Andrea Cremer's Blog, page 9

Whirlwind

What a week! The Breathless Tour has been amazing thus far - thank you so much to everyone who has come out to see us. You guys are the best!
The only problem with the tour is that I've been so busy talking and signing that I haven't been able to take many pictures! Fortunately some awesome fans have been kind enough to share theirs with me.

Here are a few highlights:

In Denver I found a pegasus

In Salt Lake City I had a fish friend in my hotel room.
One of my absolute favorite moments was when the lovely Jennifer had me sign a book for her four-year-old daughter Morgan to be given to her on her sixteenth birthday. I was so touched I teared up!

Here is my youngest fan-to-be

You can also check out great pictures at the Breathless Reads Facebook Page

We're taking a little break, but on February 25 we'll be at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC!

To Heart, or Not to Heart

It's Valentine's Day and before I wish you Happy Valentine's Day I thought I'd wax on a bit about the vagaries of this holiday.

I've been having fun reading pro and anti-Valentine's tweets and blogs this morning. I understand both sides. I'm not a fan of any holiday that makes some people feel bad and Valentine's Day is probably at the top of the list.

On the other hand, I'm of the quixotic variety so I like flowers and chocolate and silly, sloppy romantic sentiments (cheesy to me = funny and I think laughter and love go hand in hand).

Recounting the problems of this holiday is the amazing Heather Brewer. She makes exceptional points all around.

Here's a video on this dichotomous holiday, which I think nicely shows us a balance Valentine Horror and Happiness:



Also, my fabulous friend and author, David Levithan is going to be talking about his book: Lover's Dictionary (which limns the peaks and valleys of that thing called love) on All Things Considered this afternoon - check it out :)

In Good Company

Writing is a solitary endeavor and can leave you feeling a bit isolated at times. I think the publicity and marketing wonder teams at Penguin have just given we Breathless Reads authors a mental health boost in addition to a great way to meet readers. By the way: here's the poster we're all signing and I'm giving away (10!!) in the contest from the last post.

We've completed two stops on the tour and it has been such an amazing time. There is a fantastic recap of the New York event on Midnyte Reader's blog with lots of great photos.

If you were at one of the stops and want to share a blog post or pics just let me know (by email or in the comments), I'd be happy to post links!

Being on the road with other authors (especially authors as fabulous as Kirsten, Ally, Brenna and Beth!) is delightful. It's so much fun getting to know each person's quirks, hobbies, joys and struggles. It reminds me that one of the great joys of writing is how unique an art it is. Each writer must find her/his own process, tell her/his story in a way only that person can.

I can't thank all the amazing bloggers and readers who've come out to say hello. It is so fantastic meeting you and learning about your love of reading and writing!

Tomorrow we're at Tattered Cover (Highlands Ranch) in Denver and Saturday at King's English in Salt Lake City. Go west, YA authors!

My Real Name is Amanda...

Once upon at time I had zero followers - it's amazing how life can change in ways you never imagined. Since I'm in the whirlwind of drafting and about to head out on the Breathless Tour I thought that I'd revisit some blog posts of the past. Thanks to those of you who've been here from the beginning and to those who've just joined us - I'm so grateful that you're all here!

A recurring quirk in my life revolves around my name. For some reason people (even people who know me well) often call me "Amanda."

It is always Amanda, never Anna, Adrienne, Amy, or Angela. Amanda, always, Amanda.

This renaming of my person has occurred for as long as I remember, and is an act I've always corrected with a polite, if bewildered, smile. And I have always wondered why it happens. It happened yet again today and I decided to give this name-change phenomenon some deliberate thought.

Do I look like an Amanda? Is Amanda that much more common of a name than Andrea?

I've long been obsessed with origin and meaning of names. I have a tattered baby name book that I've read (yes read) since I was a child not because I think about names for my own children - but because I love the places, histories, and emotions that the meaning behind a name evoke.

In my novels the characters' names (first and last) reveal as much about them as do their actions and dialogue. I spend a lot of time in research before giving a character a name.

Since I seem to be a secret Amanda, I investigated the origin of the name. It was invented in the 17th century (oddly enough this era is my period of specialization in history) by a playwright and is Latin for "lovable, worthy of love."

I had a pleasant heart flutter when I read that origin story. From now I'll take being called Amanda not as a failure to remember my name, but as a compliment.

Breathless Tour Winner!

Thanks so much for spreading the word about the Breathless Reads Tour, which kicks off next week!

The winner of all five books is:

Kaylie Ayana Hofstetter!

Congrats, Kaylie!! Please email your address to me at andreacremerwrites (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll have the books shipped to you.

Hope to see many of you when we head out on the road. Fingers cross for zero blizzards!!

Other People's Music

I've posted many a time about how essential music is to my writing process. Each of my novels has a playlist as I'm drafting and when copyedits are done the book gets a soundtrack. You can see the Nightshade playlist and soundtrack and the Wolfsbane playlist on my web site.

