Eilis O'Neal's Blog, page 7
June 28, 2011
ALA: Day One
I spent this last Saturday and Sunday at ALA in New Orleans. It was just two days, but my legs, arms, and brain don’t quite believe that, because it was busy enough for five days. I had an absolute blast, so I thought I’d share a quick rundown of the weekend.
Saturday:
Got up at 4:30 a.m. Was surprisingly alert for being awake at such an ungodly hour, probably because of my excitement.While waiting to get on the plane in Tulsa, I ended up having a 5-minute conversation with two flight attendants about my hair. They wanted to know if it curled naturally, if I’d ever worn it long, if the curls disappeared when it was long . . . I don’t think I have overly remarkable hair, so it was a little odd, though they were complimentary of it.Made it to the hotel in New Orleans around 11:00. Left my bags and went looking for food. Was nearly suffocated by the humidity. Really, I thought I knew humidity in Tulsa, but New Orleans is something else. You don’t so much sweat as feel like you’ve been dipped in sweaty wax. Ewww.After finding food, made my way to the (happily, thankfully) nearby convention center. Of course, the actual convention was still about a half mile away, because the New Orleans convention center is loooooooong. At least you get to walk that half-mile in the air conditioning, though.Half-mile completed, I got in line to get my badge when I heard someone call out “Eilis.” I turn around and see Emily, the head YA librarian in Tulsa and the daughter of one of my mom’s co-workers, standing there. Am happy to see her but mildly shocked that, out of 20,000 people or so, we manage to bump into each other almost immediately. In any case, we talk for a bit, and then I get my badge and go into the exhibit hall.Wow. It’s big. BIG. After standing in more shock for a minute, I finally got it together enough to go in search of the Egmont booth. Lots of excitement as I got to meet three of the Egmont team in person for the first time: Regina Griffin, Katie Halata, and Greg Ferguson. They are all so awesome, and I was so glad to get to meet them. Even more glad when Greg said that people had been coming by asking about The False Princess and mentioning that they liked it.Decided to wander the aisles, and discovered that publishers will give you free books!!! So, thinking (unselfishly) that I need to discover some new writers and keep up with older ones to possibly ask them to Nimrod’s writing conference in the fall and (selfishly) that there are so many gorgeous books that I want, I start accepting galleys (and occasionally finished copies) whenever they’re offered. And man, I got some good ones that I can’t wait to read. A few that I’m the most excited about: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, Forever and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore, Jackson Pearce’s Sweetly, and Mary E. Pearson's The Fox Inheritance.Went all fan-girl at the Unshelved booth. (If you don’t read Unshelved, you should. Really, really, you should.) Bought a t-shirt with a picture of a bat’leth impaling a book and the line, “Today is a good day . . . to read.”Went to listen to Cassandra Clare read from The Clockwork Angel and a bit from The Clockwork Prince, which just made me want to read the whole thing now and feel angsty that I couldn’t. Got a copy of City of Fallen Angels signed, though, which helped the angst somewhat.Stumble upon Leanna Renee Hieber signing ARCs of her new book, Darker Still. I have to admit that I’d never heard of this book, but I had to go over and get one when I saw Leanna’s outfit. I mean, how can you not stop for someone wearing a black corset with a tailed tuxedo-type jacket with ruffled sleeves, a gorgeous cameo necklace and earrings, and a black choker. She was really nice and said that if I liked the outfit, I’d probably like the book, so I’m hoping she’s right, because I really liked that outfit!Realized that my arms might fall off from the number of books in my bag, and that I was actually bruising my hips from bracing the tote against them. Does this stop me from picking up more books? You must be kidding.Decided to give my body a break and go to a session of science fiction and fantasy writers talking about changes in information technology. A great line-up with Gail Carriger, John Scalzi, Orson Scott Card, and others. Very informative and fun. As usual, Gail Carriger had an awesome hat on.Finally made my way back to the hotel to crash out for a bit. Then went to dinner with fellow Egmont author Jennifer Lynn Barnes and editor Regina Griffin. We went to a Cajun restaurant right down the street from the hotel—good food, a fun band playing, and great conversation when we could make ourselves heard over the music. Oddly, we all ended up ordering the same thing, which led to much laughter and Regina saying that she knew there was a reason she liked our books. Also watched this 80-year-old guy in a lobster shirt manage to dance with nearly every girl under the age of 25 in the place.Finally had to excuse myself when my 4:30 wake up started catching up with me and I yawned about six times in two minutes. Zombie-walked back up to my room, set the wake-up call for the next morning, and got some much-needed sleep.
So that was Saturday. Next up, Sunday, in which I actually do Author Things.
