The Silver Spoon on Beyond Her Book blog

The Silver Spoon is among today's book blurbs on Barbara Vey's blog on Publishers Weekly. Woohoo--I'm so pleased! This is big-time exposure, in a good way! You can check it out here:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/1580027158.html

Please comment on the blog entry, if you feel so moved! : )

More Bitter Pill news! New excerpts, too.

Awesome new review quote for Bitter Pill!

"Stacey Klemstein writes in a charming 'you are there' way, such that you feel as if you are traveling with Rennie…tasting, smelling, and touching. You are no longer just reading a book, you are transported…Excellent! I give it a 5!"
–Cynthia Lea Clark, Psy.D., FMAM Review Coordinator

Also, I posted Chapters Two and Three of Bitter Pill. Jake Bristol, the former bad boy turned very hot (and married) sheriff, makes an appearance in these new chapters. So go check them out! : )

The Host

I inhale books. I devour them at a startling (and expensive) rate. However, I bought The Host on the day it came out and within a chapter of starting, I forced myself to slow down, to savor. I finally finished it Sunday afternoon. I admit, I'm a fan of Stephenie Meyer's YA Twilight series, and so I expected to like this new science fiction novel for adults...but I never expected to like it quite this much. Wow. I've already gone back and re-read particular sections of it, meaning I've nearly read the darn thing twice already!

 

Looking at it objectively, it hits a lot of my interest points. It's set after the demise of most of the human race (in a fashion). It's earth-based science. Two compelling personalities are caught in a conflicting situation they can't escape (two "people" in one body--long story, ha!) And the most interesting love triangle (of sorts--kind of a love quadrangle, really) I've read about in years.

 

It's good. Really, really good.

 

Some of the best earth-based science fiction romance I've ever read.

 

Has anyone else read it yet? What are your thoughts?

 

 

Bitter Pill is on Amazon!

Woohoo!

 

Bitter Pill is now on Amazon! It's showing as pre-order status, so should you be interested, please go forth and pre-order.  Yea!!!!

Book Buffet

Haven't been feeling well this week, so I have gorged myself on books. Yum!

 

Fabulous ones you should check out include:

 

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict--Modern woman travels back in time to live during Jane Austen's lifetime. It's fun and funny...and that says a lot coming from me, one who hates nearly all books that try to imitate Jane Austen's style or even borrow her characters--ugh. (She is inimitable! Not because she's perfect or anything, but because I can feel the difference when I try to read those other books. It's like eating Hydrox instead of Oreos. Looks similar, even smells similar but one tastes better than the other. You know what I mean, right?)

 

I guess that's what works for me here. It's a modern woman's perspective so it doesn't seem so jarring, and she's not imitating. She's providing her own take on things. Plus, I think the author really did her research. I like that she doesn't gloss over the parts that would have been less than romantic--horse poop on the streets, body odor, blood letting as a medically acceptable practice, bathing once a week (if that).

 

Interesting to see that the reviews on Amazon are so disparate. Count me in the "love it--five stars" group.

 

New Moon: Second book in the Twilight series. I'm a big dummy because after reading (and LOVING) Twilight a few years ago, I read a review of this book that gave it low marks because Edward (the hero) was absent from most of it. Yeah, but after reading it, that's the whole point! It's agonizing and heart breaking and wonderful! I'm SO sorry that I waited years to read it.

 

Eclipse: Third book in the series. The second one is still my favorite so far just because of the strong emotions and how well they are described, but this one...wow! I'm dying for the fourth book to be released and it's not coming out until August!

 

Please don't let the fact that Twilight is YA series put you off. It is fabulous! I've rarely been moved by any book as I have by this series.

 

And here, just because, hey, this is multi-media experience, visit the official movie website and watch the trailer--be warned, though, the trailer comes on automatically so the sound will be playing. Apparently, the guy playing Edward is the same young actor who played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter IV. His hair is weird, though. Hope that doesn't distract me during the movie. I LOVE the poster.

 

Bitter Pill--Coming soon!

I'm reading/proofing the galleys for Bitter Pill, and it's so much fun! This book, unlike many of my others, poured out of my fingertips. At least the first draft did. Fixing it--making it less obvious who the killer was, adding in essential subplots and other suspects--took a lot longer, of course! So much so that I almost despaired of ever seeing it finished and in print.

 

But here we are, several years later, and BP will be debuting in a few weeks at Chicago's Printers Row. Very exciting! The galley went out for reviews last week, and we're already starting to get some responses back.

