Natalie Lloyd's Blog, page 6
May 23, 2013
my swankified abc's.
Listening To: We Rode in Trucks by Luke Bryan
Excited for: Star Trek this weekend! Have you seen it yet? Is it fabulous?
Hello lovelies! How you been? Is your summer officially official?
Despite my occasional disappearing act on here, I do have some fun summer blog posts planned. Sometime in the Fall (most likely), I'll be sharing more fun stuff about the book. I can't wait to tell you more about my editor (she's a dream), some of the fun steps I've gone through to make my story book-shaped, and, most of all, about the characters who populate my funky little world. I've also been saving up the questions you send via the email abyss (about my book and about publishing in general). Honestly, when it comes to publishing questions, I don't really feel professional-awesome enough, or far enough along, to give much helpful advice you couldn't find in a quick search. But! I can share a few links and advice that have been helpful to me as I meander along. I'll save those questions and share them in a separate post sometime. Savvy?
Until then, and just as a way to check-in, I thought this might be fun.
I've seen a cute survey floating around on a few blogs and thought I'd give it a whirl. Really though ... I'm just giving it a whirl in hopes that you'll also play along in the comments. I call this exercise:
The ABC's of my Swankified Life
*clears throat*
Ambition: To come upon a Texaco sign burned out to spell the word Taco. Bad Habit: I chew on straws. And pens. Celebrity Crushes: Two warnings: 1.) I’m old. 2.) My friends often like to point out that there is absolutely no cohesiveness to my celeb crush list. Most recent addition: Jason Momoa. Mainstays: Paul Rudd (since Clueless!). Henry Cavill. Chris Thile. Taye Diggs. And John Schneider, the Original Bo Duke. Drink: Diet Dr. Pepper. And coffee. I don’t like water but I try to trick myself into believing I do. Education: Hogwarts, Class of 1999. In my dreams. But did you know The Battle of Hogwarts actually happened in 1998?Food: Strawberries are my #1 favorite food. I like most sugary crap-food too (chocolate!), but strawberries, which seem too awesome to be healthy, have always been my fave. Guilty Pleasures: Good jeans (all denim is not created equal). Hardcover books. New books. Books, basically. Travel (which usually requires saving up for a decade, but it’s always worth it). Peanut Butter M&M’s. Gilmore Girls reruns. Magazines (especially Southern Living, Marie Claire and Garden & Gun). Cute clothes. Sleeping in. But I don’t really feel guilty about any of that. Ah! Here’s a guilty pleasure: McDonalds french fries dipped in hot mustard sauce. That's probably gross isn't it? I can hear my arteries rusting even as I type.Hometown: I grew up in a small town in East Tennessee. This song reminds me of my hometown (in a sweet way). (Don’t click through if you don’t like country music ;). I currently live "where the city in October looks like fire". My favorite city is London. It "swings like a pendulum do." Ice Cream: Bluebell’s Pistachio Almond. For now. But I’ve tried lots of ice cream in the last year for, ahem, “research”. And I haven't met an ice cream that I don't like. (Have I mentioned that there is some very ... interesting ice cream in A Snicker of Magic?). Jonesing for: A new novel from Jenny B. Jones. I check her website approximately every two days to see when the french toast she's going to announce a new book. I also email her like ten times a day ... but I try to refrain from asking about her new book at least eight of those times. Kryptonite: Love songs. Look-a-like: A park ranger in Colorado told me that I look the way she always imagined a fairy would look. She said, “You just need a little set of pink wings!” I think the altitude was getting to her. The cashier at Bi-Lo squints and says that I look like Emma Stone. My mom thinks I look like Julianne Moore. Ashley from Twitter recently told me that I look like Neyla Pekarek, of The Lumineers (Thanks, Ashley! :). A guy on a dark airplane once leaned over and said, “You look like the, uh, the one actress. You know? The one in The Moulin Rouge?” While he could have been referring to any of the Diamond Dogs, I like to think he meant Nicole Kidman. But my favorite look-a-like is when my mom posted this pic of my granny on Facebook:
And someone said I look like her. Best. Compliment. Ever. Granny was a wildflower; smart and funny and feisty and beautiful. It was almost magical the way people would gravitate toward her. I would love to look like her, in every way. Movie: The last movie I saw was The Great Gatsby. I thought it was fab! I keep seeing so many negative reviews and tweets about it, but I thought it was fun. Nickname: I don’t have any fun nicknames. But if I were a mega-famous actress, checking into a hotel under an alias to avoid the hounding press, I’d probably go by Gloria Gilbert. Obsessions: Writing. Wandering. Music (I still fantasize about being a music journalist, thanks to the movie Almost Famous). Mountains. Forests. National Parks. City skylines. Old cemeteries. Old houses. Love stories. The Avett Brothers. (I’m obsessed with their music. I'm not obsessed with them.) Rainy days. Fall. Christmas. Clunky old trucks. Sweet guys who drive clunky old trucks. British History (I covet Lucy Worsley’s job). Old books with tea stains and/or writing inside them (I collect those). Biscuit: my wonderdog. Perfume: Lovestruck by Vera WangQuirk: If I’m in a bookstore and see a copy of Great Expectations, I pick it up and read my favorite scene. I don’t do that with any other book. (And Great Expectations isn’t even a favorite.) Regret: I wish I’d waited a bit longer before heading to a four year college. I wasn’t ready for it. I think British schools do it right with a gap year, don’t you? I know most people relish the freedom, but a four-year college probably wasn’t a leap I was ready to make at 18. I did fine, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd waited a bit. Starbucks: is my mothership. Here’s a picture of me at the original Starbucks. Yes, I commemorated the experience with a photo. Don't judge.
I usually order a Tall Caramel Macchiato. Not very exciting, I know, but I figure if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, etc. The Last Book You Read: Tess Callahan's
April & Oliver
. Absolutely lovely. (Mature read.)Unique Feature: I have a freckle on my mouth (and approximately a million more on the rest of me). And I have two long, ferociously rad scars on both legs. Scars and freckles aren’t crazy unique, I suppose. But I was self-conscious about both when I was a kid, and I’ve come to love them. That makes them pretty special to me. Vacation: My all time favorite vacations were: 1.) A family trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada. And 2.) A trip to the Pacific Northwest with my brother.
Wine: My favorite wine has a twist top; no cork. Thus, I don’t really feel qualified to talk about wine. X: ... Is this a free space? I don’t understand the ambiguous X. I’ll just post a sweet picture of Biscuit:
Years: This makes me think of an author I read about recently. She started writing her series (which is quite famous; worldwide bestseller, etc) in 1991. The second to last book in the series will be out this winter. If my faulty math skills are correct, that means the series has been going over 20 years. That's some stamina. I don't know if I could stick with one set of characters that long. Zen: Biscuit. I’m very calm and happy when my dog is around. I can't even begin to describe all the joy she brings to my life. She's the coolest.
If you feel like answering any of these in the comments, I would love to read them. Happy Weekending to you!
Excited for: Star Trek this weekend! Have you seen it yet? Is it fabulous?
Hello lovelies! How you been? Is your summer officially official?
Despite my occasional disappearing act on here, I do have some fun summer blog posts planned. Sometime in the Fall (most likely), I'll be sharing more fun stuff about the book. I can't wait to tell you more about my editor (she's a dream), some of the fun steps I've gone through to make my story book-shaped, and, most of all, about the characters who populate my funky little world. I've also been saving up the questions you send via the email abyss (about my book and about publishing in general). Honestly, when it comes to publishing questions, I don't really feel professional-awesome enough, or far enough along, to give much helpful advice you couldn't find in a quick search. But! I can share a few links and advice that have been helpful to me as I meander along. I'll save those questions and share them in a separate post sometime. Savvy?
Until then, and just as a way to check-in, I thought this might be fun.