Saturday:
Got up at 4:30 a.m. Was surprisingly alert for being awake at such an ungodly hour, probably because of my excitement.While waiting to get on the plane in Tulsa, I ended up having a 5-minute conversation with two flight attendants about my hair. They wanted to know if it curled naturally, if I’d ever worn it long, if the curls disappeared when it was long . . . I don’t think I have overly remarkable hair, so it was a little odd, though they were complimentary of it.Made it to the hotel in New Orleans around 11:00. Left my bags and went looking for food. Was nearly suffocated by the humidity. Really, I thought I knew humidity in Tulsa, but New Orleans is something else. You don’t so much sweat as feel like you’ve been dipped in sweaty wax. Ewww.After finding food, made my way to the (happily, thankfully) nearby convention center. Of course, the actual convention was still about a half mile away, because the New Orleans convention center is loooooooong. At least you get to walk that half-mile in the air conditioning, though.Half-mile completed, I got in line to get my badge when I heard someone call out “Eilis.” I turn around and see Emily, the head YA librarian in Tulsa and the daughter of one of my mom’s co-workers, standing there. Am happy to see her but mildly shocked that, out of 20,000 people or so, we manage to bump into each other almost immediately. In any case, we talk for a bit, and then I get my badge and go into the exhibit hall.Wow. It’s big. BIG. After standing in more shock for a minute, I finally got it together enough to go in search of the Egmont booth. Lots of excitement as I got to meet three of the Egmont team in person for the first time: Regina Griffin, Katie Halata, and Greg Ferguson. They are all so awesome, and I was so glad to get to meet them. Even more glad when Greg said that people had been coming by asking about The False Princess and mentioning that they liked it.Decided to wander the aisles, and discovered that publishers will give you free books!!! So, thinking (unselfishly) that I need to discover some new writers and keep up with older ones to possibly ask them to Nimrod’s writing conference in the fall and (selfishly) that there are so many gorgeous books that I want, I start accepting galleys (and occasionally finished copies) whenever they’re offered. And man, I got some good ones that I can’t wait to read. A few that I’m the most excited about: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, Forever and The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore, Jackson Pearce’s Sweetly, and Mary E. Pearson's The Fox Inheritance.Went all fan-girl at the Unshelved booth. (If you don’t read Unshelved, you should. Really, really, you should.) Bought a t-shirt with a picture of a bat’leth impaling a book and the line, “Today is a good day . . . to read.”Went to listen to Cassandra Clare read from The Clockwork Angel and a bit from The Clockwork Prince, which just made me want to read the whole thing now and feel angsty that I couldn’t. Got a copy of City of Fallen Angels signed, though, which helped the angst somewhat.Stumble upon Leanna Renee Hieber signing ARCs of her new book, Darker Still. I have to admit that I’d never heard of this book, but I had to go over and get one when I saw Leanna’s outfit. I mean, how can you not stop for someone wearing a black corset with a tailed tuxedo-type jacket with ruffled sleeves, a gorgeous cameo necklace and earrings, and a black choker. She was really nice and said that if I liked the outfit, I’d probably like the book, so I’m hoping she’s right, because I really liked that outfit!Realized that my arms might fall off from the number of books in my bag, and that I was actually bruising my hips from bracing the tote against them. Does this stop me from picking up more books? You must be kidding.Decided to give my body a break and go to a session of science fiction and fantasy writers talking about changes in information technology. A great line-up with Gail Carriger, John Scalzi, Orson Scott Card, and others. Very informative and fun. As usual, Gail Carriger had an awesome hat on.Finally made my way back to the hotel to crash out for a bit. Then went to dinner with fellow Egmont author Jennifer Lynn Barnes and editor Regina Griffin. We went to a Cajun restaurant right down the street from the hotel—good food, a fun band playing, and great conversation when we could make ourselves heard over the music. Oddly, we all ended up ordering the same thing, which led to much laughter and Regina saying that she knew there was a reason she liked our books. Also watched this 80-year-old guy in a lobster shirt manage to dance with nearly every girl under the age of 25 in the place.Finally had to excuse myself when my 4:30 wake up started catching up with me and I yawned about six times in two minutes. Zombie-walked back up to my room, set the wake-up call for the next morning, and got some much-needed sleep.
So that was Saturday. Next up, Sunday, in which I actually do Author Things.
June 24, 2011
Ireland: Part One
It's taken 10 days, but I've finally gotten my pictures from Ireland sorted out enough that I can post about the trip. Of course, it will be the Highlights Version, because Matt and I ran around like chickens with our heads cut off--chickens that had been insane and on speed while alive. Seriously, I need another vacation to get over this one, it was that jam-packed and awesome. And I'd like to share a little of that awesomeness, so here goes.
Day 1: Survived driving out of the Dublin airport in the rental car. Oddly, we flew into town the same day as President Obama, so the Garda were out in full force. Went to Powerscourt Gardens and were nearly blown away, both by the wind (seriously, I thought I knew wind in Oklahoma, but Irish wind has us beat) and the scenery. The gardens are magnificent--they have a Japanese garden and a walled garden and a lake with pegasi statues and a tower and HUGE trees.
Looking back from the lake at Powerscourt Gardens
Day 2: Went to Glendalough, a 6th century monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin. They have one of the best-preserved round towers in Ireland--learned that round towers were built with the doors 15 feet up as a defensive feature. You had to climb up to the door with a ladder. Tried to get my arms around St. Kevin's cross to make a wish (as the legend says you can), but didn't make it. Apparently only long-armed people deserve wishes. Drove on to Kilkenny, where I stumbled into some free bodhran lessons at the pub where we ate dinner. Was goaded into singing "Oklahoma" by the bodhran teacher.
The round tower at Glendalough.
No wish for me.
I found this in the bathroom at the pub. Curl or straighten your hair for just 2 Euro, just don't mind whoever else's hair might have been there before yours.
Day 3: Went to the Rock of Cashel. Sadly, it's undergoing preservation work for the next 2 years to remove water that has seeped into the stone, so part of it was in scaffolding. Still, uber-impressive. Then walked down to the ruins of Hore Abbey, a ruin that you can see from the Rock. Became extremely jealous of any children who live in the nearby houses, because you can walk around it any time. It would have been my playground as a kid. Was also fan-girl excited to find that our B&B has an actual cupboard under the stairs. We don't have such things in Oklahoma.
The Rock of Cashel from afar.
Cold while wandering around Hore Abbey
Day 4: Went down to the Hook Peninsula on the way to Kinsale. Went to Tintern Abbey and then scrambled around on the rocks at the tip of the peninsula near the Hook Lighthouse--crashy waves are always fun. That evening in Kinsale I went on a Ghost Tour of the town (of course, it wasn't actually dark at 10 o'clock, which I never got used to). More silly than scary. One of the best stories was of a lane that was thought to be haunted, since people kept disappearing on it. Turns out it was haunted in a fashion--by smugglers trying to bring their goods into town without paying taxes. They were the ones who had spread the "haunted" rumors, and probably made anyone who came around disappear.
Tintern Abbey. Of course, five minutes after I took the picture it got sunny.
Moss growing in the lettering of a gravestone at Tintern. I thought this was really neat--didn't see it anywhere else.
The grass grows back on itself on the Hook Peninsula, it's so windy.
Day 5: Blarney Castle! Kissed the stone, a rather unnerving experience since you have to be upside-down to do it! They also have a poison garden there, chock full of poisonous plants and the legends behind them. Totally cool (Also decided that whoever makes the info plaques at Blarney is Harry Potter obsessed. No fewer than 4 references to the books, 2 in the poison garden.) Also got to go into Blarney House, which is still lived in by the titled family. We got to see where they hide their flat-screen TV amidst all the historical furniture and decorations.
On the way to the Blarney Stone. Glad for the rope, because the stairs are scary-narrow and steep.
Laying a smacker on the Blarney Stone.
Blarney House. I want to live here! I have my room picked out already. (In one of the turrets, of course.)
I have to go finish packing for ALA, so that's all for now. More when I get back, along with a report from ALA!
