Dawn Metcalf's Blog, page 33
November 7, 2011
Birthday!
It's my birthday!!!
Time for cake!
Brevity of this message due to lack of typing mobility & abundance of cake. :-D
Time for cake!
Brevity of this message due to lack of typing mobility & abundance of cake. :-D
November 2, 2011
Argh Twice!
Missed Halloween.
Missing Dia de los Muertos.
Darn you snow & right arm sling!!!
*shakes left fist at uncaring ceiling*
P.S. In case you missed winners and stuff, check out the amazing Stacey Jay here & thank you all for playing along!
P.P.S. To honor the day, there is nothing better than this piece by one of my favorite comic artists, Paul Taylor of WAPSI SQUARE as a print, T-shirt or poster!
[image error]
P.P.P.S. You don't want to know how long it took to type this post...
Missing Dia de los Muertos.
Darn you snow & right arm sling!!!
*shakes left fist at uncaring ceiling*
P.S. In case you missed winners and stuff, check out the amazing Stacey Jay here & thank you all for playing along!
P.P.S. To honor the day, there is nothing better than this piece by one of my favorite comic artists, Paul Taylor of WAPSI SQUARE as a print, T-shirt or poster!
[image error]
P.P.P.S. You don't want to know how long it took to type this post...
October 28, 2011
Creepy Cake N Bake: Queen of Indecision
Apologies in advance for this extremely long post. There's an awesome video at the end, I promise!
If you've been following along on this wacky ride, you already know that this particular bit of inspired silliness has been a HUGE success and Stacey Jay and I couldn't be prouder...hence, my utter horror of going last because Holy Heck have you SEEN these entries?!? To say I've been utterly gobsmacked is an understatement and I thought, "Good golly, I better come up with something awesome pretty darned quick!" (Full disclosure: I do not actually use words like "Holy Heck," "Darned" or "Good golly" in my head.)
But alas, I am the Queen of Indecision.
This means, among other things, that I have a habit of being unwilling to choose between many crazy projects, often attempting to do several at the same time with the clear subconscious intention of seeing just how close I can push myself to the brink of insanity, which, in my mind, must reside on the very edge of awesome. (This has been the case during such memorable moments as the "Co-Directing a 70-hour Improv Weekend Two Weeks Before My Own Wedding" escapade or the "Running A Mock M*A*S*H 4077 Team-Building Event Whilst 8 Months Pregnant" hilarity. Good thing my husband loves me!) Thus armed with indecisiveness and a helluva challenge, I started with
Creepy Cake N Bake Idea #1: Undeath by Chocolate!
The name "Death By Chocolate" was simply *screaming* to be messed with, hence the obvious (to me) addition of screaming faces, extra arms, and legs wriggling and struggling to free themselves from the dessert.
Screaming fondant face + glass bowl filled with layers of innocent-looking goodies =
UNDEATH BY CHOCOLATE!
The result: meh. But I had the bonus effect of presenting it to the neighbors who had graciously looked after our kitties while we were away at Disney; the look on their faces prompted me to assure them that I had made a "themed dessert", that the fondant was edible, and that they could easily remove the zombie pieces to return it to a perfectly normal Death By Chocolate. Back away slowly. Exit, stage left. Thereby necessitating a new
Creepy Cake N Bake Idea #2: The Angel/Angelus Cake!
[image error]
So sinfully pretty...couldn't you just EAT it?
By now, everyone should know my deep admiration rabid fangirling of Joss Whedon, hence a perfect place to find inspiration for my next endeavor into creepy cake baking! The Angel/Angelus Cake is actually called a "Poke Cake" which I can't type, let alone say, without grinning like the sick-minded, twisted fool that I am. Therefore, I dubbed it the "Angel/Angelus Cake" due to it's deceptively enticing dual-nature and highly addictive qualities; for beneath its lovely, pure white and fluffy exterior lies a cold, blood-stained soul of true evil!
Cue echoing, maniacal laughter: BWAHAHAHAHA!
The effect is made by taking regular white cake and poking holes in it while cooling, then spooning your favorite red-colored Jell-O of choice over its surface, being careful to dribble the end of the spoon into the holes for maximum effect. Chill for 3 hours in the fridge before coating with whipped topping. It is light and sweet and surprising. Best eaten with fangs.
