Sarah Rees Brennan's Blog, page 24
December 9, 2009
Christmas Cookie
I call this a Christmas Cookie, but of course, it is not yet Christmas and of course it is not my present to you all!
My present to you all is a short story called Nick's First Word and I have sent it off to my web designer, so it should be up some time between now and Christmas, and I hope you will enjoy it! But this is not that story.
Since I put up the first chapter last month on this day, it has become Official Cookie Day, and thus you are due a cookie.
I chose this bit of The Demon's...
My present to you all is a short story called Nick's First Word and I have sent it off to my web designer, so it should be up some time between now and Christmas, and I hope you will enjoy it! But this is not that story.
Since I put up the first chapter last month on this day, it has become Official Cookie Day, and thus you are due a cookie.
I chose this bit of The Demon's...
December 4, 2009
Let Us Talk About Piracy
Sadly, I am not talking about movie pirates of the Errol-Flynn-Johnny-Depp-you-can-buckle-my-swash-any-day-if-you-know-what-I'm-saying variety, or historical pirates of the Grainne the Irish queen of the seas type, otherwise known for bonding with Queen Elizabeth and delivering the immortal break-up line: 'Honey, back from the war already? So many things have happened since you were away! Like, I divorced you. And, this is my castle now!' Nor am I talking about mermaids who take to a life of ...
November 30, 2009
The Covers, They Are A-Changin'
'Sarah!' I hear you cry. 'Where are the publishing posts of yore, so informative and yet so hilarious?' 'No,' you actually cry. 'We really didn't miss them. You don't actually know that m-'
I am GLAD YOU ASKED.
I have been told by Some People (and by that I mean Justine 'Don't Spoil Me! Why Are You Spoiling Me? QUIT SPOILING ME OR I WILL USE MY AUSTRALIAN KUNG FU' Larbalestier) that sometimes when I talk about books and movies and television shows, I tend to spoil them for people by means of ge...
I am GLAD YOU ASKED.
I have been told by Some People (and by that I mean Justine 'Don't Spoil Me! Why Are You Spoiling Me? QUIT SPOILING ME OR I WILL USE MY AUSTRALIAN KUNG FU' Larbalestier) that sometimes when I talk about books and movies and television shows, I tend to spoil them for people by means of ge...
November 26, 2009
November Book
I thought it would be appropriate to give away my November book on Thanksgiving. Now, of course, to me Thanksgiving is a strange and exotic thing, like 'cheerleaders' and 'prom.' As a child, it pretty much just seemed like something made up for the movies.
As a grown-up, I have celebrated Thanksgiving twice, and I enjoyed it very much both times. There is a whole pile of delicious food, you guys. There is DERBY PIE.
What is Derby pie, you may well ask? I will tell you. It is chocolate chip cook...
As a grown-up, I have celebrated Thanksgiving twice, and I enjoyed it very much both times. There is a whole pile of delicious food, you guys. There is DERBY PIE.
What is Derby pie, you may well ask? I will tell you. It is chocolate chip cook...
November 19, 2009
Most Excellent Tour Questions
I promised to put up the most excellent questions I was asked on tour, and so more than a month later I redeem this promise!
Some of them I answered on tour: some of them I did not, because a) they had spoilers in the answers, b) I am not all that bright and misunderstood the questions and c) I am not all that bright and waffled strangely instead of answering because I could not come up with the Answer People Deserved to Hear.
Q: Will (Names of the People Who Die in The Demon's Lexicon Redacted...
Some of them I answered on tour: some of them I did not, because a) they had spoilers in the answers, b) I am not all that bright and misunderstood the questions and c) I am not all that bright and waffled strangely instead of answering because I could not come up with the Answer People Deserved to Hear.
Q: Will (Names of the People Who Die in The Demon's Lexicon Redacted...
November 16, 2009
Book Reviews, Sarah Style
It occurs to me that I have not talked much lately of the many, many books I have been reading. So I thought I could do some Brief Summaries in my own particular way, and thus perhaps both entertain and tell you all about books I have enjoyed!
I have been reading a lot of romance novels lately, as part of my quest to find books about relationships which I really really love. And I have been successful! In fact, I have found so many romance novels I love that should my career collapse in a teen...
I have been reading a lot of romance novels lately, as part of my quest to find books about relationships which I really really love. And I have been successful! In fact, I have found so many romance novels I love that should my career collapse in a teen...
November 9, 2009
Hurray for all manner of things!
