Ever since I could remember, I have loved going to the mountains (the setting for my true-story-based YA novel, Cinnamon Girls.) In fact, I’ve been anticipating this trip since about August. What is it about being ensconced in a snowy, high altitude place full of trees and quiet? I love everything about our annual ski trip to a remote ski area between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe, high in the Sierras. I love the hassle of collecting ski gear for each of us, the need for a tough car with good clearance, the digging out of warm clothes we never wear here in Southern California; the crotchety, city-hating locals. I love the idea that my cell phone won’t work there; that my children’s faces will be frozen when I pick them up from ski school; the laughter as we ski, sometimes helter-skelter, down the slopes together. Hurrah – I’m off to the land of no internet connection… I wish you all a similar experience of peace on earth.
Archive for December, 2009|Monthly archive page
Going to the Mountains
In 1 on December 27, 2009 at 4:14 amSeven Things Teens Love About the Cinnamon Girls
In 1 on December 23, 2009 at 8:59 pm1. They are brutally honest about their problems (bulemia, drug use, etc.) but never preachy
2. They are free to do as they damn well please (for a summer)
3. They call the shots when it comes to boys, not the other way around
4. They are brave
5. They stick together
6. They wear late 70s garb like bandannas tied into halter tops and overalls fashioned into mini dresses
7. They drive a jeep that is older than they are
Late 1970s Portrayed in The Lovely Bones, The Runaways
In 1 on December 17, 2009 at 4:43 pmMy YA novel Cinnamon Girls is set in 1979. Lately the movie world is demonstrating much teen interest in that oh-so-different era. The Lovely Bones movie has been marketed to the teen audience – with much success (see below.) I believe that it is a fantasy era for teens, with the almost bizarre amount of freedom and experimentation going on, and the tendency for parents to chuck the rules and try something new. Very different from the tight restrictions placed on teens today, although these freedoms of the late 70s often came at a high price.
With the Twilight-targeted movie The Runaways coming out this spring, starring Twilight’s Kristen Stewart, teen interest in the 1970s will hit an all time high (view the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbctJ2BqgZQ )
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How to clear a Holiday Party: ‘I just want to make a living as a writer’
In 1 on December 13, 2009 at 7:08 pmAt a dressy holiday cocktail party last night for my husband’s prep school in Connecticut, I watched an earnest 20-something lad attempting to chat up two very sophisticated alums his age. I overheard him say to the tall brunette, “‘I don’t care about making gobs of money, I just want to make a living as a writer.’ And then I watched the attractive duo high tail it away from him as quickly as they could. 
Granted, the setting was the a Beverly Hills hotel where one of Tiger Woods’ mistresses was a cocktail waitress (she has subsequently quit without a trace, according to our waiter.) In other words, generally not an environment where literary altruism is de rigeur. Listening to his words, I felt certain that, as a young person visiting LA, writing my first screenplay and filling out film school applications, I had uttered the same words, just as fervently. Over the years I learned the hard way that talking about your literary aspirations is, quite simply, poison. After clearing many a room, I finally learned to channel that earnest passion where it belongs – into the manuscript. Keep talk of the dream to a minimum, and the writing effort at a maximum, and you may end up with conversational nuggets people DO want to hear, such as ‘I got an agent,’ ‘I sold a screenplay,’ ‘My book tour starts in January,’ or — a hot one in L.A. — ‘shooting on the film based on my book starts Wednesday.’ 
My author friend Leslie Schwartz said the latter to me recently, and I pondered her sparkling eyes. How must it feel to utter those words, three years after your book came out? (see more info on the film here: http://www.daemonsmovies.com/2009/12/01/jeremy-piven-to-star-in-waska/ )
I hope that the young Choate alum I saw last night gets to say those words. If so, I don’t think the ladies will be running the other way.
