Writings & Readings by Jillian Audrey

US vs. UK

2012-03-12T15:29:00.006-07:00

I'm fascinated by book covers. Everyone always says "don't judge a book by its cover," well I think that's a lot of hooey. There is a lot of judging to be done by a cover. A cover tells you what to expect out of a book. I judge and I'm not afraid to say it.

I'm especially intrigued when book covers are different abroad. This one recently came to my attention, leading me to something that I would like to add as a new little theme here on the old blog -- "US vs. UK" --showing some covers of Here versus There.

Our first look: Jackson Pearce's Sweetly

UK Version:

US Version:

The UK version is so much more frightening, right? I'm scared just looking at it! Yeeesh! They've certainly tamed it down for the US market (or scarified it for the Brits?) Either way, interesting how the very slight difference of the placement of the branches/additional branches and text placement can make everything feel much sharper and foreboding.

Also there is the difference of the hair/roots near the bottom. I feel like I'm playing one of those "spot what's different" games out of Highlights Magazine looking at these two images. The winner who spots them all wins a prize! (Kidding, no prize... maybe some pride.)

Stay tuned for more installments.. and feel free to suggest some covers for analysis!

Google Giggles

2012-02-17T09:16:00.001-08:00

I'm revising my current WIP (changing around one of the sub plots a bit) and it involves going back and doing some new historic research. Specifically, trying to figure out if a pregnant woman would have been sent to a tuberculosis facility during WWII. While trying to google the answer here are some other popular searches that Google thought I might be going for instead. No thanks, Google. Close but no cigar.

Could pregnant women go to TBS? Seriously, what?! I was shooting for "TB facilities there." Ah, Google, so silly.

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Jillian vs. Rory

2011-12-29T14:39:00.000-08:00

Something called the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge came to my attention today. Ok, I knew Rory read a lot on Gilmore Girls... but I had NO IDEA it was THIS much. Seriously. I call shenanigans on the writers of this series... there's no way Rory ACTUALLY read this many books AND had time for all her nerdy middle school/high school hi-jinks. Unless she's some sort of freak speed reader -- which she could be.

Well, shenanigans or not, I really wanted to see how my own 29 years of reading have stood up. So here we have it... Jillian versus Rory Gilmore.

RED: Read books (get it, ha.)

PURPLE: Partially read, halfway read, started and never finished.

BLUE: Currently on my shelf, to-be-read very soon.

1984 by George Orwell
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Archidamian War by Donald Kagan
The Art of Fiction by Henry James
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Babe by Dick King-Smith
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
The Bhagava Gita
The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy
Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel
A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays by Mary McCarthy
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Bridgadoon by Alan Jay Lerner
Candide by Voltaire
The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman
Christine by Stephen King
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
The Collected Short Stories by Eudora Welty
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Complete Novels by Dawn Powell
The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton
Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas père
Cousin Bette by Honor’e de Balzac
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Cujo by Stephen King
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
David and Lisa by Dr Theodore Issac Rubin M.D
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Da Vinci -Code by Dan Brown
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Deenie by Judy Blume
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx
The Divine Comedy by Dante
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Don Quijote by Cervantes
Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhrv
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn
Eloise by Kay Thompson
Emily the Strange by Roger Reger
Emma by Jane Austen
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Ethics by Spinoza
Europe through the Back Door, 2003 by Rick Steves
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Extravagance by Gary Krist
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore
The Fall of the Athenian Empire by Donald Kagan
Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien (TBR)
Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce
Fletch by Gregory McDonald
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
George W. Bushism: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit and Wisdom of our 43rd President by Jacob Weisberg
Gidget by Fredrick Kohner
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Godfather: Book 1 by Mario Puzo
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Alvin Granowsky
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
The Gospel According to Judy Bloom
The Graduate by Charles Webb
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Group by Mary McCarthy
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (TBR)
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (TBR)
Henry IV, part I by William Shakespeare
Henry IV, part II by William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Holidays on Ice: Stories by David Sedaris
The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (Lpr)
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
How the Light Gets in by M. J. Hyland
Howl by Allen Gingsburg
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Iliad by Homer
I’m with the Band by Pamela des Barres
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Inferno by Dante
Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Iron Weed by William J. Kennedy
It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Lady Chatterleys’ Lover by D. H. Lawrence
The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Lottery: And Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Love Story by Erich Segal
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
The Manticore by Robertson Davies
Marathon Man by William Goldman
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman by William Tecumseh Sherman
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Mencken’s Chrestomathy by H. R. Mencken
The Merry Wives of Windsro by William Shakespeare
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion by Jim Irvin
Moliere: A Biography by Hobart Chatfield Taylor
A Monetary History of the United States by Milton Friedman
Monsieur Proust by Celeste Albaret
A Month Of Sundays: Searching For The Spirit And My Sister by Julie Mars
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and It’s Aftermath by Seymour M. Hersh
My Life as Author and Editor by H. R. Mencken
My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru by Tim Guest
Myra Waldo’s Travel and Motoring Guide to Europe, 1978 by Myra Waldo
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature by Jan Lars Jensen
New Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Night by Elie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism by William E. Cain, Laurie A. Finke, Barbara E. Johnson, John P. McGowan
Novels 1930-1942: Dance Night/Come Back to Sorrento, Turn, Magic Wheel/Angels on Toast/A Time to be Born by Dawn Powell
Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Old School by Tobias Wolff
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan
Oracle Night by Paul Auster
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Othello by Shakespeare
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan
Out of Africa by Isac Dineson
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition by Donald Kagan
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
The Portable Nietzche by Fredrich Nietzche
The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill by Ron Suskind
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Property by Valerie Martin
Pushkin: A Biography by T. J. Binyon
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
Quattrocento by James Mckean
A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall
Rapunzel by Grimm Brothers
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad by Virginia Holman
The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings Book 3 by J. R. R. Tolkien (TBR)
R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton
Rita Hayworth by Stephen King
Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry Robert
Roman Holiday by Edith Wharton
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
The Rough Guide to Europe, 2003 Edition
Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi
Sanctuary by William Faulkner
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller by Henry James
The Scarecrow of Oz by Frank L. Baum
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
Selected Hotels of Europe
Selected Letters of Dawn Powell: 1913-1965 by Dawn Powell
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Several Biographies of Winston Churchill
Sexus by Henry Miller
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Shane by Jack Shaefer
The Shining by Stephen King
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton
Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Island by Andrea Levy
Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
Snow White and Rose Red by Grimm Brothers
Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World by Barrington Moore
The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht
Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos by Julia de Burgos
The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker
Songbook by Nick Hornby
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
Sonnets from the Portuegese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
A Streetcar Named Desiree by Tennessee Williams
Stuart Little by E. B. White
Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
Swimming with Giants: My Encounters with Whales, Dolphins and Seals by Anne Collett
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Term of Endearment by Larry McMurtry
Time and Again by Jack Finney
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath 1950-1962 by Sylvia Plath
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Unless by Carol Shields
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
The Vanishing Newspaper by Philip Meyers
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series) by Joe Harvard
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Walt Disney’s Bambi by Felix Salten
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
We Owe You Nothing – Punk Planet: The Collected Interviews edited by Daniel Sinker
What Colour is Your Parachute? 2005 by Richard Nelson Bolles
What Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Rory, I'm seriously disappointed with your lack of young adult titles and impressed by your love of classics. (Personally, classics are not really my thing.) All in all, I don't think I fared so poorly. Rory obviously kicked my butt and she had quite a few reads on her list that I didn't even know WHAT they were... but I think I came out alright and managed not to seriously embarrass myself.