Happy November, oh internet of my heart. I have many exciting things to tell you.
The first and most important is a very happy thing. On Friday I went onto twitter, where I am www.twitter.com/sarahreesbrenna, as an oppressive twitter system denies me my last, delicious 'n.' And I saw people were congratulating me.
Since I had not even managed to get dressed for the day and was indeed cocooned in a fuzzy blanket, this struck me as odd.
When someone told me that The Demon's Lexicon had been nomi...
The first and most important is a very happy thing. On Friday I went onto twitter, where I am www.twitter.com/sarahreesbrenna, as an oppressive twitter system denies me my last, delicious 'n.' And I saw people were congratulating me.
Since I had not even managed to get dressed for the day and was indeed cocooned in a fuzzy blanket, this struck me as odd.
When someone told me that The Demon's Lexicon had been nomi...
The First Adventure of the First Book
When people talk about being a writer, the first words that come to mind are glamour and artistic parties like Charles Dickens used to mix cocktails for. Whether you're starving in a garret or living in a castle like JK Rowling, I had this image of the author as a flawless, composed individual, serene in the knowledge they were creating art. Maybe with the occasional (very artistic, of course) fit of temperament.
Then I became an author. The first word that sprang to mind was 'terror.'
I got the idea for my book on a ghost tour through Exeter, when I was led down cellar steps by a fiend in the shape of a tour guide and presented unexpectedly with a skeleton made from the bones of a hundred different plague victims, my first impulse was to let out a sound like 'AUGHAURGH' and leap into the arms of the nearest person. (She was an old lady named Ethel, who was really very understanding about the whole thing.)
The second thing I did was become inspired to write a tale of fiends and dark magic set in darkest Exeter.
When my book was first sent out to publishers, my agent told me to buy a lot of ice-cream and wait. So I bought a gigantic amount of ice-cream, and huddled by the freezer eating it and shaking, hoping someone would like it. When my book sold, I was so thrilled and so dizzy from all the sugar that I called all my friends at an unholy hour: at the time I was only aware that it was Raspberry Swirl O'Clock.
Then came the long wait for publication: it took two years from when The Demon's Lexicon was accepted to when it came out in shops: and during that time I rocketed a lot between paralysing excitement and... you guessed it... paralysing fear. Would my editor tell me to change my hero into a girl, and add aliens? Would I like my cover? Would it turn out all to be a massive and very cruel practical joke?
Two years gives you a lot of time to get nervous. I thought, as soon as the book is out, I will fear nothing!
But of course, I was lying to myself, because as soon as the book was out, there was a whole new set of fears. What if nobody liked it? What if nobody bought it but my Great-Aunt Jemima? What if my Great-Aunt Jemima didn't like it?
But people seemed to like it. (Even my Great-Aunt Jemima...) So then I thought, perhaps now there is nothing left to fear...
Which was when I was sent on tour, and I thought to myself: Oh heavens. Everyone would loathe me. I would say something awful, and be forcibly ejected from a school or bookshop. Did they allow people to have rotten fruit? How good would their aim be when they thew it? What if someone took my eye out with a plum stone - how would I look with an eyepatch?
And then I went on tour, and talked to people about books, mine and other people's, and movies, and what we'd do if we were storming an evil fortress, and took some very excellent questions. And I was forced to kiss a giant poster of my cover. (Well, hey, the boy on my cover is pretty foxy. Could've been worse.) I rashly promised to sign anything, and a boy ripped open his shirt and asked me to sign his chest.
SARAH: Oh no... what should I do?
MY LOVELY PUBLICIST: You got yourself into this mess, missy.
SARAH: Well, all right. But only this pen is touching you, young man!
That was alarming, if you like! But the thing is - I really loved being on tour. I love seeing my book on shelves, and getting letters from people who liked the book. I love telling stories, and having other people tell stories to me. I even enjoy sitting about thinking of all the things I'm afraid of. It makes it all seem more real.
My not entirely original thoughts about writing a book, getting it published, and then going through publication? Feel the fear, eat the Raspberry Swirl ice-cream, and do it anyway! Because having a book out is, as well as one of the scariest things that will ever happen to you, some of the most fun you'll ever have.
Get more on Sarah Rees Brennan at SimonandSchuster.com
Then I became an author. The first word that sprang to mind was 'terror.'
