Molly O'Keefe's Blog, page 17
May 29, 2013
Maureen's Trip to NYC
Last week I went to NYC to
a) meet with my agent and editor
b) speak at the Backspace Conference and
c) get some writing done.
Instead I
a) met and chatted with Margaret Atwood
b) had a great lunch and meeting with my editor and others at my publisher
c) spoke at the Backspace Conference
d) made some great new friends
e) saw two plays
f) did a little sight seeing, and
g) got zero writing done.
So, the Margaret Atwood thing....
When I was crashing around the coffee station in the Porter departure lounge, knocking people out with my backpack... I saw an older woman with a droopy sun hat who looked an awful lot like Margaret Atwood.
But I was flustered. I hadn't had a coffee, or anything to eat, and I only had a couple of minutes to guzzle the espresso I'd made at the coffee station before the flight left, so I didn't say anything... I did, however, send out a tweet.
And then by complete coincidence (I swear) I ended up directly behind her in line to board the plane. Again, I said nothing to her... But I did whisper, "Was that Margaret Atwood?" to the flight attendant checking the boarding passes at the gate. To which the flight attendant whispered back, "Yes!"
I saw her on the plane, but at the point, decided I shouldn't bother her. I was kicking myself, but happy to be in NYC and waited for the train at Newark to take me into the city. I didn't bother to look for Ms. Atwood at the train station, kind of assuming she probably had a limo to pick her up.
Then I got on the train, making a last minute decision to rush down the platform to board at a less crowded door.
And who did I see directly in front of me when I got on??? Yup.
So, I sat down beside her and introduced myself. Actually, if memory serves, I did not introduce myself. Because that would have been too smart. Instead, I just started babbling about being a big fan and being an author too and we talked the entire way into the city.
I was kicking myself for not even bringing out a card to give her. But then imagine my surprise an hour or so later when I saw this tweet!
And replied with this...
And a little while later I saw this:
So, a great trip to NYC. And that was just the first couple of hours!
I was going to blog about the two plays I saw (MacBeth, with Alan Cumming and Lucky Guy, with Tom Hanks)... and how each of them used interesting storytelling techniques, but frankly, my little brush with CanLit royalty trumped it all.
a) meet with my agent and editor
b) speak at the Backspace Conference and
c) get some writing done.
Instead I
a) met and chatted with Margaret Atwood
b) had a great lunch and meeting with my editor and others at my publisher
c) spoke at the Backspace Conference
d) made some great new friends
e) saw two plays
f) did a little sight seeing, and
g) got zero writing done.
So, the Margaret Atwood thing....
When I was crashing around the coffee station in the Porter departure lounge, knocking people out with my backpack... I saw an older woman with a droopy sun hat who looked an awful lot like Margaret Atwood.
But I was flustered. I hadn't had a coffee, or anything to eat, and I only had a couple of minutes to guzzle the espresso I'd made at the coffee station before the flight left, so I didn't say anything... I did, however, send out a tweet.
And then by complete coincidence (I swear) I ended up directly behind her in line to board the plane. Again, I said nothing to her... But I did whisper, "Was that Margaret Atwood?" to the flight attendant checking the boarding passes at the gate. To which the flight attendant whispered back, "Yes!"
I saw her on the plane, but at the point, decided I shouldn't bother her. I was kicking myself, but happy to be in NYC and waited for the train at Newark to take me into the city. I didn't bother to look for Ms. Atwood at the train station, kind of assuming she probably had a limo to pick her up.
Then I got on the train, making a last minute decision to rush down the platform to board at a less crowded door.
And who did I see directly in front of me when I got on??? Yup.
So, I sat down beside her and introduced myself. Actually, if memory serves, I did not introduce myself. Because that would have been too smart. Instead, I just started babbling about being a big fan and being an author too and we talked the entire way into the city.
I was kicking myself for not even bringing out a card to give her. But then imagine my surprise an hour or so later when I saw this tweet!
And replied with this...
And a little while later I saw this:
So, a great trip to NYC. And that was just the first couple of hours!
I was going to blog about the two plays I saw (MacBeth, with Alan Cumming and Lucky Guy, with Tom Hanks)... and how each of them used interesting storytelling techniques, but frankly, my little brush with CanLit royalty trumped it all.
May 27, 2013
My first con! Or never eat a banana while wearing Spanx.
This weekend I attended my first science convention -- or con, as the cool kids say -- in Santa Clara. It was an excellent first experience. I learned a lot about the dyanmics of how a con works, I met some nice people, I saw some great costumes. I made one gsstronomic error which plagued me for the rest of the weekend, but it was a lesson learned.
