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We had a fabulous time with family on Friday, celebrating my cousin's adorable son's first birthday!
There's Uncle Bob holding Kalani. Look how smart Kalani is - he knows he's one!
All in all a lovely weekend with friends and family and relaxation. One of my favorite moments was listening to Bob and C in the kitchen as he taught her how to make peach cobbler. It was YUM!
Big plans today. C and I hope to write for 2 hours (she's working on writing her own novel), read for at least an hour, and then watch the first episode of BUFFY. I promised her last year we'd watch BUFFY together. I'm looking forward to watching the entire series again!
Special thanks to Duc Le of Duc Le Photography for my new user pic! |
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ALA
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Jul. 5th, 2009 @ 07:46 pm
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http://www.theboyfriendlist.com/e_lockhart_blog/2009/07/ala-.html For librarians!
I'll be at ALA this coming weekend, starting Saturday afternoon.
I don't know my precise schedule yet, but I'll be" at the YA author coffee clatch on Sunday morning, attending the Newbery/Caldecott banquet (squee!) signing I think for both Random House and Hyperion on Monday during the day (including ARCs of The Treasure Map of Boys, which comes out late July) Printz Awards dinner Monday night
Come see me and say hello. That's what I'm there for! And forgive me, in advance, if I am shy.
E |
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Only two books since last we spoke, dearest books tag, because I am not really counting my reading and rereading of the first eight Trebizon books (though I will say that it just feels wrong for boys to go anywhere near a girls' boarding school story).
Emily Franklin, Liner Notes
( thoughts )
Sarah Dessen, Along for the Ride
( thoughts )
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Okay. So last blog, Peepy and I had pulled practically an all-nighter to finish our chapter book, BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) . . .
(I actually did the writing, and Dan Santat did the illustrations, but Peeps claims that everything was her idea.)
How did we celebrate? Why with Dot's Cupcakes, what else . . .
Later, it was time to do all those exciting and glamorous things authors do when they are not writing. Like laundry, paying bills, and this . . .
Um, that's Peepy at the grocery store. The dog poster scared her, so she tried to hide from him . . .
   
Then it was time to go home . . .
. . . where we prepped for out teaching gig at the Santa Monica Public Library this Wednesday. The last time we were there, we were onstage with the Fonz . . .
 
This time, we'll be teaching and talking writing with teens as part of . . .
Inspire Me! A Teen Writers' Workshop
An intensive workshop where teens meet with local writers, develop their creative writing skills, and get a chance to publish their pieces in a Teen Zine. Authors include Sonya Sones, Lisa Yee , Robin Benway, and Ron Koertge. .
Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day! Peeps and I watched our hometown parade . . .
BTW, even though we have been known to eat non-healthy desserts, here's what I did not eat for 4th of July, courtesy of the website "This is why you're fat . . . where dreams become heart attacks."
To see more heart cloggers, CLICK HERE.
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Long story short — we started out like this (click to view larger):
 
And ended up like this (click to view larger):
 
And if you’d like to see more pictures from the big Fremont Zombie Walk ‘09, then you should click the little jump below and oh boy howdy, shall you have more gruesome pictures. This has already cost me about half a dozen followers of this mirror-blog on LiveJournal, but “Go for broke!” That’s what I say.
Click HERE for MAYHEM AND GORE » [Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]
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1. Yesterday we bought a new refrigerator. At last. After much teeth gnashing and worrying over the colors and sizes and whathaveyous. Got home from ordering it, remeasured, and the built-in that we have isn't as deep as what we bought. It will stick out into the pathway several inches. Instant crash and burn for me. We were going to cancel it but the built-in built-ins are $7K to $8K. Unreal! And less space and less feature and poorer ratings. So we are going with the original choice and will now have a fridge sticking out into the narrow pathway. Hey, it will match the microwave that sticks out on the other side of the kitchen. Remodeling the kitchen is such a pipe dream compared to all the other things that need doing around this house that I need to accept that what is, is. It is on its own wall, at an anle. We can't push it back any farther unless we want to remodel the bathroom and take out the countertop. Which we do, but not right now.
