This year I want LESS.
Less bullshit.
Less procrastination.
Less stress, for sure!
(One less job would be great!)
Less self indulgence.
Time to prioritize, reshuffle, re-evaluate, redo.
Other than meeting Rosanna Braccioforte, my boss and new best friend, 2009 was a bit of a disappointment.
So time to trim down, cut the deadwood, and wake up. Time is limited.
Take less for granted.
Worry less
Envy less
Doubt myself less
Waste less time
Consume less
Spend less
I can only have more if I first balance it out with less.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
A Facial a Day
My surgery went fine and am now on the road to recovery. I can't do a whole lot still so I am writing, organizing and giving myself a facial a day. Why?
I dunno. It's something to do.
Plus I had my birthday and I feel like my skin is in pretty good condition for my age, so I wanted to reward it after years of neglect. Here's what I have done so far:
My Orgins clay mask. I started out with this since I had some left over. It's always nice, but I know I can't spend that kind of money for everyday, so I decided to go the homemade route. So then I tried...
Olive oil and sugar. Mostly because I had the ingredients! My daughter has a facial brush and I used that. You mix equal amounts of evoo and plain sugar and apply to the face. I lightly scrubbed my face with the brush and rinsed with warm water. then I washed my face. My face felt nice and clean and moisturized. The weird thing is when I went to put on make up later that day, I had big rolls of dead skin coming off on my foundation sponge. GROSS! Obviously, I need to exfoliate more.
So today I used the Miracle Whip mask. Basically, you put a think layer of Miracle Whip on your face, let it dry and then massage it off. The product picks up all the dead skin as it rolls up in little rubbery balls. So disgusting, but my skin felt fabulous after I washed it.
Tomorrow I am going to try the avocado mask. Take half an avocado and mash it add a couple of tablespoons of evoo. Chill. Apply to the face, wait 15 minutes and then wash off. (I think I'll eat the other half in a salad.)
After that I'm going to make up an antioxidant/antiwrinkle mask from on tablespoon of fresh orange juice and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hopefully when I go back to work, I'll look like I've gone to a spa instead of having an organ yanked out of my body!
I dunno. It's something to do.
Plus I had my birthday and I feel like my skin is in pretty good condition for my age, so I wanted to reward it after years of neglect. Here's what I have done so far:
My Orgins clay mask. I started out with this since I had some left over. It's always nice, but I know I can't spend that kind of money for everyday, so I decided to go the homemade route. So then I tried...
Olive oil and sugar. Mostly because I had the ingredients! My daughter has a facial brush and I used that. You mix equal amounts of evoo and plain sugar and apply to the face. I lightly scrubbed my face with the brush and rinsed with warm water. then I washed my face. My face felt nice and clean and moisturized. The weird thing is when I went to put on make up later that day, I had big rolls of dead skin coming off on my foundation sponge. GROSS! Obviously, I need to exfoliate more.
So today I used the Miracle Whip mask. Basically, you put a think layer of Miracle Whip on your face, let it dry and then massage it off. The product picks up all the dead skin as it rolls up in little rubbery balls. So disgusting, but my skin felt fabulous after I washed it.
Tomorrow I am going to try the avocado mask. Take half an avocado and mash it add a couple of tablespoons of evoo. Chill. Apply to the face, wait 15 minutes and then wash off. (I think I'll eat the other half in a salad.)
After that I'm going to make up an antioxidant/antiwrinkle mask from on tablespoon of fresh orange juice and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hopefully when I go back to work, I'll look like I've gone to a spa instead of having an organ yanked out of my body!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Last Night's Party or Reliving the Eighties
Behind every responsible parent of older teenagers lives a party animal waiting to get out. It got out at my unbirthday party last night.
A little backstory: I called it my unbirthday party because tomorrow I go in to get my gall bladder brutally yanked out. Apparently, I don't need it. Since tomorrow is my real birthday, I decided that the 20th would be my unbirthday and I was going to have a party, dammit.
I bought goodies at Trader Joes, mucho liquor and my husband called his friends. His friends because my friends are all running around making Christmas happen while their husbands attend unbirthday parties.
The nice thing about parties now as compared to parties in the eighties, is that the guests all bring booze and ice. No freeloaders. Nice. It also meant that we had an inordinate amount of booze to person ratio which set a nice tone for the evening.
So we drank. And drank. And then we drank some more. We drank irresponsibly. GREAT WHITE WAS PLAYED, PEOPLE. My young adult children, who were coming in and out doing their own thing, were astonished at the goings on. My daughter was disgusted by the ribald comments and jokes. Much hilarity was made of my husband, who'd just had hernia surgery, having to wear a panty liner against his wound to stop the seepage. One witty partier called it his manpon. The guitars were pulled out and my husband jammed at mach volume. So did others who had never picked up a guitar in their lives. New hits, like C*&% and B*&&S, were created.
After one of my daughter's "I can't believe you are all so classless and crude" comments, I pulled her aside and explained that this was our generation. This was how we partied. Well, minus the big hair and narcotics lined up on the back of public toilets.
The next morning, my husband and I woke up with our hangovers, cleaned the house, went out to breakfast and proceeded to do all the things grown ups do like make lists, run errands, and worry over bills and kids.
But last night we PARTIED!