I spoke on a panel about workshops (very meta, if you ask me) with Tony Todaro, Margaret McGaffey Fisk and Aaron Mason. Kyle Aisteach was our moderator. (Aaron escaped before the photo.) We didn't all agree about everything, but it was interesting and we got a lot of excellent questions from the crowd.
I also moderated a panel on whether agents and editors were endangered species with e-publishing becoming more and more popular. Here I am with my panel: Dario Ciriello, Norman Sperling, Tony Todaro and Bobbie DuFaultt.
There was a robot wandering around the lobby. I am very sad that I didn't get a video of the moment that it sort of accidentally smacked a kid in the face.
There were tons of people in costume:
And the bartender at the Klingon Slave Auction told me he was ridged for my pleasure which made me giggle nearly uncontrollably. He's the one on the left.
The only problem? After the panels were over on Friday, but before the cocktail party for the guests and speakers, I got hungry. I bought a banana from the snack bar and maybe ate it a little faster than I should have. I was wearing a pair of high-waisted Spanx. You know, just to keep things from jiggling more than they should. Anyway, it was like the Spanx stopped the banana from actually traveling down into my digestive track. It felt like it was stuck at about solar plexus level.
Despite efforts to wash it down with white wine and force it down with a giant lemon bar, it stayed. By the time I got home and could take off my Spanx, it had turned into what felt like banana-crete and stayed there for the rest of the weekend. It might still be there, to be honest.
All in all, I thought it was a fantastic first experience. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
I spoke on a panel about workshops (very meta, if you ask me) with Tony Todaro, Margaret McGaffey Fisk and Aaron Mason. Kyle Aisteach was our moderator. (Aaron escaped before the photo.) We didn't all agree about everything, but it was interesting and we got a lot of excellent questions from the crowd.
I also moderated a panel on whether agents and editors were endangered species with e-publishing becoming more and more popular. Here I am with my panel: Dario Ciriello, Norman Sperling, Tony Todaro and Bobbie DuFaultt.
There was a robot wandering around the lobby. I am very sad that I didn't get a video of the moment that it sort of accidentally smacked a kid in the face.
There were tons of people in costume:
And the bartender at the Klingon Slave Auction told me he was ridged for my pleasure which made me giggle nearly uncontrollably. He's the one on the left.
The only problem? After the panels were over on Friday, but before the cocktail party for the guests and speakers, I got hungry. I bought a banana from the snack bar and maybe ate it a little faster than I should have. I was wearing a pair of high-waisted Spanx. You know, just to keep things from jiggling more than they should. Anyway, it was like the Spanx stopped the banana from actually traveling down into my digestive track. It felt like it was stuck at about solar plexus level.
Despite efforts to wash it down with white wine and force it down with a giant lemon bar, it stayed. By the time I got home and could take off my Spanx, it had turned into what felt like banana-crete and stayed there for the rest of the weekend. It might still be there, to be honest.
All in all, I thought it was a fantastic first experience. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
Female Friendships Done Right - why is it hard to find?
I have been friends with my best friend since we were in Kindergarten. Kindergarten! My son is in kindergarten right now and I look at his friends and think "huh, I could be stuck with this kid coming over for the rest of my life." Anyway - she came up to visit with her family for the weekend, her two boys and husband. Our kids get a long great, our husbands who haven't spent a lot of time together are finding common ground as they stand over the grill, watching the steaks cook. Lish and I stayed up until 5 AM, drank all the wine and laughed and cried. As we do. As I think women with long-standing friendships do. But the other side of that coin is how difficult our dynamic can be as well. When you know someone so well, and have been dealing with the same quirky personality traits since Kindergarten it can come with frustration. Joy and eye-rolling - that's our relationship. More joy, don't get me wrong.
But I was saying to Lish, that I don't have any relationship like the one I have with her.
One of the reasons I stopped reading "women's fiction" or whatever subgenre those women at the summerhouse dealing with each other's drama books are called is because I felt those female relationships were so pat. There wasn't any tension to them. Or really, reality. And they all felt remarkably similar. I don't write relationships between women that have been friends for a long time because I find it so so so difficult to nail those nuances. It's easier to me to write women who are just starting out their friendships, because there's a little less nuance there and frankly, nothing mirrors a romantic relationship starting out like a friendship. But as Lish has left I find myself epically hungover and wanting to read about female friendships done right.
So, what are some of your favorite fictionalized portrayals of female friendship? (I got in all the F's)
But I was saying to Lish, that I don't have any relationship like the one I have with her.
