tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31164613513050701422024-03-13T15:59:43.451-04:00The Charmed BraceletI like my books the way I like my life: with magic, strong female characters, and hope.Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.comBlogger509125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-29490454945193492642014-05-03T15:50:00.000-04:002014-05-03T15:51:14.943-04:00We Need Diverse BooksI love the <a href="http://weneeddiversebooks.tumblr.com/">We Need Diverse Books</a> movement. It's making me want to get back on Twitter but given that I'm at NESCBWI this weekend, it's not really the best time for me to attempt to remember my password.<br />
<br />
So, I will blog about it.<br />
<br />
We NEED diverse books. Why? It hardly seems necessary to explain—don't we all want diverse books? Aren't the merits more than obvious?—well, I suppose I should add my reasons.<br />
<br />
We need diverse books because the stories we tell have power. They can both reflect and reshape our world. Yes, I truly believe they can. The stories I grew up with certainly had an irreversible impact on how I live my life—sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.<br />
<br />
The stories we tell must represent varying viewpoints, varying realities, varying moral choices and decisions, varying emotional and physical landscapes. The stories we consume must give us new perspectives, new skins to inhabit, new lives to live.<br />
<br />
Stories not only tell us who we are and who we could be, they tell us what matters. Diversity matters. Different experiences and perspectives matter. And all stories must be told, all voices heard (some in print, some to family...stories are how we understand and express the world around us and inside us).<br />
<br />
I'm at this conference and I love it, but I also worry. There are so many women. So many white woman. So many white middle class women. Conferences cost money, let me tell you. That's why I haven't attended many. I didn't shell out for an extra critique. I tell myself, not everyone can afford this, both the time and the expense. Surely, I think, surely those people can also be published.<br />
<br />
And maybe they can. But networking is important, in every industry. I worry that it's not the consumer that is the problem, it's the old, familiar path to publishing. The money that buys the keys that gets you next to that agent or editor or in that life-changing workshop on craft that sends your writing in a new and thrilling trajectory. How do we close the gap? How do we make these resources accessible to all socioeconomic groups.<br />
<br />
I don't know the answer, Reader, but I want us all to keep asking the question. And the follow up: HOW CAN I HELP? That's what I'll be thinking the rest of this weekend, and in the future.Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-19472788608360536292014-05-03T07:41:00.002-04:002014-05-03T15:36:30.845-04:00True CONfessionsPoem written during NESCBWI 2014<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In a Hotel</span><br />
<br />
Normally I dislike public shaming <br />
But I must protest you vigorously banging<br />
My wall,<br />
At all of 3:30 AM.<br />
The headboard knock-knocked me straight out of my REM.<br />
I awoke with the suddenness of a loud slap,<br />
Which is just what I heard when I was wrenched from my nap.<br />
Perhaps I should thank you for waking me up,<br />
Except you've made it clear you don't give a--<br />
Luckily this gives me time to prepare,<br />
For my agent critique: say, rip out my hair,<br />
Or reread the schedule.<br />
Though instead I count the times<br />
That you say, "Oh my God!"<br />
(I'm at eight or nine.)<br />
This is what happens when you book a room,<br />
Across the street from the Con, I presume.<br />
You clearly have different priorities<br />
Than chatting up agents and eating free cheese.<br />
I know I should just go back to bed,<br />
But I can't get this stupid poem out of my head.<br />
Perhaps I should thank you for waking my muse,<br />
But given your volume that's hardly news.<br />
And I'd much prefer getting some more beauty sleep,<br />
Than crafting an ode to your bleepity-bleep.<br />
So next time you want to jump bones on the bed,<br />
Might I suggest the floor instead?Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-90817746256896260752014-04-29T13:22:00.003-04:002014-04-29T13:22:53.068-04:00Interlude in Bed with Sleeping CatHello, Reader. As I mentioned before, I feel compelled to blog again. Not only because I miss it, but because I'm going to a conference this weekend (NESCBWI) and it seems a smart thing to do professionally.<br />
<br />
Platform...I think a lot about platform. Writers need them. A social media presence is expected. And yet wouldn't my time be better spent writing stories?<br />
<br />
I'm not sure what I should be blogging about. I should probably cast the blog aside for Tumblr. I wonder what Mochi thinks. She is the rescue cat we adopted about a month ago. It's very nice to type in bed on a laptop with a cat curled up at my feet.<br />
<br />
What an indecisive blog post this has turned out to be. I simply wonder: does a unpublished writer's blog serve a purpose? Does it build an audience? Or does it only work if I blog about food or cute animals or something? I wonder. I am curious.<br />
<br />
Mochi doesn't seem interested in this conversation. She just wants me to never move my leg because it's propping her up perfectly and also she would like me to occasionally scratch her head.<br />
<br />
I'm off to scratch her head now, Reader.<br />
<br />Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-24024503787290024232014-04-20T22:50:00.003-04:002014-04-20T22:50:52.378-04:00Maybe Life Is Less Like a Novel, More Like an Ongoing Revision of OneI've been inspired lately by Big Changes in people's lives. Like KJ who recently left a life in New York for an adventure on a farm in Maine, which you can read about <a href="http://kjisbranchingout.blogspot.com/2014/04/on-leaving-and-arriving.html">here</a>. Or my sister-in-law who is getting married next weekend. These are the big moments. Decisions. Landmarks.<br />
<br />
Progress.<br />
<br />
I always want life to be like a novel‐more specifically: a fantasy novel. Novels with journeys and quests. Novels where you can see progress not only with every turn of the page, but at every way station the characters reach. (Perhaps this is why I tend to avoid the super literary literary novels, because I'm afraid they'll be stagnant. Too much like real life.)<br />
