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Below are the most recent 25 friends' journal entries.
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| Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 | |
anastasiasuen
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6:10a |
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robinwasserman
|
8:56a |
Noooooooooooo! Or maybe, yesssssssssss! (I can't decide.) Is it a good thing that Harvey Weinstein is reviving this piece of 80s brilliance -- or is doing so destined to ruin it forever? I reserve the right to withhold judgment. "The Weinstein Co. is taking Fraggle Rock to the big screen! Jim Henson's classic series will become a live-action musical, directed by Hoodwinked! director Cory Edwards." (f rom the NY Observer) |
librainiac
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12:03a |
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| Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 |
susanwrites
|
9:13p |
Another trip to the way back machine - meme So kimberleylittle tagged me for a meme and since I'm in the memory mood right now, here goes:
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.
What were you doing ten years ago?
I had just moved back to California and was wondering if my now husband was going to propose to me or not. I was waiting for CAN I PRAY WITH MY EYES OPEN? to come out and wondering if I made the right decision to transfer instead of looking for a new company in the Silicon Valley.
What are five things on your to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
1. Finish the ESL book that is due this week.
2. Call the closet place to come out and give us estimates.
3. Call the wood floor guy to come out and give us estimates.
4. Answer the interview questions that have been waiting for me for too long.
5. Mail out books to about 5 people that have been waiting for me for too long.
What are some snacks you enjoy?
chocolate
vanilla ice cream with my husband's hot fudge sauce
almonds and walnuts
chai with extra pepper
What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Quit my dayjob!!!
Set up a trust to take care of each of my kids and my mom.
Move to Santa Cruz.
Adopt as many dogs and horses as I could and donate to take care of more.
Set up some literacy programs. And the list could go on and on...
What are three of your bad habits?
Procrastination. Procrastination. Procrastination. (This really trumps everything else.)
Beating myself up for things that aren't my fault.
Not trying because I don't think I'll be any good at something
What are five places where you have lived?
Concord, CA
Oakley, CA
Norfolk, VA
New Orleans, LA
San Jose, CA
What are five jobs you have had?
Woolworths Drug Store ( I had to take a math test)
worked on a horse ranch, cleaning, feeding and giving riding lessons
bookkeeper for a taxi cab company
worked in the warehouse for oil field services
Project coordinator in R & D for a tech company
What six people do you want to tag?
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) slattsbeckylevinemadwritermirtlemistlaurasalaspambachorz Current Mood:  productiveCurrent Music: American Idol on TV |
| Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 |
slayground
|
5:29a |
Interview: Christina Meldrum While working as a litigator, Christina Meldrum started to make court scenes of her own - on the page, that is. Those drafts turned into her debut novel, Madapple, a mystery with many layers. Let's peel them back, question by question... What or who planted the seed for the story that became Madapple?When I was an undergraduate studying comparative religion, I was fascinated by the many parallel mythologies that cross religions and cultures. ( Read more... ) Current Mood:  awake |
| Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 |
lizgallagher
|
8:43p |
Ok, AI. I didn't even make it five minutes past that last post and playing the first round of songs on Idol to do this:  Oh, yeah. Round one: so David Cook. Possibly my favorite Idol performance ever. And still two more to go! Signing off. I'll post on rounds 2 and 3 tomorrow . . . maybe. Probably, my thoughts will just be as obvious as ever. |
lizgallagher
|
8:25p |
Something else that I wanted to post about when I was too busy last week. I pretty much saw this in person: Marc Acito rules. Though, as E Lockhart, who also rules, pointed out, he is NOT the first person to write about musical theater geeks. Anyway. The man can saaang. And that's just what he did. He calls his event a "Book Singing". His books provide lots of opportune times to break out into song as he's reading scenes. And I got to sit in a room with a handful of people and listen to a guy play the piano while Marc sang his ex-professional-opera-singer heart out. I should mention that Marc was very helpful when I was putting together my Vermont College lecture on the difference between adult and YA books. I still haven't actually figured out the difference, as you know if you ever read this blog. Marc's books provide excellent examples of books pubbed as adult that could well be pubbed as YA -- as he says himself, though, this way they reach a wider audience and teens still find 'em. There IS a lot of sexuality in his books, but that's not prohibitive to YA. Also, he has a firm stance about only presenting acts from which no one can get pregnant. The movie, if it gets made, will be what he calls a PG-13 version of High School Musical -- what's more YA than that? He hopes to take these characters through their entire twenties, too, which adds interesting fuel to the fire. Could you do that in YA? Thoughts? And if you thought I was actually managing to post about something totally unrelated to American Idol, think again. Guess who Marc mentioned he'd love to see play Edward in the movie version? Yep.  |
lizgallagher
|
8:17p |
Happy Children's Book Week!  Woo! I'm celebrating with an event at Village Books in Bellingham, WA on Sunday. I'll be chatting it up with Amber Kizer and Trudi Trueit about books we loved as kids and what inspired us to write for young people. Talking with other writers about books is one of the top three reasons I love writing, so I'm excited! |
slayground
|
7:49p |
Interview: Gaby Triana Gaby Triana is a mother, an author, a teacher, a baker, but not a candlestick maker. She's also my interview subject today, willing to ponder my questions while celebrating the release of her most recent book for teens, The Temptress Four.
