When Peepy returned from her peeparazzi laden trip back east, she was pleased to find a special limited edition book from Mo Willems in the mail, plus a Lunch Lady card from Jarrett Krosoczka . . .
Both put her in the holiday spirt, so I took a break from writing and we went on a tour of highly decorated houses. Guess which one is ours????
If you guessed . . . NONE! You are correct!!!
While we were on our home tour, Peeps ran into some of her good friends. They all wished her a very special Merry Christmas . . .
And get this! Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy has told Peepy that he wants her to star with him in the sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It's called Pride and Prejudice and Peepy . . .
Wheeeeee!!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!!!
Both put her in the holiday spirt, so I took a break from writing and we went on a tour of highly decorated houses. Guess which one is ours????
If you guessed . . . NONE! You are correct!!!
While we were on our home tour, Peeps ran into some of her good friends. They all wished her a very special Merry Christmas . . .
And get this! Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy has told Peepy that he wants her to star with him in the sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It's called Pride and Prejudice and Peepy . . .
Wheeeeee!!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!!!
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Book: Ice
Author: Sarah Beth Durst (blog)
Pages: 320
Age Range: 13 and up
Sarah Beth Durst's Ice is a modern re-telling of the Scandinavian fairy tale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon". Personally, I'm not a big fairy tale reader, and I had never run across this particular story. Thus my interest in the book was based on the fact that the premise sounded intriguing, not because I had any prior familiarity with the storyline.
Ice describes a romance between Cassie, a human girl, and the Polar Bear King. As a young girl, Cassie is told a fantastical story about her family's history, in which Cassie's mother, Gail, is the adopted daughter of the North Wind, and the promised bride of the Polar Bear King. When Gail falls in love with a human man, instead of marrying the polar bear, Gail's angry father sends her "east of the sun and west of the moon". There she is captured by Trolls, and kept from her human family (including her infant daughter, Cassie). Cassie, naturally enough, believes this to be a fanciful family story. Right up until the day that she meets a 12-foot-tall talking Polar Bear named Bear. Bear tells Cassie that she is his promised bride, and asks her to travel with him to his home. What follows is a dizzying adventure set against a backdrop of ice and snow.
The first part of Ice, depicting a young girl and a monster getting to know one another in a magical castle, reminded me quite a bit of Beauty and the Beast. Ice, however features the modern twist that Cassie is a polar researcher, product of a science-based upbringing, who is skeptical of all of the magic that she sees. She's also someone determined to make a difference in her own right, rather than just live under someone else's protection. I enjoyed the world-building in this section, as well as the introduction of the characters, but found myself waiting for something more active to happen.
I shouldn't have worried. In the second part of the book, Cassie sets off on a dangerous quest, risking her life for Bear. This part of the story is filled with suffering and peril, much of it quite creatively rendered. I think some of this might be a bit dark for middle schoolers, but that high school-age readers will find it compelling. Personally, I stayed up late to finish the book, because I simply had to know what would happen next.
Cassie is an intriguing character. She's quite capable (having been raised by her father in an Arctic research station), and rather alarmingly (though perhaps realistically for her situation) selfish. She's a risk-taker, and stubborn to the point of recklessness when she makes up her mind about something. I can't say that I liked her, exactly, but I appreciated her transformation over the course of the book.
Really, though, the star of this book is the starkly beautiful icy setting. Durst seems to genuinely respect, and even revere, the Arctic, in the same way that Cassie does. Here are a couple of examples, to give you a sense of what I mean:
"Cold seared into her, slicing her, and her face mask instantly frosted. She took a deep breath of night air. It felt brittle and sharp in her throat, as if the air were filled with shards of glass. This was exactly what she needed to clear her mind. The piercingly cold air soothed her, as it always did." (Page 25)
"Several long hours later, Cassie heard ice crunch under the bear's paws. Granules crackled in the monumental Arctic silence. She straightened and thumped her muscle-sore thighs. The bear had slowed and was simply walking now, across the shimmering frozen sea. The earth was painted in white and blue streaks of ice, reflecting the sky, and the low, pale sun." (Page 35)
Ice has just enough detail about survival techniques in the Arctic to feel authentic, without bogging the reader down with excessive detail. The setting is so three-dimensional that readers will want to pull another blanket over them while reading.
Fans of fairy tale retellings and supernatural romances won't want to miss Ice. It's an engaging blend of modern science and magical fairy tale, with a memorable setting. Ice is the perfect book to sweep the reader away on a cold winter's night. Recommended for teen and adult readers.
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
Other Blog Reviews: Wondrous Reads, Angieville, Book Aunt, Tina's Book Reviews, Rhiannon Hart, The Book Smugglers, Shelf Elf, Book Nut, and Laini Taylor, among others. See also Sherrie Petersen's post with mini-reviews of three novelizations of the East of the Sun and West of the Moon fairy tale.
© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).
No writing lately. I gave up and decided not to worry about it for a few days. Same with working out; I'm taking a few days off. The well needs to refill.
I started to get p.o.'d about this Dilbert strip:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-12-2
but then I thought maybe it was being ironic. Is it? I honestly don't know whether it's meant to be taken at face value or not. Either way, just seeing it stated so baldly makes me wince. Probably because I've heard versions of it all my writing life.
I think maybe the second you dare to call yourself a writer out loud, somebody outside the biz (family, friend, stranger) is going to let you know that you're not really a writer in the eyes of the world until you're J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. If you're not like them, then you're just not that good.
