" who got so "glued" to her borrowed copy of Wild Goose Chase that she almost forgot to cook dinner please email me at: becky77 at verizon dot net. Your own, signed copy of Terri's first book awaits you. (You'll probably want to order take-out for the day it shows up!)

Watch for more blog contests this summer!

Now...last week, Martha Alderson at The Plot Whisperer awarded me the Excellent Blog Award. Martha is a wonderful writer and teacher and the author of Blockbuster Plots, You can read all about her at Blockbuster Plots for Writers. I was being the proverbial headless chicken last week, so I didn't have a chance to do more than say, "Thank you," then rush on to the next item on my to-do list. I'm settled back in now (TEN big hours of sleep last night!), and it's time to pass on the honor.

The "rules" of the Excellent Blog Award are that when I accept it, I get to award it forward...to ten more bloggers. My first though--oh, cool! This'll be easy. And it was...easy to think of at least ten bloggers. The harder part was narrowing it down to only ten. If you are like me, you read WAY too many blogs during the week, but there are just so many writers out there delivering informative, helpful, and (for me, a biggie!) funny posts. If we all got carried away, though, and gave awards to all our favorite blogs, well, I'm not sure even the Internet is big enough.

So, today, I'm giving the Excellent Blog Award to:

cathyipcizade
The Cybils Awards
Faster Than Kudzu
The Graveyard Shift
jeannineatkins
Jen Robinson's Book Page
lisayee
The Plot Whisperer
Shrinking Violet Promotions
susanwrites

Need a Kick in the...Pants?

2008-04-28T16:03:52Z

Are you feeling discouraged about your writing? Are there not enough hours in the day to make real progress on your plot? Are the rejection letters, complimentary or not, piling up? Do you ever wonder whether it's all worth it?

Head on over to cathyipcizade for a wonderful Monday morning pep talk. She's hearing a lot of talk from writers lately about giving up, and she's here to tell us all to knock it off. Only a lot more nicely. Plus, she adds a great description of her own path from just starting out to where she is today, a published author and teacher!

Give up? I have to admit, I don't get it. What would I do if I wasn't writing? I understand getting low and shelving projects and wandering around my office, muttering to myself about dead ends and dark days of the soul and lack of chocolate. But quitting? Might as well ask me to dye my hair orange, change my name, and go happily into a witness-protection program in some hot, humid, south-of-the-equator location. 'Cause that's how different I'd have to be to give up writing.

Hang in there. Breathe. And as I heard Hallie Ephron remind us all this weekend, celebrate everything. Even a rejection letter is proof you're writing and putting your writing out there!

Reason #437, 328 That the Internet is Cool

2008-04-27T13:57:31Z

You can be in Ohio at a writing conference, have a late flight back to California, not have to check out from your hotel for an hour or so, get online at your own local library, and start putting holds on all the cool books you heard about over the weekend.

Happiness is a hotel wireless connection that works!

I Love Writers

2008-04-25T21:19:07Z

Of course, writers aren't the only people I love. I'm married to an engineer, and surrounded by many of them, since we live right on the fringe of the Silicon Valley. (Oh, heck, so many of us up here in the Santa Cruz Mountains are connected to that valley, you probably can't even call us a fringe.) I like bicyclists, too, of whom I know a few, since my husband does things like the if-you-ask-me-insane Devil Mountain Double Century ride this Saturday. (Yes, this is the same husband who crashed and smashed his clavicle and a bit of his skull a couple of years ago, but, I'm pretty proud and impressed by the way he got back on that horse, I mean bike!) And I enjoy hanging out with twelve-year-old boys, too, which is lucky, since I have one of those living with me and several others who seem to wander into our house on any given day!

Every now and then, though, it's just so wonderful to surround myself with other ~~word geeks~~ writers, if you know what I mean.

Even if I have to fly to Ohio to do it. :)

I'm out here at the Mad Anthony Writers Conference, in Hamilton, Ohio. My friend and writing partner, Lee Lofland, hooked me up with the conference people, and they invited me to come speak about revision and do some manuscript critiques. The big shindigs haven't started yet, but I went over to the "Extra" today to meet some of the conference organizers. Everybody is so nice and helpful and so happy to see me, like they aren't the ones giving me a great weekend! And I sat in on a mystery-writing workshop by Hallie Ephron that got new ideas churning in my brain, about writing in general and about my own books, too. Lots of note-taking. (For anybody who's working on a mystery, and wasn't lucky enough to be here with me and listen to Hallie, the info is all in her book, Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel: How to Knock 'Em Dead with Style.) Tonight, I'm heading back out for some socializing, then tomorrow it's busy, busy, busy. All day, every hour, with other writers.