What led you to teaching?
I used to say it was because I had teachers in my family, but the more
I
live and breathe, the more I realize it was because I didn't know what
else
to do at the time. I wish I would have known myself better when I was
in
high school so I could have made a better career decision. I might have
studied film, journalism, pastry arts.any of these would have put me on
a
path to the things I truly enjoy a little sooner, and I wouldn't have
had to
make a career change later on. But I've always been a late bloomer when
it
comes to realizing potential.
What then led you to writing?
I've always written short stories. I just didn't have my eyes open wide
enough to realize it's what I should've been doing all along (see
above). I
might have 20+ books under my belt by now had I started in college. But
because I was teaching, I finally got around to writing a middle grade
novel
one summer, saw how awesome it felt to finish writing a book, and have
been
writing ever since.
( Read more... )
Visit Gaby's website and LiveJournal.
Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Moonshadow cover by Mandy Moore |
lkmadigan
|
7:57p |
Playah is played I’m expecting my editorial letter at the end of May, and I’m already thinking about revisions. I finished FLASH BURNOUT in December 2005. Knowing how quickly slang goes stale, I avoided it as much as possible, but it’s a challenge to write a first-person YA without lapsing into some common usages. I knew I could always edit later. Here we are in the spring of 2008, and that day has come for ‘playah.’ Blake’s older brother, Garrett, uses it sarcastically to torment Blake. Here is the section where it’s used for the first time, in Chapter One: “Haul ass, Playah,” says Garrett. “We’re outtie in five.”
Garrett started calling me ‘Playah’ after I acquired an official GirlFriend. I guess it’s better than Ass-wipe, my previous nickname.So … yeah. ‘Playah’ is used up, and ‘outtie’ may follow it to the chopping block, too. Since the name of Blake’s brother was decided by poll, I thought I would turn you guys loose on my outdated slang. Feel free to suggest alternatives in the comments. Please! Okay, I'm off to bed with my stuffy head. See you - and your brilliant suggestions! - in the morning. Poll #1187485 Fix the nickname!
Open to: All, results viewable to: AllWhat word should be used instead of 'playah'? Current Mood:  sleepy and stuffy |
jenny_moss
|
9:30p |
Juggling two revisions . . .
Copyedited manuscript (WINNIE'S WAR) has been reviewed and changes have been overnighted to publisher.
Whew!
One down, one to go.
