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Where were we? Oh! Here . . .



So then, here' more behind-the-scenes and on-the-spot reporting of what went on, and yes (!!!) it's in no particular order. Oh. And I am aware that some of the photos are unusually large, but am too lazy to fix them.

We went to tres swanky party hosted by Steven Malk of Writers House . . .


(I'm represented by Writers House agent Jodi Reamer, so they pretty much had to let me in.)

There were soooo many great workshops at the conference. Here are some of the ones we attended . . .


(Above: Scholastic Book Fairs' Ed Masessa and Heather Biggs, Newbery Honorees Gary Schmidt and Eugene Yelchin, and Hat Man Jon Klassen)

What's that sign on the bathroom? Why it's because THE FOURTH STALL won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award. Here's this year's winner Chris Rylander with the first winner of the award . . .



Also at the Golden Kite Luncheon, I got to sit with my author-ly pals . . .


(From left: Susan Patron, Amy Goldman Koss, Sonya Sones, April Wayland, Linda Sue Park, Kerry Madden, Angelina Jolie, Susan Rubin, Ann Whitford Paul.)

Speaking of lunches, what's for dinner?


(That's Paula Yoo, Emily Ecton and Michael Reisman dining at the food court across the street from the conference. We discussed which one of us would run for President of the United States this year.)

On another night, Linda Sue Park, Jolie Stekly and I went to this super glam restaurant. It was so chic that we're still not sure what we ate . . .



One thing is certain, though. The meal was a thousand times better than the horrific dining event that happened to Linda Sue, Arthur Levine and I at the conference a couple of years ago.

Dinner was right before the SCBWI Hippie Hop party where mild-mannered children's book people went wild. No, really. If you don't believe me, see for yourself . . .



But the culmination of the evening was a FLASH MOB!!!! Super secret e-mails had gone out earlier to all but Lin Oliver and Steve Mooser, founders of SCBWI. Here's what over 400 people dancing in-sync to The Age of Aquarius look like . . .


(We'll post footage of actual flash mobbing on a future blog.)

After the conference was over, the faculty, regional advisors, SCBWI staff and board convened to collapse (and to eat and have fun) . . .



Oh, look. That's Jay Asher on the left (above). We were passing notes during the conference . . .



THIS IS WHY.

And finally, the next day, there was a Board of Advisors meeting. BatPeep fell asleep during it. Not because it wasn't interesting, but because she was exhausted from all the amazing happenings . . .



Wait, what's that? Look who's on the cover of VOGUE!!!!



Hey, that's not VOGUE . . . it's even better . . . it's VOYA!!!! CLICK HERE to read a WARP SPEED review, and to find out what Libba Bray, David Lubar, Don Calame and I have to say about writing funny stuff.

Hey, want to meet me and Peep and have a Peep-o-time at one of my local indie bookstores?

Sometimes fun is in your own backyard . . .


(Disclaimer: That may, or may not, be my real backyard.)

For example, I first found out about Little Junebugs when I was at
LitFest Pasadena . . .



This awesome children's bookstore also has the coolest stuff, PLUS you can do the most amazing crafts . . .



If don't just believe me, see for yourself . . .



See this rocket? It's a prize for a lucky reader!



Here's even more of the store . . .



And look! This is THE PLACE to get crafty . . .



It's not just for kids -- check out this wizardlywondrous (I just made up that word) Harry Potter craft night for grown-ups!!!

Whoa . . . who's that with Peepy? Why, it's Courtney, co-owner of Little Junebugs!!!



Peepy and I will be helping Courtney celebrate the ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY of Little Junebugs this Saturday! Newly printed paperbacks of BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES) will be there, too, along with Bobby illustrator Dan Santat.,

JOIN US!!!!



================

Wheeeee . . . BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES) is now out in paperback!


September events:

Brooklyn Book Festival

South Dakota Festival of Books


Disclaimer: No proofreaders were harmed (or even used) in the creation of this blog.

Want to check out Lisa's NEW AND IMPROVED website? Simply CLICK HERE.

