Maggie Stiefvater's Blog: Maggie Stiefvater, page 390

In Which Maggie Posts About Food. Twice.

Because I know you guys are just tired of seeing gorgeous photos of the gorgeous places I've been touring, I decided that I would instead do a food blog for last week's tour of Portland and Seattle. This proved more difficult than I imagined, however, because it turns out that a) being allergic to preservatives means I don't eat very much, and b) there is nothing intuitive about taking photos of your food. It means that I ate three meals without remembering to take photos first. But, sans one plate of salmon & ravioli, one pair of Chipotle soft tacos, and three cups of tea, this is everything Maggie Stiefvater ate from October 8-14th. My next post will also be about food, but also about books.

Thanks to everyone in the funky, bearded, plaided Pacific Northwest for welcoming me. What a great corner of the world!

I would do this again for my next tour stop (California, next week), but I can tell you already, it will be all tea and avocados.




Some of that was more delicious than it looked. And some of it was less delicious than it looks.

C'est la vie?

In Which Fake Band Names Turn Out to Be Real

So, this fake band name turned out to be harder than I thought. First of all, I had a short list of favorites, and I kept googling them (because if they turned out to be real band names, they obviously couldn't win, whether or not the original titler was aware that their fake band name was a real band name) . . . and this kept happening. So if you are not a winner and you think your band name was awesome and should've won, google it. It might truly be awesome and my favorite ever . . . and a real band.

Also, there were an unfair number of unicorn band names representing. Apparently the cultural unconscious was feeling very unicorny at the time of this blog posting.

Some were hilarious and indecent. So, no.

Some were hilarious and completely nonsensical. So, no.

Some of them sounded suspiciously like they could've belonged to local Celtic bands that played the same bars mine did in college (it takes talent to invoke that much leg hair in a band name).

In the end, it came down to two:

Elizabeth Bennet's Petticoats, and Charlotte's Temper. In an ideal world, I'll confess I would've preferred Elizabeth Bennet and the Petticoats, but that small issue was not enough to edge it out of first place. Ultimately I think I would buy Charlotte's Temper's album and go see Elizabeth Bennet's Petticoats live.

Elizabeth, you get the signed copy of Scorpio. Email me!

But Charlotte, you get a signed copy of one of my other books (I haven't decided yet which to inflict upon you), so you e-mail me too.

My email is Stiefvater Reader Mail at gmail dot com. No spaces and make the dot a proper dot and all that.

Plaid, Free Songs, Free Books

1. I kept intending to write a proper review/ recommendation of ANANSI BOYS, which I read while I was in Australia, but for some reason, every time I sat down to write it, all that came out were words in one syllables, which makes for a lousy book review. Sample copy of my early blog posts about ANANSI BOYS:

This book is good.
This book is fast.
This book is fun.
This book is what it says it is.
Which is fun.
This book is a good, fast, fun read.

I'm just not sure it's going to get any better than that. I liked this book better than its predecessor, AMERICAN GODS, and you don't need to have read that one in order for this one to make any sense. The only other thing I can say is that I immediately went out and bought another copy to give away to a friend, so that should stand for something, surely.

2. I'm on tour in the Pacific Northwest this week. Portland = funky and awesome. Also, very plaid. As one native noted, "some people are wearing plaid to be ironic, and some people are wearing it because their blood is plaid." I would like to point out that IRONIC PLAID is the best Celtic band name ever. Feel free to use it.

3. Since it is only eight days away from the release of THE SCORPIO RACES, I've updated my website with a bunch of things that some readers have been asking for — like a place to download the music from the Scorpio book trailer for free, a slideshow of my research for the novel, and me reading the first two chapters. I did just find out that we got a fourth starred review for it from Horn Book, and proved to myself that I am still a book geek by galloping around the house when I heard the news.

4. If you are in the Seattle area, here are my events, including my event tonight. I will be wearing stripes to everything. All I have packed are stripes. Well, I guess if I merely wearing my jeans and striped socks, you won't be able to tell. Another great band name? INVISIBLE STRIPES.

5. I reckon I should give away a copy of THE SCORPIO RACES today. If you post a great fake band name (just one, please, so choose carefully) here in the comments today, I'll pick one person to get a copy of THE SCORPIO RACES, which I'll mail when I get back into town on the 14th. I reckon that's all the rules I need. International's okay, only one band name, only until today at midnight EST. (My computer is still on EST even if I am not)(Well, I definitely am still on EST. I merely am located in PST).

In Which MagicalNovel Disappears Like Cookie Dough

Today, I realized I had to delete 39,911 words from MagicalNovel. Well, I actually realized it sometime last week, but I've only just now worked up the nerve to do it.

This calls for cookie dough.




A lot of that is gone right now.

Just like my novel.

