Alisa M. Libby's Blog, page 4

with nutmeg, of course

Oh holidays, how you distract me from blogging with your ridiculous music and wool sweaters and delicious treats! How you seduce me with your egg nog and turkey and egg nog ice cream and molasses cookies and have I mentioned egg nog?

Yes, the holidays are here, and this year seems particularly jolly (maybe I am jolly because I'm not yet buried in snow…I suppose we'll find out come January). Anyhow, I'm trying to drink in the spirit of the season while still thinking about my book, in the hopes of keeping that process going. I've been trying out different ideas that have fallen flat – maybe that means I'm getting closer to the good stuff? Here's hoping. I may as well be optimistic. And drink egg nog.

guest post: Maya Escobar, teen librarian, Steampunk fan

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Maya Escobar, librarian at the Cambridge Public Library, to talk about STEAMPUNK! Thank you, Maya, for sharing your thoughts on airship travel and for adding books to my reading list. Also, thank you for giving me a reason to post a Kate Beaton cartoon to my blog.

While I had the pleasure of moderating the steampunk author panel at this year's Boston Book Festival, I am by no means an expert on All Things Steam.  But I did valiantly attempt to cram as much into my brain as I could – here are the highlights of my steampunk studies.

Coleridge: While Samuel Taylor Coleridge had already dropped dead at the start of the Victorian era, his kooky utopian ideals live on in steampunk literature.  I had never heard of his plan to form a commune on the banks of the Susquehanna River, but boy I am glad I did.  Pantisocracy gets an honorable mention in The Somnabulist by Jonathan Barnes and The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

H.G. Wells: Oh, Herbert George…like Coleridge, also he envisioned a utopia — everyone would be so content as to render alcoholism obsolete.  Hmm…  Wells spent the first part of his life doing what everyone and his mother told him but busted out of an unhappy marriage and crap job and thereafter championed birth control and free love.  He walked the walk, people.  He also pursued knowledge all his life, writing over 100 works: essays! novels! scientific articles!



Copyright: Kate Beaton, Hark, a Vagrant

I have said it before and I will say it again: bring back airship travel!  No, no, not the explosive hydrogen kind — the cuddly, gentle helium-powered model (unless it's the Darwinian mashup from Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan).  Sure, it would take a week to get to California, but it would be a civilized week with teatime, scenic vistas and no drop in cabin pressure.

So there you have it: my freewheeling take on the steampunk genre.  I'm not going to get into hard and fast definitions here: if it feels right, by God, Victoria, and the late, great British Empire, go for it.  You can also check out Gail Carriger's blog, because that woman enjoys both research and fabulous outfits. Anything I didn't say about clothes here, you can see with your own two pretty eyes over there.

Maya Escobar

Cambridge Public Library

cplteenlounge.blogspot.com

let's not fester

Reading my recent posts, you may be wondering "aren't you supposed to be writing a book?" And I am writing a book, though not in any discernible way. I'm in the percolating stage. The word "festering" came to mind, but that has bad connotations (unless you're referring to Uncle Fester, which would be fine). So lets go with stewing. I'm letting things stew. I'm thinking about my draft and taking notes and questioning things that I hadn't dared to question before. I'm planning what to cut and what to add, though all of this is theoretical at the moment. I'll sit down and get to work on an outline soon, but for now I need to stew and take in as much as I can: books and graphic novels and history and music and movies. Maybe a trip to an art museum. All in the name of progress.

That said, back to my graphic novel obsession! I just read HEXED by Michael Alan Nelson (Author), Cris Peter (Illustrator) and Emma Rios (Illustrator). Lucifer is a tough girl with a dark past; a thief of dangerous, magical objects. I'm looking forward to reading more of this – perhaps it will distract me as I wait for the first volume of Buffy: Season 9.

vampires, robots, and wolf boys

My graphic novel obsession continues! Yesterday I curled up with a mug of tea and this awesomeness: AMERICAN VAMPIRE by Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque and Stephen King. I haven't read Stephen King in a long time, so this was a treat – and the stories by Scott Snyder were equally a treat. And holy moses, the art is amazing. If  you are tired of toothless, moral, sparkly vampires, Skinner Sweet is the answer (but the girl vampire is my favorite).

The other night on my commute home I read THE CLOCKWORK GIRL by Kevin Hanna and Sean O'Reilly. It's Romeo and Juliet with a clockwork girl and a wolf boy. It's sweet and sad and funny, and the front cover doesn't truly do justice to some of the lovely images inside – a few of them took my breath away. And they're making it into a movie, wooo hooo!

anya's ghost

First, there is a great review of The King's Rose on the Yearning for Wonderland blog: http://yearningforwonderland.blogspot.com/2011/11/book-review-kings-rose-by-alisa-libby.html. I love this blog – a lovely eclectic mix of literature, art, music, all good stuff. It is an honor to be reviewed here.