Come to think of it, maybe this is why some writers get so rabid about tearing down SM. She has the recognition and acceptance they should have had--and they feel that they write better than she does.* And maybe because she's so famous that she doesn't seem human or accessible, it feels okay to rake her over the coals. I can't get into that state of mind, because I met SM as the Twilight thing was really taking off (around the second book, I think? Or maybe between the second and the third? I forget.), and I was impressed by how unimpressed she was with herself. I mean like utterly unimpressed. Even my judgmental over-analytical raking-over-the-coals nose detected no scent of self-congratulation. No underlying oneupmanship. And no complacency. Not even a whiff. And when I think back to how I was with my first few books, even without being an instant raging success, I have to say that Stephenie Meyer's a better man than I am. So to speak.
*To me the question is always: What is the purpose of this ms? What does it want to be? A Stephenie Meyer book has a place and a purpose, and it needs to be well-written in the context of that place and purpose. Another writer's book will have a different place and purpose, and the standard that makes it a "good book" will be different. The money/fame part of it all seems to be randomly bestowed...unless you buy into what the Dilbert strip is saying...
I started to get p.o.'d about this Dilbert strip:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-12-2
but then I thought maybe it was being ironic. Is it? I honestly don't know whether it's meant to be taken at face value or not. Either way, just seeing it stated so baldly makes me wince. Probably because I've heard versions of it all my writing life.
I think maybe the second you dare to call yourself a writer out loud, somebody outside the biz (family, friend, stranger) is going to let you know that you're not really a writer in the eyes of the world until you're J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer. If you're not like them, then you're just not that good.
Come to think of it, maybe this is why some writers get so rabid about tearing down SM. She has the recognition and acceptance they should have had--and they feel that they write better than she does.* And maybe because she's so famous that she doesn't seem human or accessible, it feels okay to rake her over the coals. I can't get into that state of mind, because I met SM as the Twilight thing was really taking off (around the second book, I think? Or maybe between the second and the third? I forget.), and I was impressed by how unimpressed she was with herself. I mean like utterly unimpressed. Even my judgmental over-analytical raking-over-the-coals nose detected no scent of self-congratulation. No underlying oneupmanship. And no complacency. Not even a whiff. And when I think back to how I was with my first few books, even without being an instant raging success, I have to say that Stephenie Meyer's a better man than I am. So to speak.
*To me the question is always: What is the purpose of this ms? What does it want to be? A Stephenie Meyer book has a place and a purpose, and it needs to be well-written in the context of that place and purpose. Another writer's book will have a different place and purpose, and the standard that makes it a "good book" will be different. The money/fame part of it all seems to be randomly bestowed...unless you buy into what the Dilbert strip is saying...
Today, as part of my Danish heritage, we celebrate little Christmas Eve. On this day we Danes honor the animals that were present at the birth of Jesus by giving extra food to our animal friends. This evening my kids and I will venture out into a very chilly Wisconsin night to scatter birdseed on the snow. This is one of my favorite holiday traditions from my childhood and I love sharing it with my kids (who are now taller and bigger than me. Hmm. How did that happen?)
Happy little Christmas Eve, everyone!
Do you ever find yourself sounding like your parents? It’s scary, man.
A year or so ago I did a bookstore appearance in Frisco, Tx. An aspiring writer who’d friended me online was there with her mother. During the Q&A, the mom raised her hand and said, “Don’t you think that someone who wants to be a writer should also get a degree in a field where they can actually make a living? To fall back on, I mean?” During this, her daughter glared at her mother in a way that said, My life is over, and it’s your fault.
“Great,” I said. “There’s no way I can answer this without getting into trouble.”
Last week, a boy emailed me to say, “I’m in middle school, and I would like to be a writer when I grow up. Can you tell me, on average, how much writers make in a year?” The boy was planning ahead for poverty.
And then, recently, at a writing workshop, a mother told me that her eleven-year-old daughter was a talented writer. She asked for my advice.
“Well,” I said, “it’s great that she’s already writing. She should keep that up, and read as much as possible, too. And she should choose a career that will support her while still allowing her time and energy to write.”
The mother looked taken aback, like I was in the business of killing dreams and kittens. “Don’t you think that would be very difficult?” she said. “To try to write while working a day job?”
Well, yes, I thought. It is difficult. And exhausting. I speak from experience.
“I want her to be able to focus on writing,” the mother went on. “We’re more than willing to support her until she gets established.”
As if that wouldn’t be a high pressure situation.
I’m not exactly a model of career planning and efficiency. I mean, really—my first degree is in philosophy. Finding it difficult to secure employment as a philosopher, I took a post-bacc and master’s in nutrition and practiced as a dietitian for years.
I began to write, yes, as a second job, although in the beginning I could have worked retail and made more reliable money.
I recommend that beginning writers plan for a day job for several reasons. Firstly, of course, to buy food, shelter, Internet access, books, and subscriptions to writing magazines. Secondly, day jobs provide an alternative place to achieve those small successes that keep us going. Maybe you’ve just received your twenty-fifth rejection for a novel that took three years to write. But maybe you’ve also completed a fabulous project at work or seen understanding kindle in a student’s eyes.
Planning ahead may mean you can choose a career that doesn’t suck up your time and wring out your soul, leaving you in no condition to write. Professionals are better able to request flexible schedules and can make more money doing part time work. Some writers choose to work in a field aligned with writing—teaching English, say, or business writing. Others prefer the perspective of doing something completely different. For some, the day job is raising children when someone else in the household brings in an income.
Don’t overlook the fact that other careers can provide you with grist for the writing mill. Lawyers and doctors often turn to writing fiction and nonfiction related to their areas of expertise.
But the most important reason for having a day job as a writer is that it prevents the quest for money from killing your love of the craft. It allows you to enjoy your writing, to follow the muse wherever it takes you. It gives you the freedom to become the best writer you can be without feeling like you constantly have to hustle for a buck.
