Brooklyn Arden

SCBWI Winter Conference Links Roundup & Submissions Guidelines

2012-01-29T10:39:00.001-05:00

Whew! I had a terrific time teaching at the SCBWI Winter Conference yesterday. In my presentation, I mentioned or included links to the following:

Wordle and the Word Frequency Counter
Pinterest for image collecting
A Character Questionnaire and the quote, "The main reason for rewriting is not to achieve a smooth surface, but to discover the inner truth of your characters," said by Saul Bellow
My Plot Checklist. If you don't have Second Sight, you can get a sense of what most of the terms mean from my talk "The Essentials of Plot."
My thumbnails template
Justine Larbalestier's very useful, funny, and smart post on writing a novel and spreadsheet information tracking
J. K. Rowling's plot chart for a portion of Order of the Phoenix
Anita Nolan's always-excellent article on outlining, "The End Is Only the Beginning"
The Arthur A. Levine Books website
The Scholastic website
Our neat new YA website, Thisisteen.com

Because two sessions of my presentation didn't leave time for any questions, I told participants that they could send general questions about writing, revision, editing, publishing, etc. to my website e-mail address, chavela_que at yahoo dot com. I will collect these questions through February 14, then answer ten of them here on my blog shortly afterward. If you're sending a question, please put the number of revision techniques covered in my workshop in your subject line, so I know you were actually at the session, and include your name with your question in the body of the e-mail. Thanks.

I also said that I would announce my submissions guidelines here once I had figured them out -- and I now have! If you were in one of my sessions, you may submit to me in the following manner:

You can see my general "What I'm Looking For" at the Submissions page on my website. I will add to that I tend to acquire far more novels than picture books, and my list is pretty stuffed with great YA right now, so I'd love to find some more great middle-grade to balance it out. That doesn't mean I don't want to see terrific picture books or YA if it seems right for me! I encourage you to check out the Books page on my website and the "Books I Edit" label to the right to see more about the kinds of things I publish.
Writers who attended my sessions may submit one manuscript within the next six months.
When that time comes, open up a new e-mail to CBKEdit at gmail dot com. Up until this point, I have accepted unsolicited submissions solely through the post, but I decided this was a great opportunity to experiment with e-mail submissions. (Alas for the U. S. Postal Service, denying them one more source of support...) If I like it, I may continue to use it for future conferences or even general unsolicited submissions, but right now, these guidelines apply to the SCBWI Winter Conference only. Agented submissions should continue to go to my work address.
At the beginning of each of my sessions, I listed three key principles we work toward in revision. Put one of these principles in the subject line, followed by the title of your manuscript and your name. That is how I will know you actually attended my sessions. (I gave those of you in my third workshop a code word; you can put that code word in place of the principle if you like, but either works.) If you do not include a correct principle or code word in the subject line, your e-mail will be deleted unread.
In the body of the e-mail, please include the following elements in this order:

Your name
The title of the manuscript
The format/age/genre of the manuscript. To keep this simple, include any of these options as appropriate: Picture Book / Easy Reader / Chapter Book / Middle-Grade / Young Adult / Nonfiction / Fantasy / Mystery / Romance / Paranormal / Historical / Poetry
Your query letter, including your contact information, and a flap-copy-like summary of the work as a whole.
A portion of the manuscript as follows:

Picture Book: complete text
Novel (whatever age): the first chapter
Nonfiction / Poetry Collection / Etc.: the first ten pages

If you are an author-illustrator with a picture book text that you want to illustrate, I suggest any of the following methods: (a) paste the full text here, then include one sample illustration in the body of the e-mail; (b) paste the full text here, then put a link to your website in the query letter so I can see your style; (c) if you have a full dummy available online, simply include a link in your query -- no need to paste in the text.

I am able to read HTML submissions, which will retain manuscript formatting; I am also able to read plain text, whichever you send and prefer. Please do not send attachments. I do not care about any formatting questions beyond the inclusion of the elements above in the order I specified them, so please don't ask them.
You will receive an automatic reply letting you know your manuscript has been received. It says that you will get a response within six months, and I will do my best to keep to that. I have often failed to stay within these expectations in the past, which I regret, but I'm doing the best I can.
As with my submissions through the regular mail, if I am interested, I will send you some personal response; if not, you will receive a form letter. Due to the demands created by the many manuscripts I receive and edit, I will not be able to correspond further than this if I am not interested.

Thank you for attending my sessions, and your interest in sharing your manuscript with me.

Editorial Palavering: Martha Mihalick, Editor at Greenwillow Books / HarperColllins

2012-01-26T07:14:00.001-05:00

(Second in an extremely occasional series of interviews with my editorial friends and colleagues.)

1. How did you come to be a children's books editor? What were the biggest lessons in your editorial education, or what are three of your guiding editorial principles now?

I realized that children's book editor was a job sometime around sophomore year of college. I was looking around publisher websites for internship possibilities, and came across a description for an editorial assistant in a children's division. And I instantly knew that THAT was what I wanted to do when I graduated. So, two years later, during the summer right after graduation, I attended the University of Denver Publishing Institute, and patiently waited all month for the children's book lecture, which was given by Virginia Duncan, Greenwillow's publisher. Very fortunately for me, I got to talk to Virginia, and she was just beginning her search for a new editorial assistant at that time. And now I've been at Greenwillow for ten years!

Biggest lessons...hmm. Every day I learn something new, either from one of my colleagues or one of our authors! So perhaps the biggest lesson in my editorial education is that in the creative process everyone has to be open to continuing to learn.

Before I was in publishing, I also never realized just how important the page turn is. In picture books, it's a huge part of the pacing and build of the story, of course. But even in novels, that turn from end of chapter to beginning of chapter is important. Another big lesson is that it isn't necessarily an editor's job to know HOW to fix a problem in a story, but to know WHAT needs to be fixed.

2. What kind of books do you do these days? (All picture books or all novels?) What are some common themes or ideas or motifs that run through books you acquire? How might those connect to your childhood reading or your own life?

Lately I have been acquiring mostly novels, but at Greenwillow, we all get to work on every book in some way, so I also see a lot of picture books every day. I love having the wide range of books to work on, and the fact that I don't have to pick one age group.

I've noticed that I'm very attracted to stories that involve significant--often heartwrenching--choices for the characters. And ones with strong friendship or sibling themes. And looking back, these do connect quite a bit to the themes that appealed to me in my childhood reading, as well. Robin McKinley's and Tamora Pierce's books were among my favorites, as were The Secret Garden, Matilda, and A Wrinkle in Time. I also seem to go for stories in which the child or teenager discovers or creates their own spaces, away from the parents or other authority figures. There’s something very magical about that, even in books that don’t involve any actual magic.

3. What is your general editorial process like? How did you learn/develop it?

The first time I read through the manuscript, I try to do it straight through without picking up my pencil (this doesn't always work!) to get a sense of how the entire story plays out. Then I go through again, pencil in hand, jotting questions or thoughts in the margins as I go, and making notes on larger issues on another piece of paper. I use those notes to start my editorial letter, and will go back through the margin comments to pick up anything else that seems like it needs called out in the letter. Often, I'll talk to the other Greenwillowites who've had a chance to read the manuscript, and we'll discuss what we like and what we think needs attention, and I'll tweak the letter after those conversations. In later drafts, the balance usually shifts to heavier line editing and shorter letters. But every manuscript and every author are different, so the editorial process is a lot about finding the best way to work for each project.

Editing is interesting...on the one hand you're always learning, but on the other, it never feels like a process you're being taught. For the most part, I learned how to do it by because as an assistant I wrote reader's reports for the other editors, and then I was the one who xeroxed their editorial letters and marked-up manuscripts. So of course I read them as I xeroxed! A lot of it is experience, too, of course. The more manuscripts you work on, the more you know what has worked in the past and what hasn't. And there is always the instinctive part of it, too.

4. You're very involved in social media, with your own blog and Tumblr, a strong role on the Greenwillow blog, and Twitter. As an editor, what do you get out of doing that?

Social media's been a really great way to make connections with agents, other editors, and writers. I've certainly gotten submissions because of something I've mentioned on Twitter--it's been a new channel to show what my taste is. And it's been a terrific way to get to know booksellers, librarians, and bloggers, too. I love hearing them talk about books, and I learn so much about their perspective from the blogs and twitter. Added bonus? There's nothing more warm-and-fuzzy-feeling than seeing people whose opinions you respect talking positively about one of your books!

Plus everything online give us so much access to such a wide array of information, and the people I follow through various platforms introduce me to articles I might not have found on my own but find incredibly interesting.

5. I have to ask: What is it like to work with Megan Whalen Turner? And can you tell us anything at all about the next Gen book?

Well, Virginia is Megan's editor, so it's a better question for her! Megan is, of course, amazing, and I consider it a gift to have watched the last two books take shape.

I will tell you everything I know about the next Gen book: She's writing it.

6. How many hours did you work in the past week? (Include time spent editing at home or reading manuscripts.)

Cheryl, you can't honestly expect me to tally that up! That would ruin the illusion that I have a life.

7. How did you come to acquire and edit The Girl of Fire and Thorns, which was nominated for the Morris Award? Do you do a lot of debuts? What did it mean to you to have a book nominated for the Morris?

Oh, this is an exciting story! Rae Carson's agent, Holly Root, called me late one afternoon saying she had a manuscript that reminded her of Kristin Cashore and Robin McKinley. I said SEND IT OVER RIGHT NOW! Which she did. And I read it overnight. By the end of the next day, Rae and Holly had accepted our offer to publish it.

I have done a lot of debuts in the last couple years--Entwined by Heather Dixon, Mistwood by Leah Cypess, A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford were all debut novels. And there are a few more coming in the next couple years, too! It's really inspiring as an editor to help launch an author's career, and know how many more books they have in them for all of the readers out there.

Having The Girl of Fire and Thorns named a finalist for the Morris is such a thrill, and an honor. Rae is an absolutely beautiful writer and the story she has to tell took my breath away. I'm so excited to know that others felt the same way, and am beyond happy for her!

8. What book do you have coming out next, and why do you love it?

Bethany Griffin's Masque of the Red Death is coming in a few short months. It's a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe's story, and it is breathtaking. Romance, despair, a fight for hope, a little touch of steampunk, and a destroyed society--all with that gothic tone that's so delicious in Poe. It's the first of two books, and definitely not one to miss! I was completely swept up in this story; it's another that I read in basically one sitting.

Then there's The Crown of Embers, coming out next fall. That's the sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns. And let me just tell you that you can't wait.

9. What are three things you'd like to tell beginning writers / you never get to tell writers, but wish they knew / you find yourself telling writers over and over again? (Take your pick!)

I pick "tell beginning writers."

* Write the story you HAVE to tell, not the story you think someone else wants to hear.
* Don't be too stiff in your writing. Stay loose and let your voice shine. Be YOU, not "An Author." That's how you'll stay true to your originality and unique perspective.
* Writing is an art, but being an author is a job. Make sure you learn how to balance the two and always be professional in your interactions with the publishing world.

Thanks, Martha!

New Talk! "Some Observations on Electric Eels"

2012-01-24T23:42:00.000-05:00

A week or so ago on Twitter, I promised that once I crossed the five-thousand-followers mark, I'd put another of my writing talks up on my website. Here it is:

Some Observations on Electric Eels

The title comes from one of my favorite quotations ever, from the delightfully eely Dame Edith Sitwell: “I am not eccentric. It is just that I am more alive than most people. I am an unpopular electric eel set in a pond of goldfish.” To that end, it's about being an eel in a pond full of goldfish, about the ways we tell stories about eels and goldfish (because everyone thinks of themselves as an eel, no one as a goldfish), about the levels at which readers can connect to -- suture with -- characters in stories, and how to survive if you are an eel -- or a lonely kid, or a bullied one, or a writer or artist.

(What I really love about Dame Sitwell's quote is the "It is just that" -- that simple statement of fact, from her point of view, magnificently switching the locus of power over from anyone who would call her "eccentric" to herself and her own aliveness.)

Hope you enjoy!

Revision Techniques: Anything to Share?

2012-01-22T20:30:00.000-05:00

I'll be speaking this Saturday at SCBWI National on Revision, giving a yet-again-revised version of my talk "Twenty-Five* Revision Techniques *(Subject to Revision)," which also appears in Second Sight. (If you're signed up for the session and you also have Second Sight, yes, it involves more than what you can read in the book, and will thus still be worth your time.) I feel pretty good about the talk, but I'm curious:

Those of you who have read Second Sight or heard me give this speech: Which techniques did you actually try? Which were useful to you? Which were duds? (This will help me to know which to keep and which to cut this round.)
Anyone: What's your process? What strategies or techniques are most useful to you in revising these days? Any you'd like to share? (Fair warning: If an idea sounds good to me, I may use it. But I will credit you, I promise.)

Thank you very much for the feedback, on both fronts.

A Quick Ramble: The Power of Young Adult Reading

2012-01-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year-old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs. -- John Rogers

I saw this quote in the comments on Ta-Nehisi Coates's blog this morning (in a post on Ron Paul, for context), and wanted to throw it up here to save because it ties to one of my pet theories: that the book you fall in love with between the ages of twelve and fourteen has a defining effect on the entire rest of your life. For me it was Pride and Prejudice, and I've written before about where that's gotten me now. (The quote above is very male, I have to observe. And I bet a lot of people in their twenties now would say simply "Harry Potter.") Did you all have a book like this when you were a young teenager? What was it, and how has it played out in your life since?

I also went through an Ayn Rand phase, actually, where I loved Anthem and The Fountainhead, though I never quite got around to Atlas Shrugged. I never believed in the books' economic or cultural theories, partly because I spent nearly every Sunday morning of the prior sixteen years in church, and Jesus's words about loving your neighbor were planted far deeper in my consciousness than Ms. Rand's screeds against it. (I read The Fountainhead on a youth-group mission trip, which is probably the single most ironic place possible to read an Ayn Rand novel.) But her ideas about identity and self-knowledge and self-reliance had a major effect on me -- for instance, that "To say 'I love you,' one must first be able to say the 'I'": that concept that it was important to have your own strong, whole sense of self before you could truly commit that self to another person. And also the idea of work as a basis for and expression of identity . . . Both of these things spoke powerfully to my burgeoning feminist intellectual self. I have no use for most of the rest of what she's written, and I'd doubtless sniff at the prose style today (and I remember thinking, "Goodness, these speeches go on for a while" and skimming when I was sixteen), but I'm grateful to her still for in part making me who I am.

