So I've been kind of busy with revisions the last couple weeks which is why I haven't posted as often here.
(repeat after me: REVISIONS ARE GOOD!)
Anyway, in the meantime, here are a few quick links to share!
*****
Today on THE ENCHANTED INKPOT, I've interviewed J. A. Souders about her brand new book!
RENEGADE by J. A. Souders (Tor Teen, November 13, 2012)*****
Over on THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS, our Featured Sweetheart is LUCY KUBO!*****
And finally, SOLSTICE is featured today for DYSTOPIAN DECEMBER over on CLAIRE READS! SOLSTICE by P. J. Hoover (Tor Teen, June 18, 2013)*****
Happy Wednesday!
For those of you who don't follow me on Twitter (hey, why don't you?), you might not know that I have strep. Again. Second time in four weeks. The Bug had it twice within a month, too, and Mr. Aerin had it worst of all, but only once. The Bear's the only one who hadn't had strep, but Mr. Aerin dragged him to the pediatrician anyway. Said the doctor: "Fastest positive I've ever seen." In other words, the Bear has had strep for at least a month. His heart is okay, thank goodness, but not only do I feel like crap, I feel like a crappy mom.
Mommies don't get a break (even when their spouses think they're giving the sick wifeys a break, they're still letting dishes pile up and kids jump into bed with the sleeping sicky). Still, I think the worst part of being sick is that my brain gets fuzzy. I can't read because reading gives me a headache; I can't write because the muse tends to get her uber-bitch on.
So. I'm trying to catch up, which means pointing out to you some places and people I think you might like. Or, as bethie (I nicknamed her bethie, poor thing) would say, linkspam!
- Inkygirl, aka Debbie Ridpath Ohi, has been running a fantastic series of posts about authors and their histories with rejection. Dr. Seuss was rejected 27 times before his first book was picked up; John Grisham was rejected 28 times before selling his first novel; Louis L'amour received over 200 rejections before his first sale.
Finally (and I have said this before) if you have not made the acquaintance of
Loren and
b., you really must do so. These guys are hilarious, intelligent, insightful, talented, and sort of frighteningly complementary to one another. They're like the little brothers I never had - wait, I do have little brothers - okay, they're the brothers I never had that it was okay for me to crush on.
I'm trying something a little different for my last post in AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT week. I received an email from a blogging buddy who is also a librarian:
I think I checked out seven Pierce books today to patrons, plus put one back in the mail from Interlibrary Loan. Can you give me a rundown on why she's awesome and recommend first books? Not that I need any more to read, but I know you're a fan.
For anyone who doesn't know (and if you don't, I pity you), Tamora Pierce is a writer of books that are technically categorized in Young Adult fantasy (at least, that's where you'll find them at the bookstore or the library.) Like the works of Robin McKinley, however, Pierce's stories are appealing not only to teenage audiences but to adults as well.
I thought I would do a two-prong post to answer this friend (particularly because I want to secure my nomination for assistant dictator of the southern hemisphere.) First, I've been making notes to analyze Tammy's "awesome quotient." Then, I want to share my own personal journey from Tammy-novice to Tammy-worshipper.
I don't have an actual interview with Tamora Pierce. However, the
fantastic Malinda does, over at the
Enchanted Inkpot. Also, the Tamora Pierce
website makes a good place to start.
Now, for the Awesome Quotient Analysis.
1. Pierce is Prolific: Her first book,
Alanna: The First Adventure was published in 1983, the year after McKinley's
Blue Sword. Both books feature strong, red-haired characters who wield swords and save kingdoms. While Harry's tale ends in
Blue Sword, however, Alanna and her children and friends go on to inhabit fourteen more books. Add to the the Alanna stories the
Circle Opens series (plural), and Pierce has published, at present, twenty-six novels, in addition to multiple short stories or anthology collaborations. Just the numbers assure that Pierce will be a much-checked-out library author.
A long bibliography doesn't tell the whole story, of course. Pierce is prolific in
effective writing. Her dialogue is snappy and well-executed; her descriptions are sensory but not overdrawn. Pierce's plots are believable, and she includes roadblocks and how they're overcome: you'll find not even a whiff of deus ex machina. And her imagination soars. From the Jade Pavilion to Daine's Immortal parents, Pierce's books are fresh and deeply engaging.
2. Pierce and the Lake Wobegon Effect: "All the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average." Somehow, Pierce writes characters that are real (see below) but still hugely attractive: strong, attractive, smart, clever, funny, wise, and all the while fallible. Reading about these people makes me want to be a better person. And to be Daine, just because of Numair. But anyway.
3. Pierce keeps it Real:- Action Scenes Blood is blood, muscles hurt, breathing strains, waste smells, and we can feel the blisters of the sword on our fingers. Pierce's visceral descriptions are particularly important for her female characters, since women in fairy tales (all right, princesses) usually don't sweat.
- Evil Pierce doesn't gloss over the costs of battle; refugees whose homes have been destroyed play prominently into her works. Lack of crops or drinking water are realities in war-stricken Tortall. But there's evil, too, that mirrors the worst of human history. (For example, a wizard whose fighting machines are fueled by the souls of children - so, of course, he has to kill the children to capture their souls.)
- Romance & Sex Sometimes it's love (like my feelings for Numair) and sometimes it's hormones (Alanna explores sex & love), but Pierce never makes romance gushy or sappy, even when someone's in love with a crow. ("I want to always have the taste of you on my lips," Nawat whispered...Trickster's Queen, page 345.) Pierce also makes a point to have characters talk about birth control, if necessary.