It’s bad enough to have your work rejected without facing eviction as a result. And it’s easy to devalue your writing when you are desperate for a sale and it’s not happening. There’s so much we don’t control about success as a writer. Talent and hard work are necessary but not sufficient for success. Desperation can squeeze the joy right out of your art.
That said, if you want to transition into writing full time, do your homework, set up a plan and work it. It also helps to marry someone with insurance.
I used to do a lot of freelancing, which brought in some money. I made a conscious decision to turn away from that and focus on novels, even though I knew there was a chance I would never make a dime. But I knew that freelancing would always be a part time gig. I could never make enough freelancing to leave my day job.
That was in 2002. My first novel was published in 2006. My fourth book is coming out this week.
I left my day job in May, 2008.
- Mood:
contemplative
It being Wednesday, it's time again for a bit of the Bard. I'm not 100% certain I'll manage a post next Wednesday, since we'll be travelling home from Arizona at that point, so this may be our last Wednesday with Shakespeare entry until 2010. We shall see.
Today's choice is in honor of it officially being winter now. Also because quite a lot of houses around here are hung with actual icicles, and not just Christmas lights that simulate them, since we had that mondo snow storm over the weekend. This poem is actually a song that Shakespeare wrote to end Love's Labour's Lost, one of the plays we looked at during Brush Up Your Shakespeare Month. The play ends with two songs - one called Summer, the other Winter. More on their meaning can be found in this post about the poetry within that play, although I've snagged some of my own commentary for use after the poem.
WINTER
by William Shakespeare
When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl:
"Tu-whit, tu-whoo."
A merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel* the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth blow
And coughing drowns the parson's saw**
And birds sit brooding in the snow
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl:
"Tu-whit, tu-whoo."
A merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
*keel: cool
**saw: maxim or proverb, probably referring to a sermon
The song has the following structure: iambic tetrameter (four iambic feet per line, taDUM taDUM taDUM taDUM), using the rhyme scheme of ABABCC, followed by a short "chorus" composed of bird noise followed by a rhymed couplet (in Shakespeare's time, "note" and "pot" rhymed, you see).
"Winter", when parsed, talks about the shepherd's cold hands, the need for firewood, how messy the roads are, and illness, all while Joan cools the pot. But it's also about matrimony. More specifically, it represents a kind of black humor about matrimony, as does the Summer song, since both songs are about cuckoldry. Here's why I say that:
A word about the significance of the birds:
Summer mentions cuckoos and Winter the horned owl. BOTH of those birds were associated with cuckoldry in Elizabethan times: the cuckoo because his name sounds a bit like the word "cuckold", and the horned owl because of the association between horns and cuckolds (a jealous husband was sometimes called a "horned owl"). Both birds can be symbols of either the trapped (the cuckolded husband) or the trapper (their unfaithful wives). The cuckoo's call taunts the married man, labelling him as a cuckold (also, cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds' nests, so a married man cannot be certain which "cuckoo" layed its "egg" in that man's "nest"); the owl cries "tu-whit" or "to it", a sort of sexual exhortation, and the bird's name was used to refer to prostitutes as well as to refer (in the "horned owl" variant) to a cuckolded husband. So both songs are about birds that are associated with cuckoldry, a common fear among men back in that time, and a common thing of which to make sport in comic plays. Especially a comic play that was set up to be a marriage play, but that ends with an indefinite situation in which the pairs are waiting for a year (or in the case of Don Armado, three years), with the men essentially on probation of sorts until they get together.
Today's choice is in honor of it officially being winter now. Also because quite a lot of houses around here are hung with actual icicles, and not just Christmas lights that simulate them, since we had that mondo snow storm over the weekend. This poem is actually a song that Shakespeare wrote to end Love's Labour's Lost, one of the plays we looked at during Brush Up Your Shakespeare Month. The play ends with two songs - one called Summer, the other Winter. More on their meaning can be found in this post about the poetry within that play, although I've snagged some of my own commentary for use after the poem.
WINTER
by William Shakespeare
When icicles hang by the wall
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail
And Tom bears logs into the hall
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipped and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl:
"Tu-whit, tu-whoo."
A merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel* the pot.
When all aloud the wind doth blow
And coughing drowns the parson's saw**
And birds sit brooding in the snow
And Marian's nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl:
"Tu-whit, tu-whoo."
A merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.
*keel: cool
**saw: maxim or proverb, probably referring to a sermon
The song has the following structure: iambic tetrameter (four iambic feet per line, taDUM taDUM taDUM taDUM), using the rhyme scheme of ABABCC, followed by a short "chorus" composed of bird noise followed by a rhymed couplet (in Shakespeare's time, "note" and "pot" rhymed, you see).
"Winter", when parsed, talks about the shepherd's cold hands, the need for firewood, how messy the roads are, and illness, all while Joan cools the pot. But it's also about matrimony. More specifically, it represents a kind of black humor about matrimony, as does the Summer song, since both songs are about cuckoldry. Here's why I say that:
A word about the significance of the birds:
Summer mentions cuckoos and Winter the horned owl. BOTH of those birds were associated with cuckoldry in Elizabethan times: the cuckoo because his name sounds a bit like the word "cuckold", and the horned owl because of the association between horns and cuckolds (a jealous husband was sometimes called a "horned owl"). Both birds can be symbols of either the trapped (the cuckolded husband) or the trapper (their unfaithful wives). The cuckoo's call taunts the married man, labelling him as a cuckold (also, cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds' nests, so a married man cannot be certain which "cuckoo" layed its "egg" in that man's "nest"); the owl cries "tu-whit" or "to it", a sort of sexual exhortation, and the bird's name was used to refer to prostitutes as well as to refer (in the "horned owl" variant) to a cuckolded husband. So both songs are about birds that are associated with cuckoldry, a common fear among men back in that time, and a common thing of which to make sport in comic plays. Especially a comic play that was set up to be a marriage play, but that ends with an indefinite situation in which the pairs are waiting for a year (or in the case of Don Armado, three years), with the men essentially on probation of sorts until they get together.
