Katherine Center's Blog, page 6

unplugged

I'm taking the month off from the Web.

It's a radical thing to do, but there it is. I've got a novel to write–one that is coming to find me at all sorts of crazy hours, one that is waiting on the edges of daily life for me to turn around and give it some attention.

And it's not just waiting–more and more, it's talking to me.  In dreams.  At the kitchen sink washing dishes.  Driving carpool.  It's almost like having flashes of memory, and the flashes definitely feel like magic, and the story is ...

how to make a comfort list

In Get Lucky, the main character makes a "comfort list" of things that are soothing.  Here it is:

"Things that are comforting:

Tea.

Warm water on your skin.

Thick socks.

Humming.

Laughter.

Fireplaces.

Having someone arrange your fruit in a smiley face.

Having someone refuse to examine your imaginary tumors.

Watching old movies with Mackie."

And while I've never actually made a list like this, myself, I've been thinking lately that I maybe should.

Because having a book come out is exhilarating...

author interview: keris stainton

Now for a treat.Keris Stainton, an e-friend of mine, has just published her debut novel.  Keris is an avid reader and used to review books for the site Trashionista.  In fact, she reviewed my first book when it came out.  We stayed in touch in that small-world way that people can on the internet nowadays, and I was so happy when I heard that she got a book deal of her own.  The book is a YA novel called Della Says OMG, and folks are saying great things about it!It is a real pleasure to share ...

how women take care of each other

Okay, lucky me.

After I made this video lots of other fun projects came my way.

One of those projects was to make a video for the Texas Conference for Women, Massachusetts Conference for Women, and Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women.   They sent me their theme and asked if I'd like to try to bring it to life in a video.

I instantly knew what I wanted to do.  I wanted to see if my dear friend Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks would let me use some of her hauntingly beautiful portraits of w...

a day in the life

Kristina at the blog Owning Kristina just sent an email and asked me to describe a day in my writing life for her.  She wants to know what it's like to spend your days doing what you love (and doing things to support doing what you love).

Here's a typical day for me:

6:30

Haul myself out of sleep like some abandoned wreck pulled from the bottom of the sea.

6:35-8:15

Wake kids, gather up their school clothes, make breakfast, make lunches*, deposit kids in carpool cars.

*Trying to make fresh...

the barbecue capital of Texas

I kind of lean in a vegetarian direction.  But when you go to the Bar-B-Q capital of Texas, you just HAVE to be a carnivore.

And last week, when my mom and I drove out to Lockhart, Texas, for a book event, we asked around for the best BBQ and got many different opinions.  Finally, since most places around Lockhart seem to close down around six, we had an easy choice–we went to one that didn't close 'til 8.

And, man, were we glad we did.

Because these people? They are NOT kidding around.  This...

the Lockhart Library

Last week, I drove out to Lockhart, Texas, with my mom for a book event.  The library in my new book is based on the historic library in Lockhart–the oldest library in Texas.

It was so amazing to get to stand in the library that had sparked so many ideas in my head and read from the book there.  Though the library in the book is shabbier than the well-cared-for library in Lockhart–had to be, for the plot.

Here's the excerpt I read in Lockhart, standing in this library, in front a a stage where ...

How NOT To Write: passive constructions

Why are they called "constructions"?

Because a sentence is something you build, right?  You assemble it with words.  And those words can be active or passive.  But they should be active.  What's the difference?  This:

PASSIVE:  Mistakes were made by me.

vs.

ACTIVE:  I made mistakes.

PASSIVE:  A good time was had by all.

vs.

ACTIVE:  We all had a good time.

So.  Active sentences are SHORTER and use fewer syllables.  But that's not all they have going for them.  They are DIRECT. They are simple...

all my exes live in Marfa

Did I say "all"?  I actually meant "none."

But an old friend of one of my exes — who apparently bought his car — does.

Here's what I'm saying:  There is no way to describe how bizarre it is to drive into a tiny town that's 3 hours into the desert from El Paso and look up to see your high school boyfriend's Suburban.

But that's the magic of Marfa, I guess.

My pal Laura, capturing the moment.

I went with a batch of writer and blogger friends on a trip sponsored by Bright Sky Press for personal tour ...

make your own luck

I've just made a new trailer for Get Lucky that tries to feel a little bit like the book.

I was super-lucky to get to use photos taken by my beautiful pal Andrea Jenkins of Hula Seventy, who is an amazing photographer, artist, blogger, and mama.  Beyond amazing, actually.

I've been trying to make this video for a while.  I've had the images and music lined up forever.  But I had trouble finding the right words.  I tried reading a few different book excerpts, but nothing was right. So I finally ...