My Daily Diatribe

Where in the world is Stacey?

2009-08-21T14:27:00.001-07:00

I promise, I have not disappeared completely. But the truth is, I may be a bit scarce in these parts for awhile. I'm thrilled to announce that Disney-Hyperion offered me a contract for the next two books in my YA series. So...I'm going to be a bit busy for awhile. Delightfully so! :)

I still have plans for Zara and Caelan (and Ehren) for those who might be wondering, and I have a fun new idea for a space opera-y type love story that I've been working on, off and on, for about two years. :)

But right now, I'm having fun talking to ghosts, remembering the pain of high school angst (at a tolerable distance), and inventing shadowy organizations with murky intentions.

For the latest info, please visit my Twitter page: www.twitter.com/staceykade or friend me on Facebook as either Stacey Klemstein or Stacey Kade. (Stacey Kade is my pen name for YA.)

You don't have to have a Twitter account to read the updates or anything. You can also visit my new YA site, www.staceykade.com, though I'll be honest, I'm going to keeping a low profile pretty much everywhere for awhile. Have to get words on the page!

If you need me, though, you can always reach me through the contact page. :) As always, I love hearing from you guys!

Winner!

2009-04-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

And the winner, by random drawing, is...Kagey!

Kagey, please send me your mailing address. :) Here's a link to the contact page on my website, where you'll find my email address or you can use the contact form there, whatever works best for you: http://www.staceyklemstein.com/contact/

Thank you to everyone who posted a comment. And remember, BLUE DIABLO is out in bookstores tomorrow!

Win a copy of Ann Aguirre's new urban fantasy: BLUE DIABLO!

2009-04-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

I LOVE urban fantasy, which is funny because I really don't care much (with a few exceptions) for "regular" fantasy. You know, elves, warlocks and all kinds of magical creatures gallivanting over a strange landscape. But with urban fantasy, something about those magical creatures in a familiar setting, a city, (hence the term urban) hits that sweet spot of real meets surreal that I just adore. The guy in the expensive but tattered business suit on the bus, muttering to himself, might be a homeless person who happened to score an unusual clothing find at the shelter, or it might be a powerful shapeshifter who just had a really bad day. Urban fantasy makes you look at your everyday world and see it differently. That's what I like about it.

Now Ann Aguirre, author of the fabulous SF books Grimspace and Wanderlust, has started a new urban fantasy series with Blue Diablo. I was lucky enough to be able to read portions of it in advance, and it is AWESOME! Want to win a copy? It's easy! Just post a comment below. I'll draw a winner on Monday, April 6.

Here's the descrip from her website:

Right now, I'm a redhead. I've been blonde and brunette as the situation requires, though an unscheduled color change usually means relocating in the middle of the night. So far, I'm doing well here. Nobody knows what I'm running from. And I'd like to keep it that way…

Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her "gift". Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that's why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance…

Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine's gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic…

Formula for tagline/summary

2009-03-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

Per my Twitter conversation with Colby Hodge/Cindy Holby, here's the short blurb I created yesterday for my upcoming young adult Novel, The Ghost and The Goth, using Linnea Sinclair's "character+conflict+hook" formula. She does it way better than I can, but I'm pretty proud of this one:

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

After a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she's stuck here in spirit form with no sign of the big, bright light coming to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser/outcast type who hates the social elite. He alone can see and hear her, but he wants nothing to do with the uberbitch of Groundsboro High.

Can they get over their mutual distrust—and this weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don't exist?

From Hyperion Books in Summer 2010. Visit StaceyKade.com for more details.

Update

2009-03-15T19:47:00.001-07:00

Edits for my YA novel are in--yea! So, I'm working on those, which is using up most of my brain power at the moment. I am really excited about this book! The title will not be changing, it seems, so it will be The Ghost and the Goth. It will likely be a summer 2010 release.

Lessons to remember for next time? I should have written up all the rules for my world when I was actually writing the book so I could refer back to them now, the edit phase, easily instead of trying to cobble together all my scrawled notes into some semblance of sense. They made sense at the time, I swear! But I wrote the first draft of this book two years ago. That's a long time to try and remember/decipher notes on the back of a credit card envelope. :) So...next time, write book, take notes on rules while writing the book, and then write up the rules at the end of the book.

I'm also getting ready for RT--just five weeks away! Buying my giveaways for the goody bags, creating (or starting to create) new promotional postcards, making flight arrangements and plans to meet up with friends.

