"DEAR WRITER: I am a young-at-heart reader.
Some of my friends say an e-book isn't a book at all.
Daddy says, 'If you see it on the Observation Desk it must be so.'
Please tell me the truth; is an e-book a real book?"
CONCERNED READER
555.55.55.555
READER, your friends are wrong. They are stuck in an ancient world. They cannot adapt with the times and long for the days when oral storytelling was the main form of sharing tales. Human nature dictates they fight against any form of change or evolution.
Yes, READER, an e-book is a real book. It is as much a book as a song played on an iPod is real music or verse scribbled on a bathroom wall is a real poem. A print book is not a book itself, not if you take a look at all the definitions of the word. "Book" is a noun, a verb, an adjective. It can be a set of matches or a record of bets. It can be making a reservation or entering an official charge against a criminal. It can describe a department in a store.
An e-book not a book! Do your friends also not believe in magic? Magic is having hundreds of stories at your fingertips with one click of a button. It's escaping into a world you never experienced on this plane of existence, whether historical, realistic, or fantastical. It's feeling a character is so real you mourn their loss when the story ends.
No, you can't physically flip an e-book's pages or smell its moldering pages, but none of that makes a book. The words are the important part. They are woven together into sentences and paragraphs that can bring a story to life in your mind. Therein lies the power of a book, the divine communication between writer and reader to create. No need for paper and ink and bindings.
You can try and fathom what form a book will take in the future, but the form is not the thing. A million years from now a print book, an e-book, a feed directly into your brain, they will all be real books. Care not about how you get the story, care about getting it. Read print books, read e-books. Just read. Fill yourself with the knowledge, emotions, fun, love that is a good book and you will have a rich life indeed.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Colors Like Memories by Meradeth Houston
Please put your hands together for Meradeth Houston author of Colors Like Memories, a YA Paranormal released from MuseItUp Publishing on May 11th.
Meradeth is having a giveaway for her blog tour. Anyone who comments on this or any other post from her tour will be entered into a drawing. Two lucky winners will receive a copy of Colors Like Memories and one winner will get a $25 gift card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble (full details on Meradeth's blog).
A bit about the Colors Like Memories:
Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.
Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.
Meradeth (being the good sport she is) agreed to take on the challenge of creating some original work based on the infamous magnetic poetry that graces my refrigerator. She said she channeled this ditty from her main character, Julia:
Don't be jealous of her poetic prowess. She admits to having some experience in this area, "My roommates and I used to have several sets on our fridge in college and we were always playing with them, though there were times when we’d have to rush and take them all down before a boyfriend could enter the kitchen—they weren’t always, er, polite..."
She also offered this magnetic line from the writerly part of herself:
Meradeth is having a giveaway for her blog tour. Anyone who comments on this or any other post from her tour will be entered into a drawing. Two lucky winners will receive a copy of Colors Like Memories and one winner will get a $25 gift card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble (full details on Meradeth's blog).
A bit about the Colors Like Memories:
Julia has a secret: she killed the guy she loved. It was an accident—sort of.
Julia is a Sary, the soul of a child who died before taking her first breath. Without this 'breath of life' she and others like her must help those on the verge of suicide. It's a job Julia used to enjoy, until the accident that claimed her boyfriend’s life—an accident she knows was her fault. If living with the guilt weren't enough, she's now assigned to help a girl dealing with the loss of her mother, something Julia's not exactly the best role model for. If she can't figure out a way to help her, Julia's going to lose her position in the Sary, something she swore to her boyfriend would never happen.
Meradeth (being the good sport she is) agreed to take on the challenge of creating some original work based on the infamous magnetic poetry that graces my refrigerator. She said she channeled this ditty from her main character, Julia:
Some say, cliché,
It is better to loved, & lost,
Than to have never loved at all.
But to imagine life,
With-out light,
Heart, or warmth,
Makes this dream,
A night(mare).
Sleep,
Sweet essential release,
Would be a tremendous grace,
If this time
Is a dream.
Don't be jealous of her poetic prowess. She admits to having some experience in this area, "My roommates and I used to have several sets on our fridge in college and we were always playing with them, though there were times when we’d have to rush and take them all down before a boyfriend could enter the kitchen—they weren’t always, er, polite..."
She also offered this magnetic line from the writerly part of herself:
My manuscript is not a dictionary, or a dream, but a vacation from the present.
Meradeth’s never been a big fan of talking about herself, but if you really want to know, here are some random tidbits about her:
~She’s a Northern California girl. This generally means she talks too fast and use "like" a lot.
