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Yesterday I had the great privilege of talking with the Potomac Falls High School Book Club. They had, thanks to the impressive wheeling and dealing skills of their savvy librarian, read advanced copies of RAMPANT and I got to go and chat with them about the book. It was the first time I’d ever talked to a group of students about my work, and it was a blast!
This is me showing them pictures of my research trip to Rome.
I made a short slideshow of photos and actual Roman places that I’d used to create the fantastic locations in RAMPANT, and then opened up the floor to questions. And what amazing questions! They asked me why I named the characters the things I did (which may be my favorite question of all time!), they asked me why I made a pretty, popular jock one of the nicest characters in the entire book (nothing like bucking the trends!), they asked why heroines in books are always blonde (Astrid is blonde, sorry to say, but I’d just come off writing four books about brunette Amy), they asked about the real life stories behind the unicorns in my book, and they asked a lot of questions about the sequel — many of which i could not answer. I was in heaven!
Showing off some ossuary art…
One of the things I thought was super awesome was how many guys had read my book. I was worried that a lot of guys would see the word “unicorn” and run (the fact that both my dad and Sailor Boy are guys and love it has not helped me get over this concern, though SB says I am underestimating the number of bloody battle scenes). We didn’t have a whole lot of time so I wasn’t able to get into my favorite topic of “other YA books I love” but I did talk a little bit about Scott Westerfeld (while chatting about Bonegrinder) and it turns out there were a bunch of Westerfans there. Do they have great taste or what?
Then I signed a bunch of unicorn-festooned bookplates for the students and we took a group picture:
Thank you, Potomac Falls High School!
It has come to my attention that perhaps I have not sufficiently conveyed to the readers of this blog that the covers I’ve been posting of Rampant are not actually the covers of Rampant. I’ve been joking. And photoshopping. Photoshop is, I’ve discovered, best used for jokes. And getting out red eye.
For instance, this cover:
is actually this cover:
And this one:
is actually this one:
This cover, however, is the real cover of Rampant:
What, you don’t like it?
Okay, fine. I guess the time has come to admit it. And I do this with great trepidation of course because it’s awkward as anything. After all, every author dreams of the day she’ll get the cover of her book, of her baby. She can’t wait to share it with her friends, with the world!
But I have felt awkward about doing so in this case.
Because this, my friends, is the actual real cover of Rampant:
It’s so unfortunate. Haven’t been able to look Carrie in the face for weeks now. The fact that she is in North Carolina and I am in D.C. has been very helpful in that regard.
I mean, talking about fanning the flames of the zombie/unicorn war!
Today was a rainy, rainy day again. We were supposed to go out to the AT to hike with friends and the puppy, but we canceled because it was so crappy out.
Yesterday I spent quite a lot of time digging up a portion of my yard for my experimental garden. I’d love to take pictures of garden-in-process but my camera is still broken. Sigh. Still, I will attempt to describe it, to make pictures of my words, which I am kinda supposed to be able to do for a living. Anyway, I dug up all the sod and put in a raised brick wall border that actually turned out looking pretty good, given that I eyeballed the whole thing. Found lots of worms, which is great, and these weird curly larva-things which creeped me out. I wish I knew what kind of bugs they were and if they are garden friendly or not. Anyway, I loosened up all the soil with my brand-new cultivator and then, based on my neighbor’s (experienced organic gardener) advice, am leaving it to sit for a few days and then I’m going to fill the whole thing in with this pile of compost he gave me. It’s a “mostly-elevated” garden. (I just totally made up that term, btw.)
Like I said, experimental. I’ve never gardened in my life, and this is my first year owning any kind of property on which to garden. I shall keep you posted.
So today, being rainy, was all about the Netflix. We watched a whole disk of Avatar. (To be fair, that’s only an hour and a half). We only have two disks left in the series, and then I think I might cry, because I love this show so much. I really hate finishing thing that I love, which is why I’ve been so slowly savoring my ARC of DULL BOY, by Sarah Cross.
