The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland

Reader. Brace thyself.



Last week was seriously epic.

Why?

Because of this:

Mine mine mine mine....

Last Wednesday night Curt and I went to Longfellow Books in Portland, Maine. It was the first book birthday of Catherynne Valente's book The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland In a Ship of Her Own Making.

Me, hugging my copy a little too tightly.

When Curt and I arrived at the bookstore, I smiled awkwardly at Catherynne, then I ran away to hide in the bathroom. I mean, she is one of my favorite authors. I admire her work so much. She definitely has magic running through her veins. So, I was nervous. And shy.

Finally I emerged from the bathroom and re-introduced myself to her for the third time. The first time was here in 2010 and the second here, in 2011.She totally did remember me (again)!

She is so nice and smart and she was even really patient with a grumpy guy, who peered at her through thick glasses and declared that he didn't "get" fantasy books. Well then, Sir, why are you here??? That's what I wanted to say, but Cat took it in stride. She politely answered the man's awkward questions and revealed that whenever she travels, she researches the myths and legends of wherever she is going. She encouraged him—and everyone—to do the same.

Catherynne read one of my favorite parts of Fairyland #1 in which September takes three baths before entering Pandemonium. I must admit, with some chagrin, that there were two puns I had missed while reading that I thoroughly enjoyed when C.V. read them aloud.

Catherynne Valente at Longfellow Books

While it was really fun to hear Cat read her work, I was a little disappointed that she didn't seem to be reading an excerpt from Fairyland #2.

It doesn't come out until October (sob!).

But then.


Then she announced that she was giving away ONE advanced reader copy of Fairyland #2. She said she'd ask a trivia question based on the excerpt she'd just read.

I think I spontaneously starting drooling right then, I wanted it so very badly. It was nerve wracking because there was one cute little girl there and I knew that if the girl truly wanted the book, then I was not allowed to take it from her.

But to my extreme relief, the girl did not seem to be a Fairyland superfan (yet), so...

I have a strong suspicion that other people in the audience let me win, because I was radiating such desire to have that beautiful purple book in my hands. And also because I was drooling all over myself and they probably took pity on me. But whatever, Reader.

It doesn't matter because I HAZ IT! (There is a lot of caps yelling in this post. I am very excited.)

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland is So. Good. I love it. Really love it. I can't wait to see where September goes next. There are rebellious shadows and familiar faces who are not as familiar as they seem, and there are wild revels and the Vicereine of Coffee and that is all I shall say for now.

Cat wrote an interesting article on her Fairyland sequel for Tor.com and I recommend you read it here.

I will post a spoiler-free review of the book when I'm done. Wasn't that a fabulous adventure to have on an otherwise drizzly Wednesday night?

(Delusional) Author Sighting

Today I thought I was feeling healthy enough to get back to kickboxing after a couple weeks off. I don't always take the morning class and many faces are still new to me.

Guess who walked in today?
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Kristin Cashore, author of Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue!!!!

YES! It was really her, Reader!

Reader, come on, it was her! I'm sure of it!

I don't care that her bio claims she's currently living in Cambridge, MA. It. Was. Her.

Okay, she went by "Beth" but that's just an alias, so no one would know who she was and pester her with autographs while she was perfecting her roundhouse kick.

After she walked in and I was staring at her for a while, she definitely gave me a look and I'm pretty sure that look said, "Hi Jennifer, I love your blog and I can't wait for you to finish your novel. All the best writers kickbox. Hey, let's keep my identity a secret, just between really awesome kickboxing writers, okay?"

It's no surprise, then, that Cashore's most recent blog post is about health and fitness. She's probably researching for her next book!!!

Seriously, Reader, it was her.

Magick 4 Terri

Hi, Reader. Sorry I haven't been blogging much. I wonder if it's pretty typical this time of year. Many people do NaNoWriMO and then get swept up in holiday chaosity (new word: chaos + jollity, of course). Maybe I'm no different.

Also, everything has felt hard this week. I'm pretty sure I'm fighting some sort of cold/ virus/ whatever. I'm sort of happy because for the past five years after I had Mono, there was no such thing as fighting. I would simply get sick, for at least two weeks. Fighting wasn't an option. So in that sense, fighting makes me happy but in another, I'm constantly irritated with myself for not getting more done. The return of my old friend Insomnia hasn't helped either. I need to be a more productive insomniac, rather than one who huddles on the couch watching old movies. Anyone else have that problem?

This was my first full week as an admissions reader. I like it a lot. I'm probably not giving myself enough credit for the amount of energy it requires to learn something new with new people. It also requires me to be away from a computer for long stretches of time.

The big news this week is that friends of Terri Windling have organized an auction to help her and her family. Terri is constantly fighting a battle with chronic illness and this struggle has put major strain on her finances during these difficult times. I love Terri, would love her even if I had never met her. But since I have met her, I love her even more.

Terri has had an incredible impact on the Fantasy community. You might even say she created the community herself. That community is now coming together to help her. You can bid on all manner of wondrous things from authors, artists, and fans at Magick 4 Terri.

