Elise Allen's Blog, page 2

Diary To The Future

I tend not to post pictures of Miss M, but I figure this one looks more like an alien than my child so it’s okay.  As for myself, that’s actually exactly how I look first thing in the morning.  All the time.

So ever since Miss M was born, I’ve been keeping a diary to her.  ”Dear Pooh-Bear, here’s what’s going on, here are the awesome things you’re doing, etc.”  I recently read her an entry I wrote when she was only a few months old, and most of it centered on her love of the breast-feeding pillow “My Breast Friend.”  I didn’t get to read any more beyond that.  I was too busy cleaning up her spit take.

Now here’s the interesting thing.  I find that despite my best intentions, I’m only slightly more regular with my entries to her than I am with these web posts.  I always mean to do them all the time, but other things get in the way.  Often the things that do compel me to race to the Miss M journal are truly neurotic moments where I feel like I’ve made a horrible parenting decision and I want to purge my guilt by explaining my rationale.  The problem is she won’t read the journal for another at least ten years (I plan to give it to her for high school or college graduation).  90% chance she won’t remember the mishap.  What she will notice is that I’m writing to her not about the incredible week she and I had alone together in the U.K. when she was seven years old, but my own ridiculous mishegoss.

So I ask you for guidance!  If you had a diary from a parent that she wrote when you were little, what would you want to read about?  What would you hope would be in those pages?  What would thrill you to see?

I thank you in advance, and so does Miss M.  I’ll make sure to credit you in the journal.  :)

 

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Headspace

Have I talked about meditating on this site?

I bet if I meditated, I’d know, because I’d be all centered and together and I’d be totally on top of everything.

At least, that’s how I picture it.  I have this image of meditating being the missing link that will give me the centeredness and wherewithal to handle everything in my schedule that’s overwhelming.  If I meditated on a daily basis, I believe I’d be healthier, happier, more organized, I’d keep a beautifully clean house, I’d never lose my temper, and I’d step out of the house each day not only comfortable and confident in my own skin, but also perfectly put together, with hair, makeup, and clothing transforming me into an effortless beauty.

My expectations might be a little high.

Back in January, one of my resolutions was that I’d meditate every day to put my theory to the test.  I even dowloaded an app to help me.  It’s called Headspace, and the guy who runs it talks you through, building from a five minute to a 20-minute meditation.  It might go longer later in the program, but I wouldn’t know.  Oh yes, I know I said I’d to it every day, but that went the way of everything I swear I’m going to do every day.

I’m going to write in my journal to Miss M every day!

I’m going to blog every day!

I’m going to shower every day!  (I wish I could say that one was an exaggeration…)

The good part is Headspace happened some, just not every day.  And though I don’t know that I became a miraculously changed woman on the days I did the meditations, I did feel more centered, collected, and able to face any unexpected surprises.

It’s still my goal to meditate every day, which makes me wonder… do any of you meditate?  Do you use your own routine, or a guided meditation?  How long have you been doing it?  And how has meditation affected your daily life?

 

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New Web Smell

Take a deep breath.  Go on, breathe deep.  Can you smell it?  It’s NEW WEB SMELL!!!!!

I showed it to my husband, He Who Is Known As Pre (short for Prefontaine, since he went through a very avid runner phase), and his response was, “Is it really that different?”

The answer?  A resounding YES!!!!

Okay, maybe not like original-boxy-Macintosh-I-had-in-college-to-Macbook-Air different, but it’s totally different in that it offers a whole lot more stuff.  My previous website was 30% Populazzi, 30% Elixir Trilogy, and 40% blog, which was insane since I barely ever kept up with the blog (though I’ll try really hard this time, I swear!).  This time the fabulous Betsy Cohen at Positive Element has given me a template for all my various and sundry books, TV shows, DVDs, Internet projects… and whatever other lunacy I feel like tossing in there.

Most important, it’s a way to connect with readers/viewers/other people who think my dog’s adorable (come on — check out the picture — there’s no denying he’s adorable).  I’m thrilled you came by, and I look forward to hanging out with you here!

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Mickey Mouse March: YAppiest Place on Earth

Welcome to MICKEY MOUSE MARCH, so named because I’m devoting this month’s post to all things DISNEY-related!

Why?  (Because we like you!  M-O-U-S-E)

Because at the end of this month I am one of sixteen YA authors who will be appearing at DISNEYLAND to participate in “The YAppiest Place On Earth”!  We’ll hang out with readers, bloggers, librarians, and anyone and everyone who loves both books and The Mouse.  Oh yeah… and we’ll GO ON RIDES!!!!

