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Allison Larkin

Internationally Best-Selling Author

Amy Tan on Creativity

August 22, 2008 Filed Under: writing advice

I LOVE Amy Tan, and if you readAllie's Answers, you know that I LOVE Ted Talks, so put the two together and you can pretty much guess that I was in heaven when I found a Ted Talk by Amy Tan. When I was in high school, I read The Kitchen God's Wife so many times that the binding of my book fell apart. And even before I had any idea that I wanted to be a writer, I secretly longed to become a part of The Rock Bottom Remainders and bang an tambourine on my ass with the likes of Amy Tan, Dave Barry, and Stephen King. If you're a writer, or a reader, or you have questions about the universe … [Read more...]

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Days Are Getting Shorter

August 22, 2008 Filed Under: life

When I was a kid, summers were long. Getting out of school in June left me looking at this expanse of free time that never seemed to end. There was time for camp and swimming and biking and catching frogs and going on vacation and trying on back to school clothes and chasing after the ice cream man. I know that in relative terms, 2 months to a 9 year old is going to seem a lot longer than it will to a 31 year old, if you consider that 2 months is almost 2% of a 9 year old's life and .5% of a 31 year old's life, (and seriously, that is a little beyond my mathematical skills, but we can talk … [Read more...]

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He’s okay!

August 20, 2008 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog

This afternoon, I decided that I couldn't just sit home and worry while I waited for a phone call that wasn't even supposed to come for another couple of days, so I took Argo to the p-a-r-k for an h-i-k-e (both words need to be spelled around my pup). I was determined not to think about it, and just focus on having fun with my friend. I actually impressed myself with how much I was able to just let go and enjoy my surroundings. I live in my head a lot, and this was a victory for me. We did some trail running, hung out by the creek for a bit and watched turtles swimming just under the water. … [Read more...]

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Waiting Impatiently

August 19, 2008 Filed Under: Argo the wonder dog

I took Argo to the vet on Friday to have a few bumps checked out. He has pretty bad allergies, and gets skin irritations as a result. One bump was a little too close to his incision site for comfort (he had cancer in February). Apparently, the bump I worried about was just a doggie zit, but the bump I wasn't worried about looked "a little suspicious" to our vet and "given his history" warranted a biopsy. The biopsies take about a week to come back, and the waiting is killing me. I did just fine over the weekend, telling myself it was all going to be okay, keeping busy cleaning the basement … [Read more...]

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Guest Posting

August 16, 2008 Filed Under: guest posts

I'm over at The Modern Gal with a recycled post on birthdays and underwear. … [Read more...]

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I totally believe, don’t you?

August 15, 2008 Filed Under: Bigfoot

The Bigfoot press conference is today. Unfortunately, I have to take Argo to the vet and I'm going to miss it. Sigh. . . (Oh, what I do to get J's goat!) … [Read more...]

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I hide in my music, forget the day . . .

August 14, 2008 Filed Under: writing

Picture from my bike trip. I did a guest post over at Extra Ordinary today about my love of cheesy music, and it got me thinking of another writing habit I employ. I make playlists for my main characters. Getting my butt in the chair and getting focused is another really important part of writing (obviously). Playing songs that my character would like or listen to, or songs that in some way trigger something for me about that character is a vital step in my the process. It gets me thinking in their head instead of my own, and makes it easier for me to stay true to my character, so I don't … [Read more...]

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Biking and Writing

August 12, 2008 Filed Under: writing

Much of my work happens away from the computer, when it probably doesn't look like I'm working at all. I do a ton of my writing in my head before it ever hits the page. I'm not perfecting dialogue or anything along those lines, just creating a loose sketch of what could happen and what makes sense for my characters. I do my best sketching and problem solving when I'm doing something physical. When I was a theatre major, back in college, I had a horrible time memorizing lines (kind of a vital skill for a theatre major). One of my professors told me that walking while trying to process … [Read more...]

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Where do I start?

August 11, 2008 Filed Under: 100 Things, begin at the beginning, life, writing

So, I've finally created a personal blog where I can talk about my writing and my life beyond being a greenie (although, being green is a part of every aspect of my life).I've been a personal blogger without a personal blog for way too long - finding ways to sneak little snippets of my life into that other blog over there, wondering if the poor soul who stumbled across my website while looking for a recipe to use up the beets in her CSA bag really wants to read a story about 3rd grade me pretending to drive a spaceship on the school bus.But beyond telling you all of that, I really don't know … [Read more...]

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Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda Okay, fine. Her jacket is reversible and we kinda match. I admit it. Alright? We all knew this was coming. None of this should be a surprise to any of us. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogjacket #peoplewhomatchtheirdogs
Just a dog in a puffy jacket that matches her lawn Just a dog in a puffy jacket that matches her lawn chair. And she likes it! #dailyroxydog #chihuahuamix #ilovemydog
We are in the habit of starting and ending our day We are in the habit of starting and ending our days side by side in our lawn chairs, while the light rises or dims. It’s still chilly at the outer edges of the day. Sometimes Roxy shivers. I bought her a sweater, but she won’t wear it. Sometimes I try to wrap her in my jacket, but she’s not having that either, so I throw her ball and try to get her run and then she comes back to her chair, warm for a little longer. #dailyroxydog #huskychihuahua #dogssittinginchairs
“I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to “I got a secret I should tell. I’m going up to heaven in a split pea shell.” ~ @petermulvey43 Words Too Small to Say
Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyro Happy as a dog in a freshly dug nap hole. #dailyroxydog #huskymixesofinstagram
I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic ant I saw this little dresser at my favorite magic antique store sometime in November and didn’t buy it. But then, of course, I kept thinking about her. She’s the perfect size for my office, and I found those drawer pulls hilarious. When I finally went back in December, I told myself I was shopping for wall art, because I assumed she would be gone. But she was right where I’d seen her last: balanced on another dresser with boxes of old picture frames and tchotchkes piled on top (the true mark of a magic antique store). I didn’t even realize she had a towel rack — that she was a wash stand, not a dresser — until I asked about the price, said I’d take her, and my favorite magic antique store person asked if we needed to unscrew the towel rack to fit her in my car. I suspect this little sweetie is not from the days of necessary wash stands so much as from a country kitchen in the 80s. She was in rough shape, and not made from wood worth stripping and re-staining, but her price reflected that. I had to disassemble that door and put it back together, but I’d been in the market for some experience working with old furniture, and she made me feel brave about trying. I thought about painting her something more neutral, but I’m so glad I didn’t. She deserves to be pink. She’s not perfectly painted and needs a few touch ups. I learned some things about chalk paint and finishes. The drawers stick a bit. Eventually, I’d like to line them with fabric and when I do, I might plane the edges to smooth things out. But goodness, I love her in a way that I wouldn’t if I hadn’t spent time cleaning away her cobwebs and scrubbing the grime from her hilarious drawer pulls. She’s also become a little shrine for the book I’m working on, which makes me love her even more. I’ve always been a person who sees some soul in certain things, and I’m learning to cherish that idiosyncrasy, because there’s so much joy to be found in a brave little toaster or an underdog wash stand. We’re not here in the world for all that long. We may as well love some bright little things. #furnituremakeover
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