Sealy's Friends

There are two things that Cassie takes very seriously, food and sleep. She loves to eat but she REALLY loves to sleep. The whole process of settling in for a nap requires much pacing and groaning and moaning and sighing when, at last, she lowers her body to the floor and closes her eyes. She's pretty predicitable too. After dinner she plays for a while and then it's coma dog, crashed out in the library or whatever room we are in at the moment. This is good and bad. The good is that she's quiet and not bothering anyone. I can write or we can watch TV without popping up to rescue the ball out from under the couch 100 times. the bad is that she's a coma dog. By that I mean she won't wake up. Which wouldn't be a REALLY bad thing except that before we go upstairs so we can all go to bed she really needs to go outside and take care of business one last time.

But she won't wake up. It's sleep time and she intends to keep right on sleeping until I can give her a good reason why she ought to get out of her comfy bed. That good reason is usually the sound of me tapping the lid of her cookie jar against the side of the jar. Like a doorbell, it gets her attention. With the promise of a cookie, she'll get out of bed and go outside.

One of my favorite times of night is our bedtime routine. After her last trip outside she trots off to my husband's office to tell him goodnight and then waits at the bottom of the stairs, for me to follow. We head up to the bedroom and she goes through the whole settling down process and then she rests her head on the edge of her bed and stares at me. I usually sit up with the light on and read for a while. When I finally turn off the light she moans as though she has been suffering 100 years waiting for the dark to fill the room. I love the sound of that goodni

Recently we decided to let her have a chair in the library. (Sorry, Cecila) It's been really funny to watch because she's a big dog who should be able to bound up into the chair easily but instead she climbs up, one foot at a time, like an old woman. And now she has a new routine. After dinner and playtime she naps in her bed in front of the fireplace and then after a few hours, climbs into the chair and goes back to sleep.



But she is still coma dog, intent on sleeping through any possible command I give her. Like I said, she takes her sleep seriously. She gives it 110%. And then some. She commits.

Some books are harder to write than others. Some come out as gifts and we stare at them, wondering where they came from. Others tease us with a few sentences or a paragraph or two and then it gets tough and we find it easy to walk away from the story. And sometimes walking away is the right thing to do. Sometimes a story needs a longer incubation time.

But not always. At least not for me. Most of the time for me it is a matter of taking it seriously. Making a commitment to tell that particular story with the same single-minded determination that Cassie applies to taking a nap. I might do a lot of pacing and circling and moaning and groaning before I get comfortable with it but the important thing for me is to put in the time, the butt in the chair and the fingers on the keys.

Lots of people want to "have written" more than they want to make the commitment to be a writer. You have to be willing to do the work.

Today's visit is to the blog home of the award winning author Elaine Marie Alphin. Elaine's books include, Ghost Soldier, Counterfeit Son, and The Perfect Shot. Elaine's posts might be sporadic but every one of them is rich in the details of her writing life. A couple of my favorite posts are Father's Day Stories which goes right to the root of her storytelling past and Inviting Readers to Read about the importance of creating doors through which we writers can invite readers to begin their journey.

Tell Elaine hello from me when you stop by.

Originally published at Jon Skovron. You can comment here or there.

Yes, yes, it was nearly two weeks ago, but I’m finally getting around to collecting some fun thing from my time at the National Council for Teachers of English.

Lots of cool books coming out, like Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, Guardian at the Gate by Michelle Zink, and Sisters Red by Jackson Pierce.

I met up with some other debut authors, like Josh Berk, Sarah Ockler, and Jennifer Hubbard.

We met famous authors and stuff (Sarah is looking totally cool here, but this is one of her favorite authors and secretly she is squeeing inside)

Josh was openly squeeing about seeing brand new first run of galley advanced review copies of his debut novel The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin.

And there was general random, giddy silliness that debut authors can get away with. Such as this video, in which I catch Berk, known far and wide for his phone call antics, on camera, doing his thing. Or is he…

For more fun, Sarah has some great photos on her blog as well.

There are so many good book giveaways going on right now that I thought I'd do a roundup of the ones on my radar:

Seven Class of 2k9 books up for grabs at the Class of 2k10 blog, which just launched today. (Secret hint: the class will be giving away more books throughout December!)

A signed ARC of Jen Nadol's book The Mark, over at the Tenners blog.

An ARC of Steve Brezenoff's book, The Absolute Value of -1, signed by several Tenners.

