Rita Arens's Blog, page 11

Is That Your Tree?

We moved to this house over Memorial Day in 2007. He looked at the tree. I looked at the lake. We both looked at the deck, and it was good. And we looked at the rest of the four-bedroom bank foreclosure not updated since 1977, and it was bad, but not awful.

We both imagined how things might be. I imagined where the Christmas tree might go inside, and he envisioned hanging lights on the tree outside, the one taller than the house.

The first time he tried it, he used a pole with PVC pipe and...

Screw the Drones

Is it too much to ask for there to be jobs for people? I'm picturing a drone attempting to navigate to my house via GPS, only the maps haven't been updated and it's raining and there's a sunspot, and my beautiful books get left on a rock in the middle of the creek a hundred yards to the right where they are eaten by squirrels.

It could totally happen.

One Thing They Don't Tell You About Cleaning Your Carpet With Vinegar and Baking Soda

Domestic Why Do I Bother #6,000

I have cream-colored carpet. It's really squishy and feels good under your feet. We knew we were taking a risk when we moved here in 2007 and installed light-colored carpeting with small children around, but we thought, you know, maybe it would be different for us. Kind of like how I thought we'd only have educational, wooden toys and watch less than an hour of Nickelodeon every day.

And I know, you're all wondering why we didn't just put hardwood in the living...

She Had Punctuation Enthusiasm

{Editor's note: Of course this is about me. This whole blog is about me.}

It started with texts. She held off for a long time, preferring not to pay, preferring email and keyboards, so much easier, especially since she typed more than 80 words per minute, maybe more. (Who knows? It had been over 15 years since her last typing test.) She typed so fast she could drip clauses into sentences the way chefs drizzled cherry sauce over cheesecake.

Texts were, by nature, short. Disturbingly short. Le...

My Post for James Oliver, Jr.'s #WhatDoITellMySon

Today I'm writing at SheKnows.com!

#WhatDoITellMySon is something I've never had to ask myself, and I'm sorry

4 hours ago

Image: Rita Arens I have no idea what it's like to raise a black son in America this is what I can offer Dear James, I can't and won't pretend to understand what it's like to raise a black son ever, let alone in our current 2015.

I'm not sure I can tell you what to tell your son. You're a strong, capable father, and I have faith you will guide him in the best way pos...

On Finding Time to Write

At the beginning of the school year, I instituted Library Tuesdays. On Library Tuesdays, I and anyone in my family who wants to (or needs to) come with me heads out to the public library with novel-in-progress or homework or book in tow. I get there, I set the timer on my phone for an hour (longer would be nice, but I have to be realistic about how late I can push dinner since this is after my full-time job), I put on my headphones and I work on whichever novel I'm focusing on at the time.

Th...

YA Scavenger Hunt Gold Team: THE OBVIOUS GAME

Are you here for theYoung Adult Scavenger Hunt? If so, welcome!

This tri-annual event was first organized by authorColleen Houckas a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors ... and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize -- one lucky winner will receiveone signed book from each...

Blame It on the Rain

"So it's not your fault?" she asked.

"No. Not really."

"So it's Daddy's?"

"No."

"Your work?"

"No. Work is work."

"So whose fault is it?"

"Well, sometimes it's nobody's fault. Things just don't work out."

"Oh."

"It's harder when there's no one to blame, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

Something I've Been Meaning to Do Since 2012

I finally started the newsletter I've been thinking about in my head since I sold THE OBVIOUS GAME. You can sign up for it in my left sidebar. It will only come out once a month.

I do not like to sign up for anything I haven't seen already, so here is this month's issue. I don't plan to deviate wildly from this format. I hope you subscribe!

(I've found I can't copy and paste because it's a table or some such nonsense, so here is the format.)

Month-specific message of misguided brilliance Sa...

From Hashtags to the Hidden Awesome

So tonight I was wearing a shirt like this. (I love you, Raygun. Keep it klassy.)

So then we tried to explain Prince to my daughter.

(Cannot be pronounced. Screw you and the contract you rode in on, Warner Bros.)

Then we tried to introduce her to the greatest Prince song of all time, Seven.

Then we tried to explain the '80s phenomenon of Purple Rain.

Then we found THIS.

(hang in until the one minute mark)

And that concludes this evening's lesson on being awesome. Congratulations, Eva. Good...