Day 1: Survived driving out of the Dublin airport in the rental car. Oddly, we flew into town the same day as President Obama, so the Garda were out in full force. Went to Powerscourt Gardens and were nearly blown away, both by the wind (seriously, I thought I knew wind in Oklahoma, but Irish wind has us beat) and the scenery. The gardens are magnificent--they have a Japanese garden and a walled garden and a lake with pegasi statues and a tower and HUGE trees.
Looking back from the lake at Powerscourt Gardens
Day 2: Went to Glendalough, a 6th century monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin. They have one of the best-preserved round towers in Ireland--learned that round towers were built with the doors 15 feet up as a defensive feature. You had to climb up to the door with a ladder. Tried to get my arms around St. Kevin's cross to make a wish (as the legend says you can), but didn't make it. Apparently only long-armed people deserve wishes. Drove on to Kilkenny, where I stumbled into some free bodhran lessons at the pub where we ate dinner. Was goaded into singing "Oklahoma" by the bodhran teacher.
The round tower at Glendalough.
No wish for me.
I found this in the bathroom at the pub. Curl or straighten your hair for just 2 Euro, just don't mind whoever else's hair might have been there before yours.
Day 3: Went to the Rock of Cashel. Sadly, it's undergoing preservation work for the next 2 years to remove water that has seeped into the stone, so part of it was in scaffolding. Still, uber-impressive. Then walked down to the ruins of Hore Abbey, a ruin that you can see from the Rock. Became extremely jealous of any children who live in the nearby houses, because you can walk around it any time. It would have been my playground as a kid. Was also fan-girl excited to find that our B&B has an actual cupboard under the stairs. We don't have such things in Oklahoma.
The Rock of Cashel from afar.
Cold while wandering around Hore Abbey
Day 4: Went down to the Hook Peninsula on the way to Kinsale. Went to Tintern Abbey and then scrambled around on the rocks at the tip of the peninsula near the Hook Lighthouse--crashy waves are always fun. That evening in Kinsale I went on a Ghost Tour of the town (of course, it wasn't actually dark at 10 o'clock, which I never got used to). More silly than scary. One of the best stories was of a lane that was thought to be haunted, since people kept disappearing on it. Turns out it was haunted in a fashion--by smugglers trying to bring their goods into town without paying taxes. They were the ones who had spread the "haunted" rumors, and probably made anyone who came around disappear.
Tintern Abbey. Of course, five minutes after I took the picture it got sunny.
Moss growing in the lettering of a gravestone at Tintern. I thought this was really neat--didn't see it anywhere else.
The grass grows back on itself on the Hook Peninsula, it's so windy.
Day 5: Blarney Castle! Kissed the stone, a rather unnerving experience since you have to be upside-down to do it! They also have a poison garden there, chock full of poisonous plants and the legends behind them. Totally cool (Also decided that whoever makes the info plaques at Blarney is Harry Potter obsessed. No fewer than 4 references to the books, 2 in the poison garden.) Also got to go into Blarney House, which is still lived in by the titled family. We got to see where they hide their flat-screen TV amidst all the historical furniture and decorations.
On the way to the Blarney Stone. Glad for the rope, because the stairs are scary-narrow and steep.
Laying a smacker on the Blarney Stone.
Blarney House. I want to live here! I have my room picked out already. (In one of the turrets, of course.)
I have to go finish packing for ALA, so that's all for now. More when I get back, along with a report from ALA!
June 19, 2011
ALA
I'm excited because next weekend I'll be attending my first big conference as an author. I'll be at ALA in New Orleans on June 25th and 26th, with a signing at Egmont USA's booth (954) from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on the 26th. If you'll be at ALA, I hope you'll drop by to get a book signed or just to chat!
I'm not quite sure what to expect from such a large conference. I've been to the AWP conference for the past 10 years via my day-job with Nimrod Journal, but AWP is mainly concerned with small presses, literary journals, and panels on writing. It's large (about 9,000 people attend), but not when compared to ALA. I'm super excited to get to see what ALA is like, and I'll make a full report when I'm back. I'm thinking it will be a blast.
Next up: the first report from Ireland. (I think I'm going to have to break it into sections, even if I try to keep to the highlights.) But in the meantime, here's another teaser pic:
I'm not quite sure what to expect from such a large conference. I've been to the AWP conference for the past 10 years via my day-job with Nimrod Journal, but AWP is mainly concerned with small presses, literary journals, and panels on writing. It's large (about 9,000 people attend), but not when compared to ALA. I'm super excited to get to see what ALA is like, and I'll make a full report when I'm back. I'm thinking it will be a blast.
Next up: the first report from Ireland. (I think I'm going to have to break it into sections, even if I try to keep to the highlights.) But in the meantime, here's another teaser pic:
June 15, 2011
Book Recs, or a Holding Post
So, I know things have been quiet around here . . . but that's because I've been in Ireland for the past three weeks. I meant to post something about that before I left (or rather, something more than just mentioning it in my Kindle post), but the time got away from me. I have a one word description of the trip though: FANTASTIC.
I'll be posting some pics and highlights of the trip (getting to learn to fly heiress hawks in front of castle, kissing the Blarney stone, standing inside a passage tomb 500 years older than the pyramids at Giza), but for now I'm still going through the pictures we took (just under 1,300 of them, so some are going to HAVE to go) and trying to stay away until at least 9:30 at night so I don't wake up at 4:30 in the morning. But I feel guilty about the blog silence, so, for the meantime, here are a few book recs. And one pic, because he's just so cute.
A few new reads, at least to me, that are worth checking out:
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. This book follows Jenna, who wakes up two years after a terrible accident. But she has few memories of her life, and there are other strangeness about herself and her family as well, things she can't explain with her parents' account of what happened to her. There aren’t a lot of bangs and flashes here, but instead a careful unfolding of information about Jenna, her accident, and her family. You can see what’s coming for Jenna early, but that doesn’t matter. Because this is about her dealing with her circumstances, and about showing how a typical science fiction trope might have started. I enjoyed it very much, and am looking forward to the related book, The Fox Inheritance, coming soon. (YA science fiction)
Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Across the Universe is told from the points of view of two young people on the inter-generational spaceship Godspeed. Amy, a girl who has been frozen—and then accidentally unfrozen—along with her parents for the 300 year journey, and Elder, a boy who has lived on the ship his whole life. Across the Universe doesn’t break new ground in science fiction terms, but it’s a good coming of age story with secrets and near misses galore. Again, I’m looking forward to the sequel. (YA science fiction)
White Cat and Red Glove by Holly Black. For some reason, White Cat completely missed me when it came out, so I only picked it up when the sequel, Red Glove, came out. And I’m so glad I did! Both books take place in a world where curse workers can change your body, your memories, control your dreams, or even kill you with a touch. Cassel is from a family of curse workers but isn’t one himself, so he’s taken himself off to a private boarding school. Cassel is a wonderful narrator—clever and honest about himself—and the world he lives in is full of great detail, down to the world public service announcements about making sure to wear your gloves at all times. I read them in about a day each, and can’t wait for Black Heart. (YA paranormal/fantasy).