- Mood:
busy - Music:Alejandro by Lady Gaga (S's iPod)
If there's one thing I've learned during my writing career, it's that the majority of copy editors don't seem to realize that the typical 5th-grade narrator hasn't spent much time studying Strunk and White.
It's out in the world now!
As of yesterday, the hottest new tween book is on shelves and ready to be snatched up!
If you have a tween on your shopping list, no need to look any further!
As of yesterday, the hottest new tween book is on shelves and ready to be snatched up!
If you have a tween on your shopping list, no need to look any further!
E and I just got home from the very busy grocery store and I think *knocks wood* we are READY for the holidays. Here is our tree:
We are hoping Santa puts some good cat toys in Fred and George's stockings, as they have both gained THREE POUNDS since their last check up. Ugh. Beasts. They don't seem to notice their rotundity, and think they should still be able to fit in their basket (clearly they are mistaken):
Oh Fred. If only you would be INTERESTED in cat toys. *sigh*
Hope you're all enjoying the holiday season!
Peace and love,
Jo
We are hoping Santa puts some good cat toys in Fred and George's stockings, as they have both gained THREE POUNDS since their last check up. Ugh. Beasts. They don't seem to notice their rotundity, and think they should still be able to fit in their basket (clearly they are mistaken):
Oh Fred. If only you would be INTERESTED in cat toys. *sigh*
Hope you're all enjoying the holiday season!
Peace and love,
Jo
The Miss Rumphius Effect is a fixture of the kidlitosphere. It's where Tricia Stohr-Hunt blogs about poetry and non-fiction for young readers and maintains an impressive array of thematic book lists--check out her list of books about snow and snowflakes for some wintry (but heartwarming) seasonal reads.
Tricia, a round I panelist for Poetry, reviewed Cybils nominee Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles, written by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Through a combination of clues given in the illustrations and clever poetic plot summaries, readers are encouraged to guess the title of each of 13 books. Tricia says this title would make a great substitute for book quizzes:
Click here for the full review.All in all, this book was a wonderful read. Kids of all ages (and adults too!) will enjoy puzzling out the clues and determining the titles in question.
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
whereistheluv asked: When writing your books, did you actually think about the intended age of your readers and write specifically for an age range, (if so how did that influence you original idea) or did you just write a story and then realize it was a YA novel?2K9 authors answered:
Donna St. Cyr: My book is midgrade and in the beginning I just wrote what was in my head without evaluating readership. Later, when it became clear that the story’s interest level and complexity pointed toward upper elementary and middle school, I was more cognizant about scenes and whether I needed to tweak them for the age group who would be reading my story.
Rosanne Parry: I tend not to think in terms of reader age specifically, but I usually do have one reader in mind, a child I know fairly well. If I can write a story that will delight this one child, then I have an idea of what age the book will be suited for.
I do know a fair amount about reading levels as my degree is in education, so I know that the reading level for Heart of a Shepherd is on the easy side for a middle grade novel. What has come as a pleasant surprise is the number of older readers I've heard from. One of my school visits this fall was to the Adult English Language Learner Program at a local community college. The average age in that class was 45, but they loved the book, in part because it had such a positive portrayal of the Spanish-speaking hired man on the ranch.
Kudos to the team at Random House for making a book cover that looks grown up enough for an adult to read it on the city bus with pride! My editor, Jim Thomas worked with art director, Jan Gerardi and artist, Jonathan Barkat on the jacket. If there is something about that lovely image of a soulful young cowboy with lots of open land around him that seems vaguely familiar, it's because Jonathan Barkat is also the cover artist for Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. Look at those two books together, and you'll see what I mean. Different images, but very evocative of the American west and the spirit of people who live here.
Suzanne Morgan Williams: I definitely wrote for the age range. And I wrote for three of them! The Bull Rider manuscript started out as a younger middle grade, had a stint as an older YA, and turned out to be kind of tween. Each revision of the novel was different, depending on what I thought the readers were interested in and more than that, what they could understand. Suzy
J.T. Dutton: My territory as a writer at least at this phase of my career, seems to be adolescence. I like wrestling with how human beings psychologically turn themselves into free thinking individuals. I am attracted to the idea of rebellion and I admire and respect the courage it takes for teens to find themselves as people.
My readers may sometimes be younger than me, but they are not less complex. In fact, it seems to me that "coming of age" represents one of the hardest of human experiences, so describing how people cross the threshold into adulthood demands the fullest and deepest measure of my skills and a no-holds barred honesty about the challenges involved.
I try to be entertaining because if f I employed only adult forms of distance and irony to my subject matter, few kids would want to make the journey with me. I try to "be" my audience, in snarkiness, rebelliousness, passion, intensity, humor, and attraction to all that causes snickering. I'm senstive to the difference between how kids are and how we (adlults) want them to be. I work at the "are" level on the theory that this acknowledgement and approval is a more enduring gift than a wishing away of true and hard realities.
Cheryl Renee Herbsman: I knew that my book was YA when I was writing it. I think the teen years are such an intense part of life, an era that stays with you always in some way or another. It’s a time that’s so tumultuous. It never ceases to draw me in. So I write with a mind to my inner teen. And I still love reading YA. So I don’t think of it as writing only for teens, just the teen within all of us.