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Lisa Yee

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For some illogical, galling, apoplexy-inducing reason, zoos and animal sanctuaries are not (unlike hospitals) protected under the Geneva Convention. Which means that when war breaks out in a country, animals kept in captivity and entirely reliant on humans for their food, water, shelter, and safety are left to fend for themselves. While they’re still locked in cages and enclosures.

Marjan, the blind, starving lion who had shrapnel embedded in his fur, became the poster lion of the Afghanistan conflict. His is a haunting gaze and one that invokes immediate sympathy for him and guilt and shame at the inhumane actions of the human race. I’ll not deny that his and other animals’ collateral-damage plight makes me so angry I kind of want to punch someone in the face.

Which is, incidentally, why I was simultaneously eager and hesitant to read Lawrence Anthony’s Babylon’s Ark. Eager because I knew it would be an incredible tale told incredibly well at the hands of Anthony and his co-writer, Graham Spence (I’d recently stumbled across and fallen in love with another of their books, The Last Rhinos, which I rabbitted on about in raves on this here blog). Hesitant because, well, see above admission about knowing I’d be so incensed at the cruelty and injustice that I’d want to punch someone in the face.

Anthony was the first civilian into Iraq. In fact, he was the only one heading in as kilometres-long lines snaked their way out—something that drew the incredulity first of the border guard and subsequently the marines he met and befriended along the way. It’s just as well he had (has) such chutzpah, for the situation of the animals in Iraq, a country not known for having even the most basic modicum of concern for animal welfare, were dire.

With bombs landing in and around the parklands, the zoo was being looted left and right, with beautiful creatures killed for food or carted off for unspeakable black-market cruelty. The only animals left were the carnivores with big enough teeth and claws to fend off predators—and they were starved, dehydrated, ill, cramped in filthy, too-small cages, and unspeakably traumatised.

Anthony writes of the desperation to find buckets to cart water because the water pipes were blown up or stripped of any and all working parts. And of the euphoria at locating disinfectant in one of Saddam’s stockpiles-in-the-event-of-siege to start to clean rancid cages and start to eradicate the cesspit of germs infecting the animals: ‘Both the hotel and the zoo were government institutions, which meant they had belonged to the Hussein family, so I regarded this as just an “interdepartmental transfer”’.

There was a bear with a suppurating abscess on its hindquarters that was aptly named Wounded Ass Bear. There was Saedia, the blind brown bear likely more terrified by the bombs and looting than all the other animals put together because she couldn’t see what was coming at her. There were the lions Saddam’s murderous (arguably insane) son Uday kept in his palace. There were the dogs that had formed an unlikely bond with the lions—even though all were starving, the lions hadn’t turned on the dogs.

HarperTeen and figment are partnering to provide YA writers with this contest opportunity to get their story published in an anthology along with other well-known YA authors. 

The contest challenge: Write a story that takes place at night or in the dark. The story can be of any genre: contemporary, paranormal, horror, science fiction, romance, humor, fantasy, etc.

What happens in the dark? Why are things different at night? Maybe it’s magic, or madness or both. A new anthology coming Summer 2013 from HarperTeen, Defy the Dark explores those questions and invites you to try your hand at answering them.

What’s in it for you? A chance to be published in Defy the Dark, alongside some of your favorite YA authors (including Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Hawkins, and Beth Revis). 

The winner will be noted in the book’s table of contents, on the copyright page, and have a byline on their story. They will also have an opportunity to give an acknowledgment and will be featured on the Defy the Dark website. The grand-prize winner will receive a $500 cash prize awarded by HarperCollins and five copies of Defy the Dark.

1. Eligibility

The Defy the Dark New Author Contest (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including District of Columbia and territories, possessions and military bases) or Canada (excluding Quebec) who are thirteen (13) years or older at the time of entry.

2. Sponsors

Figment, LLC, 118 East 64^th Street, New York, NY 10065, and HarperCollins, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022.

3. Entry Period

The Promotion begins on August 1, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET”) and ends on September 1, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Promotion Entry Period”).