And we do teenagers too little credit sometimes, I think, in worrying that they can't filter ideology from real life as I did. But probably this depends on the teenager. And I can't explore that idea in more depth now because I am, in fact, running late for my lovely, liberal, love-your-neighbor church . . . Which shows you truly which idea won out.

Kidlit Drink Night at SCBWI

2012-01-17T18:44:00.002-05:00

Betsy and I are no longer running Kidlit Drink Night, but a terrific crew of whippersnappers* has taken up the banner, and they've planned a fabulous event for the upcoming New York National SCBWI Conference! To wit:

What: Kidlit Drink Night
When: Friday, January 27, at 8 p.m.
Where: The Public House at 41st and Lexington (a new location, please note)
Why: Tradition! Also fun, and by popular request.
Who: Anyone and everyone attending the conference or with an interest in children's/YA literature.

I will be speaking at National SCBWI this year, so I'll definitely be there. (And copies of Second Sight will again be available in the conference bookstore if you want to pick it up.) Come by and say hi!

* I use this word because I am old. OLD. Compared to the whippersnappers, anyway. (Also it is fun.)

Racing for the Quilt

2012-01-11T23:06:00.000-05:00

Many moons ago, I posted that my mother was collecting Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure t-shirts in order to create a breast-cancer support quilt, and I asked any blog readers who might have shirts to spare if they'd share them with her. You responded generously, and as a result, this quilt has now gone to a dear friend of my mom's who's living with the disease:

Isn't it beautiful? The shirts are, from left to right and top to bottom, from Rome, Italy (donated by Larry Litman); Chicago (Ann Gadzikowski); Denver (Jean Reidy or Hallie Tibbets); Kansas City (my mom); a Survivor shirt (unknown); Knoxville, Tennessee (Mrs. Bill Wright); Portland, Oregon (April Henry); Los Angeles County (unknown); and New York City (me). (My apologies if I'm misattributing any of the shirts here.) If you donated a shirt and you don't see it here, please know that another four shirts are going to make a lap quilt for another friend to use during chemo treatments, so those too will find their way.

Thanks so much to all of you who donated your shirts or who participate in the Komen Race or other breast-cancer fundraisers every year.... I look at this quilt and I see all the women I know who have lived with or been lost to breast cancer, including especially my mom's mom, Carol Sadler; and I see the fight continuing. Peace, strength, and warmth to you all.

Two More Things I Love about IRISES (or, A Brief Comment on Economic Diversity in YA, Women's Wanting, & Writing Across Identity)

2012-01-07T12:08:00.001-05:00

I wanted to follow up my previous post by noting two more things that make Irises extraordinary. First, I saw a blog review earlier this week that called the atmosphere of the novel, especially in the first half, "suffocating." That is true, and the reason it is suffocating is because the girls are poor. Their father was a minister in a working-class neighborhood; their mother requires ongoing major health care; their home (a rectory) is dependent upon their father, so after he dies, they're without a place to live, or any other options for support; and many of their friends prove not so much so (sometimes for reasons of Kate's own making, admittedly). Irises makes real the hard, indeed suffocating choices that people with limited financial resources are forced to make every day, which is a very rare thing in a YA fiction world that mostly focuses on teenagers in the middle class or above.

Second, I think my mouth fell open when I read the following passages, from three different points in the book:

"I always knew you had a selfish side, but I didn’t know how bad it was. It’s not just me. You’re going to go away and leave your sister with your mother? You don’t think that’s selfish? Why this place Stanford? You can pursue your dream of being a doctor here. Do you give a damn about anybody other than yourself?”
     Kate listened to Simon without responding. He wasn’t telling her anything new. She had questioned herself endlessly about whether her desire to go to Stanford was selfish and she had never been able to resolve the question. Every time she thought about it she became more confused.

Mary wanted to remind Aunt Julia that just a few seconds before she had thought Kate “capable,” but maybe you could be capable and selfish at the same time. She remembered all the moments when she thought Kate was selfish: when she told Mary she had to give up her hour of studio after school, when Mary found out she was going away to college. Now that feeling came to her again, but more confusingly: Was Kate selfish, or was it Mary who was being selfish, wanting Kate to give up what she cherished most? And Aunt Julia? Was she the one who was selfish, wanting Kate to marry Simon so that they’d be off of her hands? This selfishness thing was very hard to figure out.

Kate looked at her hands. Then, raising her eyes, she said, “Am I selfish for wanting to go to Stanford?”
     “I don’t know. Are you?”
     “I promised Mother that I would be a doctor. I even promised her that I would go to Stanford. She wanted me to go there.”
     “You know,” he stopped to swallow his coffee, “I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I have a good idea of how your father was with you. I’ve seen it many times before. Fathers like yours want a household where everyone is a saint, and a saint always sacrifices her interests for others. Saints are taught to think that wanting to go to the best college or wanting to have a high-paying job is a kind of ambition that God forbids. You’re not selfish because you want to go away to Stanford."

What stunned me about this was that, as a woman, I wrestle with the idea of selfishness all the time, and I know many of my girlfriends do too: how much time, energy, and money we give to our jobs, our partners, our families, or our other commitments, vs. how much we keep for our selves, especially our secret selves -- the ones that want, hungrily, a big dream or frivolous shoes or time to write. It can be very, very hard for women even to admit we have those wants, much less to say, as Kate does, "I want to go to Stanford," and then to insist upon that dream even in the face of difficulty for other people. (The girls live in El Paso.) And having someone affirm the righteousness of the want -- "You're not selfish because you want to go away to Stanford" . . . In a wholly egalitarian world, women wouldn't need permission for or affirmation of their desires; but in the world we live in now, holy crap, that feels important and satisfying. (In fact, I think this is becoming one of the most important markers in a romance these days -- #5, 6, 11 and 12 in this list, maybe, in the specific form where the hero sees, understands, and supports the heroine's ambition, whatever it is.)

I have to say -- obviously speaking hugely generally, as I already am -- that men seem to take wanting, and getting or taking what they want, much more for granted, and the idea of selfishness is not as much of a preoccupation for them. And yet Francisco introduced this idea in Irises, and explored it in a depth that I've never seen from even a female writer, which is what astonished me so much. This is why I will never say "A X writer cannot write a Y character," where X and Y are two different genders, races, cultures, economic backgrounds, etc., because it is possible for it to be done well, as Trent Reedy also proved earlier this year. But it absolutely requires the writer to approach that difference with humility, respect, the willingness to listen and to let go of preconceived notions, all his/her observational skills and insights . . . all in service of making the Y character as human, real, and round -- as flawed and as worthy of love -- as the X person the writer already is. And I'm proud Francisco achieved that here with Kate and Mary, just as he had with Marcelo, Pancho, and D.Q.

Behind the Book: IRISES by Francisco X. Stork

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, the ARCs of Francisco Stork's latest novel, Irises, went out with the letter below. It's about the best introduction I can give the book, I think, so I decided I'd just reproduce it here. . . . Irises is in stores starting January 2012 (and there have already been sightings in the wild), and Francisco will be at ALA in Dallas later this month. Thank you for reading it, if you do.

Dear Friend,

As Francisco X. Stork’s editor, I often face a unique challenge: how to summarize the stories of his extraordinary novels without making them sound totally cheesy. “A young man with Asperger’s syndrome investigates the meaning of suffering”? It seems unlikely, but that was Marcelo in the Real World, which became one of the most acclaimed YA novels of the past few years. “A cancer patient and a boy planning a murder become friends”? Oh, please—but The Last Summer of the Death Warriors just won ALAN’s Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. In both cases, the marvelous reality and honesty of Francisco’s characters, his fine, spare writing, and his bravery in probing these profound spiritual topics resulted in novels that were so much more than the summaries of their plots, and were embraced by critics and readers alike.

And now you’re holding Irises, in which—deep breath—“Two very different sisters must deal with the death of their father and the life of their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state.” “But wait!” I want to grab you and say, because again it’s about so much more than that: Kate has ambition and dreams and drive, but how does she weigh the needs of her deepest self against her responsibility to her family? Mary is an artist because she can’t be anything else, but what can she do when she’s lost her own light? Both girls wrestle with the weight of love, for each other, for their mother, and for the three very (very) different young men in their lives. And while none of this is easy, Kate and Mary are so real, our sympathy for them so deep, that this ultimately becomes a book about connection more than division, and about finding new depths of love, vision, and sacrifice.

I believe that Irises will speak not just to Francisco’s many fans in the YA community, but to lovers of books like My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult or The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: novels about young women facing life-and-death decisions, for people they love and for themselves. And in these fast-paced times, I truly appreciate you picking up a book that goes beyond easy summary to the very heart of our human dilemmas . . . which sounds cheesy, I know, but what can I do? It’s Francisco X. Stork, and it’s wonderful.

Thank you again for reading Irises, and for sharing it with your fellow readers.

With all best wishes,

Cheryl Klein
Senior Editor

Five Quotes, Three Announcements, and One Link

2011-12-18T22:31:00.000-05:00

"Power always thinks it has a great soul." -- John Quincy Adams

“Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political and economic change. . . . What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love.” -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"It is a delicious thing to write, to be no longer yourself but to move in an entire universe of your own creating. Today, for instance, as man and woman, both lover and mistress, I rode in a forest on an autumn afternoon under the yellow leaves, and I was also the horses, the leaves, the wind, the words my people uttered, even the red sun that made them almost close their love-drowned eyes." -- Gustave Flaubert

"In writing, punctuation plays the role of body language. It helps readers hear you the way you want to be heard." -- Russell Baker

"'The cat sat on the mat' is not a story. 'The cat sat on the other cat's mat' is a story." -- John LeCarre

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1. The winners of the StarCrossed/Liar's Moon/Second Sight giveaways were Lindsay Mead, Rachel Stark, Cathy C. Hall, Pat Esden, and Leslie Jordan. For those of you interested in giveaway strategy, both Cathy and Lindsay took full advantage of the opportunity to enter multiple times, and it clearly paid off for them. Congratulations to all!

2. If you live in New York and you're interested in supporting the Occupy movement: My awesome church, Park Slope United Methodist, is housing protesters in the sanctuary each night, and we're looking for volunteers to sleep overnight there as hosts. (You do not have to attend the church to volunteer.) I did it on Thursday, and it was actually quite lovely -- not the most sleep I've ever gotten, certainly, but an opportunity to chat with some really interesting people devoted to building a better world, in their very particular way, and to give them a place to lay their heads, as the carol goes. If you'd be up for it, e-mail me at the address on my website and I'll put you in touch with the coordinator.

(My friend Rachel, being mischievous, asked me if we would put up Tea Party people as well should they ask for shelter; and I'd like to think we would, though I also think most Tea Partiers would be too horrified by my church to want to shelter there. A soup kitchen, an all-inclusive marriage policy, a Christmas pageant that included "Occupy Bethlehem" jokes, an emphasis on social and economic justice . . . The Koch brothers' heads would implode! (I admit the glee I take in that idea is neither particularly welcoming nor becoming. It's a process.))

3. Registration opens on December 22 for my March 3, 2012 Master Class on Plot in Spokane, Washington, via SCBWI Inland Empire. Details: here.

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Finally, if you saw "Breaking Dawn," you also need to see this: "Breaking Dawn" in 15 Minutes.

Behind the Book: Three Things Writers Can Learn from Liar's Moon, Part III

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Again: If you are here for the giveaway, scroll on down!
If you are here because you're interested in the $2.99 e-book of StarCrossed, yay you! Click here for details about where to buy it.
And if you are here for writing craft stuff, read on.

3. Recognize the Power of a Damn Good Outline.

As anyone who’s read Second Sight knows, I love a good outline (or a bookmap, as I call them there), and as pretty much all of my authors know, I am sort of insane about using them. That’s because an outline allows you both to see the action of an entire book laid out in just a few pages, and to break down how that action and the characters involved are developing scene by scene . . . what's changing, what’s not feeling necessary, what maybe should be added, how I as a reader am reacting to the characters and events as we go along. Sometimes I will ask authors to outline their book at the same time I’m doing it, and it’s always fascinating to compare what I as a reader am taking away from each chapter versus what they see in it.

Anyway, because the narrative structure of Liar’s Moon was so complex, I ended up outlining it in four different ways at various stages in the process, and I thought it might interest you all to see those various drafts. In the first one, my Basic Bookmap, I outlined the events in detail in the order in which they unfolded in the plot, in which Chapter 2 was described like this:

Ch. 2/11 – Durrel helps her clean up. He’s there because they think he murdered his wife Talth Ceid by a poison called Tincture of the Moon. Only people against him = Talth’s family. Account of murder night on p. 17. Raffin Taradyce has joined the Acolyte Guard. Someone has bailed Digger out, and she leaves. Durrel asks her to take a message to his father.

(The “11” was the page number on which the chapter started.) That helped me wrap my head around the basic events of the book, and I made notes in bullet points underneath or sometimes within those descriptions. The first draft of this outline is just for me, but later, after I’ve processed all my reactions to the book and determined what’s most necessary and helpful for an author to hear from me at this stage, I’ll often edit both the chapter descriptions and the notes and send this outline to the author as part of an editorial letter.

Once I had the whole book in my head this way, I broke this down into my second outline, a Mini-Map with just the key events of this chapter, to wit:

2 – meets Durrel, learns about murder of Talth

A Mini-Map is useful for quick reference—answering questions like “Okay, now when did she find that dead body again?”—especially in long or plot-dense novels like this one.

The third version, the Plot Points Map: I went through and identified where each of the many mystery plots started, labeling it in bullet points and all caps under each chapter. Then I added any LIES told in the chapter, or any TRUTHS UNCOVERED, to help keep track of what Digger knew was true when; and polished it off with a SETS UP, so I knew what the reader was expecting to happen based on the action of this chapter, and I could be sure that the later action of the book followed up on that and paid it off. (I also sometimes added TO ADD if there was information we needed earlier, TO MOVE if something was going elsewhere, or TO CUT if something wasn’t feeling necessary.) That changed the look of this Chapter 2 outline to this:

2 – meets Durrel, learns about murder of Talth
    •    MYSTERY: Who killed Talth Ceid?
    •    LIES: Durrel says that he doesn’t know how the poison got into his room
    •    SETS UP: expectation that Digger will go by Charicaux and talk to Ragn
    •    UNDERSTOOD THREAT & MOTIVATION: The Ceid are out for Durrel’s blood in revenge for Talth’s death.

