Dawn Metcalf's Blog, page 43

Cancer, Bullying & E-Book Piracy

I know I should be sharing something inane or pseudo-intelligent that has something to do with writing or steampunk critters or gender rants or whatever, but three things have cropped up in recent days that have got my brain whirring: cancer, bullying, and e-book piracy.

Obviously, these things have nothing in common save the fact that all three are affecting some people I know, some people I admire, and some people close to my heart. And all three give me a feeling of helplessness and futility that I do not like. At all. It drives me crazy when I hear people shrugging off bullying as "just something kids do", that theft is their right to convenience and free access of information, or when people say things out of ignorance because cancer only happens to other people. I am a do-er from a family of activists who don't like to sit back and do nothing, say nothing, let it be; but in all of these instances, I'm left with an overwhelming feeling of what can I do?

So if you're like me, here's what we can do:

We can be present.
We can be active.
We can ask questions.
We can stand up.
We can speak up.
We can speak out.
We can offer sincerely.
We can listen.
We can learn.
And we can reach beyond what we know into the vast unknown and declare, "I am a stand for YOU."

Because I can't make cancer disappear, even though I wish I could. And I can't stop bullying everywhere, even though I wish I could. And I can't stop e-piracy worldwide, even though I wish I could. And I can say all the right things and do nothing, or I can say nothing and do all the right things, and the outcomes may be affected or not. I don't know. I'll never know.

But know that if you have the power to do the right thing, take a moment. Think about it. And do that.

Thanks.

G-d, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

-- Serenity Prayer

Get Warped

Today, the world is WARPED.



Specifically, it's the launch date of mguibord 's debut novel, WARPED, which is special to me for a number of reasons:

1) It's a really good book (okay, I may be biased, but my eyes don't lie!)
2) Maurissa is one of my critique partners (hence, being biased by knowing in advance how fabulous she is)
3) We are Elevensies together (Debut Sibs!)
4) WARPED is one of those stories that gets under your skin and makes you think and laugh and shudder and wonder and wish like a thread on a loom turning over and over, spinning in your mind, and it's woven into a tapestry of beautiful, fun and funny prose so its description is pretty appropriate:

Tessa doesn't believe in magic. Or Fate. But there's something weird about the dusty unicorn tapestry she discovers in a box of old books. She finds the creature woven within it compelling and frightening. After the tapestry comes into her possession, Tessa experiences dreams of the past and scenes from a brutal hunt that she herself participated in. When she accidentally pulls a thread from the tapestry, Tessa releases a terrible centuries old secret. She also meets William de Chaucy, an irresistible 16th-century nobleman. His fate is as inextricably tied to the tapestry as Tessa's own. Together, they must correct the wrongs of the past. But then the Fates step in, making a tangled mess of Tessa's life. Now everyone she loves will be destroyed unless Tessa does their bidding and defeats a cruel and crafty ancient enemy.

Now here's what *I* can say about WARPED:

This story breathes! Its plot threads come from myth and fate and magic and are expertly woven together into a picture of a young girl living life without her mom and a young man living life without his time. As they become twined together, it could tear everything else apart.

It would be a crime if this wasn't part of your 2011 reading (and, in the future, something on the silver screen)!

Follow the fun and funny and talented and honest Maurissa on her blog or visit her website & join me in wishing her a VERY HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!!!

Go! Now! Read!

Wow!

So yesterday I was writing a thoughtful post about world-building, switching POVs, anchoring fantasy and Severus Snape (no, really. I'll post it again later this week. Promise!) when all of a sudden I got a pic via Twitter-chum LaFabuliste and every coherent thought went right out the window. I actually placed a hand over my mouth like in the movies like some sort of gasping starlet and stared at the screen.

The photo was this:


Lovingly gakked from Christina's twitgoo--I can't believe I typed that with a straight face...

My brain registered: THAT'S LUMINOUS*! Followed closely by: THAT'S ALA**!

After that firework and sprinkle of sparkles erupted in my brain as well as a little cry of excitement that brought my family running, I proceeded to Tweet, Facebook, email my friends, and Skype with my in-laws in rapid succession. I couldn't believe it! It's the first sighting of my book as a book in the wild! I gazed at the picture, my next thoughts a jumble of domino-action:

It's pretty!
It's so pretty.
I wonder if there are ARCs available?
I didn't get an ARC.
Am I getting ARCs?
It looks like an ARC.
It's a galley copy.
What's the difference between a galley and an ARC?
It's so pretty!
Oh, look! It's Ellen's book!
Boy there are a lot of butterflies...
THAT'S MY BOOK!
It doesn't have a shiny star.
It's the first one. There's nothing to star yet.
It's so pretty.
THAT'S MY BOOK!

