Kristin Cashore's Blog, page 52

Dresses in a Seattle Shop Window

Some of these photographed better at night, and some were surprisingly interesting during the day when the window was reflecting the street. The store is Luly Yang.

More Hotel Shapes (This Time in Seattle)

So Much Sadness

I have so much sadness today at the news of the death of Maurice Sendak. I am crying at my airport gate. So much sympathy for his loved ones, and so much gratitude for all his work gave me – more than I can possibly express in this moment. The world has lost an irreplaceable soul.

The news on NPR.

ETA: Today Fresh Air re-broadcasted excerpts from Terry Gross's four interviews with Maurice Sendak over time. Listening to them again is marvelous. This should be the link to the interviews, if you're so inclined. Thanks, Liza, for the heads up.

You Know You're Tired…

… when you find yourself fascinated by random shapes in your hotel room. Lamps. Mirrors. The corner.


My editor encouraged me to take lots of pictures while I'm on tour, and post them on my blog. This may not be what she meant. Oh well. She knows I'm a little bit weird :-)

The tour is going really well. I don't say this enough: I've got the most wonderful readers. The people at my events in Cambridge, Rhinebeck, Villanova, Haverford, Bethesda, Naperville, and now here in the Minneapolis area have been so generous to me, and the questions have been SO SMART. I'm trying to keep track of some of my favorite questions, and I'll blog them, with answers, at some point.

At events, I'm too hectic to be taking pictures, plus, while on the road, I'm blogging from my phone, so I'm limited when it comes to what pictures I can easily blog/label/format. So I don't have event pictures to share (though I do have a few I'm working on setting up, and hope to share soon). Hopefully you're fascinated by lamps, mirrors, and corners?

Thanks to my readers who come see me at my events. You make the craziness of a tour worthwhile, and your smarts are keeping me from losing my mind :-)

ETA: One question I've been getting a lot is, what do I like to read? Check out the brand-new Graceling Realm website Penguin built, www.gracelingrealm.com, and click on the Extras tab. There's a big long list of some of my favorite books. (Plus, some of Ian's beautiful art!)

Secret Council Letters from the Spring of Bitterblue’s Eighteenth Year

So, as I've mentioned before, in the spring before Bitterblue's eighteenth birthday (before the events of Bitterblue take place), Bitterblue, Katsa, Raffin, Po, and Giddon wrote some letters to each other. If you have a device for reading e-books, you can download the letters for free, along with samples from each of my books, at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple's iTunes Store. If you don't have such a device, I reproduce the letters here, behind the cut. Warning: It does contain Graceling spoilers.

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Connections

Driving around Washington DC is different from driving anywhere else. Today, on the way to the airport, we were driving past one beautiful, stately building after another before it occurred to me to pay attention to the signs outside the buildings. The Embassy of Bolivia, the Embassy of Brazil… well, no wonder. We drove along the Potomac and saw one monument after another, Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington, some of them close up, some in the distance. I could see the dome of the Capitol building, far away, and also Robert E Lee's mansion.

Suddenly, sharp memories of the first trip I ever took to Washington DC began to overwhelm me. I came with my mother. It may have been the first time I ever stayed in a hotel. It was a trip I won, by spelling; I was 12 years old, and I'd come to Washington to compete in the National Spelling Bee.

The next year, when I came to compete in the bee for the second time, my entire family came along. I didn't do particularly well in the bee (either time! ^_^). But that's okay. I got to travel. I got to see a place I probably wouldn't have otherwise, and you know what, it's kind of an amazing place. I can't believe that was 23 years ago. And here I am now, back in the same place, again for a pretty cool reason.

To my utter surprise, this morning in the car, as these memories came flooding back, I finally found the time, and the heart space, to feel some pride for Bitterblue. During a book tour, you're tired, sometimes nervous, away from home, trying not to leave things behind in your hotel rooms, trying to catch airplanes. You're trying really hard to keep everything together and do a good job. You don't really have a lot of time to think about why you're doing this.

Thank you to Washington DC for bringing back some memories, reminding me why I'm here, and giving me a moment of pride.

One Schedule Change, Naperville IL, Saturday May 5

A note to my readers in the Chicago area that the event at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville is at 2 PM on Saturday, May 5, not 7 PM as I said previously. Sorry for the error.

