Rita Arens's Blog, page 27
October 18, 2013
Anti-Bullying at the Less Than Three Conference
Tonight I'm throwing my laptop, my manuscript notes and a few audiobooks in the car and heading over to St. Louis for the Less Than Three Conference. It's a conference put on by young adult author Heather Brewer,whom I met at the young adult track at RT Booklovers back in May. All the panels are put on by young adult authors and discuss various aspects of bullying that they've written about in their books. I'm excited to meet some of the authors I admire but have not yet met and also say hi t...
October 16, 2013
October, Revision and the Infinite Sadness of Making the Bed
The leaves haven't even turned yet, but last night I found myself lying on my daughter's bed with a frowny face.
My husband walked in. "You look upset."
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Should we move out?"
Me: "No. I mean, maybe. But I think it's just me. You moving out might not help, so you should stay."
Him: "Gotcha."
I proceeded to try to explain that it's October and October means cold weather is coming, and I'm at the first revision stage of THE BIRTHRIGHT OF PARKER CLEAVES, which feels like getting a...
October 9, 2013
Send Tiny Violins
Something happens when your husband has a week-long business trip the same week that your boss is on vacation. That thing is called NOT BLOGGING.
More next week!
October 6, 2013
What Was Spared
"See? There are the angel wings."
She gestured to two white marks stretching out from either side of the back door where the fire bit the house.
They woke to smoke. Within five minutes, they were all outside and there was no going back in. Not for the twenty-five years of original scores written by her musician husband. Not for photos or flowers or mementos. The windows exploded as their neighbors banged on the house, yelling for them to get out.
She told us the story as we picked our way th...
October 3, 2013
YA Scavenger Hunt Gold Team: THE OBVIOUS GAME Stop
Are you here for the Young 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 e...
October 1, 2013
What Comes Around Goes Around
"Mama?"
"Mmmm-hmmmm?"
September 29, 2013
Pop Goes the Creepy Doll
Perhaps we should've gone earlier, or not at all. Every year since she was tall enough to ride The Octopus, we've taken the little angel to Worlds of Fun for roller coasters and barker games. She's nearly fearless when it comes to eye-popping drops that scare adults. But we never went after the Halloween decorations went up before.
The little angel didn't make it through the first Harry Potter book or The Lord of the Rings movie. She was existentially scarred by a P!nk video. I thought we coul...
September 25, 2013
I Didn't Think I Had Time, Either
But I watched it anyway. Best six minutes of my day.
September 24, 2013
Paused
The days float past quickly, benignly. I am bored without being bored. It's not the painful boredom of childhood but the foggier boredom of a hospital stay. I try to tell people what happened in my day, but nothing is really that important, and rehashing it feels unnecessary. It was a day. Pleasant. Nice weather. Yes. I think about watching television, but most television is stupid, and only when I am truly bored does this knowledge really bother me. I look at the covers of magazines when I g...
