Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
(I know, I know, I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I should, but if it helps ease the sting, please know that I have been working on Golden Spiral more. A lot more. And I really, really like where it’s going.)
I did take day off from writing, however, to spend the day at Dixon Middle School to celebrate reading, writing, and all things creative with the 7th and 8th grade classes. Fellow authors James Dashner, J. Scott Savage, and Jessica Day George rounded out the party and I hope that between the four of us, we offered the kids a day they’ll never forget. We spent the morning in assemblies, talking to the different grades about how we became writers, why we like to write, and answered some of their questions in an informal Q&A format.
I was honored to have been asked to join such an august panel of authors since I’m the newest one to the profession of “published author,” and it was a treat to spend the day with such good writers and friends.
After lunch (Café Rio, my favorite), we were able to teach three smaller workshop sessions to the kids who had signed up for lunch and lessons. I’ve only done a handful of school visits so far, but every time I go, I’m amazed at how many kids are already writing and how many kids ask me about how to get their book published. I remember being in 8th grade, and there was no way I as brave as these kids are who are already thinking about publication! I love to hear their enthusiasm for the books the read and the stories they are telling. It sparks my own desire to go home and write and tell the stories that are inside of me.
My workshop focuses on some of the nuts and bolts of writing (characters, conflict, motivation, and how to start plotting out your story), and one of the things I love to do is ask for a volunteer to tell me what they did in a two-hour span after school. It’s usually pretty uneventful (went home, spent time with friends, watched a movie, etc.), but then we always ask “What if” and turn the day on its head. The kids at Dixon had great ideas for stories (a microchip hidden in an ice cream cone; playing cards that turned into fortune-telling cards that could change someone’s fate; a school bus that was really a Twinkie; a video game that you could plug directly into your brain and play for real; a sister trained in the ancient art of assassination).
It was a good day, filled with books and stories and imagination. And dragons! We were all given statues of dragons as a thank-you gift. Mrs. Moody said they were magical dragons with the gift of language. So I’m going to put mine on my laptop and see if he’ll write for me while I’m asleep….
(And a special shout-out THANK YOU to Leann Moody and her crack IT guy at the school library who saved me a 45-minute drive back home after I realized I’d left my computer plug at home. You guys are the best!)
His eyes. His touch. His kiss. Dante was unlike anyone Abby had ever met. Now he’s gone, and Abby will do anything to get him back…
The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Abby knows that Dante, as a Master of Time, is the only one who can stop them from destroying time itself. She also knows that he will need her help. But almost immediately, things start to change and Abby’s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically.
With each new change that ripples into her present, Abby’s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family, are threatened to the breaking point – and beyond. Zo’s power is greater than Abby ever imagined, and as she struggles to free Dante, she receives help from an unexpected – and unlikely – ally.
As Abby’s world fractures around her, she must face a terrible truth: either Dante didn’t make it through the door, or he is lost forever. So with Dante’s blueprints in hand, she begins construction on a new door, a new time machine that will either save Dante – or doom him.
The river of time is running wild, churning up secrets and betrayals, revelations and promises. With each new turn of the river, Abby faces a new challenge. Who can she trust? And how many more changes can she survive?
The bank is eroding, the barriers are thinning. And time is running out.
Watch for The Golden Spiral to be in bookstores in May 2010!
Saturday night was Ladies Night at Deseret Book and I was invited to the Layton store for a book signing with some other authors. It had been a long time since I’d been to a Ladies Night event and I was happily surprised at how many people came to the store. I was lucky enough to share a table with one of my favorite authors Josi S. Kilpack. We had a steady stream of people coming by to visit with us and talk about all things books with us.
There was definitely a party atmosphere at the store with balloons tied to chairs, door prizes, live music by Cherie Call, and bite-sized brownies available at every turn. I enjoyed talking to the customers, telling them about my book, and signing copies.
As the event wound down, and fewer people came by to look at our books, Josi and I were able to visit with each other about writing and publishing, work and family. I admire Josi; not only is she a talented author but she is also an amazing person, outgoing and friendly.
I had a great time and look forward to enjoying another Ladies Night party in April.
Why, the Australian Pink Floyd show of course!
My brother is a huge fan of Pink Floyd and with tickets on sale for $10, all four of us were able to go (me and Tracy, my brother and his wife). I’d seen the APF show once before when, in addition to some of the greatest hits, they played all of Dark Side of the Moon. Very cool.
The show was at the Usana, which is one of the best places to see a show. There’s something about being outside under the stars watching a great band perform amazing music that just feels right. Plus, the sound mix was one of the cleanest and sharpest I’d heard in a long time. You could actually hear the individual instruments without losing the high notes in some horrible screeching feedback.
This was a “greatest hits” kind of concert, which was perfect for me, since I’m a “greatest hits” kind of fan. My first real experience with Pink Floyd was when I was a teenager and I listened to all of The Wall in the dark in my room. Maybe not the best introduction to the band, but a memorable experience nonetheless. (Side note: It turns out many of my favorite songs come from that album.) (Second side note: another early Pink Floyd memory I have is being in junior high and seeing a guy wearing a T-shirt with the words “We don’t need no education” written on the back and me thinking, “Uh, yes, you do—that’s a double negative.” Yes, I was that much of a nerd.)