I'll be posting some pics and highlights of the trip (getting to learn to fly heiress hawks in front of castle, kissing the Blarney stone, standing inside a passage tomb 500 years older than the pyramids at Giza), but for now I'm still going through the pictures we took (just under 1,300 of them, so some are going to HAVE to go) and trying to stay away until at least 9:30 at night so I don't wake up at 4:30 in the morning. But I feel guilty about the blog silence, so, for the meantime, here are a few book recs. And one pic, because he's just so cute.
A few new reads, at least to me, that are worth checking out:
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson. This book follows Jenna, who wakes up two years after a terrible accident. But she has few memories of her life, and there are other strangeness about herself and her family as well, things she can't explain with her parents' account of what happened to her. There aren’t a lot of bangs and flashes here, but instead a careful unfolding of information about Jenna, her accident, and her family. You can see what’s coming for Jenna early, but that doesn’t matter. Because this is about her dealing with her circumstances, and about showing how a typical science fiction trope might have started. I enjoyed it very much, and am looking forward to the related book, The Fox Inheritance, coming soon. (YA science fiction)
Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Across the Universe is told from the points of view of two young people on the inter-generational spaceship Godspeed. Amy, a girl who has been frozen—and then accidentally unfrozen—along with her parents for the 300 year journey, and Elder, a boy who has lived on the ship his whole life. Across the Universe doesn’t break new ground in science fiction terms, but it’s a good coming of age story with secrets and near misses galore. Again, I’m looking forward to the sequel. (YA science fiction)
White Cat and Red Glove by Holly Black. For some reason, White Cat completely missed me when it came out, so I only picked it up when the sequel, Red Glove, came out. And I’m so glad I did! Both books take place in a world where curse workers can change your body, your memories, control your dreams, or even kill you with a touch. Cassel is from a family of curse workers but isn’t one himself, so he’s taken himself off to a private boarding school. Cassel is a wonderful narrator—clever and honest about himself—and the world he lives in is full of great detail, down to the world public service announcements about making sure to wear your gloves at all times. I read them in about a day each, and can’t wait for Black Heart. (YA paranormal/fantasy).
May 17, 2011
Kindle vs. Me
My husband and I have been planning a trip to Ireland for the last six months and—finally!—it’s nearly upon us. We’ve got the house/dog sitter set, we’ve made all our reservations, I’ve been steeling myself to learn how to drive on the opposite side of the road, and I’ve been concentrating on not freaking out on the plane. (Seriously, I have plane fear. I’ll get on them—usually medicated into submission—but I don’t like it.) In fact, I’ve been looking at my list of Things To Do, and it’s gotten pretty small. And yet one of the things left to do is the most daunting task of all. . . picking out which books to take.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m one of those people who travels with too many books. I always end up taking more books than I need, because I’m scared that the plane will be delayed or the car will break down and I’ll be left in an airport or on a road with nothing to read. My husband can blithely stare into space and just think for an hour or two, but I get antsy if I have to wait ten minutes at a doctor’s office without a book. So before a trip I pile books into my suitcase, knowing that they’re taking up valuable real estate, knowing that I will never read all of them, but too scared of being without them to leave them behind.
So, this trip. It’s for three weeks. A combined 12 hours in airports coming and going, never mind the time spent on the actual plane. Which means that I’ll need lots of reading material. Too much, really, because I also need space in my luggage for clothing.
Last week, I mentioned this to a friend of mine while watching Game of Thrones on HBO. (Which I like. Seriously coveting the sets and costumes.) I hadn’t read any of the books, though it seems like I couldn’t walk outside my house without someone telling me I ought to. But the show has a nasty habit of ending on cliff-hangers, and it was getting to be too much for me. So I decided to start reading the books, which I borrowed from said friend. And in the process, I mentioned how I would take some of them to Ireland, hoping then that I wouldn’t have to take so many other books, since the Song of Ice and Fire books are so thick you could handily kill someone with one.
“Well, I have them all on my Kindle,” my friend said. “Do you want to take that with you?”
This being the very generous offer that it was, and with the idea that I would now be able to save ten pounds of luggage space, I accepted.
Which leads me to having a Kindle—or any electronic reader—in my house for the first time. And also leads to an odd bit of anxiety in me. Because, truthfully, I don’t know how I feel about the Kindle and its ilk. On the one hand, anything—anything!—that gets people reading is A Good Thing in my book. And the books are the same, whether they’re on Star Trek-like tablets or in book form. Also, there’s the voice of my mother from when I was nine and in Girl Scouts. I wanted to get the Occupation Badge (or something), and do to that you had to give a little presentation and answer questions about what you wanted to do when you grew up. I, of course, wanted to be a writer. And, at first, I thought that meant I didn’t have to put down anything on the line that said “Environmental impact.” But then my mom said, “Well, what about the trees they’ll cut down to make your books, and the fuel they’re burn shipping them around the country?”
But then there’s the other part of me. Because, honestly, I just like books. I like having a house full of them. I like the weight of them in my hands. I like the way they smell. In fact, I can’t fully explain why having stories in book form is so important to me, but it is. (It also doesn’t help that I’m very suspicious of change of most sorts.) So the Kindle, for all its convenience, seems like a kind of betrayal of something that is a huge part of who I am.
And then I come back around to saying that’s silly, and the cycle starts again.
But I am taking my friend’s Kindle to Ireland, and I’m interested to see how I like it. I’m trying not to prejudice myself one way or another—any more than I already am—but just have the experience and see what it’s like. I’ll report back, and we’ll see if there’s room in my house—and head—for a new kind of reading or not.
And I’ll try not to worry about the time during take off when the flight attendant says, “And now we ask that you turn off anything with an On/Off switch,” and I’m left without reading material until we reach our altitude. But I don’t think I’ll succeed.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m one of those people who travels with too many books. I always end up taking more books than I need, because I’m scared that the plane will be delayed or the car will break down and I’ll be left in an airport or on a road with nothing to read. My husband can blithely stare into space and just think for an hour or two, but I get antsy if I have to wait ten minutes at a doctor’s office without a book. So before a trip I pile books into my suitcase, knowing that they’re taking up valuable real estate, knowing that I will never read all of them, but too scared of being without them to leave them behind.
