Irene Latham's Blog, page 191

O IS FOR OMG

OMG There's an email from an agent in my inbox!

OMG She likes my story, she really likes it!

OMG The revision letter is NINE PAGES LONG. Single-spaced.

OMG I can't do this. I don't know how to make this character work. I don't know why I wrote that. I don't know how to fix it. I don't know I don't know I don't know.

OMG That's it! I can do this, which will set up that, and everything else will fall into place!

OMG I am so SICK of this story. I can't keep going. I just can't.

OMG I am totall...

FOUR ARC WEEKEND

I gotta say: Tenners are awesome. What a feast of reading I had this weekend! And such eclectic fare!! I am completely inspired to write MORE and BETTER after reading these books:

THE DARK DAYS OF HAMBURGER HALPIN by Josh Berk. A Sherman Alexie-esque novel with a wonderfully funny self-deprecating boy voice. And tender too! DON'T MISS THIS ONE.


THREE RIVERS RISING by Jame Richards. Historical fiction written in verse -- do I have to say I absolutely ADORED this novel?? Great characte...

N IS FOR NOTES

I am BIG fan of notes: notes on notebooks, digital recorders, post-its, voicemail, gum wrappers, dinner napkins, kleenex... and if you're at a restaurant bathroom and somebody in the stall next to you says some juicy something on her cell phone? Well, ther's always toilet tissue.

Who knew ideas were such slippery things, one minute leaping into the air, the next, lost, gone, down the drain?

Take it from someone who has learned the hard way: catch 'em while you can.

And yeah, some people may s...

WEDNESDAY WOES

1. Revisions of ESCAPE FROM FIRE MOUNTAIN are making me sweat! I see now, eight months later, that I was working very hard to stay true to the actual facts of the 1902 eruption of Mt. Pelee. Trouble is, that eruption was very gradual until the very last devastating blow, and it kinda made the early chapters in the book a slog. Gotta speed that thing up!

2. Shannon, from the ROB AND SHANNON SHOW on 96.5 fm (means nothing unless you live in Birmingham) has left the building! The two have be...

ARC ALERT!

There's all sorts of strange weather phenomena.

And (this is the most important one): ...

POETRY FRIDAY

Roundup is at Crossover.

So I'm working on a manuscript that contains nonsense words, and of course, of course, I've had Lewis Carroll's bit of brilliance "Jabberwocky" on my mind.

Also, Ingrid Law's SAVVY, because I'm told it too has nonsense words, but with all the Tenner ARCS (new ALERT! coming just as soon as I get back from Decatur Book Festival!) I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

If you've got nonsense words, I'd love to hear 'em!

Jabberwocky

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre ...

M IS FOR MARKETING

We don't usually think of it that way, but just as soon as we write the first sentence, we have engaged in marketing. And then when you write a query letter, I mean, all that is, is marketing. Then comes the book, and the marketing multiplies exponentially.

Fortunately, even if you're like me and know zip about marketing going in, there are lots of ways to educate yourself. I am especially indebted to Kay Cassidy, author of THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY for arranging online classes with these two ...

COOKING FOR PLEASURE

So we watched Julie & Julia over the weekend, and it reminded me of how much I love to cook!

I have taken a number of cooking classes over the years, but you know, with the kids and their eating peculiarities it's easy to get in the chicken and mashed potatoes rut. Not to mention the time factor... I mean, don't we have to shuttle at least one kid someplace every night?

Well, no more excuses. I've decided to cook at least one meal a week that's not run-of-the-mill-throw-it-together. So last nig

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO JAYCEE?

Imagine you (or your husband) watched your child get abducted when she was eleven years old, and now, eighteen years later, you get a call from the FBI, and they put her on the phone.

I mean, what words come to mind? Is this a joke? Is it really you? You've got to be kidding.

After all those years, it would be hard to even believe, don't you think? You'd want proof.

And even as you'd be rejoicing the fact that indeed, my daughter is here, she's alive, wouldn't you be SO angry at what these peop

L IS FOR LIVE A LIFE WORTH WRITING ABOUT... AND ALSO FOR LOVE

Okay, so who knew L was a letter so rich and ripe and fertile? I've thought about this and thought about it, but still, I couldn't choose just one L. Let me tell you why.

The first part, LIVE A LIFE WORTH WRITING ABOUT... Truly, the best preparation for being an author is getting out there, exploring the world, infusing your life with wonder, and having a multitude of varied experiences. Because ultimately, everything we write comes from that place, that life we lead before we ever sit down a