X

Feature Image

Danger. Have Book. Will Ignore. Everything.

Posted on by Beth Hull

Long, long, long ago, when I was a little munchkin, I loved to read books. Fast forward through the awkward middle school years, the dark teen angsty years, the wow-I-can-sleep-in-every-damn-day college years, and into the I-will-never-get-to-sleep-in-ever-again years of parenting. And I still love to read books.

It isn’t always as easy to find the time, and I almost never have the peace I used to have for it. But I still sneak books in wherever I can. While I’m fixing lunch, I might take a little extra time than usual. There might be one or two unnecessary trips to the bathroom during the afternoon. For the excruciating weeks when I had to stand in Z’s doorway as she fell asleep, I listened to audiobooks.

But it’s always a risk. If the book is terrible (and again and again I wonder how these things are even published, but that will always remain one of the world’s unsolvable mysteries)…where was I? Oh yes, if the book is terrible, and I read the whole thing (as I almost always do, because even if I hate the main character or think the plot is completely contrived or will scream my head off if another teenage protagonist LOVES the library)…where was I? So if I get through it, I’m grouchy because I wasted time on a dumb book.

The even bigger risk, though, is a book that sucks me in. With a short one, like Elizabeth Scott’s The Unwritten Rule, where the main character is totally completely forever in love with her best friend’s boyfriend, I’m pretty safe. I can get through the book in a couple of hours, quickly unload the dishwasher, read Z a story and jet to the park, and I feel like a good stay-at-home mommie.

But if it’s a suck-you-in book and it’s big and fat, like Jennifer Donnelly’s Revolution, and I have to get to the end of the story and it takes me more than a day, and I let everything go – housework, play dates, personal hygiene…those are the dangerous books. It’s a safe bet that we will eat, but the meals might be a little later than usual, and perhaps less involved. And heaven forbid if Z’s potty breaks don’t coincide with my own. “You have to what? But I just sat down with my book!” Suddenly I regret potty training.

If you want to get sucked in, here are some recent favorites. I’ve reviewed some of them here in my blog and helpfully provided the links…but why waste the time on a review when you can go read the book?

So it’s the weekend, you’ve got plenty of time. Get thee to a bookstore!

The Best Online Art Gallery Ever!

Posted on by Beth Hull

Art speaks to all of us in different ways, but nothing speaks quite so profoundly as a child’s visionary depictions of their worlds. As curator of the Best Online Art Gallery Ever, I feel blessed, nay, privileged, to give the Public access to these ocular delights.

Special thanks to Vicki, Leonie, Ann, Stephanie, and Jo for sharing masterpieces rendered by the special children in their lives.

The Birthday Breakdown

Posted on by Beth Hull

Holy Age-Defying Facial Moisturizer – is that another wrinkle?

As many of you know, yesterday was my birthday. It was also my little friend C’s second birthday, the birthday of my friend L, a friend of a friend, T, J’s mom’s birthday, and the birthdays of, get this: the Nugget cashier’s brother, cousin, and friend. April 3rd is a very popular day.

Because of me, of course.

So, here’s the breakdown of highlights, including getting carded by the Nugget cashier (YES!).

As a nod to my earlier years, I requested hot dogs and macaroni and cheese for my birthday dinner.

My in-laws brought princess cake from Victoria Pastry for dessert.

Princess Cake!

If you haven’t had princess cake before, I suggest you march on over to Victoria Pastry and get yourself some. It’s got marzipan icing covering triple-sec-soaked sponge cake, with whipped cream, vanilla custard, and raspberry filling. My mouth is watering. Z’s distracted. I think I’ll just sneak over to the refrigerator with my fork and…ah. Goodness. (Such goodness we couldn’t refrain from chopping it up and eating it before I could get a photo of it intact. Well, this way you can see the middle.)

Even though I thought my laptop was my Christmas-and-birthday combo present, Husband has spoiled me again, with this antique ring:

The moonstone is surrounded by the prettiest lavender gemstone…and he can’t remember what the lavender stones are called. I’m not complaining!

I even snuck some writing time into the day, and am nearly ready to submit my manuscript to my critique partners for their hawk-eyes to read and their hawk-beaks to rend to pieces. Gulp.

It was an awesome birthday, and while Husband guessed my birthday candle wish was a book and movie deal for my manuscript, it wasn’t. Because I’m not superstitious enough to stop myself, I’ll tell you what my wish was: for more birthdays just as happy as this one.

It’s a blurry shot, but you get the idea. Husband will never stop teasing me for “getting old.” That’s okay. As much as we complain about getting older, the alternative is not perfectly fabulous, either.

Happy Birthday, Everyone!

NiFtY Author Caragh O’Brien

Posted on by Beth Hull

A few weeks ago, I read this excellent book. The first couple of chapters, though, were pure torture, and not for the reasons you might think. The eerie coincidences between the first chapter of this book, Birthmarked, and the first chapter of my own manuscript were so similar it was sickening. (To read my review, click here.)

After I got over my nausea, I really got into the story. Caragh O’Brien has crafted an excellent tale, and in the interview below, she’ll tell us a little about it, and a little about her writing in general.

Interview with Caragh M. O’Brien March 3, 2011

BH: We have a really exciting sequel to look forward to in November, but in the meantime, can you tell us a little bit about Birthmarked here (for those in our audience who haven’t already read my review)?

