First, I came across this link to the coolest kinetic sculptures EVER. They’re the creation of Dutch artist Theo Jansen and are powered by wind. Be prepared to be amazed when you watch this little two-minute video of them walking across the beach on their own. Amazing.
Are those not the coolest? I know. (Thanks to Kristin for the link.)
And last, I wanted you to know that I’ve chosen the book covers. Well, actually, you chose them and I thank you for it. Adding in votes from a discussion board I visit, and a few emails, the two covers below were chosen by overwhelming majority.
So, these are the covers I’m going to use. Thank you so much to everyone who added their opinions. (A lot of people also loved the third INTANGIBLE cover in the poll, and it’s possible that one will show up on a later book in the series.)
I’ll let you know as soon as INTUITION is available. And when INTANGIBLE comes out, I’ll be hosting giveaways and hope you’ll all come back here (or Facebook or Twitter) to enter.
The thing I think I love most about writing is editing. Don’t get me wrong, I love the whole creative imagining of it all–coming up with the story, hearing the characters say things as I’m writing their dialogue, watching their expressions and actions on the film-like pictures in my mind. It’s fun thinking it up and getting it down. (Though I will admit that sometimes, after I’ve spent an evening writing, I’m absolutely positive that everything I’ve just gotten down on the page is crap, and I go to bed sure that I’m the worst writer ever. But by the next day, what’s waiting for me on my computer is surprisingly not crappish. Writing has its roller coaster qualities.)
But editing? Oh, editing. How I love thee, Editing. I can take a not-quite-smooth scene and turn it into something better, more polished, sometimes clever, even possibly brilliant once in a while. To be quite honest (and bare my not-very-well-hidden geekiness) achieving the perfect turn of phrase gives me a bit of a high. (Maybe even more than just “a bit.” It’s entirely probable that I’ve—on occasion, mind you—celebrated with a little happy dance at some stellar wordsmithing.) You know? It’s like practicing a piano piece until you can play it flawlessly. Like perfecting a recipe after several variations. Like drawing/painting and making those tiny adjustments that make your creation perfect. Like building something—anything—and standing back from it after it’s done and thinking holy crap, I made that.
I *love* that about editing. I find the holes in my story and fill them. I am struck with a new twist I can add to make life harder for the characters and the whole into a more interesting story. I tweak a sentence here and there, and it’s like magic. I’ve suddenly tied up the scene/plot line in a perfect bow.
I will say, though, that every time I start at the beginning of the book, the task feels slow and impossible. I mean, INTANGIBLE is 350 pages long. It always feels like it’s going to take me forever to get through it.
It doesn’t. It takes a week or two, depending on how many evenings I get to work on it (and depending on how much editing it needs). I’m at the beginning of the sixth draft right now, a little beyond page 20, so it’s feeling a little bit like that as I edit this beast.
But it’s good. (Really, really good.) And I’m making it even better. Just for you. Can’t wait for you to see.
1. You may have noticed I went a little crazy with book cover making this week for INTANGIBLE and a free short story, INTUITION. I’ve been playing around with images for months and finally purchased them from Dreamstime (who I highly recommend if you’re in the market for stock photo and art–they’re easy to work with, the images are very affordable, and they have a huge inventory). With photos finally in hand, what could I do but immediately make the covers? And then ask you which one you liked best? Really, I had no choice. Thanks so much to everyone who voted, and if you haven’t voted and would like to, click the story titles above.
2. In other books news, I’m still waiting to hear back from a couple of my beta readers, and I’m making some minor changes from responses I’ve already gotten. Steve is editing it again. I am editing it again. I think this is the last time through (fingers crossed on that). I’ll make whatever changes I need to after hearing from my last betas, send it to my copy editor/proofreader, then it’ll be ready to go. I think it’s reasonable to say it’ll be up for sale by the beginning of November, but I’m hoping for sooner.
3. And it’s started again. The cold season. As in the cold virus. My littlest has a cold, the first of the cold weather season, the first of many to come this fall and winter. My kids are not in school, and yet we seem to go from cold to cold all winter long. We do get together with friends every week, so perhaps that’s enough to keep us sick all season. But seriously. It’s ridiculous how often my family is sick. It’s building healthy immune systems, though, right? That’s what I tell myself to help me feel better about it, but my immune system should be healthy by now, don’t you think? If it were actually true then I shouldn’t be getting sick with them. Yeah, well, I’m breaking out the vitamin D supplements now, in hopes of being less sick this season. We’ll see if it works.
