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Writerhood can be hard--you fellow writers know this. There's editing, writing, more editing, and stupid chores that piled up while you were doing all that hard work.
But I didn't write this post to be a Negative Nellie. I love my job, and domestic perfection isn't for me anyway. Yesterday, I got some good news, so I thought I'd share. Since you've been along for the ride.
The Horn Book Magazine, the people in the know about all things kidlit, gave
Double Vision a really nice review. Here's a little snippet:
Bradley gives Linc a great voice, with a good heart, some self-awareness, and a funny style: “I should probably mention right now that I qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records as the slowest, most out-of-shape twelve-year-old in history.” It’s entertaining if not deep, with a fast pace, snappy narration, and an epilogue that promises a new adventure.
Good news, so pass the drinks, all!
Oh, and if you're still on the hunt for a free ARC of
Double Vision,
you can sign up for the Goodreads giveaway the kind people of Harper are running...
By:
Hannah,
on 9/21/2012
Blog:
The Open Book
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A lot of the time, discussions about diversity, racial equality, and pop culture can be disheartening. A quick look at Racebending or Racialicious is a good reminder of how far we still have to go when it comes to respecting all cultures, especially in the media. But sometimes, good things happen. People and companies take steps forward. And when that happens, we should talk about it. It’s nice to be able to talk about what people are doing right instead of what they’ve done wrong.
With that in mind, I wanted to share this nice story from the Native Appropriations blog. To make a long story short, the company Paul Frank held a “Dream Catchin’ Pow Wow” party in Los Angeles a few weeks ago for Fashion’s Night Out, with a “Neon-Native American Pow Wow theme” complete with plastic tomahawks, feather headdresses, and a drink called the “Rain Dance Refresher.” On her blog, Adrienne wrote up a post about why the party was so offensive to Native Americans and several others wrote, tweeted, posted, or spoke about it as well.
This story could have had the same sad ending many others have: a half-hearted corporate apology but no real change. Instead, Adrienne got a phone call with the president of Paul Frank Industries, Elie Dekel, so they could discuss what went wrong and how to do better in the future. The company outlined several steps they would be taking to right the wrong, including removing Native-inspired designs from their digital/online imprint, working with a Native artist to make new designs, and collaborating with Adrienne and Beyond Buckskin blogger Jessica Metcalfe on a panel about the use of Native imagery in the fashion industry. You can see more about Paul Frank’s plans here.
It’s really nice to see a conversation about the appropriation of Native culture have such a positive outcome. Congratulations to Adrienne, and kudos to Paul Frank for stepping up, apologizing, and earnestly looking for a way to do better.
In other positive news, check out this handsome guy who was cast as Magnus in the upcoming Mortal Instruments movie based on the YA novel by Cassandra Clare:
In this Tumblr post, Clare describes why she was adamant that Magnus be cast as Asian. So many characters of color have been whitewashed in the book-to-movie transition; I’m glad to see that Magnus isn’t one of them.
Happy Friday!
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HarperCollins has launched Bourbon Street Books, a new line of paperback mystery novels. They will do every type, it seems: paperback originals, reprints, backlist titles, and reissued classics.
My first book or maybe my first two with Harper had their name on the spine when they came out in paperback (if memory serves). Then the company bought Avon, which clearly had more of a budget mindset: margins were narrower, paper stock was perhaps thinner, type was smaller - two of my books had almost exactly the same number of words, yet the Avon book was much thinner.
It will be interesting to see what they do with it. They are going to take four Kathy Hogan Trocheck’s novels (the name I met her under at a dinner Harper hosted at a steak house at the Denver Bouchercon), and publish them under Mary Kay Andrews, her more successful pen name that came along later. I wonder if anyone will get confused and read them twice? They were published in the 1990s, I believe, so maybe no one's memories are that long.