A little backstory: I called it my unbirthday party because tomorrow I go in to get my gall bladder brutally yanked out. Apparently, I don't need it. Since tomorrow is my real birthday, I decided that the 20th would be my unbirthday and I was going to have a party, dammit.
I bought goodies at Trader Joes, mucho liquor and my husband called his friends. His friends because my friends are all running around making Christmas happen while their husbands attend unbirthday parties.
The nice thing about parties now as compared to parties in the eighties, is that the guests all bring booze and ice. No freeloaders. Nice. It also meant that we had an inordinate amount of booze to person ratio which set a nice tone for the evening.
So we drank. And drank. And then we drank some more. We drank irresponsibly. GREAT WHITE WAS PLAYED, PEOPLE. My young adult children, who were coming in and out doing their own thing, were astonished at the goings on. My daughter was disgusted by the ribald comments and jokes. Much hilarity was made of my husband, who'd just had hernia surgery, having to wear a panty liner against his wound to stop the seepage. One witty partier called it his manpon. The guitars were pulled out and my husband jammed at mach volume. So did others who had never picked up a guitar in their lives. New hits, like C*&% and B*&&S, were created.
After one of my daughter's "I can't believe you are all so classless and crude" comments, I pulled her aside and explained that this was our generation. This was how we partied. Well, minus the big hair and narcotics lined up on the back of public toilets.
The next morning, my husband and I woke up with our hangovers, cleaned the house, went out to breakfast and proceeded to do all the things grown ups do like make lists, run errands, and worry over bills and kids.
But last night we PARTIED!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
WOW
I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged! I plead insnaity, as in my life is insane!
1. Still working two jobs. Black Friday was intense as no one in the free world knows how to refold a sweater.
2. I won nano with 50,120 words, or something like that. The book isn't finished, but have got back and started revising because I know the ending will change as the book takes shape. Plus, it's just such a relief.
3. My husband goes in for surgery tomorrow and I go in the week after that to get my gallbladder taken out. So basically, Christmas has to be done NOW. I'm doing okay, Tree is up, Cards are almost ready to go out, shopping is almost done. It's the almost that worries me.
4. Waiting to hear on Excessive Speed. Figure I will have to wait until after the New Year, but hey, at least I have something out!
5. I miss my friends. I never get to see anyone!
1. Still working two jobs. Black Friday was intense as no one in the free world knows how to refold a sweater.
2. I won nano with 50,120 words, or something like that. The book isn't finished, but have got back and started revising because I know the ending will change as the book takes shape. Plus, it's just such a relief.
3. My husband goes in for surgery tomorrow and I go in the week after that to get my gallbladder taken out. So basically, Christmas has to be done NOW. I'm doing okay, Tree is up, Cards are almost ready to go out, shopping is almost done. It's the almost that worries me.
4. Waiting to hear on Excessive Speed. Figure I will have to wait until after the New Year, but hey, at least I have something out!
5. I miss my friends. I never get to see anyone!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I Have a Dream, Too
This is hard for me to articulate, because it's been percolating in my head for so long... I'm not sure it's going to come out right! I just know I've been training my whole life for this project, this dream. It's as if I had to have the experiences I've had in order to be worthy of getting to this point. So here goes, I'm throwing this out into the universe!
I want to run a non-profit. I want to bring music, Portland's at-risk teens and words together in ways that will have long lasting impact. I want to run an organization that combines free writing and music workshops and teen events. The workshops will run, like, four times a year. The events will meld the inspiration of words and the inspiration of music together to change lives. In my dream, Portland based bands like Floater, Everclear and others will play and Northwest authors such as Stephanie Meyer, Sherman Alexie, and others will give readings between sets.
That's my dream and I'm sticking to it. The how is whole nother ballgame. But I'm working on it.
I want to run a non-profit. I want to bring music, Portland's at-risk teens and words together in ways that will have long lasting impact. I want to run an organization that combines free writing and music workshops and teen events. The workshops will run, like, four times a year. The events will meld the inspiration of words and the inspiration of music together to change lives. In my dream, Portland based bands like Floater, Everclear and others will play and Northwest authors such as Stephanie Meyer, Sherman Alexie, and others will give readings between sets.
That's my dream and I'm sticking to it. The how is whole nother ballgame. But I'm working on it.
Friday, November 13, 2009
My Husband is a big A** Baby
And I don't care who hears me say it.
For the record, I love this man. He has worked for his family harder than any man on the face of the planet,(just ask him). How could you not love a man who grocery shops, keeps my car running, fixes stuff and does laundry? Seriously. Plus, he has a great sense of humor and makes me laugh more often than not.
But.
No, make that BUT.
He is a baby. What's that baby chant we used to taunt little kids with when we were bigger kids, but not big enough to be totally secure in our bigness? Kind of like neener, neener, baby needs a binky, or something like that? That's the kind of BABY I'm talking about.
I've always known this. He is NOT a good patient. (He will admit this himself.) At twenty he ruptured his appendix and by the time his mother got there, the nurses were all like, "Oh, Thank GOD, she's finally here!"
So this shouldn't be news. I've nursed him through many an illness, after all.
But now he has a hernia and the end of the world is AT HAND. When he told me on the phone that he had to have surgery, and would be down for a month, I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK. I thought, if that man is going to be sick for a month, I'm outta here. Whatever sick, sadistic S.O.B. wrote the vows in sickness and in health never had to take care of MY husband. Turns out, he would only be down a few days and would be on light duty for a month, but that is the kind of EXAGGERATION I am dealing with.
