Mette Ivie Harrison's Blog, page 127

book signings

When I am in a store and I see someone handing out something, or even if I see an author signing books, do you know what I do? I steer clear of that person. Yes, I, an author, who knows what it is like to stand there with no one to talk to.

Why do I do this? Because I am convinced that the person there is a salesperson, which means they will have a great pitch. They will be smiling and happy and have a good story to tell me. And whatever their product is, it will suck. Because, in my h...

inner critic and yoga

As I am working through a novel in its first draft form, I have this feeling of terror throughout the long middle section. What is it I am afraid of, precisely? Not being able to sell the book? No. Not being able to finish it? Yes, in part. But mostly, the fear is that I won't do justice to the story that I can feel inside of me, that I won't be able to help anyone else see how wonderful this character is, or how amazing the world that I see is, or how cool the magic system is. I am af...

Charmed vs. Buffy

Even daring to make such a comparison will make some Buffy fans angry, I suppose. But wait a bit.

I started watching Charmed about 8 years ago while at the gym. I got tired of watching the News every morning and there was a station playing Charmed in the mornings, so I got a treadmill near that one, and listened in. It was just to keep me from going insane at first, but I liked it more and more and came to look forward to it. Then I started working out with a trainer and the channel change...

Monk finale

I'll try not to spoil this for those of you who have not yet seen it, but the Monk finale gave several at our household stinging eyes. It wasn't as funny as Monk sometimes is, though they certainly let things go over the top, but it was touching. I loved how everything tied together and how the world continued on afterward, not as before, but not utterly changed, either. I liked to see Monk able to overcome his phobias when finding out about Trudy was on the line. Most of all, I loved the...

December presents week #2

15:
Hunger by Michael Grant

14:
Ice by Sarah Beth Durst

12:
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

10:
Warriors: Into the Wind by Erin Hunter

7:
Christmas multipack by Jan Brett

sketches

I like to draw. I am not very good at it, likely because I do not do it often enough. I once went to a lecture done by a comic artist at a Con. He talked about how to get better and to make a career out of drawing. At the end of the discussion, I raised my hand and asked him what to do about fear. He asked what I was afraid of. Not being very good, I said. Well, he said, that's something you just have to accept and move past.

I haven't accepted it or moved past it. I have lots of other...

winners for SNOWBIRD ARC's

First prize goes to:
THE PRINCESS AND THE DOLPHIN.

(This is a great idea, but wasn't on my list. Maybe I can expand my list and steal it, though?)

Second prize goes to:
THE PRINCESS AND THE SNAKE.

(This was actually a title that I had written down on my list of possibilities, though my son thought THE PRINCESS AND THE COBRA was better)

Some honorable mentions go to:
SCARAB BEETLE (I love Egypt, also!)
PORCUPINE (actually on my list)
DRAGONFLY (14's favorite)

The especially silly prize goes to:
THE PRI...

skinny jeans pic #1

OK, after all my complaints, I decided to try out the skinny jeans. Well, technically, they aren't skinny jeans. They're skinny black cords, but this is what I look like in them, taking a picture in my bathroom mirror:



I bought them from Lands End, so I didn't have to try them on at an actual store and if they were too horrible I could just send them back without anyone knowing. But I didn't think they were too horrible. Perhaps I am wrong. I asked 14 what she thought of them and eventual...

SYTYCD

Jakob was so fabulous last night, was he not? Some of what he said in his bio made me think about people who are only good at one thing, versus people who are good at many things. I know I've posted about this before, but that single-minded dedication to a single endeavor has certain advantages. I think I need a little more of that in my life. Me? Needing a more focused obsession? Maybe only one focused obsession, and not many.

It is one of the reasons I suppose I hope (and simultaneousl...

Contest for ARCs of SNOWBIRD

I have been playing with the idea of POSSIBLY writing another book in the Hound Saga (as I think of it). I don't have a contract for this, and there is no guarantee it would ever see the light of day for various reasons, including not being able to write a book worth publishing. That said, I thought it would be fun for readers of the blog to think about the title for a new book in the series on this occasion. Prizes for those who come up with the best titles.

Already taken are:

THE PRINCESS ...