Discovering new music is one of my favorite things. I find a lot of songs through the incredible Minnesota Public Radio station The Current, which I'd recommend to everyone. You can stream it online no matter where you live. For ambient, mood music I often turn to Digitalis on Soma FM, which I'll sometimes stream as I'm writing.

But even better than finding music on your own can be the joy of learning about the songs and bands that other people love. David Levithan, author and editor extraordinaire, conducts a yearly music poll wherein his friends send in their favorite albums and songs of the year. David compiles the list and then gifts us all with an amazing compilation of music recommendations from some very music savvy peeps.

If you're looking for new music I'd check out these recommendations.

And here's a 2010 single on my list: Yeasayer's O.N.E. I love this song and am now obsessed with the video - it's like if a dystopian world decided the 1980s should be revived. It also kind of makes me think that this might be a club where the capital citizens of Panem might be found slumming it. (Sorry I can't embed the video here, but I'd highly recommend watching it. It's a hoot and a half!)

Enjoy!

Back To School

First day of the spring semester has arrived, though given that this past week we've been living in sub-zero weather it hardly feels right to call it the spring semester.

As much as scheduling can get hairy when I'm doing two full-time jobs (writing and teaching), I'm looking forward to seeing my colleagues and students. Writing is a solitary endeavor, and as much as I'm an introvert who prefers being alone, it can be too easy to forget about the rest of the world. Teaching keeps me connected to people and ideas and for that I'm deeply grateful. While it's wonderful to be lost in a world of my own creation, it's also vital to remember that the stories are written to invite others in and share the journey.

Here's a song to get the semester started off right:

Don't Be Taken

First, a request: if you are so inclined, perhaps you will stop by Teenreads.com and vote for Nightshade in the Children's Choice Best Books of 2010. I'm so honored to be nominated!

Also in the awards realm, just a reminder that you can still vote for Nightshade for Best Otherworldly Kiss in TheSmoochies!

Now for business: I'm often asked about how aspiring writers go about getting published and I have a section of my web site devoted to this topic. I'm always alarmed, however, when someone includes phrases like this in their email to me "I'm already paying an editor," "I know it takes a lot of money to get published."

!!!! STOP!!!!

To all aspiring authors - it should cost you nothing more than time, sweat, tears and ink cartridges to get published. While it's true that you can hire editors for pay, you're much better off finding a writing group or critique partner to help you through revisions. You also shouldn't pay anything to get published, YOU get paid to be published (self-publishing is another matter and I have no authority nor experience in that realm so I'll leave that alone). Literary agents don't charge fees, they make their living off a commission (15% is the industry norm) of your earnings once the book sells.

It breaks my heart that there are companies out there that take advantage of writers' dreams in order make money. [image error] When you're going about searching for an agent and a publisher be wary, do your research, and keep an eye out for red flag phrases.

This post was inspired by a great blog over at Writer Beware. I consider it recommended reading for aspiring authors. Arm yourself with knowledge, then go forth and create!

The Juggling Act

On the fabulous blog, Wastepaper Prose, you'll find a number of authors (including myself) answering the question:

Have you ever blown off a social event with real people in order to stay at home with ones you've made up?

My answer: More than once.

It's true - and I don't feel guilty about it. I'd follow up that answer by saying, I don't really consider it blowing off event as much as recognizing the time I have and the obligations I've committed to and making choices going from there.

One of the most frequent questions I'm asked is 'how do you manage to write novels while being a professor?' Let's see - how about, by blowing off social events with real people in order to stay at home with ones I've made up.

Sometimes it's hard to communicate what it means to be a writer - and while I think the writer's life varies from person to person, for me it means sometimes (and by sometimes, I mean often) closing myself off to the outside world in order to devote time to the worlds I'm creating.

When I'm teaching I have to be even more protective of that time. These things are on my mind because for the past six months I've been on sabbatical and next week I go back to teaching full time. Have no fear - I wrote all three of my novels while I was teaching, and though it can be stressful it's also workable, as long as I set boundaries. If I can't do this I'll fail as both teacher and writer.

So in the next few months, if my blog posts aren't as frequent, or it takes a bit longer than usual for me to respond to emails or interview requests, be assured I have not forgotten you. I really like you.

I'm just spending some quality time with my imaginary friends.

Vacation Location

Good guesses all around and quite a few correct guesses!

Here I am:
In Key West!

I was actually staying on a tiny island just off of Key West called Sunset Key and it was heavenly. I think I got enough sunshine and vitamin D to get me through the rest of the winter - let's hope so.

Now for the winners - yes I said winners, courtesy of Atom Books I just received some finished UK editions of Nightshade that I'll throw into the mix!

Regan Coomer
WulfLuva
Tabby Lewis

Send your address to andreacremerwrites (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll send your prize!

Thanks for all the entries!