Read more about the new imprint here.
 |
| Maybe why I post less frequently? |
First the apologies, both for the long silence, and for the fact that some of you (e-mail subscribers, actually) have been receiving repostings from the past.
What happened was that I read an important post about the fact that bloggers can be sued for using clip art and online photos if they aren't actually in the public domain or royalty free. If you haven't already read about this on blog sites or on Facebook, you can go to my friend Rosi Hollinbeck's site, The Write Stuff, where she posted two good sites where you can learn about the hazards and also learn about the free sites you really can count on.
Because this can be tricky business: Some of the sites I visited in the past looked like they were royalty free, but they only were if you paid a fee to become a member with unlimited downloads, and stuff like that (info I hadn't read closely enough). This past week, instead of blogging, I've been diligently going through old posts to cull out pictures I wasn't sure about. In the process, a couple of times I clicked "post" instead of "update", and my subscribers have been getting reposts from last summer and fall. (Just disregard them, folks. If they aren't the current date, it just means I clicked the wrong icon. You can delete them.)
Yesterday two friend who subscribe let me know they received my Thanksgiving Post!Not that I don't have a lot to be thankful for.
Now we come to the good news. The other reason I haven't been posting for so long is because I've been doing rewrites of my middle grade mystery for an agent who was interested. And a few days ago I got the signed contract! I've posted this on Facebook, but some of you aren't on Facebook, so here is the news: Yes, I have an agent, a very good one. I'm very happy about it. She requested rewrites before we ever signed the contract, but, in the process, she nudged my writing up to a higher level, which will stand me in good stead for the sequel. (This is a mystery series.)
So there you have it: the reason for the long silence, and the reason for surprises out of the blue (if you're a subscriber). I'll be posting more often again from now on, so please stop by. And if you came by today, please leave a comment; I have a few questions:
Did you know about the issue re: public domain pictures? Have you been hard at work on your own writing? Are any of you at the SCBWI Conference in LA? (If so, I am sooooo envious. I went two years ago, and it was marvelous.) http://rosihollinbeckthewritestuff.blogspot.com/
Good News!
First of all - I have good news. I hate talking about myself but I am going to pat myself on the back for a job well done and say something profound (I hope)
1 - I just sold my 5,000th copy!! I never imagined I would get this far. I was happy with my first 100.
2 - My little book, Untraceable finally made the top 100 books of all ebooks last night at midnight. Got up to #63 - now around #80 - over some big names.
3 - Untraceable is #3 in children/action and adventure just under The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (yes I am above MockingJay - WTF??)
Holy crap right!!!!!!!!!
INSERT PEP TALK HERE!Guys - you will never fully know what this means to me after everything I've been through...after all the people who told me I could not do this. After those who turned their back on me...and those who felt like I wasn't good enough.
This isn't about money or fame - this is about following my heart and dream no matter what the naysayers had to nay about. So I tell you - DON'T GIVE UP!
Sometimes your dream doesn't look the way you expect or may not be the way other's think it should be...
But that doesn't mean you can't make it happen! You just have to follow you heart and do what is right for you.
Thanks for all your support! I would not be here without you guys.
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By: stephanie,
on 1/30/2012
Blog:
sruble.com
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Good news! I have an agent! I’m being represented by the wonderful Barry Goldblatt of bgliterary!!!
Some of you might be thinking to yourself, “I know that already, I saw it on Twitter!” That’s true, we did announce it on Twitter, in the middle of December, when everyone was busy with holiday travel, parties, and family visiting. Unfortunately, according to all the writer and illustrator friends I saw at the SCBWI NY Conference, they didn’t see that announcement. So I thought maybe I should say something about it on my blog.
You might be wondering why I didn’t announce it on my blog earlier. Here’s the deal. I didn’t want to say anything until I signed the contract,* which I did today! Maybe that’s old fashioned of me (or me being paranoid that it didn’t really happen). I just wanted to make sure before I announced it to the whole world (outside of Twitter, of course).
