Chicago, Chicago...

Sing it with me!

Okay, those are the only words to the song I know. So I'll show you some pics from the Romantic Times convention I went to with Natalie Zaman now that I've cleaned out my email spam box (563 idiots missed me.). Friday was kind of slow for us, so we slipped out with Amalie Howard and her lovely mom and aspiring author Cate Hart.

This is a famous tower (No, not the Sears one). You see it a lot in movies and stuff. I think people generally fall off and die. Thought we might perish if we didn't get our Chicago deep dish pizza! The waiter was close to my gnawing on his buff ankle if he came any later!

Chicago is located along the Chicago River (for you peeps who didn't have geography- me- or just plain don't remember all those names). You can walk along it on beautiful sidewalks, there are cafes, benches, gardens. It's just so breathtaking (at least when it's warm. May be a different story when it's blowing snow and ice).

And this is what signing day was like- so many authors in one place! We were located in Teen Alley (you're seeing the other half). My friends Amalie Howard and Kristi Cook and many new friends were on that side. On ours we were sitting next to award winning Franny Billingsley! Down our line were Cole Gibsen, Ann Aguirre, and so many (my brain is still fried from it all) I wish I could remember. Check Nat's blog, she collected autographs so she can tell you who was there. You can't see the lines for Anne Rice, le grande dame, or JR Ward (on fave list!). Wanted to see Mary Janice Davidson (my humor muse) but people wanted signed copies of Sirenz! Finally met Katelyn Torrey, of Kate's Tales of Books and Bands blog and some new Sirenz fans.

(Do NOT ask me about doing the worm dance at the YA pajama party. Bones are still creaking. The things we authors do to promote our books...)

It was fun and exhausting and silly and hard work and eye opening. Lots of new friends- authors, publicists, literary agent-mates, aspiring authors, fans. Next year the theme is:

Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come....

Will we see you there?

Char

A Forgotten Tradition - Revived

Last Sunday I was at Books of Wonder in NYC doing the YA Teen Author Fest signing (lots of great authors- hope you didn't miss it, but if you did, you missed a lot!). During a signing lull, a book lover/blogger came up to me and asked me to autograph a book- not Sirenz, but a book she was keeping of all the authors she'd met. (Let's face it, very few people can buy every book put out- that's why we desperately need our libraries!)

She was bringing back, via a suggestion from her mother, the Autograph Book. (These were very popular when I was in elementary school, before the younger grades started doing yearbooks. We would put funny poems like, "Roses are red, daisies are cream, my face is funny, but yours is a scream!") She got all the autographs of the authors there - I think there were 66 of us throughout the day!

So I'm imitating her with a twist- I'm collecting authors' autographs and their bookmarks. The journal I bought at Walmart for a few dollars has 265 pages and a pretty blue cover (it's like a journal).

That's a lot of signatures. Maybe when I fill it up, I'll keep it, or auction it off for charity, I don't know. Who knows, maybe I'll get the signature of a newbie author who turns into the next Anne Rice, John Green, Suzanne Collins, etc.

But Nat & I get first page. Now I just have to get her signature. All you authors, you're next!

Char

This And That...

I don't have a clear subject, so I'm just going to write what comes to mind.

Ever heard of WriteGirl? http://www.writegirl.org/publications.html It's a nonprofit organization for high school girls to mentor them with creative writing and self-expression. The anthologies produced have won numerous awards, like winner of the London Book Festival for anthologies, Honorable mention in the New England Book Festival, and Finalist in the USA Best Books Non-Fiction Anthologies-all in 2011, and many more garnered over the years. Check it out.

My seeds are sprouting! I'm looking forward to moving them outside in their new planting bed (which hubby has to help me set up and soon!) I think they say it's safe to move them around May 1st, so I'll keep you updated on my little darlings and my attempt to eat healthy and not have to food shop as much this summer.

On Sunday I was signing books at the NYC Teen Author Festival At Books of Wonder. Those people know how to throw a signing and I met people with whom I've interacted via FB, email and Twitter, but hadn't met until then, like Jennifer Hubbard (The Secret Year, Try Not To Breathe), KM Walton (Cracked), Wendy Mass (The Candymakers, 13 Gifts and over 40 other works). I missed fellow Kidlit author Alissa Grosso (Popular, Ferocity Summer), but caught up with Margie Gelbwasser (Inconvenient, Pieces of Us). Others were there, but I didn't have much time to chat between signings and having lunch with my niece, Lauren, who works in the fashion industry and yes, was a muse for Sirenz (she wants a pair of Christian Loubotin shoes for her wedding that are studded with Swarovski crystals- over $3,000! That is a fashionista more than my character Sharisse!)

The rain cut short our visit, and it being Sunday, people had work on Monday morning, so back at home I was met with an email from our publicist, Kirsten Cappy of Curious City, with renderings from 9 art students on possible covers for Sirenz 3. What creativity these students have! We will be unveiling characters and covers, and some background on the students in the future, so stay tuned!

My kids are on Spring Break and we're hoping to get in two college visits for my middle son. (I just finished this with the older one!). Will have to drag the youngest, but at least I have a few years before that! We'll be looking at NJIT and maybe NYU, and if I can squeeze it in, Rutgers (my alma mater!) Wish my luck and fortitude...