2. We went to multiple stores yesterday looking for a decorative but HEAVY chain to hold up the antique chandelier we bought, oh, a year or more ago. We can find heavy chains that will hold the heavy chandelier but they look like the ones you use to tow a car. And I am sure that when the electrican goes to hang it he is going to find more a problem in the ceiling. It's just the way it goes with this house.
3. The bird bath in the backyard overflows, which is good, to water the fern/wetlands area near the patio. However it does not flow the direction one would think, as in down the steeper incline. It flows toward the patio so much so that we now have a bog. Which is not good. We have played with multiple solutions and while they MIGHT work, none of the strike me as ones that WILL work for sure which is realy frustrating.
4. We have lived in this house for over two years now and the living room still does not have any furniture or a purpose or a hint of a purpose that would help me figure out what to do with it. It's a funky design that makes it even more difficult. So basically you walk into the house and see a junky room which is, let's face it, rather depressing.
5. I am trying to find a handyman or a carpenter or someone to build us sturdy garage cabinets, ones that don't have particle board shelves that will warp as soon as you put a can of paint on them, but they don't seem to be anywhere around.
6. Okay so those are only five things that are frustrating me but it frustrates me that they are bugging me so I'm counting that as number six.
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We’re not unreasonable.
[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]
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5. Finishing rewriting for SEER #6 and will mail it to my editor/agent before leaving on vacation Sunday.
4. Had my nails done a frosty mauve-pink.
3. Not sure what to read next. Help me choose from these books in my 2-B-read File:
SEA CHANGE by Aimee Friedman or STRANGE ANGELS by Lili St. Crow
2. I have a cold and stuffy nose -- not supposed to in the summer! Annoying.
1. I had a letter from a mom who reads YA books with her 13 year old. Her letter really made my day!
Here's part of what she wrote to me about my DEAD GIRL series:
Thank you, Linda, for all your creativity and for giving girls this age something wonderful to read and a world to explore that's not too far out of their depth. I was thankful and awed at how gently and respectfully you treated a number of very sensitive issues, rape (or the possibility of it) being only one of them. I love books that allow my daughter and I to discuss these issues that are important, but sometimes hard to get to. These are realities of life, but you approached them with strength and character. I am glad to know you, even if just by email!!
HAVE A WONDERFUL 4th of JULY!!!
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I don't talk about work a lot, but um - this is sort of driving me a little bit crazy, and I know that a lot of people who might query me do look at this livejournal (why, I am not sure, since I so rarely update it, but... whatever. That's not the point of this post. Quit looking at me with those accusing eyes!)
OK. So. Here's the deal.
I cannot overstate enough how important it is to me that you follow our simple guidelines when you send me a query.
* Put the word "QUERY" somewhere in the subject line.
* Cut-and-paste the first 10 pages of your book in the body of the email.
* NO ATTACHMENTS.
Pretty simple, yes? And all of it for a reason. If you don't follow these directions, your manuscript will not get labeled. It will probably be deleted. And if for some reason it is not deleted, it will likely get lost. Today I found something that I requested at a conference six months ago - it did not have the word "query" in the subject line, and it had an attachment, so it went into some folder, buried under tens of thousands of other emails, never to see the light of day again except by happenstance. AND I was very sad, because it might have been something that I really wanted to rep - but now it is too late, cause I took so long that she found another agent. *cries*
Yep, even from a conference, submission guidelines hold true. Do note "SCBWI NE conference" or whatever IN ADDITION, but don't neglect the original guidelines. Just cause I met you, doesn't mean I want to accept unsolicited attachments from you.
