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At long last, winter blows in

As I type this, the sun is crawling up in the east, turning the 10 inches of snow we got yesterday the color of platinum. It is -3 degrees outside. The air is perfectly still; the birds are huddled in their nests and the squirrels have taken the day off. Not me. I have the coffee pot going and breakfast is minutes away.

It is such a relief to finally have some winter weather. I need seasons.

Spent yesterday with an awesome history professor who wrote a very important academic book that relates to my WIP. She graciously shared some of her research with me and let me talk through another plot knot. It was a terrific day and went by way too fast. I think I have figured out how to cut out a chapter and will work on that today. Given that the outside temperature won’t reach much beyond 19 degrees, I am going to abandon my office and write downstairs in front of the fireplace.

Thank you EVERYONE for delurking and semi-delurking and just saying “hi” yesterday. I will finish responding to comments today.

Looking for a procrastination device? Speak pops up on YouTube.

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Today I get to pick your brain

When my head was in the sand last week, apparently it was Delurking Week. Having you been lurking here, but hesitated to speak up?

Well, introduce yourself! Please! Who are you? Why are you here? Add a comment – stay anonymous if you want, but give me a couple hints about why you stroll down this forest path.

Why am I asking you to pull aside your invisibility cloak? I spent most of yesterday putting together a list of updates and changes I want to make on my website. This got me thinking about the blog and why I write here. A big part of why I write this blog is participate in a community of like-minded people. But I think I need to be clear about what is on your mind.

What do you want me to write about on this blog? What should I never, ever mention again? Want more pictures? Of what? Do you want more stuff about the writing process, or should I never use the word “deadline” again in a sentence?

And on a much more significant note, he never had a blog, but Dr. King knew the power of the word.

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TWISTED playlist – vote early, vote often!

I did it! (I think.)

Thanks to all of your great suggestions yesterday, and a very, very late last night with Stef and Amy and my husband, I have put together the first crack at the TWISTED playlist and I posted it on iTunes.

If you go to iTunes>Music>iMix, type in halse in the Search box for iMix Name. That should take you to it. (Does anyone know of a faster way to do this?) iTunes wouldn’t take the whole thing, so I mentioned the other songs in the Description. Vote for my mix! (You vote by rating it on iTunes.) Make me smile! Throw me a bone while I sit, chained to my desk, the fires of the deadline crackling at my feet, smoke curling upwards!

I am asking to create a new page for my website that will features playlists for all of my books. Here is what I have for TWISTED, so far. And yes, the order of the songs is important:

“Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” The Pogues

“Brick in the Wall” Pink Floyd

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Nirvana

“Yoda” Weird Al Yankovic

“Trogdor” Strong Bad (http://homestarrunner.com/downloads.html)

“I Want You To Hurt Like I Do” Randy Newman/ Land of Dreams

“Come As You Are” Nirvana

“Needle in the Hay” Elliott Smith

“Munich” The Editors

“Hurt” Johnny Cash

“She Hates Me” Puddle of Mudd

“How to Disappear Completely” Radiohead

“Everybody Hurts” R.E.M.

“Hallelujah” Jeff Buckley

“Real Men” Tori Amos

“Float On” Modest Mouse

What do you think?

P.S. One last thing: the Syracuse Post Standard ran my essay on how salt potatoes are so, so, Syracuse.

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I need help from early TWISTED readers

A couple of you guys out there have read TWISTED. I need your help. I am putting together a playlist for the book and am desperate for recommendations.

For those who haven’t read it, some background. I think this is on the publicity materials:

“High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background—average student, average looks, average dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.

In Twisted, the acclaimed Laurie Halse Anderson tackles a very controversial subject: what it means to be a man today. Fans and new readers alike will be captured by Tyler’s pitchperfect, funny voice, the surprising narrative arc, and the thoughtful moral dilemmas that are at the heart of all of the author’s award-winning, widely read work. “

The short pitch: Emoish guy with a good heart has his butt kicked by the world and thinks seriously about leaving life, permanently.

What songs fit him? Ideas? Please?