Black cloak optional. Who needs a fork? *nomnomnomnom*
And yet...pretty as it is, I couldn't submit it. Why? Because I've *done* this dessert before (for my beloved Buffy Party) so it kinda felt like cheating. These ladies deserved more. They deserved my very best, organic efforts and so I dug deep. I liked having cake because, duh, it's cake, and I love working with fondant because it has so many fun possibilities! I looked over through all of our delectable entries and tried to think of what was missing from our menu of horrors, and it hit me...
There was clearly a lack of tentacles.
Therefore, may I proudly present my Creepy Cake N Bake entry: Kracken & Cthulhu Cupcakes!
Green with yellow suckered Kracken attempt to escape its watery doom!
Purple with pink suckered Cthulhu tears through the inky black of space!
This is probably my favorite one. *Help meeeeeeeeee!*
Easy fondant recipe here plus the liberal use of food coloring and a push pin to seven teeny tiny little circles on a flexible cone and voilà: a tentacle! Of course, I wanted 3-5 tentacles per cupcake so they had to be between 0.5-1" long; my eyes began tearing after the first half-hour, my refrigerator shelf looked like something from Ghostbusters, and my children were alternately taste-testing tentacles or backing away slowly. (No worries; the lure of sugar always brought them back.)
Don't forget to make enough to share them with a friend!
Now remember: the Creepy Cake N Bake-a-Thon is *still* ON! Vote for your favorite entry by commenting on any of the Creepy Cake N Bake posts. You can comment on EVERY Cake N Bake post, one entry per post, for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble or an official Creepy Cake N Bake doll! Please include your email in order to be entered to win.
Trophies will be awarded on Halloween for the top creeptastic creations. Winners will be chosen by our special Celebrity Judge, Adam Rex, author of such deliciously creepy creations such as FAT VAMPIRE, FRANKENSTEIN TAKES THE CAKE, FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH, and PSSST!
Did you miss any of the fab creations? Well, there's still time to go check back on the entries and comment on your faves:
Mon Oct. 3 - Saundra Mitchell
Wed Oct 5 - Stacey Jay
Friday Oct 7 - Erin Dionne
Saturday Oct 8 - Sydney Salter
Mon Oct 10 - Brenna Yovanoff
Wed Oct 12 - Tara Hudson
Friday Oct 14 - Karen Healey
Saturday Oct 15 - Robin Bridges
Mon Oct 17 - Michelle Zink
Friday Oct 21 - Victoria Schwab
Saturday Oct 22 - C.Lee McKenzie
Sunday Oct 23 - E. Kristin Anderson
Mon Oct 24 - Natalie Zaman
Friday Oct 28 - Dawn Metcalf (ME! HERE! NOW! Comment below to vote!)
And I can't sign off without giving credit to my inspiration, the holiday earworm gifted to me by Better-Than-Boyfriend because let's face it, the only thing better than Jonathan Coulton (from They Might Be Giants) is having his brilliance performed in ZSL (Zombie Sign Language) by the adorable and talented Stephen (aka Captain Valor)! Watch and Replay! TOTALLY worth it!!!
If you've been following along on this wacky ride, you already know that this particular bit of inspired silliness has been a HUGE success and Stacey Jay and I couldn't be prouder...hence, my utter horror of going last because Holy Heck have you SEEN these entries?!? To say I've been utterly gobsmacked is an understatement and I thought, "Good golly, I better come up with something awesome pretty darned quick!" (Full disclosure: I do not actually use words like "Holy Heck," "Darned" or "Good golly" in my head.)
But alas, I am the Queen of Indecision.
This means, among other things, that I have a habit of being unwilling to choose between many crazy projects, often attempting to do several at the same time with the clear subconscious intention of seeing just how close I can push myself to the brink of insanity, which, in my mind, must reside on the very edge of awesome. (This has been the case during such memorable moments as the "Co-Directing a 70-hour Improv Weekend Two Weeks Before My Own Wedding" escapade or the "Running A Mock M*A*S*H 4077 Team-Building Event Whilst 8 Months Pregnant" hilarity. Good thing my husband loves me!) Thus armed with indecisiveness and a helluva challenge, I started with
Creepy Cake N Bake Idea #1: Undeath by Chocolate!
The name "Death By Chocolate" was simply *screaming* to be messed with, hence the obvious (to me) addition of screaming faces, extra arms, and legs wriggling and struggling to free themselves from the dessert.