Finally, because this is a mystery novel, and mysteries move forward in part by digging backward, I created a chronological list of events that started a couple of years before the action of this book began—before the murder was even committed, in fact. This “Backwards Outline” chronicled all of the complex series of events leading up to the murder, and also narrated the events of the night of the murder itself. That way we could be sure that the backstory structure was sound by seeing that all of its events were there; and once that backstory structure was in place, and events arrived at the point at which the action of the book actually began, we could concentrate on when to reveal those backstory events in the frontstory for maximum effect. While revealing any of that backstory would be spoiling you for the reveals in the book itself, here’s where the action picks up with the book’s beginning:   

TWO MONTHS LATER (when the book begins)
    31.    (Ch. 1) Digger, pickpocketing, is roughed up and arrested by the King’s guards.
    32.    Taken to the King’s Keep, she is thrown into Durrel’s cell and (2) they talk about the murder.
             a.    MYSTERY: Who killed Talth Ceid?
    33.    Digger’s friend Rat bails her out (courtesy of a note attached to 50 crowns) and she leaves the Keep.
             a.    MYSTERY: Who sent the note to bail Digger out? And if this was arranged on Durrel’s behalf, who got her sent there in the first place?
    34.    (3) Digger asks Rat to track the paper of the note. (4) She decides she will investigate the murder.
             a.    Digger’s belief: Durrel is innocent; no idea about other suspects.
    35.    Digger goes to Bal Marse and finds it abandoned and empty, but with traces of magic about.
             a.    MYSTERY: How is Talth tied to magic?

Here, you can see, I started numbering the events so that it was easy to refer to them later—for instance, later in the outline, after Talth’s murderer was revealed, I noted in the outline that that SOLVED MYSTERY 32a. Such a strategy helped me keep track of all the plot threads flying in the wind and making sure there weren’t any loose ends we didn’t intend to leave dangling. (Some we intended.) And when Elizabeth and I were having editorial conversations about the book, it was very easy to say, “Okay, so let’s move events 45-49 to Chapter 8 so that we don’t reveal that information too early in the process.” If I can speak as a proud editor for a moment, the fact that I could make a Backwards Outline for this book is precisely what makes Elizabeth such a great writer: how densely and completely she’s imagined and written the world she’s created, and how well she brings it to life.  

 Lesson for Writers: I am completely agnostic on whether writers should outline their books before they do a first draft: That’s up to the writer and their working style and their relationships with their stories and characters. But once that first draft is done, do consider making an outline like one of the ones above, tailored to your own manuscript’s needs, to help you see the book afresh in both its component pieces and as a whole.

And did all this work on Liar’s Moon pay off? Well, check out these reviews:

Leila Roy at Bookshelves of Doom and Kirkus Reviews: "The first time through, you’ll concentrate on figuring out the world and meeting the characters and following the story. But when you read them again, you’ll notice how multilayered they are. You’ll notice hints and subtleties of character and plot, and you’ll notice just how carefully they are crafted. You’ll notice that the characters are fully realized people—so much so that it’s easy to forget that they’re fictional creations, even if they do live in a world with three moons."
Publishers’ Weekly Children’s Bookshelf Galley Pick of the Week: "It's a very versatile story—perfect for a display of mysteries, fantasy, adventure, or novels with powerful heroines. Liar’s Moon will definitely be one of my very favorite handsells for the fall and holiday seasons, particularly for my fans of Patricia Wrede, Kristin Cashore, Tamora Pierce, and Megan Whalen Turner."
VOYA: “As with StarCrossed, Bunce excels in weaving together several plot points and characters without weighing down the novel. Fan of [Kristin] Cashore’s Graceling will greatly enjoy Digger’s unique voice and strength of character, along with Bunce’s ability to fully immerse readers in a finely crafted world. This book, along with its prequel, should be on most library shelves as both have a wide appeal….”

+++++

The Giveaway Runs Through Midnight Wednesday!

I wrote earlier about the terrific deal we’re offering on the digital version of StarCrossed, which continues through the end of the month. But there is no time like the present to get the word out about it! To that end, I’m having a giveaway here, with the chance to win a signed hardcover set of BOTH StarCrossed and Liar’s Moon, OR a signed paperback copy of my Second Sight . . . and I’m offering five prizes in total, so your odds are very good! To enter:

If you’re on Twitter, retweet this message between now and 11:59 p.m. next Wednesday, December 14:

Elizabeth Bunce’s STARCROSSED is now $2.99 on e-book—RT for the chance to win a hardcover + LIAR'S MOON! http://bit.ly/uNZiKv @chavelaque

Or you can post about this on your blog or LJ (with a link back to this blog post) and leave the link to your post in the comments below, also by 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday the 14th. Or both! Each individual tweet or blog post counts as a new entry, so each one increases your chances. (They’re like tesserae in the Hunger Games!) (A link on Twitter to YOUR blog post does not count toward the giveaway, though.) Once all the comments and RTs are in, I’ll pick three names out of a hat and announce the winner on the 16th.

So to do this legal-style:

How to Enter via Twitter: Using your Twitter account, follow @chavelaque and then re-tweet my original tweet of “Elizabeth Bunce’s STARCROSSED is now $2.99 on e-book—RT for the chance to win a hardcover + LIAR'S MOON! http://bit.ly/uNZiKv @chavelaque” Please note that the phrase “@chavelaque” MUST be in your message or your entry will not be counted. Tweets must be retweeted between 12/7/11, 9 am EST and 12/14/11, 11:59 pm EST (the “Entry Period”). You can tweet as many times as you like in the Entry Period.
How to Enter via Blog/LJ: Post about the $2.99 sale or this giveaway on your blog or unlocked LJ, then leave a link to your post in the comments below. Your post MUST include a link to this post. Also, you MUST leave your own link in the comments on this post between 12/7/11, 9 am EST and 12/14/11, 11:59 pm EST or your entry will not be counted. Post as many times as you like during the Entry Period.
The Prizes: Three (3) winners will each receive one (1) hardcover copy of both StarCrossed and Liar’s Moon (Approximate Retail Value $35.98). Two (2) winners will each receive (1) copy of Second Sight (Approximate Retail Value $16.99). Everyone will receive my undying gratitude.

Thank you for participating, and I hope you win!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

2011-12-11T20:12:00.000-05:00

One more for my personal-blog-recipe file. . . . There are surely other recipes for this, but I love this one for its extra tang of cocoa and lime. Note: The recipe is very black bean-heavy as written, so you could easily drop a can or double the sweet potatoes and red peppers to even out the proportions.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 28-can diced tomatoes
4 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 6 cups freshly cooked)
1 jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves, washed and dried

Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion, red pepper, garlic, and salt. Saute until soft, about 4 minutes.
Add the sweet potato and lime zest, and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, continuing to stir occasionally.
Add the tomatoes, black beans, jalapeno, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and cocoa, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
Serve over brown rice, if desired, with lime wedges and cilantro, or with corn bread, biscuits, or taco chips alongside.

Serves 6.

Behind the Book: Three Things Writers Can Learn from Liar's Moon, Part II

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

2. The More Readers Find to Be Interested in a __________, the More They Care, and the More They’ll Read

The blank above could be filled with “Plot,” “Character,” or ultimately “Book”—but here I’m going to talk about character, because really what I want to discuss is stakes, and the best stakes an author can create is the reader’s interest in the characters. If readers want to hang out with your protagonist, because he or she says or does interesting things, then they’ll just generally go along with stuff for a while, I think, even if they’re a little puzzled or nothing seems to be happening. More importantly long-term, readers will experience all the action that happens to your protagonist the same way the protagonist experiences it, as well as the joy, the fear, and the pain that goes along with it—and as the creation of emotion is the highest goal of an artist, having your reader be interested in your characters is a significant first step.

Liar’s Moon had an advantage here in that it was a (standalone) sequel to StarCrossed, so a fair amount of our readership would be coming to us from the previous book, and they’d already be interested in Digger, the sneak-thief who pretended to be an escaped nun, got caught up in a rebellion, and then fomented religious civil war.* But when you have an Act I like that in StarCrossed, you need a pretty spectacular Act II; and that means making readers care not just about Digger, but the people around her and the action she’s pursuing.

In this book, as established on Wednesday, that action is a mystery—a murder investigation. Readers get invested in mysteries because they care about (A) the abstract idea the mystery represents (in this case, justice), (B) the victim of the mystery, if there is one, (C) other people affected by the crime, or (D) what’s in it for the detective . . . though really I don’t think readers ever really care about (A) until it’s played out in (B) or (C). With (B), the murder victim here is Talth Ceid, Durrel’s much older wife, who wed him in what was acknowledged by everyone involved to be a marriage of convenience, uniting her wealth with his noble name. Digger never met her personally, so everything we know about her we get from the people Digger talks to -- and Talth’s pretty quickly established as a woman whom no one liked, including Durrel.

That leads us on to (C). In Liar’s Moon’s case, the primary “other person affected by the crime” was Durrel, who was being framed for Talth’s murder. So we had to make readers care about Durrel -- a guy whom Digger had met briefly, and liked, at the beginning of StarCrossed, but who was then absent for four-fifths of the book.** Since the mystery of Talth's murder structures all of this book, and the mystery is driven by Digger’s connection to and interest in Durrel, we had to get Digger to like him again and feel pretty invested in him tout suite once the story started. Fortunately, they're very quickly thrown into contact (literally), as Digger gets picked up on the street (also literally) and tossed into Durrel's jail cell for unknown reasons.

I have a list on my bulletin board at work of fourteen qualities that make characters attractive to readers (or at least to me, I suppose). As I reread Digger’s first encounter with him now, Durrel quickly fulfills #9, Kindness, in the way that he immediately is concerned about Digger when she appears in his cell:

“What’s going on? What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know,” Durrel said. “This is very odd. You’re injured.” I touched my face, which was streaked with blood from the cut under my eye. “Let’s get you cleaned up, at least.”

#11, Humor/Wit, in that he has a sense of (black) humor about his situation:

“They think I murdered my wife.” . . . Durrel saw the expression on my face and gave an attempt at a wan smile. “It surprised me too.”

And most especially #8, Jeopardy, because all the circumstantial evidence points to him:

“Isn’t it always the husband?” A twisted smile tried to form itself on his lips, but died prematurely. “They found vials of the Tincture in my rooms. But it wasn’t mine—” He turned back into the shadows. “They’re going to execute me, Celyn.”

As their conversation goes along, it warms up, as Digger rediscovers her appreciation of his company: “Something about Lord Durrel made him too easy to talk to.” He becomes more optimistic about his situation in talking to her as well (#10, Positivity):

“We’re left with a puzzle,” Durrel said, and there was a lively spark to his voice that seemed all out of place.
“Pox,” I said. “I hate puzzles.”

And thus Digger discovers her own (D) above, what’s in it for her to investigate this case—both a personal mystery, in finding out who would have arranged for her to be thrown in with Durrel, which is surely not a coincidence; and a personal desire, that she likes Durrel (and maybe even starts to "like-like" him), and doesn’t want to see him executed. Thus, by the end of Chapter 2, the plot is set; Digger and we readers care, so the stakes are set too; and the book is well on its way.

Lesson for Writers: Cheryl’s Fourteen Qualities of Attractive Characters***:

Newness (someone I haven’t seen before)
Viewpoint (the POV character)
Desire (the character wants something)
Expertise
Friends (the character likes or is liked by people the reader likes))
Enemies (the character is disliked by people the reader dislikes, so we like the character -- Harry Potter being hated by the Dursleys is the classic example)
Action (the character does something)
Jeopardy (being in it)
Kindness
Positivity (a good attitude in general)
Humor/Wit
Enthusiasm (passion for one specific thing)
Complication (meaning that while they have at least one likeable element, as per #9-12 generally, they do experience darker & deeper emotions)
Mystery (the character is keeping secrets, even from the reader)

This is by no means an exhaustive list -- I actually added two more qualities today in talking about it with Elizabeth -- and it's mostly a first-impressions list, too, as the qualities I find attractive in a character at the beginning of the book are different from the ones I expect to have developed by the middle, somewhat. But as a rule of thumb, the more of these qualities your characters demonstrate, the more readers will be inclined to be interested in them, and the more they’ll be invested in the action of your book as well. And if someone tells you they don't like your protagonist (and you want them to), or they find him boring or bland, see if you can develop some of these qualities in her, or place her in circumstances that create these qualities, and go from there.

On Monday, Part III: Outlines, outlines, outlines!
_________________________________
* Yes, Digger is that awesome. And hey, don’t you want to read StarCrossed? It’s $2.99 on e-book right now…
** Since we knew Durrel would play a major role in this book, we were at pains to keep him present in the reader’s mind throughout StarCrossed, which Elizabeth accomplished by having him give Digger a present she used throughout that book.
*** I will be talking about these qualities in more depth at the Florida SCBWI conference over Martin Luther King Day weekend, if you’re looking for a January break.

+++++++

The Giveaway Is Still Going On!

I wrote earlier about the terrific deal we’re offering on the digital version of StarCrossed, which runs through the end of the month. But there is no time like the present to get the word out about it! To that end, I’m having a giveaway here, with the chance to win a signed hardcover set of BOTH StarCrossed and Liar’s Moon, OR a signed paperback copy of my Second Sight . . . and I’m offering five prizes in total, so your odds are very good! To enter:

If you’re on Twitter, retweet this message between now and 11:59 p.m. next Wednesday, December 14:

Elizabeth Bunce’s STARCROSSED is now $2.99 on e-book—RT for the chance to win a hardcover + LIAR'S MOON! http://bit.ly/uNZiKv @chavelaque

How to Enter via Twitter: Using your Twitter account, follow @chavelaque and then re-tweet my original tweet of “Elizabeth Bunce’s STARCROSSED is now $2.99 on e-book—RT for the chance to win a hardcover + LIAR'S MOON! http://bit.ly/uNZiKv @chavelaque” Please note that the phrase “@chavelaque” MUST be in your message or your entry will not be counted. Tweets must be retweeted between 12/7/11, 9 am EST and 12/14/11, 11:59 pm EST (the “Entry Period”). You can tweet as many times as you like in the Entry Period.
How to Enter via Blog/LJ: Post about the $2.99 sale or this giveaway on your blog or unlocked LJ, then leave a link to your post in the comments below. Your post MUST include a link to this post. Also, you MUST leave your own link in the comments on this post between 12/7/11, 9 am EST and 12/14/11, 11:59 pm EST or your entry will not be counted. Post as many times as you like during the Entry Period.
The Prizes: Three (3) winners will each receive one (1) hardcover copy of both StarCrossed and Liar’s Moon (Approximate Retail Value $35.98). Two (2) winners will each receive (1) copy of Second Sight (Approximate Retail Value $16.99). Everyone will receive my undying gratitude.

