writerjenn

Last week I had the idea to get postcards made with both book covers. I didn't have any postcards made for I HEART YOU, just bookmarks. I e-mailed my editor to make sure it was okay, then I went ahead and ordered them.

The postcards have the covers of both of my books on the front and then on the back are the titles and stuff on along with information about contacting me for author visits. Can I just say they are SO pretty! Here's a pic of the front, although in person everything is clear and shiny and perfect. :)



They did an amazing job. If you need anything like bookmarks or postcards, I say go to www.iconix.biz and request Kelley. She did the design of my bookmarks and postcards - I didn't do much of anything except give her the text and send her the covers. I'm so happy, and the prices are very reasonable, I think!

ANYWAY, Oregon has a month of school left. Should I mail some to MS/HS librarians now or wait until the fall? I just want to start getting my name out there as a possible presenter. I'll probably mail some to a few of the public YA librarians nearby, in case they might be interested in some kind of event this summer.

I'm so happy I got them in time to take to the conference this weekend. Yay!

Unleash your inner cave person, LJ, and pick up Jeremy Tankard's hilarious pb, ME HUNGRY!

http://www.amazon.com/Me-Hungry-Jeremy-Tankard/dp/0763633607/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210768461&sr=1-1

Me know you won't be sorry.

Apparently there is a discussion going on at some listserv about teachers assigning students to communicate with authors. I've talked about this here before. It can be wonderful (most of the time) and frustrating, especially if a reader's grade hinges on hearing back from the author, or if the reader writes demanding the author explain all of the symbolism, setting, and themes of her book. But mostly it's great.

I thought I'd post one day's worth of notes so teachers could get a sense of things. Here is the email I got yesterday. (There was snail mail, too, but I am months behind on that.)

This comes from a teacher:
"I am teaching Speak in my Junior Honors class. As a parallel work, we watched the film version of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. My students found it a little weird that you named the wonderful art teacher the same name as Maya Angelou’s rapist. Since I didn’t have the answer (except to say it was probably more to demonstrate YOUR Mr. Freeman’s character and the connection to the other character was an accident), I told them I would ask you. So I am."

A fairly detailed request, from a reader who hasn't yet found the Biography or FAQ pages of my website:
"Hello...i m .... & im doing
a Author report on you and i was wondering
if you could help me and answer a few things.
please.

like tell me thing what you liked to do in
your childhood?

How did you become intersted in writting?

What other degrees did you earn?

Did you earn one to become a writer?

how was your family?

anty brothers/sisters?

What are your most important awards/honrs?

What your favorite book?
[my speak]] very good!

Well i would apprecitate it VERY much if you took time to answer me these questions and tell me about your self!"

Ah, spelling. But you have to love the sweet tone of this one:
"Hey, Im doing a school project on you, we were told to pick an author and do reserch and i really couldnt think of the books i have read cuz im not a big reader and the frist that came to mind was speak, i have read the book 2 times and have watched the movie plenty, it was a touching story, now i have got most of my info from writer lady, but thiers one thing i really coundt find and thats qoutes... i need a few qouets that u may say or live by and if u could reply back to this it would be much help and i would appreciate it tones!!!"

Never been asked for this before:
"Hi Laurie.... During our English 12 class, we have to choose one particular author and write an author study on our choice. I decided to write about you. I have read mostly all of your books besides a couple, only because our school library does not own them. But, I am hoping to buy them this summer. The reason I am emailing you is because we have to find a short story that our author wrote. I have looked long and hard and have not found a short story written by you. I was wondering if you have ever written any short stories. Sorry if that offended you, but in my search, every sight told me you have not written any. If you have, I was wondering if you had the time, if you could email me a short story you have written. I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you for reading this email. I understand that you have a life of your own and do not want to be a burden. If you're too busy, I understand. I hope to hear back from you."

Students are not the only ones writing:
"My name is... and I'm a bookseller at... my manager and I are trying to round up prizes and giveaways to put in our goodie bags. I have been given the unenviable task of e-mailing every YA author and/or publisher I can think of and asking for help. I read Speak when I was about 13 or so, and it made quite an impression on me, so of course, you were one of the first authors I thought to e-mail.