I've seen a cute survey floating around on a few blogs and thought I'd give it a whirl. Really though ... I'm just giving it a whirl in hopes that you'll also play along in the comments. I call this exercise:
The ABC's of my Swankified Life
*clears throat*
Ambition: To come upon a Texaco sign burned out to spell the word Taco. Bad Habit: I chew on straws. And pens. Celebrity Crushes: Two warnings: 1.) I’m old. 2.) My friends often like to point out that there is absolutely no cohesiveness to my celeb crush list. Most recent addition: Jason Momoa. Mainstays: Paul Rudd (since Clueless!). Henry Cavill. Chris Thile. Taye Diggs. And John Schneider, the Original Bo Duke. Drink: Diet Dr. Pepper. And coffee. I don’t like water but I try to trick myself into believing I do. Education: Hogwarts, Class of 1999. In my dreams. But did you know The Battle of Hogwarts actually happened in 1998?Food: Strawberries are my #1 favorite food. I like most sugary crap-food too (chocolate!), but strawberries, which seem too awesome to be healthy, have always been my fave. Guilty Pleasures: Good jeans (all denim is not created equal). Hardcover books. New books. Books, basically. Travel (which usually requires saving up for a decade, but it’s always worth it). Peanut Butter M&M’s. Gilmore Girls reruns. Magazines (especially Southern Living, Marie Claire and Garden & Gun). Cute clothes. Sleeping in. But I don’t really feel guilty about any of that. Ah! Here’s a guilty pleasure: McDonalds french fries dipped in hot mustard sauce. That's probably gross isn't it? I can hear my arteries rusting even as I type.Hometown: I grew up in a small town in East Tennessee. This song reminds me of my hometown (in a sweet way). (Don’t click through if you don’t like country music ;). I currently live "where the city in October looks like fire". My favorite city is London. It "swings like a pendulum do." Ice Cream: Bluebell’s Pistachio Almond. For now. But I’ve tried lots of ice cream in the last year for, ahem, “research”. And I haven't met an ice cream that I don't like. (Have I mentioned that there is some very ... interesting ice cream in A Snicker of Magic?). Jonesing for: A new novel from Jenny B. Jones. I check her website approximately every two days to see when the french toast she's going to announce a new book. I also email her like ten times a day ... but I try to refrain from asking about her new book at least eight of those times. Kryptonite: Love songs. Look-a-like: A park ranger in Colorado told me that I look the way she always imagined a fairy would look. She said, “You just need a little set of pink wings!” I think the altitude was getting to her. The cashier at Bi-Lo squints and says that I look like Emma Stone. My mom thinks I look like Julianne Moore. Ashley from Twitter recently told me that I look like Neyla Pekarek, of The Lumineers (Thanks, Ashley! :). A guy on a dark airplane once leaned over and said, “You look like the, uh, the one actress. You know? The one in The Moulin Rouge?” While he could have been referring to any of the Diamond Dogs, I like to think he meant Nicole Kidman. But my favorite look-a-like is when my mom posted this pic of my granny on Facebook:
And someone said I look like her. Best. Compliment. Ever. Granny was a wildflower; smart and funny and feisty and beautiful. It was almost magical the way people would gravitate toward her. I would love to look like her, in every way. Movie: The last movie I saw was The Great Gatsby. I thought it was fab! I keep seeing so many negative reviews and tweets about it, but I thought it was fun. Nickname: I don’t have any fun nicknames. But if I were a mega-famous actress, checking into a hotel under an alias to avoid the hounding press, I’d probably go by Gloria Gilbert. Obsessions: Writing. Wandering. Music (I still fantasize about being a music journalist, thanks to the movie Almost Famous). Mountains. Forests. National Parks. City skylines. Old cemeteries. Old houses. Love stories. The Avett Brothers. (I’m obsessed with their music. I'm not obsessed with them.) Rainy days. Fall. Christmas. Clunky old trucks. Sweet guys who drive clunky old trucks. British History (I covet Lucy Worsley’s job). Old books with tea stains and/or writing inside them (I collect those). Biscuit: my wonderdog. Perfume: Lovestruck by Vera WangQuirk: If I’m in a bookstore and see a copy of Great Expectations, I pick it up and read my favorite scene. I don’t do that with any other book. (And Great Expectations isn’t even a favorite.) Regret: I wish I’d waited a bit longer before heading to a four year college. I wasn’t ready for it. I think British schools do it right with a gap year, don’t you? I know most people relish the freedom, but a four-year college probably wasn’t a leap I was ready to make at 18. I did fine, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd waited a bit. Starbucks: is my mothership. Here’s a picture of me at the original Starbucks. Yes, I commemorated the experience with a photo. Don't judge.
I usually order a Tall Caramel Macchiato. Not very exciting, I know, but I figure if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, etc. The Last Book You Read: Tess Callahan's
April & Oliver
. Absolutely lovely. (Mature read.)Unique Feature: I have a freckle on my mouth (and approximately a million more on the rest of me). And I have two long, ferociously rad scars on both legs. Scars and freckles aren’t crazy unique, I suppose. But I was self-conscious about both when I was a kid, and I’ve come to love them. That makes them pretty special to me. Vacation: My all time favorite vacations were: 1.) A family trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada. And 2.) A trip to the Pacific Northwest with my brother. 
Wine: My favorite wine has a twist top; no cork. Thus, I don’t really feel qualified to talk about wine. X: ... Is this a free space? I don’t understand the ambiguous X. I’ll just post a sweet picture of Biscuit:
Years: This makes me think of an author I read about recently. She started writing her series (which is quite famous; worldwide bestseller, etc) in 1991. The second to last book in the series will be out this winter. If my faulty math skills are correct, that means the series has been going over 20 years. That's some stamina. I don't know if I could stick with one set of characters that long. Zen: Biscuit. I’m very calm and happy when my dog is around. I can't even begin to describe all the joy she brings to my life. She's the coolest.
If you feel like answering any of these in the comments, I would love to read them. Happy Weekending to you!
May 6, 2013
Booklove: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Listening To: Lawdy by The Vespers
“Sometimes we set off down a road thinkin' we're goin' one place and we end up another. But that's okay. The important thing is to start.” - Ruta Sepetys, Out of the Easy
Hello beauties & beastlies! I'm presently snorkeling in a deep sea of copyedits, but I wanted to come up for air long enough to tell you about a book I recently read, loved, and haven't stopped singing about: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys. (Singing = metaphorically, not literally. Thankfully.)
Out of the Easy in a word = amazing.
In more words: When I first picked up this hefty tome, I thought - dang. That'll take forever to read.
And then I finished it in two days.
I would have finished it in one day, if I hadn't slept. (And I did consider not sleeping until I finished ...)
The pacing is riveting, so much that even though I wanted to find out what would happen next!! ... I also wanted it to last even longer. The threat to the main character, Josie, made me read crazy-compulsively to see how it all ended. But it's Josie's emotional journey that really made the story shine for me. My word, I loved her. She's clever and tough, and brave enough to open her heart to love even though she's faced some hardcore rejection. Josie's tone is never "woe is me." It's more, "here I go." And my gosh, you want to go with her. You root for her more and more at every brilliant twist.
Some of my favorite stories are the kind that flip preconceived notions of "good" vs. "bad", which happens a bit here. But I really didn't find read any heavy moral overtones. At its heart, this is a novel about one smart girl who bravely carves out her own identity. The action is cinematic. The writing is gorgeous. And the love story is just ... sigh. You are going to flip for Jesse. :) This novel pretty much cemented Ruta Sepetys being an auto-buy for me from now on. She's so talented.
I hope you read it, and then come back and tell me what you thought because I'm dying to discuss it with someone. (And because someone will ask, here's my usual note: this is young adult, and it's a mature read.)
I sometimes write about books I like on my Pinterest. A week or so after I wrote about Out of the Easy, Alyssa left this comment:
You were right...so good. I think this one will forever live in my memory as the book I read that inspired me to make a move on my stalemate college decision, As of this morning, I'm officially going to Taylor University in Indiana!
How fabulous is that?! I know most of you who are college-bound this fall have probably already made your decisions by now but, even then, I think you'll so relate to Josie's fear and determination when it comes to that particular journey. In one scene, when Josie is debating whether or not she should even apply to her dream school, she rationalizes reasons she probably shouldn't try: She's not wealthy, doesn't have the right family, the right pedigree, etc. She says (I'm paraphrasing) that she might as well stay where she's always been. Do what she's always done. Cokie, my other favorite character in the novel, says, "You got a bigger story than that."
Even though this book is fiction, quotes like that (and there are lots of them in this book) have a magical way of getting tangled up inside the very-true-place of your heart. Sometimes your biggest limitation is just ... you. Know what I mean?
So you can take mine and Alyssa's word for it: the book is pretty darn fabulous.
Here's another fun note: earlier this spring, I attended a book signing for some fab young adult authors at Parnassus Nashvegas. During the Q&A, one of the authors pointed out Ruta Sepetys, who was in attendance. She wasn't signing; she was just there to support her fellow authors. She seemed so nice and approachable. And I wanted to say hello and tell her how much I adore her writing ... but I wimped out. Like I always do. But that's neither here nor there.
Anyway! Out of the Easy is fabulous. I would love to hear what you think about it, when you get a chance to read it! You can read more about the novel here and you can read more about Ruta Sepetys here.
If you're up for it, will you share your favorite lines from the book you're currently reading? Or maybe just namedrop the book you're reading? I love your book recs! I'll be back soon with some fun updates. And possibly a ghost story. And a tale of woe about my possibly-posessed GPS unit, Geraldine. Stay tuned! ; )
“Sometimes we set off down a road thinkin' we're goin' one place and we end up another. But that's okay. The important thing is to start.” - Ruta Sepetys, Out of the Easy
Hello beauties & beastlies! I'm presently snorkeling in a deep sea of copyedits, but I wanted to come up for air long enough to tell you about a book I recently read, loved, and haven't stopped singing about: Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys. (Singing = metaphorically, not literally. Thankfully.)Out of the Easy in a word = amazing.
In more words: When I first picked up this hefty tome, I thought - dang. That'll take forever to read.
And then I finished it in two days.
I would have finished it in one day, if I hadn't slept. (And I did consider not sleeping until I finished ...)
The pacing is riveting, so much that even though I wanted to find out what would happen next!! ... I also wanted it to last even longer. The threat to the main character, Josie, made me read crazy-compulsively to see how it all ended. But it's Josie's emotional journey that really made the story shine for me. My word, I loved her. She's clever and tough, and brave enough to open her heart to love even though she's faced some hardcore rejection. Josie's tone is never "woe is me." It's more, "here I go." And my gosh, you want to go with her. You root for her more and more at every brilliant twist.
Some of my favorite stories are the kind that flip preconceived notions of "good" vs. "bad", which happens a bit here. But I really didn't find read any heavy moral overtones. At its heart, this is a novel about one smart girl who bravely carves out her own identity. The action is cinematic. The writing is gorgeous. And the love story is just ... sigh. You are going to flip for Jesse. :) This novel pretty much cemented Ruta Sepetys being an auto-buy for me from now on. She's so talented.
I hope you read it, and then come back and tell me what you thought because I'm dying to discuss it with someone. (And because someone will ask, here's my usual note: this is young adult, and it's a mature read.)
I sometimes write about books I like on my Pinterest. A week or so after I wrote about Out of the Easy, Alyssa left this comment:
You were right...so good. I think this one will forever live in my memory as the book I read that inspired me to make a move on my stalemate college decision, As of this morning, I'm officially going to Taylor University in Indiana!
