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Mrs. Avery is Haunting Me & Awesome Idea at End of Post

Let’s start with the ridiculous today, shall we? For the last three days I have been suffering from a virulent earworm. (I get a lot of these, but rarely do they linger so long.)

The song?

Sylvia’s Mother by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show. Please suffer with me:

And who wrote that song? Shel Silverstein. (Isn’t it time for long hair on guys to make a serious come-back?)

I’ve been thinking a lot about Haiti and what I can do to help. The first thought, of course, is to sell everything I own and buy a boat to sail down there so I can just do something, anything, like dig in concrete or pour water or adopt a thousand kids. None of that is realistic, sadly. I am, instead, thinking along the lines of auctioning off a character in my next book and sending the proceeds to a Haiti relief organization. More on that as it develops.

I am very proud to say that The NOLA Tree, an organization that coordinates teens who want to make the world a better place with projects that need their help, is stepping up to the plate. Up until now the focus has been helping to rebuild houses in New Orleans. Phil Bildner just blogged about the possibilities that The NOLA Tree can be of use in Haiti. Please read his post, send suggestions, and donate. (Truth in advertising: I am on The NOLA Tree’s board of advisors – totally volunteer. So is Ellen Hopkins.)

Bookavore, my daughter who runs a bookstore in Brooklyn, gave a presentation last week aimed at booksellers, but applicable to all of us. Her argument was that if we all spend ten percent of our time doing something that we care about that is fun, it more than enhances and enriches the remaining ninety percent. She uses her experience running a basketball league for book nerds as the model.


If you’re having trouble watching Bookavore’s video, you can read what she said on her blog.

I did a couple a super Skype** visits last week, one with a middle school class in Mississippi, and one with a public library in Colorado. I was asked a terrific question:

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

I’m not sure I would be a good collaberator with another writer. I am something of a control freak (my dog and husband are rolling on the ground laughing – they claim it is a bit more extreme than that) and so I would probably turn into Ms. Bossy Pants and my co-collaborator would flee the country to escape me. That would defeat the purpose.

I think it would be fun to work with someone in a different artistic field; a musician (looking at you, Tori Amos, please, please, please), the way that Shooter Jennings and Stephen King just worked together. If Tori is too busy, I’d jump at the chance to work with Dave Matthews, Jill Scott, Gretchen Wilson, or Sting. (Sade would be cool, too, but I know she’s real busy because SHE HAS A NEW ALBUM COMING OUT!!!) If you know any of them, feel free to let them know.

I answered another question that was posted on a friend’s blog this week (paraphrasing):

I blog, I read blogs, I have a FaceBook and a Twitter feed, and I read those of many other authors. But the online stuff is beginning to take over my writing time. How much is enough?

I started off my answer to her by waving a magic wand.

I hereby give you (all of you!) permission to turn off the Internet. Reading blogs will not turn you into a published author. Writing blogs won’t either. Writing books will. You have precious little time after your other responsibilities and if the goal is to write a book, well, then… write it.

I have an idea!!!

We had NaNoWriMo in November. December and January have been filled with revisions for many of us, and by many of us, I mean ME. And many of us want to finish up the current project so we can get hopping on the next one. So………..

Let’s make February a blog-free month.

(I heard that gasp. Breathe slowly. Into a paper bag. With your head between your knees.)

Do not panic. February is short! We could call it the new BFF: Blog-Free February.

If you do this, you’ll be at the cutting edge of the next digital trend: the Slow Media Movement. Give everyone a heads-up that you’re stepping away from blogging for a couple of weeks. If you are truly bold (or desperate) make February an Internet-free month, not just blog-free. On March 1st, write a blog (or a letter) evaluating any differences in your productivity during February.

What do you think? Pros? Cons? Shall we turn this into a Thing or let the matter drop because we need our blog reading and writing like we need oxygen?

**If you want to set up a Skype visit with me, email queenlouiseATwriterladyDOTcom.

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Friday Five

1. The only thing of consequence on my mind is the suffering of the people of Haiti.

2. See above.

3. See above.

4. See above.

5. See above.

I’ll try to post again tomorrow. I actually have lots of news about various and sundry things, but honestly? It all seems trivial.