After poking around the web I found some other souls trying to match themselves against Rory including Kayla and Taryn.

How does your reading stack up? Feel free to share!

Nano!

2011-11-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

I'm doing Nano this year! Ack! The pressure! The stress!

I'm 10 days in (today doesn't count because at 8:24 in the am, it really hasn't started yet.) I HAVEN'T HAD MY COFFEE. So far I haven't written as much as I want. I'm at almost 10k words on my novel-in-progress but it's a little bit of cheating because I walked into Nano with about 6k.

Errrrrr.

Must write.

But it's so hard when I have distractions. And they are so cute.

Really though I was out of town for work commitments for 5 days of Nano, so I didn't have any writing opportunities there. But now I'm back in Boston and back on track and ready to pick up the slack.

I've started a new strategy for Nano. I'm usually a very organized writer. I like to go start to finish in a linear way and I don't jump around. (At least not much, sometimes I treat myself and write my ending before it's due.) But aside from that usually I write scene to scene and chapter to chapter. But in an effort to bang this stuff out and JUST KEEP GOING I'm allowing myself to be a little more free and jump around.

So far it is working. Kind of.

We'll see if it nets any kind of real result at the end of the month. Cheers! --Jillian

Defending the Newbery

2011-10-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

I had to take a break from work to make this post. I just HAD TO.

Today Laura Miller, a senior writer for Salon.com, published an article questioning the status of the National Book Award. While her article predominantly focused on the adult prize, Laura went out of her way to make a small jab at the coveted Newbery Award:

"Like the Newbery Medal for children’s literature, awarded by librarians, the NBA has come to indicate a book that somebody else thinks you ought to read, whether you like it or not."

Laura admits that as a child she had a bad experience with the Newbery and that shiny gold seal was a deterrent. No, I thought, no, no, NO! Of course, Laura is entitled to her own opinion, but I just needed to voice mine. I had the opposite experience. As a child that Newbery seal was a beacon.

These books were my childhood. They drew me in. They made me love -- no, not love, CRAVE -- literature. And I thank them with my whole heart. So rock on Newbery Award. Rock on.

Welcome Home, Bill!

2011-08-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

While I was in LA I received a mysterious text from my live-in boyfriend. "I brought home a new friend. You will meet Bill when you get home." My first thought was OH GOD HE GOT A RAT. OH NO OH NO OH NO! (As you see I do not want a rat.)

But then he calmed those fears by telling me that Bill is not alive but has been in his family for as long as he can remember. I was puzzled. I thought maybe Bill was a plant and that The Boyfriend was just forgetting that plants are alive.

Well, 5 minutes after coming home I met Bill. And I screamed. Why? Because I thought Bill was an intruder. Bill is actually a life-size bust of William Shakespeare who was positioned in the corner of the dining room in such a way that when I walked through with the lights off I mistook him for a man standing in the corner ready to pounce on me.

Oh, Bill, you silly goose, why you gotta go scare me like that?

I am still getting used to Bill lurking in our corner. Especially when I walk by and the lights are off. It is also pretty intimidating that on some days when it is hot I do my writing from the dining room because it's the only room in our apartment with air conditioning. So yesterday I had my first experience of trying to write while William Shakespeare stared at me from 5 feet away. Nothing like a little terror/intimidation to motivate you into finishing a novel.

But Bill isn't all scary. Sometimes he even offers words of encouragement.

Thanks, Bill!

SCBWI Best of the Best

2011-08-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

On Monday night I returned home from an inspiring, exhausting, overwhelming, motivating, exciting weekend in LA… SCBWI! I had the pleasure of hearing great authors and illustrators speak and I left feeling renewed (and really sleep deprived.) In case you missed it, or you just want to relive the memories, here’s a roundup of some of my favorite quotes from the weekend:

“You may like modern art but you don’t want your novel to read like a Jackson Pollock.” – Bruce Coville

David Small

“The body expresses what the mind does not allow itself to.” – David Small

“Drawing to me is like breathing.” – David Small

“Your novel probably does suck, embrace the suck.” – Libba Bray (To a room of 1,300 people, it wasn't just me personally.)

“That thing you are writing is awesome.” – Libba Bray

“Close the door on the voices, you are safe in the writing cave.” – Libba Bray on why not to follow trends

“Fiction is made up of lies. You can lie to me but don’t bullshit me.” – Libba Bray

“Don’t be a writer, be writing.” – Laurie Halse Anderson, originally said by William Faulkner

Laurie Halse Anderson calling Upstate New Yorkers “my peeps, my pale, tired peeps.”

“You should all move to Central New York. All you want to do is create so you don’t lose your mind.” – Laurie Halse Anderson

“The safest way to develop empathy is through a book.” – Donna Jo Napoli

“If you need to write it, chances are, there are people out there – a lot of people – who need to read it.” – Donna Jo Napoli

Judy Blume

“The intimacy is in the pencil.” – Judy Blume

“I’ve never understood the creative process.” – Judy Blume

“If I’m writing a sexy scene and I’m not turned on, it’s not working.” – Judy Blume

“When it hits you inside and it’s right, write it.” – Judy Blue

“Writing not only changed my life, it saved it.” – Judy Blume

“Spend a large part of your time out of context.” – Norton Juster

Gary Paulsen

“You ought to be able to hunt lawyers.” – Gary Paulsen

“Read like a wolf eats.” – Gary Paulsen

“The viewpoint our stories never need is our own.” – Richard Peck

“Being a writer is remembering our roots.” – Richard Peck

Richard Peck calling Stuart Little “gynecologically unnerving.”

“Every book begins in the library in the hopes that it ends there.” – Richard Peck

“History repeats in every human heart.” – Richard Peck

To sum it up, SCBWI was AMAZING. I can’t wait for the New York conference, I’m sure it will not disappoint. Now… time to write! (But maybe a nap first.)

August is the Month of Awesome

2011-08-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

I've decided that August is the month of AWESOME. Here's why:

In just 2 days I leave for SCBWI in LA. Oh MY GOD. I am so excited! I don't usually get star-struck or giddy. When people are like "oh yeah, I saw Katie Holmes eating at blahblah restaurant" I always think "meh, boooooring" but soon I'm going to be surrounded by authors I idolize and suddenly I'm going to understand those Katie Holmes people. I might have a meltdown. Also, the Saturday night gala is pajama-themed so not only am I going to be surrounded by famous authors, but I am going to be looking like this (aka RIDICULOUS):

Yes, this is a nightgown with kittens on it.
This picture is going to come back to
haunt me someday. Also yes, it is being taken
in the same manner as a sketchy senator.

