Sarah MacLean's Blog, page 12

Great Stocking Stuffers for Writers – 2011 Edition!

Last year, sometime in mid-December, I posted 10 Great Stocking Stuffers for Writers…designed to help non-writers fill the socks of their insane, writerly loves with awesome, inexpensive, useful and tiny things! The post was very popular…and I figured, one more year writing, one more year of writing ideas. Some of these are repeats…but they're just too good (and necessary) not to list. This list goes to 12!

1. The Pentel Graph Gear 1000 Automatic Pencil. I've tweeted about this, I've Facebooked about this, I basically expound about the awesome that is this pencil to any author who will listen. This is PERFECT for copy edits and typeset pages. Why? It's mechanical, *and* it takes colored leads, which means you don't have to spend half your copyediting time resharpening broken, soft Crayola coloreds. And it looks uber-fancy.

2. Pentel Colored Leads. If you buy the Pentel Automatic, you'll need the leads. Amazon sells them in red and blue, but you can find other .5mm colored leads in other places on the web.

3. Stranger Than Fiction. Emma Thompson is a writer with writer's block; Will Ferrel is just a guy…who happens to be the man she's writing about. What ensues is a brilliantly funny, heartbreakingly wonderful movie that everyone can enjoy, and writers can appreciate on an entirely different level.

4. Stephen King's On Writing. King is a writers' writer. His process is undeniably effective and this book is not only a great resource, but also a great read.  He's an inspiration. And every writer should have a copy of this book to dogear and mark up.

5. Flags. If they're reading On Writing or editing their own books, they're going to need flags in multiple colors. At least, I do. I have them in purses, on desks, in the junk drawer in my kitchen.

6. Sticky notes. They will need these in spades.  I have them in purses, on desks, in the bedroom, in the bathroom, in the junk drawer in my kitchen. Which means that when I'm in the middle of a book, there are stickies all over the house. ALL over. They have ideas, to-dos, and sometimes jibberish that made sense at the time on them. I like fun ones, like the Cavallini's here…but Post-Its work, too, obvs!

7. Moleskine notebook. They were good enough for Hemingway. And that makes them good enough for me. I have one of these in red, and I honestly don't leave home without it. They're durable and the perfect size for jotting down ideas or actually writing while sitting and waiting for your dinner date. The key here is getting a size that's actually functional. If I had a nickel for every teeny-tiny, useless notebook someone put in my stocking, I'd never have to write another book again.

8. Journal Bandolier. I have been coveting these for the last few days…since I discovered them. I love the *idea* of pencil cases…but I can't use them. They're never in the right place, and they're a little too organized. If you saw my office while I'm deadlining, this would make sense to you. I can barely find the dog in there, let alone a perfectly perfect pencil case. BUT…I always know where my Journal is. And therefore…this Bandolier is perfect, because if I know where my journal is, with this thing, I also know where my  pens & pencils are!

9. Pens. If you're a non-writer, here's something you should know about the strange beings called writers. We are obsessive about our tools. Some of us are pen users, some pencils, some ballpoint, some gel, some fountain.  When it comes to pens…I myself, am a rollerball user.  I particularly like the Uni-Ball Vision Elite because it feels great, it glides well and it comes in awesome colors, like the purple one I linked. Yes. It's $7. But I think it's worth it.  If you know what kind of pen your writer likes to use, he/she will love you forever if you put one in his/her stocking.

10. Pencils. I've always been pencil-obsessed…I like the feel of lead on paper, the smooth glide of graphite always makes me feel like I'm writing well. I use Pencils to keep notes, to outline and to edit. Prior to this summer, my pencil of choice was the Muji graphite that comes in a pretty grey tube, but now, thanks to my father-in-law's generous gift of a set of Palomino Blackwings, I'm a convert. I. LOVE. THESE. PENCILS. Like, in a way that is probably way too weird. Anyway. I recommend them if your writer is a pencil person.

11. Fingerless gloves. Hey, hands get cold. And writers need their fingers. So I'm pro fingerless gloves for several reasons…not the least of which is that repetitive stress symptoms can be relieved by keeping wrists warm. Also, fingerless gloves are snazzy. And, lucky for you, very very popular.

12. Caffeine. Some of us are tea drinkers, some coffee drinkers, some like our Diet Coke (I'm looking at you, Carrie Ryan) a bit too much…but almost all of us need a jolt of caffeine now and then. So…a fun additional gift? How about a gift certificate to Adagio Teas (my favorite) or Starbucks (or your writer's preferred coffee haunt), or a pound of fresh-roasted beans shipped from Gorilla Coffee in Brooklyn, or, if Carrie's on your list, how about an IOU for a case of Diet Coke?

