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See this tiny room? That’s what I was supposed to share with a stranger. The other bed? That would be where the photographer is standing in order to capture the charming shot. So when I showed up to the Asilomar Writer’s Conference and saw this, I bailed. I immediately turned around, walked outside, and looked at Hotwire for a room in town. With that kind of short notice, all I could get was a place in an old 40’s drive-up motel, the kind that in less touristy towns might rent by the month. But it was mine, all mine! The funny thing is, I spent no time there. The conference hooked me, from breakfast through the last glass of wine well after midnight.
Inspiration is a funny thing. Sometimes all you need is an idea, sometimes all you need is energy. And sometimes,you get a conflation of both. For me, that happened at Asilomar.
The speakers were great – I think this is the first conference where I attended every session. Like a seed feeling for the warmth of the sun on the damp earth above it, I soaked in everything the various authors, Illustrators, editors, and agents had to say. But it was the evenings that provided the heartiest sources of inspiration for me. After the last evening session, groups would congregate in different areas. Both nights I ended up sipping wine and eating Moose Much in the fireside lobby of the very lodge where I was originally booked to share a 76 square foot room with a stranger. Shame on me for not staying - the commute would have been far easier up two flights of stairs than across town.
It was here that 20 or so of us ga
6 Comments on On Getting Unstuck, last added: 4/7/2011
Thanks for sharing your experience, Christy. I have a conference on the horizon and this is just the reminder I needed to immerse myself in the energy of other gathered writers!
Can't tell from your post who the stranger was (probably because it was a stranger), but a. always trust your instincts, especially with strangers, and b. some of the best people I have met in my life started out as strangers. When in doubt, refer to rule a.
The conference sounds great!
I urge everyone I know to boycott Hotwire. Long story. Another time. Matt
See this tiny room? That’s what I was supposed to share with a stranger. The other bed? That would be where the photographer is standing in order to capture the charming shot. So when I showed up to the Asilomar Writer’s Conference and saw this, I bailed. I immediately turned around, walked outside, and looked at Hotwire for a room in town. With that kind of short notice, all I could get was a place in an old 40s drive-up motel, the kind that in less touristy towns might rent by the month. But it was mine, all mine! The funny thing is, I spent no time there. The conference hooked me, from breakfast through the last glass of wine well after midnight.
Inspiration is a funny thing. Sometimes all you need is an idea; sometimes all you need is energy. And sometimes you get a conflation of both. For me, that happened at Asilomar.
The speakers were great – I think this is the first conference where I attended every session. Like a seed feeling for the warmth of the sun on the damp earth above it, I soaked in everything the various authors, Illustrators, editors, and agents had to say. But it was the evenings that provided the heartiest sources of inspiration for me. After the last evening session, groups would congregate in different areas. Both nights I ended up sipping wine and eating Moose Much in the fireside lobby of the very lodge where I was originally booked to share a 76 square foot room with a stranger. Shame on me for not staying - the commute would have been far easier up two flights of stairs than across town.
It’s alive! This week I received my first Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of book two! I've looked at the cover art a hundred times, yet nothing quite prepares you for seeing it in book form. Funny as it may sound, it reminds me that the other book is still out there! My husband told me this morning that a high school boy came up to him yesterday and was raving about how much he was enjoying my book. We both kind of marveled at the fact that we don’t think about the book that often; it almost feels like a movie that came out and then went away. Release time was hectic with all the readings and school visits, but once the initial few weeks of fervor were over, we all went about our normal lives—which for me includes a pretty intense day job. So when I get an ARC in the mail or hear about a kid who is reading my book, it snaps me back to this alternate reality, the reality where I am an author. I didn't intend to have a double life, it just sort of happened.
My kids have been trying to get me to play Mario Kart on the Wii since Christmas. I’d honestly rather clean those vile little bolts around the base of the toilet than play video games, so it’s taken them a while to get that silly white steering wheel in my hands. When we started playing I felt like I was 15 again the first few minutes of having learner’s permit. I was overcompensating so hard that I was bouncing off rocks and guardrails and enormous mushrooms and whatnot. It was infuriating—just when I got up enough speed to clip along there’d be another obstacle or a quick turn. I asked the kids if there was a course that was simply a straight road so you could just gun it. They looked at me as if I’d just revealed a vestigial tail, and said, “Uh, no. What would be the point?”