How fabulous is that?! I know most of you who are college-bound this fall have probably already made your decisions by now but, even then, I think you'll so relate to Josie's fear and determination when it comes to that particular journey. In one scene, when Josie is debating whether or not she should even apply to her dream school, she rationalizes reasons she probably shouldn't try: She's not wealthy, doesn't have the right family, the right pedigree, etc. She says (I'm paraphrasing) that she might as well stay where she's always been. Do what she's always done. Cokie, my other favorite character in the novel, says, "You got a bigger story than that."
Even though this book is fiction, quotes like that (and there are lots of them in this book) have a magical way of getting tangled up inside the very-true-place of your heart. Sometimes your biggest limitation is just ... you. Know what I mean?
So you can take mine and Alyssa's word for it: the book is pretty darn fabulous.
Here's another fun note: earlier this spring, I attended a book signing for some fab young adult authors at Parnassus Nashvegas. During the Q&A, one of the authors pointed out Ruta Sepetys, who was in attendance. She wasn't signing; she was just there to support her fellow authors. She seemed so nice and approachable. And I wanted to say hello and tell her how much I adore her writing ... but I wimped out. Like I always do. But that's neither here nor there.
Anyway! Out of the Easy is fabulous. I would love to hear what you think about it, when you get a chance to read it! You can read more about the novel here and you can read more about Ruta Sepetys here.
If you're up for it, will you share your favorite lines from the book you're currently reading? Or maybe just namedrop the book you're reading? I love your book recs! I'll be back soon with some fun updates. And possibly a ghost story. And a tale of woe about my possibly-posessed GPS unit, Geraldine. Stay tuned! ; )
April 28, 2013
good-bye good luck.
Listening To: Gone by The Head & The Heart
Line Obsession: "Who spins the elaborate web that entraps the timid spirit?" - from The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
I don’t believe in luck. Not exactly.
I think timing is one of the great mysteries in life. Like, some people meet The Great Love of their life at 18 and stay happily married for 80 years, while equally amazing people have a harder time finding love. Or lose someone they love (...and then another someone...). Another example: some people seem to be born knowing exactly the career they’ll pursue. Or they stumble into their dream jobs at 23 while other people change careers no less than a zillion times.
Timing baffles me, but luck is a concept I don’t believe in. Not exactly.
And yet.
I have this necklace.
Actually, I had this necklace.
It was not an heirloom, and it was not an investment piece. It was simply a very cool, very trendy necklace. I bought it at Urban Outfitters several years ago. The long chain held two distinct pendants: a small silver timepiece, and a smaller, bronze, book-shaped locket. Naturally, because I am a hopeless romantic, I attached personal significance to it immediately.
The timepiece = Life is short. Don’t waste it. The little bronze book = Be brave. Write what you love.
Here’s another case for timing: Shortly after I bought the necklace, I journeyed to a delicious hibachi restaurant with my fam. Perhaps you are wondering: what’s sushi got to do with this? Be silenced, ye doubters! In this case: everything. The locket and the hibachi-trip just happened to coincide with a long and tedious emotional roller coaster ride of events.
Namely, I had just shelved a writing project that was headed nowhere. It happens. And I was down about lots of other, not book-related, but very heart-heavy things. The sadness was apparent in my demeanor. Because, typically, my reaction at hibachi restaurants might lead one to surmise that I never actually leave my house. You remember how Sloth started happy-bouncing in his chair when Chunk offered him a Baby Ruth? That’s how I am at Hibachi restaurants.
He flipped the egg into his hat?!
He made an ONION VOLCANO?!
*claps* *guffaws* *bounce bounce bounce*
And yet, even The Hibachi Show wasn’t upping my mood. I was feeling pretty sunk.
I don’t believe in luck.
But I’m not gonna lie - I’ve had some strangely fortuitous fortune cookies in my day. I often joke about the fortunes at that specific restaurant because - I kid you not - they always come true in some hilarious manner.
On that day, I cracked open a fortune that read:
Don’t give up. All that you hope for will happen.
And it made my heart sing.
I folded my fortune into a teeny-tiny accordian. And I stuffed it into the book-shaped locket. I have reread the fortune many times over the past few years. Sometimes I don’t even need to read it; I just press the locket between my thumb and finger and remember what’s hidden there: a sweet little reminder, a pinch of inspiration, a wish. Hope that’s unseen.
Faith as small as a mustard seed.
I don’t believe in luck.
But I believe in words and affirmation. I believe.
Fact: whenever I choose to shut up and just believe, it is always one of the best decisions I ever make.
A few days ago, I wore the necklace. I also wore a black-knit dress and grey tights and cowboy boots. I pulled on a white a cardigan, because it’s still gloriously cool here. The locket was a fine punctuation mark on my funky little outfit.
I ended up at the mall, where I tried on a few dresses. Browsed the new books at Barnes & Noble. Got coffee. Drove home.
And when I got home ... I realized the necklace was no longer around my neck.
I zoomed back to the store and scoured the dressing rooms. No necklace. I checked with lost and found. No necklace. I meandered through the parking lot like a rockabilly magpie, scouring the pavement for the familiar sparkle of my locket. Nada. After a final call to the store today I accepted the truth:
The Era of the Locket has come to an end.
Which is fine. It was cheap. It wasn’t an heirloom. It was only a necklace. I’m not sad about it at all, just kicking myself for not realizing when it slipped off.
But I’ve been thinking about my fortune necklace today.
Not everything that I hoped for has happened yet.
... but so many wonderful things have happened.
And great things will happen, I believe. The necklace wasn’t some tailsman that ushered good into my life, and neither was my paper fortune (which, if I remember correctly, had the Chinese pronunciation for “beer” on the reverse side). It was only ever a reminder, a sweet cosmic wink. The locket was only a brave declaration in a desloate season: good days are coming.
Maybe I declared it so much, that I started believing it.
I don’t believe in luck.
But I believe in serendipity.
So this is what I hope:
I hope the necklace slipped off on purpose, the way magical lockets are wont to do. When I tugged the discounted, super-cute black eyelet dress off over my head, I hope the locket came off with it. Maybe the necklace landed quietly in the corner of the dressing room. I hope my boots matched the perfect rhythem of the tick-tick-ticking time piece as I walked away.
I hope another dreamer walked in the dressing room after me.
She was just there to find a last minute dress for something: a dinner, a school function, a work shindig, whatever. She checks her reflection; the dress is fine. But she’s surprised by the look on her face: the sad in her stare, the dark circles under her eyes, the way worry pulls her smile so flat and tight these days.
She wonders: Why do I even keep trying?
Why can’t I just give up?
Why is it taking so long?
She sighs as she arches around to undo her side zipper ... And then ...
She catches a strange flicker in the corner of the room. A necklace. Knda cheap looking. Kinda tacky. Kinda cool. She picks it up. She opens the locket. She unfolds a tiny accordian of words. It’s the smallest victory banner she’s ever held.
But small victories amount to a whole lot of wonderful.
Don’t give up. All that you hope for will happen.
It’s meant to be hers. She doesn’t believe in luck. Not exactly. And that’s fine; luck isn’t what she needs. She just needs permission to hope.
I hope she wears the necklace home. I hope she wears it when she’s dancing. When she writes. When she wanders. When she holds her friend's first baby. When she runs through a firefly field. I hope she wears it with red lipstick and tight jeans to a concert. I hope she clutches it absentmindedly when she prays and feels the tiny clock-pulse of hope-hope-hope in the palm of her hand. And when she leans in to a kiss that makes her heart race ...
tick-tock, tick-tock
is it her heart or the clock?
Time’s up. Time’s wasting.
Time’s yours; so take it.
How is it possible to feel so blazingly, amazingly alive sometimes?
I hope she wears the necklace out, and wears it well. I hope she fashions it into a sparkly little slingshot, and aims for the stars.
Line Obsession: "Who spins the elaborate web that entraps the timid spirit?" - from The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
I don’t believe in luck. Not exactly.
I think timing is one of the great mysteries in life. Like, some people meet The Great Love of their life at 18 and stay happily married for 80 years, while equally amazing people have a harder time finding love. Or lose someone they love (...and then another someone...). Another example: some people seem to be born knowing exactly the career they’ll pursue. Or they stumble into their dream jobs at 23 while other people change careers no less than a zillion times.
Timing baffles me, but luck is a concept I don’t believe in. Not exactly.
And yet.
I have this necklace.
Actually, I had this necklace.
It was not an heirloom, and it was not an investment piece. It was simply a very cool, very trendy necklace. I bought it at Urban Outfitters several years ago. The long chain held two distinct pendants: a small silver timepiece, and a smaller, bronze, book-shaped locket. Naturally, because I am a hopeless romantic, I attached personal significance to it immediately.
The timepiece = Life is short. Don’t waste it. The little bronze book = Be brave. Write what you love.
Here’s another case for timing: Shortly after I bought the necklace, I journeyed to a delicious hibachi restaurant with my fam. Perhaps you are wondering: what’s sushi got to do with this? Be silenced, ye doubters! In this case: everything. The locket and the hibachi-trip just happened to coincide with a long and tedious emotional roller coaster ride of events.
Namely, I had just shelved a writing project that was headed nowhere. It happens. And I was down about lots of other, not book-related, but very heart-heavy things. The sadness was apparent in my demeanor. Because, typically, my reaction at hibachi restaurants might lead one to surmise that I never actually leave my house. You remember how Sloth started happy-bouncing in his chair when Chunk offered him a Baby Ruth? That’s how I am at Hibachi restaurants.
He flipped the egg into his hat?!
He made an ONION VOLCANO?!
*claps* *guffaws* *bounce bounce bounce*
And yet, even The Hibachi Show wasn’t upping my mood. I was feeling pretty sunk.