 

Here's one of the first reviews:

 

"Rennie is creative, intelligent, and witty….draws the reader into Morrisville and keeps the reader wanting more. A stunning development of the thought provoking plot and motive." --Devlynne Livres, Independent Reviewer

 

 

Yea! : )

Tagged!

Okay, Isabo Kelly has tagged me with a meme that requires I share six quirky things about myself. This should not be hard...for me. For you as the one who has to read them...not sure!

1) I am afraid of birds. Little birds especially. Sparrows creep me out! It is the one thing I disliked about Hawaii--all the birds in the outdoor restaurants. *shudder* And before you ask, no, I've never seen The Birds. This is a phobia passed down from my mother who once was chased by headless chicken--no lie, she grew up on a farm, and chickens really do run around with their heads chopped off. Since then, birds have always freaked her out, and I "inherited" that phobia.

2) Oh, let's see...this one was just shared at RT--much to my chagrin and everyone else's delight--so probably no harm in spreading the story further. I'm a science fiction romance writer, among other things. That means there are, occasionally, sex scenes in the story. No problem. I just can't write them on Sunday. My father is a Lutheran minister. Sunday is just not appropriate for that kind of writing--at least that's what my panicky little brain keeps shouting at me! So, if I'm approaching a "heated" scene on Saturday night, I have to either hurry up and finish it (*snort*) or hold off until Monday. Yes, I know I'm a freak. (And yes, I have tried to force myself to write it on Sunday...it just doesn't work).

3) Apparently, people are very afraid to borrow books from me. I don't break the spine, fold the pages or even bend back the cover while I'm reading. I've been told that some borrowers have barely resisted the urge to wear gloves while reading a book on loan from me for fear that I'd be upset by the fingerprints on the glossy cover. I'm not that particular, really...those cover smudges clean up very easily with a soft cloth. What?

4) I can't stand it when I take off my shoes and one of them tips over on its side or even upside down. I have to fix it...immediately. This is problem, considering we have two big dogs who are constantly running through the house tipping over my previously perfectly aligned and upright shoes.

5) If there's a disease out there, I've worried that I have it. 'Nuff said.

6) I don't allow people to touch or use my writing computer (which is my desktop, not my laptop...laptop is open territory) except in case of repair. Even then, the keys, mouse and screen must be wiped down. It's not a germ thing, but an "invaded space" thing. Same goes for my pens. It takes me a long time to find pens that I love and want to use regularly. Once I find them, they become my "good pens." I actually carry extra pens in my purse that I can loan out. But if I forget to pack spares, I will lie my little head off if you ask for a pen and the only one I have is my "good one." (Isabo Kelly's promo pen is currently one of my good pens--it's awesome, nice weight to it, good grip, medium nib...love it!)

Now, do I have any friends left after that lovely recitation of weirdness? I'm tagging Lisa Shearin and Cindy Holby (oops, she's already been tagged). : )

I know her!

My friend and fantasy author Lisa Shearin has an interview up on Scifi.com! Woohoo!!!

the people in my head

Along the lines of my previous post...this entry from author Marissa Scott cracked me up. I know we all sound a bit looney tunes when we talk about the voices and whispers in our head, but it happens and I think most of us love it...even though those people in your head can be quite demanding. Linnea Sinclair talks about writing Gabriel's Ghost in 34 days because Sully, the hero, just would not leave her alone.

I'll tell you what, though, it's like those old commercials for E.F. Hutton...when they talk, we listen! And take notes, usually...

*grin*

A note to Future Stacey...

I love writing! Duh, but still...

I've been playing with an idea for a week or so now, and I did not have a first name for the central person in the story. I already had an idea of what she looked like, even what she sounded like, but no name. In the past, I think I might have tried to force it. Or, the lack of a name might have bugged me enough to interfere with me exploring the various facets of the idea.

Sidenote: I do a lot of exploring for an idea before I ever "write" a word, which basically amounts to asking a lot of questions--of myself but also of the people whose story I've been charged with telling--and following the answers down different paths, checking out possibilities, until the right one appears. Other writers do this same thing in various ways. Often there are so many ways a story could go, you have to make sure you're understanding what you're being told before you start writing. At least, I do. It's my version of responsible journalism. : )

The idea of exploring an idea is akin to letting something simmer until boils over. I have to do the right amount of exploring until I'm practically bursting to write the story before I sit down and write. Trying to force it into happening faster or earlier is not a good idea. It means I haven't firmly settled on the right path. Some other paths are still possibly beckoning to me. That translates to an indecisive wreck of a writer, so I try not to do that.