Saturday, May 5, 2pm Anderson’s Bookshop123 West JeffersonNaperville, IL 60540

Tidbits on Release Day

Today is Bitterblue's release day! Happy reading to my readers. Happy birthday to my girl. It's been a long time coming. For them that's interested, here's just one of the many seeds that planted in my mind and helped Bitterblue grow:

Photo from Wikipedia Commons, taken by Int3gr4te
Years ago, I saw Bernini's sculpture of Apollo and Daphne at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. What's happening in the sculpture is that Apollo is chasing Daphne, and to escape him, Daphne is turning into a tree. (Can you see that her fingers are branches and leaves?) The sculpture made an enormous impression on me. A tree strikes me as a beautiful thing to turn into in a moment of danger... and an infuriating thing for Daphne to have had to become. A horrible, unjust sacrifice, that she should have had to give up her mobile, human form because some brute was trying to rape her. It got me thinking about transformative sculptures, and what it means to turn into something else, and what place sculpture might have in my book. In Bitterblue, the character of Bellamew, a sculptor, is my Bernini. It's up to you what her sculptures mean -- whether they're about being trapped, or about finding one's strength and resisting/enduring... or about something else entirely.

If I tried to trace every part of Bitterblue to its root, this post would get rawther long, and anyway, for the most part, I would fail. When an idea comes to you while you're writing, you don't stop and say to yourself, "Ah! And where did that idea come from? I must make a note of it for future posterity!" ^_^ In other words, I have no memory of where most of my ideas for the book came from, if I ever knew. But I will leave you with one more tidbit. I wouldn't say that this song inspired Bitterblue, because I didn't particularly notice the song until I was already deep into my writing. But when I was far along in the book and needed a break, but not a complete break -- a break that still kept me tethered to the book -- I would go for a walk, sit by the river, and listen to "Cold As It Gets" by the divine Patty Griffin (link takes you to youtube and plays the song). Listen to it, if you like. If you love it, buy it :).

Time to pack my bags. Thanks for your patience, everyone.  I hope you like the book. And by the way, for those of you who love gorgeous fantasy -- I just this minute finished Melina Marchetta's Froi of the Exiles. Have you been reading her fantasies, starting with Finnikin of the Rock? If not, DO. Froi took my breath away.

Blather, + a Bit of Advice for Writers Nervous About Promotion

Serbian cover of Graceling, published by Carobna knjiga. I didn't even know this book was out until Carobna knjiga's Fire landed in my mailbox. Click to enbiggen, this is a cool one! I love the blood in the font. ----->

For those who've been wondering, my ankle is feeling better every day. I'll just be careful to leave extra time for getting places on the tour, and I'll resist the urge to rush to catch planes. I intend to set new records for packing light. Inspired by Laurie Halse-Anderson, I'll take a picture of my tiny luggage and post it here if I get the chance. Of course, Laurie was packing for a five-week tour. Mine is only a week and a half (because I am a WIMP). So make sure you're duly impressed by Laurie's feats of packing!

For anyone who wants to know a little more about what my events will be like: I'll start by reading from Bitterblue for maybe 10-15 minutes; then I'll talk for a few more minutes about the process of writing the book, maybe with some pictures, depending on whether the store can accommodate them; then it'll be time for Q&A; and finally, I'll sign books. It's usually pretty fun -- people ask good questions. :)

Randomly: have you heard about Maura Pozek, a high school senior in Missouri who makes her prom dresses out of random stuff?

I want to end with a word of advice for newly published (or oldly published!) writers who are just starting to go out into the world to promote their books and who may be frightened. Dear writers: I understand the pressure you feel, the anxiety that you will disappoint people at your events. I want to remind you of something: You don't have to be amazing out there. You don't have to wow everyone at your events. If you think you do, then you're forgetting something: You already did the amazing thing. You wrote the book. Now, all you have to do is be yourself, be friendly, be openhearted if you can, and don't forget to take care of yourself. The hard work is done. Stand proudly in your book's glow.

If anyone needs a bit more encouragement/advice, check out the post I wrote once called Some Public Speaking Tips from a Shy Person Who Has Learned to Love Public Speaking.