You can donate something to the auction too. I didn't think I had anything to offer. I'm not published (yet), I make cute stick figures but nothing like what Melissa can create (real art). I can write silly rhyming poems and song parodies but I wasn't convinced that would be of interest. So I decided to offer up a batch of my Ginger Jack cookies. Well, guess what? The current bid is at $85!!!! I am stunned. It just goes to show that even when you don't think you can help, you can.

I'm staring down a wall in my novel right now. It's not going to be easy but I guess I'm going to have to take it one word at a time. Wishing you all a weekend of love and laughter!

Friday: Take a Moment. Or Seven.

 Happy Friday!

First of all, watch this. Please.

FUTURE PROOF from The DMCI on Vimeo.

I also encourage you to spend half your lunch break reading Catherynne Valente's wonderful new story "The Bread We Eat in Dreams" in Apex here.

I actually dreamed about a good friend last night and it turned out that today is his birthday (I am very bad at remembering birthdays). In the dream, we were about to go to a party. I like to think that our dreamselves are there now, laughing and dancing with all of our friends.

Speaking of dream parties, why not put on a floaty dress or a mask. Spin around in a circle.

And do whatever you need to do to shake it out.

Images from Sirens 2011

I just wanted to share some of my photos from Sirens this year. I'll get to the book reviews soon...possibly today. Yes, today. Definitely...

Pretty berries...never did I see a cluster of berries I could resist. I have many MANY photos of berries...but these have SNOW!

Here's a shot of some of my clever, creative companions walking through Vail Village:
 

Here I am, feeling up a bear statue in Vail. Look, there was a lot of boob talk at Sirens. Basically I don't like it when the woman with ample boobs always have it easy while the flat chested girls have all the personality. Growing up, I had big boobs and yet I was not the Homecoming Queen or the most popular girl in school or confident and comfortable with my body. So, it's one of my pet peeves.

Naturally, this led to me feeling up a bear statue.

Don't worry, she was totally cool with it.

Creepy, eerie early morning walk with snow. Yes, I DID turn back because it was just a tad too creepy for me. And also slippery.

 And finally, the mountains with snow and gold:

 More pics to come...of monstrous women in costume! Don't miss it.

I'm Not F*cking Kidding

Reader, buckle yourself into your chair and grab some pie. It's time for some Serious Announcements.

*Real Talk!*

R.Kelly? What are YOU doing here??
What's that, R. Kelly? You magically show up whenever shit is about to get real? Huh. Thanks, R. I mean, Mr. Kelly. Or whatever.

*REAL TALK*

Shhh, R., please. I've got Serious Business to take care of. Oh? You're trying to help? By reminding everyone that this is Real and I am Talking? Well, okay. Just try not to pee on anything.

Anyway. Let's get serious and make a list!

List of Serious Announcements:

1. I will no longer refer to my husband as Husband on this blog
Why? Well, way back in November, I gave you an intimate glimpse into our personal lives, involving twin beds and full length turtleneck nightgowns in matching calico patterns. And somehow after that, I started referring to Curt as "Husband" because it made me laugh. But you know, his name is Curt. I could be all coy and give him a better nickname but why? His name is Curt, my name is Jennifer. These are facts. I'm a writer, not a spy (alas). Let's move on, shall we?

2. I did not finish Chapter 5 last week because I went to see Neil Gaiman instead
It's true. Instead of finishing my revision of the chapter, I drove four hours to Portsmouth, New Hampshire (and back again in the same night) to see Neil Gaiman at the beautiful Music Hall with my twin sister Melissa and her husband Mike and some of their friends.

It was wonderful to see Neil in such a small, intimate space. Alas, I did not actually get to MEET him (if you can really consider standing in front of someone while they scribble your name in a book to be "meeting"). So I could consider this to be When I Almost Met Neil Gaiman Part IV. Here are Parts I, II and III for a refresher. The books, you see, were pre-signed.

One aspect of the event that made me laugh was the way in which Neil was introduced. They described him as a post-modern writer only. Fantasy was not mentioned until they began listing his awards. It was a wink wink, nudge nudge sort of moment. Clearly this was meant to appeal to a more literary crowd. Oh literary world, you irritate me with your snobbish ways and your obsessive need to label things and wrap them in plastic and keep them contained.

How was the interview itself? Okay...Neil was as charming as ever, which is saying something considering his flight was delayed and then his limo got lost on its way to the Music Hall, and then he spent the rest of the afternoon signing mountains of books. The interviewer Virginia Prescott of NPR made me cringe once or twice, like when she told Neil she imagined him writing, "surrounded by cups of coffee" when every Neil fan knows he is crazy for tea. Listen to the interview and decide for yourself. Of course hearing Neil read was a treat. He has a brief summary of the event on his own blog as well as a hilarious video for The Onion, from which the title of this post was taken.

3. Curt and I are moving to Maine
This is exciting news, though I tend to tell people in a sad voice that dips slightly even when I don't want it to. Leaving Vermont will be bittersweet. We have only lived here for a year and a half and have had so many wonderful experiences. We've met some incredibly nice, talented people. We have made lifelong friends. I will miss auditing the Bread Loaf Writers Conference again this year. I might have even applied. I will miss working at Otter Creek Used Books--sadly unless I find another used book store in which to work, my Tales From the Used Book Store posts will be no longer.

