Mary Danielson

The Typos Of Death

2010-12-06T14:48:00.006-06:00

You write a book. You polish said book. You read said book 1003 times. Then, you make your best friend, mother, the cute guy at Starbucks, your fluffy white dog, and anyone else you can find also read the book.

So, it's perfect, right? Obviously, those passes took care of every little missed word or typo. That's why we do these passes, so everything is shiny, new, and error-free.

Or so you hope. If you're like me, this is the actual series of events:

Write your manuscript.
Obsessively edit it for months and months, not even letting your little sister or best friend take a peak.
Edit some more.
Finally let people read the book! Or, pieces of the book, anyway.
Edit a bit more.
Decide to enter a prestigious contest that you've always dreamed of winning!
Edit the book some more.
Read the book out loud to yourself, just in case the ridiculous editing didn't work.
Enter the contest, smug in the knowledge that after your crazed, excessive amounts of editing your pages are perfect.
Send the manuscript off to an agent whom you respect & admire. An agent who you would absolutely kill to work with, as long as the person whom you did in were really, really bad. An agent who has, miraculously, shown an interest in your work and whom you are very nervous about disillusioning.
Twiddle your fingers.
Decide to look over the manuscript one last time.
Find out that you: Forgot to change the name of a Very Important Thing in Chapter One, were fooled by automatic word replacement into committing a typo (Are, instead of at? Really Word?), Forgot to change the name of Another Very Important Thing in Chapter Three.

*watch dreams of contest win go up in smoke*
*try to resist e-mailing amazing agent with slightly revised copy, w/o the errors*
*die in fiery explosion of embarrassment*

So, typos happen to everyone, right? ...Right?

Maybe This Time

2010-11-03T22:45:00.006-05:00

[NaNoWriMo 2010: Day Three]

I haven't been completely open about my NaNo motivations for this year. You see, they're a bit tawdry. I'm not doing NaNo for the pure, starry-eyed exhilaration of writing a novel in a month. I'm doing it for the Golden Heart.

For those of you who aren't members of the Romance Writers of America, the Golden Heart is a contest - the contest, really - for unpublished writers. Details can be found here, but suffice it to say I want to enter the GH. Madly. For the last three years, Stephanie and I have attended RWA Nationals and stared with poorly disguised envy at the lovely little ribbons adorning the GH finalists' nametags. We've watched as talented writer after talented writer has received that little pendant and thanked their husbands and agents and well-behaved dogs.

Sitting in the audience of the awards ceremony feels like five year-old me watching UT basketball games all over again. I used to look at the cheerleaders on the sidelines, gorgeous and acrobatic, with a mixture of awe and anticipation. Someday, I would think with absolute certainty, I'm going to be just like them! After a few years of teenage cheerleading, that dream fizzled (about the same time I realized I was 5'8'', not 5'2'' and had more fun cheering for myself than boys), but that yearning still feels remarkably fresh when I think back on it. My yearning for a GH nomination is 50 times as strong. It's never going to go away if I don't ~~learn how to backflip~~ enter the damn contest!

So, I'll come right out and say it: I want to win a Golden Heart. I almost want it as much as I want to get published. I'm not doing NaNo for NaNo, I'm doing it because I've almost run out of time to get my GH entries polished. NaNo just happens to have very good timing.

In light of all this truthiness, tonight's song is another one of my personal themes. A perfectly fervent, angsty song to express this pie-in-the-sky hope. And - surprise, surprise - it's from another Broadway show! This is going to be a pattern, obviously.

[I've provided both the wonderful, original Liza Minelli version, as well as the great cover by Kristen Chenoweth and Lia Michele. Full disclosure, though? In my mind, my dear, devestatingly talented friend Rachael is always the one singing this. Too many Broadway belting car rides, perhaps?]

This Is War

2010-11-02T23:18:00.003-05:00

[NaNoWriMo 2010: Day Two]

It's the second day of NaNoWriMo and I sincerely hope your word count is faring better than mine. After a few weeks of not writing, I'm finding it really difficult to get back into the groove.

But it's only the second day. Remember that hell or high water resolution? That's the spirit of today's soundtrack pick. Also, I just love any excuse to listen to fellow Austinite, Ben Kweller.

[As you've no doubt realized, this is not the official video for "This is War," but how could I pass up a mix of Ben Kweller AND Harry Potter? I couldn't, obviously.]

Don't Rain On My Parade

2010-11-01T14:30:00.001-05:00

[NaNoWriMo Day One]

Happy November, everyone!

Okay, obviously what I really mean here is: HAPPY NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH, EVERYONE! Are you participating in the madness of NaNo this year?

I am. Again. Only, this time? I'm winning - come Hell, high water, or turkey-induced comas. To that effect, I have a secret weapon: a NaNo soundtrack.

Why I've never done this with NaNo is anyone's guess. For years, I've made soundtracks for everything from novels to major tests to sitting in traffic. Music is exceptionally helpful for getting inspired or letting loose emotions. Writing a book in a month calls for aid with both of those things. So, day by day, I'm picking one song that most sums up the particular joys or stresses NaNo is throwing at us.

Today's song is cheating a bit, I must admit. It's my general theme song for life - writing or otherwise. I dare you to find a more inspiring get-up-and-do-something-amazing song. 50,000 words in one month? Pretty damn amazing.

[I know it's heresy, but I do slightly prefer Lea Michele's version to Barbra's.]

Quarter Life Resolutions

2010-09-09T15:11:00.002-05:00

I'm not a big resolution person. When the New Year comes around and everyone debates over diet plans and saving money, I'm usually in the corner eating bonbons and buying shoes. Even worse, I'm also not a fan of the resolution's younger, plainer sister - the goal. Sure, I have goals and strive to achieve them, but the writing them down, keeping track, planning them bit-by-bit part of things? Not happening.

To me, goals have always been less bullet points on a list and more the mantras that keep me moving forward. When I question what the heck made me step on that treadmill, I repeat: Mary, you want to age like Sophia Loren, not Marlon Brando. The endless hours of reworking a book's first page are suffered through with a constant refrain of: Mary, if you want to be the next J.K. Rowling, you actually have to write the damn book. This is my relationship with goals. They are the carrot to my panting, tired, let's-just-stop-right-here-please donkey. And yet...

This isn't working as well as I'd hoped. My twenty-fifth birthday rolled around last week, ushering out a whole quarter-century of my life. I'm not one of those girls who thinks life ends at 30. However, despite most assuredly not feeling old, I also don't feel terribly complete. I'm in my mid-twenties. Halfway to 50! When I was younger, I imagined that such an age would mean all manner of wonderful accomplishments: speaking five languages, working for the F.B.I., traveling to Antarctica, knowing how to spell Antarctica so that spell check does not always underline it in red. You know, important grown-up things.

Obviously, my goals have changed. (Except for the ~~Antartica~~ Antarctica bit. I'm still dying to take the cruise down from Chile that lets you chip ice off of a glacier.) They're the goals of an actual adult - the things that I know will help turn me into the woman I want to be. But on my birthday, I had a horrifying realization: not even these have come to fruition yet! Yes, I have some shiny accomplishments on my life report card, but there are also quite a few incompletes. So, I'm taking the plunge and making my relationship with goals a bit more serious. I'm writing the blasted things down and planning them out bit-by-bit. Oh, the horror. I refuse celebrate my 50th birthday, while still bemoaning my poor French.

So, here they are: my quarter-life resolutions.

Become a full-time published author.
Become fluent in French and Spanish, instead of my current conversational hodgepodge approach.
Master sewing - be able to design, drape, and produce an impeccably tailored wardrobe.
Train Remy well, so she does not become one of those horrid, ill-behaved dogs everyone hates. (Closely related to number 2, as I would like to take her to France with me, when I'm perfecting the language. They're nicer about dogs in cafes.)
Become a fantastic golfer. Subsequently, play St. Andrews and Torrey Pines.
Find an intelligent, interesting, adorable guy whom I love. Live happily ever after.
Read every book on my 100 Books I Am Ashamed To Have Not Read list.
Visit all the continents. Including Antarctica.

There they are - in incriminating black font, even. Tomorrow I'm figuring out a game plan on every single one of these. Anyone up for a trip to the South Pole? Or, anyone else currently making September resolutions?

Inspiring Revisions

2010-04-13T17:37:00.006-05:00

As you've probably noticed, I've been M.I.A. from the blog lately. Not that this surprises you, if you know me well. Between school and writing and keeping up with Write Chic, my personal blog tends to fall by the wayside. I'm going try to change this - after all, what's the point of having a blog, if I don't, well, blog? Though that may be slow going.

You see, I'm in the middle of revisions.

Which, if you're a writer, you know is another word for purgatory. Revising involves a lot of red pen, banging your head against your laptop, and - in my case - pie. It's not pretty and it's certainly no fun to blog about! Except for the pie. Yet there are only so many synonyms for delicious, you know? (Incidentally, Austinites, The Frisco on Burnet has the world's best chocolate pie - pictured at right. Try it, your taste buds will thank me, even if your waistline won't.)

These revisions, aside from being accompanied by massive amounts of pastry, have also taken longer than normal. I'm essentially chopping CAIRO to pieces - changing the background (and name) of her hero, adjusting their interactions, and clarifying the voice throughout. With every change I make, a dozen other things must change as well. This is all good, I know, but man does it take its toll! Over the weekend, I found myself in need of a creative recharge.

When I begin a book, I normally make a big, crazy digital collage a la Jenny Cruisie. CAIRO was different. It was one of those books that hit me upside the head with its concepts and characters. I needed to write and I needed to write it right then. So, I did. Which is lucky, since I knew exactly how to recharge myself on Sunday! I made a collage. I haunted image sites and added to the inspiration folder I already had for CAIRO, then put it all together in Photoshop. There's something about putting my book into images that gets me inspired all over again. I always end up making connections I didn't see before and coming away with characters that are deeper than they were before.

That's the finished product above (if you click on it, it goes to full size!) and I did a post at Write Chic a few months ago about how I make my collages. This one is currently the background on my computer and I smile (and get inspired!) every time my screen turns on.

Do you have any tricks that keep your creativity tank full? What do you do when you start getting burned out with your current manuscript?

The End of Beginnings

2010-03-06T16:39:00.005-06:00

So, this was a good week.

Actually, that's an understatement. This was a fantastic, out of this world, best-seven-days-of-the-last-1000 kind of week. Since Sunday, I have finaled in five writing contests. Yep, five. I'd entered them over the last few months, but the results all ended up being announced this week. It still seems a little ridiculous though, right? After the first two, I even stopped celebrating on Twitter, because it's sort of embarrassing, like I'd gone out and entered every contest under the sun like some crazed submission-happy fiend. It's even more ridiculous, since four of the five were based on the first few pages of a novel. They were contests judging beginnings.

And I really, really hate beginnings. To me, they're the absolute worst part of writing a book. Outlines, middles, ends, revising - give them all to me, as long as I don't have to spend any more time writing a damned beginning. For Into The Woods (now The Sherwood Confessions, formerly The Confessions of Evie Black, will no doubt change again soon), I wrote 138 beginnings. No joke. On my hard drive, right this second, there is a folder just filled with the pesky little buggers. Some are virtually the same, with a few small changes, while others would have taken the story on a vastly different track. Sometimes Evie is with Miles, sometimes she's breaking up with him, sometimes they're meeting for the first time. Heck, in one particularly memorable version, he runs her over with his car.

For Cairo Jones, my number is - thankfully - far less, but I still wrestled with how to open the story. It's such an important moment, that opening scene. The reader is making so many decisions: on your main characters, your story, even your own writing voice. If one thing is off, you've lost her for good. It's a scary task for the poor little neurotic writer, you know?

And as someone who has been there, done that - at least 150 times, as we now both know - I have a little advice. This is my new theory on beginnings - if you hate them as much as I do, then maybe it will work for you too: Get in, then get out. As fast as you possibly can.

Set the story in motion, bait your reader's interest, then move on. Preferably, make your characters memorable - either surprising, endearing, or just weird enough to make your reader interested. But, really, just hurry it up and move on. You'll feel better, I promise. If it sucks, you can always go back and fix it, but don't rewrite 138 times. Trust me on that one.

And, just for fun, here are my two beginnings (the theory is obviously in action on both of these)...

The Suspicions of Cairo Jones:

Dateline: New York City, NY. April 21, 1927.

Muriel Higgenbaum has disappeared.

I’m the only one who thinks this is a good thing. The entire one hundred and two girls of Miss Minter’s School for Fine Young Ladies are assembled in the chapel. Half of them are sobbing, the other half sniffle into embroidered handkerchiefs. Hiccups bounce off the stained glass windows of tortured saints.

It’s like they’ve never heard of someone visiting a sick aunt before.

Not that I think that’s where she is. Ol’ Minty may be able to pawn that nonsense off on the rest of them, but I know a lie when I hear one. Muriel Higgenbaum is the last girl you would send to nurse the sick back to health. Unless you want the old bird pushing daisies by the end of the week, of course. Muriel’s not exactly the nursing, loving, caring-about-anyone-without-a-trust-fund-or-new-roadster type.

Plus, she doesn’t have any aunts. I should know - a copy of her school file is tucked under my bed back home. A good reporter has to be informed.

The Sherwood Confessions:

Five weeks before his disappearance, Miles St. John pushed me up against a locker and kissed me. Hard.

This didn’t exactly make it into the police report. A lot of things didn’t. Not that night, not our plan, and especially not this little fact: I could have saved him.

Even the reporters, who descended on Verity with their news vans and power ties, didn’t discover our secret. They badgered witnesses and dug up rumors, but still not a single tabloid mentioned my name.

In a few hours, I could be away from it all. Suitcases and secrets in hand, I could get on that plane to Texas and never be caught. Those stories would stand and you people could go on guessing and wondering, your theories swirling around and around until pretty soon everyone loses interest. It would be yesterday’s headline.

It would all be a lie.

And if there’s anything my time at Verity Prep taught me, it’s this: a lie, even one that no one suspects, will do more bad than good every time. So, this isn’t going to be like before. I’m telling the truth now. Not just about Miles, but about everything - the robberies, the fire, the curse.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, aren’t I? Uncle Dash says that the best quality in a good journalist is that she gives all the facts – from the very beginning, when things first get fishy, all the way until the villain’s confession.

So, here it is – from my beginning to his end — the confessions of Evie Archer: amateur sleuth, freak of nature, and criminal mastermind.

Win an ARC of Linger!

2010-02-20T17:49:00.003-06:00

In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own well-being. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabelle, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.

At turns harrowing and euphoric, Linger is a spellbinding love story that explores both sides of love -- the light and the dark, the warm and the cold -- in a way you will never forget.

Comes out in stores everywhere July 20th. Pre-order here.

Enter to win an advanced review copies of LINGER, Sisters Red, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Replacement on Maggie's blog.

Have You Inkpopped?

2009-10-16T16:31:00.007-05:00

Yesterday at Write Chic, I blogged about my love of competition. It's a love that's vast, wide, and many other adjectives implying that I kind of like to, well, throw down. Be it a game of Scrabble or a writing contest, nothing gets me working harder than a chance to succeed in public. It's a bit ridiculous, but my family is the same way, so let's go ahead and blame genetics here.

It's no wonder that my little competitive soul totally perked up when rumors began to circle about a Harper Collins writing contest for YA writers. After all, just a few years ago, my decision to seriously pursue a writing career was kick-started by another HarperTeen contest. This new venture, called Inkpop, is essentially a teenlit form of HC's wildly popular adult writing site, Authonomy.

Unlike the Avon and HarperTeen Fanlit competitions of 2006, this is a site geared toward connecting aspiring authors with their audience. Users upload their work, whether it's chapters of a novel or snippets of poetry, then the community gives feedback. It could be just like any other critique site, but there's a twist. At the end of each month, an editorial team from HarperTeen will read through the top 5 entries, giving responses to the authors.

That Inkpop is still in private beta testing is obvious - the community is small and is growing by only a few more users each day. Personally, I just received my invite today and am still exploring the site. So far, it does seem to reach one of its goals: creating an active dialogue between YA writers and readers. There are forums, active commenters and readers (dubbed "trendspotters"), and quite a few talented participants.

I don't know how much I plan on participating, but it may be interesting to post a few chapters of my Golden Heart entries and see what happens. What I do know, however, is that Harper Collins has once more proved that they're on the cutting edge of the publishing industry when it comes to reader outreach. Sure, they may find a few great writers out of this, but even more readers will find great HarperTeen books and possibly even form some brand loyalty. In this changing age of publishing, such initiatives speak of true competition and daring.

Is anyone else planning on joining Inkpop, when it officially opens? Or do you just plain love to see a publishing house with a 21st century plan, as much as I do?

Bloggers & Puppies & Thieves, Oh My!

2009-08-07T01:00:00.016-05:00

It has been brought to my attention that I haven't blogged since February. This is what happens when I tell myself I have to do something (like blog every day). I'm so rebellious that apparently I can't even follow my own directions! Perhaps this is another reason why I write Young Adult?

Anyway, I've been meaning to blog again, honestly. After all, so much has happened in the last few months:

The fabulous Tessa Dare's first novel, Goddess of the Hunt, came out to rave reviews - of course! Hooray Tessa! Is anyone else going mad with anticipation for August 25th and her second release?
The group blog I haunt (formerly First Edition) was rechristened as www.WriteChic.com - with an elegant new look to go with the name. (Today on the blog: Kelly is reviewing One Week As Lovers by Victoria Dahl, which I'm currently reading and loving.)
Stephanie and I traveled to Washington D.C. for our second RWA Nationals. It was my first time in the Capital and I can't think of a better way to spend it than meeting up with all of our great writer buddies, talking books, and networking the heck out of the conference. We also managed to hit the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where I enjoyed a whole room of paintings by my favorite artist, Thomas Wilmer Dewing. It was the perfect first D.C. trip!

