Kim Harrison's Blog, page 112

Can't stand coffee . . .

Work is moving forward, back on Grace again.  It has the feeling of a hand in a glove, if you will forgive the analogy.  Not much to say so I'm going to drop a few more questions from that unused interview since a few of them answer questions I've been asked by you, the readers, from time to time.

What sort of things influence you into naming settings and characters from your books as they are named?

Naming settings and characters is one of my favorite things about being a writer, and I once told an audience that I became an author just so I could name more than my two children.

Names are important, and I put a lot of care into choosing them, often using baby-name sites, the social security's list of names and their popularity over the decades, or simply pulling them from my favorite movies or books.  The sound a name makes over my tongue is taken into consideration, or whether a name ends in a vowel (softening it) or a consonant (giving the character a no-nonsense feel.  I work hard at having no two characters names beginning with the same consonant, though sometimes it's hard to avoid.

One of my pet peeves is a name with hyphens, apostrophes, or too many syllables, and I use them only when I want to draw attention to the uniqueness of the character or point out how silly they are.  My favorite names are those that are short and utterly recognizable, though my ultimate favorite name right now breaks all my rules–Ku'Sox Sha-Ku'ru, which very loosely translates to Left Hand of the Sun in Pawnee.  I could not resist.

What's your greatest comfort food?

Hands down, my favorite comfort food is pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese.

Who is your favorite cartoon character? Which cartoon character is most like you?

My favorite cartoon character is Samurai Jack because he can save an entire civilization without saying a word.  He is truly a stranger in a strange land. The conception of the artwork is amazing as well.  Which cartoon character is most like me?  Ahhh, I'm going with Buttercup from the Powerpuff girls on this one.

Out of all the books you've written, what character do you most relate to?

I often do Meyer-Briggs personality workups on my main characters to help me grasp their reactions faster, and it came as no surprise to me whom I share a personality profile with.  I often tell people that I swear like my pixy Jenks, plot like my vampire Ivy, and try to live my life as open and honest as Rachel, meaning full throttle and with no regrets apart from when my mouth gets in the way of common sense.  I could now add that I like to wear skull shoelaces like Madison.

 Who do you enjoy writing about more Rachel Morgan or Madison Avery? What makes them so special?

I like writing Rachel Morgan because she is the girl next door and totally approachable, both on the page for the reader, and for me when I write her.  She's fun, and her friends are as complex as she is.

I like writing Madison because though younger, she makes smarter decisions than Rachel and has the determination to dream big and the raw innocence and determination to expect those dreams to come true.  She is ever optimistic.

A day writing Rachel Morgan is generally more interesting than Madison, but I think that's due to her world being more evolved rather than any fault of the characters themselves.  Having nine books on the shelf puts more toys in the toy box to play with when it comes to Rachel, and I've enjoyed being able to slow down and tell a story at the pace it needs to be told.

 Will you tell your readers something about yourself that not many people know?

I've been fortunate to be able to keep in contact with my readers on a daily basis for a long time, and some of them know me pretty well, but it might surprise them to know that I have two dusty black belts, can successfully throw a pot on a wheel, and stuff a bird, (as in taxidermy), that I love to fish, (troll, bobber, or fly) and I can't stand coffee.

Sensuality in YA

I'm going to be taking the next couple of days to bring you bits and pieces of some PR work I did for Harper Teen that, as far as I know, hasn't been used.  I'm never one for wasting anything, so here's a couple of questions on a topic that was hot a couple of months ago: sensuality in YA, which I could also widen to include an overabundance of sex, drugs, and abuse, all of which I think have a place in YA literature, but give us some fair warning with the cover so the 14 year old who doesn't want to read about incest doesn't have to.

What are the challenges you face writing young adult and dealing with the sensuality?

I've never thought of sensuality as being a challenge when I sit down to write young adult.  I know teens are being challenged enough in their day-to-day dealings, and whereas many authors excel in writing sensual YA that seems to be connecting with a wide audience, I'm frankly not that comfortable with producing it myself.  I'd much rather give teens a "mostly sensuality-free zone" where they can take a break and concentrate on other issues they are dealing with.