Kathryn Fitzmaurice: I wrote The Year the Swallows Came Early with 9-12 years old in mind right from the beginning. I remember I had to drop out of my adult book club because the adult books we were reading were messing up my "child" voice! These days, I try to fit in adult books when I can but typically read mostly middle grade novels.
Sydney Salter: I do write with an age group in mind--I think it's important to get
the character's voice right even in a first draft.
Joy Preble: I always knew that Dreaming Anastasia was a YA novel since Anne is sixteen and in high school. But beyond that, high school is the period of time I associate with some of my more intense experiences and emotions so I guess that's why YA just seemed a good fit for me.
Edith M. Hemingway: I don't write with a specific age in mind, but I do try to write the type of story I would have been drawn into at the age I fell in love with reading. My editor has never told me I need to simplify or complicate the voice, so I guess I'm hitting the right median.
Ann Haywood Leal: I don't think I ever start with the audience in mind--I always start with a story, and the audience hopefully follows! I naturally gravitate toward higher MG and lower YA--maybe because the books that continue to be my favorites, the ones I read over and over again were from when I was that age. (ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT'S ME. MARGARET., THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE, FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER....) It sounds sort of cliche, but I think I may actually be writing for the 12 or 13-year-old me!
The Creature With Fangs Elfed yesterday.
My Beloved Husband Elfed yesterday.
Queen Louise Elfed yesterday.
And I did, too.
A most merry time, indeed!
Revision Tip #23
I rarely have the image systems of my books in mind when I start writing. But by the end of the first or second draft, some image (symbol for Eng lit majors) has cropped up and I realize that I can riff on that symbol throughout the book to tell the larger story. In a subtle way, I hope.
In SPEAK, it was the image of the tree. There was only one mention of it in the early drafts. When I realized the power of it, I wrote in all the art class scenes, and made the tree into a year-long project for her.
WINTERGIRLS was interesting. The first paragraph of the first draft of the book was this:
"The crows stalk me, wings folded neatly behind them, hungry yellow weighing my soft spots. They circle around me once, twice, three times, claws scarring the stone floor of the church.
I curl up on the frozen altar. They flutter close, black feathers filling my mouth and eyes and ears."
I really don't know where that came from; I just wrote it down, plus a bunch of other stuff. The reference to the "frozen altar" is what got me thinking about ancient religions and mythology, which in turn led me to ponder if there was a mythological story within Lia's story. Of course there was: the story of Persephone. That became a central image system for the book, with references to pomegranate seeds and the death that is winter, along with mother/goddess figure at her wits end, trying to pull her daughter back from the grasp of hell.
(For the record - that opening paragraph wound up migrating to page 264. It fits much better there.)
Is there a small detail in your draft that could be expanded into a central image system?
My Beloved Husband Elfed yesterday.
Queen Louise Elfed yesterday.
And I did, too.
A most merry time, indeed!
Revision Tip #23
I rarely have the image systems of my books in mind when I start writing. But by the end of the first or second draft, some image (symbol for Eng lit majors) has cropped up and I realize that I can riff on that symbol throughout the book to tell the larger story. In a subtle way, I hope.
In SPEAK, it was the image of the tree. There was only one mention of it in the early drafts. When I realized the power of it, I wrote in all the art class scenes, and made the tree into a year-long project for her.
WINTERGIRLS was interesting. The first paragraph of the first draft of the book was this:
"The crows stalk me, wings folded neatly behind them, hungry yellow weighing my soft spots. They circle around me once, twice, three times, claws scarring the stone floor of the church.
I curl up on the frozen altar. They flutter close, black feathers filling my mouth and eyes and ears."
I really don't know where that came from; I just wrote it down, plus a bunch of other stuff. The reference to the "frozen altar" is what got me thinking about ancient religions and mythology, which in turn led me to ponder if there was a mythological story within Lia's story. Of course there was: the story of Persephone. That became a central image system for the book, with references to pomegranate seeds and the death that is winter, along with mother/goddess figure at her wits end, trying to pull her daughter back from the grasp of hell.
(For the record - that opening paragraph wound up migrating to page 264. It fits much better there.)
Is there a small detail in your draft that could be expanded into a central image system?
Exactly four years ago, I sold my first book to Simon & Schuster, and I wrote this in my journal:
If I had to say my greatest wish, for myself at least, it would be exactly what I’m doing now: working with a wonderful agent, getting the opportunity to work with an editor at a major publishing house. To know I’m going to be published: I feel like I am accomplishing the thing I was meant to all along.
The book that I knew was going to be published was SINCERELY, SOPHIE, originally slated for publication in early 2008. Then a bunch of things happened – my editor resigned, I was assigned a new editor, I wrote a couple more books – and the publication date for SINCERELY, SOPHIE was pushed back a bit.
Teen had two friends over last night. At 6 a.m. I realized they were still awake. I had to insist they go to sleep. They were teaching themselves how to count cards. Yes, Teen has a future in Vegas.
Meanwhile, I am on day five of being sick. The days are tolerable, but at night I can't sleep. First it was my throat hurting, now it's a non-stop tickle cough. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open. Last night I tried sleeping with a cough drop in my mouth, frequent drinks of water, tenting the blankets over my head, and sometime in the middle of the night, a stiff gin and tonic.
I got maybe a total of two hours of sleep, in increments of five or ten minutes.
Meanwhile, I am on day five of being sick. The days are tolerable, but at night I can't sleep. First it was my throat hurting, now it's a non-stop tickle cough. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open. Last night I tried sleeping with a cough drop in my mouth, frequent drinks of water, tenting the blankets over my head, and sometime in the middle of the night, a stiff gin and tonic.