Back to SHADOW tomorrow. |
quiller77
|
7:33p |
maybe ... Over on Facebook I just got invited to a "Karen Bass Reading" (event set up by my publisher). Considering I'm the entertainment, I think I should say I'll definitely be there. I wonder what they'd think if I replied with a maybe? Current Mood:  amused |
cute_n_cranky
|
9:15p |
Evening update. Mark's labs came back not as good so he'll get dialysis in the morning. And he didn't get evaluated by speech therapy so he didn't get to start eating today but he did get a feeding (well, hadn't gotten it yet when I left but was supposed to get one soon). He was watching tv when I left and seemed pretty content. He ate a ton of ice. He didn't do any talking really, though when I told him goodbye he did say, "See you later." So, not perfect but not too bad. Still it was lovely to see him out of critical care. |
fashionista_35
|
8:28p |
One of those moments that pushes you closer to becoming an adult
I just heard from an old friend today. My old housemate, actually. Someone I've known for over twenty years, which in and of itself, seems impossible. It can't possibly have been that long since we shared a house and took road trips to St. George's Island and tried to make ten bucks buy a week's worth of groceries. There was a larger group of us—all band kids, of course—and to a greater or lesser degree, we've stayed in touch. Lesser on my part, a bit because of my introvert nature and a bit because I didn't stay in Florida after we all eventually left college. But still—when something big happens, we all find our way back to each other.
That happened tonight.
One of the many couples from those days, a couple who were quietly devoted to each other and to their family, who had made a lovely, stable life for themselves and their two children, suffered every parent's worst nightmare today when they lost their beautiful little girl. A little girl who had defied odds by surviving a premature birth and turning into a lovely, healthy child. But one of those evil specters from that early fight for survival returned to haunt her and just like that, in a matter of two days, she was gone.
It's at moments like these that I wish I had the beautiful, graceful eloquence of Barbara Samuel. She'd know just the right thing to say and would craft it in lovely, fitting language, while all I can do is sit here, stunned, angry, and utterly unable to comprehend how my old friends must be feeling. Wishing that there was something—anything—I could do, because even though I haven't spoken with them in probably four years, they're still part of the tapestry of those days that so clearly defined my life and who I ultimately became, and as such, remain in some way, a part of me, even today.
I haven't locked them in some time capsule. We've all had lives that are hopefully, every bit as rich and vibrant as that part of the tapestry that was our late adolescence/early adulthood, but it's because of that evolution we've all gone through that we still have a touchstone with which to connect.
So tonight, I think of them not as my old friends from university, or the young newlyweds we were within a couple of years of each other. Tonight, they're simply my friends who are also parents and who are dealing with the worst possible thing they can deal with. And while I'm not a religious woman, I am, hopefully, a spiritual one and tonight, I'll be thinking of them and their daughter and their young son and lighting a candle.
Holding them close.
Current Mood: devastated
Current Music: Josh Groban- February Song |
jonstephens
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5:51p |
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cmpriest
|
7:47p |
OMGWTFBBQ??? Yes. Precisely. 
[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.] Current Mood:  hungry |
cmpriest
|
7:01p |
May 13, 2008 Here’s today’s progress on the west coast steampunk Victoriana book with zombies, air ships, toxic gas clouds, mad scientists, dead folk heroes, secret criminal societies, and Bonus! extended deleted scenes from the Civil War:
Project: The Boneshaker
New Words: 3510 (pretty good!)
Present Total Word Count: 123,267 words
Goal: 130,000 words by July 1st.
Observations: Steampunk is fun to write. It is also complicated, and reaching the end of this book has started to feel like a sisyphean undertaking. But if nothing happens to eat my life during the rest of this week, I might be able to cough up a Draft Zero by Friday afternoon. Then again, I might be an overly optimistic liar. Stay tuned.
Things Accomplished in Real Life: Two loads of laundry, including bedding; sent off book review; corresponded extensively with distant friends and colleagues; learned my way around my twitter account a little better; determined that I might be far too boring to maintain this twitter account; decided that maybe I’d just use it as a link dump or something, but I don’t want to ditch it yet; spent a downright silly amount of time chatting in gmail with my college roommate and a fashion-fixated Australian woman.
Reason for Stopping: Came to the end of my chapter. Also, it’s Tuesday night — and that means that The Helvetica Quartet shall ride again … or at least, we shall drink and giggle and participate in a pub quiz over in West Seattle. Ergo, I ought to brush my hair or throw on some respectable clothes or something. Also [:: glances out the window ::] I need to drag out my rain boots. The weather is sucking ass.*
Total Fiction Words Composed in 2008: 191,842
* I hear that — starting tomorrow — it’s supposed to get pretty for three or four days in a row … but then the weather will return to its regularly scheduled ass sucking. Oh yes. You can count on it.