Werewolf Nookie & Homicidal Faeries in Several Languages

One of my favorite pastimes while traveling overseas is browsing in bookstores, because I love seeing the different covers that different countries put on novels I've read. My reactions tend to go one of two ways: OH. MY. WHY? or WHY DON'T WE GET THAT COVER?

It's been a very very long time since I've posted the covers of my latest foreign editions, but here they are. Do they inspire OH. MY. WHY? or WHY DON'T WE GET THAT COVER?


Bulgarian Edition of FOREVER
Italian Edition of FOREVER
French Edition of FOREVER
Spanish Edition of FOREVER
Chinese edition of Linger
 German edition of Linger
Russian edition of Linger
Polish edition of Linger
Italian edition of Ballad
Mexican edition of Ballad
Polish edition of Lament
Spanish book club edition of Shiver
Swedish Paperback edition of Shiver
Serbian edition of Linger

THE SCORPIO RACES: events, art, etc.

Unbelievably, it is less than three weeks until The Scorpio Races comes out, which I guess is what happens when you have two novels come out in the same year. But that means it's time for me to announce a few events for it, including the launch event.

I'm really pleased to be doing my first event at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., for the launch party. I'll be raffling off one of my paintings to the folks who buy a book from the store. This one:



It's 36 x 12" in real life. And features Horse! Racing! Action! Also, everyone who comes to the launch event can pick out an acetate frame from the Scorpio trailer. This one:



I know I'm not touring all over the world this fall (although it certainly feels like it) and not everyone will be able to get to one of the events, so I wanted to point out that The Fountain Bookstore can ship signed copies all over the world, and if you pre-order the book from them, I'll doodle in it as well. MOREOVER, I'll be giving away another one of my paintings to one of the people who pre-orders a copy of The Scorpio Races from Fountain Bookstore. So not quite the same as making the launch event, but not a kick in the eye, either. This painting:



Which is 11 x 14" in real life. And does not involve Horse! Racing! Action. But does involve Pony! Snaffle! Bit! Action! Which is nearly as exciting. And like I said, this'll go to one person who pre-orders from Fountain Bookstore (yes, international orders are eligible too).

The final thing I have to say about the events is that I'm doing a few in the Pacific Northwest right before Scorpio comes out, and they won't have copies of the book until the 18th. I feel silly not being able to sign Scorpio for folks so close to the release date, so I'm going to bring Special! Bookplates! to the events and sign and doodle on them for the folks who pre-order their copies from the stores where I do the events. Does that sound like a plan?

And very, very soon I'll be announcing my UK events. I still don't know where I'll be in the UK, but I know I'll be there from November 5-15th. And that will wrap up my events until late next spring.

Without further ado, here are the events. And also the song that I listened to about 1,000 times while writing The Scorpio Races. Well, not 1,000. iTunes says I listened to it 317 times. 


October 9th:
Portland, OR
Wordstock Festival
http://schedule.wordstockfestival.com...

October 10, 7 p.m.: Signing & Discussion
West Sound Reads Event
North Kitsap High School Auditorium/theater, 1780 Northeast Hostmark Street, Poulsbo, WA
Please call Liberty Bay Books with questions 360-779-5909
details here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

October 11, 5:30 p.m.: Signing & Discussion
Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

October 12, 1:00 p.m.: Drop-by Signing (no discussion)
Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 Tenth Avenue, Seattle WA 98122
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

October 13, 4-5 p.m.: Drop-by Signing (no discussion)
A Children’s Place, 4807 NE Fremont St , Portland, OR 97213
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

October 20, 4:30-6:30 p.m.: THE SCORPIO RACES release event
Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, District Of Columbia
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

October 21, 7:00 p.m.: Signing & Discussion (ticket required)
Once Upon a Time Bookstore, 2207 Honolulu Ave, Montrose, California
Details here: http://www.shoponceuponatime.com/even...
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

October 22, 5:30 p.m.: Signing & Discussion
Children's Book World, Los Angelos, CA
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

October 23, 4:00-5:30 p.m. This is Teen Signing & Discussion with Jeff Hirsch, Maggie Stiefvater, & Cecil Castellucci
Mysterious Gallery, 2810 Artesia Blvd., Redondo Beach, California
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

November 4, 7:00 p.m: Author Signing/ Discussion/ Q & A
Sachem Public Library, 150 Holbrook Road, Holbrook, NY
Phone: 631-588-5024/ Website: www.sachemlibrary.org
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...

In Which Maggie Returns Homes (For a Little While)

I have technically been home from my 32 day overseas tour since Sunday night, but it feels like less. I have only had time, so far, to make one batch of cookies, drive my car for 14 minutes, and realize that I had acquired several thousand e-mails while I was gone. In between these things, I was trying to think of how to possibly summarize my tour in a way that would be interesting to blog readers and not be a book in itself. I'm afraid I'm going to my three fall back methods of compressing information: a photo. A bulleted list. A video.