No sun-drenched, thousand-watt fables here—bring us your things that go bump in the night, bring us the things that hide in the shadows. Saundra Mitchell, the anthology’s editor, is excited to read your best YA fiction and choose one writer to be a part of the forces that will Defy the Dark.

4.  Submission Requirements

• Submission must be between 2,000 and 4,000 words.
• Submission must be an original work created solely by you, has not been previously published, and does not infringe upon any third-party copyrights or other intellectual property rights.
• Submission must not contain defamatory statements.
• Submission must not contain any telephone numbers, street addresses or email addresses of any individual.
• Submission must not invade privacy, publicity or other rights of any person, firm or entity.

Click here for more official rules:  http://dailyfig.figment.com/defy-the-dark-official-rules/

Good luck!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Today, I’d like to welcome Magda Knight, one of my co-authors in the YA Historical Romance Anthology, Timeless. Leave a comment for Magda and be eligible to receive a pdf. copy of Timeless. You do not need an e-reader to download this version of the book. So let’s start, shall we? Q:  Since you live in Great Britain, you truly make The Timeless Anthology “international.”

Abu Nuwas sits in the bazaar on his threadbare rug; a cup and sign proclaim him a teller of tales. For one small coin, he bids passers by to listen. A poor girl, Najda, sells spices from a tray. Would he, she asks, trade a tale for a packet of spice? Abu Nuwas agrees and begins the epic adventures of a girl and her genie. As did Scheherazade before him, Abu leaves Najda hanging in the middle of each yarn to keep her coming back. Between stories, he questions the girl about her life. He discovers that she’s been promised in marriage to an old man whom she hates, but she must wed him to save her sick mother’s life. The rich bridegroom will pay for the doctors the mother needs. Meanwhile, Najda sells spices in the market to earn enough money to keep her mother alive. He relates the adventures of the bored daughter of a rich merchant, Setara, and her genie, Basit, as they encounter the creatures of legend and folklore: a lonely cave demon seeking a home; a flying, fire-breathing horse who has lost his mate; a dragon searching for his family; an evil genie hunting for the man who put him in a lamp; and a merboy prince cast out of his undersea kingdom. Continue reading →

Thanks for visiting my site. I appreciate your interest in my work. If you have questions regarding my books or stories, please feel free to send me a message. I enjoy hearing from you, and I’ll respond as soon as possible. 

Happy reading!

Artie

Latest News

Artie’s children’s book Living Green: A Turtle’s Quest for a Cleaner Planet is now available as a free video for kids through StoryCub. A shortlist finalist for the national 2012 Green Earth Book Award, Thurman the turtle is tired of seeing the land he loves cluttered with trash and decides to take action.

To watch the Living Green video and many other books on StoryCub.org, please click on the cover below. StoryCub videos are one of the most watched programs on Apple’s iTunes Kids & Family section.

Use of any of the content on this website without permission is prohibited by federal law

Myla Goldberg's The False Friend (published in 2009):
PW said: "Begins in the woods surrounding a small upstate New York town, as 11-year-old Celia watches her best friend, Djuna, get into a stranger's car, never to be seen again. At least that's the story Celia gives to the police. Twenty-one years later, Celia returns to her hometown to tell her family and old friends what really happened that fateful day..."

Publishers Lunch deal announced this week:
"Karen Brown's debut novel THE LOST GIRL, in which twelve-year-old Sadie is living in an idyllic New England suburb, until she and a friend play a seemingly harmless prank that leads to the disappearance of a younger neighborhood girl; and what happens when, twenty years later, nightmares of that summer come back to visit."

I guess there are only so many stories to tell...

It has been a jam packed week of developments, insights and congratulations so let’s get this party started.

1.  Book Week launches

Across the country students will be dressing as their favourite literary characters and celebrating this year’s theme…Champions Read.  On Friday the Children’s Book Council of Australia announced their selections for the best books of last year of which you can read in detail here.  A congratulations to all those that were announced winners and honour books with a special bravo to Scot Gardner with his title, The Dead I Know.

2.  Do females dominate YA?

This discussion erupted when Meghan Lewit from the Atlantic Mobile asked this question in the wake of NPR’s Top 100 YA list.