<br />
In my favorite novels, there is progress both physical and emotional. There is character growth. People move through the story as you move the pages.<br />
<br />
In real life, we have no such guarantees. You could reread the same chapter over and over for years without any conflict resolution or meaningful dialogue. A person could easily make the same mistakes over and over again, hurting the same people throughout their entire lives without ever reaching a climactic moment of clarity. A truly remarkable story could end in the middle of a sentence, with no possibility of a sequel.<br />
<br />
Novels are so much more reliable than real life.<br />
<br />
I wish I was approaching a Big Life Change: switching careers or moving across country or falling in love. But I am at a stage in my life where I'm planting roots. Staying put. Happily married and settling into a house.<br />
<br />
But I feel so restless. Because, if I'm being honest, I'm not satisfied yet. Maybe I'm a selfish protagonist but I want people to read my stories. I want to plan book events (I do so love parties). I want to be on panels and in meetings. I want to be a writer. A working writer. I even want deadlines. The thing is, there's no physical journey I can take that will guarantee I reach this goal: no magical path through a dark wood and over a snowy mountain. There's only hope and grit and talent and a lot of luck.<br />
<br />
When I was at Bread Loaf I was in a workshop led by Margot Livesey (who is a lovely person). One of the things she said that resonated with me regarding writing was that (and I'm paraphrasing here) you must be mindful of how you interpret feedback from a reader. Revisions are cumulative. One seemingly large plot hole may be fixed with one or two sentences, if placed correctly. Sometimes small changes have a big impact.<br />
<br />
Maybe life is like that too. Maybe all my angst and my desire for Big Change really amounts to a desire for a few small ones. Some tweaking of my sentences. Moving a paragraph here and some dialogue there.<br />
<br />
So I will try. And in the meantime I'll keep moving, keep writing, keep turning the pages of both the stories I tell and the Story of my life.*<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I definitely did not intend to end on a boy band reference, but there it is.I'm not taking it back. It was MEANT to BE. </span>Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-6983155447629945152014-04-17T22:58:00.000-04:002014-04-17T22:59:39.229-04:00I'm Still (Mostly) HereDearest Reader,<br />
<br />
How are you? I have thought of you often. I'm sorry I've been away from blogging for so long. The problem, of course, is time: full time job, part time job teaching kickboxing, second job writing and trying to get an agent, and the job of keeping up with life and house and friends and husband and animals.<br />
<br />
Reader, I feel stuck and lost. My job is not a career. Depending on the season, it can be draining and stressful. Lately it's been pretty rough. I'm sure there are ways to minimize this, but it's not something I'm good at. I let everything cut too deep: every rude comment by a stranger, every sad phone call. I make everything personal and it takes its toll.<br />
<br />
I am querying my YA novel. I am writing a new middle grade novel. I am tentatively starting to plot the potential sequel to the YA novel--just in case.<br />
<br />
I don't know how to do this. How to be a writer with a job and a relatively normal life. How to have the life I want. How to ask for help. I want to be self sufficient. I want to succeed on my own merits. I don't want to need help.<br />
<br />
Well, it's been a long winter. Maybe as the ground thaws, things will change again. And for the better. I can't stand stagnation, even though change can be hard.<br />
<br />
Maybe I'll blog more. I've missed you. I hope you missed me too. Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-86950255500248947952013-10-22T21:52:00.000-04:002013-10-22T21:53:11.550-04:00We Are The CapitolSo I just saw a commercial for the new Cover Girl line of Hunger Games-inspired cosmetics. You can see the line <a href="http://www.covergirl.com/catching-fire">here</a>. <br />
<br />
I appreciate the marketing tie in. I mean, it makes sense. And yet, it underscores precisely why some stories work better as books than as movies. And I love when someone helps me make that point—because I think it's important to remember that while there are advantages to telling a story as a movie, there are specific advantages to telling it as a book, too.<br />
<br />
See, when you read The Hunger Games books, you ARE Katniss. It's written in first person, so you're in her head. You are her and she is you. You are suffering and fighting and struggling and surviving. <br />
<br />
When you watch The Hunger Games, you are all those complacent people at the Capitol who allow atrocities like the Games to continue simply for you own entertainment (and out of fear but let's not get too into the weeds here, people.)<br />
<br />
And when you buy into the accompanying marketing tie-ins, you are one of the worst offenders: thoughtlessly buying into the festivities of the Games for the frivolous fun of dressing up and going to parties and—sure, some children die, but they were going to die eventually, right? Might as well be famous before you go.<br />
<br />
Maybe I am reading too much into it, but the whole thing makes me uncomfortable in a creepy, crawly, I-just-saw-a-spider-therefore-there-are-phantom-spiders-all-over-me kind of way. Makes me think the publisher didn't get what Collins was really talking about in her books.<br />
<br />
Or worse, and more likely, just didn't care.<br />
<br />
And yes, I did think this random thought was worth coming out of blog hibernation to talk about. Now I'm back to my full time work cave. What else have I been up to? Novel revisions, new story idea, Halloween prep, and killing a deer with my car.<br />
<br />
You?Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-57776626159526872352013-07-30T21:30:00.003-04:002013-07-30T21:30:48.819-04:00I Hit SendI sent the partial.<br />
<br />
I sent the partial.<br />
<br />
I<br />
<br />
sent<br />
<br />
<br />
the<br />
<br />
partial.<br />
<br />