"A taste of summer for a winter's night," at the blog of Sarah Ockler: a prize pack including books, DVDs, and other goodies.

Some amazing baskets o' books at The Enchanted Inkpot. Seriously, the quality of books in these baskets made my eyes bulge.

The Secret Year, signed ARC, at Goodreads. (Secret hint: Watch the blog of Joelle Anthony for another Secret Year giveaway coming soon!)

Edited to add: The Book Angel Holiday Charity Contest gives you a chance not only to win books, but to donate to a community in need!

If you hit enough giveaways, it may take care of your holiday shopping. ;-)


Now for the writing stuff:

I have a note on my desk. (Well, I have many notes scattered all over my desk, but I'm looking at one in particular right now.) It says, "The sky was pale lilac this morning."

I've seen many sunrises in my life--though not voluntarily, since I am far from a morning person. Seems this crazy world has decided that the typical day-job day should start in the morning, and in order to get there one has to rise before the sun does. (And by "one," I mean "me," and I mean "me" in the most cranky and self-pitying way possible.) Anyway, I've seen more than my share of sunrises. And here's a fact that may surprise people who don't usually see sunrises and think of them as gorgeous inspiring explosions of color: most sunrises are pretty boring. Sunsets are usually prettier. The typical sunrise is just a paling of the sky, occasionally with a couple of golden glints off a slate-blue cloud or two, and then the sun's up.

However, there are exceptions. Sometimes the rising sun is a ball of burning orange creeping over the horizon. And sometimes you do get a glorious sky of pink and peach, purple and tangerine--usually when a storm is coming.

Yesterday morning, a storm was coming.

I watched the sun rise between bites of oatmeal, the sky changing colors every minute. Just before it turned to an ordinary shade of blue, it became an extraordinary color that I wanted to remember. So I grabbed a paper and wrote, "The sky was pale lilac this morning."

I don't know if I'll ever use that sky or that description in a finished piece of writing. But the impulse and the act are probably familiar to most writers reading this post. It struck me, as I was doing it, that that is part of what writing is about: Noticing something that we want to highlight, remember, explain, or express. Trying to fix an observation of something temporary in a more lasting format. Freezing the buttefly mid-flight.

Whenever I don't know what to write about, I look around me. Noticing something is different from seeing it, and it's the things I notice that I want to write about.

Please come check out my contest at my website blog http://blog.cherylreneeherbsman.com/2009/12/01/big-holiday-contest.aspx

Prizes include:
$50 bookstore gift card
25 page manuscript critique or query letter critique
Signed copies of Breathing and Sliding on the Edge

Come check it out!!

Holy Cannoli! The Class of 2K10 (aka classof2k10 ) is having an awesome book giveaway. Follow the link below to enter by reading about these fabulous books & then leave a comment! WooT

http://community.livejournal.com/classof2k10/1843.html

Hi all-

In honor of World AIDS Day, I wanted to share one of the humanitarian projects my husband is involved in.
It's called OneChild Africa and was started in the same vein of their Indonesia Tsunami project--two doctors wanting to reach beyond their immediate circle and help. They have since created a program that involves student volunteers among many others. The website is up now. I'm so impressed with their amazing work! Find out what you can do to help.

http://travellingau.com/

Also, if you're in Cambridge, consider checking out this NextAid fundraising event. One of the organizers went to fine-arts camp with me when we were teenagers. :) I feel so fortunate to know people who are doing so much good for our world.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184151053299&ref=mf


Remember to Tweet #red all day long to raise awareness
Follow me at: http://twitter.com/HeidiRKling

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're high on adventurous spirit, but low on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about inexpensive hotels and youth hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

I am spending December and January (egads, 2010?!?) rethinking and redesigning my webspace. One thing is for sure, everything will be HERE.

No LiveJournal, no EBlogger...other than notification of new posts. Eventually I will be deleting both accounts.

I have imported all my posts from here and eblogger to my wordpress website and that is where I will continue my blogging and cyber life in the New Year!

This lady seems the right fit for folks who read this blog because they write YA or because they write mysteries or both. [Full disclosure: the rest of you are out of luck.]

Publishers Lunch reports: "Susan Hawk has joined The Bent Agency, focusing on authors of young adult and middle grade fiction, but also representing fantasy, science-fiction, historical fiction and mystery. For the past 15 years, she worked in children's book marketing, most recently as the marketing director at Holt Children's."