Anyway, today, I was exploring, just playing, really as usual. (Exploring is my favorite phase, I think!) And the name I'd been waiting for was suddenly just there, whispered in my head and coming out of my pen. I love it when that happens. Right in the middle of the paragraph. Two sentences before I didn't know her name. Had to keep using generic pronouns. But then, there she was. I just freaking love that!!!

The lesson in this for me--because I use this blog to remind myself of important stuff I figure out about my process along the way--is that if I'd gotten all stiff and uptight about not knowing her name, it might never have happened that way or I might have tried to force something that just wasn't ready.

So, Future Stacey, explore and simmer away--there's value in it and you'll know when you've reached the boiling point.

Big Movie Weekend

Summer is movie season for us. We love going to the movies. Sometimes as often as once or twice a week. We kicked things off in a big way this weekend--two movies in three days!

 

 

We saw Forgetting Sarah Marshall on Friday night. Very funny. A little shocking with some of the male nudity, but it was played for laughs and it wasn't gross. Just...surprising. My favorite part was that Sarah Marshall wasn't written as an evil, vindictive person--as ex-girlfriends often are in the movies and television--but rather as just a confused and scared person who doesn't know how to find what she wants and who made some (really) bad choices along the way. (Her current boyfriend, the sleazy rock star guy, is very funny and ICK at the same time). As always because this is Judd Apatow movie, it's fun to see familiar people popping up. Jonah Hill as the maitre d' who keeps trying to give away his demo to the sleazy rock star guy. Paul Rudd as the perpetually stoned surf instructor. Of course, Hawaii was gorgeous and it made me "vacation-sick" to see it. ("Vacation-sick" being a similar condition to "home-sick" only with your favorite vacation spot). Mila Kunis, in the first role I've seen her in outside of Jackie on That 70's Show, was terrific and absolutely luminous.

 

 

 

Greg and I often have very different taste in movies. Unsurprisingly, he is not a fan of my Jane Austen-based movie collection. He prefers stuff like 300 and In the Name of the King--anything historical, battle-related or fantasy (dwarves, elves, etc.). In fact, if someone created a movie in which it is discovered that a big historical battle, say the Battle of Gettsyburg, was secretly fought by warring factions of dwarves and elves with the occasional dragon thrown in, he'd probably be thrilled. : ) (Hmmm, if I wrote fantasy...nope, can't do it.) 

 

 

 

Anyway, one area on which we usually agree are comic-book movies. It's action/adventure with super powers and a love story. LOVE it. We saw all three of the Spider-man movies on opening weekend. X-Men, Superman Returns, Batman, Fantastic Four--all of them.  So, it was last minute and with little discussion that we headed out to see Iron Man last night. We loved it! Funny, well-written, timely (given the subtle but still there anti-arms dealing message). Gwyneth Paltrow looked absolutely fabulous as a redhead and Robert Downey Junior MADE the movie. I mean, it would not have been as good with someone else in that role. It was excellent!!! So, go see it. I was skeptical at first, never having heard of Iron Man as a hero, but I think that makes it even better. : )

Test, this is only a test

Welcome, people in Facebook land. I think I figured out how to make these posts show up on my Facebook page. Unfortunately, it seems to be taking the latest 25 posts over and over again instead of just the most recent. So, I'm posting this to see what happens. : )

Weirdest place to get ideas...

One of the things I love about RT is getting together with other writers and finding out what works for them. Whether it's a certain type of computer, a method of editing or revising, or whatever...

This year, in many conversations, I kept hearing how many of us think of new story ideas, solutions for tricky scenes and good bits of dialogue whilst (do you like that? I'm feeling very anachronistic today) showering. I suspect it's because the environment is fairly relaxing, there are few (if any) distractions, and it's the rare bit bit of private time during which it's acceptable to stare off at nothing and think of random bits of things...unlike, say, when you're driving. : )

Anyway, fabulous fantasy author, Lisa Shearin, mentioned something about shower markers, so when I had a minute this week, I went a-Googling and found the following:

Crayola Bathtub Markers

Woot! If they have these in Target, I'm picking some up, just to give them a whirl. Though, knowing me, I won't want to erase what I've written until I've got it [the scene, the character's motivation, whatever] all worked out, so our shower doors could could become quite colorful over the course of a week or so!

Side note: I also found this blog entry, 10+ Things to do with Dry-Erase Markers, which I thought was great. I never would have thought of all the ways to use dry-erase markers and I LOVE them. Okay, so it doesn't exactly work for those shower brainstorm moments, but I like a lot of the ideas he has!

Anybody ever used tub markers at home? Do they come off easily enough? We have glass shower doors so that's what I'd be writing on...Thoughts?