By the early afternoon, Rio was bouncing off the walls, so we bundled up and went for a little stroll through Rock Creek Park. Rio became a total mudball. Wow, was she a mess. She’s less of a mess now, since I think most of the dirt fell off when she was asleep in her kennel (and on the couch — yuck, Rio!), and we were asleep in front of the TV. Luckily, before I lost consciousness, I remembered to pile up a load of beans and some tomatoes and chili powder in the crock pot. For some reason this chili was not as delicious as my last attempt at “throw everything in the crock pot” bean chili. I don’t know what I did wrong. It’s possible, however, that it just didn’t cook long enough. that’s the problem of doing things without recipes. You can never repeat your successes.
Speaking of successes, another recipe I tried this week. My verdict: not worth the effort. I probably will roast my own red peppers again in the future, because they were delicious, but the sauce was pretty bland and certainly not better, in the genre of meatless-pasta-sauces, than Ree’s vodka-blush sauce, which has become a weekly staple at our house. And the vodka sauce is WAY less hassle.
Over the bowls of not-as-great chili, Sailor Boy and I watched Dollhouse, which is getting much better. I really liked this episode, though I think this show, far more than other Whedon shows, is following the trend of “massive conspiracy we dole out to you in dribs and drabs” as popularized by LOST and HEROES and shows of that ilk, wihch is fine, but I don’t know how well suited it is for a *series* (cf. the — apparently cured in the case of LOST– second-season derailings of the abovementioned shows). Another reason to love Avatar: it’s a show that said “Hi, we’re a three-season series. Yay us.” I really, really love it. I haven’t loved a show like this in a long time. I think since THE WIRE, which was such a remarkably different kind of show. But I’m not done yet.
And now I am trying to work. Trying being the operative word. I’ve reached a point in my current project where I have to make some really big choices and I’m waffling something fierce. But I really can’t put it off any longer.
I took part in several conversations yesterday about crying while reading. Do you do it?
I do. I cry every single time I read Persuasion. I weep buckets reading epic fantasy (anything from C.L. Wilson to the Chronicles of Narnia — and I actually won’t read The Last Battle anymore because I have such a visceral reaction to my memory of sobbing all the way through that horrible travesty tragedy). I cry whenever they kill animals in fiction (do not get me started on George Orwell, the bastard, or John Steinbeck, may he rot). My high school English teacher probably remembers to this day the girl who came into her classroom during lunch period, and cried on her shoulder over A Separate Peace. I love a good cathartic cry over a piece of fiction.
Now, for the second part of the question, for you writers out there: do you cry over anything you’ve written?
I haven’t done so until recently, and, prior to Secret Society Girl, I wrote some dark books. I admit I felt a bit sniffly a few times near the end of Rites of Spring (Break), but, much like Amy, I bucked up and soldiered on. But there is one part of Rampant that I have never, in the more than a year since I’ve written it, been able to read without turning on the waterworks, and there’s a scene in Tap & Gown that made me cry as well. (It’s not one you’d think, though).
The crying has continued apace, especially with my current manuscript, though given the protagonist’s state of mind (daaaaaaaarrrrrrrrkkkkkk) it should probably be expected. She’s in a bad, bad place, and it seems I have at last figured out how to torture my characters. Um, yippee?
Seriously, protagonist. It’s spring. There are tulips coming up in my yard. My dog is adorable. I did not sign up to be Method!
I read something once that said that, as a writer, if you expect your reader to chuckle, you should be in hysterics, and if you expect them to shed a tear, you should weep buckets. I suppose this is a way of saying you have to feel things strongly if you expect the reader to feel anything at all. Because some folks just aren’t the crying type.
Though two readers (and there haven’t been that many readers yet) have already told me that Tap & Gown made them cry. Um, yay? And here I thought I was writing a comedy!
First of all, congratulations to all the RWA Golden Heart and RITA finalists, especially my buddies:
Roxanne St. Claire for Now You Die (RITA, Romantic Suspense) — This is your year, chica!