Screaming fondant face + glass bowl filled with layers of innocent-looking goodies =
UNDEATH BY CHOCOLATE!
The result: meh. But I had the bonus effect of presenting it to the neighbors who had graciously looked after our kitties while we were away at Disney; the look on their faces prompted me to assure them that I had made a "themed dessert", that the fondant was edible, and that they could easily remove the zombie pieces to return it to a perfectly normal Death By Chocolate. Back away slowly. Exit, stage left. Thereby necessitating a new
Creepy Cake N Bake Idea #2: The Angel/Angelus Cake!
[image error]
So sinfully pretty...couldn't you just EAT it?
By now, everyone should know my deep admiration rabid fangirling of Joss Whedon, hence a perfect place to find inspiration for my next endeavor into creepy cake baking! The Angel/Angelus Cake is actually called a "Poke Cake" which I can't type, let alone say, without grinning like the sick-minded, twisted fool that I am. Therefore, I dubbed it the "Angel/Angelus Cake" due to it's deceptively enticing dual-nature and highly addictive qualities; for beneath its lovely, pure white and fluffy exterior lies a cold, blood-stained soul of true evil!
Cue echoing, maniacal laughter: BWAHAHAHAHA!
The effect is made by taking regular white cake and poking holes in it while cooling, then spooning your favorite red-colored Jell-O of choice over its surface, being careful to dribble the end of the spoon into the holes for maximum effect. Chill for 3 hours in the fridge before coating with whipped topping. It is light and sweet and surprising. Best eaten with fangs.
Black cloak optional. Who needs a fork? *nomnomnomnom*
And yet...pretty as it is, I couldn't submit it. Why? Because I've *done* this dessert before (for my beloved Buffy Party) so it kinda felt like cheating. These ladies deserved more. They deserved my very best, organic efforts and so I dug deep. I liked having cake because, duh, it's cake, and I love working with fondant because it has so many fun possibilities! I looked over through all of our delectable entries and tried to think of what was missing from our menu of horrors, and it hit me...
There was clearly a lack of tentacles.
Therefore, may I proudly present my Creepy Cake N Bake entry: Kracken & Cthulhu Cupcakes!
Green with yellow suckered Kracken attempt to escape its watery doom!
Purple with pink suckered Cthulhu tears through the inky black of space!
This is probably my favorite one. *Help meeeeeeeeee!*
Easy fondant recipe here plus the liberal use of food coloring and a push pin to seven teeny tiny little circles on a flexible cone and voilà: a tentacle! Of course, I wanted 3-5 tentacles per cupcake so they had to be between 0.5-1" long; my eyes began tearing after the first half-hour, my refrigerator shelf looked like something from Ghostbusters, and my children were alternately taste-testing tentacles or backing away slowly. (No worries; the lure of sugar always brought them back.)
Don't forget to make enough to share them with a friend!
Now remember: the Creepy Cake N Bake-a-Thon is *still* ON! Vote for your favorite entry by commenting on any of the Creepy Cake N Bake posts. You can comment on EVERY Cake N Bake post, one entry per post, for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble or an official Creepy Cake N Bake doll! Please include your email in order to be entered to win.
Trophies will be awarded on Halloween for the top creeptastic creations. Winners will be chosen by our special Celebrity Judge, Adam Rex, author of such deliciously creepy creations such as FAT VAMPIRE, FRANKENSTEIN TAKES THE CAKE, FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH, and PSSST!
Did you miss any of the fab creations? Well, there's still time to go check back on the entries and comment on your faves:
Mon Oct. 3 - Saundra Mitchell
Wed Oct 5 - Stacey Jay
Friday Oct 7 - Erin Dionne
Saturday Oct 8 - Sydney Salter
Mon Oct 10 - Brenna Yovanoff
Wed Oct 12 - Tara Hudson
Friday Oct 14 - Karen Healey
Saturday Oct 15 - Robin Bridges
Mon Oct 17 - Michelle Zink
Friday Oct 21 - Victoria Schwab
Saturday Oct 22 - C.Lee McKenzie
Sunday Oct 23 - E. Kristin Anderson
Mon Oct 24 - Natalie Zaman
Friday Oct 28 - Dawn Metcalf (ME! HERE! NOW! Comment below to vote!)