Thanksgiving in Brooklyn

It's official, y'all. I'm an adult. I know this because this year, for the first time ever, Clan MacLean has descended on Brooklyn and my house for Thanksgiving. Now, as you might recall, Clan MacLean is made up of loud, boisterous Europeans, which should make for a group who do not think too hard about such a uniquely American holiday.

Should.

Oddly (or perhaps not so oddly, considering loud, boisterous Europeans tend to have opinions about everything), Thanksgiving is a very serious holiday for us. We do not break from tradition. We do a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies, etc. etc. And everything is a discussion: which pan to use, how to dress the turkey, how long the turkey has to cook, to baste, not to baste, whether or not sausage goes in the stuffing, who sits where at the table–nothing is off limits.

But it's one of the few times of year when we all actually socialize…right now, as I type, my dad is mixing his secret stuffing (chattering away to himself in Italian), my mom is reading the newspaper, my sister is measuring chicken stock and Eric is munching on breakfast. I'm about to get up and start the turkey, which will required some kind of Supercommittee-style discussion, I'm sure. I'm about to head into the living room and turn on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (which we've watched every Thanksgiving morning for as long as I can remember).

Later, we'll argue about whether the turkey is done (despite the digital thermometer, my father will *absolutely* say "it must be done!" at some point prior to the thermometer announcing such a thing), and we'll drink wine and laugh and probably argue….just like always.

So…even though this holiday is here in our too-small-for-five (and 2 dogs) Brooklyn apartment instead of in my parents' house, where we all grew up and have plenty of space…it's the same as it always was. Big and boisterous and opinionated. Just like the Clan itself.

Thinking of all of my American readers today…happy happy day. And to all readers all over the world…I'm thankful for you.

Much love!

Happy Guy Fawkes' Day!

Today, I'm over at The Ballroom Blog talking about Guy Fawkes' Day…a holiday that is near and dear to me for lots of reasons…not the least of which is that it's a holiday that is near and dear to Simon & Juliana from Eleven Scandals.

And this year, as I've watched the news–beginning with the Arab Spring in the beginning of the year and ending more recently with the Occupy Wall Street protests across America– Guy Fawkes and the way history repeats itself have been in my mind. What Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot teaches us is that a dissatisfied populous can make change…but that violent dissension will always end badly. In his case, with a straw man on top of a bonfire being mocked by small children.

The following is cross-posted from The Ballroom Blog:

Remember, remember

the fifth of November,

the gunpowder, treason & plot. 

I know of no reason

why Gunpowder Treason 

Should ever be forgot!

My mom is British, so I grew up knowing about Guy Fawkes and the foiled Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament and install a Catholic monarch, although for 5, 6 and 7-year-old Sarah, it was more about lighting a bonfire and watching fireworks than about a history lesson.

But if you'll forgive me, I'm just going to tell you a few cool things, history-lesson-style: You see, Guy Fawkes wasn't just a crazy guy with a wheelbarrow full of explosives (though certainly he was that). He's a pervasive part of our culture today–Guy was the model for Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost…and his "Guy" is the origin of our slang, "guy," which was NOT a complimentary descriptor for a very long time. From the Online Etymology Dictionary: Guy: n. "fellow," 1847, originally Amer.Eng.; earlier (1836) "grotesquely or poorly dressed person," originally (1806) "effigy of Guy Fawkes," leader of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up British king and Parliament (Nov. 5, 1605), paraded through the streets by children on the anniversary of the conspiracy.

My fascination with the day itself shouldn't come as a surprise to those of you who have read Eleven Scandals. I'll confess, I planned the whole Love By Number series so that Simon and Juliana could have their night in the country on November 5th…with bonfires and fairs and festivals and revelers. And now that Eleven is published and Simon and Juliana are real, I love Guy Fawkes' Day even more now than I did before.

ASIDE: A few years ago, my husband and I rented V for Vendetta…which is a post-modern Guy Fawkes story. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, here's all I'll say about it: It is NOTHING like what you think it will be. The trailer is atrocious and captures about 1/30th of the actual plot. Hugo Weaving is astounding, considering he spends the entire film behind a Guy Fawkes mask, and the story is really really compelling. I know, I know…you're saying, "But in the previews she's bald! and wearing a burlap sack!" Yes. Yes she is. And I honestly have no idea why that is what they picked for the preview…because it's so not what the movie is. 

For your viewing pleasure…V:

 Happy Guy Fawkes' Day, all!

Rogue Stepback Revealed! Early Covers Available!

