Sarah MacLean's Blog, page 35

Signs of Autumn

Fall has officially fallen here in Brooklyn--Eric, Baxter and I took a walk this morning to buy a large pot that will be the winter home of Eric's incredibly healthy, entirely accidental chili pepper plant (which grew over the summer from a batch of dried chilis tossed into an empty windowbox after they had collected dust long after I bought them on a trip to New Mexico)--and I'm reminded of all the reasons why I love New York City...and the East Coast.
Fall weekends in the city are...

Jisetsu!

Ok...when I looked up "Season" at this free online translator, it provided six different Japanese words for it: kikou, jisetsu, kou, kisetsu, jiki and jibun. I don't speak Japanese, so I chose the one I most like saying. I'm sure one of my brilliant readers will tell me which of these words I should actually be using.

The point is...OMG THE SEASON JUST SOLD TO JAPAN!!!

Alex is a jetsetter--rumor has it that she's going to be rejacketed with love for release in Japan in the next 18 months (they...

9 Phrases That Don't Belong In a Regency-set Romance

So, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I recently started a new Twitter account called The When of Words, where I'm tweeting any word that I check the etymology of while I'm writing. These range from the surprising (unorthodox, adj. - 1657) to the mundane (pencil, n. - late 16th C.) to the just, plain, can't-be-used, (glitch, n. - 1962). You can follow the crazy bouncing ball of my current work in project if you follow @whenofwords on Twitter.

That said, it got me thinking a...

Cass McKenna on Inside the Character's Studio!

Give it up for Cass McKenna, the star of Megan Crewe's Give Up The Ghost, on Inside the Character's Studio!

Cass McKenna much prefers the company of ghosts over "breathers." Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody... and Cass loves dirt. She's on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass's whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him...

Valerie Leftman on Inside the Characters' Studio

I am so happy to have a chance to host Give it up for Valerie Leftman, the star of Jennifer Brown's incredible Hate List, on Inside the Character's Studio!

As those of you who follow me on Twitter know, I fell in love with this book when I read it...and I really believe it's one of the best debuts of the year...possibly of the last few years. Hear me when I tell you that you should go out, buy a copy, read it, and take it to heart. I, for one, am trying my hardest to "see things as they are"...

Gianna Z on Inside the Characters' Studio!

Give it up for Gianna Z, the star of Kate Messner's The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, on Inside the Character's Studio!

Gianna Zales has a lot on her plate this fall – a father who drives her to school in the family hearse, a mother who's turned into the junk food police, a little brother who thinks he's a member of the paparazzi, and a grandmother who leaves false teeth in the refrigerator. Worst of all, she's left her 7th grade leaf collection to do at the last minute. It's a monster...

My friend Dave is the awesome.

He sent me this:


Which makes me happy.

Apparently it's called The Tea Party, but we can't find any info about the artist. Maybe you can help?

ETA: Thanks to newport2newport's mad googling skillz, I now know that the artist is Frederic Soulacroix!

Katherine Howard Gets Kanyed

Dear Person Who Made This,

I think I might love you. Like, in a totally inappropriate, stalkery kind of way.

Much Love,
Sarah

ETA: The internet is AMAZING! The maker of this awesomeness is rroughmagic! Go give her love!

9.11

Every year, September comes, and every year I think 'this year, it won't be weird. This year, the day will come and go and I won't think about it.'

Of course, it is weird. I do think about it.

Today, I lose my ability to be articulate. I forget how to say things eloquently, how to explain my thoughts and feelings using the words that I so carefully choose and so proudly master on other days.

Today, I am quiet.

Because there are no words that can say all the things that I want to say. And the ...

Emily Carson on Inside the Character's Studio!

Give it up for Emily Carson, the star of Jennifer Jabaley's Lipstick Apology, on Inside the Character's Studio!

Four little words written in lipstick mean Emily must say goodbye to everything she knows. Emily Carson has always been a good girl. So when she throws a party the night her parents leave for vacation, she's sure she'll get busted. What Emily doesn't know is that her parents will never return. That their plane will go down. And the only thing left amidst the wreckage will be a tray