About the book
In Perfect Shot (Simon Romantic Comedies), high school athlete London Abrams is more likely to spike a volleyball than wear spike heels. Yet in one crush-tastic moment, she signs up for a modeling contest as an excuse to meet the photo intern Brent St. John. But instead of getting a call back from Brent, London gets a call back from contest judges! Now she’s in a fierce modeling competition feeling out way of her league, and Brent’s camera is zoomed in to document everything. Suddenly, London’s not feeling so ready for her close up.

About the author
Debbie Rigaud began her writing career covering news and entertainment for magazines—including Seventeen, Twist and CosmoGIRL!. She’s interviewed celebs, politicians and other social figures, but enjoyed interviewing “real” girls the most. A total Jersey girl at heart, Debbie lives in Bermuda with her husband.

I asked, Debbie answered
A. What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?  Bonus question:  have you used it, in any way,in a book?
D. I’m a vivid dreamer and have had crazy nightmares. Plus, when I’m in between dream and awake state, I could swear I see the strangest things. I don’t own any pets, but in the middle of one night I woke up and saw a German shepherd curled up close against me. Turns out, my sheets were bunched up in a shape of what looked like a dog. I woke up in a panic, frantically shaking the image out of the sheets. No, I haven’t used this in a book yet.

A. Mystery writers often give their characters an unreasoning  fear - and then make them face it.  Do you have any phobias, like fear of spiders or enclosed spaces?
D. I’m terrified of rodents? I have like a damn near clinical fear of them. Gurrrrrl, I won’t even subject myself to looking at a cartoon rodent! There’s a reason I didn’t go see Ratatouille. And because of this fear, I don’t even mess with squirrels. If one won’t get out of my way, I will cross the street in a heartbeat.

A. Do you have a favorite mystery book, author, or movie?
D. No, I don’t have a favorite today, but in middle school I was a huge Nancy Drew fan. (I still remember the retro book cover art!) And as old-fashioned as it sounds, I loved watching Murder, She Wrote. Also, for a bit, I got into Veronica Mars.

A. At its heart, every story is a mystery.  It asks why someone acts the way they did - or maybe what will happen next.  What question does your book ask?
D. What happens when a character so set in her ways steps outside of her box?

A. Is there a mystery in life that you are still trying to figure out?
Of course. Life itself - as well as after life - is a baffling mystery to me. But lately, I’ve been trying to crack the hidden messages sometimes found in dreams.

cross-posted from http://blog.cherylreneeherbsman.com

There is so much to enjoy about the holiday season. But it can also be a time of stress -- there's so much to do, so much to get done before the deadline. I'm not a fan of deadlines. They are bringers of anxiety. And anxiety is mostly counterproductive. Sometimes it can serve us, light a fire under us so we get going. But mostly it just adds an unnecessary element of negativity to whatever project we're trying to accomplish/complete/etc.

Anxiety is a beast that feeds on fear -- the fear that it won't get done, that it won't be good enough, that it won't matter -- whether "it" is a paper for school, a report for work, a manuscript for submission, or even holiday shopping. So then the antidote for anxiety is not to feed the beast with the fear it so craves. And the opposite of fear is trusting -- that it will all get done, that it will be good enough, that it will matter/make a difference, etc.

So if you find yourself overwhelmed in the next couple of weeks, try to find the place of calm inside or do whatever calms you -- go for a walk, play ball, listen to music, take a bath -- so you can deny the beast. Because when the beast is denied, it loses it's power and becomes nothing.

It'll all get done. It always does. One step at a time. With the beast or without it. And isn't without it more fun?

Dear Kathryn and Legacy: I <3 You. My favorite routine of the season thus far:


And, of course, the Chicago routine... it was total B.S. that Ellenore and Ryan ended up in the bottom 3. (Longer video, not as high quality, sadly... dancing starts at the 45 second mark.)

A woman sued her former friend, the author of The Red Hat Club, saying that one of the characters was based too closely on her. “The "SuSu" character in Smith’s humorous novel about Buckhead socialites shared more than 30 similarities with Stewart, including where she grew up, the jobs she held and how her first husband died. Stewart sued for defamation because SuSu is portrayed in the book as a sexually promiscuous alcoholic.”

We probably all borrow from real life - but better to take one thing here, another there.

“"It’s well established that ... libel in fiction is actionable, and as long as there are people who can recognize that the character depicted in a defamatory manner is in fact the plaintiff, even though the names are changed," said California attorney Tony Glassman, who currently has a libel suit pending against the television series "CSI." I don’t think there’s anything new at all in a finding of liability."”