It's to an agent who requested it...in November 2010. I met her at Bread Loaf and she gave me some wonderful feedback—not the least of which was that I should consider aging down to YA. And after Editor Friend said the same, I started really thinking about it. And then I heard a teen voice in first person. Which meant not just quick find replacing her age (haha!...ha) but changing the POV and her state of mind and her hopes and dreams and...everything.<br />
<br />
But sometimes I think the most important thing this agent gave me was the spark in her eyes when I told her what the novel was about...and then realized the novel never went there. The Bad Thing never happened. And it had to happen. This agent's eyes told me that. And it was scary and I didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway.<br />
<br />
The book is so much stronger now. I'm a better writer. It took a few years but here I am.<br />
<br />
I. Hit. Send.Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-10771629379901074632013-07-03T18:02:00.001-04:002013-07-03T18:02:42.638-04:00UpdatesHello, Reader!<br />
<br />
I wish I could call you darling. But then I'd have to be the kind of woman who swirls around in dramatic tunics and cigarette pants, wears red lip stick, and can say things like, "What a glorious day!"<br />
<br />
One of my favorite teachers used the word "glorious" often. I always admired that. It is not a word to be wielded lightly. It takes commitment.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Reader, I just thought I'd give you an update, since my last post hinted at some changes on the horizon. So far they are not book-related in nature. I got a new full time job. I haven't had a full time position in years and years. I mean, I've worked full time, but only for six months at a time until the seasonal work ended and then I would have to scramble and save and readjust to a new schedule.<br />
<br />
Now I'm in it for the long haul. This is a good thing. I think it may even help my writing, because when I have daily tasks that I can check off, I put less pressure on my creative self to produce. Like for the past week while I've been learning my new job, I've been reading and simmering but not writing. Since I just finished my draft of THE MAGPIE'S TALE and am starting a new WIP, it makes sense that I'd need some recharge time.<br />
<br />
But my brain has this magical ability to recognize what makes sense and yet snub it at the same time. It's like both Dashwood sisters up in here.<br />
<br />
So having a job helps with that. My need to Be Productive, is funneled in that direction, leaving my creative side some breathing room.<br />
<br />
I am missing spending all day with Bingley though. Sigh.<br />
<br />
My most recent fortune cookie said, "Change is coming. Go with the flow."<br />
<br />
I'm trying to not only go with the flow, but enjoy it at the same time. What a concept!Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-74802398022504651222013-06-20T12:11:00.000-04:002013-06-20T12:11:59.725-04:00Get Out of My Brain...Get BACK In My BrainHey there, Reader.<br />
<br />
So. I finished my novel. You know this. I have Ideas for my next novel. There will be no missing memories. No dream sequences. There will be blood and action and angst and preplotting to map out the story so I don't have to rewrite it a billion times.<br />
<br />
Fun!<br />
<br />
Wait, no. Not fun.<br />
<br />
I am an organizer. A list maker. I am maybe ever-so-slightly a control freak and I am definitely an overachiever. Therefore pre-plotting could potentially be the worst thing for me ever, because I will attempt to become the Best most Rigid and Perfect Pre-plotter in the history of plotting and my story will sag and wither and die a lonely color-coded death before the first chapter is over.<br />
<br />
I cut myself off from writing and publishing advice blogs years ago when I felt like I was getting bitter about the process before I'd even begun. Now I'm getting sucked back in again because not only do I need a synopsis for my finished novel, I think I should draft one for the new novel as well. I think that might help me stay on target and not take quite so long to work out what the story is about.<br />
<br />
But wandering the waist-high, tick-infested grass of writing advice blogs gives me the sads. It makes me scrunch of my face and go full on toddler, "NO! No no no!"<br />
<br />
At the same time, the controlling, should-have-been-an-editor side of me is nodding at the screen and going, "Yes. Rules. These all make sense. I must print this out and highlight it with color-coded highlighters. I must memorize them. I must write my next book solely using these rules or else no one will like it."<br />
<br />
Come back, Toddler Writer Side! Come back and scribble and scream and tell stories that make no sense but are somehow true. Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-50262244782468682682013-06-18T15:28:00.001-04:002013-06-18T15:30:26.294-04:00Welcome to the Current State of My Brain<b>On my brain:</b><br />
1. Fabulous betas are reading my novel (or will be soon)<br />
2. Top Secret Job Stuff<br />
3. World building for my WIP (more like WJS: Work Just Started)<br />
<br />
<b>What that looks like:</b><br />
<br />
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<br />Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-22374478999419995012013-06-14T10:52:00.003-04:002013-06-14T11:00:45.441-04:00We're Talking About the Wrong ThingYou guys. I can't even deal. I feel like lately all I've been is a super grouchy feminist.<br />
<br />
No. I HAVE been a super grouchy feminist. And I have every reason to be.<br />
<br />
Have you read the incendiary <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/06/the-secret-to-being-both-a-successful-writer-and-a-mother-have-just-one-kid/276642/">article by Lauren Sandler in The Atlantic</a>?It talks about how women writers can juggle motherhood and writing and suggests that the most successful women do it by limiting themselves to one child.<br />
<br />
Fine. Whatever. I do not care about her opinions on motherhood and the creative life.<br />
<br />
There have also been some <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jun/13/zadie-smith-one-child-career?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+%28Books%29">interesting responses to that article from Zadie Smith and others</a>. I don't particularly care about those either, though I agree with many of them. <br />
<br />
What I care about is this: We keep having this conversation about what women can do in order to balance motherhood with X.<br />
<br />
X = career, writing, art, coaching soccer, traveling the world, having time for oneself. Whatever.<br />