Now that I’m sure, I can officially announce that I have an agent! WooHoo! Yippee! You should have seen me dancing around the apartment when he offered!
If you were at the conference, you might have seen the announcement on my postcards. (The contract was at my house, so I knew it was real enough to put into print.) If you weren’t at the conference,** and want to see the postcards, here’s the written proof of my new agent!***
This is the front of the postcard. It’s an image I’ve been working on for a long time (I also have watercolor and acrylic paintings started for this image, but liked this version the best and decided to finish it for the conference postcard).
This is the back of the postcard. The cat came from a sketch I did on a dry erase board! The dog came from a regular sketch (using pen and paper).
So now that you know I have an agent, I can go back to posting on my blog again and not keeping secrets.****
2012 is off to a great start!!! Hope the year is off to a great start for you too!!!
*Why didn’t I sign the contract earlier? The day after I accepted Barry’s offer, I left town for three weeks. When I came back, Barry went out of town. Then he came back and I found out that I hadn’t given him my address so he could send me the contract! After he sent it to me last week, I couldn’t send it back because I was at the conference. So I sent it out today.
**I’ll be posting notes from the conference later this week.
***This post is a bit silly, but I am seriously happy about signing with Barry and excited to start working with him! I have a feeling that with Barry in my corner, 2012 is going to be a really good year. 
****I was crossing my fingers when I typed that, which makes it really hard to type, but also means that I can still keep secrets if I have to. Because sometimes you just can’t announce things (like agents) until you have a contract, you know?
11 Comments on Good news: I have an agent!, last added: 1/31/2012
Who says traditional publishing is dead? Not one, but two new imprints for middle grade/young adult are launching.
Move Books will launch next fall, and will "focus on middle-grade fiction for boys, and the program may eventually expand to include picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction."
Publishers Weekly says: Since leaving Scholastic, Robinson has launched F1rst Pages, which offers online editorial services to aspiring authors; and has collaborated with editor Harold Underdown to start Kid's Book Revisions, an online service that guides authors through the revision process. And in the past several years, she has been substitute teaching, "to get a feel for the 8-12 age group of readers."
A key inspiration for starting up Move Books, Robinson explains, was her son Michael, now nine. "He struggled as a reader, and it was difficult to find books that would grab his attention, make him laugh, and make him want to read on his own," she notes. "He and his friends seem to be drawn more to nonfiction, and like a lot of boys, they tend to read for information more than for pleasure. I am hoping that the novels Move Books publishes will provide that pleasure, and will encourage boys to pick them up rather than turn to a video game."
Read more here.
And PW also reports that Algonquin Books is launching a young reader program, focusing on YA and middle grade fiction. Read more here.
As of September 1st, you can now
purchase a full-color version of
Octavius Bloom and the House of Doom especially formatted for your
Nook at Barns & Noble. Its spiffed up a bit with a more exciting cover, and at $.99 per download its a screamin' deal. Enjoy!
Good news
I am going to be filmed for a TV show today!
You can see a sample show here.
Bad news
This is what my right arm looks like right now that we are doing a ton of sparring in kajukenbo. (And lately I'm often the only lady-person in class. And there's a new guy named Tyler who took Muey Thai and is just fierce.) (But I"m loving it, which is so not me you can't imagine. I was trying to tell this guy I've known since I was four and he couldn't believe I was talking about the same person who got straight As except for Cs in PE - AKA me.)
Good news
The interviewee sits with his or her left side to the camera. The bad arm is my right side.
Bad news
The left arm doesn't look that hot either. Teen was counting bruises on it yesterday.
Good news
I could wear long sleeves.
Bad news
After weeks of cool weather, it's suddenly super hot here. And the TV studio is nearly two hours away.