So, this trip. It’s for three weeks. A combined 12 hours in airports coming and going, never mind the time spent on the actual plane. Which means that I’ll need lots of reading material. Too much, really, because I also need space in my luggage for clothing.
Last week, I mentioned this to a friend of mine while watching Game of Thrones on HBO. (Which I like. Seriously coveting the sets and costumes.) I hadn’t read any of the books, though it seems like I couldn’t walk outside my house without someone telling me I ought to. But the show has a nasty habit of ending on cliff-hangers, and it was getting to be too much for me. So I decided to start reading the books, which I borrowed from said friend. And in the process, I mentioned how I would take some of them to Ireland, hoping then that I wouldn’t have to take so many other books, since the Song of Ice and Fire books are so thick you could handily kill someone with one.
“Well, I have them all on my Kindle,” my friend said. “Do you want to take that with you?”
This being the very generous offer that it was, and with the idea that I would now be able to save ten pounds of luggage space, I accepted.
Which leads me to having a Kindle—or any electronic reader—in my house for the first time. And also leads to an odd bit of anxiety in me. Because, truthfully, I don’t know how I feel about the Kindle and its ilk. On the one hand, anything—anything!—that gets people reading is A Good Thing in my book. And the books are the same, whether they’re on Star Trek-like tablets or in book form. Also, there’s the voice of my mother from when I was nine and in Girl Scouts. I wanted to get the Occupation Badge (or something), and do to that you had to give a little presentation and answer questions about what you wanted to do when you grew up. I, of course, wanted to be a writer. And, at first, I thought that meant I didn’t have to put down anything on the line that said “Environmental impact.” But then my mom said, “Well, what about the trees they’ll cut down to make your books, and the fuel they’re burn shipping them around the country?”
But then there’s the other part of me. Because, honestly, I just like books. I like having a house full of them. I like the weight of them in my hands. I like the way they smell. In fact, I can’t fully explain why having stories in book form is so important to me, but it is. (It also doesn’t help that I’m very suspicious of change of most sorts.) So the Kindle, for all its convenience, seems like a kind of betrayal of something that is a huge part of who I am.
And then I come back around to saying that’s silly, and the cycle starts again.
But I am taking my friend’s Kindle to Ireland, and I’m interested to see how I like it. I’m trying not to prejudice myself one way or another—any more than I already am—but just have the experience and see what it’s like. I’ll report back, and we’ll see if there’s room in my house—and head—for a new kind of reading or not.
And I’ll try not to worry about the time during take off when the flight attendant says, “And now we ask that you turn off anything with an On/Off switch,” and I’m left without reading material until we reach our altitude. But I don’t think I’ll succeed.
May 10, 2011
A Peek at My Writing Process
One of the things I find most interesting to hear about from other writers is their writing process. Mainly because they’re so varied. You have people who can outline an entire book from start to finish—who have to in order to even start it. You have people who make up index cards for each character, listing everything from their eye color to grandparents’ names to major weaknesses. You have people who, if they know the ending of the book too early, become uninterested in it and stop writing. You have people who revise as they go along, and people who wait until the book is finished to revise. So many techniques that can produce great books—and none of them exactly alike. I always feel fascinated and a bit voyeuristic reading or hearing about how another writer writes—kind of like looking into someone’s underwear drawer.
So, I thought I would share a little about my underwear drawer—excuse me—writing process. ( Unfortunately, I always feel a bit odd trying to explain it, because it isn’t one of the clearer processes. Or, at least, I feel like it isn’t, because it doesn’t involve outlining or index cards.) But here goes!
The short explanation of my writing process is that I write by feel. An idea comes to me in some state of completion. Sometimes—like when I was writing The False Princess—I get the main components of the story all at once. Other times it’s just a single character, or a setting, or a bit of an idea that needs to be mulled around for a long time. Eventually, though, I get to the point where I have something that looks like a house in the early stages of construction. You can see the shape of it, and maybe a few rooms have walls, but there’s still a lot of open air. Usually this means that I know my main characters, the central problem of the novel and some of how it will be solved, how the book will open up, and a few high points or scenes and about where they will be in the book. And then I’ll start writing.
Aside from the scaffolding of the story that I mentioned, I often don’t know exactly where the story will go. Or rather, I know where I want it to go, but I don’t know how it will get there. Sometimes I’ll finished a scene one day, knowing that I need to accomplish a certain thing or get to a certain plain in the next scene. But I won’t know how I’ll do that until I sit down and start writing the next day.
In some ways, I love this. There are connections that have come from writing this way that would never have come if I had outlined everything from the first—connections that burst into my brain at exactly the right moment. There are scenes that are a total surprise to me, and so I know they’ll be a surprise to the reader. But other times, it’s downright scary. Sometimes I get to a spot and I have no idea where to go from there, and I have to spend days staring at the computer screen, feeling like I’m completely uncreative and that I’m wasting time. Sometimes I write myself into corners that are really hard to get out of.
Over the years, though, I’ve come to realize that it’s the only way I can write. I can’t outline at the beginning of a project, though I envy people who can. (Probably should have realized this would be a problem in high school, when teachers wanted students to turn in outlines of papers before the actual papers. I always just wrote the paper and then made up the outline from the finished product.) Having to write synopses terrifies me—even though part of me keeps thinking, Just write down something. You can change it later. But I am, I’ve realized, scared of writing down the wrong thing, because I'm afraid it will get stuck in my brain and keep me from seeing the right thing when it’s time. About halfway through a novel, I’ll usually write up a little summary of where things are going, but they’re not usually more than a paragraph or two, and even they change.
Let’s see, other pieces of my process. I don’t rewrite heavily as I go along, but generally wait until the whole thing is finished to start picking apart word choice or making sure I’ve led up to things exactly as I want to. That said, I often get about 30-40 pages into a book and then have to go back and rewrite that from the start—sometimes more extensively than others. (The False Princess started out in third person, before I realized that was totally wrong for that book. Also I wasn't sure for a long time if I wanted to have to go to Treb and meet Aunt Varil or just be catapulted into being Philanatha's assistant.) And I’ll go back and rewrite if I decide to change a major plot point, lest I confuse myself later.