I'm trying to be sympathetic, really I am. But a hernia is NOT that big of a deal. MILLIONS of people get them and have them FIXED. I understand it is a big deal to him and I'm trying. God, am I trying.
But for the love of all that is good and holy, he's whining to a woman who had TWO children without the benefit of drugs, a twelve hour BRAIN SURGERY, BRAIN RADIATION, and had a blood vessel in the back of her sinus CAUTERIZED with VOLTS Of ELECTRICITY! WHILE CONSCIOUS.
I could SMELL my own BURNING FLESH.
Ahem. So I am really struggling with being as sympathetic as he needs me to be. Possibly because there isn't ENOUGH SYMPATHY IN THE WORLD that would satisfy.
There. I just had to get that off my chest.
For the record, I love this man. He has worked for his family harder than any man on the face of the planet,(just ask him). How could you not love a man who grocery shops, keeps my car running, fixes stuff and does laundry? Seriously. Plus, he has a great sense of humor and makes me laugh more often than not.
But.
No, make that BUT.
He is a baby. What's that baby chant we used to taunt little kids with when we were bigger kids, but not big enough to be totally secure in our bigness? Kind of like neener, neener, baby needs a binky, or something like that? That's the kind of BABY I'm talking about.
I've always known this. He is NOT a good patient. (He will admit this himself.) At twenty he ruptured his appendix and by the time his mother got there, the nurses were all like, "Oh, Thank GOD, she's finally here!"
So this shouldn't be news. I've nursed him through many an illness, after all.
But now he has a hernia and the end of the world is AT HAND. When he told me on the phone that he had to have surgery, and would be down for a month, I ALMOST HAD A HEART ATTACK. I thought, if that man is going to be sick for a month, I'm outta here. Whatever sick, sadistic S.O.B. wrote the vows in sickness and in health never had to take care of MY husband. Turns out, he would only be down a few days and would be on light duty for a month, but that is the kind of EXAGGERATION I am dealing with.
I'm trying to be sympathetic, really I am. But a hernia is NOT that big of a deal. MILLIONS of people get them and have them FIXED. I understand it is a big deal to him and I'm trying. God, am I trying.
But for the love of all that is good and holy, he's whining to a woman who had TWO children without the benefit of drugs, a twelve hour BRAIN SURGERY, BRAIN RADIATION, and had a blood vessel in the back of her sinus CAUTERIZED with VOLTS Of ELECTRICITY! WHILE CONSCIOUS.
I could SMELL my own BURNING FLESH.
Ahem. So I am really struggling with being as sympathetic as he needs me to be. Possibly because there isn't ENOUGH SYMPATHY IN THE WORLD that would satisfy.
There. I just had to get that off my chest.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Nano and Other Crazy Things
Yep, I'm doing Nano. For the first time in like seven years, I had the concept and the motivation at the same time on the first of November. This idea might be THE high concept, break out novel I've been waiting for. So I went to a nano write-in last night and I can't believe how tough it is to just write and not edit. I've done it before, usually at the end of the book as I'm trying to finish, but never at the beginning when I am trying to lay a good foundation. All I have to say is December is going to be FUN.
Speaking of Nano... I went to the meet and greet last Thursday night. So I am sitting at Powells, chilling with my peeps and I hear loud applause behind me. The woman across from me says, “Some really popular children’s author is in there. Some guy named Eoin Culfer? I guess he wrote a series called Artemis Fowl?” I freak out, text my son, and run over and buy his latest and stand in line for an hour to get his autograph. I get my pix with him and bring the books home to my son, who actually gets teary-eyed! There are two authors in the world he would die to meet: one is JK Rowling, the other is Eoin Culfer.
Serendipitous!
Off to add to the 1800 words I wrote last night! (After midnight, of course!)
Speaking of Nano... I went to the meet and greet last Thursday night. So I am sitting at Powells, chilling with my peeps and I hear loud applause behind me. The woman across from me says, “Some really popular children’s author is in there. Some guy named Eoin Culfer? I guess he wrote a series called Artemis Fowl?” I freak out, text my son, and run over and buy his latest and stand in line for an hour to get his autograph. I get my pix with him and bring the books home to my son, who actually gets teary-eyed! There are two authors in the world he would die to meet: one is JK Rowling, the other is Eoin Culfer.
Serendipitous!
Off to add to the 1800 words I wrote last night! (After midnight, of course!)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Been so Long
Since I blogged. Sorry about that, but life has been a whirlwind of nonstop activity. The new job/promotion has been taking up quite a bit of time, but I love it, so all's good.
I think I'll wait to reveal my other announcement. That's just the way the cookie crumbles, or the ball bounces or whatever homily/cliche you want to toss into the mix.
On the good news front, my agent is back into the swing of things. Love her to pieces!
Actually got to write this week. WOOT!
Went to the eye doctor and now need bifocals, which makes me officially old.
Haven't seen my friends in far too long.
Yada, yada, yada.
I think I'll wait to reveal my other announcement. That's just the way the cookie crumbles, or the ball bounces or whatever homily/cliche you want to toss into the mix.
On the good news front, my agent is back into the swing of things. Love her to pieces!
Actually got to write this week. WOOT!
Went to the eye doctor and now need bifocals, which makes me officially old.
Haven't seen my friends in far too long.