August is also awesome because I am participating in Camp Nanowrimo. I'm making an attempt to complete a whole novel that I've just started. It's a HUGE challenge but I feel up for it. I would at least like to get a draft complete.
My boyfriend and I are adopting a kitten! She has a bum leg (she's going in for surgery on Friday to have it amputated), but she is full of love and spunk. Isn't she just the cutest? She is tentatively being named Islay (pronounced Eye-lah) for an island off of Scotland where they make very smoky scotch. I wanted to name her Katniss, but I think I'm losing that battle.

So those are the top 3 reasons why August is AWESOME. If you're going to SCBWI in LA tweet me and let me know! @JillianAudrey

Cheers! Jillian

Review : Ashes

2011-07-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, Wednesday! Time for a book review. I had the pleasure of reading the ARC of this book last week and let me tell you, it's not something to read when you're home alone and it's dark out! (Unless you like to be scared when your cat jumps on the couch because you accidentally mistake her for a zombie coming in for the kill.) Enjoy!

REVIEW : ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick

Bick, Ilsa J. September 2011. Ashes. Egmont USA. 488 pages. Ages 13+ ISBN: 9781606841754. $17.99. Reviewed from digital galley provided by publisher via NetGalley

Part wilderness survival story, part eco-disaster, part zombie apocalypse, Ilsa J. Bick’s young adult genre mash-up does not disappoint. Seventeen-year-old Alex is four days into a camping trip in the Waucamaw Wilderness of Michigan -- but not an average camping trip: with a brain tumor worsening, she ditches out on treatment, compelled to scatter the ashes of her parents across Lake Superior -- when she’s suddenly struck down with blinding pain. But it’s not The Monster in her head this time; an electromagnetic pulse has swept through the sky, frying everything in its path. As it turns out, “the Zap” results in billions of people dropping dead and has turned most children and teens into zombie-like cannibals. Banding together with two other young people who were not effected by The Change (an 8-year-old girl whose grandfather was killed during the zap and a hunky young army veteran on leave), Alex and her compatriots make their way out of the woods in hopes of finding safety. But a world in turmoil is a frightening thing and Alex soon realizes that places of refuge are not always as safe as they seem. Blood and guts abound in this heart-stopping page-turner, which is to be expected of a zombie apocalypse tale. Bick weaves multiple layers through the book and infuses it all with reach details, loads of suspense, and lots of grit. Definitely a book worth devouring.

Revisions Day

2011-07-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? I thought that once I graduated (has it really been two months now?) I would have all the time in the world. THE WORLD, folks! But no. Alas, other things have gotten in the way. Like say, the real work I blew off all spring because school and writing were taking over my life. I also had an art show last weekend which I spent the past few weeks preparing for. It was awesome by the way! To learn more about my photography check out my Etsy shop HERE!

This is what Revisions Day looks like.
Note large mug of coffee.

Anyway, today is a day of revisions. While I'm working on a NEW project, I'm also in the process of revising an old WIP that I've been working on for about a year now. It's middle-grade historical fiction and this thing has been living with me for what feels like forever. It's time to finally get these last line edits done with so that I can get this in the hands of a historical person to look it over for accuracy before bringing it out to the world.

I've been running around like a maniac all morning chanting to myself "Revisions Day! Revisions Day!" it sort of reminded me of Empire Records.... "We mustn't dwell... no, not today. We CAN'T. Not on Rex Manning Day." (NOT ON REVISIONS DAY!) Get it? Swap in "Rex Manning Day" for "Revisions Day?"

Happy Revisions Day/Rex Manning Day/Re-living the 90s Day/Reliving the 40s day (I'm revising a novel set in 1944). Time to finally stop procrastinating and WORK. Cheers!

Summer Reading List

2011-06-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

Now that graduate school is finished I can actually read things I want to read... and *gasp* read some adult books! I kicked off my summer reads by reading Aimee Bender's THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE. Truly ah-mazing.

So what's on the docket to read next? Here's the tentative order of my next few reads:

The Iron Thorn | Caitlin Kittridge (currently reading)
Blood Red Road | Moira Young
A Visit from the Goon Squad | Jennifer Egan
Revolution | Jennifer Donnelly
Moon Over Manifest | Clare Vanderpool (Need to finish the second half since my digital copy was due back to the library before I had time to finish)
Miss Peregine's Home for Peculiar Children | Ransom Riggs
I Am Number Four | Pittacus Lore
Behemoth | Scott Westerfeld
Animal, Vegetable, Mineral | Barbara Kingslover
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me | Various Authors
The Maze Runner | James Dashner
Between Shades of Gray | Ruta Sepetys
Beauty Queens | Libba Bray
Pretty Monsters | Kelly Link
Clockwork Angel | Cassandra Clare
Imaginary Girls | Nova Ren Suma
I Know This Much Is True | Wally Lamb
Tales of the Madmen Underground | John Barnes
White Cat | Holly Black

I really have my work cut out for me, don't I? What's on your summer "to read" list? What big titles are you totally pumped for that are coming out in the next few months? Share!

Horn Book Awards Announced!

2011-06-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

I've fallen behind on my Illustrator Crush Thursdays... in part because I've been so darn busy! It's summer, right? Shouldn't I have free time? Well I just came off of a little vacation to Boulder, then a week-long class in Literary Publishing at Emerson. Between these things, editing a manuscript, writing two others, preparing my photographs for the summer art festival I'm showing/selling at in less than a month (Corn Hill Arts Festival in Rochester NY!), and my 30 hour a week job, I've BEEN BUSY.

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards were announced today! And you wouldn't believe how excited I was when I saw who the picture book winner was... Salley Mavor! So in honor of the BGHB announcement, here's a little impromptu Illustrator Crush Thursday (Monday.)

I first saw Mavor's work this spring while taking ye old picturebook class at Simmons. I love crafts and I'm learning to do embroidery, so I was immediately smitten with Mavor's work. She uses an awesome mix of felt, hand-created characters, embroidery, and constructs it all for her illustrations. It's incredible stuff.

The following images come from her blog, which I've been following for the past few months. I also love that she often posts pictures of her works in progress and her studio.

I love that Mavor's work is so tactile... it just begs you to reach out and touch it. (At least it begs me to, anyway.) I'm definitely super excited for the awards this year at Simmons! Congrats to all the winners, what a great start to a Monday!

Check out all the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winners at Roger Sutton's blog HERE.

Book News : McSweeney's New Children's Imprint

2011-06-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

McSweeney's now has a children's imprint! I'm probably a bit late to this news, but their first books come out this summer. Including SYMPHONY CITY by Amy Martin.

