A smattering of links

March 15, 2011 Filed Under: books are awesome, here and there, links

Lately, at the end of the day, I feel like I’ve run out of words.  I spend my days either writing or thinking about writing while I do other things, and then my brain is just plain done, and all I can manage is an hour or so of Top Gear before I fall asleep.  Everything else just kind of bounces around in my head.  It’s not an unpleasant thing at all, but it means I owe some friends a phone call or an e-mail, and it also means that there are some things I’ve been meaning to share that I haven’t gotten around to yet, so here goes.

It’s pretty sunny in Rochester today, but we’ve got lots of rain in the forecast, and since it’s Rochester, snow isn’t out of the question yet.  But in May, I’m headed to the Lake Austin Spa Resort to talk about STAY and writing at the For The Love of Books program, and it has me looking forward to spring in the best way.  I mentioned it on Facebook awhile ago, but I wanted to post about it here, too.  My event is on May 21st, and if you’re looking for a place to unwind, Lake Austin seems like the perfect place to do it!  I can’t wait!

I’m a member of The Fiction Writers Co-op.  Since many of us visit, call in, or Skype with book clubs, Claire Cook came up with the brilliant idea of making a list of Co-op authors who work with book clubs as a resource to clubs who would like to include authors in their discussions.  Therese Walsh, Rebecca Rasmussen, and Ann Mah helped put the list up online, and you can see it here.

FOUR of my friends have debut books coming out in a few weeks and I’m SOOOOOO excited about them.

  1. Rochester author, news anchor, and editor of the New York Cork Report, Evan Dawson is celebrating the April 5th of his debut book, Summer in a Glass, the stories behind Finger Lakes wines, with a book tour of New York wineries and bookstores this spring and summer. 
  2. Rebecca Rasmussen‘s debut The Bird Sisters hits shelves on April 12th, and has been getting rave reviews.
  3. Rainbow Rowell‘s debut novel, Attachments will be out on April 14th.  I got to read an advance copy of Attachments and contributed a blurb for it.  It is absolutely on my list of all time favorite books.  And I can’t get enough of her blog either.  
  4. The Violets of March, Sarah Jio‘s debut novel, is out on April 26th, and I’ve been dying to read it for almost a year now.  
Junior is now at the Pittsford Animal Hospital receiving medical testing and care. He’s still looking for a foster or permanent home, so if you’re interested in foster/adopting him, or helping with his care in another way, you can contact the animal hospital in reference to Junior from Wooftown Dog Rescue, or contact Wooftown Rescue directly.  
Speaking of animal lovers and great writers, Wade Rouse has a few memoir writing workshops coming up, and since I get a lot of questions about writing classes and workshops, I figured I’d mention it here.  A few days writing with Wade sounds like a great way to celebrate spring.
And, I’m planning to start posting with a little more regularity.  I swear.
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Here, there, and everywhere

March 11, 2009 Filed Under: here and there

– I’ve been busy editing my book as per my amazing editor’s suggestions. This doesn’t just mean I’m putting commas in the right place. I’m taking my book apart and putting it back together again to make a better book. I really enjoy editing (because I am strange), but it requires me to keep an entire set of “rules” for this story in my head. Move a scene, and you have to remember to adjust the impact it will have throughout the book. For example, you can’t have a character drive away in their car if they didn’t drive to that destination in the first place. I’m finding that I’m very happy dealing with all things book related right now, but super distracted when I try to deal with anything else. This too shall pass, and it’s not like it matters if my socks don’t match each other, right? Thankfully, J is just fine eating soup, salads, and sandwiches for dinner for the next few weeks, because I’d most likely burn the house down if I tried to cook anything right now.

– We’re considering putting up a fence in the backyard. I’d rather move, but that’s not going to happen instantly, and in my current state of work, the last thing I need is to start a project of that magnitude. I can, however, manage to interview a few contractors and see a fence is an affordable option. I hope it is, because I am totally dreaming of a summer of sitting on the patio and writing while the dogs play, without the neighbor kid yelling, “Hi Argo’s mom! Hi Argo’s mom!” over and over and over again before he rides his scooter through my strawberry patch. If we get a fence, I want one of the stockade fences with no gaps between the boards so the neighbor kid can’t even see me when I’m outside. And I think it might be easier to sell our house eventually if the backyard doesn’t have a view of The Crap Garden.

– It’s so windy today that our garbage can blew from the side of our house to halfway down our driveway. When I first moved up here, I was amused by the “high wind warning” signs in the groceries stories, reminding people to corral their shopping carts. But I can assure you, high winds are no laughing matter. If I never post again, it’s because our house blew away with me in it.

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