4. I’ve mentioned before how much I love Fall and all that comes with it. I keep hearing people bemoaning the end of summer, and I’m so not with you all on that. I like summer. I tolerate summer. It’s an okay season, but definitely not my favorite. It’s just too darn hot and humid for me. Really, I think I’d like summers better if I lived in Canada . . . but then, of course, winters would be colder there. And while I do like winter, I don’t really need the weather to get any colder than it already does here in New York. I’m good with the winters here. Oh! So maybe I could be like the people who head south every winter to warmer climes. You know, but reversed. I could head north to Canada every summer for (what I presume must be) a much more temperate summer, and then come back down to New York or New England for the winter. Now that I think about it, I may have to do that. I think Steve would be totally into that plan too. He likes summer even less than I do.
5. Lastly, other than making book covers for you to vote on I’ve also been making these (picked fresh off the bushes at our CSA by my very favorite Steve):
into this:
And I even have enough berries leftover to make into a pie. (Thank you, Steve! He’s the best berry picker EVER.) So, who’s coming for dinner?
Okay. So how many covers can I ask you to vote on in one week? Yes, I’m afraid, it’s true. There are more book covers below. I know. But it was just so much fun seeing which cover you all liked best, that I simply can’t help myself. And this is for a different story, so it’s totally legitimate for me to ask again. Right? It’s not like I’m waffling on the design for INTANGIBLE, asking you over and over again about the same dang book. I wouldn’t do something like that. (At least not publicly.) (And, uh, it just *might* be that I can’t make a decision and wish to be swayed by the masses. Maybe.)
So, I’ve written a companion short story to INTANGIBLE which I’ll be “selling” for free on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, offering a PDF download from my website, and posting it as a page here, too. (It’s going to be everywhere!) It’s the full story of an event that is mentioned just in passing in the novel, so same characters, same premise. It will serve to introduce readers to the idea and hopefully inspire people to find and buy the book. Brilliant plan, right? Wish I could say it was my idea, but it’s not. Still. Totally brilliant.
Anyway, I just designed the cover, but can’t decide between two color schemes. Help me out?
Here they are.
Cover 1
Cover 2
There are things I like about both colorings, so I’m stuck. How about another poll? (That seems the easiest way, don’t you think?) So, if you wouldn’t mind chiming in, let me know which one you like better, and if you have more to say about why you like it or don’t, please feel free to say all that in the comments section.
So, it’s time to show you my cover options. I know! I’m so excited about this. I’ve been dying to show you for so long. Finally! The day is here! Yay! Cartwheels for everyone!
Wait. Where was I? Oh! The covers.
The. Covers. (If I wasn’t typing this, it’s entirely possible I’d be jumping up and down. I’m a little excited. I know. I hide it well.)
Okay. So, I’ve finally settled on a title.
INTANGIBLE
(You like? Me too.)
And this is the book blurb:
Twins Sera and Luke Raine have a well-kept secret—she heals with a touch of her hand, he sees the future. All their lives they’ve helped those in need on the sly. They’ve always thought of their abilities as being a gift.
Then Luke has a vision that Sera is killed. That gift they’ve always cherished begins to feel an awful lot like a curse. Because the thing about Luke’s ability? He’s always right. And he can’t do anything about it.
Cover 1
Cover 2
Cover 3
So, would you do me a favor? Would you vote in this poll?
(POLL CLOSED–Thank you for voting!)
And if you have longer comments about what you like or don’t like about a cover, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.
It got cold this weekend. Cold enough that I pulled out the winter blankets and comforters, the flannel sheets and pillowcases. Making the kids’ beds into cozy piles of warmth made me smile from the inside out. I love Fall. I love the cooling of the weather into crisp days. I love sweaters and thick socks. I love the coming of winter and the first fires in the wood stove. I love the compulsion I get every year to pick up my knitting again as the season cools.
I’m not a fan of hot weather. Never have been. Seventy-five degrees is the perfect temperature for me, and if summer simply stayed around that temperature for a few months, I’d be totally happy. I loathe humidity. So I’m virtually giddy with the dry days and nights we have going on here and the cool/coldness settling in.