Based on the cover, and the little I know from the book's description, I have a feeling this will be a big time Caldecott contender this year. You heard it here first, kids.

I'm excited for these books to hit the shelves. All four of the McMullens books are available for pre-order HERE.

Reading like a Writer

2011-05-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Since I started to seriously write a few years ago, I’ve approached reading differently. Maybe it’s because all of my time in writing classes and workshops, but when I’m reading I’m always on the lookout for plot twists and I try to uncover “where the novel is going.” Where is this story headed? What’s going to happen next? How will this end?

Often when I finish a book and then read a review and all the readers say, “Wow, there was a twist that I didn’t see coming at all!” I tend to think, “Uh, I saw that a mile away.” It’s because I’m looking for it. Not intentionally. And it sort of stinks sometimes… I ruin the book for myself by spoiling the ending instead of actually just enjoying the reading process rather than over-thinking things and “trying to figure it all out.” It’s the writer in me. I can’t help it.

That said, it’s rare that a plot twist or an ending surprises me. But it happens. And when it does, it’s extra magical. Within the past year I can say I’ve been genuinely shocked and surprised twice:

WILDFIRE by Karsten Knight (July, 2011) -- Fellow Simmons MFA grad, by the way!

And WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen.

Now, there are books that offer shock/surprise/twists where the reader is left thinking “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT, THAT DIDN’T FIT AT ALL!” but that was not the case in either of these book. The twists fit organically into the stories, flowed with the narratives, didn’t feel forced, and were held until just the right moment. I don’t want to give things away, but I’ll say I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised with both. And that’s big for me.

A second thing that has made my reading experience different since “being a writer” is that while reading I tend to think, “This is what I would do next if I was writing this book.” Sometimes the writer chooses that path, and I’m proud of myself for thinking what the published author also thought to do, but also a little let down that my prediction was right. I like to be surprised (see above.) So naturally, I’m always conflicted when this happens. But then there are also times when I’m reading a book and I come up with a great alternate ending for it and I realize the author did NOT choose that path. I wonder if my ending was better. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe it’s not just how I would have ended it but now I would have LIKED it to end on a personal level.

But anyway, the gist is that surprises are great and they are rare. When you find them, cherish them.

What books have surprised you? What books offered twists that you didn’t see coming? (Feel free to post the book but you don’t have to give away the twist, maybe you have something to offer me that I haven’t read yet and will surprised me!)

Go ahead and share!

Good Times Never Seemed So Good -- A Photo Retrospective

2011-05-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Graduate school was never really in my plans. But now that I look back, I realize that there were a lot of signs that were telling me it was going to happen.

Me in graduation cap circa 2007.
Not my cap. Not my graduation.

After taking a handful of writing workshops in Rochester, I decided I wanted to be a writer. Actually be a writer, not just sit at my computer and type away when I had the odd moment. But actually, really, truly do it. And then, I started to frantically fill out applications to MFA programs, because this realization came only a few weeks before deadlines. In some cases, I overnighted my applications. I don’t miss those hectic, chaotic days.

My intent was to get an MFA in creative non-fiction. But then at the last minute, I realized how much I loved children’s literature and how what I really wanted to do was forget that silly adult memoir stuff and write for children. So after everything else was sent in, I filled out one more application… to Simmons.

I always sort of wanted to live in Boston, even though I had only visited once. The idea of Boston has always fascinated me. And I like the Red Sox. I should have seen that the fates were screaming out Boston, Boston, Boston... Within a two year span I managed to be photographed wearing three different Red Sox hats, none of which belong to me.

I think what I'm trying to do here is show off my nail polish.
(Or make a butterfly.)

When the envelope came congratulating me on my acceptance to Simmons, I jumped up and down.

So I came to Boston for a visit (my second visit ever!) and fell in love with the city. So I picked out an apartment, said sayonara to Rochester, and moved 6 hours down I-90.

I met a ton of awesome, like-minded people.

Of course a night out turns into "taking pictures looking like wild things" since a requirement of this program is a love of Where the Wild Things Are.
(Please take note of cameo by author/fellow graduate Karsten Knight.)

I did “Boston things” and I went to Red Sox games.

I ate lobster.

I had the best writing muse ever.

I wrote a lot of papers. I completed 1 middle grade manuscript, ½ of a YA manuscript, and a bunch of other various chapters for other projects that may or may not someday be completed. Sometimes Writing Muse helped, but mostly she just walked all over my papers and sat on my lap.

And I read books. A lot of books.

I took pictures of myself standing in front of books to prove how much I read.

I can’t believe that it’s over. It feels like I just got here… like I was just sitting in Crit and being horribly nervous and intimidated when words like “new critics,” “post-modern literary theory” and “panopticon” were thrown around with ease.

But it’s over and a new chapter is about to begin and I’m excited to see what it brings. (See what I did there? A writing joke. Ha.) I walk across the stage tomorrow. I bought a new dress for the occasion. I'm ready... bring it on world. Goodbye graduate school, I'll miss you!

Cheers!

Final lesson: After a few cocktails I like to put on other people’s hats.

Illustrator Crush : Jillian Tamaki

2011-05-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

I found out about this awesome bit of book news through a very roundabout way -- via craft blogs instead of writing/publishing blogs! -- but I just saw the covers to three new editions of classics that Penguin is going to release in Fall 2011. Emma, The Secret Garden, and Black Beauty. Why did I learn about these on craft blogs? Because the covers are embroidered! That's right. And they are oh, so ah-maaaazing.

Illustrator Jillian Tamaki used embroidery to create these incredible covers. They are so lavish and have so much texture I just want to reach out and touch them. Here's a sneak peak:

Really, really incredible work. As far as I know these are the only three books currently being re-released as "Penguin Threads" but I really hope there will be more! These covers are so beautiful! This is giving me more and more encouragement for the idea I've been kicking around for a future picturebook that will be illustrated with embroidery! Rad, I know.

Learn more about Jillian Tamaki HERE and the books HERE

Review : Bless This Mouse

2011-05-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

I promised some official reviews, didn't I? Well, here we are. A bona-fide review. Part of my final assignment for my reviewing class was getting to read an ARC of Lois Lowry's BLESS THIS MOUSE. Eeeeeek! (How appropriate.) I am, like, the biggest Lowry fan EVER. I could read The Giver over and over until my eyes pop out, but that's for a different discussion. Anyway... without further ado, review:

Lowry, Lois. (Illustrations by Eric Rohmann) March 2011. Bless This Mouse. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 160 pages. Ages 8-11. ISBN: 978-0-547-39009-3. $15.99. Reviewed from Galley.