I got maybe a total of two hours of sleep, in increments of five or ten minutes.
May We Always Believe
by Lisa Schroeder, Dec. 2005
’Twas the week before Christmas
and with so much to do,
not a Schroeder was sleeping.
They were frazzled, it’s true.
The cookies weren’t baked
and the gifts weren’t yet bought.
But with Target dot com,
surely all was not lost.
The boys topped their lists with
Nintendo DS!
Mom’s heart started racing
from Extreme Price Tag Stress.
“Why do you need that?”
Mom tried to outwit.
“You have a fine Gameboy.”
“But the new games don’t FIT!”
“Santa will bring them,”
G said, “Yes he will!”
Dad nodded and smiled
while Mom felt quite ill.
Visions of Kirby
danced in the boys’ heads,
as they drifted to sleep
in their warm, comfy beds.
“How did we get here?”
Mom asked with a sigh.
“What happened to dump trucks,
and to blocks built so high?”
Just for a moment,
Dad closed his brown eyes.
“They grow up so fast.
It’s been quite a surprise.”
“Wait!” Mom exclaimed.
“Did you hear what G said?
SANTA WILL BRING THEM!
This is nothing to dread!”
When Christmas Day came,
Santa left quite a loot.
He ate all the cookies,
left a mark with his boot.
“I told you, I told you!”
G squealed with joy.
Mom and Dad wiped their tears
at the sight of their boy.
“Will you always believe,
in that old Santa Claus?”
“I will!” answered G,
without nearly a pause.
Big brother S
well, he didn’t say much.
Except, “Santa’s great.”
Ah, what a nice touch.
And so Mom and Dad
watched the day, what a thrill.
And they found themselves wishing
time would stop. Just stand still.
Thank you, dear Lord,
for good girls and boys.
May we always believe,
and know life’s greatest joys.
***
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!!
Wishing you peace, love and joy.
~Lisa
by Lisa Schroeder, Dec. 2005
’Twas the week before Christmas
and with so much to do,
not a Schroeder was sleeping.
They were frazzled, it’s true.
The cookies weren’t baked
and the gifts weren’t yet bought.
But with Target dot com,
surely all was not lost.
The boys topped their lists with
Nintendo DS!
Mom’s heart started racing
from Extreme Price Tag Stress.
“Why do you need that?”
Mom tried to outwit.
“You have a fine Gameboy.”
“But the new games don’t FIT!”
“Santa will bring them,”
G said, “Yes he will!”
Dad nodded and smiled
while Mom felt quite ill.
Visions of Kirby
danced in the boys’ heads,
as they drifted to sleep
in their warm, comfy beds.
“How did we get here?”
Mom asked with a sigh.
“What happened to dump trucks,
and to blocks built so high?”
Just for a moment,
Dad closed his brown eyes.
“They grow up so fast.
It’s been quite a surprise.”
“Wait!” Mom exclaimed.
“Did you hear what G said?
SANTA WILL BRING THEM!
This is nothing to dread!”
When Christmas Day came,
Santa left quite a loot.
He ate all the cookies,
left a mark with his boot.
“I told you, I told you!”
G squealed with joy.
Mom and Dad wiped their tears
at the sight of their boy.
“Will you always believe,
in that old Santa Claus?”
“I will!” answered G,
without nearly a pause.
Big brother S
well, he didn’t say much.
Except, “Santa’s great.”
Ah, what a nice touch.
And so Mom and Dad
watched the day, what a thrill.
And they found themselves wishing
time would stop. Just stand still.
Thank you, dear Lord,
for good girls and boys.
May we always believe,
and know life’s greatest joys.
***
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!!
Wishing you peace, love and joy.
~Lisa
Stick Man and Christmas Book Picks by Esme Raji Codell from The Planet Esme Plan. Peek: "if I could have one Christmahanukwanzaakah wish, it would be that children's books wouldn't go out of print quite so quickly, and publishers would back artists instead of titles." Read a Cynsations interview with Esme.Agent Lauren Macleod Strothman Agency by Kathleen Temean. Peek: "Looking for: Contemporary YA & MG, narrative nonfiction for young adults, graphic novels, YA Dystopian with strong world-building..."
An Interview with Rabbi Jacobs from Jewish Books for Children with Author Barbara Bietz. Peek: "The Two Kings book series actually evolved from a play we performed for many years in front of tens of thousands of youth in Israel."
An Interview with Marilyn Singer from Children's Author David L. Harrison's Blog. Peek: "Poems to me are about capturing moments in time, answering questions I ask myself, exploring emotions I feel, or, if I’m writing narrative poems, capturing the essence of characters. They're also about playing with language in ways that are impossible to attempt in prose." See also Marilyn on What Makes a Good Young Picture Book? and What Makes a Good Poem? and What Is a Short Story?Children's Books: Alarmingly Bright Futures by Rich Cohen from the New York Times Sunday Book Review. Peek: "The book, which explains the whys and hows of Day-Glo and is illustrated with tremendous Pop Art verve, began with [Chris] Barton's perusal of The New York Times’s obituary page, proving that the dead really do tell the best tales." Read a Cynsations interview with author Chris Barton.
17 Reasons Book Manuscripts are Rejected by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen from Quips and Tips for Successful Writers. Peek: "These 17 reasons book manuscripts are rejected are from a panel of editors, literary agents, and publishers at the Surrey International Writers' Conference in British Columbia, Canada."
Holiday Survival Guide for Introverts by R.L. LaFevers from Shrinking Violet Promotions. Peek: "If your time is too frazzled to actually make progress on your manuscript, consider personal journaling or maybe even character journaling."