The thing about Pink Floyd’s music is that it reminds me more of a symphony or a good jazz improv than hardcore rock and roll. The songs are unapologetically long, which leaves lots of time and room to wander around musically and creatively. They are not the three-minute, radio-friendly, verse-verse-chorus-bridge-verse kinds of song. They are lush without being overdone; they are fat without being heavy. They seem to be more interested in the experience of music than anything. While the songs aren’t particularly hum-able (at least, not for me), I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a more transcendent song than “Great Gig in the Sky.” (I’d like to see someone try that on American Idol!)
The next time the Aussie Pink Floyd show is in town, whether you’re a fan or not, do yourself a favor and go. Shine on, you crazy diamond!
So this Labor Day weekend, my sister-in-law took her family to the amusement park for a day of riding rides and playing games. And my littlest niece was, for the first time, tall enough to ride the roller-coaster with, not one, but two upside-down loops. Guess which once was her favorite ride?
I think writing is a lot like that. Sometimes you have to let an idea grow a little before it becomes a story. Sometimes it’s really scary to look at what’s head of you—whether it’s two back-to-back loop-de-loops or two really tricky chapters—and all you can do is buckle up, hold on, and go for it. And somewhere between the screaming and the laughter, you realize that you love it and that all you what to do when you get off the ride is ride it again.
I also think that is why we love books so much—especially series. We find a good story with good characters and all we want to do is tag along on their adventures, see what they see, feel what they feel. Characters in fiction often have much more exciting roller-coaster lives that we do here in reality. (Don’t get me wrong, though, sometimes reality is a wild ride all by itself.) And my favorite characters face their fears with a strange blend of determination and anticipation. I know that if I ride along with them, I’ll learn something about them—and possibly even something about me.
I’m trying to keep all that in mind as I work on Golden Spiral. Writing Hourglass Door was a lot like strapping myself in for the story and riding it breathlessly all the way to the end. I’m discovering that Spiral is a different kind of ride—one that still offers plenty of excitement, stomach-dropping surprises, and thrilling twists, but one that inspires a few more anticipation butterflies than I expected. But that’s not always a bad thing, you know.
As I stand up straight, measuring myself against the task at hand, I know that I’m able to tame this beast of a ride. I’m going to make sure Abby and Dante are in the front seats, and then I’m going to send them on a roller-coaster with as many loop-de-loops as I can.
I like to think that I’m pretty good at keeping things in order. I love to use checklists and assigning events to the “Task” list in Outlook. I love the feeling of satisfaction I get when I check something off as “completed” and can move on to the next item.
But what I hate is when I have more to-do items than I can humanly do in one day. Summer is a busy season in publishing—ah, who am I kidding, every season is a busy season in the publishing world—because if we don’t have our Christmas books finished in July, they won’t be ready for the stores in time for Christmas sales. So even though it is a sweltering 100 degrees outside, inside my office I’m humming “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and looking up facts about Santa to verify a detail mentioned in a new Christmas novel. It’s kind of strange.
This summer has seemed busier than usual and I find myself having to remind myself to breathe just to make it through the day. In an effort to juggle all that I have to do as an editor, an author, and a wife (not to mention trying to find a little me-time every day), I’ve been trying out some new ways of working. Including writing on the train.
Train-time used to be me-time. My commute to work is about thirty minutes and I used to take those thirty minutes and lose myself in a good book. I’d get an hour every day to read something I wanted to read. Not for work—just for me. But my deadline for The Golden Spiral is looming and I still have a lot of work to do on it. So I’ve been looking at that hour on the train not as reading time, but as writing time. My mom’s laptop is just the right size and has a decent battery lifespan. And so I’m embarking on a new adventure. I’m going to try to write on the train. I hope it works. Wish me luck.
Writers--at work?
First, I have to apologize for the long silence of my blog. I have tried to keep a fairly regular blogging schedule, but alas, as is often the case, life and time conspired to keep me away from the computer. But I hereby vow to do better from here on out. I promise. J
And so, to make good on that promise, I’d like to share the events from today, which involved a community party with some good friends, followed by a book signing at the local bookstore.
About a month or so ago, the West Jordan Deseret Book emailed me, wondering if I might like to participate in a summer party at the Jordan Landing Plaza. I said yes (of course—I hate to pass up an opportunity to blab about my book J) and asked if I could extend the invitation to my good friends and fellow authors Ally Condie and Becca Wilhite. We decided to have a Summer Beach theme, complete with leis, and for our presentation, we planned to write a book in twenty minutes. And of course—there would be treats—lemon bars and cookies.
