Lisa Mantchev's Blog, page 8

Paperman Fangirl Derp

So, most of you have seen the lovely Disney short "Paperman." If not, please watch. I'll wait.

So, I watched it about fifty times yesterday. And I fell in love with it. So. You see this form?

Our hero folds about a hundred of them and sails them out the window. ... so I made this thing for you, because I am one of the Nerdiest Fangirls That Has Ever Been:

You can download it over at my website. Just in time for Valentine's Day. ;)

The Hobgoblin Chase

VOILA! For your mid-week pleasure, here's the newest concept art piece by the supremely talented James Hance for our "Allyria" collaboration!

Cover with doodle hearts as you will. :)

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Nightmare-creatures spot Tamsyn before long. Reaching out from the bramblyhedge, they rip her dress to shreds as she runs. They chase her with whispers and hisses.

"Horrid nasty thing--"

"Run, run, ugly girl--"

"Trip her up, tie her up, throw her in the river!"

Howls of glee follow her down the path.

Now it can be told! (The New Shiny Thing)

Once upon a time, James Hance was living in Florida, creating Relentlessly Cheerful Art that features Wookie the Chew and the Doctor and his Wife. Lisa Mantchev was across the country writing young adult novels and covering everything with glitter. Then their worlds collided, a fairy laughed, and that laugh broke into a thousand story pieces.

Lisa and James are now spending quite a lot of time putting those story pieces together. But here's a sneak peek at what's coming:

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The place where the real world ends and Allyria begins isn't marked by a wall of any kind. There's not a line in the mud or a gap in the leaves betray it, but the border is there just the same. Wavering. Golden with dust motes captured in slanted sunlight

Just beyond lurks a priestess heart-tethered to a dragon. The Hunter and Hunted. The massive stone-hewn tiger under a terrible curse

And all of them wait for the child. The girl with eyes the same blue as the sky

The one who can save them all.

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And the moral of the story is...

Never try on a new corset when you're home alone.

*ahem*

That was the short version of the story. The long version involves ordering a new black costuming piece and having it show up without a busk. For those of you not in the know, that's the metal industrial hook-and-eye dealio up the front that lets you get the corset on loose then tighten the strings down the back.

My Corset People thought a new look was in order, apparently, because this one has a lovely rounded neckline and no busk. I emailed Dan the Corset Guy (who is the real-life version of Valentijn from Perchance To Dream/So Silver Bright, btw) and he emailed back that I just need to wiggle it on over my head.

Let's say the next ten minutes are full of wiggling. And once it is on, it's darling and different and hell-to-the-yes sexy. I am chuffed.

Five seconds later, I realize that I'm also stuck. Because she who wiggles a corset down by the bottom edge cannot contort enough to reverse the process.

Check the clock. "Oh, it's only 30 minutes to lunch and when The Boy gets home. I can hang out that long. Ahahahah. AHAHAHAHAHAH." 

*...WHEEZE as I realize that clock didn't get changed after Daylight Savings Time and it's an hour and half until he gets home*

I might have sent my long-suffering writer-pal Glenn a flail-y email about being stuck in my ladygear and that I was having a sexy panic attack. He was kind enough not to laugh at me, suggesting instead any number of things (once he got a clear mental picture of WTF I'd done to myself) before telling me to turn it front-to-back to access the laces.

I held out another 15 minutes before caving, unlacing it halfway up the back and then wriggling out of it.

Now see the love I have for all of you? I do these things so you don't have to! LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.

Round 'em up, cowboy

Various and sundry:

1) I've started a mentorship program I'm calling Cupcakes & Critiques. October is the first month and it's going swimmingly. If you have any desire for fun writing assignments, feedback, brainstorming sessions, then a final 1K story-opening with critique, keep an eye out on my Facebook page on October 16th for November enrollment. I'll also being doing a NaNo-or-Not option where I'll guide and encourage you through the NaNoWriMo process with spot feedback and mini-assignments.

2) I've started a new writing project. I am forced to call it the Smut-YA in my head, because that, folks, is what it is. The fairies are perturbed. And blushing.

3) Let's play a rousing and lightning-fast game of "Guess What Lisa Is Being For Halloween":



4) I cannot get this song out of my head:

Dreamcasting Ariel

If you're not following this season of So You Think You Can Dance, the rest of this is not going to make much sense.

But here's my boy Cole.

Here is my boy Cole in two of the most beautiful/brilliantly danced routines I've seen on the show:

And then this is the Twitter exchange I had this morning:

If you need me, I will be over here, fanning myself.

State of the Author

When I come up for air, the first words out of my mouth are usually, "This house is a wreck!" Playing catch-up usually starts at my desk.

Now tidied. Not visible: Books, CDs, lip balms in a bowl, candy stash:



Close-up of new piece of architectural salvage I found yesterday:



TARDIS USB port reclaimed during the Great Rearranging:



And what do I do at this desk, you might ask? Well... I write books. And when I'm done with a book, I do ridiculous things, like turn myself into a pin-up girl:

Absence makes

something *mumbledy* something.

Overhauling the authorly website, so news and announcements are going up over there, for the moment. Will figure out if I'm going to crosspost via some tricksy method or not, but in the meantime, have this cupcake.  :)

Compendium of Shiny

Happy Book Birthday, SO SILVER BRIGHT paperback! You are... *sniff* the last little bird out of the theater book nest.

Coincidentally, the day after the paperback release, the series got nominated for a Mythopoeic Award for YA Literature alongside talented people like Tamora Pierce and Maggie Steifvater and Delia Sherman and Cat Valente. So I went shopping and bought myself two "award rewards":

HEADBAND OF SPARKLING DOOM:

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Here, have a terrible washed out cameraphone pic of me wearing said headband:



And CHUNKY PLASTIC BRACELET OF AWESOME:

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*majestic wave of my hand pictured above* AS YOU WERE.

NorwesCon

A “League of Extraordinary Redheads” informal event will also be scheduled (watch my Facebook page for updates!) If you’re going to be in the Seattle area over Easter Weekend, come see me! :)

Saturday, 10 am
Cascade 5
Writing for the Young and Young at Heart
Writing YA is about more than using small words.  What does it take to make your YA story shine?
Lisa Mantchev (M), Dennis R. Upkins, Dierdre Phoenix

Saturday 2 pm
Grand 2
Autograph Session 1

Saturday, 3:30 pm
Cascade 1
Lisa Mantchev reads from the third book in her young adult fantasy series, So Silver Bright. There will also be fairies, mayhem, prizes, and sweets! Rated G

Sunday, 11 am
Cascade 5
Hurt the kids
Why is a child in danger is one of the classic story tools and why it’s often the hardest to use.
S. A. Bolich (M), Peter Dennis Pautz, Lisa Mantchev, Clinton J. Boomer