<br />
We are having the wrong conversation. It's wrong because we are STILL making the implicit assumption that women must and will always be the primary (dare I say sole?) caretakers of their children.<br />
<br />
On the eve of Father's Day weekend I find myself asking, where in this conversation are all the fathers?<br />
<br />
(As an aside, there was a great <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/06/the-gay-guide-to-wedded-bliss/309317/">article by Liza Mundy in The Atlantic</a> recently about the happiness of same sex couples which skimmed over the possibility that this is because they are making it up as they go, splitting and sharing responsibilities based on their own wants and needs rather than some outdated family model that requires a Masculine and a Feminine in order to work. Intriguing stuff.)<br />
<br />
We aren't asking how men can find ways to balance the demands of their careers with their growing desire to spend more time with their families.<br />
<br />
Shit, there was a stupid piece on The Today Show this morning about men taking or not taking paternity leave and how it's so HARD on men because they worry about their jobs the whole time they're home with the baby. You know, totally UNLIKE the mom who is just blissed out the whole time, totally zen about being a giant living food bag and not giving a thought to her career because...motherhood = career, obviously. Oh, she's content now because she's a mom.<br />
<br />
I don't want to hear people talk about how women can find ways to do EVERYTHING. That isn't the problem. The problem is, it's time for men to do LESS at work and MORE at home (and I mean men in a general sense, as in what society expects of them as a whole).<br />
<br />
It's time for them to start giving something up to make things work. It's time for them to be partners in the real sense of the word. This is something Sheryl Sandberg has been talking about with her movement <a href="http://leanin.org/">Lean In</a>. <br />
<br />
Let's stop talking about why women can or can't have it all. Let's stop making the assumption that every woman in the world is totally and completely satisfied with child rearing alone.<br />
<br />
Let's start asking what's wrong with men. Why don't they want to spend more time with their children? (Maybe they do—obviously some do, but why are we assuming otherwise?) Why don't they want to be more involved as fathers? (Again, this is the assumption we're making as a society.) What sacrifices can they make so that their marriages are an equal partnership in and out of the house?<br />
<br />
That's the conversation we should be having. When it gets here, let me know.Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-26017245448943445302013-06-06T12:37:00.002-04:002013-06-06T12:41:31.501-04:00Drop Dead Diva: Classic Hero Journey?Okay, Reader. So I finished my book. And I am between freelance work. And while I have an idea for a new book, I haven't really started it yet because I am SCARED.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, this has resulted in my brain running around in frantic circles not unlike Matilda, but without the magic brain powers.<br />
<br />
I've also been doing a lot of reading and TV watching. I just caught up on Drop Dead Diva on netflix. If you haven't seen it, it
follows the adventures of a plus size lawyer named Jane whose body is
inhabited by the soul of a fashion model named Deb.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_fia0La9cmZIK3MV9cJaxMaPAjfZKzFdEGVk4jWkA6XPUXvkIAheuDeVUAgYrnj9tuMfqwiOVrXXZnhyphenhyphen23xQrOMrwt-on5KiYjzwIvH2RS5_M64EZrs2FRuBioFYaAmjq3psmDzCPFyV/s1600/drop+Dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_fia0La9cmZIK3MV9cJaxMaPAjfZKzFdEGVk4jWkA6XPUXvkIAheuDeVUAgYrnj9tuMfqwiOVrXXZnhyphenhyphen23xQrOMrwt-on5KiYjzwIvH2RS5_M64EZrs2FRuBioFYaAmjq3psmDzCPFyV/s1600/drop+Dead.jpg" height="320" width="283" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Only her guardian angel and Deb's best friend Stacy know that Deb isn't dead but rather in another woman's body. As Jane, Deb now has a totally different body, a bunch of knowledge she never had before, and must work beside her former fiancee Grayson, who doesn't know who she is. And, notably, does not seem attracted to her, though they develop a close friendship.<br />
<br />
This show is a classic hero's journey. Deb starts out as a well meaning but self-absorbed wannabe model. She is weak, a pushover. Her career is nonexistent. Then, like a classic hero, she journeys to the underworld (in this case, Heaven). She literally dies on the operating table and is pronounced dead, but refuses to give up and presses the "return" button while being processed as a new addition to Heaven.<br />
<br />
She is reborn in Jane's body as Jane has also just died. Not only has she saved herself from death, but she also emerges with new powers. She is now more intelligent (unclear if she was less intelligent before or simply unmotivated to develop her intelligence because her appearance was enough) and has all the knowledge of a lawyer.<br />
<br />
<br />
Deb/Jane is no longer a pushover, wannabe model. She is now able to use her new powers to help others in need. She does not need to be rescued by anyone, including her former fiancee. It fact, she often rescues him by providing emotional support while he struggles with Deb's "death" and by helping him with his cases. Her new "powers" actually elevate her to Grayson's intellectual level and she knows it. And relishes it.<br />
<br />
I do want to point out that in this show everyone helps each other and everyone makes mistakes. Women help men, men help women, women help women, and men help men. It's a nice balance. And since the battles are all legal ones and the weapons are cleverness, creativity, and knowledge of the law, the women are just as capable of winning as the men.<br />
<br />
I really enjoy this show.Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-25190274973943288382013-05-28T12:06:00.001-04:002013-05-28T12:23:46.967-04:00Songs of Ice and Fire: A Musical Revue<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: red;">Note: Read this post at your own risk. It will contain spoilers up through most of book 3 in A George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Songs of Ice and Fire: A Musical Revue! </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyV5HjBXR2PbYjRw3v_IrjRsTGtxRNTT-fpctXvF-QnlpE-vbvuBHHvvDuYwzC_Zxl-zzaQ3mk1H8rBMxx2o0YAGF3ONF62jhxdIVcEibYn6TV7oIhFg8FcAwuADPgUsx069rEs9Ye9E1/s1600/Songs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyV5HjBXR2PbYjRw3v_IrjRsTGtxRNTT-fpctXvF-QnlpE-vbvuBHHvvDuYwzC_Zxl-zzaQ3mk1H8rBMxx2o0YAGF3ONF62jhxdIVcEibYn6TV7oIhFg8FcAwuADPgUsx069rEs9Ye9E1/s1600/Songs.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Coming soon to a stage near you!</b></span><br />
