Sort of....
I am back to visit my blog just briefly, and I can't guarantee I will be back any time soon but we can always hope! Life just has a way of intruding on everything!
I haven't come to impart words of wisdom gleaned from my life experiences, no.
I have come to beg for help. Yes. I am dieing here. I need a GREAT book to read! and I got nothing that piques my interest in my book pile. Nothing. And it's not a short pile either. And actually it's not a pile, its multiple piles. And by multiple, I mean more than six of them.
You do realize the magnitude of this problem don't you?? I have nothing to read!
So, please please please tell me what is the book you can't put down? the book you recommend to everyone? the book you talk about? the book you love? the book you beg your friends to to read- even the ones who never read!
I am waiting, impatiently for recommendations...
I am Back!
A Tree Grows in- Brooklyn?
I finished reading Eat Love Pray. (Loved the Eat part- Naples is on my list of places to visit!- Pray part was- well, complicated. I believe religion and spirituality are MUCH simpler than most people want believe. God loves every one of us, the rest is in our hands- free will! so I found myself skipping most of Pray. And the Love part- funny, oh yes, and a little boring... overall I am glad I read it, mostly for the great humor, I was actually laughing aloud, LOLing, in fact!)
Next on my ToBeReadList was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I gotta tell yah-I was not expecting much from this one, the cover-boring! the title - not exactly titillating! the authors name, Betty Smith, I mean wow, can you get any plainer than that?? But I am on a mission to read more American writers (because Tuck Everlasting was insane, I love that book!), so I started reading...
...and man, those characters hooked me! my schedule went out the window, meals and schoolwork were abandoned to the - shall we say- chagrin, of my husband and daughter. My healthy diet went out the window as I subsisted on finger food (maybe book food is a better word! Definition- any thing that can be prepared and eaten while you read!) and let me tell you, it wasn't carrot and celery sticks- those things have to be washed and peeled!
The characters though, I cried with them, I got angry at them, I want to fight for them, and I really really wanted to feed them! I loved them. The whole family. I want to be a Rommely woman. I want to be strong and determined and passionate (and skinny!) like them! But alas, I am definitely more your bend -with -the -wind type- I have never been accused of being a fighter in my life.
And I never wanted to be one until I meet Francie Nolan and her mum! They are characters I want to meet, and hang out with. They are characters I want to write.
Please Refer to Previous Post.
In case anyone was wondering about the title of yesterdays post- the plural Days- well, I almost forgot, but Alexandre Days' wife is also a fabulous artist! What're the odds eh?
Her name is Adolie and I wonder if she would illustrate my picture book for me if I asked with a pretty please?
Love her style, love her colors! And she has a blog! which is in french! which I understand not a word of!
Oh well, I can still enjoy the pictures without worrying about the language barrier.
Those Fabulous Days!
These pictures are by Alexandre Day, and I am showing them off here because this is the stuff that ...
totally inspires me to tell stories- these characters that seem to have just stepped out of their stories to have their pictures draw.
I can almost see their adventures and tribulations and fears, I really want to tell their stories and meet their friends, but I don't want to meet them. Is that weird? I want them to be enigmas, not unknowable, but slightly mysterious and secretive and a bit scary- yup, OK, that is weird!
But still I love the art.
And it makes me want to write!
Out with the OLD?
I read a lot of older books, I am talking HG Wells, Ursula K Le Guin, Frank Herbert, John Wyndham, Judith Tarr, (not SF I know, but I read a LOT of non-SF!) but there are some incredible writers out there who are either not writing any more, or dead! And the ONLY reason I am reading them is that I can buy their books for 50cents at my Friends of the Library Book Store. Sad but true. If I could afford a shiny new book every few days I wouldn't be reading these older authors, so just as well I ain't rich!
comment from speculative horizons by me!
I want to add that I actually love some of these older books, and authors. I admire the way they have stood the test of time in a way that I don't think many of the shiny new books will. Some of the new titles are super engaging and a great read but I really don't think any-one will be reading them in 10 years. Or even 5 years, which is sad.
So what is the secret ingredient? How do I write out of my time? How do I breach the generational gap?
Not that it is essential to my writing, but it would be kinda nice to be able to maintain some appeal over the years, don't you think?
A writer in need...
What I really need at this point is a nice- but not too nice-picture book critique group, because I think i am at that point.
I checked these guys out- any-one heard of them? no? me neither, I found them on craigslist which kinda raised a few red flags for me! I am going to dig around on their site a bit more and see what I can find out.
Verla's site has some amazing people and resources- but I feel kinda out of my league, I am a complete newbie there, and every-where else too! Got to start some where though- any suggestions? (and I promise I am not haggling for a offer! just tips!)
And I couldn't resist adding this link, beware though- it's a picture book not for the faint of heart! http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/promos/creepysusie/index.html
