Hangovers

Mini-Update + Reviewed

This week is a little on the crazy side, because C is at Syc Hill and my mom is recovering from surgery in town and I am on deadline. There isn't even any time for Secret Shames (that post has some fun comments if you need ideas for truly guilty pleasure-esque things to do when the significant other is away). But the good news is this deadline means (probably) the last of revisions on Secret Project, and I'm also filling out the author questionaire for it, which all means it is closer to being revealed to you and a secret no longer. 

Yesterday was a lonnng day spent editing at the hospital while waiting to move my mom over to the rehab hospital, and then being entertained by her roommate at the new place, a woman in her eighties who reminds me of a little of Gray Gardens and a little of Maurice Sendak in prime lovable grouch mode and answers all unwanted questions with "Damned if I know" and so is clearly a genius.

Then I came home to a good surprise, in the form of a very nice first review for Girl on a Wire from the July issue of School Library Journal. Here's a little snippet:

“With a thrilling mystery, a hint of magic, and a touch of romance, Girl on a Wire takes readers into the fascinating world of circus performers. It is clear that Bond has done her research, especially with Jules’s idol, Jennadean Engleman, aka Bird Millman, a famous vaudeville tightrope and city walker.”

*beams* I just updated the buy links on its page, should you want to pre-order.

And while I'm talking reviews, a new one for Blackwood popped up on a blog maintained by UNC-Chapel Hill libraries, featuring books set in North Carolina: "Bond infuses the original legend of the Lost Colony with quite a bit of imagination. Blackwood is perfect for readers on the look-out for an intelligent young adult novel." It makes me happy to see people still discovering that book, and I'm always especially pleased when North Carolinians (and librarians!) like it.

 And I will leave you with this oldish but new to me video of the Chinese State Circus doing an incredible acrobatic version of Swan Lake (also, not really related, but I am so happy that So You Think You Can Dance is back):

 

 

(Seriously, if you haven't seen that video watch it. She goes en pointe on his shoulder!)

Now back to work.

Mini-Update + Reviewed Read More »

Wednesday Hangovers

Sorry to poof out of existence again. There were page proofs for the circus book to do (lovelove the little design elements!) and then a flurry of other work and tax stuff and various deadlines large and small. And I seem to be working on a new book that came out of nowhere, but is accumulating actual words and an outline in the form of emails to myself…so I guess I'll start a file for it and hope that doesn't spook it out of existence.

But I've collected quite a few links, so in the interest of closing ye olde tabs…

Wednesday Hangovers Read More »

Friday Hangovers

Friday Hangovers Read More »

Friday Hangovers

Friday Hangovers Read More »

Wednesday Hangovers

  • Total-film-magazine-4367-a-1389784791-470-75Circus daredevil book copy edits to do and second half of secret project to write and etcetera, oh my! A busy week here, so some links, and hopefully a real entry later on this week–probably about how our first couple weeks of VB6 have been going. 
  • First up is a cool promotion that Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry is doing with Total Film magazine this month, highlighting some of their books that were optioned for TV and movies. Snag a copy of the print magazine or pick up an electronic copy and find out how to download free e-books of mine own Blackwood, Ramez Naam's Nexus, and Richard Parker's Scare Me. Details at the SC blog or just go buy the magazine here.
  • Courtney Milan writing smartly as usual about the book business, this time taking on print sales for historical romances. Lots here applicable to other genres as well.
  • Merrill Markoe's "How I Stopped Procrastinating" in the NYT: "Here’s what I learned: First thing in the morning, before I have drowned myself in coffee, while I still have that sleepy brain I used to believe was useless — that is the best brain for creative writing. Words come pouring out easily while my head still feels as if it is full of ground fog, wrapped in flannel and gauze, and surrounded by a hive of humming, velvety sleep bees." I have found this to be a surefire cure if I'm having trouble, and my best first draft groove.
  • The expanded universe as gateway at io9.
  • I love it when Austin Kleon posts a good old-fashioned blog entry: "A good spaceship for time travel."
  • Kevin Brockmeier's "Dead Last Is a Kind of Second Place" at the Georgia Review.
  • The classic paintings come alive thing is utterly. magical.
  • Chuck Wendig guest posts on why he doesn't guest post much. Sensible! Because, if you have to do a lot, as is frequently asked of authors: It. Is. So. Time. Consuming. I think my new policy is going to be that I'll only do interviews and actual essays that I feel would be worth people's time to read, in places that make sense. Most of the blogs I read regularly–with the exception of Chuck's, Scalzi's, and a couple of others–aren't that heavy on guest posts either, and it's mainly for the reason he says. I read most of the blogs I read for the voice of the owner/author/operator (a recent case in point: Leila Roy blogs her read of V.C. Andrews' Petals on the Wind; you will to laugh). With exceptions, of course. And I do have a soft spot for the ugly word blog. So antiquated you kind of have to love it. Like one of those crazy ugly dogs that somehow goes full circle and becomes adorable.
  • Colleen Mondor just totally sold me on this book, Miss Me When I'm Gone.
  • The hazards of sitting. Something I wish I wasn't thinking about, but after looking at this illustration can't stop thinking about. Must be better about yoga.