Also, FYI, I only rep kids's books and YA. Not erotica. Not thrillers. Not adult scifi/fantasy. Not Pulitzer-winning narrative nonfiction. Not cookbooks. Not cozy mysteries. Not books on botany or neuroscience. Not memoirs by politicians or prostitutes. ONLY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS.
If you send me anything that is NOT for children or teenagers, I will revel in the deleting of it.
I have to delete more than half of my many many queries per day because they either do not follow the directions or are wildly inappropriate. ARGH. Don't be one of them! These aren't hard directions! Please!
OK. *deep breath* I feel better. Thank you.
Going to play with kitty now. |
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1. My nine-year-old got a concussion yesterday! He accidentally rammed heads with a bigger kid. Hubby didn't want to take him in, but I kept repeating "Natasha Richardson." So he went to Urgent Care. He's fine now.
2. I'm learning a lot by hearing my twelve-year-old talk to his friends. They mostly talk about girls and body parts. I wouldn't mind never hearing Megan Fox's name again.
3. The nice thing about our kids getting older: Hubby and I have had date night the last four weekends.
4. I got a great idea for another young adult novel. I will work on it just as soon as I revise my chapter book manuscript, get brave enough to get a critique on my picture book manuscript, finish the two partially drafted young adult novels I started, and maybe work on the adult book and middle grade book I have great ideas for.
5. I went to the Mac store yesterday re. my iPhone. There was so much I was clueless about, I asked the worker if I was the dumbest customer she ever had. She said no. I think she was just being polite. |
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He has set up the DDR and is dancing without me.
Me: I THOUGHT YOU WANTED ME TO DANCE WITH YOU???
Son#2: I do. Just let me finish this one.
Me: ***heading off to office*** Call me when you're done. Have your people call my people.
Son#2: But fairy folk still don't use cell phones yet. Look for the smoke signals.
I'll let you all know if the smoke detectors and sprinklers go off. (Yes, I have a sprinkler system in my house. If it gets much hotter here, I might set it off myself!)Current Mood:  dorky |
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"Remakes" and "retellings" seem to be in style. Especially in romance and YA. I haven't read any of these, but here's a laundry list of favorably reviewed current fiction based on classics.
Gordon Korman's _Jake Reinvented_ is based on _The Great Gatsby._ Jake plays the Jay Gatsby character who arrives in town and starts throwing killer parties every Friday night that make him the coolest guy. He has eyes for Didi, the hot cheerleader. Her boyfriend, Todd, isn't too happy about it. Rick (the Nick Carraway character) narrates the tale.
Alan Gratz has "reshaped" (to use the words of the reviewers) Shakespeare's plays into modern mysteries starring teenaged characters. SOMETHING ROTTEN is a twist on Hamlet and SOMETHING WICKED is Macbeth reimagined.
_The Loser's Guide to Life and Love_ by A. E. Cannon is a pastiche of _A Midsummer Night's Dream_.
_Enthusiasm_ by Polly Shulman is a take on Jane Austen. Of course, the '80s film "Clueless" was supposed to be like _Emma_.
Eileen Cook's YA _What Would Emma Do?_ is said to be a modern version of The Crucible, and her _Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood_ is being called the modern-day version of _The Count of Monte Cristo_.
The YA novel _Troy High_ is a modern-day retelling of the Trojan War, based mostly on the Iliad.
Terry Pratchett's _Masquerade_ is a spoof of _Phantom of the Opera_. Terry Prachett's _Eric_ is a rewrite of Faust, with the Faust character being 15 years old.
Holly Black's VALIANT is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, as is Alex Flinn's BEASTLY. Jackson Pearce retells Shakespeare's Tempest in AS YOU WISH, and the Cinderella retelling titled ASH is by Malinda Lo. RADIANT DARKNESS, by Emily Whitman, is a retelling of the story of Persephone and Hades. A CURSE DARK AS GOLD is a feminist industrial age retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin" done by Elizabeth Bunce.
Huckleberry Finn itself is a sort of retelling of The Odyssey. (That one I've read.)