You know, there's magic at writers conferences. You ask someone about what they're writing, and you see their face light up. They tell you about a book you hadn't heard of that you know you have to put on your list, immediately. You trade ideas for first chapters, amping up tension at the end, and swimming (or slogging!) your way through the middle. I felt this magic when I started going to conferences, when I first sat in a room filled with other people like me. And now I'm feeling it again, as a speaker and a teacher, but still--foremost--a writer.

Pretty much makes up for any airline stress and aggravation, I'm thinking!

An EARLY Morning Post

2008-04-25T06:44:37Z

So you know when you travel, and the airports are crazy, and the flights are late, and you finally get in to the hotel, and all you should be thinking about is sleep, but you're still wired, even though you didn't have ANY caffeine all day, just so you could go to sleep when you arrived? (Really, no caffeine. And only like six m&ms.)

So, you might as well do your Poetry Friday post, because it's sure not happening when the REAL Friday starts. :)

I ran out of poems. Out of my own poems, anyway. Luckily, my wonderful, talented son came to my rescue once again and unpassworded his flash drive. I grabbed a few of his poems, because, in the rush of packing, I couldn't decide. This morning, though, one of them hit just the right note to match my mood.

Enjoy. Today's Poetry Round-Up is being hosted at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

If Only I Was an Eagle

If only I was an Eagle
Instead of this lowdown, brown beagle.
I'd fly through the skies,
And spot with my eyes,
A chance to win a race with a seagull.

Wish Me Luck

2008-04-24T13:42:23Z

Okay, I feel like I caught David Lubar's travel germs. I "should" be at the airport right now, waiting for my morning flight. Instead, the phone rang last night to tell me my flight was canceled, but they'd rebooked me. Nice.

Except I get into Cincinnati at 11:30 p.m. And the rental car place closes at 11:00.

No, it's not that bad, really. The OTHER rental car place is open all night, and the new car reservation ended up being cheaper than the old one! Plus, really, it's not midnight, it's only 9:00 out here in California, and on my body clock, right? (Of course, I'm usually heading for bed right about that time!)

So I'm rebooked and re-org'd. The nice lady at the hotel warned me about the mall that sits between them and the freeway, so I won't get super lost out there in the wee hours of the morning, just maybe a little bit lost. Have I mentioned that I am seriously navigationally challenged? The first thing I'm going to find in that rental car is the little button for the interior light, so I can read my directions every three minutes and make sure I'm going where I'm supposed to.

Think of me tonight and send powerful, "Turn Here" thoughts my way. :) Oh, and to make me feel even better, don't forget to enter my BLOG CONTEST, for a signed copy of Terri Thayer's mystery, Wild Goose Chase. :)

Guest Blog, Conference, Contest Reminder, and OMG--an Award!

2008-04-23T13:58:21Z

This morning, I'm guest blogging over at The Graveyard Shift, Lee Lofland's blog. Lee is the author of the amazing Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers, a retired police detective, and my co-author for The Everything Kids' I Want to Be a Police Officer Book. Come on over to my post and say, "Hi."

Tomorrow morning, I'm out of here early, flying to Hamilton, Ohio, to speak at the Mad Anthony Writers Conference. (Read here about who, exactly, Mad Anthony was.) I'm doing a talk on revision, and I also get to sit on a panel and talk about "What Makes Me Stop Reading." Should be lots of fun!

Don't forget to stop by my first BLOG CONTEST with a comment. The winner gets a free signed copy of Terri Thayer's mystery, Wild Goose Chase.

I had to come back to this post and add one more thing (what a day!), because I got some exciting news. Martha Alderson, of Blockbuster Plots, awarded me the Excellent Blog Award.

May I just say: "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Thank you, Martha!

Martha also got the award for her blog, The Plot Whisperer, so pop over and tell her congrats!