One of the reasons I stopped reading "women's fiction" or whatever subgenre those women at the summerhouse dealing with each other's drama books are called is because I felt those female relationships were so pat. There wasn't any tension to them. Or really, reality. And they all felt remarkably similar. I don't write relationships between women that have been friends for a long time because I find it so so so difficult to nail those nuances. It's easier to me to write women who are just starting out their friendships, because there's a little less nuance there and frankly, nothing mirrors a romantic relationship starting out like a friendship. But as Lish has left I find myself epically hungover and wanting to read about female friendships done right.
So, what are some of your favorite fictionalized portrayals of female friendship? (I got in all the F's)
May 22, 2013
Goodreads Giveaway!
Sorry I missed my blog day... But I still have a few hours before it's Thursday, right?
I'm giving away 5 signed copies of Compliance -- which comes out in 2 weeks! on Goodreads, if you'd like to enter.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Compliance
by Maureen McGowan
Giveaway ends June 03, 2013.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
I'm giving away 5 signed copies of Compliance -- which comes out in 2 weeks! on Goodreads, if you'd like to enter.
.goodreadsGiveawayWidget { color: #555; font-family: georgia, serif; font-weight: normal; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; background: white; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget img { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a { padding: 0 !important; margin: 0; color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:visted { color: #660; text-decoration: none; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget a:hover { color: #660; text-decoration: underline !important; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidget p { margin: 0 0 .5em !important; padding: 0; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink { display: block; width: 150px; margin: 10px auto 0 !important; padding: 0px 5px !important; text-align: center; line-height: 1.8em; color: #222; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; border: 1px solid #6A6454; border-radius: 5px; font-family:arial,verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; background-image:url(http://www.goodreads.com/images/layou... background-repeat: repeat-x; background-color:#BBB596; outline: 0; white-space: nowrap; } .goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink:hover { background-image:url(http://www.goodreads.com/images/layou... color: black; text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; }
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Compliance
by Maureen McGowan
Giveaway ends June 03, 2013.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
May 21, 2013
Game of Thrones
Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler
Okay. You're forewarned. I wanna talk about this season and I don't want to hold back. If you don't want to know what's happening now, click away. I'll give you a second.
Is it just us chickens, now? Good.
I did not watch the first two seasons. I'd read the books and after watching a couple of episodes I realized I wasn't going to see anything I hadn't already read. I haven't read the third book, though, so I've been watching Season Three.
I'm still completely blown away by the world building and the complexity of the plot. The acting is amazing. The sets. The costumes. Everything. It's amazing.
So here's my pickle. I can not stand the torture thing with Theon. It's too upsetting. It's too gross. It's too horrific. Plus it's so well done that I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about what it would be like to be in such pain all the time and to not even be able to die to get release and to not even know why the person was doing it to me except that the person is a sadistic monster. I went on some wiki thing to see if it would end soon, but found that it runs through the rest of the books that have been written. Plus there's an interview with GoT co-creator David Benioff and he says he LOVES torturing Theon which I'm pretty sure means he's not going to stop.
I don't think I can stand it. I'm thinking about not watching anymore because it's too upsetting.
Are you watching? How do you feel about it? Has any subplot ever upset you enough that you stopped watching a show?
Okay. You're forewarned. I wanna talk about this season and I don't want to hold back. If you don't want to know what's happening now, click away. I'll give you a second.
Is it just us chickens, now? Good.
I did not watch the first two seasons. I'd read the books and after watching a couple of episodes I realized I wasn't going to see anything I hadn't already read. I haven't read the third book, though, so I've been watching Season Three.
I'm still completely blown away by the world building and the complexity of the plot. The acting is amazing. The sets. The costumes. Everything. It's amazing.
So here's my pickle. I can not stand the torture thing with Theon. It's too upsetting. It's too gross. It's too horrific. Plus it's so well done that I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop thinking about what it would be like to be in such pain all the time and to not even be able to die to get release and to not even know why the person was doing it to me except that the person is a sadistic monster. I went on some wiki thing to see if it would end soon, but found that it runs through the rest of the books that have been written. Plus there's an interview with GoT co-creator David Benioff and he says he LOVES torturing Theon which I'm pretty sure means he's not going to stop.
I don't think I can stand it. I'm thinking about not watching anymore because it's too upsetting.
Are you watching? How do you feel about it? Has any subplot ever upset you enough that you stopped watching a show?
May 17, 2013
Our favourite devices
I know that the title of this post could be taken as a little dirty, but it's not. I watched the season finale of Vampire Diaries last night, and as usual they made their finale sweet, and sad and full of lovely twisty plot surprises.