Good news
I'll give you a link later so you can see how abused and or sweaty (or both!) I looked
A nice collection of reviews for Who Has These Feet? in the email this week... plus a quick sketch to accompany the hightlights :)
"Brooks’s naturalistic yet affable animals will likely inspire readers to take a closer look at their own feet." --Publishers Weekly
"The simple text, the colorful illustrations, and the guessing game combine to make this an engaging picture book for reading aloud.” --Booklist
"The text and concept are refreshingly simple, while still educating and entertaining. The richly colored and realistic watercolor illustrations depict child-friendly beasts without anthropomorphizing them. A gatefold at the conclusion brings all the animals together, and a checkerboard of heads and feet on its flaps is a ready-made matching game….Young animal fans will find much to enjoy and are sure to ask for multiple readings.” --Kirkus Reviews
Who Has These Feet?, my first true picture book project with Henry Holt is out today! You could have pre-ordered copies on
Amazon months ago, and both the Cleveland public library system AND my
local bookstore already have their copies (call and order to have one signed!), but the "official" release date is certifiably upon us. Speaking of which,
I am going certifiably insane with final adjustments to the art for a follow-up... but that's a tale for another day.
Welcome to the world, Feet!!!!!
PS And congratualtions to author Laura Hulbert on her debut children's book publication. We've had several good reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal (no small "feet" in and of itself) -- some of which I'll post in the next several days.
PPS I too trumped the release date and was sharing this book with my summer reading visits here in North Central Washington. The guessing game format is terrific for read-a-loud library settings with younger children -- not to mention the "beyond the book" potential for discussing animal habitats and where in the world all of these varied creatures live.
OK, so I'll admit to photo shopping this image just a bit, but
Pottery Barn Kids DID recently place an "nice sized" order for
Polar Opposites. Its not there yet, but keep an eye out for Alex and Zina in a store/catalog near you a little later this fall!
PS The kid holding the book could easily be me when I was 10.
Phew! I'm up to my ears in a picture book project right now and have been completely neglecting the blog... So it goes, and as it should be. Anyway, soon enough I'll have some nice work-in-progress to show for my efforts.
In the mean time, my editor at Albert Whitman had her new book,
The Wilder Life, featured on
All Things Considered this afternoon. Congrats on a very nice interview Wendy!
And here's another Q & A session with
A.V. Club Chicago.
The Gray Wolf Throne 8/30/11
The Exiled Queen Paperback 8/1/11
All right, it’s not tomorrow, but it is about three weeks sooner! Mark your calendars now!
Well, Harper Children's thinks so anyway. My middle-grade series sold! Exclamation mark!
Phew, I've been holding this great news in for almost a week now, and let's face it, I'm no good at keeping secrets. Here's the announcement on Publishers Marketplace.
F.T. Bradley's debut DOUBLE VISION, the story of 12 year-old ne'er-do-well who just so happens to be a dead ringer for a junior government agent who's gone missing in the midst of an international hunt for one of the world's most precious artifacts, billed as the first of a new action/adventure series in the vein of ALEX RIDER and "National Treasure," to Barbara Lalicki at Harper Children's, in a significant deal, in a pre-empt, in a three-book deal, by Stephen Barbara at Foundry Media Group (NA).
That's me, the F.T. Bradley. No, really.
Exciting, huh? I'll continue to talk in exclamation marks for a while now! And let's have cake!
Check out the list
here. I'm honored to be rubbing shoulders with some really great books (not sure that metaphor is totally working, but, oh, well, I'm excited!
NOTE TO SELF: THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE WITH GOOD SOULS IN THIS WORLD
A retired couple living in Nova Scotia, Canada decided, as many of us do, to play the lottery. Up for grabs was an $11.2 million dollar jackpot and as many of us also do, they dreamed of a win. The couple, Alan, a former welder, and Violet Large, are senior citizens who live simple lives with Violet afflicted with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.
