Living the Fictional Dream

Howdy out there. Just a quick shout out to my friend Meng (also known as my sister’s boyfriend) — the episode of Jeopardy! that he taped this summer is airing today. Much excitement around our house today!

I tell you, I always wondered if I had the skills to be on a game show like that. I’ve always been somewhat of a game show junkie — at least when I’m home in the middle of the day. But, after helping Meng practice for his appearance (OK, well, my “help” basically consisted of letting him DVR episodes at my house and watching them with him), I figured out that I don’t have the trivia chops for it. At least not for Jeopardy! If they still made Win Ben Stein’s Money, I might have a chance there! But, yeah, my obscure trivia factoids are nowhere in his league.

Because of this Jeopardy! madness, I did have the chance to read Ken Jennings’ book, Brainiac. I really enjoyed it. If you like trivia and you like memoir, you’ll enjoy it, too.

So, yes, this post was mostly a break from or regularly scheduled content, but I thought the event was worth the topic shift. And I kinda saved it by talking about a book, right? **grins**

All Things Girl’s fall issue is out, and I loved this article about being a “book aunt” by our own Miss Meliss.

I never thought about it in quite these terms, but when I read the article, I realized that I totally am a book aunt, too. When my best friend had her daughter, I got into the habit of always buying her a book at the holidays (her birthday and Christmas are so close together, so, from me, she always gets one book and one toy). I carried on the tradition with my other friends’ twins (well, they’ve only had the one Christmas and birthday so far, but I intend to continue).

Currently, due to the young ages of the kids, we’re still into board books, but I find myself really looking forward to the days when I can buy them some of my favorites… especially the girls, as that is the type of children’s literature I was into as a kid. I would love it if I were able to give them their first copies of Little Women, A Little Princess, and all those other great books I talked about in my recent childhood reading post.

Reading can be a very subjective thing, but it can be something that’s really awesome to share, as well. My mom brought me up on reading. I never had a book aunt in the way Melissa talks about in her article, but I didn’t miss it because my mom always made reading as something special between the two of us. She read with my sister, too, but we each always got our own story every night — private time, just me and Mom. Those are memories I cherish.

Did you know that Bambi was a novel with some rather existentialist leanings before it became a cute Disney flick? Mom and I read it together. She read me Tarzan books, too. I also remember Tom Swift, Andre Norton’s Witchworld, classics like Charlotte’s Web, and more. I even remember reading Star Wars books about Han Solo and a great short story called “The Love Letter” (not that movie with Sandra Bullock, but a cool story about a man who bought an antique desk and exchanged love letters through time with a woman a century before).

There was the A Tree Growns in Brooklyn period (recommended to my mom by one of her friends) — that one was a bit of a mistake, as neither of us enjoyed it, but no matter what the book was, I loved the time we spent reading together. I was probably the oldest kid I knew still getting a “bedtime story,” but it was a tradition I wasn’t willing to let go of for a long time.

All this time spent reading was time that helped mold me into the book lover and voracious reader today. I also credit her with making me into a sci-fi/fantasy fan (how many other kids’ moms read them Andre Norton?), and I wouldn’t have it any other way. (The Y/A literature obsession, though, is totally my own thing!)

So, anyway, I’m going to take a minute now to say thank you to my mom for instilling in me such a love of reading and for spending all those nights putting up with my pleas for “just one more chapter.” Those are some of my favorite childhood memories, and I hope you know how much it meant to me.

I hope that a love of reading is something I can instill in the kids in my life, whether they be one of my honorary nieces or nephews or a blood relation. I’m proud to be a book aunt!

I think that the reading you do when you’re young has a bigger affect on you that any other reading you do in your life. I’m sure there are exceptions to that, but reading you do when you’re a child is really powerful. It shapes you as a future reader, and possibly as a writer, too. I know it did for me.

When I was a child, my favorite books were the old fashioned ones where kids met obstacles with cheerfulness and perserverence, and were rewarded in the end. I also loved books where family was important, and if a character was a story-teller, it was a plus.

Some of my absolute favorites from childhood were Little Women, A Little Princess, Anne of Green Gables, and The Five Little Peppers series. I read them over and over again. I adored the imaginations all these kids had. Anne Shirley, of course, had more imagination than anyone I’ve ever known, and always pulled it off with such drama and style. Jo March’s scribblings and the antics that the March girls got up to fascinated me. I wanted to write, I wanted to have my own Pickwick club, and I wanted to perform plays in my bedroom. I also wanted to be part of the incorrigible Pepper clan, who made figuring out a way to have Christmas with no money an exciting adventure. I wanted to adopt a lonely boy (like Laurie and Jappy) into my family (why were all the lonely boys filthy rich?). And I wanted to be able to tell stories like Sarah Crewe.