<br />
"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw66zDE1gIU">Happily Ever After</a>" from Once Upon a Mattress, sung by Sansa Stark<br />
<br />
"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCci7Ute2A">Lily's Eyes</a>" from The Secret Garden, sung by Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark (substituting "Lyanna" for "Lily", obviously)<br />
<br />
"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgbd6Sp8XIQ">I'm Flying</a>" from Peter Pan, sung by Bran Stark with Meera and Jojen Reed and Rickon (because why not? Rickon has nothing better to do...)<br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxJzvO21MH4">Sensitivity</a>" from Once Upon a Mattress, sung by Cersei Lannister <br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3JLQXvbApA">Close Every Door</a>" from Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, sung by Davos Seaworth while imprisoned by Stannis <br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT3x2yi05Hs">The Seven Deadly Virtues</a>" from Camelot, sung by the Hound, Sandor Clegane <br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHrRxQVUFN4">Feed the Birds</a>" from Mary Poppins, sung by Samwell Tarly<br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgrh56clNUE">Witch's Lament</a>" ("Children Will Listen" reprise) from Into the Woods, sung by Catelyn Stark<br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDemzOBz6Fc">As Long as He Needs Me</a>" from Oliver, sung by Brienne of Tarth (about Jamie Lannister) <br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYiKH-3txWA">When I Marry Mr. Snow</a>" from Carousel, sung by Ygritte (about Jon Snow)<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*This was just too good not to include. LORD'S KISS. It kills me every time. I giggle like a middle schooler. Lord's Kiss. Oh, George, you dirty old man, you. </span><br />
<br />
"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw0h8IwWPs4">Little Bird</a>" from Man of La Mancha, sung by the King's Guard while beating Sansa Stark <br />
<br />
"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKHzTtr_lNk">Mr. Cellophane</a>" from Chicago, sung by Varys<br />
<br />
"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW3MIixEps4">Razzle Dazzle</a>" from Chicago, sung by Littlefinger<br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-ZAgfR_Ck0">The Point of No Return</a>" from The Phantom of the Opera, sung posthumously by Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark <br />
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"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-L6rEm0rnY">Memory</a>" from Cats, sung by Old Nan<br />
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"T<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZnElTagIRw">he Past is Another Land</a>" from Aida, sung by Daenerys Targaryen<br />
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<br />
I thought embedded videos would be too much, but all the links will take you to the songs themselves, in case you're not familiar with them.<br />
<br />
I do realize this post is meaningless unless you happen to be both a George R.R. Martin nerd AND a musical theater nerd, but there you have it. So many characters have yet to stand in the spotlight. What performances would you add for the second world tour?Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-13397934564775482232013-05-06T18:21:00.001-04:002013-05-28T12:25:54.951-04:00HUZZAHI just finished.....HUZZAH!<br />
<br />
I mean, I still need to go back and reread everything. I need to skim at least 7,000 words off the top, which should be easy enough given my talent for deleting my own writing. I will need to make adjustments for consistency etc etc.<br />
<br />
But but but buuuuut<br />
<br />
that doesn't change the fact that I just "finished" this draft.<br />
<br />
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Update: I managed to cut over 12,000 words from the draft, easily. It's much snappier now. I had to slough off all the old words from previous drafts. I'm excited! Thank you for all of your ongoing support. </div>
Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-46312383482213977762013-05-06T12:15:00.000-04:002013-05-06T12:15:00.410-04:00Tough Love From Sailor VThis is what I have on my desktop right now.<br />
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READER, today might be The Day...I will let you know!Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-69640046081341709102013-05-03T13:24:00.002-04:002013-05-03T13:24:48.929-04:00I Feeeeel Happeeeee*<span style="font-size: x-small;">(*Fans of Laini Taylor, didn't you just love the Monty Python reference in Days of Blood and Starlight??)</span><br />
<br />
Hey Reader,<br />
<br />
I just dropped in because I realized something.<br />
<br />
I haven't been sad in a long time. Really sad. Depression sad. And you do you know how that makes me feel? Like this:<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
I feel like there's a tendency for people to only reach out (if at all), when the path is darkest. So I wanted to stop and say, "Hey! I'm feeling good today!"<br />
<br />
The gremlin hasn't jumped on my back in a long time, and I am grateful. Watchful. But grateful.<br />
<br />
I think Bingley has helped a lot. It's not just that he loves me, it's that he needs me. Feeling needed is a powerful kind of magic. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PcqbTtG0gncG1PASgX4re_MoYMwn1CcNDTmFzO9VvHQglR4z_uSWQEi7mCEkznc5Skni3oVNKTl0CY5oufHmuMoFv4l1YEQ2l97hy65kvhLM4eJPsnaPY6GwwOqFdU4auz1Qp4T59iBw/s1600/Bingley+and+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PcqbTtG0gncG1PASgX4re_MoYMwn1CcNDTmFzO9VvHQglR4z_uSWQEi7mCEkznc5Skni3oVNKTl0CY5oufHmuMoFv4l1YEQ2l97hy65kvhLM4eJPsnaPY6GwwOqFdU4auz1Qp4T59iBw/s1600/Bingley+and+Me.jpg" height="320" width="242" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So today I'm not reaching out to you for help. Instead, I'm extending my hand to you. Sending a little sunshine your way. A candle at the window. A lantern in the gathering dusk.<br />
<br />
It's only fair if we take turns. Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-25740745955020473172013-05-02T10:47:00.004-04:002013-05-02T10:49:49.104-04:00RandomnessHello Dearest Reader,<br />
