Candie Moonshower Blogs!

37 Odd Things About Me


1. Do you like blue cheese?
Yes. I love many soft cheeses. Goat cheese is my favorite. Feta a close second.

2. Have you ever smoked?
I used to hold my sister's lit cigarettes to pretend I was cool sometimes when Romeo and Juliet first came out in the theatre so I could be cool like Leo. See? Smoking in movies is BAD!

3. Do you own a gun?
Many many squirt guns.

4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite?
I hate Kool Aid and my mom thought it was too junky. We had Crystal Light.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
No. Except the ultrasounds where they make sure the baby is okay.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
I think they are useful for many jokes, and the kosher ones aren't bad.

7. Favorite Christmas movie?
Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. And Home Alone. And all the old-school cartoons like Rudolph and Frosty and the one with the donkey and the baby jesus manger stuff.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Decaf vanilla latte or plain decaf coffee because I'm nursing the baby (no caffeine). Usually it's full caf.

9. Can you do push ups?
Yes. I can even do chin-ups on the monkey bars!

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
My engagement ring and my necklace with my son's names engraved on it.

11. Favorite hobby?
Anything on my computer (writing, internet, etc.) I wouldn't even call it a hobby, it's more like an addiction.

12. Do you have A.D.D.?
I don't think so.

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts?
20/20 vision, baby. So no.

14. Middle name?
I have several middle names.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
Wondering if I should list my middle names, and I can't say the other ones.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?
Water, decaf coffee, vitamin water

17. Current worry?
Global warming.

18. Current hate right now?
Other people's problems


19. Favorite place to be?
Cuddling in bed in the morning with my husband and both kidlets

20. How did you bring in the new year?
I don't even remember.

21. Where would you like to go?
Hawaii.

22. Name three people who will complete this?
Hmmm...my lj friends?

23. Do you own slippers?
Off and on. Now? No.

24. What shirt are you wearing?
A grey t-shirt with spit-up stains. (It's the new fashion, have you heard?)

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
I don't think I've ever tried before. It might be kind of fun. Or I might just slide around all night.

26. Can you whistle?
Sure.

27. Favorite color?
Indigo and sea-green, the color of my children's eyes

28. Would you be a pirate?
It depends. Will we be marooned on a desert island? Is Johnny Depp involved?

29. What songs do you sing in the shower?
I sing "It's a Small World" to my baby

30. Favorite Girl's Name?
My name and my baby's name (is that conceited to say my name? I really like it though!)

31. Favorite boy's name?
My son's name and Logan, which was what we would have named baby is she was a boy. So I've recycled it into my main character in my WIP WITCHEZ AND WARLOX.

32. What's in your pocket right now?
I don't have a pocket.

33. Last thing that made you laugh?
My dad's retelling of the 'hair caught on fire story' a couple days ago. (I guess I should laugh more)

34. What vehicle do you drive?
A beat-up Isuzu Trooper which I feel guilty about. It costs $90 to fill the tank. I'm going to buy a hybrid soon.

35. Worst injury you've ever had?
Knock on wood.

36. Do you love where you live?
Yes. I love northern California and I love my neighborhood. I wish our place was bigger though, and that it self-cleaned.

37. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Just one and we hardly ever watch it. There is NOTHING on in the summer.

Okay, I'm going to be at the Oregon/Washington school librarians conference. I'll have a session librarians can come to. But I was thinking about how to get more visibility. With my first book, I attended mystery conferences and wore my book cover (shrunk down) as a kind of over-sized pin. (Once I got into the elevator at Bouchercon and the people were discussing my book! My book! I kept my hand over the book cover pin until I heard enough to know they liked it.)

Anyway, I was trying to think of how I could promote Torched, my next YA thriller. The book starts out with a bunch of environmental activists setting a Hummer dealership on fire. So I was thinking, maybe I could get some match books or match boxes with the cover on the front. Only to give out to adults, like the librarian conference. I would never want to encourage kids to smoke.