As an adult, I can see the didactic moments in these stories, and some of the morals of the day seem absurd now (the author of the Peppers was obsessed with the idea that it was bad for children to get upset and cry — woe behold the Pepper child who had a temper tantrum!), but as a kid, these were my imaginary friends, family, and siblings.

In the modern world, you never get to float down a river pretending to be a heroine from ancient literature, you never write on slates, and you seldom ramble through the woods. Texas isn’t much for snow, so I never went sledding or ice skating on a pond. It was a whole different world — a world where everyone always got their just desserts and virtures like patience and kindness were always rewarded.

Pie in the sky ideals, yes, but even today I think those are ideals to shoot for. If we all treated each other with that kind of respect and love, the world would be a different place. However, at this point, I don’t think I’m ever going to be adopted by a millionaire, so I’ve had to give up that dream!

When I got a little older, I discovered The Song of the Lioness quartet written by Tamora Pierce. This series probably affected my writing more than any other books I’ve ever read. The heroine, Alanna (a girl in disguise trying to earn her place as a knight), was fiesty and brave, but flawed. The supporting cast was well-drawn and fascinating. The world had its own quirks and laws, but had familiar aspects, too. If I ever succeed as a young adult author, I would love to see my books next to hers at the bookstore (though, I suppose I’d have to write under a pseudonym, wouldn’t I?).

So, what about you guys? What books did you read when you were young that really meant something to you? Did they affect your outlook on life? If you’re a writer, did they affect that aspect of your life at all?

“Be my girlfriend for five minutes?”

That’s the catalyst to Nick and Norah’s whirlwind night in the Y/A novel Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Nick is recovering from a brutal breakup and doesn’t want his ex to know how much he’s hurting, and Norah wants to avoid the same girl for reasons of her own. She responds to his question with a kiss, and the night begins.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot, because it’s a fairly short book. In some ways, not much happens, but in other ways, they live a lifetime in one night. Nick and Norah have to figure out what they want, how to get over their exes, and how to let someone new into their lives.

My favorite thing about this book is the structure and points of view. The book is co-written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. They tell Nick and Norah’s story in alternating chapters. Because each character is written by a different author, the characters each have a truly unique voice. It really allows you to get into their heads and get to know them as characters.

Some of the most heard writing advice is to show, not tell, but in NaNIP, this rule is broken, and it’s done with abandon. Sure, there are a lot of scenes and plenty of things are shown, but there are also long passages where scenes are summarized in narration. We move through them quickly as events are filtered through Nick and Norah’s perspectives.

Normally, this telling style would drive me up the wall, but in this book, it works. The narration is so personal and dense, it’s almost like being in their heads and seeing how they see the world. The reader feels and experiences along with the characters. Cohn and Leviathan pull off what could be a really intrusive style, and make it work until I couldn’t imagine the story told in any other way.

As you can probably tell by the title, music also plays a big role in this story. It’s practically a character in and of itself, which is really interesting. Nick is part of a band and writes his own songs, and Norah’s dad is an executive at a record company, so they both live and breathe music. I don’t want to give too much away, but one of my favorite moments is Nick’s epiphany about life in relation to life being a song. I won’t tell you what that epiphany is, but you’ll know it when you get to it in the story.

Cohn and Levithan have come out with another book, as well. It’s written in the same universe as NaNIP, but none of the characters overlap. Only one setting overlaps, basically, but you feel like you’re in the same world again.

The new book is called Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. I’ll admit, the title threw me off a bit at first, but I decided to give it a try because I’d enjoyed NaNIP so much.

The plot of NaEDKL, in a nutshell, is that Naomi and Ely have been best friends forever. They planned their wedding when they were in grade school, before Ely realized he was gay. In order to maintain their friendship after an incident in which they both had a crush on the same guy, they instituted their “No Kiss List” — a list of people who are off limits romantically for both of them. But a rule is broken, and suddenly Naomi and Ely’s friendship is blown completely apart, so they have to figure out what it is they really want.

This story is told in the same complex style as NaNIP, but the cast of characters is much wider. Naomi and Ely’s POVs are the most important, but we get many more — some for multiple chapters, and some for just one. I love multi-POV stories, because it is so fascinating to see the same scene from many different viewpoints. There is a scene during an intense game of bingo that we get from both Naomi’s POV and that of a girl named Kelly, and they each remember the events in a totally different fashion. It’s great.

