Poll #1213872 The One Sentence Poll
Open to: All, results viewable to: All

How long can you work on one sentence?

And how long before a writer goes mad while working on one sentence?

You know you're at Starbucks too much when you get fussed at by the baristas for drinking too much coffee. But I am unstuck -- & getting work done on SHADOW.

I had a wonderful reading experience lately -- every book I picked up I loved.

Here's the list:

INK EXCHANGE
THE MAGIC THIEF
PAPER TOWNS
THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX

I have the ARCs -- so I'm not sure if all of these are out yet. But find them and read them.

P.S. I'll miss you on LJ, Sarah. :(

Copyedited manuscript (WINNIE'S WAR) has been reviewed and changes have been overnighted to publisher.

Whew!

One down, one to go.

Back to SHADOW tomorrow.

We have a title: WINNIE'S WAR.

Thanks for all the help!

I'm in the middle of my second revision. The book will be sent to copyediting soon.

Here in Galveston, the humidity was like a clammy
hand held over your face. Yet the city had a ghostly
charm. The scent of the tangled gardens hung heavy
on the muggy air. The houses ... seemed built of
ashes. Here was a remnant of haunted beauty--gray,
shrouded, crumbling.

--Edna Ferber, A Kind of Magic.


Isn't that beautiful? I think I'll just stop writing now.

Research, research, research.

Coffins, dead bodies, embalming. Macabre, interesting, but slightly depressing.

*Bangs head against wall*
Cannot. Find. Details. I. Need.

Okay. I feel better now. Ready to begin again.

I love when the ideas flow. I thought of something I think will be good.

I spent most of the day researching -- online and at the library. A little frustrated because I couldn't find what I wanted. But I did get to spend some time at the library, which I love doing . . .

Back from Disney -- started on revisions.

• Made a copy of Emily's editorial letter and the manuscript with her notes in the margins -- so I could work from the copy.
• Read her letter and her notes again -- she wants me to expand more than rewrite.
  
• Read the manuscript first word to last, referring back to her letter, writing my ideas or issues in the margins.
• Read Emily's letter again.
• Resisted the urge to open up the manuscript in Word and just start changing things.
• Listed out new thoughts, ways to further develop the relationships between Winnie and Nolan, and Papa, and Mama.
• Looked through the ms for what Maggie calls "bread crumbs."
• Per Emily's request, brainstormed new titles.

Thanks so much to sarah_create    for sending me the beautiful picture book, The Yule Lads (by Brian Pilkington). Such a wonderful book with fantastic illustrations!

I didn't know about those mischievous Yule Lads nor their frighteningly delightful mother Gryla. Eek! If you want to read about these Icelandic sons of trolls, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Lads

Thanks so much, Sarah. I LOVE it.

Two weeks ago, I checked these three books out of the library:

SHOCK POINT by April Henry
WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary Schmidt
IRONSIDE by Holly Black

All excellent, all page-turners -- I love the diversity of MG and YA fiction.

I went to the library yesterday. Next to read:

THE MINER'S DAUGHTER by Gretchen Moran Laskas
ME AND THE PUMPKIN QUEEN by Marlane Kennedy
A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT by Linda Urban
THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie

Requested:

KETURAH AND LORD DEATH by Martine Leavitt

Don't you just love this picture of the Queen Mum?

"She looked at him and smiled: a lover's smile, sweet and brilliant, but it was not directed at him; her eyes looked at something invisible that she herself did not recognize, and yet his heart stirred in a way he did not like."

So lovely.

I just finished the best novel: Tracking Daddy Down by my BFF Marybeth (marybethkelsey).

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. It is SO good.

It's not out until next year -- but put it on your list & READ this book!

I've been working on plot & character growth summaries, chapter by chapter. I caught some inconsistencies and cleaned those up.

Tomorrow I'll give a copy of the manuscript to my daughter and send one to my sister. I've been working without a critique group so I'm interested (i.e., nervous) to know what they think of it. (Our group fell apart last fall).

I often ask daughter and sister to be my first readers. My sister is a librarian, and my daughter is a teen who wants to be a writer. Both smart, perceptive, direct and as I write this, I realize how lucky I am -- as a mother, sister, writer.

TLA = Texas Library Association

Best thing: Lunch with Mary Ann, Bettina, Risa, Kim, and Pam at Cafe Ole on the Riverwalk. Blue-sky day, margaritas, quesadillas, chips & salsa, and talk, talk, talk about writing workshops, Markus Zusak, agents, and (of course!) books & TLA. We also discussed Just For Now, Kim's much-needed book for child advocates: http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=15286469&taxid=2

Worst thing: Not really one. Although -- I wouldn't go on a Saturday again. I walked in, bag on arm, trying to look like a librarian so I'd blend in & because I secretly want to be a librarian, excited to see the new books. But many of the exhibitors were tired & in wind-down mode. Also -- not many ARCs left.

Other stuff:

1. Met Mitali Perkins. She's wonderful. I tried to persuade her to join LJ (she's on Blogger) -- telling how fantastic the LJ community is. But, alas, she's very happy with Blogger. Maybe we can get her to do both. Go visit her website: http://www.mitaliperkins.com/

She signed Rickshaw Girl for me, and we talked about the writing/publishing life. She has several books in the works: one with Random House & two with Dutton, I believe. Here's a filled-with-praise review of Rickshaw Girl by librarian Betsy Bird: http://fusenumber8.blogspot.com/2007/02/review-of-day-rickshaw-girl.html

2. Snagged a copy of Total Constant Order. Yay! Reading it now & loving it. The MC in my WIP has a little OCD in her (as do I -- what a coincidence), so I'm liking this character. Great voice. Yay, Crissa!

3. Harper Collins rep said that Wicked Lovely ARCs were flying off the table on Thursday and Friday. Yay, Melissa!

4. Got an ARC of Sharon Creech's The Castle Corona. Beautiful cover (David Diaz). Rep said not all authors get such amazing covers, but if you're Sharon Creech . . .  :)

5. Random House rep talked me into buying a hardcover copy of A Swift Pure Cry (by Siobhan Dowd). I hadn't heard of this one. Set in Ireland, James Joyce quote ("It soared, a bird, it held its flight, a swift pure cry . . ."), a MC named Shell -- looking forward to reading it.

6. Found out what a F&G and a blad were. In fact -- got examples of each (Iron Hans & Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!)

TLA 2008? Dallas!

I took Benadryl (which makes me v, v sleepy) for allergies and then decided to work on Winnie Grace until 2am. I'm not sure my eyes were even open when I was typing. I'm about to open the file back up. Scared to see what's in there. Something about knee-high boots, open graves, ghosts, cinnamon rolls . . . the influenza had to be in there somewhere.

The new place.

ETA: Thanks for all the flowers. They're lovely. :)