And I can't sign off without giving credit to my inspiration, the holiday earworm gifted to me by Better-Than-Boyfriend because let's face it, the only thing better than Jonathan Coulton (from They Might Be Giants) is having his brilliance performed in ZSL (Zombie Sign Language) by the adorable and talented Stephen (aka Captain Valor)! Watch and Replay! TOTALLY worth it!!!
October 27, 2011
A Lesson in Play Doh
My mother tells this story:
She was watching a friend's grandkids and they had gathered around their little table playing with Play Doh. My mother sat down and took up some clay and said, "Let's make bears!" She began to roll a ball. The boy next to her took a fistful of clay and mashed it into the mold and thrust it at her saying, "Bear!" He'd produced a bear-shaped mold of a teddy bear holding a balloon. The little girl took the mold and mashed the same bear and both children held them up proudly. My mother was not amused.
"Those are very nice," she said, "but I want to make my own bear."
She rolled out two large balls for the body and head, smaller balls for the ears, legs and arms, and tiny little balls for the eyes, nose, and little paws. She poked holes for the pupils and another for the belly button. The children sat, transfixed. They'd never seen anyone make a bear. It was unlike any bear in the box or on the cover or, really, anywhere else. It was if my mother had performed magic, which, indeed, she had. She then showed them how to make their own bears.
I know a lot of people get caught up in the question of "What's the next Big Thing?" or "What are the latest trends?" and while it's important to know your business and your audience, I'd like to point out that it's really not the right question: what you'd like to know is if your idea had enough strength to stand on its own in the market and that is due entirely up to the strength of your writing. A good book sells. People really don't want the "next Big Thing", what people really want--as my friend, "Fajitas" says--is the thing that makes everyone else want to be the next *your* thing. You don't want to be the trend, you want to be the trendsetter. You want to make your own bit of magic and redefine what it is to write the story you love to read. Write that book. Write what you love. As the always brilliant Maggie says, write what you always wanted to find on the shelf.
Don't aspire to fitting the mold, break the mold and make your own damned bear.
She was watching a friend's grandkids and they had gathered around their little table playing with Play Doh. My mother sat down and took up some clay and said, "Let's make bears!" She began to roll a ball. The boy next to her took a fistful of clay and mashed it into the mold and thrust it at her saying, "Bear!" He'd produced a bear-shaped mold of a teddy bear holding a balloon. The little girl took the mold and mashed the same bear and both children held them up proudly. My mother was not amused.
"Those are very nice," she said, "but I want to make my own bear."
She rolled out two large balls for the body and head, smaller balls for the ears, legs and arms, and tiny little balls for the eyes, nose, and little paws. She poked holes for the pupils and another for the belly button. The children sat, transfixed. They'd never seen anyone make a bear. It was unlike any bear in the box or on the cover or, really, anywhere else. It was if my mother had performed magic, which, indeed, she had. She then showed them how to make their own bears.
I know a lot of people get caught up in the question of "What's the next Big Thing?" or "What are the latest trends?" and while it's important to know your business and your audience, I'd like to point out that it's really not the right question: what you'd like to know is if your idea had enough strength to stand on its own in the market and that is due entirely up to the strength of your writing. A good book sells. People really don't want the "next Big Thing", what people really want--as my friend, "Fajitas" says--is the thing that makes everyone else want to be the next *your* thing. You don't want to be the trend, you want to be the trendsetter. You want to make your own bit of magic and redefine what it is to write the story you love to read. Write that book. Write what you love. As the always brilliant Maggie says, write what you always wanted to find on the shelf.
Don't aspire to fitting the mold, break the mold and make your own damned bear.
October 24, 2011
Creepy Cake Weekend's Monster Mash
It's getting colder and creepier around here!
I managed to snag the last batch of autumn raspberries from the local farm and baked a final raspberry pie (using Brenna Yovanoff's pie crust recipe!) and bundling up in layers. It was sticky and sweet and (I thought upon reflection) the perfect color of blood. Drat. Well, I'll have to think of something good because, despite the autumn chill, the competition is heating up. As it's starting to feel more like Halloween, I woke to find more Creepy Cake N Bake goodies in the lineup and sat at the computer with a cackle and a smile.
E. Kristin Anderson stole my heart without even knowing my personal love for almonds and Tex-Mexican folklore by baking the very first El Chupacabra Cake! 100% original and looks scrumptious enough to turn monsters off of goats forever! Rrrrrawr! Fork, please!