My favorite chapters in the book are the ones written from the POV of the latest entry on the No Kiss List, the doorman of Naomi and Ely’s building, who is completely mad for Naomi. In one chapter, he makes her a mix tape, and each song on it has a specific meaning for him about either him or her and about the relationship they could have. The character won my heart forever when one of the songs on the playlist was “Walk Through the Fire” from “Once More With Feeling,” the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

One of the other things I liked in this book was the Bruce club — a group of insomniacs that meet in the lobby at night and (many of whom) are named Bruce.

Oh, and one minor spoiler (nothing too big). In Naomi’s chapters, her narration is punctuated by little symbols throughout. I couldn’t figure out what in the world that was for. It drove me crazy throughout the book. Then, at the end, they finally tell us. It’s not a big shocker or really relevant to the book, so I’m just going to explain it here. Then, if you read it, you won’t be wondering what they are for. Apparently, when Naomi and Ely were young, they learned sign language so they could have a secret language all their own. Naomi got pretty good at it and the symbols were her signing. Once I knew that, it all made sense! I found it particularly interesting since I have a good friend who teaching is a deaf school that focuses on ASL (American sign language).

So, to somewhat wrap up this very long post and review of two books, I will say that I enjoyed both very much, and they were definitely both worth the read. Both books deal with some mature subject matter, so they would be better for older teens; however, they are both done well. They’re also not very long, so they are a fast read. All in all, I would definitely recommend both!

Happy reading!

I was surfing around the blog-o-sphere on this lazy Saturday, and I found some interesting links about Y/A fiction.

First, here is Y/A author Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls series) talking about the wrong questions aspiring Y/A authors ask. Then here she talks about the questions aspiring Y/A authors don’t think to ask, but should.

Then Agent Kristen talks about best-seller lists, using the Gallagher Girls as an example.

Happy reading, and I hope everyone has a relaxing Saturday.

Waiting is never fun, but right now it seems less fun than ever! A literary flash piece that I wrote a few months ago was accepted by a literary e-zine. It is supposed to be published in their September issue, but that issue still has not appeared on their website. I emailed the editors once to ask about the publication date and was told to expect it on September 15. That day has come and gone, but no new story for me to happily announce on my blog!

Anyway, I don’t mean to complain (at least not too much). I know that e-zines operate without much staff, basically depending on the efforts of the dedicated few who do all the work. I understand that there can be issues and delays.

But, dang it, I do want to see that story out in the world. I’m anxious to know what other people think of it! And, there is also the fear that the e-zine will fold without publishing my story. The last time I had a piece accepted by an e-zine that kept moving the publication date back, it folded and I had to start anew searching for a home for that story. This one took me longer to place the first time (sometimes I think mainstream/literary fiction is more subjective to editors than even genre fiction, but maybe that’s just because I specialize more in the genre fiction), and I would hate to have to start over.

Though, if the worst case scenario happened and I did have to start over, I did eventually re-place the story from the first time an e-zine went under on me. I’m sure I could do it again, if necessary.

Right now, though, I’m just going to cross my fingers and hope that the September issue of the literary e-zine publishing my story makes it out soon. I was impressed with some of the stories in their previous issue, so I would love to see what else they have to offer!

I recieved an interesting rejection today. The editor of a fairly prestigious e-zine said, “No to this, but please keep trying us?” Short, sweet, and to the point, but also a rejection with a grain of hope. And not a dreaded form rejection, either.

After I read the note, I stared at it for a while, trying to parse the appropriate meaning from that question mark at the end of the sentence. It seems a very deliberate punctuation choice. A period would be the norm, but a question mark means something else entirely.

This particular market has rejected quite a few of my stories. Perhaps the editor meant that question mark as an acknowledgement of that, and also hopes that I will continue to submit to them despite the number of rejections? If that’s it, if the editor actually remembers who I am and that I’ve sent stuff before, maybe that means that they really like my voice, and, as yet, I just haven’t sent them a story that quite fits with the e-zine? That I’m almost there…

That would definitely be a nice thing to believe! It’s a market I would particularly like to appear in, both because it pays better than a token payement and it is a fairly well-known market, at least in e-zine circles.

I probably shouldn’t overthink it. It’s just as possible that the question mark was a typo. That thought brings to mind Eats, Shoots and Leaves and the example of the difference between “the panda eats shoots and leaves” and “the panda eats, shoots, and leaves.” Gotta watch out for those gun-toting pandas, yeah?

Either way, the rejection leaves me inspired on two counts. First, I need to keep pressing on that particular story. There must be a home for it somewhere! And, second, I need to write more of the kind of story that this particular e-zine publishes so I can try them again.