In that case, Scott and Melinda Tamkin, real estate agents, worked with TV writer Sarah Goldfinger Then the Tamkins say, they discovered that their names, occupation, hobbies and even personal appearance had been borrowed by Goldfinger for a CSI script. That’s an even more blatant case of borrowing.

Read more here about The Red Hat Club case here.

Oh, oh, oh, it’s cold outside, but it’s hot inside, because we get to spend 5 minutes with sister Deb Rhonda Stapleton. Rhonda’s one of the sweetest, funniest, most talented women I know- I mean seriously! Not only is she irrepressibly cheerful, she knocks my socks off with every partial I get to read. Her debut novel, Stupid Cupid, is about as charming as charming gets. I’m so glad to get the chance to spend five minutes with her!

So before we talk about writing, tell me about photography! How did you get started? What do you like to shoot best?

I love photography! I really dig shooting downtown scenes. I also like doing model photography, as well as weddings. I have a modest portfolio I’ve been building up–it’s so much fun.

I heard you auditioned for American Idol once. If you could record a cover of any song, ever, what would it be? And why?

TEE HEE. Why yes…yes, I did. It was quite an experience. :D If I could record a cover, I would choose the song, “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell. I love this song–it’s quiet, poetic, but very deep and stirring. And I think it would be fun to update it a bit and add my own flair.

Okay, so now about the books! Dude, you have 3 books coming in the same year! What’s the process like, trying to write, edit and copyedit three books at once?

OMG it was chaos. hahaha. I would turn in first-pass pages for one and get the revisions back for the other…my head has been in Stupid Cupid land for so long now. But one good thing about it is that it made it easier to write the trilogy while I’m already entrenched in their world!

When you read, do you read to escape or to experience? And when you write, do you hope to offer an escape or an experience to your readers?

I read for both. Sometimes I try to read with an analytical eye, to see how authors pull off such wonderful characterization or amazing pacing. I also like to escape sometimes into lighter or romantic reads, or ones that sweep me away to the past or future. But mostly, I love to FEEL when I read. I’m drawn to books that evoke a strong response, whether it’s laughing, crying, feeling horrified, etc. For Stupid Cupid, I hope to provide a fun escape. Let’s face it–we’re not talking War and Peace here. haha. But if someone can read my stories and get some good chuckles and enjoy spending their time in my book, then I feel honored and like I’ve done my job.

Okay, YA Author Matchmaker Time- if you had a Loveline 3000, which celebs would you hook up on a trial basis?

Ooooooooh who would I match up…I assume this goes by my book’s rules that you can’t match yourself, right? haha. Because the manpanion already knows about my, um, appreciation for certain actors’ talents. Seriously though–I would pair up Daniel Day Lewis with Cate Blanchett. I think they’re both really good at embodying the roles they take on, and they’re dedicated actors who are constantly improving their craft. Plus, they’d probably make some attractive babies.

Originally published at MSUFaL. You can comment here or there.

I’ve been thinking it’d be fun to do an end-of-the-year giveaway, and mix it up a little in terms of the prize(s). So I’m turning to you all — what sorts of things would you be interested in winning? Fill out the poll below, and/or leave suggestions in the comments if there’s something awesome I haven’t thought of.

If I were to hold an end of year giveaway, what would you be interested in winning (pick as many as apply)?
	A partial manuscript critique (3 chapts)
	A full manuscript critique
	The opportunity to name a character in my next book
	Give Up the Ghost swag
	Books
	A book-related gift certificate
	Some other thing (explain in comments)

With a little luck, I’ll have the giveaway up tomorrow!

Originally published at Megan Crewe - another world, not quite ours. You can comment here or there.

Originally published at devafagan.com. You can comment here or there.

If you’re anywhere near NYC this coming weekend, I’ll be signing books with 7 other debut authors from the debut2009 community at Books of Wonder on Sunday, December 6th from 1-3pm. There will be prizes, readings, Q&A and holiday festivity. We’ve got books for all sorts: middle grade and YA, contemporary and fantasy, humor and drama! We’d love to see you there!

The participating authors are:
Megan Crewe (Give up the Ghost)
Sarah Cross (Dull Boy)
Deva Fagan (Fortune’s Folly)
Neesha Meminger (Shine, Coconut Moon)
Kate Messner (The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z)
Shani Petroff (Bedeviled)
Jon Skovron (Struts and Frets)
Michelle Zink (Prophecy of the Sisters)

If you can’t attend but would like a signed book anyway, you can pre-order one from Books of Wonder.