So why is it that if I say my Pundit novel is loosely based on or is a homage to the Tracy-Hepburn film DESK SET (updated), or I mention that I'd like to do a retelling of some other film classic such as TEACHER'S PET, editors fall apart, having a cow? If Hollyweird can try remaking THE WOMEN (and screw up royally in the attempt), why can't I update or spoof DESK SET (without stealing the dialogue, of course)?
Why is it that when Chevy Chase's character in "Fletch" uses false names out of classic films or fiction it's OK, but when one of my characters does it in a funny novel, everyone yells, "That pulled me out of the story"? And why am I not allowed to reply with, "Well, then, increase your reading comprehension! Don't read Benchley, Thurber, P. G. Wodehouse, or anyone clever until you do."??
Rhetorical questions.
I looked at the paperback fiction in the supermarket today. I browsed the racks at Target and Wal-Mart this past weekend. You know what the problem is? I simply don't like any of those popular or best-selling books. The style doesn't appeal to me (based on the first page and a random page or two), the plots don't appeal to me, the Muses don't sing. The books I like are at least several years old. I am out of step with what is considered The Grail of fiction today. This is the basic problem with my trying to publish.
Something's gotta give. I suspect it won't be my sensibilities and proclivities. (They gave at the office.)
The Faust retelling that I love best is Dudley Moore and Peter Cook's original version of the movie "Bedazzled." It's a witty, cerebral take on the Faust legend that has at least one literary allusion per film minute (it seems). Of course I figure most people who watch this 1967 version nowadays won't get all of the asides; a lot of the Faust references might be lost on them. (The bit about "he who sups with the devil should use a long spoon" is very subtle.) Still, they'd probably laugh. This movie came before most of the Monty Python humor, but epitomizes that kind of British sensibility. It's well worth catching the next time it's on cable. Note that I am NOT talking about the Brendan Frazier remake, which went for the slapstick.
Reviews of the film over at Amazon mention that "it's slow" and "it's too talky." Well . . . that's exactly the kind of thing I like. Out of step. Knew it already. Don't really care. Must be hopeless.
And speaking of remaking THE WOMEN (which I was, upstairs--try to keep up), I always wanted to. I hate the ending of the original, of course, where the heroine crawls back to the stupid man who cheated. I've always wanted her to push him OFF the roof of the hotel instead of running into his sticky old arms. But the basic IDEA and premise is still really cool and would fly today. Here's how I would steal it:
A woman's friends are a bunch of jealous, meddling cats who want to break up her marriage. A few believe it's "for her own good," but others are just destroyers of anything they touch. They believe the husband is cheating, and they try every way in the world to have the woman "run across evidence" of this. Finally they send her to a talky manicurist who gossips about him without realizing she's the wife with the "horns." The heroine resolves not to let the cats know that she was clued in, but to investigate it. Pretty soon the mistress (or purported mistress) is practically in her face in public, and she snaps and confronts the husband. In the original, he's guilty. In my version, he wouldn't be, but it would sure LOOK that way. And the purported mistress would be a woman who WANTS to get him, and therefore she plays along and pretends to already be cheating with him. This way, there could be a reconciliation that wouldn't be a total turnoff. The various women who manipulated the situation would get their comeuppances, but in different ways from the original.
I think I could make that work, but I'm not going to do it, at least for a while. I should watch that remake before I get too carried away. Heard it was worthy of going straight to DVD at best. But I ought to see for myself (and see what I could steal and twist, of course!)
My version would be all talky, ideally.
If you like talky stuff, let's talk. We can have our own club. So there! |
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Ta-Da!
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Jul. 2nd, 2009 @ 10:31 pm
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As I have been freshly informed, both Wings to the Kingdom and Not Flesh Nor Feathers are now available on Kindle as ebooks. Huzzah and hurrah! I’m glad to know they finally landed, and now the folks who’ve demanded those books in this format can be appeased.