[Crossposted to/from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.] Current Mood:  coldCurrent Music: "This is Not America" -- David Bowie |
bostonerin
|
7:32p |
FREEEEDOMMM!!!! I turned my grades in today, which means this was my last day of work. The next time I go up to school, it'll be the fall and I'll be a full-fledged Mommy (and, thankfully, not a Giant Balloon-Shaped Pregnant Cruiser). Wheeee!! Next up: my writer's group is going to crit Book #2 tomorrow night. Hopefully, I'll have time to do a quick revision before CC arrives. Today, Doc said that I *should* be able to make it to next Friday, but not much after that--and definitely not to my due date. I've told CC that the earliest acceptable arrival is May 20th. Let's see how well he/she listens... Current Mood: jubilantCurrent Music: I'm Free--EMF |
coppervale
|
4:17p |
Regarding Life and Living It
At a World Fantasy Convention a few years ago, Guest of Honor Jonathan Carroll related a story (which I'm paraphrasing) about driving around with one of his brothers. He comes from a mixed family of people who are like a religious explosion: Agnostics, Presbyterians, Baptists, Jews, Ultra-Orthodox Jews, and a Sufi.
So Jonathan was riding around with his brother the Sufi, and complaining about how he's lived his life. "I've been a lousy human being," Jonathan said. "I've been a terrible husband, and father. I've been a terrible son and brother. I'm not a great friend. I've just been awful in how I relate to everyone around me. I understand this. I acknowledge this. I just don't know what to do about it."
His brother stopped the car, grabbed him firmly by the arm, and glared at him. "Look," he said, "you know there's a light. You know where it is. Try and walk in it. That's it."
And, Jonathan says, he realized his brother was right. And he tries to walk in the light.
And so do I. |
azang
|
3:42p |
Two things... I GOT SOME ARTICHOKES!!! Which were wonderfully delicious and I'm full and happy. Also, we took Mom out to play BINGO for mother's day. I won! Enough so that I will be attending the summer SCBWI LA conference this year! BINGO! Yeah! I'm all signed up. Current Mood:  BINGO! |
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pubrants
|
3:54p |
What’s In An Edit (After The Sale) http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2008/05/whats-in-edit-after-sale.html STATUS: Total confession time. Yes, I’m addicted to nostalgia because I couldn’t resist going to the Duran Duran concert last night for their new album Red Carpet Massacre. Last time I saw this group was in 1984. Yep, twenty-four years ago when I was 16. Oh, how time flies. I have to say that the group as a whole aged fairly well. They even did Planet Earth and Girls on Film in concert. Those were the days…What’s playing on the iPod right now? RIO by Duran Duran (duh)Yesterday I talked about new clients and on agents editing manuscripts before going out on submission for the very first time. What about new projects by current clients who are previously published? Do agents edit those manuscripts as well? The answer is both yes and no. For the most part, when a current client has sold that first book and has an editor, then I, as the agent, don’t usually work on the edit with the client for the next subsequent book. After all, that’s why they have an editor and I don’t want to interfere with the editorial process. There are some exceptions to this though: Exception 1: the author has an editor who isn’t editing and sending in the delivered book straight into copyediting (and yes, this has surprisingly happened). If an author doesn’t need much editing, then this can be a positive thing but for the most part, I have to say that most writers need a bit of editing and guidance before a project is ready for copy edits. So as the agent, I have worked with my authors to do the edit if this is happening. Exception 2: if this is an author’s sophomore attempt, I will sometimes read and work on an edit with the author before their editor sees the manuscript for the very first time. This way we can avoid the sophomore disaster that often happens when an author has spent several years writing the first novel and then has to write the second on a deadline under a year or 8 months or whatever. It’s hard to imagine this is a different process but it is. Editors often complain of the messes they have to clean up when the second (sophomore) contracted book is delivered. If I can help to avoid that, then we’ll do it because I want my author to look great. (If my client has a strong relationship with his or her editor and I know the editor likes things done a certain way, then I stay out of it—even for the sophomore effort. It’s the editor’s job to edit and there’s nothing worse for an editor than having an author who is getting conflicting opinions on the edit from the agent. My job is not to make the editor’s