Do you have anything—and I mean anything—that you could send me to help me out? Anything from signed books to a stack of bookmarks would be fantastic. Not a lot goes down around here, so we are trying to make this as fun as possible. Let me know, and I can send you the store address and my manager's name."

This one is wonderful... she forgot to include the link to the site she was talking about, but did so in a post later in the day:
"i know you have no time for any of this, or maybe just no brain-energy left, but life is short & really what else matters?
so anyway i wanted to thank you for 'twisted', which i just read in one sitting / lying (sprawled, in someone else's empty bed, in someone else's empty house-)

i read 'speak' in high school, maybe when i was more part of the Target Audience, but now, finding 'twisted' at 22 i wish more than anything my (older) brother could have read it when he was most vulnerable.. it could have really saved him. you are doing immensely important work, i hope you know that..

though i understand you are terribly busy & probably inundated with emails like this, i would really be honored if you would look at something i made / am making... just a little nothing in the forest. click the house when it lights up.

if you find a moment, thank you, it takes awhile to load, i hope it's worth it. oh, and your website is beautiful, by the way."

This is simply lovely:
"I have recently read your book speak. I found it very interesting and i could connect with it in many different ways. Throughout my school years i have endured some very tough times, and reading this book brightened my life a little bit, and made me realize that anything is possible. I wanted to personally thank you for writing an excellent book, that is also very meaningful to me and many other readers. You are one of my all-time favorite authors and believe me i do not say this to everyone! Well once again thank you so much for the insight that your wonderful book provided me."

As is this:
"hi laurie i'm yvette, i read three of your books and i loved them, i actully finished them it usally takes me a whole semester to finish a book but not this time. so far i read "speak" "fever 1793" and "twisted" i liked them all and i can't wait to read the rest of your books!"

Gotta love this, too:
"that your book Speak is by far the best book I've read, and I'm sure you've heard this a lot, but I am an absolute slowwww reader and I have a very difficult time just sitting down and concentraiting for a solid ten minutes. So like I've said before, I know you hear this a lot but i couldn't put this book down, and this book has also inspired me to speak up. thank you."

My conclusion:
Beefing up the website has definitely helped stem the tide of reasonable requests for information. (Though I have no plans to post essays about the themes in my books!) Answering reader mail is mostly a very nice problem to have. The only thing I ask teachers is please don't make a student's grade rely on my ability to respond in a timely fashion.

Any thoughts?

I'm back in the Cave of Revision, BTW. Will be crawling out for my booksigning in Oswego on Thursday evening.

I'm going to go with the "A picture is worth a thousand words" theory and let this speak for itself. But, dawg, that was some great stuff! After just a few hours into the day, I cracked the case re: why I never have time for anything anymore. Yeah, hate to break it to you. The electronic gizmos are great big time sucks.

So, put that right in the file marked "Duh!" for future reference. :-)

Being unplugged is a bit like the first day of summer vacation from school as a kid. Everything seems so expansive, so possible, so endless.

Yup, that good. You oughta try it. I'm back at it next Sunday and maybe the one after. Join me! Let's start a revolution of e-fasting!

Peace,
Mary

P.S. I really appreciate all the great suggestions coming in for donkey names. You can keep submitting them through this week, and I'll announce the winner next Monday.

P.P.S. Also, if you haven't noticed, on the blog sidebar, I've changed the prize for the monthly random drawing for May. You could win a "Spiritual Cowgirl" t-shirt. I have one and I love it big. (Thanks, Danielle!)

So kimberleylittle tagged me for a meme and since I'm in the memory mood right now, here goes:

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

What were you doing ten years ago?

I had just moved back to California and was wondering if my now husband was going to propose to me or not. I was waiting for CAN I PRAY WITH MY EYES OPEN? to come out and wondering if I made the right decision to transfer instead of looking for a new company in the Silicon Valley.