Natalie Zaman made something wholly original and when I saw her pics of inspirational "bone sculptures", I really did a double-take. (And yes, like her, I now want to back and read DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE for the Poison Kitchen scenes at least!) I bow in awe to Natalie Zaman's use of meringue in her astonishing Catacomb Cake. (I can *never* get meringue to set. Mine turns into egg white soup! Tricksy stuff. So: WOW!)
C. Lee McKenzie even made a video complete with *sound effects* of her RIP WIP cake! (Today's post on TheWriteGame includes a pictorial overview of Creepy Cake N Bake entries! Check it out & don't forget to comment on your favorites to a chance to win something for yourself!) I don't want to spoil the final effect, but I say extra points for the witchy fingers & hat!
[image error]
And now I'm off to find more inspiration... maybe I should wear my witch hat?
#creepycake
I managed to snag the last batch of autumn raspberries from the local farm and baked a final raspberry pie (using Brenna Yovanoff's pie crust recipe!) and bundling up in layers. It was sticky and sweet and (I thought upon reflection) the perfect color of blood. Drat. Well, I'll have to think of something good because, despite the autumn chill, the competition is heating up. As it's starting to feel more like Halloween, I woke to find more Creepy Cake N Bake goodies in the lineup and sat at the computer with a cackle and a smile.
E. Kristin Anderson stole my heart without even knowing my personal love for almonds and Tex-Mexican folklore by baking the very first El Chupacabra Cake! 100% original and looks scrumptious enough to turn monsters off of goats forever! Rrrrrawr! Fork, please!
Natalie Zaman made something wholly original and when I saw her pics of inspirational "bone sculptures", I really did a double-take. (And yes, like her, I now want to back and read DAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE for the Poison Kitchen scenes at least!) I bow in awe to Natalie Zaman's use of meringue in her astonishing Catacomb Cake. (I can *never* get meringue to set. Mine turns into egg white soup! Tricksy stuff. So: WOW!)
C. Lee McKenzie even made a video complete with *sound effects* of her RIP WIP cake! (Today's post on TheWriteGame includes a pictorial overview of Creepy Cake N Bake entries! Check it out & don't forget to comment on your favorites to a chance to win something for yourself!) I don't want to spoil the final effect, but I say extra points for the witchy fingers & hat!
[image error]
And now I'm off to find more inspiration... maybe I should wear my witch hat?
#creepycake
October 21, 2011
More Creepy Cake N Bake Awesomeness
You know you've got a good idea when it inspires something like this:
Victoria Schwab's incredible Sugar Spider's Nest, y'all! Go click over there and give her some sugar: leave a comment and be entered to win! (Wow. Did I say "Wow" yet? W.O.W.)
This #creepycake contest is all sorts of win. (Yay, Stacey! This rocks!)
Victoria Schwab's incredible Sugar Spider's Nest, y'all! Go click over there and give her some sugar: leave a comment and be entered to win! (Wow. Did I say "Wow" yet? W.O.W.)
This #creepycake contest is all sorts of win. (Yay, Stacey! This rocks!)
October 20, 2011
My Kind of Day: Sharing Books & Cookies at B&N
Yesterday was my first B&N event, which thankfully involved lots of teachers and booksellers and folks who *love* to talk books. These are my kind of people!
I know that, as a newbie author, I should focus on things like self-promotion or presence or pushing my books (and there were mighty impressive stacks of LUMINOUS and DEAR BULLY flanking me at the table) but what I look forward to most is meeting new people and having passionate conversations about the books we can't wait to share!
Although, I'll admit: seeing this in the window made me pretty happy too!
I sat down and warmed my hands around a mug of tea and let the magic happen. I got to speak with someone who loved my book (and admitted that she was glad Consuela finally freaked out in the bathtub scene*). We talked about the Nook and e-books and access. I met a middle-grade teacher and we talked about bullying and programs and that outside of bullies and victims, it's the audience of other kids that can really make a difference. I met Chrissy, a teacher and writing student at Simmons, and we gushed about our mutual admiration of the fabulous Jo Knowles. Someone was interested in writing "southern genre YA" and I gleefully recommended Myra McEntire's HOURGLASS and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl both for their stories as well as their great voice. Seeing folks write these down makes me as happy as recommending a great restaurant or new movie to a friend, yet somehow it's infinitely better because books feel more personal and often, I know something about the person on the other side of the page. Paying It Forward and Giving Back is gold! So I sat at my table, signing a couple of books, and beaming the whole time (although that might have been the complimentary chocolate chunk cookies at work...) surrounded by books, people who love books, and talking about books. Basically: bliss!
