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Thought you all might like to know: I have just officially accepted an invitation to speak at the BYU Writing for Young Readers conference this June. Now I just have to figure out what I'll be talking about!

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I will confess that I was nervous about going to High Voltage ConFusion. There were several reasons for this:

• I’m afraid of cold places. And Detroit in winter is COLD.¹
• I’d never been a guest of honour before and was worried I’d be crappy at it.
• I was aware that most of the people at the con would not have heard of me or Scott and was worried that they would feel dudded of a proper author guest of honour what wrote adult sf and fantasy.

I need not have had any concerns at all. I was right that most of the people there didn’t know us or our work (unless they were a teen librarian or had teen children—there were precious few actual teens in attendance). But it turned out to be a really good thing. No pressure and no expectations. It was really relaxing. One of the most relaxing weekends I’ve had in ages.

Mostly because of Anne Murphy, our liaison. I had no idea that guests of honour get someone to take care of them. It was fabulous. Anne made sure we were fed and happy. She is the best liaison of all time. Thank you, Anne! Why can’t she take care of us all the time? We’re lost without you, Anne!

There was much fun. The Opening Ceremonies were hilarious. A picture of which below. Scalzi interviewing us was very silly and totally enjoyable. Though I was bummed he didn’t bring up unicorns or quokkas.

We got to design our own panels. Thank you so much con organisers for indulging us! And thus were able to vent about stuff that’s been bugging us for ages. Why is there so little sport in fantasy and sf? Why did our audience turn on us during that panel back in Boston in 2004? Do they really just love wheat?

Thus the wheat panel which was FABULOUS therapy for me and Scott, though audience members expecting us to follow the panel description might have been disappointed. Sorry about that! But thank you for not turning on us. You were the best audience ever. Actually, all the panel audiences were smart and engaged and awesome. Me and Scott were dead chuffed that as the weekend went on more and more folks were showing up to hear us gasbag and pontificate. Yay!

The sport panel was also wonderful. Though we had way too much to say and not enough time to say it in. I especially loved that the audience was almost entirely women. Hah! There was also a sports writer, Dave Hogg, in the audience (he really should have been on the panel) who turned out—along with his partner—to be a huge Detroit Shock fan. Go, WNBA! We had an excellently geeky women’s hoops gossip.

I’ll admit that my last few cons had left me with panel fatigue. But now I love them all over again. I wish I’d gotten to see some of the panels I wasn’t on. I heard that all of Kevin Dunn’s (the science guest of honour) were brilliant. He explained soap and and all sorts of other Caveman Chemistry. I can’t wait to read his book.

You’ll be shocked to hear, however, that the best fun was not had during the panels, but at the parties and in the bar, and just generally hanging out. The ConFusion organisers and regulars are the best people on the planet. Seriously I got into so many great conversations and arguments and teasing contests. I can’t wait to go back!²

May I share with you the three best words in the world?

Roaming Pirate Party

Thanks again, Hugh, for the photo.

I haz met the Roaming Pirate Party. They haz rum³ and pirate hats and jollity by the galleon load. Best pirates ever! I shall treasure my pirate hat and t-shirt for ever!

We got to catch up with old friends like Karen Meisner, John & Krissy Scalzi, and Doselle Young. Why don’t they all live MUCH closer to me? I miss you all already. Waahh!! Not to mention making stacks of new friends. You know who you are! Yanni! Brian! Aaron! And SO MANY OTHERS! You all made it the best weekend ever.

Hell, we even got to see a movie: Cloverfield and it were good. Very good indeed.

If anyone needs a guest of honour me and Scott are so up for it!

1. How cold? Minus a million cold! That’s how cold. So cold that I’m back in NYC and it’s freezing and it seems warm in comparison.
2. Any chance you could move it to a warmer time of year?
3. Though, obviously, being a YA author I didn’t drink any of it. Heaven forfend!

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The day of travel got off to a rough start with the cab arriving 40 minutes late, which meant that I pretty much missed my flight—or so I thought. Thinking that I would have to take the next flight and not arrive until 10:30 or midnight, I didn’t think to take makeup or clothes out of my checked bag, but then the very nice guy at the ticket counter took me to the side when he handed me my boarding pass and said that if I hurried I could get to my original gate and see if they could take me on anyway. 