Thank you for participating, and I hope you win!

Behind the Book: Three Things Writers Can Learn from Liar's Moon, Part I

2011-12-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

If you are here for the giveaway, scroll on down!
If you are here because you're interested in the $2.99 e-book of StarCrossed, yay you! Click here for details about where to buy it.
And if you are here for writing craft stuff, read on.

Three Things Writers Can Learn from Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce

1. Know What Sort of Story You're Writing.

This was Elizabeth’s and my third book together, after the Morris Award-winning A Curse Dark as Gold and the acclaimed StarCrossed. It was also her third mystery novel. But we had a significant advantage in approaching Liar’s Moon editorially: We knew it was a mystery novel from the beginning!

You see, if either one of us had had to describe Curse or StarCrossed early on, we would have called them historical fantasy. They had magic, they were each rooted in a sense of a specific time period and place (though both exist in fantasy versions of that place), and most of the historical details were accurate to that time and place. But in the course of working on both books, we realized that while the clothing on these books was most definitely historical fantasy, the skeletons beneath them were Mystery plots -- where our heroine needed to uncover a piece of information -- twined with Conflict plots, as forces or people worked to keep that information from her.

And this changed our approach to both books, because mysteries require so much advance setup: the creation of a coherent backstory that established the thing that’s a mystery to our heroine; the laying-in of the clues; scenes dramatizing the discovery of those clues; red herrings, and the demolition of those herrings; the creation of obstacles both passive (a giant castle to be searched, say) and active (a relative who wants to keep the information hidden); a climax dramatizing the revelation of the answer . . . all paced properly and carefully interwoven with the other plotlines. And as a result, we had to go back and invent new scenes, hide new clues, even add or delete other plot threads to give those central structuring Mysteries their proper weight. This is all part of the novelist’s job, of course, and Elizabeth pulled it off beautifully in both books. But we definitely experienced small but significant moments of brain-shift when we said: “Oh yes: Mysteries”

Liar’s Moon was by far the easiest editorial process of the three books so far, partly because we always knew it was a mystery novel: Digger’s friend Durrel Decath has been imprisoned for murdering his wife Talth, so Digger sets out to prove his innocence, which also involves proving someone else’s guilt. These questions spring up straightaway:

When and how did Talth die?
If that method of death requires skill or particular equipment (in Liar’s Moon’s case, it’s a rare poison called Tincture of the Moon), who has access to that skill or equipment?
Who did she interact with before she died?
When and by whom was she found?
Who might want Talth dead?
Why would they want Talth dead?
Who could attest to her relationships with these people?
What was Durrel's relationship with Talth in particular?
Is he an innocent bystander, or is he being framed? If the latter, why?
Is anyone hiding anything? (Answer in this book’s case: Oh hells yes.)

So by the end of Chapter 2, Digger has about thirty things to do for her investigation, and the game’s afoot, and the action in the novel is flying forward. And that is why mysteries are so useful in novels, and worth all the complications involved in setting them up: because the payoff in terms of intriguing the reader and making things happen is so huge and immediate.

Lesson for Writers: Once you have the story of the book down, figure out what the underlying skeleton of your plot is, and rethink your book accordingly. An easy way to determine the nature of that skeleton is to look at the climax. . . . To immodestly quote a formula from Second Sight:

If your story’s climax involves a big fight and someone wins and someone loses, that’s a Conflict.
If it involves a piece of information being revealed, that’s a Mystery.
And if two characters get together, or the character can achieve something they haven’t been able to before—that’s probably a Lack plot.

On Friday, Part II in this series: How to make a murder matter.

And now: GIVEAWAY!

I wrote earlier about the terrific deal we’re offering on the digital version of StarCrossed, which runs through the end of the month. But there is no time like the present to get the word out about it! To that end, I’m having a giveaway here, with the chance to win a signed hardcover set of BOTH StarCrossed and Liar’s Moon, OR a signed paperback copy of Second Sight . . . and I’m offering five prizes in total, so your odds are very good! To enter:

If you’re on Twitter, retweet this message between now and 11:59 p.m. next Wednesday, December 14:

Elizabeth Bunce’s STARCROSSED is now $2.99 on e-book—RT for the chance to win a hardcover + LIAR'S MOON! http://bit.ly/uNZiKv @chavelaque

How to Enter via Twitter: Using your Twitter account, follow @chavelaque and then re-tweet my original tweet of “Elizabeth Bunce’s STARCROSSED is now $2.99 on e-book—RT for the chance to win a hardcover + LIAR'S MOON! http://bit.ly/uNZiKv @chavelaque” Please note that the phrase “@chavelaque” MUST be in your message or your entry will not be counted. Tweets must be retweeted between 12/7/11, 9 am EST and 12/14/11, 11:59 pm EST (the “Entry Period”). You can tweet as many times as you like in the Entry Period.
How to Enter via Blog/LJ: Post about the $2.99 sale or this giveaway on your blog or unlocked LJ, then leave a link to your post in the comments below. Your post MUST include a link to this post. Also, you MUST leave your own link in the comments on this post between 12/7/11, 9 am EST and 12/14/11, 11:59 pm EST or your entry will not be counted. Post as many times as you like during the Entry Period.
The Prizes: Three (3) winners will each receive one (1) hardcover copy of both StarCrossed and Liar’s Moon (Approximate Retail Value $35.98). Two (2) winners will each receive (1) copy of Second Sight (Approximate Retail Value $16.99). Everyone will receive my undying gratitude.

Thank you for participating, and I hope you win!

Book Giveaway Contest Winners + Spring 2012 Video Preview

2011-11-28T21:04:00.001-05:00

In a post last month, I highlighted some similarities among my three marvelous Spring 2012 novels, and offered to give away a copy of each to three random commenters. The winning commenters are:

Susan Adrian, for Irises by Francisco X. Stork (which now has a starred review from Publishers Weekly)
Uniquely Moi, for The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin (which Kirkus called "a smashing debut" in its starred review)
Gail Shepherd, for Above by Leah Bobet (about which one person on Goodreads said, "I'm jealous of my week-ago self because he still gets to read Above for the first time")

Winners, please e-mail me your addresses at chavela_que at yahoo dot com. And everyone, thanks for participating! You've encouraged me to do more such giveaways in the future.

If you would like to learn more about these books, as well as my fabulous Summer 2012 titles, please check out the Scholastic Librarian Preview. If you view it by age range, in Picture Books, I'm at minute 1:00 with the charming Zoe Gets Ready by Bethanie Deeney Murguia; in Middle Grade, I'm at 13:46 with the uber-fun Gold Medal Summer by Donna Freitas; and I kick off the YA section with the three books listed above.Watch closely and you'll see me toss a feather boa around my neck with bonhomie and savoir faire. Voila!

Q&A: Joanna Pearson, Author of The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills

2011-11-22T08:38:00.000-05:00

This past summer, we published The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson, a funny, smart novel about sixteen-year-old (guess who?) Janice Wills, who styles herself as an anthropologist of life in Melva, North Carolina (a.k.a. the Livermush Capital of the World). Joanna amazed me by revising the book while she was in first medical school and then an internship -- part of a joint MFA/MD program offered by Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where she is completing her residency, and she was kind enough to answer some questions for me here.

In an essay called "How to Rid Yourself of Poetry--Almost," you wrote:

Writing poetry, it seems, is one of those habits that, at least among most members of polite society, one is expected to have outgrown. The fact of one’s persistent poetry-writing makes others uncomfortable—like wearing pantaloons and a feathered hat in the supermarket. You are either a throwback, a weirdo, a Renaissance Festival enthusiast, or someone who never fully exited adolescence. “Oh, you write poetry!” some well-meaning soul says. “I write poetry too! At least I used to! In ninth grade, I had a whole notebook chock-full of poems!” To this, you must nod politely, although you will secretly be saying, No, you don’t understand! Everyone had a notebook full of poems in ninth grade. What I write now, this is Poetry For Real! This is Serious Business! You will never actually say this, of course, because, first of all, no one would believe you, and, second of all, it would only make you look weirder.

I think you could switch out the word "poetry" for "children's/YA books" in the above, and many, many writers would recognize the same condescending tone from their own conversations. What drove you to write a YA novel, despite such disapproval, and what keeps you coming back to poetry?

Hmm. That's such a smart observation--one I''ve never considered! To be honest with you, when I first began working on this book, I actually chose to delve into YA because it's so completely different from poetry. I started what would eventually become Rites and Wrongs during the summer after my first year in my poetry MFA program. At the time, I was feeling exhausted from writing poetry and wanted to do something that would be really fun and light and totally different. I can now say officially that the process of writing YA and the process of writing poetry ARE indeed completely different. Utterly, wholly, completely different. I love poetry because I love sound and meter and form; I also love playing with language's accumulated resonances and meanings. It's precision work--like working on a tiny, jeweled box. Although there is definitely still storytelling involved, it's often more subtle, and more in the suggestion. Writing YA feels so much broader, like working on a large mural. And I think that when writing YA, one must tap into the adolescent part of one's brain, whereas when writing poetry, tapping into this part of one's brain is usually is a recipe for disaster.

I guess the dominant "respectable" genre will always be literary fiction (and don't get me wrong--I love this too!!), but both YA and poetry are backed by such ferocious, fervent communities. YA and poetry are the underdogs--maybe that's the main similarity, that underdog charm.

Where did this book start from for you, particularly the anthropology concept?

This answer is easy: the book started with Janice's voice. Everything else grew out of that. Janice is, in a way, the purest distillation of adolescent insecurity and hyperawareness. She's the ur-teenager, if you will. And her interest in anthropology is really an outgrowth of this. How good an anthropologist Janice is throughout most of the book is definitely open to debate. I'd say she's a pretty good misanthropologist, though.

One of the things I loved about the manuscript was that it paired that teenage emotional instinct to analyze and critique everything with an academic/intellectual discipline made for it -- which is of course also very teenage, to get wrapped up in some giant system of seeing the world. What systems did you subscribe to as a teenager? Do any of those linger in your worldview today, and how?

Huh. Good question. I guess the main system I subscribed to as a teenager was simply the binary system of cool/uncool. Of course, this is made more complicated by the addition of the parallel pseudo-categories of "cool"/"uncool." By this, I mean that "cool" people tend to do very uncool things. This elegant binary system still remains very tempting to me--to almost everyone, I think. (Except for maybe my dad, who has transcended all notions of coolness, and is therefore, perhaps, the coolest of all.)

How did the manuscript change in the course of the revision process?

Whew--it changed a lot. At the very beginning, I thought that to make a good YA novel, it was mandatory that one include either several paranormal boyfriends or a dystopian combat scene, or else throw in enough intrigue for an entire season of The O.C. So Janice was there from the beginning, but there were also some ghosts, blackmail, a mysterious car crash, people in disguises... And I don't think it made a lot of sense. Then, a couple of very wise people (including one very wise editor) helped me to pare all this away and really focus the story on Janice and her voice. So, yeah--the biggest challenge in revision was finding that viable structure.

How does it feel to be a published author—as opposed to being an author whose book had been accepted for publication, but not yet out, or an author whose work was just on submission? Has it made any difference in your life at all?

Things are not different in a major way, although I've now learned about new types of book-related anxiety. It's both thrilling and terrifying to have something that exists out in the world, particularly in a world in which people have so many venues to respond. The coolest thing has been getting the chance to meet a few adolescent readers who really loved the book. That's amazing--the reason I think most people write, really, is for that ideal reader, or readers. Still, it's a very anxiety-provoking thing to put yourself out there like that.... I have new respect for all the writers who have been doing this for years--and for pageant contestants across the land!

You have an incredibly busy schedule as a newlywed, a medical resident, a published author, a poet. . . . How do you make time to write? Do you have any self-disciplinary strategies you'd be willing to share?

Oh, man. I wish I did! Right now, it's been very difficult to find writing time. Last year, while I was an intern (which means I was basically working a thirty-hour shift in the hospital approximately every fourth day), it was basically impossible. My schedule's slightly better this year, so I'm starting with small things, like sonnets, just to get back into some kind of writing discipline. I have the beginnings of an idea for a second YA draft, but it's been kind of on the backburner. Right now, my husband Matthew and I consider it a victory when there's not a mountain of dirty dishes in our sink!

So the bad thing about my day job is that, particularly in the short-term, it's incredibly time-consuming. The good thing, however, is that my day job is the sort that always puts things into perspective and is, at various moments, frustrating, stressful, eye-opening, exhausting, interesting, and inspiring. I can't wait to have just a little more time for writing, though!

What is your favorite dance move?

That I can do, or that I can't do?? Since I can't do that many awesome dance moves, I'll name the one I most admire: the Worm. People who can do the Worm are amazing to me.

What are you reading now?

I'm sort of in-between books at this second. I just finished reading a bunch of great short story collections. Among them all, I really liked Mattaponi Queen by Belle Boggs and Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans and This is Not Your City by Caitlin Horrocks. Next on my list is The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. YA-wise, I'm definitely reading Shine by Lauren Myracle next.

Be honest: How do you really feel about livermush?

I feel like everyone should just go try it first. I don't want to spoil any surprises!

"The Ballad of Erica Levine" by Bob Blue

2011-11-20T18:07:00.001-05:00

I always enjoyed singing this song at Carleton's Folk Sing (consider your snarky remark about folk singing acknowledged here), and I post it now in honor of both "Breaking Dawn" and smart young feminists like Erica Levine, and with sincere wishes for you all to have a life like the last two lines.

When Erica Levine was seven and a half
Up to her door came Jason Metcalfe
And he said, "Will you marry me, Erica Levine?"
And Erica Levine said, "What do you mean?"
"Well my father and my mother say a fellow ought to marry
And my father said his brother, who is my Uncle Larry
Never married and he said Uncle Larry is a dope---
So will you marry me?" Said Erica, "Nope."
"My piano teacher's smart, and she never had to marry
And your father may be right about your Uncle Larry,
But not being married isn't what made him a dope.
Don't ask me again, 'cause my answer's 'Nope'."

