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January 7th, 2010
kellyrfineman
 | 08:46 pm - A Winter's Persuasion - Chapter Four
You may recall that we left off Chapter Three with a cliffhanger of an ending, with Anne in the thicket (actual and emotional), thinking that perhaps he might soon be walking there. Today, in Chapter Four, we learn who he is:
He was not Mr. Wentworth, the former curate of Monkford, however suspicious appearances may be, but a Captain Frederick Wentworth, his brother, who being made commander in consequence of the action off St Domingo, and not immediately employed, had come into Somersetshire, in the summer of 1806; and having no parent living, found a home for half a year at Monkford. He was, at that time, a remarkably fine young man, with a great deal of intelligence, spirit, and brilliancy; and Anne an extremely pretty girl, with gentleness, modesty, taste, and feeling. Half the sum of attraction, on either side, might have been enough, for he had nothing to do, and she had hardly anybody to love; but the encounter of such lavish recommendations could not fail. They were gradually acquainted, and when acquainted, rapidly and deeply in love. It would be difficult to say which had seen highest perfection in the other, or which had been the happiest: she, in receiving his declarations and proposals, or he in having them accepted.
A short period of exquisite felicity followed, and but a short one. Troubles soon arose. Sir Walter, on being applied to, without actually withholding his consent, or saying it should never be, gave it all the negative of great astonishment, great coldness, great silence, and a professed resolution of doing nothing for his daughter. He thought it a very degrading alliance; and Lady Russell, though with more tempered and pardonable pride, received it as a most unfortunate one.
Austen manages to make most of her female readers good and in love with Captain Wentworth themselves in this chapter, and I posit that she manages it using the following devices:
1. He is described in glowing terms, and, since Anne is the one person introduced in the novel so far who readers can attach to without feeling like they're rooting for a numbskull (Elizabeth) or a popinjay (Sir Walter) or someone on the make (Mrs. Clay and, to some extent, her father, Mr. Shepherd) or someone who places improper emphasis on rank (everyone I've just mentioned except Anne, plus Lady Russell).
2. Anne has already earned reader sympathy by being somewhat of an underdog - her father and her sister Elizabeth have been set up as fools, and they don't value Anne. Lady Russell, who is intelligent but a bit too fond of titles and money, adores Anne and has helped us to see her as a person of good character and real value. So if Anne loved - and still loves - Wentworth, then we sympathetically attach to him as well.
3. Wentworth himself is established as an underdog. Despite all his heroic traits (physically and intellectually), he is sneered at by Sir Walter (which can only raise him in readers' eyes) for his lack of fortune and rank. He is disliked by Lady Russell for traits that are presented as good traits - ambition in his career and a positive outlook that he'll soon make his fortune.
4. We learn that Anne deeply regrets having broken the engagement, that she still harbors feelings for Captain Wentworth, and that she wishes she had not done so.
How can we not all be inclined to love Captain Wentworth, under those circumstances? And, I might add, it's a good thing, too, or else we might not care for him all that much or bother to try to explain or understand his behavior when he and Anne eventually meet. And no, I don't consider that a spoiler, because if you've read any Austen or know anything about her work at all, you're already expecting it to occur.
Lady Russell's role
Lady Russell has essentially appointed herself Anne's fairy godmother, without the magic wand or gifts of nice clothing. And while I found myself exceedingly pissed at her for interference the first couple of times I read Persuasion, I believe it worth the time to examine her reasoning.
1. Anne was the daughter of a landed, titled gentleman; Wentworth is an aspiring naval officer with neither land nor money. Sir Walter had already said he'd do nothing for Anne, meaning no dowry and no support after her marriage.
2. Anne was only 19, and, at the time, quite pretty. She could make a more stable match, rather than attaching herself to a man who would be at sea all the time and, given his daring nature, willing to take a lot of risks in order to advance his career and his winnings. (Men in the navy split up the "winnings" when an enemy ship was captured, just as pirates did, frankly. So a daring officer willing to take lots of risks in engaging the enemy could gain a large amount of wealth, but in doing so, he was risking death on a regular basis.) Anne would be alone quite often, without any support from her father, and might face difficult times financially, to say nothing of the great risk of her being made a young widow.