Excellent books I've read lately include:

Hope's Folly by Linnea Sinclair--I was lucky enough to read this one while it was under development. It has become my new favorite! Philip and Rya...wow, the chemistry between them is amazing. Love the May-December thing too. Plus, I'm a sucker for a good "rebellion against the evil empire" story. My favorite part was Hope's Folly (the ship) herself. Always limping along, something always breaking, the mysterious smell of oranges--reminds me of Serenity, you know?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan--wow, this one just completely sucked me in. It was wonderful! Zombies and the end of the world. Kind of like 28 Days Later meets The Village. :)

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Airhead by Meg Cabot--I put off reading this one for awhile as I thought I knew which way it was going to go, but I've never been more delighted to be wrong! :)

Okay, off to finish laundry and then bed! More later... :)

A useful email forward...

2009-02-18T12:21:00.001-08:00

This is from my friend Jeanine. Dude, I am so trying this. As soon as I buy cocoa. And chocolate chips. New eggs might be a good idea too...Can you tell I don't cook much? :)

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tbsp. flour
4 tbsps. sugar
2 tbsps. cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsps. milk
3 tbsps. oil
3 tbps. chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg & mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil & mix well... Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Awesome blog entry from screenwriter John August

2009-02-17T13:48:00.001-08:00

Check out this blog entry from John August about what to do with lots of ideas competing for your time and how to decide which to work on first. I particularly love the dialogue between the three ideas talking about how to compete for John's attention. "Quick! Get him while he's in the shower." Love that. And it's true. Lisa Shearin and I had a long conversation last year at RT about the desire to own tub markers so we could write down ideas that came to us during showering. :)

The sun!

2009-02-10T10:30:00.001-08:00

What is it about warm weather that just makes everything feel better, more possible? Love it! :)

Random updates:

--The Romantic Times Book Lovers' Convention is actually just around the corner (April), and we're all starting to get ready. Ordering little prizes to give away, figuring out our schedules and such. :)

--Expecting edits on my young adult novel (tentatively titled The Ghost and the Goth) in the next month or so.

--Stopped by Love is Murder Convention this weekend. There was a reenactor fest going on in the same hotel. I loved seeing all the period clothing (I learned you do not say costume!), everything from Caesar's soldiers (in metal armor and everything) to Civil War hoopskirts. How cool!

--I am just loving The Big Bang Theory, though I find this debate about whether Sheldon has Asperger's Syndrome interesting. I'd rather have them not "out" him. I already assume that he's different but that's what I like about him. He represents all of us who are socially awkward to various degrees (myself included). I don't need to have a label slapped on it. Though I understand why advocates for those with Asperger's would like to have him as role model, of sorts.

My favorite quote from Sheldon is from a recent episode when Penny pushes past him as he's opening the door to his apartment. She tells him to shut the door, and he does...while still standing on the outside. When she opens the door and tells him to get inside, he tells her she told him to shut the door, but she didn't say anything about coming inside first. (Love it!) Then, they're both hunched against the door, listening, and finally Sheldon says, "I'm sorry. I don't know what this social situation is. Can you give me a hint?"

Or something to that effect. Yes, it's funny on its own, but also because I recognize that feeling of "what the hell is going on here and should I say something or just stay quiet and go with the flow?"

Sheldon, champion of socially awkward but sweet people everywhere.

--Am counting the days to the release of City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.

--Woot! Just found work is letting us out early today! Yea!

Winter Lethargy

2009-01-21T12:38:00.001-08:00

Yeah, I know, I shouldn't complain because I was just in Florida. Which was AWESOME. You forget how good sunshine can feel on your skin when the air is constantly trying to freeze dry your lungs. And Linnea and I had a blast hanging out! :)

Also, Novelist's Boot Camp was really and truly fabulous. I felt like I came away some good ideas and techniques. So, if Todd's doing a session in your area, I highly recommend it.

But right now...I've returned to blah. I hate January - March. Seriously. That's a fourth of my year. Ugh.

Good things...

--Battlestar Galactica is finally back for the last episodes! I can't wait to find out exactly who/what Starbuck is and I hope it doesn't disappoint.

--The sun is shining...today. For now.

--Only three months until RT in Orlando!

--Twitter. I just love it!

--A new president.

--Reading North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, which is, so far, awesome!

--Hawaii. Not that I'm going there anytime soon. Just that it exists.

I'm sure there are more...but I think I better space them out. Did I mention how much I hate this time of year? :) I've got two and a half very long months to go.