So, I made it to Philadelphia at the planned-for time, without clothes but the ones on my back. Good think I always bring my asthma medicine my carryon! But that meant I was able to make it to the Random House reception at which several Magic in the Mirrorstone authors and its editor, Steve Berman, were attending. (Thankfully, it was casual attire!) 

Here's a picture of Steve Berman and Magic in the Mirrorstone authors Lawrence Shoen, Ann Zeddies, and Gregory Frost signing for quite a crowd of librarians and members of Friends of the Library, the hosts of the evening. 




It was held at the Mummers Museum, which is known for its really Mardi Gras-esque events, and we were able to enjoy a flavor of that with some great music by a musical trio from the museum. Apparently the Mummers are known for their New Year's parade, which has been going on since before the American Revolution.




I still haven't gotten my checked luggage, so I'm off to see if I can find a place to get a new shirt or something before my first committee meeting this morning! 

ETA: My clothes arrived! Yay! Now I don't have to look (or smell) like a college student bumming around Europe in the same clothes every day. :D

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Next weekend Scott Westerfeld and yours truly will be guests of honour at the 2008 High Voltage ConFusion science fiction convention. It’s our very first time being guests of honour and we are stoked. TOTALLY stoked. In fact I’m so very stoked I’m thinking of celebrating with the purchase of a new dress. Surely, being guest of honour requires new clothes, right? I gotta look pretty, don’t I? If you have an opinion on this Very Important Matter please to express it in the poll to your right.

I’m thinking this one, though with black gloves not white:

Vivienne Westwood’s Watteau ball gown

Here’s Scott and mine’s schedule. Because we are joint guests of honour we are doing everything together:

FRIDAY 18 JANUARY:

1900 Den 1 Interview: Author GoHs by John Scalzi
Tee hee! Mr Scalzi will ask us questions and we will plead the fifth and get away with it because we know where he buried the bodies. I suspect zombies will be mentioned.

2000 Salon FGH Opening Ceremonies
We will say a few words but there won’t be an actual speech speech. Some of my words will be “quokka”, “zombie”, and “oscillate”, or maybe not. Depends.

2100 Salon FGH Dessert Reception
Where we eat dessert and natter with folks what want to natter.

2200 Den 1 Originality is Overrated
There’s this idea that writers work entirely alone and create their work out of whole cloth. That’s rubbish. If a work were wholly original no one would be able to read it. All writers are influenced by those who came before them. Most writers talk to other writers. Many are in writers’ groups and even those that aren’t frequently read and comment on each other’s work. Let’s talk about the influence and community that writers share. Even when they don’t know each other. Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden, John Scalzi, Patrick Rothfuss and Doselle Young.

I confess that I wrote this description on account of it’s something that drives me crazy and I’m looking forward to talking about it with such esteemed and smart companions. Especially Doselle. Everything is better if Doselle is involved.

SATURDAY 19 JANUARY:

1100 Den 1 Fantastic Sports
Organized sports are a vital part almost every culture on the globe. But sf and fantasy novels tend to overlook this key aspect of world-building. We examine what sports are and what they tell us about a culture, and dig up some good examples in sf and fantasy. Justine Larbalestier (M), Scott Westerfeld, Steve Ainsworth, Dave Klecha and Catherine Shaffer.

Mmmm . . . sport. If I weren’t moderator I would just spend the session teaching USians cricket.

1300 Salon G Juvenilia
Writers dust off the storage trunks, turn off the shame meter, and read from their 5th- through 12th-grade works of unalloyed proto-genius. A great way for young writers in the audience to feel much better about their own efforts. Justine Larbalestier (M), Scott Westerfeld, Merrie Haskell, K. Tempest Bradford and Marcy Italiano.

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am that Scalzi is not on this panel. Laughing at his early writing efforts was the whole reason I agreed to go to ConFusion!

1400 Den 1 SF Is Not Dead
More sf is written and consumed these days than every before, in the form of manga, video games, rpgs, and YA lit. Yet our beloved field constantly bemoans its own demise, while ignoring those 100,000 crazy kids down the road at Comicon. How do we connect these two worlds of sf? Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld (M), Anne Harris, Jim Frenkel and Peter Halasz.

