Andrea Cremer's Blog, page 30

Break Out Christmas Hit

For a few days now I've been forecasting Andrea's posts of holiday wacky goodness and now IT'S HERE!!

Today through Christmas Day there will be astonishing lights, sound, sight - all the holiday glitz you can stomach (maybe more if you've been drinking too much nog).

It's kind of a pet peeve of mine that the Sound of Music's "My Favorite Things" has been adopted as a holiday song that plays in the background of malls while you shop. But I've decided to jump on the bandwagon, dedicating these po...

Vicarious Win!

Please head over to the Personal Demons blog of LisaDez and give her a virtual high five. She just landed a three-book deal with Tor/MacMillan.

CONGRATS Lisa!!!

I'm so excited for her, not only is she deserving of this incredible success, but as her crit partner *puffs chest with pride* I can tell you this book is fantastic and I can't wait to see it on the shelves.

Huzzah Lisa! Huzzah!

*Sighs, dreaming of Luc*

We're dancing for you at my house (It looks something like this):

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

December 21: the shortest day of the year, the longest night.

In the northern reaches of the country that I call home, it's a frequent complaint that the long hours of darkness weigh heavily on us. Dark before work, dark coming home. Shadows dog our steps and send us scurrying to bed at hours that feel much too early.

I'd like to suggest that the Winter Solstice, rather than haunting us, offers a vital clue to our existence. Though welcome, light, sun, energy drive us on relentlessly, push us i...

My Better Half

No, not my husband (though he's wonderful, too) - my editor: Jill Santopolo.

Due to the great success of Unofficial Official Agent Day, the writing world has issued a call to celebrate Editor Appreciation Day. Huzzah!!

I'm delighted to have the opportunity to do wave my pom-poms in celebration of my fabulous editor, or better yet give a super cheer NIGHTSHADE style! [image error]
Jill has been such a joy to work with. Insightful, considerate and encouraging, she is a brilliant editor. Jill is also a writer wh...

Less Serious, More Giggles

So after my reflective post of yesterday, I thought we needed to revert to more standard blog fare. I'm working up a series of posts waxing eloquently (not really) upon the things I enjoy about the holiday blitz. We'll start those this weekend, for now - more awesome Twilight spoofage:



Ooh, and big writerly moment. NIGHTSHADE is now available for pre-order on Amazon! Cover still top secret, but that magical pre-order button is there. Plus, it made me giggle that Amazon reminds you that should ...

Bridge

In addition to being a writer I teach history at a liberal arts college in St. Paul, Minnesota. I love my job - my classes bring me into contact with brilliant young people (okay now that I've referred to them as 'young people' I feel old) whose questions and ideas broaden my own horizons in fabulous ways.

My husband works for a non-profit organization that assists ex-offenders with reintegration into society. His program in particular mentors young men who are coming out of the maximum securi...

Take a Page

An exciting benchmark in my book's life just occurred: I have a copy of the first pass pages. They are beautiful - the interior design of NIGHTSHADE is unique, striking, and perfect! It makes me feel like:


The further I progress along the road of publishing, the more I realize how much of that world remains a mystery to me. As I peruse my pages, I've become more and more curious about what creative departments at publishing houses are like, how decisions about font, design, page structure are...

Sap

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I'm a sucker for romance, trials, and tears. Working through some really heart-wrenching scenes as I revise WOLFSBANE, you'd think I was going through my own break up. I have some of the same songs set on my iPod to replay over and over and over as I write my way through specific events. There are moments when I hear a song and a scene just blossoms in my mind. I've discovered that if I really hang onto that song and drown myself in it, the scene becomes all the more powerful as I'm writing.

T...

My Very Own Mad Men (and Women)

It's Unofficially Official Agent Day! (Thanks to Kody Keplinger for this great concept.)

Today we celebrate all the wonderful work agents do to make writers' dreams jump from author's mind to readers' hands in the form of beautiful books.

I'm thrilled to be represented by the phenomenon that is InkWell Management. My agents Richard Pine and Charlie Olsen are more than superheroes. They are my Mad Men.

Charlie Olsen Dear, dear Charlie. I am not a morning person, but THE CALL from Charlie came at ...

Snow! Emergency!

Yesterday afternoon a band of wintry weather stretching from the tip top of the U.S. down into Iowa careened across our state, leaving a trail of deep drifts and icy roads in its wake.

For those of you in warmer climes, a snow emergency is the city's way of efficiently clearing the roads for drivers by regulating street parking and towing cars like mad. If you (like me) are sadly living without a garage, extreme vigilance is necessary throughout the snow emergency. Should a car be left too lon...