Many thanks to everyone who has shown interest, to those who may show interest in the future, and to YogaGrrl for the heads up.
[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]
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Here’s today’s progress on the alternate-history battlefield adventure about a widowed nurse from a Confederate hospital aboard a west-bound train pulled by a Union war engine — now with military intrigue, steampunk Texas rangers, undead political separatists, murderous plots, bushwhackers, bandits, sabotage, and epic scenes of mayhem:
Project: Dreadnought
New Words: 5203 (a 2-day total, but 4K+ was written today.)
Present Total Word Count: 109,014 words
Goal: 135,000 words
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Managed day-job duties; did laundry; went to lunch with Caitlin; exchanged important writer business emails.
Other: I give up. There’s no way this book is going to come in under 135,000 words. My true guess is 140,000+ but I refuse to give in to the inevitable at this time. I still have 1-1/2 major scenes to write, plus the wind-down once our heroine reaches her destination. Oh well. Better too long than too short, and that’s a fact.
Revenge of Other: I also realized that I need to go back and write a short prologue, perhaps in the form of a news article. (For the sake of symmetry, I think a news article might be a good form for the info to take; after all, Boneshaker opens with a helpful expository chapter from a history book. A sort-of history book, that is. One that is in the process of being written by a character from the first chapter. So yeah. I think a news article. Perhaps.)
Reason for Stopping: It’s nearly 7:00 p.m. and I’m exhausted. I didn’t really get any work underway until well after lunch, and had to fit it around laundry … so I wore myself out late today. Yargh.
[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]
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The Robert Benchley Society held its annual essay contest this year, just as it has for several years, and I entered an essay. July 1st was the day they were supposed to announce the semifinalists. Well . . . no word yet.
But that wouldn't be disturbing by itself. The news blog at http://benchley.blogspot.com/ hasn't been updated since May; they never posted the list of preliminary round judges or named the celebrity judge for the final round. And e-mail to the two people who maintain the blog and head up the society has gone unanswered.
This morning I got e-mail from a fellow contestant who got my e-mail addy from a comment I had made on the Benchley blog asking when we'd be hearing. He was concerned that they might've pulled a fast one--there are entry fees involved, and he figured the total (what with all the essays that are posted on the preliminary round webpage) of fees as almost $500.00.
I don't think that's it at all. (For one thing, they have held an annual gathering for years, and I think they're pretty high-profile. For another, I've corresponded with the guys who head up the Society, and they seem like good people. Of course that's always what *I* think. *grin*)
My first clue came when they never named anyone as a preliminary or celebrity judge. Do you suppose they're having trouble finding anyone who's willing to take on the task? It's very time-consuming to read and rank all the essays; I always end up reading contest entries more than once when I judge for RWA or a similar group, and I fret over the scoresheet and over my comments. You sometimes don't realize the time/energy commitment this is until you've done it once . . . and you might not volunteer again.
I have the feeling that they're having problems getting judges, especially a celebrity judge. The celebs have discovered that it takes a lot of time to read and decide, and maybe there's not enough honorarium money to pay them. Perhaps the people who used to shoulder the responsibility are ill or otherwise out of pocket. I found out the hard way that to be a newsletter editor or vice president of some group (any group! From a ham radio club to a writers' circle to a Sunday school class) is NOT easy or simple. When life intervenes and you can't keep all the plates spinning, the doodoo hits the fan. Everyone wants his/her newsletter on time and as good as usual. Running this contest must be similar, or even worse.
I can't find any mention of the contest on the 'net this year, though, outside of the Society's own web pages. Usually there's at least one press release by this time. That's another reason I wonder if there are personal problems preventing the usual crew from manning the helm. Contestants don't know where to turn next, except perhaps the press . . . but who IS the press nowadays? I mean, maybe the New York Times could do a story on the contest and how it's in limbo, but they wouldn't want to do that until about a month has gone by. They might have better luck investigating, as they are "The Press" and not just a couple of contestants.