::bows head again::

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Catch-up

So you might have figured this out already, but I’ve been busy writing. Because I like blogging, but really, I like writing books better.

But I do have some news to share, so let’s get to it.

First and foremost….

CHAINS IS AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK!!  Right now!

FORGE, the next book of Isabel’s and Curzon’s adventures will be published this October.

The paperback of WINTERGIRLS comes out on February 28th. That’s right – NEXT MONTH! Just found out that it was named as one of Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books of 2009, which is quite lovely.

Speaking of WINTERGIRLS, I am pretty sure I forgot to tell you about the great videos of YA authors discussing their books over at Penguin’s POV website. I am there talking about …. right! WINTERGIRLS! You guessed it! You’ll also find video of John Green, Amy Efaw, Jay Asher, and more. Enjoy!

Betsy Bird gave the best summary of former Children’s Literature Ambassador Jon Scieska’s term of office over at Fuse #8. We all owe him a massive debt for the energy and fun he brought to the post. Best of luck to Katherine Paterson, who is the new Ambassador.

And now it’s back into the Forest for me.

Scribble, scribble, scribble….

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FINALLY!

YAY! NOW we are starting to get winter. I plowed a path to the cottage with my snowshoes and have the fire burning bright in the woodstove.

Off to scribble, scribble, scribble!

You?

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Reflecting on a decade

First things first!

 

All of the creatures in the Forest wish you and yours a healthy and happy New Year!

For me, this has been the most unexpected, exciting decade a person could possibly enjoy. I feel like I’ve lived thirty years in the past ten, and that is a rather cool feeling. But I have been so deep in the work on my new book that I haven’t given much thought to the fact that the decade is closing tonight.

What made me open my eyes?

WINTERGIRLS was named as one of the ten most influential books of the past freaking DECADE by the Chicago Tribune.

I NEVER saw that coming. I am utterly gob-smacked by the notion. (And incredibly grateful that one of my books would even be considered for such a list!) It stopped me in my tracks and made me take a good, hard look at the past decade.

Because you probably don’t want to read all of this, I’ll insert headings.

FAMILY

The most important changes have had to do with my family. My biological kids have grown up into outstanding women. They are by far the best accomplishment of my life, though I can only take a smidgen of credit; they did the hard work of growing up and figuring out how to make their lives rich and rewarding.

Ten years ago I was sorrowful about my fractured marriage. Eight years ago my first husband and I found a way to divorce peacefully. We decided to act like grown-ups and put our kids first. I will forever be blessed that we figured out how to become friends again, and stay family, and celebrate the fact that we both found partners that were right for us.

And then there is Scot; my childhood sweetheart, my Beloved Husband, and the builder of the most awesomest writing cottage in the history of Western literature. More importantly, he gave me two more completely incredible kids, who made space for me and their step-sibs in their hearts. ANDhe gave me the Creature With Fangs.

Did you like any of the books I’ve written since 2003? Then send your appreciation to my husband. He is my entire world.

In my journal ten years ago, I was worrying about the impending death of my mother. Because she was a Yankee hewn from granite, she lasted ten years later than I thought she would. Thank God. This year I was blessed to witness her cross over to the next world, and a few weeks later, my father-in-law. I miss them. We miss them. But it’s all good.

FRIENDS

I am an introvert. Some would say a fairly pathological introvert. But for some reason I can’t understand, my life has overflowed with friends who have enriched my life beyond the telling. I consider all of the readers who have reached out to me through email, on a social networking site, through old-fashioned snailmail, or who took the time to meet me at a bookstore I really struggle to make sense of this.I’ll never figure it out, so let me just say thank you.

To all of you.

I am fairly adept at word-spinning, but the only way I can think of to explain how much you mean to me is to put my hand on my heart, bow my head, and say:

THANK YOU.

::runs downstairs to hang with family and look forward to the next decade::

MUSE

Yep. The Muse gets whopping heaps of thanks. I show how much I appreciate Her Presence by showing up to write every morning. Sometimes I draw. And I hum a lot.

And so it goes.

I really can’t grok most of what has happened in the past ten years. But I am grateful. Crazy grateful.

I really appreciate all the minutes I’ve been given to love and laugh and make up stories.

Thank you, my friends.