That’s kind of what I wanted the writing life to be. You know, put out a book and then gun it. But, as my kids would say, “What would be the point?” Perhaps there’s a reason I’ve run in to an enormous mushroom or slammed into a guardrail. Perhaps it’s not supposed to be easy. Because we tend not to value what comes easily.
Raising good children, finding work you enjoy, getting published—none of it is easy. But there are moments, like the first time you touch a book that bears your name on its spine, that make it all worthwhile. I’ve just had one of those days.
It is so lovely to see the book for the first time.
And you hit it out of the park on this post. We do not tend to value what comes easily. And those of us who strive to be authors who are also mothers and also have full time work commitments often struggle. A LOT.
Haha, congrats on the book! It looks gorgeous! I think it's so cute how the boy came to you about the book! t
Anonymous said, on 2/12/2011 8:31:00 AM
What a wonderful post, Christy. It is so great that you see the value in the things you work so hard for, and are realistic about the things that are really meaningful. The books make a glorious couple, and I can't wait to read Book II! CAM
I love your post, Christy. I SO remember the day my picture book, Keep Your Ear on the Ball came in the mail. I couldn't stop touching it! My behavior bordered on obscene - there, I said it.
Congratulations. Enjoy every minute, every school visit, and every author talk. I get it that we work for the joy of creating, but holding the book in your hand... Nothing compares. THAT'S what we really work for!
Oh how I love the blogging community!I have been so negligent of this blog for the past few months, but then I post something special to me and I see that people are still reading. Thank you, friends! It means the world to me.
So when I first read your FB post, I didn't read the whole blog story. This morning I read it - it made me cry. Beautiful reminder - it's not always easy - what would be the point? The mushrooms of life almost always make it so much more interesting. Am excited to read #2 - and hope you have more days that remind you that you are an author. xoxo ct
It’s alive! This week I received my first Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of book two! I've looked at the cover art a hundred times, yet nothing quite prepares you for seeing it in book form. Funny as it may sound, it reminds me that the other book is still out there! My husband told me this morning that a high school boy came up to him yesterday and was raving about how much he was enjoying my book. We both kind of marveled at the fact that we don’t think about the book that often; it almost feels like a movie that came out and then went away. Release time was hectic with all the readings and school visits, but once the initial few weeks of fervor were over, we all went about our normal lives—which for me includes a pretty intense day job. So when I get an ARC in the mail or hear about a kid who is reading my book, it snaps me back to this alternate reality, the reality where I am an author. I didn't intend to have a double life, it just sort of happened.
My kids have been trying to get me to play Mario Kart on the Wii since Christmas. I’d honestly rather clean those vile little bolts around the base of the toilet than play video games, so it’s taken them a while to get that silly white steering wheel in my hands. When we started playing I felt like I was 15 again the first few minutes of having learner’s permit. I was overcompensating so hard that I was bouncing off rocks and guardrails and enormous mushrooms and whatnot. It was infuriating—just when I got up enough speed to clip along there’d be another obstacle or a quick turn. I asked the kids if there was a course that was simply a straight road so you could just gun it. They looked at me as if I’d just revealed a vestigial tail, and said, “Uh, no. What would be the point?”
That’s kind of what I wanted the writing life to be. You know, put out a book and then gun it. But, as my kids would say, “What would be the point?” Perhaps there’s a reason I’ve run in to an enormous mushroom or slammed into a guardrail. Perhaps it’s not supposed to be easy. Because we tend not to value what comes easily.
Raising good children, finding work you enjoy, getting published—none of it is easy. But there are moments, like the first time you touch a book that bears your name on its spine, that make it all worthwhile. I’ve just had one of those moments.
You know when you come across an idea so amazing yet necessary that you wonder why no one had thought of it before? Author Kay Cassidy (The Cinderella Society) has done just that with The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest. Kay has devised a free game for libraries to run that encourages reading, promotes authors, and rewards librarians - a triple win! I think more than 600 libraries are now participating, along with scores of authors and thousands of kids.