So would that be cool or weird or something in between. I've never been to a librarian conference.

http://www.sparksflyup.com/2008/07/37-things.php

Like the moth to the flame, I cannot resist. Taken from E. Lockhart:

37 Odd Things About Me

1. Do you like blue cheese?

Not really. I think there are many superior varieties of cheese. (By the way, do you know that in Canada they call American cheese Canadian cheese? Or so I heard on TAL.)

2. Have you ever smoked?

Yes, I smoked from my teens until my mid-20s. I chewed Nicorette for a long time after that. I don't recommend either, really--both are expensive, neither is cool.

3. Do you own a gun?

No.

4. What flavor Kool Aid was your favorite?

Does Kool-Aid come in flavors? I thought it only came in colors. Red.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?

Sometimes.

6. What do you think of hot dogs?

I think they are a ticket on the express train to profound gastrointestinal distress.

7. Favorite Christmas movie?

Um, Elf? It must be said that I'm not huge on Christmas.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?

Just a glass of ice water (I don't drink caffeine).

9. Can you do push ups?

Hold on lemme try. Yup. I mean, I don't think I could do a thousand of them, but I just did ten, and I only feel slightly dizzy.

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?

My wedding ring. (Also my only piece of jewelry.)

11. Favorite hobby?

Watching sports. I wish it weren't, but it is.

12. Do you have A.D.D.?

Probably not.

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts?

Um, sometimes I feel like this survey doesn't know me at all.

14. Middle name?

Oh great, and now the survey is trying to steal my identity. I'm onto you survey! Next you'll want to know my social security number and the name of my favorite childhood pet!

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?

Still sort of out of breath from the pushups, wonder what Hank is IMing about, that book I just read was good.

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink?

Water, Crystal Light, and orange juice. (God, I'm a 1980s housewife.)

17. Current worry?

If I had just one worry, all would be wizard.

18. Current hate right now?

Malaria. What is your problem, malaria? Go away already.

19. Favorite place to be?

Fairview, North Carolina, on the porch, looking out at Little Pisgah Mountain, and writing.

20. How did you bring in the new year?

Chicago. Seersucker suit.

21. Where would you like to go?

New York.

22. Name three people who will complete this?

Well, definitely J. D. Salinger. Probably also noted meme-lover John McCain. And maybe my brother.

23. Do you own slippers?

No.

24. What shirt are you wearing?

This t-shirt I wore when painting my office Jalapeno Jelly.

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?

Yeah, no. That seems kind of disgusting.

26. Can you whistle?

Yes, but I cannot whistle a tune, although I often manage to convince myself otherwise.

27. Favorite color?

Jalapeno Jelly.

28. Would you be a pirate?

I really value my teeth, and I hate scurvy, and I'm also generally opposed to lawlessness, so I think probably not. I would be a ninja, though.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower?

Lately I have been singing the Guacamole Ukulele Song.

30. Favorite Girl's Name?

I'm not gonna say.

31. Favorite boy's name?

Miles. I already used all my favorite boy names in books.

32. What's in your pocket right now?

iPhone!

33. Last thing that made you laugh?

Well, when I went to look up the link for the Guacamole Ukulele Song, and then I played it, and laughed at the line, "When we began to regret it / Alex told us not to sweat it / Ukuleles pay for themselves." So true. Then I was thinking about unusual observations that are profoundly true, and I remembered Alec Baldwin on 30 Rock saying, "Never go with a hippy to a second location."


37. How many TVs do you have in your house?

Oh, my God. I just counted them. THREE! THREE! That's terrible. (But one is only used for Wii.)

Round One: Approx. 7,000 words -- Bare Bones Draft


Round Two: Approx. 15,000 words --- missing a chunk o' middle



Round Three: Approx. 20,000 words --- finished middle, it's rough, but it exists. 21 chapters/90 pages



And now it's off to Round Four -- which I hope will be the final one before doing crit swaps on this baby.


I know those of you who write 50,000 plus word novels think I'm nuts, but trust me this is a challenge for someone whose other completed works are all under 1,500 words. And this is for 3rd-5th graders, so it's about on Target. It will probably come out a bit longer in the next round. When I formatted I just typed in 23,174 words as a guesstimate.