I don't really like change. I just don't. Blame this on a childhood in which almost all of my relatives lived either in the same town as me, or the town across the river. Both sets of grandparents lived in the same houses where my parents spent the majority of their childhoods--up the street from each other. We always vacationed in the same place. And when my family moved, we moved up the street. Change and moving were not things I had to deal with when I was growing up, for which I am grateful.

However it does mean that now when I am writing, I find my concentration drifting as I begin to plot out our packing, as I mentally sort our things, as I wonder where we are going to live, and as I grapple with that feminist quandary of feeling like I am once again following my husband somewhere. But that is the life of a writer, isn't it? Oh well. My insides are in turmoil. It's not an excuse for writer's block, but it does explain why I haven't been sleeping.

Here ends my Big and Serious Announcements. And if you have no idea what the *Real Talk* was about, you should watch the video--unless you are an impressionable youth or my Mother-in-Law, in which case please don't as it contains cuss words.

Fan Girl Head Explosion

So, Reader, I just want you to know that this afternoon I ventured out into the sun to pick up my copy of Catherynne Valente's somewhat annoying to type but beautifully titled children's novel The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making--that's a link to the lovely Vermont Book Shop where I purchased my copy.

(Me, clutching my copy. You shan't have it!)

And you guys, it is straight up awesome.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I am a binge reader and like to devour novels in one sitting when possible. And with this book I'm already like, "Whoa whoa whoa, I need to slow this down and make it last."

In fact, I am even already thinking about REREADING it. I do not reread. I reread passages, special scenes, particularly amazing sentences. I don't often reread books. But this one I might.

I know you are thinking, "Okay, Jennifer. But you are a total Cat Valente Fan Girl. How do we know you're not biased?"

And I get that. Except that I'm harder on the authors I love most. I still think that without Terry Pratchett (a la Good Omens), Neil Gaiman has trouble with his conclusions (short stories excluded, of course). And in previous works, I've sometimes thought that C to the V's sentences and images and metaphors tended to take precedence over plot. See? I can be critical (any family members reading this are like, "Yeah. No shit." Sorry, Family Members!).

But this book. Is. Amazing. It's already a classic--one of those books that younger readers will love but adults will cherish. There are so many amazing quotable passages that I've given up keeping track. We shall see if this awesome rainbow of magical storytelling will deposit me to a pot of gold at the end. WE SHALL SEE ABOUT THAT. The bar has been raised, that's for sure.

But for now, it's rocking my world.

BEA 2011: Wednesday, With Hugging

Okay, this time I am going to "stay on target" (Star Wars reference!) and only talk about Wednesday and Thursday.

That means I'm only going to tell you my most favorite parts!

Wednesday's Big Moment happened at the very end of the day. I was waiting by the entrance to the Javits Center for one of my friends, when I saw a familiar figure walk across the lobby. She sat down by herself at one of the open tables in the lobby.

Who could it have been??

Why, none other than author and Sorceress of Sentences Catherynne Valente!!!

In case you don't remember, I had a Catherynne Valente siting last year at BEA which I wrote about here and in which I blurted her name and then squeaked out, "Fan girl moment!!" which Catherynne claimed had made her BEA. Yeah right. But I was willing to go along with the hyperbole.

So, after some encouragement from my friends, I gathered up my courage and walked across the wide, empty lobby to say hello. Here's what happened:

Me: Um...Catherynne Valente? Hi, my name is Jennifer and I met you at BEA last year and I just wanted to say hello.

CV: (looks up at me with her sharp eyes and considers for a moment) I remember you! You made my BEA last year!

*SQUEE! You guys, she totally remembered me!!! It wasn't entirely hyperbole after all*

Me: (trying to keep the squee from bursting out) Uh huh. I didn't know you were coming this year.

CV: Oh I'm just stopping here for some meetings before heading to WisCon.

Then I totally blundered over congratulating her on her award for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. (Note: It won the 2009 Nebula/ Andre Norton Award.)

I have to admit, I don't know much about those awards and haven't bothered to differentiate. An award isn't going to make me read or not read a book and in terms of being an author, methinks it's years too soon before I need to know the difference--if I am ever so lucky. Anyway, CV was perfectly gracious and lovely about it.

Then we talked about how BEA and author travel in general can be tiring. She mentioned that when she gets shy or stressed, she tends to frown. She said that was her natural facial expression! It's funny because it's sort of true, her mouth does turn down a bit and like I said she has such sharp, intelligent eyes. And if you've read her writing or her livejournal, you know how smart and passionate she is, so she can be intimidating. But then, if you've read her livejournal, you know she's actually not intimidating at all. She's nice and normal and open minded and bizarrely (in my opinion) humble about her talent. I told her that when I get shy and stressed I tend to smile and smile until I hate smiling--that could be part of the reason people keep thinking I'm younger than I am.

Anyway, what I am trying to tell you is that we were totally BONDING, Reader.