I don’t believe in luck.
But I’m not gonna lie - I’ve had some strangely fortuitous fortune cookies in my day. I often joke about the fortunes at that specific restaurant because - I kid you not - they always come true in some hilarious manner.
On that day, I cracked open a fortune that read:
Don’t give up. All that you hope for will happen.
And it made my heart sing.
I folded my fortune into a teeny-tiny accordian. And I stuffed it into the book-shaped locket. I have reread the fortune many times over the past few years. Sometimes I don’t even need to read it; I just press the locket between my thumb and finger and remember what’s hidden there: a sweet little reminder, a pinch of inspiration, a wish. Hope that’s unseen.
Faith as small as a mustard seed.
I don’t believe in luck.
But I believe in words and affirmation. I believe.
Fact: whenever I choose to shut up and just believe, it is always one of the best decisions I ever make.
A few days ago, I wore the necklace. I also wore a black-knit dress and grey tights and cowboy boots. I pulled on a white a cardigan, because it’s still gloriously cool here. The locket was a fine punctuation mark on my funky little outfit.
I ended up at the mall, where I tried on a few dresses. Browsed the new books at Barnes & Noble. Got coffee. Drove home.
And when I got home ... I realized the necklace was no longer around my neck.
I zoomed back to the store and scoured the dressing rooms. No necklace. I checked with lost and found. No necklace. I meandered through the parking lot like a rockabilly magpie, scouring the pavement for the familiar sparkle of my locket. Nada. After a final call to the store today I accepted the truth:
The Era of the Locket has come to an end.
Which is fine. It was cheap. It wasn’t an heirloom. It was only a necklace. I’m not sad about it at all, just kicking myself for not realizing when it slipped off.
But I’ve been thinking about my fortune necklace today.
Not everything that I hoped for has happened yet.
... but so many wonderful things have happened.
And great things will happen, I believe. The necklace wasn’t some tailsman that ushered good into my life, and neither was my paper fortune (which, if I remember correctly, had the Chinese pronunciation for “beer” on the reverse side). It was only ever a reminder, a sweet cosmic wink. The locket was only a brave declaration in a desloate season: good days are coming.
Maybe I declared it so much, that I started believing it.
I don’t believe in luck.
But I believe in serendipity.
So this is what I hope:
I hope the necklace slipped off on purpose, the way magical lockets are wont to do. When I tugged the discounted, super-cute black eyelet dress off over my head, I hope the locket came off with it. Maybe the necklace landed quietly in the corner of the dressing room. I hope my boots matched the perfect rhythem of the tick-tick-ticking time piece as I walked away.
I hope another dreamer walked in the dressing room after me.
She was just there to find a last minute dress for something: a dinner, a school function, a work shindig, whatever. She checks her reflection; the dress is fine. But she’s surprised by the look on her face: the sad in her stare, the dark circles under her eyes, the way worry pulls her smile so flat and tight these days.
She wonders: Why do I even keep trying?
Why can’t I just give up?
Why is it taking so long?
She sighs as she arches around to undo her side zipper ... And then ...
She catches a strange flicker in the corner of the room. A necklace. Knda cheap looking. Kinda tacky. Kinda cool. She picks it up. She opens the locket. She unfolds a tiny accordian of words. It’s the smallest victory banner she’s ever held.
But small victories amount to a whole lot of wonderful.
Don’t give up. All that you hope for will happen.
It’s meant to be hers. She doesn’t believe in luck. Not exactly. And that’s fine; luck isn’t what she needs. She just needs permission to hope.
I hope she wears the necklace home. I hope she wears it when she’s dancing. When she writes. When she wanders. When she holds her friend's first baby. When she runs through a firefly field. I hope she wears it with red lipstick and tight jeans to a concert. I hope she clutches it absentmindedly when she prays and feels the tiny clock-pulse of hope-hope-hope in the palm of her hand. And when she leans in to a kiss that makes her heart race ...
tick-tock, tick-tock
is it her heart or the clock?
Time’s up. Time’s wasting.
Time’s yours; so take it.
How is it possible to feel so blazingly, amazingly alive sometimes?
I hope she wears the necklace out, and wears it well. I hope she fashions it into a sparkly little slingshot, and aims for the stars.
April 23, 2013
a little more good news.
Listening To: Annabel by The Duhks
Line Obsession: "The poems became books that people passed from hand to hand. The books traveled over fences... and bridges... and across borders... soaring from continent to continent... until he had passed thousands of gifts through a hole in the fence to a multitude of people in every corner of the world." - from The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
Last time we met up, I announced that Scholastic (!!!) will be publishing my first novel, A Snicker of Magic. You can read that post here. The summary: I am so excited and grateful that I mostly walk around in a perpetual skip. The book will be out in the wild sometime in the Spring of 2014. Before we get back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans, I wanted to share just a bit more fun book news with you ...
I am thrilled to report that A Snicker of Magic will also be published in Italy and Germany!! :)
The Italian rights for A Snicker of Magic have sold to the chic and savvy people at Sperling.
The German rights for A Snicker of Magic have been snatched up by the swankified folks at ArsEdition!
When I think about seeing my book in languages that I can't even read, it makes my heart swell. In the best way. I can't wait to see what foreign editions will look like! If you'll allow me a moment to be kinda corny: I have always dreamed of visiting Italy and Germany someday. There's a certain sweetness in knowing my characters will get to visit both magical places, even if I never do. :)
Since I got the news about the foreign editions, I've been considering how my characters would react to that kind of info - the news that they get to take a little European roadtrip. I know you haven't met the characters yet, so you'll just have to work with me here:
But I picture Aunt Cleo - my beloved, yet wacky family matriarch - waltzing out of the airport and swooping her leopard print scarf around her neck. She'd push her over sized dark sunglasses up on her nose and holler, "I'm driving, y'all!" My fictional family hauls around town in a dumpy old van they affectionately refer to as The Pickled Jalapeno. Picturing the Jalapeño clunking through the Italian countryside, and weaving through the spires of Germany ... it makes me smile so much. I think the Pickle family will fit in just fine over there.
Thank you Sperling and ArsEdition! *hugs*
Both of these deals came through because of my lovely agent Suzie Townsend, who is, as you know, a caped crusader, and also Kathleen Oritz, who is a BOSS. Kathleen is responsible for all the foreign translation savvy at New Leaf. She also keeps a swanky blog right over here.
Thank you so much for making the day of the book announcement such a special memory for me. I was not expecting so many sweet comments, emails and tweets. A Snicker of Magic even got its first hashtag! :)
Every part of this feels like the sweetest gift. I can't wait to tell you more about the story - the music and the places and the little whims of memories that inspired it. I can't wait for you to meet the characters. And while I haven't seen the final cover, I have seen a sketch of what it will be like. My heart can't even hold all the happy. I can't wait for you to see it! It is whimsical and beautiful and vivid. I'm probably going to wallpaper my house with it. Seriously though, we'll have a big party on here the day I finally get to show you what it looks like. And, of course, I hope you love it when you read it. It's just a sweet little story, but I hope you find some magic tucked into the pages.
Thanks for taking this adventure with me. This is going to be a fun year! (And I promise not every post will be book-related. We'll keep talking other books and music and all manner of fun things. Next time, I'll tell you the story of my recent visit to a battlefield and how I thought a ghost was coming at me through the woods. Stay tuned! ;)
NOW! Tell me something sweet that's happend to you this week! Are you graduating? Gearing up for summer? Taking a fun roadtrip? Share your good news (or any news you want to share) down in the comments!
Line Obsession: "The poems became books that people passed from hand to hand. The books traveled over fences... and bridges... and across borders... soaring from continent to continent... until he had passed thousands of gifts through a hole in the fence to a multitude of people in every corner of the world." - from The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
Last time we met up, I announced that Scholastic (!!!) will be publishing my first novel, A Snicker of Magic. You can read that post here. The summary: I am so excited and grateful that I mostly walk around in a perpetual skip. The book will be out in the wild sometime in the Spring of 2014. Before we get back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans, I wanted to share just a bit more fun book news with you ...
I am thrilled to report that A Snicker of Magic will also be published in Italy and Germany!! :)
The Italian rights for A Snicker of Magic have sold to the chic and savvy people at Sperling.
The German rights for A Snicker of Magic have been snatched up by the swankified folks at ArsEdition!
When I think about seeing my book in languages that I can't even read, it makes my heart swell. In the best way. I can't wait to see what foreign editions will look like! If you'll allow me a moment to be kinda corny: I have always dreamed of visiting Italy and Germany someday. There's a certain sweetness in knowing my characters will get to visit both magical places, even if I never do. :)
Since I got the news about the foreign editions, I've been considering how my characters would react to that kind of info - the news that they get to take a little European roadtrip. I know you haven't met the characters yet, so you'll just have to work with me here:
But I picture Aunt Cleo - my beloved, yet wacky family matriarch - waltzing out of the airport and swooping her leopard print scarf around her neck. She'd push her over sized dark sunglasses up on her nose and holler, "I'm driving, y'all!" My fictional family hauls around town in a dumpy old van they affectionately refer to as The Pickled Jalapeno. Picturing the Jalapeño clunking through the Italian countryside, and weaving through the spires of Germany ... it makes me smile so much. I think the Pickle family will fit in just fine over there.
Thank you Sperling and ArsEdition! *hugs*
Both of these deals came through because of my lovely agent Suzie Townsend, who is, as you know, a caped crusader, and also Kathleen Oritz, who is a BOSS. Kathleen is responsible for all the foreign translation savvy at New Leaf. She also keeps a swanky blog right over here.