Mistress Mouse, Hildegarde, has a lot of responsibilities, whether it’s tending to her flock of approximately 200 mice who reside at St. Bartholomew’s Church or scrounging up a gumdrop to snack on, she’s always busy. Not to mention the fact that the Blessing of the Animals ceremony is quickly approaching, which means the appearance of some frightening visitors to the church… cats! Oh, dear. Hildegarde’s top priority is keeping her flock out of sight of church-goers because the consequences of being seen are titanic; Father Murphy could “rush to a telephone to arrange for another Great X.” And the only thing worse than cats is the Great X -- an exterminator. But when a few mice slip up and make their presence known, Father Murphy hires PEST-B-GONE and Hildegarde must find a way to save her flock, even if it means temporarily leaving the safety of the church behind. Lowry’s text is simple and engaging, making Bless This Mouse a smooth read. While the book includes religious themes and imagery, they are not overstated nor distract from the honest to goodness story and timeless feel. Rohmann’s full-page and spot illustrations enhance the text and illuminate the lively characters. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion at the Blessing of the Animals ceremony where Hildegarde proves that with a little bravery it’s possible to overcome just about any challenge. Even cats.

* * *

Personal sidenote: I've been dying to write an "animal book" since forever. I need to think up a good animal though, as much as I liked this book and I like mice (and I like other mouse books), what's with so much love for them? How about a book about a family of squirrels? Eh?

Very Vintage

2011-04-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

One of my classes this semester is a picturebook class that is predominantly a focus on picturebook art history. A part of the class included a 6 week session where we got a jam-packed history of picturebook art from its beginnings up to today. To say the least, it was exhausting. But I learned a lot of cool things, too. Personally, I like looking at old, vintage illustrations. Stuff from the early 1900s-1940s are probably my favorites. I think it's the way things were drawn and the color palate.

Recently I came across a seller on Etsy, wonderfuldiva, who sells vintage children's books. They are expensive and out my price range but super fun to look at!

In particular I totally love this one. Children at Play in Many Lands Cloth Book:

She also has a super old 1917 edition of a Boutet de Monvel (a name we heard A LOT in picturebook class) available:

And there is this one that look cool:

Go check out the entire collection of what she has for sale HERE. Happy Friday/Happy Weekend! :)

End of Semester (End of Grad School!) Mad House

2011-04-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

My semester (AND GRADUATE SCHOOL CAREER) is nearly complete. OMG times a million.

What I have left to do:

9 page paper (and read the 10-20 picturebooks)
8 book reviews (and read the books)
1 paper analyzing book reviews
2 picturebook manuscripts
5 page paper discussing those picturebook manuscripts
revisions to the current 35,000 words of YA WIP and 3 new chapters

Why doesn't it not sound like a lot. IT IS A LOT, I promise. AHHH! Someone please get a cocktail ready for me.

I need to solicit this kitty's help

I feel like this.

But after this I will be a master of writing. A MASTER!

Illustrator Crush #4 : Todd McLellan

2011-04-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know this doesn't really fall under the "illustrator crush" entry because TODD MCLELLAN is not an illustrator but rather a photographer, and he doesn't even do children's books, but I'm currently totally obsessed with his series of disassembly photographs. I'm not even really a techy person and I was never one of those kids that pulled apart my toys to see what was inside (though I did pull apart a stuffed bear once, but that was in a fit of toddler-rage.) But there are a lot of those "I NEED TO SEE WHAT'S INSIDE" kids out there. And I mean a lot of them. While I'm not so techy, I do love order, and that's a big part of what these pictures are all about, too.

I think these photographs are super awesome. I've been thinking about gadgets/gizmos/machines/mechanics a lot recently because my current YA work-in-progress has a bit of steampunk to it so I've been doing some gadgetry and inventions research. In an era where we are so heavily based on technology it's cool to see the inner-workings of machines. What's really IN my computer? Or my alarm clock? I think we sometimes just take for granted that there are a whole bunch of gears and "things" in there that make it work but have no idea what or how much or why. I certainly don't, and it's cool to see all those parts laid out and neatly arranged.

In any case, here's some cool photos. I think the concept would make for a great picturebook, especially if we're talking experimental. I have a feeling kids would love studying these photographs for hours and thinking about how all the parts fit together.

Learn more about Todd and watch him disassemble HERE

Illustrator Crush #3 : Charley Harper

2011-04-07T06:36:00.000-07:00

Is it sad that when I went to do a Google search for “Charley Harper” Google wanted to correct me and make me search for Charlie Sheen? No, Google! No! The second option was “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Who writes these Google search suggestions anyway?

ILLUSTRATOR CRUSH THURSDAY : CHARLEY HARPER

Here’s a good example of Illustrator Crush Thursday where I’m featuring an illustrator/artist who is not primarily a picturebook artist but who did do some awesome illustrations and some picturebook work. Harper was predominantly an artist, doing prints, posters and book illustrations.

I have always thought his stuff was incredible, but maybe that’s because I’m a sucker for pictures of animals. When I was at the Tate last fall I spent hours (ok, an exaggeration) ogling over their selection of Harper items in the gift shop. I SO badly wanted to bring something home with me but that would have meant carrying it around London all day long.

How can you not love otters?

I think the way Harper captures animals is just fantastic. And although his audience is not directly children, his use of color, texture, white space, and shape make his illustrations very child-friendly. He’s certainly an illustrator/artist who I would say is for “all ages.” I definitely want to have some of his art on my wall some day.

Since I’m not good at “talking about art” check him out for yourself HERE or HERE.

Present Day!

2011-04-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Present Day to ME! Yeah, there is no real holiday to celebrate, so I'm dubbing today just "Present Day" aka, today, aka "when one gets presents". I bought myself a graphics tablet mostly for fun but also because I want to start designing my own sketches for embroidery and things. And mostly I just want one more crafty/artsy thing to play with. I made my first ever digital illustration with it today. I was so excited I just had to share, yay!

What I Liked : Okay For Now

2011-04-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

OKAY FOR NOW by Gary D. Schmidt

I received the ARC of OKAY FOR NOW to read for my Reviewing class a few weeks ago. Our first assignment (before class even started!!) was to read the manuscript and write a review. *Gasp!* The goal of this project was for us to try our hand at a review without any formal training but then to be able to look back at it after the class ends and see how much we have learned and have grown as a reviewer. So hopefully this one stinks as a review and the one I show yah'll in a few weeks is a piece of pure reviewing brilliance. So here’s my first “official” review:

“Nothing seems to be going right for “skinny thug” Doug Swieteck after his family moves from Long Island to Marysville, New York. And even when things start to look up, Doug reminds the reader of his motto: “when things start to go pretty good, something usually happens to turn everything bad.” And he’s right. Doug is pummeled with one misfortune after another, whether it is butting heads with teachers at school or dealing with family conflict and his brother’s return from Vietnam, Doug seems to be raked over the coals again and again. But solace is found in an unlikely place when Doug begins studying a book of John Audubon’s drawings of birds at the local library. The narration style Schmidt implements works brilliantly to move the story along and engage readers. With a unique voice readers can’t ignore, Doug constantly addresses his audience and challenges them to remember what he’s previously told them. Readers won’t be able to help but be sucked into Doug’s world as they learn and grow right along with him. Schmidt’s novel packs a punch as he tackles a number of tough topics effortlessly including abuse, war, loss, and power of friendship.”