Fortunately, I wasn't alone -- just ask any author who's had a solo event. It's *so* much better with company! -- meeting other local authors, Vicki Hathaway and Jane Schoenberg (author of the Stuey Lewis stories). We talked about publishing and different markets, publicity and promotion, and our collective awe of the masters of crossing categories like Jane Yolen, Neil Gaiman, and MT Anderson. (I'm in awe of all three and have now met every one of them in person!) We talked about the controversy with SHINE and Lauren Myracle's incredible poise and class, the very small world of astonishing authors living in Western Massachusetts, and how the publishing world is changing. I left feeling stimulated, satiated, inspired and excited (right before a great #YALitChat session, too!) and really, that's what I love most: meeting great people & sharing the smiles!
[image error]
Me in front of a bunch of smile-worthy stuff.
Inspired? Excited? Go Write Now!
* I swear, it's the bathtub scene and the final skin that really freak people out the most. In my mind, I'm going: *tee hee hee*!
I know that, as a newbie author, I should focus on things like self-promotion or presence or pushing my books (and there were mighty impressive stacks of LUMINOUS and DEAR BULLY flanking me at the table) but what I look forward to most is meeting new people and having passionate conversations about the books we can't wait to share!
Although, I'll admit: seeing this in the window made me pretty happy too!
I sat down and warmed my hands around a mug of tea and let the magic happen. I got to speak with someone who loved my book (and admitted that she was glad Consuela finally freaked out in the bathtub scene*). We talked about the Nook and e-books and access. I met a middle-grade teacher and we talked about bullying and programs and that outside of bullies and victims, it's the audience of other kids that can really make a difference. I met Chrissy, a teacher and writing student at Simmons, and we gushed about our mutual admiration of the fabulous Jo Knowles. Someone was interested in writing "southern genre YA" and I gleefully recommended Myra McEntire's HOURGLASS and BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl both for their stories as well as their great voice. Seeing folks write these down makes me as happy as recommending a great restaurant or new movie to a friend, yet somehow it's infinitely better because books feel more personal and often, I know something about the person on the other side of the page. Paying It Forward and Giving Back is gold! So I sat at my table, signing a couple of books, and beaming the whole time (although that might have been the complimentary chocolate chunk cookies at work...) surrounded by books, people who love books, and talking about books. Basically: bliss!
Fortunately, I wasn't alone -- just ask any author who's had a solo event. It's *so* much better with company! -- meeting other local authors, Vicki Hathaway and Jane Schoenberg (author of the Stuey Lewis stories). We talked about publishing and different markets, publicity and promotion, and our collective awe of the masters of crossing categories like Jane Yolen, Neil Gaiman, and MT Anderson. (I'm in awe of all three and have now met every one of them in person!) We talked about the controversy with SHINE and Lauren Myracle's incredible poise and class, the very small world of astonishing authors living in Western Massachusetts, and how the publishing world is changing. I left feeling stimulated, satiated, inspired and excited (right before a great #YALitChat session, too!) and really, that's what I love most: meeting great people & sharing the smiles!
[image error]
Me in front of a bunch of smile-worthy stuff.
Inspired? Excited? Go Write Now!
* I swear, it's the bathtub scene and the final skin that really freak people out the most. In my mind, I'm going: *tee hee hee*!
October 18, 2011
Boo To You!
I'm baaaaa-aaaack! And you thought you were rid of me? No sir! Now that the holidays are past, the editorial letter has been received, digested, and changes are currently underway, I am plugging myself back into the World Wide Web to see what's what in the universe outside my brain space.
*taps monitor* *looks around* Hmm. You've been up to something, haven't you? Well, that's only fair, because I have too!