Romance, though, which doesn't have to include lips, hands, and skin, is always on my want list when I sketch out a young adult book.  I'm a big believer that though sex moves the world, (and sells books) it's a small fraction of any healthy, long-lasting relationship.  I like my characters to be friends before they swap spit, and sometimes that takes a couple of books before I'm comfortable moving forward, if at all.

Why do you write for young adults? What do you think is different about writing for teens than for other audiences?

I like writing for young adults because I found my love for reading on those same shelves, and the books I read then still hang in my memory with the same new-penny brightness they had when I first picked them up.  Some of my favorite emails are from young readers who confess to me that they hate reading but that they like my work.  Knowing that I've been able to reach those vulnerable readers and share my love of reading with them is a great feeling.

What is different about writing for teens than other audiences?  For me, not much really, apart from shifting my main character's focus a touch to the "now" rather than the future.  The highs are higher, the lows are lower, the fallout if things don't go as planned are seemingly more insurmountable since teens generally don't have as many resources, both physically and emotionally, as adults.

I'm a big believer that teens are looking for many of the same things that adults are in their literature: a character they can cheer for or envy, companions that are brave or exasperating to balance the main character, a goal that is clear and seemingly unattainable, a happy ending where the same flaws that impeded them serve to help them achieve their goal.

Your comments/discussions are welcome, but as always, I'll be closing the page after tomorrow.

working . . .

Monday I did a Meyers-Briggs on Grace to make sure I knew her, and when I looked her up in my files, her name was already on the page of her personality type, meaning she's not changed in ten years.  (laugh)  Neither has her love interest.  That makes me feel pretty good.  Half the battle is knowing your character's responses, and I'm pretty much there.  I may not agree with them, especially with Grace, but I know what she'd do.  So instead of  using Monday in "getting to know you," I worked up a short synopsis.

Tuesday was breaking it down into about five chapters and writing up the dialog for chapter one, and getting about a third of it changed into actual text before I had to quit for the day.  Quick analysis?  I've got too much info in the first four pages, but it's a new world and there was a lot I had to set up to make the next four pages make sense–and so on.  It's an action scene, and I that magic was in use was not going to be a surprise, so I had to explain . . .  I might push some of it into the next chapter at some point, but it reads okay right now, and I went to bed happy.

Today I'm going to drop Grace (Yep, you heard me.  It happens.  All the time.)  and work up something PRish for the Hollows that needs doing.  It's only going to take a day, and actually it fits into my schedule really well.  Grace is patient, and after finding out she hasn't changed in my mind after a decade even though her story has, I feel confident that I can step from her and come back with little loss of momentum.  I know where I'm going with her, which is more than I did/do with Meg.  (Meg still feels rusty)

By the by . . . I've got a bunch of questions I answered for Harper Teen a few months ago, and I don't think they used them for their PR, so I might drop one a day at the drama box for the next couple of days while I do nothing but, well, make stuff up to put in my cabinet to hopefully turn awesome.  It's finally cooled off here, and though I don't smell fall yet, I can hear it in the insects.  The natural white noise makes for very good writing.

From the cabinet of awesomeness

One of the questions I'm asked frequently is where do you get your ideas?  Up to now, I've tried to answer it as best as I can, citing drawing on past experiences, funny commercials, a badly garbled comment that was far more interesting than if I'd heard it correctly. (Look at those condos they are building?  Oh!  I thought you said look at those condors on that building!) or simply wondering about the all abiding, "what would happen if . . ."  I can't take the deception anymore, and feel I have to cut to the chase and give it to you straight.

I have a cabinet of awesomeness that spawns ideas like clockwork.

My cabinet doesn't look very special on the outside, sitting within my arms reach and disguised as a normal, everyday cabinet.  I have even put mundane things into it to help hide its true function of supplying ideas when there are none, and it has color coded files and matching paperclips, my passport, contracts, and Meyer-Briggs personality profiles.  There is a lovely horizontal surface to it, and so, to further the deception, I've put my phone and internet connection blinking like a sentry atop it, my industrial stapler and sticky-note dispenser acting as a vanguard.