I'm so proud to announce that this month Prophecy of Days is finally in the race! And to celebrate I'm donating an extra $50 certificate to the mix - so there will be an extra winner in December. Yay!
I really don't know how Kay has tome to write, promote her book, run the incredibly time-intensive Scavenger Hunt, and manage a family. Thanks for helping promote authors to libraries where we might not otherwise get acquired! My hat is off to you.
And librarians, be sure to check out The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest - it's a great way to engage kids and get them reading a real variety of books!
1 Comments on Live in the Hunt!, last added: 12/30/2010
You know when you come across an idea so amazing yet necessary that you wonder why no one had thought of it before? Author Kay Cassidy (The Cinderella Society) has done just that with The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest. Kay has devised a free game for libraries to run that encourages reading, promotes authors, and rewards librarians - a triple win! I think more than 600 libraries are now participating, along with scores of authors and thousands of kids.
I'm so proud to announce that this month Prophecy of Days is finally in the race! And to celebrate I'm donating an extra $50 certificate to the mix - so there will be an extra winner in December. Yay!
I really don't know how Kay has tome to write, promote her book, run the incredibly time-intensive Scavenger Hunt, and manage a family. Thanks for helping promote authors to libraries where we might not otherwise get acquired! My hat is off to you.
And librarians, be sure to check out The Great Scavenger Hunt Contest - it's a great way to engage kids and get them reading a real variety of books!
Wonderful book bloggers Fragments of Life and Amaterasu Reads are teaming up for an incredible December Book Giveaway Extravaganza! Each day from December 13th through the 24th they’ll be featuring a book by posting a review and/or interview and a giveaway. Then to top it all off, on the 25th they’re have a big prize pack giveaway that will be open internationally.
Here’s the lineup:
1. December 13 – Kick-off Giveaway of The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith + Review
2. December 14 – Interview with Adele Griffin + Giveaway
3. December 15 – Interview with ME! + Giveaway
4. December 16 – Interview with Holly Cupala + Giveaway
5. December 17 – Interview with Amy Holder + Giveaway
6. December 18 – Interview with Inara Scott + Giveaway
7. December 19 – Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Review (Prize Pack Giveaway)
8. December 20 – Interview with Kimberly Derting + Review of The Body Finder (Prize Pack Giveaway)
9. December 21 – Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers Review (Prize Pack Giveaway)
10. December 22 – Interview with Brenda Pandos + The Sapphire Talisman Review
11. December 23 – Interview with Julie Chibbaro + Review of Deadly (Prize Pack Giveaway)
12. December 24 – Review of Misguided Angel (Prize Pack Giveaway - Revelations)
13. December 25 – Prize Pack Giveaway
That’s a lot of books to win! Good luck to all.
4 Comments on Thirteen Days of Giveaways!, last added: 12/13/2010
Wonderful book bloggers Fragments of Life and Amaterasu Reads are teaming up for an incredible December Book Giveaway Extravaganza! Each day from December 13th through the 24th they’ll be featuring a book by posting a review and/or interview and a giveaway. Then to top it all off, on the 25th they’re have a big prize pack giveaway that will be open internationally.
Here’s the lineup:
1. December 13 – Kick-off Giveaway of The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith + Review
2. December 14 – Interview with Adele Griffin + Giveaway
I can’t tell you how excited I am to accept an offer from Artemis/Alfa for Turkish language rights for Prophecy of Days, Books I and II! I’ve dreamed of visiting Turkey for decades and am overjoyed that my books will be there to represent me! I might just have to make a trip there to see the Turkish versions in their native habitat. The architecture! The Tea! The Bosphorous! It's all just so captivating!
Thanks to Taryn Fagerness for adding Turkey my little collection of foreign rights. It is an absolute thrill!
4 Comments on Turkish Rights! Çok heyecanlıyım!, last added: 12/3/2010
I barely know who you are anymore. You don't call, you don't write and while I'm thrilled about your success, I need more attention. I think I may be jealous of Turkey. Don't you know about my abandonment issues? Please write some kind of holiday newsletter-y post that mentions a pickled baby, a haunted something or other or clues us in on what you are buying me for Christmas.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to accept an offer from Artemis/Alfa for Turkish language rights for Prophecy of Days, Books I and II! I’ve dreamed of visiting Turkey for decades and am overjoyed that my books will be there to represent me! I might just have to make a trip there to see the Turkish versions in their native habitat. The architecture! The Tea! The Bosphorous! It's all just so captivating!
