tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87639114713763691722024-03-13T13:23:10.737-04:00IshtaBlogsmy thoughts on the crazy tangled-up worlds of books, movies, tv, and the stageIshta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-30533820894622406402016-09-29T13:07:00.001-04:002016-09-29T13:07:49.993-04:00We Are Moving! …MaybeSo. This blog is moving! Or, maybe not. Maybe I'll just have to abandon it like a tired old mall - not as empty, twice as dusty.<div>
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But on to the explanation about the blog moving/abandonment:<br /><div>
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I decided that it was high time I got an actual website up - you know, a home page, a page where I talk about my published book, a page where I talk about how easy it is to hire me to do a school visit, lots of random pictures of me as a child and bugs and sunsets and my dog, the obligatory typewriter or two… You know. Something authorly.</div>
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So, I'm working on developing it, and apart from a couple of salient details, I have no idea what is going to happen.</div>
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Here's what I know: It's going to be finished tomorrow, because I have a books to write and a life to get on with and I don't have any more time to devote to this thing; I will like it, because I'm designing it.</div>
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Here's what I don't know: everything else.</div>
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Will I be able to migrate this blog onto the new website?</div>
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I have no idea. I WANT to, but I don't know HOW to. It might happen later, after I send in my current WiP to my agent, because there might be a lot of fiddling involved that I don't have time for right now. Maybe I'll just copy-paste a couple of my favorite posts so that we can all relive them, and so that they can live on in my new online home, and so that my new blog space won't be completely empty, and I'll deal with the rest later. (Probably that.)</div>
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So, as of tomorrow, this blog will still be here, and you'll still be able to search everything and read the archives and everything, but I won't be posting anything new here. The new stuff will all be somewhere else.</div>
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Somewhere that I'll tell you all about tomorrow.</div>
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:-)</div>
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Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-16872831561772148602016-09-23T14:47:00.000-04:002016-09-23T14:49:04.547-04:00And Now, Let Us Vote<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nl92ZKLIZYA/V-V1YeHaQoI/AAAAAAAAA8E/M0sxH0wPItAqIJWk8xMeSq7RMJI4heeHwCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160923_021713723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nl92ZKLIZYA/V-V1YeHaQoI/AAAAAAAAA8E/M0sxH0wPItAqIJWk8xMeSq7RMJI4heeHwCLcB/s400/IMG_20160923_021713723.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Let's do this.</i></td></tr>
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Last night, I filled out my voter registration and absentee ballot request forms. It was quick and easy, and if you live outside the US and haven't done it yet, you can do so at <a href="http://www.votefromabroad.org/" target="_blank">this website</a>. It only took me ten minutes, and it's something we should all do.<br />
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One of my aunts asked me a couple months ago why I care so much about American politics, since I haven't lived there for my whole adult life. There's a long answer to that, and I'll get into it one day soon. But the short answer is this: First, the decisions that the American government makes affect people all over the world, including where I live; and Second, I want America to be a place that I can be proud to go home to one day. The fact that I care so much about American politics is part of the reason that I haven't lived there for my whole adult life, but I am still American. I am still of that place. I would still like to be able to call it home again.<br />
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This election, more than any other, is far too important to let ten minutes get in the way of your vote.</div>
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Have you registered yet?</div>
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Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-36049654027821323272016-08-24T19:35:00.000-04:002016-08-24T19:35:45.200-04:00Anatomy of a Picture Book Revision<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUMtlC8mSYU/V74ot-zDrPI/AAAAAAAAA64/KAmGJe-imC8J04g6YLFHvJN84QYt5OMYQCLcB/s1600/IMG_1019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JUMtlC8mSYU/V74ot-zDrPI/AAAAAAAAA64/KAmGJe-imC8J04g6YLFHvJN84QYt5OMYQCLcB/s400/IMG_1019.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Anatomy of a Picture Book Revision</i></td></tr>
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I recently needed to revise a picture book manuscript (my agent is one tough lady when it comes to making sure that everything is PERFECT before we send it out), and it was a Really. Tough. Revision. It was the kind of revision where I just felt stuck - where I simply couldn't see a way forward to a better version of that manuscript.<br />
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It got me thinking: there's a blog post in this.<br />
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Because I don't do anything the way you're <i>supposed</i> to.<br />
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I use the dictionary.<br />
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And the thesaurus.<br />
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And I also sketch out page spreads, even though I'm not an illustrator. (And I will never, ever show them to an editor. EVER.)<br />
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And also: coffee. (I drank the coffee. It was iced, and it was delicious.) (I guess coffee is a "supposed to do this" thing for writers. Nobody is a rebel ALL the time.)<br />
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There are authors out there who will say that no real writer needs to use a dictionary or a thesaurus, and that those are crutches, and that you're cheating by using them. But how else can you find the right words? They're not ALL in your head. I think this is especially true for picture books, where every single word counts. Where when you need a word that means something very very specific, you need that word and only that word and the page spread simply won't be right without it.<br />
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Sometimes, you won't need these things: dictionaries and charcoal. But sometimes, you might.<br />
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Sometimes doodling will unlock a new train of thought that will lead you to exactly the right words.<br />
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Sometimes poring through the thesaurus will get you thinking about words in a new way.<br />
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Sometimes you just need to ignore the guidelines and try something new. You might not use what you make, but it will point you in a better direction.<br />
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Sometimes, you need to ignore all the advice and do what works for YOU.<br />
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I totally cracked that revision that day. I sent it off to my agent with a flourish, and threw myself a mini party. YESSSS.<br />
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She told me the next day that there was a part that still wasn't quite working, and would I take another look at it?<br />
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It was the tough part. You know, the part I had thrown myself a party for? It still wasn't PERFECT.* But I knew that this time, I was on the right road.<br />
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So I got out my charcoal, and my dictionary, and my thesaurus, and I found the words.<br />
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What works for you? What's your revision process like?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I cannot stress enough the importance of getting a good editorial agent.</span><br />
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<br />Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-23819749712839518002016-08-18T00:03:00.000-04:002016-08-18T00:15:44.950-04:00Ruminations on Entitlement, Fan Culture, and Life in the 21st Century<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">I've seen <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/8/7/11950648/fandom-shipping-social-justice-ideological-warfare" target="_blank">this article about fandom and entitlement</a> circulating on twitter, and after reading it and chewing on it for a day or two and digesting it for over a week, and after reading <a href="http://jalopnik.com/drive-your-fucking-classic-car-1784042164" target="_blank">Maggie Stiefvater's essay on self-actualization</a> and Classic Cars and listening to a bunch of audiobooks and watching the Olympics and taking in a whole lot of other media, I have a few thoughts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;">These thoughts are primarily directed towards authors and writers and artists and creative people. If you're not one of those people, you might find this interesting anyway, but you probably won't. Either way, it's your time; invest it where you please, but consider this fair warning.</span><br />
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An author owes nothing to anyone, ever, except to tell a good story. And by "good story", I don't mean a happy story, or a story where everyone's favorite character gets the ending that everyone wants. Sometimes that happens, but sometimes, it's a better story if it doesn't happen.</div>
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Let me tell you a story.</div>
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A while back - it really doesn't matter when - I read a book. It doesn't matter which book. What matters is that it was a great book, and as with all great books, I found myself in its pages. Not the main character's pages, though. No - my story was not the story of fame and fortune and happy endings. Mine was the story of the sidekick who doesn't quite get there in the end. It remains to be seen whether or not this will end up being my story - I still have a pulse, so I've still got time - but when I read this particular book, that was my story, and I hadn't quite realized that truth until I saw it there, in black and white, a message from the author: <i>This is you. This is what happens to people like you: you will leave behind not the mark that will change the world, but the smudge of a mosquito squished against the kitchen wall. Maybe. Maybe not even a smudge. Maybe less than that. Every story needs a good supporting character with a cautionary tale, and you, my dear, are it.</i></div>
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And I thought: <i>This is me. Oh, shit.</i></div>
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Here's a thing that you and I both know: no-one wants to live through that storyline. We all live in hope that, despite our persistence in doing the same ordinary things every day, we will somehow break out of the ordinary and become extraordinary. We are all, as the saying goes, the heroes of our own stories, and we all want to live to see our inner heroes realized. We will be the ones, the narrative goes, who will fix this fucked up world we live in. The narrative is a lie. I understood, when I recognized myself in this C-list character who would never realize his inner hero, that I was not on the path that was going to lead to me realizing mine.</div>
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It was an awful feeling.</div>
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Here's another thing that I think maybe you know: readers often see books as representing the author's worldview. Sometimes they're right and sometimes they're wrong, but that's how readers see things. And readers idolize authors.</div>
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And in this stupid, screwed up world we live in, readers want to believe that their idols see the world the same way they do. I mean, think about it: we say that God created man in his image, but really, it was the other way around.</div>