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

1. Finish the ESL book that is due this week.
2. Call the closet place to come out and give us estimates.
3. Call the wood floor guy to come out and give us estimates.
4. Answer the interview questions that have been waiting for me for too long.
5. Mail out books to about 5 people that have been waiting for me for too long.

What are some snacks you enjoy?

chocolate
vanilla ice cream with my husband's hot fudge sauce
almonds and walnuts
chai with extra pepper

What would you do if you were a billionaire?

Quit my dayjob!!!
Set up a trust to take care of each of my kids and my mom.
Move to Santa Cruz.
Adopt as many dogs and horses as I could and donate to take care of more.
Set up some literacy programs.

And the list could go on and on...

What are three of your bad habits?

Procrastination. Procrastination. Procrastination. (This really trumps everything else.)
Beating myself up for things that aren't my fault.
Not trying because I don't think I'll be any good at something

What are five places where you have lived?

Concord, CA
Oakley, CA
Norfolk, VA
New Orleans, LA
San Jose, CA

What are five jobs you have had?

Woolworths Drug Store ( I had to take a math test)
worked on a horse ranch, cleaning, feeding and giving riding lessons
bookkeeper for a taxi cab company
worked in the warehouse for oil field services
Project coordinator in R & D for a tech company

What six people do you want to tag?

slatts
beckylevine
madwriter
mirtlemist
laurasalas
pambachorz

Hey Debs!

Dude, so sorry I have like fallen off the face of the earth, but yanno, between crazy revisions, juggling a newborn, and yelling at my husband constantly, I've been sorta busy!  And I still have a free-tique round to do over at cynthealiu.com. ANYWAY, I just wanted everyone to know for newcomers to the Debs and old, that I am now accepting content for Author pages on AuthorsNow!

If you have not yet heard of this lovely endeavor and you meet the criteria (any Deb should qualify), hop on over here and sign up to get your author's page:

http://www.cynthealiu.com/2008/03/21/289/authorsnow-is-coming-to-a-website-near-you/

Woohoo!

The last of the manuscript arrived at 6:06 PM, a day and half later
than expected. This bothered my wonderful publisher friends more than
it did me because they have deadlines to meet, marketing to do, etc.
Me, all I have to do is accept some spot-on line edits and do a little
seeding here and there. Plus, here's a dark secret I've never shared:
As I did the third revision, I kept thinking, "I'm never sending the
manuscript back! Bwahaha! Well, maybe for copyediting, but not after
that."


I enjoyed working on it too much, and if I gave it up, I'd be
expected to start a new book. And we all known that I am a fraud who
somehow convinced a group of very smart, able people that I can write a
novel.


At 6:20 PM, after letting the manuscript ferment for all of 14 minutes,
I opened the envelope then started sorting. Edited pages to the left,
unmarked pages to the discard pile. Over 80% of the pages required some
sort of edit. I'll pause here to add that only once in the process of
revisions did I stet one of AEV's suggestions. It was a one-liner that
was mildly humorous by itself, but I had referenced it at least twice
more in the novel and used it to set up a reveal later (a free
Tupperware bowl to the first astute reader who can guess the stet'ed
line).


Generally, I used the same process before—cull, reword, and then
rewrite. The last three chapters required some cutting, which is
easier than writing new pieces. I was satisfied that the last chapter
had the new touches AEV asked for (better opening line, more humor,
less sap), I let Microsoft Sam read key sequences and the final
chapters to me. I found at least six typos in the last chapter, even
after proofing it three times. Best of all, I didn't fall asleep once,
and I made my deadline to the minute.


I said in the last post that this was the most difficult revision.
So what made it so hard? Not the actual line edits, because although
they were numerous, they were minor. Not the cutting because it made
the story tighter and saved me time having to recast a few clunky
passages. No, it was the finality of it. I knew that when the
manuscript went to copyediting, it would no longer be the story that
AEV and I had made. It would become a book that was shared with others,
and despite the fact that I'll have to respond to copyedits, my writing
would be done: the story that revision 3 created would be the novel
Soul Enchilada.