I got one of those fabulous packages today…the ones that never get old…the giant ones that include a stack of cover flats, all gorgeous and designed by the unparalleled Avon Books design team…with pearly paper and foiled, lovely text and official, bona-fide romance author photo and bio. And oh, em, gee…this one is a doozy.

There she is…perfect, proper Penelope Marbury (the infamous Grape from Eleven Scandals) on the staircase inside The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious gaming hell. She's holding a white rose–the gift all ladies receive on their first trip to the club–and she's waiting for her husband, Bourne, one of the partners in the Angel.

Bourne and Penelope have a marriage of not-so-convenience, and their story is very special to me. I can't WAIT to share it with you. But first, I share the cover! And the gorgeous step back! So, here it is!

Thanks for being so very very patient!

The First Rule of Scoundrels: Never wager more than you are willing to lose…especially in matters of the heart.

Lady Penelope Marbury learns that the first rule of scoundrels is the most difficult to follow in , in stores February 28th!

What a scoundrel wants, a scoundrel gets . . .

A decade ago, the Marquess of Bourne was cast from society with nothing but his title. Now a partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, the cold, ruthless Bourne will do whatever it takes to regain his inheritance—including marrying perfect, proper Lady Penelope Marbury.

A broken engagement and years of disappointing courtships have left Penelope with little interest in a quiet, comfortable marriage, and a longing for something more. How lucky that her new husband has access to such unexplored pleasures.

Bourne may be a prince of London's underworld, but he vows to keep Penelope untouched by its wickedness—a challenge indeed as the lady discovers her own desires, and her willingness to wager anything for them . . . even her heart.

And…I'm particularly happy to share the (as yet unrevealed!) stepback of this book…Dark haired Bourne and his troublesome wife Penelope!

Once again, the designers at Avon Books have outdone themselves. I mean, are you kidding me with that cover?  Yum.

So…I've got a bunch of these to give away…I'm choosing 30 lucky winners from my mailing list to win signed coverflats! Join the mailing list here (I swear I won't spam you) between now and next Wednesday, October 19th to be eligible to win (Added bonus…if you join anytime, ever, you'll get postcards and other goodies from me periodically)!

Feel free to comment below with thoughts, drool, etc.  You know I love that. xoxo!

Shana Gaelen's Lord Spy Comes Over to Play

I'm very very happy to host Adrian Galloway, Viscount Smythe from Shana Gaelen's latest book, Lord & Lady Spy on Inside the Character's Studio!

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is one of my very favorite movies, so I can't tell you how excited I am for this book…the historical version!

Welcome Adrian!

What is your favorite word?

Forgiveness

What is your least favorite word?

Treason

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Strategizing. I always have a Plan A, a Plan B, and a Plan C. If I'm dealing with my wife Sophia, I have a Plan D too.

What turns you off?

Dishonesty

What is your favorite curse word?

Bloody hell

What sound or noise do you love?

This is getting personal. Suffice it to say, my wife makes this sound in the back of her throat when she's well-pleased.

What sound or noise do you hate?

The sound of my wife attempting to garden.

What profession would you like to attempt?

Fatherhood.

What profession would you not like to do?

I'm a gentleman and as such don't need a profession. I was once a member of the elite Barbican group, which is composed of His Majesty's most skilled covert operatives. This is more of a calling than a profession. If you would like to know what hobby I would not like to do, the answer is I loathe golf.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

You more than made up for your father's transgressions.

Adrian is a spy, code named Wolf, because he's a dangerous predator.

Shana and I want to know, if you were a spy, what would your code name be?

Comment to win a signed copy of Lord and Lady Spy!

10 years.

Author's note: I wrote the following on September 11, 2002, when I was 23 years old. I reread it every year to remind myself of where I was…of who I was…of how I've changed. Of how I've remained.

Today, I share it with you. Be well, friends. 

so much happens in a year. and they go so fast. and it's funny…most people count their years by specific dates…birthdays. anniversaries. another 365 days. another long, languorous rotation around the sun. my how things change and how they stay the same.

and it gives me pause, because i think about those people whose birthdays and anniversaries fall on september 11th…and i wonder how they feel to have that day taken from them. and i think about the people who have the other kind of anniversaries on september 11th. the kind of anniversaries that you don't want to celebrate. my how things change and how they'll never be the same again.

and there aren't any answers. there weren't answers a year ago, and there aren't any now. and that makes me crazy, although i'm getting used to it. god i was angry then. i felt hatred for the first time in my life. i wanted vengeance. vengeance is such a fascinating word…it has such rich connotations. and it's not a word i'd ever have used before. but that's what i wanted then. i hatedthem, and i was thrilled when they were given a name and a face, and i could direct that anger. i hated god; i went to church because it seemed like it was the place to go—all that catholic schooling pointed to god for answers. i didn't get them. i hated people; i wanted to scream my throat raw when people who weren't here said that they "knew it was going to happen" and that they "felt like they'd missed seeing a movie that everyone else had seen." i was angry and when i think back, i can still feel it in the pit of my stomach. i'm not as angry now…but i still have my moments.