The way this award works, I get to pass it on to ten more blogs. That'll be a fun post for next week. :)

Introducing Terri Thayer and...My First BLOG CONTEST!

2008-04-21T02:35:41Z

For the last many years, I’ve been a member of one of the best critique groups out there. It started as a mystery writing group—with two other wonderful authors: Terri Thayer and Beth Proudfoot. When I decided I was writing a kids’ mystery, nobody kicked me out. Even though I’m now working on a YA historical, too, they’re both being supportive and expanding the definition of the group, once again.

A couple of years ago, Terri wowed us all. She finished her first mystery, got an agent (Jessica Faust of BookEnds, LLC), and ended up signing contracts for not one series, but two. Recently, when I thought about spreading some of my blog luck around, I decided my first contest would be for a free, signed copy of Terri’s first book, Wild Goose Chase. To enter the contest, comment on this post or at Terri’s post on the Killer Hobbies blog, Saturday April 26^th. Oh, what the heck, comment at both, and we’ll enter you twice! Enter by Sunday night of the 27th. We'll pull the winner at our next Monday's critique group.

In case you needed further temptation, I interviewed Terri about her writing path, her book, and her life as a PUBLISHED AUTHOR!

INTERVIEW

BL: Just to dive right in, why a quilting mystery?

TT: A quilting mystery combines two of my passions in life. Sewing and reading. More specifically, quilting and reading mystery. The quilting world has grown up in the last twenty years since I started and like all worlds, it has its rules and regulations, its jokers and paupers, pawns and kings. Divas abound. Drama abounds. It is run mostly by women, and so has inherent conflict.

I believe women are dangerously unheard in our noisy male world full of wars, guns, and cars. Quilts are the way we speak to the ones we love. Crafts is more than what we do, it’s who we are. Many of us honor the idea that something we made is more valuable than a store-bought item.

BL: You're also working on a second series, with a rubber-stamping detective. Do you find any similarities between writing about quilts and writing about rubber stamps?

TT: As for the stamping series, it’s more of the same. Becky, you’re the one that told me I was writing women-circle stories, and I think that’s true. I was the kid with four brothers who didn’t like to play with dolls. My mom was a tomboy. I married and had a boy child. Surrounded by men, I thought women were a little crazy. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t truly understand my girlfriends until I took up quilting. And then I found out what it was like to have a community of women in your corner. Fabulous!

BL: Craft mysteries seem to be getting more and more popular the last few years. And readers buy mysteries about crafts they don’t do, as well as the ones they do. What I mean is, knitters buy quilting mysteries, and quilters buy embroidery mysteries, and so on and so on. What do you think the draw is to these kind of books?

TT: Readers like to read about new worlds. I’m always excited to learn about a new place or time period. The same goes for crafts. Beyond that, the passion is the same whether it be knitting, quilting, or rubber-stamping. The thrill of finding a new yarn, fabric or ink is the same. The hoarding of our resources, the losing yourself for hours at end, the joy of handing over a scarf, a quilt, a card to the recipient is the same.

BL: How did you get started writing mysteries?

TT: Mysteries are what I love to read, so it was a no-brainer that I would write a mystery. Plus, there’s a structure that helps me. I’m not sure now that I could construct a book without a murder in it. Murder makes everything else pale in comparison. The idea that you could make things right in the world is too hard to resist.

BL: What is your favorite part of the writing process? Your least favorite?

TT: My least favorite part is the middle of the first draft. I feel dumb, out of ideas, dragged down by the events that happen around, before and after the murder. I think that’s why Buster was born—to help me wile away the hours before Dewey solves the crime. This is when I run to my critique group, crying about what a bad writer I am. They (you) soothe my ruffled feathers and give me plenty of ideas to steal and call my own.

I'm surprised how much I like revision. Someone famous said: "I don't like writing, I like having written." That's me. I'm always trying to write just so I can rewrite it.

BL: Your first book has been on the shelves for almost four months now. How does it feel to have a real, published copy of your book that you can pick up and hold?

TT: It’s very cool to have a book published. A tangible manifestation of a lifelong ambition is nothing to sneeze at. Sometimes, I admit, in the hubbub of promotion and writing deadlines, I forget to stop and smell the new book scent. Thanks for the reminder.

