Susan Wiggs's Blog, page 47
May 17, 2011
May 16, 2011
Road Trip!
Theres nothing like a road trip, is there? Especially one between girlfriends. The centerpiece of The Goodbye Quilt is a road trip, only instead of a Thelma-and-Louise-style adventure, its something many women can relate toa mother-daughter trip.
It might not be the last trip Linda and Molly will take together, but its the most significant, in the sense that Linda is driving across the country with her beloved only child, to drop Molly off at college.
[The background of the author photo is a 100-year-old family
heirloom quilt]
Some readers will relate more to Linda, the mom who realizes she had better get a life once her nest is empty. Shes got a great community, husband and friends, but her role as a mom is forever changed. Other readers will relate to Molly, the daughter. At 18, shes facing the classic teenager-in-love dilemma. Does she stay with her hometown boyfriend, or cut her ties and forge ahead on her own?
The physical quilt in the book is like the scrapbook I created for my own daughter as she was leaving home. But its more artistic, for sure. We all have those pieces of clothing or fabric that well never wear again, but were not quite ready to throw away. Its no surprise that Linda, a talented quilter, found a use for the things her daughter left behind.
The ending of the book surprised me. I dont want to spoil it for readers, but it was not the ending I envisioned when I set out to write the book. Id love to hear about readers own journeys of leaving home and letting go.
The novel is my gift to readers. Theres lots more for readers on my web site. Click here for a beautifully letter-pressed and signed book plate. And 
to view a lovely song by Alice Peacock and slide show with images that inspired the book. Safe travels.
May 12, 2011
commencement!
Pride & Joy, that's all I have in me this weekend. Here they are on graduation day from Pomona College. Now they're married, she's getting her MBA from University of Chicago and he's getting his law degree from Northwestern. Friday the 13th is a GOOD DAY. Further pics to come.
May 7, 2011
happy mothers day
…to moms of all ages.
April 29, 2011
note to self…
do not accept gardening help from the dogs
April 28, 2011
bread tag collage from www.joanofcards.blogspot.com
Here is a shot of Joan's bread tag collage, referenced yesterday. Can't believe I didn't have a shot of it!
April 27, 2011
house p*rn part 2
Some stuff I didn't know about this facet of the process of having your house photographed:
1. The photo shoot crew works their asses off. They showed up bright and early, and worked until after 7pm the first day, and until about 4 the next day. And they are never still. They're always running around accessorizing everything and composing shots, tweaking the least little thing and even editing a shot on screen.
(above: Emily Henderson, David Tsay, Coy Gutierrez)
2. They like to eat. I was glad I'd thought to put out muffins and fruit and drinks in the morning. After the first day, I treated them to dinner at my favorite restaurant, The Four Swallows.
3. They do not travel light. They showed up with tons of gear–camera and computer equipment, plus everything Emily thought she might need to accessorize my house and make it look like a magazine house. This includes stuff like shawls and throw pillows, glassware, even food items in interesting packages. She shopped at Restoration Hardware, Kennedy&Kate. When I created the character Olivia Bellamy in the firstLakeshore Chronicles book, I think I was channeling Emily before we'd even met.
4. God is in the details. A shot is composed like any other creative work, whether it's a painting or a story on paper. There is nothing randomly placed within the frame. The curve of a horsetail fern (aka weed in my garden) in a vase echos the shape of an arc lamp, or a handbag is placed on the floor just so. One of the most eye-opening things for me was to see the way my own stuff was used–moved from room to room or just rearranged to look more artful. For example, the arrangement on the shelf below is all my stuff, but it's been moved and made prettier.
5. The house in the picture is not your house. The stuff in the picture is not your stuff, or if it is, it's probably been moved to a more picturesque location. Emily totally restyled my lounge room shelves and I kept them that way, because they looked a lot better. I had a bunch of random collected things, and she pointed out that it's more restful to the eye to see the uniformity of books. I just happened to have a few books on hand. Same goes for the kitchen wall. I had retro fish market posters there, but I prefer the vintage map Emily found in the guest house, and my friend Joan's bread tag collage.
6. If you're a traveling stylist and photo crew, you are resourceful. Don't like the bedspread? Flip it over and use the reverse side. Whatever you do, let no cord show. Luckily, Emily and I both love the color blue, so the bedroom turned out great. Even before I upgraded my nightstands.
7. If you have to be in the shot, you're supposed to look oblivious to the camera and pleasantly happy. I know, it's completely awkward, especially if you're a geeky writer with equally geeky writer friends. Hint: To look as if you're making conversation, say "Watermelon cantaloupe" over and over with different inflections. It will make you laugh and doesn't weirdly contort your mouth.
Okay, that's just seven. Ask me anything you're curious about it. If I don't know they answer, I'll ask the crew, or just make it up. I'm a fiction writer, after all.
Tomorrow: Some very cool things about what made the cut and what didn't.
April 25, 2011
Fred Meyer has good taste in books.
HAUNTING JASMINE and THE GOODBYE QUILT!
April 24, 2011
house p*rn
Are you as addicted as I am to home and garden magazines? God, I love them. There is even a nice name for them in the industry: shelter magazines. You know the ones I mean–Sunset, Coastal Living, Domino…What? Domino has been discontinued? Noooo! Dominoooo! Come back!
When I page through these magazines, I always wonder, who are these people with their perfect houses? Why can't I have a house like that?
For one thing, I only ever buy a sofa once every decade or so, and I'm clueless when it comes to accessorizing. Check out one of these magazine spreads and you'll see, it's alllll about the accessories.
Through a twisty turn of events, my wish was granted. Coastal Living did a spread on my house. And guess what? They made it look like a magazine house! Check out the May 2011 issue and you'll see.
If you're like me, you wonder how they pick the homes to be featured. I have a feeling this comes about in a variety of ways, but in my case, it stemmed from the writer's worst nightmare–rejection. For the release of Just Breathe, ace publicist Kirsten Graham pitched the book to reviewers at magazines all over the place. No takers. Not a one. What's wrong with these people? Finally, the relentless Kirsten got her foot in the proverbial door. The problem was, it was with a magazine that didn't run book reviews.
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However, they do spreads on people's homes and lifestyle articles. Bingo, we were in. Because Coastal Living is all about the beach and I happen to be lucky enough to live on the beach.
And lo, it came to pass. The magazine would send a crew out to take pictures of me and my home. Freakout time. Remember, I don't have one of those picture-perfect magazine houses.
Not to worry. The crew includes a "stylist" which a vaguely knew was responsible for helping the photographer compose the shot.
Boy, did I get lucky with the crew who showed up from LA. The master photographer David Tsay, assisted by another photographer, Coy Gutierrez. And the stylist was none other than the renowned Emily Henderson. If you watch HGTV for even five minutes, you've seen her. But this was her job before being a design TV star–these magazines take a long time to go to press. Emily was allowed to tell us she was going to be on the show "Design Star." What she couldn't tell anyone was that she won the competition and now has her own show. Cool, huh? And, bonus, she is as nice and funny in person as she is on her blog and her show.
Okay, this post is getting too long so I'm going to break it into parts. Coming up tomorrow–10 things you probably don't know about doing a magazine shoot. With photos, of course.