But at the same time, (and without giving away any major spoilers) they're reusing a major plot device that was awe-inspiring the first time and now when used on a different character, feels really, really lazy.
It's perhaps why most shows should stop after a few seasons. Change the characters, change the setting and breathe new life into a format, instead of trying to keep re-invigorating the same characters over and over.
But I digress. The real reason I was disappointed was because even a team of writers goes back to the same thing over and over. I know I do.
It's why brainstorming with other people is so valuable, because they introduce new ideas that my tired, mundane brain would never consider. Because if left to my own devices, my stories would follow the same path over and over.
And up till this season, TVD has surprised me over and over by not doing that, by proving over and over they're smarter than me.
Until last night, when I'm left in doubt and worried for the next season.
But at the same time, (and without giving away any major spoilers) they're reusing a major plot device that was awe-inspiring the first time and now when used on a different character, feels really, really lazy.
It's perhaps why most shows should stop after a few seasons. Change the characters, change the setting and breathe new life into a format, instead of trying to keep re-invigorating the same characters over and over.
But I digress. The real reason I was disappointed was because even a team of writers goes back to the same thing over and over. I know I do.
It's why brainstorming with other people is so valuable, because they introduce new ideas that my tired, mundane brain would never consider. Because if left to my own devices, my stories would follow the same path over and over.
And up till this season, TVD has surprised me over and over by not doing that, by proving over and over they're smarter than me.
Until last night, when I'm left in doubt and worried for the next season.
May 16, 2013
When You Like the B Plot Better
A lot of the reviews for my last book Act of Persuasion were only so-so, which I’m not going to lie is disappointing. You invest yourself in the characters and I really thought Ben and Anna, a couple I carried over from a previous book, were very special. But I do concede that Ben was a very restrained very tight character and in many ways so was Anna. So you really don’t get to see all their vulnerability until the end of the story when they both basically lose it.
However, with almost every bad review the one thing that did stand out was that everyone really liked Mark’s story as he reunited with his estranged daughter. It will be interesting to see if people who liked Mark will still like him as he takes center stage in For The First Time which comes out in October. When people ask me about this book, they ask are we going to get Mark’s story and I tell them you’re really going to get Mark and Sophie’s story. Because this isn’t just a story about him and finding love. It’s really a story about Mark and Sophie and their journey of building a relationship and then finding the person that fits both of them.Now in that story, and peripherally in AOP, I introduce Greg. I’m working on Greg’s story now and it’s probably the most suspenseful, the most plot driven of the Tyler Group series. But here is my problem. More than half way through and I find once again I’m really digging the B plot.
I shouldn’t be more excited to get to those scenes with the B couple then I am about writing the scenes for Greg and Liza who are the hero and heroine of the story. At first I figured it was just because I was messing up Greg and Liza and knew I would need to go back and fix them. But honestly I think it’s because the B story is just easier. It’s not as intense as the main relationship. I don’t have to support the whole book around them. I just get to write a few lines of banter and emotion and then I’m done.
Then it’s back to the A plot and all the hard work of making good. What about you? What happens when you like the B plot better? Does it mean you failed the A plot?
May 15, 2013
50 Shades of Don Draper
I'd love to know when that last episode was written and whether or not the whole 50 Shades explosion into popular culture influenced the writing.
But in this week's episode, Don Draper totally became a way hotter and cooler version of Christian Grey. And I have to admit that I kind of loved it. I wasn't sure how far the Linda Cardellini character was going to let him push it, and I kept thinking how Betty would have had NONE of that, and Megan, while she's way more sexually adventurous than Betty, wouldn't have either. Megan would rather be on the other side of that dynamic, I think....
So, it was interesting to see Don bring the kind of control he loves to exert over people at work into the bedroom. Especially at a time when he needs to feel extra-powerful at work.
Oh, I do love me some Mad Men.
Others who've seen it... Was it 50 Shades for you? Love? Hate?
But in this week's episode, Don Draper totally became a way hotter and cooler version of Christian Grey. And I have to admit that I kind of loved it. I wasn't sure how far the Linda Cardellini character was going to let him push it, and I kept thinking how Betty would have had NONE of that, and Megan, while she's way more sexually adventurous than Betty, wouldn't have either. Megan would rather be on the other side of that dynamic, I think....
So, it was interesting to see Don bring the kind of control he loves to exert over people at work into the bedroom. Especially at a time when he needs to feel extra-powerful at work.
Oh, I do love me some Mad Men.
Others who've seen it... Was it 50 Shades for you? Love? Hate?