“The best young-adult books provide a portal to characters and perspectives that simply aren’t as readily available on the adult reading lists, and the passionate support for beloved titles and authors of both genders indicates that the need for these stories aren’t going anywhere.”

3. White bread YA

The NPR’s list also made waves with its dominance of white authors.  While author Laurie Halse Anderson was pleased that Speak and Wintergirls  made the list, her enjoyment was tempered by the lack of diversity that graced the list.  Anderson blogged in response to an American teacher’s naming of the list the ‘very best of white young adult books’ list.  Shaker Laurie’s post states:

“Reader identity and engagement are a huge component of the work we do as we address student reading problems, and when students are handed books full of characters that are unlike them racially, culturally, and socio-economically, the chasm between their picture of themselves and their idea of books and who books are for only widens.”

We can only hope that future lists demonstrate the narrowing of this chasm and that more readers seem themselves reflected back.   Soon to be appearing at the Melbourne Writers’ Festival, Newbery winner Linda Sue Park, questioned the  diversity of the judging panel and the NPR voting audience.  Her solution?

“…the absolute necessity of people of color in the gatekeeping roles. The editors & publishers. Reviewers, critics, commentators. Academics. Booksellers. Librarians. Um, panelists. We will NEVER achieve the diversity we seek in books for teens and younger readers until the gatekeepers themselves reflect that diversity.”

Agreed.

4. Australian YA Championship

The Kill Your Darlings young adult championship wrapped up last Friday with eleven titles put forward as the best of Australian YA from the past 30 years.  Most of the selections were from the 80s-90s period.  More recent titles were probably at a disadvantage due to the idea that a classic needs to stand the test of time.  Both Jordi Kerr (The Ghost’s Child) and Adele Walsh (Mandragora)  from the CYL team volunteered their picks and the winner will be revealed soon.

5. MWF

Next Monday the Melbourne Writers’ Festival schools’ program will kick off – tickets are still available for talks, workshops and panels.  Check out the fantastic range of authors on offer.

{updated} 6. Queensland Literary Awards

The shortlist for the young adult book award category has been released and we offer our congratulations to the recognised authors.

• Night Beach (Kirsty Eagar, Penguin)
• The Ink Bridge (Neil Grant, A&U)
• Three Summers (Judith Clarke, A&U)
• Sea Hearts (Margo Lanagan, A&U)
• All I Ever Wanted (Vikki Wakefield, Text)

Tuesday, 28 August 2012

6:30-8:00 pm

Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria

(Entry 3, La Trobe Street)

Free (bookings required: inquiries@slv.vic.gov.au)

Join us for an in-conversation with Vikki Wakefield and Fiona Wood, as they discuss and dissect Vikki’s books and the themes around them.

Vikki Wakefield is a bright new voice in Australian youth literature with her beautiful prose and gritty suburban settings. Her debut novel, All I Ever Wanted (2011) was shortlisted for the Gold Inky, was a Children’s Book Council of Australia Notable Book for Older Readers, and won the Adelaide Festival Award for Literature (YA fiction).

Fiona Wood has been writing television scripts for more than ten years. Her first novel Six Impossible Things was shortlisted for the 2011 CBCA Book of the Year, Older Readers. Her second novel Wildlife will be out in 2013.

Join Vikki and Fiona as they discuss their ideas and their books.

Sarah Garland,
Azzi In Between
Frances Lincoln, 2012.

The cover image for Azzi In Between, showing a little girl clutching her teddy bear as she looks warily behind her while walking through a war-torn landscape, sets the scene for what is to come, as Azzi and her family flee their unspecified Middle Eastern country and arrive as refugees in the Western city that will gradually become their home.  What the cover doesn’t prepare you for is the book’s graphic format and the depth of this story aimed at young readers but also a quality read for older children through to adults.