I know that I'm not a lead title or have a big marketing push, I know that it's not an easy-to-characterize book and that there are a whole lot of fabulous books coming out this year and mine's only one of them, but it is *mine* and there's nothing else quite like it out there in the world and there is Consuela, sitting on a shelf, for all the world to see.

And there's nothing quite like that in the whole wide world.

So I'm just going to bask in that for a while, thank you!


* a.k.a. MY BOOK!
** a.k.a. The American Library Association which is having their MidWinter meeting right now. I attended last year during a TweetUp in Boston and had the most amazing time! While I was slightly envious before, I am absolutely Kermit now!

Read It & Wept

Look what came in the mail yesterday!



Yes, what you see is a very pretty, very shiny Penguin Young Readers Catalog for May-August of 2011. Included was a letter from my editor saying that this is what the publishers send out to libraries, booksellers, and the like in order to woo them into placing their orders for the upcoming season. I opened it up and found this in the first section, page 12:



Yes, it's LUMINOUS! In case you can't read the catchy header, it says "An edgy modern fantasy with a strong Latina heroine." Which is true! That's my cover! That's the Frankfurt blurb! That's my book! Complete with a stamp on it next to my sultry author photo (coined by my daughter as the "Grumpy-Face" picture) that says: Debut Novel.

Which makes me a debut author.

*For realz!*

I read it over and over. And yes, I cried a little.


P.S. I'll also admit that I flipped through the catalog looking for folks I knew and was thrilled to see such gorgeous spreads for Andrea Cremer (NIGHTSHADE, Philomel) & Nova Ren Suma (IMAGINARY GIRLS, Dutton)! **\0/** HOORAY!

Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

I'm not the only one excited about 2011!

Check out the following lineup from my fellow Elevenies: (can you stand all the pretty?!?)



Gakked with applause from the lovely & talented sbennettwealer .

8-D

I think I just geeked out. Seriously.

Hi, 2011!

It's 2011.
This is it.
I've been waiting for this year for a long, long time and now, it's finally here. It feels like my birthday. It feels like spring. It feels like everything is shivering awake after a long sleep, the first stretch of a good morning.

IT'S MY DEBUT YEAR!

Everything I've been working on the past few years has been leading up to this. All the research and preparations and waitingwaitingwaiting are about to start happening and like the Road Runner's little feet twirling in frantic, static, whirring anticipation, it's all going to take off like a rocket. Beep! Beep!

IT'S MY DEBUT YEAR!

I've been waiting to share what I have hidden behind the curtain. Oh yes, I have! It's the surprise party I've been planning for my very best friends. Cue the music and the maniacal laughter! I'm giggling and giddy with pocketsful of bright kerchiefs and rabbits in hats and cards up my sleeve and flaming batons and

IT'S MY DEBUT YEAR!

Of course, there's been other things going on. Dear me, I don't obsess. Kids in school, regular appointments, family celebrations, the ongoing job search, juggling schedules and making time for friends, remembering that it's not all about this one aspect of my life that I've been dreaming of ever since I was five years old and writing notes to my folks in crayon stuffed under the door in order to express myself through words which became my passion throughout high school and college and every day since which is now leading up to this incredible pie-in-the-sky moment when I realize that

IT'S MY DEBUT YEAR!

And I'm in training for my second degree black belt. Yes. I've just recently completed the 1000 Form Challenge* and am headed into the next stage known as my Gateway Exam. My body is sore and my WIP's taken a hit as I've spent 2 hours a day, 5 days a week on this particular aspect of my Why-Don't-We-Schedule-Major-Events-Simultaneously trend** in my life (because I am obviously insane). This is my third time going up for Nidan*** and I have to keep focused but

IT'S MY DEBUT YEAR!

So, yeah. I'm excited. Are you excited? Uh-huh! Me, too!

Hi, 2011!!!


* The 1000 Form Challenge means that anyone going up for the next belt test is required to do 1000 forms, or katas, by the due date (in my case, approx. 2 months) which may not sound like a big deal, but let me explain: A kata is a set of movements stringing together blocks, kicks, punches and body positions that are sort of like a Dance of Death to invisible assailants who conveniently attack from various choreographed directions, one at a time. Like a Kung Fu film. Depending on whether you concentrate on speed, precision, power, etc., practicing katas can take anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes each. We have 11 different katas. To complete the Challenge requires about 4-6 sets a day, which can be done in about 1-1.5 hours. That's approx. 60 kata a day. Now add 18 body combinations, 10 air sets, 4 defensive "flows" and 300 crunches/push-ups and you start to get the idea of why I'm gasping a weak "Yay!" over here.