I write in order from start to finish. I can’t leave scenes half-done, even if I have no idea of what to do with them, or write a scene that occurs later in the book than where I am now. I need to lead up to everything just as it would be read, see how it evolves.
I try to write for a few hours a day Monday-Friday. I give myself weekends off, because I need that down time to help things gel. I don’t have a set word count, though I can get a few thousand in on a good day, maybe 500 on a bad day. Sometimes I can’t write because I’m not quite sure where I’m going next, so on those days I tend to mull, trying to figure out where I need to be. Occasionally, I’ll use my writing time for research, but I tend to do more of that on my “off” time. I try to straddle the line between pushing myself on the days when I feel dull and crappy and don’t want to write, and realizing when I don’t feel like writing for a reason. Sometimes I’m just being lazy, and once I get started I get into the flow, but other times part of me is being resistant because the scene I need to write isn’t ready yet. It needs more mulling time. It can sometimes be hard to tell the difference, but I try.
Whew. This has gotten really long, so I’m going to sign off for the moment. But if there are elements about my process that I didn’t touch on, feel free to ask about them!
So, I thought I would share a little about my underwear drawer—excuse me—writing process. ( Unfortunately, I always feel a bit odd trying to explain it, because it isn’t one of the clearer processes. Or, at least, I feel like it isn’t, because it doesn’t involve outlining or index cards.) But here goes!
The short explanation of my writing process is that I write by feel. An idea comes to me in some state of completion. Sometimes—like when I was writing The False Princess—I get the main components of the story all at once. Other times it’s just a single character, or a setting, or a bit of an idea that needs to be mulled around for a long time. Eventually, though, I get to the point where I have something that looks like a house in the early stages of construction. You can see the shape of it, and maybe a few rooms have walls, but there’s still a lot of open air. Usually this means that I know my main characters, the central problem of the novel and some of how it will be solved, how the book will open up, and a few high points or scenes and about where they will be in the book. And then I’ll start writing.
Aside from the scaffolding of the story that I mentioned, I often don’t know exactly where the story will go. Or rather, I know where I want it to go, but I don’t know how it will get there. Sometimes I’ll finished a scene one day, knowing that I need to accomplish a certain thing or get to a certain plain in the next scene. But I won’t know how I’ll do that until I sit down and start writing the next day.
In some ways, I love this. There are connections that have come from writing this way that would never have come if I had outlined everything from the first—connections that burst into my brain at exactly the right moment. There are scenes that are a total surprise to me, and so I know they’ll be a surprise to the reader. But other times, it’s downright scary. Sometimes I get to a spot and I have no idea where to go from there, and I have to spend days staring at the computer screen, feeling like I’m completely uncreative and that I’m wasting time. Sometimes I write myself into corners that are really hard to get out of.
Over the years, though, I’ve come to realize that it’s the only way I can write. I can’t outline at the beginning of a project, though I envy people who can. (Probably should have realized this would be a problem in high school, when teachers wanted students to turn in outlines of papers before the actual papers. I always just wrote the paper and then made up the outline from the finished product.) Having to write synopses terrifies me—even though part of me keeps thinking, Just write down something. You can change it later. But I am, I’ve realized, scared of writing down the wrong thing, because I'm afraid it will get stuck in my brain and keep me from seeing the right thing when it’s time. About halfway through a novel, I’ll usually write up a little summary of where things are going, but they’re not usually more than a paragraph or two, and even they change.
Let’s see, other pieces of my process. I don’t rewrite heavily as I go along, but generally wait until the whole thing is finished to start picking apart word choice or making sure I’ve led up to things exactly as I want to. That said, I often get about 30-40 pages into a book and then have to go back and rewrite that from the start—sometimes more extensively than others. (The False Princess started out in third person, before I realized that was totally wrong for that book. Also I wasn't sure for a long time if I wanted to have to go to Treb and meet Aunt Varil or just be catapulted into being Philanatha's assistant.) And I’ll go back and rewrite if I decide to change a major plot point, lest I confuse myself later.
I write in order from start to finish. I can’t leave scenes half-done, even if I have no idea of what to do with them, or write a scene that occurs later in the book than where I am now. I need to lead up to everything just as it would be read, see how it evolves.
I try to write for a few hours a day Monday-Friday. I give myself weekends off, because I need that down time to help things gel. I don’t have a set word count, though I can get a few thousand in on a good day, maybe 500 on a bad day. Sometimes I can’t write because I’m not quite sure where I’m going next, so on those days I tend to mull, trying to figure out where I need to be. Occasionally, I’ll use my writing time for research, but I tend to do more of that on my “off” time. I try to straddle the line between pushing myself on the days when I feel dull and crappy and don’t want to write, and realizing when I don’t feel like writing for a reason. Sometimes I’m just being lazy, and once I get started I get into the flow, but other times part of me is being resistant because the scene I need to write isn’t ready yet. It needs more mulling time. It can sometimes be hard to tell the difference, but I try.
Whew. This has gotten really long, so I’m going to sign off for the moment. But if there are elements about my process that I didn’t touch on, feel free to ask about them!
May 3, 2011
Garage Sales You Might Encounter
So, it's spring. The days are getting warmer, and nights are getting longer. For a lot of people, spring means gardening, grilling, starting outdoor projects. For me it means garage sales.
From April to October, you won't find me at home most Saturday mornings. Instead, my mom swings by at an unseemly hour to pick me up to go garage saling. On a good day, we'll go until lunch, only coming home when we get too hungry to go on. And, on a good day, we'll come home laden with things that other people don't want, which we (hopefully) got for a steal.
I like the thrill of finding something that I need or just really want for a fraction of its real cost. I like that I can find cool stocking stuffers and extra birthday presents that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. I like just looking through people's stuff and being amazed or appalled or befuddled by it. Of course, some days are good and some . . . aren't. I've come home and had to make four trips to and from the car. And I've come home with just a whisk to show for three hours of saling. But it's always fun to me.
So, since it's officially garage saling season, I started thinking about all the different kinds of sales there are. (And not just good or bad.) And so, for your education and amusement, here are some of the sales you might run across on a typical garage saling day.