Yada, yada, yada.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
What I've been doing other than blogging
Basically working. 11 hours a day five days a week. More news:
1. Got a huge promotion at work that comes with a hefty raise.
2. Book club started last night. I missed my girls so much! We are starting with the Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading. So good!
3. Am settling into the afterschool job and falling in love with the kids.
4. Am settling into the Penneys job and am actually getting useful.
5. One of our best friends came down with colon cancer.
6.My agent is back and reading the revisions of Speed. We hope to go out with it soon.
7. I have another announcement to make shortly that I am really excited about. Have to wait to say anything though. No, it isn't a book deal.
8. Am trimming down everything because I have time for nothing. Am learning to multitask. Hence the lack of bloggage.
Miss you all!
1. Got a huge promotion at work that comes with a hefty raise.
2. Book club started last night. I missed my girls so much! We are starting with the Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading. So good!
3. Am settling into the afterschool job and falling in love with the kids.
4. Am settling into the Penneys job and am actually getting useful.
5. One of our best friends came down with colon cancer.
6.My agent is back and reading the revisions of Speed. We hope to go out with it soon.
7. I have another announcement to make shortly that I am really excited about. Have to wait to say anything though. No, it isn't a book deal.
8. Am trimming down everything because I have time for nothing. Am learning to multitask. Hence the lack of bloggage.
Miss you all!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Boooks, Books, Books!
When I get stressed, as I am now, I read. Luckily, since everyone has been sending me books for the book club, I have a lot of new stuff! Because I've been so busy, my reading has been done in sips rather than gulps, but that's okay, as long as I can do it!
Books I've read in the last couple of weeks:
Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker
Melissa has been wonderful to our book club and even made a Vlog answewring the girl's questions. She sent Lovestruck Summer and I dove right in. Love the indie music vibe it has and loved the growth of the main character. My girls are going to adore this book!
The Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance.
Wow, this was so good. Very different and I loved the main character. Totally sucked me in.
Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
What's not to love. Witches and magic and romance set in Regency England. What a fabulous debut. Am jealous, I am!
What I'm reading now: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
My gorgy niecy girl gave me this one to read. Am totally sucked in and am reading when I should be writing!
God, I love books!
Books I've read in the last couple of weeks:
Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker
Melissa has been wonderful to our book club and even made a Vlog answewring the girl's questions. She sent Lovestruck Summer and I dove right in. Love the indie music vibe it has and loved the growth of the main character. My girls are going to adore this book!
The Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance.
Wow, this was so good. Very different and I loved the main character. Totally sucked me in.
Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle
What's not to love. Witches and magic and romance set in Regency England. What a fabulous debut. Am jealous, I am!
What I'm reading now: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
My gorgy niecy girl gave me this one to read. Am totally sucked in and am reading when I should be writing!
God, I love books!
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
I forgot
I found the antidote for a very bad day... A bottle of wine and hot tubbing with a good friend. So nice!
Today I start my new job while still working my old one. I'm scheduled for 11 hours between the two of them. Writing? What writing?
Actually, I have a feeling that I will be probably write more because I will force myself to write whenever I have a free moment. Can't wait till next weekend! I wrote a lot over the holiday weekend and finished one proposal. The next item on my writing to do list is to finished the edits my agent wants on my full ms. Had a couple of breakthroughs last night as I was falling to sleep... and miracle of miracles, I still remember them!
Onward, people!
Today I start my new job while still working my old one. I'm scheduled for 11 hours between the two of them. Writing? What writing?
Actually, I have a feeling that I will be probably write more because I will force myself to write whenever I have a free moment. Can't wait till next weekend! I wrote a lot over the holiday weekend and finished one proposal. The next item on my writing to do list is to finished the edits my agent wants on my full ms. Had a couple of breakthroughs last night as I was falling to sleep... and miracle of miracles, I still remember them!
Onward, people!
Friday, September 04, 2009
Teri's Very Bad Day
Warning: Whine acoming.
1. Wake up to dh throwing the overhead light on at 3:am with "An animal puked all over our new couch."
2. Children left house a dive last night. Dirty dishes everywhere and a dishwasher full of clean dishes. Consider killling them, but decide the funeral cost would wipe us out.
3. Husband very ill and whiny. Had to go to doctors.
4. Discover that uniform is still in the washing machine and wet.
5. Don't have time for a shower. Opt to curl hair instead. Find out there's no hairspray.
6. Don't have time for breakfast. Discover it's gonna be a long day at work.
7. Get massive headache. Beg son to bring Excedrin to work.
8. Have to put away three hundred bras.
9. Old lady patially disrobes so I can fish the tag out of her skanky old bra and tell her what size it is. I kid you not.
10. Accidentally scrape hard, brown old lady bump on her back with my fingernail. She gets upset. I wonder if I now have old lady skin under my nail and what that might do.
11. Husband goes to doctors and is diagnosed with diverticulitus. Which gives him a real reason for whining. Now I HAVE to be nice to him.
12. Children fighting over who gets my car. Everyone but me, I guess.
1. Wake up to dh throwing the overhead light on at 3:am with "An animal puked all over our new couch."
2. Children left house a dive last night. Dirty dishes everywhere and a dishwasher full of clean dishes. Consider killling them, but decide the funeral cost would wipe us out.