Steal These Books by Margo Rabb from the New York Times Sunday Book Review. Peek: "At BookPeople in Austin, titles displayed with staff recommendation cards are a darling among thieves. 'It's so bad lately that I feel like our staff recommendation cards should read: 'BookPeople Bookseller recommends that you steal ________.' Apparently the criminal element in Austin shares our literary tastes, or are very prone to suggestion," Elizabeth Jordan, the head book buyer, wrote in an e-mail message." Read a Cynsations interview with Margo.Attention Shoppers
Books Make Great Gifts from IndieBound. Find Austin Children's-YA Authors & Illustrators at IndieBound. See also my IndieBound page.
Shades of the Season by Kelly Starling Lyons from the Brown Bookshelf. Peek: "...what if you're looking for a tale that celebrates the season and African-American culture? Here are 10 picture books to consider adding to your holiday book list that salute Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's Day." See a video below, celebrating Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport, illustrated by Marion Eldridge (Albert Whitman, 2007).
Check out this book trailer for Fallen by Lauren Kate (Delacorte, 2009), suggested to fans of Eternal (Candlewick, 2009). Note: more on Fallen in 2010.
More Personally
Look for the paperback edition of Eternal (Feb. 2010) in the spring-summer 2010 Candlewick Press catalog! See page 108.
A Gift for Readers and Writers by JoAnn Early Macken from Teaching Authors: Six Children's Authors Who Also Teach Writing. Note: JoAnn kindly recommends my main website. Peek: "The massive Children’s & YA Literature Resources section includes interviews, bibliographies, and links to additional valuable resources: information about censorship, diversity, children’s book experts, guides for readers and teachers, state and national awards, recommended books, and writing for children and teenagers."
Look for the illustrated reader's theater, "A Real-Live Blond Cherokee," adapted by Christy Damio, on pages 4 to 9 in the Nov. 9 to Nov. 23, 2009 issue of Scholastic Action Magazine.
The reader's theater is an adaptation of my YA short story "A Real-Live Blond Cherokee and His Equally Annoyed Soul Mate," which appeared in Moccasin Thunder: American Indian Stories for Today, edited by Lori Marie Carlson (HarperCollins, 2005).
Thanks to Christy for asking great questions and thoughtfully applying my answers. It's a treat, too, to see these YA short story characters brought to life in the illustrations. I'm especially loving the Wonder Woman boots and cowboy boots up front in the first one.
I've been busy revising Blessed (Candlewick, Feb. 2011), trying to get as much done as possible before leaving for the Vermont College of Fine Arts winter residency. Sometimes I move around the house to get a new perspective. Here's my set up earlier this week in the guest room, with Mercury (gray kitty) and Blizzard (white kitty).
Meanwhile, Greg was working on a novel of his own down in the kitchen. Aren't those bangs hilarious in this picture?
But just because we're busy doesn't mean that there's no seasonal cheer to be found. Cynsations will be taking a brief holiday hiatus and resume posting on Dec. 28.But first, here's a peek inside my house. Below is one of my newest ornaments, created by children's book illustrator Joy Fisher Hein--an angel kitty reading a book (does she know me or what?). The rest are self-explanatory. Enjoy and happy holidays!
Giveaway Reminder
Enter to win one of three signed copies of Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott (Marshall Cavendish, 2009), one of three copies of The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein by Libby Schmais (Delacorte, 2009), and/or one of three signed copies of Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo by Greg Leitich Smith (Little, Brown, 2005)!To enter, email me (scroll and click envelope) with your name and snail/street mail address and type "Watersmeet" and/or "The Pillow Book of Lotus Lowenstein" and/or "Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo" in the subject line (Facebook, JacketFlap, MySpace, and Twitter readers are welcome to just privately message me with the name in the header; I'll write you for contact information, if you win). Note: one copy of each book will be reserved for a teacher, librarian, or university professor of youth literature; those eligible in these categories should indicate their affiliations in the body of their entry messages. The other two will go to any Cynsations readers!
Deadline: midnight CST Dec. 31.
I came home from my writing group Monday night and smelled evergreen. While I was gone, my husband, our daughter, and her friend Zach had not only picked out a tree, brought it home, and decorated it, but did marathon wrapping, so even presents were beneath. I heard the unmistakable laughter of our friend Steve mixing with James Taylor music. Here are Em and Zach with our dog, Louis.
My husband is calling this our Fugitree as this year we decorated with Fugitiod toys that are just out, based on a comic he wrote and drew with Kevin Eastman long ago. Fugitoid has always been one of my favorite characters of theirs: a cute, sweet robot with a poignant back story. The tree was the idea of Emily, whose internship at a toy company was extended to a part-time job doing PR: she picked up some silver balls at Target to augment the glitter.
Now it’s a day of baking, with some writing and knitting by the tree. I showed Emily and Zach the first hat I ever knit. There was a stretched out “ohhhh” as the air wobbled with their trying to catch a balance between honesty and kindness. Then I took out my scarf, and they breathed in relief that truth and compassion weren't so spread apart: “THAT’S nice.” Okay the hat, which you may note is not pictured. I’m not claiming it as a thing of beauty, but it’s recognizable as something that goes on a head. And a reminder that we learn by our mistakes, even though, hey, I already remembered that. The hat marked the end knitting class, but as we left yesterday we said we hoped to see each other in what the yarn shop calls drop-ins, but I referred to as Knitting Rehab. Emily wants a Harry Potter scarf and I bought the yarn yesterday for her okay on Gryffindor colors.