And then whomever she was waiting for arrived and she INTRODUCED ME as "Jennifer, my BEA buddy" or something cute like that. So I told her it was nice to see her again, and to have a great time at WisCon. And then she gave me a measured look and said, "You know what? We can hug."

HUG

I love love love that she said that, because I am not a hugger. You know this. I may seem like a hugger as I apparently seem very sweet and cheerful and I'm short or whatever, but make no mistake: I don't hug people I don't know. Melissa--my twin sister--and I truly didn't hug each other until we were adults because it "felt too weird." So for CV to decide we could hug made me laugh and made me so happy! So we hugged and I said good bye and it was super awesome!

And CV's book Fairyland made the New York Times Bestseller List and I am anxiously awaiting my copy from the local bookstore. Can't wait!!!

BEA 2011: Tuesday Part II

Tuesday was rolling along at a steady pace. I had an author signing every 30 minutes. My feet hurt. I was giving passerby a very convincing "Don't mind me, I'm just randomly spouting off blurbs about this here FREE book. Not because I'm trying to pitch it to you, of course. You just happened to walk into my blurb. But, you know, if you want a FREE book, you could have it signed by the author, who is standing right there. Did I mention it's FREE" look.

Everything was going well.

Then I saw Rosemary Wells.

I began the conversation in my usual charming, casual fashion:

ME: Rosemary Wells...?

WELLS: Yes?

ME (thinking: AHHHHHHHOLYSHITZOMGZOMGZOMG): I love your books. My favorite one is out of print!

WELLS: (somewhat nonplussed by this) Someone should reprint it then.

ME: I know! It's Stanley and Rhoda. It's one of my favorite books. My Dad used to read it out loud. We quote it all the time. You know the one about the babysitter--

WELLS: (Without missing a beat or cracking a smile, she names the babysitter character, which is probably also the name of the story--there are three within the book. I can't even find the name now, using the power of the internet.)

ME: (babbling at this point) Yes!! And then when their parents come home and Rhoda says, "Don't be home yet!" And that is something my family quotes all the time...

--At this point, Rosemary Wells managed to sort of drift away without being blatantly rude but also without being gracious or saying good bye--

I guess I geeked out on her...more than a little bit. But believe me when I say that she did not make the conversation easy. However, I don't care. She is ROSEMARY WELLS. That book is one of the most memorable of my childhood. Plus, that book came out in March 1981. She might be sick of talking about her old books when she has new ones coming out. Or maybe she's just not super friendly to fans. Or, I scared her.

Sorry, Rosemary.

In my defense, I was chatting with a HarperCollins employee on Thursday and she said she had a similarly awkward experience when she met (and admittedly geeked out over) Rosemary Wells. So it's not just me, Reader.

Later, I dealt with a very very rude author and her publisher. When I tried to ask what the blurb was for her wannabe poor woman's Maeve Binchy novel (That's RIGHT. The gloves are off!), the publisher looked down her nose at me, shoved a postcard for the book in my face and said, "You're supposed to be helping us. Go hand these out."

And that is just one example of the rudeness of these people.

So I stood there, pushing postcards at people as they walked by. Not saying a word. And you know how they reacted? By avoiding me.

Thank you for the advice, rude writer and publisher. I bust my butt at BEA for the authors I work with. I have to say, I'm good at it. All the other writers/ publishers I've worked with have said so. I also want to add that this duo co-opted a fellow publisher's (under the Midpoint umbrella) intern for their own purposes and were rude to her as well.

Then I got upset. And I took a walk. And everyone at Midpoint could tell I was not happy because I am generally so smiley and I was NOT. (I do have a temper, you know.) This was towards the end of the day, so an incredibly kind and generous fellow Midpoint employee snagged me a glass of champagne from some party happening elsewhere on the floor. I even saw Flava Flav from a distance. That didn't really cheer me up, though. Flava Flav at a book expo?

REALLY, Publishing Industry?

Your BEA keynote speakers are always celebrities like Julianne Moore (I love her but don't even get me started on those Freckleface Strawberry books...) and Jon Stewart and then you've got Flava Flav, who can barely speak in complete sentences. And whose name is FLAVA FLAV.

Really.

Anyway, after the champagne, I felt better. Bubbly, even. HA. And then I was whisked off to the amazing, super fantastic Soho Press 25th Anniversary Party!!

But this post is too long already so there will have to be a Part III. Alas, there are no pictures. I need to start wearing a fanny pack.

BEA 2011: Monday

Okay, Reader. This is when I wish I had taken notes on BEA so I could remember everything I wanted to tell you about. Let's start at the beginning. I arrived at the Javits Center on Monday to help set up, which I've never done before. It looked like this:

The booth for Candlewick Press with Scholastic in the distance.

Here is the Midpoint Trade Books booth, still a work in progress. This is where I work during BEA running the author signings for a variety of small publishers. The books for the various signings didn't arrive until late in the day so Monday involved a lot of sitting around and waiting with our fingers crossed.

As you can see, things weren't quite ready on Monday.