<br />
I know I haven't posted regularly in forever. The reason is that I've been working hard on my novel. In fact, I might finish this week. It's actually possible. As you know, "finish" is a silly word. What I mean by "finish" is that I could get to the end of the 2nd draft. But I already know of at least one chapter that will need a diet and no doubt there will be plenty of continuity wrinkles to iron out.<br />
<br />
Nevertheless, finish I shall, and very soon.<br />
<br />
When I get immersed like this, it's like getting swept up in the tide. I don't have brain power for much else. Friends fall by the wayside, not to mention vacuuming or blogging. But then I get these manic thoughts in my head (too much alone time?) and I have this impulse to spew them on Facebook, but my more discreet twin frowns on that sort of thing, so I thought, I shall spew it here where no one, save you Dear Reader, will be forced to endure it.<br />
<br />
So. Here are a smattering of random thoughts in my head:<br />
<br />
I am super frustrated by Daniel Henney's career. He's American and grew up in Michigan BUT because he's half Korean he's found more success in South Korea starring in KDramas.<br />
<br />
I know I've whined about this before but it still makes me want to bang my head against a wall because I watch him in these dramas and he just does not fit. He's SO obviously American. He sticks out like a sore thumb. A really really beautiful sore thumb. He's clearly charming (I've seen him interviewed), but his American attitude sometimes comes off as cocky when he tries to play a Korean role alongside Korean actors.<br />
<br />
It infuriates me that he isn't a bigger star in the US because White is still the norm so unless a character is specifically Asian or Black or Latino etc, it goes to a White actor. Stupid stupid stupid. Stop depriving Americans of Daniel Henney. It's not fair.<br />
<br />
I hate when I pay for something and am very specific about what I want and no one says, "That isn't possible because of this..." and no one says, "Actually it'll be more like this.." they just say "Okay, sure," and then I get SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY.<br />
<br />
If you're wondering what prompted this, it's the fact that I took my muppet dog Bingley in for a haircut and told them I wanted it shorter but NOT shaved and...he is now shaved. I am probably (definitely) more upset about this than is warranted, but it's the principle of the thing.<br />
<br />
If you want to really hear me sound off on this (and I mean, who WOULDN'T, amiright?), just ask me about my wedding bouquet. Go on, ASK ME.<br />
<br />
Every spring when it gets hot enough to wear just a tee shirt and I start finding ticks, I have this freak out and I think, "NO! Stop. I can't. We have to just turn around and go back to February right now because I can't deal." It passes eventually but right now I'm just like TICKS ARE EVERYWHERE AND WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE.<br />
<br />
When I was a kid I convinced my mom to buy me a tape (a freaking cassette tape, you guys) of new age music from one of those preview machines that sells thunderstorm recordings and Celtic music CDs. I loved it. In fact I had this entire story in my head about what was happening while I listened to it.<br />
<br />
I found the tape recently but...it's a tape. So I searched the internet. In no time I found the same album and was able to download it as mp3s. Thank you, Internet. It's now my official Getting to the End of This Draft soundtrack. <a href="http://elfinmusic.com/daydreams3.html">Want to listen?</a><br />
<br />
All right, that's all. I need more coffee and more concentration. But then, who doesn't? <br />
<br />Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-74995425338768787522013-04-17T15:59:00.001-04:002013-04-17T15:59:11.034-04:00Mathmatical!Working on a romantically charged scene in the middle of the afternoon = awkward time for a glass of wine.<br />
<br />
But I poured it into a stemless glass and I feel that helps.<br />
<br />
Also, what on earth would/ will I do if I had to write an actual LOVE scene? My mind reels just contemplating it. The scene I'm working on doesn't even involve making out, you guys.<br />
<br />
Aaaand suddenly the fact that an agent and an editor-friend told me I should write young adult makes so much more SENSE.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(I am soclose to finishing this draft. So. Close...)</span>Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-79911294755332145282013-04-01T16:52:00.002-04:002013-04-01T16:53:59.340-04:00Classic Hero's Journey...It's a bad sign when I start sketching my Feelings instead of writing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_eLd-JhM-IOOIVNqjWI8DAYlZCp9xeQ4B0xfZdThb7KYhlBayN0mFA7wbNxXdO6QC1uqfwM0R2J1ekdc6A_jBzpR92_IKYEcgI35tal9A2nlMaRiGn6KLIBazzPrT1976P1G54H3y95R/s1600/The+Journey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_eLd-JhM-IOOIVNqjWI8DAYlZCp9xeQ4B0xfZdThb7KYhlBayN0mFA7wbNxXdO6QC1uqfwM0R2J1ekdc6A_jBzpR92_IKYEcgI35tal9A2nlMaRiGn6KLIBazzPrT1976P1G54H3y95R/s1600/The+Journey.jpg" height="205" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
And when I say "writing," that currently means writing a sentence, deleting it, and rewriting it.<br />
<br />
Aaand REPEAT.<br />
<br />
If I start posting silly poems in iambic pentameter, send help.Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-60887092465777271372013-03-27T11:00:00.001-04:002013-03-27T11:00:44.847-04:00Bingley is Worried About YouReader, today Bingley admitted that he's really worried about you.<br />
<br />
