One of the really nice things about WordPress* is that I can write blog posts in advance and them schedule them to appear, so on days when I can’t check in — not even to change something from “draft” to “published” — we can already have posts raring to go. Just think of it — there will be no more two-week long dry spells like in January, where you heard nothing as I sludged, enfeebled and sick with some sort of named British flu bug (the Brits like to name every “thing that’s going around”) across the continent of Europe in search of the perfect settings for Rampant.

Speaking of Rampant, I got an email from a friend today reminding me that she’s been waiting for this book for over three years, and she still has to wait another 12 months. And I feel for her, truly I do. I feel for her decidedly more than I feel for the person who was standing behind Sailor Boy in line at the cafeteria three years ago when he was describing the book to one of his classmates, and who said, “What is this book called and where can I buy it?”

I often wonder about this complete stranger, and whether she will remember the 1L talking about his girlfriend’s fantasy novel and connect it, sometime in 2009, with Rampant. That would be nice, I think.

Meanwhile, both she and my friend are going to have to wait a year. Because no, I don’t have the ARC. I also can’t promise anyone one, since I don’t know if I’ll have giveaway ARCs in my possession. And it wouldn’t be for a couple of months, anyhow. When I know, you’ll know. Promise.

I am, however, making a single, self-made ARC, which is neither easy nor inexpensive, but that I promised to someone very special so he could read it on his upcoming vacation. He had to beg a lot.

And he’s my dad. So if you aren’t my dad, share a comparable amount of genetic material, or are currently married to me, the answer is no. Sorry.

Currently, there are seven people who have read the full manuscript: Me, Kristin (HC editor), Ruta (HC), Deidre (Agent), Carrie, Justine, and Marley. Actually, there may be more at Harper; I don’t know. And there’s someone else at the agency reading it right now. But that’s it.

Sailor Boy has not read it. Nor has he read Rites of Spring (Break). I know, shocking. His argument is that he is present while I am writing it, and hears me alternately groaning or giggling about the process, so it’s almost like he already knows what happens. It’s a bit like being a fan of a baseball team without watching any games, but maybe he likes the uniform or something. He does promote it to random people in the cafeteria, after all.

But it makes me wonder about the friends and family plan. I encouraged everyone I know to read my first book. People who don’t generally read novels about cute co-eds who say “Dude” and talk about how Everything They Needed to Know About Relationships They Learned From Jane Austen.** People who don’t read novels, full stop. People who wouldn’t be caught dead with something pink, and that’s including their steaks. My dad and brothers read it. My uncles read it. Heck, my childhood dentist read it.

But I don’t think it’s a statement about me or our mutual respect and affection if they decline to read it. After all, I’m sure I’m not so keen on said dentist’s articles for the Journal of American Dental Health.*** It’s my job. Not everyone has to be “into” my job.

Let’s go back to my dad. Like most people , his first reaction to “I’m writing a book about killer unicorns” was best described as “Whaaaaa?” But once I gave him the full-court pitch, he became quite enthusiastic, and has maintained this enthusiasm ever since. He’s read all of my books, and has said, several times, that he’s especially excited about Rampant, which he thinks is “more his style” than the chick lit.****

Followed up by the repeated requests for the extra-special ARC for his vacation. Isn’t that sweet?

SB is similarly excited. He pitches the story to anyone who will sit still enough to listen. He did it today, in fact. But he hasn’t read it. Which is too bad, because I think that this is also “more his style.”*****

Should SB read my books? I don’t know, what do you think?

THIS IS WHERE THE POLL WOULD BE IF I KNEW HOW TO MAKE POLLS WORK ON WORDPRESS. SINCE I DO NOT, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VOTE.

“Others” and explanations in the comments section.

* Those of you who have emailed to say their offices block WordPress, never fear. It’s getting dedicated server space shortly.

** I’d go ahead and claim this title/premise, but I’m pretty sure Karen Joy Fowler already did, and made a mint.

*** Disclaimer: I actually don’t know if my old dentist writes articles, or indeed if this publication even exists.

**** Keeping in mind, of course, that this is the man who named me after Mrs. Emma Peel (I narrowly escaped the moniker Leia.)

***** Keeping in mind, of course, that this is the man who, despite his constant reminders to pack light during our backpacking excursion through Oceania, thought nothing of bringing a complete omnibus version of The Lord of the Rings.

Yes. I even have unicorn WINE.

This one was a gift from my father, who found it in a wine store and couldn’t resist (starting to see a pattern?). I checked out the winery and they don’t use this particular label on their newer bottles. That makes this Limited Edition Unicorn Wine.