There’s also a facebook page here.

And if you can’t make it to NYC check out the other Holidaze with the Debs signings in Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Toronto.</b> Click here for more info.

Or, if you’re a Mainer, you can also see me on Saturday, December 5th at 3PM, at the Thomas Memorial Library in Cape Elizabeth Maine!

Lastly, if you are interested in winning a signed copy of Fortune’s Folly (as well as a TON of other fabulous books) check out the amazing giveaway we are running over at the Enchanted Inkpot! I’m loving reading all the comments about what books people are interested in reading, and what fantasy books remind other readers of the holidays (for me it’s definitely The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!).

I stole this idea from Greg Pincus who, back in April of this year, gave us 30 Poets in 30 Days for National Poetry Month. Every day, for 30 days, he highlighted a different poet and by the end of the month I had a great many new poets to follow. What a great idea!

When I was trying to think of what kind of gift I could give my blog readers the holiday season I thought I could introduce them to some blog they might not know about but that I think are worth checking out. So I introduce the first (for me) of 31 Blogs (You Might Not Know) in 31 Days. Every day in December I will post a little teaser about a blog that perhaps isn't as well known as some of the other blogs we tend to frequent. There will be writers and poets and maybe an illustrator or two. I hope you enjoy the journey.


Many of you are already familiar with author/illustrator Teri Sloat's beautiful picture books (I'm a Duck, There Was an Old Man Who Painted the Sky, and many more) and her exquisite art. What you might not know is that she is a brand-new blogger.

Her blog, Painting the Sky is all about her creative journey. A couple of my favorite posts are Julie and Julia and the Invisibile Audience where she talks about the lessons she took away from the movie Julie and Julia and Walking Through a Story where she talks about her love of creation stories.

Say hello from me when you stop by.

I'm posting this for a friend, Toni Buzzeo, who is a children's author living in the rural Maine town of Buxton. Each year, Buxton Toy Box registers financially challenged families and children in these families receive Christmas gifts through the program. Toni is the book fairy who ensures that all of these children (birth through 18) receive books! Toni is looking for author copies of any of your books or audiobooks you might want to donate. She will gladly reimburse your postage! (No ARCS, please.)

Please contact Toni at tonibuzzeo@tonibuzzeo.com

Thanks!

A few weeks ago in the advanced creative writing class that marjorielight and I co-teach, one of our 7th grade girls had a question about writing novels in verse that stumped us. "Is it better for me to just write these poems as they come to me, do you think? Or should I have an outline first?" Having never written a novel in verse, I wasn't sure how most people approach the process, but never fear... a talented author and Skype came to the rescue!

Lisa Schroeder, the author of I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME, FAR FROM YOU, and the soon-to-be-released CHASING BROOKLYN, woke up bright and early on the West Coast to join us for a 9AM class in Northern New York.



Since Skype is already installed on my desktop computer, we didn't need to do anything special to prepare. When Lisa called us at the appointed time, we projected her onto the big screen, and the kids came up to the computer one at a time to ask their questions.



Lisa chatted about her writing with my 7th grade writers with a genuine thoughtfulness and warmth that stayed with the kids long after their Q and A session was over. (In fact, I saw the girl from this photo in the library later on. "That Skype chat was awesome!" she said. "I was thinking about it all through math class.")

Some highlights? Lisa shared her process for writing novels in verse, including the fact that music plays a role. She mentioned bands like Lifehouse and Evanescence that help to inspire her words. She encouraged our young writers to read and read and read some more and shared some of her favorite authors, too -- like John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Sarah Dessen. I saw a couple of our kids smile great big smiles when Lisa admitted that she doesn't always know all the answers when she starts writing a book. It felt like she was giving them permission to do that "discovery draft" as well, to figure things out along the way and then go back to revise.

After our Skype session, our students tweeted what they felt were some of the key points on our class Twitter account (@MessnerEnglish), so that schools that haven't tried Skype chats could get a sense of how valuable (and fun!) they can be. Thank you so much, Lisa, for sharing your time and talent with our kids!

If you're a teacher, librarian, or author looking for more resources on how all this works, here are a few links to check out:

Lisa Schroeder's Skype an Author page (And she's fantastic with kids!)
The Skype an Author Network
School Library Journal technology feature on Skyping authors: "Met Any Good Authors Lately?"
An updated list of authors who Skype with Book Clubs