3. Lady Russell didn't fully grasp the depth of Anne's affection, and thought it was merely an infatuation. She believed that with Wentworth gone, Anne would readily find someone else. Instead, she faded away. But Lady Russell didn't know - and couldn't have known - that when she advised Anne to break the engagement.
Why Anne broke it off
You will note that Anne was willing to proceed with her marriage despite her father's disapproval, since he did not outright forbid or oppose the marriage. Lady Russell, however, who was for all intents and purposes standing in the role of mother to Anne at that age, did outright oppose the marriage, offering quite a number of reasons as to why the match should not proceed. In deference to Lady Russell's pseudo-parental role, Anne allowed herself to be persuaded to call off the match due to Wentworth's lack of funds. This brings us to one of my favorite sentences in the book:
"She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older: the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning."
Back to Chapter Three.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p178/kellyrf/tired.png) run-down
Current Music: I've Got a Feeling by the Black-Eyed Peas (brainradio)
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jessicaburkhart
 | 07:14 pm - So...
Unfortunately, the CITY SECRETS cover needed a few last minute tweaks, so I don't have the file to share with you guys yet. :( *BUT* that means the cover is only going to be that much better. So, instead, I'll share the title for Canterwood Crest #11. :) That I can do.
Canterwood Crest #11 is... SCANDALS, RUMORS, LIES. Editor K came up with the title and I looooove it. :)
I have a ton of crazy writing to do, so I'm back to it.
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jamarattigan
 | 07:02 pm - shouting from the rooftops
We here at alphabet soup are jumpin' for joy at the wonderful news that MARE'S WAR, penned by the brilliant Tanita S. Davis, has been nominated for an NAACP Image Award!! Woo Hoo!! It's one of five books listed in the category of Outstanding Literary Work: Youth/Teens, along with these other titles:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice by Phillip Hoose (Macmillan)
Just Another Hero by Sharon Draper (Atheneum)
Michelle Obama: Meet the First Lady by David Bergen Brophy (Collins)
Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon (Aladdin).
We celebrated the release of MARE'S WAR (Knopf, 2009) back in June (red stilettos and all), and besides being a Junior Library Guild selection, it was also deemed a Best Young Adult Book for 2009 by Kirkus.
The NAACP nomination is huge, and we are thrilled to bits for Tanita. We offer our heartfelt congratulations!! ♥
*thunderous applause, skyrockets, 1000 chocolate cupcakes*
Click here to go to the NAACP Awards website to check out all the books nominated in the children's, teen and adult categories.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/bears/cheerful.gif) ecstatic
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dlgarfinkle
 | 02:09 pm - Clever Silliness
This made even me laugh today. I especially love Nicolas Cage as Rosie O'Donnell and as Mr. Rogers.
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davidlubar
 | 01:57 pm - Boston MassALA
Yikes -- I almost let this slip. The ALA Midwinter Meeting is nearly here. If you have a book nominated for one of the lists, or you think you might be in the running for a big award, please check out this valuable service for writers.
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dlgarfinkle
| 08:12 am - #%/!
You ever have a week so horrible that the only way it could turn out decent overall would be by winning the lottery and a Pulitzer prize and discovering the fountain of youth?
Off to buy some lottery tickets and go exploring...
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annemariepace
 | 10:55 am - Thankful Thursday
Today, I'm thankful for laughter.
I forget who turned me on to (The Customer is) Not Always Right; I think it was on editor Emily Mitchell's blog, though I could be completely wrong. I read it daily. It's sometimes brutal but it's almost always funny. It's basically a collection of reports from people who work in stores, customer service centers, etc., about the crazy things customers do.
Here's a kidlit-related post from today:
http://notalwaysright.com/they-dont-call-her-dumblesnore-for-nothing/3738
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davidlubar
| 10:28 am - Let me count the days
Some numbers from last year.
87 days spent speaking at schools. (I don't know how many schools in all, since some days were spent at more than one school.)