~When she’s not writing, she’s sequencing dead people’s DNA. For fun!
~She’s been writing since she was 11 years old. It's her hobby, her passion, and she’s so happy to get to share her work!
~If she could have a super-power, it would totally be flying. Which is a little strange, because she’s terrified of heights.
Thanks for stopping by the Observation Desk, Meradeth!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
WIP Wednesday
Guess whose upcoming e-book has a page on her publisher's website? (Duh, it's me.) Check out the back copy for Elixir Bound and my author bio on the MuseItUp site. I was a little surprised to see it labeled as Young Adult Paranormal Fantasy (the paranormal part is what surprised me). Although Elixir Bound is definitely more fantasy than paranormal, I think it's smart marketing to include the paranormal label.
I'm playing the waiting game with Elixir Bound right now. Waiting to hear from my line editor, waiting to find out about my cover art, waiting until I have some time to figure out how the heck to market this thing! I'm also waiting for a certain someone to fulfill his quest to find an important prop for the book trailer.
In the meantime, I've been squeezing out a few minutes of writing time to work on Black Butterfly (did you correctly guess the color and animal?). I also got a fantastic critique of Pirate Island (my middle grade adventure story) at the Poconos conference and have a whole new direction for revisions.
Next week I'm featuring Meradeth Houston author of YA paranormal Colors Like Memories on the blog. Here's a book trailer to whet your appetite.
I'm playing the waiting game with Elixir Bound right now. Waiting to hear from my line editor, waiting to find out about my cover art, waiting until I have some time to figure out how the heck to market this thing! I'm also waiting for a certain someone to fulfill his quest to find an important prop for the book trailer.
In the meantime, I've been squeezing out a few minutes of writing time to work on Black Butterfly (did you correctly guess the color and animal?). I also got a fantastic critique of Pirate Island (my middle grade adventure story) at the Poconos conference and have a whole new direction for revisions.
Next week I'm featuring Meradeth Houston author of YA paranormal Colors Like Memories on the blog. Here's a book trailer to whet your appetite.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
SCBWI Poconos Retreat 2012
I had the pleasure of attending the Eastern PA SCBWI Poconos Conference again this year. With The Boy only being 8 months old and nursing, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to go, but the hubby stepped up and watched the little guy at the inn all weekend while I ran off and cavorted with the finest the kidlit community has to offer.
How awesome was the conference this year? Three words: Laurie Halse Anderson! Aside from giving what was probably the best keynote speech I've ever heard, she was just so accessible to the conference attendees. She shared stories with us, offered us advice on our own personal projects, and was honest, thoughtful, and tough about encouraging us to make writing an imperative part of our lives (and she gushed about how cute The Boy is).
So as is my tradition, here's some nuggets of wisdom from the conference that I think have some universal appeal (feel free to substitute the word "writing" for the endeavor of your choice):
How awesome was the conference this year? Three words: Laurie Halse Anderson! Aside from giving what was probably the best keynote speech I've ever heard, she was just so accessible to the conference attendees. She shared stories with us, offered us advice on our own personal projects, and was honest, thoughtful, and tough about encouraging us to make writing an imperative part of our lives (and she gushed about how cute The Boy is).
So as is my tradition, here's some nuggets of wisdom from the conference that I think have some universal appeal (feel free to substitute the word "writing" for the endeavor of your choice):
- Word of mouth is a great way to find any professional from an agent to a plumber. (Steven Chudney—How to Find and Work with an Agent)
- Whether a thing is a mountain or a molehill depends on how we see ourselves. (Amy June Bates—Keynote)
- Take the time and make the space for your writing dreams. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
- When you create writing time that creates a commitment of the soul. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
- Dare to get excited, even when you might get let down. We could all get hit by a marshmallow truck tomorrow. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
- A vital aspect to nurturing talent is to accept and validate your need to create. Honor, cherish, and celebrate it. (Laurie Halse Anderson—Keynote)
- You can always make it better. Do not ask, "Is this any good?" Ask, "How can I make this better?" (Laurie Halse Anderson—Digging Deeper to See Farther: Revision Secrets)
- Facing your fears and not giving up, that’s what the Teeny Tiny Ghost books are about. (Kay Winters—Keynote)
- Being brave is not being scared; it’s being scared and doing it anyway. (Deb Heiligman—Keynote)
- The trick about a to-do list is to make it doable. (Deb Heiligman—Keynote)
Friday, April 20, 2012
Life is a WIP
Today isn't Wednesday nor is it the second week of the month. Oh well, you're getting my WIP update anyway!
