Annie Cardi's Blog, page 42

Unintentional Book Soundtracks

This morning I was headed into work and “King and Lionheart” by Of Monsters and Men came on:

I started singing along, and about halfway through I realized that this song reminded me so much of Tamora Pierce’s The Song of the Lioness books, particularly the relationship between Alanna and Prince/King Jonathan. They go through a lot together, including defending the kingdom, and I feel like the song really captures a sense of love and loyalty.

However, I’m guessing Of Monsters and Men wasn’t inspired by this fantastic series. (If they were, please let me know because that would be so freaking awesome.) But it made me think about the songs that remind me of books, even if there isn’t a direct tie or inspiration. A few other songs I inexplicably tie to books:

“Middle Cyclone” by Neko Case

Makes me think of: The Hunger Games

Why: Because it’s about someone who knows that, despite having to stay strong and appear cold, deeply needs to be with someone who loves them. Which is why, even though I was totally Team Gale, I think Peeta is the right choice for Katniss.

Key lyrics: “I can’t give up acting tough / It’s all that I’m made of / Can’t scrape together quite enough / To ride the bus to the outskirts of the fact that I need love”

“Some Night” by Fun

Makes me think of: Hamlet

Why: Having a ghost hanging over you.

Key lyrics: “But I still wake up, I still see your ghost / But, Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for, oh / What do I stand for? What do I stand for?”

“Man on Fire” by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros

Makes me think of: Tuck Everlasting

Why: This one’s probably the most random. It’s not about everlasting life or death, but I feel like there’s a sense in the song of being someone outside of society, who wants to make people understand what it is to truly live life. I feel like that sense of appreciation for life is very much apart of the Tucks, particular Tuck himself.

Key lyrics: “Only one desire / That’s left in me / I want the whole damn world / To come and dance with me”

Are there any songs you associate with books, even if there’s no actual connection?

Links Galore

A few more links for your afternoon:

Nova Ren Suma talks about author events and overcoming shyness. (As someone who gets way stressed before public speaking, I was so happy to read this post.)
Flying can be stressful; libraries are here to help with that.
Chocolate + books = bliss (at least until all my money is gone).
The etymology of “please” and “thank you.”
GUYS THERE COULD BE A JELLICOE ROAD MOVIE, I WILL HAVE ALL THE FEELS.
The Luckys share their submission stats.
Writing is like playing video games because it’s hard to level up.
Exposition rooster and other literary techniques via Disney movies.
Happy Harry Potter’s Birthday! Celebrate with a little movie trivia.

Be an English Major

Fellow Candlewick YA writer and one of my favorite 2014 debut authors, Sarah Combs, recently sent me this article about why English majors matter. Needless to say, my heart swelled with bookish pride. For example:

“The English major is, first of all, a reader. She’s got a book pup-tented in front of her nose many hours a day; her Kindle glows softly late into the night. But there are readers and there are readers. There are people who read to anesthetize themselves—they read to induce a vivid, continuous, and risk-free daydream. They read for the same reason that people grab a glass of chardonnay—to put a light buzz on. The English major reads because, as rich as the one life he has may be, one life is not enough. He reads not to see the world through the eyes of other people but effectively to become other people. What is it like to be John Milton, Jane Austen, Chinua Achebe? What is it like to be them at their best, at the top of their games?

English majors want the joy of seeing the world through the eyes of people who—let us admit it—are more sensitive, more articulate, shrewder, sharper, more alive than they themselves are. The experience of merging minds and hearts with Proust or James or Austen makes you see that there is more to the world than you had ever imagined. You see that life is bigger, sweeter, more tragic and intense—more alive with meaning than you had thought.”

The whole article is fantastic. Edmundson defends not only the act of reading, as above, but also the act of writing and how deft handling of language allows us to “not merely to represent the world but to interpret it.” Isn’t every other major or career made better by the ability to represent and interpret the world and its ideas? Definitely click through to read the rest.

I’m a former English major and, even though people often make jokes about how unemployable we are and how useless it is to “sit around and read,” I can think of nothing more valuable than understanding language and being sensitive to the human experience. My English major certainly helped me get jobs (with health benefits!) and has made me a more thoughtful person overall.

Also, I gave a little cheer when I saw that the article writer was, in fact, Mark Edmundson, professor at the University of Virginia, my beloved alma mater. (Woohoo, English department!)

