Author: Beth Hull

Attack of the Radioactive Dog

Posted on by Beth Hull

Despite the fact that I feel bad about making fun of a radioactive dog disposal site and the poor beasts therein, the “comic” really isn’t all that funny. It’s disappointing, and that disappointment has to do with something I’ve learned about writing lately: you take a character you like, get her in lots of trouble, and then have her solve her own problems, usually in a creative or unexpected way.

In this comic, we’ve got a character we like a LOT (ahem, moi, in very big sunglasses), and she’s in lots of trouble. A radioactive dog has escaped the confines of death and its barrel and is skulking toward our heroine while emitting ominous GRRRR sounds. But the end is disappointing, because our heroine has not taken steps to solve her own problem. In fact, she just sits there like some moronic blonde in a horror movie. I’m surprised she doesn’t climb out of the car to investigate the noises, thus rendering herself easier radioactive dog chow.

However, I had limited time to make this comic, and I wanted it to stay on one page of the diary, so I had to end it fast.

No matter the outcome, it was fun. And that’s what writing should be.

How would you end the comic?

***

I almost forgot! The winner of last week’s giveaway is Megan! She’ll be receiving an ARC of Heidi Ayarbe’s new book, Compulsion, very soon!

Rule: You Just. Don’t. Ask.

Posted on by Beth Hull

When teaching high school English, I endeavored to impress upon my impressionable young ninth graders not only the life-giving truths of simile, metaphor, and onomatopoeia, but the simple life rule that you NEVER ASK A WOMAN, ANY WOMAN, IF SHE IS PREGNANT.

“What if she’s obviously pregnant?” they said. They hadn’t yet learned to trust my absolute wisdom. It was the first half of the school year, after all.

“That’s the problem. She might look obviously pregnant, or she might look sort of pregnant. But if she’s NOT pregnant, then you’ve just committed a serious crime. And keeping your mouth shut is always safe.”

Not every person was blessed with a high school English teacher of my caliber. I pity these people.

So let me say this again, for the benefit of busybodies and other uncool members of the public who think it’s okay to ask a woman personal questions about the contents of her uterus: Keeping your mouth shut is always safe.

On the bright side, no one has asked me this question in a long time (it’s either the glare of my gaze or the beer in my hand), and this blog post is instead the result of someone else telling a friend she looked pregnant. And I’ve gotta say, this friend has a supermodel’s body. I would do just about anything to have her body (except give up chocolate, and therein lies the problem, my friends). The fact someone asked Super Amazing Body Friend if she was pregnant is reassuring to ME. But not to SABF.

Again, just in case someone missed the announcement: Keeping your mouth shut is always safe.

It’ll be on Friday’s quiz.

Oh! And don’t forget to comment on last Friday’s post, for a chance to win an advance reader’s copy of Heidi Ayarbe’s new YA book, Compulsion. Click here to go there.

NiFtY Author Heidi Ayarbe AND GIVEAWAY!

Posted on by Beth Hull

Heidi Ayarbe is the author of three young adult novels: Freeze Frame, Compromised, and Compulsion. I can say with authority that Compromised and Compulsion are both awesome, and Freeze Frame is on my To Read list. Compulsion just came out on Tuesday, and it’s freaking great, and at the end of this interview you can comment for a chance to win an advance reader’s copy of Compulsion.

BH: What’s your one-paragraph pitch for Compulsion?

HA: Compulsion happens over a period of five days in the life of Jake Martin. Jake’s the star of the soccer team, ready to lead his high school team to their third state championship in a row this Saturday. This Saturday means everything because this Saturday, if he plays perfect, he will be released him from the spiders – the numbers – and the other obsessions that rule his life. Saturday, the primes converge and Jake believes that if he does everything right, Saturday will be the day Jake gets to be normal. He’s tired of hiding, tired of living with OCD.

BH: What compelled you (haha) to write Compulsion?

HA: I had a few panic attacks a few years ago. I don’t know why – out of the blue – I became literally panicked over small spaces and being closed in. I figured out how to keep from panicking in elevators and on airplanes, buses and closed-in spaces – some tricks to keep me okay. Each attack lasted just a few minutes but felt like an eternity. I got to thinking about people who live with anxiety – the real deal – every day and how that feeling never goes away. I wanted to write that story because I’m aware that over 40 million people are diagnosed with some kind of anxiety disorder … But I can bet that so many of those 40 million feel pretty alone. I hope Compulsion, somehow, can reach out to those who suffer – give them a voice.

BH: I read Compromised, loved it, and reviewed it awhile back. (HA: Thank you!) How was your experience different when writing the two different books? How was it the same?

HA: Every book is so different. But, I think, there’s nothing as daunting and terrifying as a second novel. (Compromised was my second novel). Once I wrote Freeze Frame, my first novel, revised it, and gone through the grueling process from getting an agent through to copy edits, it felt so … done. And then I was given the chance to write a second novel, Compromised, and everything changed. There were expectations and deadlines – different ones – and reviews to compare to FF reviews. And THE DREADED FIRST DRAFT. I’d totally forgotten how abysmal my first drafts ARE (and continue to be). So seeing Compromised through the published-eye lens was ghastly! All I saw was drivel, having forgotten that I’d get a chance to make it work. I didn’t really enjoy the process as much because I was horrified. So Compulsion was pure joy. I knew I could do it. I made it through novel #2 (which I happen to love, but it was really tough) and Compulsion’s first draft, as expected, was a mess, but I got the structure down and a chance to make it into a novel I love. So, BIG difference in perspective. Same process.

