Kristin Cashore's Blog, page 81

A Letter to My Readers

Dear Readers,

Last week, I flew to Florida to meet two new friends.










































We had lots of fun! We did some eating....

















We did some writing....


















We hung out.






























































We also had dance parties.


















Do you realize how many songs lyrics are secretly about babies? For example, "I want a girl with a short diaper and a LOOOOOOOOOONG blanket." Or, "If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean, and if I had a baby, I'd bring her on my boat."










Also, sometimes we howled.














And then, maybe later, we felt a little better.


















Despite appearances

Some FAQs!

Before I get to the FAQs: Check out readergirlz tomorrow; Graceling is the featured book in September.

Okay, here goes.


1. Does Katsa loiter? Does she lurk in the corner of your mind and say things like, "That is so not how I would do it!" (for example)?
*smile* No, she really doesn't. None of my characters do. There is a very clear line between me/my life and my characters/their lives, and when I think about my characters, they're always in their own world, not mine. I wish this did happen no

Fill in the Blank

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is ______________.

My answer: go into the room where all the plants are and adjust the curtains so that they'll be happy with the light.

Your answer? (Don't forget, I only see comments made at my Blog Actual.)

On Monday, I hope to answer a few FAQs!

This Being Human Is a Guest House

Sarah Miller posted this poem on her lovely blog last January and it wowed me so much that I printed it out and stuck it on my wall. Sarah, thanks for introducing me to a poem that I love every single day.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, trea

They actually did! They had stars upon thars!

Extra points if you recognize today's title.

WARNING: Today's post is all business, so if you don't want to read about release dates, my blog tour, my regular tour, reviews (with stars upon thars), interviews, how to read the first 3 chapters of Fire online, etc., etc., please just skip this BORING post and scroll down to read about cool stuff like babies and translations or to vote in my extremely relevant birthday poll.

Okay, here goes! Firstly, I am proud to report that Fire has received starr

Welcome, Babies, to the World

Step 1: Open up a new tab and get this song playing on youtube ("C'est la Vie", by Cameroonian artist Henri Dikongué).

Step 2: Come back here, and, unless you speak French ^_^, check out the English translation of the lyrics.

A birth, a cry
A pain, a noise
A body so soft, my friend
A heart that beats, life

I would like to stop
On this happy moment that you have given me
This bursting forth of your fragility
Does not cease to amaze me
Sweeping, sweeping, sweeping
Leave my distress behind
Everything seems bea

Lost in Translation

This article makes me sad. And mad.

Changing topic... I've been having some great exchanges with my Korean translator for Graceling, Yoon Hoh, as she works through some of the trickiest parts to translate. At a certain point, I realized that you guys might find this stuff interesting, so I asked her permission to share some of it. I never really thought about the challenges of translating before, but... well, here are some examples:

First, there are the words I made up for the book. The first t

A Birthday Poll

It's my birthday week!

If you were around for my last birthday, you may recognize this poll, so forgive me for the repeat. I have a lot more readers now than I did then, and how could I waste an excellent birthday poll?

Please vote; and if you're someplace other than my site and can't see the poll, just click here.


What would make the best birthday present?(answers)

Fill in the Blank (and a Warrior in Training)

Check out my young pal, secret codename: Morgan.



(Now is probably an appropriate time to let you all know that it's not a real sword!)

So, my friend aroraborealis does a cool thing now and then on her blog -- a fill-in-the-blank sort of thing -- and I always enjoy it, so I'm going to copy her here.

Fill in the blank, guys!

I ______________, therefore I am.

(Reminder: I don't see comments left on LJ, Amazon, etc. Please comment on my Blog Actual.)

Vexations!

I'm going to share one of my all-time favorite passages from Pride and Prejudice. Some context: Lizzy is excited about her upcoming tour of the Lakes with her aunt and uncle, but wishes her sister Jane could come along.

"But it is fortunate," thought she, "that I have something to wish for. Were the whole arrangement complete, my disappointment would be certain. But here, by carrying with me one ceaseless source of regret in my sister's absence, I may reasonably hope to have all my expectations