Friday Favorite + Things

NaNoWriMo starts Sunday!! I've very excited. My NaNoName is amy7a in case anyone wants to buddy me.


1. Also, DON'T FORGET to set your clocks back an hour on Saturday night.
2. So far, no sickness for me.
3. So far, no costume for me...still. Party is less than 36 hours away.
4. Boy is feeling much better.
5. Snow in October freaking sucks.

Things on Thursday

1. I don't have the flu--The Boy does. Thanks for the well wishes, but so far I've managed to avoid it. I'm bathing daily in antibacterial gel and gargling with lighter fluid. I don't have any germs on me...not even mine. I just hope I can make it another few days.

2. I've gotten a lot done being stuck in the house with The Boy. Almost 3,000 words written on the WIP. Two more chapters edited in The Invisible Sister. Printed funny labels for the drink bottles at the Halloween party. Very important stuff. (BTW, the colors on the image above should be all black with red letters. I don't know why it's showing up that way. Any of you Photoshop stars have an explanation?)

3. We are very close to having a cover design for The Invisible Sister. My artist did a fantastic job! Yay Heidi! There are just a couple changes the editors want and then, hopefully, we'll have a big unveiling! I think you'll be surprised. :)

4. I listened to a great teleconference on Getting Book Reviews. I'll post notes on it tomorrow or Monday, depending on how crazy tomorrow gets.

5. If you're picking up dry ice for Halloween and you have to get it on Friday, you can store it in a cooler and pack it tightly with newspaper. Dry ice dissapates in air, so if there's no air, it will last a long time.

F L U

:(

Bright Spot for New Writers

Jill Corcoran has a great post today about the market for juvenile fiction. While the demand for adult books is expected to drop, an increase in sales is expected for juvenile and YA fiction. You can read the whole post here. If you're not a follower of Jill's, you might want to become one. She posts some great info.
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What gave me warm jumpies in my tummy, though, was what influenced teens most when they were selecting a book. See "familiarity with author's previous work"? It's waaaay down there at 77%. But back flap/description influences almost every teen. I'm going to recklessly expound on this table and say, if we write a killer back flap, it doesn't matter if this is our first book. The back flap is key. Pull them in with that and your debut novel has just as much chance of hitting the best seller list as the next book from Ellen Hopkins (which will be titled... what? Flay? Slice? Gnaw? Garrote?*)

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*For the record, I met Ellen Hopkins at a conference and she is a wonderful person who touches a lot of teens with her writing. Just because I poke fun at her titles, does not mean that I don't respect her as a writer. So don't be leaving me any blah-blah about 'oh, don't dis Ellen' etc. We're buds (sort of) and I can do that (you know, 'cause she probably won't ever read my blog.)

I got me an award!

Big thank you to Joany, over at Red Wagon Flights for this. :) It's always nice to win stuff!!
So, now I have to nominate seven other worthy folks and...follow the rest of the directions, which are below.

Recipients-You are charged with completing certain guidelines once receiving this award.
1) Copy the pretty picture and post it on your blog.
2) Thank the person that gave it to you and link to their blog. (Thanks again, Joany!)
3) Write 7 things about yourself we don't know.
4) Choose 7 other bloggers you would like to pass the award to.
5) Link to those 7 other bloggers.
6) Notify your 7 bloggers.

Things you don't know about me...

1. I have no cartilage in my right knee, thanks to soccer.
2. My favorite candy is Pez.
3. I love British TV mysteries.
4. I play tennis, soccer and volleyball.
5. I'm bad with plants.
6. I once worked at a drycleaners.
7. I have twelve neices and nephews.

OK, now I pick the following seven people to receive this award...which I assume is supposed to go to Bloggers who are especially creative. Here they are:

1. Jensentresbien: because this mother/daughters team joins forces for one great blog.
2. Miriam Forster: because she manages to incorporate a very hospitable and generous blog despite her very wry sense of humor.
3. Corey Schwartz: because she's so dang funny.
4. Sharon: because she incorporates all kinds of thought provoking questions into her posts.
5. Tess: because she's so...Tess.
6. Sydney: because her take on daily life is often skewed...and always funny.
7. Yunaleska: because I visited her once and I might get a Flake bar. Sweet! Literally.

Happy Almost Friday!

Sweatpants Redux

Last night, I sat down to watch some mindless TV with the hubby. "Oh," I said. "Baseball."

"It's the American League Championship," hubby said, unhelpfully.