Wednesday Hangovers Read More »

Friday Hangovers

Friday Hangovers Read More »

Friday Hangovers

I promised more posting, so here I am. And while I have an actual suggested topic or two, I'm going to save them for next week…because I stayed up way too late last night hanging out with bad influence friends:

I regret nothing. But you get hangovers, some of which are very old. But maybe you didn't see them the first time around.

Friday Hangovers Read More »

Monday Hangovers

Monday Hangovers Read More »

Wednesday Hangovers

  • Yes, yes, I still owe you an extra; tomorrow, my pretties. Today, let's clean out some hangovers. I'll try to get back on a regular schedule of posting at least a couple of times a week, but it's busy times so that may not always happen. I definitely owe an I Heart post soon as well.
  • Foz Meadows' brilliant Mainstream YA Article Bingo Card.
  • Daniel Menaker's hilarious insider account of the loopy nature of the biz we call pub. Snippet: "Publishing is an often incredibly frustrating culture. If you want to buy a project—let’s say a nonfiction proposal for a book about the history of Sicily—some of your colleagues will say, “The proposal is too dry” or “Cletis Trebuchet did a book for Grendel Books five years ago about Sardinia and it sold, like, eight copies,” or, airily, “I don’t think many people want to read about little islands.” When Seabiscuit first came up for discussion at an editorial meeting at Random House, some skeptic muttered, “Talk about beating a dead horse!” "
  • Speaking of which, Alison Cherry has a post worth your time "Nine Things I Wish I'd Known About Publishing." I managed to avoid the depression, but certainly there are the pre- and release-month (and other sporadic) publishing crazies nonetheless, and it's impossible to avoid those. (It probably did not hurt that I had watched so many people go through it, and there's also my patented philosophy of always expecting the worst. Because: Usually reality is better. Plus, writing really is the best. Hard, but so worth it.)
  • A great piece about Terri Windling, where she says lots of smart things about fairy tales: “The original fairy tales were far more violent than the ones we know today, and the bits of darkness that still linger in them comes from that time,” Windling said. “But I think kids like the darkness — I know I did. Particularly if you are a child that comes in any way from a battled household, or are being bullied at school, to read about the fact that there is hardship in the world but that if you’re plucky and brave, you can overcome it, I think that’s an important thing for kids to read about.”
  • Jennifer Lawrence: Kick-ass Kentuckian, and Class Act.
  • A great interview with Patrick Ness: "My advice about writing is always, Write with joy. People might not be able to tell that that's the thing they're responding to, but I believe that if you write with joy every day, that rubs off. It's an intangible thing, but if you do something joyously, it's going to attract other people like mad."
  • Nicola Griffith at Tor.com on whether Hild is fantasy, but really on the overlap between historical fiction and fantasy. Fascinating stuff.
  • R.I.P. Charlotte Zolotow. Loved this brief remembrance by Roger Sutton at the Horn Book. And Laurel's.
  • Lev Grossman talks to Suzanne Collins and the director Catching Fire for Time, in installments.
  • Also, always necessary: pygmy hippo baby.

Wednesday Hangovers Read More »

Thursday Hangovers

Thursday Hangovers Read More »

Scroll to Top