Because me and Scott are sick to death of hearing the folks in the old sf people’s home whingeing about the death of sf. It ain’t dead! It’s doing just fine, thanks.

1500 Den 1 Golden Age of Young Adult Lit
Some argue that the YA books being published now are some of the best the field has ever seen. There are more of them, the quality is better, and the authors are being paid more. Is now the Golden Age of Young Adult Literature? And if so what does that mean for the next generation of readers? Justine Larbalestier (M), Scott Westerfeld, Steve Climer, Suzanne Church and Peter Halasz.

I think it is. I also think it’s just going to get better and better and better.

1700 All-Author Autographing Session
If you have books you want strange author types to scribble on here’s your chance.

2100 Concierge Literary Beer
The only thing we’re doing that you have to sign up for. It’ll be me and Scott sitting around with a smallish group of interested folks and answering their questions while we all drink beer (or water or whatever you wish to drink. I wish to drink Krug—I hope the ConCom is on top of that!).

SUNDAY 20 JANUARY:

1100 Salon H Gluten-Free Fantasy
Most medieval cultures didn’t have chainmail, swords, horses, or wheat. Yet the overwhelming majority of medieval cultures in fantasy do. What do we stand to gain by breaking the bonds of Europe on our collective imagination? And what’s so scary about bolas, sled-dogs, and rice? Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, John Scalzi, Karl Schroeder, Jim Frenkel.

This panel is also something me and Scott came up with. It has a backstory. Way back in the dark ages we were on a panel together about fantasy where we panelists suggested that there were other settings for high fantasy other than mediaeval Europe. Scott went as far as to say that wheat is not essential to high fantasy.

The audience turned on him. “We LOVE wheat!” they proclaimed. “We hate fantasy that isn’t set in mediaevel Europe. We hate wanky literary fantasy. In fact, we hate you writers on the panel who are trying to take away our wheat!”

Scalzi was in the audience along with the wonderful Karen Meisner and they both say it was one of the most extraordinary things they have ever seen. Karen even sent Scott a Canadian license plate wth a beautiful picture of wheat on it. Scott still contends that we were caught in the wave of an Atkin’s diet backlash.

Here’s the con’s full schedule.

Hope to see some of you there! I mean if this wussy Aussie girl can brave the dead of winter in Detroit. Surely some of you can?

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This weekend I'm off to Philadelphia for ALA Midwinter. I'm on the Publisher's Liaison Committee for YALSA, so I get to see the inner workings of the committees this year and to go to some booksignings in the Random House booth for Magic in the Mirrorstone, the anthology of fantasy short stories we're releasing in February. It's edited by Steve Berman and features 15 wonderful stories by 15 amazing authors, like Holly Black, Gregory Frost, Tiffany Trent, Cecil Castellucci, Cassandra Clare, Jim C. Hines, and on and on. If you like short stories, check it out. Hey, even if you don't like short stories, there's plenty to love--Cecil Castellucci's first foray into fantasy, a "lost story" of Hallowmere, unicorns, frogs, a voodoo princess... and more, of course. (Twoo wuv, mawage...)

And of course, if you're going to BE at Midwinter, make sure to come looking for a signed copy of Magic in the Mirrorstone. Gregory Frost and Holly Black are having independent signings, and several others, including Ann Zeddes, Lawrence Schoen, and anthology editor Steve Berman (the reason the whole thing exists!) will be around signing stock, so you might just be able to get a copy with several authors' John Hancocks!

Mirrorstone does not have a booth at Midwinter this year, so go looking for copies at the Random House booth, #1231.

Here's the schedule:

11:00AM—12:00PM – Gregory Frost (Shadowbridge & Magic in the Mirrorstone) signs copies of his book in the RH Booth #1231

11:00AM—12:00PM – Holly Black (Magic in the Mirrorstone) signs copies of her book in the RH Booth # 1231

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The only thing better than reading Harry Potter and discussing it online is reading Harry Potter and discussing it in person, right?
This is your chance to not only discuss all your favorite aspects of Harry Potter, but to maybe get academic credit for it, too.

I had the pleasure of presenting at Narrate Conferences, Inc.'s last symposium, Phoenix Rising, on the topic of what it's like to
review books for professional publications (I review for Kirkus and VOYA as well as Teenreads.com) versus what it's like to
review fanfiction.  Let me tell you:  These people at Narrate put on a good show.