Thanks again to Sarah for sharing such an inspiring article! (And guys, you are totally going to want to read her book, Breakfast Served Anytime when it comes out next spring.)

Billy Murray, Coming to Your Next Poetry Reading

When you think “poetry,” you don’t necessarily think of Bill Murray. (Okay, maybe you do, but it’s probably because of the innate poetry in Ghostbusters.) But Murray can pull of a surprisingly good poetry reading. Here, at the 16th Annual Poets House Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge, he reads Billy Collins’ poem, “Forgetfulness”:

I’ve seen Collins at a couple of readings and Murray really hits that Collins vibe–humorous at first, with that great thoughtful turn at the end.

Click through to see Bill Murray tackle more poetry readings.

(via Tweetspeak Poetry)

Friday Fifteen

It’s the end of July and a surprisingly chilly Friday here. (And by chilly, I mean not 93 degrees and 100% humidity.) Let’s get cozy with this week’s fifteen-word (or fewer) book reviews:

1. Belles on Their Toes by Frank B. Gilbreth, Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

More about the Gilbreth family, minus Dad. Same big family/turn-of-the-century fun.

2. The Ocean World of Jacques Costeau: Oasis in Space (Vol. 1) by Jacques Costeau

The first of Costeau’s classic series. Probably the reason I love giant sea creatures.

3. Guarding the Moon: A Mother’s First Year by Francesca Lia Block

First time I learned about things like how physically rough breast feeding can be. Yay?

4. Clifford’s Family by Norman Bridwell

Clifford knows what it’s like to be the “weird” one in your family.

5. The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

I love stories about prodigies, and Zarr’s look at what’s beautiful is fantastic.

Links Galore

A few links to round out the week:

In case you’re still looking to flesh out your summer reading list.
Jane Austen is so money.
Love the Books on the Underground project. (via Book Riot)
sounds way less creepy than it actually is.
I bet the letters of Roald Dahl are fascinating.
Lots of useful online resources for writers.
What to say when people tell you YA is automatically less thoughtful or well-written than adult literature.
Surprised not to see The Fault in Our Stars on this list of .
You’re never too old for fairy tales and their adaptations.

ARCs, Spanish Moss, and Read Aloud Circles: What I Learned from the Fourteenery Retreat

13/14ths of the Fourteenery

Thirteen* writers. One house. Five days. Infinite awesomeness.

The first ever Fourteenery retreat was a huge success. I have to admit, I was a little nervous. We’d all been emailing for the last year and everyone seemed so cool–how could this hold up in real life? Fortunately, the minute I saw everyone at the airport, it was like the internet come to life in the best way possible. (Major thanks to Natalie for all her organizing!)

So in case you weren’t following us on Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr over the last few days, here are fourteen things I learned from the Fourteenery retreat:

14. The Fourteenery can cook

Homemade cinnamon buns, peach-raspberry crumble, and guacamole? Let’s say we didn’t exactly go hungry on this retreat. I’m glad to know that the Fourteenery can eventually open up its own cafe. My contributions were panzanella and chicken shawarma.

Spanish moss, guys,

13. Savannah is really pretty

I’d never been to Savannah before and I was struck by how gorgeous it was–lots of beautiful homes and parks, all surrounded by trees draped in Spanish moss.

12. I’m kind of obsessed with my Fourteenery t-shirt

Can I wear this everyday until the next retreat?

11. If you think you’re the only one, you’re probably not

As a group, we’ve been through a lot, both personally and professionally. I really appreciated everyone’s openness and kindness about all sorts of issues, and I think this feeling will translate into everyone’s books and help connect with readers. (This also makes a game of Never Have I Ever particularly fun.)

10. Never trust the wi-fi

We had wi-fi for about twelve hours before it just gave up completely. Maybe it was the house’s way of encouraging me to get work done and not just blog about all the work I was totally going to get done. Thanks to the Sentient Bean for their iced tea and internet access!

9. Cooking shows provide hours of entertainment (and judgment)

Carrots do not count as French fries, guys.

8. Everyone has different ideas about success and career paths and what it means to be a writer

Every night we talked about some aspect of what we wanted from our writing and our careers, and even though there was a lot of crossover between what people said, no two people had the exact same answer. I’m excited to see everyone’s careers develop in various ways and I know we’ll all support each other in that journey, no matter what challenges come along.