Prepping for FL

2009-01-06T14:27:00.001-08:00

In preparation for my trip to Florida, I bought and downloaded 4 episodes of Bones and 3 of The Big Bang Theory, my two "new" favorite shows. Not sure how I missed these earlier. I know I watched the first episode of Bones...I think. But it was too soon after Angel for me. I couldn't see David Boreanaz as anything but Angel. Now, it's not a problem. And I have to admit, I like seeing him play a character that is NOT so brooding and melancholy all the time. It's also interesting because I think I tried to watch the first ep of this show before I watched and fell in love with House. I remember being very put off by Dr. Brennan's coldness and logic in certain situations. Now, after viewing several seasons of House, it doesn't even faze me. So it makes me wonder if there is a trend toward creating characters who are on the "iffy" side of the like 'em/don't like 'em debate. Also, Emily Deschanel does a great job of communicating Brennan's thoughts without ever saying a word. You can almost see the wheels and gears turning.

The Big Bang Theory, quite simply, makes me laugh. Not at the characters, as some reviewers have suggested, but in identification with them. The science stuff, I'll admit, is a bit beyond me, but I love all the science fiction references. And Sheldon...I can't believe it but I love Sheldon. He's so adorable in a "i'd probably never be able to stand him in real life" kind of way. (My husband, by the way, is completely baffled by my affection for the character.) My favorite line, so far, goes something like this (this is from memory so I probably don't have it quite right):

Sheldon emerges from his bedroom with a packed duffel bag.

Leonard: "How did you get packed so quickly?"

Sheldon: "It's my pre-packed travel bag, as recommended by the Department of Homeland Security and Sarah Connor."

Awesome.

I heart books!

2008-12-18T15:18:00.001-08:00

I love books. I suppose this does not come as a great shock to you. And yet, after reading Barbara Vey's blog today, I feel like a little more explanation is required.

We moved...a lot...when I was kid. Every few years, my dad would receive a new call and we'd be off to a new town, new school, new everything. Often the only person I really knew in the entire school building was my little (not so much now) brother, and that was only when we were young enough to both be in elementary school. (We're four grades apart...well, we were when we were both in school). I wasn't the best or easiest new kid to befriend, either. I was, let's face it, weird, had absolutely no fashion sense and was prone to storytelling in the form of lying. (Hell, I could spin some wild ones--my brother being poisoned by cyanide is the one that springs to mind immediately--the only problem was when I inevitably got caught. Still, it was probably good practice, especially on the concept of willing suspension of disbelief.)

Books were what kept from me feeling too sad and too lonely. Familiar characters became friends, reliable ones who didn't care that I didn't have the latest charm for my plastic charm necklace (remember those?) or that I'd gone up to the blackboard (yep, I'm that old) with my zipper open or that I had no clue how to answer in math class when called upon.

Books were the ultimate comfort and escape hatch for me, the perpetually socially awkward one. They provided the chance to live other lives without abandoning my own.

In college, my then boyfriend, now husband, liked to tease me because I never went anywhere without a book. Once, we were in the grocery store and he spotted a book peeking out of my coat pocket. True, I had a legit reason. I was an English major and assigned to read more literary novels than any human being could possibly wade through (or want to wade through) in a semester. And yet, that wasn't entirely it. Books are the equivalent of a security blanket for me. If I'm trapped alone in an uncomfortable situation, I can always pull out a book and disappear for a few minutes. When I'm done, even if it's just a chapter or a few pages, I feel better, more grounded, more relaxed, better able to handle whatever is happening.

Flying is the perfect example. I hate flying. I like going places, but I HATE flying. It's a control thing, I know, but the truth of the matter is, it scares me. People read on planes because they're not allowed (at least, not for the entire flight) to run electronic devices. I read because I need desperately to be somewhere else for however long that flight lasts. This is why I always bring at least three books even on the shortest flights. One might not turn out to be the right match for my mood, and I'm a fast reader, so I need to have at least two in reserve.

When my uncle died unexpectedly a few years ago, it was a devastating shock. I would have to fly without my husband, who was traveling on business already, which meant I would be without the one person who tolerated my hand squeezing nervousness during takeoff and landing. Then, once I got there, it would a visitation and funeral for someone I loved.

Before we left, I went to the bookstore and bought--I remember this distinctly--$99 worth of new books. I was not taking any chances on running out. So, on that trip, at the end of the day, in my hotel room, when my eyes were red and swollen from crying and my whole body ached with grief (not just for my own loss, but for my family's loss as well), I curled up in bed with a book. And for those few minutes when I was reading, I got the teensiest bit of relief, a little escape, which helped me make it through. Everyone has their coping mechanism; that was mine.