Adventures in Walking. Stuff and Things. Plus, My Tour Schedule

I signed lots of books for lots of people in a very short time on Thursday, and a number of souls, probably noticing the mania in my eyes, kindly expressed concern for my health. On the off chance that any of those same people later saw me being wheeled through the Houston airport, please allow me to reassure you that I did not fall into a faint from too much signing or anything like that. No, what I did was, I stepped creatively off of a curb. In the horrible moment after it happened, a moment during which I replayed the dreadful snapping noise over and over in my mind and discovered that I truly could not stand, I feared that I'd broken my ankle (which it turns out I hadn't), and all I could think was that my book tour started in 12 days. My book tour started in 12 days, and I had to go and miss the curb and do something SO FREAKING STUPID. It's not like I was rushing headlong down a hill while attached to a spastic dog. It's not like I was jumping off a boat onto a dock in high heels on New Year's Eve. (Those are two of the other times I've sprained an ankle. Actually, both of those were also pretty stupid.) No, I was walking. Just walking! How do we live in these perilous bodies?

Anyway. A minute or so later, I found I was able to stand, and also hobble. Hobbling is underrated. It's effective, if slow. Slowness is also underrated. These past few days, people have been zipping past me. Zip zip! I hope they're watching out for curbs.

As of now, we intend the tour to continue as planned, because 12 days is LOADS of time, right? I've been having an interesting dialogue with my own denial. When my doctor wrote me a script for crutches, I was like, Crutches?! HA HA HAR-DE-HAR! I'm certain I don't need crutches! The reason I'm certain is that a person starting a book tour in 12 days would never be on crutches!  But it turns out that the crutches are a big help. They mean that I can take tiny little forays out into the spring weather without setting back my recovery. Though I will say that crutches are not the magical mobility device I once thought they were. Why did anyone think it was a good idea for someone who is already injured to take up the activity of swinging around unsteadily on two sticks? Isn't that a bit risky? Better suited for able-bodied people?

One thing I was sad to miss on account of my injury was Lesley Kinzel's event at my local indie, Harvard Book Store, for her new book, Two Whole Cakes: How to Stop Dieting and Learn to Love Your Body. I haven't had a chance to read this book yet, but people whose opinions I trust have read it, and say it's wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

One thing I did manage to do, with the help of a crutch (for short distances, one crutch strikes me as being much less hazardous than two crutches), was go to the Cambridge Winter Farmers Market, which is in its last couple weeks. Local people, check out this market some Saturday, if you have a chance. If you miss this season, make a note of it for next. Many wonderful local vendors. My two personal favorites are Shady Oaks Organics fresh mushrooms and the ravioli and pasta at Valicenti Organico.

Since I'm on my couch a lot, I'm watching a lot of TV. You would think, with the recent glut of Dickens adaptations on PBS, I'd be sick to death of it, but I really really love the most recent version of Great Expectations. It's been ages since I read the book, so I can't remember how faithful this version would be to the book, but I think it hangs together well, and there are some lovely characterizations. I particularly appreciate the scenes between Pip (played by Douglas Booth) and Magwitch (played by Ray Winstone), and every time Joe Gargery (Shaun Dooley) and/or Estella Havisham Junior ^_^ (Vanessa Kirby) are onscreen. This is the first time I've ever connected to Estella as a character. Oh, and Herbert Pocket (Harry Lloyd)! ♥ And wow, the design and the photography! Warning that the creepy parts of this production are EXTREMELY creepy. Miss Havisham (Gillian Anderson) and her house made my skin crawl, and there were times when I couldn't even look at Orlick (Jack Roth) straight on.

Finally, at long last -- here is my tour schedule:

Tuesday, May 1, 6 pmCambridge Public Library withPorter Square BooksLecture Hall449 BroadwayCambridge, MA 02138
Wednesday, May 2, 7 pmOblong Books and Music6422 Montgomery Street (Rt. 9)Rhinebeck, NY 12572
Thursday, May 3, 7 pmChildren's Book World17 Haverford Station RoadHaverford, PA 19041
Friday, May 4. 4:30 pmBethesda Library withPolitics and Prose7400 Arlington RoadBethesda, Maryland 20814
Saturday, May 5, 7 pmAnderson’s Bookshop123 West JeffersonNaperville, IL 60540
Sunday, May 6, 3:30 PMThe Red Balloon891 Grand AvenueSaint Paul, MN 55105
Monday, May 7, 7 pmHennepin County Library Ridgedale Branch withThe Red Balloon12601 Ridgedale Dr.Minnetonka, MN  55305
Wednesday, May 9, 7 pmUniversity TempleUnited Methodist Churchwith the University Book Store1415 NE 43rd StSeattle, WA 98105
Thursday, May 10, 7 pmCopperfield’s Books138 N. Main StreetSebastapol, CA 95472

Thursday, May 31, 7 pmHarvard Book Store1256 Massachusetts AvenueCambridge, MA 02138