Like a golden duck, magical things happen inside, with papers building up, spawning, growing, until every so often, usually at the dead of winter, it reaches capacity and I have to open it up and pull out a chunk, sending it off to NY for them to put in their cabinet of awesomeness where it ferments and grows some more until they finally, desperately, chop it up into book-size pieces to get rid of it, sending it out into the world and hoping by division and dilution they managed to kill the monster.

Sometimes, though, a tiny bit of idea wedges into someone else, someone who lets it grow and develop into something new, something awesome.  That's the best feeling of all.

Funny thing about my cabinet of awesomeness though.  Just like a magic duck, I have to put stuff in there before I can take it out. . .  -grin-

Manic Monday!

Books are gone.  Thanks, guys!  Guy has contacted the winners.  If you have not heard from him, you missed it.  But we will have more of these, so never fear!

Howdy campers.  I'm back from Comic Con, all rested up, food in fridge, lawn mowed, watered, and all plants looking good.  Desk is cleared of all immediate outgoing, and there is no scheduled incoming until I outgo a bunch of stories in October for the upcoming Harrison anthology.  The contest is still going over at NPR for their top SF/Fantasy picks, and I'm moving forward on my work.  All of which means Guy and I have time for clearing out a few more extras up in his office.  This week, we have nine sets (as in four signed books each) of the Truth series.

USA will take a week from when we ship, International will be 10 days.  We won't be shipping immediately, so give us some time to get them signed and in a box.

Shipping and Handling is USA 11.90, Canada 13.50, International 25.60.  To make this as painless as possible for Guy, we are taking Pay Pal only.  Unfortunately we can't combine any other merchandise in with this as they will be going media mail.

  First Truth is the first time I had ever put pen to paper, rewriting it over and over as I learned discipline, character development, voice, thick skin, and all the other things that help you get published. In other words, you can really see the development of a writer from first to last.  It was not the first thing I showed my writers group, but it was what I worked with them on for about two years.  (I was not about to show them my baby on our "first date." )

If you are interested, at noon, EST today, (no earlier) send an email to Guy at vampcharms@comporium.net with the words Truth Books in the subject line.  If you are among the first nine, he will send you an invoice for shipping, so please include your shipping address in your initial email.  If you do not include your shipping address, he can not ship you a book, and your order will not be acted on. (PayPal doesn't always put the address in)  We don't do anything with your address but ship you books.  We don't have the time to do anything wicked with them, and I hate it when people sell mine, so . . .

These are likely going to go very quickly (don't order until noon EST, or your email will be thrown out) so I'll update this post when they are gone to help avoid confusion.  If you miss out, I'll be having more shipping and handling give aways with more items available.  The Truth books are just to wet your whistle . . .    We also still have the Pale Demon Freebies available for the price of a stamp.

Friday!

Yep, we made it to another one, and I"m excited to hit some plant stores and replace my dead-uglies this weekend.  (Two weeks of 90-100 degree temps was really hard on my newly planted bushes.)  I'm also looking for a few tables to put plants on this winter because I can't seem to stop buying those discounted orchids. ($2.50?  seriously?) and any old table won't do.  I'd really prefer an old, marble top that was once used to support a hall mirror/hat rack, but they don't sell them separate very often, so I'll likely just get an inexpensive rack until the universe aligns.  Round it out with a stint of mowing, and I think I've got my weekend planned.

Work went pretty well this week, with me finishing the rough draft for the Meg short about a week early, mostly because it came in at about 60 manuscript pages instead of the expected 100, which is cool because that means I have more space for other stuff.  I like the size of it, and I have all my logic ducks and rules for this new paranormal critter in a row.  All of which means I can turn my attention to Grace.  (happy sigh)

I'm going to be brave this time, and not even open the file on her, and just start to write . . .  See what happens.  NOT!!!!  No, I'll probably spend the weekend thinking about what I'd like to share that I know about her, and use what I don't know to drive the story.  Introduce the characters and magic, what moves Grace, what her Achilles heel is.  I don't want to go too far back, but it will have the feel of a prequel.  Maybe plot out enough material for 60-80 pages . . .