Second, have you read this book? Because you should. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol. It is funny and wonderful and beautiful – inked in black and white and purple shadow. Gorgeous!

My graphic novel kick continues, but I'm itching for something more. If you know of any perfectly-plotted stand-alone YA novels (fantasy/magical real in particular) please let me know. I've got to read some good examples before going back to my draft. So many things to change and fix…but all is progress.

three cheers for NaNoWriMo!

All of those brave NaNoWriMo souls are sitting down to start pounding out their 50,000 word first draft – I feel about wistful about the task, as I haven't signed up to participate this year. The first week is often a blissful outpouring of words…before you hit weeks 2 and 3 and the well runs dry. But we don't need to think about that, yet.

I'm in revision-preparation stage. Taking a break from the book to…well, think about the book. And to read lots of stuff. I'm currently obsessed with graphic novels, among other things. I read Alan Moore's morbid FROM HELL – devoured it, really, unable to stop myself in spite of it's unrelenting darkness. And there are more following on the heels of that one, along with novels and book-related research.

I'm also excited to announce some upcoming guest posts. In the past I've asked authors to share a little bit about their process and rituals. But who else in the book-related world, aside from authors (and editors, publishers, agents, etc.) do I lovey love love? LIBRARIANS! Yes, of course, librarians! I'll be asking some librarians for their book picks in particular genres. Our own little reader's advisory, right here on my blog. It'll be great. Just you wait.

happy book birthday!

I would like to welcome Anna Staniszewski's first novel, My Very UnFairytale Life. I am super excited about this book – it is such fun. How much fun, you ask? There is a unicorn on the cover. That's really all the persuasion I need.

For more about Anna and her writing, visit her beautiful website here: www.annastan.com. And if you're in the area, Anna has planned some book launch events this month. I plan to attend, what about you?

What It Is

Feeling stuck? Unsure of what to write? Feel like paging through a book of bizarre and gorgeous pictures? I've got the book for you.

WHAT IT IS by Lynda Barry is an art project, plus memoir of an artist's evolution, plus experiment in creativity. And it's beautiful and weird and I counted at least five pictures of Abraham Lincoln in here and I can only wonder why.

But why anything, in art? I think the randomness of these images is part of what spoke to me. In my favorite part of the book, Barry talks about the voices of doubt that tormented her as she tried to create her comics: voices asking "what is it? is it good?" and berating her if she couldn't answer properly. "Why are you wasting your time on something that's not good?" The voices ask. "You should know what it is. You should know if it's good, and worth the time and effort." The voices are harsh and demanding, stunting creation. I've heard those voices loud and clear.

But I love Barry's way of dealing with the voices: it's the acceptance of not knowing what you are creating that can release you from constant doubt and despair. Embrace not-knowing, and you may be surprised by what will flow from the end of your paintbrush or pen. This is an invaluable lesson for me, even now, and it's presented in such a glorious way in this book.

overdue blog post: Boston Book Festival!

Last weekend we went to the Boston Book Festival – the weather was lovely, which I think is a first for this festival. The sessions were fantastic, and I was particularly happy that there were YA focused sessions – and they were PACKED! A Steampunk panel with Holly Black, Kelly Link, Gavin Grant and artist Allison DeBlasio; A panel on edgy YA fiction with Ellen Levine; and a panel about graphic novels. The last has inspired my current obsession with graphic novels: I've got a stack of them from the Simmons Library.

In other news, my reading last Wednesday at the Brookline Public Library was lovely. It was fun to read from The Blood Confession, and I was impressed with the other fearless writers, who all read from works-in-progress (a feat I may need to try someday). The event reminded me how much I enjoy readings – aside from the butterflies beforehand, I often find them fun, especially the Q&A part. And I love talking to people about books and writing! I love talking to other writers, and sharing my own experiences. It's fun! I really should schedule more of these events. So, if you are looking for a YA author to come and speak at your local library…keep me in mind, eh?

Tonight at Brookline Public Library!

I am doing a brief book talk/reading tonight at the Brookline Public Library. I will be talking about The Blood Confession – it's close to Halloween, the right time for something bloody. I'll be presenting with a few other local writers: Anna Staniszewski, author of My Very UnFairy Tale Life (to be released next month), Brittany Schlorff, and Shoshana Flax. Come support local writers! Plus, I hear there will be cookies.