BL: What’s been the biggest surprise about being published?

TT: The first time I got a book in my hand came as a complete surprise. The publisher had notified me that they were sending me galley copies of WGC. I was expecting bound 8x11 pages. When I opened the box, there were books in there! With my beautiful glossy cover, complete with a bloody rotary cutter with my name on it. That was a thrill.

What’s really great about being published, is having people come up to me and tell me how much they like my characters. Or hate my characters, in the case of Kym. The best thing (so far) happened at a reading in a quilt shop. I finished my reading and a woman said, "That’s the part that made me cry." I made someone cry! That’s an amazing feeling.

BL: You and I have talked about whether your book is "okay" for kids. You’ve got a wonderful love interest, and this isn’t our grandmother’s "cozy," but I think some older teens, especially crafty ones, would enjoy it. What do you think?

TT: I’m hesitant to recommend my book to teens. My scenes are not overly graphic, but they are steamy. I’d rather the parent read the book and decide for their child.

BL: Who are some of your favorite mystery authors?

TT: I enjoy Laura Lippman, SJ Rozan. You turned me onto Dana Stabenow for which I’m eternally grateful. I started reading Sue Grafton at A is for Alibi and have enjoyed her for years.

BL: What are you working on right now, and what other books can your readers look forward to in the coming months?

TT: Right now, I’m working on Ocean Waves, the third in the Quilting Mystery series. It is set at Asilomar, one of my most favorite places in the world, and features a rogue wave, a mountain lion and Buster playing forest ranger. That’s all I can say.

Old Maid’s Puzzle, the second in the Quilting Mystery series, is coming out in September. In this story, we see if Dewey warms up to quilting and whether or not she and Kym can co-exist in a small space.

Stamped Out, which is the first in the Stamping Sisters mystery series, is being released in September as well. This story takes place in a small town in NE Pennsylvania, and involves a group of rubber stampers and a skull that turns up a job site, bringing up old secrets and lies.

You can all see how busy Terri is these days. Luckily for us, it means plenty of books to come!

Book Meme--I'm Tagged

2008-04-20T15:32:32Z

Hey, it's finally happened! I've been tagged for a meme. Thanks, olmue! I'd have caught this sooner, but got hit with the flu yesterday. Much better today, but had to spend the day in bed dozing and reading fun MG fantasy books. Life can be so hard.

Here's the meme:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to olmue's blog (your tagees will post to mine, etc.) once you've posted your three sentences.

Okay, I JUST opened a box from Amazon with two photo histories of Chicago (have I mentioned that I'm starting to LOVE research?!), but I'm going to skip past those to the novel that was truly just laying on top of the piles on my desk. Mandarin Plaid by S.J. Rozan, one of my favorite mystery writers. I'm going to speak at a conference this week, and I use her book as an example of (brilliant) showing vs telling.

"Mixed up in what?" Andrew's voice was curious.

"I can't tell you. Bad things."

"Worse than stealing her sister's sketches and shooting at you?"

Hmm. Not bad. Not bad at all. I'm hooked.

I tag: HipWriterMama, cathyipcizade, jeannineatkins, susanwrites, & maryhershey

Poetry Month--Week Three

2008-04-18T14:07:31Z

Okay, I'm hanging in there! Next week--one of my poems? My son's poem? Who knows! For the rest of today's Poetry Friday Roundup, jump over to The Well-Read Child.

August 1979,

The window-framed world is green--
long jade plants drop moisture
onto the feathered ground cover
of peridot ferns.

One ray of the cloud-blocked sun
lands on a patch of clover
and the open book on my bed.

And outside
the rain falls onto me,
drops loosening the warmth of the day.

I stand
head back, arms out, catching
the wetness
on my sticky skin.

And I spin
barefoot across the dampening grass
of a Missouri summer.

Anne of Green Gables

2008-04-15T16:21:23Z

It seems like I've been read a lot lately about the "oldies," those stories we grew up with and that stay with us, either as actual books in our homes or as happy pieces of our memories. Jen Robinson wrote a sad post about the childhood books that she recently learned were destroyed or lost.

jeannineatkins has been blogging her (and her students') thoughts about various books, from the class on Children's Lit she's teaching, like this post on The Secret Garden.