13 speaking appearances at conferences, libraries, and book stores.
64 airplanes boarded.
2 books written (somehow).
4 short stories written (fewer than usual).
2 books published (The Battle of the Red Hot Pepper Weenies, My Rotten Life).
1 anthology appearance (This Family Is Driving Me Crazy ).
1 anthology invitation (more on this later, but it will totally rock).
5 golden rings.
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lisa_schroeder
 | 06:38 am - Dream big 2010 - courtesty of Cheryl Renee Herbsman
I’ve always been a dreamer. When I was a kid, I kind of thought that was a bad thing, you know, like “you’re such a dreamer!” which was another way of saying “you’re crazy.” But to me, dreams are what make life fun. If I’m not working towards a dream, life feels stale. Sometimes it’s a big dream and sometimes it’s a little dream. But I’m always dreaming.
When I was a teen and my boyfriend lived 6,000 miles away and everyone thought I was crazy for thinking it could work, I never gave up. We’ve been married for twenty years now and have two beautiful children, a girl and a boy, just like we dreamed of when we were two teens walking along the beach.
When I first got the news that BREATHING was going to be published, the excitement was almost too much to bear. I was jumping around, screaming, flipping out. My heart felt full to bursting. But after a few days, I started to feel a little down and I had no idea why.
My daughter, who was about eleven at the time, understood, though. “It’s because you don’t have anything to dream for anymore,” she said. “Like when we finally got a dog after I’d wanted one for so many years. I was so excited, but then I felt sort of sad ‘cause I didn’t have a dream anymore.” Wow, pretty profound, no?
We found the perfect solution for both of us – new dreams! That’s what’s so awesome about dreaming – you never run out of stock. There’s always something new to dream about. And the dreaming gets me going, wrapped up in excitement and determination. And that’s where I’m the happiest, when I’m feeling grateful for the dreams that have come true and focused on the ones yet to be realized.
Happy Dreaming!
~*~
Cheryl Renee Herbsman lives in Northern California with her husband and two children. She grew up in North Carolina and often spent summer vacations at the Carolina coast, just like Savannah, the main character in her debut novel, BREATHING. You can visit Cheryl on the web at www.cherylreneeherbsman.com.
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cynleitichsmith
 | 08:08 am - Cynsations Winter Hiatus & VCFA Winter Residency
 Cynsations will be on hiatus from now until sometime shortly after Jan. 22 while I teach at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults winter 2010 residency in Montpelier.
I look forward to working with fellow faculty members Kathi Appelt, Margaret Bechard, Alan Cumyn, Sharon Darrow, Sarah Ellis, A.M. Jenkins, Ellen Howard, Uma Krishnaswami, Julie Larios, Martine Leavitt, Laura McGee Kvasnosky, Leda Schubert, Shelley Tanaka, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Tim Wynne-Jones. In addition, Carolyn Coman will be matched with post-graduate students.
Kimberly Willis Holt is the writer in residence. Sarah is leading the picture book certificate program, and the visiting author-illustrator is Lynne Rae Perkins.
Our graduate assistants will be Marianna Baer, Debbie Gonzales, Sarah Sullivan, and Zu Vincent.
Cynsational Notes
Children's-YA writing enthusiasts should watch my Twitter account! Beginning Sunday, I'll be tweeting the occasional faculty quote from the winter residency. Note: you do not have to be registered at Twitter or to "follow" me to read the tweets. You can just go to my Twitter page, and they'll all be displayed there, in descending order, from most to least recent.
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cynleitichsmith
| 07:35 am - Cynsational News & Giveaways
For those holiday vacationers who may have missed it, last week I posted my Cynsational Books of 2009. I'd like to highlight just a couple more: The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King (Flux, 2009) as well as The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series by Heather Brewer (Dutton, ongoing). Read a Cynsations interview with A.S.
Here's the book trailer for The Dust of 100 Dogs:
Here's the book trailer for Tenth Grade Bleeds (Dutton, 2009). Note: Heather is also highly recommended as a speaker. I had the pleasure of being on a panel with her in Westlake, Texas, last fall and was absolutely wowed by her savvy, smarts, and ability to connect with tweens.