BEA doesn't come alive until the floor opens on Tuesday. That's when the Javits Center is flooded with readers, writers, and industry professionals whose life work is making books. I think that's why I was slightly unimpressed on Monday.

After work, I met up with my friend Juliet and her coworker Ailen (who shares my love of Kenshin and Fullmetal Alchemist!!). It's so thrilling to be surrounded by people who talk books all day long. Then we went back to Juliet's apartment to await the arrival of one of her authors Cara Black.

Cara writes the Aimée Leduc mystery series, which is set in Paris. Essentially I had a sleepover with a senior editor and a successful mystery writer (one of these things is not like the other...).

I can't speak to Cara's writing--yet, but I will soon! I got a signed ARC of her latest book MURDER AT THE LANTERNE ROUGE. I even got to cut the signing line to get it so I could rush back to my own booth (thank you kind signing line people!!)The book doesn't come out until March 2012. That plus the fact that I was temporarily Cara's roommate makes me feel very fancy, I must say.So, once I read the book, I will review it. Until then, I can only say that Cara is incredibly lovely, an instantly likable person. She's the kind of person who makes friends with all sorts of people, who then show her all sorts of things in Paris that a regular person will never see. And of course these amazing adventures turn up in her books. To get an insight into her charming personality, listen to her NPR interview from 2009.

Cara arrive sometime around midnight, wearing all black and looking chic. Juliet and I were already in our pjs. The three of us went to bed, and they fell asleep while I stared up at the ceiling and wondered what Tuesday would bring...

Tuesday Preview: It involves some serious book pimping, Rosemary Wells, and a fancy publishing party!

Share Time: Malinda Lo

Hi there, Reader. You probably already know about Malinda Lo, author of Ash and Huntress. I got to meet her at Sirens 2010 so let me just add that she's funny, open, smart, and incredibly humble.

She just wrote a fantastic blog post on homophobia and writing Fantasy. I consider it a must read for all writers and readers. What she says can be applied to any prejudice that currently exists in our society--we can rewrite the world.

I hope you check it out: Taking the homophobia out of Fantasy

Stuff and Nonsense

First of all, have you heard the latest casting news about The Hunger Games?I like their choice for Peeta (left) and I can sort of see Gale (right), and I'm still not sure about Katniss (middle). But the people who are most important to me are Rue and Haymitch and Cinna. What about you?

I won't be doing much writing this week, unfortunately. I have a lot of work to do on my freelance project to meet an unexpected deadline. I'm also subbing an extra kickboxing class and some other things that will keep me busy. TCB will have to wait, and I hope it's better for having stewed in my brain a bit. Friday night I think I have a date with my manuscript.

It occurs to me that if I keep writing on Friday nights and Saturdays, maybe I should look into sexing up my work a bit, you know, to keep it interesting for me.

....

Right. First I'll work on having my protagonists share a Real! Live! Kiss! and not just an almost kiss. Baby steps.

I went home to Connecticut last weekend and dug up my end-of-semester summaries from my writing professors. THAT was a good reminder of how far I've come. There was a lot of, (I'm interpreting here) "You know how to make your writing sound like a story but the story itself isn't really there."

I also found evidence of the feud I had with the Head of the English Department, my poetry professor and a man I still love to hate. I wrote a poem in iambic tetrameter which was about finding meaning in life and overcoming thoughts of suicide and he made fun of it in front of the entire workshop. He was one of those people who thought if you hadn't read contemporary American White male authors then you have no clue what you're doing.

But I digress.

Last night I had more weird dreams. I've been having a lot of them lately. Last night's involved a trip to Japan where everything was sheathed in snow and ice. Holly Black was there, running a dumpling cart. The dumplings were expensive but I couldn't resist ordering one for me and Husband. I love Holly Black. I love dumplings. Win-Win, right? All I remember about the rest of it was that Husband was late, the dumplings took forever, and I attempted to make a joke to Holly, which fell flat. She just sort of looked at me for a moment and then went back to her dumplings. Since I've met Holly, I found this whole thing hilarious.

It's raining here in Vermont--a noted improvement from snow!

[Photos: GettyImages/WENN]

Fox and Magpie

Good morning, Reader! I think my grump slump is lifting. Why? It's so much warmer out today and it's sunny. I mean, it's in the mid forties for sure! I know. Crazy. I also started the day with coffee and a walk. It's nice not to cringe at the thought of leaving the house before midday.

Once again I'm determined to make headway in Chapter 4 today. It's slow going but everything feels good, it's just that progress is truly one sentence at a time. I've got my freelance project to work on as well as some other odds and ends. It can be so very easy to push writing to the side. I'm hoping NOT to do that today.

Have you read Terri Windling's most recent On Your Desk post? She talks about a fellow Devon artist named Danielle Barlowe(That's a link to her blog). I really like her watercolors, especially Between Times.(As you may know, I have an obsession with foxes.) The text reads, "With cunning and guile I slip between times."

And then this print caught my eye: The Fox and the Magpie. I thought, "That's my novel!!" The two main characters are Maggie--called Magpie by her family and whose love for the magical, shiny things in the world get her into trouble with the Fae, and Adder, a half Kitsune (that's a Japanese fox faerie), half High House Faerie. Isn't that neat? I found it strangely thrilling.