Thank you so much for making the day of the book announcement such a special memory for me. I was not expecting so many sweet comments, emails and tweets. A Snicker of Magic even got its first hashtag! :)
Every part of this feels like the sweetest gift. I can't wait to tell you more about the story - the music and the places and the little whims of memories that inspired it. I can't wait for you to meet the characters. And while I haven't seen the final cover, I have seen a sketch of what it will be like. My heart can't even hold all the happy. I can't wait for you to see it! It is whimsical and beautiful and vivid. I'm probably going to wallpaper my house with it. Seriously though, we'll have a big party on here the day I finally get to show you what it looks like. And, of course, I hope you love it when you read it. It's just a sweet little story, but I hope you find some magic tucked into the pages.Thanks for taking this adventure with me. This is going to be a fun year! (And I promise not every post will be book-related. We'll keep talking other books and music and all manner of fun things. Next time, I'll tell you the story of my recent visit to a battlefield and how I thought a ghost was coming at me through the woods. Stay tuned! ;)
NOW! Tell me something sweet that's happend to you this week! Are you graduating? Gearing up for summer? Taking a fun roadtrip? Share your good news (or any news you want to share) down in the comments!
April 11, 2013
the one about the dream come true.
“Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy-tales again.”
– CS Lewis
Today’s the day I finally get to share some exciting news with you.
For me, this news is approximately the size of a wishing star. (So, my apologies in advance for the absurd amount of !!!!’s.)
Here’s the announcement from Publishers Weekly (!!!!!). And here's a wee-little screenshot:
Here's the summary: I wrote a novel. And it will be published by Scholastic in 2014!!!!
I’ve known about this for several months now, which officially makes this one of the longest and most FUN secrets I’ve ever kept.
I couldn’t wait to tell you.
Just typing it all up like this ... is about to kickstart the waterworks all over again. In the words of my beloved Avett Brothers, “My hands they shake ... my head it spins.”
I’m over the moon about working with Scholastic. Scholastic (!!!!) is the happy home of some of my favorite heroes in all of Lit World. One of my earliest book memories is going to B.Dalton in the Knoxville mall with my parents, and zooming toward the candy-colored aisle of Babysitters Club books. Scholastic Book Fairs were the highlight of my school year (bake sales were a close second ...) Those books made me a reader for life. I can't believe my story will have a Scholastic tattoo on its spine.
I can't wait to tell you more about the book in the coming months, but here are the essentials I want to tell you first, bullet-point style:
- This wouldn’t have happened without my agent, Suzie Townsend. The hype over Suzie is legit; she’s the best. She’s smart and encouraging so fun to work with. Almost exactly one year ago today (April 13th!), I got an email from Suzie containing these words: “I absolutely love this...” ... And I nearly hyperventilated. Seriously though, I’m so grateful she believed in my story, and in me. All the people at New Leaf are fantastic.
- This wouldn't have happened without the sweetest bunch of friends ever. My writer-peeps, Sarah Wylie and Jenny B. Jones, read this story in its early stages and encouraged me to query that beast.* (*Not their exact words) My non-writer friends, bless them, frequently drag me out of The Cave of Solitude for concerts, fresh air, and cupcakes. I love them dearly.
-This wouldn’t have happened without my family. My brother and sister give my heart a safe place to crash, whenever I'm feeling discouraged. My niece and nephew remind me the world is full of magic, even when I can’t see it. My dad is my biggest cheerleader. And my amazing, long-suffering mom has read every single revision of this novel. And she still cracks up at the funny parts. (When I got the news, I was on a roadtrip with mom. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day.)
I’m grateful for them, and I’m grateful for you. This book will be totally different from anything I’ve done before, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
A Snicker of Magic started, really started, when I left an Avett Brothers concert and said, “That felt more like a magic show than a concert.” From then, until now, this story has turned me inside out. It surprised me and challenged me. It helped me find my way back. Felicity Juniper Pickle, my plucky little hero, is the sort of girl who believes magic always hides in unlikely places. Somewhere along the way, I think I started believing it again, too. I'm so grateful for all of this.
One more thing, and then I promise I’ll hush.
Since I’ve been able to daydream, I’ve wanted to be a writer. In particular, I wanted to be a novelist. I kept hoping, and dreaming, and writing. But sometimes when you dream about something for so long ... it’s almost like it starts to feel less real. Does that make sense? It starts to take up space on a dusty shelf alongside all your other quirky hopes and dreams. Paper crowns and cardboard castles and a bunch of burned out wishing stars. And you want to write a novel?? Who do you think you are?! People will flat-out tell you that it's a dumb dream. And here's the thing: whatever your Big Dream is, I hope someone tells you how ridiculous you are for chasing after it. I hope they tell you that, so you get to feel what it's like to prove them wrong. Keep hoping. Keep dreaming. Above all, keep writing. Even if the story you write isn't the one that finds you an agent, or an editor, it's still a story that can help you find your way. Write the next story. Hold on tight to the tail of that wishing star. You never know where it will carry you.
*deep breath*
*dances a jig*
2014 ... Here we come! : )
– CS Lewis
Today’s the day I finally get to share some exciting news with you.
For me, this news is approximately the size of a wishing star. (So, my apologies in advance for the absurd amount of !!!!’s.)
Here’s the announcement from Publishers Weekly (!!!!!). And here's a wee-little screenshot:
Here's the summary: I wrote a novel. And it will be published by Scholastic in 2014!!!! I’ve known about this for several months now, which officially makes this one of the longest and most FUN secrets I’ve ever kept.
I couldn’t wait to tell you.
Just typing it all up like this ... is about to kickstart the waterworks all over again. In the words of my beloved Avett Brothers, “My hands they shake ... my head it spins.”
I’m over the moon about working with Scholastic. Scholastic (!!!!) is the happy home of some of my favorite heroes in all of Lit World. One of my earliest book memories is going to B.Dalton in the Knoxville mall with my parents, and zooming toward the candy-colored aisle of Babysitters Club books. Scholastic Book Fairs were the highlight of my school year (bake sales were a close second ...) Those books made me a reader for life. I can't believe my story will have a Scholastic tattoo on its spine.
I can't wait to tell you more about the book in the coming months, but here are the essentials I want to tell you first, bullet-point style:
- This wouldn’t have happened without my agent, Suzie Townsend. The hype over Suzie is legit; she’s the best. She’s smart and encouraging so fun to work with. Almost exactly one year ago today (April 13th!), I got an email from Suzie containing these words: “I absolutely love this...” ... And I nearly hyperventilated. Seriously though, I’m so grateful she believed in my story, and in me. All the people at New Leaf are fantastic.
- This wouldn't have happened without the sweetest bunch of friends ever. My writer-peeps, Sarah Wylie and Jenny B. Jones, read this story in its early stages and encouraged me to query that beast.* (*Not their exact words) My non-writer friends, bless them, frequently drag me out of The Cave of Solitude for concerts, fresh air, and cupcakes. I love them dearly.
-This wouldn’t have happened without my family. My brother and sister give my heart a safe place to crash, whenever I'm feeling discouraged. My niece and nephew remind me the world is full of magic, even when I can’t see it. My dad is my biggest cheerleader. And my amazing, long-suffering mom has read every single revision of this novel. And she still cracks up at the funny parts. (When I got the news, I was on a roadtrip with mom. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day.)
I’m grateful for them, and I’m grateful for you. This book will be totally different from anything I’ve done before, and I can’t wait to share it with you.
A Snicker of Magic started, really started, when I left an Avett Brothers concert and said, “That felt more like a magic show than a concert.” From then, until now, this story has turned me inside out. It surprised me and challenged me. It helped me find my way back. Felicity Juniper Pickle, my plucky little hero, is the sort of girl who believes magic always hides in unlikely places. Somewhere along the way, I think I started believing it again, too. I'm so grateful for all of this.
One more thing, and then I promise I’ll hush.
Since I’ve been able to daydream, I’ve wanted to be a writer. In particular, I wanted to be a novelist. I kept hoping, and dreaming, and writing. But sometimes when you dream about something for so long ... it’s almost like it starts to feel less real. Does that make sense? It starts to take up space on a dusty shelf alongside all your other quirky hopes and dreams. Paper crowns and cardboard castles and a bunch of burned out wishing stars. And you want to write a novel?? Who do you think you are?! People will flat-out tell you that it's a dumb dream. And here's the thing: whatever your Big Dream is, I hope someone tells you how ridiculous you are for chasing after it. I hope they tell you that, so you get to feel what it's like to prove them wrong. Keep hoping. Keep dreaming. Above all, keep writing. Even if the story you write isn't the one that finds you an agent, or an editor, it's still a story that can help you find your way. Write the next story. Hold on tight to the tail of that wishing star. You never know where it will carry you.
*deep breath*
*dances a jig*
2014 ... Here we come! : )
April 2, 2013
blog dog.
Listening to: February Seven by The Avett Brothers
Line Love: "If I poured all the lies I had told into the Mississippi, the river would rise and flood the city.” From OUT OF THE EASY, by Ruta Sepetys
Good morning, Biscuit!
What'd you say? We haven't blogged in a few weeks and you miss everybody? And you want me to tell them about the sweet old lady at PetSmart who hugged you and said you looked like a miniature polar bear?
Okay. I'll write a quick post to tell them that. You seriously made that lady's day. You make everybody's day!
But don't forget, we have a BIG deadline coming up, and we need to wrangle that thang before it wrangles us. So we'll write a quick post ... but then we have to work.
I know!! I know you would rather blog! I miss them too. But remember, they know that we think they're awesome. And they know that, much like Frosty the Snowman (which I still think is a very creepy song), we'll be back again someday. Someday very soon. We'll be back to our usual shenanigans next week. So I'm going to make some coffee, and grab a snack for you, and then we'll get to work. Okay?