Have you been sleeping enough?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rqQduZMqfdQRj_3z4qMEg30giNSBvMAj06yhpy-FG4FWhx2dMJn6napf5kTEAi4ev9k7r03F5x4vIEzkKAOx9jslPKThOYPQUGqBYG8C2dI7nDbkuRfIIr3lizYK6wsi8r0vyXu3BwT9/s1600/Nap+Buddies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rqQduZMqfdQRj_3z4qMEg30giNSBvMAj06yhpy-FG4FWhx2dMJn6napf5kTEAi4ev9k7r03F5x4vIEzkKAOx9jslPKThOYPQUGqBYG8C2dI7nDbkuRfIIr3lizYK6wsi8r0vyXu3BwT9/s1600/Nap+Buddies.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Napping enough?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJfqUEn77lmY0dJB3mNMm_Z3qIelGWFx4BQFvalspUMugmQAVExdpV-OeiHEh3qy_AMQCjYK-DpsFoZzIHMSmB9yfBLTBjbx75yjYp8toFEx7dnPYdVJsBeSzrLAd91dPuBGLFj17u_Sp/s1600/Bing+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLJfqUEn77lmY0dJB3mNMm_Z3qIelGWFx4BQFvalspUMugmQAVExdpV-OeiHEh3qy_AMQCjYK-DpsFoZzIHMSmB9yfBLTBjbx75yjYp8toFEx7dnPYdVJsBeSzrLAd91dPuBGLFj17u_Sp/s1600/Bing+2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Lying in a comfortable spot and contemplating the universe enough?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwqmAjIb1Dxa9a7G6aXLqD7Q0RluzIDE3t4LlQrWgWRGhZ3npnjOgvPvcjuMZqafe08CWvuLI9XE-IOFmz-hpsKVPoxSQ9Ce6zin4MSq1EXDLlANb0xnQEbFYqIJ3Ku_Fbpx6ASElOAwm/s1600/Bing+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwqmAjIb1Dxa9a7G6aXLqD7Q0RluzIDE3t4LlQrWgWRGhZ3npnjOgvPvcjuMZqafe08CWvuLI9XE-IOFmz-hpsKVPoxSQ9Ce6zin4MSq1EXDLlANb0xnQEbFYqIJ3Ku_Fbpx6ASElOAwm/s1600/Bing+1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Propping your foot up against a printer is quite comfortable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Have you been daydreaming enough?<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs-MnTmFvIS5WgQ6rINA2-FZiLxQ08-P5NVRa3qwdYdmySQAv94gxZwVquiiXH_Rh4hVvGmRSM_UxwBwn4OMgrGXFkKIkavoc-vlw2cjaOiZmcAccbIVKRaGSw3pG9mIgUyKT4xSun_me/s1600/Bing+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs-MnTmFvIS5WgQ6rINA2-FZiLxQ08-P5NVRa3qwdYdmySQAv94gxZwVquiiXH_Rh4hVvGmRSM_UxwBwn4OMgrGXFkKIkavoc-vlw2cjaOiZmcAccbIVKRaGSw3pG9mIgUyKT4xSun_me/s1600/Bing+6.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boxes full of books. I don't own bookshelves yet.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Have you allowed yourself to be vulnerable once in a while? Because that can lead to belly rubs and belly rubs are the best. Better, even, than naps.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT9RJHBf466iuHt0RDG0AQZHQU_qlK9taL2QnrkHMs0GG3NWkyI8fxK1M_bo40au84YwXegDEIOP2u1YtwB6pqvb9nSwpFbV2OHgM1ziY1_dfvTmVjeq_jDVW8et-i75cjLOYevSrt0oc/s1600/Bing+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT9RJHBf466iuHt0RDG0AQZHQU_qlK9taL2QnrkHMs0GG3NWkyI8fxK1M_bo40au84YwXegDEIOP2u1YtwB6pqvb9nSwpFbV2OHgM1ziY1_dfvTmVjeq_jDVW8et-i75cjLOYevSrt0oc/s1600/Bing+3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Really?? Truly?? You say you have, but Bingley's not convinced.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjilrBCKeItmoawxsR9_1t6FHqeAgdXcf6mAQwvjMtv45vvdSF9sIA77EmWzjqnil7Qj6heHG93jMUxP7d5qQNyGuJykj4_l6FhRxT3kcZHeZd96126zq3dzwxXGm_M-wsYzJ5sAULjqnm/s1600/Bing+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjilrBCKeItmoawxsR9_1t6FHqeAgdXcf6mAQwvjMtv45vvdSF9sIA77EmWzjqnil7Qj6heHG93jMUxP7d5qQNyGuJykj4_l6FhRxT3kcZHeZd96126zq3dzwxXGm_M-wsYzJ5sAULjqnm/s1600/Bing+4.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
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And all this worrying is exhausting. He's going to have to take an extra nap to recover.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKLk1Dy8BZDeU3hHnx_cgLHXqLb7nF73JoxkJCXfJct9Odl_gsRh4ZlTlOskmqcuLWvKNKsazcGn85QGhztqwks1-90HWLTnzCRwEL2C9d_wiMdGCoK97j3gN4sfn26LZMPgfSxNTHFgB/s1600/Bing+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKLk1Dy8BZDeU3hHnx_cgLHXqLb7nF73JoxkJCXfJct9Odl_gsRh4ZlTlOskmqcuLWvKNKsazcGn85QGhztqwks1-90HWLTnzCRwEL2C9d_wiMdGCoK97j3gN4sfn26LZMPgfSxNTHFgB/s1600/Bing+5.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
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So please, be kind to yourself. And consider taking a nap. Bingley would really appreciate it.Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-9464568422577131172013-03-26T10:44:00.000-04:002013-03-26T10:44:52.227-04:00Writer's Assistant in TrainingI think Bingley is starting to get the hang of his writer's assistant job. Today after a morning of staring at birds and chasing leaves, he parked himself under my chair to make sure I knew it was time to work!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmBPtY-yUjQ0qpnDqT8N9hiiC6Yd76hE3hWLLFOi0EKnqfD02ZOERQAuWRWAM3-d6YHt7mAfmjYqifLanpCyH8wS8azXlJkCVOtBcVJ3qsu9Zys-VVctjJv7vL_iiW4r4CZAKSsUPrhfN/s1600/Bingley+Chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmBPtY-yUjQ0qpnDqT8N9hiiC6Yd76hE3hWLLFOi0EKnqfD02ZOERQAuWRWAM3-d6YHt7mAfmjYqifLanpCyH8wS8azXlJkCVOtBcVJ3qsu9Zys-VVctjJv7vL_iiW4r4CZAKSsUPrhfN/s1600/Bingley+Chair.jpg" height="248" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bingley will be 6 months in April. FINALLY he's taking his job seriously.</td></tr>
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I apologize for the lack of blogging. I'm working really hard to finish my revisions on this novel. Yes! It is happening! I've set a deadline of April 3, because I'm going away that weekend. Here's hoping I can stick to it.<br />
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It's slightly warmer today, the sky is a clear blue, and the sun is shining. It's a good day.<br />
<br />Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-40023974413113686002013-03-08T12:09:00.002-05:002013-03-08T12:12:09.210-05:00Friday CutenessIt's been too long since I've done a Friday Cuteness post. This one is from my husband and it's...well, just watch. So much joy. So. Much.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-76902460576664051612013-03-08T10:33:00.000-05:002013-03-08T12:10:29.419-05:00Apropos of NothingI love that phrase, "Apropos of nothing." It's gets stuck in my head sometimes...<br />
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<i>apropos of nothing, apropos of nothing, apropos of nothing</i><br />
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I'm looking in the mirror and I'm thinking, "Hello, Jennifer, who sees strangers judging her sweet, fluffy puppy for acting like a puppy and then double-judges herself, thinking she must have failed in her dog training somehow to have a five month old pup who doesn't behave perfectly whenever they go somewhere exciting.<br />
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Hello, Jennifer, who thinks, if I can't handle the judgement of strangers regarding my actually very well behaved dog, then I definitely can't handle kids. And then judges herself again for looking for yet another excuse for why she can't handle kids because they are SCARY, like cutting off a piece of your heart and then letting it go off and have adventures without you and when the heart-piece does well, say, slays the dragon, everyone cheers on the heart-piece, but when it does poorly, say, fails to save the princess too, then everyone turns to the mother and shakes their heads and thinks how she failed.<br />