Baseball. Cutie butts in tight pants, thought I. But then, "Oh. My. God. Is that pitcher wearing...sweatpants?"

Hubby (having not looked at any players behinds, notices). "Yeah, they are kinda loose. That's weird."

Weird? In my mind, the only thing baseball has going for it is that the players have such cute tushies and wear those darling, stretchy baseball pants. (My baseball apathy probably stems from the fact that I grew up in Cincinnati and the Reds haven't won a series of any kind since...well, have they ever? I mean, they're probably the only team that hasn't changed cities and that's because nobody wants them.)

Anyway, this C.C. Sabathia guy in his sweatpants totally ruined my baseball watching event last night, and reminded me of a post I did years ago on sweatpants. I've posted it below, so you know how I feel about sweatpants.
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SWEATPANTS:
Have you ever considered how really gross this concept is? Sweatpants. Pants into which...we sweat. Realistic as it may be, doesn't it seem like retailers could come up with a better name? Like active pants or stretchy pants or exercise pants. Truth be told, sweat pants often aren't worn for sweating. They're worn for comfort, for lounging, for eating a whole bucket of greasy fried chicken in front of the TV and wiping your hands on your pants and not caring. How about calling them 'fried chicken pants'?

I'm writing about sweatpants today because of my best friend. Recently divorced, she's found herself entering the dating scene after a 15 year hiatus. Things have changed since we were last single, and I've enjoyed hearing about her adventures in dating. She joined an online service and, just last week, had her first date. I emailed her yesterday to see how it went. She replied thus:

{{...it was awful!!!!!!!! He is my height and weighs at least 350 lbs. He is bald and he showed up in a t-shirt and sweat pants. Plus he had so much cologne on I couldn't breath. When he tried to make a move on me I told him the truth -- I was not interested. The entire episode has given me the willies.}}}

As you've probably guessed, what bothered me most was the part about the sweat pants. Hello!?? You're meeting a person for the first time, someone you're ostensibly attracted to, someone you might even conceivably want to see again...and you show up wearing PANTS FOR SWEATING? ???

If you want to impress someone, shouldn't you wear something nice? Something that says, "This is a big deal for me; I'm excited to meet you". Do pants-for-sweating say that? No sir, they do not. Pants-for-sweating say, "I don't really care what you think of me. I just want to be comfortable and would, in fact, rather be home in front of my TV with my chicken bucket watching The Biggest Loser."

I suppose there could be other interpretations. Maybe this guy was a really sweaty person and he wanted something that would soak up his sweat instead of letting it drench my friends couch. Or, maybe it was an unconscious commentary on how attractive he found my friend--he fully expected to do a lot of sweating (I'm referring to him being nervous here...get your minds out of the gutters.) Or, maybe, he thinks he looks really sexy in pants for sweating. I'll never know--I didn't meet the guy.

Whatever the reason, I, being the best friend, am allowed to hand down the final verdict on the poor soul. And I say it was very disrespectful for him to wear sweatpants on a first date, and therefore recommend no further dates. End of story. Now, if you'll excuse me...I've got a sudden craving for fried chicken.

Tuesday in Five Photos

Monday Musings

Winter must be approaching, because this weekend my kitchen was filled with busy workers making tidily wrapped packages of venison. This year was good for the hunters; my hubby and both of his brothers each got a deer. We now have about sixty pounds of good, fresh, organic meat.

We also watched Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. Have any of you ever seen this movie? I liked it, but it was kind of strange. It's a story-within-a-story, but the inner story takes place way at the end, and before that it wanders all over the place. I'm wondering if it was a book first. The Boy also liked it. (I liked the beginning part best. Once the inner story started, my attention drifted).

The update on the birds is this: Kate (the duck) has been laying eggs for about two weeks now. We get one duck egg a day. The chickens (shiftless, slacker fowl) haven't laid a thing.

And in publishing news, I got an email from my managing editor this weekend that said, "Please begin to explore toys that are relevant to your story." Yay!! TOYS!! Magic toys! Stay tuned for more info--we have some great ideas!

Happy Monday!

POSITION AVAILABLE

BEGINNING CHILDREN'S WRITER

Job Description: This position requires an unlimited number of hours, mostly on weekends and late at night.
New equipment (computer, stamps, very cool pens, inspirational posters) and training (workshops, conferences, On Writing by Stephen King) may be required and shall be paid for by the writer.
Additional hours may be required in tasks beyond writing. These tasks may include, but are not limited to, mailing, critiquing other writer's work, leaving pithy comments on writer's blogs, attending book launches of perfect strangers, web design and eavesdropping.
Any supplies or services required by the job (ie chocolate/pizza, nicotine/alcohol, depression medication, psychiatric therapy) shall be bourne by the writer.