COB:  Sure.  Let me first say thanks, Beth, for inviting me by.  Your review made me laugh so much when I first read it.  I was completely drawn to your honesty and the awful coincidences between our books.  Birthmarked is the story of Gaia, a teen midwife who is compelled to “advance” babies into a privileged society within a walled city.  In a dystopian future after climate change, Gaia’s society is divided by the wall into haves and have-nots.  Justice is uncompromising, and Gaia spends much of the book trying to save her parents from the Enclave.  It’s a pretty dark, twisted, fun book.

BH: Tell us a little about your path to publication.

COB:  Starting when?  Ha.  The short version is that I wrote a lot, quit to become a teacher, started writing again because I couldn’t help it, and then wrote Birthmarked while I was on a leave of absence from teaching.  I sent out forty-five email queries to agents, received four offers of representation, and ended up with Kirby Kim of William Morris Endeavor.  He sent out the book, and a month later we had three offers.  The best was a three-book deal with Nancy Mercado at Roaring Brook, and I was delighted.

BH: When you wrote Birthmarked, did you plan to create a series?

COB:  No.  I thought Birthmarked was a stand-alone.  When Nan offered me a three-book deal, I discovered it was a trilogy.

BH: Your blog post about Birthmarked being translated and published in Spain is truly inspiring (click here to read it)—even more amazing is that you got to meet Eva Rubio, the woman whose blog and Facebook page started the fire. What can other writers learn from your experience here?

COB: It was such an unusual situation, and I was so fortunate to meet Eva and her friends in Salamanca.  It isn’t the sort of thing I could have ever prepared for.  I suppose it helped that I sometimes do a Google search for my book, and when reviews turn up in other languages, I’m willing to push that translate button to see what’s there.  As you know, I’ll sometimes write to express my thanks to a blogger who posts an outstanding review, and that follows for overseas bloggers, too.  I am genuinely grateful for the kind reviews Birthmarked has received.

BH: What other project ideas do you hope to pursue after the Birthmarked series is finished? (Um, not too many details please…although, what are the chances we’d have another duplicate Agnes birth scene?)

COB:  We are doomed to write identical books no matter what we do, Beth.  I’m pondering three different ideas, all YA, but they’re inchoate at this stage.  I need to finish up a solid draft of Book 3 before I can let my mind go play in a new place.

BH: What does your workspace look like?

Gerbils!

COB:  I have a MacBook on my lap.  Sometimes I sit on the plaid couch in the library where I can see the gerbils, and sometimes I sit on the brown couch in the living room where I can see the slope of the yard.

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

COB:  I learned from Janet Burroway’s Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. Other than that, I read a lot of fiction so really everything is a lesson in craft.

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

COB:  I’ve been thinking about this lately, actually.  The most important writing advice I received was from Ed Epping, an Art teacher at Williams college, when he told me “Paint only what is interesting to you.”  It freed me.  It redefined what art was supposed to be.  I never again had to waste time on what I thought was unimportant, or if I did, I understood it was an assignment for someone else, not for me.  I can still do boring work for others if I must, but there’s no room for it in my own writing, ever.  On a practical writing level, this means I skip any sentence, paragraph, scene or book that doesn’t interest me.

Thanks again, Beth, for having me by, and good luck with your own writing.

BH: Caragh, thanks for visiting, and for laughing at the sad coincidences between our books. Now that I’m not throwing up about it anymore, I can laugh with you!

To visit Caragh’s website, click here. To check out Birthmarked on Amazon, click here.

The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams

Posted on by Beth Hull

The set-up: Socially-awkward Evie likes to stretch the truth as far as it will go. And then just a little bit more. Her childhood friend, Elizabeth, is found dead in the woods, and Evie’s stories start getting her in trouble.

Main character’s goals: I think Evie just wants a friend. The goal is simple, and she never actually says it, but that seems to be what drives a lot of her stories (read: LIES). Even when friendship isn’t a direct or predictable outcome to a lie, she often lies to make people feel better, so she has this desire to please, which stems from her loneliness.

My reaction: Evie’s observations and her voice are just amazing. She’s funny, and self-deprecating. As a teenager, I would’ve been scared of her, because she has this ability to find the nitty gritty flaws in everyone. As a mother, I want to give her a hug and tell her she is loved. Sappy, I know, but that’s what I got, people.

Of interest to writers: Who the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is the antagonist? This is one of those books where I really can’t find a single agent who is really all that terrible, although we do have some messed up people populating these pages (amen, alliteration). Is the antagonist Elizabeth’s killer, or is it Evie’s own issues with telling the truth, or is it her loneliness…or none of the above?

Bottom line: Read it, enjoy it, and think about it long after you’ve finished. Evie’s a character who stays with you.

To visit Katie Williams’s website, click here.

NEW FEATURE – Because my brain is constantly working (fine, spazzing out, whatever) and making new connections, this “Reminds me of” note might seem totally random. It will usually be a book, but you never know. I might write “Reminds me of” something that will have you wondering “what?” and that is fine with me. Feel free to ask why if you’re curious…or better yet, make a guess.

Reminds me of: Brave New Girl by Louisa Luna.