These posts have gotten me thinking about a lot of my favorites, and wondering how/if I'd see them differently, if I set out to read them as a writer. So, using that as an excuse, I got L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables off my shelf and curled up with the inhabitants of Prince Edward Island.

(Tiny interruption: As I explore a book that has been loved by, probably, millions of readers, Debbie Michiko Florence, d_michiko_f, is talking about books that not enough people have discovered. I love what she's doing--spotlighting these books in a series of reviews, to give these books more of the exposure they deserve. Check out her post—when I finish here, I'm off to find myself a copy of today's book!)

Back to Anne. To be honest, I wasn't sure I could read Anne's story critically. Growing up, I was the "emotional" one in my family, the one who sometimes overreacted, the one whose highs and lows were a little disconcerting to be around. In Anne, I found a true "kindred spirit," and I love her as much today as I did when I was young. But I thought I'd give it a try.

Surprise. Not just a surprise that I was able to read about Anne and think about Montgomery's technique, but some BIG surprises about the book itself.

I came at the story thinking about Anne's passion and extremes, the intense focus with which she lives her life, and the persistence with which she sticks to what she sees as right. I wondered how her personality, her love and her anger, directed the plot. I wanted to see how many of Anne's obstacles were created by the force of her own character, how much she herself is responsible for the change she undergoes. In other words, I wanted to see if I could track Anne's Hero's Journey.

Well, whew. Anne doesn't change.

Oh, of course she does. She calms down, internalizes much of her passion, and asks Gilbert Blythe for forgiveness. But most, if not all, of Anne's changes happen in the very last chapters. And the changes aren't all that big--Anne still talks, and she still talks with heat and drama and love. She is still intense and absolutely sure of her intensity; she gives up the college scholarship to stay home at Green Gables with the same solid certainty with which she pursues puffed sleeves. She is still, very much Anne.

Guess who really changes in this book? Avonlea.

At first, when I started seeing what was happening, I thought, no...that can't be. Anne is the hero; on the hero's journey, she's the one who has to change. She's the one with the character arc.

But take a look at this passage, just after Anne falls off the ridge-pole at Diana's house. Marilla sees Diana's father coming to Green Gables, Anne in his arms.

At that moment, Marilla had a revelation. In the sudden stab of fear that pierced to her very heart she realized what Anne had come to mean to her. She would have admitted that she liked Anne--nay, that she was fond of Anne. But now she knew as she hurried wildly down the slope that Anne was dearer to her than anything on earth.

Who changes here? Anne would climb back up on that ridge-pole in a minute, if Josie Pye dared her to do it again. Marilla, though, has found love, something she thought she'd pushed away as nonsense years ago.

So is Marilla the hero? Well, let's keep looking. Because she's not the only one to change. Stubborn Rachel Lynde tells Marilla she was wrong when she called it a mistake to adopt Anne, cranky Josephine Barry invites Anne to stay in her spare room, and Matthew—Matthew—goes shopping to try and buy Anne a dress!

Another passage jumped off the page at me. It's Anne's second spring at Green Gables, one year exactly from the day Matthew brought her there. Montgomery gives us this description of Anne's gable room.

In all essential respects the little gable chamber was unchanged. The walls were as white, the pincushion as hard, the chairs as stiffly and yellowly upright as ever. Yet the whole character of the room was altered. It was full of a new vital, pulsing personality that seemed to pervade it and to be quite independent of schoolgirl books and dresses and ribbons and even of the cracked blue jug full of apple blossoms on the table. It was as if all the dreams, sleeping and waking, of its vivid occupant had taken a visible although immaterial form and had tapestried the bare room with splendid filmy tissues of rainbow and moonshine.

Talk about a microcosm. Or a metaphor. Or something. What Anne has done to this room, she has done to the whole house, the rivers and woods around it, and to Avonlea. She is like a whirlwind of pure energy and love that swirls onto Prince Edward Island, smiling and singing and tossing bright bits of confetti everywhere. A whirlwind that's there to stay.

So, then, is Anne a hero? I think so. Structurally, yes, Anne qualifies as the hero who starts with a flaw, then follows her character arc to her own matured self at the end of the story. I think, though, that she's something else, too. Anne is the hero on the white horse, the super-hero who can fly. Anne's passion is her strength, and she uses it as a true hero should--to rescue an entire town.

