Holly Cupala's Blog, page 50

Blog Vacation

Brimstone Soup will be taking a little vacation from now until after Labor Day, when I will be back with fresh energy and fresh 'Soup!

In the meantime, if you haven't already put your .02 cents in the poll at right, please do. Leave your comments and suggestions here.

See ya on the other side!

Speaking of June 22, 2010...

My book is now on Goodreads.

Crazy!

(Oh, and I am now on AuthorsNow!)

Thanks to everyone who has asked for an ARC. I'm really flattered and overwhelmed by the interest! I will pass all requests on to my publisher (though I can't promise how many will be available - please don't hold it against me!). Please include your blog link and relevant info about your audience, blog visitors, etc. Thanks!

Between Books

For the last few weeks, I've been in this strange spot - nothing to do on TELL ME A SECRET at this point (but wait until June 22, 2010 !!!), and nothing to do on CREED (yet).

So in this in-between time, I've been thinking about two different YA novels...and wondering which one to write next. Both ideas are relatively fleshed out with characters, plot, and even theme, though there's still plenty of room for creative surprises. Both will be demanding and exciting and draining and filling in all the

Extreme Dedication

<>I heard about this from Melissa at I heart daily and thought it was pretty amazing: two women, a visionary and a designer, have teamed up for The Uniform Project, a 365-day fundraiser in which Sheena Matheiken wears the same dress designed by her friend, Eliza Starbuck, to raise funds for slum schools in India.

Incredible idea!

Sheena styles the dress, a simple black uniform style, into a completely different outfit every day. See July 31st and August 6th below:


They have already raised over $8k fo</>

Funky Friday: More sorbet, the allergen-free kind

By request from scatterbeams...

One of my favorite new non-dairy, non-processed-sugar frozen treats is Coconut Bliss, which comes in the most luscious flavors, including Cherry Amaretto, Strawberry Lemon Love, Mint Galactica, and a dizzying array of chocolate flavors.

My one tiny complaint? The price.

So, given my propensity for making frozen sweets with my handy ice cream-maker, I decided to try my hand at duplicating this frozen delicacy. Here's my result (though I highly recommend indulging in t

Some cool things coming up

Mark your calendar now for the upcoming chat at readergirlz with KENDRA author Coe Booth:



Plus you can start reading now: readergirlz has Kristin Cashore and GRACELING up in September!

Teen Read Week with readergirlz - I'm working on the poster and trailer now! Here's last year's:



In November, there is The Golden Coffee Cup at Molly Blaisdell's blog (a sane and inspiring alternative to NANOWRIMO). Jolie's and my 5K days last year were the inspiration for SRS. I hope you join us!

What would you like to see at Brimstone Soup?

Hi, Everyone. Wow, lots of new faces - welcome!

So, on the heels of the wild and unexpected popularity of Summer Revision Smackdown with Jolie, I am thinking about the next steps for this blog. I have a few ideas, but I would love to hear from you!

What would you like to see? I have a poll at right that will be open until the end of August. Other suggestions? Please leave a comment!

SCBWI in LA: A Spectator Sport

Did you miss the LA conference, too? With all this blogging and tweeting, the conference turned into an armchair event for those of us who couldn't attend.

Want to know how to craft a winning query letter? Daniel Lazar tells us how. (Plus agents and editors galore.)

Picture book tips from Jim Averbeck and Dan Yaccarino, novel goodies from Ellen Hopkins, Karen Cushman, Linda Sue Park, Holly Black, Sherman Alexie, Kathleen Duey, Frank Portman, and so many others.

Aliens, Blue Men, and Ball Gowns, oh

Funky Friday: Make Sorbet

Funky Friday is back with things to make and do, August-style!

If you've been stuck in a heat wave like those of us in the Northwest, the best remedy I can think of (besides being in line for one of those a/c units selling out in 10 minutes), is to make sorbet.

Specifically, lemon or lime sorbet. Here is my favorite recipe, adapted from Epicurious:

2 cups water
2 cups sugar

Boil on the stove or microwave on high 6+ minutes and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Cool completely in the refrigera

Revision Tips Galore

If you missed the Summer Revision Smackdown at the blogs of Holly Cupala and Jolie Stekly, don't fret - here is the lowdown on the fabulous array of revision tips they gathered from the cream of the author and illustrator crop (plus a few publishing experts!):

<>Jill S. Alexander, YA Historical Author, on revising to immerse your reader in the mosh of your storyMolly Blaisdell, Picture Book, Middle Grade, NF, and YA Author, on analyzing your manuscript for revision <>Nathan Bransford, Curtis Brown Ag</></>