The Boston Authors Club has named TRACKING TRASH one of six 2008 Highly Recommended Books for Young Readers, which means I will be attending the 11th Annual Boston Authors Club Award Luncheon at the Boston Public Library on Thursday. Believe it or not, I have only been to the BPL once, and that was one hundred years (or so) ago. I am excited to get back there!

I am also excited about the possibility of meeting the authors of these other Highly Recommended titles:

Ralph Fletcher, THE ONE O’CLOCK CHOP (Holt, 2007)

Jack Gantos, I AM NOT JOEY PIGZA (FSG, 2007)

Peter Johnson, WHAT HAPPENED (Front Street, 2007)

Mitali Perkins, RICKSHAW GIRL (Charlesbridge, 2007)

Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris, THE ROGUES (Philomel, 2007)

These 2008 Young Reader Award Recipients will also be honored on Thursday (but as award winners, they have to give speeches!):

Brian Selznick, THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET (Scholastic, 2007)

Elizabeth Alexander and Marilynn Nelson, MISS CRANDALL’S SCHOOL FOR YOUNG LADIES AND LITTLE MISSES OF COLOR (Wordsong/Boyds Mills, 2007)

Mark Peter Hughes, LEMONADE MOUTH (Delacorte, 2007)

For a complete list of Boston Author Club 2008 Awards (including adult authors and titles) as well as details on Thursday’s award luncheon, visit the official Boston Author Club Award website.

Over on Facebook I just got invited to a "Karen Bass Reading" (event set up by my publisher). Considering I'm the entertainment, I think I should say I'll definitely be there.

I wonder what they'd think if I replied with a maybe?

I'm putting the final bits together for my presentation at the Kansas City Literary Festival Saturday afternoon.  I'm between Brad Sneed and JB Cheney--how fun is that?!  (Seriously, we've got wicked talent here in the Paris of the Plains.)

I've spent the last couple of days sewing hooks and eyes, and printing off bookmarks and coloring pages.  I love things like this. :)

And, as promised, I said I'd give you all a chance to weigh in.  Here it is! 

My presentation is called "Dressing the Part: How Clothes Make the Characters."  For those of you who've read CURSE (did I say "thanks," yet?), do you have recommendations, suggestions, or things you think I absolutely should mention?  Any ideas for how best to tie the presentation back in to the novel?  I only have about 25 minutes, which is not so long, given how very adept I am at talking.  Remember, I'll also be running through the elements of middle class 18th century dress, which will probably take a good third of the time.

So... if you were coming to see a YA author talk about this subject, what would you expect to hear?

Thank you all!  I've made my husband promise to take some wonderful pictures of me (and we bought new rechargeable batteries!) this time. :)

This might look like a blog post, but it's actually just filler. Guilty, guilty filler.

Tagged by megancrewe, a list of six random things about myself:

1. My feet have perilously high arches, which was great for ballet but bad for finding boots that fit right.

2. I can touch the tip of my nose with my tongue.

3. Like Megan, I am not a natural red-head.

4. My favorite item of clothing is something I almost never wear: my grandfather's silk top hat, stored in a brown leather hatbox with red velvet lining. Poppy was a working-class man who built houses with round corners in rural Newfoundland; his Edwardian gentleman's accoutrement was salvaged from the trash.

5. I once toilet-papered a police officer. After asking for - and obtaining - the officer's permission to do so.

6. I can recite John Clare's "I Am" and Edward Gorey's "The Gashleycrumb Tinies" off by heart - but not T.S Eliot's "The Wasteland", despite repeated attempts to memorize the darned thing.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my friends-locked blog post. You guys are... well... you make everything better, don't you? I'm amazed by how cool the blogging community is. Do you remember that contest where you get to win two books  (TIPS and LOVE) and a surprise present if you either posted something about your secret book love or if you posted something socially helpful. You all posted something VERY socially helpful to me, and really got me through the day, so everyone who posted is entered (or double or triple entered) because of that.

Even if you don't want to be entered. YOU ARE ENTERED.

The contest closes on May 14. You still have time! Just comment below.