I’ll be honest, I was a little worried that we might not have a very big crowd (the marketing was slim) but when we arrived at the store, there was already a crowd waiting for us outside under a canopy. The three of us dove in, encouraging the audience to participate with us in writing a book together. We ended up with the story of Ellie, who, in an effort to escape from her 13 older sisters, built a raft and sailed with her cat, Simon, from Washington to China, narrowing escaping certain death from a terrible storm, a shark attack (from 50 sharks!), and potential starvation when her food supply ran out. Happily, Ellie and Simon reached China safely and found the perfect hat—which was the goal all along. Not bad for twenty minutes, huh?
After our adventure with creativity, we had a drawing for some free books, and then the whole group headed over to Deseret Book for a book signing and some visiting. All in all, I think it was a total success. And the best part was that Becca (and her kids), Ally, and I all went to lunch afterwards. Honestly, it was WAY more fun that going to work today.
Where to begin? It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write up a blog post and a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.
Media Blitz: Okay, so I don’t know if it qualifies as an actual media blitz, but with the official release of my book this week, I have had the chance to be interviewed by the Deseret News and by Doug Wright for his KSL radio show, and my book had a full-page ad in the Deseret Book summer catalog. Plus I’ve had some nice reviews at Amazon.com, DeseretBook.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, and GoodReads.com. Not to mention that I had a launch party for my book, had my first official book signing, and my first school visit (more on those later), and yeah, maybe it does qualify as a blitz. I know I certainly feel a little overwhelmed at the moment.
Photo Shoot: When the Deseret News called to interview me earlier this month, they also requested a photograph of me to run with the article and book review. And so I had the chance to play dress-up one day, get my hair and makeup done by a professional stylist, and channel my inner Tyra Banks (fierce, but smiling with my eyes) in an honest-to-goodness photo shoot. I was a little nervous, but Butch Adams (the photographer) was really nice and gave me some good direction. It helped that Tracy was able to meet me at the studio for the last half-hour or so and I’m always a lot more relaxed when he’s with me. I thought the shoot went pretty well and I hoped we had some decent shots—maybe at least one good shot we could use for the paper, anyway. So imagine my surprise when the pictures came back and well, see for yourself . ..
Pretty nice, huh? Sometimes it’s hard to believe that those are pictures of me. It’s like when you hear your recorded voice: you know it’s you, but at the same time, it doesn’t sound like you.
Launch Party: Tracy organized a launch party for me for the release of Hourglass Door. We reserved the park by our house and invited a bunch of people to come for sandwiches, treats, games, and fun. The day was absolutely beautiful—sunshine, warm and clear—and the very instant we snapped open the tablecloths to cover the picnic tables at the park . . . Whoosh! A cold wind sprang up, roaring through the pavilion like a tornado. The temperature dropped, the clouds moved in, and I started to think maybe we should have served hot chocolate instead of cold sodas. But despite the fickle weather, we still had a great time. My family came and so did a bunch of friends from work and the neighborhood. Here are some pictures from the party.
Book Signing: After the launch party, I had my first official book signing at the Deseret Book store in Jordan Landing. I was a little nervous—what if no one showed up?—but as it turned out, a whole bunch of people showed up! In fact, I had a line of people waiting for me when I arrived. And what’s more, those people wanted to buy my book and have me sign it! It was great to see all my friends and visit with everyone for a few minutes. I even had some friends that I hadn’t seen since high school come to the signing. Small world! I had a steady stream of people for more than an hour—including some people who were just shopping at the store and bought my book without knowing anything about it. And while I know that not every book signing will be like this one—I’m sure there will be some events where I’ll be lucky to have even a couple people stop by my table—I think that as far as book signings go, this one was a complete success.
School Visit: This week I kicked off my Author Tour by visiting Rocky Mountain Middle School in Idaho Falls, Idaho—Go Panthers!—for my first ever school presentation. I spent the day with Mrs. Olsen’s eighth-grade English classes, talking about writing, creativity, and my book. I had a fantastic time and was impressed with the kids, who asked interesting questions and either paid attention to my presentation or were at least polite enough not to disrupt it. I was a little surprised—but pleased—at how many kids said that they were writing stories or wanted to be writers someday. It’s fun to think that maybe I visited with an undiscovered bestselling author. And speaking of authors, in all the scenarios I imagined might happen during my school visit—equipment malfunction, for example (the projector died halfway through my first class)—I confess I didn’t expect what happened to me after lunch.
After grabbing a bite to eat at the cafeteria—complete with a carton of milk and an oatmeal chocolate-chip cookie—I was visiting with some girls in the library. The bell rang and all the students turned to leave. All but one, that is. She came up to me and said, “I heard that you also worked for a publishing company, is that right?” When I said yes, she gathered up some papers and said, “Well, I wrote a short story, can I give it to you?” And then she handed me her manuscript! I was so impressed with her bravery and confidence—there was no way I would have done the same thing when I was in the seventh grade. I had some time that afternoon to read her short story and write a few comments and make a few suggestions for her to think about. So take note, all you writers out there, you never know when an opportunity to network will present itself, and when it does, you better be ready!
(I know, I know, I haven’t been blogging as regularly as I should, but if it helps ease the sting, please know that I have been working on Golden Spiral more. A lot more. And I really, really like where it’s going.)