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Reading that book was the beginning for me of a long, long time engaged in the act of self-reflection. I am still engaged in it. It is painful, and hard, and frightening to think that after almost four decades of doing Life, I have, quite possibly, been doing it wrong.</div>
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But - and I think you probably already know this, too - the self-reflection is the point of that book I read. Self-reflection is, I think, the point of books in general. For without self-reflection, how can we grow? How can we become better? And if we do not become better, how can we better the world around us?</div>
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Unfortunately, we do not live in an age of self-reflection.</div>
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This is the quandary: self-reflection is painful; we live in a society in which the overwhelming worldview is that pain is a thing to be avoided at all costs. We tell ourselves, and our children, that we can change the world. We want to believe that this is true. But personal growth takes effort. Achievement takes both effort and sacrifice. And yet we tell ourselves constantly that effort and sacrifice are too much to ask, and should not be necessary. Why work out every day for months when you can just get liposuction and have the whole thing done, recovery and all, in a couple of weeks? Kids staying up too late is no problem at all - instead of establishing a routine (which could take WEEKS, and deprives parents of their social life), just give them melatonin when you want them to get an early night. You want a book you can't afford? No need to save up - just download it for free. Even as we admire the Olympians, VISA runs an ad telling us that, really, we're winners anyway for picking the right credit card, and those athletes are just making life hard for themselves. And on, and on, and on. When we take this, and add the ease with which readers can communicate with authors online, and shake it all up with a dash of entitlement and a heaping spoonful of frustration, the inevitable result is a fan culture that feels not only entitled, but obliged to press upon creators.</div>
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How can Joe Blogs make his obligatory Difference To the World? How can he reconcile the command that has been handed down to him to improve upon what he has been given with the overwhelming cultural message that life is supposed to be easy?</div>
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Simple. He pesters the author. If you listen to him, GREAT - he has made a difference to the world! He can check that box. If you don't, well, he tried; it's not his fault. He'll just SHOUT LOUDER NEXT TIME.</div>
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The world is full of C-Listers. It always has been, and it always will be. From the mosquito to the mountain goat, the vast majority are destined to live out their lives quietly and pass on without notice. Most people are the definition of average, people who will not get a hero's ending - who chose wrong before they even knew they were making a choice and ended up gunned down by a false friend in a parking lot, stuck in a dead-end factory job, stuck with a dependent who will never be anything but a dependent, just plain stuck. People who find, when they put their classic car into Drive, that the engine has rusted out, and will cost more money to fix than they have available. Or maybe they realize, after driving their classic car in circles for a while, that they've been driving the wrong model. They thought, at the time they bought it, that it was the right model, but they were wrong, and now it is too late, because the purchase of this wrong car has led them to make other choices that further limit their car-driving options. Maybe they have too many kids to cram into the sporty two-seater that they now realize is their One True Classic Car, and while the Ford Edsel is nice, it's just not quite Right, but they only have the time and resources for one car, and while their kids might really enjoy the wild ride strapped to the roof of the two-seater, in the long run, that amounts to child abuse, so they stick with the Edsel, because even if it looks like a beached whale, at least it's reliable, even though maintaining it sucks up all of their time.</div>
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The world is full of people who are living lives that are "nice, but just not quite Right". They know it. They just don't know what to do about it, so they look for themselves in books and movies and TV shows and they look to see themselves getting that elusive happy ending, because if they can't get it in fiction, then where else are they supposed to get it? And they harass the creators of those books and movies and TV shows when they don't get that, because the ease of developing an online platform means that they have convinced themselves that they are all Special Snowflakes who Deserve To Be Heard.</div>
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Stephen Hawking said recently that it is urgent that humans figure out how to leave the Earth and colonize other planets, and his desperation echoes, on a larger scale, the desperation that lives in the hearts of ordinary men: the desperation that comes with the knowledge that if we do not make our mark in time, then when we die, all that we know and all that we are dies with us. All of humanity, ordinary and extraordinary, will one day disappear in a swirl of matter and anti-matter and we will be nothing but an unread footnote in the history of time. What a waste that would be of Stephen Hawking's amazing mind. And yet, it is inevitable.</div>
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All human beings struggle with this. We struggle to reconcile our need for recognition with the reality of obscurity in the grand scheme of things. Everyone just wants to know that a happy ending is possible. Very few people have any idea of how to go about finding it.</div>
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But you don't owe them that.</div>
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You just owe them a good story. You owe them the opportunity for self-reflection.</div>
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Whether they take that opportunity is up to them.</div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-62008085060879166862016-02-24T11:12:00.001-05:002016-02-24T11:12:40.758-05:00Happy World Read Aloud Day, 2016!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ium-Mexz6dw/Vs3Mjf4VCHI/AAAAAAAAA24/r3TWrU1bV8g/s1600/litworldWRAD16logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ium-Mexz6dw/Vs3Mjf4VCHI/AAAAAAAAA24/r3TWrU1bV8g/s400/litworldWRAD16logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It's World Read Aloud Day!<br />
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World Read Aloud Day is all about celebrating the power of words, and sharing the belief that everyone has the right to literacy. You can find out more about it, and find out how you can participate, <a href="http://www.litworld.org/wrad/" target="_blank">on LitWorld's website</a>.<br />
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Spreading literacy is really important to me (OBVIOUSLY), so I was really excited to be asked by my publisher to make this video, in which I read one of my favorite sections from my book, Bite Into Bloodsuckers.<br />
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I'm really excited to be able to share it with you, and I hope you all enjoy it. Happy World Read Aloud Day!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b-wJmGNMj98" width="560"></iframe>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-19760325143042076662016-02-10T15:33:00.000-05:002016-02-10T15:33:23.791-05:00Spread the Love with BITE INTO BLOODSUCKERS Valentines!Hey!<br />
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So, I didn't post last week. I was taken hostage by an alien invader, and I basically slept through the latter portion of the week.*<br />
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Sorry about that. You'll get two posts this week, to make up for it!<br />
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In the meantime, I've been busy making a SURPRISE for you! Valentine's Day is in four short days, and if you're anything like me, you still don't have any valentines to give anybody. If you have kids and you're anything like me, your kids don't have valentines to give out at their class party, either.<br />
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Come on, admit it. You've all done this at least once.<br />
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But you don't have to worry, because I've been there, and I've got your back this year. I made some super cute bug doodles and bat doodles <b><span style="color: purple;">FOR YOU, FOR FREE,</span></b> just because I wanted to do something nice as a way of thanking everyone for all the BLOODSUCKER love. Scissors and sharpies were involved. It was quite the process.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CL_VpzaMyPg/VruaEh3E5RI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/ygCKWpJMMFw/s1600/IMG_5332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CL_VpzaMyPg/VruaEh3E5RI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/ygCKWpJMMFw/s400/IMG_5332.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>PROCESS.<br />Also, hey, look, my office is real!</i></td></tr>
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Here's a photo of one of them, when it was alllllmost finished:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fufr6GwL-xc/VruY8kqEF9I/AAAAAAAAA2M/DHQDiv0_LdE/s1600/IMG_5330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fufr6GwL-xc/VruY8kqEF9I/AAAAAAAAA2M/DHQDiv0_LdE/s400/IMG_5330.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Isn't he cute?</i></td></tr>
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All bats are boys to me. Especially the pink and purple ones.<br />
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So anyway, these are here, for everyone to download and print. For free! Thanks for being awesome.<br />
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Just <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/xrredjkl74wdcp1/BLOODSUCKERvalentineshighres.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">click <b>here</b> for the high res version</a>, or <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/hsifngh4jmq6ljv/BLOODSUCKERvalentineslowres.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">click <b>here</b> for the low res version</a>.<br />
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And if you're interested in my process, let me know in the comments and I'll post about that (with more photos) later in the week!<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>Happy Valentine's Day!</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Viruses are aliens, too. Especially when they're inside you.</span>Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-80136317101797778522016-01-29T10:24:00.000-05:002016-02-07T12:50:49.619-05:00Friday Forward: Worlds of Ink and Shadow, by Lena Coakley, AND A GIVEAWAY!!Once upon a time, many moons ago, a budding novelist (that's me) sat in a critique group at a writers' conference in Niagara Falls and listened to a passage that left her feeling awed, slightly inadequate, and a weeny bit jealous.<br />
<br />
That the passage was one which was put forward for critique, and therefore considered by its author to be somehow lacking or Not Quite Right, left the budding novelist feeling even more inadequate and jealous. But mostly, awed.<br />
<br />
The author of said passage was Lena Coakley, and the passage - which did not quite make it into the final draft - was a magical beginning, that grew into an even more magical book: Worlds of Ink and Shadow.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4apxtt9GmPs/Vqt7sYX7HvI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/EiKo4lCtlKQ/s1600/IMG_5265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4apxtt9GmPs/Vqt7sYX7HvI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/EiKo4lCtlKQ/s400/IMG_5265.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Look at all the Pretties...</i></td></tr>
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<br />