Karen Rose for Scream for Me (RITA, Romantic Suspense) — Um, I mean, this is your year, chica! Hmmmm, conundrum…
Amanda Brice for Codename: Dancer (Golden Hearts, Young Adult) — Let’s make this the last year you’re eligible for unpublished awards, huh, sweets?
I was pleased to see so many great books on that list. Sadly, only one of the books I judged made it to the finals — which is weird, because I had a real bumper crop of books this year. The competition must have been fierce!
In other news, apparently this cover didn’t cut it. Neither did this one. So we’re going to try with this:
Yeah, I know, it’s a reprint. But my skills are not up to reproducing the original…
Today is a beautiful day. The sun is shining, Rio is bright and bushy-tailed (wait, that’s every morning!), the early-morning rush to the dry cleaners to take advantage of the “in by 8, out by 5″ special reminded me how glad I am that I do *not* commute to work (and that SB does not commute to work by car), and for the first time in a week, I did not have nightmares last night.
Other things that have me feeling good:
- My first-ever fan letter about Tap & Gown! Yay!
- A note from a reader that she has discovered Secret Society Girl fanfiction (no, I will not read it, but still, cool!) Also, she says it’s steamy, if you’re into that kind of thing.
- My ability to wrangle Power Point to do my will while I plan for my first-ever school library visit.
- It’s spring! I have some pretty plant outside that just exploded into bright yellow flowers. No idea what kind of plant it is, but pretty! I also caught a glimpse of cherry blossoms.
- How much less congested I feel this morning. Is it possible my cold is over?
- The cool answers to yesterdays fan questions. (Even one from Sailor Boy!)
- I think I may finally be on the right track with my anthology story.
- Today’s Tap & Gown excerptlet:
I looked up. She was laughing at whatever her friend was saying. My eyes slid toward said friend.
Felicity Bower. Felicity, of Dragon’s Head. Felicity, who was dating my ex-boyfriend Brandon. Felicity, who had done her best to make my life a living hell for the first few months of this semester. Felicity, who would gleefully step over my cold, dead corpse if given half the chance.
I froze. Abort, abort!
FYI, SLJ, Harlequin is a large, multi-national publishing company. They publish all sorts of books, even if they are best known for publishing romance. Therefore, when the senior editor of the company shows up to correct your erroneous depiction of their new YA line, it’s disingenuous of you to ONLY correct the launch date.
Here are the guidelines for Harlequin Teen:
Harlequin Teen is a single-title program dedicated to building authors and publishing unique, memorable young-adult fiction. Stories with the unforgettable romance, characters and atmosphere of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga, the witty humor of Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries novels, the edgy emotion of Jay Asher’s Th1rteen R3asons Why, the thrilling danger of Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games, the futuristic world-building of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, and the power of Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief are examples of the range and depth of projects that we’re seeking.
Do all those books say “teen romance” to you? Thought not. I’ve spoken at length to several of the editors at HQ working on the new line, and they really are interested in everything.
 I know everyone is waiting with bated breath for the release of Tap & Gown. Okay, I know that *I* am waiting with bated breath for the release, so it stands to reason that where I go, so goes the rest of the known universe, right?
I haven’t yet been given permission to post excerpts of T&G for your viewing pleasure (permission=Diana notices that it’s gone upon Amazon, and really, do not get Diana started on the disgusting version of the T&G cover currently on Amazon; rest assured that the actual cover of T&G is this beautiful coral and indigo, not ugly puke yellow) but really, if you want to read the first chapter, just turn to your copy of Rites of Spring (Break). It’s right there in the back.
Which means that if I were going to post something, it should probably be something DIFFERENT, right?
Something like teasing you with chapter titles, or random excerptlets, or confessions. Something like this:
“Want to come inside?” I asked.
He leaned against the door jamb. “It is late.”
“Yeah.”
“And it’s a long walk home.”
“Yeah.”
“So if I did come in—”
“You probably should stay,” I finished.
“Yeah.”