If you've got a paper about Harry (or any of the other hundreds of characters), now's your chance to submit it for
presentation.

(Disclaimer:  Although I do know many of the people on the Narrate Conferences staff, I am not associated with the
business in any way.)
                                                             
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CALL FOR PAPERS: Terminus 
Chicago, IL 
August 7-11, 2008 
A Harry Potter Conference presented by Narrate Conferences, Inc.

Terminus, an interdisciplinary Harry Potter-themed conference to take place August 7- 11, 2008, in Chicago, Illinois, seeks papers, panels,
interactive workshops, roundtable discussions, and other presentation formats suitable for an audience of academics, students, professionals,
and fans.

The overarching conference themes focus on the completed series. Analyses that address the development of topics through the entirety
of the seven Harry Potter books are especially encouraged, including those topics that focus on the related cultural phenomenon. The
programming will not be limited to those themes, however, and proposals that address specific aspects of the Harry Potter series, related
works, and surrounding community across all disciplines are encouraged as well. A non-exhaustive list of sample topics includes literary
analyses of the novels; studies of the cultural phenomenon; use of the novels in schools and libraries for education; examination of related
business and legal issues; scientific explanations of magic in the series; media and fan studies; craft-based workshops in writing, art, and
publishing; and overviews of how the series and films fit into larger contexts.

Submission to the vetting board is by online system only. No other format or contact will be accepted. The submission system is located
at http://www.terminus2008.org/submissions/. 

The deadline for proposals is February 1, 2008, and notices regarding proposals will be sent no later than March 1, 2008. 

At the time of proposal submission, we require an abstract of 300-500 words, a 50-100 word presentation summary, and a
presenter biography of no more than 100 words. Those wishing to submit a proposal for a roundtable discussion may submit
a brief explanation of a topic and a list of 10-15 sample discussion questions in lieu of a formal abstract.

Conference papers will be collected for publication at a later date. Presenters must be registered for the conference no later
than April 15, 2008. For more information about programming, our review process and proposal submissions, please see
the Terminus website at http://www.terminus2008.org/programming/. Questions specifically about programming may
be directed to programming @ terminus2008.org.

Terminus is a presentation of Narrate Conferences, Inc., a 501(c)(3) charitable  organization with the mission of organizing
academic, literary, and exploratory  conferences that appeal to adult scholars, students, professionals, and fans. For
inquiries about Narrate Conferences, Inc., please write to info @ narrateconferences.org.

This conference is not endorsed, sanctioned or any other way supported, directly or indirectly, by Warner Bros.
Entertainment, the Harry Potter book publishers, or J. K. Rowling and her representatives.

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Dramacon, Vol. 1
Author: Svetlana Chmakova
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
ISBN 10: 1-59816-129-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-59816-129-8

Christie Leroux is a high school student and anime fan attending her first anime convention, with her boyfriend Derek, to sell their amateur comic book – she writes it, he draws it. This 172-page young teen comic tells what happens to Christie during the three days at her first convention; but it is less about the chaos and traditions of big fan conventions – although that is certainly captured here authentically and hilariously – as it is about the emotional turbulence experienced by a sensitive teenager on her first solo outing from home.

How will she and Derek react in the “artists’ alley” to the fan public’s response, and to the criticism of professional cartoonists, to their amateur comic book? Is Derek just being friendly and a good salesman to attractive girls who look at their comic, or is he flirting with them? What should she and Derek do when their school roommates/chaperones stay out all night, leaving the two alone? Christie realizes that both she and Derek are immature, but how much self-centeredness should she tolerate from him? When Christie meets Matt, a sophisticated college student from across the country, she is torn between an instant attraction (is this just adolescent hormones or True Love?) and loyalty to Derek – but does he deserve it? “My first anime convention… did not go smoothly. But all things considered… I can’t wait to go back.”