When Erica Levine was seventeen
She went to a dance with Joel Bernstein,
And they danced by the light of a sparkling bobby sock,
'Cause the theme of the prom was the history of Rock.
And after the prom, Joel kissed her at the door,
And he said "Do you know what that kiss was for?"
And she said "I don't know, but you kiss just fine."
And he said "What it means is that you are mine."
And she said "No, I'm not!", and she rushed inside
And on the way home, Joel Bernstein cried
And she cried, too, and wrote a letter to Ms.,
Saying "This much I know: I am mine, not his."

When Erica Levine was twenty-three
Her lover said "Erica, marry me.
This relationship is answering a basic need
And I'd like to have it legally guaranteed.
For without your precious love I would surely die
So why can't we make it legal?" Said Erica, "Why?
Basic needs, at your age, should be met by you;
I'm your lover, not your mother---let's be careful what we do.
If I should ever marry, I will marry to grow,
Not for tradition, or possession or protection. No!
I love you, but your needs are a very different issue."
Then he cried, and Erica handed him a tissue.

When Erica was thirty, she was talking with Lou,
Discussing and deciding what they wanted to do.
"When we marry, should we move into your place or mine?
Yours is rent-controlled, but mine is on the green line."
And they argued and they talked, and they finally didn't care
And they joined a small cooperative near Central Square.
And their wedding was a simple one, they wanted it that way.
And they thought a lot about the things that they would choose
to say.
"I will live with you and love you, but I'll never call you mine."
Then the judge pronounced them married, and everyone had wine.
And a happy-ever-after life is not the kind they got,
But they tended to be happy more often than not.

Lyrics via http://sniff.numachi.com/pages/tiELEVINE;ttELEVINE.html

CLEOPATRA'S MOON Chat Transcript

2011-11-14T19:44:00.001-05:00

Earlier today, my author Vicky Alvear Shecter and I chatted about her novel Cleopatra's Moon on Twitter -- a fun conversation that covered how the book came to me (indirectly via SQUIDs!), the vetting process, my acquisitions interests right now, our ancient Roman names, and sundry other topics. You can read a transcript of the conversation after the jump.

We ran into one peril that I mention as a cautionary tale for future Twitter-chatterers: I had failed to verify that #CMchat would be a unique hashtag for us, and as a result, we were repeatedly interrupted by country music fans, several of whom expressed their annoyance that we were horning in on their chat. (And to be fair, they did have the hashtag first.) I've deleted their tweets (and RTs of relevant tweets) from the conversation below.

(I wonder, has anyone yet written a country music song about Twitter? The song titles for this chat could be "Cleopatra, Come Back to Me"; "Let's Retweet, Not Retreat"; and "You Stole My Hashtag -- and My Heart.")

Click to read the whole conversation.

@chavelaque: .@valvearshecter & I will be chatting aboutCLEOPATRA'S MOON, the acquisitions process, etc. in 5 min! Follow us at #CMchatfor the moment.

November 14, 2011, 5:27 pm

@valvearshecter: I'm on...is there another #CMchat? What'stheirs?n #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:29 pm

@chavelaque: Well, theirs is a Country Music chat. Want tochange to #CLEOchat for clarity? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:29 pm

@chavelaque: Anyone who doesn't want to be part of theconversation may want to unfollow me for the next hour. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:30 pm

@chavelaque: @valvearshecter Well, we're here, so let's dothis now. Country music fans, you can all blame me. Or you can read CLEOPATRA'SMOON! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:31 pm

@valvearshecter: I suggest the latter! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:32 pm

@dulemba: Read it - love it! :) e #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:32 pm

@valvearshecter: Thanks, e! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:33 pm

@dulemba: I'm also listening to the audio in my car. Don'tneed air conditioning - it gives me chills!! :) #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:33 pm

@chavelaque: So just to get started here: I'm Cheryl Klein,& I edited the lovely CLEOPATRA'S MOON by Vicky Alvear Shecter(@valvearshecter) #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:33 pm

@valvearshecter: And I'm Vicky Shecter, author ofCleopatra's Moon. This is my first twitter chat--are there any rules orsomesuch we should discuss? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:34 pm

@chavelaque: If you all have any questions for Vicky or me,feel free to ask them during the chat, & we'll answer them starting ~ 1:15.#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:34 pm

@dulemba: That must have been a fun job! (editingCLEOPATRA'S MOON). #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:35 pm

@valvearshecter: It was fun but also slightly terrifying forme, esp. since this was my first novel.n #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:37 pm

@chavelaque: It was VERY fun for me to edit & to work w/Vicky, who was SO enthusiastic... We first got in touch via query letter,right, Vicky? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:38 pm

@dulemba: Cheryl, Did CLEO coincide with your book SecondSite? I'm trying to recall which came first. Did one influence the other?#cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:39 pm

@valvearshecter: Yes, I had queried you for my midgrade biographyof Cleo...after it got acquired you sent a ltr saying you were interested.n#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:40 pm

@LauriCorkum: Was the book nearly perfect when you firstsubmitted it? How much rewriting/revising was required? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:40 pm

@valvearshecter: Which gave me the chance to tell you aboutthe novel in progress. So I kind o came in thru a side door. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:40 pm

@chavelaque: I remember really liking the ENERGY of your bioof Cleopatra, & I thought Cleo was awesome, obvs. But we don't do a lot ofnonfic. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:41 pm

@valvearshecter: @LauriCorkum It was finished, but nowherenear perfect! I did a fair amount of rewriting. Okay, a lot more than a fairamt. ;-) #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:41 pm

@chavelaque: ("We" being "Arthur A. LevineBooks.") So I was excited to hear about a novel with this untold story ofCleopatra Selene. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:42 pm

@sally_apokedak: Vicky Alvear Shecter and Cheryl Klein arediscussing CLEOPATRA'S MOON right now at #cmchat.

November 14, 2011, 5:42 pm

@chavelaque: So I responded that I'd love to see the novel,and then your agent @cmiller-callihan sent it to me -- six months later? Ayear? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:42 pm

@valvearshecter: I queried you w/ your Squib (or Squid?)account. Do you still use that? Also it took about 6 months to get it to you.#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:43 pm

@LauriCorkum: Vicky, did Cheryl guide the direction of therevisions? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:45 pm

@chavelaque: Most of my unsolicited subs come through confsthese days, so I don't use SQUIDs anymore, no. Kind of sad, really! They werefun. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:45 pm

@dulemba: I love how REAL the religion feels when readingCLEO. You get a true sense of their belief system at the time. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:45 pm

@valvearshecter: @LauriCorkum Yes, Cheryl def guided thedirection of the revisions. But always with a discussion and collaborativeintent. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:46 pm

@valvearshecter: @dulemba The ancient Egyptians wouldn'thave seen "religion" as something separate. It was REALITY, esp withpharaoh as divine. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:47 pm

@chavelaque: I bought the ms. at auction, which was v.exciting. Scholastic really got behind the book. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:47 pm

@dulemba: RT @chavelaque: I bought the ms. at auction, whichwas v. exciting. Scholastic really got behind the book. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:48 pm

@valvearshecter: What set the book apart for you, Cheryl? Orany book, really. What grabs you and motivates you to go for a manuscript?#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:48 pm

@dulemba: Cheryl, was there an element of the story thatespecially spoke to you? #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:48 pm

@cathychall: @valvearshecter and @chavelaque discussingCLEOPATRA'S MOON at #CMCHAT now. Read and learn!

November 14, 2011, 5:49 pm

@chavelaque: CLEOPATRA'S MOON had a lot of the qualities Ilook for: 1) Awesome story that I hadn't heard before (all the cooler b/c itwas TRUE) #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:50 pm

@chavelaque: 2) Great characters (again, awesome b/c true)3) Cinematic, you-are-there writing w/ wonderful scenes so I felt emotionallyinvolved #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:51 pm

@chavelaque: & 4) a BIG IDEA at its heart, so it wasmore than just a retelling of history or a romance -- it was a real explorationof an idea #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm

@valvearshecter: Cheryl, do you think there is more interestin YA historical fiction these days? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm

@dulemba: Truly, the setting of CLEOPATRA'S MOON was EPIC! Ifelt like I was THERE. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm

@cathychall: I loved the mother-daughter dynamic ofCLEOPATRA'S MOON. Did it start out that way @valvearshecter ? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:52 pm

@chavelaque: In this case, what is free will, and how muchdo we control our own destinies? Big Ideas explored well always get me excited.#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:53 pm

@valvearshecter: @cathychall Cathy, absolutely! Themother-daughter thing is what attracted me to the story. I mean, Cleo as"Mom?" It blew me away. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:53 pm

@dulemba: And of course the issue of Free Will was soprominent. Was Selene fated to follow her Mom's path, or choose her own?#cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:53 pm

@dulemba: So often during the story I said "You GOgirl!" I LOVE Selene's strength. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:54 pm

@chavelaque: Vicky, I think there's def. interest in it, thothere may be fatigue w/ individual periods -- harder to sell topics covered alot #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:55 pm

@sally_apokedak: Vicky, you had Scholastic, Arthur Levinebooks, even, bidding on your book at auction? Did you talk to all biddersbefore deciding? #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:55 pm

@chavelaque: Vicky, as you wrote the book, what was yourbenchmark for deciding what to include & what to leave out? What guided youthere? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:56 pm

@valvearshecter: @sally_apokedak Yes. I talked to the othereditor. I wanted a collaborative rela' w/ an ed.; The other one didn't think itneeded... #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:57 pm

@chavelaque: @dulemba You asked about timing of CM vs. 2NDSIGHT -- I think I bought Vicky's book about a month before I announced my own.#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:57 pm

@valvearshecter: @sally_apokedak ...much editing and I KNEWbetter! LOL Plus, I mean, c'mon--who can resist working with Cheryl Klein?#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:58 pm

@cathychall: CLEOPATRA'S MOON required a lot of vetting.Were you involved in any of that as an editor, @chavelaque? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:58 pm

@dulemba: I learned so much from 2ND SIGHT, I would haveloved that by my side while working on revisions if I were Vicky! #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:58 pm

@valvearshecter: Re: what I left out--there were severalreal charac's in history that just confused things. For ex, ANOTHER son of Antony's by prior #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:59 pm

@valvearshecter: ...wife. Actually two sons. It just got tooconfusing with so many of his kids (Antonywas a busy guy). #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 5:59 pm

@sally_apokedak: I also think that dealing with suicide istimely today. I liked what Selene chose with her free will. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 5:59 pm

@sally_apokedak: @valvearshecter ha ha good choice #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:00 pm

@valvearshecter: @sally_apokedak Well, you can't escape thefact that both her parents--Cleopatra & Mark Antony committed suicide. Poorkids! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:01 pm

@dulemba: Truly, she must have been old beyond her yearswith all the loss she experienced. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:01 pm

@chavelaque: Vicky, how did you decide what to invent? Forinstance, Cleopatra Selene's visit to the Jewish quarter obvs. aren't in his.record. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:02 pm

@dulemba: I wish you could all get a guided tour through theCarlos Museum with Vicky as Docent. The storiesshe tells are amazing! #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:03 pm

@valvearshecter: On inventing: It struck me that this tookplace a generation and a half before the beginning of Christianity. Free willwould soon.. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:03 pm

@sally_apokedak: @valvearshecter Yes, I liked the way youdealt with it. That she could make her own choices. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:03 pm

@valvearshecter: ..take hold thruout the West. It made senseto have her grapple with it around the time of the birth of Christianity.#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:04 pm

@valvearshecter: @dulemba Thank you, e! The ancient world isso funny and strange. Also holds up a mirror to our time. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:05 pm

@chavelaque: Vicky, what advice would you have for otherauthors of historical fiction? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:05 pm

@valvearshecter: I would focus on finding the emotionalpoint that readers TODAY could relate to rather just on facts (You, Cheryl,helped me w/that! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:07 pm

@dulemba: They didn't Have hashtags back then, butsentiments weren't so different! What would have happened to Cleopatra's rep ontwitter? #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:07 pm

@valvearshecter: Re: the question of vetting--4Egyptologists/professors vetted the Cleo biography, which is the platform forthe novel. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:07 pm

@sally_apokedak: @dulemba ha #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:08 pm

@valvearshecter: @dulemba Oh, Cleo's rep on Twitter would havebeen awful--esp if the Romans controlled it! Can you say, "FlameWar?" ;-) #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:08 pm

@valvearshecter: Cheryl, are you looking for anything inparticular these days in submissions? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:09 pm

@chavelaque: @valvearshecter @dulemba That was one of thecoolest things re: the book for me -- learning how the Romans ruled history'stelling #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:09 pm

@cathychall: @dulemba HA! Yeah, Vicky, tell us about thatCleopatra smear campaign. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm

@chavelaque: Vicky is very, very passionate about thesubject of the biased Romans and how much they hated strong women, esp.Cleopatra! :-) #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm

@chavelaque: Which is great. LOVE an author with bothpassion & knowledge, & the ability to tame both for his/her fiction.#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm

@RhodeSoft: @valvearshecter Did you have to pay for vettingor does the publisher pay? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:10 pm

@dulemba: "History is defined by the winners" -which is why Cleopatra Selene's story needed telling! #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:11 pm

@valvearshecter: @cathychall Smear campaign was amazing.Octavian claimed Cleo drugged Antonyand sexually enslaved him. He'd lost his "manhood" etc. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:11 pm

@Scholastic: Editor @chavelaque is hosting a chat withauthor @valvearshecter -- follow #CMchat to participate! #yalitchat#cleopatrasmoon

November 14, 2011, 6:11 pm

@valvearshecter: @RhodeSoft No I did not pay for the vetting.One classicist from Yale wanted payment but the British Egyptologists jumped inhappily #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:12 pm

@chavelaque: I'm looking for the same things I always lookfor -- the 1-2-3-4 qualities listed earlier about characters, writing, &big ideas. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:13 pm

@dulemba: The irony being, strong women still face uphillbattles in today's society. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:13 pm

@chavelaque: Also, I tend to say, "A plot we cansell" -- a story whose conflict/mystery/lack has clear stakes &meaning for readers. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:14 pm

@valvearshecter: @chavelaque So as long as the manuscriptcovers those qualities, it doesn't matter what genre? Fantasy? Paranormal,etc.? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:14 pm

@chavelaque: Agewise, I have a lot of YA on upcoming lists,so I'd love some more great middle-grade. I <3 all genres, pretty much.#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:15 pm

@cathychall: @valvearshecter Do you think that's typical?Not having to pay for vetting, I mean? Or are Egyptologists just really nice?;-) #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:15 pm

@valvearshecter: @cathychall Depends on indi's involved. Biopub told me they often go to British experts cuz they don't expect $ likeAmericans #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:17 pm