This is a photo of me at Linderhof, a palace in Germany so gorgeous that it renders everything in its way gorgeous as well.




This is a bulleted list of things that happened in each country.

Australia:
- I saw a kangaroo. It looked pissy. And a little manky.
- I met several thousand Australian schoolchildren.
- I bought 12 books. I thought they would fit in my luggage. They did not.
- I climbed Hanging Rock, and found out that it was supposed to be creepy. It was not.
- I hiked 4.5 hours in the Blue Mountains. I thought I was in shape. I was not.




Germany:
- I saw the Alps. My Virginia mountains would fit neatly inside them and the Alps would still be hungry.
- I learned German readers had made Linger (Ruht Das Licht) #13 on the overall bestseller list in Germany. Yikes.
- I met people without nicknames and gave them some, because everyone needs one.
- I met up with colleagues I'd met before: Dominic "The Magician" and Margarete "Irish" Schwartkopf and "the Js," Judith & Jeanette.
- I did events with people I'd not met before: Max "The Chainsaw" Felder, the voice of the Sam on the German audiobook.
- I learned that my college German had not prepared me to order at the grocery store meat counter.
- I hung out on a Bavarian farm. Thing 1 got licked by a cow. I did not.
- I went to Oktoberfest. Some people wore lederhosen and dirndls. I did not.
- On the way to an event, someone in our car threw up six times. I did not.





France:
- I bought some Paris fashion. By which I mean a plaid shirt.
- I learned I am bad at French vowels. However, I can say "C'est bon!" and "C'est mauvais!"
- I was filmed twice. I was afraid I'd have to have make-up done. I did not.
- I saw the Notre Dame. I thought I was too jaded to be impressed. I totally wasn't.
- I hoped to get the change to go to the Louvre to see some more works of my dead artistic boyfriend, John Singer Sargent. I did not.


And here is the video — three countries in five minutes. I am very, very pleased to be able to feature a song from a band that I love, Menomena. They've kindly given me permission to use "Intil." Let me know what you guys think of the song (and if you love it, it's on iTunes and on Barsuk) and if you DO love it, please do hit their Twitter or Facebook and make noise about where you found out about them. And again a huge, huge thanks to readers for reading my books all over the world and making me feel welcome wherever I go.

Three Words: Maggie. GERMANY. Monday.

Is it Monday? I . . . think it is Monday. Well, not in Australia. I think it's Tuesday there. On Sunday, after spending three delightful but action-packed weeks in Australia on tour, I jumped on a plane so that I could get to Germany for my events there. Only, Germany is a far way away from Australia, turns out. So first I flew 8 hours to Singapore and waited 3 hours and then flew 14 hours to London and then waited 3 hours and then flew two hours to Munich, which is where I am now.

And I have to say, it was a weird sort of day. Usually I am the sort of person who just takes things in stride, but every so often, I'm struck by the way that my books have changed my life. Today was one of those days. I was sitting in the plane on the runway in London, looking at the bus that had just brought me to it, and I thought I am on a world tour. Again. I am sitting in a very nice seat on a plane in LONDON eating a hard-boiled egg and editing my next novel on my way to GERMANY and I was just in SINGAPORE for three hours for crying out loud and it's all because of my books.

And because I was sleep-deprived or maybe because I had been away from home for three weeks or possibly because I'd just watched X-Men: First Class or maybe, just maybe, because I'd been living on hard-boiled eggs and tea for the last 28 hours, it seemed like a strange and marvelous and surreal thing.
 


Anyway, now I am in Germany, trying to figure out what time my body clock thinks it is (my bedside radio says it's 5:26 p.m. My computer says it's 11:26 a.m. My watch says it is 1:26 p.m. It is all of those times, somewhere in the world). And this is the view from my hotel window.



And it's pretty much impossible to really take in, even standing on my balcony looking at it. These mountains look like they ate my Virginian mountains for breakfast. My German publishers have incredibly kindly arranged for a lot of sight-seeing and down time as I'm about ready to drop at the moment, and I'm very grateful. If you're interested in seeing me in Ingolstadt, Freising, Hamburg, or Bamberg, the details are here.

So I am going to go sit on my balcony and smile at the world and possibly re-read ANANSI BOYS by Neil Gaiman which I just read this week and I love dearly (blog post to come on that).

And thank you, readers, for making my life a weird and wonderful and surreal one.

In Which Maggie Hikes for Four Hours

As of today, I've been on tour in Australia for 10 days. Today, I finally had a day off.











And that's what happened.









If you're thinking: that is so stunning I can't breathe oh my gosh is that a flock of cockatoos below me and oh wow the sound of the waterfall behind me is so loud!



that is precisely what I was thinking.



(also, I'll be doing school visits all day tomorrow, but if you're in Sydney and want to come to my bookstore event, it's at 6 p.m., details here).