Svetlana Chmakova is the young Russian-born commercial artist and anime fan who is one of the leading creators of what fans call “American manga” or “OEL (original English language) manga” – original American comic books written/drawn/published in the traditional Japanese manga style. DRAMACON reads front to back and left to right like standard American books; otherwise it is almost indistinguishable from a Japanese comic book. The art is black-&-white, presented in a thick paperback format. The style varies sharply from realistic when the characters are acting seriously to grotesquely “squashed” when they are acting silly. The art is heavily shaded and toned to compensate for the lack of color, and romantic scenes are full of the “shojo sprinkles” such as hearts & stars that Japanese romance cartoonists put into their art. The dialogue is full of fan slang such as “cosplay” and “J-Pop” .

DRAMACON Vol. 1 was published in 2005, and is currently in its fourth printing. Each volume takes place at the fictitious annual anime con, and shows Christie a year older with both her personal and creative relationships more advanced. It is a success both as a romance comic book, and as a primer for what to expect at your first anime convention. Vol. 3 will be published this December 10th.

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And you thought that was a lot of pictures? That's just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm not diving down into it to find more. But if you want to, you're welcome to see the whole sorry lot (including the sorry photos, which I forgot to delete), you can see them here. But this is all I'll organize!

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Yesterday was the first truly HOT day of the summer here in Seattle--up to the mid 90s, they say--and today should be similar. I however am sitting in my over-airconditioned office with a cardigan on, considering popping downstairs for a hot chocolate. The reason is that part of the building has had unreliable air conditioning for a couple weeks now, which means our AC tends to overcompensate. 

But I'm not complaining. No sir. Northwest summers are relatively cool and beautiful most of the time (at least on the coast--it's murder in the high desert) and relatively dry, too. The little-known secret about Seattle--known for it's "year-round" rain--is that it doesn't actually rain here from about late June through mid-October. My lawn is brittle and dead, just like any lawn in a desert area. Now, it'll come back to life as soon as the rain comes back in the fall, and it'll be green almost through the winter (thankfully, though, I won't have to mow it most of the winter!), but for the next few months we have some amazing biking, hiking, swimming, camping, and in general outdoorsy weather you could imagine, and not nearly as hot as pretty much any other place I've lived.

Except yesterday and today. Yesterday I thought of going for a run, but opted for ice cream instead. I rarely eat ice cream--it's just not something I think of first--but it's definitely ice cream weather.

But the real reason for this post is behind the cut. Finally, I've uploaded and am now sharing with you some highlights of my ALA trip!

That was all the first day, before the show actually began, when I had a few spare hours to see a little bit of the city.

Now, on to the actual show! That's in the next post. This one's has a lot of pictures already.

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Pictures sold separately, i.e., this post was too freaking long to add pictures to it, too.

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I was thinking about all the things I need to write about, but tltrent has summed it up already from her perspective. I'll just follow that up with pictures, as soon as I've had the chance to process them. There are many--my camera was on the multiple-shot setting, which tripled the number of shots to go through!--so it might not be till later this weekend. I'm thinking a nap is in order before I do that!

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I have a feeling none of you were able to listen to the podcast because I gave you a link to the forums rather than the page with the podcast! And now that I've realized my mistake, apparently the page doesn't seem to be there anymore. It's probably just a random fluke, because it was there earlier when I looked at it. At any rate, I'll post that updated address as soon as I confirm that it's there again.

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While at ALA, Tiffany Trent

tltrent) and I were interviewed for the inauguration of a podcast series over at The Official Time-waster's Guide, a game/book/movie review site that really loves things of a fantastic nature. That interview is now up. If you like what you hear, you can go discuss it on their forums. The folks at TWG also interviewed Candice Ransom on another day, which will go up as the second of the series, I believe--though there may be another episode between then that will have other content. I'll keep you updated.

Today was the busiest day of the conference for us at Mirrorstone, though the initial crush of weekend attendees has slowed a bit (we've been told that this conference's attendance broke the record set in Chicago two years ago through the roof, as the highest attendance ever at an ALA convention). 

Highlights of my day (pictures to come later):

Seeing the line crook around the corner for Tiffany Trent's ARC signing in the Random House booth (they're our distributor, and I must say they're all fabulous people). 

Seeing Cecil Castellucci reading at the Live @ Your Library stage and recruiting several librarian attendees to be the Janes in her new graphic novel P.L.A.I.N. Janes. Very inventive way to make a visual medium translate as much visually as auditorily (is that a word?).