3. Husband very ill and whiny. Had to go to doctors.
4. Discover that uniform is still in the washing machine and wet.
5. Don't have time for a shower. Opt to curl hair instead. Find out there's no hairspray.
6. Don't have time for breakfast. Discover it's gonna be a long day at work.
7. Get massive headache. Beg son to bring Excedrin to work.
8. Have to put away three hundred bras.
9. Old lady patially disrobes so I can fish the tag out of her skanky old bra and tell her what size it is. I kid you not.
10. Accidentally scrape hard, brown old lady bump on her back with my fingernail. She gets upset. I wonder if I now have old lady skin under my nail and what that might do.
11. Husband goes to doctors and is diagnosed with diverticulitus. Which gives him a real reason for whining. Now I HAVE to be nice to him.
12. Children fighting over who gets my car. Everyone but me, I guess.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Two Jobs No Waiting
Has it really been a week since I blogged? Where has the time gone???
I've been writing a lot in preparation for starting my new job next week... while keeping my old job. So my days will start about 3:30 am and end at 6:00 pm, with a few hours off mid-day for good behavior. Don't know when I'll find time to write which is why I am on a writing marathon. After feedback from a couple of editors, I am doing some major revisions on my WIP and also getting another proposal ready to go. I've pinpointed some weaknesses in my writing, namely emotion and scene anchoring. I've learned a few things:
1. Emotion is key, but emotion without reason is a cheap writer's device that cheats the reader. It's action, then emotional reaction to that action. Trying to squeeze anything else in cheapens the story and the character arc. I've learned that one the hard way... by doing it and then realizing that it was stupid and pointless.
2. I have a hard time with descriptions and find that I mostly skip them... which leads to a story that has no depth. It's the transitions that get me. How do you go from storyline and dialogue to describing what someone is wearing and what they look like without slowing the pacing? Someone who is fabulous at that is Rachel Vincent. I devoured her new YA, My Soul to Take, in about a day. Now I'm reading it as a writer and found that she anchors the scene and gives descriptions without missing a beat. Been studying her technique in hopes some of it will rub off on me.
3. Scene purpose... wow. This lesson came about when my agent told me that an argument scene needed to be rewritten. I tried, but it still didn't work. Then I realized it was because I hadn't figured out the purpose of that scene. It was not meant to up the tension between the protagonist and another character, it was meant to create internal conflict while also developing the relationship. Once I had the purpose clear in my mind, the scene came more easily.
It's one of the things I love about writing that I lost in my quest to get another contract... there's always something to learn and I love doing it. Funny how I figured that out just as I'm about to lose my writing time! HA!
I told my husband I was going to continue to write even if I did have two jobs and someone else was going to have to do the cooking and the cleaning. That went down like a lead balloon. (Sorry for the cliche, but it's so apt!)
We'll see how that goes down for everyone!
I've been writing a lot in preparation for starting my new job next week... while keeping my old job. So my days will start about 3:30 am and end at 6:00 pm, with a few hours off mid-day for good behavior. Don't know when I'll find time to write which is why I am on a writing marathon. After feedback from a couple of editors, I am doing some major revisions on my WIP and also getting another proposal ready to go. I've pinpointed some weaknesses in my writing, namely emotion and scene anchoring. I've learned a few things:
1. Emotion is key, but emotion without reason is a cheap writer's device that cheats the reader. It's action, then emotional reaction to that action. Trying to squeeze anything else in cheapens the story and the character arc. I've learned that one the hard way... by doing it and then realizing that it was stupid and pointless.
2. I have a hard time with descriptions and find that I mostly skip them... which leads to a story that has no depth. It's the transitions that get me. How do you go from storyline and dialogue to describing what someone is wearing and what they look like without slowing the pacing? Someone who is fabulous at that is Rachel Vincent. I devoured her new YA, My Soul to Take, in about a day. Now I'm reading it as a writer and found that she anchors the scene and gives descriptions without missing a beat. Been studying her technique in hopes some of it will rub off on me.
3. Scene purpose... wow. This lesson came about when my agent told me that an argument scene needed to be rewritten. I tried, but it still didn't work. Then I realized it was because I hadn't figured out the purpose of that scene. It was not meant to up the tension between the protagonist and another character, it was meant to create internal conflict while also developing the relationship. Once I had the purpose clear in my mind, the scene came more easily.
It's one of the things I love about writing that I lost in my quest to get another contract... there's always something to learn and I love doing it. Funny how I figured that out just as I'm about to lose my writing time! HA!
I told my husband I was going to continue to write even if I did have two jobs and someone else was going to have to do the cooking and the cleaning. That went down like a lead balloon. (Sorry for the cliche, but it's so apt!)
We'll see how that goes down for everyone!
Monday, August 24, 2009
The YA Angels Who Made it Happen
The response to my shameless begging was incredbile and I feel blessed to be a part of the young adult writing community. We have eight months spoken for and I am going to go with that as we usually don't meet in December. These are the books we have lined up for the year:
(In no particular order)
My Soul to Take, written by and donated by Rachel Vincent
Lovestruck Summer, written by and donated by Melissa Walker
Bewitching Season, written by and donated by Marissa Doyle
The Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading, written by and donated by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance
The Emerald Tablet, Written by and donated by PH Hoover
Hugging the Rock, written by and donated by Susan Taylor Brown
Frindle, written by Andrew Clements donated by Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society.