Plus, Fall means apples, pumpkins, and colorful leaves. And kids raking fallen leaves into big piles to jump into. Or toss in the air to be raked again. Fresh apples all day, everyday, applesauce, and maybe an apple pie or two.
Our Fall also means soccer games almost every weekend, which is a first for our family. Riley and Torin are participating in their first competitive sport, which they’re thrilled about. Me? Well, I’m not the best rule follower. So. You know. I will say that it is fun to see the boys playing, improving, and enjoying themselves. With all the practices and games, Fall also means I have happy, tired kids. Which is always a good thing.
Fall also happens to contain the anniversary of the beginning of our family. Really, there are so many reasons to love Fall.
Can I tell you one exciting bit of news? I have book covers to show you. This week. I’ll put up a poll later in the week, and I’d love it if you’d tell me what you think. I can’t wait to show them to you.
Hope your week is starting out as lovely, cool, and perfect as mine.
* looking forward to days and nights of wood stove heat ahead.
* getting the kids outside as much as possible on these beautiful days, trying to stockpile expended energy for the winter. (It doesn’t work that way, but oh, how I wish it did.)
* frustrated with my wrists and their determination to not heal on their own.
* thankful for ibuprofen, but wishing I didn’t need it.
* exploring my blogging options. (As you can see.)
* wishing I had more hours in each day. Or a babysitter. Something so I could get the work done that I so desperately want to do without neglecting my family (as keeps happening).
* feeling blessed for having an understanding, supportive, and loving family.
* excited that it’s apple season and looking forward to visiting the apple guy, our local orchard owner, on a weekly basis.
* loving, as I always do, the change of the season into Fall.
Okay. So I’m totally in love with Jason Mraz. (Don’t tell Steve.) Well, really, I’m in love with his talent. I’ve mentioned him before. He writes some of the most amazing songs I’ve heard and he sings them in effortless beauty. Seriously. Have you heard this?
Okay. Now listen to it again. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
I mean, really. Is that not one of the most beautiful songs you’ve ever heard? I’m astounded at his talent. His lyrics are like poetry, his message positive (which we can certainly use more of). I love that he’s goofy sometimes, playful, and serious. I also love the simplicity of just the guitar and congas.
And he can sing. (So can the conga player. Serious wow. Check out his voice on my previous post linked above.)
He also writes sweet songs.
And silly ones (but with such a great message).
(Yay geeks!)
What’s not to love? So, whose music are you loving right now?
*Post title is the opening line of “Life is Wonderful” by Jason Mraz.
While I’m playing catch-up here and getting back to book work, I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a couple of great reads I recently could not put down (children starved, phone went unanswered, husband was neglected). They’re both by Laini Taylor, who I’ve just read for the very first time and I’m telling you now that I would read absolutely anything of hers. Even grocery lists because I’m sure they’re just as brilliant as her books. I’m not kidding. She’s magical. Her writing is amazing. These books were so beautifully crafted, the words woven together to tell a most original, exciting tale.
The first book in the series is Blackbringer. Laini has built this incredible world that exists right within our own, and populated it with fierce fairies, crows that talk, elements (wind and fire) who change form and are like gods. She pieces together a creation myth inside the high stakes adventure of the story. And it’s just so lovely, enthralling, and perfect. Really. If you haven’t read this yet, read it. You’ll love it.
Silksinger, the second book, continues the story, adding more fairies with astonishing and unique skills. (The Silksinger fairies weave flying carpets with their voices. When they sing, threads of silk weave together into the magic carpets. And the sound of their voices, speaking or singing, has the magical power to soothe anyone who hears them. So cool.) The story is another grand adventure on a quest to save the world, flipping back and forth between the Silksinger fairy’s story and Magpie’s story (the main character from Blackbringer), which intertwine and come together near the end. Just as fabulous as the first book. Read this one too.
Laini has a book coming out at the end of this month, also, that I’m very excited to read. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone. (Is that a fabulous title or what? That alone makes me want to read the book.) It’s getting rave reviews so far. Here is the description from the publisher: “Featuring necklaces made of wishes; an underground shop dealing in teeth; magical tattoos; a wishbone on a cord, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE is a thrilling story about Karou and her secret life as an apprentice to a wishmonger. Karou manages to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she is a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to an inhuman creature who deals in wishes and is the closest thing she has to family. Her life is surrounded by mysteries she is desperate to unveil.”