And then I'll just start to write  . . .

 

P.S.  Keep an eye out Monday for a Manic Monday give away of the Truth Books.

Arts and crafts

A while back, I told you about crocheting a bunch of certified T-4 Angel free tomatoes to give to my people in New York as a little thank you for everything they do for me every day.  There was some interest from you crafters out there, and since I modified the pattern I had for a pumpkin and pepper to make the silly thing, (as in I am not taking this from a book but my own thoughts) I figure that it is okay to share.  I knit and crochet both in this, so if you don't know both medias, you will have to adapt . . . somehow . . .

For the body:

Make the bottom by making a disk.

1. Ch 2

2. In the first Ch, make six sc, and joint to first chain with a ss. (six loops around)

3. Ch 2.(counts as first sc)  Increase by making two sc in next loop, then sc in following, and repeating around to get 9 loops, join with ss to first ch. (nine loops)

4.  Ch 2.  (counts as first sc) SC in next loop.  Increase by making two sc in next loop, sc in following two loops, and repeat around to get 12 loops, joining to first Ch2 space with ss.  (12 loops)

To crochet body:

1.  without cutting yarn, chain 12

2.  SS in second stitch from hook.  SC, HDC, DC (8 times) HDC, SC, ss into next loop in disc.

3.  Turn.  SC, HDC, DC (8 times) HDC, SC, SS in end of chain.  Ch 1.(should be 10-11 loops)

4.  Turn.  SS in last Ch1 space.  SC, HDC, DC (8 times) HDC, SC SS into next loop in disc.

5.  repeat step 3.

6.  Repeat step 4.

Continue with pattern until there is a row sprouting from each loop in your 12 disk base.  Join edges with a loose slip stitch.  Fasten off, turn inside out, and stuff with fiber fill.

To knit top.  work pattern so that it's knit all on one side purls on the other.

1.  With two double pointed needles, size one, cast on three stitches.

2.  Knit across

3. Purl across

4.  Increase row by 2 stitches by. knit first stitch, pull up strand between stitches and knit.  Knit second stitch, pull up strand between stitches and knit.  Knit third stitch. (5 stitches)

5. Purl across

6. Knit across, increasing by four as in step 4. (9 stitches)

7. Purl across

8.  Knit across, increasing by 6 stitches.  (K, I, K, I, K, K, I, K, I, K, K, I, K, I, K,  (  (15 stitches)

To make 1 leaf:

9. purl three stitches and put remaining stitches on stitch holder.

10.  Working with three stitches only for rest of leaf, turn, knit three, turn, purl three, turn, knit three.

11.  without turning, slide three stitches to other end of needle, and keeping yarn to back, KNIT the row over again. (this will make a tiny tube after a while)

12.  Repeat 11  twice more.

14.  knit two together, knit one. (2 stitches on needle)

15.  Knit last two stitches together.

16. fasten off, and weave tail into work

Repeat  10-16 four more times, joining a new thread to start work on next three stitches.  When done, join ends of top together to form a disk with spiky leaves.  Make a stem by crocheting three to five loops coming out from the center, and ss back down to base.  Break yarn and work ends into work.  Fasten finished top to body.

I know this is really messy, and you probably should not make this your first project if you've never knitted/crocheted, because I left out a lot of little stuff that I don't actually know how to describe, but hopefully some of you experienced knitters and crocheters out there will be able to figure it out.

 

Contest!

I've got a contest for you this morning!  Remember last month when I told you NPR was collecting titles from you to find the top SF/Fantasy books?  I wasn't sure if The Hollows was included, since for this one they were excluding horror (mentioning King and where I'm often shelved) and paranormal romance (mentioning Charlaine Harris and Twilight, both of which I often use to try to describe my work.) But the Hollows has that bioengineered tomato that causes the end of the world (science) and it's not romance or horror by a long shot, so I gave you the link and decided to let you and the contest chaperones decide.