Firstly, have you been following the First Annual Creepy Cake N Bake? I'm *loving* it! From Sydney Salter's Black-Bottom Witch Cupcakes to Brenna Yovanoff's uber-realistic (omigawd...) Red Velvet Cardiac Event, Tara Hudson's bleeding heart cupcakes and Karen Healey's good-to-the-last-sinful-spoonful Dark Teacup Puddings and a thankfully NOT original Witch's Cake by Robin Bridges right on up to yesterday's happy Snowball Spider by Michelle Zink! Whoo!
DUDE! Seriously, have you *seen* this?!? Brenna awes and fascinates me...from waaaaaaay over here.
These gals are bringing their A-Game on a wooden spoon and I am going to have to get cookin' (so to speak) but luckily, I had some incredible inspiration while I was away. Namely, this:
YES! I was at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!!! This was the culmination of a dream; not mine, oddly enough...but therein lies the story.* As Tessa Gratton was good enough to quip: "Dawn, you've gotten a two-book deal, what are you going to do next? GO TO DISNEY!" Crazy, insane, and it-must-be-done! We brought the children for their first-ever experience with the Mouse and my parents were there to witness the looks on their faces: it was an incredible time! For me, especially. I know that there are many measures of success for a writer that are deeply personal--from seeing their work on a shelf to getting their first fan letter to getting awards from their peers or making gobs of cash, but one of my personal goals that let me know that I "made it" was to earn enough money with my writing to treat my whole family to a vacation where we could make memories that would last a lifetime. And it happened. I did it!!! And I'm smiling all the way!
And now we're heading deep into Halloween territory and I'm already feeling the sugar rush. So get ready for some more scary goodies around here because dressing up and spooking is *my* kind of fun! (Although not so much being spooked, as I say in this guest post about Books That Scare Me over at Nova Ren Suma's blog (if you comment, you could be entered to win her October 31st Giveaway!) ((shudder))) I'm more into things involving me on the happy side of the chain saw and I, for one, can't wait to have a little more creeptastic creeping into my day.
So from this side of the keyboard, Boo to YOU!
* The story, super-condensed version, is that my parents brought us to Disney World when we were younger and my mother decided that this was the perfect place to celebrate a new year. Yay! She meant New Year's Eve for the Millennium. Um...Okay! Why did I hesitate? Because this was 1986 and my mother was pre-booking four rooms at Walt Disney World fourteen years in advance! (The computers couldn't even go that high due to the Y2K issue. She had to get paper contracts!) So: why four rooms? She explained calmly that it was for me and my family, my sister and her family, my brother and his family & my parents together. Fair enough, thought I, that's possible...but what really happened was that my husband and I were married October of 1999** and didn't have kids yet and neither did either of my siblings so my mother never got to bring her grandchildren all together to experience Disney for the first time. Now this was my chance to make a bit of that dream--my mother's incredible dream--come true. Hence why we went to Disney.
** Yes, this means that I just celebrated my 12th wedding anniversary with my husband while hanging with Mickey Mouse!
*taps monitor* *looks around* Hmm. You've been up to something, haven't you? Well, that's only fair, because I have too!
Firstly, have you been following the First Annual Creepy Cake N Bake? I'm *loving* it! From Sydney Salter's Black-Bottom Witch Cupcakes to Brenna Yovanoff's uber-realistic (omigawd...) Red Velvet Cardiac Event, Tara Hudson's bleeding heart cupcakes and Karen Healey's good-to-the-last-sinful-spoonful Dark Teacup Puddings and a thankfully NOT original Witch's Cake by Robin Bridges right on up to yesterday's happy Snowball Spider by Michelle Zink! Whoo!
DUDE! Seriously, have you *seen* this?!? Brenna awes and fascinates me...from waaaaaaay over here.
These gals are bringing their A-Game on a wooden spoon and I am going to have to get cookin' (so to speak) but luckily, I had some incredible inspiration while I was away. Namely, this:
YES! I was at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!!! This was the culmination of a dream; not mine, oddly enough...but therein lies the story.* As Tessa Gratton was good enough to quip: "Dawn, you've gotten a two-book deal, what are you going to do next? GO TO DISNEY!" Crazy, insane, and it-must-be-done! We brought the children for their first-ever experience with the Mouse and my parents were there to witness the looks on their faces: it was an incredible time! For me, especially. I know that there are many measures of success for a writer that are deeply personal--from seeing their work on a shelf to getting their first fan letter to getting awards from their peers or making gobs of cash, but one of my personal goals that let me know that I "made it" was to earn enough money with my writing to treat my whole family to a vacation where we could make memories that would last a lifetime. And it happened. I did it!!! And I'm smiling all the way!