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Hello, Jennifer, who is scared of change. Who sobbed—<i>sobbed</i>—when she got her period because she wanted to stay a girl forever and who has no interest in changing her body again just to cut off a piece of her heart because she thinks sometimes that her heart must be rather small, or at least she is too selfish to share it, or maybe she was overly generous with the few people she's shared it with and thinks there isn't much left to go around.<br />
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Hello, Jennifer, who is relieved to have a day alone to write and no puppy to care for, even though she keeps looking around, expecting to see him at her feet and then, with a turn of the head, realizing he is not there. Jennifer, who has bad dreams and has always had trouble sleeping, except in college, but who has not had trouble sleeping once since getting this sweet, fluffy, demanding dog.<br />
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Hello, Jennifer, who is thrilled about her new novel revisions and yet is stalling in actually writing them because sometimes—no, always—the idea is better than the reality. That is true in fiction and life. She learned that as a child, recognizing that the glittery anticipation of Christmas Eve was always so much sweeter than the lovely presents in the morning.<br />
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Hello, Jennifer, who is sick and tired of YA books, or any books, where the Other Woman is described as having an ample chest while the main female does not. When are we going to stop writing books that act as if having boobs makes everything easier when in fact, for some girls, say a girl named Jennifer, of which there were many in the 80s, who was the only girl in her ballet class who needed to wear a bra with her leotard and who did not have a womanly figure, just a baby fat teen figure with boobs on top and hated it and hated the guys who sneered at her. She did not get asked to any dances, despite the boobs, in case you were wondering.<br />
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Hello, Jennifer, who needs coffee and is tired and misses sunshine and her puppy and is happy it's Friday.<br />
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Time to get to work."Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-3179121656843049302013-03-06T10:23:00.001-05:002013-03-08T12:11:11.065-05:00Fruit, Pigs, and Giraffes<br />
This morning I did a little time digging through a box of files my parents brought me the last time they visited. It's full of high school and college notebooks, my handwritten, self made Latin Bible study guide, and some pretty lame papers.<br />
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The best thing I found? ALL of the comics I wrote in middle school! Melissa and I were always writing comics. Melissa's benefitted from her superior artistic skills (she went to Rhode Island School of Design and works as a graphic designer), but what mine lacked in artistry they made up for with pure weirdness.<br />
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My stories vary wildly from an ongoing tale of how I tracked down the murderer of my alleged best friend in seventh grade—Mr. Giraffe, the paper mache giraffe in our school courtyard to comics about the bizarre and elaborate ways I dreamed up for getting rid of the popular girl who was always leaning against my locker with her team of admirers. <br />
<a name='more'></a>In case you were wondering about Mr. Giraffe, he really did exist and he really was murdered (one morning his paper mache head fell off ) but the details of our friendship were mostly fabricated. Mostly.<br />
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There are several comics about Oliver, the uptight pig who loved to eat bacon (he developed a taste for it before he realized what it was and just couldn't kick the habit). Please don't ask me where I came up with that idea, because I just don't know. My Oliver comics overlapped with Melissa's comics about Moo the Cow who could only say, "Moo," and, "Moooooon!" and any other words that start with "moo." He and Oliver were pretty funny together and had many misadventures.<br />
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And then there are the comics I wrote for my friends called the Super Fruit. It followed the lives of Melissa, our friend Dan (who ended up taking me to the prom several years later), and me as secret super heroes waging an endless battle against the Great Baluga Whale Shark and, of course, evil vegetables.<br />
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I was Avocado Avenger. Avocado really is a fruit, though at the time I thought it was a vegetable (there was no google or wikipedia then, okay?). However, I wanted to be an avenger and an Apricot Avenger just didn't sound right to me. Dan was Apple Man—in case you were wondering why I wasn't the Apple Avenger—and Melissa was Killer Kiwi. And then there was the conflicted Passionate Passion Fruit, always double crossing everyone and using her feminine wiles for no good (she had self esteem problems).<br />
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Maybe I'll post some photos some time of those old comics. They're pretty silly and fun. But for now,it's time to get to work!Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3116461351305070142.post-14330144812813230282013-02-22T10:33:00.003-05:002013-02-22T10:38:20.331-05:00Say Howdy to GeorgeYou've just got to read this letter from a former slave to his former master, written in 1865. The circumstances are sad, of course. How can we read about slavery and feel anything but bitterness and frustration at those impossible circumstances?<br />
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Even so, <a href="http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/01/to-my-old-master.html">you must read this letter</a>. <br />
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It's such a fist-pumping triumph, it will make you say, "F--- yeah, Friday!"<br />
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I'm puppy-less today. Bingley is currently romping in all his glory at doggie daycare, having forgotten entirely of my existence. I have to admit it feels absolutely delicious to sit in my house alone. I would rather be writing, but instead I will dive into my remaining applications and try my best to stay focused and work hard.<br />
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There's another storm coming this weekend, but for now the sun is shining. Small blessings. Jennifer Ambrosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01397176346255759805noreply@blogger.com0