I haven’t read Mackenzie Phillips’ memoir…
In 1 on December 11, 2009 at 1:41 amAnd I suspect that many of the zillions of people who bought it have only read several *select* pages, as Oprah did when she conducted her straight-for-the-jugglar interview of Phillips on the day the book launched. In case you live on an alternate planet, Phillips revealed a 10 year sexual relationship with her rock star father in the book, written over the previous year as she was getting sober after a major drug bust. I believe that her book may pave the way for many stories about the wildly inappropriate things that befell underage girls in the late 70s (like Cinnamon Girls.) The free thinking, great music and free love that provided such dizzying highs for the era hid a dark side – a lack of protection for girls whose parents believed that, as Phillips put it, “the rules didn’t apply to them.” Is she defaming her father unnecessarily or is she going public with something that will help many others who harbor similar terrible secrets? I don’t know, actually. I haven’t read the book… and I probably won’t any time soon, given the teetering stack of books already waiting on my bedside table.
It’s such an impossibly lurid story – hard to know how to feel about it. I’d love to hear comments from those who have read it.
What I want for Christmas: Ultraviolet: 69 Classic Blacklight Posters from the Aquaria
In 1 on December 9, 2009 at 7:19 pm
click on pic to go to book
A coffee table book called “Ultraviolet: 69 Classic Blacklight Posters from the Aquarian Age and Beyond” offers excellent psychedelia, reminiscent of my childhood in the 70s. Now, in cynical and jaded 2009, these day glo images of the peace and love era are quaint, altruistic and oddly inspiring. Although much of the movement came to naught (we still have too little peace and love in the world), it was brave for an entire generation of young people to openly pursue these ideals. It wouldn’t hurt to recapture some idealism given the disturbing problems our country faces today. So switch on your blacklight, slip on your chunky mood ring and enjoy…
Writer’s voices everywhere
In 1 on December 6, 2009 at 5:15 amI feel lucky to be writing in a time of unprecedented kibitzing among writers, on their blogs and on Twitter. I can see agents and editors trading insider barbs, writers being themselves on their blogs and reviews and profiles galore on blogs such as http://www.thedebutanteball.com/
Writers also help each other with the craft. There is a real feeling of enthusiasm and support out there on the internet which is refreshing in such a competitive milieu. Recently shared by Greg P. on SCBWI socal are the following blog posts offering tips from children’s book writers, including Laurie Halse Anderson, whose book “Speak” I’m currently reading. Laurie is also represented by Writers House.
Michael Stearns (once editor, currently Upstart Crow Literary agent) wrote about picture books on the Upstart Crow blog. He covers everything from the art of writing one to the economics of them:
http://upstartcrowliterary.com/blog/?p=921
Laurie Halse Anderson had a good post with her Revision Tip #3. I hope to follow this advice so that I can write as well as she does 
.
http://halseanderson.livejournal.com/273868.html
And then from Rebecca Ryals Russell was a post with 50 useful sites for writers. It’s not children’s book specific, so some links might not be of interest, but there’s a ton of info to be found:
http://rebeccaryalsrussell.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/50-awesome-resources-for-writers/
These helpful voices are out there, cheering us on. It’s a great time to be a writer, despite frightening transitions in publishing. I choose to believe that the world of books is just morphing. Writers have always been a scrappy lot, and I trust that, as a community, we will find a way to adapt.
amazon, author, comments, critique, publishing, writing
Snarky comments on Amazon
In 1 on December 3, 2009 at 8:04 pmI’ve read recently that authors are finding ways to take the comments situation into their own hands, for instance leaving bookmarks in the books they give away to friends & supporters that ask them, rather directly, to post their favorable comments on Amazon rather than responding directly to the author. And when someone does contact them to praise the book, they write back to encourage the reader to share their praise on Amazon.
To be honest, I always read comments on Amazon before buying a book. They seem to place reviews that are long and detailed at the top of the page, thus helping to ensure that the poster actually read the book. Have I ever not purchased a book because of a snarky comment? I don’t recall. By the time I’m there to buy a book, it has usually been highly recommended by people I trust so I’m not so easily swayed. It’s frightening, though, to think of the damage a person could do to an author if they posted comments strictly out of sour grapes.