This just in! Here's the new book trailer for Eleventh Grade Burns (Dutton, Feb. 2010).
Likewise, here's a quick recap of the interviews posted from Dec. 21 through the end of the month. Texas debut author Jill S. Alexander discussed story in country music; Jessica Blank wrote a guest post on adapting a novel into a screenplay; David L. Harrison talked about professional and artistic success, Michelle Markel shared her insights on taking writing risks, and debut author Penny Blubaugh reflected on early reading influences and her MFA.
New Releases
This Week's New Releases from Teenreads.com Blog. Highlights include books by Gordan Korman, Susanne Dunlap, Jordan Sonnenblick, Julie Ann Peters, Delia Ephron, Courtney Summers, Angela Johnson, Dia Reeves, Mari Mancusi, Jennifer R. Hubbard, Tim Bowlar, Lisa McMann, and Jacqueline Woodson.
Eighteen-year-old author Noni Carter talks about her novel, Good Fortune (Simon & Schuster, 2010). Note: Noni is a student at Harvard University.
Here's a book trailer for Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder (Simon Pulse, 2010). Read a new interview with Lisa by Tabitha Olsen from Writer Musings. Peek: "Because I started with picture books, where you need to be succinct as possible, I do think it helped me with the verse. I seem to do well in getting to the heart of a scene and figuring out how to get the emotional truth with just the right choice of words."
Here's a book trailer for Captivate by Carrie Jones (Bloomsbury, 2010). Read a new interview with Carrie from Fantastic Book Review. Enter to win a copy of Captivate.
Welcome YA Rebels
Vloggers YA Rebels describe themselves as "seven young adult authors giving you the behind the scenes drama!" Notes: now posting regularly; video includes cameo by John Green.
More News & Giveaways
 Cover Stories: Prada & Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard from Melissa Walker at readergirlz. Peek: "A few weeks later, they had a photo shoot, and they sent me the three best options--and they let me pick (my choice at left)! There were two styles of jeans and two types of red high heels. It was super exciting to be able to have some input at that point, and I'm grateful that the folks at Razorbill shared it with me." See also Cover Stories: Far From You by Lisa Schroeder and Cover Stories: Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph.
Manuscript Blindness by Brian Yansky from Brian's Blog: Writer Talk. Peek: "You have to look at the worth of your scenes in terms of the whole. Do they all belong? If they do belong, have you devoted the right amount of emphasis to each?" Read a Cynsations interview with Brian.
Top Ten Questions Dutton Editors Ask Themselves When Looking At A Manuscript from Kathy Temean at Writing and Illustrating: Sharing Information About Writing and Illustrating for Children. Peek: "Does the action of the story move at a good pace and hold our interest? Does tension build as the story moves forward?" Source: Janet Reid, Literary Agent.
10 Things I've Learned about the Writing Biz by Charlene Teglia from Genreality. Peek: "Don’t discount your business abilities and leave that up to other people because you’re 'just a writer'. You're also an independent business person and uniquely gifted with the ability to come up with solid ideas." Source: Elizabeth Scott.
 Win an ARC of Everlasting by Angie Frazier (Scholastic, 2010) from Angie Frazier: Adventures of a YA Novelist. Deadline: midnight EST Jan. 8. Learn more about Everlasting.
A Diamond in the Slush: What Picture Book Editors Are Really Looking For by Melanie Hope Greenberg from SCBWI Metro NY News. Peek: "In developing a project, however, they [Alexandra Penfold of Simon & Schuster and Alisha Niehaus of Dial] recommend that authors keep looking for ways to broaden its appeal." Source: Tammi Sauer.
Interview: Melissa de la Cruz by Little Willow at Bildungsroman. Peek: "The supernatural stories are easier. For The Ashleys and The Au Pairs, it was fun but I found it exhausting after awhile to keep up with all the trends and incorporate them in the book in a new way." Read a Cynsations interview with Melissa.