** I have no idea why I do this. The first time, I planned my wedding and a 70-hour interactive theater project within two weeks of each other. Madness! The second time, I was 8 months pregnant and heading another day-long event. Crazypants! Clearly, I have commitment issues; meaning I tend to over-commit. I theorize this is some self-destructive tendency to see just how much creative stress I can endure before my head pops like a balloon.

*** I got my first degree black belt (Shodan) in 2001. Ten years ago. Ten YEARS ago! The first two times I began extensive training for the next level, I had to stop because I got pregnant both times. Both times! I am one of the few people who can rightfully blame this on my sensei, also known as the upgraded "Ex-Boyfriend", i.e.: Dearest Husband. So, third time's the charm!

Trying to Hold on to Today

I'm trying to memorize the day. It's the sort of weather that is too good to be real, it belongs in a book or on the big screen in tales like Serendipity or Sleepless in Seattle, where everything has a purpose, a hidden meaning towards a perfect inevitability. A movie moment.

There is a paper-white sky and the sun is a perfect pencil-eraser spot of worn brightness, the sky matching the snow in an infinity of white-on-white. The wind whips dry snowflakes in every direction (here, at the edge of a long, open meadow, the snow flies up as it explodes against our windows). If you try to follow the flurries, it's a traffic jam, a rave of snowflakes. All the dead grasses lean to the left and black branches litter the ground, broken arthritic fingers pointed in accusation at the sky, half-buried in thin drifts.

The children are splashes of color squinting against the particulate wind. Hot pink and bright purple and Christmas green bundled up in layers of scarves and hats and gloves and boots of mismatching colors and patterns and pom poms stomping past the backyard. Their voices are carried up and away, high-pitched squeals and calls to one another to watch as they sled down the inclines and tumble over one another like puppies in a winter's blanket. The snow is too dry for snowballs, but that doesn't keep them from trying.

The wind has a sound, almost a voice, that calls and coughs and whispers and whines. The wind shrieks off the rooftops in clouds of snow and rumbles around the basement door as if grumbling to be let in. The cats watch with indifference. The windows buckle and whistle, bent in their frames. Then it's calmer, quieter, but only for the moment before it picks up with renewed energy, another bombast to let fly again.

It's one of those days, and I try to hold it with my eyes and words, but it's like the dry snow powdering in my mittens, refusing to stay.

Celebrate Peace

For all those who celebrate:

Merry Christmas!



And, for those of us who don't, take a quiet moment to share a special moment with family & friends. Peace.

There Are A Lot More of Us Than You Think

I know there's been a lot about bullying in the news and around the teen blogosphere lately. This is nothing new to me as bullying, gender issues and self-esteem are what my husband and I do for a living. (I write curricula and do public workshops and my husband teaches people how to defend themselves while wearing starchy pajama suits known as "gis" -- guess which one of us has more fun?) Honestly, I would write a ton of stuff and cite really incredible sites like The Ophelia Project, About-face.org, and Liz Swados' work including "The Hating Project" (one of my favorites!) but, really, it's about character; and for once I'm not talking about the ones on the page.

Respect: Treating other people the way they want to be treated. (My husband and I tweaked this a bit from the Golden Rule adage since the way YOU might want to be treated might not be the same way that someone ELSE wishes to be treated; that takes a little more effort, knowledge and research. Trust me, says the author who wrote some Latina paranormal fiction!)

So I was thrilled to join YA Authors Against Bullying created by Carrie Jones and Megan Kelly Hall who stood up to do something other than sympathize with what's been going on with teens "doing onto" other teens. Many of us submitted our essays to the non-profit site in order to share our own experiences in the hopes that we could add our voices to the fabulous "It Gets Better" vibe going on out there; to reach out and say that it's not you and it's not okay--we're listening. We're here.

What I *hadn't* anticipated was that our fearless leaders would take this one step further and I'm honored to be among such incredible talents as Jo Knowles, Heather Brewer, Ellen Hopkins, Cecil Castellucci, Eric Luper, Carolyn Mackler, R.L Stine, Lisa McMann, Lauren Oliver, Jon Scieszka, and Mo Willems in the anthology DEAR BULLY, coming soon.



So, bullies beware: there are lots of great stories in here from people who know. People who care. People who understand. People who will listen and stand up to do something about it. And there are a lot more of us than you think.