May 13, 2013
Con Virgin
I am going to attend my first science fiction convention. I got the news yesterday from BayCon that I've been selected to speak on one panel and moderate another. The thrill of pure terror that coursed through me when I opened the email was like a glass of cold ice water poured straight down my gullet after a hot and sweaty 10K.
What was I thinking? I've never even been to one of these. Now I'm going to be stand in front of people at one and talk like I know something? What role does the moderator play? Is it like at RWA where you introduce people and try to control the Q&A at the end? Or do I create questions for the panel to discuss?
I've been googling my fellow panelists (I know one of them - Jeff Carlson - who is an incredibly fun guy on top of being a terrific writer) and everyone is way more science fiction-y than me. I had to look up what speculative fiction was and I'm still not sure I truly understand.
More important yet, what do I wear?
Please. Give me some advice. Tell me you've been to one of these and know what to do.
What was I thinking? I've never even been to one of these. Now I'm going to be stand in front of people at one and talk like I know something? What role does the moderator play? Is it like at RWA where you introduce people and try to control the Q&A at the end? Or do I create questions for the panel to discuss?
I've been googling my fellow panelists (I know one of them - Jeff Carlson - who is an incredibly fun guy on top of being a terrific writer) and everyone is way more science fiction-y than me. I had to look up what speculative fiction was and I'm still not sure I truly understand.
More important yet, what do I wear?
Please. Give me some advice. Tell me you've been to one of these and know what to do.
Don Draper is an Ass! Should we ruin him? Or redeem him?
This isn't news, is it? From the get-go we've known Don Draper is an anti-hero, but his ass-ness has been a moving target. It gets obscured partly by how good he is at his job, how freaking handsome he is, his strange and disastrous past, the odd moments of kindness and decency he shows people. Distant people, never those close to him. Those close to him get a very special kind of awful from the man. But last night - the cracks are showing. Don Draper is getting nervous about his job, his place in the universe and to counteract it he's going above and beyond in efforts to feel powerful. In control. The Big Ass On Campus. He sexually dominates a woman who needs, for a few days not to do any emotional heavy-lifting. And he drinks his competitor - a super nice guy - under the table in a chest-beating, bullying exercise of dominance.
I wanted to see his come comeuppance a dozen times in this series - and last night - someone put a pin in him. Three times. The sexually dominated woman puts her clothes on and says enough. The super nice guy out macho's him. And Peggy. Peggy says act like a grown up. Really really gratifying television.
I've often lamented that Mad Men has been too smart for me at times. It's glacial pace makes me feel like I've missed something - WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? But I think some of the plotting and pacing has just been bobbled by the creative team. This season though!! We are a match. Draper's feelings don't manifest in any normal way - we can't look at him and see any kind of trajectory. And that frankly is awesome. His character requires foils and mirrors, he's the rat in the maze, we're on his back and Peggy is a wall he has to figure out how to get around without showing too many of his faults.
I'm worried that the end point of this show is that he'll just be ruined. There are a lot of shows right now with protagonists who - in the end - will just be killed and should be killed. I would Don Draper to be redeemed. Is it because he is more handsome that Mr. White? Maybe. I am just that shallow. But it doesn't change the fact that the writers have worked hard to keep us intrigued and invested by showing glimpses of his humanity. I want him to find more humanity, be ruined so he can come back worth the time and energy I have invested in him.
How about you? Don Draper in ruins? Or Don Draper redeemed?
I wanted to see his come comeuppance a dozen times in this series - and last night - someone put a pin in him. Three times. The sexually dominated woman puts her clothes on and says enough. The super nice guy out macho's him. And Peggy. Peggy says act like a grown up. Really really gratifying television.
I've often lamented that Mad Men has been too smart for me at times. It's glacial pace makes me feel like I've missed something - WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? But I think some of the plotting and pacing has just been bobbled by the creative team. This season though!! We are a match. Draper's feelings don't manifest in any normal way - we can't look at him and see any kind of trajectory. And that frankly is awesome. His character requires foils and mirrors, he's the rat in the maze, we're on his back and Peggy is a wall he has to figure out how to get around without showing too many of his faults.
I'm worried that the end point of this show is that he'll just be ruined. There are a lot of shows right now with protagonists who - in the end - will just be killed and should be killed. I would Don Draper to be redeemed. Is it because he is more handsome that Mr. White? Maybe. I am just that shallow. But it doesn't change the fact that the writers have worked hard to keep us intrigued and invested by showing glimpses of his humanity. I want him to find more humanity, be ruined so he can come back worth the time and energy I have invested in him.
How about you? Don Draper in ruins? Or Don Draper redeemed?