How many of you think it will be less than that? More than that?

Great gifts for Artists, Writers and Editors... gifts to inspire~~~~
and now my bracelets join the party~~~~


http://www.ninthmoon.com/detail.aspx?ID=397

1. Maybe the weather really has improved, but can I say how much more comfortable the air feels now that I've lost the space heater? It's quite pleasant outside! Also, I realize I still look er, round, but I FEEL thin and vacated inside. It's quite nice to have my body back!

2. Did you know that some children eat every single waking moment? I didn't. How did I get so lucky to have four other children who provided tiny bathroom breaks between meals? I can only hope it slows down soon. However, it is fun watching someone inflate before your very eyes.

3. Germans are picky about some rules but lax on other things, like security. Here is the kind of armband your kid gets in the hospital:



4. If you ever want to experience beaurocracy at its utter fullness, try moving out of the country with a newborn. I keep checking things off the list that I've done, but I also keep adding things to the list.

5. Son #1 is supposed to be at a dinner followed by a campout at the school tonight. DH went to the family dinner part and should be back soon. Son was excited to share a tent with friend (best and only, may I add). Friend's mom called tonight to say that after four years of being the bullies' victim, her son refuses to spend the night with these kids without adults around to keep them off him. His only concern was leaving my son in the lurch with them. It's the whole fourth grade, not just my son's problematic class, but I've been worried all evening about the outcome of this. I wasn't concerned knowing the two would be together, but hearing that my son might get stuck in a tent with kids who are mean to him is not exactly comforting. I don't want to plant worries in his head so I didn't make a big deal of it, but we'll see just how many people come home tonight.

ETA: It's the whole 4th grade, not just his class, so I think there will be a different atmosphere. DH says son convinced friend to stay, so I hope they have fun. I think son was kind of looking forward to it. DH came home with a nice card from son's class, and also was able to thank the principal aka math teacher for being son's favorite teacher. (I think every elementary school needs male teachers--boys just respond to them differently, and when a good male teacher is running your favorite subject, it can only be a win-win situation for your son, you know?)

6. I have missed my kids and husband, and I can't wait until everyone is home from all the events of the week. I also haven't done a lot of reading or writing this week. In fact, I think I will grab some books and go to the girls' room and read with them. I hope you enjoy a nice night, too!

Today, the OKC Metro news show interviewed me for a 7-minute spot.

I am thankful I didn't fall down.
I am thankful I didn't tip over.
I am thankful I didn't slip into an out-of-body experience.
I am thankful I didn't go a little crazy and jump on a couch a la Tom Cruise. (Though, let's be honest, it was tempting.)

Hi! 

Melodye - aka

newport2newport and I are moseying up to LA the day before the conference starts (can't go to the conference this year). If you'd like to meet up with us (and I hope you will!!!) then please go HERE for details or contact Melodye--she's our organizer extraordinnaire!

I hope to see you there!

xo,
Cathy

 

 

 

 

Sometimes I read books I can imagine myself writing. Other times the author's approach is so different than my own there would be no way I could write it. But I think it still helps me stretch.

One such book is Meg Wolitzer's
The Ten Year Nap.

It follows a cast of characters, some of whom appear only for two pages. In a way, this works - it's a book about women and work and parenthood and change, so by dipping into the head of Margaret Thatcher's imaginary assistant or George Magritte's wife and model as well as more modern women, she can create a mosaic of the dilemmas and challenges facing women.

In another way, it doesn't work, because it's hard to get traction with a single character or even a pair of characters. You think you understand what the book is about: Amy's and Jill's foundering friendship, or Amy trying to figure out her life, but then come a string of chapters from many other points of view.

Wolitzer is often dryly funny. "Nathaniel was older than anyone else Roberta [in her 20s] knew and possessed a slightly bitter manner that was appealing to her, because she did not yet know many older people and did not understand that this was a fairly common feature of them."