Now, unofficially, what I liked: The narration style was in one word BRILLIANT. Doug’s voice was so catchy and he chose to reveal things to the reader at just the right time. As a writer, it makes me marvel at how much time and thought Schmidt must have put into crafting the narrative to get it just right. Sometimes I feel like the pacing of books are off kilter, but the pacing of OKAY FOR NOW was magnificent and fit so well with the character. I tend to find first person such a cop out these days, which means I sometimes unfairly approach a first person narrated work already determined to dislike it. But OKAY FOR NOW was one of those times where first person was not just a good fit but completely necessary. It wasn’t anyone else’s story but Doug’s. I give this one of my highest recommendations. I smell Newbery.

Illustrator Crush Thursday : Mo Willems

2011-03-31T06:47:00.000-07:00

It’s not often that I have the opportunity to meet my illustrator and author crushes in real life. But this past weekend my dream was actualized when my picturebook class took a trip to the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst to see Mo Willems speak.

I know it’s sort of cheating to post Mo Willems as my Illustrator Crush #2 because it was only 2 weeks ago that I touted how much I love him and the pigeon in a different post, but the fates came together and I just HAD to say it again here.

At the Carle I felt like a kid in a candy store bouncing around the event before it happening, looking at all the Mo Willems merchandise and looking over all of his books. The event was an interview with Mo where he talked about himself and writerly stuff including an awesome line I couldn’t help but write down: A book with a moral is a “dead piece of evil”. Awesome. Hilarious. I should drop that one in the grad school classroom sometimes when we’re talking about didacticism and faux didacticism.

THEN, Mo read to us from a NEW yet unpublished book. *gasp!* Excitement! It was brilliant, of course. And THEN I met him! Ah! The man who draws the pigeon in REAL LIFE! Ah!

This is my "OMG I'm meeting Mo Willems and I'm about to fall over this table and even though I tested it three times I hope my flash doesn't go off because it will blind Mo and he will be ANGRY" face.

Words don’t describe how much I love the pigeon. As mentioned in a previous post, the pigeon has got me through some tough times (a tearful speeding ticket.) Who knew when I received a review copy at work all those many years ago that I would someday cherish that first edition (now a SIGNED first edition!) as it sat on my shelf and that I would be studying Children’s Literature myself? Oh fates, how interesting you are.

Again, I'm not good at "talking about art" so if you are unfamiliar with the pigeon (horrors!) go check him out for yourself: http://www.mowillems.com

PS: While there are a handful of illustrators I really love, I'm totally a "illustrator fan newbie." Is there an illustrator you just ADORE that you think I should check out? Share!

Illustrator Crush Thursdays (Friday)

2011-03-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

My friend and fellow grad student/writer Natasha has recently been posting "illustrator crushes" on her blog. I've felt inspired to do the same. There are so many wonderful illustrators out there who I just LOVE. I am artistically inclined in some ways (I am good at crafts, photography, jewelry-making, knitting, graphic design, pottery, etc.) but my drawing skills... let's just say they leave something to be desired. I took some cartooning classes in my younger days. I tried. I really did. I wanted to draw. But I just didn't excel the way I did at other things. *sigh*

I think that makes me idolize illustrators all the more because whenever I see a magnificent illustration I think "HOW DID THEY DO IT?!" not "meh, I could do that" (like I do when I see a knit hat or something.)

Anyway... I think Thursday might be my typical post day for my Illustrator Crush, but since I didn't post yesterday, and I would hate to wait a whole week, I'm bending the rules for today.

CRUSH 1: OLIVER JEFFERS

I have an illustrator crush on Oliver, but I think a real crush too. I first heard of him when I saw the short film adaptation of his book LOST AND FOUND at the Rochester High Falls Film Festival a few years back. I cried. Seriously. In an audience filled with children, I cried. At ten in the morning. I have a soft spot for penguins. 'Nuff said.

Jeffers' illustrations are incredible. So much color and whimsy. He has the sort of illustrations I want to tear out of books (gasp!) and hang up all over the wall. I'm not good at "talking about art" so you can just go see for yourself: http://www.oliverjeffers.com/

PS: While there are a handful of illustrators I really love, I'm totally a "illustrator fan newbie." Is there an illustrator you just ADORE that you think I should check out? Share!

Down time

2011-03-17T08:11:00.001-07:00

I think taking breaks during the writing process is uber important. I need time to process, relax, refresh and renew. Ususally that involves doing crafts at night while watching tv with the boyfriend. Just this week I started up cross stitch again. My TV craft used to be knitting... but how many scarves can one girl make/own?!

Here's a peek at my current project. Any guesses of what it's gong to be?

What do you do to get your mind off your WIP? Share!

What I Liked : Picturebook Edition

2011-03-16T07:37:00.000-07:00

After I finished my enormous -- and let me stress, it really was ENORMOUS -- grad school picturebook project I swore that I never wanted to look at another picturebook again. But alas, I had to go to class and sit though a 3 hour picturebook lecture only minutes after handing over the aforementioned project. (Broken down by numbers this project was: 100+ hours of work, 4 critical sources, 100 picturebooks read/maxing out my BPL book limit, 111 word doc pages, $60 printing bill. Yowzers, no wonder my eyeballs hurt.)

And then after that lecture I said “NO MORE PICTUREBOOKS!” But, of course, I really can’t escape them. So, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. After reading 100+ picturebooks in the past month, I came across some that were just atrocious, but some that were brilliant, too. I figured I would take the opportunity to share some of my favorites in a special WHAT I LIKED Picturebook Edition.

WINDOW by Jeanie Baker
I loved this book, even with its didactic message about our crumbling environment. I loved the concept of the window, the subtle elements of what was shifting outside, and the wonderful way she showed the progression of time through each birthday. Brilliant. Not to mention, there’s a cat.

HOW TO HEAL A BROKEN WING by Bob Graham
During a 5 hour reading binge this book brought me to tears. I’m a total sucker for animal books, especially for HELPLESS animal books. The bird on the sidewalk nearly being trampled really got me. *Le sigh*

WOLVES by Emily Gravett
Oh. So. Meta. I loved the illustrations and the metafiction in this picturebook. A bunny going to the library to pick up a book about wolves who then gets devoured by a wolf (… or maybe they just eat jam sandwiches, it’s up to you…) Loved it.

KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON by Kevin Henkes
I have encountered this book before and I still love it just the same. It’s so simple and beautiful, and though I really know nothing about small children I assume they can easily relate to it and enjoy it. It’s certainly the kind of book I would have demanded my parents read to me over, and over, and over a la Goodnight Moon and the little golden book, Tiger in the Grass, that I was completely obsessed with. Plus, ZOMG KITTEN IS SO CUTE.