sometimes i feel like a fraud. i think about that morning and how very removed i was from it. i think about the fact that i was 60 blocks away. and no one i knew was hurt. and no one i loved was there. and i see that look cross people's faces when i refer to that day. that look that says "why is she so sad? it's not like she was *really* there." and when i see that look i think, maybe they're right. maybe i shouldn't be so sad. maybe the thought of it shouldn't make me tear up. maybe there's no really good reason why i grieve.

but i do. i grieve for the firefighters who went up the stairs when thousands could think about nothing but getting down them. i grieve for the wives who waited for husbands to come home and never stopped waiting. i grieve for rescue dogs who were depressed because they couldn't find survivors in the rubble. i grieve for doctors who lined up to treat patients that never came. i grieve for the men and women who worked in the newsstands and delis at the base of the tower…no one seems to talk about them. i grieve for men and women who held hands and jumped into the sky to escape a fate worse than a 110 story drop. i grieve for this city, with whom i've had a love affair for 20 years, which lost an immovable piece of its skyline. i grieve for all the new yorkers who look at that skyline and see "a kid missing its two front teeth," as someone so eloquently said to me in the days following the disaster.

and then there's the selfish part of me. the part that grieves for me. for what i knew of the world then, and what i know of it now. for what i missed. for the fact that i didn't take a last look at them. for the fact that i'm forgetting just where they stood, and just how they looked. for the fact that "my" new york is forever changed…and something there will always be just out of place. for the fact that there will always be a before and an after. i grieve because i never got the chance to say goodbye. because all of a sudden, i was thrust into uncertainty with nothing to do but aimlessly wander down fifth avenue. because i've had no choice but to reconcile myself with this new world that i hadn't been prepared for. i grieve for the part of me that used to take things as they came. and i have moments of severe distaste for the control freak that i've become—but now and then i feel her fade, and i have moments when i sense that the old me is coming back.

of course…there are silver linings in this cloud. there is a year that has changed my life. there are stories of hope. and there are things that ease the sadness. there are moments (that come more frequently now) when i know that there is an innate good in humanity. last night, there was a car service driver who explained how he put on his turban right after he explained how he felt about this strange, unhappy anniversary. several months ago there was a doctor on a train who took my pulse while a woman i didn't know handed me saltines. there are traffic cops downtown who don't just give you directions, but escort you to the brooklyn bridge. there are neighbors who offer to help if you ever need anything. there are new friends and old ones, who call just to check in. there is love, found before the dust could settle. and there is faith in humanity that is far more powerful than faith in god ever was.

i will light a candle today. and i will think about what is gone. i will spend the evening with my closest friends. and i will be thankful for what is here.

Live Online with Katharine Ashe & Miranda Neville!

This post is cross posted from The Ballroom Blog:

There are days that I love being a New Yorker. Mostly, they are the days when my writing friends arrive in the city to visit with publishers or read at Lady Jane's Salon. This week, two of my fellow Ballroom Bloggers–Katharine Ashe & Miranda Neville–will be in town, doing these things!

If you're in the city (or the area) on Monday night, you can't miss Lady Jane's…aside from the fabulous Misses Katharine & Miranda reading, it's a wonderful thing to stand in a roomful of romance readers and know that you've found your people! Added bonus: Lady Jane's is dripping with leopard print, fringed lamps and tufted velvet. It's like a Victorian bordello. Really. The salon is at Madame X, 94 Houston St. (bet. Thompson & LaGuardia).

"But wait!" you say, "I'm not in the city! What about me?" 

Well, you lucky thing, Katharine & Miranda are making a special stop at the Avon Books headquarters on Tuesday morning at 11am for a live, online chat just for you! I am thrilled to be a part of it; I'll be interviewing these lovelies as part of RomanceLive! We're going to talk about their new books, The Amorous Education of Celia Seaton and In the Arms of a Marquess, about the Avon Books Ovarian Cancer Awareness Campaign Kiss & Teal, and–of course–about The Ballroom Blog!

RomanceLIVE! 

Sarah MacLean interviews Katharine Ashe & Miranda Neville

Tuesday, September 6, 2011, 11am

www.livestream.com/romance

The livestream event starts promptly at 11am ET, and will run for 45 minutes, with plenty of opportunities for you to ask questions of these fabulous authoresses…and we'll even answer questions about Lady B and Albert!

