Irene Latham's Blog, page 192

GIVE THESE BOOKS A LISTEN

On my drive to Mississippi, I listened to two books that totally wow-ed me, for completely different reasons.

The first was this one, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.


I must first confess that, based on the cover, I thought Stargirl was a midgrade novel. So, when, in the first few sentences I heard John Ritter read to me that Leo the main character was entering 11th grade, I thought, huh. Really?

I loved this book for so many reasons. It is a tight, tense, yet QUIET story. And totally rocked my w

ARC ALERT!

So when I got back from my awesome trip to Mississippi, this book was waiting for me.

I dove right in. And I LOVED Lainey! Holly Nicole Hoxter has written a story about a real girl with real feelings, and I loved it!

There is one line I can't get out of my head: "But love wasn't a buffet. I couldn't have everything that looked good."

Brilliant!

K IS FOR KEEP GOING

Once you've started writing, don't stop. Truly, this can be a much greater challenge than getting started in the first place, because the road is steep and the tracks are littered with boulders and then an unexpected wind kicks up and the snow settles in drifts and you think there is no way you will ever get to the top of that mountain.

Well, one thing's for certain: you won't get there if you stop. So keep going!

I'm embarrassed to say this, but I keep thinking of this song. Yeah. What am

DISNEY, VICKSBURG, SOPHIA LOREN AND FRIED PICKLES, ALL IN ONE POST

Driving to Vicksburg tomorrow, to hang out with writers and teach some workshops at Mississippi Writers Guild conference. The conference is being held at the Riverwalk Hotel and Casino. Too bad I am awful at poker. Penny slots, anyone?

Last time I was in Vicksburg I was 8 months pregnant, it was July, and I swear the sweat rolling down the back of my legs could have filled the Riverwalk. The casino was newly opened and a big surprise to Hubby and me when we drove up to our according the guide

ADAM RAFFERTY: IT'S ALL ABOUT FEELING

See what I'm talking about here and here.

Also, consider this excerpt from Early Morning - Remembering my Father, William Stafford by Kim Stafford, which was a gift from sweet Kirie who knew I would love it (and yes, Kirie, I do!):

My father told me, "A student comes to me with a piece of writing, holds it out, says 'Is this good?' A whole sequence of emergencies goes off in my mind. That's not a question to ask anyone but yourself. Others may be able to accept standards from another. But an ar

FIVE FOR FRIDAY

I don't have poetry to share today, but I will be checking out Poetry Friday Roundup with Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Five for Friday:

1. Where I'm not: LA. Which might make me sad if I think about all the stuff I'm missing, so instead I'll feel like I'm there by checking out Suzanne's SCBWI conference updates.

2. The don't call 'em "dog days" for nothing. It's hot. And muggy. Even my hair is complaining.

3. Counting down the days till this movie. Eric Bana. Need I say more?

4. Boo

J IS FOR JUST DO IT!

Of all the Author ABC's, this is THE most important one.

So don't even bother rattling off all your excuses. You have just as much time as anyone else.

JUST DO IT.

ARC ALERT!

Okay, received this book in the mail yesterday, and Team Jacob fans are totally gonna love it!

Big congrats to fellow Tenner (although her book actually releases in 2009) Bree Despain for this paranormal love story AND its gorgeous cover, that she totally fought for. Trust me, it's a way better fit than the first cover they threw at Bree!

See what happens when you stand strong??

I IS FOR INNOVATION

art by Jeanne Rhea

Shhh.... here's a secret well-known in the marketing world that is completely applicable in the writing world:

DIFFERENT is more important than BETTER.

Unusual narrators, graphic novels, novels in verse or text-ese, books that include an online component... This is only part of what I'm talking about.

Maybe your book is just a book, more of a tried and true romance/mystery/thriller/whatever. Well, guess what? You can still be different. You just have to think of it in these ter

WHICH SANDWICH ARE YOU?

In honor of Jillian, who hopefully as of tonight is a Bachelorette no longer, I wanted to share this tasty little bit of insight into just who you are.

See, Jillian, had a hotdog theory. I can't remember what it was exactly, except the fact that Jason like mustard AND ketchup was a positive thing. What kind of hotdogs her two finalists like? Dunno.

But SANDWICHES... now there's something that happens a lot around here.

So, real quick, make your pick:
The Club
Ham and Cheese
Turkey
Tuna Salad
Egg Sala