The Every Day Fiction table of contents for September came out today, and my story, “A Castle in the Clouds,” is on it. Very exciting! Look for it there on September 14 (I’ll remind y’all here when it’s live).

You can also mark your calendars for September 26, when the story by my writing group mate Jens will be live. An adventurous good time, that one.

It looks like a great lineup for the month. There are a lot of familiar names (authors who always deliver), and some new names, as well. K.C. Ball’s “I Must to the Barber’s Chair” is out today, and you should definitely pop over and read it, because it’s great.

Can you believe today is the last day of the three day weekend already? Where did the time go? At least I can say that I made good progress on my writing goals for the weekend. I’ve revised one story, thus far, and sent it out. I sent another story that I just got the rights back to out to a podcast (**crosses fingers**). And I’ve read through/made final revisions to another story. I hope to finish that one up today sometime and sent it on its first foray out into the world (it’s over 8K, though, so it will be tougher to place).

If only I had made as much progress on my work out and house cleaning goals… Ah well… we must make sacrifices for our writing, yeah?

I want to write a sequel to “The Widow and the Stranger” (Allegory e-zine, May 2008 issue). I love Sarah Kirby, and I want to write about another of her adventures. I like that she’s reserved and old fashioned, but at the same time she’s a liberated feminist.

When my writing group did the Story Every Day contest back in June, I actually wrote a sequel to tWatS, but it was too much of a sequel. It relied heavily on background that someone would only know if they read the first one. One of Jadon’s enemies tried to steal the amulet that he made for Sarah in an attempt to find him.

Sadly, while that might be interesting if I ever wrote a novel about Sarah and her Atlantians, it wasn’t going to work for a short story. Maybe if the same e-zine published it, but you can’t count on that. And even still, in the short story game, each story really needs to stand on its own. The characters can have more adventures, but they shouldn’t have continuing adventures (unless you’re lucky enough to have the chance to publish a short story collection like Mercedes Lackey’s Tarma and Kethry stories or perhaps if you have a market that’s committed to publishing them all).

Recently, I wrote a few paragraphs of the next Sarah Kirby story. The title popped into my head fully formed, and I actually kind of like it — “The Widow and the Lord” — it stands on it’s own, and yet it still harkens back to the predecessor for those “in the know.”

Sadly, that’s as far as it’s gone. I have a good setting and a new character for Sarah to interact with (and bring her common sense business acumen to), but I have no plot! Don’t you hate that? Great concept/idea/character, and no plot. I know that romance is the wrong way to go — Sarah had enough of that last time, and she’s not a woman who opens herself up that easily. So, I need a plot with a speculative twist to involve Sarah in the life of this lord. I want her to somehow save the day this time in a decisive way. But… how? Nothing is coming to mind.

Ah well… I guess I will just have to let “The Widow and the Lord” linger for a while. Perhaps one day, out of the blue, the plot will come to me like the title did. It’s strange, though. Usually I suffer through the title creation process. I never start with a title! Weirdness!

Yesterday, I got the proofs for my story, “Bridge Club,” that will come out in the October issue of A Thousand Faces. I spent a few minutes reading the story all over again. It was actually more enjoyable reading it with a little distance between myself and it. A little like reading something new.

A lot of times, after a write a story, I grow to hate it. I guess it depends on how much time has passed since the writing, but after a while, I just can’t stand those old stories any more. Maybe it’s because of my growth as a writer, or maybe it’s just my hyper inner critic (I notice a lot of writers have one of those!), but it tends to happen. But “Bridge Club,” I still really like. (The same with “The Widow and the Stranger” — I don’t get tired of that one, as far as my own stories go.)

Anyway, back to my original topic, I love getting the proofs for a story that’s been accepted. It turns a nebulous acceptance into something real and concrete, like the story is actually going to happen. I’ve had around a dozen stories accepted now, and it never gets to be old hat. Maybe it’s not quite as earthshattering as it was the first couple of times, but I still get that “squee” feeling when the acceptance comes in the in-box. It’s not why I write, but it is why I send stuff out on submission — well, that and the “squee” that comes when I talk to other people who’ve actually read the stories.

I currently have three stories coming out this fall and a fourth slated to come out next March, so that should be a nice line-up of sqeeage for the upcoming months. As always, you can read about it here when they are available for public consumption!

Before I wind things up, I just want to shout out a quick congratulations to my writing group mate, Jens, who just had a story accepted by Every Day Fiction, too. It’s a quirky little piece staring his 19th century steampunk adventuring duo Blankenship and Dawes called “Chrono-Conundrum.” I’ll definitely link to that one here when it’s available.

Happy Friday, all! Here’s hoping we all get some good writing done over this holiday weekend!