A book of our choice, donated by Cherlyn Michaels, author of the adult book, Counting Raindrops Through a Stained Glass Window and First Fridays.
Kay Cassidy also said she would let us choose a book if the kids already read Frindle in school. My friend Ann, gave me a check for twenty dollars to help pick up extra books if we run short.
What an amazing list of books and an amazing list of authors.Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am hoping to put together a montage of pictures and will post soon! Muah!
(In no particular order)
My Soul to Take, written by and donated by Rachel Vincent
Lovestruck Summer, written by and donated by Melissa Walker
Bewitching Season, written by and donated by Marissa Doyle
The Geek Girls Guide to Cheerleading, written by and donated by Charity Tahmaseb and Darcy Vance
The Emerald Tablet, Written by and donated by PH Hoover
Hugging the Rock, written by and donated by Susan Taylor Brown
Frindle, written by Andrew Clements donated by Kay Cassidy, author of The Cinderella Society.
A book of our choice, donated by Cherlyn Michaels, author of the adult book, Counting Raindrops Through a Stained Glass Window and First Fridays.
Kay Cassidy also said she would let us choose a book if the kids already read Frindle in school. My friend Ann, gave me a check for twenty dollars to help pick up extra books if we run short.
What an amazing list of books and an amazing list of authors.Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am hoping to put together a montage of pictures and will post soon! Muah!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Girls I Love and Shameless Begging
As most of you know,(I've mentioned it enough!), I run a book club for teen and tween girls at a low income community center. Actually, it's a low income housing project and the community center is located at the apartments. Many of the residents are transitioning out of homelessness or other bad situations. The center is a meeting place that provides after school and summer programs for the kids, parenting classes, and meetings for those who had had alcohol or chemical dependencies. It truly is a place that fights generational poverty on all levels. You can check it out at www.cpahinc.com.
Last year I worked as an after school tutor, but finances reared its ugly head and they had to let me go. Sob. However, the book club lives on!!!!
There are eight hardcore members (and a couple who show up intermittently) who love their book club and want more than anything to have it continue this year. For that I need some very special authors who are willing to give of their books. There is NO money to buy books. I had a fabulous list of authors and books last year! All sent books, some came to visit, others made a vlog and sent gifts. Out of the eight members who attended faithfully, I had three who were already readers. Now I have eight! That is HUGE!!!!The connection with the authors is key. I need that again this year! If you are an author or are someone willing to help out, please contact me. Remember, I need eight to ten of the same book and that can be a challenge! Now I'm going to share some pix of my most fabulous and lovely girls!
April, Kamiliah(MeeMee!)and Ana
Jenny doesn't know I took this pix!
Shamsa and Jaeteonna being silly and shy. I think that's Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro that they're looking at!
Last year I worked as an after school tutor, but finances reared its ugly head and they had to let me go. Sob. However, the book club lives on!!!!
There are eight hardcore members (and a couple who show up intermittently) who love their book club and want more than anything to have it continue this year. For that I need some very special authors who are willing to give of their books. There is NO money to buy books. I had a fabulous list of authors and books last year! All sent books, some came to visit, others made a vlog and sent gifts. Out of the eight members who attended faithfully, I had three who were already readers. Now I have eight! That is HUGE!!!!The connection with the authors is key. I need that again this year! If you are an author or are someone willing to help out, please contact me. Remember, I need eight to ten of the same book and that can be a challenge! Now I'm going to share some pix of my most fabulous and lovely girls!
April, Kamiliah(MeeMee!)and Ana
Jenny doesn't know I took this pix!
Shamsa and Jaeteonna being silly and shy. I think that's Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro that they're looking at!
Monday, August 17, 2009
GCC Presents The Lost Sister by Megan Kelly Hall
This sounds like a fabulous premise!
THE LOST SISTER takes a chilling look at what happens when hazing pushes someone too far.
Sisters are born, not chosen…
Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery—an insidious clique of the school’s most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights…
Beware the sister betrayed…
Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts , Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won’t stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne—a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials—Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past...and the wrath of the sister she wronged.
A character driven tale containing a deep Gothic feel and haunting foreboding atmosphere that hooks fans of all ages....With strong ties to the late seventeenth century Salem Witch Trials, THE LOST SISTER is a super thriller. -- Harriet Klausner
Hall will have your heart racing and you will not be able to put this book down. With historical allusions to the New England witch trials and a touch of the paranormal, THE LOST SISTER is a thriller in a league of its own.
-- TeensReadtoo / Awarded THE LOST SISTER the Hall of Fame Gold Star Award for Excellence
Blown away... The suspense, mystery, intrigue, and drama steadily build up throughout the novel, making it impossible to put the book down. I would recommend it to almost all book lovers. It has made me hungry for more of Ms. Hall's work! - Mrs. Magoo Reads
AUTHOR BIO:
Megan Kelley Hall, 35, freelance writer and literary publicist living North of Boston, is the author of the SISTERS OF MISERY series. Her first novel, SISTERS OF MISERY, published by Kensington in August 2008 has received rave reviews by reviewers and readers alike.
She studied creative writing at Skidmore College under the Pulitzer-Prize winning author Steven Millhauser. Megan spends most of her time promoting her clients as a partner and founder of Kelley & Hall Book Publicity and Promotion, which she opened with her mother, Gloria Kelley, and sister, Jocelyn Maeve Kelley, over a few years ago. The company has run successful campaigns for authors, including New York Time's best-selling authors Jacquelyn Mitchard (Deep End of the Ocean), Michael Palmer (The First Patient and Extreme Measures), Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader) and Lisa Genova (Still Alice).