I have been waiting so long for this book to be born. I am so excited to have finally gotten it into my hot little hands.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9cb_9NLaHTc/Vqt9iBpgRDI/AAAAAAAAA1k/1gYEm9wlVo0/s1600/IMG_5251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9cb_9NLaHTc/Vqt9iBpgRDI/AAAAAAAAA1k/1gYEm9wlVo0/s400/IMG_5251.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>SCORE.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
Worlds of Ink and Shadow is an historical fantasy that, as anyone familiar with Coakley's previous novel Witchlanders would expect, accomplishes many things at once. At its surface, serves as an origin story of the Bronte family, and a most magical and mysterious one at that. Coakley makes every one of the four siblings - Charlotte, Branwell, Emily, and Anne - live and breathe and shine in this novel that takes each of their points of view in turn. The way she seamlessly slips from one point of view to the next, always showing exactly what the reader needs to see, is masterful. Additionally, the blending of fantasy with reality - the way in which a tale about siblings who can cross over into their invented worlds is interwoven with the tale of four siblings who achieved literary greatness in our world - is a literary accomplishment worthy of the Brontes themselves.<br />
<br />
But this novel is so much more than that. As Coakley weaves the story of the literary beginnings of this famous family, she also spins the story of every author, capturing the simultaneous joy and anguish of creating entire worlds, the fervent wish that those worlds could be real coupled with the great burden of being a God in those worlds, of being responsible for the lives and deaths of so many. All authors know the grief that accompanies the death of a beloved character, the weight that every decision about a character carries, the worry that if one does not get it absolutely right, then the author is doing her characters - and her story - a great disservice. Coakley allows Charlotte and Emily and Branwell to carry this burden, and thus shares with the reader something of what it is to create story. For writers like me, it is a work of great empathy. For everyone else, it is the final fleshing out that makes this story of the Brontes truly complete.<br />
<br />
This is a masterwork. It was so worth the wait, and I cannot wait to read it again.<br />
<br />
And because I am lucky enough to know Lena, and to have been to her launch party (which featured tea and scones and bonnets and a reading of the funniest scene in an historical fantasy ever), I have a treat for you.<br />
<br />
I got an extra copy. An extra signed copy.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wwd6DczHJR0/VquA7eNwg7I/AAAAAAAAA1w/a4lYxO1kzHc/s1600/IMG_5264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wwd6DczHJR0/VquA7eNwg7I/AAAAAAAAA1w/a4lYxO1kzHc/s400/IMG_5264.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>OOOOOOH.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
You want this. Trust me.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>To enter, simply comment with your name and email address, and tell me which Bronte sibling is your favorite.</b> (Your email address is important, since it's the only way I will have of contacting you if you win.)</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>One extra entry per share</b> on Facebook or Twitter or Tumblr - link to your share in the comment, so I can see it, or if you tweet about it, put my handle @IshtaWrites in the tweet.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
I will close the giveaway and draw a random entry <b><span style="color: red;">at <strike>MIDNIGHT on the night of FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH, 2016.</strike> MIDNIGHT on the night of FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH, 2016.*</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
Open in the USA and Canada only. (Sorry, but shipping to Europe and beyond is EXPENSIVE, and the life of a writer is a hungry one. Just ask the Brontes.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Good Luck!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">*This week, I was taken hostage by alien invaders, and was unable to promote this giveaway the way it deserved to be promoted. So now that the invaders have released me, I've extended the deadline.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-39327476162118348442016-01-23T20:59:00.001-05:002016-01-23T20:59:15.502-05:00Holy Acknowledgement Surprise, Batman!This week has been a tough one for me - getting up at 6am is taking its toll, and I slept through my alarm more often than not. I've loved my productive mornings, but making myself into a morning person when the sun doesn't rise for another two-to-three hours and it's cold (and dark and cold and AAGH and did I mention <i>cold?)</i> is hard work for me. I'm still enthusiastic about my projects, but I'm struggling to find the enthusiasm at 6 o'clock in the morning. Plus, there's Life Stuff, which I'm not going to get into.<br />
<br />
And then I sat down to read a friend's book*, and got curious about who her editor is (because the book is awesome), and when I turned to the acknowledgements I saw this:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7_-g6Xd-pQ8/VqQk_yqU-SI/AAAAAAAAA08/GeG894hzhlA/s1600/IMG_5227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="127" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7_-g6Xd-pQ8/VqQk_yqU-SI/AAAAAAAAA08/GeG894hzhlA/s400/IMG_5227.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Holy patooties, fruities!</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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And then I jumped around like a maniac, because <i><span style="color: purple;"><b>my name is in the acknowledgement section of someone's book, OH YEAH!!!!</b></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's the thing about writing books.</div>
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It's hard. You're all alone, and you know it probably sucks, and you're struggling to fix it, and you don't know if you're making it better or worse. You finally get it to where you think it's shining like a shiny thing, and 99% of the industry people you send it to tell you that thanks, but they'll pass. It's HARD. And that's the way it has to be, because quality matters, but knowing that doesn't make it any easier. (It makes you more able to be a grown-up about it, though, which is important. <b>Be a grown-up.</b>)</div>
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And then you see your name in the acknowledgement section of a friend's book, and you remember that night months and months ago when you answered an email with exactly the right questions, and you remember what it was like to read those early pages, those treasured secret words, filled with hope and possibility.</div>
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You remember that you have allies. You remember that you are an ally to other people.</div>
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And you feel so freaking lucky to be able to participate in the magic of creating stories for young people.</div>
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I am so grateful that I get to do this. I work with some of the most awesome people in the world. We make magic together.</div>
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<b>What made you feel lucky this week?</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*The book is <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481437714" target="_blank">A POCKET FULL OF MURDER</a>, by <a href="http://www.rj-anderson.com/" target="_blank">R.J. Anderson</a>, and it is delightful. Perfect for the magic-and-mystery-loving 8-12 year-old in your life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Accountability Count: Don't even ask when I got up; Worked on WIPs every day, YAY ME I GET COOKIES; language and music are suffering, but have been Filling the Well like crazy, so I feel okay about that. Also, NEW WEBSITE COMING SOON-ISH, watch this space.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reading: <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781419710346" target="_blank">Worlds of Ink and Shadow</a>, by <a href="http://lenacoakley.com/" target="_blank">Lena Coakley</a>, which I critiqued an early chapter of years ago and which is AMAZING and #1 on the Globe and Mail Juvenile Bestseller lists, YESYESYESYESYES! More on that next week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Watching: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1742044/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">Jersey Boys</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452624/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Good German</a></span></div>
<br />Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-8262608667668144732016-01-13T15:20:00.001-05:002016-01-13T15:54:54.082-05:00Wednesday Writing: Writing PromptThe other day, <a href="http://maggiestiefvater.com/" target="_blank">Maggie Stiefvater </a>shared this video on <a href="http://maggie-stiefvater.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">her tumblr</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WRewzFp8XE4" width="480"></iframe><br />
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I don't know why she shared it. I don't know what she thinks about it. She shared it completely without context. But I listened to it, and here's what I thought as I listened to it:<br />
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<i>I like the tune. Catchy.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Lyrics seem good.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Wait a minute…</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Actually, I completely disagree with these lyrics. This guy is lost, a little bit. But I remember feeling this way when I was a teenager and new to relationships and love and All That, and I bet there are kids who feel this way now, and I think one or two or even a bunch of the characters I'm writing about right now feel this way.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>There's a story here.</i><br />
<br />
Which I suspect is why she shared the song, actually.<br />
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ANYWAY. Writing prompt. Listen to the song. Write a short story about this kid. Post it wherever you post that sort of thing, and link back in the comments if you want. Or just keep it private. :-)<br />
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Happy Writing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Accountability Count: Slept half an hour longer than I intended today, but have written or revised for an hour or more every single day. Feeling pretty proud of that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reading:<a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Chinese-Myths-Fantasies-Cyril-Birch/dp/0192741128/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1452718253&sr=8-2&keywords=Chinese+Myths+and+Fantasies+Cyril+Birch" target="_blank"> Chinese Myths and Fantasies</a>, edited by Cyril Birch; <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780385392471" target="_blank">The Enchanted Files: Diary of a Mad Brownie</a>, by Bruce Coville</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Watching: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2395427/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">The Avengers: Age of Ultron</a>, about which <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ishta.mercurio/posts/556716354492915?notif_t=like" target="_blank">I have much to say</a>.</span>Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-14370932401728205372016-01-11T15:04:00.000-05:002016-01-11T15:04:24.756-05:00Goodbye, StarmanToday has been one of those days. The American Library Association made history by announcing that a picture book, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399257742" target="_blank">LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET</a>, had both won the Newbery and garnered a Caldecott Honor, and it was announced that David Bowie had passed away.<br />
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Stars were born, and a star died.<br />
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It happens every day, but I'm feeling it keenly on this cold January afternoon.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v8u6OdIilcc/VpQE04r6UcI/AAAAAAAAA0g/G2dGw0hIAPI/s1600/IMG_2663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v8u6OdIilcc/VpQE04r6UcI/AAAAAAAAA0g/G2dGw0hIAPI/s400/IMG_2663.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Taken at the "David Bowie Is…" exhibit at the AGO.</i></td></tr>