War is depicted in shades of grey that contrast strikingly with the bright colors in Azzi’s happy, relatively unaffected home-life – but the war gradually encroaches until the day Azzi’s father, a doctor, receives a phone-call warning the family they must leave.  There follow the hurried departure, a terrifying journey and the bewildering newness of everything at their destination: the food, the language, school… Azzi also desperately misses her grandmother who has stayed behind, and worries that she may never see her again.

With the help of Sabeen, an assistant at school who was once a refugee like her, Azzi begins to settle in and make friends.  Then a school gardening project reminds her of the precious beans her parents have managed to bring safely all the way with them. Determined to plant them, she rushes home that afternoon only to discover that her mother has cooked them as a special treat for Azzi’s supper.  All is not lost, however, and there is much to be positive about at the end of the story: though more mature readers will pick up on the tempered quality of Azzi’s father’s answer when she asks if he is now happy – “I think you are making me happier, Azzi.”  Indeed, all the people Azzi comes into contact with are kind and welcoming but it is clear that her parents are managing to shield her from the brunt of their worries, as revealed by the shadows under Mother’s eyes, and the fact that Father is too tired when he comes home in the evening to share the new words he has learned that day.

Sarah Garland wrote Azzi In Between, which is endorsed by Amnesty International UK, after spending time with refugees in New Zealand.  She has created a gem of a story that is told with great sensitively and insight.  A perfect choice for reluctant readers and students like Azzi, learning English as a second language, every school should have this book readily to hand for every child to read – and perhaps it should also become compulsory reading for all government employees who work with asylum seekers.

Marjorie Coughlan
August 2012

The school year is just around the corner for kids across the country, but there’s still time to talk a little bit about summer camp.

To do that, we’ll be looking at My Extra Best Friend (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012) by Julie Bowe. This book is the fifth and final installment in the Friends for Keeps series that follows the adventures of Ida May and her group of friends.

The series kicked off with fourth-grader Ida May missing her best friend, Elizabeth Evans, who had moved away. To make matters worse, Liz wasn’t even answering Ida May’s letters. As the series progresses through the next several books, Ida May makes friends,  enjoys them, argues with them, makes up with them and learns a lot about herself.

As this last book begins, Ida May and two of her friends are away at an overnight summer camp. and who ends up being one of their bunkmates? Liz. This opens old insecurities and brings up new questions for Ida May.

One thing’s for certain, this should be a very interesting week at summer camp.

Today’s reviewer, the aptly named Page, tells us more.

———————-

Today’s reviewer: Page

Age: 10

I like: Gymnastics, diving and pizza.

This book was about: A girl named Ida who goes to a camp and meets some new friends and reunites with an old friend.

The best part was when: Ida finds out her old best friend is in the camp too.

I laughed when: I found out Brooke (one of the girls at the camp) brought a crown.

I was worried when: Ida and Liz (her old best friend) were fighting.

I was surprised that: Liz as in the camp.

This book taught me: That you ccan always have more than one best friend.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The part when Ida sees Liz for the first time after she moved away.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Good.” “Funny. ” “Surprising.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “That’s very … helpful, Jenna.”

You should read this book because: It is a good book.

———————–

Thanks, Page!

To learn more about Julie, you can visit her blog or her website.

You also can read this interview. Or watch this one.

And, if you have fun or not-so-fun summer camp memories, feel free to share them in the comments below.

How the remarkable "Beasts of the Southern Wild" started among friends, moved to a convenience store in New Orleans, worked not by script but by character and essence.  A film made by a community for and about a surreal community. 

"Living the movie as we made it." 

"Film as an athletic event." 

This post is going to be plain and simple like the last.