FABIAN ESCAPES and HONDO AND FABIAN by Peter McCarthy
Whenever I was feeling blue while working on this project I would crack open HONDO AND FABIAN and they would make me smile. The illustrations make me want to snuggle up in the book and I just can’t get over how super cute both the cat and dog are. I was happy to see them make a guest appearance in JEREMY DRAWS A MONSTER, which I wrote a wacky intertextuality paper about.

CARMINE: A LITTLE MORE RED by Melissa Sweet
The colors, oh the colors! Each illustration was so vibrant and rich and full of live. I loved both Melissa Sweet’s style and the story itself -- again, total sucker for retold fairytales. We have to pick 2 illustrators from our project and explore their work further, she’s definitely one I’m choosing.

FLOTSAM by David Wiesner
As a writer I didn’t expect to love a wordless picturebook so much, but I did! I realized something important: even if a book doesn’t have words it can still have an incredible story that is told visually. Wiesner is really a storyteller in FLOTSAM. As a photographer I absolutely adored the concept of a camera washing up on the beach. The photos reminded me of the “Infinite Cat Project” that was popular on the internet a few years ago. This was honestly one of my favorites and a book I’m inspired to buy for my measly picturebook collection.

DON’T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS by Mo Willems
It feels like cheating to add this to my “What I Liked” list because I’ve had an obsessive relationship with The Pigeon since the day the first book came out... I don't LIKE The Pigeon, I OBSESSIVELY LOVE HIM. Actually, I received a review copy and a pigeon keychain at work before the first book was even released. At the time I had no idea I would go to study children’s literature, or even that I had such an interest in children’s books. But I picked up The Pigeon, read it, and was immediately smitten. Sidenote: I put the pigeon keychain on my keys and sometime that summer got pulled over speeding outside of Buffalo and I started to cry. My boyfriend at the time cheered me up by showing me my pigeon key chain. I bet Pigeon didn’t know his influence extended to calming girls who got speeding tickets. I get to see Willems speak in two weeks, my head might explode.

PS: I WANTED SO BAD to get my hands on a Shaun Tan book for this project, but the BPL system thwarted that attempt. I know if I had read his stuff he would have appeared on this list. From the little I have seen of it, I know it’s amazing.

What are some of your favorite picturebooks? Don’t be shy… SHARE!

What I Liked : The Forest of Hands and Teeth

2011-03-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan

Last year during writing/workshop group I joked that I think zombies should be the new vampire. My comment was about how funny I thought it would be if a regular teen girl was swooning over a gross teen zombie (“You just don’t know him like I do!”). Even though that kind of book has yet to grace the bookstore shelves, zombies are hot right now… real hot.

I watched Waking Dead this fall and LOVED it, so I figured I would take a leap and try out my first zombie book. THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEEETH did not disappoint. I LOVED the strange dystopian world that it was set it -– sort of reminiscent of M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Village”. I’m a real sucker for books with creepy secrets and conspiracies and this one is packed with them. I love the idea of the Sisterhood and the Guardians and the gated pathways -- it all plays into the uber-spooky elements.

About halfway through reading this book a fellow Simmons student informed me that the book is the first of what will be a series -- after finishing this one I’ll say I’m definitely eager to read more!

I felt like T.F.O.H.A.T. used nice restraint, both keeping secrets from its characters as well as readers without letting the action and plot suffer. We know just as much as we need to know, and learn long with Mary. There are unanswered questions, but they will be revealed in time (book 2 and 3.)

I won’t lie, I had a creepy zombie dream the night I finished this book. Can’t wait for the next books in the series!

Have you read THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH? What did you like? Share!

What I Liked : The Girl in the Flammable Skirt

2011-03-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

THE GIRL IN THE FLAMMABLE SKIRT BY AIMEE BENDER

It was nice to take a break from YA reading and dive into an adult book. I have a soft spot for short stories, especially flash fiction. There is something about flash fiction/sudden fiction/micro fiction that I just adore. I love reading it, and I love writing it too.

I first encountered Aimee Bender's work in a flash fiction collection which included her story "The Remember". I immediately put a little star in the table of contents to next to the title to remind myself that I particularly liked that story. (That's what I do with short story collections, by the way. I sometimes have a hard time remembering exactly which stories I liked in a collection so I always star them. For those people who freak out when books are marked up with pen, sorry.)

While still on hold in the BPL system for Bender's "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" I decided that perhaps I would order one of her short story collections to tide me over... I'm glad I did! Like "The Remember" which I enjoyed so much a few years ago, these stories are a mix of strangeness, magic and reality. I love Bender's writing and I loved how different each of the stories were yet they all still had that particular strange/wonderful quality.

Ones in particular that I enjoyed:
The Rememberer
Call My Name
The Bowl
The Healer
The Ring

After reading a collection of short stories I'm always eager to read more. Perhaps I'll have to slip a few more into my massive stack of YA novels.

What I Liked : Revolver

2011-02-23T07:48:00.000-08:00

I’ve decided to add a new reoccurring feature to this blog called “What I Liked.” After I finish a book, I am often eager to verbalize what I liked about it, and share with friends how the book made me feel. (You know, that silly stuff that we aren’t allowed to do in the grad school classroom when we’re looking at a text critically.) So I figured I would start to share what I liked about books after reading them right here on this little blog.

In the spirit of being fair to the authors though, I don’t plan on including a “What I Didn’t Like” post. I’m not here to slam texts for their faults… authors get enough of that on Goodreads and Amazon anyway. Yes, we can all learn from errors in text, but I think finding things I like is a better learning tool.

This isn’t going to be formal, and often it may just be a few bullet points of things I really liked or things that struck me as unique in the texts. I’m taking a reviewing class at Simmons this spring, so who knows, perhaps these little reviews will grow in leaps and bounds after I complete that course.

Feel free to disagree with my analysis, as I said, they are just my personal opinions.

Without further ado… What I Liked Installment 1 : Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

This book reminded me of the type of older, classical book that we all grew up with. I was immediately reminded of Hatchet and Jack London -- real survival stories. But Revolver isn’t just a repeat of the same old thing I’ve seen before, this book was fresh and new. With so many “girl books” out there it was refreshing to see a “boy book”… especially one that didn’t alienate female readers. I think the last 30 YA books I’ve read have had some kind of romantic entanglement. There is always a girl who likes a boy, or a boy who likes a girl, even if it is in the background of the story. It was nice to read a book where relationships don’t come into play at all -- except for family relationships, of course.
I also thought the writing was beautiful -- very clear and concise. With only a few well-chosen words, I could feel the freezing arctic air on my cheeks. I got a wonderful sense of place and sense of characters that weren’t muddled by extraneous details.
Plot lines tied together very well at the end, and I enjoyed the “Easter eggs” that reflected throughout the book. Definitely worthy of a Printz Honor!

Have you read Revolver? What did you like? Share!

Look at all those books...