On the other hand, we're impatient because we want to know whose essays made the final round. We might just be making too much of it. The announcement could come within the next couple of days, after all.
If they're having trouble finding a judge, I'd be happy to serve . . . my essay this year is (I think) funnier than the one I did last year, but perhaps I am not unbiased. **GRIN**
I am still happy to have my essay online where it might get read by people who run across it. I'm a real sucker for publication/publicity, and my weblog/journal just isn't enough. I need to be famous! |
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I successfully finished my freelance assignment and the publisher says "Awesome!" YAY! I promise more info! :) I'm taking a deep breath.
Of course, I need it as I dive into a huge pool of books I have to read. I have fallen way way behind in my reading and for those of you who have sent me your ARCs and are waiting to hear what I think, I promise it will be soon-ish! I'm very excited to read read read! Here are the books I'll be reading this month:
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Paris Pan Takes the Dare by Cynthea Liu
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
Bug Boy by Eric Luper
Hunger by Michael Grant
Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
Hidden Voices by Pat Lowery Collins
The Great Call of China by Cynthea Liu
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Sunny Holiday by Coleen Paratore
Outside Beauty by Cynthia Kadohata
Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
Backwater by Joan Bauer
Whew! And no doubt more books will come to my attention over the next few weeks!
And, I'll be getting back to HF!
Happy reading/writing/illustrating!
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Phew!
Manuscript is in the mail. Well, it's in the e-mail and sent of to my editors Arthur Levine and Cheryl Klein . . .
It was crunch time last night to finish the second BOBBY book. And weird, since the first one's not even out yet. BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) debuts in September . . .
I've taken to working in the library. Though I love my office dearly, there are, um, a few distractions . . .
And though I love my kids (and dog) dearly, they are a few distractions . . .
 
. . . especially when it's summer vacation. There should be a law that authors with kids do not have to write in the summer, but will be subsidized.
So here's my view at the library . . .
And here's my set up . . .
   
And here's how I work on Scrivener, the Mac writing program . . .
And here's how I don't work while at the library. That's my Facebook page. I had posted that I was writing and lots of my FB friends sent me encouraging words, expect for author Barry Lyga . . .
Barry tried to distract me. Ever since he got on Facebook and Twitter, he's tried to get other authors to procrastinate along with him . . .
Later, I worked at home until 3:30 a.m.-ish keying in all my changes . . .
I actually fell asleep while writing. Oh dear. Not a good sign! Well, it's done now. On to the next!
Oh, and pssst . . . want to win a free copy of my novel ABSOLUTELY MAYBE? Then CHECK THIS OUT!
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Cassie has had it easy lately. I haven't been doing as much work with her as I have in the past. Partially because a lot of the basics are trained and she just needs to be reminded of them and partially because, well, life has felt like a little too much in places. A little too crowded and sometimes a little too overwhelming because I feel so ill-equipped to deal with, well, "stuff" to use the technical term.
But Cassie's a smart dog and has been learning things on her own.
Things like, there's Al, the good postman, who always wants her to come out to say hello and give kisses; Mark, the okay postman, who mostly ignores her, and Frank, the big bad postman, who is terrified of her, especially when she goes right up to the screen door to say hello. So now she whimpers when Al comes so I can let her out into the courtyard and they can both get what they want. When Mark comes she waits majestically at the screen door, tail thumping when he says hello. And when Frank comes she stays on her rug, far enough away from the door for him to feel safe enough to deliver the mail.
Things like, Uncle Bryan and Uncle Dave are soft touches when they come over to visit because if she sticks close to them, treat magically falls from their fingers into her mouth. And if she performs tricks without being asked, they fall even faster.
Things like, if she rings the bell enough times I'll eventually stop what I'm doing and go out back with her, if only to sit on the loveseat and watch her watch bees or work on her suntan. She gets what she wants and I get a break I didn't know I needed until I had it.