But here's the obvious question: If all of this didn't make me sit up and blog, what has?

Well, friends, I'm getting a DOG.

Not a big deal for most people, but I'm a cat person. In fact, I come from a long, long, circle-the-Earth-a-few-times looong line of cat people. We had a dog or two growing up, but one too many nights of howling and they mysteriously disappeared to nice friends who had farms or neighbors who were a little more understanding of animals who don't just purr and nap. Of course, being rebellious little me, I fancied that I'd have a whole kennel of dogs when I grew up. Yet when I decided to get a pet after undergrad, the puppies may have been tempting, but logic won out and I adopted a kitten, Toulouse the Wondercat.

In that last two years, I've thought more about dogs - even going so far as to research breeds and rescue organizations - but could never rationalize it. Then, this past week, my house was robbed. Someone sliced open the screen to my bathroom window, punched a hole in the glass, and climbed in.

Luckily, I was in California visiting family and the thieves didn't get anything more than my DirectTV box (that I needed to replace anyway). Not going to lie though, I've been a little shaken since finding out. Suddenly all those romances about jewel thieves and highwaymen don't seem so charming. What's makes it all worse is that this will be the first semester that I don't have a roommate. It will be just my cat and me. Toulouse may be fierce when it comes to lizards, but girlfriend doesn't exactly terrorize intruders. Unless someone can be purred to death, of course.

A thief: not scared by terrifying guard cat.

I hate being scared of my own house. So in go the security system and outside motion detectors, but a barking companion will set my mind even more at ease. Plus, that whole never lived without a roommate concept? Yeah, also scary. I may be super independent and a writer to boot, but who likes being lonely? Enter a dog. Or rather, my dog. I'd really like a West Highland White Terrier and have applications in at the Texas area Westie rescues, but I'm also going to look at our local humane shelters to see if I click with any other little friend.

A Westie: white, fluffy, will bark at Cary Elwes & other intruders.

But, of course, I've never had a dog of my own! This is scarier than starting a new manuscript or going to Australia. Cats are easy - you pet them, you feed them, they love you. Dogs are a bit more complicated. All the walking and the training and the potential drooling! My bookshelf is filling with dog guides and The Dog Whisperer is set to record on my Tivo. Luckily, I have Stephanie and our other good friend, Sarah, as my on-call puppy experts - whom I'll no doubt harass and annoy with all my ridiculous questions. And, also, I have this blog. In the coming months, I'm sure there will be puppy stories galore (though hopefully none involving my Stewart Weitzmans), as well as all the updates from the writing world.

So, tell me friends, which are you - a cat person or a dog person? Let's hear all about your little furry ones. Any horror stories about shoe-chewing that I should know ahead of time, or adorable moments (pictures!) you want to share?

Do You Prefer "Fashion Victim" Or "Ensembly Challenged"?

2009-02-20T23:40:00.008-06:00

Newsflash: According to sources (ie: the interweb), a sequel to the 1995 movie Clueless in is in the works. Alicia Silverstone is set to star and filming begins in April.

Now, I know what you're thinking: What sort of vapid twit is going to go see a remake of a 90's highschool chick flick?

This sort of vapid twit. The one right here.

You know that question you're always asked during group icebreaker games - what five things would you take with you to a desert island? My five things:

1. Bottled Water
2. The Collected Works of Jane Austen
3. A Solar-Powered Generator to power...
4. A VCR on which to watch...
5. The Movie Clueless

I love old movies; I adore indie movies; I could watch musicals all day long, but there is not a single film I love more than Clueless. Maybe it was the impressionable age I saw it at - sixth grade - or perhaps it's the unparalleled quotability of the movie ("Searching for a boy in high school is as useless as searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie!"), but for the last decade it has been my go-to comfort flick. When it's on t.v., friends I haven't seen in months call me to let me know. When it's time for Halloween, I know I can always dress up as Cher Horowitz (witness this incriminating photo from junior year of college-->). When a girl shows up to gym class wearing flannel, I know exactly what cutting remark to say.

I am thrilled and had to share the news. Maybe in the sequel we find out if Cher really saved herself for Luke Perry! So, what movie would you have a sequel made for, friends? Any characters you're dying to see get one more shot at the big screen?

The Art of Humiliation

2009-02-19T16:12:00.001-06:00

[x-posted from First Edition]

I love writing Young Adult books. I could cite the great freedom YA writers have, or our booming market, or even just my adoration of all things snarky. However, my love actually stems from the fact that, despite being over a half-decade out of high school, I still feel like a sixteen-year old half the time. I stress about school, clothes, guys, and whether it's gross that Dan and Serena from Gossip Girl share a sibling.

Only one thing is truly different from my 16 year-old self and I: I'm a writer now. So, when I'm having trouble handling an overload of schoolwork, I have the perfect outlet for my frustration - why not kill off a character in my book? Or when some twit named Kristin seduces my best friend's boy friend? Any guesses what the evil villainess who comes to a bloody and tragic end in my next book will be named?

Which brings me to today's topic- embarrassment. One of the key ingredients in most Young Adult stories is some degree of humiliation. After all, every teenager walking around in American high schools has something they dread happening or a secret that they fear being exposed. The best way to endear your characters to the reader is for them to go through such things - forgetting a huge project that was due, falling off a bike in front of his dream girl, or just finding out that the boy she likes actually likes other boys. I loved high school, but it's not hard to argue that it's one of the most embarrassing periods in life.

Which is also why it's so fun to write about now. All that turmoil and angst, the stories that are hard to think about without blushing, are all fodder for future books. Even my parents - those wonderful, quirky people who brought me into this world, then insisted I wear fish dresses in Elementary School - get face time in various scenes. After all, is there anything more potentially embarrassing than releasing ones parents on your social world? Even now, there are moments when I'm right back in high school, watching my dad insist my boyfriend turn his hat around before he walks into our house.

So, I figured today it's time for a little bit of of Truth or Dare, Originals. Only, you don't get a Dare option, since streaking through Bobby Horton's yard is a little hard to prove over the Internet. Instead we're going to dish about our most embarrassing moments! They can be old ones from your eighth grade dance, or new ones from your book signing last week. Mine's a fresh one, involving -of course - Mr. and Mrs. Danielson of Austin, Tx - aka: my wonderful parents (whom I love, but make for great stories!):

Over Christmas Break, my mom and dad came home from a walk, chilly and beaming at me like they'd just seen Anderson Cooper going door-to-door with a toy poodle. I'd seen this look before. This is the look they get whenever my mom bumps into old classmates of mine and updates them on "what Mary's doing" or my dad meets a cute boy at a golf course and starts hearing wedding bells- this is the dreaded parental gleam. My mom's runs toward the "Nanny-nanny-boo-boo isn't my daughter fantastic?" side, while my dad is just worried I will end up living alone with sixteen alphabetically named cat companions.

This time, their gleams converged. The poor victim - let's call him Aloysius Jenkins - was a guy I'd had a few AP classes with in high school. You know the type...he was nice, funny, ever so slightly rebellious, and good looking in that "I've traveled all over the world and this beard stubble is my only souvenir" sort of way, but - aside from a few Facebook messages since high school and the odd run-in at an Eddie Izzard show- just an acquaintance. Unfortunately, I may have had a short-lived thing for this guy back in the days of AP Bio fruit fly experiments. Even more unfortunate? My parents know this fact.

I know. Teenagers, take heed and those with teenagers avert your eyes...Rule Number One for Growing Up Sane: Unless you are going to homecoming or exchanging promise rings with a guy, never inform your parents of his existence. You may forget about ol'Aloysius, but - trust me - your parents won't. Even six years later.

So, this fateful day my parents were having their daily walk and who should have the unfortunate honor of walking to his car just when they were passing his house? That poor schmuck, Aloysius. In our quasi-suburban neighborhood, it's common courtesy to greet those you come across on the street. A smile or a quick hello and you're done. Unless the Danielsons are passing your house.

In swoops my father, his hearty "Hi there! Didn't you go to Westwood? We're Mary Danielson's parents!" echoing off the perfectly manicured shrubs. As if the mere mention of my name is enough to send mere mortals into spasms of joy, as if I am some great celebrity dog-trainer or a young Presidential hopeful, not a first year Ph.D. student with an unfortunate book addiction. And, here, friends is the rough transcription of that event:

Aloysius: Oh, um, yeah. Well, I'm Aloysius Jenkins. How is Mary?
Dad: She's fine, still in school. So, tell us about yourself, Al. Any good prospects?
Aloysius: (Backing up ever so slowly) Er, just applying to grad school. I'll probably be in school forever, if I don't find out what I want to do. So, Mary's still finishing up undergrad then?
Mom: (Gasping in horror, the gleam fully entering her eye) No, you silly young twit. She's starting her Ph.D. She's going to save blind children, cure cancer, and rid the world of mosquitoes and tapered pants by the time she's thirty!
Aloysius: Oh. Right. Wasn't she doing some book thing?
Mom: (Completely ignoring the fact that Into The Woods being in the hands of agents doesn't mean I'm J.K. Rowling or even signed yet) Why, yes! Yes, she is. In fact, right this very moment her rewrite of the next Great American Robin Hood Novel is in the hands of her agent. She'll probably be the next J.K. Rowling you know, but younger.
Aloysius: Oh, neat. Robin Hood, did you say?
Dad: Yeah, whatever. So, any signs of madness in your family? History of heart disease? Cancer? Abnormal abundance of Siamese twins?
Aloysius: Oh, look at the time! I've got an - uh - underwater basket weaving class to get to. Nice to meet you folks.
Mom: Bye now! If you need any help writing something brilliant or being smarter than all the other little children, let Mary know.
Dad: (Watching Aloysius flee to his car) So, you didn't have a conjoined twin then?

My parents came home, verily bursting with news of their exchange...

Mary: You said what? To whom?
Mom: That nice Aloysius Jenkins! You know, the one whose stubble you were always waxing on about in high school.
Dad: (Eyes gleaming, of course) Seems like a nice enough fellow...You know, my dear spinster daughter, he was wearing a scarf. And a coat. I know how you like boys who wear scarves and coats...
Mom: And he seemed smart enough. Not like you, of course dear, but we can't very well expect that, can we?
Mary: Oh God. I need to do damage control, don't I?
Dad: He had that worldly look too. You go for that, I've noticed. Remember your last boy? That Chilean chap...what was his name? Franco? Bernardo? Chuy?
Mary: You mean Gabriel? He was from France!
Dad: Whatever. He was in a band...there's no future dating musicians, daughter. They won't settle down and give me grandchildren.
Mom: And he wasn't going to graduate school.
Dad: Maybe you should give Aloysius a call? Or send him a note on that Book of Faces thing?
Mom: Yeah! You can talk about your book over drinks...
Mary: (Bursts into flames of embarrassment and horror)

Needless to say, Aloysius didn't respond to my quick Facebook extension of the non-crazy olive branch and will probably avoid me at all future class reunions, for fear of being dragged back to my lair and forced to recite the periodic table of elements while tied naked to my bedpost. Which is good, since you can bet I'm going to be using some of this for characters down the road, so it's best if Aloysius stays far far away from all things Danielson, in case he recognizes himself in a book.

So, Originals, it's time to dish! What was your most humiliating memory from high school? Or, you know, last week? And, our dear parenting Originals out there, have you turned the tables on your kids and accidentally embarrassed them? Anyone else file away their own moments of horror for future literary endeavors?

The Skillful And The Awed

2009-02-18T00:05:00.008-06:00

Tonight, I'm reading Deanna Raybourn's Silent on the Moor and thinking about mastery. I love it when an author's technique and quality of writing match her ideas. So many times, a book's premise is wonderful, but it falls flat under voiceless writing or clumsy technique. Needless to say, Ms. Raybourn is not having this problem. As with the previous Lady Julia Grey mysteries (or novels or romances, depending on your local bookstore's shelving whims), Silent on the Moor is intriguing, darkly atmospheric, and well...superbly written. It's one of those books you dread putting down, even to reheat your cup of Bombay Breakfast.

And yet I did, because it was becoming too hard not to come gush in that nerdy, way too observant way we aspiring authors often have. Now, Deanna Raybourn does a lot of thing splendidly - creating deeply layered characterization, using setting to manipulate tone, and seamlessly weaving the threads of a well-plotted mystery are just a few examples, but like all great writers, she has one thing she does better than anyone else: suspense. Oye ve, the woman can leave a reader wanting more. A scene is drawing to a close and you're ready; you can finally grab a cup of tea or take that long-delayed shower, but just as you reach to dog ear the page (or click the off switch on your Kindle), she hits you with a final sentence like this:

And I could not have imagined then, that I would be packing my trunk the very next evening, determined never to see him again.

How can one not read on? Now, imagine a book filled with such tension, such a sense of foreboding that even a five minute break from its pages becomes an act akin to climbing Kilimanjaro in four-inch heels. Torturous.

Such skill is exactly what sets Ms. Raybourn apart, what catapults her onto auto-buy lists around the world and makes her one of my personal favorite authors. Many of my other favorite authors have nothing in common, other than this skill. Julia Quinn doesn't write dark, neo-gothic stories like Silent on the Moor, but there is no one better at quirky family interactions. Christopher Moore, meanwhile, is off the charts when it comes to writing the ironic situation or the bitingly outrageous. They are all masters. I feel lucky each time I read their books and the next never seems to be published soon enough to satisfy.

Who are your top authors? What is it about their writing or storytelling that sets them apart from the crowd?

Update: Hello, Kindle 2!

2009-02-09T15:49:00.001-06:00

[x-posted from First Edition]

At 10 a.m. this morning, my last Friday review became outdated - along with Elinor, my trusty Kindle 1.0! During a press conference at the historical Morgan Library, Amazon unveiled its newest creation - the Kindle 2.

A lighter, thinner version of its predecessor, the Kindle 2 seems to have all the great features of Elinor & co., but in a sleeker package with a few new bells & whistles. Here are just a few of the differences:

More storage: Without an additional memory card, the Kindle 2 can store over 1200 ebooks on its memory. Like I said, I'm never going to need thousands of books at my beck and call, but it's a solid update.
Better design: Slightly lighter, the Kindle 2 is less "clunky" than the original. Press photos show that Amazon has done away with the wedge shape, so that the K2 is a sleek rectangle that's only 1/3 of an inch thick - about the width of a pencil. Also gone are the oversized page turn buttons that some users complained were too easy to turn - the new ones are still on the side for that intuitive "book-like" feel, but they're smaller as well, so the reader can be held more conveniently.
Faster page turns: I never had a problem with the original Kindle page turns (except the rare times publishers chose that awful Topaz format), but the K2 is boasting 20% faster page turns.
Longer batter life: One of my favorite things about the original Kindle is its amazing battery life, which is even more impressive on the K2. With an exciting 25% more battery life, Amazon is saying the K2 can be read for two weeks without a single charge.
Improved screen: Again, I loved the original screen, but somehow Amazon has topped themselves and bumped up the resolution on the E-ink screens, so it's even sharper and crisper for the reader.
Text-To-Speech: Like the built-in dictionary before it, this is the new feature that really has me buzzing. The K2 has the ability to turn any book, blog, readable personal document, or newspaper available into an audio file - what they are calling "Text-To-Speech" capability. Okay, I know that sounds silly at first, but think about it - how many times have you gone on a long solo road trip and just wished you had your current read in audio book form? How many times have you had to stop reading to go cook dinner? Or work out on the treadmill? This is a brilliant addition, in my opinion, especially for writers. If it truly works for Word documents as well, this is a great way to proofread a manuscript - testing it for flow and phrasing. I'm coveting, Originals.

Not only is this a significant improvement on an already phenomenal product, but they haven't upped the price any either - the Kindle 2 is holding steady at $359. Amazon is being smart with this one by offering current Kindle owners priority ordering and shipping out the Kindle 2 to all the people still waiting in the Oprah backorder line. Now we know why the estimated ship date for those backorders was so far away, no? Personally, I'm definitely digging this new and improved Kindle and am almost convinced to trade up to the 2.0.

What do you think about the improvements, Originals? And can we discuss how lucky Kelly is that she's automatically getting sent the Kindle 2? I can't wait to hear how she likes it!

Also: If you want to weigh in on a lively discussion about E-Reader merits, the fabulous pirates over at Romance Writer's Revenge are also discussing Kindles today!

Here's Lookin' At You, Kindle

2009-02-07T01:43:00.002-06:00

[x-posted from First Edition]

Originals, today I wanted take time to introduce you to someone very special in my life.

This is my Kindle, Eleanor.

For the past month, Eleanor and I have been joined at the - er - hands. I've taken her everywhere: on car rides, to doctor's offices, coffee shops, and everywhere in between. Now, I know we're technically supposed to be reviewing our favorite books on Fridays, but...today I'm proclaiming my love and reviewing my favorite book reader instead.

When Amazon first announced the Kindle, I was skeptical. As far as books go, I'm a traditionalist. Yeah, there were these odd little e-books out there, but had I ever read one? Egads, no! Why would I when I could have the feel of real pages in my hands?

And then came the book club meeting. Every few months, I drop into my mother's book club - which is less a formal club, and more just a handful of smart, snarky women sitting around laughing and talking books. This fateful meeting was in August at a snug little Italian restaurant with wine casks on the table and Frank wafting from ivy-covered speakers. Over dessert, the Kindle came up in conversation. We debated the pros and cons - one woman already had a Kindle and said she couldn't live without hers, while most of us were traditionalists - and at the end of the meal, my mom was sold on the idea. Enter her birthday in November and our grand present - a Kindle, what else?