Blatant Favortism

There's nothing quite like minding your own business when you're suddenly hit by an idea smack between the eyes. This is especially delightful when you're doing something else like washing the dishes, driving the car, or working on a book that's already in progress. (Oh Maggie, you're such a card! One might suspect the Queen of Knives...making me turn to the Five of Cups.) It's like releasing your inner cute kitten while dangling an "Ooh! Shiny!" and "Oh, look, *shiny*!" and "oooOOOooo! SHINY!" *pounce* Sometimes too much of a good thing is maddening.

But this is NOT the time to drop everything and dive into a new story! If you're one of those types who have a bunch of half-finished cool pet projects lying around the house *ahem* *cough* *sputter* then you know both the temptation to redirect like a Tron cycle taking a sharp right and the folly and disappointment that comes from abandoning those epiphanies left behind to rot in the basement or craft corner somewhere. Shiny, sparkly new thingies have a way of disguising malaise and the need to push through. Right now, it's most important that you show blatant favoritism and tarry on!

To whit, I love steampunk, but I don't write steampunk. Or, truth be told, I have an idea for steampunk that I really enjoy, I wrote a few chapters of it, outlined the rest, then set it aside while I entered the Wild Wild World of revisions when LUMINOUS came back into my possession after a year of canoodling with my editor then showing up on the front step marked-up, well-read, and grinning like an idiot. This is a new skill I'm learning: to hit pause on my Muse and return to whatever it is later. Not just with steampunk, but with any idea that sticks.

That isn't easy, at least for me. I have to admit that the WIP I had been merrily banging away at when the offer came in about 3 years ago subsequently died on the vine due to intense creative strangulation as I wrestled and fought with my personal angels to get back to "that place" and start it up again...and I couldn't. And didn't. I went on with a half-finished idea at over 70K flapping in the breeze behind me like a white flag of surrender. I'm not proud of it and it haunts me like Marley's ghost. It wasn't the manuscript, it was me. I had to move on. I had to let go.

So to cope, I learned to allow myself tasters or sample platters: one to three chapters where I could explore the idea, one to two pages of outlines or notes, perhaps a grueling synopsis that I might share with my agent to get an opinion before I carried on with whatever it was that I'm supposed to be doing while I enter the coveted 6-month countdown for my very first novel to make its debut. I tried a little twisted faery tale, dabbled with a breath of heady steampunk, had a dalliance with a dark tale of love and knives (which later turned into the option book, who knew?) and then it was back for copyedits and a reunion with Consuela, Wish, Abacus, Sissy, Tender, and V. And then off they go again into the labyrinth of First Pass Pages and whatever else happens to make them look pretty on the page. [Hint: butterflies!]

Alone once again, I've been madly seduced by my latest WIP's "alternate reality" sans my usual tricks: no magic, no otherworld, no collapsing time and space, no mythos, no sharp, metal objects, and no mysterious Someone who turns the MC's world upside-down. (Maggie is being particularly sadistic this time around.) It's a little bit scary and majorly confronting, but also thrilling. Maggie may have coaxed me back to my original first love in spec-fic: sci-fi. *gasp!* The scandal! I stagger at the implications and type madly before Consuela returns and finds me in the metaphorical arms of another manuscript. My agent warns me that even if I finish this in record time, it will probably not see the light of day for years, if we're lucky. And that's true. But I have no choice: I have to write it while it's here and now.

And I'm terrified of losing it like I did it's older sib. I know it'll be hard to put it down and pick it up again with the same mental passion when I revisit other worlds (not to mention the real one, my own, with kids and housework, bills, karate, and the ever-present specter of What's For Dinner?) and I hate to show favoritism, being a good parent, but Consuela gets first dibs because she's the first and, right now, the best. It's *her* time. And she deserves the spotlight and the accolades and the love. But the truth is, I've moved on since then. Those books on the shelves are an average of 1-3 year echoes from the past, a sort of homage to time-travel for book lovers everywhere. The authors who tout them now have had to reinvent that original sparkle in their eye because a lot of life--real and otherwise--has happened since. It's not hard, but it's not the same as when pages were freshly-printed and the words singing for the first time in your brain. Now you're well-familiar with one another, having gone through changes, and tough starts and stops, you've introduced her to some friends and family, some partners and pros, and she's tidied up, shiny, and ready for the ball.

That's Consuela for me: the reigning princess returning, victorious, dragon head in hand and maybe an accolade or two on her arm. Her story was my passion years ago, but now I get to see her with new eyes as well as old ones; the eyes I once had when our mutual infatuation was fresh and new--the "honeymoon" period where she could do no wrong and I was blind to her flaws--and hold her up to the world as my One and Only.

She still is, in a way. She is my first book.

But (hopefully) not my last.

*Shiny!*