The "Can I Go Through Your House?" Sale. This is the very best kind of sale, the one where you walk up and realize that you and the seller have the exact same style and are the exact same size. The one where you find ten books by authors you love. The one where you really kinda want to ask if you can just look through the rest of the house, the part that they aren't selling, because you know that there will be more stuff you want.The Kid Sale. A sale that's primarily made up of baby/kid clothes and toys. This can be a great sale if you're looking for said clothes or toys, but one that you feel conned by if they didn't mark it as such in the ad.The "Why Bother?" Sale. The sale that you show up to fifteen minutes after they've opened and wonder if they realize that they won't make back the cost of their ad even if they sell everything there. Really, I once tallied up a sale that could not have made more than $15 if everything in it went. And even a small sale is a lot of work for $15.The "Eww I Can't Touch Anything!" Sale. You're not sure what that weird sticky residue on everything is, but you know you don't want it on you.The Interesting House Sale. You might not buy anything here, but you're glad you got to look around the house, because who would have guessed from the outside that there was a secret room in the attic? (Really, I once went to a sale where there was a secret room in the attic. I think they kept the mad uncle there.)The Never Been To a Garage Sale Before Sale. Everything's overpriced here, and it's obvious that the people running it have never actually been to a sale themselves, as seen in the $9 sticker on a photo album.The Original Price/Designer Sale. Related to the above sale, the sale features items with two prices: the price the person wants you to pay and the price they paid when the thing was new. Often accompanied by a sign that says "Pottery Barn" or "Ethan Allen." Needless to say, the price they want is too high.The They Don't Know What They Have Sale. Another great sale. My mother once walked out of a garage sale with a Waterford vase that weighed about five pounds. The price: $5. (The flip side of this sale is also a great one: The sale where they know what they have but just want to get rid of it. Get ready for great bargains here.)The Man Sale. Tools, fishing rods, tools, knives, rusty tools . . . In general, you need a Y chromosome to really appreciate this sale.The Estate Sale That's Really a Garage Sale. You'll get a bit perturbed when you arrive at this sale and realize that the sign was really just a masquerade to pull you in. It's lacking the two essential qualities of a real Estate Sale: an indoor location and, you know, the contents of someone's estate.The sale that's actually a shop. Generally you'll find vintage-ish knick-knacks at this sale. Old Coke signs, old toys, furniture that all looks that same . . . And slowly, you'll start to realize that no one has this much of that kind of stuff themselves, and that this is actually part of someone's antique store that they've moved to the house for the day.The Church Sale. There are probably people who will argue with me about this one, but I avoid Church sales. Somehow, even though they're huge, I never find anything at them. It's like everyone saved all their good stuff for their own sale.The Perpetual Sale. This is the sale that pops up at the same house every three weeks all summer. The one where you can't figure out where they're getting new stuff from. It's also the sale you'll get annoyed with, because you keep accidentally going to it, even long after you've bought anything you might want from there.This last week was kind of a dud for me. Three sweaters, and two of them didn't fit when I got them home, and one bottle of body wash. But hopefully, the garage sale gods will smile on me, and you, this weekend . . .
From April to October, you won't find me at home most Saturday mornings. Instead, my mom swings by at an unseemly hour to pick me up to go garage saling. On a good day, we'll go until lunch, only coming home when we get too hungry to go on. And, on a good day, we'll come home laden with things that other people don't want, which we (hopefully) got for a steal.
I like the thrill of finding something that I need or just really want for a fraction of its real cost. I like that I can find cool stocking stuffers and extra birthday presents that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise. I like just looking through people's stuff and being amazed or appalled or befuddled by it. Of course, some days are good and some . . . aren't. I've come home and had to make four trips to and from the car. And I've come home with just a whisk to show for three hours of saling. But it's always fun to me.
So, since it's officially garage saling season, I started thinking about all the different kinds of sales there are. (And not just good or bad.) And so, for your education and amusement, here are some of the sales you might run across on a typical garage saling day.
The "Can I Go Through Your House?" Sale. This is the very best kind of sale, the one where you walk up and realize that you and the seller have the exact same style and are the exact same size. The one where you find ten books by authors you love. The one where you really kinda want to ask if you can just look through the rest of the house, the part that they aren't selling, because you know that there will be more stuff you want.The Kid Sale. A sale that's primarily made up of baby/kid clothes and toys. This can be a great sale if you're looking for said clothes or toys, but one that you feel conned by if they didn't mark it as such in the ad.The "Why Bother?" Sale. The sale that you show up to fifteen minutes after they've opened and wonder if they realize that they won't make back the cost of their ad even if they sell everything there. Really, I once tallied up a sale that could not have made more than $15 if everything in it went. And even a small sale is a lot of work for $15.The "Eww I Can't Touch Anything!" Sale. You're not sure what that weird sticky residue on everything is, but you know you don't want it on you.The Interesting House Sale. You might not buy anything here, but you're glad you got to look around the house, because who would have guessed from the outside that there was a secret room in the attic? (Really, I once went to a sale where there was a secret room in the attic. I think they kept the mad uncle there.)The Never Been To a Garage Sale Before Sale. Everything's overpriced here, and it's obvious that the people running it have never actually been to a sale themselves, as seen in the $9 sticker on a photo album.The Original Price/Designer Sale. Related to the above sale, the sale features items with two prices: the price the person wants you to pay and the price they paid when the thing was new. Often accompanied by a sign that says "Pottery Barn" or "Ethan Allen." Needless to say, the price they want is too high.The They Don't Know What They Have Sale. Another great sale. My mother once walked out of a garage sale with a Waterford vase that weighed about five pounds. The price: $5. (The flip side of this sale is also a great one: The sale where they know what they have but just want to get rid of it. Get ready for great bargains here.)The Man Sale. Tools, fishing rods, tools, knives, rusty tools . . . In general, you need a Y chromosome to really appreciate this sale.The Estate Sale That's Really a Garage Sale. You'll get a bit perturbed when you arrive at this sale and realize that the sign was really just a masquerade to pull you in. It's lacking the two essential qualities of a real Estate Sale: an indoor location and, you know, the contents of someone's estate.The sale that's actually a shop. Generally you'll find vintage-ish knick-knacks at this sale. Old Coke signs, old toys, furniture that all looks that same . . . And slowly, you'll start to realize that no one has this much of that kind of stuff themselves, and that this is actually part of someone's antique store that they've moved to the house for the day.The Church Sale. There are probably people who will argue with me about this one, but I avoid Church sales. Somehow, even though they're huge, I never find anything at them. It's like everyone saved all their good stuff for their own sale.The Perpetual Sale. This is the sale that pops up at the same house every three weeks all summer. The one where you can't figure out where they're getting new stuff from. It's also the sale you'll get annoyed with, because you keep accidentally going to it, even long after you've bought anything you might want from there.This last week was kind of a dud for me. Three sweaters, and two of them didn't fit when I got them home, and one bottle of body wash. But hopefully, the garage sale gods will smile on me, and you, this weekend . . .