*leaves to get caffeinated*
*returns to wrangle deadlines*
Uh ... Biscuit.
When I say "we need to work", I mean ... we actually need to work. We can't watch cartoons. We'll do something fun later, I promise. Okay? Okay!
*snatches computer*
*starts clickety-clicking the keys*
*clears throat*
Um ... Biscuit.
Are you just going to sit there and stare at me like that the whole time? You are? Fabulous. I don't know what I'd do without your help. *rolls eyes*
What's that? You want to do one picture on PhotoBooth?
Okay. ONE picture.
That's adorable! Now we really need to get back to wor--wait--Biscuit! What are you...
I said one picture! Biscuit!
*sighs*
Okay ... that one was pretty funny.
Yes, you made me laugh. You always do. You really are the coolest dog in the world.
I love you, too.
And as for you people -- thanks for putting up with the long delays on here. We'll be back to more regular wackadoodle programming soon. And I have a few updates that I think, I hope ... you're going to be happy about. :) Until then, how ya been? Seen any good movies? Heard any new songs I should download pronto? Read a book so awesome you can't stop thinking about it? Are any of you graduating this spring? Please holler down in the comments and let me know what's new with you. Biscuit and I really do think you're fantastic. Happy, happy April to you!
Line Love: "If I poured all the lies I had told into the Mississippi, the river would rise and flood the city.” From OUT OF THE EASY, by Ruta Sepetys
Good morning, Biscuit!
What'd you say? We haven't blogged in a few weeks and you miss everybody? And you want me to tell them about the sweet old lady at PetSmart who hugged you and said you looked like a miniature polar bear?
Okay. I'll write a quick post to tell them that. You seriously made that lady's day. You make everybody's day!
But don't forget, we have a BIG deadline coming up, and we need to wrangle that thang before it wrangles us. So we'll write a quick post ... but then we have to work.
I know!! I know you would rather blog! I miss them too. But remember, they know that we think they're awesome. And they know that, much like Frosty the Snowman (which I still think is a very creepy song), we'll be back again someday. Someday very soon. We'll be back to our usual shenanigans next week. So I'm going to make some coffee, and grab a snack for you, and then we'll get to work. Okay?
*leaves to get caffeinated*
*returns to wrangle deadlines*
Uh ... Biscuit.
When I say "we need to work", I mean ... we actually need to work. We can't watch cartoons. We'll do something fun later, I promise. Okay? Okay!
*snatches computer*
*starts clickety-clicking the keys*
*clears throat*
Um ... Biscuit.
Are you just going to sit there and stare at me like that the whole time? You are? Fabulous. I don't know what I'd do without your help. *rolls eyes*
What's that? You want to do one picture on PhotoBooth?
Okay. ONE picture.
That's adorable! Now we really need to get back to wor--wait--Biscuit! What are you...
I said one picture! Biscuit!
*sighs*
Okay ... that one was pretty funny.
Yes, you made me laugh. You always do. You really are the coolest dog in the world.
I love you, too.
And as for you people -- thanks for putting up with the long delays on here. We'll be back to more regular wackadoodle programming soon. And I have a few updates that I think, I hope ... you're going to be happy about. :) Until then, how ya been? Seen any good movies? Heard any new songs I should download pronto? Read a book so awesome you can't stop thinking about it? Are any of you graduating this spring? Please holler down in the comments and let me know what's new with you. Biscuit and I really do think you're fantastic. Happy, happy April to you!
March 19, 2013
star miles.
Listening To: Sweet Carolina by Ryan Adams
On a housekeeping note: Google Reader is vanishing soon. And I know some of you follow along via Google Reader (I like Google Reader too). My tech-savvy peeps tell me Bloglovin is a fun way to keep up with blogs. I'm just learning how to use it, but I've added an icon over on the right side of the page (just past the uber-cute logo) if you'd like to follow along that way as well. (If you know of another fun way to keep up with blogs, let me know in the comments!) Whichever way you click through, thanks for reading along!
My days aren’t full of movie moments - minutes or hours or plot-twists that would interest many people. But my days are still full of sweet moments I love. Sometimes:
Rain clatters across the roof. My dog curls up in my lap to take a nap. I completely, totally scorch bake white chocolate banana nut muffins. I listen to Emmylou Harris records. I write stories. I wear bright borderline-tacky pink lipstick. I call my best friend. I kiss. I cry. I dye my hair. But if I had to write my life; actually script it in such a way that it had story-momentum, I’d probably have to make stuff up. Or leave a lot of sweet details out. Even though the sweet details are what I love the most.
But Sunday night was movie-good.
Because I was driving home from downtown. And the sky was dark, but the city was just waking up.
Cities are night-owls; they screech like sirens and rock songs and rusty breaks.
I sometimes like that sound. I like it a lot.
And the weather was perfect. March roared into the mountains, but the roar was so soft on Sunday night that I rolled all the windows down.
I think it would have been a good scene.
The focus would start with my hand on the steering wheel. I'm wearing a leopard print cuff and bright red nail polish. I reach over to click to the next song.
The camera pulls back further, and my hair is down, blowing in my face. I start mouthing the the lyrics to a song I love so much. Because that song IS this moment. It’s every moment, every time I hear it. I’m driving between the city and the mountains. I’m surrounded by music, and springtime wind, and by the steady murmur of traffic. Welcome home. Come and go. Pass on through.
When you drive that stretch of road at night, the interstate curves up the mountain in such a way that you see the city lights, and the lights from the houses scattered up and down the hills.
So in that perfect blink of a moment, it looks like you’re driving through some hidden valley full of fallen stars.
And it’s like the stars are waiting, for now.
(But they’re shining, even while they wait.)
Any minute, they’ll shoot off skyward and find a little speck of midnight to cling to, some perfect little spot a million miles away from here. And they’ll look back on this space, this moment right before they flew, and think that was a good place too.
So that's the scene: I’m driving the star-mile. I’m stretching my hand out the window, so I can feel wind and lyrics and shooting stars burn past my fingertips.
And right at that moment, when I hit the star-mile, the song finds it’s best lyric, and the timing is perfect. Just like some really awesome chick-flick.
“Up here in the city, it feels like things are closing in, The sunset’s just my light bulb burning out. I miss Kentucky, and I miss my family. Oh the sweetest winds they blow across the south.”
And I think:
I love this moment. Every bit of it. I could cry, I love this moment so much. It would be a quick scene; but it would be a good one. I’d fade out smiling. I’d fade out to a Ryan Adams song.
I’d fade out against a thousand shining stars.
If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be like for this season/scene? (I'm in need of some new music, so make it a long soundtrack! :)
On a housekeeping note: Google Reader is vanishing soon. And I know some of you follow along via Google Reader (I like Google Reader too). My tech-savvy peeps tell me Bloglovin is a fun way to keep up with blogs. I'm just learning how to use it, but I've added an icon over on the right side of the page (just past the uber-cute logo) if you'd like to follow along that way as well. (If you know of another fun way to keep up with blogs, let me know in the comments!) Whichever way you click through, thanks for reading along!
My days aren’t full of movie moments - minutes or hours or plot-twists that would interest many people. But my days are still full of sweet moments I love. Sometimes:
Rain clatters across the roof. My dog curls up in my lap to take a nap. I completely, totally scorch bake white chocolate banana nut muffins. I listen to Emmylou Harris records. I write stories. I wear bright borderline-tacky pink lipstick. I call my best friend. I kiss. I cry. I dye my hair. But if I had to write my life; actually script it in such a way that it had story-momentum, I’d probably have to make stuff up. Or leave a lot of sweet details out. Even though the sweet details are what I love the most.
But Sunday night was movie-good.
Because I was driving home from downtown. And the sky was dark, but the city was just waking up.
Cities are night-owls; they screech like sirens and rock songs and rusty breaks.
I sometimes like that sound. I like it a lot.
And the weather was perfect. March roared into the mountains, but the roar was so soft on Sunday night that I rolled all the windows down.
I think it would have been a good scene.
The focus would start with my hand on the steering wheel. I'm wearing a leopard print cuff and bright red nail polish. I reach over to click to the next song.
The camera pulls back further, and my hair is down, blowing in my face. I start mouthing the the lyrics to a song I love so much. Because that song IS this moment. It’s every moment, every time I hear it. I’m driving between the city and the mountains. I’m surrounded by music, and springtime wind, and by the steady murmur of traffic. Welcome home. Come and go. Pass on through.
When you drive that stretch of road at night, the interstate curves up the mountain in such a way that you see the city lights, and the lights from the houses scattered up and down the hills.
So in that perfect blink of a moment, it looks like you’re driving through some hidden valley full of fallen stars.
And it’s like the stars are waiting, for now.
(But they’re shining, even while they wait.)
Any minute, they’ll shoot off skyward and find a little speck of midnight to cling to, some perfect little spot a million miles away from here. And they’ll look back on this space, this moment right before they flew, and think that was a good place too.
So that's the scene: I’m driving the star-mile. I’m stretching my hand out the window, so I can feel wind and lyrics and shooting stars burn past my fingertips.
And right at that moment, when I hit the star-mile, the song finds it’s best lyric, and the timing is perfect. Just like some really awesome chick-flick.
“Up here in the city, it feels like things are closing in, The sunset’s just my light bulb burning out. I miss Kentucky, and I miss my family. Oh the sweetest winds they blow across the south.”
And I think:
I love this moment. Every bit of it. I could cry, I love this moment so much. It would be a quick scene; but it would be a good one. I’d fade out smiling. I’d fade out to a Ryan Adams song.
I’d fade out against a thousand shining stars.
If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be like for this season/scene? (I'm in need of some new music, so make it a long soundtrack! :)
March 13, 2013
springday giveaway.
Listening To: Need You Now by Plumb
Hello beauties and beastlies!
