early post: gratitude, of course

I wrote a post. It was too deep and convoluted. I scratched it.

Since I won't be near a computer this weekend, here are some things I am grateful for. There are only a zillion more, so it's just a sampling. I like living in gratitude, not that I succeed all the time, but I try. You waste less time plotting people's demises.

So, here goes:

1) the traditionals: health, family, friends, job (I'd like less of the job, please)

2) pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread/muffins, pumpkin pie Blizzards from DQ, and pumpkin malts from Culver's

3) books--they save me, help me, amuse me, annoy me, and make my life whole

4) the women in this photo--all 2009 Debs--and the diversity of thought and experience they brought me during our YALSA weekend this month

5) #4 repeated again and again, related to all my writer friends and acquaintances. I heart writers a million times over.

6) the TaTas, my writing group, who deserve awards for how good they make my writing

7) Flux, my publisher--awesome and extraordinary

8) my agent, Amy Tipton--also awesome and extraordinary

9) lemon water (do I always mention this? I think so)

10) my students, who give me amazing character ideas and make me laugh

Happy Thanksgiving, American friends. I'm grateful for you, of course.

In the photo, l to r in back: Neesha Meminger, me, Malinda Lo, Megan Frazer. In front, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Cynthea Liu, Lauren Bjorkman. We had a ton of fun!

Dun dun dun--it's here!

OK! It only seems appropriate that I write about HP 7 today. If you're not a Harry Potter geek, I think you still know that the 7th film comes out today (part 1, anyway). I hope it lives up to the hype.

And now, stealing shamelessly from Tahereh Mafi, 5 reasons (each) why it would be cool to date an HP character:

WHY I'D DATE SIRIUS
1) bad boy
2) furry to cuddle with (and a dog takes up less space in a bed)
3) smart ass
4) cool kid, so I'd be cool by virtue of hanging out with him
5) good at hiding
This does not take into account the fact that he's spoiled, which is kind of a turn-off.

WHY I'D DATE LUPIN
1) free time every month while he's werewolfing
2) gentle when he's not a werewolf
3) shabby = low maintenance
4) protection from the big V with his DADA skills
5) cool pets like grindylows

WHY I'D DATE RON
1) funny
2) funny
3) dorky
4) funny
5) big crazy family

WHY I COULDN'T DATE DUMBLEDORE: I'm straight.

WHY I'D NEVER DATE HARRY: eeeew. Too much like a brother.

It's always the books that have my heart--always!--but the movies will do, and it's fun to geek out once in a while. In my house, HP is like comfort food. No other book to read? Get out the HP discs, and let's listen (we're in love with Jim Dale, too). And it doesn't make you fat, like frozen pizza will.

OK! Hot-cha! Off to work so I can stand in line with a non-guilty conscience later. Woo woo!

Seven things I am doing instead of writing

Finding time to write these days is like finding a lost kitty--the reunion is joyous, but kitties are quite elusive, especially when it's noisy and chaotic. All I want is my skulls, my Black Hills, and my ghosts. Is that too much to ask? It seems to be. But Ray and Callie sit patiently on my table, waiting for me, as characters do (thank god--can you imagine if they got up and walked around? Eeek.).

Here's what I'm doing instead of writing, right this instant:

1) grading my students' discussion posts

2) listening to Stevie Wonder on the 70s music channel on my TV (this is no hardship)

3) listening to my kid play a video game my spouse lets him play, one that came out this week and I HATE it, but I lost that battle, no pun intended

4) gluing the treadmill key back together

5) reading A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS in preparation for teaching it (also not much of a hardship)

6) prepping for a reading tonight (also not much of a hardship, but it's 90 miles away)

7) wrapping birthday gifts for mailing

All of it serves a purpose, of course. BUT I NEED TO WRITE. I love my family, my students, the people who read my books, the people who need birthday gifts, all of it. I love what I do in life. BUT I NEED TO WRITE.

Hear me? I NEED IT.

Kick me with an Outlaw Boot

I am sooooo embarrassed--I forgot author website links in my Outlaw Boots posts. I know I forgot it in Jon's post, but maybe even in all of them. : \ Instead of going back to check, I'm just going to try again.

Courtney Summers can be found here.

Kurtis Scaletta can be found here.

A.S. King can be found here.

And Jon Skovron can be found here.

I mean, what kind of a yo-yo forgets an author's website?

Me.

Sorry.