Seeing Tiffany Trent read at the Live @ Your Library stage, the first time I've heard Hallowmere read aloud. And more librarians excited for Hallowmere.

Seeing and/or meeting several LJ/blog friends who I only see at these kinds of conventions including Alvina, Sarah, Holly, Cecil, dlgarfinkle, and many many others which now that it's after midnight after several days on my feet, I'm remembering you but not. I will make amends at a time when I am thinking clearer and have time to go through my pictures.

Speaking of, pictures later. I was going to try to post them, but exhaustion has finally hit and I just need to go to bed if I'm going to make it to what should be my highlight of tomorrow: my tour of the Capitol! (First time to D.C., big history buff. Hey, I'm the kind of girl who will travel to Scotland to do family history. This is a really exciting thing for me.)

 

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This post is entirely for my friend mistborn.

I'm at ALA today, standing in our booth. It was during Candice Ransom's signing of her chapter book series Time Spies, and who do I see walking through our booth?

I leave it to Brandon to answer that with a shout.



p.s. Real recap of the show, including pictures, to come. But I've had some late nights and early mornings, so it's not happening tonight. Quick summary: it's really great! As usual, our booth is comfy and inviting, and people are liking our books. We've had some great chats with so many people. Tomorrow morning Candice and Tiffany Trent (tltrent) will be at a breakfast, and then Tiffany is signing at the Random House booth and in the afternoon she's reading at the Live at Your Library stage in the afternoon. Tomorrow will be a very busy day.

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If you're going to be at ALA Annual Conference in D.C. this weekend, check out all that we have going on! (And stop by the booth to say hi even if not at these times. If you're looking for me specifically, I may or may not always be there, so leave a comment here to coordinate times.)

I leave tomorrow about noonish my time, so after that I'm pretty much going dark (not that this LJ hasn't been kind of dark already the last couple weeks--sorry about that. It's been a busy month; hopefully I'll get back to posting more regularly come next month!).

Note that the books/ARCs these authors will be signing will be FREE in limited quantities. Get there first!

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And I have no good reason but to say, wow, I've been busy.  I'm actually whittling away at both my submissions pile and my deadlines. Emphasis on deadlines--including some very nice upcoming books like the Practical Guide to Monsters, the finales for three trilogies in the Dragonlance: The New Adventures series (see sidebar for links to the first books in those trilogies), and a new novel related to the Practical Guide to Dragons. And somewhere in there is Hallowmere--By Venom's Sweet Sting, the sequel to Tiffany Trent's In the Serpent's Coils, which is between stages right now, and then there's all those manuscripts and samples coming in! Patience is a virtue much to be treasured during May and June in the publishing world.

The next big event right now is ALA, which I'm very excited for on many levels. Most importantly, I'll finally get to meet Tiffany (tltrent). We've worked together for two years now, and we haven't met yet! I'm so jealous that all my coworkers met her a couple weeks ago at BEA before I got to. I take comfort only in knowing that they missed me terribly.

Second most importantly, I've never been to Our Nation's Capital before. Or the Capitol, for that matter. I'm excited to see what little I can squeeze in while the whirlwind of the conference is going on.

Second again most importantly (because it's just as important if not more so, and I'm just as excited, but for different reasons) is that I'll get to connect with librarians and teachers and all sorts of people connected with children's books again. I love going to shows like this. It's energizing (and exhausting).

So if you're going to ALA, look for the Mirrorstone/Wizards booth (note from Tiffany's pictures from BEA that the booth will again be that cool--it's a great landmark for meeting friends, I hear). Come meet Tiffany and get an ARC of In the Serpent's Coils. Meet Candice Ransom and investigate history with the Time Spies. Come explore the world of dragons and monsters with our Practical Guide signings--and ARCs of Red Dragon Codex, the cover of which is so beautiful that I must share it, but it's not completely final yet, so you'll be the first to get a sneak peek if you're at ALA! And as always, there will be other free stuff too. 

I'll post the booth number next week when I know it!

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I want to post an IRA wrap-up with pictures, but I don't know if my computer will last long enough to let me do it. Halfway through the week at IRA what started as a minor annoyance has turned into me wondering if I should replace my laptop. A friend is going to look at it sometime next week and help me figure that out--hopefully it's just something like the video card got jostled--and if it's fixable I might be online sooner than I thought, but I have a feeling I'll be mostly dark next week, LJ-wise. This is probably not a bad thing, because I have plenty to catch up one work-wise what with being in Toronto for a week.