Benefits: NONE.
Pay: NONE.
Chance of Advancement: 1-2%
Open until filled.

Things on Thursday

So as not to take any traffic from Corey's blog , I'll use letters instead of numbers. ;)

Thing A: I laid down 1,500 words yesterday in my WIP. My progress has been chaotic. I'm technically on chapter eighteen, but I've written chapters twenty and twenty six. For some reason, nineteen is a stumbling block. I think it might be the last chapter I write. Do you ever do that?

Thing B: I'm super busy with architecture. I have a set of CD's to get done this week and I start a new project next week. It's so great to have work! With the economy, I worried things might be very dry this year. As it turns out, last year was the lean one. This year is still slow, but not the vaccuum I feared.

Thing C: The tree outside my window has, in the past three days, gone from 20% red to 70% red. However, I climbed to the top of Camel's Back Hill yesterday morning and the city is still very green. I guess my tree is just an early-bird like me.

Thing D: Soccer tonight! Yay!

Thing E: Did you know I won a contest over at Tess's blog? YessirIdid! And I've already spent my $10 Amazon gift card on Donald Maass's Writing the Breakout Novel. Between the editing, marketing, blogging and WIP writing, I think I've been neglecting my craft. Time to be a student again.

Progress!

The big move is done. Here's my shiny new office, with all my important and irreplacable papers magneted to the side of my filing cabinet. That's security, baby! And below is The Boy's new bedroom, tucked under the eaves like a hobbit house.

If the spaces look small, that's 'cause they are. We live in a hundred year-old, 1,400 square foot Victorian Cottage. I love my house, but we really could use some more space. My mom, who had seven children, used to say in her dreams she would open a door in the house and find a whole new room she never knew existed. I've had that same dream.

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It's a busy week. I started construction documents on one of my projects today, and I'm starting schematic design on a new house tomorrow. The house near the park (which will be the first certified green remodel in Idaho) is already under construction and going well. This morning, I crawled around an attic, checking framing. At noon, I had a meeting with my financial advisor (I'm such a grown-up). I drew all afternoon and now, it's time for The Boy and His Homework. Ooo...I just realized I didn't thaw anything out for dinner.

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Q: What do you eat when you didn't plan anything?

A: You eat out; that's what you eat.
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What big thing did you get done today?

Friday Favorite...late

MY CRITIQUE GROUPS

It seemed to be a theme this week...how many of us can't live without our critique groups. As such, I'm posting my critique groups as my Friday Favorite. Here's my 'in town' group:

From left, ST, MJ, EJ, NJ, moi, BT, MS, LG and ABM, not shown 'cause she's taking the pic. See? We had cookies and chocolate. :)

And here's The Wad, from Chautauqua:

We have psuedonoms. Clockwise from front left: She of the pointy head, Sapphire, Meadow Pepper, Pool Girl, Major Moron (that's me), Not Robin's friend, Robin and Ollies Creator.

sorry it's fuzzy. They're like that sometimes. ;)

Workday!

My schedule went wacko at the last minute. I intended to post a Friday Favorite this morning. Instead I have to go measure a house. After that, I have a meeting at one of my jobs to talk about how to route the HVAC. By then, it'll be time to pick the boy up from school.

A whole day, gone, in three sentences.

Two Things on Thursday

Thing One:
If you're a regular to my blog (or my previous livejournal blog), you'll know I never, ever do book reviews. I might tell you I just finished XXX and it was great, but I have never done a real 'review'. This, my friends, is as close as I will get.
I finished Emily Wing Smith's The Way He Lived last week, and I'm still thinking about it. It worked it's way into my dreams and into my waking thoughts. I thought about it so much, after I was done, I had to go back and see how Ms. Wing Smith pulled some of the story together. The Way He Lived is a thought-provoking tale that weaves six main characters into one seamless story about a boy's death ... and life. It's a tightly written, unsentimental piece that still manages to hit emotionally sharp keys.
I picture the plot like a puzzle: there are six pieces (the six different narrators) and at the end of character one, you're dying to know what happened at the edge of that puzzle piece. And you will... but you'll have to wait. Every character lays down their own piece in a unique and believable voice. By the end of the book, every piece meets the next; there are no holes in this story. Every thread is necessary and resolves by the end. Excellent writing, excellent plotting, wonderful characters. I haven't read a book I liked this much since An Abundance of Katherines by John Greene.