Cue my huge amount of electronic envy. In the month that followed, I swiped her Kindle whenever I was home, amazed at how much it felt like reading a real book. Once I had a chance to try it out myself, all my concerns disappeared. True, there are a few cons about the device, but the pros have outweighed them tenfold. And since I could probably wax on for eons about it, here are those Ps & Cs all organized in my favorite old friend, the bulleted list:

Pros:

It's Not A Book - Now, call me coldhearted, but books drive me crazy. I love them, really I do, but they're such fragile little things! Their pages crumple, spines break, and if the glue is faulty whole chapters can drop out at a moment's notice! And hardback books? They're the worst! If their book jackets aren't getting creased, they're falling off or picking up any sticky residue in a 10-mile radius. And if you do manage to keep that jacket pristine? Chances are your reading experience suffered - you worried over how to fit it into your too-small purse, schlepped its one-pound-plus weight down endless flights of stairs in your tired arms, and most likely removed and replaced the cover each time you opened it. Don't even get me started on the trials and tribulations of marking your page. With the Kindle? Well, I flip on a switch and then I read. Oh, and it automatically remembers my place...
Wireless - One of my favorite things about the Kindle is its complete lack of a need for a computer. Since it comes automatically hooked up to Sprint's wireless service (which is included in the cost of the books), there is no need to download e-books from Amazon, load them into bulky software, then fiddle with wires like other e-book readers. You can go directly to Amazon with just a click of a button. Even more, once you've chosen a book, it shows up in your Kindle less than a minute later! The instant satisfaction of reading a review about a book, then having that same book in hand moments later is starting to spoil me.
The Samples - Most readers like to get a feel for a book before they buy it, but how are we supposed to do that with an e-book? The good news: most every Amazon e-book has an option to send a free sample to your Kindle, before you buy a book. The samples are normally the first dozen or so pages of a book, but I've had some go for two or three chapters. More than once has this feature saved me money, especially with books that had glowing reviews, but that I just couldn't get into.
Amazon - Did I mention that the Amazon Kindle is hooked up to, well, Amazon? One of the things that infuriates me about the publishing industry is how difficult it can be to find authors' backlists. Sure, the newest book in a series may be out, but what if I want to read books one and two? Not a problem if you're carrying the world's largest book retailer in your pocket! Publishers are now actively getting most every new release in digital format, but I'm constantly surprised by how many older books are available as well. Lately, I've been on a Gaelen Foley kick, mostly encouraged by the fact that once I've finished one in a series, I can't resist clicking a button to get the next. Gone are the days of forcing a bookstore clerk to order an older book, or waiting until it's shipped from an online retailer.
Battery Life - Amazing. With the wireless service running (which can deplete the lifespan of any battery-run electronic) and heavy reading going on (4+ hours/day), my Kindle can go around 3 days between charges. Without the wireless? Over a week. Add into that a total recharge time of 2 hours and it's one of the most efficient devices I own. When first reading about it, I was worried about overseas travel and long flight times draining the battery, but Eleanor is more than up to the challenge.
The Storage - The Kindle alone can hold roughly 200 books, but has a slot for an added memory card, which can hold over 4,000. Now, personally, I don't like to keep 4000 books on me at all times, but it's surprisingly nice to know I could. There's no doubt I'll never completely transition my library over to paperless form, but if you're looking to "go green" or streamline your life, this is a great way to do it.
Online Backup - Oh, Amazon you know us booknerds so well. I'm constantly losing (or giving away or accidentally selling back) books I want to reread. Amazon has solved this problem. Now, everything I buy is backed up forever in my Amazon account. I can resend books to my Kindle, or even replace everything if - God forbid - it gets lost or stolen.
Google/Wikipedia Hookup - One of the "experimental" features of the Kindle is its browser feature. Though the interface is rudimentary, it is lovely to have Google, Wikipedia, and other websites at my fingertips if I need them. I wouldn't want this as my sole internet link by any means, but when I'm reading a book and just have to know the name of Henry VIII's fourth wife, this is a great feature.
Size/Weight - The Kindle is roughly the size and weight of a small trade paperback. It's perfect to fit inside a purse or just to carry with you on the subway to work.
E-Ink Screen - When I first picked up a Kindle, the thing that hit me the most was how much the screen looked like a real book. With prior e-book readers, the screens never let you forget you weren't reading on paper - there were glares, backlight problems, eye strains, etc. Troll the Amazon forums long enough and you'll be battered by a storm technical jargon about why the Kindle doesn't have these problems, but - basically - the screen looks like an actual book. No eye strain. No glare.
Adjustable Text Size - This is the feature that sold my mother on getting a kindle - every single book's text size can be adjusted. So, if wearing reading glasses is the bane of your existence - fear not! - the Kindle has six different font size options to suit your preference
Lower Book Prices - Most hardcover books are $9.99 and below in the Kindle store. Compare this to list prices topping $25 and the Kindle is well worth its own sticker price. Paperback differences aren't as drastic, but I have been surprised with some bargains - even free! - books in my short buying history.
Dictionary Look-Up - So, my mother may have been sold on the adjustable text size, but this is the Kindle feature that made me sit up and take notice. I'm a lazy reader. When happening upon a word I don't know, I normally just get my context clues and move on, not wanting to pull myself out of the pages. Enter the Kindle and its built-in dictionary. Now, when I don't know a word, I can look it up without having to leave my page at all - it's right there on my scroll bar options! I love it.
Document Reader - A convenient feature for writers, the Kindle can also read Word and PDF files, so it can make revising a manuscript much easier from a visual perspective...and save a lot of trees!
Durability - Okay, it's time to fess up - I'm a gadget dropper. If something is expensive and remotely technological, chances are I'll drop it down a flight of stairs. Apparently, I'm not alone in this, because the people at Amazon put the Kindle through some pretty rigorous testing before shipping it out. Whatever they did? It works. I may have dropped poor Eleanor on my hardwood floor a few times already...with absolutely no side effects whatsoever. Not even a dent or scratch!
Ease of Use - Neil Gaiman called the Kindle's design "intuitive." He's (as always) exactly right. If you can read a book, you can read on a Kindle. Unlike other e-book readers, the Kindle doesn't have a million buttons or a convoluted interface to navigate. The page-turn buttons are large and perfectly placed just where a reader's fingers go when turning a page, and the small keyboard is just the right size to be useful, but not interfere with the overall experience. Before I received my Kindle for Christmas, I shopped around for other readers and they all failed to compare. Most of them seemed more impressed with the number of buttons they had or looking the most like an iPhone, rather than with their true purpose - to ease the of reading a book. Kindle's creators never forgot that purpose and it shows in every facet of their design.

Cons:

It's Not A Book - I wasn't lying about being a traditionalist. Despite my loathing of book jackets, I do love the feeling of a real book in my hands and turning the pages myself. Since buying a Kindle, I still go to bookstores and have continued to buy paperbound books. That being said, however, if it's on a Kindle and it's also in printed form, chances are I'm going to buy the Kindle version. I may love the feel of a real book, but I find the ease and price difference of a Kindle winning out more and more. Plus, if the story's good, I'm not thinking about how I'm reading the book anyway, am I?
You Can't Cheat - As we all know, I'm a literary cheater. When I'm stressed about a character's happily ever after, I'm in the habit of flipping through the book and making sure everything works out in the end. With the Kindle's table of contents, I can still flip around in a book, but it does take a bit more effort than just flipping a few pages. If I'm determined to cheat, I will, but I'm trying to use this feature as a way to break this habit.
Book Selection - Most every new fiction book is coming out on Kindle. In fact, of the 30 or so books whose release dates I've been anticipating in the last month, only one didn't make it to Kindle format (Evermore by Alyson Noel). With nonfiction books, the Kindle store's coverage is a little more spotty. Evolutionary Biology and History books seem to be well represented, but Writing books have surprisingly dismal digital showings. When a book doesn't make it to digital format, this is always the publisher's decision and Amazon makes it easy to get your opinion heard. On the bottom of every Amazon book page there is now a "I would like to read this on Kindle" button, which will send your request directly to the publisher. Normally, I'd be a skeptic and say such a thing is just for the costumer's peace of mind, but I've had quite a few books come available on Kindle that weren't available just days before. It seems publishers are actually listening and that they are, slowly, but surely, catching up to the digital age.
The Carrying Case - This is just a nitpicky thing, but I'm unimpressed with the Kindle's standard carrying case. I like to read in bed, where I tend to sleep on my side. With the Kindle's default case, the bookreader is only secured on one side, so it's constantly slipping out of the case and accidentally going to the next page whilst I wrangle it back in. Fortunately, there are tons of other Kindle case options out there that fix this issue. Personally, I've got my eye on this little green number.
No Light Supply - Because of the E-Ink techonology, the Kindle is just like a book in that you need your own light supply to read on it. It makes it easier on the eyes, but you might want to invest in a booklight to take on those overnight camping trips!
Makes Reading Too Fun - I know, this shouldn't be a con, should it? Well, when you're a poor student who already has a book buying compulsion, encouraging more book purchases isn't the best idea. Luckily, my wonderful relatives were all clued in to my Christmas surprise, so I got quite a few Amazon gift certificates along with my Kindle. I'm just now running out of store credit, but still can't seem to resist the pull of the Kindle store...
Sticker Shock. Though well worth it in light of the book price differences, the Kindle's own sticker price is still a bit high for a one-purpose device (at $359), which makes it a purchase only for the true bibliophiles. In which category, I know all of us fall. If the price is getting you down, I do know a slight discount trick - because of Kindle order delays (thanks Oprah!) over Christmas, I hunted down one of the refurbished Kindles that come up for sale on Amazon. They sell for $329 and have the exact same warranty as a new Kindle. There is also no indication on the Kindle that it was refurbished, so no one will know but you! Unfortunately, this secret has made the rounds, so they are hard to come by. My best bet is, if you're adamant about tracking one down, using the Wii Alerts website to send a text to your cellphone when they become available and bookmarking this link to take you straight to the order page. It also helps if you've enabled one-click ordering on your Amazon account, so you can snag yours before those other Kindle hunters!

So, there you have it - the pros and cons of the Amazon Kindle. Like I said, I'm in love with mine and can't recommend it highly enough. There are probably a million things I've forgotten to mention, or questions I've left unanswered, so I'm opening it up to you, Originals. How do you feel about digital bookreaders? Are there any burning questions you have for a Kindle owner? Does anyone else have a Kindle and love it, or - conversely - does anyone else scoff at the transition from paperbound books?

In Which A Stubborn Reader Matures

2009-01-26T15:54:00.001-06:00

[x-posted from First Edition]

Gaelen Foley. Mary Jo Putney. Jo Beverly. Julie Garwood. Jude Devereaux. Mary Balogh. Madeline Hunter.

No, this isn't a list of the reigning Queens of Romance (though it can certainly double as that), or even a list of my personal favorites. This is just a smattering of the authors I haven't read.

I know, no Foley? No Putney? The horror! Or, so I assume anyway after browsing the Julia Quinn & Eloisa James Bulletin Board's Top 100 Romances (2008 edition). All these names make it on the list numerous times, their books obviously beloved and reread by legions of fans.

And yet, these novels haven't made it into my TBR pile, their names don't send a frisson of excitement down my spine just thinking about the author's newest release. How did this happen? After reading romance for almost a decade, one would think I'd tried every author under the genre's sun. Then again, when I started out at the tender age of 13, I didn't exactly have a guide to the impressive, candy colored shelves under the Romance banner. There was no kindly, pink-robed Dumbledore to point me toward the best and brightest, while away from the dark, shadowy netherregions of the genre.

I came to romance only after reading every single love story in the then paltry Teen section ( the 1990s being right before the advent of the modern "bigger and better" YA genre). After nobly suffering through my lack-of-book rants, my ingenious - and exasperated - mother finally put a Susan Elizabeth Phillips book in my hand. It was love at first page turn. But once I'd blasted my way through SEP's backlist, my reading choices were haphazard at best. For awhile, I was solely committed to contemporaries, reasoning that if SEP was so great, maybe the setting had something to do with it? Soon, I stumbled onto the whimsical paranormals of the day (my favorites: Julie Kenner and Kristine Grayson), before a few months later finally buying my very first historical - Wicked Angel by Julia London.

Since then, I've stayed true to SEP and some other great contemporary writers, but historicals are where my true passions lie. Luckily for me, in my messy randomly-yanking-books-from-the-shelf way, I did make it to some of the best authors writing out there - Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Sabrina Jeffries were early favorites who have continued to grace the top of my TBR piles, but...it seems like I have a gap.

Sure, I've heard people talk of Garwood and Deveraux, their eyes glazing over like romance-induced zombies as they recall the first time they cracked the spines on The Gift or The Heiress. This is about the time I excuse myself to the bar, shaking my head and smirking to myself, knowing there's no way these J named authors are as good as my own Quinns and Londons. Now, y'all are probably more mature readers than I am, but I've always been this way - knowing with ever cell in my body that my favorite books would shame and mortify the impostors that other people put forth. This is ridiculous, of course. Not only are people's tastes different, but with so many books published in this world, there's no way to pick one best or even a true top 1000 that every reader could agree on.

And so, I blame my lack of a proper romance shelf on this bias. By the time I'd started reading in the genre, many of these authors were already popular, with their books gracing the coveted fronts of bookstore kiosks and the shopkeepers always trying to foist them on the impressionable, but stubborn young Marys. I preferred to find my own favorites, which worked out well, but now it seems about to time to fix these personally overlooked, but much lauded author gaps. And, well, I have to admit - I downloaded my first Gaelen Foley to my Kindle last night and I'm already enthralled...here's high hopes for the rest of the gang too!

So, just curious - are there any bestselling, much beloved authors whom you haven't read? Is anyone else as irrationally stubborn as I am about recommended books? For that matter - if one was going to start reading these authors, where should she start?

What's On Your Nightstand?

2009-01-13T14:30:00.000-06:00

[x-posted from First Edition]

This has been a crazy week...and it's only Tuesday. I've been preparing my TA-ing schedule for this semester (three OChem classes, one Biology) , starting the 1920s book, and going over ITW one final time for a potentially exciting reason. Add to that all the hours spent reading and that takes my rest/sleep/veg time to about four hours a day. Oye ve!

Some of my resolutions have had slip-ups (*cough* personal blogging every day...), but so far it's been a very productive January.

Until today.

Right now, I'm invoking my week-before-school rights and taking a nap. Not writing, not trying to coax my brain cells into thinking about writing, not even reading a book about writing. So, instead of a formal blog today, we're going to do the internet equivalent of an open book test ...all I want to know is one question:

What are you reading right now? (And how are you liking it?)

My answer: I just put down Peeps by Scott Westerfeld, about which can't be raved about enough. Inventive and exciting, it was a fresh take on the otherwise overplayed teen vampire book. (I love a good vampire, but sometimes a book trend can get a little old, no?) Next up is To Tempt A Scotsman by Victoria Dahl. After all the wonderful reviews by Kelly (and practically every romance reviewer out there), I figured it was time to try my first Dahl book and opted to start with her debut!

So, what's on your nightstand?

2009-01-10T23:55:00.003-06:00

As I slog my way through one last read through of the new & improved ITW this weekend, a little motivation:

Apologies, I will never get tired of watching NPH sing. At least I haven't busted out the Assassins clips yet!

Name That Schmuck

2009-01-09T23:49:00.007-06:00

I just got back from seeing the new Anne Hathaway/Kate Hudson flick, Bride Wars. Not only was it infinitely better than reviews would lead one to believe, but it also reinforced that age old writerly maxim - names are very, very, very important. (As are proper adjectives, so one isn't forced into three verys.)

Ahem. *Spoilers Ahead*

Major Spoilers Ahead.

In the movie, Anne Hathaway is about to marry a complete twit. Overbearing, controlling, and boring, he is definitely not the man for her. How do we as the audience know this? His name: Fletcher Flemson.

Yes, Flemson. As in son of phlegm.

No romantic comedy hero is going to be named after a bodily fluid. Or, worse, be the lowly son of a bodily fluid. That rather puts the whole son of a tradesman thing kind of in perspective, eh Regency heroines? It's just not going to happen. Names in romances are, well, romantic. Heroes are always Colins, Rafes, or - sigh - Sebastians. Heroines have a little more leeway, but there are still thousands more Penelopes and Annabelles running about in novels than in real life. Rarely do we read about the saga of Egbert and Gladys.

Knowing this, it does make reading books and watching movies a smidge more difficult. Why worry about the happily ever after, if I know the heroine won't end up with Ira, the fleshy curate? I've already singled out that solicitor in the corner, if only because he's a Tristan and not a Francis. And, unfortunately for him, that Snidely Whiplash is already my prime suspect in Great Aunt Agatha's murder (Was there ever a better villain name?). Once you've picked up on the language of names (or over analyzed enough books and movies), plots are forever being despoiled.

But...at least I knew Anne wouldn't end up a Daughter of Phlegm.

What are some of your favorite names for villains and schmucks from past movies and books? Does the current antagonist of your WIP follow the naming maxims?

Shock, Awe, and Cheerleading

2009-01-08T16:03:00.003-06:00

[X-posted from First Edition]

There are people who judge books by their covers. There are those who claim the first page is the only true test. And then there are others, the dark horses of book judging like me...

Confession One: I read the end of books first.

Confession Two: If I don't like the ending, I won't read the book.

Sadly, it's true. I am a last page reader. Or, you know, the last chapter. Whatever. The point - if the ending isn't what I'm looking for, if it's a let down or anticlimactic, I like to know ahead of time. As with most other personality disorders, Late Pagers can usually trace this neurosis back to a traumatic experience in their childhood. Mine came in the form of R. L. Stine.

In Austin, TX in 1995 you weren't cool unless you were reading Goosebumps or Fear Street. Sure, you could secretly like the Babysitters Club (and have not one, but two, of the dolls - Stacy and Claudia, naturally), but discussing Mary Anne and Logan's latest relationship issues was about as cool as wearing dresses with fish on them - that is to say, not. Scary was cooler than romantic, and R. L. Stine was the scariest.