Last July they hit the jackpot in the Lotto 6/49 winning $11,255,272 to be exact, which in itself is something given the odds against winning anything, especially a huge amount like this. It's what the couple did following their win, which makes this story one-in-a-million. They gave away almost $11.2 million of their winnings to family members, local churches, fire departments, cemetaries, Red Cross and hospitals who obviously meant a lot to Violet, given her health issues.
Once word got out about their generosity, a producer with ITV television in London called The Canadian Press on Thursday looking to connect with the Larges, and the story drew a flood of comments from readers on the Daily Mail's website in the United Kingdom. Not surprising since everyone wants to hear about good news and good people doing good things.
"As I say you can't buy your health and you can't buy happiness but if you can help someone out that's what you want to do," Violet said.
I've always believed that when you reach out and share your blessings, they return to you in kind. Now didn't this story make you smile?
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IMPORTANT SITE UPDATE:
This Is Not A Test.
After much debate and reflection, I've decided to stop doing reviews on ROUS. I started this blog as a way to keep my family and friends informed with my life, and to track my families myriad attempts to get a motel, become published authors, lose weight, pay down debt... etc etc...
Then I started
Kirkus says, “Duty, love, expedience and revenge fuel the labyrinthine intrigues of this second entry in an epic fantasy series…Riveting.”
Translation News |
| French Translation: Le Roi Demon |
|
The Seven Realms QuartetFrench and Polish Translations For the Francophones among you, a French translation of The Demon King (Le Roi Démon) is scheduled for release in November by Castelmore, a new YA imprint of Bragelonne. You’ll find more information on that
here.
Galeria will release the Seven Realms series in Polish translation.
The Heir ChroniclesDutch, Indonesian, Turkish, and Polish Translations
Having already bought the Seven Realms series, Luitingh has purchased rights to a Dutch translation of the Heir Chronicles.
Matahati will offer an Indonesian translation, Pegasus will publish in Turkey, and Galeria in Poland.
There’ll be more news to come on The Exiled Queen release and author tour.
A couple of years ago I went through a period where I seriously contemplated giving up on writing as a career. I’d had books published, and was proud of that, but I had a very long spell of rejections, while the publisher of my first trade title went out of business, and the books I had had published didn’t seem to be selling.
What kept me going was a combination of the inability to give up (I
I'm really excited to be the new listserv editor for FL SCBWI! I owe SCBWI so much for all the wonderful conferences, workshops, support, and connections over the years, and am thrilled to give back. Florida is bursting with great news right now, and I'd like to share some of it with all of you (plus, I have some great market info, too).
But first...I want to congratulate Christina Diaz Gonzalez (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
cdgred_umbrella) on her amazing launch for her debut novel, THE RED UMBRELLA. It was standing room only! There were well over 300 people there, and she sold more than 300 books at her first signing. No wonder her wonderful book went into a second printing before the official release date! Here are a couple of photos:
Here are a few things from my first listserv post (I had to make a few changes because some events listed have passed already, and I added one piece of market news that will be in my next post).
