Author of award-winning, adventurous realistic and historical fiction

What’s Up Wednesday, 10/30

Oct 30, 2013 | , , , , , , , , ,

 

WUWAutumn

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. If you’d like to join in, you can find the link widget on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts. I love this idea because it gives a structured, easy way for me to keep up with blogging. Also, the buttons are cute. Thanks for the idea, Jaime and Erin! 

What I’m Reading 
Last week I read Steve Martin’s An Object of Beauty, which was a story of high art, love, money, and ambition–told in a very readable Steve Martin-y voice. Now I’m finally reading Alison Cherry’s Red! Truth: It’s making me want to dye my hair.

A 2014 debut author photo, taken by Ghenet!

A photo from Alison’s Red launch party, taken by Ghenet! (l to r, Michelle Schusterman, Lauren Magaziner, Emery Lord, me, and Kim Liggett)

What I’m Writing   
I’ve decided to work on a “palate cleanser” project–something just for fun, and for me–and I think I might try to NaNo to finish it. Which definitely makes me an unofficial NaNoer. But I’m excited to try to push myself to write as close to 50K words as I can next month!

What Inspires Me Right Now   
Still loving the Halloween time of year. Last weekend I went on a Ghost Tour of Greenwich Village, and it was super fun. (Super touristy, yes, but I strongly believe that sometimes tourists know how to have a really good time, and there is no shame in joining them.) The stories the guide told as we scuffed through leaves on the quiet, dark Village streets were fascinating–and inspiring. Not only did I have a total “I heart NY” night, but it gave me lots of ideas. (Okay, some of those ideas might have made me afraid of my basement. And convinced that the sound of a trailing vine scritch-scratching the window at night is actually a skeleton’s hand. I love ghost stories, but I also scare ridiculously easily.)

What Else I’ve Been Up To 
Becoming an aunt! My nephew was born in the wee hours on Monday morning. He’s adorable, and I am counting the days until I hop a plane to meet him.

So what have you been up to lately?

 

What’s Up Wednesday 10/16

Oct 16, 2013 | , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

WUWAutumn

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. If you’d like to join in, you can find the link widget on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts. I love this idea because it gives a structured, easy way for me to keep up with blogging. Also, the buttons are cute. Thanks for the idea, Jaime and Erin!

What I’m Reading 
Last week I read Just One Year in just one day. I loved getting to see the other side of the story; I’ll say nothing else because I don’t want to spoil anything. Then I lucked into an ARC of Nikki Loftin’s Nightingale’s Nest. It’s beautiful and unique and haunting, and I’m savoring every word.

What I’m Writing   
Still doing odds and ends for the business side of writing. When I’m not doing that, I am playing around with a new idea. This is a project I’d maybe like to work on for NaNo in some form. I guess for now I’m treating it more like a writing exercise and less like a WIP, if that makes sense. Sometimes you need space to play with words in order to work with them.

What Inspires Me Right Now   
I had the day off on Monday, so I went up to the Bronx Zoo. A lot of little kids were running around in their adorable Halloween costumes.  Dime-store capes and some face paint are all it takes to let them create adventures for themselves.  It’s always fun to see children being imaginative and playful, and I find the creativity surrounding Halloween really inspiring–that’s probably why it’s one of my favorite holidays. (Also the candy. Mmm, candy. I think I might actually get trick-or-treaters this year, so I have an excuse to stock up.)

What Else I’ve Been Up To
Last Friday I went to Alison Cherry’s launch party for her debut, Red! It was at the lovely BookCourt in Brooklyn, and it was a fabulous time.

And in other news, there’s a Goodreads ARC giveaway for When Audrey Met Alice going on right now. You can sign up here!

So what have you been up to lately?

 

Bookanista Rec: Better Nate Than Ever

Oct 10, 2013 | , , , , , , ,

It’s time for another Bookanista recommendation: Tim Federle’s hilarious and heartfelt Better Nate Than Ever.

Here’s the summary from Goodreads:

13414183Nate Foster has big dreams. His whole life, he’s wanted to star in a Broadway show. (Heck, he’d settle for *seeing* a Broadway show.) But how is Nate supposed to make his dreams come true when he’s stuck in Jankburg, Pennsylvania, where no one (except his best pal Libby) appreciates a good show tune? With Libby’s help, Nate plans a daring overnight escape to New York. There’s an open casting call for E.T.: The Musical, and Nate knows this could be the difference between small-town blues and big-time stardom.

You know how movie ads used to always feature an announcer saying, “Blah Blah Movie will make you stand up and cheer!” Well, Better Nate Than Ever will make you stand up and cheer. (So since you’ll be standing up and cheering, watch what you’re wearing while you read because it might also make you pee your pants. It’s that funny.) Nate is a protagonist you will root for, cringe with, and want to give a big huge hug. Mostly, you’ll wish you could be there in the scenes with him, to watch him be in the world with such hope and wonder. I love how exuberant the boy on the cover is; I love it even more after reading the book and knowing that Nate encounters some real hardships.

Reading this felt like a bit of bibliotherapy for me. I do a lot of my reading on the subway, and as much as I love New York, sometimes it seems one or more of the following: stressful, crowded, dirty, stinky, rude, exhausting, expensive, noisy. Et cetera. While reading, I felt like I could vicariously fall in love with my new hometown all over again, seeing it through Nate’s eyes. Or at least laugh hysterically at the uber realistic details Tim Federle weaves into the story–and bonus, that makes the people next to you on the crosstown bus scooch away and give you a little more space! Win win.

See what my fellow Bookanistas are recommending today:
 

What’s Up Wednesday, 10/9

Oct 9, 2013 | , , , , , ,

WUWAutumn

What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme that helps readers and writers touch base with blog friends. If you’d like to join in, you can find the link widget on Jaime’s and Erin’s blog posts. I love this idea because it gives a structured, easy way for me to keep up with blogging. Also, the buttons are cute. Thanks for the idea, Jaime and Erin!

What I’m Reading 
I’m still reading The Weird Sisters. I’m kind of lingering in the story, which is nice. I tend to read quickly, and sometimes I forget how satisfying it can be to take more time with a book.

What I’m Writing   
When Audrey Met Alice odds and ends, which are writing-related.  I’ve come to the realization that some of my writing time, going forward, needs to be allotted to the business-y side of publishing. And that’s okay! Otherwise, I’m still on a bit of a writing break. I did open a planning document on Sunday night and had fun brainstorming for an old new idea. I’m toying with the idea of doing a NaNo-inspired November writing marathon.

What Inspires Me Right Now   
I’m going to repeat last week’s inspiration: great weather and great books. I’ll also add the camaraderie and kindness in the kid lit writing and publishing community (see below).

What Else I’ve Been Up To
Revealing this new blog, and revealing the cover for When Audrey Met Alice! It was so fun to get to share the cover on Monday, and I am really grateful for the enthusiastic responses to it. (Mundie Kids is helping me give away an ARC, if you’d like to enter to win it!)

IRL: Making progress toward winning the title of Clumsiest Ever–I fractured my toe. By walking into my bathtub. But at least it’s an excuse to sit around and read, right?

So what have you been up to lately?

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