I can’t wait for this.  I’ve been an Annual Pass holder at Disneyland since loooooong before I had a child.  I used to go there with my writing partner and our notebooks, plop our butts down in Tomorrowland… and write!  Shockingly productive, I have to say.

Here’s the official scoop on YAppiest:

What’s better than books? Nothing! But rollercoasters come close.
On Saturday, March 30, 2013, sixteen of your favorite young adult authors will put on their mouse ears for THE YAPPIEST DAY ON EARTH, the first (that we know of) YA Day at Disneyland.
Bloggers, booksellers, librarians, and fans are invited to come spend the day riding with authors and chatting about current and upcoming releases.  The event will culminate with a group signing at the Anabella Hotel, across the street from California Adventure.


To participate, meet the authors inside the gates of Disneyland at 8:00 AM on March 30th.  Or, join us at the book signing at 5:30 PM at the Anabella Hotel, 1030 W. Katella Ave.  Those too far away to participate may order books to be autographed through Mysterious Galaxy’s website.


Participating authors include: Elise Allen, Carrie Arcos, Sean Beaudoin, Jennifer Bosworth, Martha Brockenbrough, Cecil Castellucci, Rachel Cohn, Kevin Emerson, Chris Howard, Lish McBride, Gretchen McNeil, Robin Mellom, Shannon Messenger, Cat Patrick, Kasie West, and Gabrielle Zevin.
For more information, check out the event on Facebook!

So that’s the deal — how cool is that???  Who’s with me?  And whether you’re joining in body or only in spirit, let’s get in some planning.  Tell me: what’s your favorite ride in Disneyland?  I count California Adventure too — I see no reason not to park-hop while we’re there, right?

My fave is SPACE MOUNTAIN, followed closely by BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN (which will be closed for repairs on YAppiest day — BOO!), SPLASH MOUNTAIN, and the MATTERHORN.  I’m also very partial to STAR TOURS…  I know every single word of the ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM song, and…

Oh blast, there’s no way I can narrow this down to a handful of favorites.  How about you?

Oh — one more thing — if you’re waffling about coming down for the event, here’s some serious incentive…

By March 30th it’ll be BABY DUCK SEASON at Disneyland!!!!

You do not want to miss that.  I’ll bring extra bread so we can (illicitly) feed them.

 

 

 

 

Best Comeback EVER!

I’ve been gone from the blog a LONG time, and while I have all kinds of reasons (note picture of me visiting hospital room with mask to avoid flu-spatter), listing them would make a pretty tedious blog post.

Instead I want to come back with something pithy… something inspirational… something that truly screams terse brilliance.

Goats that sound like humans.  (This is SO worth watching…)

My FANGTABULOUS Visit With Lucienne Diver!

Wa-hooo!  It’s the first GCC tour of the new year, and today I get to interview the fabulous Lucienne Diver, whose new book Fangtabulous is now out and ready to be loved at first bite.

To celebrate this occasion, I sat down with Lucienne (meaning she and I each sat down at our respective computers nowhere near one another) and gave her my official CGG interview questions, complete with… oh yes, you know it’s coming… the HAIKU!

If you had no other responsibilities and could take off on a retreat to your dream place to write, where would that be, and what would your dream daily schedule be like? 

LD: Oh, I flippin’ love this question.  So different than the norm!  I’d love to be on the ocean with my own private cabana in which to write (first thing in the morning, before it gets too hot).  Then I’d snorkel, read, nap, write some more, have a cabana boy bring me a tropical drink and watch the sun set.  Ah, heaven!

Is there a character you thought would be in the book, but who landed on the cutting room floor?  Conversely, is there a character you never expected to appear, but turned out to be intrinsic to the story?  If so, tell us about him/her.

LD: I think it would break my heart to have a character end up on the cutting room floor.  That’s never happened to me, but characters taking over…I’m all about that.  Actually, my protagonist for the Vamped series (Gina Covello, fashionista of the fanged) was only supposed to have a short story…a vignette really.  But she just wouldn’t shut up, and eventually I had to give her a whole novel, then a series!  Once the series got underway, the two characters who really surprised me were Alistaire, the creepy “bad” guy from Vamped and Revamped and Ulric, the cocky goth guy who appears in Revamped and makes a triumphant return in Fangtabulous, the latest book.  (Don’t know why I put Alistaire’s “bad” in parentheses.  He’s definitely that, but there’s just something about him…readers and my editor wanted him back for an encore and he insisted.)  Some characters simply refuse their cues to leave the stage.  They’re the most fun.

Writing rituals: do you have any?  If so, what are they?  If you don’t follow them, do you find it harder to write?