There you go. Excerptlet, galore!
Now, let’s play a game. I think I’ll give out prizes, but I don’t know what they’ll be. All you have to do to enter is amuse me with answers to the following questions:
1. If you were tapped by Rose & Grave, what would you want your society name to be, and why?
2. Imagine that you a tattoo of the R&G seal, just like Amy and the other Diggirls did. Where would you get it?
(Thanks to PurpleRanger for the questions!)
That’s right. I said winners, plural. Because you guys are just so talented, and not at all having to do with the fact that my judges were evenly split as to their favorite entries, which were:
**SPOILER WARNING**SPOILER WARNING**
These limericks *DO* contain SPOILERS for Secret Society Girl, Under the Rose, and Rites of Spring (Break)
You have been warned. Skip the following if you have not read these books!
**************************************************
There once was a Digger named Amy,
Who fell for the patriarch, Jamie.
On becoming a couple
With their bodies so supple,
They did the wacky without shamie.
Purple Ranger’s innovative coinage of “shamie” (move over, Edgar Allan and Shakespeare!) as well as interesting (if not necessarily accurate) predictions for the future took an early lead with the panel. Jamie and Amy have *not* done the wacky, guys. Just some good, old-fashioned snogging. Says one judge: “I just giggle every time I read ’shamie.’”
And then there was the “response” limerick of Phyllis Towzey:
Oh, please, are you serious Anne?
Ed’s a vampire – Poe’s just a man!
But if Jamie got bitten
Even Bella’d be smitten,
Do you think Amy’d give up her tan?
Which I covered in detail last week. One judge called it, “the best, despite its vampirocentrism. Clever, perfectly metered, and none of the lines feels like filler.”
Congratulations, you two! (I have your addresses, so I’ll be sending the ARCs out when I drag my butt to the P.O. — hopefully tomorrow).
****************************************************
***END SPOILER WARNING***
And finally, because I’m the kind of girl who awards hard work, I’m awarding one ARC to our diligent entrant from the wintry north, Tiff! Tiff’s 29 limericks were on all different topics, but a few judges agreed that had the following one scanned correctly, it might have taken the entire competition:
I love how SSG gives us
Obscure references like “Sublime” author Longinus
And words like grok
To increase our literary stock
It’s like a romantic, plot-happy thesaurus!
I’ve got your address, too, I believe.
Congratulations, winners!
Today is the last day to enter the contest for an ARC of Tap & Gown. Get your lImericks in!
There’s a limerick smackdown going on in the comments section of the ARC Giveaway Post. First, commenter Anne popped up with:
Poe is by far my most loved “lit crush”
About him my friends and I do gush
He puts Edward Cullen to shame
With his dark, brooding game
And thoughts of his shoulders make me blush.
Which, I must say, is one of my favorite limericks (one of my judges, however, is a real stickler for meter. We shall see.)
And then Phyllis, whom one can always count on to bring the Twi-fan voice to the blog, responded:
Oh, please, are you serious Anne?
Ed’s a vampire – Poe’s just a man!
But if Jamie got bitten
Even Bella’d be smitten,
Do you think Amy’d give up her tan?
Which I’m sure pleases my Meter-Nazi judge to no end, though I think “just a man” is quite illustrative of the issue at hand. See, I think “human” is a plus in a romantic relationship. I like men. Warm, cuddly, mortal men. But that’s just me (and Anne, I guess.) I also liked Buffy dating Riley, and I know I’m in the minority there. Still, “all the brooding, none of the pesky immortality” is a sales pitch that works for me!
(And yes, it has been pointed out to me that the Secret Stories, being mostly from Poe’s perspective, are not entirely unlike Midnight Sun. Which is fine by me. I thought MS was a cool experiment — I loved the scene where Edward was fantasizing about all the different ways he could murder the entire class and eat Bella — and I’m having fun playing around in Poe’s head in the same way.)
In other news, Team Castle has gotten coverage in Publisher’s Weekly (with art). Check it out!
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