THE LOST SISTER takes a chilling look at what happens when hazing pushes someone too far.
Sisters are born, not chosen…
Maddie Crane is grappling with the disappearance of Cordelia LeClaire, and trying to escape the grasp of The Sisters of Misery—an insidious clique of the school’s most powerful girls, whose pranks have set off a chain of horrific events, and who have Maddie in their sights…
Beware the sister betrayed…
Now in a prestigious boarding school far away from her mysterious hometown of Hawthorne, Massachusetts , Maddie feels free from danger. But when an unmarked envelope arrives at her dorm containing a single ominous tarot card, Maddie realizes with terror that some secrets won’t stay buried. Knowing she must return to Hawthorne—a town still scarred by the evil of the Salem witch trials—Maddie prepares to face the fears of her past...and the wrath of the sister she wronged.
A character driven tale containing a deep Gothic feel and haunting foreboding atmosphere that hooks fans of all ages....With strong ties to the late seventeenth century Salem Witch Trials, THE LOST SISTER is a super thriller. -- Harriet Klausner
Hall will have your heart racing and you will not be able to put this book down. With historical allusions to the New England witch trials and a touch of the paranormal, THE LOST SISTER is a thriller in a league of its own.
-- TeensReadtoo / Awarded THE LOST SISTER the Hall of Fame Gold Star Award for Excellence
Blown away... The suspense, mystery, intrigue, and drama steadily build up throughout the novel, making it impossible to put the book down. I would recommend it to almost all book lovers. It has made me hungry for more of Ms. Hall's work! - Mrs. Magoo Reads
AUTHOR BIO:
Megan Kelley Hall, 35, freelance writer and literary publicist living North of Boston, is the author of the SISTERS OF MISERY series. Her first novel, SISTERS OF MISERY, published by Kensington in August 2008 has received rave reviews by reviewers and readers alike.
She studied creative writing at Skidmore College under the Pulitzer-Prize winning author Steven Millhauser. Megan spends most of her time promoting her clients as a partner and founder of Kelley & Hall Book Publicity and Promotion, which she opened with her mother, Gloria Kelley, and sister, Jocelyn Maeve Kelley, over a few years ago. The company has run successful campaigns for authors, including New York Time's best-selling authors Jacquelyn Mitchard (Deep End of the Ocean), Michael Palmer (The First Patient and Extreme Measures), Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader) and Lisa Genova (Still Alice).
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
No News is No News
I don't have a single coherent thought to make a blog out of,(probably because it's 3am.!) so am just going to ramble.
1. Got my hair colored yesterday. It's dark. Very dark. I likey.
2. Spent Sunday night in the Er. Possible gallstones or gastritis or an ulcer. All I know is it hurt WORSE than CHILDBIRTH. Oh, and the medication they mainlined in my arm was fabulous. Also, I seem to have the magically exploding veins and my arms now have as many tracks as an addict. Another thing I have to thank my mother for.
3.Am waiting to hear some news on something. Have been waiting for eight weeks. Shoot me.
4.It's raining outside. I love the rain. LOVE it. It's soft and moist and, well, wet. All the stuff rain should be. My skin is sighing in relief. As are the roses.
5. Watched Breakfast at Tiffany's last night with daughter and her fiance. She's an Audrey Hepburn fanatic. She once dressed up as Holly Golightly for Halloween. He sat through the whole thing. He sure does love her.
See, I told you I didn't have enough for a whole blog.
1. Got my hair colored yesterday. It's dark. Very dark. I likey.
2. Spent Sunday night in the Er. Possible gallstones or gastritis or an ulcer. All I know is it hurt WORSE than CHILDBIRTH. Oh, and the medication they mainlined in my arm was fabulous. Also, I seem to have the magically exploding veins and my arms now have as many tracks as an addict. Another thing I have to thank my mother for.
3.Am waiting to hear some news on something. Have been waiting for eight weeks. Shoot me.
4.It's raining outside. I love the rain. LOVE it. It's soft and moist and, well, wet. All the stuff rain should be. My skin is sighing in relief. As are the roses.
5. Watched Breakfast at Tiffany's last night with daughter and her fiance. She's an Audrey Hepburn fanatic. She once dressed up as Holly Golightly for Halloween. He sat through the whole thing. He sure does love her.
See, I told you I didn't have enough for a whole blog.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
GCC Presents Stephanie Kuehnert
I loved Stephanie's book, I Wanna Be your Joey Ramon and I am looking forward to getting my hands on this one! Check it!
In high school, Kara McNaughton helped maintain the “Stories of Suburbia” notebook, which contained newspaper articles about bizarre and often tragic events from suburbs all over, as well as personal vignettes written by her friends,which Kara dubbed “ballads”. Ballads are the kind of songs that Kara likes best.
Not the clichéd ones but the truly genuine, gut-wrenching songs that convey love, loss and an individual’s story. Those “stories of Suburbia” were heartbreakingly honest tales of the moments when life changes and a kid is forced to grow up too soon. But Kara never wrote her own ballad. Before she could figure out what her song was about, she was leaving town after a series of disastrous events at the end of her junior year of high school.