It's no wonder Gilbert falls in love with her. It's no wonder we do.

Pick Your Words Carefully

2008-04-14T14:15:44Z

Vocabulary. Considering we all work (and play) with words, you don't hear this one tossed around too much. We talk about reading levels and age ranges, but we don't spend a whole lot of time discussing the actual words.

Way back when, Dr. Seuss was given an assignment: Write a book, using only 223 words, that kids will want to read. He set to work, and we got The Cat in the Hat. I'm just flipping through the house copy, and I think the longest word in the whole story is "something." Not super short--nine letters. Not "cat" and not "hat;" not the simple, short-vowel words that many children learn first. But certainly a word that young readers are familiar with, as in, "Mom, I'm bored. I need something to do!"

Dr. Seuss was a genius.

And, yes, he was writing fiction. He wasn't told to write a science book with biology words or a biography with historical vocabulary that isn't used much today. Still, he thought about the children he was writing for, and he gave them (and us) a story that's a gazillion times more fun than anything Dick & Jane ever came up with.

That was his job.

It's ours, too. I've been talking a lot lately about the research for my historical YA. I have to admit, every time I order a book or pick one up from the library, I turn to the first page with nervousness and, yes, a little fear. How hard will this book be to read? How much will it sound like a story, and how much will it read like a legal tome, where the author sets out to prove her theory over and over, using a sledgehammer to pound one point into my brain?

How many big words will each sentence have?

I know. Silly. I'm well-read, I have two degrees in English Lit, and I know how to use a dictionary. How bad can it be?

Bad. When I hit a sentence (often covering three or four lines of text), in which every second or third word is one I have to think about, even for just a second, I hit overload. I have to pause, place the word into it's slot in my brain, then move on to the next word and slot that, too. By the time I'm at the end of the sentence, those first words have dropped out of sight, and I'm forced to put the meaning together like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces.

If it's hard for me, let's think about a young reader. They've just learned how to do this. They're excited, proud, and, yes, a little nervous every time they open a new book.

We don't want to turn those feelings into fear.

If they're lucky, they're curled up with Mom or Dad and, when they get stuck, someone gives them a big hug and helps them out. Some kids will happily skip over a word they don't know and just have fun with the ones they do. Too often, though, a child will get frustrated or bored or, the worst--sad.

What can we do? Look at every word we write. Do we need it? Is there a simpler, more clear choice? Is there a better word, one the child can feel great about already knowing? Of course, there's always a place for new vocabulary, and it's good for kids to ask questions and learn things. It's tempting, too, as a writer to play with fun words, to test our own creativity. The balance is tricky, but so, so important. What does an overwhelmed child do with a book? They put it down.

How many kids put down The Cat in the Hat?

For the rest of the Nonfiction Monday Round-up, go over to Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day.

Happiness is a Warm Puppy

2008-04-11T18:31:45Z

Or...

A morning where the house is clean (enough), the boys are playing happily, and your only goal is to assemble a lasagna for the friends who are coming to dinner.

(Can you tell I finally figured out how to put photos in my blog?)

The recipe looks delicious, and it went together well, as not all lasagna recipes do. I decided to leave the peas whole, rather than blending them--so ours won't have that lovely (ick!) green aura to it. For anyone who cares not a whit about their cholesterol, or feels like living dangerously for one meal, here's the link!

Poetry Friday #2

2008-04-11T15:44:55Z

So, last week, I set my goal of posting one of my poems every Friday of this month, since April is poetry month.

Well, last night I dug out my folder, and...every week? Not sure I have that many that even my standards will let me post up here. You may get one of my son's thrown in for good measure!

But today's is mine, written a few years ago when terrorists bombs went off in London. For more poems, check out this week's Poetry Friday Roundup at a wrung sponge.

England, My England?

England,
through the war,
but not my war,
was bombed.

My mother was there,
a little girl on the run
from Germany
on the way here,
to California.

And I went back
living my childhood,
the books and stories she read me,
and I visited
her friends
and my memories.

And I have a child
to whom I read
those books and stories
and others
from the island,
and I have dreamed
of taking him there.

England,
in this month,
was bombed.
My mother was there
again
traveling from here,
from California.

Is this my war?