I got the idea for my book on a ghost tour through Exeter, when I was led down cellar steps by a fiend in the shape of a tour guide and presented unexpectedly with a skeleton made from the bones of a hundred different plague victims, my first impulse was to let out a sound like 'AUGHAURGH' and leap into the arms of the nearest person. (She was an old lady named Ethel, who was really very understanding about the whole thing.)
The second thing I did was become inspired to write a tale of fiends and dark magic set in darkest Exeter.
When my book was first sent out to publishers, my agent told me to buy a lot of ice-cream and wait. So I bought a gigantic amount of ice-cream, and huddled by the freezer eating it and shaking, hoping someone would like it. When my book sold, I was so thrilled and so dizzy from all the sugar that I called all my friends at an unholy hour: at the time I was only aware that it was Raspberry Swirl O'Clock.
Then came the long wait for publication: it took two years from when The Demon's Lexicon was accepted to when it came out in shops: and during that time I rocketed a lot between paralysing excitement and... you guessed it... paralysing fear. Would my editor tell me to change my hero into a girl, and add aliens? Would I like my cover? Would it turn out all to be a massive and very cruel practical joke?
Two years gives you a lot of time to get nervous. I thought, as soon as the book is out, I will fear nothing!
But of course, I was lying to myself, because as soon as the book was out, there was a whole new set of fears. What if nobody liked it? What if nobody bought it but my Great-Aunt Jemima? What if my Great-Aunt Jemima didn't like it?
But people seemed to like it. (Even my Great-Aunt Jemima...) So then I thought, perhaps now there is nothing left to fear...
Which was when I was sent on tour, and I thought to myself: Oh heavens. Everyone would loathe me. I would say something awful, and be forcibly ejected from a school or bookshop. Did they allow people to have rotten fruit? How good would their aim be when they thew it? What if someone took my eye out with a plum stone - how would I look with an eyepatch?
And then I went on tour, and talked to people about books, mine and other people's, and movies, and what we'd do if we were storming an evil fortress, and took some very excellent questions. And I was forced to kiss a giant poster of my cover. (Well, hey, the boy on my cover is pretty foxy. Could've been worse.) I rashly promised to sign anything, and a boy ripped open his shirt and asked me to sign his chest.
SARAH: Oh no... what should I do?
MY LOVELY PUBLICIST: You got yourself into this mess, missy.
SARAH: Well, all right. But only this pen is touching you, young man!
That was alarming, if you like! But the thing is - I really loved being on tour. I love seeing my book on shelves, and getting letters from people who liked the book. I love telling stories, and having other people tell stories to me. I even enjoy sitting about thinking of all the things I'm afraid of. It makes it all seem more real.
My not entirely original thoughts about writing a book, getting it published, and then going through publication? Feel the fear, eat the Raspberry Swirl ice-cream, and do it anyway! Because having a book out is, as well as one of the scariest things that will ever happen to you, some of the most fun you'll ever have.
Get more on Sarah Rees Brennan at SimonandSchuster.com
October 24, 2009
October Book
'That Sarah,' you may well be saying to each other. 'Gallivanting off to Mexico, never a thought for her solemn promise to give away a book a month in 2009.'
But I always keep my promises, and here is my post about my October Book.
It is Liar by Justine Larbalestier.
Now, Liar is a hard book to talk about, because it is an important book not to spoil. I don't just mean it's important not to spoil the ending - spoiling the ending of any book is often considered a bad move. It's important not to...
But I always keep my promises, and here is my post about my October Book.
It is Liar by Justine Larbalestier.
Now, Liar is a hard book to talk about, because it is an important book not to spoil. I don't just mean it's important not to spoil the ending - spoiling the ending of any book is often considered a bad move. It's important not to...
October 16, 2009
Scott and Sarah On the Road
So, my dear livejournal, it has been a while, since I have been on tour! But now I will tell you all about my touring adventures.
So, I was extremely nervous about touring with Scott Westerfeld, as he has written several millionty awesome and much-feted books. These nerves did not cease when I popped off the plane in LA, and Scott showed me an awesome slideshow of the illustrations from his book, which as you can see from this book trailer are kind of the definition of awesome.
SARAH: Oh oh my ...
So, I was extremely nervous about touring with Scott Westerfeld, as he has written several millionty awesome and much-feted books. These nerves did not cease when I popped off the plane in LA, and Scott showed me an awesome slideshow of the illustrations from his book, which as you can see from this book trailer are kind of the definition of awesome.
SARAH: Oh oh my ...