@valvearshecter: Cheryl, what are you reading for pleasureright now? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:18 pm

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@chavelaque: I just finished THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPEby @maureenjohnson, which I loved -- she writes such good & complexteen-girl books. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:19 pm

@dulemba: Vicky - What are You reading? Don't you read agazillion books a year? #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:19 pm

@sally_apokedak: @valvearshecter I was also interestedbecause the story took place just before the time of Christ. You painted theworld so well. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm

@chavelaque: I once heard "literary depth" definedas "a sense of the complexity of reality," & I'd say that'sanother thing I look for in mss. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm

@LaFabuliste: @chavelaque You told me once "People reada book for plot, people LOVE a book for its characters." That, I think, ismost wise. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm

@valvearshecter: Right now I'm reading THE PERICLESCOMMISSION by Gary Corby. Fun, fun historical fic set at dawn of democracy inancient Greece#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm

@cathychall: @valvearshecter Would CM have been a differentbook with a different editor? Wondering about editors' style of well,editing...#cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:20 pm

@chavelaque: & @maureenjohnson always has that, for allher books are packaged to look like chicklit (understandably, from a pubperspective). #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:21 pm

@RhodeSoft: @valvearshecter @chavelaque Cheryl-How should wepitch to u? Email/snail mail? Whole manuscript? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:21 pm

@valvearshecter: @cathychall Absolutely. Cheryl reallyhelped shape the book with me. It was an awesome process. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:21 pm

@chavelaque: @RhodeSoft My submissions guidelines are athttp://t.co/d43xmzIN, though I'm officially closed right now. So much to read!#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:22 pm

@valvearshecter: @chavelaque @maureenjohnson I love herbooks too. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:22 pm

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@chavelaque: @cathychall I'm very big on characters DOINGthings & action plot matching emotional plot, so I tend to push my authorstoward that #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:23 pm

@dulemba: Cheryl, Can you turn off the 'editor' and justread for fun? #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:23 pm

@chavelaque: @cathychall (Not to say other editors don't!)#CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:23 pm

@chavelaque: We're signing off in five minutes, CLEOPATRA'SMOON fans -- any last-minute questions? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:24 pm

@valvearshecter: There are lots of wild Egyptianfacts:Pharoah Pepi 1 had slaves dipped in honey so the flies would leave himalone & go after them! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:24 pm

@valvearshecter: Just had to slip a weird fact in! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:25 pm

@dulemba: Buy the book and share it with your mom/daughterbook clubs - it is perfect! #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:25 pm

@chavelaque: @dulemba Oh yes! Love reading for fun. But Iwill put books down if they're not satisfying my editorial standards. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:25 pm

@valvearshecter: @chavelaque How often does that happen withpubbed books? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:26 pm

@chavelaque: Vicky, given that Romans named their daughtersafter their dads, no matter what -- what would your Roman name be? :-) #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:26 pm

@cathychall: @chavelaque That match-up is what makesCLEOPATRA'S MOON so strong. Vicky nailed that! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:27 pm

@valvearshecter: My Roman name would end up as Ernesta orErnestina! Ack. What would your Roman name be?n #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:27 pm

@chavelaque: @valvearshecter Hrmm. . . . About once every3-4 books? #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:28 pm

@chavelaque: @valvearshecter That's hilarious. I'd be Alanathe Elder -- my little sister Alana the Younger. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:28 pm

@chavelaque: @cathychall Couldn't agree more! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:29 pm

@cathychall: @valvearshecter That is why I love you onFacebook--among other wonderful qualities. But yeah, the weird facts areawesome. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:29 pm

@dulemba: You don't even want to know what mine would be.Some weird Roman/Bavarian thing with too many syllables. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:29 pm

@valvearshecter: @cathychall Thanks, there's a never endingsupply of weird ancient facts! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:30 pm

@dulemba: I adore History with a Twist athttp://t.co/Jyj1q7EC - Vicky talks about more weird facts. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:30 pm

@valvearshecter: Oh yeah..I would be Ernestina the Younger.Forgot that all sisters carried the father's name (sigh). #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm

@LauriCorkum: Great chat Vicky and Cheryl! Quiteinformative; thanks for taking the time out of your day to answer ourquestions. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm

@dulemba: And her Friday Funnies are always hilarious!http://t.co/Jyj1q7EC #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm

ReplyRetweet

@chavelaque: It's 1:30 here, so it's time for@valvearshecter & I to sign off. Ditto @dulemba's praise for Vicky's blog:http://t.co/GpuRcxK3 #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm

@valvearshecter: @dulemba Thanks! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:31 pm

@chavelaque: Thanks very much for stopping by, all! &thanks again for your forbearance, country music fans. #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:32 pm

@dulemba: Thanks to the CMchat community for your patience!Back to your regularly scheduled programming... #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:32 pm

@cathychall: Thanks, @valvearshecter and @chavelaque I canalways use a little Egyptfun during lunch! #cmchat bye!

November 14, 2011, 6:32 pm

@sally_apokedak: Yes, thanks both of you. I don't gettwitter, but this was pretty cool. #cmchat

November 14, 2011, 6:33 pm

@valvearshecter: Thank you Cheryl Klein. And thanks all whodropped in. And to the CMchat folks, thanks for your patience/won't happenagain! #CMchat

November 14, 2011, 6:33 pm

STARCROSSED on Sale!

2011-11-09T22:57:00.001-05:00

I have a longer post planned here, but it is taking some time to come together; and every day I do not post about this is another day that you may be missing out on this excellent bargain and novel.

SO. For a limited time only, you can buy a digital version of Elizabeth C. Bunce's wonderful StarCrossed -- an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, praised by Megan Whalen Turner and Tamora Pierce and Bookshelves of Doom, as satisfying and twisty and densely woven as your favorite sweater -- for $2.99. $2.99, people! That is a coffee at Starbucks! A smoothie at Jamba Juice! Three packs of pretzel M&Ms! And the pleasure of this book lasts much longer than any of those (especially anything involving wheatgrass). Plus this digital edition includes an extensive excerpt of the sequel, Liar's Moon, which came out just this month in both hardcover and digital versions. You can buy StarCrossed for:

the Kindle
the Nook
Google Reader -- To buy the Google edition from an independent bookstore, go to your favorite independent-bookstore-participating-in-the-Google-eBooks-program's website; click on the Google Books link; and complete the purchase through them. I suggest The Flying Pig in Vermont or Rainy Day Books in Kansas City.

As the book trailer shows, this features a girl thief who's pretending to be a noblewoman, trapped in a snowbound castle, with secrets and conspiracies and entanglements galore. As such, it is the perfect book to snuggle up with under blankets this winter, or to get lost in during long travels to visit friends-and-relations. And I daresay it would be even more delicious with a pack of pretzel M&Ms, because everything is; but I can't help you with that. Enjoy!

The Quote File: Character/s

2011-11-04T20:54:00.001-04:00

Character – the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life – is the source from which self-respect springs. – Joan Didion

It is fortunate to be of high birth, but it is no less so to be of such character that people do not care to know whether you are or are not. – Jean de la Bruyere

Every man possesses three characters: that which he exhibits, that which he really has, and that which he believes he has. – Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out. – Thomas Babington Macaulay

One can acquire everything in solitude except character. – Stendhal

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. – Kahlil Gibran

We are all of us more or less echoes, repeating involuntarily the virtues, the defects, the movements, and the characters of those among whom we live. – Joseph Joubert

Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. – Mahatma Gandhi

Another flaw in the human character is that everyone wants to build, but no one wants to do maintenance. – Kurt Vonnegut

A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers. – Mahatma Gandhi

In words are seen the state of mind and character and disposition of the speaker. – Plutarch

Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The talent of a writer is his ability to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and have them relate to other characters living with him. – Mel Brooks

The best morals kids get from any book is just the capacity to empathize with other people, to care about the characters and their feelings. So you don't have to write a preachy book to do that. You just have to make it a fun book with characters they care about, and they will become better people as a result. – Louis Sachar

Our schools are filled with kids who have been treated badly all their lives. They don't tell anyone, because there is shame in being treated badly. Many – girls and boys – have been sexually mistreated. Still others struggle in fear with sexual identity. They respond with eating disorders, cutting, suicidal thought or action. I can't tell you how many letters I've received from kids who found a friend in one of my books, a character who speaks to them. And if I get those letters, think of the letters Walter Dean Myers, or Lois Lowry, or Judy Blume get, thanking us for letting them know, through literature, that they are not alone. In light of all that, there's really only one thing to say to the censors. Shut up. – Chris Crutcher

Stories give us access to otherwise hidden, censored, unsayable thoughts and feelings now shiftily disclosed in the guise of plot and character... The hungers of our spirits are fed by sharing in the glimpsed interiority of others. – Ron Hansen

The writer by nature of his profession is a dreamer and a conscious dreamer. He must imagine, and imagination takes humility, love and great courage. How can you create a character without love and the struggle that goes with love? – Carson McCullers

Literature doesn't have a country. Shakespeare is an African writer.... The characters of Turgenev are ghetto dwellers. Dickens's characters are Nigerians.... Literature may come from a specific place, but it always lives in its own unique kingdom. – Ben Okri

To compose our character is our duty, not to compose books, and to win, not battle and provinces, but order and tranquility in our conduct. Our great and glorious masterpiece is to live appropriately. – Michel de Montaigne

Twitter Chat on 11/14 and Q&A Now with Vicky Alvear Shecter

2011-10-31T23:35:00.000-04:00

Reader, I want you to pretend it is the end of last July. The weather is hot; the drinks are cool; the movies are highly enjoyable (if you're not sobbing your eyes out); President Obama and the House Republicans are trading jabs about the debt ceiling; and I'm about to do a Q&A with Vicky Alvear Shecter regarding her wonderful novel Cleopatra's Moon, which will be published August 1. . . . Plus we're doing a great Twitter chat in a couple of weeks. Welcome, Vicky!

How has the experience of writing a novel differed from that of writing nonfiction?

First, let me say thank you for having me here. To answer your question, what surprised me the most about writing fiction was how vulnerable and exposed I felt. With nonfiction, the facts don’t change, so the only part of “you” that shows up is how you communicate those facts. But with fiction, I poured a lot of my emotional self into it. The emotional distance that I could (sort of) maintain with nonfiction was blown to smithereens.

When I started writing Cleopatra’s Moon, I attended a talk by author Deborah Wiles, who recommended digging deep into the emotional truths of your story. I was really moved and inspired by her vision and how she works, so I began to look at every scene with an eye toward not just what happens, but what emotions were engaged. I think (hope!) this helped move the story from one where events are recorded (like nonfiction) to where they are experienced.

Where did this book start for you?

After working on a biography on Cleopatra for middle-graders, I just couldn’t get over the fact that out of Cleopatra’s four children, only her daughter survived. Yet most people had never heard of her. How could that be?

And then when I tried to imagine what it must have been like to have Cleopatra as a mother, the story just wouldn’t let go. I imagined that Cleopatra Selene identified very closely with her mother when she was younger (as most girls do). But then when her world imploded and she no longer had her, she still had to work out who she was as her own person and emerge from underneath her mother’s considerable shadow. It just seemed too rich!

If you could travel back in time to any culture and time in history, when and where would you go? If you had the same gender and family income at that time that you do now, what would your social position be?

Tackling the second question first, I imagine that in ancient Egypt, my family may have been part of an educated class—perhaps of scribes.

But that’s the thing—even though I’d love to go back to Rome or Egypt, I would never go back as a girl or woman. The truth is, it was a hard life for women, especially in Greece and Rome, where women were virtually sequestered away. At least in Egypt, women had a few more rights, but still. I would only go back in time if I could go as a wealthy, male citizen!

You said once that seeing classical Greek statues inspired your love of the ancient world. What about them spoke to you? Did you study those cultures in school?

I don’t know how to describe my reaction to those statues except to say that it was like some sort of awakening—I hadn’t been aware or conscious before that people could create such beauty. The elegance, grace, and sensual lines of the work just blew me away.

I didn’t have a lot of exposure to ancient history in school. I think I had AP World History in the tenth grade, but that was about it. Fortunately, I’d found author Mary Renault, so I just immersed myself in her novels as a way to feel as if I was really there.

What is your writing routine like? Your process?

I don’t really have a routine; I just fit writing around my work as a docent at the Carlos Museum and my kids’ school hours. Though it still feels partly pretentious to say that I have a “process”(!), I’ve learned that I need to know the opening and the ending before I can begin writing a word.

Also, I’m not one of those writers who starts typing in order to find out “what happens next” (much to my chagrin because that seems totally awesome). I have to see a scene unfold in my head like a movie. And then I write it down. But I could never just stare at a blank screen and start writing. I have to get up and pace or walk to see the scene and then I can go from there.

What is the biggest change you feel in the book as a result of the revision/editorial process? Or what about the editorial process most surprised you?

In the beginning, the biggest challenge for me was understanding what you meant when you insisted that my main character have some “agency.” At first I just didn’t get it. You explained that it was too easy to fall into the trap of allowing a main character to observe the action around her rather than leading it.

But, I countered, the people Selene was observing—particularly Cleopatra and Mark Antony—were so dang fascinating! Why wasn’t it enough to have her observe their antics?

But you kept insisting (nicely, of course) that I find something over which Cleopatra Selene had some mastery or control. At one point you threw out a suggestion—perhaps it was dancing in the Temple of Isis—which helped me understand that it didn’t have to be a huge thing. Still, I remember even then having the sense of “knowing” Cleopatra Selene well enough to understand that there was no way dancing was going to be it.

I experimented with her learning some nifty science tricks from her mother’s lead astronomer at the Great Library of Alexandria, but even there, she was still following, not leading. After some trial and error, I finally ended up having her express agency through a Roman ball game her father taught her, as well as through her deep faith in Isis and her ability to call upon Anubis during a crisis.

Arthur, Vicky, and I walk like Egyptians.

What is your favorite passage in the final book?

It’s always hard to look back on my own writing because inevitably I want to continue editing! However, some of my favorite passages have to do with Cleopatra Selene’s deep attachment to and love for her home in Egypt’s Alexandria-by-the-Sea:

My mother’s lady and I moved into one of the side gardens ideal for private conversations. Date palms ruffled in the breeze, gray and mysterious in the dark. Occasional gusts of wind, rich with the smells of the sea, teased the scents out of sleeping lotus, jasmine, rose and honeysuckle blooms. I never again smelled a combination so achingly beautiful—the cool salt of the sea intermingling with the heady perfume of Egyptian blossoms.