I finally opened up a Word document and typed out the beginning page of a certain project that has been developing in my mind for quite some time now. This one has been making my skin prickle with excitement. It's mostly some scribbles in my notebook. I hope I can keep the excitement up about it now that it has it's very own document on my computer. I have notions of trying to do a fast draft with this story, but so far in my writing career nothing has been fast!
The working title is a color followed by an animal. I'd love to hear your guesses about what it is?
This weekend I'm off to the Poconos for my favorite small conference with the Eastern PA SCBWI (and no, I won't be hanging out in one of those wine glass hot tubs). I love catching up with my Poconos friends. And the amazing Laurie Halse Anderson is a keynote speaker! I signed up for her revision class too...maybe that'll get my butt in gear on revising my MG novel Pirate Island.
What are looking forward to this weekend?
I finally opened up a Word document and typed out the beginning page of a certain project that has been developing in my mind for quite some time now. This one has been making my skin prickle with excitement. It's mostly some scribbles in my notebook. I hope I can keep the excitement up about it now that it has it's very own document on my computer. I have notions of trying to do a fast draft with this story, but so far in my writing career nothing has been fast!
The working title is a color followed by an animal. I'd love to hear your guesses about what it is?
This weekend I'm off to the Poconos for my favorite small conference with the Eastern PA SCBWI (and no, I won't be hanging out in one of those wine glass hot tubs). I love catching up with my Poconos friends. And the amazing Laurie Halse Anderson is a keynote speaker! I signed up for her revision class too...maybe that'll get my butt in gear on revising my MG novel Pirate Island.
What are looking forward to this weekend?
Monday, April 16, 2012
Ten Years Is A Lifetime
Ten years. That's how long I've been without my little sister, Kylene. The sad thing is I don't know what life would be like with her anymore. I used to be able to imagine what certain events would have been like if she had been alive: helping her get ready for her prom, attending her high school graduation, the dress she would have worn at my wedding. It gets harder to imagine what her role in my life would be with each passing event.
I only know her up to the 16-year-old person she was when she died. Everything after that is speculation. I can try to imagine what she would look like at 26, but the difference between 16 and 26 is unfathomable. Would she be married? Maybe she would have kids, maybe she would've even had her first kid before I had The Boy. Kylene was talented at so many things, I don't even know what she would have grown up to be.
I like to think she would have gone to NYC for college and majored in something that had to do with helping people but minored in drama. And like I discovered in college that writing was my true passion, she would have discovered acting and singing were hers. Maybe she would be a famous Broadway star. That's the thing about 16: there's an endless supply of potential.
For years I've been heartbroken over all the potential that died with my sister. Over all the things she never got to experience. Recently I've realized how sad I am over all the things I lost since she died. We had a volatile relationship as kids, trying to share a bedroom for many years, me being annoyed when she copied me, her being annoyed when I tried to tell her to be more like me (when I maybe should've been more like her).
We were just learning how to be friends when she died. Because she was my little sister and always had a sympathetic ear, she never made me feel bad about my feelings. I can remember having a bad dream and hopping off the top bunk into the bottom bed where my sister slept, showing a vulnerability I hated to admit I had. She didn't ask for an explanation or make me feel silly for being scared. She was just there for me. Even in our worst fights, she would never, never bring something like that up and throw it back in my face. She kept my feelings safe, no matter what.
I think we would have been best friends now. I wish she had been here to meet my son. I wish she could be here when my first novel comes out (a story I wrote for her, but turned out to be about me). People always say things like, "The dead are with us as long as they are in our hearts." I don't disagree with that. I hold Kylene close to my heart. That doesn't mean I don't miss her and what my life would have been like if she was still alive.
I only know her up to the 16-year-old person she was when she died. Everything after that is speculation. I can try to imagine what she would look like at 26, but the difference between 16 and 26 is unfathomable. Would she be married? Maybe she would have kids, maybe she would've even had her first kid before I had The Boy. Kylene was talented at so many things, I don't even know what she would have grown up to be.
I like to think she would have gone to NYC for college and majored in something that had to do with helping people but minored in drama. And like I discovered in college that writing was my true passion, she would have discovered acting and singing were hers. Maybe she would be a famous Broadway star. That's the thing about 16: there's an endless supply of potential.