I don’t have any particular rituals, except that I have to write everything out by hand.  I’ve been known to use napkins and the back of checkbooks when inspiration struck and I didn’t have a notebook to hand.  The important part is the freehanding.  I can’t work creatively on a computer.

Ever gotten a piece of fan mail, or had an experience with a reader that really stands out in your mind?  Tell us about it!

My very favorite fan mail ever was from a girl who took the time to send me a physical letter, a full page about why Vamped resonated with her (the strong female character who takes rescues into her own hands).  I want to frame it for those days that I doubt myself…every day ending in “y.”

Let’s reach back to school and describe your book in a single… HAIKU!  Three lines, five syllables-seven syllables-five syllables.  Ready?  Go! 

Ack, okay, you know how much I loved that first question?  Well….  Here goes:

Vamp girl is haunted

Ghost of killers past stalking

Stopped with fangs and flare

Thanks, Lucienne!  I totally want to share your ideal writing place, and I’m blown away by the freehand thing, since I can’t read my own writing and am surgically attached to my computer.

So excited for the new book — congratulations on its release!

Want to know a little more about Fantabulous?  Say no more!

Gina Covello and her band of federal fugitives are on the run after taking down a secret (and sinister) government facility. Strapped without cash or credit cards—a fate worse than death for Gina—the rebels must find a place to lay low. They roll into Salem, Massachusetts, the most haunted town in America and the only place they have friends flying under the radar. But within a day, Gina and her gang are embroiled in a murder mystery of the supernatural kind.

Someone—or something—is strangling young women, and it’s rumored to be the ghost of Sheriff Corwin, late of the Salem Witch trials.  Is it the ghostly Sheriff or is someone on this side of the veil using the famous story as a cover up? Gina is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, and she needs to do it before a paranormal reporter on the scene exposes them for what they are…fanged federal fugitives.

 

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Singe Those Soles!!!

Okay, I just signed up for the L.A. Marathon, which makes me sound really cool and awesome until I admit that I’ve done the same thing every year for the last three years… and each time backed out at the last minute.

This time though, I really want to do it, and I’m asking for your help.

HARASS ME!

Seriously, feel free to noodge me about it.  Hold my feet to the fire.  And if I even think about cancelling, you have my permission to give me a world of crap.

Thanks in advance!  And if any of you have any goading needs, just let me know — I’m happy to return the favor!

My FANGTABULOUS Visit With Lucienne Diver!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I Smell Awesome

You don’t see me spouting a lot of beauty advice here, mainly because I’m a hot mess who spends the bulk of her days in pajama bottoms and hoodies.  Kinda like a cozy Bill Belichick.  However, I actually have a beauty tip that’s astounding.  Oh sure, it’s one that’s very hip and you can find it elsewhere, but here I can tell you that I’ve personally tried it and the results are amazing.

Coconut oil.

They’re touting it now for everything, but I used it on my hair, which has recently gone from dazzling wild-corona-mane to matted-curl mullet.  All on its own and completely without warning, the top and sides of my hair seemed to shrink back into my scalp until I looked not unlike this:

It was a problem.

After trolling websites from fashion sites to the Huffington Post, I decided to take their advice.  I bought this big ol’ jar from Trader Joe’s:

Coconut oil, it turns out, is solid at room temperature, so I nuked up a spoonful until it melted, then smeared it through my hair before bed.

The good: I smelled delicious!

The bad: I was hungry all night and dreamed of eating cake.

It was a small price to pay though, because after a month of bi-weekly oil treatments, I am now mullet free!  Yes, the top and sides of my poofy curls have sprung back to life, and I now look not unlike this:

Okay, hopefully I look a little unlike that, but the lusciously full curly locks?  Oh yeah.  My head is all over that thanks to the coconut oil.

I highly recommend.

 

My Christmas Tree!

So last year, I had some Christmas tree anxiety.  Despite the fact that Iadorethe trappings of Christmas, had already succumbed to decorating my house with lights, and desperately wanted a tree… I hesitated.  I’m Jewish, after all, and even though I know the tree is a pagan solstice symbol and has nothing to do with mangers, magi, or the messiah, it just felt tweaky.

Not so tweaky that I didn’t get a tree, mind you, but tweaky enough that I held myself to a very small bushy conifer, wrapped only in Hanukkah garland.

That was then.  Now… I’m over it.

Behold… this year’s tree!!!!

Isn’t it gorgeous???  And if you look closely, you’ll see that the ornaments include mini Philadelphia Eagles helmets.  Oh, sure, they’re a disaster on the field this year, but at least The Silver Linings Playbook kept them relevant.  And next year?  Super Bowl, baby!

Happy holidays, everyone!