What impresses me most of all is that she is learning how to keep guard of me without me doing anything at all. We've had a lot of strangers in the house lately. I'm selling stuff on craigslist and the roof guy was over and then the window guy and each time there's someone new, Cassie has a routine. First she barks like crazy from her place about six feet from the front door. Then, if I let them in, she sniffs them all around and follows us whereever we go. If I stay standing, so does she. If I don't open the screen door and someone, say a sales person, stays on the other side, she barks until I either let them in or they go away.
I haven't been blogging a lot lately. Haven't done much on Facebook or Twitter either. I messed up in a couple of places. I gave away some power and forgot to grab up some power that was offered to me. It's messed with my head in a lot of ways. And anything that messes with my head, messes with my writing.
Today the roof guy came over so we could sign the papers to get started on the new roof. Cassie went through her whole routine - barking, standing, following. When we went into the kitchen and sat down at the table she finally decided it was okay to sit down too. But she placed herself a slight distance away, between the roof guy and me, facing him. It was a classic German Shepherd guard pose and I wish I had captured it with a picture.
I wasn't ever in any real danger but I like the idea that she is there, watching out for me when I might be too out of it to watch out for myself.
This is what I want to learn how to do with my writing life. I need to figure out what I love to do, what I tolerate doing, and what makes me so mad I just want to run away and not do at all.
I need to find my sweet spot, the things that make me want to write, whether or not treats magically fall from the sky.
I need to remember that sometimes taking a break from doing something I love in order to do something else I love is exactly the right thing to do.
Mostly I need to learn how to guard myself. To step back, watch and wait.
To remember that no one is going to care about my writing, my words, my work, as much as I do and if I don't care enough to guard them well I shouldn't be surprised when they are taken from me.
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I got a little writing done today, though not as much as I would’ve preferred — only about 1200 words (which is better than nothing, but still). I ran into that old quandary of Failure To Plot This Far, and needed to take a few hours to sort out what happens next. I mean, I know what happens next, I’m just not sure how to … erm … get to what happens next. But I think I have it figured out now.
Anyway. After spending all morning doing day-job stuff and spending a bit after lunch doing writer stuff, I then wandered around for a little errand running (visited the bank and got laundry quarters; went to the drug store, yada yada yada), and nabbed myself a bit of bubble tea on Broadway (as you do). So as you can see, it’s been a MONSTER day of productivity (insert eyeroll here).
But speaking of monsters, this Friday I’ll be joining the crew at this fine event, doing my best to help the cause. You may ask, “What cause?” to which I will gleefully tell you that some local organizers are trying to break the world record for a zombie mob. I will be in the crowd, tricked out in my undead finery and trying to learn how to do the “Thriller” dance, for the sake of verisimilitude.
While I’m there, I’ll very likely hit up the reading/event with S.G. Browne (author of Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament). You’ll find him putting on a show at Fremont Place Books at 4:00 — which yes, puts this reading immediately before the Big Shamble. So come on out and join us! At present, we’ll have the entirety of Team Seattle present (I think), plus an assorted representation of the Cap Hill Crew and heaven knows who else (I think Mark Teppo might put in an appearance?).
And speaking of appearances, plans have finally firmed up for a big Team Seattle event in Salem, Oregon on July 18th. There, you can catch Richelle Mead, Mark Henry, Caitlin Kittredge, Kat Richardson, and yours truly — on that fine Saturday at Escape Fiction (3240 Triangle Dr SE), from noon to 2:00 p.m.
So if you’re in the neighborhood and game for a little bit of literary mayhem and whatnot, please, stop by. We’re always happy to talk to readers, book-buyers, and passers-by alike. Yes, well. We’re a chatty bunch. We often come accessorized with dirty jokes, prizes, schwag, and/or party favors — if that helps influence your decision …
[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]
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