So, I read them. Night after night, I devoured stories about cuckoo clocks of doom, monster blood, and way too many haunted summer camps. Then, there were the cheerleaders. What could be so terrifying about cheerleaders? Surely, my fifth grade self was safe in a nice, if slightly twisted, story about cheer. Even R. L. Stine couldn't twist fake smiles and GO WILDCATS! that much.

Wrong.

Halfway through R. L. Stine's The First Evil (yes, I suppose that should have been a hint that all was not well with the pom-pom set), the narrator died. Not the main character. Not just someone I liked. The person telling the story got boiled to death in a locker room shower.

And so began my last-chapter obsession (and a healthy dose of respect for hot water heater maintenance). Even if I'm relatively safe from stir-fried narrators in the Romance and modern YA sections, I'm ever wary. Over the years, numerous books have been left at B&N after failing my last page litmus test.

Then, my Kindle came in the mail for Christmas. This is really the only downside I've found so far: I can't cheat before buying a book. It's been the best cold turkey remedy for Last Paging ever.

So far, the reading experience hasn't been that different. Romances end happily, this is a rule. So no surprises there. The man reading the encyclopedia can only really end with the letter Z. But Young Adult? There it gets a little iffy. Enter Evernight by Claudia Gray...and its unreliable narrator.

Last night, I was so shocked by this narrator's revelation that I actually gasped. Out loud. Everyone else in the room rolled their eyes, but that gasp was almost more of a shock than the narrator. I can't remember the last time I was so surprised by a book. Is this what I've been missing while reading the last pages? I may be only halfway through Evernight, but that surprise has guaranteed it a spot on my most-remembered books this year.

It also gave me something else to aspire to in writing. Making Out With Mobsters (the woeful working title of Book #2) is turning out to be much more of a classic mystery than ITW, making it the perfect manuscript to try out some of this new found love of huge surprises myself. Admittedly, my Last Paging may not ever be truly cured, but thanks to the Kindle and my new way of reading, it has added a little more spice to my next MS!

Have you ever been duped by an unreliable narrator, or been completely shocked by a villain's unmasking? When was the last time you were genuinely surprised while reading? And, okay Originals, does anyone else have any lingering traumatic moments at the root of being a Last Pager?

In which Mary loves...

2009-01-07T22:01:00.003-06:00

...the first page feature on Dear Author.

Aspiring romance authors send in the first pages of their manuscripts to be critiqued by the DA readership - a mix of readers, authors, and industry pros. Not going to lie, I'm an anonymous critique addict. Why else would I have entered not one, but two fanlit contests back in the day? As well as have a membership at Critique Circle (one of the most valuable things I did initial stages of writing, actually)?

There's nothing better than an audience with your intended reader. Even if you don't like the response, it's infinitely better to know that before sending it along to prospective publishers or agents. So, while I may not be able to send my first page to DA anytime soon (yay Feb. query flood!), I definitely think you should. And your best friend. And your critique partners. And that random woman sitting next to you at your next RWA meeting.

Update From The Plotting Trenches

2009-01-06T23:09:00.004-06:00

As it turns out, plotting a second book is much more difficult than the first!

For me, anyway. I seem to always want to throw in fires when I'm stuck. My villain needs something else evil to do? Arson is always a good choice. The middle of my outline a little bare? Catch a theater on fire! Eventually, I will have to stop blowing things up in my books.

Maybe next time...

For now, I'm going to keep throwing mayhem into MOWM and watching NPH for inspiration:

The Passionate Pages

2009-01-05T10:37:00.001-06:00

[X-posted from First Edition]

For the past few nights, I've been up entirely too late - past the time when real TV turns into infomercials and all sane people have gone to bed. The reason? A book, of course.

Only...this time it's different. The book that has me so engrossed that I just can't bear to turn off the light isn't a romance, or a Young Adult, or a mystery, or even one of the classics I've been known to pick up from time to time. It's nonfiction. Even more it's meta-nonfiction. That is to say I'm reading a book about someone else reading a book.

The book is The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs, a memoir about one man's journey to become the smartest person in the world - through reading the complete Encyclopedia Britannica. It's hilarious. Seriously, I cannot remember the last time I have laughed out loud so often during a book. Part fun trivia, part anecdotes about Jacobs' family life, this book is shaping up to be one of my favorites of the past few years.

And yet it could have been a disaster. In the wrong hands, a tale about reading the encyclopedia could have been dreadful - weighty, dry, and humorless. This difference in results is thanks, naturally to passion. What makes this book such a success isn't the zany feat Jacobs is attempting, but the way he handles it, with humor and a voice that keeps the reader coming back for more...and thinking of similar literary adventures herself. He's so excited about his year, eager to share his stories with us, that one can't help but be charmed.

As I embark on my second book (a rather terrifying leap), trying to get a handle on all the knowledge I learned from working on ITW, I think this is truly the secret to writing. Passion. If an author doesn't have it for their book - whatever the subject matter - it falls flat. I like to think readers can sense when this happens, that we know when an author has grown tired of her bestselling series, or when his heart just isn't in his newest release. When I'm writing something I'm excited about, that energy flows onto the page, is tangible in every word, every sentence. It's something I hope will be carry over for the reader, if I'm every lucky enough to see my books in print.

So, as I start this next story - something much different from my first - that's my hope: that readers can feel the passion I've spent on the pages. For all my talk of process and outlines, I believe this is really the first step towards writing...finding your love and excitement for the book.

Alright, Originals, how do you feel about passion in writing? Can you tell when an author just doesn't have it, or when she has so much it's thrumming from the pages? In your own work, can your CPs tell when they've reached a passage you especially loved?

Mary And The Enthusiastic Extremes

2009-01-04T21:31:00.007-06:00

As previously admitted, I'm an enthusiast.

The dictionary defines the condition as one who is filled with enthusiasm or ardently absorbed in an interest or pursuit. Ardently absorbed? Pretty tame language for the mania that can take hold of us enthusiasts when a new "interest" or "pursuit" strikes. You get a sudden interest in sewing? Watch out, for a simple pillowcase or pair of pajama pants may not be enough. You could easy find yourself tackling a full-scale line of Kimono inspired alternating-trim dresses, before you can say Coco Chanel.

Personally, my past zealous highlights have included: headbands, baking, original Nancy Drew books, Broadway musicals, the 1920s, Egyptology, and...well...sewing. The bright side: those kimono dresses turned out surprisingly well and I have a drawer full of handmade headbands that coordinate perfectly!

So, what's my new interest?

Boots. Or rather, the search for the perfect boots.

They're my favorite Winter accessory. No longer are skirts and dresses banished to the back of my closet until warmer weather arrives. A pair of leggings and some classy boots fix any cold-weather fashion blues! In the past month, I have tried on over fifty pairs and combed the internet for even more. They can't be too short. Or too tall. Or have inelegant heels. Or weird pleather exteriors. I know entirely too much about winter footwear now. My favorites so far (which I now own in black and brown) are the Tyla boots by Sofft. These are heaven to walk in with charming whip-stiched backs.

And yet...my enthusiasm hasn't been quenched. I want flat boots. And equestrian inspired boots. And suede boots. And button up Victorian style boots. Even while wearing my great pairs, I can't help but ask the stylish girl in front of me at Starbucks about her buckled riding boots. It's a sickness!

But the great thing about being an author? Having your characters live out your unfulfilled dreams. Even if I can't validate having a closet full of shoes, one of my characters can. I may have just rewritten a description in Into The Woods, so that Eza is wearing some boots I've coveted lately! You know, just maybe.

The first thing I'm doing if I ever make the NYT list? Going to Nordstrom and not caring how many shoes I buy! This is my author fantasy. While I go struggle through Chapter 6 of Making Out With Mobsters, I'm going to think about all those boots just needing a good, enthusiastic home.

Mary Apologizes to the Stars

2009-01-03T23:59:00.001-06:00

I'm not normally one for astrology. At all.

This could be related to me being a Virgo which seems - quite frankly - to be the most boring, practical sign out there. Growing up, I would scan the back of Seventeen for the horoscopes, hoping my outlook would read along the lines of: "A hot, brooding, British boy will arrive at your school this month. He will instantly fall in love with your down-to-Earth charm, asking you to Prom within days. But - watch out! - this boy's got a secret: he's hiding his true aristocratic identity and you may soon find yourself girlfriend of a future duke!"

Obviously, the supposed realism of Virgos didn't really carry over with little MD. Unfortunately for my younger self, even the fluffy horoscopes of Seventeen were filled with references to the practicality (read: snooze worthiness) of us September babies. There was a lot of "Your hard work studying will pay off!" and "Don't worry, even if the captain of the lacrosse team thinks you're just a good lab partner, the bespectacled boy in AP Bio might see the true you!"

What sixteen year-old wants to hear about her good work habits? Or, worse, have the perpetual virgin as her cosmic mascot? Even the fish is cooler than Miss Never Been Kissed. Needless to say, my opinion of the stars and their opinions isn't the highest.

But, if this 2009 horoscope Steph just shared with me holds true... I may have to bite my tongue. Even though I think it's all just in good fun, this is awfully close to certain resolutions I've made this year:

Wonderful things are in store for you this year, Virgo! You're experiencing tremendous feelings of rebirth and, as you release old ways of expressing yourself, you'll find yourself walking into all kinds of new experiences. Virgo loves to make sure everything is clear, concise and methodical, and this will help make it easy for you to graciously receive and beautifully adapt to the growth you are experiencing. You'll feel very peaceful with the changes happening both inside and outside of you, and you welcome the opportunity to express the new knowledge you gain.
There's a renaissance going on within you that seems to have been asleep for sometime now. You discover where the doorway is and are ready to consciously find new meaning in your life, and to manifest who you are in your own way. Mentally, culturally, instinctually and spiritually, you'll be going through incredible transformation this year. Your fresh take on life will give you the ability to manifest a new reality. You take a big leap forward as you share these changes with others.
A re-emergence of your inventive and creative self will give you new ways of taking action and bringing your talents into the world. You will feel secure, safe and centered, which allows you to achieve anything you want in your life. You will feel more spiritually balanced in 2009 than ever before.

Geez - if my 2009 is that wonderful, I may have to reevaluate my position on the nosy cosmos. Curious about your own? Go here!

So, how do you feel about Astrology and similar areas? Do you find your sign fitting, or completely off base? Anyone else ever felt shafted on the whole cosmic calander as well?

My Favorite Books of 2008

2009-01-02T20:53:00.001-06:00

In honor of the new year, I'm doing a little blog housekeeping. Which, essentially, consists of updating my current read and changing "Favorite Books of 2008" to "Favorite Books of 2009." However, 2008 was such a wonderful year for new books that it seems a little heartless to let my list just go quietly into the good cyberspace night. So, in honor , I thought I'd share my top 10 picks of the last year (in no specific order, because that would be too hard!):

Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas (Historical Romance)
Wake by Lisa McMann (Young Adult)
The Spymaster's Lady by Joanna Bourne (HR)
Peeled by Joan Bauer (YA)
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (YA)
The Lost Duke of Wyndham by Julia Quinn (HR)
Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz (Mystery)
Paper Towns by John Green (YA)
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (YA)
Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn (Mystery)

What were your favorites of 2008?

Welcome 2009!

2009-01-01T20:45:00.010-06:00

Happy New Year, friends!

For me it was a rather low-key last night of 2008 - a little wine, a good friend from high school, and lots and lots of gossip! So, you know, practically perfect.

Practically in that I was definitely not sad to see 2008 wave goodbye. It's been a year of economic troubles, way too many grad school papers, and an appalling lack of forward motion on the whole writing front. Or, really, any front.

Enter my resolution for 2009:

This year, I resolve to make 2009 infinitely more fantastic and productive than 2008.

Among ridiculous vows (such as: start reading the encyclopedia), this resolution involves more writing, more blogging, more journaling, more exercising, more traveling, and just generally having more fun than last year!

If that wasn't enough to get excited (or nervous) about, there is so much more happening in 2009! Long awaited books are coming out (SEP, Lauren Willig, The last two Eloisa James duchess books!), a historic presidential inauguration is around the corner, gas prices are still dropping, and Gossip Girl comes back next week. Okay fine, maybe I'm the only one psyched about the last one (more Chuck is always good, after all), but you must admit it's shaping up to be an intriguing year. Bienvenue 2009!

What are YOU looking forward to this year?

Let It Snow

2008-12-10T00:32:00.011-06:00

As I write this blog, a steaming cup of tea sits in my lap and snow falls outside. Earlier today, we set a record high temperature.

Yes, you read the right. Record high.

Since 3 this afternoon, it has dropped fifty degrees in the Capital area. At dinnertime, I wore a light jacket to join a friend for Christmas card writing, when I left at 9 pm ice was falling from the sky and my trusty Volvo alerted me with its "Oh! Eff! It's cold!" snowflake warning symbol, before reverting to its Swedish roots and kicking into winter weather mode.

Living in Texas is always an adventure.

This weather, other than inspiring tea kettle use, also made me want to race home, open up the computer, and start typing away. These may not be my favorite driving conditions, but they certainly work well for inspiration! If I had it my way, every time I wanted to write, snow would start falling and drive me inside to the teapot and my laptop.

Then again, since I live in Texas it's probably good I've learned to write in imperfect conditions...or else I'd have a spurt of creativity - what? - two days out of the year? Anyway, I'm now curious: If you had your way, how would the world and weather change in order to fulfill your perfectly inspirational atmosphere?

ps: Did anyone else catch this week's fantastic (and dramatic and trashy and completely awesome) episode of Gossip Girl? Chuck yelling! Blair admitting feelings! Chuck crying! How are we supposed to wait till January for more of this? Ed Westwick is my new TV acting hero.

Vote!

2008-11-04T10:19:00.003-06:00

Not because I'm telling you to, but because NPH is:

Go Here To Find Your Polling Place.

A Good Bow Is Hard To Find

2008-10-23T14:00:00.004-05:00

I'm addicted to fashion TV shows. Give me marathons of What Not to Wear and How Do I Look? and I'm a happy writer. I fondly dream of that distant day when I can afford to buy every outfit I crave, ignoring that practical little voice in my head that incessantly repeats: "But, Mary, dear. Where are you going to wear that perfect teal tweed replication of a 50s Dior suit?"

However, until that day comes, I have to make-do with my poor student/aspiring writer budget. One of my favorite ways to do this is through the concept of signature pieces - those clothing items that define your wardrobe and style, so that no one notices that your jeans are less "distressed" and more just plain old. In the past, some of my favorite have been: a bright yellow trench, green herringbone & leather heels, and an endless array of kimono-style shirts. But in the last few months, I've found myself aimless in my fashion. (Other than all the awesome retro-inspired heels I just can't keep from buying.)

But, no more! I have discovered the headband. Thank you, Blair Waldorf, for bringing back this awesome accessory and even more thanks to Nordstrom for forcing me to buy this one (in sapphire, not gray. Even better!). I've decided to take advantage of being 23 and indulge in my love of fun and funky headbands. Now all I have to do is convince myself to suffer through a Hobby Lobby trip, so I can make my own...

So, what's your style signature? Do you live for a sophisticated all black wardrobe, or find yourself adrift without a great handbag?

Something In The Air

2008-09-29T14:54:00.011-05:00

Hello friends!

After a horrendously non-internet-filled summer, I'm finally back at the blogging and writing helm. Which is good, since it's just in time for the best week ever.

You think I'm kidding. How, you ask, could this be the best week ever when it feels like any other early fall string of days? Well...let's do this by the numbers, shall we?

Incredible Books Making Their Debuts: 5
Romance:
-Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
-Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas
-Secret Desires of a Gentleman by Laura Lee Ghurke
Young Adult:
-Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
-Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

Wonderful TV Shows Finally Returning After 9 Months: 1
-Pushing Daisies

Fabulous Movie DVD Releases: 2
-Sex and the City (I loved it! I know, I know...I'm a Carrie Bradshaw sheep. I'm a sucker for great shoes and ridiculous puns.)
-Iron Man

Number of Weekends Left in October: 5
-Did you realize there are 5 official weekends of October? Sure, Halloween is only on a Friday so that's a partial weekend...but nonetheless. Considering this is my favorite month, I can hardly contain myself at the prospect of five weekends of Halloween and Fall merriment to look forward to! My Alice In Wonderland costume is going to get a lot of use....
(Note how I'm pointedly ignoring the amount of grad school work I have to finish in that time period? I can't hear you Natural Disasters and Disease topic paper. la la la la la...)

Posts Written For Dear Author: 1
-Yep. You read that right. The wonderful Ja(y)nes of Dear Author have put together a fabulous new posting series called If You Like. In honor of the simply wonderful Julia Quinn's newest release (which you should buy. right now. I will wait...), Stephanie and I were asked to do an analysis of her books, then suggest other authors who DA readers might enjoy. The post went up today, so if you're a JQ fan come by and gossip about the Bridgertons, the Dukes, and everything else Quinn!

So, what are you most looking forward to this week? Are there any books I've missed or any exciting news you'd like to share? For that matter -how was everyone's summer?

Why You Should Try YA

2008-06-12T19:28:00.001-05:00

(x-posted from First Edition)

Tuesday night, I had my first big opportunity to give out the fancy new business cards we discussed a few weeks ago - my first meeting of the Austin chapter of RWA. Armed with a shiny card case and the knowledge that this month's topic was the YA market, the hours before were filled with my strange, giddy excitement. So, it was a bit of shock when the first woman asking to exchange cards didn't comment on the beauty of the design (which I spent days deciding on), but instead on that small line beneath my name - Young Adult Fiction. "You know, I don't even know what all this Young Adult stuff is," was her comment.