A close-up on the label:

Folks all over are talking about the value (resulting smackdown to be found here, here, here, here, and, even at GalleyCat, who calls for the dude to be replaced), classification, and fun of writing a YA novel (or not). (Updated to add: Susan Adrian was also posting about it here.)

This weekend at my writing retreat, I was asked “Why YA?” a good dozen times, by writers who would never consider, have never considered but were curious, and those who not only had considered, but really wanted to. At the last cocktail party I attended, I was alternately sneered at (“Oh, just children’s books,”) and applauded by an adult fan of Twilight.

I’m baffled by the assumption that the books are easier or simpler. High school students read more than the average adult, and the books they read are the big ones: Shakespeare, Hemingway, Faulkner, etc. If they can handle that in their classes, they are equipped to handle all kinds of stuff in their pleasure reading.

I wonder why this happens. I wonder why actors in movies and television made for children get markedly less respect than actors in movies and television made for adults. I wonder if it’s the same impetus that causes folks to look down their noses at teachers, or say, “just a kindergarten teacher?” to a friend who is a kindergarten teacher.

All of my favorite books were books I read as a child. That’s enough for me to say why YA.

I’m off to the first WRW meeting of the new year today. Emilie Richards is talking about how to save your novel from sinking, which sounds like a fabulous topic. I can’t wait!

Meanwhile, to entertain you, listen to this fascinating podcast by prolific and talented author Lauren Baratz-Logsted, whose latest book, Secrets of My Suburban Life, is out now. I loved her last YA, Angel’s Choice, and I’m really looking forward to this one!

Secrets of My Suburban Life (Simon & Schuster, January, 2008)

And you thought your life had a dark side….
Everything changed for Lauren (“Ren”) after Harry Potter killed her mom. No, it’s not what you think—Harry Potter didn’t come to life and stab her or anything. A stack of those thick books crushed her. Now Ren is stuck out in the suburbs of Connecticut, dragged out there because her father is too grief stricken to continue living in New York.
Ren tries to fit in at her new school, but the most popular girl, Farrin, keeps icing her out. Then Ren discovers that Farrin has a secret: She’s been communicating online with an older man, and they are actually planning to meet! Ren can’t let Farrin go through with it—she’s witnessed enough tragic events as it is. So she comes up with the perfect plan to stop the perv. But then she finds out who he is…

SB: “I’ve instituted a boycott on Deleted Scenes.”

DP: “But, honey, why?”

SB: “Because, we put them on, and we watch them, and then at the end, I go, ‘Yep, glad they deleted that!’”

DP: “I can see that.”

I’m currently experiencing one of those semi-annual bouts of blogging ennui. Tonight I was in yoga class and as my mind wandered during Shivasana (as it tends to) I had all these great ideas about blogging topics, but now that I’m here, before the keyboard, none are appealing to me.

I’m also really behind on reading blogs. I heard Cory Doctorow got yelled at by his blog readers for daring to post something about himself. I feel like I’m in good company now. My favorite comment was one that said, “Up next: livejournal author criticized for using self-portrait as userpic.” As I have been criticized for putting pictures of myself on my blog (????) I found that especially funny.

I was also amused by this post on Bookends. It never ceases to amaze me that people can be savvy enough about this industry to read agent blogs, but are still missing a fundamental point. But then again, I was at a conference a few years ago and sitting at a table where the topic of “no agent is better than a bad agent” came up, and one of the people who was most enthusiastically agreeing with that point had a terrible agent who was driving her career into the ground, had been told as much by all of her friends, and still wouldn’t leave, fearing what would happen if she couldn’t find representation elsewhere. But back to the Bookends post. The questioner thinks disservice is better than no service” when it comes to agenting. Were I still a waitress, I’d try out that argument the next time I spilled a martini in someone’s lap. Think it would get me very far?

And finally, some really fantastic news! C.L. Wilson’s second novel, The Lady of Light and Shadows, has debuted at #88 on the USA Today bestseller list! Congratulations, C.L.!

Sorry for the last-minute, but today I will be appearing on Internet Voices Radio’s Crazy Tuesday Show, “Cherry Picking with Rowena,” hosted by speculative fiction romance author, Rowena Cherry.

The topic of the show is book series: writing them, reading them, and the complex relationship both writers and readers have with series that develop over time. Fellow guests include bestselling authors like Susan Kearney, Julie Leto, C. L. Wilson, Rebecca York, and Judi McCoy.