Thanks to Taryn Fagerness for adding Turkey my little collection of foreign rights. It is an absolute thrill!
0 Comments on Turkish Rights! Çok heyecanlıyım! as of 1/1/1900
It's been awhile since I've been to a Writers Conference, Retreat, or Workshop, so I just booked myself into the Golden Gate SCBWI Conference at Asilomar. Anyone care to join me near Carmel, California in February? I've never, ever done the "shared room" thing , but the private rooms were already sold out. Should be interesting! And by interesting I mean terrifying.
The lineup is top-notch. Editors include Namrata Tripathi (Atheneum), Katherine Jacobs (Roaring Brook Press), Courtney Bongiolatt (Simon and Schuster), and Arianne Lewin (Putnam Books for Young Readers) and Agents include Josh Adams (Adams Literary) and Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown). Rick Richter, President of Ruckus Media Group and Mark Holmes from Pixar will be there along with Caldecott winning author/illustrator David Wiesner and NYT Bestelling author Cynthia Lord. WOW!
And if that's not enticing enough, check out the facility, a shrine to the Arts & Crafts movement:
The view is not too shabby either!
4 Comments on Asilomar Anyone?, last added: 11/26/2010
The facility looks AMAZING! Hope you have loads of fun and meet interesting people - including your roommate! Maybe it will be like summer camp: she'll be your new bff or at least the girl who sleeps the whole time and never bothers you :)
It's been awhile since I've been to a Writers Conference, Retreat, or Workshop, so I just booked myself into the Golden Gate SCBWI Conference at Asilomar. Anyone care to join me near Carmel, California in February? I've never, ever done the "shared room" thing , but the private rooms were already sold out. Should be interesting! And by interesting I mean terrifying.
The lineup is top-notch. Editors include Namrata Tripathi (Atheneum), Katherine Jacobs (Roaring Brook Press), Courtney Bongiolatt (Simon and Schuster), and Arianne Lewin (Putnam Books for Young Readers) and Agents include Josh Adams (Adams Literary) and Ginger Clark (Curtis Brown). Rick Richter, President of Ruckus Media Group and Mark Holmes from Pixar will be there along with Caldecott winning author/illustrator David Wiesner and NYT Bestelling author Cynthia Lord. WOW!
And if that's not enticing enough, check out the facility, a shrine to the Arts & Crafts movement:
You know how it is when you don't return a call from an out-of-town friend and then a couple of days go by and you feel a bit of nagging guilt but you still don't call, and then the days become weeks and weeks turn into months and by that time you really want to call but it feels like calling would be weird? Do you know what I'm talking about?
That's kind of what happened with me and this blog. But now I have my new cover for Book II and I really want to post it but it feels a bit like calling that friend you didn't speak to for so long and telling her you're going to prison for awhile - it's too much after no contact. So here's my "ease into it post" so that tomorrow I can reveal my new book cover.
I love it and can't wait to share it...
4 Comments on Well, hello!, last added: 10/25/2010
You know how it is when you don't return a call from an out-of-town friend and then a couple of days go by and you feel a bit of nagging guilt but you still don't call, and then the days become weeks and weeks turn into months and by that time you really want to call but it feels like calling would be weird? Do you know what I'm talking about?
That's kind of what happened with me and this blog. But now I have my new cover for Book II and I really want to post it but it feels a bit like calling that friend you didn't speak to for so long and telling her you're going to prison for awhile - it's too much after no contact. So here's my "ease into it post" so that tomorrow I can reveal my new book cover.
I suck at scrapbooking or journaling or keeping any decent record of life. Most the time I forget to take photos and the ones I do have, mostly from other people, are scattered in a million places on my computer. I would make a terrible librarian; I catalog every group of photos a different way, so there’s no easy way to find and sort. But I just discovered something to organize me! All for the price of exactly nothing, I downloaded Picasa 3 and it magically arranged my photos by date. Suddenly the blur that was the last few months makes some visual sense!