I was going to talk about, the Western World without an actual justice system. I was also going to talk about, the corruption in government and business -- the sheer idolatry of Hollywood thrown in. After that, I was going to speak about gay men and women in the pulpit, and also gay marriage. I was going to highlight that with an article from another writer that spoke along this line. Governments won't force Churches to do same-sex marriages -- but lawyers will force those issues on regular pastorships in the near future. With the 'lawyer' word coming up, I was also going to write about the suit-and-tie defense lawyer who allows murdering fools to escape with a slap on the hand or a much reduced sentence. In with that, these lawyers also allow the drunk driver...murdering idiot to post bail, or escape with lighter jail time. I was also going to mention that every single government can not be trusted -- man's final step to stardom -- receiving his or her own personal 'mark' on his person in the years to come. I was going to write about what I found, and the direction the human disgrace (race) is headed. I was also going to talk about the sinister countries that will start the beginning of the end. I was also going to mention our direction of technology, this not saving man, but only heightening a disguise being put in place. I was also going to type-up, racism, discrimination -- and peace quickly being taken from the world. I was also going to address the Queen's new hat, while Rome burns -- our priorities and sincere caring going right out the Royal window. I was also going to write about capitalizing those words -- just to make the pageantry feel good. In hope, I was also planning to write about this generation, and their (many) heads being emptied out for the one to come in the name of religion. I was also going to add, that the word religion is a nasty word these days -- it really the Gospel. I was really going to write about the words between those pages (the Holy Book) -- being changed, manipulated, misunderstood, changed in context -- and twisted and turned even by those of Christianity. I was also going to write about (not getting me started) on the foolishness that is replacing the true Gospel. I was also going to mention, that God's hand is gradually being raised, allowing an unseen enemy through. And in the whole of everything -- I was going to write about man turning to 'self.' As for, banks, oil companies, business, and government pigs at a financial trough -- I was going to let that slide in penmanship -- mostly everyone knows the truth about them. I was also going to write about man turning a blind eye to almost all of it these days.

'Glen' -- stay and be quiet, you sinner! Look in the mirror first -- like little Michael said. I was also going to write about that.

Is Maud the only book blogger on Pinterest? she certainly has one of the most attractive "Books I'm Reading" pages.

There is a very fine Victorian Premier's Awards website up at the Wheeler Centre with a terrific collection of reviews on each shortlisted title in all categories. Go, be informed, and vote in the People's Choice awards. 

At The Millions, Sonya Chung interviews James Salter.

From ReadWriteWeb, a video of fifthgraders in 1995 who made some interesting predictions about the future of the Web.

Pleasing to see that the first of Australian Book Review's Fireside Chats, on Jonson, Donne and Shakespeare, is booked out. So be sure to get in early for the second (scroll down at that link), on September 12: Peter Rose and Michael Farrell will read from their new collections, and hopefully chew some fat regarding Peter Porter.

I am following a new blog which carries some pretty impressive infographics (that is, posters designed to communicate a lot of information visually. As you all knew). 
Here then, if it pastes into Typepad in a satisfactory manner, is a fine example which shows what one can do with pictures when one doesn't accept that the number of medals is what really counts. The poster was created by Paulo Estriga.

This infographic was originally published at CargoCollective.com – via Cool Infographics.

If you buy the Saturday Oz, there is a cracker review for Toni Jordan's new book Nine Days from Peter Pierce, so I am going out to buy that at the first opportunity:

Dickens' exuberant example happily infects the speech of several of the characters, while the grisly scene in which Jack Husting's parents introduce him to a prospective marriage partner is worthy of Patrick White.

Motifs are artfully woven into the narrative, such as "the bitter-sweet of twin-dom". Jordan's story gives free rein to chance and to coincidence. So much is packed generously into Nine Days as to belie its considerately moderate length...This novel is a triumph. Another signal career in Australian fiction is well under way.

Natalie Bakopoulos: For the games Athens created a new airport, a gorgeous subway and tram system, and a national highway, all which function still. Athens is a certainly a city of ancient ruins, and because of this we often conflate the ancient with the modern. But ruins of an ancient civilization are not the same as the wreckage of an economically devastated city. Viewing it through this lens takes pleasure in its devastation, stunts progress and change, and completely disregards the living, working humanity of the city. Athens has seen better days, but it is still kicking and alive. 
(Athens, 2004) 

David Karashima 

Tokyo, 1964 (and 2020?) 

Last summer, Tokyo lost its lights. This summer, they’re back, as bright as ever. And in every fluoro-lit subway station – running again on a minute-by-minute schedule – hang posters advertising the city’s Olympic bid. 