Thing Two:
I had my critique group meeting last night. They're reading Chapters 11-12 of a book that had a serious plot change when it was half done. I don't recommend doing that. Lots of dangling threads. At one point, it was pointed out, my character is living alone with a murderer.
"He's not really a murderer," I said.
"Does the character know that?"
Hm. Good question. In fact, the part where my MC finds out the man is not a murderer got cut during the plot change. So no, he doesn't know the man isn't a murderer. Dangling threads.

Have you ever made a huge change to a manuscript and had to go back through to clean up loose ends? Do you have a system to catch them all?

TEASER / TRAILER TUESDAY

Don't forget to post your teaser or trailer. I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone's video's and reading snippets today, and only a little bit because I'm procrastinating.

I'm going to post a teaser. If anyone didn't catch my trailer last week, you can click here to see the whole thing...or you can watch an artfully cropped 1/2 view to the right of this post. (Stupid, stupid blogger.)

TEASER FROM THE INVISIBLE SISTER:

“Where’s the remote?” his father asked. “Turn that up. I want to hear…”

The anchor woman’s voice filled the room. “…clashed with Wiccean protestors tonight in front of the Capitol building, resulting in seven arrests. The Inquisitors maintain the protestor’s attacked them with balls of fire and--” She glanced off to the side, as if questioning what she read. “--and shadow warriors?”

Lux’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

“The area around the Capitol has been closed to all traffic. Police and Inquisitors are working together to get the situation under control and hope to have the building open for business tomorrow morning. They ask that people please avoid the area until further notice. Stay tuned to Channel Six for updates on this and any other breaking news story.”

“What the heck is a shadow warrior?” asked Lux.

“Nonsense, is what it is.” His father paced the room. “Fire throwers? Phoenix Jetson is the only fire thrower left in the country and he must be ninety years old. He couldn’t throw a tennis ball, much less a fire ball.”

Cerri’s dark eyes remained fixed on the screen. “This is bad. They’ve actually arrested Wicceans, on television no less. And for what? Trumped up charges. Flat out lies.”

“Trumpets and flies,” cried Leeward Spinnet. He shook his finger at the television. “Trumpets and flies. You mark my words, this is the beginning.”

Atlas nodded. “The beginning of the end.”

“The end?” Leeward snorted. “You’ll wish it was the end by the time it’s over. No sir, this is the beginning of the beginning.”

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Random Updates

1. My editor and I made great progress last week! We finished edits on Chapters 7, 8 and 9. We did first round edits and resubs on Chapters 10, 11 and 12. Once I get the 'ok' on those revisions, we'll have just three chapters left to edit...in Round One. Round Two goes to my Managing Editor, and we start all over with Chapter 1. There are three rounds in all. All edits need to be complete before Jan. 15th to hit the Sept. 15th release date.

2. We're in the midst of switching my office to my son's room. I was planning for a whole day event--maybe next weekend. Hubby said yesterday at 2:30, "I think we can get it done if we start now." Not so, Grasshopper. Now, half my stuff is piled on the pocket bed and Xander's bed is crammed in between my filing cabinets.

3. Found more desiccated fruit under the boy's bed. Perhaps he's going as a mummified fruit bowl for Halloween? Is the concept of a trash can too high tech?

4. Don't forget TRAILER & TEASER TUESDAY TOMORROW! Post a link to your book trailer or a teaser to one of your books!

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Friday Favorite

I owe BIG thanks to Tess for this week's Friday Favorite: One True Media.

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It's the website I used to put together the trailer for The Invisible Sister. I used a different website for my first attempt and was very disappointed in the results: there was no control on the order of the photos, no way to add text, no way to upload .wav files and a limited selection of songs, all of which cost money.

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One True Media let me do all of that--free. I made my trailer using all Standard Options (read: free because I'm a cheapskate), but the only thing I really wanted to do that wasn't standard was use a nicer font on the text plates. Other than that--the zooming, fading, music and basic wicked coolness--all FREE!!!

So...

1. Check out my trailer and let me know what you think!
2. If you're considering a trailer for your own book, I highly recommend One True Media.
3. If you already have a trailer (Tess), let's plan a Trailer Tuesday post next week. Everyone with trailers, post a link that day. If you don't have one yet, this weekend would be a perfect time to create one! It just takes a couple hours. Let me know if you're in!

HAPPY FRIDAY!