And now for today's Fantasyland definition, as provided by Diana Wynne Jones:

(Fans of Wildwood Dancing will **SPOILER**get a chuckle out of this one.)

"Pools. Any pool is likely to be numinous or Enchanted. Some give you strange VISIONS when viewed by moonlight, some just give you strange Visions. A few have additional virtues, such as healing or granting longevity. Some can lead you astray.

The Rule is that, of all prophetic objects (see PROPHECY), only Pools are allowed to give false information--and even they will base their misinformation on true facts."

Cranes and Color Coding

First off, I want to congratulate Sabrina of Coffee Quill for winning The Heart Of Hyacinth in my Paper Crane Contest!! Thank you to everyone who spread the word.

Is anyone else having better luck making cranes than me? I think my first mistake was using pages from old books that were too small and rectangular since I'm not known for accurate measuring or cutting or folding skills.

Also, it is snowing. At first it was like little stars falling. Pretty. Now it's legit snow and I am DISPLEASED.

And finally, as promised, here is the definition of the day courtesy of the incomparable Dianna Wynne Jones from her book The Tough Guide to Fantasyland:

"Color Coding is very important in Fantasyland. Always pay attention to the color of the CLOTHING, hair, and eyes of anyone you meet. It will tell you a great deal. Complexion is also important, in many cases it is coded too.

1. Clothing. Black garments normally mean EVIL, but in rare cases can mean sobriety, in which case a white ruffled collar will be added to the ensemble. Gray or red clothing means that the person is neutral but tending to Evil in most cases. Any other color is GOOD, unless too many bright colors are worn at once, in which instance the person will be unreliable. Drab color means the person will take little part in the action , unless the drab is also torn or disreputable, when the person will be a lovable rogue.

2. Hair. Black hair is Evil, particularly if combined with corpse-white complexion. Red hair always entails magical POWERS, even if these are only latent. Brown hair has to be viewed in combination with eyes, whose color are the real giveaway (see below), but generally implies niceness. Fair hair, especially if it is silver-blonde, always means goodness.

3. Eyes. Black eyes are invariably Evil; brown eyes mean boldness and humor, but not necessarily goodness; green eyes always entail TALENT, usually for MAGIC but sometimes for MUSIC; hazel eyes are rare and seem generally to imply niceness; gray eyes mean POWER or healing abilities (see HEALERS) and will be reassuring unless they look silver (silver-eyed people are likely to enchant or hypnotize you for their own ends, although they are not always Evil); white eyes, usually blind ones, are for wisdom (never ignore what a white-eyed person says); blue eyes are always GOOD, the bluer the more good present; and then there are violet and golden eyes,. People with violet eyes are often of Royal birth and, if not, always live uncomfortably interesting lives. People with golden eyes just live uncomfortably interesting lives and most of them are rather fey in the bargain. Both these types should be avoided by anyone who wants a quiet life. Luckily, it seldom occurs to those with undesirable eye colors to disguise them by ILLUSION, and they can generally be detected very readily. Red eyes can never be disguised. They are Evil and surprisingly common.

4. Complexion. Corpse-white is Evil and it grades from there. Pink-faced folk are usually midway and pathetic. The best face-color is brown, preferably tanned, but it can be inborn. Other colors such as black, blue, mauve, and yellow barely exist.

So, if your acquaintance is wearing green and is blue-eyed and brown faced, she/he will be OK. Caution: Do not apply these standards to our own world. You are very likely to be disappointed."

Someone should have really given Bella Swan a copy of this guide when she moved to Forks. Corpse-white skin and golden eyes? Hello! Also, this provides some insight into why I've always been obsessed with red hair (so often described as red-gold hair). All the coolest girl characters were redheads, in my reading experience.

Have a Good Tour

So. It is Monday morning. I have every intention of tackling chapter four of my revision today until it's time to get ready for my kickboxing class. The sun is out and though it's cold, the air smells more alive today, which I find encouraging.

But.

I was looking over my favorite Monday blogs this morning and I finally realized something. I have to just accept that Dianna Wynne Jones has passed away. And the sun suddenly looks less bright, the room feels a bit colder.

There's a lovely autobiography of DWJ which my friend Jazz posted on facebook. Neil Gaiman, a close friend of DWJ, has a touching post about her as well.

For reasons unknown to me, I did not discover DWJ when I was younger. In fact I didn't know about her at all until I saw Miyazaki's animated version of Howl's Moving Castle. I fell in love with it, and went out to read the original. Now, I'm a huge Miyazaki fan but the book is just magical. You must read it.

Then, while I was living by the sea in Massachusetts, I discovered an intriguing book at a small used book store in Marblehead. It was a guidebook called The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Dianna Wynne Jones. It's hilarious--truly hilarious for anyone who has spent large chunks of their life reading fantasy books and who still love them despite their flaws. For example, consider her entry on princesses:

"Princesses come in two main kinds:
1. Wimps
2. Spirited and willful. A spirited princess will be detectable by the scattering of freckles across the bridge of her somewhat tiptilted nose. Spirited Princesses often disguise themselves as boys and invariably marry commoners of sterling worth. With surprising frequency these commoners turn out to be long-lost heirs to Kingdoms (see Princes)."