‘Ima, Nippon ni wa kono yume no chikara ga hitsuyoda (Japan needs the power of this dream now)’ asserts the official slogan for the games they’ve dubbed the Japan Revival Olympics. 

But whose dreams? Whose needs? Whose power? 

Whatever the legacy of the 1964 games, whatever the benefits of bringing them back in 2020, they seem to have little to do with restoring the dreams and lives shattered last spring. 

But the brightness, it’s blinding. 

Read these and several other writers' accounts of life after the Olympics, around the world, at Granta magazine.

Happy Monday! Here's my mishmash of thoughts:

1. Temporary blog schedule switch  Tomorrow, I'm participating in Rachel Harris's blog tour for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, so I'll be blogging Monday, Tuesday, Friday this week.
2. Kindergarten orientation  My daughter did really well at orientation. I couldn't be more proud, but a week from today is the big dreaded first day of kindergarten. I get teary just thinking about it.
3. Editing  I'm editing for clients again this week. I love that I get to read and write books for a living. :)
4. Stalked By Death  I should be getting my first round edits for Stalked by Death, the second book in the Touch of Death trilogy, later this week. Eek!
5. Announcement coming!  I will have an announcement coming soon. Stay tuned!

Sorry guys--I swear my brain will start working again someday. And hey, it's still TECHNICALLY Sunday, right? On the West Coast at least...

Anyway, the lucky winner of THE TEMPLETON TWINS HAVE AN IDEA, by Ellis Weiner is...

During the course of my PhD research for the book that became The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction I had to learn a lot about ye olden day beliefs about sex and sexuality, including conception. For instance I came across this in Thomas Laqueur’s book Making Sex:

Samuel Farr, in the first legal-medicine text to be written in English (1785), argued that “without an excitation of lust, or enjoyment in the venereal act, no conception can probably take place.” Whatever a woman might claim to have felt or whatever resistance she might have put up, conception in itself betrayed desire or at least a sufficient measure of acquiescence for her to enjoy the venereal act. This is a very old argument. Soranus had said in second-century Rome that “if some women who were forced to have intercourse conceived . . . the emotion of sexual appetite existed in them too, but was obscured by mental resolve,” and no one before the second half of the eighteenth century or early nineteenth century question the physiological basis of this judgement. The 1756 edition of Burn’s Justice of the Peace, the standard guide for English magistrates, cites authorities back to the Institutes of Justinian to the effect that “a woman can not conceive unless she doth consent.” It does, however, go on to point out that as matter of law, if not of biology, this doctrine is dubious. Another writer argued that pregnancy ought to be taken as proof of acquiescence since the fear, terror, and aversion that accompany a true rape would prevent an orgasm from occurring and thus make conception unlikely.

Thus the statement of Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for the Senate in Missouri, that

from what I understand from doctors [pregnancy from rape] is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down

does not come out of nowhere. It comes out of long debunked pseudo-science dating back centuries to a time when it was also believed that women could give birth to rabbits.

I naively thought that it did not need saying but it seems that it does:

There is no such thing as “legitimate” rape. There is no “true” rape. There is no “rape rape.” There is only rape.

USA, time to stop this insane discourse that has no bearing on reality. Wow. I leave the country for a few months and it goes completely insane.

STOP IT.

Banality is a defense against being overwhelmed.

                            -Michael Pollan

I went up to Sonoma County for a couple of days to work on a project with my wunder-agent, Abi.

It was a 5 hour drive up, and I listened to a thought provoking book that was recommended by the amazing Melissa Sweet, called The Talent Code. It has me rethinking how I do things. It's all about how you are not born with any talents- you create them- which is what I have always thought. All my life people have said that I have a talent for creating illustrations- the truth is that I have practiced drawing since I could hold a pencil. I don't think I had an innate talent at all- it has been hours and hours of practice- they say it takes about 10,000 hours to become a master at something. I thought you have to be careful what you are practicing because you become very good at that thing. 

Anyhow- no sketch today- just this photo of 

I am in Copenhagen!
They have sheets of chocolate in cardboard boxes, and I bought a toy dinosaur and a new hat.