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I can't remember the first time I heard a David Bowie track. I can't remember which track it was. It feels like he's always been there.<div>
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But I do remember a girl I used to look after. She lived in a house in Kentish Town, and she was eleven, and she was the biggest David Bowie freak I had ever met. She would dress up like him after school and belt out Life on Mars as if she had written it herself, and it was wonderful. Through his music and his artistry and weirdness and his sheer force of personality, he gave her a bit of his stardust. He gave a bit of it to all of us.<br /><div>
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Goodbye, Starman.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Accountability Count: Up at 6 every day, except when I slept through my alarm this morning; one hour of writing or revision done every day; music done every other day; language not done at all, ACK; blogging done and edited, but password forgotten so can't post, DOUBLE ACK; social media time seems to be under control THANK HEAVEN FOR SMALL MIRACLES.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reading: <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781481432320" target="_blank">THE NEST</a>, by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Watching: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1" target="_blank">LABYRINTH</a>. Of course.</span><br /></div>
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Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-73492733797325700982016-01-06T09:01:00.000-05:002016-01-06T09:01:40.869-05:00New Year, New Rules<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fYrfYuqgTzU/Vo0cN_vzaWI/AAAAAAAAA0I/H614s4uc-2I/s1600/IMG_5192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fYrfYuqgTzU/Vo0cN_vzaWI/AAAAAAAAA0I/H614s4uc-2I/s400/IMG_5192.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Morning motivation from my office.</i></td></tr>
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<br />
I like that quote. It says so much about life: that if you want something, I mean really, REALLY want something, you've got to do the work to get it. And getting the thing and doing the work are basically the same thing.<br />
<br />
So.<br />
<br />
I decided I needed to set myself some rules for getting this thing that I want - publication with a major house, on a consistent basis, from now until forever.<br />
<br />
New year, new rules.<br />
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The rules apply every day, even on Christmas. They are called Rules for a reason, folks.<br />
<br />
Here are <b>The Rules:</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- up at 6am; NO EXCEPTIONS </b>(I'm not gonna lie: this one sucks for me. I am SO not a morning person. But, hours! In a day! Limited! So, new wake-up time. I'll get used to it.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- minimum one hour writing time; NO EXCEPTIONS</b> (Also, blogging does not count as "writing time.")</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- blogging once per week</b> (I'm doing it now! YAY!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- vlogging once per week</b> (Vlogs will be mirrored here on the blog, to keep the blog ticking over more often than once weekly.)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- half an hour per day on a language</b> (This is nothing to do with writing and everything to do with me wanting to be more Me and less Mom/Spouse/Homeschooler/Vegetable Grower/etc. Also, Spy. I want to be more Spy.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- half an hour per day on an instrument </b>(Same deal as the language thing.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- one hour per day consuming media</b> (Reading, critical TV or film watching, etc. You've gotta fill the well, folks.)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- social media for half an hour before 9am, and during The Kidlets' piano practice</b> (Blogging counts!)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- accountability on the blog</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">That last one is important. I can't tell you how many times I've made a promise to myself, only to break it within a few weeks. It might not be this way for everybody, but for me, accountability is vital. It's what makes me ACTUALLY do what I say I'm going to do. So every time I post here, I'm going to tell you how I'm doing at the end of the post.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I guess you could call these resolutions, except that none of them are Great, Grand Plans or anything. They're just little changes I'm making to my day, every day. We'll see if it makes a difference.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">How about you?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Accountability Count: Up today at 6am; Twitter, FB, and blogging done, cut off at 1/2 an hour; blog for the week done. And its only 8am! WOO-HOO!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Currently reading: <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545448680" target="_blank">THE MARVELS, by Brian Selznick</a>. Halfway through, I give it an A+.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Currently watching: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361256/" target="_blank">Wonderfalls</a>.</span></span></span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-60219992264941504152015-09-03T14:48:00.000-04:002015-09-03T14:48:07.191-04:00In the Mail!<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<b><span style="color: red;">FIRST:</span></b><span style="color: #333233;"> I've been having some problems with the internet at my house. Something caused a short in the phone wires, so the landline and internet went *poof* for a week. But we had a VERY nice man named Scott from Expenet Communications* in to fix it this morning, and he did an amazing job, so the blog is back in business.</span></div>
<div style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I answered a knock at the door the week before last, and GUESS WHAT THE POSTMAN HAD FOR ME!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ohOC18d-zHA/VeiQi0unbAI/AAAAAAAAAww/W_yoqiujXj8/s1600/IMG_4951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ohOC18d-zHA/VeiQi0unbAI/AAAAAAAAAww/W_yoqiujXj8/s400/IMG_4951.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A box from your publisher can only mean one thing...</i><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span style="color: red;"><b>IT’S REAL!</b></span></i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2wccAMvt3F4/VeiRMcxxI2I/AAAAAAAAAw4/FkLTEi6bl-4/s1600/IMG_4952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2wccAMvt3F4/VeiRMcxxI2I/AAAAAAAAAw4/FkLTEi6bl-4/s400/IMG_4952.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG...<br /></i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Of course, I had to spend some time playing with different ways to stack them up.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lI-m9nO4Owg/VeiRpk6vVOI/AAAAAAAAAxA/CguiALzMcro/s1600/IMG_4954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lI-m9nO4Owg/VeiRpk6vVOI/AAAAAAAAAxA/CguiALzMcro/s400/IMG_4954.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Swirly spiral style...<br /></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--6yOKk8zY-A/VeiR985uJdI/AAAAAAAAAxI/z3qGG4S1f3k/s1600/IMG_4956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--6yOKk8zY-A/VeiR985uJdI/AAAAAAAAAxI/z3qGG4S1f3k/s400/IMG_4956.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>All stacked up!<br /></i></td></tr>
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<div style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My publisher told me that BITE INTO BLOODSUCKERS will be available in September. That’s THIS MONTH!! Aaaaaaah!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">To celebrate the release of <b>my FIRST BOOK (!!)</b>, I’ll be holding a fun contest and giveaway, so watch this space!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0px;">Meanwhile, I’m going to go back to stroking that gorgeous** cover</span><span style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">…</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ClmdiCUy670/VeiT5PTXIBI/AAAAAAAAAxU/dp2rs28xZnM/s1600/IMG_4994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ClmdiCUy670/VeiT5PTXIBI/AAAAAAAAAxU/dp2rs28xZnM/s400/IMG_4994.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Me and My Book!<br />Photo taken by Kristi Penny</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">How is your week going?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Scott Hinchcliffe is a miracle worker who is very nice, very fair, and who likes to talk politics. In other words, he is my kind of telephone repair person. If you live in the GTA and you have phone issues, you should call him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">**Gorgeous is relative. I have argued on this blog that mosquitoes are gross, and even that the very photo of a mosquito that graces this cover is gross. But at this point, any cover with my name on it is a gorgeous cover.</span></span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-9011398524726984432015-08-21T11:48:00.001-04:002015-08-21T11:48:41.877-04:00Weighing In on the NEW New York Times Bestseller Lists<div style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It probably isn’t news to anyone reading this that <b>the <i>NYT Children’s Bestseller Lists</i> are changing again</b>, but in case it IS news, <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/67843-new-york-times-changes-children-s-bestseller-lists.html" target="_blank">you can read the original announcement here</a>, and then come back once you’re done.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Now that we’re all caught up: <b>what does this mean?</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Honestly, I don’t know if it means anything. That is, it doesn’t mean anything to ME, except that maybe one day my book will have a better chance of making it onto the list than it did under the old system, which means my future publishers and I have marginally better odds of being able to put <i>New York Times Bestseller</i> across the top of the cover. (We’re talking TINY margins of improvement. Like, really, not much. Like, <b>out of the 5,700-and-some-odd books published and the many thousands of books continuing to be sold every week, only ten will make it onto that list</b>, so SMALL SMALL ODDS.)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But I honestly don’t know if it means anything beyond that.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Some people are excited about the changes because having a list for (usually new) hardcover titles and a separate list for (usually backlisted) paperbacks means more discoverability for newer titles... But we’re talking about a list of ten titles. The range for discoverability is still pretty small. <b>As discoverability tools go, the <i>NYT Bestselling Children's Books List</i> has always been, and always will be, an inadequate tool.</b> Additionally, I don’t see very much time passing before publishing catches on to the fact that re-issuing backlisted titles with strong sales as “special edition hardcovers” can get that same title listed on TWO NYT lists, which just puts us back where we are now with one or two names dominating both lists instead of just the one list.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And if we’re talking about the <i>NYT</i> list as merely a status report - as a reporting of facts, specifically the facts about which books are currently selling the most copies in any given week - then <b>what this does is give us an idea of which new books are doing really well in their first few weeks after release</b>. Which is nice to know, I guess, if you want to write to trends, which we all know is a bad idea.* It’s also nice to know which books have staying power. If publishers are marketing the bejeezus out of their new hardcover titles and someone’s paperbacks from five years ago are still outselling them, that says something about the quality of those old books, and maybe also about the public temperature in terms of the willingness of the general public to explore new and untested waters vs clinging to the familiar and comfortable. And there is something to be learned from that. (This is something we lose with the new switch - the ability to compare sales of new books with sales of older titles.)