In fact, for the rest of the week, I'll post one definition from this book in honor of Dianna Wynne Jones.

I have so much of her work left to look forward to, and that makes me happy. Now, on to my own writing. Rest in peace, Dianna Wynne Jones. And have a good tour.

PS After posting this, I discovered that my friend Sabrina over at Coffee Quill also blogged about DWJ and her Tough Guide to Fantasyland here!

"There Will Be Stars"

Thanks to my mom, I grew up reading Sara Teasdale's poetry. I was shocked, as I got older, to discover that she's not as well known to the world as she was to me. So here are two poems by her that I love.

This first poem I love for several reasons: the rhythm, the imagery, the perfection of the last two lines, and also because I never quite believe the speaker and her wish to forget.

Let It Be Forgotten

Let it be forgotten, as a flower is forgotten,
Forgotten as a fire that once was singing gold,
Let it be forgotten for ever and ever,
Time is a kind friend, he will make us old.

If anyone asks, say it was forgotten
Long and long ago,
As a flower, as a fire, as a hushed footfall
In a long forgotten snow.

...

The second poem I love for its simplicity, again for the rhythm, and for the way she says so much in so few words. Perhaps I should add that Sara Teasdale committed suicide in 1933.

Moon's Ending

Moon, worn thin to the width of a quill,
In the dawn clouds flying,
How good to go, light into light, and still
Giving light, dying.

Sirens Hangover

Hello, Reader! I'm currently in pajama pants (laundry is way overdue), eating candy corn (who can resist that sugary wax as it coats your teeth?), and trying to wake up. I've been trying to wake up ever since I returned from Sirens.

Between the constant buzzing of my brain during every moment of the conference, and complete lack of sleep, I'm exhausted. My husband and I have been leapfrogging each other in travel, too, which doesn't help. Everything in my life--inside my head and out--feels cluttered.

I'm still processing everything from the conference. Most importantly, it was awesome. It was awe inspiring. Let me just list a few amazing moments that keep flashing through my mind:

- Ellen Kushner grabbing my purse--which my twin sister made--and telling me how much she loved it. I really liked Ellen. She was so blunt and down-to-earth. I always feel more relaxed with people who speak their mind because they can't be anything but themselves.

- Discovering part way through the shuttle ride to the hotel that not only was Cindy Pon, author of Silver Phoenix, sitting behind me (I recognized her at least) but so was Malinda Lo, author of Ash, and Holly Freaking Black!!! And they were so smart and normal and real. Like you and me. Just riding a bus. Chatting.

Revelation: authors are REAL PEOPLE, you guys. For some reason, this always shocks me. Maybe it's because authors are so important to me. They are the ones who unlock the doors, who write the passports that let us enter new worlds.

Cindy Pon and Malinda Lo were incredibly humble. It was clear I considered them bigger book stars than they did. I finished Cindy's first book Silver Phoenix on the plane ride over and really liked her main character Ai Ling. Lo's book Ash generated a lot of buzz and is another book on my To Read List. Both are YA and as you know I've been trying to seek out more adult Urban Fantasy but it's hard to avoid all the fantastic stories in YA right now.

- Delia Sherman. Just Delia. Everything about her is lovable. She has such a light touch with everything from guiding a panel, to handling people, to the thoughtful way she speaks. You can tell she cares very much about stories and about the people in her life. I'm so very glad she was a part of the conference. Now I have to read all of her books (somehow I haven't read her work before)!

- Terri Windling...Where do I begin? Hearing her key note talk was amazing. I actually had to hide a couple tears and I know another woman who excused herself because it was so emotional. Her talk really resonated with everyone in the room. I don't know if I can write about Terri yet without exalting her as a Priestess of Imagination, and Shepherdess of Stories. But she is so humble and thoughtful, that I don't think she would be comfortable with these roles. She will have to be a post unto herself.

- Hanging out in the hot tub with Juliet on the last day of the conference while the world was still waking up. It was so great to talk about publishing with her and just revel in the hot water. Of course the water set off my super sensitive skin so I ended up looking like a demon but Juliet was nice and didn't mention it.

- Walking by myself every morning of the conference. So many thoughts were running through my head that I couldn't chase them all. It was nice to walk in silence, soaking in the yellow leaves and white birch bark. I couldn't get the song "Silver and Gold" out of my head. Colorado really is starkly beautiful.So much more to say about the conference, but I will stop for now. I'm still struggling to get my regular life back together and of course, I'm anxious to return to my revisions.

What I'm Listening to at Otter Creek Used Books Today

BEA 2010 Round Up: Day 2

Tuesday night I took the train into New York and met an old friend for dinner. Her name is Rebecca Milzoff and she writes for New York Magazine. She reviews ballets and interviews musicians--pretty much the perfect job for her. She also writes the Glee Recap! You can check out all her online posts here.