Well . . . the Hollows made the cut for the final contest.  ;-)  (I feel like such a mongrel!)  It's on the list right under the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, a very nice spot indeed.  The best part of the contest is that you can vote for ten books/series, so if you are so inclined to voice your opinion, here is the link! I already voted, and there was no need to fill out any form but the contest itself, so it's painless.

Vote for Top-100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Titles : NPR

Work went pretty well for me yesterday despite a morning full of interruptions.  I finally got the house cleared out a little after one and burned through 16 pages of rough draft.  If I can do it again today, I will have the Meg novella done at a messy first draft by Thursday.  And believe me, it's messy.  I've got one scene that might change completely once I get to the end and see what I need, and one logic issue that I'm questioning that might shift about 45 degrees from what it is now.  Messy, ugly, and full of promise.

Writing is not getting it down perfect the first time.  That limits you to one direction.  Write wide open, having a goal but one that can shift with tides of thought and winds of change.  (I think my deep set, hidden love for wind and sail is showing . . .)

Cycles

I'm pretty sure this is a Mac, but it might be an Empire.  In any case, I was excited this morning to see the first blush of red on my closely watched developing apples as I took the dogs out for their first morning break.  You have to look really close, but it's there.

This is my first apple tree under my care.  (Not that it really needs me at all, but I like the illusion that I've got a say in the matter.)  I can't believe it took me so long to put one in the ground.  I had a pear tree once, but it doesn't have the same feel. There's something magical about apples, the way they fruit in rows of careful cultivation with pesticides and attention to detail–or a single lone tree forgotten at the edge of an abandoned farm doing exactly the same thing and a being a lot more precise with it.

Apple trees might be one of those things that symbolize being settled to me, of being part of a circle, rather.  Belonging and finding your place, as small or large as it might be.  Or it just might be that I'd not had the room or sun for one.  But for whatever reason, I now have two apple trees just about a year in my soil with a handful of fruit on them, and I'm pleased.  Now, with a little luck, I might make pie.  -grin-

Work is going well with chapter two of a Meg short in the cabinet of awesomeness.  I'm working three today, adding in a little something that wasn't in my original plan.  Funny how that works out, but the characters are starting to become more complex.  It won't be long before I can go back and make them individuals instead of stereotypes. Yay.

I've also got stuff from NY that's going to come plopping on my desk yet this week.  (Didn't I say?  Didn't I jest say?)  Nothing that's going to take much time, but ends need to be tied off, and I've got one more release before the end of the year.  Wow, it's been a busy one.  I had no idea until I started looking back.

My favorite month . . .

Dad teaching his baby how to take a bath

I don't really have a favorite season.  I love spring for the new growth, fall for the feeling of preparation and "setting by" for later, summer for the heat and big changes in my landscape that I've been working toward all year, and winter for being able to relax.  But August is probably my favorite month, where I slow down and putts, for lack of a better word.  I'm still getting things done outside, but it's tweaking, sort of like a line edit, where you just nibble at things you've been working on all year.  Filling in here, a splash of color there.  The ground is already prepped, so it's easy.  This weekend was full of puttsing around, and I totally enjoyed it.

Kicking off my Sunday of puttsing was a trip to my favorite home improvement store where I got a trunk full of "promise plants," as in "I know I'm ugly, but I promise I'll grow."  These are the heat-scorched uglies that forgot to be watered or the excess from too vigorous buying practices.  The remainders, perhaps.  (Why am I seeing everything relating to writing this morning?)  Nasty, but cheap at 75% off.  I could indulge in a little free-flow buying myself.  I have enough orchids, but how can I turn down the little darling when he was 75 cents?  Daises for a buck?  I'll take five.

Actually, most of my plantings the last month have been from the sale cart.  I don't mind if they've flowered already, and I plan to go back next week for the purple cone flowers that they have at full price right now.  If they're on sale, I'll get some.  If not, then that's okay, too.  It's the hunt, not the kill, where the satisfaction is.