2011-02-17T07:16:00.000-08:00

You may wonder why I have been ignoring my poor little blog here. I have a good excuse, I promise! I blame my growing stack of books...

It seems like my "to read" list is ever expanding. I'm not exaggerating when I say this current stack of books I need to plow through is taller than my own 5'6" self. The top left books (the YA & MG novels) are genre research (and enjoyment of course, too) for my current WIP. The massive amount of picture books account for roughly 1/3 of an enormous assignment I have due for grad school in a few weeks.

There needs to be more hours in a day...

At least I have treats.

Holy Manuscript Revisions!

2010-12-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm currently in crunch-mode trying to power through some revisions to my first draft of my current novel-in-progress. Since it's technically a graduate school project I'm on a deadline... one that is quickly approaching... aka FRIDAY! My fuzzy little friend is offering up her help. Thanks kitteh!

"Hello, kitteh iz here to help you revise manuscriptz."

Artfire!

2010-11-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

I'm now up and running on Art Fire too!

Visit JillianAudreyDesigns's ArtFire Shop

Etsy, Etsy, Etsy!

2010-11-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Between mental breaks from writing this fall I’ve been indulging in another type of creativity… arts & crafts! Oh, arts & crafts, how I love thee!

Well now you can love them too because my Etsy.com shop is officially up and running! I’m so, so excited. I had a wonderful time crafting these vintage and new items over the past few weeks. Just in time for the holidays, I’m having a boutique grand opening. Now, back to the writing/revising!

VISIT MY ETSY BOUTIQUE HERE: www.jillianaudreydesigns.etsy.com
Or check out some of my stuff below:

NaNo & Me

2010-11-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

I will not be participating in NaNoWriMo this year... *le sigh*

"Why, Jillian?" you ask.
"Oh, let me tell you," I say. "It's because I have other NaNos to contend with."

JUST BECAUSE I'M NOT PARTICIPATING IN NaNoWriMo DOESN'T MEAN I DON'T HAVE A NANO-PACKED NOVEMBER:

NaNoWriSea: The way our final two semesters of graduate school at Simmons works it that we participate in what are called mentorships. Through the fall semester I write a novel from start to finish: NaNoWriSea (National Novel Writing Season, if you will). September 1st until roughly December 1st I work with a mentor as I write and then revise a novel. I'm in the process of working on a MG historical fiction novel set in Rochester, NY during WWII.

NaNoWriWe: I am nearly finished with aforementioned work-in-progress. I have approximately 8,000 words to go (which is about 3 chapters.) It will be finished in less than a week, thus this week is NaNoWriWe (National Novel Writing Week.) Oh, and by finished I mean with draft 1.

NaNoReMo: After I finish up those final chapters it's time to revise. THE WHOLE THING. IN LESS THAN A MONTH. Using the feedback I've received from my mentor (and my wonderful writing group) I will go back to the start and revise, revise, revise so that on December 1st I have a completed (mostly good) manuscript. So yeah, November for me will be National Novel Revising Month.

NaNoReReMo: After my final batch of feedback from my mentor and my beta readers, I will revise AGAIN. (This will be December.)

NanNoSubMo: SUBMISSION TIME! (This will be January/February.)

NaNoStreOMo: This is the month that I stress out as I wait to hear back from agents. Let's call it March, but I prefer National Novel Stress Out Month.

Now that I've procrastinated enough by writing this blog post it's time to get back to my NaNo-ing. Cheers & best of luck to other NaNo-ers.

Music Video/Song of the Day

2010-09-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

I tend to use music videos and songs as a way to get motivated to write or to take a little mental break while in the midst of writing. Hearkening back to good old Music Video Monday, I've decided that occasionally I will share a few of these songs and videos with you. Today's video: The World Spins Madly On by the Weepies.

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New Job!

2010-09-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

OMG, I got a fantastic writing job*!!

*So, when I say "job" I mean volunteer position. But, it's fantastic none the less. Once a week I am going to volunteer at the Boston MSPCA being a "cat scribe." Which means I get to play with kitties, and then write wonderful stories about them (using facts, of course) to help get them adopted. I adopted my wonderful sweetheart of a cat a few years ago from the Rochester Human Society (Lollypop Farm). She was in some rough shape with frostbite on her ears and terrible fur. But she's grown to be a beauty and I love her, and I know there are TONS of loving kitties out there just waiting to find homes. So I'm going to help make that happen.

In the meantime, I will be occasionally posting some of my handiwork, go ahead and check out some of the great cats available for adoption! :)

Here's Stella. Read about her here: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17520327

Here's Sassy. Read about her here: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17530591

In other news, I have reached the 24,000 word mark for my middle-grade work in progress. Whoohoo! That's about halfway. My goal is to have a completed draft by November 4th. *fingers crossed* Oh yes, and I have officially come up with a title for my WIP! "Waiting for Victory." Only 20k more to go, please send your good writing vibes my way!

The Solo Star

2010-07-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

WHY I LIKE READING 1-STAR REVIEWS OF BOOKS I LOVE

I love that amazing feeling I get when I finish a good book -- everything tingles inside and my faith in the world is restored. I got that feeling last night after I finished Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Despereaux. It was incredible and everything that children’s literature should be.

I have a funny routine that I follow once I finish a book. I head to my computer as quick as I can, log into Goodreads, and add the book to my “read” shelf. Then I do something weird: I look at the 1-star reviews that were written about the book. I like reading why other people hated a book that I loved oh, so much. I find that people are much more passionate about their dislike of a book than they sometimes are about their love of it. I don’t care much to read 5-star reviews. I always think this when I read them: “You liked it? Ok, great, if I value you’re opinion I’ll add it to my “to-read” shelf.” The end. A 5-star review doesn’t do much for me. But a 1-star review… now that’s something exciting.

It fascinates me that someone could hate a book that I loved so much. But before I begin reading the 1-star reviews I always wonder the problem is me: maybe I was missing a crucial plot hole that these readers picked up on, or I overlooked terrible writing… I begin to doubt myself. But not for long. Once I begin reading the reviews my faith is renewed in my own opinions and by comparing my opinions to those of another reader I can better understand what I liked about the book in the first place.

Often times I do find myself mentally arguing with the 1-star reviewer: “What do you mean too violent?” “It doesn’t HAVE to have a sugary sweet happy ending!” But I don’t get too riled up, I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinions and it’s impossible for a book to please EVERYONE.

But as a writer I particularly find reading the 1-star reviews interesting. It gives me some insight to what potential readers could say about my book someday. Even though they aren’t discussing my book sometimes they bring up similar issues that could happen in my own novel (too much violence, not a happy ending, “stock” characters, etc.) But what it all really comes down to is that I know that some people will love it, and some people will hate it and bash it on Goodreads, but you know, that’s life. My only hope is that someday I can give someone that warm tingly feeling when they put my book down and go to Goodreads and give it 5 stars.

I would love to hear from you, go ahead and leave me a comment & tell me about your reading and book reviewing process!