life more difficult on this aspect—on other things yes, but not on the edit. Now if the author is convinced the editor is wrong about the editorial direction, then I’ll be jumping in but as you can see, it all depends on the situation.) Exception 3: If a current client published in one field with one editor is looking to do something else in another genre or in YA (if they write for the adult market), then yes, I’m usually reading and editing that project. Exception 4: If a current author client wants feedback on a new idea or proposal and they’ve put together sample chapters, then I’ll often read and give some feedback for revision before the editor sees it. This doesn’t always happen though. It depends on how strong the client’s relationship is with his/her editor. As you can see, there are just as many ways to edit as there are to agent and how involved the agent is in the editorial process varies greatly! It all depends on the situation. |
elizabethcbunce
|
5:06p |
Kansas City Literary Festival I'm putting the final bits together for my presentation at the Kansas City Literary Festival Saturday afternoon. I'm between Brad Sneed and JB Cheney--how fun is that?! (Seriously, we've got wicked talent here in the Paris of the Plains.) I've spent the last couple of days sewing hooks and eyes, and printing off bookmarks and coloring pages. I love things like this. :) And, as promised, I said I'd give you all a chance to weigh in. Here it is! My presentation is called "Dressing the Part: How Clothes Make the Characters." For those of you who've read CURSE (did I say "thanks," yet?), do you have recommendations, suggestions, or things you think I absolutely should mention? Any ideas for how best to tie the presentation back in to the novel? I only have about 25 minutes, which is not so long, given how very adept I am at talking. Remember, I'll also be running through the elements of middle class 18th century dress, which will probably take a good third of the time. So... if you were coming to see a YA author talk about this subject, what would you expect to hear? Thank you all! I've made my husband promise to take some wonderful pictures of me (and we bought new rechargeable batteries!) this time. :) Current Mood: busyCurrent Music: the impending thunderstorm |
mindyalyse
|
4:24p |
ADVENTURES OF BRA GIRL IS ALMOST READY TO SUBMIT! I'm so excited! I finished running Adventures of Bra Girl through my weekly group with Joyce Sweeney, and am working in suggestions from another critique group over the next week. A third group, who has already seen this in twenty page segments, offered to critique the full for me. I can't wait to bring the polished version of Bra Girl to a Writing Intensive on June 6, with Nicole Kasprzak (G.P. Putnam's Sons), Michael Stearns (Firebrand Literary), and Nancy Springer. I'll also print up the first page, hoping it will get chosen for a critique in the Middle Grade Track with Andrea Tompa (Candlewick Press), Michael Stearns, and Bruce Hale, on June 7th. I've made some fairly large changes to the beginning of Bra Girl, thanks to a local retreat and feedback from the first pages at the Poconos Retreat. I had already made many of the changes by the time the first page was read in the Poconos. I made a few more after, and was thrilled that two editors praised my voice (and gave examples of lines they loved). That was extremely helpful, because I had cut one of them, and immediately worked it back in. I should be able to submit Adventures of Bra Girl by the end of June! Besides writing, revising, and critiquing, I've been busy attending signings. On May 8, I went to a signing for three talented authors from my group with Joyce. It was Debbie Reed Fischer's first reading and signing for her debut novel, Braless in Wonderland. She did a great job! There was only one question she didn't answer--in front of everyone, her son asked how much she weighed! Debbie just smiled, and handled it like a pro. Dorian Cirrone read from Prom Kings and Drama Queens, and Gaby Triana read part of The Temptress Four. They're all great books, if you're looking for some fun new YA to read! Both Debbie and Gaby are on LJ, so you can shout out congratulations for their new books: debbierfischer gabytriana  On Saturday, I was thrilled to attend a signing for How To Be Bad. Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart, and Lauren Myracle each read a scene from the POV of the character they wrote. They were down to earth and funny (especially when Sarah had to read a pee scene over the microphone at Barnes & Noble), and shared their experiences with us. I was almost in tears listening to Lauren's story...I'm really glad she hung in there and kept writing, no matter what others said, because her books are enjoyed by so many people. I haven't had a chance to read How To Be Bad yet, but after hearing parts of it, I can't wait to dig in!  