My mind reeled. Wasn't YA our topic for the meeting? Have all those analysts and authors been wrong in saying YA is the most exciting area of book-selling today? Have I blindly found myself in genre that people don't even know exists? It was full panic mode. Luckily the woman across from us responded for me: "Well, I read the back of the speaker's books and the plots seem just like romance...but in high school." And you know what? She was exactly right.

It was actually one of the points the meeting's speaker, Suzanne Harper - former editor of Disney Adventures magazine and author of The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney and, just released and super-cute, The Juliet Club - touched on. One of just many reasons why YA is such a thrilling genre to be writing in right now. And why, after the meeting was over, my initially skeptical neighbor leaned over to me and said, "I think I'll try my hand at this teenage stuff now - it sounds fun!" So, if you've been thinking about writing YA, or even if you weren't aware of its existence until recently, here are 10 great reasons you should think about trying YA right now:

"The plots seem just like romance...but in high school." Okay, here's the big secret of YA -the plots are just like romance. In at least 95% of YA fiction, there's some sort of romance. After all, at what point in our lives are we more focused on love and the opposite sex than during adolescence? Even the books mostly loved by teenage guys have some romantic elements to them - there's always a girl the hero likes, because there's always a girl every teenage boy likes. It's a fact of life...and makes it infinitely easier for romance writers to cross over.
Lack of Sub-Genres. On the shelf, there's no delineation between Young Adult romance and Young Adult mystery, because all of it is just considered YA. This is great for writers because it means you're reaching as wide a range of readers as possible - the same girl who picks up an edgy, futuristic sci-fi, can also grab the cute, pink, character development laden romance next to it with no problem.
Hardback v. Paperback. If you're writing straight YA, not for a specific line that only publishes paperbacks, chances are you'll end up in hardcover for your first book. Suzanne Harper even mentioned that the HarperTeen division of Harper Collins only publishes in hardback for the first printing, except for their small, specialty imprints. If you go look at the YA shelves, there are more hardcover spines than any other area of the bookstore. Which is very, very good news for those starving writers of us out there.
Generation Y. Did you know that the current generation of teenagers is larger than even the infamous Baby Boomer generation? That makes it the largest sub-audience out there in publishing - especially if you add in all the adults and twenty-somethings who still read YA.
Ease of Marketing. Teenagers are the most tech savvy, internet friendly generation out there. Which is fantastic news for the YA writer. It means infinite ways to connect with your target audience. You can get a MySpace page, a website, a blog, buy adspace on Facebook (and get an account!), send out e-newsletters, conquer You Tube and the vlogging world, etc. The list of new, successful ways to market to teens is infinite. The only downside? You may have so much fun self-promoting, that you forget to write!
The J.K. Rowling Effect. Every single person who publishes a Young Adult or Children's book for the next decade or two should send J.K. Rowling a box of chocolates. Harry Potter proved that this generation of teenagers, tweens, and children are more excited about reading than we've seen in quite a long time. Some people predicted this mega-book phenomenon would hold true only with the Potter series, but they've been proved wrong a hundred times over. Twilight? Eragon? Lemony Snicket? The Spiderwick Chronicles? All book sensations for this specific market. So many YA & Children's Lit books are being sold that the New York Times finally had to give us our own best-sellers lists - with a special one for bestselling series - before the only books on the Hardback list were for those 18 and under!
Libraries & Schools. Books for children & teenagers have one of the handiest auto-markets out there - the library and school systems. Not only will they want your book in hardback, but they would love for you to come do a library tour or school visit!
The New YA Edge. So, I know, I know - you're intrigued by this whole YA thing, but you really don't want to give up your sexual tension and heroes who can throw back their Scottish whiskey. Welcome to the world of edgy YA. Young Adult books nowadays have as few content constraints as adult books. Which makes sense, considering that if teenagers are dealing with sex, alcohol, and other issues, they should be able to read about them too. As an author, you can deal with real world teenage problems -and while it will limit you from the younger spectrum of the YA audience, there will be plenty of readers lining up to read your book. Even if they're straight-A students who didn't even sneak a glass of champagne at their sister's wedding, it's always interesting to read about the darker, edgier side of life.
Wanted: Plotting Mavericks. One of the best things about teenagers is their willingness to suspend disbelief. If your strength is plotting, or putting a great twist on an existing concept, then YA may be the best market for you. An interesting hook (with a will-written book to back it up, naturally) is a very hot ticket in the YA section. Add to that the flexibility of style and structure (a novel all in IM speak? or blog posts? go for it!) and this is the perfect genre for anyone who wants to write something a little out of the ordinary.
The Great Company: Libba Bray. John Green. Maureen Johnson. All of these are hilarious, brilliant, and painfully talented people who have chosen to write for Young Adults. Not to mention all of those great romance authors who have already made the cross-genre leap - Stephanie Rowe (Stephie Davis in YA), Marianne Mancusi, Julie Kenner, and, of course, Meg Cabot.

I know there are more fantastic reasons I've left off this list, but the end result is the same - Young Adult is an exciting, on the brink publishing market. So, if you've ever even thought about writing a YA, this is definitely the time to do it. Plus, you know, then we could gossip about YA together! So, Originals, have you thought about writing YA? Or crossing genres and writing something else out of your normal work? And, okay, if you became the next J.K. Rowling (every Children's Lit & YA author's secret dream), what would you do with your author billions?

Fashion Through the Pages

2008-06-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

(X-Posted from First Edition!)

I'm not a firm believer in hard and fast rules for writing, but if there's any one maxim I think all writers should follow it's Write What You Love.* There's little I love more than a good book. On the Mary Scale of Enthusiasm, the only things ranked higher are great slices of Black Forest Cake or truly fabulous dresses.

Black Forest Cake, unfortunately, isn't enough to write a Young Adult novel about. A sonnet or ode, maybe. Possibly even a short story. But seventy thousand words dedicated to whipped cream and cherry preserves? That's for a braver (and more existential) author than I.

Fashion, though - now there's something to write about. Whatever age we choose to write in, fashion trends and style icons are some of the essential details we must deal with. One of the quickest ways to shove a reader out of the story is some slip-up in fashion that shows the author didn't do her research. A novel is set in the Eighties, but the heroine - a supposed fashionista - is still wearing the polyester sundresses and bell-bottoms of the Seventies? Either the character is meant to be clueless, or else the author just isn't paying attention. This sounds elementary, I know, but there are some big name authors who have had slip-ups - maybe not to such a ridiculous degree, but enough that their readers noticed. I was once reading a Nora Roberts book, happily enjoying her always extraordinary characterization, when I read a line which had me throwing the book against the wall. The heroine - a well-off, sophisticated woman, who up until that point had been decked out in designer clothes - was dressing for a date with the hero at a nightclub. What does she show up wearing?

Tapered blue jeans. (Aka - the dreaded "mom jeans")

This about did it for me. This well to-do woman, who I'm supposed to believe is an impeccably turned out 21st century ice princess, went to to meet the man she's got the hots for looking like a contestant on What Not to Wear? Ugh! I made it the rest of the way through the book, but only after some yoga breathing and counting to 10.

On the other hand, there are authors, like the amazing Eloisa James, who not only get the fashion right, but use it so well that it becomes another essential character in the story. In her last book, An Affair Before Christmas, both the hero and heroine become slaves to 1700s fashion after their marriage goes sour - Fletch attempts to make himself the most desirable man in England through clothes & style, while Poppy, trying to keep up with him, spends half the book miserably uncomfortable in her ever-growing hoop skirts. Not only were the characters suffering mentally, but you could literally see their pain through their wardrobe choices. As they fell in love again, each let themselves be more casual and comfortable than ever before - just as they were becoming more comfortable with each other. It was genius.

And such is the power of clothing in literature. The best authors use it fully in their works - either making their characters noticeably clueless of it, or using it as a tool to create mood, setting, and characterization. What would Scarlett O'Hara be without her curtain dress? Or Amelia Peabody without her trusty parasol?

For me, fashion plays such a big part in trying to write what I love, that I know someday I'll produce a thoroughly unpublishable historical romance set in the 1920s. Unfortunately there's no market for such a setting, but how can I resist writing in the age of woman's rights, mobsters, and most importantly - cloche hats? The styles themselves were such a revelation of the changing role of women, that I'm still surprised that there aren't more name-taking, super heroines from this decade!

Okay, honestly, I could go on about this subject forever, but what do you think? Are styles and fashions something you think about when writing your story or creating your characters? If you could write in any time period, based on clothing alone, what would you chose?

*note: definitely not "write what you know" - ugh! How awful! There would be no historical romances at all if the only people writing them were English History professors. And I truly hope all the "bodice ripper" authors of the 70s and 80s were not following this advice...that's a lot of trauma for one poor author to experience, if so.

Take My Card

2008-05-27T18:49:00.005-05:00

I just did what I consider my very first act of a professional (or an aspiring professional) author - I ordered business cards! These are just the basic contact info ones to give to other authors at Nationals or at other RWA meetings, but I really love them. It took me forever to decide on a design I liked, but I'm really happy with them. Now to make up a blurb for Into The Woods, so that I can order some agent/editor ones! I'm ever hopeful...

And the back:

What are you doing to get prepared for Nationals this year? Did anyone else feel really excited when they ordered their first business card? It's just so permanent - like tangible evidence that we're authors on the way up.

note: The website on the back is, sadly, not up yet, but it will be soon! You can click away, but alas, nothing but empty webspace at the moment.

VanoFail

2008-05-16T10:39:00.004-05:00

Fail Badges If You Need Them:

1. Pick the one the you want
2. Right-click the picture and "Save Image As..."
3. Upload onto Twitter as your avatar!

2008-05-05T15:24:00.004-05:00

What do you think of the Twilight teaser trailer, friends? I'm solid on Robert Pattinson as Edward - especially after seeing this! December 12th can't come soon enough.

Addiction's Roots

2008-04-23T17:05:00.006-05:00

Umm...I think I have an addiction.

To group blogging.

Not only have I recently started up over at the fantastic and wonderful First Edition, but I've now entered the world of video blogging.

Scary, right?

Well, not when you're in it with two other completely awesome Young Adult writers - Mandy Morgan and Suzanne Young!! This is the wave of the future, so I'm jumping in. Besides...my graduation present laptop has a fancy webcam, which has gotten a woefully low amount of use. It needs some love too!

So, check out our first videos at Lip Gloss Lit! There will be more great videos to come very, very soon! It's sure to be a wild (and maybe just a little bit scandalous) time as we vlog about writing, books, and anything else that catches our eye.

Is anyone else a group blog addict? Where else on the web can you be found, other than your own home base?

sidenote: check out First Edition this week as The Originals try a really harrowing writing feat - a book in a week. Come cheer us on, or join the fray...and maybe help Steph pick out a desk chair, while you're at it!

Excerpt-A-Go-Go

2008-04-17T16:01:00.009-05:00

To keep me on my WC goal, I've decided to start posting an excerpt a week.

No, I'm not really sure how this will help, but it will! Or maybe it will just give me another blog post for the week. Either way, only good things can happen.

Here's a bit from Eza & Oliver's first meeting. Eza's on an airplane, she's been expelled from school and is being sent to her god-father's boarding school in England. To top it off, she hates flying. So, she's not the happiest of people at the moment, as Oliver finds out while sitting next to her.

“Did I accidentally kill your kitten?”

“Excuse me?“ Eza looked up. In her joy at being thoroughly, gloriously rude to someone for the first time in her life, she had forgotten to actually pay attention her victim. Beginner’s mistake.

“Your kitten? Was there one sitting here that I squished? I didn’t hear any sounds of feline pain and death, but you can never be too sure.”

Eza made a sound somewhere between a denial and a grunt. Ironic, as it was the exact sound of feline pain and death.

“Use your words, Ace.”

“Don’t. Call. Me. Ace.”

“Oliver.” The boy looked expectantly at her. A moment or two passed, Eza’s thoughts filled with wondering if she really looked like an Oliver to this strange, delusional creature sitting next to her.

“Don’t call me-”

“That’s my name. Seeing as how you don’t care too much for nicknames. And you are…?”

“Eza,” she said, then clarified. “Elizabeth, actually.”

“I would say nice to meet you, but I make a habit of not lying to people who would like to murder me at high altitudes.”

“Oh, no worries. I’ll wait till we get on the ground. It would be awfully messy for that nice flight attendant to have to clean up, don‘t you think? And after she worked so hard to ensure your drink was room temperature…” Eza made a tsking sound, then turned her focus to the book that had been laying in her lap.

“Bloodthirsty and considerate. Maybe it wouldn’t be a lie to say it’s nice to meet you, after all.”

“Charmed, I’m sure.”

And, we're talking about our favorite Originals today over at First Edition! Get thee over there and join in all the fun.

Like Christmas, But With Microphones.

2008-04-15T17:40:00.009-05:00

Today is April 15th.*

I know what you're thinking - oh lord, Mary, are you going to post a whiny blog about your taxes? After all, that's what this day is about, right?

Au contraire, mes amis.**

Today is a day to be joyful, not whiny! For it may be Tax Day, but it's also a much better, bigger holiday. ACL Lineup Day!

You may have heard of the TV show, Austin City Limits. Well, a few years ago, the makers of that show went a step further - they started a music festival! In just six years, ACL Fest has become one of the premiere festivals of the summer. It's now considered to be the official closing celebration of the season even. Therefore, late September is a very exciting time in my city.

But April is almost as exciting. Because on the same day everyone is groaning about their empty wallets and Uncle Sam, the ACL staff unleashes its festival lineup on the world. The promise of three days of fantastic live music does wonders for flagging spirits.

So, today, I'm ecstatic! This year will be my fourth year attending ACL and I'm completely pumped about the lineup. The actual headliners aren't quite my cup of tea (lots of punk/alt. rock this year...I'm more of an Indie girl), but there are some amazing artists on the list. Just a sample of who's coming: Beck, Tegan and Sara, Ingrid Michaelson (my absolute favorite singer/songwriter), Robert Plant & Allison Krauss, Duffy, Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band, Silversun Pickups, Gnarls Barkley, Erykah Badu, Tristan Prettyman, Jamie Lidell, Gillian Welch, and SO many more. This year is going to be FANTASTIC.

If you're in the vicinity of Austin at the end of September, you should definitely look into going. If not, then I will have plenty of pictures of all the fun...and you should check out any and all of the artists above. Fabulous, every one of them.

So, what are you most excited about this summer? Are you attending some great concerts or festivals? Or a going on a family vacation to an exotic locale?

*Which is also the official day of the first blog from the lovely Kelly over at First Edition. Go forth and enjoy!
**That's right...I busted out my French TA talents. Just don't ask me to actually speak to a real Frenchman.

A Daring Debut!

2008-04-14T04:11:00.002-05:00

I'm blogging about YA fiction over at First Edition today! Come over and comment!

This is the kick off of our debut week. We'll have great new posts everyday, along with book drawings and other prizes. I can't wait to see you over there!

Something's Coming

2008-04-09T18:58:00.010-05:00

So, this afternoon I'm doing the usual - playing with my cat and watching Broadway musicals on YouTube - when smack dab in the middle of West Side Story, it hits me! Something's coming and I was supposed to make an announcement about it.

But what could it be?

"Who knows?" sings Tony.

...and well, I certainly don't know. So, I keep listening.

"It's only just out of reach,
Down the block, on a beach-"

A beach! Is that it? Didn't I just register for the RWA Conference in San Francisco?

Yes, yes I did. But quite frankly, San Francisco in the summer is pretty cold, somehow I don't think beaches are in my future.

Tony pipes up again:

"Something's coming, something good,
If I can wait!
Something's coming, I don't know what it is,
But it is
Gonna be great!"

Well that's unhelpful, Tony! I already know my announcement was about something great. But what something? And to think I was so sad when Chino shoots you at the end of the movie...had I but known how vague you can be sometimes, I would have helped him myself.

He keeps going, of course. Heaven forbid you stop a boy in the middle of his big song.

"Something's coming, don't know when, but it's soon;
Catch the moon,
One-handed catch!"

Well, that's just ridiculous. Why would I make an announcement about astronomy on a blog about writing? Try again, jet boy.

"Around the corner,
Or whistling down the river,
Come on, deliver-"

Hmm...that reminds me, I did get an Amazon package today with Maureen Johnson's latest book, Suite Scarlett. Wait...new book...it must be a....FIRST EDITION! That's it!

Well, what a relief! No thanks to Tony, but I have now remembered what I needed to announce. Monday, April 14th is the official kickoff of First Edition - a group blog that I'm starting with two of the most fun (and crazy talented) writers around, Kelly Krysten and Stephanie Janulis.

So, make sure to come check us out on Monday. We'll be giving away tons of great prizes and blogging up a storm. Now, if you've recently gotten into a gang fight and accidentally killed your girlfriend's brother...could you please stay away from the shadowy basketball courts until after next week? We'd hate for you to miss out on the big Friday giveaway!

Excerpt-O-Rama

2008-04-07T15:45:00.005-05:00

Into the Woods is almost finished.

Okay, that's a lie.

But it will be finished by May 1st. For real this time. To celebrate I give you an excerpt:

There were éclairs on the kitchen counter.

This was not a good a sign. The more steps it took Eza’s mother to make something, the more dire the situation. French baked goods normally meant something along the lines of: Eza, your teacher called about your History grade again, or I’m sorry, dear, but your cat, Reginald, whom you raised from a kitten, was squashed under the garbage truck this morning. Those pastries were chocolate glazed messengers of doom and Eza prepared for the worst.

Behind her, the kitchen door shut with a quiet thud. She didn’t turn around, just kept her eye on the éclairs. All that bravery she’d had earlier disappeared. Rides in police cars seemed to do strange things to her backbone.

Clipped footsteps walked across the parquet floor from the doorway, with the definitive echo of expensive high-heels. Wouldn’t do to have the good people of Georgetown see their mayor less than fully turned out to pick up her delinquent grand-daughter.