The POV is often third person plural: "In the night, just before husbands called out wives during sleep and children called out to mothers, the women were often already awake." I couldn't write that, and it doesn't even interest me that much, because it's about women, not a woman. Except that's the point Wolitzer is trying to make. Sometimes it's second person: "Suddenly you, who had once been youthful and golden and special, were now treated as just another customer waiting in line for something."

This book is stretching my writing muscles.

OK, I'm going to try not to do any more soapboxing about eco-stuff or science this week, but this article was just too good to pass up:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/opinion/23smith.html?em&ex=1217044800&en=0f5b2f61fd3bc81e&ei=5087%0A
Enjoy!

I'm trying to come up with a clever way to say that I have nothing to say. I thought about doing a blog that mimicked the form of an email away message. (I'm away from my blog right now....) But the concept lacked punch. I thought about a terse note of the "gone fishing" sort. That didn't seem right, either. I even considered going with he truth. I'm on vacation and just don't feel like blogging, even though I'll be consumed by guilt at the thought of disappointing the two or three readers who expect a steady output. Besides, the truth is no fun. I guess I'll just have to admit that I have no clever way of saying that I don't feel like blogging this week.

Favorite t-shirts spotted this week:

Let the Wookie win.

I'm no longer with stupid.

EVERY TIME YOU POST WITH CAP LOCKS ON,
ee cummings kills a kitten.

Also, lots of people have asked about what's happening with the AGATB movie. So here's your answer: not so much yet.

The script is being hammered out. That's where things stand. So, just to clarify: There has been no casting, no production start date, no secret Hollywood cabal meetings (or none that I was invited to and asked to bring snacks). As soon as I hear anything more, I'll post it. Promise.

And now, back to BOVINE. Five more days of deadline. And I've promised myself if I work hard today, I will go see DARK KNIGHT as my reward and I will mix the M&M's into the popcorn.

From the Class of 2k8: "Liz Gallagher grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and was an English major at Penn State. She worked on the editorial staff of Highlights for Children. She is a graduate of the University of Denver Publishing Institute and the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her home in Seattle is within chomping distance of the Fremont Troll." Learn more here.

What kind of teenager were you?

I was the kind who has friends across different groups, but isn't really part of any one clique. I loved to go bowling and shopping (still do!). I was New Kids on the Block's biggest fan. I played softball. I watched way too much TV, but now I think that experience prepped me for the pop-culture prowess that I enjoy today. I know that I read a lot as a kid and teenager, but I can't remember exactly what I read except for Kurt Vonnegut, late in high school.

Could you tell us about your apprenticeship as a writer?

I've been so lucky. I'd have to say that my apprenticeship started with my amazing kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Niccolo; she taught me to love writing. At Penn State, I took three fiction workshops with the same professor; that's the point at which I started reading like a writer. Later, I worked at Highlights for Children as part of the editorial team; reading submissions helped me think more critically about writing. Then, I went to Vermont College and got to work with Lisa Jahn-Clough, Ron Koertge, M.T. Anderson (author interview), some lady named Cynthia Leitich Smith, and the rest of the faculty there; that's where I gained the power to believe in myself as a writer.

I had the honor of being one of your advisors at the Vermont College MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Why did you decide to get an MFA? How would you describe the experience?

And I had the honor of being one of your students! I thought, correctly, that being in an MFA program would give me permission--in my own mind--to prioritize writing. I wanted the structure and the feedback.

I was led to Vermont after falling head over heels for Feed (Candlewick, 2004) by M. T. Anderson and finding out that he was faculty head at Vermont. Then it seemed as if every book I was reading and enjoying was written by a faculty member or grad of the program, so it was a no-brainer to apply.

I would describe the experience as school that doesn't feel like school because it's so much fun and you get to read and talk about reading and write and talk about writing. I learned from all of the faculty and from many of the other students, and I grew so much as a writer.

Could you tell us about your path to publication? Any sprints or stumbles along the way?

It wasn't very stumbly, actually. I think I managed to meet great mentors along the way, so that when I was ready to submit my manuscript, it went smoothly. Lara Zeises (author interview) has become a close friend and she's the one who guided me through the submission process.