Graphic swiped from here.

Outlaw boots, pair #4: Jon Skovron

In this month's installment of Outlaw Boots, we have classic outlaws: rock and roll heroes in the forms of Jon Skovron and Sammy, Jon's protagonist of STRUTS AND FRETS. If you are a music-is-my-soul kind of human, you must read STRUTS AND FRETS. Music is the thing that gets Sammy through--and through a lot. His grandfather is sick (my favorite parts of the book involve his grandfather), his best friend (Jen5, love that name) is maybe more than that, and, well, there's his band. Sammy is someone you will understand. And don't you love the title? Rock and roll and Shakespeare, all rolled up.



Here's the book.


Here's Jon.

And look next fall for MISFIT, Jon's second novel, with an even more significant badass outlaw. The one-sentence summary of MISFIT: "A half-demon girl in Catholic school must keep her parentage a secret as she learns to control her emerging abilities and protect those she loves from the forces of Hell." Can't get much more badass than that, now can you?

Without further ado, here's why Jon is an outlaw (and dig those black Doc Martens! Classic!):

--Who's your most outlaw character (in any book)--why?
Jael Thompson from my forthcoming book MISFIT. Because being a demon in Catholic school makes you an outlaw automatically.

--Are you an outlaw too? How do you know?
Not on purpose. It's just that there are so many rules that get in the way...

--What kind of shoes does your outlaw wear (you or your character--maybe outlaw boots?)?
A classic: black Doc Martin boots.

--Pirate, ninja, nerd, other outlaw title for you/your character:
Artist.

--Best thing about being an outlaw:
Life is never dull.

--Favorite outlaw/badass food:
A New York slice, folded in half, eaten while walking.

--Favorite outlaw/badass role model/why:
It's a toss-up between Henry Miller and Oscar Wilde...Two very different guys, but they both stayed true to their creative spirit and boldly faced the consequences.

Go, friends--have a rock and roll break with STRUTS AND FRETS. You won't regret it.

Things I love this week

First and most obvious (if you are my FB friend, you know this already), this announcement from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:

"Kirstin Cronn-Mills's BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN, following a boy, who thinks he's the master of disguise because his given name is Elizabeth, and his weekly, hour-long radio show, where he entertains the world as his true self; pitched as Pump Up the Volume for this generation, to Brian Farrey at Flux, by Amy Tipton at Signature Literary Agency (World English). "

I AM SO STOKED. *This*, friends, is EPIC. I am here to convince the publishing world that a book with a trans man narrator will sell a zillion copies! A big task, but I'm up to it. Flux, you won't regret it. Thank you for your trust in me.

Second, this conversation:
Shae: Mom, you *have* to read this book [Riordan's new one, LOST HEROES, from his new series HEROES OF OLYMPUS).
K: why? [looks at him and his grin] You're dying to talk about it, aren't you?
Shae: YES! So just read it!
I love raising a reader.

Third: school break.
Fourth: school break.
Fifth: the novel I'm revising.
Sixth: school break.
Seventh: fall soccer in beautiful weather.
Eighth: dodging a bullet (you know that feeling? Said bullet may not be discussed here, but I dodged it, and holy crap, my heart hasn't slowed down since.)
Ninth: lemon water.
Tenth: you. : ) I always love you, friends!

Graphic stolen from here, a blog I now plan to read, and not just for its cool graphics.

Rock on, friends! Here's to new adventures with BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!

Epic-ness and skulls

Do you feel epic, friends?

Some days I do. Some days I think I can win the Internet, single-handedly make my books NYT bestsellers, make my students elect me for a Nobel Peace Prize, and raise my child to be Gandhi, while I also make gourmet dinners and provide all my loved ones with oodles of smooches and glittery unicorns carrying my affection for them.

Then there are days I definitely, positively, completely do not feel epic.

There are also days in between. I like those days. Today has yet to be determined. But I owe you a blog post.

The most epic thing in my life right now: Skull-A-Day. Have you seen it? We're in skull season now, with Day of the Dead coming up. Even better than Halloween, if you ask me.

Here's the epic part: Skull-A-Day is research now. Remember the buffalo book? There are now 100% more skulls in that book. I am hooked on epic skulls, and that blog has some crazy amazing ones.

Skull image from here. Thanks, Noah Scalin. You rock, and you are kind and generous. Can't wait to dig through your archives.

So: go be epic. Blog post accomplished.