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The NYT List is also good for marketing purposes, in a “let’s examine this after the fact” kind of way. If there are more than ten awesome books coming out that week,** but only ten make it onto the list, it can be helpful to look at those ten and then look at what their authors and publishers and PR people did to market those books that the authors and publishers and PR people maybe didn’t do for the awesome books out there that DIDN’T make it onto the list. <b>There are ALL KINDS of factors in what makes a book a blowout success, from cover design to advertising to book tours to blurbs to ALL THE OTHER THINGS.</b> There is the factor of the author’s authorial history - did their debut win a big award? Did an earlier title come out this weekend as a film adaptation? Is this the third in an already best-selling series? </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This stuff makes a difference. It sucks a little that it makes a difference, because a) none of it has anything to do with the actual words inside the actual book, and b) apart from author-initiated marketing, pretty much all of it is outside the author’s control. But nevertheless, for better or worse, it makes a difference. <b>Having a book on the NYT Bestseller List is an incredible achievement, and all the books on that list deserve to be there - but so do some books that never get there, and that’s just math.</b> There are ten slots each week. There are a lot more than ten books coming out each week. <b>You can’t control that.</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And that’s the thing. <b>There is only one thing that you, the author, can control. One. You can write an awesome book.</b> You can write a book that is so awesome, people will press it into the hands of everyone they know. You can write a book that is so awesome, people will write fan fiction about it, because they can’t let go of those characters. You can write a book that is so awesome, people will wait in line overnight to be the first to read the next one.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So <b>forget about the New York Times Bestseller List. Just write your book. Make it amazingly good. Pick the right words, and put them in the right order, and make it irresistible.</b> If your book is irresistible, you won’t have to worry about the NYT Bestseller List, because people will buy your irresistible book.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And that’s what it’s about.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*NEWSFLASH: In case you’re new to the writing-for-publication scene and you haven’t come across this information yet, writing to trends is a very bad idea. By the time you recognize a trend, it’s too late for your book to ride that wave, because by the time you draft it and revise it and revise it and the publisher gets a cover designed and all the rest, the trend will be over. Just write the book that you need to write, and write it now.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia; font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">**There are ALWAYS more than ten awesome books coming out in any given week. There isn't enough money </span>in the<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> world to buy all the awesome books every week. Unless you're Donald Trump, in which case you're too busy spending money on</span>…<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Other things. Which is a shame, if you ask me, but nobody is asking me.</span></span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-68948663652591167832015-08-14T11:02:00.001-04:002015-08-14T11:02:32.519-04:00#LA15SCBWI Conference Round-Up, Part I: The Nitty Gritty<div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;">I came home from the </span><span style="color: purple;"><b>#LA15SCBWI Summer Conference</b></span><span style="color: #333233;"> last Tuesday morning, and I slept basically all day, all night, and for part of the next day. I was essentially a walking bag of skin and bone and muscle with a jumble of sluggish goo for brains for a few days. That’s what “processing” looks like, I guess.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;">The conference was amazing. It was inspiring and exhausting and wonderful. There is nothing like being surrounded by people who write, and having a solid chunk of five days to think and talk about nothing other than the craft of story. It crystallized my understanding that </span><b><span style="color: purple;">what I need right now is to create for myself the space to write</span></b><span style="color: #333233;"> - both a physical space, and </span><b><span style="color: purple;">mental space from my everyday responsibilities, where I can focus on nothing but story.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There were too many key moments to share them all, but here are a few highlights:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;"><b><a href="http://memfox.com/" target="_blank">Mem Fox</a></b> read her books to us, and it was awesome. You are NEVER too old to be read to. On writing, she said, </span><b><span style="color: purple;">“It is the emotion generated from an original felt event that drives a book to be born. The readers will feel a certain emotion because the author felt it first.”</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Also from Mem Fox: cadence and rhythm are vital. She said this in reference to picture books, but really, I think they’re equally important in novels. Cadence and rhythm are what make the story’s voice distinct; they’re what make a book beautiful.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;">Speaking of voice: </span><b><span style="color: purple;">VOICE. Voice, voice, voice, voice, voice.</span></b><span style="color: #333233;"> Voice is more important than basically everything, because it’s the hardest thing for an editor to fix. (Although a strong voice with no story to tell is still going to get a “no” from most editors.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;"><b><a href="http://dansantat.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Dan Santat</a></b> had a wonderful thing to say for those of us still struggling to find our “voice”, which is this: </span><b><span style="color: purple;">“Be aware of your tastes and interests. This will become your voice.”</span></b><span style="color: #333233;"> I had never thought of it this way, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Because who are we, apart from our tastes and interests? Those are the means through which other people come to know us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b style="color: #333233;"><a href="http://www.megwolitzer.com/" target="_blank">Meg Wolitzer</a></b><span style="color: #333233;"> gave an excellent keynote that held more one-liners and tweetable quotes than I’ve ever heard contained in one keynote. Among them was this thought that I think holds within it the reason that so many publishers say that they want a book that sits at the intersection between literary and commercial fiction: </span><b><span style="color: purple;">“The thing you love about a book isn’t plot; it’s character.”</span></b><span style="color: #333233;"> And if you think about it, it’s true. A book with a rollicking plot is a fun read, but the books that grab you and hold onto you and worm their way into your soul are the ones with great characters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><a href="http://www.varianjohnson.com/" target="_blank">Varian Johnson</a></b> talked at length about the importance of placing a higher priority on our work, on dedicating time to the pursuit of the creative life. It was a good reminder for me, that the people who get things done are the people who prioritize getting these things done.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b><a href="http://idleillustration.com/" target="_blank">Molly Idle</a></b> reminded us that creativity can only happen in a safe space.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b style="color: #333233;"><a href="http://www.danyaccarino.com/" target="_blank">Dan Yaccarino</a></b><span style="color: #333233;"> reminded us that </span><b><span style="color: purple;">“Good work is never perfect.”</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b style="color: #333233;"><a href="http://www.jdlit.com/#!stephen-fraser/c4vl" target="_blank">Stephen Fraser</a></b><span style="color: #333233;"> reminded us to let joy spill out into our work, because, as he put it, </span><b><span style="color: purple;">“Joy is the soil in which books are grown.”</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;">Kwame Alexander - </span><b style="color: #333233;"><a href="http://www.bookinaday.org/" target="_blank">KWAME ALEXANDER</a></b><span style="color: #333233;">, who is one of the great orators of our time and who you all need to go hear speak - reminded us that </span><b><span style="color: purple;">“A loss is inevitable, like rain in spring. True champions learn to dance in the storm.”</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">And everywhere, everywhere, I heard two themes:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;">One, that </span><b><span style="color: purple;">diversity is vital</span></b><span style="color: #333233;">, and that </span><span style="color: purple;"><b>representing all characters as complicated and deep and imperfect human beings who don’t easily slot into stereotypes is essential to writing not only diverse books, but all books.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #333233;">And Two, that </span><b><span style="color: purple;">teamwork is key: not only between an author and an editor, but between an agent and an editor and an author and an agent.</span></b><span style="color: #333233;"> Communication among everyone, from the outset of the project, is an important part of what determines whether a book will sink or swim. Someone once told me that an author has to have the guts to stick up for what they think their book should be, even when the editor disagrees. But I think it’s actually more important to find an editor who won’t disagree to begin with, who truly shares your vision for the book, and then to trust that person when they say that your book isn’t achieving that vision yet and this subplot or character point might be the reason for that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There was so much more than this. SO MUCH MORE. The conference was amazing, and I kinda-sorta-almost want to only go to this conference every year for the rest of forever. (Except I love my SCBWI CanadaEast friends, and they run good conferences too, and going to NYC to see my agent and go to a conference at the same time is probably a good idea, so I’m probably NOT going to only go to the LA conference every year forever...)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Of course, I was able to see many friends at this conference. Like my brilliant and amazing critique-partner-for-life, Lindsey Carmichael.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nVlHwhbo2MM/Vc38fANsk4I/AAAAAAAAAv0/bkIzLFrF20Y/s1600/IMG_4878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nVlHwhbo2MM/Vc38fANsk4I/AAAAAAAAAv0/bkIzLFrF20Y/s400/IMG_4878.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Lindsey at the Awards Banquet on Sunday.<br />Even geniuses have to eat.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But I’m going to have to save the “friends” portion for another post. I have a novel to write.</span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-75862058272503115152015-08-11T16:22:00.000-04:002015-08-11T16:22:52.716-04:00IT'S ALIVE!<div style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I woke up yesterday morning to a Google alert about a company that claimed to be offering a PDF of my book, BITE INTO BLOODSUCKERS.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">You know, the book that isn’t out yet? The book that no-one except my publisher, my co-author, the printer, and myself should have a PDF of?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: purple;">There’s nothing like a little e-piracy to jump-start your week, you know?<b> </b><b>UGH.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So, I forwarded the email to my publisher, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, so that they can look into it and send whatever legal letters they need to send. If you ever find yourself in this situation, ALWAYS LET YOUR PUBLISHER KNOW. Also let your AGENT know, if you have an agent. They can tell you if you need to do anything and what that “anything” should be, and also, it’s just good for everyone involved to know about all the things going on with your book.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ANYWAY. My publisher is looking into it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">BUT GUESS WHAT ELSE MY PUBLISHER SAID?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">They said that my author copies are on their way to me! And THEY SENT PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KJEYKE2P9DU/VcpY9-QL8YI/AAAAAAAAAvc/u9I4uTBabIQ/s1600/CMDPyZvWgAADr6Q.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KJEYKE2P9DU/VcpY9-QL8YI/AAAAAAAAAvc/u9I4uTBabIQ/s400/CMDPyZvWgAADr6Q.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by Winston Stilwell @winstonstilwell</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My book is real! And it is book-shaped!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: purple;">So, my week is pretty much made. How is your week going?</span></b></span></div>