We're both students of Lisa's (me at Vermont; Lara at Emerson). Toward the end of my time at Vermont, I started submitting to agents. Rosemary Stimola (agent interview) signed me right before graduation, and I think it only took her two weeks to sell Opposite to Wendy Lamb [Wendy Lamb Books at Random House]; I'd call that a sprint.

Congratulations on the release of your debut novel, The Opposite of Invisible (Wendy Lamb, 2008)! Could you tell us a bit about it?

Thank you! I wrote most of it during the Vermont program. It's set in Seattle--I live here and it's my love letter to the city. It's about a fifteen-year-old girl, Alice, who's coming out of the cocoon she's (metaphorically) lived in with her best friend, an artist boy named Jewel. Her world is getting bigger as she makes new friends and tries new directions in art. She's figuring out the difference between a crush and love, and love and best friendship.

What was your initial inspiration for writing this book?

I love Halloween time and wanted to set a story then. While walking past a big junk shop in Fremont (the neighborhood of the book, and the one where I live now, though I didn't at the time), I realized that it was the perfect setting for a Halloween story. The original first line--"It all started with this dress."--came to me on the page, and I just kept going.

What was the timeline between spark and publication, and what were the major events along the way?

I started writing this story as a short story for my first Vermont workshop, so that means I started writing in the late fall/early winter of 2005. It was published in January 2008.

The whole ride seems like a major event! Having feedback from Lisa, Ron, Tobin, and then you, Cyn, was always amazing. My first rejection from an agent, over the phone, was a major event; it was disappointing but I knew that even getting a phone call was a big step forward.

Once sold, I've loved attending ALA conferences and meeting librarians. I've also enjoyed meeting lots of Seattle's booksellers. And I became a member of The Class of 2k8 (co-presidents' interview)--I get to celebrate 27 releases this year, not just my own!

Actually, seeing Vermont friends' books come out while waiting on my own -- especially Sarah Aronson's Head Case (Roaring Brook, 2007)(author interview) and Carrie Jones' (Flux, 2007)(Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend (Flux, 2007)(author interview) and Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape)(Flux, 2008), and Zu Vincent's The Lucky Place (Front Street, 2008)--has been so wonderful.

Early on, Vermont grad Andy Auseon was a big role model for me. I love his Funny Little Monkey (Harcourt, 2005), and I think he has another one coming out soon [Jo-Jo and the Fiendish Lot (HarperCollins, 2009)].

What were the challenges (literary, research, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

A lot of my roadblocks are psychological. I'm the type of writer who can type and type but not be sure what I'm saying. I need someone who I trust to reflect it back to me--to say, this is what you've got on the page. I'm much more talented with character and voice than I am with plot. So it takes a lot for me to feel as if I've succeeded in making something happen in the narrative and seem like it isn't too mechanical or forced.

Logistically, having deadlines for Vermont really helped me. The whole "butt-in-chair" thing can be hard for me when I'm only beholden to myself.

What has surprised you most about being a published author?

That I'm still just me! I honestly forget that I'm a published author sometimes. It's a dream come true and I love it and I'm proud, but on a day to day basis, I'm just Liz. I don't feel any different--which I see as proof that a writer is a writer, published or not.

It also surprises me how often people who aren't in the YA book world ask why I write for teenagers, as opposed to adults.

If you could go back and talk to yourself when you were beginning writer, what advice would you offer?

Read a lot across genres. Read constantly! Keep a notebook for ideas that hit you add odd times. I still need to start on the notebook one.

What do you do when you're not in the book world?

I used to work at a Montessori school. For the past year, I've been freelancing for magazines (mostly Seattle magazine) and a web site called Red Tricycle. I also worked on writing with seventh graders this year through Seattle Arts and Lectures' Writers in the Schools program. Now, I have a full-time job as a product copywriter, writing about shoes all day. I still write and edit for Red Tricycle. I watch a lot of reality TV, ride my Vespa, go out to brunch, read, and hang out in coffee shops. Sometimes, I knit.

What can your fans look forward to next?

I'm working on a companion to Opposite. Then I hope to get back to work on the manuscript that I started during our semester together, Cyn. It's the story of a girl who's dealing with the tragic death of her best friend, an artist who pushed everything to the edge until he fell off.