So, in addition to the day job in Marketing, here’s what I’ve been up to this summer:
Per our Father’s Day tradition, we camped in Northern California with friends and kayaked on the Lower Klamath River.
I did 9 Book events, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Bellingham, Washington, and many stops in between. It was quite a trip to see my face at the top of the escalator in the Seattle Barnes & Noble!
I spent some time in exile at Mom’s cabin working on revisions for Book 2. Snapped this shot from the pool deck after a mind-clearing swim.
Went on a Moms + Kids camping trip (which Scott generously set up for us) for Juliet’s birthday, in a spectacular spot on the Upper Rouge River. Best! Swimming holes! Ever!
Celebrated writing group member Jennie Englund’s big agent news – she is now a client of Holly R
5 Comments on Worst Archivist Award, last added: 8/29/2010
I suck at scrapbooking or journaling or keeping any decent record of life. Most the time I forget to take photos and the ones I do have, mostly from other people, are scattered in a million places on my computer. I would make a terrible librarian; I catalog every group of photos a different way, so there’s no easy way to find and sort. But I just discovered something to organize me! All for the price of exactly nothing, I downloaded Picasa 3 and it magically arranged my photos by date. Suddenly the blur that was the last few months makes some visual sense!
So, in addition to the day job in Marketing, here’s what I’ve been up to this summer:
Per our Father’s Day tradition, we camped in Northern California with friends and kayaked on the Lower Klamath River.
I did 9 Book events, from the San Francisco Bay Area to Bellingham, Washington, and many stops in between. It was quite a trip to see my face at the top of the escalator in the Seattle Barnes & Noble!
I spent some time in exile at Mom’s cabin working on revisions for Book 2. Snapped this shot from the pool deck after a mind-clearing swim.
Went on a Moms + Kids camping trip (which Scott generously set up for us) for Juliet’s birthday, in a spectacular spot on the Upper Rogue River. Best! Swimming holes! Ever!
Celebrated writing group member Jennie Englund’s big agent news – she is now a client of Holly Root! Her YA book is on submission with a big NYC publisher at this very moment.
0 Comments on Worst Archivist Award as of 1/1/1900
If you're curious about the Mayan calendar that's based on the human cycle (called the Tzolkin), there are two easy resources that I recommend. Click here for the best website I've found for finding out what your Mayan "sign" is and for looking at the calendar in a way that's recognizable. There is also a fantastic Mayan calendar app for the iPhone that's easy to use and easy to understand! One tap gives you the information for the day. Click here to give it a try.
2 Comments on Mayan Calendar Resources, last added: 8/15/2010
To enter website #1 you have to know your exact DOB - which I apparently don't know - cuz when I enter my known DOB it doesn't work. So I thought - maybe my exact date of birth is actually today - so I tried that and it didn't work. So - do you know what date you're supposed to use? Signed, Too Busy Today to Soul Search
Hmm, that's strange. You should be able to enter a year, day, and month and have it tell you your corresponding Mayan sign. I just tried it again and it worked - maybe it's a browser thing? I'm using Google Chrome...
If you're curious about the Mayan calendar that's based on the human cycle (called the Tzolkin), there are two easy resources that I recommend. Click here for the best website I've found for finding out what your Mayan "sign" is and for looking at the calendar in a way that's recognizable. There is also a fantastic Mayan calendar app for the iPhone that's easy to use and easy to understand! One tap gives you the information for the day. Click here to give it a try.
0 Comments on Mayan Calendar Resources as of 1/1/1900
I'll go with you next year and we can share that room together. You can have the one by the window.
Glad you had fun!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Christy. I have a conference on the horizon and this is just the reminder I needed to immerse myself in the energy of other gathered writers!
yay for the return of the mojo!!!
Shelley
Can't tell from your post who the stranger was (probably because it was a stranger), but a. always trust your instincts, especially with strangers, and b. some of the best people I have met in my life started out as strangers. When in doubt, refer to rule a.
The conference sounds great!
I urge everyone I know to boycott Hotwire. Long story. Another time.
Matt
That lobby with the fireplace is exactly as you described it.
And, your story is riveting! Every day I think about it, crave hearing more!!!
Glad you have your mojo back, and good call on not wanting to share the room. They could have been an ax murderer.
-Aaron