Please join us!

Katharine Ashe's hero comes over to play

I'm very very happy to host Lord Ben Doreé, the hero of Katharine Ashe's latest book, In the Arms of a Marquess (out today!), on Inside the Character's Studio! I love love love hosting heroes, as they're always the most interesting guests…and I think after you hear Ben's answers, you're going to sigh the whole way to the bookstore.

Welcome Ben!

What is your favorite word?

Trust.

What is your least favorite word?

Responsibility.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

An honest woman with long legs.

What turns you off?

Weakness of character.

What is your favorite curse word?

Blast. But I rarely curse.

What sound or noise do you love?

Her voice.

What sound or noise do you hate?

The sound of suffering.

What profession would you like to attempt?

I haven't the time or inclination for a profession. I am sufficiently occupied running an empire.

What profession would you not like to do?

Run an empire.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

She is yours. Now finally, and forever.

I mean, seriously? Dreamy.

The fabulous Miss Ashe (my cohort over on The Ballroom Blog) is offering up a copy of In the Arms of a Marquess to one lucky commenter! Katharine writes the most amazing adventure romances, and this series, The Rogues of the Sea, reminds me of how very much I love high-sea romance.

Tell us your favorite book, film or tv show set on the sea to enter to win the book! We'll choose a winner on Friday!

Eleven Questions with Stefanie Sloane!

I'm so happy to host Stefanie Sloane for Eleven Questions! Stefanie burst onto the historical romance scene earlier this year with a quick-release Regency Rogues trilogy, the most recent of which, The Sinner Who Seduced Me, was released last month (and are you kidding me with these covers?!)

I'm so thrilled that Stefanie found time to climb into the hot seat to answer Eleven Questions!

Welcome, Stefanie!

1) Alpha or Beta?

Mmmmm, Alpha. Sorry, didn't mean to salivate.

2) Virgin Widow or Secret Baby?
Oh, virgin widow all the way—as long as she's deflowered at some point, yes? And in a grand, romance-y fashion befitting a woman who's waited LONG enough.

3) Time Travel or Futuristic?

Time Travel, please. I'm much more keen on a hot highlander or rugged knight than an android inspired anything.

4) Hot as Sin or Cold as Ice?

The hotter, the better. Cold makes me think of cold fish, or cold cuts, or—even worse—certain things growing smaller in the cold. Not good. Not good at all.

5) Spinster or First Season Out?

In light of my virgin widow pick above, I'll choose spinster. Both the widow and the spinster have seen more of life, and experience has a way of knocking you about—which can lead to a more complex heroine (in other words, more baggage, which means the hero has to work even harder for the HEA. And that's hot.)

6) England or Anywhere but?

The British Isles. And France.  Ok, wait, maybe all of Europe too. Sometimes, you just really need a good Viking.

7) Vampire or Shape Shifter?

Well, I grew up near where a certain Cullen clan resides, so I feel a sense of loyalty to vampires—although, I suppose that if the shape shifter in question turns into a wolf, then I've a problem. Blast you, Stephanie Meyer!

8) Small town or Big city?

Small city! Seattle is my hometown and, in a word, it's awesome. And smallish. So small city it is.

9) Wallflower or Belle of the Ball?

Lucinda Grey, the heroine in my first book, is a Belle with the heart of a Wallflower, so I choose a hybrid—Wallball? No, sounds like something you would have played in 7th grade gym class. Belleflower? A little better. I'll work on it and get back to you.

10) Unrequited love or love at first sight?

I think I'm an unrequited love type girl. There's something so delicious about a man finally realizing that the perfect woman has been standing right in front of him all along.

11) Stefanie's choice! Answer her question in comments for a chance to win a copy of the first book in her series, The Devil in Disguise!

In light of the recent Royal wedding of Kate and Wills: Steady, reliable, charming oldest heir, or wild, unpredictable, and dangerous younger spare?
Share your answer in comments…and we'll choose one winner on Friday to win a signed copy of The Devil in Disguise!

National Book Week Game!

This is going around Facebook as a status update in honor of National Book Week, but I figured I'd modify it and bring it here!

The Facebook rules are: 

Grab the closest book to you, go to page 56 and copy the 5th sentence as your status. Don't cite the book; post these rules.

My rules are: 

Grab the closest book to you, turn to page 56 and copy the 5th sentence in comments. Of course cite the book! That's the best part!

And as your reward for being fabulous blog readers, I'm going to turn to page 56 of the A ROGUE BY ANY OTHER NAME manuscript and tell you the 5th sentence there!

Which was quite prickly.