Cynsational Notes

Visit Liz Gallagher's official site, read her LJ, and visit Liz at MySpace!

I love reading through Publisher's Weekly Sneak Preview.

I like reading about the books coming out. Sometimes you can even see a bit of a trend, like this time around, I notice there are quite a few YA thrillers.

I love seeing the names of my LJ and blue board friends!!! There are a few I recognize. (Carrie Ryan, David Gill, Cyn Balog). Are you in there? Let me know!

Okay, I admit it, I like seeing my name. There it is - my name! :)

I like knowing about upcoming books by big name authors. Sherman Alexie has one coming out called RADIOACTIVE LOVE SONG. Susan Patron has a sequel coming out to A HIGHER POWER OF LUCKY called LUCKY BREAKS.

And, I can't help but look and see if there are any books coming out that sound like a book I'm writing or like a book being shopped. Whew, doesn't look like it, at least this time around.

Here's THE LINK if you want to take a peek yourself!

February 1 was my last day at work. Since then, I have struggled to figure out how much writing I need to do every day. It’s kind of like when I got a two-book contract after having written my first book. How much did I need to write every day in order to have a finished book in 11 months? With my first book, I had been able to take as long as I wanted.

Now, I have two books coming out in 2009 (both written, one still to be edited). Two books coming out in 2010 (one written, but still to be edited, and one slowly coming together). And I find myself back trying to figure out how much I need to write each day in order to have two or three books done by the end of the year. [Full disclosure: I have to write a lot if I want to make up for my old salary and benefits, including a generous pension plan.]

In February, I wrote nearly five hours a day, every day. I’m talking turning my stopwatch off if I even checked email or went to the bathroom. It was pretty crazy and I wrote 40,000 words.

Now I’m aiming for three hours a day, plus some on weekends. Oddly enough, that is enough to fill up a whole day. I don’t goof off, watch TV, or nap. The house is cleaner, but the meals are not markedly better (which was a dream of mine). And I never worked this hard at my real job. At my job there were meetings (many, many meetings), chats with friends, a trip to get coffee, a peek at LiveJournal from time to time.

I was glad to read this post of Sarah Dessen’s. She’s a full time writer, and up until she had her baby, she was writing two hours a day, seven days a week. At least I beat that.

How much do you think is enough? I’m talking pure writing, not reading blogs or talking to your agent or anything. Just writing.

Poll #1228880 How much is enough?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

How much daily writing is enough?

"I am grateful to Yad Vashem and all of those responsible for this remarkable institution.

At a time of great peril and promise, war and strife, we are blessed to have such a powerful reminder of man’s potential for great evil, but also our capacity to rise from tragedy and remake our world. Let our children come here, and know this history, so they can add their voices to proclaim "never again". And may we remember those who perished, not only as victims but also as individuals who hoped and loved and dreamed like us, and who have become symbols of the human spirit."

-Senator Barack Obama




image published on The Huffington Post, July 24, 2008

For the record, I've been to Yad Vashem. I saw names of lost family members recorded in their database. I've cried many times in my life, but never quite like that day at Yad Vashem.

Retro, straight out of the Ronnie Spector Sound of Music era. Rhythm and soul music hitting the wall. Makes me want to put go-go boots and let go.

Truth be told: I've lost my groove, I've lost my mojo in these last few months of wandering through the desert of life. Something about this song sets my feet a-tapping and my heart a-thwapping. It doesn't change things but it makes me feel as if I'll be dancing again one day. Soon. {} There's an unrequited love theme going on here but I've added my own twist to the words; whereas it sounds as if she is telling someone else "you do it well," I'm thinking "Yes, Pamela, shaddup already 'cos you do it well." Shaddup and write and stop your crying. Get up offa that thing and write.