I have to figure out a way to blog about the campaign. Do you think friends-locked posts are safe? Some very interesting things have happened.

But in super cool news, my very amazing editor Michelle Nagler has emailed me the first go at the book cover of NEED. It is stunning and creepy and really, really cool. It also makes me want to buy gold, glittery lipstick.

(Note: This is not the cover. This is lipstick from a British store. The cover is EVEN cooler than this, but I can't post it yet)

It was especially cool to see the cover because it makes the book suddenly real. And that is just the best feeling. Sometimes that feeling comes when a publisher buys your book, or when you see the ARC (advanced reader copy), or when you see get a big box of them from the handsome UPS guy, or when you see it on the shelf.

But for me, this time, it was seeing the cover that made it real. For all you soon-to-be-published writers out there, I hope you get to feel that really soon.

 

Today i thought I'd share something different from SHATTERED. So I give you, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly 

alanajolie made me A lolcat for me. Isn't it adorable? :-)

lnhammer posts his dogmatic writing advice manifesto.

kporterbooks asks are we listening to teens, or just hearing them? (Via revisionnotes.)

Publisher's Weekly reports a new Madeleine L'Engle novel.

msagara on how being a mother is like being a writer.

tammy212 on why she's a feminist.

msagara again, on why we can't all simply choose to write bestsellers, but also on the choices writers can make.

coppervale says: "...never give up what you want the most, for what you want most at that moment." Along with other wise things about the business of being a writer.

( Plus a couple St. Louis links )

http://author2author.blogspot.com/2008/05/authors-in-person.html

Tip of the Day: if you want to feel revived and refreshed about writing, try going to a conference.

This past week, I was at a conference for my library job. The bonus perk was that many authors I admire were also speaking at the conference, including Tamora Pierce, Judy Schachner, Cynthia Lord, Pete Hautman, John Green, Hank Green, and Maureen Johnson. I blogged a little about the conference on my personal blog here, but I wanted to share some of my favorite words of wisdom from the speakers.

• “If you need to send a message call Western union, [don’t write a book].” Tamora Pierce
• When Tamora Pierce was asked at what stage during the writing process she thinks about the theme of her novel, her response was: “when I’m preparing for speeches.”
• “Be persistent,” Judy Schachner, picture book author. “Or what I like to call: keep ramming head into brick wall.” Her response when asked about the publication process of books.
• As I mentioned on my other blog, Cynthia Lord’s advice on writing and publishing: 1.) don’t let your inner-editor into the first draft of a novel and 2.) don’t give up on your publication journey.
• Pete Hautman said most of his book ideas result when he realizes how two unconnected ideas he has on characters and/or larger issues fit together as one book.
• John Green spoke at length on the importance of using technology to reach your readers in new ways, such as his online Nerdfighter community and Brotherhood 2.0 blogs. He also stated that teens today want to feel connected to the author at all times.
• Hank Green added that one of his favorite things about their online community is that teens feel they can make a difference. “If you tell them they can change the world, they believe it and then they will do something about it.”
• Maureen Johnson said when asked why she likes to write for teens that it’s because teens are a lot more open at that age and you can be more creative in books.

There’s was tons more, but those were my favorite comments. There’s nothing like hearing an author speak in person that can both get you excited about writing and also feeling inferior, since all of them are incredibly smart and dedicated to the craft of writing and to their readers. But it was an amazing time, and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to hear some of them speak.

--Emily, Miss Awaiting an Agent

Since I'm not going to be doing any Teaser Tuesdays for a while I thought I'd try something new around here. Every Tuesdays I will post one memory question and hope people will all chime in with their answers.

This week's memory challenge - your first car.

I turned 16 in 1974 but I didn't get my driver's license at 16 like so many other kids did. For one thing, I only lived a couple of blocks from the high school so walking was easy. For another thing I was a girl who dated guys who usually had cars. But the main reason I didn't get my license right away was because there was no car for me to drive. My mom worked for a car dealership and drove a company car which I wasn't allowed to drive. Eventually a friend of hers allowed me to borrow his car for the test and I got my license when I turned 17. Which meant, of course, I wanted a car. I was going to be a senior and I had visions of upping my coolness factor for at least my last year of high school.