By the time I get back, the world will have moved on from IRA, but I'll be the slowpoke anyway because I think you'll love to see pictures of our comfortable little booth, even if it is a week late. It's just as comfortable to sit in as the pictures imply.

Thus teasing you, I leave you. Keep your fingers crossed for my poor little computer.

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Having a great time here in Toronto. It's a great city. I'm only seeing a very small portion of it, but my hotel is right on the water, which is of course a great view, and we've eaten at a couple really great restaurants.

And then there's the show itself, which is full of teachers and librarians. We've met several principals, too, and there a so many literacy coaches and people who work with teachers in some capacity or other. It's been really great to talk with all of them about books and helping kids learn to read and increase their reading skills and enjoy reading.

I also met Alivina Ling of the Blue Rose Girls briefly, but I'm sure she was as busy as I was. Hopefully we'll get a chance to chat! And if anyone else is at the show, be sure to stop by the Mirrorstone booth and say hi.

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I just returned--well, a couple hours ago now--from an outing to the mall. Me, the mall. Yes. This rare occurrence usually only happens when I have some occasion I've decided I need an outfit for, like the Christmas party that made me realize I had nothing nicer than a three-year-old granny-style dress I (sadly) wore to a friend's wedding. It had been a June wedding, and I couldn't find a thing that year that would look any nicer on me.

This trip was also motivated by an event, actually. In just under two weeks, we'll be heading up to Toronto for the IRA show--International Reading Association, that is--and I wanted to find something a little nicer than last year's pants and the tops that I'd bought pre-grad school. Nice as they are, they're starting to fray.

The problem is that I never seem to be able to find good clothes consistently. I'll make good finds, and then I'll have a string of wasting money on clothes that seem okay when trying them on, or I'll buy them out of desperation to just have something so I can go home. I have a closet full of clothes I wore once but never wore again because they didn't fit right after one washing or I'd forgotten to sit down while trying something on, or any number of other silly mistakes. Then there's the whole question of whether a color is right for me, or a cut, etc.

We'd been talking about What Not to Wear at work and I joked that I should have them come do me, but that I wanted Trinny and Susannah, not Stacy and Clinton (I just prefer the British one, for a number of reasons I won't enumerate). But who has the money to spend what they give their people? ($5000 for the U.S. show, £2000 for the U.K.)

Coworker Shelly to the rescue! She has a WHOLE lot more fashion sense than I do, and also just plain knows how to shop. She's Trinny and Susannah in the clearance racks, and knows how to be stylish on a budget (but also a little bit Stacy and Clinton in holding firm!). She and my other coworker Nina and I made an evening of it, and I think it's the first time in years I've actually had fun while shopping. She also insisted that I must allow myself to get cute shoes, and she helped me go beyond my boring basic black or brown loafers. I even came home with a skirt and a shirt, and I'm going back tomorrow to pick up a few more things I'd left on hold (they're cheaper tomorrow!).

So if you see me at IRA, you'll know I have Shelly to thank for all that style.

The reason I tell you all this is because not only is Shelly amazing with fashion--she's an author, too. Her book, Confessions of a Part Time Sorceress, comes out in September. If you're a girl who's ever played D&D, or who has ever thought perhaps playing D&D wasn't for you, either way this book is for you. I personally never played a game of D&D until starting this job--had lots of friends who were gamers, but I didn't understand it. This book is for the girl I once was two years ago (which was the time I started playing in our department's weekly Eberron game--and it's been such a blast!) and it's for the girl I've become, 9th level monk about to take a vow of poverty and all (who still has to ask, "can I do this...?" so it's not like I've become an expert). It's not a Mirrorstone book, but it's very teen friendly, too! Funny, observant, and all sorts of other adjectives that I can't think of this early in the morning. Her alter ego, Astrid Bellagio, has a MySpace page where she keeps a blog of her latest adventures and distractions in the game. Go check it out!

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Behind the cut. These are from my real SLR camera. Still more shots from my phone to come. (Meant to do it last night, but sorry, I fell asleep in the middle of the post!)