Six Word Resolutions & Goals! A Book Giveaway! And a New Year's Poem For You! by April Halprin Wayland from Teaching Author's: Six Children's Authors Who Also Teach Writing. Note: "April posted a follow-up to the contest we held last fall asking readers to post their goals for the new school year. Now it's time for readers to report on how they did. Those who didn't make their goals are invited to post a revised goal. And anyone who missed the original post is welcome to share a new writing resolution for 2010. One lucky participant will receive an autographed copy of April's award-winning picture book, New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, illustrated by Stephané Jorisch (Dial, 2009)."
How I Got My Agent by Anna Staniszewski. Peek: "Sometimes you have to be willing to put one project aside, as I did, and realize that it might not be the one that's going to get you an agent/get you published/etc. That's why you should never stop writing, because you never know which manuscript will grab someone's attention."
 Congratulations to David Lubar on the release of Dead Guy Spy (Starscape, 2010), the second book in his Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie series! Peek: "Nathan Abercrombie is getting used to his rotten life as a half-dead zombie. The good thing is he doesn't feel any pain. The bad thing is his body can't heal, so he has to be really careful not to break anything. But that's hard to do when his wrestling-obsessed gym teacher, Mr. Lomux, matches him up with Rodney the bully, who's looking for any excuse to break his bones. Then one day, Nathan is approached by the secret organization B.U.M.—aka the Bureau of Useful Misadventures—which offers him a cure in exchange for his help. Nathan jumps at the chance to become the world's first zombie spy, but soon discovers that B.U.M. isn’t quite what it seems. Can Nathan trust them?" Read a Cynsations interview with David.
Melanie Kroupa to Join Marshall Cavendish by Lynn Andriani from Publishers Weekly. Peek: "Kroupa will be joining Marshall Cavendish Children's Books as an editor-at-large on Jan. 1, reporting to publisher Margery Cuyler. Kroupa will work for the publisher, which is located in Tarrytown, N.Y., from her office in Dedham, Mass."
Mary Cole of Andrea Brown Literary Agency on Urban Fantasy by Parker Peevyhouse from The Spectacle. Peek: "Believe it or not, some of the most successful urban fantasy stories are also some of the funniest, and that has everything to do with voice. Without humor, personality and wit, 'dark' and 'gritty' will soon become 'bleak' and 'grating.'"
Marvelous Marketer: Nathan Bransford (Literary Agent) by Shelli at Market My Words. Peek: "Traditionally it wasn't really the agent's job to promote books, but I think that may be changing somewhat with the times."
 Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature from School Library Journal. Peek: "Katherine Paterson, a two-time Newbery medalist and two-time National Book Award-winner, replaces Jon Scieszka as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, a two-year position created to raise national awareness of the importance of lifelong literacy and education." Note: Yesterday, Candlewick Press announced the upcoming publication of an illustrated middle-grade novel from Katherine. The Flint Heart is a retelling of the story by the late British fantasy novelist Eden Phillpots, written by Katherine and her husband, John Paterson. It will be illustrated by John Rocco and is slated for publication in March 2012.
Channeling My Inner Boy by Mary Atkinson from Crowe's Nest. Peek: "I’d write scenes like these and wonder, where did that come from? Do those boys really live inside me? Who are they? What do these scenes say about me? Am I crude, nasty, and violent?"
The First Sentence or Three by Rosalyn Schanzer from INK: Interesting Nonfiction for Kids. Peek: "In honor of finding some firsts in nonfiction, I thought I’d try to dig up a few books with great first sentences or first paragraphs; the kind that surprise you at first glance and pull you into a first-rate story right away."
The Longstockings: a new site from Coe Booth, Daphne Grab, Lisa Greenwald, Jenny Han, Caroline Hickey, and Siobhan Vivian. Don't miss 12 Months of Workshop: an opportunity to submit 25 pages of your work in progress to be workshopped by the Longstockings. Peek: "that writer will receive a document compiling the helpful notes, suggestions and (surely) lots of praise from The Longstockings!" Note: this contest will be held every month of this year.