And in this scene, after the Roman occupation, Selene and her brothers have been allowed to climb their beloved Lighthouse of Alexandria:

     My brothers and I sprinted up the first tier of the Great Lighthouse. I had forgotten how hot the airless stairwells grew in the summer. We crashed out into the open terraces, sighing as the sea breezes cooled the sweat on our faces. I put my arms out. The crackling flames above us pulsed like a heartbeat. How I had missed Pharos!
    …It had been so long! I ran to the edge and looked out over the glittering bay, drinking in the invigorating smell of saltwater and sea life. Birds squawked and flew around our heads. Ptolly laughed and chased them.
    “The birds are hungry,” said a food stall owner from behind us. “Few visit Pharos now that the Romans have come…”

Those were two of the scenes I loved too -- they really got across your What are you reading now? Working on next?

I am reading a lot of research books right now on Roman women and religion. I’m working on another historical fiction novel set in ancient Rome during the period right before Cleopatra Selene is sent away. She’s not the main character in this story, though I’ll likely have the two meet at some point.

+++

Now, reader, it is unfortunately November again. But the happy news now is that Vicky and I will be having a Twitter chat on Monday, November 14 to discuss Cleopatra's Moon, how we connected and I acquired the book, Vicky's three favorite crazy facts about the Egyptians (and trust me, she knows WAY more than three!), and sundry other topics. The details:

Who:   Vicky, moi, anyone who's read the book or is interested in doing so, and anyone who just wants to hang out
What:   Twitter chat
When:   Monday, November 14 at 12:30 EST
Where: Twitter.com
Why:   To discuss Cleopatra's Moon

Our Twitter feeds are at @valvearshecter and @chavelaque. If you'd like to follow the conversation easily, look for the hashtag #CMchat in Tweetchat.com or the Twitter client of your choice; if you'd like to skip it entirely, block us for the day on Twittersnooze.com. A transcript will be posted on one of our blogs afterward. Thank you for tuning in!

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili

2011-10-29T12:16:00.002-04:00

A confession: I occasionally use this blog as my private recipe file for dishes I fix and love, but whose recipes I found on the Internet and fear losing. To that end, I'm pasting this in now -- courtesy of The Splendid Table the first time I made it and this site today. It's a perfect mild fall chili, with many of my favorite ingredients, and it reheats deliciously.

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili (serves 6)

Ingredients:

2 pounds pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeño chile, minced
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 cup apple juice
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained if canned

Cut the pumpkin or squash into 1/2-inch chunks and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the reserved pumpkin (squash), diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, water, apple juice, chili powder, salt, and cayenne, and stir well. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 30 minutes.
Add the beans, and more water if the chili is too thick for your taste. Cover, and continue to simmer about 15 minutes to blend flavors. Serve hot.

A Walk Up Greene Street, with a Little SoHo History and Class Warfare Thrown In

2011-10-24T21:38:00.000-04:00

Second in a series on the fascinations of wandering New York.

We had another lovely day here in New York on Sunday, so I decided to go back to Occupy Wall Street and donate some apples -- redistribution of income at work! I arrived right at lunchtime, and was impressed by the pasta and salad the protesters were serving to anyone who wanted a bite. It was just as nice a meal as those offered by the soup kitchen that my church runs (Sundays at 2 p.m. in the church basement, should you need a bite), and all prepared without a real kitchen, as far as I could tell. I also saw the library, full of books on all subjects for all ages:

I missed seeing Screwy Decimal, but she has a picture of the children's library sign specifically.

A block north stands the Freedom Tower, also known as One World Trade Center. It will be the tallest building in the United States when it's completed, at 1,776 feet. I don't feel particularly enthusiastic about this, nor do most New Yorkers that I know (who are not Larry Silverstein). But Mr. Silverstein must needs be satisfied, and so up it goes:

From there I walked north to SoHo. "SoHo" is an abbreviation for "South of Houston Street" (the street is pronounced "How-ston," not "Hew-ston," for anyone who wishes to sound like a local), and roughly covers the area between Houston Street to the north, the Bowery to the east, Canal Street to the south, and the Avenue of the Americas to the west. It has been through many, many iterations as a neighborhood, beginning in the Victorian era, when most of its famous cast-iron buildings were constructed:

As manufacturing moved out throughout the twentieth century, artists moved in, spreading south from Greenwich Village and taking over the light-filled lofts for studio space and cooperatives (that link is worth reading if you're interested in nutty artists or New York history):

Where artists go, galleries open; where galleries open, rich people come; and where rich people come, luxury shops follow. And as a result, forty years after Fluxhouse closed, Soho is one of the best neighborhoods in New York to shop for European clothes and modern furniture design -- if you're in the 1%, as the good stuff doesn't come cheap. I loved these coffee-cup sculptures, each one bigger than my head, at Adriani & Rossi (a mere $250 each):

Across the street was a doubled reminder of the neighborhood's origins: a sign over the receiving door of the long-gone Baker Brush Company, presumably from when brushes were manufactured in SoHo; and a piece of fascinating street art over it -- a totem-like collage face:

At the corner at 89 Grand Street stood Ingo Maurer, a lovely lighting design store. Wouldn't it be fun to have this exploding-dishes chandelier over your table at a dinner party? It would make your guests feel like anything could happen.

More street art on the next block:

And in an alcove in front of an empty storefront: a carefully arranged pile of plastic and some sheets, meaning that this is probably someone's bed.

That someone sleeps on the sidewalk on the same street as a $250 coffee cup sculpture, or this Gaga-worthy fur coat at Isabel Marant, is the same kind of injustice that has led the Occupy Wall Street protests to exist.

At the same time, I confess I love the goofiness of this coat (and the chandelier, and the coffee cups) -- not as something I'd wear or need to own myself, but as a beautiful thing that gives delight. So I don't really want all these things to go away. . . . Only for that sleeper on the sidewalk, and everyone, to have proper housing, and a job, and regular meals, and medical care, before a woman actually spends over a thousand dollars on a coat that makes her resemble a yak.

How to solve this problem equitably, I do not know.

So. More haunting graffiti, on the base of a lamppost:

And just like Crosby Street, Greene Street is paved mostly in brick:

Right across the street from Isabel Marant is one of my favorite places to window shop: SICIS Next Art, an Italian furniture maker that is frankly, joyously crazy -- the interior-design equivalent of Agatha Ruiz de la Prada.

My favorite thing I've ever seen there was a mosaic bathtub shaped like a high heel, where the bather sat in the toe and water poured down the arch.

At 107 Greene is another favorite place to browse -- the Taschen bookstore. Taschen makes gloriously nutso, beautiful, and huge art books. (Also art-porn collections, should that be your thing.) I go there to marvel at the specs of their books -- the size of the bindings, the quality of the paper, how no expense is spared in foil or glossiness or embossing. The shop functions almost like a book museum, as you can see:

Magda Sayeg likes to wrap things in knitting. You can see her work right now outside the Apple Store (currently undergoing renovation) at the corner of Prince & Greene.

There's also a knitted bicycle at the base of Greene Street, outside the ACNE clothing store. (Yes, that's the brand's real name; it stands for Ambition to Create Novel Expression, and it's a Swedish line. Presumably they didn't know what it meant in English.)

If you look up from the tricycle, you can see another wonderful piece of art, the marvelous trompe-l'oeil ironwork at 112 Prince Street:

And here's the view back down Greene St. from Houston -- which you all know how to pronounce now, yes? Yes.

I really enjoyed doing this -- the walk, the pictures, the sheer pleasure of looking for and at beautiful and interesting things, all on a sunny, crisp autumn afternoon. Thank you for sharing my stroll!

Mini Me

2011-10-23T01:08:00.001-04:00

In early September, I left my wallet and my iPod nano on a flight home from California. In my defense, I had been seated in a row with twin eighteen-month-olds, and after six hours of enduring their squirming and squealing (and being grateful that I was not their endlessly patient mother) -- not to mention having been away from New York for three weeks, one of them inadvertently thanks to Hurricane Irene -- I was desperate to get off the plane, back to my apartment, back to my real life; and I practically ran out of the row without checking the area around my feet. I discovered the wallet was missing when I took a taxi home to Brooklyn, reached into my bag to pay the driver, and could not; the iPod news sunk in a day or two later, when I wanted to go for a run and realized I'd have to do it sans tunes. The airline was no help at all; both items seemed to have disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle beneath the seat in front of me. And while the missing wallet was an annoyance -- a few dollars cash, several cards to replace or cancel -- my lost nano was a real absence, a friend and companion with whom I had faithfully passed the hours, now missing from my life for good.

But after a week or so, I remembered: I still had an iPod -- my old mini. I had been given the little pink brick for Christmas 2004 (you can see what I wrote about it soon after here -- one of the very first entries on this blog), and it had been my primary music source for almost four years, till my thirtieth birthday in 2008, when it was replaced with the nano. So I dug it out that night and plugged it into an iPod dock to play while I was cooking dinner, just letting it sing out whatever I had last listened to four years ago. . . .

And a Dixie Chicks shuffle came on: "Wide Open Spaces," which I took as a personal anthem after moving to New York (a slightly ironic anthem for this city, obviously); "Cowboy Take Me Away," a love song that always almost overwhelms me with its longing -- not so much for the cowboy, but for the real wide open spaces of the plains, and the simultaneous freedom and anchorage they promise; "Long Way Round," which became another anthem for me as I moved into my late twenties, experienced the standard difficulties, and tried to keep going. I hadn't listened to the Chicks very much in the years since I moved in with James, so it was a pleasure to find I could still yowl along with most of the lyrics, and that the ladies held up just as well as they always had. When I went running the next weekend with the mini, I clicked on my 2007 Running playlist, featuring Kelly Clarkson! And Liz Phair! And other people I'd listened to obsessively, but not for four years! Every song took me back to a specific place or person -- a mixtape exchanged here, a secret hotel-room boogie there.

I realized then that what I had discovered with the mini was a whole time capsule of my life in a certain four-year period, more powerful than any photo album because it had been more present with me every day. The "Moulin Rouge" soundtrack played as I washed dishes. Patty Griffin sang "Peter Pan" in the darkness as I learned to let go. Stevie Wonder reminded me of all the joy in the world, and the "Theme from Shaft" got me down the unshaded West Side Highway on the thankless final miles of the New York City half-marathon. I could even regard John Mayer with amusement as a feckless youthful peccadillo. (I still like the Goo Goo Dolls, dammit, but the only thing about Mr. Mayer that has improved with our ages is his guitar playing.) Those years took me through the development of my own identity as an editor, the start of this blog and my website, work on Harry Potter 6 & 7, several breakups and more confusion, the beginning of the relationship I'm still in today, all the thinking about plot and character and publishing that led to my book this past March. . . . My self solidifying into myself, altogether, in the course of a few good and tumultuous years.

So while I've thought about cleaning out the mini to add all my new music since 2008, I think I'm going to leave it alone and buy a new nano or Shuffle, preserving the late-twentysomething Cheryl in its AAC files. Its name has always been Nutmeg of Consolation, after the wonderful Patrick O'Brian novel, but if I could rename it at this juncture, I'd call it Rosemary for remembrance. . . . Pray, love, remember.

I Swear I Just Noticed This Today (+ Book Giveaway Contest!)

2011-10-11T21:14:00.001-04:00

My Spring 2012 list is pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. Five Creatures-style, the three books can be classified as:

Three YA novels
Two incredible debuts and one strong return
One fantasy and two realistic contemporaries
Two first-person and one third-person
One author born in Mexico, one in the U.S., and one in Canada
Two books that use split timelines and the telling of a story as motifs and one that does not
One male narrator and two female perspectives (three, really -- Irises's POV alternates between its sister protagonists)
Two books set in cities and one in the deep wilderness
One male author and two female authors
Two (three) narrators of color and one Caucasian
Three romances
Three books that will inspire both arguments and deep thoughts
Three really powerful, resonant endings
And -- here's the part I just noticed today, to my amusement -- three gorgeous covers that focus on girls' backs:

Above by Leah Bobet falls under debut, fantasy, first person, Canada, split timeline, male narrator, set in a city, female author, and narrator of color. Out in April.

Irises by Francisco X. Stork can be classified as return, realistic contemporary, third person, Mexico, does not, female perspectives, set in a city, male author, and narrators of color. Out in January.

The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin is a debut, realistic contemporary, first person, United States, split timeline, female perspective, set in the deep wilderness (Idaho), female author, and a white narrator. Out in February.

And they are all quite, quite genius, and I love them madly, and I love their covers too. I hope you do as well.

Giveaway! If you'd like to win a galley of one of them, leave a comment below using one or more of the titles in a sentence, and three winners will be chosen at random (one for each book).

A Visit to Occupy Wall Street (Plus a Small Ramble on Economics)

2011-10-09T20:47:00.002-04:00

We had crazy beautiful weather in New York today, so I went into Manhattan and visited Occupy Wall Street, the protest/live-in at Zuccotti Park (at the corner of Broadway and Liberty Street). It seems to be a combination of an extremely uncomfortable but good-humored slumber party and a mass Speakers' Corner for all kinds of liberal causes, including:

Wall Street reform
Corporate reform
Electoral reform
Constitutional reform
Ending the Federal Reserve
Globalization (the link is about Steve Jobs, but it ties in)
Stopping fracking in upstate New York
Bringing an end to nuclear power
Freeing Leonard Peltier
The environmental movement in general
Marxism (with a table handing out The Internationalist)
Anarchism
Fox News (a sign: "Fox News: I Don't Care About You Either")
Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.

I saw a man holding a sign that said "I'm 48 and this is my first protest," and many, many young people who could probably say the same. But the overall mood was cheerful, not angry or violent. A group sang "We Shall Not Be Moved." A drum circle inspired dancing. People shared their cookies, literally. And I came away really admiring the people who are there, bearing witness to their causes and their belief that what they're doing makes a difference. It reminded me most of the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington at more or less this time last fall -- that same sense of humor and even pleasure among the protesters, enjoying a beautiful day and the presence of like-minded people; but also with an underlying edge, not yet at but perhaps approaching desperation, in everyone's sense that the systems are broken, in the deep-seeded desire for change. . . .

The best witness to this need is perhaps the Tumblr associated with the protests, We Are the 99 Percent. If you have any measure of human sympathy in your soul, the stories there will hurt your heart -- and you perhaps have one of your own to add.