(In passing, funny that half the guests are TARA members, like me, and the other half are WRW members, also like me.)

The show runs from 10-noon, and my segment will be on at 10:40. Tune in here!

Okay, so now we have the wings and halo made.

Next you get dressed. What you choose to wear is going to determine what kind of fallen angel you are. The first girl I made this for was a very traditional angel, wearing a long skirt and a velvet top. The second wore a sexy black corset, fishnets and boots. (Perhaps more of a succubus in that outfit?) I wore a long, black velvet mermaid dress and bell sleeves. My friend wore a black skirt, lace top, and sheer, capelike negligee.

Then, the makeup. The first girl used a red palette, giving herself sorrowful red and purple eyes. We even tied blood-red ribbons in her hair below the halo. Last weekend, my friend and I stuck to blues and purples. Our eyeshadow was dramatic, with blue and white “wings” and heavy eyeliner. Then we streaked bits of black “soot” on our cheeks.

Then you take a wired ribbon in the color of your choice (black or sparkly/iridescent ribbon looks great!) and thread it through the inside corners of each wing. Have a friend hold the wing up to your back and tie it on, backpack style. I actually tied the wings in a cross across my chest to simulate the ties on classic dress.

Take the “halo” and pin it crookedly to your hair as if it has fallen down.

Ta-da! And, because it’s hilarious, the fallen angel checking out a D*** In A Box:

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, and due to circumstances beyond my control (hurricanes, they don’t really have it in Australia, etc.) it’s been several years since I was able to go all out. Also, my idea of a Halloween-themed wedding was vetoed.

I was determined to go Halloween or go bust this year. And this year would be the year I made the Fallen Angel costume… for myself.

The first time I made the Fallen Angel costume, it was for a friend in college. She was performing at a costumed music recital that evening, and she wanted something special. So she provided the clothes and makeup, and I made the wings and halo. And when we put it on her and tied the blood-red ribbons in her hair, the effect was incredible. She looked amazing, beautiful.

The second time I made the Fallen Angel costume, it was for another friend from college. She was a single girl living in New York City, and wanted something to kick up her black corset and fishnet ensemble. I’d developed my technique by then (it’s all about the black organza) and her wings were simply amazing.

It’s many years later now, and my best friend lives in town, so we could make the Fallen Angel costume together. See, because that’s the thing about it. It has to be a costume for someone else at least. It’s the tradition.

And this is how you do it:

1. Take two wire hangers.

2. Bend them into a rough teardrop shape, with the “hanger” part on one side.

3. Wrap the hanger with black pipe cleaners.

4. Create a latticework of pipe cleaners across the framework of the wrapped hanger.

5. Next, the feathers! You’re going to need about 1.5-2 yards of material all together. I like to use a mix of different kinds of materials, a bit of lace, some organza, some other shimmery or sparkly stuff, and some opaque material for filler. All black of course.

6. Cut the material into a double-feather shape with a bit of a strap between. It should be somewhere between 8-12 inches long.

7. Tie the feathers onto the lattice work and frame so that the feathery bits hang down on either side. Make sure the different materials are spaced out. Towards the bottom and “outside” of the wings (the side opposite the hanger part), make sure the feathers are somewhat longer to make the correct “folded wing” shape.

8. After the wings are covered, wrap the two “hanger parts” together with pipe cleaners. You may have to wrap some pipe cleaners around the inside as well to keep it all secure.

9. Now, the halo. Take embroidery thread in the “tarnished silver” color and braid six strands together, loosely. Tie the ends together. (Loose bits just make it look more “frayed.”)

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about assembly.

The Manuscript Mavens are doing a special Halloween “Choose Your Own Adventure” project, so stop by, catch up on the story and vote. (I’m one of the guest authors, so vote good, folks!)

You may have noticed that blog posts have been a bit thin on the ground in the last few weeks. That’s because I’m so busy I can’t see straight. I’ve got revisions due for Rites of Spring Break, plus another book to write, plus that whole pesky wedding thing happening in — eep! — just a few days. And yes, the proper adjective for wedding is “pesky.” Some people say “lovely” but I say pesky. And I say that because I have a forty-item To Do Before The Wedding list sitting on my desk right now.

I’ve handed a bunch of these items off to Sailor Boy. My brother, who got married this summer, once made the unfortunate comment that a groom’s only job was to show up at the wedding in a tux and say “I Do” at the appropriate moment. My poor sister-in-law, widowed before her time.

Back to the grind/table arrangements/revisions/programs/dry cleaning…