And now we're heading deep into Halloween territory and I'm already feeling the sugar rush. So get ready for some more scary goodies around here because dressing up and spooking is *my* kind of fun! (Although not so much being spooked, as I say in this guest post about Books That Scare Me over at Nova Ren Suma's blog (if you comment, you could be entered to win her October 31st Giveaway!) ((shudder))) I'm more into things involving me on the happy side of the chain saw and I, for one, can't wait to have a little more creeptastic creeping into my day.
So from this side of the keyboard, Boo to YOU!
* The story, super-condensed version, is that my parents brought us to Disney World when we were younger and my mother decided that this was the perfect place to celebrate a new year. Yay! She meant New Year's Eve for the Millennium. Um...Okay! Why did I hesitate? Because this was 1986 and my mother was pre-booking four rooms at Walt Disney World fourteen years in advance! (The computers couldn't even go that high due to the Y2K issue. She had to get paper contracts!) So: why four rooms? She explained calmly that it was for me and my family, my sister and her family, my brother and his family & my parents together. Fair enough, thought I, that's possible...but what really happened was that my husband and I were married October of 1999** and didn't have kids yet and neither did either of my siblings so my mother never got to bring her grandchildren all together to experience Disney for the first time. Now this was my chance to make a bit of that dream--my mother's incredible dream--come true. Hence why we went to Disney.
** Yes, this means that I just celebrated my 12th wedding anniversary with my husband while hanging with Mickey Mouse!
October 7, 2011
A Friday of WOW!
Have you seen today's Creepy Cake N Bake entry?!? Erin Dionne's All-Seeing Eyeball Cupcakes! I confess I'm caught somewhere between "Eeugh! Gross!" and "Wow! Cool!" with a definite tilt towards the latter. Still, it might be helpful for me to keep in mind during this Repentance holiday (not to mention the day long fast). I am beginning to think of these bakers as my new heroes for creative, out-of-the-box thinking. *now imagines a boxful of All-Seeing Eye cupcakes* ((shudder))
NEWS! I have received my edit letter as well as additional comments from the UK assistant editor which are heaps of glittering gold that I must mine from the morass which is the next Work in Progress. HOORAY! This comes just in time for a holiday, an adventure, and a total re-read so I will be taking a brief hiatus as I dive into all three (hopefully not at the same time). In the meanwhile, keep these words of wisdom in mind:
1) "Give yourself permission to suck." - Jackson Pearce
2) "Don't Forget To Be Awesome!" - John Green
3) "Butt In Chair." - Jane Yolen
And for all those celebrating Yom Kippur, may you have an easy fast, a thoughtful day, and a year of peace.
NEWS! I have received my edit letter as well as additional comments from the UK assistant editor which are heaps of glittering gold that I must mine from the morass which is the next Work in Progress. HOORAY! This comes just in time for a holiday, an adventure, and a total re-read so I will be taking a brief hiatus as I dive into all three (hopefully not at the same time). In the meanwhile, keep these words of wisdom in mind:
1) "Give yourself permission to suck." - Jackson Pearce
2) "Don't Forget To Be Awesome!" - John Green
3) "Butt In Chair." - Jane Yolen
And for all those celebrating Yom Kippur, may you have an easy fast, a thoughtful day, and a year of peace.
October 5, 2011
Attack of the Zombie Clown Cupcakes?!?
"Zombies are Scary, Clowns are Scarier, but Zombie Clowns are the Scariest of All." - Stacey Jay
Check out the at Confectionery Undeath out on her blog! Of course, now I may have to rethink my entry...as the gauntlet is being thrown and thrown HARD!
*cue maniacal laughter: tee hee hee hee hee!*
P.S. Please note her dining room decor for this shot:
My respect for said co-conspirator has just gone up a bazillion percent. I MUST MEET HER SOMEDAY! That is all.
Check out the at Confectionery Undeath out on her blog! Of course, now I may have to rethink my entry...as the gauntlet is being thrown and thrown HARD!
*cue maniacal laughter: tee hee hee hee hee!*
P.S. Please note her dining room decor for this shot:
My respect for said co-conspirator has just gone up a bazillion percent. I MUST MEET HER SOMEDAY! That is all.