 Successful Queries: Agent Ted Malawer and 'My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters' from Chuck Sambuchino at Guide to Literary Agent's Editor's Blog. Peek: "Sydney's largest paragraph sets up the plot, the conflict, and introduces some exciting potential love interests and misadventures that I was excited to read about."
MG/YA SFF Virtual Conference by Tiffany Trent from Eudaimonium: Finding the Gold. Peek: "So, I want to try an experiment. I'm planning on holding a one-day virtual conference sometime in late March or April. I want this to be a truly useful conference to writers and aficionados of MG/YA SFF. Many of us see the same panels over and over again at conferences, making us feel like we've wasted time and money. How might we do it differently? What panels would you like to see that you haven't seen?"
Featured Sweetheart: Cailin O'Connor by P.J. Hoover from The Texas Sweethearts. Peek: "You may recognize Cailin as the genius behind the Bridget Zinn auctions in the past year."
Revision by Brian Yansky from Brian's Blog: Writer Talk. Peek: "...there's a time during revision where you have to be more analytical. The story is in place and the characters are real, and your manuscript feels like all the elements are fitting together. To get to this evolutionary moment in the manuscript, you had to depend on your creative side: instinct and imagination and inspiration. But now you need the analytical side that evaluates." Note: Brian shares a scene-by-scene list of questions to consider for revision. Read a Cynsations interview with Brian.
Comment Challenge 2010 from MotherReader. Peek: "Since it is said that it takes twenty-one days to form a new habit, we’re going to run the Comment Challenge for the next three weeks — starting Friday, Jan. 8, and running through Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. The goal is to comment on at least five kidlitosphere blogs a day."
 Author Interview: Natalie Standiford on How To Say Goodbye in Robot (Scholastic, 2009) from Teenreads.com. Peek: "Once a real story starts to gel, I write a loose plot outline. Some books have complicated plots and require a more detailed outline. I always end up changing things as I write anyway. But I like to know what's going to happen so I can keep the story focused and sharpen every detail into an arrow that points toward the end."
Congratulations to fellow Austinites Lila and Rick Guzman on the release of Lorenzo and the Pirate (Blooming Tree, 2010)! Peek: "The fourth book in the Lorenzo series, it is set on the high seas in 1779 and tells the story of Spanish participation in the American Revolution." Source: Writers' League of Texas. Read a Cynsations interview with Lila.
Is Your 'But' Too Big? by John Gibbs from An Englishman in New Jersey. Peek: "Be wary of such people. Many of them carry a virus, Excusitis, a mental affliction which can kill writing dreams by causing the person suffering from it to doubt themselves and their ability. Symptoms include excessive use of the phrases like 'I wanted to be a writer, but...', 'I’ve always thought I had a book in me, but...', 'I love writing, but...'"
Matt Phelan is the winner of the 2010 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for The Storm in the Barn (Candlewick, 2009). Source: Read Roger.
 Congratulations to Sharon Draper, E.B. Lewis, Tanita S. Davis, Kekla Magoon, and the other nominees for the 41rst NAACP Image Awards in "Outstanding Literary Work - Children" and "Outstanding Literary Work - Youth/Teens!"
Writing Links from Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's-YA Literature Resources features lots to know about agents, book design & art direction, editors & publishers, education, illustration, promotion, publishing, and writing. See also Inspiration in Writing Children's & YA Books and Perspiration: Self Study.
R.J. Anderson talks about Rebel, the sequel to Knife (Orchard UK)(titled Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter in the U.S. from HarperCollins). Source: The Enchanted Inkpot. Read a Cynsations interview with R.J.
Kidlitosphere Diversity Discussion
 PaperTigers Reading the World Challenge 2010. Peek: "Choose one book from/about/by or illustrated by someone from each of the seven continents – that’s: Africa; Antarctica; Asia; Australasia; Europe; North America; South America. Have the books read aloud to you or read them yourself; share them as part of a book-group or in class. Combine your choices with other reading challenges. The books can be picture-books, poetry, fiction, non-fiction...the choice is yours."