I've been living it up on ye olde farm, hence the crickets around here. But I'm back! And I'm working on several fun posts to share in the coming weeks. Spring is roaring through my life, literally and metaphorically.
Well ... sort of literally.
Have you noticed how often people literally use the word "literally" in a way that ... doesn't make much sense? But wind makes a "roar" noise, so that's kinda literal, yes?
But anyway! I wanted to fire up the blog today to 1.) see how you've been (what's new with you?!) and 2.) let you know about a fun giveaway.
The suave and swankified ladies of Sisterhood Magazine are giving away a signed copy of Paperdoll today. (Here's their super cute Instagram announcement.) If you'd like to enter, all you have to do is go to their Facebook page and follow the directions. Easy-breezy. The contest is only open for a few more hours (they're on Colorado time).
For those of you who are new to this here neck of the woods (*hugs to you!*), Paperdoll is a small, non-fiction book I wrote a few years ago. Actually, the book came out four years ago this month.
FOUR YEARS.
Guh.
Paperdoll is about the woman at the well and what her story in John 4 taught me about faith, beauty, scars, second chances, genuine worship, and genuine love. Paperdoll is NOT a how-to book, and, obviously, I'm not under any illusion that I'm a big deal, or that I'm some snazzy celeb with cool advice to dole out. (I think cowboy boots are a neutral and go with any outfit so, obviously, advice is not my specialty.)
The heart of Paperdoll is really about learning to spread my wings within my faith -- making it mine, living it out, and learning to making peace with the mystery of it all. The book is also about the freedom, and confidence, I find when I find my worth in what Jesus says about me, instead of what other people keep telling me I'm supposed to become. It's a process, and the book is about how I was changing and growing and deepening my faith during that season of my life.
Somebody asked me, way back when Paperdoll came out, about my hope for the book. And my hope was, and is, that someone will read it and realize they have a purpose for being here - that they're loved completely, just the way they are. I think high school, and college, inevitably have dark seasons. Actually, I think pits of suck are inevitably at every point. And, hopefully, on the dark days, you're surrounded by people who love you and who keep reminding you of all the good in you. Hopefully you know, even on those days, God loves you and He has a purpose for you. But if you feel hemmed in, or unwanted, or unloved, or used, or broken, or rejected ... then I hope this book is your standing ovation. I hope it reminds you of al the wonderfully-fearfully-lovely you have tangled up inside you. Your story is barely even getting started. Good days are coming. You're here for a reason. So never, never, never give up.
If, at some point during the last four years, you read Paperdoll, I hope it encouraged you. And if you happen to snag a copy on the Sisterhood site today, I hope it reminds you that you that you're a rockstar with a beautiful story to live out. Paperdoll has been such a sweet book adventure. Thanks for taking it with me.
*end of sap fest*
Here's where you can go enter to win a copy. The contest is open until 2:00 today. Go forth and win! :)
I'll be back later this week with the usual nonsensical posts.
What are you into?! Have you had a good week? Did you see Jack the Giant Killer? Because I did. And it seriously grossed me out, but I'm a major nerd when it comes to that stuff. I'm seeing OZ this week, which I'm just super-duper excited about. Sour Patch Kids, here I come!
Hello beauties and beastlies!
I've been living it up on ye olde farm, hence the crickets around here. But I'm back! And I'm working on several fun posts to share in the coming weeks. Spring is roaring through my life, literally and metaphorically.
Well ... sort of literally.
Have you noticed how often people literally use the word "literally" in a way that ... doesn't make much sense? But wind makes a "roar" noise, so that's kinda literal, yes?
But anyway! I wanted to fire up the blog today to 1.) see how you've been (what's new with you?!) and 2.) let you know about a fun giveaway.
The suave and swankified ladies of Sisterhood Magazine are giving away a signed copy of Paperdoll today. (Here's their super cute Instagram announcement.) If you'd like to enter, all you have to do is go to their Facebook page and follow the directions. Easy-breezy. The contest is only open for a few more hours (they're on Colorado time).
For those of you who are new to this here neck of the woods (*hugs to you!*), Paperdoll is a small, non-fiction book I wrote a few years ago. Actually, the book came out four years ago this month.
FOUR YEARS.
Guh.
Paperdoll is about the woman at the well and what her story in John 4 taught me about faith, beauty, scars, second chances, genuine worship, and genuine love. Paperdoll is NOT a how-to book, and, obviously, I'm not under any illusion that I'm a big deal, or that I'm some snazzy celeb with cool advice to dole out. (I think cowboy boots are a neutral and go with any outfit so, obviously, advice is not my specialty.)The heart of Paperdoll is really about learning to spread my wings within my faith -- making it mine, living it out, and learning to making peace with the mystery of it all. The book is also about the freedom, and confidence, I find when I find my worth in what Jesus says about me, instead of what other people keep telling me I'm supposed to become. It's a process, and the book is about how I was changing and growing and deepening my faith during that season of my life.
Somebody asked me, way back when Paperdoll came out, about my hope for the book. And my hope was, and is, that someone will read it and realize they have a purpose for being here - that they're loved completely, just the way they are. I think high school, and college, inevitably have dark seasons. Actually, I think pits of suck are inevitably at every point. And, hopefully, on the dark days, you're surrounded by people who love you and who keep reminding you of all the good in you. Hopefully you know, even on those days, God loves you and He has a purpose for you. But if you feel hemmed in, or unwanted, or unloved, or used, or broken, or rejected ... then I hope this book is your standing ovation. I hope it reminds you of al the wonderfully-fearfully-lovely you have tangled up inside you. Your story is barely even getting started. Good days are coming. You're here for a reason. So never, never, never give up.
If, at some point during the last four years, you read Paperdoll, I hope it encouraged you. And if you happen to snag a copy on the Sisterhood site today, I hope it reminds you that you that you're a rockstar with a beautiful story to live out. Paperdoll has been such a sweet book adventure. Thanks for taking it with me.
*end of sap fest*
Here's where you can go enter to win a copy. The contest is open until 2:00 today. Go forth and win! :)
I'll be back later this week with the usual nonsensical posts.
What are you into?! Have you had a good week? Did you see Jack the Giant Killer? Because I did. And it seriously grossed me out, but I'm a major nerd when it comes to that stuff. I'm seeing OZ this week, which I'm just super-duper excited about. Sour Patch Kids, here I come!
February 28, 2013
celebrating the rogue accountant.
Listening To: Tennessee by Drew Holcomb
Tomorrow I'm: going to see Jack the Giant Slayer. I'm absurdly excited. Doesn't it look fun?
Do you mind if I brag for a minute or ten?
My brother, whom I frequently refer to on here as The Rogue Accountant, earned his CPA!!!!!!!
Chase has studied himself into oblivion to earn his CPA, while working full time, and I'm so proud of him that I've been bouncing around all day. I'm proud of both of my siblings. They're passionate and driven, and they've both put so much time and heart into doing what they do. (My sister is a doctor, and my brother is an accountant. I'm sibling-ed between two smarty-pants overachievers. I like to think I bring balance to the force.)
Chase told me I could blog about his CPA savvy if I wanted to, but he didn't tell me I could write this next part. But I'm going to anyway:
Five years ago this month, on our way to rent a movie, Chase and I were in a car accident. That accident is still the punctuation at the end of my nightmares; just the memory of the sound of the other car slamming into us still makes me sick. After our car spun to a stop, the first thing I did was look at my brother through the haze of airbag dust and yell, "You okay?"
He looked down at his leg and said, very calmly, "Uh ... no."
His leg ... it was obviously broken. I'll spare you the details, but the sight of it made my vision tunnel just a little bit. It was movie-bad. Of course, in no time, the pain began to register. And then it was horrible. But he was so brave. I would have been screaming, but he was quiet, and calm. The next months were hard for him, but the next few weeks were the worst. In the accident, his leg and wrist were bad-broken. Even when he got to come home from the hospital, he had silver bars sticking out of his leg, set in place to stabilize the bones.
And yet, I kid you not: the first thing he did when he got home, with a broken wrist, with bars sticking out of his leg ... was pop off a really funny joke.
He was able to take a few classes online, but the accident slowed down the school process, obviously. Still, he kept working toward his degree. He picked back up in his internship the following semester, and the internship lead to full time (because he's amazing like that). I'll never forget the day on the front porch, several months after the accident, when he pulled the splint loose from his scarred wrist and played his guitar again.
He's lion-hearted.
I've never met anybody who looks for the good in a situation, or the good in another person, the way he does. He's never wanted to be defined by a weakness, or a set back, or a broken bone. He doesn't grovel. He doesn't play on anybody's sympathy. He keeps living fully and doing his own thing. And he does it all with the best sense of humor. He's the funniest person I know, and I know lots of funny people.
I'm proud of him for earning his CPA, because that's hardcore. But I'm more proud of the person he's grown up to be. He's had some bumps along the way, the kind that would make most people stop and give up. But he doesn't. He never does. He just pushes through with faith and determination and, of course, a sarcastic joke that borders on inappropriateness. Everybody who knows him is crazy about him, but I get dibs on being his biggest fan.
He's my hero.
(This pic cracks me up. He's not typically this ... animated.)
If you feel like being sappy too, I hope you'll head into the comments and tell me about a friend or family member you look up to and admire. I can't wait to read about your heroes! Happy Weekending, Lovelies! :)
Tomorrow I'm: going to see Jack the Giant Slayer. I'm absurdly excited. Doesn't it look fun?
Do you mind if I brag for a minute or ten?
My brother, whom I frequently refer to on here as The Rogue Accountant, earned his CPA!!!!!!!