For years I've been heartbroken over all the potential that died with my sister. Over all the things she never got to experience. Recently I've realized how sad I am over all the things I lost since she died. We had a volatile relationship as kids, trying to share a bedroom for many years, me being annoyed when she copied me, her being annoyed when I tried to tell her to be more like me (when I maybe should've been more like her).
We were just learning how to be friends when she died. Because she was my little sister and always had a sympathetic ear, she never made me feel bad about my feelings. I can remember having a bad dream and hopping off the top bunk into the bottom bed where my sister slept, showing a vulnerability I hated to admit I had. She didn't ask for an explanation or make me feel silly for being scared. She was just there for me. Even in our worst fights, she would never, never bring something like that up and throw it back in my face. She kept my feelings safe, no matter what.
I think we would have been best friends now. I wish she had been here to meet my son. I wish she could be here when my first novel comes out (a story I wrote for her, but turned out to be about me). People always say things like, "The dead are with us as long as they are in our hearts." I don't disagree with that. I hold Kylene close to my heart. That doesn't mean I don't miss her and what my life would have been like if she was still alive.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Signs of Spring
Here in New England you never can use temperatures to decide what time of year it is. With a warmer than average winter (bad for allergies and getting rid of bugs, but a nice break after last year's crazy winter), it seems like spring has been around for months.
I know better than to let an 80-degree day in March fake me out with a premature promise of summer. An April snowstorm is always a possibility. Just today it was rainy and damp and cold outside. There's other ways to tell spring is here, though.
For one the birds are back. I spied a crow taunting a squirrel. The crow clutched what appeared to be a long reed of dried grass in its mouth. The squirrel got real close to the reed, only to have the crow fly out of reach. Then the crow landed back on the grass and let the squirrel approach. With a squawk, the crow hopped away again. This went on for some time, much to my amusement (those pesky squirrels are always stealing my unripe tomatoes, taking one bite, and leaving the rest for me to find) and much to the squirrel's dismay. I've also has a particular blue jay that seems to have made a nest in the forsythia bushes on the edge of the yard. And the distinct who-who-who lament of the mourning dove is back.
On Thursday, the hubby, the bro, The Boy, and I had our first ice-cream-for-dinner event at the Sundae House. The giant sign on their building reads, "It Must Be Spring, We're Open!" Signs never lie, so you know that it really must be spring!
On Friday as I was leaving work I drove toward what from afar looked like a couple of misplaced lawn chairs blocking the driveway. Turns out, it was a tom turkey strutting its stuff and peacocking (let me just point out what a fun word "peacocking" is) as it tried to court an indifferent lady turkey.
Lastly and most definitively I know it's spring because the little pea seeds are sprouting in their trays. My mom and dad both stopped by the house and saw the too-tall-for-trays pea plants on my kitchen counter and (independently of each other) said, "You've got to get those in the ground!"
What signs of spring have you seen lately?
I know better than to let an 80-degree day in March fake me out with a premature promise of summer. An April snowstorm is always a possibility. Just today it was rainy and damp and cold outside. There's other ways to tell spring is here, though.
For one the birds are back. I spied a crow taunting a squirrel. The crow clutched what appeared to be a long reed of dried grass in its mouth. The squirrel got real close to the reed, only to have the crow fly out of reach. Then the crow landed back on the grass and let the squirrel approach. With a squawk, the crow hopped away again. This went on for some time, much to my amusement (those pesky squirrels are always stealing my unripe tomatoes, taking one bite, and leaving the rest for me to find) and much to the squirrel's dismay. I've also has a particular blue jay that seems to have made a nest in the forsythia bushes on the edge of the yard. And the distinct who-who-who lament of the mourning dove is back.
On Thursday, the hubby, the bro, The Boy, and I had our first ice-cream-for-dinner event at the Sundae House. The giant sign on their building reads, "It Must Be Spring, We're Open!" Signs never lie, so you know that it really must be spring!
On Friday as I was leaving work I drove toward what from afar looked like a couple of misplaced lawn chairs blocking the driveway. Turns out, it was a tom turkey strutting its stuff and peacocking (let me just point out what a fun word "peacocking" is) as it tried to court an indifferent lady turkey.
Lastly and most definitively I know it's spring because the little pea seeds are sprouting in their trays. My mom and dad both stopped by the house and saw the too-tall-for-trays pea plants on my kitchen counter and (independently of each other) said, "You've got to get those in the ground!"
What signs of spring have you seen lately?
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