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Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-75666522872065228852015-08-02T12:19:00.000-04:002015-08-02T12:19:18.367-04:00Paper Towns Challenge<div style="color: #333233; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">YOU GUYS.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m in LA!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m here for the #LA15SCBWI Summer Conference, and I couldn’t be more excited to be here! There are SO MANY sessions... I’m focusing on craft, and WOW. Meg Wolitzer... Varian Johnson... Jordan Brown... Julie Strauss-Gabel...</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">*hyperventilates*</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ANYWAY.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I got here Thursday night, and since I’m here for a kidlit and YA writer’s conference, I thought the best way to spend the evening would be by watching an adaptation of a YA novel with my someone who really knows her YA.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So my critique partner, <a href="http://www.lecarmichael.ca/" target="_blank">Lindsey Carmichael</a>, and I went to see Paper Towns together.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I have to say straight out that I loved the book, and I thought the movie was an excellent adaptation of the book. Also, seeing the movie with all its elements laid out on screen - the sidekick (who happens to be black), the binge drinking, the misogyny, the Confederate Flag on a t-shirt, the Manic Pixie Dream Girl that people are arguing about (did John Green dismantle the trope, or perpetuate it?) - made me realize two things.*</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">One: One book cannot address All The Things, nor should it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">and Two: I don’t think it’s possible to dismantle a trope as deeply ingrained as the Manic Pixie Dream Girl.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I want to discuss Point Two at greater length with you guys, but first, you have to see the movie.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So that’s your challenge.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Some time in the next two weeks, go and see the delightful hilarity that is Paper Towns. (Seriously, it’s a GREAT adaptation.) Let me know in the comments to this post that you’ve seen it. And then we’ll talk about the mystique of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Okay, more than two things. But I’m writing this at 1:40 in the morning and two things are all I can think of right now. And two things are enough for one blog post, anyway.</span></span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-31749432635679395332015-06-19T15:08:00.000-04:002015-06-19T15:08:02.726-04:00Friday Forward: Books in the Wild!It's Friday!<br />
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TGIF, guys. This has been a really heavy week - both for me personally, because TREE PLANTING/rewriting/landscaping/kids/GAAAH, and for humans in North America. I'm compiling my thoughts on the heinous acts of a white supremacist who opened fire on nine people in Charleston, and those thoughts will follow at some point (probably on <a href="http://whereartmeetspolitics.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">my tumblr</a>), but for now, I think <a href="http://ishtamercurio.blogspot.ca/2014/12/of-ferguson-media-and-brown-girl.html" target="_blank">my blog post on how racism is woven throughout America's narrative</a> will suffice.<br />
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And now for some fun!<br />
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I took The Kidlets to the bookstore on Monday, and I found some awesome books that I've been wanting to sink my claws into. So, of course, I did what anyone would do.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94EIJzA3L3o/VYRh2_QjydI/AAAAAAAAAtM/jh7JTiAQOYg/s1600/IMG_4358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-94EIJzA3L3o/VYRh2_QjydI/AAAAAAAAAtM/jh7JTiAQOYg/s400/IMG_4358.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Where are my books? IN THE BOOKSTORE!</i></td></tr>
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I took a selfie! Because, CRAZYWRITERLADY.<br />
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I was really excited to see my friend <a href="http://debbieohi.com/" target="_blank">Debbie Ohi's</a> book on the top shelf at the bookstore. This is her first solo picture book, and I am SO excited for her! (And, it's an awesome book. It's about a boy who loves books, and one day he notices that… DUN DUN DUNNNNNN… is books are disappearing! The culprit and the solution have to be some of the cutest plot twists ever. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Where-Are-Books-Debbie-Ridpath/dp/144246741X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434740350&sr=8-1&keywords=where+are+my+books" target="_blank">You guys need to go out and buy it</a>, because, seriously. It's adorable.)<br />
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And look, look what else I found?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3KXzG_pcqLk/VYRjbyjI3UI/AAAAAAAAAtY/YD7MgfqrJrw/s1600/IMG_4359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3KXzG_pcqLk/VYRjbyjI3UI/AAAAAAAAAtY/YD7MgfqrJrw/s400/IMG_4359.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>GRABBY-HANDS</i></td></tr>
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See that book on the far right? The whimsical-looking one? I have been waiting for <a href="http://maggiestiefvater.com/" target="_blank">Maggie Stiefvater's</a> latest addition to her MG titles for aaaaaaaages. I love it when my favorite YA authors write <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pip-Bartletts-Guide-Magical-Creatures/dp/0545709261/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434740478&sr=1-1&keywords=pip+bartlett%27s+guide+to+magical+creatures" target="_blank">books that I can share with The Kidlets</a>.<br />
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And then I got to the bus stop and pulled out the IndigoKids Summer Reading Guide that one of the store people put in my bag, and look what I saw on the cover?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8Flqw1vxDE/VYRkpN2xnLI/AAAAAAAAAtk/pp36mtWUXN0/s1600/IMG_4360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T8Flqw1vxDE/VYRkpN2xnLI/AAAAAAAAAtk/pp36mtWUXN0/s400/IMG_4360.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Eeny-meeny-miney...</i></td></tr>
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See that book there? The one on the bottom right-hand corner? The one that is awesome? I bought <a href="http://kevinsylvesterbooks.com/" target="_blank">Kevin Sylvester's</a> book, Neil Flambe and the Bard's Banquet, as soon as it came out, and Kidlet Number Two (who will henceforth be referred to as "Love Nugget") read it in an afternoon and then asked me if he could try the recipes.<br />
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THAT'S RIGHT. RECIPES. I might be even more in love with this series than I was already, and I'm thrilled that Kevin's book is on the cover of the reading guide. It totally deserves to be there, because it is amazing. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Flamb%C3%A9-Bards-Banquet-Flambe-Capers/dp/1481410385/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434740561&sr=1-1&keywords=neil+flambe+and+the+bards+banquet" target="_blank">Go buy it</a>.<br />
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So, that's what I'm reading this week. <b>How about you? What are you reading?</b>Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-51023386329148073532015-06-10T21:59:00.000-04:002015-06-10T21:59:49.954-04:00Wednesday Writing Wisdom: Plotting Multiple Character Arcs<div style="color: #330100; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 16px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So, I think Wednesdays will be a good day for writing posts. <i>Alliteration and all that, amirite?</i> Plus, writing is the reason I have this blog, so I should probably talk about it once in a while.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">These days, I’m revising my novel, which is told from the point of view of three characters. I don’t want to get into how to do all the POV switching successfully, partly because I’m still figuring that out (although I can talk about the figuring-out process), and partly because that’s a much longer blog post than I have time for right now. Maybe we can get into it after I finish this draft and pass it on to my Beta readers.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #330100;">I want to talk abut </span><span style="color: purple;"><b>plotting all those character arcs</b></span><span style="color: #330100;">, because if plotting one is hard, plotting three is HOLY MELTING BRAIN, WHAT HAVE I DONE?! It’s a lot. Like, A LOT, a lot. It’s a lot to juggle around inside one brain.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So I take it out of my brain, and I put it down on paper. I like to do this after I’ve finished one draft, because then I have something I can really work with. (And my rough drafts are rough and messy and all-over-the-place awful, and they have my permission to be this way. So I expect to need to do this at this stage.)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #330100;">So, I have my first (ROUGH) draft in front of me. I've printed it out, because that's how my brain works, but that isn't necessarily a must. I get a stack of index cards, and I go through the draft and </span><b><span style="color: purple;">make one index card for each scene</span></b><span style="color: #330100;"> - whose POV it’s from, the central conflict of that scene, and the progression that character makes in that scene - then I lay them all out in order. (The floor is a good place for this.) Then I pull out </span><b><span style="color: purple;">three highlighters - one for each of my three main characters</span></b><span style="color: #330100;"> - and I put a stripe across each card in the color of the person whose POV that scene is told from. If the main part of the action centers around a character other than the narrator for that scene, I put an additional stripe in that character’s color, but that doesn’t happen that often in this book (so far; this may change. Actually, I think I want to play with that idea... *makes note to self and files it away for later*).</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #330100;">ANYWAY, now I’ve got the whole novel spread out in front of me, and I’ve got nice bright highlighted sections to let me know when stuff is happening for each character. It’s really obvious if I’m ignoring a character for too long, or if one character’s climax comes at the wrong time within the novel’s progression. It’s a good way to </span><b><span style="color: purple;">pull back and get a big-picture look at what’s going on for each character as the novel progresses</span></b><span style="color: #330100;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So, that’s one of my strategies. I hope some of you find it useful.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>How about you?</b><span style="color: #330100;"> How do you plot multiple character arcs? Leave your tips and tricks in the comments!</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thanks for stopping by.</span></div>