Onward to baking, and slipping in writing during quiet moments. And reveling in having family around. (But why isn’t Liz in Massachusetts? And Ben and Kelly, we hope to see you and Ian soon!) Happy holidays to all my friends!
My husband is calling this our Fugitree as this year we decorated with Fugitiod toys that are just out, based on a comic he wrote and drew with Kevin Eastman long ago. Fugitoid has always been one of my favorite characters of theirs: a cute, sweet robot with a poignant back story. The tree was the idea of Emily, whose internship at a toy company was extended to a part-time job doing PR: she picked up some silver balls at Target to augment the glitter.
Now it’s a day of baking, with some writing and knitting by the tree. I showed Emily and Zach the first hat I ever knit. There was a stretched out “ohhhh” as the air wobbled with their trying to catch a balance between honesty and kindness. Then I took out my scarf, and they breathed in relief that truth and compassion weren't so spread apart: “THAT’S nice.” Okay the hat, which you may note is not pictured. I’m not claiming it as a thing of beauty, but it’s recognizable as something that goes on a head. And a reminder that we learn by our mistakes, even though, hey, I already remembered that. The hat marked the end knitting class, but as we left yesterday we said we hoped to see each other in what the yarn shop calls drop-ins, but I referred to as Knitting Rehab. Emily wants a Harry Potter scarf and I bought the yarn yesterday for her okay on Gryffindor colors.
Onward to baking, and slipping in writing during quiet moments. And reveling in having family around. (But why isn’t Liz in Massachusetts? And Ben and Kelly, we hope to see you and Ian soon!) Happy holidays to all my friends!
Yesterday's Urban Dictionary word of the day was santaclaustrophobia , a fear of too many Santa Clauses. Too many. As in more than one. But, but...you say. It's true, there are singular Santas that can be quite frightening. Like here and here and here. But that's not what we're talking about with santaclaustrophobia. We're talking red suits and white beards galore. Jolly, jolly times a thousand. Sound like just the stuff of nightmares? No, no. Take a look:
Santa Con!! Wikipedia explains this nonsensical event here. Santa Con happens in many big cities usually around the 10th of December.
The above pics are from Santa Con NYC--taken a few years ago. Though I was also lucky enough to catch it this year on my way out from critique group. I love, love, love, love Santa Con. Almost as much as I love reuniting with my NYC critique group, but not quite. Because you gotta admit the awesomeness of a ladybug reunion is well, darn near jolly overload. Now that I live in Boston, I take the bus to NYC every few weeks for critique group. It rocks. So much that if I asked them to, they would dress up as Santa for me so I could get my fix. Ladybugs, Santa can have wings!!
Because whatever the opposite of santaclaustrophobia is, I have that. Get a pile of Santas in the room, and Edith jolliness will occur. 2010 resolution, attend Santa Con as actual Santa. Ideally as a Santa with a book deal. 'Cause you know, top of the resolution list is to kick the pre off my pre-published status. Kick it to the curb! Thunk. So, who's in? Who wants to be a Santa with a book deal?
Santa Con!! Wikipedia explains this nonsensical event here. Santa Con happens in many big cities usually around the 10th of December.
The above pics are from Santa Con NYC--taken a few years ago. Though I was also lucky enough to catch it this year on my way out from critique group. I love, love, love, love Santa Con. Almost as much as I love reuniting with my NYC critique group, but not quite. Because you gotta admit the awesomeness of a ladybug reunion is well, darn near jolly overload. Now that I live in Boston, I take the bus to NYC every few weeks for critique group. It rocks. So much that if I asked them to, they would dress up as Santa for me so I could get my fix. Ladybugs, Santa can have wings!!
Because whatever the opposite of santaclaustrophobia is, I have that. Get a pile of Santas in the room, and Edith jolliness will occur. 2010 resolution, attend Santa Con as actual Santa. Ideally as a Santa with a book deal. 'Cause you know, top of the resolution list is to kick the pre off my pre-published status. Kick it to the curb! Thunk. So, who's in? Who wants to be a Santa with a book deal?
Tonight I will be sending out the new issue of the Growing Bookworms email newsletter. (If you would like to subscribe, you can find a sign-up form here.) The Growing Bookworms newsletter contains content from my blog focused on children's books and raising readers. It is sent out once every two weeks (if you are getting daily Feedblitz updates, you might prefer to sign up for the Growing Bookworms newsletter instead, and only receive one email every two weeks). There are currently 986 subscribers.
Newsletter Update: In this relatively short issue I have two book reviews (one middle grade and one young adult), one children's literacy round-up and two posts with Kidlitosphere news. At Booklights, I have a new installment in my Tips for Growing Bookworms series (a recommendation to visit bookstores and libraries) and a post with additional literacy links.
Reading Update: In the past two weeks, I read four middle grade and one young adult titles:- Frances Hodgson Burnett (ill. Tasha Tudor): A Little Princess. HarperCollins. Completed December 12, 2009. One of my all-time favorites...
- Inez Haynes Irwin: Maida's Little Shop. BiblioLife. Completed December 15, 2009. The Maida books are also childhood favorites (the holidays put me in a nostalgic mood). I'm not sure how well these books would hold up for new, modern readers (this one is more than 100 years old), but I love them.
- Inez Haynes Irwin: Maida's Little House. Kessinger Publishing. Completed December 17, 2009.
- Emily Diamand: Raider's Ransom. Scholastic. Completed December 21, 2009. My review.
- John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances. Speak. Completed December 11, 2009. My review.
I wish you all a peaceful and book-filled holiday. Thanks for reading the newsletter, and for growing bookworms!
© 2009 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. All Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, and may result in my receiving a small commission on purchases (with no additional cost to you).
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