(Okay, so I put two different book covers here of Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I’ll tell you why. The top one with the blue feather mask is the US cover and the bottom one with the purplish feathers is the UK version which I LOVE so much that I’m trying to figure out how I can buy a copy of the UK book. Honestly, the US book cover just isn’t that interesting to me, would not get me to pick up the book, but I would pick up the UK cover in a heartbeat. So. I just had to show you both.)
Sigh. Laini Taylor is one of the authors that just makes me want to spend all my time trying to write a book as beautifully as she does. Okay, go to your library tomorrow and request her books. Really.
And then tell me what good books you have read lately.
While we were away enjoying the hurricane weather in Vermont, we got to do something we can’t do at home. Watch TV.
Yes, we have a TV at home. And a VCR/DVD player, so we watch movies. What I mean is that we do not get television programming. I can’t get cable where I live and paying for a couple hundred useless channels on dish really strikes me as not worth the money. So my family has lived–heck, we’ve thrived–without TV for seven years, totally clueless about the shows everyone talks about and never knowing what’s playing in movie theaters. Also? We live blessedly commercial free. I can’t tell you how wonderful that is, especially with a house full of children.
So we watched a little bit of TV while visiting our families, and I came away happier than ever that we don’t have it at home. You know what bugged me most about it? (Other than continual commercial interruptions–oy, that’s annoying.) The over-dramatization of EVERYTHING.
Seriously. During the hurricane coverage, there were reporters getting blown around beaches. (I’m sure that’s not news to you.) Which I just don’t get. Especially in places that have been evacuated. Okay, I get that they’re out there to show us how strong the wind is. Sure. But, really? They’re putting themselves in danger for TV ratings. It’s not brave. It’s not newsworthy. It’s just incredibly stupid and irresponsible. Weather people, stay inside. Show us video of trees bending or waves crashing in an angry sea, but keep yourselves safe. We can understand that the hurricane is dangerous if you just tell us about it. You’re not really helping by standing outside in the middle of it. You just look like an idiot who doesn’t understand the danger.
Plus, weather people, you only inspire other idiots to be out in it as well.
What were those people doing out there??? Had they somehow missed all the over-hyped coverage of the hurricane or somehow thought it was less dangerous than it was just because the media was over-dramatizing it? The person filming it, also outside when they shouldn’t have been, says “A couple of them are really hurt over there,” like she’s surprised by that fact. People, it’s a hurricane!
I also watched part of an episode of River Monsters on Animal Planet. And while it was an interesting story about searching for a huge catfish (over 7 ft long and 160 pounds) that was eating people (!), the drama was so manufactured that it totally turned me off and I decided to go read instead. Not the reaction, I’m sure, the writers/editors of the show were hoping for when they put the show together.
Do you think this is a by-product of reality TV shows? I wouldn’t know. I haven’t watched any because I don’t like how they usually bring out the worst in people and call that entertainment. (Plus, like I mentioned, we don’t have TV. So watching them isn’t really possible. But even before we were TV-free, I was never a fan of reality shows. I just don’t like watching people being mean to each other. It’s not fun or entertaining to me.) But even old reality shows didn’t used to be like this. I’m talking really old. Like Wild Kingdom which was a nature show on TV when I was a kid. I don’t recall the hosts hyping everything. They just presented it like it was, and the drama that happened was natural, appropriate, believable, and interesting. Check this out.
Okay, so I totally giggle at how wooden Marlin Perkins is. Don’t you love how they talk about the danger they were in with smiles on their faces? Without hyping it or making it dramatic? (Seriously, this show gives me such warm fuzzies. My whole family used to curl up on the pull-out couch every week to watch it together. Sigh. Those were the days.) I’m just saying that River Monsters would be a much better show without all the hype and drama.
Honestly, all of this just makes me think thank goodness for books.*o/* <–cheerleader for books :-)
So, these are the covers I’m going to use. Thank you so much to everyone who added their opinions. (A lot of people also loved the third INTANGIBLE cover in the poll, and it’s possible that one will show up on a later book in the series.)