Reflecting on the Great Mosaic of Humankind by Jane Kurtz at The Power of One Writer. Peek: "I tend to be disappointed with consumers more than editors because I've seen what it's like to have authors, editors, illustrators, art designers, sales reps, and others on the publishing team pour their hearts into a book that only sits in a warehouse because people–by and large–weren't adventuresome enough (or openhearted enough) in their reading tastes."
 Demand Diversity in Publishing by Colleen Mondor at Chasing Ray. Peek: "Think about balance in your reviewing--think about books for kids with black skin or brown, kids who attend a Mosque or Synagogue, kids who go to school on a reservation or Native village in Alaska or that had grandparents from Asia or the Middle East or India or Kenya or Haiti or Cuba. Think about everyone else as much as you think about yourself."
Kids of Color in Middle Grade Science Fiction and Fantasy--a look back at the 98 books nominated for the Cybils from Charlotte's Library: Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Children and Teenagers. Peek: "Here are the kids of color I found, the ones who got enough page-time to be memorable."
More Personally
My holiday highlights included reading Nightshade by debut author Andrea Cremer (Philomel, Oct. 2010). It was my great pleasure to send in a blurb for the novel, which you can read here.
 Look for a screen shot and recommendation of my picture books bibliography from Cynthia Leitich Smith Children's & Young Adult Literature Resources in "Web Monthly: Picture This--Websites About Picture Books" by Greg Byerly on pg. 35 of the January 2010 issue of School Library Monthly (formerly School Library Media Activities Monthly.
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jamarattigan
 | 07:25 am - soup of the day: the secret year by jennifer r. hubbard
Ah, love, sweet love!
The perfect reason to serve up the first bowl of celebration soup for 2010!
It's especially fitting for a first bowl to honor a first book, and even better, it was written by a Live Journal friend I had the pleasure of meeting last fall: the one and only Jennifer R. Hubbard! Today, her debut young adult novel, The Secret Year, officially hits the shelves!!
*wild cheering, swooning, licking of lips in anticipation*
By now you know how I feel about first books: only happens once in a writer's lifetime -- no matter how many books follow, there will always and only be just one first book -- a sparkling, awe-inspiring, shiny bright moment in time that deserves to be honored, celebrated, shouted from the rooftops, and embraced by all who love to read, write, edit, publish, promote, and share books.
( Read more... )
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/charitycam/bears/excited.gif) excited
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susanwrites
 | 01:03 am - Getting started in art journals
For the people that asked, I thought I'd share a few of the places I've found very helpful as I am getting acquainted with art journals. These
folks represent some of the best art and a variety of styles. I've discovered that I don't care so much about a journal that I write a lot of words in - I have this blog for that. For me it is all about learning how to make art. But you might want something different.
Sarah Whitmore. Sarah offers a major chunk of her soul journal class for free on her website. She also hosts a wonderful group on Yahoo.
Teesha Moore Omisgosh her journal pages are something else. She talks about her basic techniques here but go to YouTube and put in her name and you will see tons of fabulous videos.
Julie Prichard offers some great tips on getting started as well as Video tutorials
Ricë Freeman-Zachery has great info and podcasts with some wonderful artists. She hosts a terrific group on Yahoo
and if you go to YouTube, she's got some great videos there.
Milliande share so much info both on her website on and YouTube. She has some amazing videos.
My introduction to art journals came via ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) newport2newport who introduced me to Aisling who has a lot of helpful info here and here.
Kelly Kilmer has a great blog and is always teaching classes online.
Suziblu is popular. Also a lot of her videos are on YouTube.
A quick and simple way to make an altered book journal can be found here
A question a week for an entire year can be found here.
This is just the tip of the ice berg. If you have an absolute favorite site for beginners, please leave it in the comments.
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aprilhenry
 | 05:03 am - Putting my out-of-print books on the Kindle
I’ve been published since 1999. Which means that, like many authors, some of my books are out of print. You can buy them used on Amazon or half.com, or you could break into my basement and steal a remaindered copy or two.
It’s hard to think that a book you loved and labored over is now forgotten except for the occasional library reader.