Click-click. Click-click. Click-click. Miriam Archer stopped at the cabinets across from Eza and pulled out two short glasses. In both she poured brown fizzy liquid from a soda bottle, in one she added a large dose of whiskey from a bottle under the sink.

The boring drink went to Eza.

Taking a long sip from her cup, then another, the stress in Grandmother Miri’s shoulders visibly faded before she finally spoke. “That’s the fourth time this year.”

“Actually, it‘s the first.”

“Not being arrested.” Her grandmother’s eyes narrowed. “You know what I mean, Elizabeth Marie.”

It’s true, she did. What her grandmother didn’t know was that it was actually the twelfth time this year, not the fourth.

Just a small one, but an excerpt nonetheless. How are your projects going, friends? Updates anyone?

The Adventures of Awkward Girl

2008-04-02T15:04:00.013-05:00

Confession of the week: I LOVE awkward social situations. That's right, love. With every bone in my body.

Now, this could be a result have just having been in so many that I've had to evolve from panic to amusement. But, really, one horribly awkward encounter can turn into a story you will dine out on for ages.

In undergrad, I was on staff of a freshman organization in our student government. Now, there is nothing better for awkwardness than putting sixteen mildly insane upperclassmen in charge of the happiness and leadership skills of sixty completely freaked-out freshmen. Those poor kids thought they were just getting something snazzy to put on their resume...little did they know what lack of sleep and over-involvement had done to their seemingly normal staff. There were lots of costumed meetings, lots of ridiculous scavenger hunts, and entirely too many off-key renditions of Disney songs in dining halls, while they looked on in terror. (Along with lots of responsibility and community service, of course...yeah, uh huh...)

But, was that enough? Nope. Two of my fellow staffers the next year even started a running contest to out-awkward strangers. Stories would come in all the time - one week Cody* stepped onto the elevator from a meeting on the sixteenth floor, and completely invaded the personal space of the sole other occupant all the way to the ground level. The poor guy practically fled when the doors opened. Next week, Sloane would come in, having sat down to some victim - I mean, girl - in the cafeteria, talked for a little bit, asked for her chocolate chip cookie, then just left. Evil, yes? But we loved the stories. Even if we would have been completely appalled had we been one of their victims.

Personally, most of my horribly awkward experiences have been in the course of college dating. The experiences were both painful and embarrassing when they were happening, but people's laughter at the stories has lasted for years. There's this one poor guy my friends still don't remember the name of, as he's simply known as Elephant Boy. (I was coerced into going to a Renaissance Fair...he dressed up. There were elephant escapades. There was a whole day of awkward glory.) Not surprisingly, this love of mine has translated over into my writing. Poor Eza has gone through some excruciatingly awkward dates and situations over the course of Into The Woods. She's fallen flat on her face in airports, she's had to scrub toilets with a cute boy, and most of all - she's had more than a few hideous dinners with said cute boy.

It does makes me wonder how situations that are so painful in real life can translate into humor for the page and the replays for friends. Once we find the amusement in them, do we have less of them? Does our intimate knowledge of emotional unease give us a higher capability to handle them?

No. Definitely not. Most gloriously, definitely not.

Because that's the joy in being a writer, is it not? Other people may look at run-ins with exes as painful low points of their week. We can write chapters and chapters from those few moments. Other people may rush away in embarrassment after falling in the middle of a busy street. Writers? Well, okay, we do the same...but then we store it away for later. We store it away for that day when we're writing a scene about our poor MC and her total, complete airport wipe out. Thanks for the material, Universe.

So - what about you? What is the most embarrassing or awkward moment in life? Or, better, what awful things have you done to your poor characters in the name of humor or conflict? The messier, the better!

* names have been changed to protect the maniacal

Congratulations by the Bay!

2008-03-28T12:55:00.004-05:00

Just a quick post to say congratulations to all the Golden Heart finalists. Can you believe how many of our own Fanlitters are contenders? Well, of course you can! We all know how much talent was wandering around in those competitions.

So congrats to: Pamela Bolton-Holifield, Darcy Burke, Liese Sherwood-Fabre, and Courtney Milan!! We will all be crossing our fingers for you this summer!

We're so happy for you, we're swinging from lampposts!

sidenote: Who all is going to RWA this year in San Francisco? I'm more than likely going, just need to iron out the details in the next week or two. This just seems like the absolute best year to attend!

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily...

2008-03-26T11:39:00.003-05:00

It occurs to me that I should probably change the title of this blog. You know, since I am not writing romance (and haven't been for quite some time). Even though, yeah, Into The Woods has a strong romantic plot...but it's still solidly YA.

So...my dilemma: what to change it to?

I like using my name in some way, but all I could think of were these two:

-Merrily Ever After
-Life Is But A Dream (as in merrily, merrily, merilly...)

See my issue? Both of those are way on the cheesy side. Sigh. I will definitely have to give this more thought. I suppose I could just call it Mary Danielson, aspiring author, but that's a bit boring. Any suggestions for me, friends?

One Art

2008-03-19T21:52:00.005-05:00

I'm completely uninteresting this week and bogged down in tests, so instead of jabbering away, I will share with you my favorite piece of writing in all of history. Now, I'm not a big poetry nerd, but this is it for me. Over every favorite book, every favorite novel, these nineteen lines are what speak to me the most. It's just such a subtle poem. Or maybe it's just that I'm a sucker for authorial intrusion...this could explain my love affair with omniscient narration. Anyway, enjoy. Real posts will come soon. (though no promises, remember?)

-

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster

One Art by Elizabeth Bishop

-

Now your turn. What's your favorite written work? Anything goes, be it a novel, poem, song, or funny e-mail from a friend.

I (will) Feel Pretty

2008-03-16T00:45:00.006-05:00

So, I bought this dress pattern today. I love everything about it - the banded waist, the slightly flared, pleated skirt, the ribbon belt, but most importantly: the "very easy" label. This is going to be my very first sewing project. My poor machine has been gathering dust since my birthday in September; there just hasn't been enough time to sit down and teach myself.

But since Summer is coming and all that, I decided I should probably use the machine for its intended use - to make dozens and dozens of classic, pretty, great for Texas weather dresses. Preferably with belted waists like this! I'm a sucker for a defined waistline, it's true. I'll probably make a few variations of this and some easy skirts to get the hang of it, then when I get out in May, I can tackle some of the patterns from Vintage Vogue. Aren't they lovely? I know, I know it's easier just to buy dresses, but really...it's harder than you'd think to find flattering summery dresses. Do I need to bemoan the shapelessness of current styles again? The trapeze dress strikes terror into my soul. I'll happily dedicate hours to making my own things - with defined waistlines and chic fabrics! - rather than suffer through that horror of horrors!

An Austin Delight

2008-03-14T11:07:00.005-05:00

I'm a picky person. This pretty much extends to most things: flowers, art, men, but mostly food. (The last though, I get to blame on being a supertaster. It's wonderful to have a legit excuse for not liking spinach.) Because of all this pickyness, the things I do like are truly special - especially when they are gifts from other people. A guy remembered I love daffodils, but not roses? One million points for him, please. My notoriously forgetful professor grandfather remembers I can't eat mayonnaise, so he has a real salad instead of - gag - Waldorf (which really, let's face it, is an insult to both salad and fruit). Points for him too.

My mother is the absolute best at this though. What did she bring home from the landmark Whole Foods this morning? Turkish Delight! And not just any Turkish Delight, not that Rose flavor that you can get most places, but LEMON! The most wonderful, impossible-to-find piece of candy in all the word. The easiest place to get your hands on some is Harrods, but you know, that whole not living in London thing pretty much ruins any chance of that. And sometimes, very rare sometimes, you can find a box that has not just Rose and Pistachio, but Lemon too...though that has led in the past to some unfortunate Lemon-eating urchin (me) to dust off every single piece, in order to find just the faintly yellow ones. That doesn't go over so well with the Rose eating contingent.

But hooray for Whole Foods' candy counter celebrating Easter! Hooray for my mother! Anyway this is a wonderful March 14th. Anyone else rabid about some weird candy? Or have you experienced the bit of taste heaven that is lemon turkish delight?

My Apologies to Diablo Cody's Sensibilities

2008-03-07T10:09:00.006-06:00

Part of my writing process is procrastination. I know, I know bring out the virtual flogger. I've just come to recognize this as part of the whole ritual - I sit down at a computer, mess around on the internet until a set time, then can start writing. Since this is part of the process though, and it doesn't look like I'm going to be changing my nefarious ways anytime soon, lately I've decided to at least make this procrastination somewhat helpful to my writing.

So, instead of checking my email and facebook 100 times, I do those once and then go troll the forums of Absolute Write. I put in my own opinions sometimes, but for the most part I really enjoy seeing how others go about this chaotic business of writing. The population over there is a really great mix of professional and aspiring, young and old, and every genre you can think of. Because of this, it's a really great place to have questions answered or just use as inspiration.

This morning there was an interesting thread going on about how as we work on a WIP, our writing processes can change. Some people start out having to edit every sentence, then by the middle are just writing for the end of the story, ignoring their mistakes. Others start out with lukewarm characterizations, but by the end know their characters so intimately that they must go back and edit the first parts of the book. I find myself in this latter category.

Plotting is my strong suit. I'm not one of those writers to whom characters appear fully formed and then I make a story around them. No, no, no. I get a plot idea, then just decide who I want to be in it. Add to that the fact that making character sheets (other than Goal, Motivation, Conflict) gives me the heebie-jeebies, and you get a beginning filled with good-looking, but weak characters. I know what drives them, yes, but I don't know, nor do I care yet, about the little details of their everyday existences and lives. Those come with time, I've discovered. I just have to wait them out.

It was really helpful knowing that this happens to other people, as well. After seeing movies in the past few weeks such as Juno and Charlie Bartlett, I've been bemoaning my lack of characterization in my beginnings. But really - as long as it's there by the end, and fixed during revisions, I've decided it's okay by me. So, what about you: how does your writing process or WIP change as you go along? Or, for the nonwriters, what's you favorite method of procrastination? For that matter, did anyone else see Charlie Bartlett and fall head over heels, in a noncreepy If I Were In High School way, for the main character?

A Comforting Case

2008-02-24T23:07:00.001-06:00

About once a semester, normally after a huge round of tests when sleep has been scarce, my immune system decides to rebel a bit and leaves me with a weekend filled with thermometers and antibiotics. This past weekend was such a case.

No one likes being sick. It's especially not fun when you have tickets to a concert with one of your best friends, the date of which has been circled in bright, happy pink on your calendar for weeks. But, I'm all for looking on the bright side of things. And the bright side of being sick this weekend?

Luby's and Nancy Atherton. These are my go-to comfort givers.

Normally my friends and family make fun of me for my love of that chain cafeteria. They had to give in this weekend though, as I was the poster child for the pitiful. But really, where else can you get thanksgiving dinner, complete with dressing and cranberry sauce, all year long? And what is more comforting than tryptophan? I feel this needs no explanation. Just trust me, after that pumpkin pie tonight, I may sound like a frog, but I feel infinitely better.

Now, Nancy Atherton is a different case. Her mystery novel, Aunt Dimity's Death, is one of my all time favorite reads. It's up there with my Julia Quinns, Christopher Moores, and Daphne du Mauriers. Maybe higher. I won't give it a review, since I can't do it justice, but if you haven't read it, head to Amazon immediately and look it up!

It's one of those books that I've read at least fifty times. I open to the first page, my breathing eases a bit, and I'm lost once again to the story of Lori and the indomitable Aunt Dimity. It could be because the story is one of comfort itself. Or it's just the classic, subtle romance of Lori and Bill. Whatever it is, I can't get enough...whether it's the first time, or the fifty-first as it was this weekend.

So, as I prepare to head into this week, my throat still scratchy and my head still a bit foggy, I am one thing - comforted. My thanks go out to macaroni & cheese and Aunt Dimity's Reginald, the rabbit. What are your go-to comfort foods, reads, or movies? Anything you just must have when you're sick?

Strikes, They Are a-Endin'

2008-02-14T01:22:00.009-06:00

As most everyone who either writes or watches t.v. knows, the writers strike ended today. Hurrah! In celebration of new episodes of Pushing Daisies, I've decided that today would be a fitting day to end my strike, as well - on blogging.

Note to the wise - never, ever, ever swear to blog about a certain topic in your next post. If you do, your blog is just asking to go defunct. So, after seven months, I hate to break it to you - there are no Harry Potter recipes forthcoming. I know, I know, you've checked in every day since July just to see if it was finally the day I would unleash Cockroach Clutsers and Dragontoes onto the world.

Alas, it's just not to be.

Perhaps this November when Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince is released in theaters? We can only wait and see - I make no promises in this blog. Or rather, I make no promises anymore.

I swear to nothing - not even to watch the road as I drive!

So, how have the last seven months treated you, friends? Here are the highlights of mine:

-First semester of graduate school. translation: four months of papers, papers, and more papers. followed by some exams and grade inflation. topped off with a few more papers!

-Pushing Daisies addiction manifested. Have you watched this show? There is an omniscient narrator, friends - played by Jim Dale, of multiple Grammy wins for Harry Potter audio-books fame. It is also quirky, romantic, and pie is featured prominently in ever episode. What more does one need out of television?

-Christmas in Phoenix with family, per usual. Enhanced this year by constant textual flirtation with cute boy back at home and my first slice of Pecan Pie ever. There's no better way to spend the holidays than witty banter and sugar overloads, I feel.

-Second Semester of graduate school. Repeat of first, naturally - though with maybe a few more papers added in for good measure.

There have also been themed parties, road trips, new favorite wines, new favorite men, and plenty of desserts.

And writing. Which is the most important part, no? Into the Woods is full steam ahead. After quite a bit of a NaNo push, I sat down and actually did some hard work on it, plotting-wise, recently and everything is shaping up quite nicely. This has, obviously, been said before, but it's true, nonetheless. It's all going somewhere, though I may be the slowest writer ever - there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And it's quite a bright and promising light at that.

This has been my obligatory back to the (virtual) land of the living post. I could promise more interesting, point-filled posts in the future - but this is the blog of no promises, remember? I can only tell you this, it certainly won't be seven months again till my next post. Though if it's rambalings about how thrilled I am about the return to classical lines in the fall fashion collections, I apologize ahead of time. (Someone else must be excited about this - no more shapeless tops and looking like flourescent potato sacks! Joy!)

And, the reason for reinstating myself into the blog-o-sphere, I really want to catch up with everyone - so, the question again: how has your life since July been, fellow bloggers?

Enthusiasm Raises Its Voice

2007-07-26T23:21:00.000-05:00

I read a really great YA book a few months ago called Enthusiasm - the story of one beleaguered teenager whose best friend is an Enthusiast. She drags the poor narrator from obsession to obsession, the book focusing on one with Jane Austen - complete with period costumes and the search for heroes. Fabulous book, but my point is this: I, dear blog readers, am an Enthusiast.

And my fondest enthusiasm outside of the writing/reading world? Broadway! I grew up listening to show tunes, then high school choir & musical theater hit and now I'm a complete addict. Those singers with perfect pitch, the dancing boys who still manage to look masculine, and the emotion of it all - I love it!

Lately though, the lines of my writing world and my Broadway world have begun to blur. Living at home for the first summer in four years has had me abandoning my old needs of complete silence and peace while I write. There is no peace or silence to be found, so I have to get myself into the right frame-of-mind another way. Enter showtunes and cast recordings. These cd's (and illegally gained mp3s) have been the saving of my WIP. So, if you ever find yourself in a similar predicament, I present to you, The Top 5 Writer Friendly Broadway Soundtracks:

1. Spring Awakening - For the YA writer, this is an essential piece of listening. This 2007 Tony-Award winner for Best Musical may be set in 19th century Germany, but its story is one of teenage love, loss, and rebellion. Add to that one of the best scores in a decade, a revolution of the "rock musical" concept, and the very talented (and ridiculously attractive) leading man, Jonathan Groff, and you get the absolute best soundtrack for getting into the emotions your characters need! (Also, this is my personal favorite at the moment - it really is playing on repeat.)

2. Into The Woods - Whether you're listening to the original cast, with the grand Bernadette Peters, or the revival of Vanessa Williams' generation, this is the soundtrack for writers on a fairytale kick. Trying to give your story a little modern-day umph? Then, listen to the amazing, manic lyrics of this classic which put a whole new spin on all your childhood stories. Just watch out for the giants!

3. Thoroughly Modern Millie - The movie was wonderful and this Broadway adaptation definitely lives up to its predecessor! Alive with the 20s flair of flappers and speak-easies, this soundtrack perfectly captures what made the original so successful - the spunky, practical, yet sensitive tone of the title role. If your heroine needs some girl-power and a happy-ever-after, this is perfect to tap along to!

4. Ragtime - Are you writing a sweeping historical romance? Do you need a interjection of the issues and emotions reeling in a time foreign to us now? Enter Ragtime! As it ties together the stories of various characters, all on the eve of the first World War, Ragtime brings its listeners wholly into the mood and turmoil of its time. This is guaranteed to speak to any suffragette heroine or hero trying to make the world a better place. Or, if you need a song to inspire yourself before a particularly harrowing public-speaking event, "Make Them Hear You" works every time.

5. Les Miserables - Are you having trouble believing that true love conquers all? Well, this is where Les Mis comes in. This is a classic for a reason. No matter what happens - your country may be in the midst of political turmoil, your peers and parents may fall, but you always have a waifish french love to fall back on. Plus, all your loved ones come back for the final song. Love conquers even death! This is also probably the best score for losing yourself completely in. The musical themes which reoccur throughout are at times heartbreaking and others, rousing. If you need to be swept away into true drama, Les Mis is ideal!