Whoops, nearly forgot to add the cut. Sorry for any of you who got it before I caught it.

Have a great weekend!

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Thought I'd share a few pictures from the conference, too. These are just the ones taken from my cute little cameraphone, as the pictures taken on my real camera have yet to be developed. Ah, that's something I should be doing today.

More pictures of the rest of the weekend later--that's enough for one post.

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Continued from Part 7

(We're getting near the end, don't worry! This was only a one-hour talk.)

Now, we're on to Tiffany's second draft. With this particular draft, Tiffany focused on improving the initial buildup.

 Then she turned in the next draft (just like the other thumbnails).

• Go to conferences
• Do local promotion—library, school visits, actively talking to booksellers before the book comes out and let them know you’re a local author, be willing to do what it takes to get out there and promote your book
• Keep a blog or LJ.
• HAVE A WEBSITE—and make it as good and informative as you can make it
• network with other writers—sense of community, and gets the word out to other book-loving people

And keep writing! Make your second book and your third book even better than your first. Tiffany has already written book 2 and is now working on writing book 3 and revising book 2.

Oh, I lied. That's something they didn't hear in the presentation! ...because I have been thinking about it ever since.

There are happy ever afters, too.

Because when you're doing what you love, that is a happy ever after, despite--and because of--all the work you continue to do. 

Thanks for listening. Hope this has been helpful. Any questions? (Really, I mean it. Ask your questions and I can address them in a later post.)

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Continued from Part 6

Yesterday, we left off with the outline stage of In the Serpent's Coils. Let's continue with the rest of the revision process. Like I said yesterday, Tiffany went through 6 different drafts with me from first sample on 8/29/05 to turning in final draft to me on 7/31/06. So, over the course of a year—and this includes writing time, due to the nature of this kind of series work—she went from sample chapter and outline to full, fleshed-out manuscript.

Then, when you’re working with an editor, this process continues, and that editor will be the person asking even more questions. 

Let’s look at the first chapter of the first draft, and see how it’s changed (click on the thumbnail for the full image).

 

 

As you can see, she starts the chapter off at a completely different place than in her sample. I really liked this, because I got a chance to get to know Corrine before we bundled her off to reform school.

 

I don’t believe I said to Tiffany that we needed more at the beginning for build-up to the scene with the uncle, but Tiffany’s instincts hit on that before I ever had to tell her.

 

Corrine going through the desk wasn’t right in the first chapter. She needed the motivation to be going through the desk, we needed to set up what was going on in the plot.

 

A good two or three chapters were added to the beginning of the book to establish who Corrine is, what she’s going through, who her uncle is, and why he doesn’t want her in his study.

 

All very important to getting her out the door to Falston, where the real mystery begins—and all indispensable to the story, because each of these scenes sets up the mystery Corrine must investigate and the danger that’s stalking her.

 

However, it still wasn’t quite finished. Questions I asked at this point:

• Mostly big-picture, but some details
• How can we increase the sense of mystery?
• Why are the letters so intriguing to Corrine? (be more specific)
• What is Corrine’s motivation? (perhaps she’s a “detective”/snoop, curious girl who can’t stop investigating) How can we establish her personality better? 
• What is Corrine’s talent (magically)?
• How can we flesh out the characterization of minor characters?
• How many students at the school?
• How did reform schools work in that time period?
• How can we condense/expand to give a better sense of the passage of time?

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Continued from Part 5

(For anyone coming to this late, this is a talk from Life, the Universe, and Everything, a symposium/convention hosted at BYU in Provo, Utah, every February.)

Now we get to the most interesting part! You’ve found a publisher who is interested in your book. You get an offer! Now what?

Philip Pullman: This is where editors come in. Their function is to snatch the book from you and run away quickly!

Tamora Pierce: Yes, and then to come back and say, "Okay, here's what you were doing." And you're sitting there: Wow. I'm smarter than I thought. 

• A good partner brings out the best in you
• Trust your editor, and she’ll trust you
• A good relationship is all about compromise
• Honesty is the best policy (or, hell hath no fury like an editor scorned)

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Continued from Part 4

One last cliche for you, and then I can share the meat of the talk tomorrow--what happens once you get that contract. 

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