April 29, 2011
Contest Winners!
Congrats to the two winners of the contest:
ReadingWifeJas
and
malruniel11!
If you'll both email me with your addresses, I'll get your prizes out to you!
Thanks so much to everyone who participated. I loved seeing your answers to your favorite royal couple. So many couples that I love were on your lists, and I'm excited because I have a few new ones to check out as well!
ReadingWifeJas
and
malruniel11!
If you'll both email me with your addresses, I'll get your prizes out to you!
Thanks so much to everyone who participated. I loved seeing your answers to your favorite royal couple. So many couples that I love were on your lists, and I'm excited because I have a few new ones to check out as well!
April 25, 2011
A Royal Contest
On Friday, a lot of the world will stop to watch the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton. (Unfortunately, I've got neither the cable nor the energy to get up at 2:15 a.m. to watch it in person, so I'll just have to catch a recap later.) But that's got me thinking about other royal couples. Or, more specifically, my favorite royal couples from books.
And it's also got me thinking that it's time for a contest!
The Contest:
I want to know who your favorite royal couple from literature is and why you love them best. To enter the contest, leave a comment on this post with your answer. You can get bonus entries by tweeting about the contest, mentioning on your Facebook, or mentioning it on your blog. (You must include a links to your mentions to get the bonus entires.)
The contest will run until 11:59 p.m. CTS on Thursday, April 28th. On the Friday, the day of the Royal Wedding, I'll pick two winners. (Sadly, for shipping reasons, it's only open to US residents.)
And the prizes, you ask? They are really special for this contest, and I'm really, really excited about them. And jealous, because I want to keep one of them for myself! But since I can't . . . .
The two winners will each receive a signed, finished copy of The False Princess and a hand-inked, hand-antiqued copy of King Kelman's Map, which Sinda and Kiernan find in the book.
The False Princess and King Kelman's Map
Up close.
These maps are so neat. A friend of mine made them using, among other things, walnut ink, which was actually used in the Middle Ages. Really, I'm going to have to get her to make one for me, because They. Are. So. Cool.
So to get the contest rolling, here are my favorite couples. Looking over my bookshelves, though, it's a tough call on which royal couples I love the most, because there are so many awesome ones. But if I had to pick, I'd say that my heart lies with these couples:
Corlath and Harry from Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword. I love the tension between Corlath and Harry when they first meet--it's very smoldery without being too smoldery, if you know what I mean. And they're both so stubborn that they pretty much have to be together.
Prince Jonathan and Princess Thayet from Tamora Pierce's Tortall books. Jonathan, while I love him, sometimes thinks just a little too much of himself, and so he really needs someone like Thayet, who will never let him get too serious about himself.
Meliara and Vidanric in Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel and Court Duel. These two have the best heated banter. Throw a few (or a lot of) misunderstandings and some court intrigue into the mix and you have a very fun relationship to watch develop.
Westley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm cheating a bit here because Buttercup technically never becomes a princess or queen, but it's a near miss. And you have "As you wish!" and the five great kisses since 1642 B.C (when they started documenting such things), so they can't be left off the list. And besides, in my book, the Dread Pirate Robert is as close to pirate royalty as you get. So there!
So, those are my top royal couples. Who are yours?
And it's also got me thinking that it's time for a contest!
The Contest:
I want to know who your favorite royal couple from literature is and why you love them best. To enter the contest, leave a comment on this post with your answer. You can get bonus entries by tweeting about the contest, mentioning on your Facebook, or mentioning it on your blog. (You must include a links to your mentions to get the bonus entires.)
The contest will run until 11:59 p.m. CTS on Thursday, April 28th. On the Friday, the day of the Royal Wedding, I'll pick two winners. (Sadly, for shipping reasons, it's only open to US residents.)
And the prizes, you ask? They are really special for this contest, and I'm really, really excited about them. And jealous, because I want to keep one of them for myself! But since I can't . . . .
The two winners will each receive a signed, finished copy of The False Princess and a hand-inked, hand-antiqued copy of King Kelman's Map, which Sinda and Kiernan find in the book.
The False Princess and King Kelman's Map
Up close.
These maps are so neat. A friend of mine made them using, among other things, walnut ink, which was actually used in the Middle Ages. Really, I'm going to have to get her to make one for me, because They. Are. So. Cool.
So to get the contest rolling, here are my favorite couples. Looking over my bookshelves, though, it's a tough call on which royal couples I love the most, because there are so many awesome ones. But if I had to pick, I'd say that my heart lies with these couples:
Corlath and Harry from Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword. I love the tension between Corlath and Harry when they first meet--it's very smoldery without being too smoldery, if you know what I mean. And they're both so stubborn that they pretty much have to be together.
Prince Jonathan and Princess Thayet from Tamora Pierce's Tortall books. Jonathan, while I love him, sometimes thinks just a little too much of himself, and so he really needs someone like Thayet, who will never let him get too serious about himself.
Meliara and Vidanric in Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel and Court Duel. These two have the best heated banter. Throw a few (or a lot of) misunderstandings and some court intrigue into the mix and you have a very fun relationship to watch develop.
Westley and Buttercup from The Princess Bride. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm cheating a bit here because Buttercup technically never becomes a princess or queen, but it's a near miss. And you have "As you wish!" and the five great kisses since 1642 B.C (when they started documenting such things), so they can't be left off the list. And besides, in my book, the Dread Pirate Robert is as close to pirate royalty as you get. So there!
So, those are my top royal couples. Who are yours?
April 14, 2011
New Interview and YALSA Teens' Top Ten
Exciting news! I just found out that The False Princess has been nominated for YALSA's Teens' Top Ten. And wow, the list of nominated books is absolutely awesome. Certainly quite a few of my favorite recent books are on it: Mockingjay, Zombies vs Unicorns, The Clockwork Angel, and Behemoth, and fellow Egmonter Pam Bachorz's Drought, just to name a few. Seriously, it's a great list, and I'm really honored for TFP to be among such fabulous books. Voting will take place August 22-Sept 16th, so mark your calendars!
Also, a new interview is up at Dearest Dreams. Why I write YA fantasy, my advice for new writers, and more!
Also, a new interview is up at Dearest Dreams. Why I write YA fantasy, my advice for new writers, and more!