But now out-of-print books can have a second life. I started by putting my best-reviewed book to date, Learning to Fly, on the Kindle. Today I added Circles of Confusion, which has yet to sync up with the print version (but it did eventually with Learning to Fly).
What you need
-An Amazon account, which you already have if you have bought something from Amazon.
-The words. With luck, you still have the Word file that you submitted to your publisher. And again, with luck, they had you make changes on the file and re-send, rather than someone at the publisher someplace making changes. I’ve been proofing my old Word files before I post them on the Kindle. Nothing like not looking at something for five plus years to see typos.
And if you don’t have the words? You can scan in the book or manuscript. Lee Goldberg told me he scanned some of his out-of-print books using Omnipage 17 software. For one book, I used blueleaf-book-scanning.com and because I didn’t ask for anything fancy and didn’t ask for my book back, it only cost $12.15, plus $4.75 to mail them the book. Then they emailed me a word file.
-A cover image. My husband made me some new ones, using photos from istock.com. The photos were inexpensive, and my husband worked for free.
-Proof that you own the copyright. I just held up my “reversion of rights” letter from St. Martins to my Web cam, snapped a photo, and emailed it to Amazon. (Wait until they ask you for proof to do this step.)
-The ISBN of one of the print editions. When you are filling out the form to put your book on the Kindle, use the ISBN of your printed book. This will link it up with all your old reviews, both from readers and from publications.
What you get
-Probably not a ton of money. At least I haven’t yet. I’ve heard from other authors that their lower-priced books sell more copies than when they had a higher price. So I priced mine at $1.99. I figured more folks would take a chance on me. Amazon and I split that, 65%/35%. So I get 70 cents, which is still 70 cents I wouldn’t have had otherwise. So far, I’ve made under $100.
-More readers. More readers for books I loved but no one could buy anymore, except for the occasional used copy changing hands. More readers who might be willing to pay more to read Kindle books my publisher holds rights to, or even my newer print books.
For more info
Here’s where you need to go on Amazon to get started. They have a lot of information about how to do it.
This is Lee Goldberg’s experience.
And while I doubt anyone else has had JA Konrath's success, here’s part of his story.
How about you?
Got more info than what I have, or know a blog that does? Know how to put books on a Sony E-reader or a Nook? Let me know.
More of the covers my talented husband designed for when I put the books on the Kindle
 
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January 6th, 2010
kellyrfineman
 | 10:42 pm - A short quote from Romeo & Juliet
From Act II, sc. 3, among the many lovely lines spoken by Juliet while she was out on her balcony. You may recall that we discussed Romeo and Juliet during Brush Up Your Shakespeare Month.
Here's a great quote, and one that is known to come up in everyday conversation:
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet[.]
Sorry it's so late in the day - I've got a cold and it's kicking my ass. But I'll be back tomorrow with Chapter Four of Persuasion by Jane Austen, wherein we learn the object of Anne Elliot's affection.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p178/kellyrf/sick.png) sick
Current Music: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (brainradio)
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aprilhenry
| 04:15 pm - First review for Hand of Fate
Hand of Fate (A Triple Threat Novel) pubs April 6. Far enough out that I haven't seen any formal pre-pub reviews for it.
But Google Alerts - which is a blessing and a curse - did turn up a blogger's review. [Full disclosure: writing with a coauthor who is more of a name brand than you is an exercise in swallowing your ego, because sometimes a reviewer kind of forgets to mention you. But hey, at least this is a good review.]
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aprilhenry
| 12:13 pm - Not dead yet
Just to clarify after a concerned email or two, I'm having minor surgery (really, really minor), and I had to sign a bunch of paperwork. One said that even if I had an advanced directive, their policy was to resuscitate me if something went wrong even if I had a DNR. Which is when the nurse told me, "Don't worry, either way, we'll resuscitate you."
I don't plan on going anywhere.
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aprilhenry
| 11:04 am - Um, I don't think so
My spellchecker did not know the word "rictus."
It suggested "rectums."
It would certainly change the meaning of the sentence.
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![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/sam/calm.gif)
calm