Rebecca took me to a fantastic little Venezuelan restaurant of which I cannot share the name. What I can do is share the photos I took of my amazing meal (Mmm fried plantains. And yes, I am aware that the part on the left looks a bit like dog food in the photo but it was in fact very delicious beef people food)

And the watermelon juice, which tasted like the sweetest, most perfect watermelon that ever existed. As I took the first sip, I felt spring ripen into summer.
Now that your mouth is watering, let's dive into Wednesday: my first day at BEA 2010!

I bumped into several people, who made me smile on Wednesday. First C, the younger sister of yet another old friend. Her mother is an author and illustrator, and now C works at a publishing house. What a relief to see a familiar face!

I also--and I can't help but brag here--met Moonrat of Editorial Ass! I know. I heartily encourage you to envy me. She was just as lovely in person as she is on her blog. And yes, I've been sworn to secrecy by threat of the loss of all my fingers, thereby rendering me incapable of typing, if I were ever to reveal her true identity.

And then guess who wandered by the booth where I was book pimping?!?!

CATHERYNNE M. VALENTE

Luckily I knew what she looked like from watching the video of her recent acceptance speech for winning the Andre Norton award for The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, which she posted on her blog.

(Ye gods, there are a lot of links in this post! And that was a terrible sentence. Moving on.)

This is what happened when I spotted her:

ME: Reprogram your genes to get the body you always...(spots CV) Catherynne Valente!!

CV: (turns and looks at me in confusion)

ME: (holds current pimped book in front of her in embarrassment) Fan Girl moment!

CV: (laughs) That's the coolest thing that's ever happened to me.

And then I told her that I was going to see the Steam Punk panel later that day, in which she was participating. She asked me where the stage was and I told her, because even though this was literally HOURS before the panel, I had already scoped it out so I'd know where to go when it started. I told you, I don't mess around with my author crushes.

Does this exchange not make you love Ms. Valente?? She seemed so normal and unimpressed with herself. But if you'd read any sentence this woman has written you would be Very Impressed.

So you want to know how the panel went? Well, the punk aspect of Steam Punk was very much on display. It seemed that none of the authors (Valente, Cherie Priest of Boneshaker fame, and the Brit author Felix Gilman) were too thrilled to be labeled in any way. Instead they rambled on about how they did not fit perfectly into Steam Punk, but loved it nonetheless in some shape or form. I suppose this is fitting. Punk should be on the fringe, unwilling to join the masses, right?

One interesting moment came when Cherie Priest stated that in her experience many people (British people? This was unspoken, yet somewhat implied) don't think America is a worthy setting for Steam Punk and that it should only be set in gaslight London. The very British Felix Gilman agreed with her on this point, saying that he preferred setting his Steam Punk in America. So much for a punked out mosh pit in the middle of the panel.

I especially liked that Catherynne Valente described Steam Punk as an aesthetic more than a genre. Brass, steam power, gears, goggles, and bustles all seem to fall under Steam Punk and were mentioned by all the panelists. She also felt that the definitive Steam Punk novel had not yet been written, since she believes that the genre can do so much more with the pseudo Victorian setting of a society on the brink of change.

It'll be interesting to see how Steam Punk evolves if (...when?) it becomes more mainstream.

Alas, even book pimps need to rest once in a while. I ended my day at a low key party for Midpoint Trade Books (my temporary employer). Pizza, beer, and book talk--needless to say, it was a great night!

Sometimes My Story Ideas Are Just Too Good for Me

The weather has been unbearably heavy, hot, and humid in New England the last couple of days. I'll try not to complain because at least this is to be expected in August, unlike the cool, rainy weather we've had for most of the summer. Still, the weather makes it hard to sleep since I don't have air conditioning, and this results in my dreams being even weirder than usual.

The other night I had a very complicated dream. Why is it that the ones that seem so complex and interesting while you're asleep are so dull and simple when you wake up?

This particular dream was about a village (I think?) that was attacked and destroyed by a mysterious force (Evil Lord? Bomb? Uncontrollable Fire? I leave this threat up to you to choose as you see fit). The sole survivor of the tragedy was a rat.

Yes, a rat. This may be my first rat dream. I've had lots and lots of death dreams and uncontrollable car dreams and spider dreams but rare is the dream about rodents. Go figure.

There is some sort of explosion in the church where the rat makes its meager living. The rat is thrown into water (perhaps the baptismal font?) and survives but does not know what caused the blast. When he surfaces, the threat is gone and the village destroyed. He then goes on a quest through various cities throughout Europe. I don't know if this is because he is seeking revenge or simply seeking the meaning of life. Again, open to interpretation.

This is the best part. As I was waking, I remember clearly thinking to myself how this would make a fantastic story (I'm sure I don't need to elaborate on why. The many merits are, by now, obvious.) "But only Neil Gaiman could do the story justice," I told myself.

HA!

I don't know if I meant that only Neil Gaiman could salvage this wreck of a story and somehow spin it into literary magic, or that the high concept required Neil's deft hand. Perhaps I meant both. Either way I'm sure Neil will be glad to know that I'm cultivating story ideas for him in my sleep.