BH: Is it hard to write from a male perspective? Do you have any tips for authors who wish to write from the perspective of the opposite sex?

HA: I think it’s the same tip for writing anything: OBSERVATION. Take the time to watch how people act in public, at restaurants. Watch out for clichés! Writing is about creating believable characters. So watch how males talk compared to females. Listen to them. Think of a male reacting to something and how would a female react to it (typically), then switch it up and give the male the “cliché” female reaction but make it a real guy thing. It’s mostly about creating wonderful, believable people and making them people we can relate to.

BH: What does your workspace look like?

HA: Cramped, overflowing with papers, books, receipts from milk I purchased years ago and other useless things … MESSY!

BH: What is your favorite book on the craft of writing?

HA: I LOVE Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. It makes me feel reassured that I’m not alone in my neurosis and insecurities and fear of failure and more. What I LOVE most is how she says, SPILL IT OUT ON THE PAGE, EVERY PAGE, EVERY NOVEL. I love that advice.  See below!

BH: What is the best writing advice anyone has given you?

HA: See above … though technically she didn’t give it to me personally. But GREAT advice.

BH: Thank you for the interview, Heidi, and thanks for the great reads!

And didn’t I say something about a contest? A big thank you to Heidi for making it possible. So, the rules are simple. The giveaway is limited to the continental United States (sorry, overseas people…unless you have an address here you’d like the book shipped to!). To enter, leave a comment at the end of this post. (Email address required to comment, but your email address isn’t published or shared with anyone, ever!)

If you tweet about the contest & share this link, you can get an extra entry (limit one extra). Just comment with the link to your tweet so I can verify that everything’s on the up & up.

The winner will be picked out of a hat at random. Well, his or her name will be picked out of a hat…not the winner in person, which would be too strange.

Deadline: Next Thursday, 5/12/2011, 11:59 p.m. PST. Winner announced sometime on Friday.

For more on Heidi and her books, check out the sites below:

Heidi’s Website:  www.heidiayarbe.com

HarperCollins Website: www.harperteen.com

Heidi’s blog: http://heidiayarbe.blogspot.com/

IndieBound Link to COMPULSION: http://www.indiebound.org/hybrid?filter0=compulsion+by+heidi+ayarbe&x=0&y=0

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For Sale: Lovely Maroon Curtains – CHEAP

Posted on by Beth Hull

Photographs were taken. Dances were danced. Phone calls were made. Television crews filmed, newscasters reported. (Well, not really on the filming or news reports. But they should have.)

The maroon curtains are down. Dismantled. An ugly memory.

Excuse me, I’m feeling a little emotional here.

Because not only are the curtains a pile of excreted maroon on the living room floor, but the living room walls are GREEN.  (A happy green, not a mental institution green…except in artificial light. But we have other rooms to hang out in after dark.)

Yup, curtains came down, I painted my little heart out, and voila! I’m not embarrassed when people come to my house anymore!

Does anyone know a blue whale who needs a maroon ball gown?

(For last week’s post, “Marooned,” click here.)

Compulsion by Heidi Ayarbe

Posted on by Beth Hull

The set-up: The set-up: High school soccer star Jake has to use his magic numbers to get through the week before the final soccer game of the year – the state championship.

Main character’s goals: Jake wants, no needs to win Saturday’s soccer game, because he believes if he does, he won’t need “the numbers” anymore.

My reaction: The whole time I was reading, I was worried. Would Jake help his team win the match? Would he beat the numbers? Would his secret come roaring out at the worst possible moment?

My other reaction: I used to make up equations (usually very simple) ones, for the numbers on digital clocks. Example: 11:24. 1 + 1 + 2 = 4. It would bother me if I couldn’t get them to work, and I’d toy with them, trying to square things if there was a 2, or do division or combine digits…luckily, my being “bothered” if it didn’t work didn’t translate into freaking out.

Of interest to writers: Study this for keeping the tension up in your writing. Look at how sections and chapters are ended, how there’s always something to worry about. I’m feeling tense just remembering Jake’s story. Study the first pages – that right there was tense. Even if I’d wanted to put the book aside to do something else, I couldn’t have.

Bottom line: Clear a day to read this one, you won’t want to put it down. You’ve gotta wait until tomorrow, May 3rd, though – that’s when it’s available for sale.

INTERVIEW WITH HEIDI AYARBE AND COMPULSION GIVE-AWAY COMING UP!!! This Friday or next! Stay tuned! Exciting! Lots of exclamation points!!!

To visit Heidi Ayarbe’s website, click here. To read my review of her previous book, Compromised, click here.

Reminds me of: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. I’m going for the obvious connection, here. Boy protagonist, a little numbers-obsessed.