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Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-36556647894533772292015-06-02T00:22:00.001-04:002015-06-02T00:24:56.915-04:00Cover Reveal! Goodies! HUZZAH!<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m just back from a whirlwind weekend at the <a href="http://canadaeast.scbwi.org/" target="_blank">SCBWI Canada East</a> conference The Art of Story in Montreal - and what a conference! I saw so many people, and learned SO MUCH, and have so much to share...</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But not yet, because I need to decompress and gather photos together and collect my thoughts a bit first. My post-conference post (har har, SEE WHAT I DID THERE?) will come later this week.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">In the meantime, guess whose book has a final cover!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qckJ-L9y_FQ/VW0tPo2EvzI/AAAAAAAAAsg/dWP2WjAkDz8/s1600/FITZ_BloodSuck.Cover.v8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qckJ-L9y_FQ/VW0tPo2EvzI/AAAAAAAAAsg/dWP2WjAkDz8/s400/FITZ_BloodSuck.Cover.v8.jpg" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It's coming...</i></td></tr>
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This girl's book!</div>
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I don't know how covers have gone for you guys, but this cover went through a LOT of changes. A LOT. But boy, do I love this version. Just look at that proboscis! Just look at the hairs on that mosquito! Just look at that blood-filled abdomen!</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>MOSQUITOES. THEY ARE SO GROSS.</b></span></div>
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But I love it. I am giddy with cover love.</div>
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And look what the UPS man brought me? GOODIES!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rv3RuyCYlzs/VW0pWZqk6rI/AAAAAAAAAsU/ZVVPyALTUoI/s1600/IMG_4319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rv3RuyCYlzs/VW0pWZqk6rI/AAAAAAAAAsU/ZVVPyALTUoI/s400/IMG_4319.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Witness my two-tone gorgeousness!</i></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I ordered this awesome tote bag and hat to promote my book! In case you don't know yet, BITE INTO BLOODSUCKERS is the non-fiction book for 7-11 year-olds that I wrote with Kari-Lynn Winters. I got the bag and hat from <a href="http://www.vistaprint.ca/vp/welcomeback.aspx?xnav=welcome&rd=1" target="_blank">Vistaprint</a>, and I just LOVE them! Aren’t they gorgeous? (Well, okay - the mosquito isn’t gorgeous. But the MATERIAL is gorgeous! I love the two-tone look.) The tote bag is made of sturdy canvas, and it’s big enough to hold ALL THE THINGS. It’s going to be perfect to bring to school visits! And the hat is just perfect for summer weather!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I am going to be carrying this bag and wearing this hat EVERYWHERE!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">To find out more about BITE INTO BLOODSUCKERS (my first book!), which is coming SOON, and to pre-order a copy, check it out online at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bite-into-Bloodsuckers-Kari-Lynn-Winters/dp/1554553261/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433217577&sr=1-1&keywords=bite+into+bloodsuckers" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/bite-into-bloodsuckers/9781554553266-item.html?ikwid=Bite+Into+Bloodsuckers&ikwsec=Books&ikwidx=0" target="_blank">Chapters</a>, and <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Bite-Into-Bloodsuckers/Kari-lynn-Winters/9781554553266?id=6332178898651" target="_blank">Books-A-Million</a>. (You guys! BOOKS-A-MILLION!!!)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thanks for your support, and thanks for stopping by!</span></div>
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Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-31406943366538287032015-03-19T13:02:00.001-04:002015-03-19T13:03:31.101-04:00De-LAAAAAAYS<div style="color: #330100;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You may have noticed that March 17th came and went with no fanfare from me. Which would be normal for most days, except that March 17th was supposed to be the day that my book, BITE INTO BLOODSUCKERS, came out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yeah.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My co-author Kari-Lynn Winters and I worked really hard on that book. Like, REALLY hard. I lost sleep more times than I care to admit. So did our editors, and the book designer, and everyone else. But unfortunately, things just didn't quite work out. There were layout things and cover things and all kinds of other things, and all the THINGS just took too long.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes, this happens.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes, despite everyone’s best efforts, things just don’t go to plan. It's nobody's fault. It's just the way things go.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s disappointing, but it’s okay.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #330100; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I would rather have my name on a great book than a rushed book. I </span>think this<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> is important to remember, for creators everywhere. Producing </span>stuff<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> you're proud of is important.</span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SO, I’ve been told by my publisher that our new release date will be sometime in JUNE. Just in time to try out the fun activities in the book in the warm summer months! YAAAY! <i>Mark your calendars!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And in the meantime, you can order BITE INTO BLOODSUCKERS on Amazon by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bite-Into-Bloodsuckers-Kari-Lynn-Winters/dp/1554553261/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426784492&sr=8-1&keywords=bite+into+bloodsuckers" target="_blank">clicking HERE</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for your support, and thanks for stopping by!</span></span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-12909805521447346442015-03-12T12:45:00.000-04:002015-03-12T12:45:54.154-04:00When You Wish Upon a Star...<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I want to talk with you guys about wishes.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m not a particularly superstitious person. I don’t believe that the Universe is out to get anyone, or that the Universe is tilted in anyone’s favor. I do believe that we reap what we sow, but that’s more of an “if you put forward your best self and keep your goals in sight and don’t let the crappy things that happen to you stop you from trying, things will eventually work out in the positive” thing than a Karma or Juju thing.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">(Notice that I acknowledge that crappy things happen. They happen to everybody. Nobody’s life is just magically free of crapitude.)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But I totally believe in making wishes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: 0px;">I wish on everything: falling stars, the first star of the evening, fallen eyelashes, clementine rinds when you peel them off all in one piece, snowflakes</span>…<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I don’t make wishes because I think that making a wish alone is enough to make something happen. There’s no magic fairy dust that falls on you and changes your reality just because you wished for something. Wishing can’t change the lottery numbers as the machine is popping them out. It can’t make the rain stop, or the temperature go up by ten degrees.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">But what wishing CAN do - what it DOES do - is keep you focused. It keeps you moving forward. It reminds you of what you want, so that when the opportunities come, you can take them. And it reminds yo to create opportunities when you can.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Also, it reminds you to keep working for what you want. Emphasis on WORKING. Because working is hard. The discipline is hard to maintain. You need to remind yourself what you’re giving up all this free time <i>for</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Me? I wished for a long healthy life for my kids, which is partly in my (and their) control, and partly up to chance. And I wished to work with an agent. (For about 5 years - yeah. This wishing thing takes TIME.)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Right now, I'm wishing to make a book that is so awesome, people won't be able to help but read it. It might take a while, but I'm gonna keep working on it and wishing for it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So: wishes. I make them.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What do you wish for?</span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-34011029412476028932015-03-09T15:07:00.001-04:002015-03-09T15:07:31.494-04:00Announcing...A while ago, I hinted that I hoped to have some good news to share soon. And then <a href="http://ishtamercurio.blogspot.ca/2015/02/scbwi-nyc-15-redux-answer-is-always-yes.html" target="_blank">a few posts ago</a>, I mentioned that my trip to New York City for the SCBWI Winter Conference had even more awesome than I was able to include in the post. There's no way you could have known, but those things were connected.<br />
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Hee-hee. I know. I'm such a tease.<br />
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ANYWAY. You probably want to know what my news is, right?<br />
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I bet you do.<br />
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Yup.<br />
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Have I drawn this out long enough?<br />
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How about now?<br />
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Okay, NOW. I have.<br />
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Okay, already!<br />
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I wanted to wait until all the paperwork was finalized, buuuuut, now that the contract has been signed, I am THRILLED to announce that…<br />
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I am now represented by the <a href="http://www.jvnla.com/our_team.html" target="_blank">AMAZING Laura Biagi, of Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency</a>!<br />
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I queried Laura last September and she requested my full in November. After she read my manuscript, we made an appointment to chat in New York on the day that I arrived for the conference. Chatting with her was fantastic - I could see that she had really thought about my manuscript, and I could also see that she really "got it". She is smart and on-the ball, she's a great communicator, she gets and loves what I'm working on, and I am so, so excited to have her by my side as we plan my career together!<br />
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So. Laura Biagi, Agent Awesome. MY AGENT. I can't believe I get to type that.<br />
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<i>What is this crazy life?</i><br />
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To celebrate, I'm giving away a <b><span style="color: purple;">free query critique</span></b>. Comment with your email address for one entry, share (and link to your shares in the comments) for more entries. The winner will be randomly drawn at midnight on Friday, March 13th/Saturday, March 14th.<br />
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And as always: you guys have been with me since my earliest days, and your support has kept me going through both light and dark moments. I love and appreciate every last one of you. Thanks for stopping by!<br />