Chase has studied himself into oblivion to earn his CPA, while working full time, and I'm so proud of him that I've been bouncing around all day. I'm proud of both of my siblings. They're passionate and driven, and they've both put so much time and heart into doing what they do. (My sister is a doctor, and my brother is an accountant. I'm sibling-ed between two smarty-pants overachievers. I like to think I bring balance to the force.)
Chase told me I could blog about his CPA savvy if I wanted to, but he didn't tell me I could write this next part. But I'm going to anyway:
Five years ago this month, on our way to rent a movie, Chase and I were in a car accident. That accident is still the punctuation at the end of my nightmares; just the memory of the sound of the other car slamming into us still makes me sick. After our car spun to a stop, the first thing I did was look at my brother through the haze of airbag dust and yell, "You okay?"
He looked down at his leg and said, very calmly, "Uh ... no."
His leg ... it was obviously broken. I'll spare you the details, but the sight of it made my vision tunnel just a little bit. It was movie-bad. Of course, in no time, the pain began to register. And then it was horrible. But he was so brave. I would have been screaming, but he was quiet, and calm. The next months were hard for him, but the next few weeks were the worst. In the accident, his leg and wrist were bad-broken. Even when he got to come home from the hospital, he had silver bars sticking out of his leg, set in place to stabilize the bones.
And yet, I kid you not: the first thing he did when he got home, with a broken wrist, with bars sticking out of his leg ... was pop off a really funny joke.
He was able to take a few classes online, but the accident slowed down the school process, obviously. Still, he kept working toward his degree. He picked back up in his internship the following semester, and the internship lead to full time (because he's amazing like that). I'll never forget the day on the front porch, several months after the accident, when he pulled the splint loose from his scarred wrist and played his guitar again.
He's lion-hearted.
I've never met anybody who looks for the good in a situation, or the good in another person, the way he does. He's never wanted to be defined by a weakness, or a set back, or a broken bone. He doesn't grovel. He doesn't play on anybody's sympathy. He keeps living fully and doing his own thing. And he does it all with the best sense of humor. He's the funniest person I know, and I know lots of funny people.
I'm proud of him for earning his CPA, because that's hardcore. But I'm more proud of the person he's grown up to be. He's had some bumps along the way, the kind that would make most people stop and give up. But he doesn't. He never does. He just pushes through with faith and determination and, of course, a sarcastic joke that borders on inappropriateness. Everybody who knows him is crazy about him, but I get dibs on being his biggest fan.
He's my hero.
(This pic cracks me up. He's not typically this ... animated.)
If you feel like being sappy too, I hope you'll head into the comments and tell me about a friend or family member you look up to and admire. I can't wait to read about your heroes! Happy Weekending, Lovelies! :)
February 23, 2013
reguarding william shakespeare. and danica patrick.
Listening To: Little Pink Houses by John Mellancamp
Quote I can't stop thinking about: "Now I'll be bold as well as strong. And use my head alongside my heart. So tame my flesh and fix my eyes. A tethered mind freed from the lies." - Mumford & Sons
All week, I've been looking forward to this weekend. Mostly, I've been excited about the following events:
1. Watching Danica Patrick win the Daytona 500. And ...
2. Watching a PBS production I recorded a while back called Shakespeare Uncovered: The Tempest.
Does this make me a well rounded redneck?
Also, there's some crossover fiction in there somewhere, right? "A NASCAR retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest..." I can't believe that hasn't been done. (sarcasm)
Pondering Shakespeare and NASCAR has me thinking about one of my college lit classes. We had to write three-part papers after each reading assignment, and one part had to be a tie-in. We had pick the central theme, or character motivation, or pretty much any aspect of the story we wanted, and tie it in with a random element in some other field of study. I mostly stuck with visual art and psychology, because that seemed like a scholarly thing to do. But once, in a rush to finish writing my paper, I compared some unassuming British man's moody poem about a restless, heartsick yearning for change to ... the John Mellancamp song "Little Pink Houses". Surprisingly, I got an A. (Even though my professor scribbled a note in the margins about how she'd never interpreted "Little Pink Houses" to be a song about restlessness, but more about the comfort you find in the place that always feels like "home" to you - the place that, through it's unchanging-ness, gives you a sense of stability. An anchoring place. She interpreted that kind of sameness as a comfort, whereas I interpreted it as bored stiff. However. when I listen to the song now, I would say she's definitely right. It's about the home you want to go back to; maybe a longing for a season in life when you felt most peaceful, more settled. I didn't get that at 22. Probably because I so bad wanted to launch and go and do. Crazy how familiar songs sound different as you get older, isn't it?)
Anyway!
John Cougar ... was pushing it. I don't know how my professor would have reacted if I tried to compare Will Shakespeare to NASCAR.
But I think Will would consider Danica Patrick a worthy heroine.
I watched her interviewed this afternoon, and she talked about how, for her, being a woman racing in the Daytona 500 wasn't necessarily as important a legacy as this (I'm paraphrasing):
"If you have a talent, don't be afraid to follow through with it."
Even if it seems impossible.
Even though it takes years and years of hard work to be deemed an overnight success.
Even though criticism is fierce.
Even though the risk is great, and only gets greater.
Even though the odds are stacked against you.
Even then ...
Start your engine. Follow through with your talent. Because talent by itself isn't enough to sustain much long term.
She went on to say all sorts of other cool things, but I really liked that initial quote. Honestly, I'm not much of a NASCAR fan. I'm pretty neutral over most sports. (But Tennessee people: do you remember when the Knoxville corn maize was in the shape of Trevor Bayne's head?)
But I do think it's a little bit fantastic that Danica Patrick is racing the Daytona 500. And I really, really love that she's inspiring other girls to aspire toward careers that might be more traditionally held by men. That's a pretty darn awesome legacy as well.
This year, at Halloween, I hope lime green racing jumpsuits become as popular for girls as princess costumes. Or I home some really industrious kid combines the two.
Because who needs a white horse and a sparkly coach when you can drive your own race car?
What are y'all into this weekend? Are you watching the Oscars? Or the Daytona 500? I actually do have one other goal and that's to find some Girl Scout Cookies. Because they've been out for weeks, apparently, and I still have none. HOW did that happen?
Happy Weekending to you ;)
Quote I can't stop thinking about: "Now I'll be bold as well as strong. And use my head alongside my heart. So tame my flesh and fix my eyes. A tethered mind freed from the lies." - Mumford & Sons
All week, I've been looking forward to this weekend. Mostly, I've been excited about the following events:
1. Watching Danica Patrick win the Daytona 500. And ...
2. Watching a PBS production I recorded a while back called Shakespeare Uncovered: The Tempest.
Does this make me a well rounded redneck?
Also, there's some crossover fiction in there somewhere, right? "A NASCAR retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest..." I can't believe that hasn't been done. (sarcasm)
Pondering Shakespeare and NASCAR has me thinking about one of my college lit classes. We had to write three-part papers after each reading assignment, and one part had to be a tie-in. We had pick the central theme, or character motivation, or pretty much any aspect of the story we wanted, and tie it in with a random element in some other field of study. I mostly stuck with visual art and psychology, because that seemed like a scholarly thing to do. But once, in a rush to finish writing my paper, I compared some unassuming British man's moody poem about a restless, heartsick yearning for change to ... the John Mellancamp song "Little Pink Houses". Surprisingly, I got an A. (Even though my professor scribbled a note in the margins about how she'd never interpreted "Little Pink Houses" to be a song about restlessness, but more about the comfort you find in the place that always feels like "home" to you - the place that, through it's unchanging-ness, gives you a sense of stability. An anchoring place. She interpreted that kind of sameness as a comfort, whereas I interpreted it as bored stiff. However. when I listen to the song now, I would say she's definitely right. It's about the home you want to go back to; maybe a longing for a season in life when you felt most peaceful, more settled. I didn't get that at 22. Probably because I so bad wanted to launch and go and do. Crazy how familiar songs sound different as you get older, isn't it?)
Anyway!
John Cougar ... was pushing it. I don't know how my professor would have reacted if I tried to compare Will Shakespeare to NASCAR.
But I think Will would consider Danica Patrick a worthy heroine.
I watched her interviewed this afternoon, and she talked about how, for her, being a woman racing in the Daytona 500 wasn't necessarily as important a legacy as this (I'm paraphrasing):
"If you have a talent, don't be afraid to follow through with it."
Even if it seems impossible.
Even though it takes years and years of hard work to be deemed an overnight success.
Even though criticism is fierce.
Even though the risk is great, and only gets greater.
Even though the odds are stacked against you.
Even then ...
Start your engine. Follow through with your talent. Because talent by itself isn't enough to sustain much long term.
She went on to say all sorts of other cool things, but I really liked that initial quote. Honestly, I'm not much of a NASCAR fan. I'm pretty neutral over most sports. (But Tennessee people: do you remember when the Knoxville corn maize was in the shape of Trevor Bayne's head?)
But I do think it's a little bit fantastic that Danica Patrick is racing the Daytona 500. And I really, really love that she's inspiring other girls to aspire toward careers that might be more traditionally held by men. That's a pretty darn awesome legacy as well.
This year, at Halloween, I hope lime green racing jumpsuits become as popular for girls as princess costumes. Or I home some really industrious kid combines the two.
Because who needs a white horse and a sparkly coach when you can drive your own race car?
What are y'all into this weekend? Are you watching the Oscars? Or the Daytona 500? I actually do have one other goal and that's to find some Girl Scout Cookies. Because they've been out for weeks, apparently, and I still have none. HOW did that happen?
Happy Weekending to you ;)
Natalie Lloyd's Blog
- Natalie Lloyd's profile
- 521 followers
Natalie Lloyd isn't a Goodreads Author
(yet),
but they
do have a blog,
so here are some recent posts imported from
their feed.