7. Seeing ARCs is mega exciting

We got to see and hold copies of Sekret, How to Love, Side Effects May Vary, and Fault Line. It’s so exciting that these books are all bound and ready to connect with their readers.

Coffee and water, my morning writing time fuel

6. You’re more likely to be productive when you’re around productive writers

I got so much work done, and I think part of that was because everyone was writing and going over edits. On my own, I’d be way more inclined to get to a tough section and go do laundry/take a nap/dance around the room for a while.

5. When in doubt, refer to Christa’s rules

Christa knows best.

4. I need to get a porch

Morning writing time on the back porch? Hand me my laptop and a cup of coffee, please. (Just watch out for the mosquitoes.)

3. The Banana Candle exists

DO NOT WANT. Thank you, Jenny, for bringing this hilarity/horror into our lives.

2. The Fourteenery bookshelf is going to be so freaking amazing

We read aloud from our respective projects and, holy cow guys, I was blown away. Everyone’s writing is stellar and all the stories were so engaging. We cover a wide variety of topics too–from desegregation in Virginia to creepy Southern gothic swamp tales to assassins and thieves to dragon slaying, there’s a lot of goodness coming.

Throwin’ Ovs

1. I love the Fourteenery

Okay, technically I already knew this, but the retreat underscored what an awesome group this is. Everyone is so generous and thoughtful and encouraging. These women inspire me as a writer and as a person, and I’m beyond honored to be part of this group. I can’t wait for you guys to get to know all of them, too, as our books are published over the next year or two.

Make sure to check out all the Fourteenery authors and get to love them, too.

*We were missing one particularly awesome member, Corinne Duyvis, who lives in Europe. Next Fourteenery retreat in Amsterdam?

(Thanks to Julie for 3/4 of the above images!)

Happy 116th Birthday, Amelia Earhart!

Happy birthday to my favorite female pilot, Amelia Earhart! She was born on July 24, 1897, making this the 116th anniversary of her birth.

Although Earhart herself doesn’t appear in The Chance You Won’t Return, she’s an important figure in the novel. I’ve mentioned before that I first got the idea for the book when the line “My mother thinks she’s Amelia Earhart” popped into my head. As I started writing, I found that Earhart was really the perfect historical figure to have permeating the novel. She was bold and smart and talented and pushed major boundaries for women. But she was also very much a public figure in that she had a carefully crafted public persona, much like a celebrity today would have. That, along with her disappearance, makes her such an enigmatic figure and one we always want to know better. In the same way, much of The Chance You Won’t Return is about the secrets we carry and how we function in our public and private lives.

More about the book and Amelia to come, but in the meantime, make sure to check out these fun Amelia Earhart links:

The Official Website of Amelia Earhart
The George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers at Purdue University Libraries
Happy Birthday, Amelia Earhart: The Iconic Aviator on Drive, Education, Religion, and Human Nature
Amelia Earhart’s Palm Print
Aviation: Boardman, Earhart & Grayson

(image via Boston Public Library)

Friday Fifteen

Happy Friday from Savannah! To kick of a Southern retreat weekend, let’s check out some fifteen-word (or fewer) reviews of Southern stories.

1. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Touching story about the isolation we all feel; loved reading it with ASL studies.

2. Sounder by William H. Armstrong

Early into the book, the dog gets shot. Things go downhill from there. Sad stuff.

3. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

I remember the act of reading this and the cover well, just not the story.

4. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Depression-era black family confronts racism; not as crushing as Sounder. School scenes stuck with me.

5. Georgia Music by Helen V. Griffith

Girl visits grandfather, they bond over “Georgia music.” Next summer he has dementia, I cry.

Getting Psyched for the Fourteenery Retreat

This weekend marks the first-ever Fourteenery retreat, in which thirteen of our fourteen debut 2014 authors descend on Savannah, GA for a few days of writing, bonding, cooking, nail polish, wine, and lots of Southern gothic fun. Which of course means I need to share my feelings and expectations of the experience in gif form:

What I wish packing were like:

What packing is actually like:

Getting off the plane and meeting everyone for the shuttle to the retreat house:

When I see everyone for the first time:

When someone says something hilarious (aka every five seconds):

Sharing industry gossip:

Writing time:

Stressing over book stuff:

Any “bad decisions” made:

When I realize that we have to go home eventually:

When I remember that we get to plan more awesome stuff for 2014:

Make sure to follow along on Twitter (#svrt) and Tumblr for all the real-time retreat fun.