There must be other Broadway nerds out there, what are your favorite shows? And if it's not musical theater that gets you in the zone - what music, if any, do you listen to while writing?

ps- There really will be HP recipes in my next post, because I also have news on that front!

Accio Deathly Hallows!

2007-07-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

Are you pacing a rut into your floor waiting for midnight? Have you been standing in line for over two hours already at Barnes & Noble? Do you wish you had Harry Potter's magic so you could summon Deathly Hallows to you?

Well, we have a theme song now, fellow obsessed! Making this just a little bit more bearable is this awesome song from Hank Green (of Brotherhood 2.0)...which pretty sums up my feelings exactly. Enjoy!

More HP related posts tomorrow - including Wizard Recipes! Happy Reading!

2007-07-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

I'm in that strange in-between time after college - no longer an undergrad student, but not an official grad student yet either. Most things don't change, I even get to keep my old student id (thank god...that picture is from before the sophomore 20!), but there is one downside: for three months of summer, I'm not technically a student. Which means I have no benefits, like, well....super cheap software. Not good when your graduation present was a laptop...without Microsoft Word. What is a writer to do?

Well, I've been using a great program called Liquid Story Binder, but the trial period just ran out. It isn't that much, so I will probably go ahead and get the official version, but before I do I'd like to know what else is out there. Since I still have two months till I can buy Office and half a manuscript to finish, the investment seems like a good idea! So...do you use a writing software program that you especially like? Something that has made the insanity that comes along with this a little easier for you? Details, please!

In other news: everyone heading to Dallas for the RWA Conference...travel safely this week! And be sure to take lots and lots of pictures for those of us who can't go (even if we are only 120 miles away). I expect full dishing of all the fun you have and all the agents/editors who fall in love with your pitches!

Seventy Days of Sweat: A Writing Challenge

2007-07-07T19:20:00.000-05:00

Newsflash:

Alison Kent is co-sponsoring a writing challenge for the next 70 days. Since I need to finish Into The Woods/The Robber's Heir/Whatever It's Called This Week I figured I would go ahead and join in! There are two months of summer left after all - why not use the time to my advantage?

If you are interested, visit Alison's blog and sign up. Info is below!

And thanks to Diana P. for posting the info on her blog - where I discovered it!

The Info:

SEVENTY DAYS OF SWEAT: A WRITING CHALLENGE

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the National Novel Writing Month where the goal of the participants is to write 50,000 words during the month of November. You’ve probably also heard of the Book-in-a-Week first draft blast, and may have heard of the Book in a Year challenge at eHarlequin, or simply the One Page A Day method to getting a book written in 365. How ’bout a book in seventy days? Doable? You betcha.
Say you’re writing a 100,000 word single title. 70 days at 1500 words per day (approx 6 pages) is 98,000 words total. Say you’re writing a 60,000 word series romance. 70 days at 900 words per day (approx 4 pages) is 63,000 words total. Writing 4 - 6 pages every day for 70 days is a schedule anyone who calls themselves a pro can handle easily!
So . . . along with Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler and Jo Leigh and HelenKay Dimon, I hereby challenge any of you who are interested to sign up for our Seventy Days of Sweat. The challenge begins on Sunday, July 8 and runs through Thursday, September 20. (Yes, that’s 75 days, but we’re giving you off July 11 - 15 if you need it for conference. That said, ask yourself, “What Would Nora Do?” Yes, Nora writes at conference. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes.)
The rules are simple. You agree to write 4 - 6 pages a day (depending on the length of your book) every day between the dates listed above. If you need to take off a day, you make up the pages another. If you don’t like to write 7 days a week, too bad. This challenge lasts for only 10 weeks, and if you have to get up early on the weekends to get the pages done, you do it. (Hey, we all do it! You can, too!)
You don’t have to have a blog to participate, but we do want you to sign up below so everyone involved can get to know one another. And if you do have a blog, you can post the information there. Going public with your commitment is about owning it. As far as reporting your progress, you’ll come back here each Wednesday and Sunday and post your total word count. (We’ll expect the first reports at LEAST by the 18th, the Wednesday following conference, though for those of you not attending, your first report is due on the 11th!) And those of us sponsoring the challenge will be dropping by your blog (if you have one) and egging you on! AND, we may be adding more sponsors!
The challenge is open to anyone writing in any genre, published and aspiring authors both. Oh, and did we mention there will be prizes? Yes, there will be prizes. Critiques, RT subscriptions, memberships to RWA, gift certificates to B&N - who knows WHAT we’ll come up with! More info on the prizes to come. We’ll also be providing a logo if you’d like to put one on your blog. For now, let’s see a show of hands.
Who’s not afraid to sweat? Sign up [at Alison Kent's blog].

June Showers...

2007-07-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

Everything is green in Texas.

This is a big deal. Normally by Independence Day our grass has gone brown, flowers have been dead for at least a month, and the fire departments live in fear of neighborhood fireworks displays. Not so this year, thanks to the rainiest summer on record! So, in honor of this strange weather miracle, I felt it was only fitting to change to this lovely floral layout. Isn't it fun? I'm a little bit in love with it, myself...

A real post will come tomorrow, I promise...or possibly later today if I'm feeling extremely efficient.

Partners In Crime. Or Love. Or Adventure.

2007-06-24T00:13:00.000-05:00

Summer is such a wonderful season - 3 months without exams, tons of sun, and great blogs are launching all the time! My personal favorite this week: Manuscript Mavens. A funny, hard-working critique circle, they've started off their group blog with great discussions and critique giveaways. As if you needed more reasons, you will also recognize them as some of the talented writers from the Avon Fanlit contest...so head on over!

Of course, visiting their blog has left me pondering the CP question over my midnight Diet Coke. I've been so fortunate to have a built-in CP in my best friend, Stephanie, who is both a first-rate writer and critic. We have the best of both the online and the real-life CP worlds - we e-mail all the time, but have fabulous plotting and character discussions whenever we're in the same place. My poor characters would probably still be the ill-dubbed Oliver & Olivia if it weren't for her - she's indispensable! (And it seems I'm blind when in a name-changing frenzy...) But as for an actual critique circle, it is surprisingly difficult to find other writers in the same genre and phase.

In the romance genre, impressive crit groups are found so often - The Vagabonds, The Manuscript Mavens, etc. However, online YAers tend to already be published, prefer to go it alone, or, well, are fourteen! So the question of the day - How did you come by your CP or you Critique Group? Are you charmed with an ideal built-in, or, were you and yours a Fanlit hookup? Have you had a bad experience with an online group - or, conversely, a really wonderful one?

And, any other YA authors out there with the secret handshake, or who know where the cool kids hang out...you can steal my lunch money if you dish!

Give In To the Meme

2007-06-21T22:35:00.000-05:00

Alas, I've been uber-tagged for the 8 Interesting Facts/8 Things Meme, first by the wonderful Stephanie and now by the WritingYAers! It just seems like asking for bad karma to put this meme off any longer. So, first the rules (abbreviated by me): List 8 interesting, unexpected, or just weird facts about yourself...then tag 8 of your fellow bloggers! Okay, here goes...

Eight Semi-Interesting Facts About Miss Mary Danielson:

1. I absolutely love roller-coasters and other "terrifying" rides, but don't you dare try to get me on one of those kiddie swing carousels. I just know at any moment my swing is going to be the one that snaps off and sends me flying into oblivion, but, thanks to Wikipedia, I at least know their actual name now: Chair-O-Planes. Cute name for such awful machines!

2. Cilantro tastes exactly like soap to me...and my mom and sister. According to my mother, who reads too many medical journals, this is some weird genetic issue and we are not crazy, just "super tasters." Whatever you call it, it makes this new trend of using cilantro instead of parsley truly painful...it may be pretty, but it tastes like Electrosol!

3. In the last three weeks alone, twelve couples I know have gotten married.

4. When the first Harry Potter movie opened, my mom let my siblings and I skip school to see the first showing in Austin. Unfortunately, we were a little late, but this very nice 20-something man in a ski-cap offered to move down so we could sit next to him. And by that very nice 20-something man, I mean Enrique Iglesias.

5. My siblings and I were all born on second-tier, rotating bank holidays. Me: Labor Day, my brother: MLK Jr. Day, and my sister: President's Day.

6. I can't remember the last time I read a book without flipping through the ending first. Yes, even Harry Potter.

7. There is a mummy in my living room - from the Martha Stewart catalog, no less. Halloween is our favorite holiday at home, so a few years back we ordered a life-size, totally realistic mummy, but we loved it so much we never put it up. She is in the corner of our classy, art-filled sitting room and gets decorated for each holiday - Santa hat at Christmas, bunny ears & basket at Easter, and, of course, assorted masks for Halloween. Most visitors are used to such weirdness at our house, but some of my best friends still refuse to sit with their backs to her!

8. I'm obnoxiously addicted to What Not To Wear. When shopping, I probably quote Stacy & Clinton at least five times per hour, but really, the rules are so handy. What would I do without extensive knowledge of layering techniques, or the correct proportions for the size of print v. the size of woman?

...and I'm pretty sure every single blogger I know has done this already. Consider yourself tagged if you haven't!

Penelope and the Names of Doom

2007-06-03T11:19:00.000-05:00

I love names - a lot. One of my favorite questions for strangers is "What would you rename yourself?" or "If you had three kids, what would you name them?" Not because I'm terribly excited about that stage in life, but because people always have such interesting, personal answers. After all, we have to live with them forever, so names are a rather big deal. (Which is probably where my interest comes from - being named after two grandmothers, including one who possessed history's most popular name ever. I've always fantasized about being named something more interesting, or at least unique!)

This interest does not help my characters though. Poor Penelope (my working name for heroines) has gone through at least 5 names in the first half of TRH - every time the story gets stuck or her characterization gets foggy, she will change from Gwen to Olivia to Emaline and back again. So, being at a bit of a stand still, I was getting a writing buzz off cruising Behind The Name and Name Voyager, when I came upon the most amazing site for stressed out, character-naming writers: The Nymbler.

If you're as name-crazed as I am, this is exactly the site you have always dreamed of. Enter up to six "inspiration" names and then scroll through pages of other suggestions based on those. This is the most useful tool for naming characters (or, I suppose, babies) I've ever come across, especially if you run toward a genre of names - classic English, mythological, new age, etc. They've got them all covered! To test it out, I ran through a few of my favorites and the list they gave me was dead on. Well, except for the unfortunate Edwina which, no matter my inspirations, it keeps insisting I should like - obviously someone needs to lay off the classic English vibe a little.

Anyway, go forth and enjoy, fellow writers! Watch out though, I just put off a whole hour of reworking my intro...but you can bet I'm adding Jasper and Adele to TRH somehow. Which will be that much easier, since today we're off to France for a week...without internet or Nymbler viewings of any kind. Here's hoping my word count spikes accordingly.

Pure Evil At A Store Near You...

2007-05-29T18:49:00.000-05:00

Through the magic that is illegally stealing wireless from the cafe downstairs, I've been able to talk to a lot of my stateside friends in the past few days. Which is wonderful, but I keep getting asked the same question: What is you favorite thing about Spain/Portugal/France/Wherever-the-hell-you-are, Mary?

Reasonable question, right? Enter my moral dilemma. My answers have been complete lies. I keep responding with cultural/enlightened/worldly answers like: "I got to see Guernica yesterday - truly stunning!" or the ever popular "The architecture, of course. It is just so awe-inspriing to walk were Christopher Columbus has tread!" Both of which are fine and dandy, just not technically true. Confession: my actual favorite part of Europe is H&M.

The most anticipated part of this trip has been the promised opportunity to hit a new one every 2 blocks. Which is completely okay, since H&M may just be the most wonderful store in the history of (wo)man-kind. Everything is trendy, well made, and a bargain! Unfortunately, H&M is sooo slow about expanding in the U.S. - they are still only on the coasts. Why they didn't put them in according to population centers is beyond me. Trust me, Houston, Dallas, or Austin could support way more stores than Danbury, CT ever could. Erm, enough of my ranting about their expansion strategies though, for something more sinister than biases against mid-US markets is lurking in the fashion world...

The Skinny Jean.

Even worse: skinny jeans paired with shapeless blouses. And don't even get me started on the shapeless dresses and skinny jeans pairings! I know, I know, it's okay to scream.

Whoever decided these fashions were flattering should flogged with polyester . I am inclined to blame an Olsen twin, but both have made enough horrid fashion choices that they must be suffering from large, sanity-altering, inoperable brain tumors - the only excuse. But I digress, my point being: the nefarious shopping gremlins have almost ruined my H&M-induced bubble of joy. Almost. Luckily, my belief in the good of fashion has been saved by the fabulous item I just purchased: a red & white floral, faux-wrap, oh-so-flattering, casual dress. I managed to find structure and class in the midst of this horrifying 1970s re-emergence. There is hope on the horizon for those of us who wish not to look like ice cream cones!

What place does this have in a writing blog? Well, I know we writers have long been thought to lounge around in mismatched pajamas, but even we have a stake in this. After all, do you really want to wear this to your first publisher meeting? I think not...

So tell me friends, are there any fashion trends that have made your hair stand on end? Or perhaps any books you've read in which an author fell prey to one? I, for one, am always amazed at the abundance of tapered, black jeans in contemporary romance novels. After all, we relish the gowns of our regencies, so why are our other genres not held to the same standards?

ps- check out the Dress A Day blog for more adventures in fashion - one of my favorite non-writing haunts.

Fly Away to Somewhere New...

2007-05-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bonjour mes amis!

Okay, probably not the correct thing to say when you're sitting in the Madrid airport. So: Hola, amigos! This is going to be quick since I'm paying a million euros an hour for la web. I'm currently on a whirlwind 3-week holiday through Portugal, Spain, & France. We just flew in from Lisbon...which was fabulous. Well, if you like lots of angry people who don't like it when you speak Spanish instead of Portuguese, but still a lovely country. We actually stayed right down the hill (read: towering cliff) from the Moorish Castle in Sintra, which is exactly where you should stay in Portugal -someplace moody and hard to conquer. Honestly, it made me want to start writing historicals...I'm such a sucker for castles. edited to add: So, that isn't one of the pictures we took, but it's the exact view from the balcony of our pensao. Pretty incredible, huh?

In other news: in the week I've been gone, what's happened to blogland? Miss Snark AND Squawk Radio have left us! What am I going to do without these sites in my life? Maybe I could start being more productive when on the web...or, you know, not.

Finally...a HUGE congrats to the wonderful Jessica Burkhart who is in the middle of getting a book contract! (in what suspiciously sounds like a bidding war...but the modest Miss Jessica isn't saying! ;) ) Everyone should stop by and congratulate her, and, naturally, look for her name in a bookstore near you soon!

Au Revoir, Undergrad!

2007-05-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

Quick update since there are festivities underway, but big announcement:

I'm a college graduate!

Yep, I'm now the holder of two shiny bachelor degrees - summa cum even! It feels so strange to finally be done with school...or, at least for the next three months until grad school starts.

And the really great news? Now that all the papers and finals and general stress is over, I can blog regularly once again. Joy!

Blogs, Proms, and Sex Ed.

2007-04-19T22:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, you caught me. I haven't actually written anything this week (my final finals are in a week. ugh.), but I have been reading a million blog posts. So, here are my blog tidbits of the week:

--> Go check out Tessa Dare's blogs from this week. She just got back from her day at Avon Publishers, the Fanlit Grand Prize, and is sharing all of the juicy details with us! Her posts have been really informative and neat so far, plus she is giving away tons of the ARCs she received - like you needed more reasons to read her fabulous blog, right?

--> Speaking of needing more reasons...one wouldn't think I could find another one to explain why YA writing is so thrilling. Yet, I found one anyway. From my obsessive procrastination/blog-haunting, I've read tons today about the Manhattan YA Writers Prom that happened last night. The party was a benefit for Advocates for Youth, a group that works to protect young people's right to sexual education...and was attended by: E. Lockhart, Libba Bray, John Green (!!!), Sarah Mlynowski, and so many more. E. Lockhart blogged about it and, naturally, J. Green posted a video of it - both very entertaining.

Not only is wonderful that many of the YA writers who line my bookshelves know each other, but Advocates for Youth is one of my favorite causes. I don't normally get political in the online communities, but, seeing as my other plan for the future is to go into Women's Sexual & Reproductive Health, I feel that effective sex education is one of the most important issues in our world right now.

--> India Carolina (the fabulous Amy we all loved from AvonFanlit) has a blog up and running! She has already had a very thought provoking post on the issues of entering a contest and yet another on pseudonyms - her blog is quickly becoming a not-to-miss site.

I will sign off from this cop-out update now - the two 3000-word papers and French mastery exam completed in the last 48 hours have left me wiped out. Trust me, these wonderful sites above are much more interesting than I am capable of being right now. The good news: my weekend has officially begun...tomorrow I can actually be productive on The Robber's Heir.

No Abundance of Crushes

2007-04-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

I'm a picky person. This applies to blue jeans (no tapered legs in my closet) and hamburgers (meat and cheese only, thank you!), but especially to men.

My standards tend to be sky-high, even for my celebrity crushes. I wasn't the 12 y/o girl with pictures of a thousand boys on her wall - it was an area strictly reserved for one Christian Bale (Newsies era, I have since moved to Batman CB).

Not to say I don't appreciate a really attractive guy, but making it into my top list is no easy feat. And okay, Christian Bale and Anderson Cooper may have no idea the honor they've been given, but it is still an honor none the less! Which brings me to my news...I have my first crush, friends.

Well, my first literary crush.

I've been in a reading dry spell lately. When you have read every book by all your favorite authors, have haunted Publisher's Weekly for what's coming out next, have an unfortunate addiction to Amazon Reviews, and tend to consume books faster than Britney Spears has babies, this tends to happen. So when I picked up John Green's An Abundance of Katherines at B&N this week, without reading a single review, I was not expecting anything more than a quick, mildly enjoyable read.