How To Turn a Novel Into a Textbook

I'm here on tour in Australia, which is amazing (and if you're Australian and would like to come see me, here's my date for Perth tonight, and my other dates for Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane), though I'm spending more time talking to Australian classrooms than seeing Australian landscape. Later, when I find my card reader, I'll share pictures (of landscape, not classrooms).



Earlier in the week, I was at the Melbourne Writers Festival, and one of the girls in line asked me how I made my novels longer, as in, not just thirty pages longer. I told her it was about description and also about engaging the five senses, but the more I thought about it, the more I considered how that was not what my failing was when I was first beginning. Like a lot of beginning writers, my first manuscripts were short, short, short, and I couldn't understand what they were lacking.



So I did tell the reader that I recommended looking at published novels and deconstructing the pages to learn how to pace her novel, but I wish I would've been able to show her what I meant. One of the finest tools in any writer's arsenal, I think, is the ability to turn a novel into a textbook. For copyright reasons, I'm going to use my own books to demonstrate how I would do it, but obviously, I recommend doing it with whichever books that you love.



Okay. Here's a page from FOREVER. The first page, actually.













You can learn a lot of things from a great first page (also from a bad first page. Not so much from anything in between). Want to know what works as a compelling beginning? Ask a reader you know well: you. When I'm stumped at starting a new project, I still go to my bookshelf and pull off a big stack of old favorites. I sit on the floor or my office and all I read is the first page. You can do the same thing.



Well, please don't do it in my office.



Ask yourself:

What do these first pages have in common?

What is hooking me into the story?

Who is introduced? The main character? a side character? setting?

Is there dialogue?

Is there action?

How does it look on the page? Long paragraphs? Short sentences?

Again: how do these work together to hook me?

I used to believe that a great way to start a story was with some cracking dialogue and some fast paced action, but often, that's totally meaningless to a reader who doesn't care whether or not this unfamiliar character lives or dies. Instead, the hook can be a quite subtle thing. Really, the hook is just an unspoken question that the reader pursues to the next page.

Is there a question on the first page?

There's one other very important aspect of a first page, and it's the first line. A great first line can hook a reader, set mood, introduce character, and start the conflict rolling all in one. Not all first lines do this. And they don't have to. But they should set the tone. So, final question for the first page:

How does the first line relate to the rest of the book?

Here are my first lines:



LAMENT: "You'll be fine once you throw up," Mom said.

BALLAD: I was used to being the hunter.

SHIVER: I remember lying in the snow, a small red spot of warm going cold, surrounded by wolves.

LINGER: This is the story of a boy who once was a wolf, and a girl who was becoming one.

FOREVER: I can be so, so quiet.

THE SCORPIO RACES: It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.



So, having exhausted everything that a first page can give us, another really, really useful thing to look at is how other authors shape dialogue and description. For that, you usually need to go beyond the first page. Sometimes, when I'm stuck on a very particular problem, I will find a novel that I remember solving the problem well — pacing an action scene that takes place in a short time, for instance — and reread the passage to try to see what techniques helped.



Here's a page from LINGER.







I will confess, that in my beginning writerly years, this page would have read like this:

"I never pegged you for a fan of the obvious, Sam," Isabel said.

"I'm not," I said. "Or I would've said, Hey, shouldn't you be in school?"

"Touche," Isabel replied.

"I've been seeing wolves near my house," Isabel said.

"How close to your house?"

She shrugged. "From the third floor, I can see them in the woods. Clearly they have no sense of self preservation, or they'd avoid my father. Who is not a fan."

In its entirety. It would not have occured to me that anything was missing. I would have merely gotten to the end of an 11,000 word draft and thought: HOW IS THIS NOT AS LONG AS A NOVEL!? IT HAS A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END!



It wasn't until I took apart my favorite novels that I started to understand how to manipulate pacing. The thing is, there is nothing wrong with that stripped down 7-8 line page. It's just that it's missing so many opportunities to play with mood, character, setting. It's nothing but plot sitting there like that, and while plot is a crucial enough thing, it's not what keeps a reader reading. People keep the reader reading.



These are the questions I would ask myself looking at a page like this:

How varied are the dialogue tags? ("said," "replied," "shouted")

How is the writer showing a pause in dialog? By saying "she paused" or by inserting a non-dialogue paragraph?

How is setting worked in?

Is there subtext going on? Are the characters thinking something different than what they're saying?

Can I imagine myself there? Why?

If I remove a sentence, how does it change my perception?

If I remove a paragraph, how does it change my perception?

So that's how I would pull a book apart, in a nutshell. If I had a bit more space, I'd actually pull apart a scene line by line here on the blog, but this post is already epic. Let me know if you guys want something like that.



I'm off to breakfast.





Even the crows have accents here.