Four years later, Kara returns to face the music, and tells the tale of her first three years of high school with her friends’ “ballads” interspersed throughout. Among them are her best friend Stacey, who dates guy after guy trying to find the one who will take care of her the way her parents never did; Cass, who copes with her mother’s mental illness and her older brother’s abandonment by doing copious amounts of acid; Adrian the creator of the “Stories of Suburbia”, who has “Thrown Away” tattooed on his forearms to express how he feels about his
adoptive parents and his birth parents; Christian, who seems like the nice guy type that Kara belongs with, but has a violent streak; Kara’s little brother Liam, who idolized Johnny Cash as a preschooler and has idolized Kara all his life though she lets him down again and again; and Maya, an eccentric but beautiful redhead who refuses to talk about her mother’s suicide.
Then of course, there’s Kara. She begins high school as a loner, who copes with her lack of friends and her rapidly unraveling home life by going to concerts with Liam, smoking the occasional joint, and cutting herself when things get really bad. She’s reluctant at first when she tags along with Maya to Scoville Park, where the "misfit" kids hang out, but she really wants “a life.” The summer after junior year that life nearly ends with a heroin overdose, the event that triggers Kara’s exit from Oak Park.
All the things that happen in between make up the ballads of suburbia.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
My Bad!
A few months ago, I wrote a post called Butt Rock Friday in which I called someone from my teenaged past a scumbag. I just received an email from his sister telling me that I should think about what I write before posting and her brother was not a scumbag. My bad.
In truth, he wasn't. He was just a gorgeous seventeen year old male doing what gorgeous seventeen year old males are wont to do.
Alfalfa was a weird place to grow up. I've actually thought many times about writing a memoir called "Surviving Alfalfa", but am afraid of getting sued if I wrote about the inhabitants of that wonderful, backward community.
When I remember Alfalfa, it's with both a pang of longing and a shudder of revulsion. But isn't that the normal way to remember the place where you came of age?
I didn't fit in, but Lordy, did I try. And we had some major fun, as well. We snuck out a lot, drank a lot, and got into trouble, but what else was there to do? The stories I could tell... but I won't!
Anyway, my apologies to the nonscumbag and his family!
In truth, he wasn't. He was just a gorgeous seventeen year old male doing what gorgeous seventeen year old males are wont to do.
Alfalfa was a weird place to grow up. I've actually thought many times about writing a memoir called "Surviving Alfalfa", but am afraid of getting sued if I wrote about the inhabitants of that wonderful, backward community.
When I remember Alfalfa, it's with both a pang of longing and a shudder of revulsion. But isn't that the normal way to remember the place where you came of age?
I didn't fit in, but Lordy, did I try. And we had some major fun, as well. We snuck out a lot, drank a lot, and got into trouble, but what else was there to do? The stories I could tell... but I won't!
Anyway, my apologies to the nonscumbag and his family!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Heat, New Jobs and Alibi Junior High
After a winter with the biggest, longest snow fall Portland has ever seen, we have one of the longest, hottest heat waves we've ever seen. Here in Tigard, we've reached 110 degrees two days in a row. Our house has been dark for so long, I could have giant dust bunnies getting ready to attack and I wouldn't know it. Pretty bad when today it's going to cool down... to 100! Watering our plants and keeping them alive has turned into a full time job.
Speaking of jobs, I scored TWO in the last week. One teaching in a brand new afterschool program and another stocking at JC Pennys. Don't ask me how I am going to get any writing done, but I'm sure it'll all sort itself out. The stocking job ends about the same time the other begins, which works out nicely.
Now check out this book! I love boy books and will be sure to pick this one up!
Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has never lived in one place longer than a few weeks, and has never attended a regular school. Growing up on the run with his father, an undercover agent for the CIA, Cody has traveled the entire globe; he speaks five languages, and he has two black belts. What Cody isn't prepared for is...junior high.
When the danger surrounding Cody's dad heats up, Cody is sent to stay with the aunt he's never known, Jenny, in her small Connecticut suburb. Cody has no idea how to fit in with other kids, how to handle his first crush, or how to make it through a day of classes.
As Cody struggles to adapt to the one thing he's never experienced -- a normal life -- he starts to fear that his father's world has followed him and no one he loves is safe. Greg Logsted weaves together action, humor, and heart, building to a surprising revelation about what Cody has always believed to be true.
Speaking of jobs, I scored TWO in the last week. One teaching in a brand new afterschool program and another stocking at JC Pennys. Don't ask me how I am going to get any writing done, but I'm sure it'll all sort itself out. The stocking job ends about the same time the other begins, which works out nicely.
Now check out this book! I love boy books and will be sure to pick this one up!
Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has never lived in one place longer than a few weeks, and has never attended a regular school. Growing up on the run with his father, an undercover agent for the CIA, Cody has traveled the entire globe; he speaks five languages, and he has two black belts. What Cody isn't prepared for is...junior high.
When the danger surrounding Cody's dad heats up, Cody is sent to stay with the aunt he's never known, Jenny, in her small Connecticut suburb. Cody has no idea how to fit in with other kids, how to handle his first crush, or how to make it through a day of classes.
As Cody struggles to adapt to the one thing he's never experienced -- a normal life -- he starts to fear that his father's world has followed him and no one he loves is safe. Greg Logsted weaves together action, humor, and heart, building to a surprising revelation about what Cody has always believed to be true.
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