And finally, Nat and I are finishing up our preparations for the Romantic Times convention in Chicago. It's going to be crazy-fun-chaotic-unbelievable, and I'm hoping to get one of my fave authors Anne Rice to sign a book (I have almost the complete collection!) and my fave humor writer, Mary Janice Davidson (Love the Undead series!) to sign something, but it will probably be too mobbed. There will be many other things to see, do, people to meet. Nat & I are hoping to escape one day and see what Chicago has to offer. Will take pics!

So, that's today. Hope you have a great week, with a little of this (good) and not too much of that (bad).

Char

New Beginnings

See this? These are my seedlings. Don't worry, I'm not buying into a dystopian, end-of-civilization scenario, I just like having fresh veggies every summer. I don't plant enough to can for the winter (ha ha, like I have the time??), just enough for delicious eating for as long as it lasts. I will have cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, red peppers, cayenne peppers, zucchini, chives, thyme, oregano, cilantro, lettuce, and basil.

Every year I'm excited to start my little garden, even though some years have been a total failure. It's like that for everything from writing to raising kids. Although some novels have ended in the 'probably never work on again' file, I'm not going to give up so easily on my kids.

No matter what you're working at, striving for, taking a chance on, there may be many 'new' beginnings (each year, each effort is new), so good luck, and I hope your 'harvest' is bountiful. Now go get your fingers into the dirt!

Char

Clean Out Time!

Tomorrow is the first day of spring! (Waits for applause, cheers and whoops of joy to subside...)

Okay, that's the good news.

Now for the bad.

It's time to clean out.

No, I don't mean the sock drawer, although if you can't close it all the way, and you have tons of socks with holes in them, well then it is past time.

I'm talking about that one area of your life/space that has been harboring lethal dustbunnies. (Like under my couch in the basement, along with a few spider bodies.)  For me, it's a constant battle to keep my desktop clear. Partly because my desk is a cute little library table- not meant for much more than a pretty picture frame, a fancy pen and a book; it's not meant for a laptop with external drive, white board, appointment book, mouse & pad, and papers. TONS of papers. Hazards of the trade are little Post-It notes, pens, folders, and magazines that quickly pile up.

While I have a wonderful sized home office and you can be jealous of my space, with three large windows, lots of closet space and four beautiful bookcases, there's a catch. It's my office.

Except...for the winter coats and family office supplies, photos, and memorabilia I have to store in the closets, plus the daybed I have to keep in there for when family comes to stay over, and excess books that don't fit in the bookshelves or the library downstairs. (ok, you can hate me a little.)

That means cleaning out the excess. It's hard to do now since I have Sirenz Back In Fashion swag in boxes and bags, Sirenz signed copies going out to the Romantic Times convention in Chicago next week, books I picked up at PLA that I'd like to read (if I weren't busy on other novels, my crit group stuff, booking signings, and yes, taking care of a family, doing church and volunteer work, and eyeing my meditation garden as the temps climb.).

But too much STUFF clutters up not only my space, decreasing productivity, but my brain; I keep looking at the piles, fretting what I should do with the stuff, debating when I should get rid of the stuff, and figuring out who wants the stuff. It's taking me away from my writing and important things (and the laundry. Although not high on my priority list in life unless it's mine, I must keep the peace and ahead of the deadly pile.)

So what am I going to do? In between loads of laundry (ugh!) and cleaning the bathrooms- all FOUR of them- (double ugh with ick, gross and disgusting thrown in), I'm tackling one thing at a time. Pay this bill, file the paperwork. Make that phone call. Gather up those books to donate. Schedule appointments. Make a list of writer tasks to do. (And stay away from the chocolate swag.)

So, as Adele pines in the background, I'll slowly clean out, clear up, and get down to what's important.

Happy cleaning!

Char

A Thousand Words

Daffodils.
Sunshine.
Warmth.
Spring.
Happiness.

You can add the other 995.

Char

"You Don't Spit Into The Wind..."

That's a line from an old Jim Croce song. (Luckily my kids know of it, so I'm not revealing too much about how old I am.) It means there are some things you just don't do, although my take on its interpretation is that you don't do it not because it's taboo, but because it's a waste of your time and will only come back to bite you in some form.

Today I'm giving a writing/editing presentation at William Paterson University. My friend, Dawn Bodrogi, a professor there, asked me to speak to the students. I love an audience to talk about writing, so of course I jumped and squealed like a little girl. My presentation is done, I have swag to give out, some books to sign, and all I have to do is get dressed and wait till it's showtime.

But one thing keeps niggling the back of my mind: suppose it's just spitting into the wind, no one's going to listen past the first few minutes, they'll tune me out? All my words, so carefully chosen to enlighten and entertain, falling on ears closed tighter than a clam out of water? I can just see the eye rolls, the dramatic sighs, the grumbles, the I-know-this-already looks.

I get it from my kids when I try to work with them on their papers.

"Why are you telling me this again?"
"Because obviously you didn't learn it the previous 4,678 times I explained it to you."

or,

"How many times are you going to tell me this?"
"Until it penetrates past all video game knowledge blocking your brain matter."

or,

"I don't need to write, I'm going to be a computer programmer and that's different."(A personal favorite whine of mine)
"EVERYONE needs to write- a college essay, a business presentation, a construction estimate, a doctor's report. EVERYONE. That means YOU too."

It's frustrating, but I keep doing it, hoping one day, like a stubborn washing machine that you have to kick a few times to get it to work, my lecture/rants/discussions/presentations will hit them like a brick and they will GET IT.

So, my little cupcakes, suck it up, because that's the only way to shut me up.

Have a nice day!