In Part 2 of AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Tamora Pierce, I'll share my own experiences with her books, and give more in-depth examples.
In the meantime, I'd love to hear what any of you think about Tammy's Awesome Quotient. Do share!
If you're a follower of "In Search of Giants," you know that Ello is one of my favoritest people ever in the universe (partly because we received our introduction from one of my other favoritest people, Precie.)
If you're not a follower (um, why aren't you?), then let me introduce you to Ellen Oh, whose agented manuscript about the Seven Kingdoms is currently out for submission. She's also one of the forces behind An Enchanted Inkpot.
Step #1
LIGHTNING ROUND
- Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’ Donuts? Krispy Kremes rule!!!!
- Hunger Games or Graceling? Very tough call, but I'm gonna go with Hunger Game
- Mac or PC? I have a PC but desperately covet a MAC.
- bath or shower? Shower. And since I shower everyday, sometimes twice a day (i'm a bit obsessive), there is no way I'm cleaning a tub that often. blech!
- salty or sweet? Both. Usually together. But if I have to choose one over the other, usually I go sweet.
- Paris or London? I've been to Paris but never to London - so I pick LOndon only because I want to go!
- beer or wine? Beer, unless you have sangria. I love sangria!
Step #2
DESCRIBE a favorite scene or event from your childhood memory.I'm a brain deady Mommy! What memories????
Alright, I remember one. When I was about 13, my parents went to Main for a family trip. Even though we were not well off, my parents felt that since we were in Maine we had to splurge on a nice lobster dinner. So we went to a wonderful seaside restaurant and I remember everyone but me had a lobster, even my 5 year old sister. I was allergic to lobster and shrimp when I was younger so they bought me a nice steak. The weather was beautiful, the place was wonderful and I remember feeling so happy. The next day we went to the each and picked snails, clams and mussels from the receded shoreline and my parents cooked them up right on the beach. It was wonderful. I think its why I always have an affinity to the coast. It brings back great memories.
Step #3
TEACH US one or two of your favorite 4-star vocabulary words.Motherfu... errrr sorry. I like small simple words. But my favorite fancy shmancy word is Tintinnabulation. I first learned it reading Edgar Allen Poe and his poem The Bells. I loved that poem. "And the tintinnabulation of the bells, bells, bells!" Nearly 25 years later and I can still remember that poem!
Step #4BOOK BLANKS- The last book I finished reading was MORIBITO by NAHOKO UEHASHI.
- I gave it 5 stars.
- One word to describe it is MORIBITO. HE HE. NO IT WAS GREAT.
Step #5QUESTION: How does your “previous life” in law within the non-profit sector influence the themes you include in your writing?Ok so the one thing you learn as a lawyer is to write in excruciating detail and overexplain yourself in an attempt to never leave any uncertainty. This same process is unfortunately in my creative writing. So I have a tendency to overexplain. First I tell you what's going to happen, then I tell you it happened and then I recap what happened. It sucks. It takes me several revisions and skilled beta readers who are good at smacking me upside my head to catch this ugly little habit.
One good thing about my legal training is that it gives me an analytical mind so that I really look at scenes or storylines from many different angles. I'm always looking for loopholes, problems, issues, solutions, etc. I outline to death and map out everything searching out the weaknesses. It makes for a thoroughly researched story.
Step #6QUESTION: What makes you proud of yourself?My children and my husband. My family and friends. My agent. But I don't want to say I'm proud. Rather, I'm so very grateful. Every day I count my blessings and give thanks because I have been blessed and I'm so thankful for all I have.
Step #7GIVE US THE SCOOP. Tell us something about yourself that’s exclusive to "In Search of Giants" (ie, has never been publicized in print or podcast interviews. I have a deathly fear of..... curtains! That sounds weird right? But I used to have this reoccuring nightmare where I was in an empty room facing a dark open window framed with white billowy curtains blowing in a soft wind. There was nothing else. No monsters. No people. No sound even. Just the curtains blowing in the wind, but it left me with such a feeling of utter terror that I have never completely gotten over it. In fact just typing this out gave me horrible goosebumps. I know this says something freaky psychological about me but I have never analyzed it. I just avoid draperies and tend to stick to venetian blinds now!
Ello, you are awesome. Thanks for letting me interview you!
By: PJ Hoover,
on 12/19/2012
By: Aerin,
on 6/17/2009
Hope you feel better soon! And you aren't a lousy mommy for not noticing a symptomlss kid was sick! It's just one of those things. (Of course, being a good mommy you'll be kicking yourself with guilt for about forever over it. Just don't let the kid know or he'll try and milk that guilt for all it's worth!)
Hope that you and all the family are starting to feel a bit better now. *hugs*
Hey thanks, QA. We also try to be complimentary.
Sorry to hear about the Strepedemic ravaging your household. Growing up in a family of six, we had our share of passing the bug. I always hated that freaking gag test they shove down your throat. Or maybe I was just an obnoxious kid and the nurses were getting back at me.
Hope everything gets better! And there's no fault or shame in not diagnosing asymptomatic illness. It's not like you're Gregory House.
Wait, I'm Co-Dictator of the Universe now? Promotion! Awesome!
Do feel better soon. I've had more than enough bouts with it myself.
"the brothers I never had that it was okay for me to crush on"
I'll just whistle, look the other way and pretend that I just didn't read that. :P :P
Thanks for the links. I hope you feel better soon :)