Don't forget to sign up for the amazing Mid-Year Workshop. The Novel Intensive and Picture Book Intensive are full, but there's still room in the Illustrator's Intensive and all the workshop tracks. Check out the amazing line up on our website, and join us in Orlando (the hotel is on Disney property, so it's a great excuse to take a family vacation)! http://www.scbwiflorida.com/details.htm Hop on over to our website and look at the schedules (I believe a couple haven't been posted yet...but keep checking, because they should be up soon). Don't forget to look, because some of the tracks have homework. http://www.scbwiflorida.com/agendas.htm
GOOD NEWS! Congrats, everyone. :)
BOOK RELEASES AND SIGNINGS:
Happy book birthday, Adrienne Sylver! Her non-fiction picture book, HOT DIGGITY DOG - THE HISTORY OF THE HOT DOG, illustrated by Elwood Smith, was just released on May 13. She'll be signing during her launch party on May 22 – 11 a.m. at Books & Books (265 Aragon Ave. Coral Gables, FL). Join her for a fun day of crafts, books and free hot dogs! Check out her website for more details about her picture book and additional signing dates. http://www.adriennesylver.com/home.html
Christina Diaz Gonzalez's debut novel, THE RED UMBRELLA, already went into a second printing before its recent release! Join her on May 21-23 at Cuba Nostalgia (Miami-Dade Youth Fairgrounds, Miami, FL). Check out her website for more details about her novel, additional signing dates, and a great book trailer. http://www.christinagonzalez.com/home.html
Donna Gephart's debut novel, AS IF BEING 12-3/4 ISN'T BAD ENOUGH, MY MOTHER IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award. 5th and 6th graders and EVERYONE else . . . come meet Hammy the Hamster and Donna Gephart at a fun event at Books & Books to celebrate her new book -- HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL! Sunday, May 16 from 3:00pm - 4:00pm at Books & Books (265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables, FL). http://www.booksandbooks.com/Donna_Gephart. That's tomorrow! I know it's sh
So much good stuff has been happening lately, that I feel like I’m floating on happy and grinning so often!
I just moved, and didn’t have internet acess for a week and a half because my internet provider messed up. I felt SO internet deprived. (No, that’s not the good thing.) (laughing) I had a bunch of friends come over for a painting party, and then another day to help me move–and it was lovely! Including writers Erin Thomas, Aaron Thomas, Lena Coakley, Claudia Osmond, Debbie Ridpath Ohi, Nancy Prasad, and Aino Anto, and my friend Bella. They made it so much more fun than I thought it could be! I love my new place–it feels so good! Filled with happy energy of good friends.
And then I finally got internet access back last night–and discovered that SCARS has been nominated for the Stonewall Award (for lesbian/gay YA fiction) from ALA! Incredible! That is so exciting! And such an honor to be nominated.
And then I found out that Scars got a *starred* review from School Library Journal! (laughing happily). I didn’t realize this until my editor told me, but it’s a big thing. SLJ has limited stars that they give out–so it means a lot. And the review–oh, it is beautiful! I can’t wait til it comes out May 1st!
And then, today, when I was picking up medication for my little dog, I told the vet assistant about Scars being nominated for the Stonewall award, and getting a starred review. She’s always been so friendly with me, and it felt hard to hold in my happiness and excitement. She was happy for me–which felt so good! And then when I was turning to leave, a lovely man who was sitting in the waiting room holding his cat asked if I had the book with me and if he could buy it. (The one time i wasn’t carrying it with me!) I told him that he could get it on Amazon.ca, and he said he’d buy it as soon as he got home. (He said he’s an avid reader.) He got me to write down my name and the book title on a card, and he said after he read it he’d bring it back to the vet’s and leave it there for a month or so, and asked if I’d sign it. I said yes. (laughing) It made me feel so happy! It may seem like a little thing, but–it felt incredible. And it came from just me briefly talking about Scars (in a happy way, not bragging) to someone, and then talking with them both about books. People like that make me want to hug them.
So much happiness lately!! I wanted to share it. I feel like I’m bursting with it! (grinning)
I hope good things have been happening for all of you. What’s been making you happy lately?
We have a new home!
Pictures and story about the previous Shantytown McCrappiness Adventure later, but We now live in a very cozy 2 bedroom, 2 bath place on 1.4 acres of wooded land. And more importantly, the owners are nice, intelligent human beings and in less than a week, our reliable, functional internet should be installed.
Good times. (although the driveway is a bit daunting for BlueBelle
There's some great news in the blogosphere...
Do you have any good news you'd like to share? Comment away!
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. (Pets.)
(And our friend’s will be announcing their second contracts)
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Congrats, F.T.! Great to get a good review.
Cheers, Loren!
Very awesome!
Thanks, Jenny!
Excellent!
Thanks :-)
Yay for Horn Book! Happy for your review... not long now till release day!
Thanks a lot, Irene!!!