Another take on this song tonight as offered by two hot tamale dancers from this summer's SO YOU CAN THINK YOU CAN DANCE program. Here's Twitch and Katee's interpretation of MERCY. Somewhat misogynist and old school (why was it always women begging for their men to come back? Me? I'd open the door and wish him the life he deserved) but... this is show business and story-telling and you have to tell the story the choreographer creates. Katee and Twitch did it exceedingly well. Angry and raw and... so over-the-top that it's almost funny. These two can SO dance.

Maybe I'm just waiting for the right moment to kick my own set of blues out the door. It's like learning to read and right now the letters are not making sense. If I push myself hard enough, there has to be that moment where the light bulb goes off and I will see the way out of the land mine I call Life Right Now. Walk slowly. Tread carefully. Seek mercy from oneself because no matter how many people tell you life is going to be better, the only person I need to hear say it is myself.

Time to put one foot in front of the other and start this journey rather than sitting on the fence watching the world walk on past.  The query is done, synopsis is done, manuscript is done.  Being summer with a busy five-year-old wanting my attention, being as I'm supposed to rest, I cannot do my usual blitz of sending out to agents.  Instead, I am trying for a few each week.  Slow and steady turtle, that's me :) 

I already have that hankering for a new WIP . . .

For those of you who happened to Google your title and ended up here, please know that one star is not a bad thing in Robin's world -- just the fact the I picked up your book and started it means that somewhere it's getting good buzz (or that your blurb was really cool). 'R' means it's a re-read.

* I didn't make it beyond the first 20 pages.
** I made it to the end, but I either skimmed or skipped large sections.
*** I might have skipped/skimmed, but I liked it and will read it again.
**** I read at least 95% of the book and it was good.
***** I read every word, and I loved it!

The V Club, by Kate Brian **** This was a fun book, and I really liked how KB handled the multiple POVs. I never got confused between the four MCs, and I felt like she explored their complexity nicely.

Head Case, by Sarah Aronson *** Well written, to be sure, but definitely not an upbeat book. Certainly made me think about things, however.

Gem X, by Nicky Singer ** This was okay. I couldn't get through it all, and after the first chapter or so, I definitely just skimmed the rest. Interesting ideas, but a little dense in its prose (just my opinion, of course).

stay with me, by Garret Freymann-Weyr ** I was liking this okay until the MC falls in love with someone that I, personally, don't find even remotely realistic. I skimmed to the end after that.

The Girlfriend Project, by Robin Friedman ** Just meh, for me.

Tim, Defender of the Earth, by Sam Enthoven *** Definitely a unique take on a thriller -- I liked it, though. It was quirky.

Luna, by Julie Ann Peters ** This oozed raw pain -- so I'd say it's well-written, but I just couldn't get through it.

Sisters in Sanity, by Gayle Forman ***- I enjoyed the romance and the complexity in this one. Interesting concept and ideas (and, I guess, based loosely on fact).

Set in Stone, by Linda Newbery ** I read the last third of this pretty closely and found that, for me, that's all I needed to get the story. It's an interesting style, though -- similar, imo, to Victoria Holt.

Mermaid Park, by Beth Mayall *** More interesting ideas, but I couldn't quite get a handle on the MC...she was slippery, in many ways, and I couldn't really tell how much she actually learned/grew by the end.

I have a lot more respect for comedians after going to my second stand-up comedy class. We had to go onstage and tell the class jokes into the microphone from topics we'd prepared beforehand. I had to go first. Topics I thought I could get a lot of jokes from ended up not funny at all. Some were downright depressing. I totally bombed. But so did most of the people in the class. The teacher said that usually only half the class remains at the end of the eight-week session.

Our teacher also said that most good comics get a laugh every ten to fifteen seconds. I didn't believe him, so I went home and timed a couple of comedians. Our teacher was right. Yikes.

I try to get at least seven jokes into my 400-500-word humor column. So that would be a joke about every 65 words. I wonder how many seconds it takes to read 65 words. Probably a lot more than ten to fifteen seconds.

Note that I was the only female in the class Monday night. Single women looking for a guy with a sense of humor: Enroll in a stand-up comedy class. But don't be surprised if it's incredibly difficult.

And by the way, I love it.

Yeah, if you haven't read this yet...you totally should. It's made of awesome. Review to come.



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