I had a job at a local burger joint but would have to borrow the money for a car from my grandmother, which, according to her, gave her a vote in the car I bought.

My way cool aunt had a car for sale and boy did I want to buy it - a blue 1965 Mustang that looked something like this: 



I refused to admit that I was too short for the car and that I would be looking out through the section of the steering wheel instead of over the top of it. I sat in that car and imagined pulling into the parking lot at Mt. Diablo High School (after driving around a while "to be seen" of course) and suddenly being someone who mattered at school.

Alas my grandmother and my mother consorted to keep my coolness down in the freezer section and insisted, instead, that I buy this, a 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger.



Sigh. Granted, in later years when drag racing at the Fremont raceway was a part of our life, that car might have made me a little more popular. But as a fairly invisible senior in high school, it didn't help a bit. And when I married my first husband, the only thing insisted was that I sell that car ASAP.

So what was your first car and how did it come into your life?


 

After 3 hours of homework and more stress and frustration than any 13 YO (okay, fine, any 13 YO's mother) should have to endure, I've decided if both of my kids make it through high school, I'm sending them to Grandma's for the weekend and *I'M* the one having a keggar. Mark your calendars. June, 2015.

My director at work complains about his almost two year old who takes her poopy diaper off and walks around showing people.

I'm telling you, I'll take that over algebra and science write-ups any day.

Today I woke up thinking about Yeats's falcon in his widening gyre, and how "things fall apart; the centre cannot hold". And then I got to thinking that perhaps I'd look for a more upbeat falcon poem. And I found "The Windhover" by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Hopkins converted to Catholicism and became a Jesuit priest, who worked with what he called "sprung rhythm", which was based in early Anglo-Saxon rhythms involving the placement of stressed syllables within a line and relying in part of repetition of words and sounds within a line. Rather than using iambic pentameter or any other fixed metre, his lines vary in length and placement of stressed syllables (akin to accentual verse), giving them a unique, organic feel and foreshadowing the coming of free verse.

If you have a few moments, read this one aloud, and you'll get the feel for what Hopkins was up to with his craft. Despite the length of the lines, this poem takes the form of a sonnet: it's 14-lines long, and it uses the rhyme form ABBAABBA CDC DCD.



The Windhover
by Gerard Manley Hopkins

I caught this morning morning’s minion, king-
  dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
  Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
  As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
  Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
  Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

  No wonder of it: sheer plod makes plough down sillion*
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
  Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.

*sillion: thick body of soil that has been turned over by the plough

Well, sorta.



These are my neighbors ... and their brandy-new hive of honeybees.

Whenever I need a little inspiration, I need only head over to their place. How cool is that?

PIPPI LONGSTOCKING
Written by Astrid Lindgren
Translated by Tiina Nunnally
Illustrated by Lauren Child
Viking, 2008

Category: Middle grade fiction

Somehow I got through a childhood filled with books and stories without ever reading PIPPI LONGSTOCKING. And so I was tickled to find this newly translated and fabulously illustrated version in my daughter’s Easter basket. (Love that Easter bunny!)

Pippi captured my heart in Chapter Two, “Pippi Is a Thing-Searcher and Ends Up in a Fight.” What’s a thing-searcher, you ask?

“Someone who goes searching for things, of course! What else would it be?”

I am, in fact, a thing-searcher. I’ve never called it that, but as I listened to Pippi explain it all became very clear:

“The whole world is full of things, which means there’s a real need for someone to go searching for them. And that’s exactly what a thing-searcher does.”

And that, my friends, is exactly what I do. The world is full of things and there is a real need for someone to go searching for them. Pippi hunts for gold nuggets and ostrich feathers, I seek trash trackers and honey bee keepers. Like Pippi, I always find something. And after these many, many weeks of school visiting and writing conferencing and in-general gallivanting, it is high time for me to get back to it … “before some other thing-searchers show up and make off with all the gold nuggets around here.”