Naomi Klein gave this speech at the protests yesterday. It is powerful, and you should read it.

At the same time, I fear the movement's insistence on remaining leaderless and specific-demandless will end up undermining it in a media world that demands stories, meaning characters and plots. (Which may also just be human nature.) Nicholas Kristof's excellent column last week spelled out what the Occupy Wall Streeters should be asking for.

I work for a corporation. I believe in capitalism, because it seems like the best method yet devised to channel human beings' inherent self-interest into an economic system, and because all the communist experiments we've seen up to this point in history seem to have run aground on that self-interest, and then often crashed right over the rocks into repression and horror. I also believe in strong government regulation of capitalism and corporations; a social safety net; single-payer health care; public education; and paying taxes to support all of these programs. And globalization lets me have cheap electronics, clothes, shoes, and mangoes, and I love mangoes.

But I -- we -- have to look at the consequences of all of these things; and we also have to remember that change begins with our own desires, and to regulate those desires, as little as we like to do so. I often think about this quotation from Confucius, which appeared in a July Quote File on government:

To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.

If we could all want only what we need, and not more; if we could recognize that we shouldn't have mangoes, honestly, because getting them here is pretty terrible for the environment; if corporations across the board could agree that demonstrating growth every quarter isn't the most important thing, and instead value being a good corporate citizen and supporter of its workers; if there were some way to make American manufacturing costs the same as Chinese ones, without sacrificing environmental regulations or worker rights; if I spent less time on Twitter or playing Scrabble, or even "virtuous" activities like reading or writing, and more time volunteering or working for social change; if I could be willing to do what's best for all (environmentally, economically, altruistically) instead of what's just best for me at any moment . . . In a lot of ways, if we could not be America, and I could not be an American, with our historic, almost inborn emphasis on individual liberty and free will -- our genius and our curse.

It's easy to blame the 1%, and God knows they deserve a lot of the blame for the current economic mess and should be called to account. Things can and should be more fair. But 100% of us are responsible for how we spend our money and our time. I admire the protesters on Wall Street for providing a model that runs so idealistically against the grain of our present American life, and I hope their protests continue. Because however debased our president's carrying-out of his ideals may be at the moment, these words remain true: We are the change we have been waiting for.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

2011-09-29T01:20:00.000-04:00

. . . and maybe I'll remember to post these interesting things. Because I haven't been doing much besides working, thinking, and keeping up with friends, this is, I'm afraid, a completely self-absorbed list; but hey, it's my birthday month. (Or you can attribute it to the evil influence of Eat Pray Love, which I'm reading right now and really liking. Here's to women who know what they want and go after it, I say.)

Jordan at the Rusty Key kindly interviewed me about working on the Harry Potter books. (Hermione's and my joint Virgoness pleases me deeply.)
A picture and one-line quote from me appears in Psychology Today magazine this month! It's as part of their "Person on the Street" feature, which is entirely appropriate, because it came about because of a stroll up my beloved Crosby St. I was walking to work one day, and at the corner of Prince and Crosby, a woman with a clipboard said to me, "Would you like to be in a photoshoot for Psychology Today magazine?" This seemed like a pleasingly random opportunity, so I said yes, answered a question, and posed in a strange position, which is of course the picture they chose for the magazine (in a spread of other people similarly strangely posed). It's not online, I don't think, but if you are exceedingly bored and near a periodicals rack at some point soon, you can look it up.
And Sue Lederman LaNeve talked with me about self-publishing and Second Sight in her Tampa Bay Children's Book Writers and Illustrators newsletter, available here.
(I've sold well over half my stock of Second Sight, for the record -- thanks to all of you who have purchased it or helped spread the word!)
That interview also contains an announcement of another fun upcoming conference for me -- Florida SCBWI over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, which I am already excited about. Wouldn't you like to spend a three-day weekend in January in Miami talking writing and children's/YA books? I think you would.
If you disliked The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as I did, you have to read Manohla Dargis's brilliant review of the movie, which is also spot-on for the book. (Thanks to my friend Ronnie Ambrose for introducing me to this review.)
Make your own S'mores Pop Tarts! Yum yum yum.

Knock Knock. Who's There? 33 Years. 33 Years Who?

2011-09-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

Me!

Okay, so that punch line isn't really funny. But 33 years did indeed come knocking for me on Thursday, and in lieu of birthday gifts, I solicited jokes on Twitter, promising one random respondent a copy of Second Sight. Today I compiled all the jokes here and asked for a random number between 1 and 29 on Twitter, and @Knockknockjoan (appropriately enough) replied with "14." So the 14th person on this list won the book -- congratulations, Kerry O'Malley Cerra!

The jokes, for your enjoyment:

heatherhoag Heather Hoag --Knock knock... Doctor... hahahahahahahahahhahahah *nerd joke*
MardouLedger Mardou Ledger -- Knock knock! Who's there? Says! Says who? Says me, that's who!
LaurieTaddonio Laurie Taddonio -- Where does the king keep his army? Up his sleevy.
JoannaMarple Joanna Marple -- TEACHER: How many books have you read in your lifetime? PUPIL: I don't know. I'm not dead yet.
mdnorthrop Michael Northrop -- Why did the bicycle fall over? #becauseitwastwotired
lindseybilly Lindsey Billingsley -- Why did the tomato turn red?Because he saw the salad dressing.
WPAdmirer Sarah Bewley -- A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?"
gailshepherd gail shepherd -- What is a superhero's favorite part of a joke? The PUNCH line!
eachapm Emily Chapman -- Two hydrogen atoms walk into a bar. One says "I've lost an electron." "Are you sure?" "I'm positive!"
mgwritermhaynes Marilee Haynes -- What did the taco say to the burrito? Where have you bean?
karenrivers Karen Rivers -- Q: How many writers does it take to change a lightbulb? A: But why do we have to change it? (stolen from http://bit.ly/nDcwx6) Editor's Note (literally): This was especially pertinent as Karen was in the middle of a revision for me when she sent this (which has now been turned in, yay her!). For my own list of writing/editorial lightbulb jokes (with agents in the comments), click here.
tkread tk read -- Stephen Hawking’s latest book about anti-gravity is so good - you can’t put it down.
notthemessenger Sara Danver -- There are two muffins in an oven. One turns to the other and says man it's hot in here. The other screams Ahh a talking muffin!!
KerryOCerra Kerry O'Malley Cerra -- Q: What did one hot dog say to the other? A: "Hi, Frank."
kelcrocker Kellye Crocker -- What's brown and sticky? A stick!
emilylenajones Emily Jones -- What did the hot dog say as he crossed the finish line? I'm the wiener!
PatZMiller Pat Zietlow Miller -- What did the salad say to the refrigerator? "Close the door, I'm dressing!"
kevinonamac Kevin Lohman -- If at first you don't succeed, skydiving may not be for you.
susan_adrian Susan Adrian -- Knock knock. Who's there? Interrupting cow. Interrupting co--- MOOOOOOOOO.
3boysandbooks D Morrow -- How do you catch a unique rabbit? You 'neak up on it. How do you catch a *tame*, unique rabbit? Da tame way. You 'neak up on it.
LaFabuliste Christina McTighe -- Have you heard about the new pirate movie coming out? It's rated AAAARRRRGGHHHHHH!!!!
JenniferCEstes Jennifer Clark Estes -- Knock, knock! Who's there? Lettuce. Lettuce who? Lettuce in, it's raining out here!
luluchadora Lindsey Alexander -- Knock, knock. Who's there? To. To who? To WHOM! #editinghumor Happy birthday!
book_nut Melissa Fox -- Knock knock. Who's there? To. To who? No... To *Whom*. (stolen from @hankgreen)
earthwards Jess Morrison -- The past, present and future walk into a bar. It was tense.
erinlthomas Erin Thomas -- Knock knock- Who's there?- Under- Under who?- Underwear!(It's a hit with the grade 3 crowd)
PGoedi Philipp Goedicke -- Why do elephants lay on their backs with their feet in the air? To trip the birds.
Janet_Reid Janet Reid -- Q: What is a twack? A: A twack is what a twain wuns on.
lisa_schroeder Lisa Schroeder -- Knock knock? Who's there? Botany. Botany who? Botany good books lately?

Thanks very much to all the kind joke tellers. And if you kind blog readers have great jokes of your own, I'd love to hear them in the comments!

"Why Do So Few Blacks Study Creative Writing?" by Cornelius Eady

2011-09-12T07:35:00.000-04:00

For the last couple of years, I've been involved in a conversation on and off the blog about the representation of people of color in the publishing industry. This poem was posted earlier this year by the indispensable Ta-Nehisi Coates, and it more than anything else I've read or heard on this subject drove home to me the need for books that speak one's own language, where no translation is necessary, where one's life doesn't have to be justified or explained.

Why Do So Few Blacks Study Creative Writing?
by Cornelius Eady

Always the same, sweet hurt,
The understanding that settles in the eyes
Sooner or later, at the end of class,
In the silence pooling in the room.
Sooner or later it comes to this,

You stand face to face with your
Younger face and you have to answer
A student, a young woman this time,

And you're alone in the class room
Or in your office, a day or so later,
And she has to know, if all music
Begins equal, why this poem of hers
Needed a passport, a glossary,

A disclaimer. It was as if I were...
What? Talking for the first time?
Giving yourself up? Away?
There are worlds, and there are worlds,
She reminds you. She needs to know
What's wrong with me? and you want

To crowbar or spade her hurt
To the air. You want photosynthesis
To break it down to an organic language.
You want to shake I hear you
Into her ear, armor her life

With permission. Really, what
Can I say? That if she chooses
To remain here the term
Neighborhood will always have
A foreign stress, that there
Will always be the moment

The small, hard details
Of your life will be made
To circle their wagons?

Oh, My Poor, Lovely, Ever So Neglected Blog . . .

2011-09-07T00:24:00.001-04:00

. . . I have been thinking about you, I promise. But I also have been traveling and editing and knitting, some of these things simultaneously. I spent nearly three weeks on the West Coast, the last one inadvertently, thanks to Tropical Storm Irene. I became an aunt to a darling future star for Manchester United, which is ironic, because at present his name most famously belongs to a cricket player. I completed the baby blanket I have been knitting since 2006, and strained my wrist kayaking while singing Broadway showtunes. (Long story.) I reviewed and personally critiqued one hundred and fifty-three queries -- yes, 153 -- in connection with the webinar I did back in June. I visited two different music museums. I finished both A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin, with great satisfaction, and three other books besides, with only medium satisfaction comparatively, but still pleasure. I wrote four editorial letters in the week before I left, and one more during my Irene-enforced vacation. I ate at the best Thai restaurant in Los Angeles, or maybe the United States. I lost my wallet and iPod on a plane, and one of my books was named an Entertainment Weekly Must List pick, and another is featured on the Kirkus website this week. And I boogie boarded successfully.

Those are all the verbs of my last month or so, and some of the nouns too; but the reason I stayed away from you, dear blog, had to do with the adjectives . . . "Tired" and "talked-out" to some extent, thanks to all the crazy work of this year, and especially the week prior to vacation; and "emotional" about things that were none of your business. (Nyah, nyah, nyah, blog, I have things I don't tell you!) . . . And those things also made me feel tired and talked-out. One of the perils of being an editor, or perhaps just of modern life, is that one's judgmental antennae can be up all the time, weighing how something is done, to what ends, whether those ends are worth the effort, whether the "how" is the best method for reaching them, and then figuring out how best to communicate those judgments in the appropriate forum, if one should, because one has so many forums to be judgmental. (Wittily and briefly for Twitter? At great length in a letter or blog post?) I did not entirely succeed in turning off these antennae during my vacation, and as a result, I remained tired and talked-out in my head, and not so much wanting to put that talk down in pixels . . .

But it feels good to write here, Brooklyn Arden dear, and stretch these familiar muscles. I do hope to return again soon. I have new books to tell you about, and some thoughts on this devastating but oh-so-true Onion article, and those 153 critiques plus the article made me want to do a series delving into the nature of bad prose (not that all of the critiques were bad by any means). I promise nothing, because that merely sets me up for failure, but I'm thinking about you, and wishing we could spend more time together. The fall is always my time for new beginnings: Here's to trying.

The Quote File: Change

2011-08-14T21:45:00.002-04:00

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. — Charles Darwin

Fortune does not change men, it unmasks them. — Suzanne Necker

Some people change when they see the light, others when they feel the heat. — Caroline Schoeder

In times of change, learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. — Eric Hoffer

The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change. — Carl Rogers

We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn. — Peter Drucker

We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends. — Mary McLeod Bethune

Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding. — William Arthur Ward (again)

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules.... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do. — Steve Jobs

I am personally convinced that one person can be a change catalyst, a "transformer" in any situation, any organization. Such an individual is yeast that can leaven an entire loaf. It requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, persistence, courage, and faith to be a transforming leader. — Stephen R. Covey

Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change. — Robert F. Kennedy

As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air — however slight — lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. — William O. Douglas

You may not be able to change the world, but at least you can embarrass the guilty. — Jessica Mitford

For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change. — Ingrid Bengis

The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it. A good poem helps to change the shape of the universe, helps to extend everyone's knowledge of himself and the world around him. — Dylan Thomas

I can't think of a case where poems changed the world, but what they do is they change people's understanding of what's going on in the world. — Seamus Heaney

We pass the word around; we ponder how the case is put by different people, we read the poetry; we meditate over the literature; we play the music; we change our minds; we reach an understanding. — Lewis Thomas

Books are the dreams we would most like to have, and, like dreams, they have the power to change consciousness, turning sadness to laughter and anxious introspection to the relaxed contemplation of some other time and place. — Victor Null

No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft. — H. G. Wells

You wait for fate to bring about the changes in life which you should be bringing about yourself. — Douglas Coupland

To change your life, start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions! — James Joyce

Our heads are round so that thoughts can change direction. — Francis Picabia

Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind. — William Somerset Maugham

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future. — John F. Kennedy

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. — William Arthur Ward (again)

It makes me unhappy when certain things change or things are superseded… my nine-year-old daughter's personality... Card catalogues... Jiffy Pop right now feels imperiled... I want to stop time and get things down on paper before they've flown off like a flock of starlings. — Nicholson Baker

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. — Nelson Mandela

Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. — Flannery O'Connor

We are not the same persons this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy chance if we, changing, continue to love a changed person. — William Somerset Maugham (also again)

The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change. — Richard Bach

I get up every morning determined both to change the world and to have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning the day difficult. — E. B. White

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable. — Helen Keller