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<br />Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-20319344607223624722015-03-07T13:14:00.000-05:002015-03-07T13:18:17.701-05:00It's a Party!<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This is my second blog post in as many days.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I know. Crazy, right?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It’s a little ridiculous. But sometimes, life is just ridiculous.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m posting here to direct you to a party! What kind of party? A Facebook party! Which is the best kind, because PAJAMAS, amirite?</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">ANYWAY.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Some friends and I have teamed up to put together an event to celebrate our books. Come join me, <a href="http://www.lecarmichael.ca/" target="_blank">LE Carmichael</a>, <a href="http://www.helainebecker.com/" target="_blank">Helaine Becker</a>, and <a href="http://www.joangalat.com/" target="_blank">Joan Marie Galat</a> while we SPRING into Science! We’ll have cool links, some science chat, a bit of origami, and, best of all, PRIZES! Including four GRAND PRIZES - one from each of us - for four lucky (randomly drawn) people who email us at the designated Spring Into Science email address posted on the event page.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">My prize is this awesome collection of Bloodsucker-inspired cookie cutters. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>These will make the BEST COOKIES!</i></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">There’s a horse to represent the horsefly, lips to represent the kissing bug, a butterfly (Did you know there is a blood drinking butterfly? Have I given you nightmares now?), a chick to represent the vampire finch, a fish to represent the candiru, and a vampire bat. Awesome, right? I kind of wish I could keep these for myself. Think of all the possibilities!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The party is all online, so click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/371790773005459/" target="_blank">THIS LINK</a> between 1pm and 5pm TODAY, March 7th.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">See you there!</span></div>
Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-22441468727190487682015-03-06T08:15:00.001-05:002015-03-06T08:15:26.388-05:00BOOK REVIEW: The Opposite of Geek, by Ria VorosIt's Friday!<br />
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You know what that means: a full work-day of scrambling to get all those things done that you still haven't managed to wrap up before the weekend starts and no-one else will be at the office to take your calls!<br />
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Also, it's Book Review Day.<br />
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(Okay, Book Review Day is the real reason for Friday. That, and staying up late watching movies and <strike>making</strike> nomming popcorn.)<br />
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I've been participating in Ontario's Forest of Reading Program, which is basically a Readers' Choice award program for Canadian books. This means a Lot of Reading. A LOT. There are seventy books on my TBR list before voting starts in April! I've read a few real gems, so I'll be sharing some of those with you guys on Fridays for the next few weeks.<br />
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Most recently, I was delighted to discover <i><b><span style="color: purple;">The Opposite of Geek</span></b></i>, by Ria Voros. Here's the blurb:<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>A piercing novel about the unnerving process of growing up, and a girl finding her feet.</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Gretchen Meyers doesn't know exactly what went wrong, but life in the eleventh grade is beginning to suck. As if having a semi-nudist, food-obsessed family wasn't awkward enough, she has lost her best friend to the fanatical school swim team, and her chemistry grade is so close to negative digits that only emergency tutoring can save it. So far, so high school. Then James/Dean rolls into her life — also known as her zit-faced chemistry tutor James and his slightly less zit-faced cousin Dean. Kind-hearted rebels without a cause, they draw Gretchen out of classroom hell, and briefly the world seems full of possibility.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>But everything changes over the course of one awful night.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Bewildered by harsh new emotions of grief and love, Gretchen realizes she must now decide who she wants to be and what it means to be loyal. Written partly in verse, as self-confessed poetry geek Gretchen finds new ways of expressing herself, The Opposite of Geek is a tale of haiku, high school, and heartache. Rich with humour, it explores all the anguished details of teenage life through the words of one girl who is finding her way.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this book. I mean, I can tell you - I enjoyed it a LOT!! - but that's pretty inadequate. After thinking about it, I can break it down into a few key elements:</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 22px;"><b>Characterization:</b> </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">I love the details with which the author imbues the minor characters. Gretchen's dad is German and her mom is Scottish, which plays out in all kinds of interesting little ways throughout the text. There are cliques, whose walls break down as we get to know the characters within them better. There is a guy who is totally hot on the outside, but totally not on the inside. When we talk about a world that is fully fleshed out, a big part of that is having three-dimensional characters living in it, and that is really well-done in this novel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="color: purple; line-height: 22px;">Playful and Interesting Storytelling Choices:</b><span style="line-height: 22px;"> There are moments in which this novel feels like it's been written in free verse, and other moments when it's written in haiku. There are moments wen it's straight-up prose. This could have been garbled and awful and jarring, but in this book, it just all flows and it WORKS. The changes to haiku happen at key emotional beats, when really, who thinks in whole sentences anyway? I felt that I was in good hands the whole time I was reading. I was in the hands of a person who knew how best to tell this story.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><b style="color: purple;">Language and Voice:</b> Gretchen is a poet, and she uses phrases like "word sugar". Her voice matches the description we are given of her. That is so much rarer than it should be, and it's a delight when I find a novel in which there is a true synthesis of voice and character.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">It all boils down to:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="color: purple; line-height: 22px;">Honesty:</b><span style="line-height: 22px;"> The growth that Gretchen goes through in this novel makes sense given the circumstances of the story; the emotions and how the characters express them feel true; the world feels real.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">This is a really, really good book, guys. You're missing out if you haven't read it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Get <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Opposite of Geek</i> at your local independent bookstore, or from these online spaces:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">IndieBound: <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781443104845" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></span></span></div>
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Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8763911471376369172.post-74301099098111393712015-02-18T11:46:00.000-05:002015-02-19T13:01:53.531-05:00SCBWI NYC '15 Redux: The Answer is Always YESWhew!<br />
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The last two weeks have been amazing, guys. A-MAY-ZING. I can't even get into how amazing they have been right now. But I want to share a few of the amazing moments from the SCBWI Winter Conference, because spreading the amazing is something I want to do more of. Since the theme of this conference was Seven Things, I'm going to share seven amazing moments.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Amazing Moment Number One:</span></b> KWAME!!! Kwame Alexander, who is so nice and generous and wonderful as a human being and as a crafter of words. I attended Kwame's session on writing diverse characters, where he showed us how much work we all have to do to overcome our own biases and preconceptions, and to overcome the stereotypes that we still cling to. (Yes, even the most enlightened of us still cling to stereotypes.) He gave a keynote in which he emphasized the importance of saying "yes" even when everyone around you seems to be saying "no". But also, he remembered me from his session, and he thanked me for coming, and he gave me a hug.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx3q_A3XsXw/VOYjbIVYRCI/AAAAAAAAAo0/lUb1F-lCCE0/s1600/IMG_2593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sx3q_A3XsXw/VOYjbIVYRCI/AAAAAAAAAo0/lUb1F-lCCE0/s1600/IMG_2593.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>Me and Kwame. Holy Cowpies.</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.ninjacowboybear.com/" target="_blank">Hilary Leung</a></span></i></div>
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By being who he is, he reinforced the overarching lesson from this conference and from so many other conferences: that we are all in this together, and that by supporting each other and by treating each other as equals, we all rise.<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><b>Amazing Moment Number Two:</b></span> Meeting Jennifer Laughran, who is one of my agent heroes because she is so awesome and so generous online with her advice and her personality and everything, and having a moment to tell her how much I appreciate her blog, and then a split second later seeing her almost cry with happiness when she met Kwame Alexander. Pure awesome. These are my people.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Amazing Moment Number Three:</span></b> Matisse before dawn.<br />
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<i>Eeeep!</i></div>
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The words "The MoMA is open all night and I have tickets to see Matisse at 5:30AM!" were nowhere on my list of "Things I Expect My Friends to Say at a Conference," but they rank pretty high on the list of "Things I Am Likely to Say Yes To." I'm just glad to have friends who are as crazy as I am.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Amazing Moment Number Four:</span></b> Grand Central Station during the non-rush-hour hours. The feeling of sheer SPACE - like being outside, but inside. There was even a pigeon flying around in there.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hr-QoMcSRl8/VOSpf0MmAJI/AAAAAAAAAog/T3ObSc5C5q0/s1600/IMG_3932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hr-QoMcSRl8/VOSpf0MmAJI/AAAAAAAAAog/T3ObSc5C5q0/s1600/IMG_3932.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>A picture of my friends taking a picture of my friends...</i></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Amazing Moment Number Five:</span></b> Hearing James Dashner talk about his first book and how it sold dozens of copies, and realizing that even though we make such a big deal of debuts, those debuts very rarely define an author's career. As someone whose projects range from bug-based non-fiction to quirky science-y superpower chapter books to edgy YA, I really needed that.<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Amazing Moment Number Six:</span></b> Turning to the writer next to me after Herve Tullet's talk and daring each other to re-invent the levelled reader system. To quote Kwame: IT'S ON!<br />
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Amazing Moment Number Seven:</span></b> Hearing Kami Garcia talk about how she and Margie basically wrote the anti-paranormal, and thinking, <i>I can do that.</i> Not the anti-paranormal, because I don't really want to do that right now, but the anti-(insert genre here). I can look at all the books in a genre and say, "Okay, generally speaking: the girl is always like this; the guy is always like this; the problem always centres around this; the setting is always this…" And I can write something that is the opposite of that.<br />
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And so can you guys. So, Go Forth! Write the Amazing Things. I can't wait to read them.<br />
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(There was another amazing thing, but I said I'd stop at seven, so that will have to wait for another post.<br />
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Heh heh heh.)<br />
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Happy writing, and thanks for stopping by.<br />
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<br />Ishta Mercuriohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17776946702988283453noreply@blogger.com4