 Current Mood: busy |
marissa_doyle
|
4:26p |
One of the Pleasures of Life Spring is dragging its heels about coming to New England this year, as if the ghost of all that snow we had in the winter is warding it off. In some ways, that's a good thing--it prolongs the blooming time of the daffodils, which is just fine by me...but it means I can't get my basil and parsley going in the planters on the back patio because a too-chilly night could blast them. Life is like that sometimes, so I'll enjoy my daffs and continue to buy Maple's parsley at the grocery store.
But the birds are all here on schedule, chilly May or not. And last week I got to enjoy one of the deepest, but quietest, pleasures of my life: hearing the hermit thrush sing for the first time this spring.
If you lived in the Boston area in the seventies and eighties (and into the nineties), you might have listened to WGBH radio, the premier public radio station in New England. The early morning classical music show was hosted by a quirky announcer named Robert J. Lurtsema who looked like an avuncular toad and had a slow, mellow delivery that drove most type-A people nuts but which was enormously comforting at seven in the morning...as was his habit of editing the seven AM headlines so that nothing too dire or depressing got reported till later, when listeners would presumably be more awake and able to deal.
Mr. Lurtsema opened his show every morning with a recording of birdsong made (as I recall) somewhere out in western Massachusetts...it would run for 20 or 30 or 40 seconds, however long he felt like it, and then segue into that morning's theme music (a gentle way of remembering what day of the week it was...I'm still enormously fond of Wednesday's theme, which was from Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances). And the main bird song on his tape was that of a hermit thrush.
Have you ever heard a hermit thrush's song? My Audubon's Field Guide to North American Birds describes it as a "series of clear, musical phrases, each on a different pitch, consisting of a piping introductory note and a reedy tremolo". That's pretty accurate, as far as it goes...but it doesn't begin to describe the haunting, quiet beauty of its song. I always think of Pan, propped against a tree in sleepy contentment, idly thinking aloud on his pipes about all that's right in the world.
So when I hear the hermit thrush's song in the spring, I hear the beauty of here and now as well as the memory of safe mornings in my childhood and young adulthood, when "Robert J." would make sure no one was too jarred by the news and Bach and Respighi told me what day it was. A pleasure small, but deep indeed. Current Mood: content |
janetgurtler
|
2:40p |
Tuesday Stuffs
Well. I now have a house that is 3/4 clean. Is that because I have guests coming, you may be wondering? Why yes. Yes it is. J.E. does not excel at housework.
I actually like when guests come because I have a good cleaning session with my house. It was very much needed. Trust. I have to finish the rest tomorrow and Thursday morning.
I have a start date on my job. I am starting on May 26. Full time. Gah! I haven't worked full time in over five years. But, it's a job with flexibility and I get to wear steel toe boots sometimes. Ha. How cool is that! I have worked so many years in sales and marketing that it is a refreshing change to me to not be a peddler anymore. I am working in the insurance biz as a hired contractor for insurance companies. They hire our company to help with claims. I go in and list all the unsalvageable items in a fire or "disaster" and then I do the replacement searching for the items at my home office. Yippee. Not rocket science my new boss told me. Not so stressful.
I found a great after school care program for Superson. He will have 3 Grade One school buddies with him, and it will only be for one and a half hours.
I am making good progress on my new YA which is now tentatively called UNTOUCHED. It's a girl POV, paranormal and very different from my other stories. So. It's coolio.
I ran my Mother's Day 5km at 32:40, which was a personal best for me. I am proud, though I was passed by several small children, senior citizens and even one dog. I was also lapped by people running 10km. But. It's all about personal best here, now isn't it? Why yes, yes it is.
Happy Tuesday.
J |
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