I couldn't put it down. When you are as big a bookworm as I am, over the years you learn to say Stop! - at least, after getting your first C in college because you refused to put down the latest Julia Quinn. Katherines was different. It was like reading the best combination of J.D. Salinger and Christopher Moore - great characters, emotional depth, and laugh-out-loud hilarious. Anyway, my points: go buy AAoK, John Green is a genius, and I'm in love.

After doing a little stalking - ahem, research - I've learned that not only is he a great writer, but also an NPR contributor, is in his twenties, and has jointly sworn off all textual communication with his brother for 2007 (See: Brotherhood 2.0). And my heart went pitter-patter.

There are a few minor details on our road to happiness: he's married, I'm way younger, and oh yes, we will never meet. But this is a celebrity crush, remember? These things don't matter in the safe, wonderful fantasies of Crushdom. Though, if my current plans for literary world domination come true, and we do cross paths, I will go the way of all fangirls - my knees will turn into jelly and I will stammer my way through getting my books autographed, while trying not to squeal overly much. Isn't love grand?

More recommendations are in order - What was the last book you couldn't put down? And, I'm not the only one with my own little top 5 list - so, who would you squeal yourself to death over? (Note: squealing is not the sole refuge of teenage girls, I have it on best authority that it is an equal-opportunity reaction.)

Lather. Rinse. Rewrite.

2007-04-02T22:34:00.000-05:00

Writers are not sane people. After all, it's hard staying safely on the side of normal when you're walking around with other people's lives and voices in your head. We should be allowed our eccentricities here and there, right? Especially when there are troubles within the pages.

Okay, okay I'm trying to validate my mild insanity here. Confession: I am a hair product junkie.

When stuck in my story, I seek refuge on the aisles of my neighborhood Walgreen's. Strong emotions make me reach for shiny, colorful bottles - ostensibly hoping to at least find order and magic in the world of shampoo. Yes, this is probably ridiculous. Especially from the POV of my poor, confused guy roommate who does not venture into my bathroom for fear of all the pink bottles I've accumulated.

The good news though: outlining may be bringing out the woes, but my hair is now fabulous. Thanks for the comfort, Pantene.

Tell me I'm not the only crazy out here in blogland. Any "odd" behaviors writing brings out of you? What do you turn to when your word processor becomes your own little corner of Bedlam?

The Picture of Procrastination

2007-03-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

In the interest of ~~procrastination~~ er, character development, I have finally put faces to my characters! So, along with my best cheesy back-cover attempt, here are Pen and Oliver:

Penelope Archer: The newly 17 y/o heroine of The Robber's Heir may look like a fragile waif, but please don't tell her that - people have been killed implying such things. Okay, not killed, but Tommy Carson's voice is still an octave too high. Under the watchful eye of her librarian grandmother, Penelope grew up among the stacks of the Magnolia City Library. Such a childhood, spent with her nose in a book, has cultivated a sharp mind and an even stronger yearning for adventure. Her birthday brings this chance - an invitation to spend the year at her uncles' exclusive boarding school in England. Pen jumps on the first plane to Nottingham, but it becomes clear that she's in for more than just adventure: a student has disappeared, she's catching her uncles at illicit meetings, and the local bad-boy is trying to involve her in his conspiracy theory. Quaking in her Converses? Not our heroine! Watch out, Sherwood - there's a new legend around.

Oliver Worth: Ever the rebel, Oliver spent his prep school years causing trouble and generally wreaking havoc on the school's elites. Now, after the disappearance of his twin brother, Oliver is named the 12th Earl of Huntington - a title that was never supposed to be his. As he tries to discover his brother's fate, he finds that the people he crossed in the past are the only ones who know the truth. Enter Penelope - the perfectly intriguing solution to all. It's not that difficult getting Pen into just the right clique, but gaining her trust is another matter. Though, when danger escalates, can he even trust himself with her?

So, awful back cover attempt, but it's not like I have to query this anytime soon! I'm still working out all my characterization (especially with Oliver, who is a bit cookie-cutter in present form), but putting faces to them makes it a lot easier. Incidentally, in real life, Penelope is Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacour from the last HP movie), while Oliver is Henry Cavill (The Count of Monte Cristo, I Capture the Castle). Aren't they wonderful? Clémence has exactly the look I wanted for Penelope: slight and blonde - but a a strength that leaves her just short of damsel-esque. And Henry Cavill? Just perfect in general, I say.

Also, there is much more to the plot - including one very large twist. Though, with the title and those locations, I'm sure you have figured out something is going on!

So, am I the only one picking out faces to go with my characters? If your WIP was hitting the cinemas tomorrow, who would play your leading roles?

Pro(logue)s and Cons

2007-03-24T17:53:00.000-05:00

In the blog-o-sphere, tales run rampant about writers who include prologues in their first manuscripts. Pitied by all, these souls seem never to get an agent or sell a book - something normally commented on with a "Did you hear about poor Ethel's 100th rejection letter? She included a prologue, for heaven's sake! Doesn't she read Miss Snark?!"

In debating this issue for my own manuscript, I did a little research at my local Barnes & Noble. And what did I find? Surprise! Most of the published novels actually include this taboo structural device. So, if well-respected, successful authors are using the prologue - are they still the kiss of death for us beginners?

Right now I don't have one, but as I outline the rest of The Robber's Heir, I'm wondering if my chapter one would work better as a prologue. The chapter is lively enough to be the opening of the book, but there is a time jump from it to the rest of the story - something which has my little voice screaming "Make it a prologue!!" So, is this rule more of a suggestion - can I just ignore it for the sake of structural zen?

What about you, are there any "Writing Rules" that you've broken? Don't worry, I promise no gasping or shock on this blog - this is a day for rebellion!

A Bird! A Plane! No...A WIP!

2007-01-25T00:47:00.000-06:00

Hi. My name is Mary and I'm a Writing Coward.

I have come to terms with this embarrassing flaw and am ready to face it head on. Normally, I'm a rather decisive person, but with writing it all flies out the door. My normally quick-acting persona instead turning into that pitiful creature warned about in how-to-books: the writer who is too overwhelmed in the face of all the options, frightened to write anything.

All those vital decisions: What genre? Historical or Contemporary? Funny or Serious? Courier or Times New Roman? I feel seasick just thinking about all the options and ideas for different novels. My brain can't stay focused long enough on just one in the face of all the "What ifs?"

But, I have won the battle. Or am winning the battle, at least.

Onto my big news, friends:

I have a Work In Progress!

Yes, I am exactly three chapters and one extremely chaotic outline into my first Young Adult novel: The Reinvention of Penelope Snow.

I know what you're thinking - "Mary, YA? But you are such a romance fanatic, how can this be?"

Well, this is where overcoming my writing cowardice comes in - I have been terrified to choose between my first love, Romance, and my new love, Young Adult. I could explain, but Tessa had a really wonderful blog today which sums up my reasoning perfectly:

"I guess I just feel like, being 31, I can write about what it's like to be a woman under the age of ... 25 or so. Beyond that, I feel less confident. I'm still processing what it's like to be a woman in my late 20s or early 30s."

Well, I am in my early 20s - the age of most heroines in historical romances, but, like Tessa, I am still getting used to what defines a woman of my age. With practice, I could probably write a perfectly nice 21 y/o character, but my writing is in a place that lends itself toward younger heroines. I'm just far enough away to still be in tune with them, but also keep up some objective writing distance. Besides, who wants to write a perfectly nice character anyway?

Instead, I'm writing Penelope - a smart, quirky, not-always-nice 17 year-old. And I love her. A fact which makes each decision a little less terrifying along the way.

So, what about you? Are there any other Writing Cowards Anonymous out there? If not, what major issue are you trying to overcome with your writing - and what has helped you the most? It's a day for inspiration around here!

Harder Than It Looks

2006-12-16T00:12:00.000-06:00

A few months ago, I set out to conquer the Writing World - optimistically swearing to finish a Nano book and be happily editing away by the end of the year. So it is December 16th, how far exactly have a gotten on that promise? Er...nowhere.

Everyone says this, but until you experience it you never really understand - writing full-time (or part-time or anytime) is hard work. Between finals, grad school applications, and the Harper Teen contest, I haven't put a single idea to paper (keyboard) in months! Well, unless the continuing saga of poor Jane Playne counts.

My Pollyanna attitude has taken a hit, yes. Yet as much as these things stolen my time, I'm now even more sure that writing is what I want to do. While studying for finals, I read great anecdotes in my Comm. textbook - all of which I am dying to try out on my own characters. When applying to grad schools (aka - writing the same "what I want to do with my life" essay 72 different ways), I gave one answer, but a little voice kept saying "Write! You want to write, you silly twit!"

And Harperteen? Well...I am going to save that post for tomorrow. Let's just say that my writing seems to be heading in a completely different direction - and I love it.

So my good news: as of yesterday, I have a whole month of blissful school-free time. No more exams! No more applications! No more crazed mirrors! So what better way to spend this month than writing? It is time to return from the land of the writing un-dead...finally!

ps - And Pleasure for Pleasure was divine. If you were waiting for a review from someone, there you go - buy it now!

Joy!

2006-11-27T21:16:00.000-06:00

I found it! There, looking lonely on the shelf at our neighborhood Albertson's, was Pleasure for Pleasure! Only a day early, but that is a whole 24 hours less to wait for more Mayne.

Hooray!

Unfortunately, I have yet to even read the first page. I swore to read all my Fanlit invites tonight, so Josie and Mayne (hopefully Mayne!) have to wait for a few hours. *sigh*

Such sacrifice.

Okay, no more melodrama, I have to go read!

...so that I can read more later...

Some Enchanted Thanksgiving

2006-11-25T00:03:00.000-06:00

I have stopped jumping up and down. I have stopped with the *squee*ing. I am actually breathing normally again.

Why all the trouble? Not a Tryptophan overdose, but something a little more exciting: I won!!

Yep, the official third chapter of the HarperTeen E-book is my own Some Enchanted Evening. I am still in awe - this was the closest round I've seen in any Fanlit contest. All of the chapters were separated by just a tenth of point or less the whole time. Each one was fabulous!

However, there is something more exciting. Hard to believe, I know. But...I received two authors picks this time! From Rachel Vail and Meg Cabot once again! Meg's star didn't show up for awhile, but when I looked again there were two! A mini-heartattack quickly followed. I was honored enough to get both of these authors picks once before, that they consistently liked my writing is just beyond amazing. A trip to New York would be great, but I already have all I need from this contest.

Another reason to be excited? I finally get rid of those sad little earrings as my avatar...there were no blondes in the standard choices, but now I can post happily! Though, it is a bit creepy having your face popping up everywhere...

Thanks to everyone for your support, votes, and good wishes! I will be cheesy one last time, but really - I couldn't have done it without y'all.

Le Sigh

2006-11-16T14:12:00.000-06:00

What is this place I'm in? Oh right, a reading rut.

For the past few weeks, it seems every book I open turns out to be dreck. Now, I realize that some of this is my fault. I am a notoriously pick reader - five minutes ago I threw a highly reccomended Laura Kinsale book across the room...because I couldnt handle the heroine's accent one moment more.

Plus, it seems though that all of the books I am waiting for come out in December or January (Pleasure for Pleasure, The Prince Kidnaps A Bride, A Little Bit Wicked, Surrender to a Scoundrel). And the ones that are out (The Deception of the Emerald Ring)- aren't in my small-town Barnes and Noble, even though I have been bothering them about it for the past two weeks! I am desperate for good reads to fill my time for the next month.

So, I turn to my fellow writers...I need your help! Who are some of your favorite mildly-unknown authors? What was the last book you read that you couldn't put down? Or made you spew your coffee all over the pages from laughter? I don't care what genre...they just have to be keepers!

ps - I am once more in the running to come in fourth! Apparently the Fanlitters have decided they like Once Upon A Time's and Espadrilles. Time to recross those fingers for me.

Four In Hand

2006-11-11T00:34:00.000-06:00

First - thank you so much for your congratulations!! It is great to know other writers out there, especially ones as supportive as you guys. I am sending tons of Aggie good-vibes your way (our President just got nominated for Sec. of Defense, these might actually do you some good!)...thanks!!!

The Results:

Apparently four is my lucky number.

Yes, after battling it out in the shark-infested waters of Fanlit, I have come in fourth. Again.

And I am just as thrilled this time around. Out of 2113 entries, that is quite a feat. It was definitely a close competition - there were three of us who traded out for the first spot a million times. And the chapter that won is wonderful...it should be really great to go off of (i.e.- I like the heroine and there are absolutely no cats named Penelope in sight). Plus, I actually got a star (rose!) this time from the wonderful Rachel Vail - my life is pretty much made.

Just in case you are curious, I will go ahead and link my chapter: Flirting With Magic. It was very different from anything I've written before, but I am really proud of it...I hope you enjoy!

In other news, I think I have finally figured out the ranking system. We always said that skips and page views count a lot, but I had never realized how much until today. With over 2100 entries, it is easy to see placement patterns. Promos really do make a break a story. I plan on becoming a marketing maven for the next few weeks.

Thanks again for everything!! Cheers!!

Relapsing With Style

2006-11-09T01:05:00.000-06:00

Okay, I was resolved to fight my addiction. Really, I was.

Unfortunately, I didn't foresee the monster that is: Harper Teen Fanlit. *cue foreboding music*

The moment I got home from class Monday afternoon, I was struck with an idea for the HT contest - about two hours before the deadline. I submitted with five minutes to spare, thinking that it would just be a fun little side activity. Then, I started getting comments. Comments turned into hopes. And now hopes have turned into...finaling.

You read correctly. I finaled!! Somehow, out of 2113 submissions, mine managed to avoid its share of bandits and appear in the top 10. I am still not quite sure how this happened, but I am ridiculously excited!

Unfortunately, this means that I am once more glued to my computer. My addiction is back in full force and I am going to need a serious 12-step-program come December.

ps- if you are 21 or younger...get yourself over there and vote! I am not sure what the etiquette on posting my chapter name is, but suffice it to say there is Flirting and Magic.

The End of an Era?

2006-10-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

Fanlit is over.

Wow, I wrote that without breaking into a cold sweat. This is definite progress.

You have already endured my praise of the contest, so let me just say congratulations to all the winners. Avon has definitely met one of its underlying goals - finding new, interesting voices. There were so many talented writers over there, I will be very disappointed if some of your names don't appear on shelves soon.

Now, I will stop rambaling about Fanlit, for I know everyone has one burning question - Mary, how was your RWA meeting? Was it a secret gathering of fire-breathing dragons as you feared?

Well, I am happy to tell you that nary a dragon was seen at the meeting. Yes, a vampire or two (Kerrelyn Sparks was speaking), but absolutely no dragons. Sure I felt a little out of place, having written pretty much nothing, but that will all be fixed with NaNoWriMo. Even with my abysmal answer to the "What do you write?" question, everyone was terribly nice. I can't wait to go back next month and drag along some friends!

...okay...my outline for NaNo is calling me. Dont worry, there won't be two weeks in between my pointless postings this time. Fanlit and midterms are over, I may actually have a life once again. Shocking, I know.

p.s.- Thanks to everyone for the good wishes and hellos! It is so wonderful that the AFL community is sticking together...I can't wait till conference next year to meet you all!

Fanlit, and Nano, and RWA, oh my!

2006-10-13T17:37:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

In the past month I've been particpating in the Avon Fanlit contest. It has been a ton of fun and I actually just finaled (hooray!), but I noticed that most participants seem to have writing blogs. After lurking at many of these (okay...mostly Sara Dennis' and LaceyKaye's), I've decided to start my own. It seems a wonderful way to keep my own writing motivation going - something that I need help with when school begins to get hectic.

So, here's hoping my first post isn't too inane.

As mentioned, I've been participating in Avon Fanlit for the past month. Going into this competition, I had a vague knowledge that I could write. Mostly this came from family comments, academic acheivements, and the fact that I am the designated term paper editor for my friends.

I've never written anything fictional of merit, there is no novel waiting to be published, no manuscript being furiously typed. Over the past few months, I've had ideas for books and have even bought a few books on writing - On Writing; Sin and Syntax; and of course The Idiot's Guide to Getting Your Romance Published (feel free to roll your eyes). Alas, I still had not written...until this contest.

Needless to say, I was completely blown away when first round my entry came in at number 26 (out of 513). Blown away isn't even appropriate - shocked, awed, even a little appalled. Here is a contest filled with actual writers. People who do this every day of their lives, who are well on the way to becoming published. Not to mention that I am pretty much the youngest person in this competition. Even more wonderous, my rankings have improved (second round - 18th)...and then I finaled this week!

Naturally, I didn't win. But, I didn't even expect to final in the first place - ever. The wonderful Eve (TessaD) won the round with Forget Me Not...which is a delightful chapter, I couldn't have been happier if My Wife, the Courtesan had won (which it woudn't have...the finalists were amazing this time around!). But, I finished FOURTH.

This all sounds like bragging, I know. Truly, though, it is wonder. I've always read romances and always "wanted" to write one. But, saying you want to write is different than actually being able to write. This contest has given me boundless depths of hope and inspiration, though.

I CAN do this. If I work hard and keep at it, I can.

So here goes. From now on, I am the little author who could. I shall laugh in the face of naysayers and eye-rollers, I shall spurn my own self-doubting thoughts, I will do this.

Okay, I know. Enough already, Pollyanna!

In other news:

-I'm attending my first RWA meeting tomorrow. A few local authors on the AvonAuthors board have been wanting me to go for awhile - so I am! I'm driving to Houston tomorrow morning for the meeting with Sarah (the WHRWA webmistress). Wish me luck, I'm mildly terrified.