I'm grateful to all the authors who have provided those comforting escapes through their stories. And I hope, one day, that one of my books will do the same for someone else.

New Foster Dog, Pansy

2008-12-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, is she not completely adorable?

Pride and Prejudice--Facebook Style

2008-12-12T09:17:00.001-08:00

For all fans of Pride and Prejudice, this is a retelling of the story as it would look through Facebook updates. I love it!

http://www.much-ado.net/austenbook/

My girl crush. :)

2008-12-10T09:43:00.001-08:00

Okay, I swiped this from Maureen Ryan's blog on the Chicago Trib. It's a poster, featuring Starbuck, promoting the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica. I LOVE Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck.

You know you're a pastor's kid when...

2008-12-07T12:28:00.001-08:00

1) You take a secret delight in attending church in jeans instead of "a nice church outfit."

2) You take a secret delight in being anonymous within a congregation for the first time in your life, knowing that you do not stand out anymore than any of the other parishoners and therefore are not held up as example or cautionary tale (see #1).

3) You have favorite hymns and read ahead in the bulletin to see if any of them are listed.

4) You are disappointed when one of your favorite hymns is listed as one of the last to be played during communion because you know there's never enough people taking communion to stretch the music out that long.

5) You hum (or sing along under your breath, if you're not thinking) the pastor's part of the liturgy because, hey, you know it by heart.

6) You have a strong preference for either the green book or the red book (green book all the way, baby!) (This is probably specifically part of being an ELCA-pastor's kid.)

7) You know, without looking, that hymns numbered above 600 are in the "blue book," also known as WOV and yes, you know what that means. (Yep, this is probably ELCA too.)

8) You know, again without looking, what color the altar cloth should be during Advent.

9) You have eaten more than your fair share of potluck dinners, which likely included dishes with the word "funeral" in them. (e.g. Funeral Potatos, Funeral Chicken, etc.)

10) You know exactly how far the pastor can see out into the congregation...and yes, he CAN see you all the way in the back whispering, falling asleep, writing out your grocery list, and filling out the offering check during the sermon. (You're also relieved that you're not going to get in trouble for it over lunch anymore..unless you still attend your dad--or mom's--church!)

What else? Any thoughts, Beck, Susan, any other PKs out there?

Bitter Pill on the shelves!

2008-12-04T14:10:00.001-08:00

How cool is this? :-) My local Barnes and Noble (Vernon Hills, IL) coming through for me.

Book recommendations

2008-12-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Just finished The Dead and The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer on audio book, which I swear should not be allowed as I got so sucked in that I would, at times, look up and be startled at exactly how far I'd traveled. Yes, it is YA, but it is worth reading/listening to for all ages. This is related to the book Life As We Knew It by the same author, which I think I recommended earlier. Asteroid hits the moon and moves it too close to the Earth. Life is forever changed. Food shortages, flu epidemics, the dead piling up on the streets.

Very intense but excellent stories. Both books cover the same events but from two different people/perspectives.

I also finished The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which was interesting as well, but a completely different style. This was, however, the first audio book I could stand with a female narrator. Some of the others I've tried were so grating, but this woman--Jenna Lamia, I believe--did a great job.

Why do I live here again?

2008-12-04T10:52:00.001-08:00

Florida...California...Hawaii...

Nope, I chose Illinois. Land of bitter cold temperatures and eight months (well, okay maybe less, but it FEELS like it) of car scraping, driveway shoveling, and general cold weather misery. Lovely.

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Strange Things Happen at the One-Two Point

2008-11-26T12:54:00.001-08:00

If you haven't watched yet, don't read on but...

:
:

I KNEW it. I called it. Well, okay, not really, but it did always strike me as odd how Riley approached John. I just couldn't figure out how the machines were involved. And, of course, as we found out last night, they're not. But Riley is still a liar and TROUBLE. I'm intrigued by the fact that she's from the future and sort of being shoved (by Jesse) toward John. I mean, the John she would know, if she knows him at all, would be in his forties. How mind-twisty is that? I did not get the impression last night that Riley was particularly thrilled with her assignment either. I wonder what they said to her to make her go along with this plan. Was it, "We need you to seduce John Connor to save us all"? Or "Hey, come with me and you'll get to the mall before it was a work camp"?

But this brings up all those interesting points made over at TWOP about there being signs of a division both on the human side and the machine side. Some of the humans aren't so sure John's got it all together anymore. Some of the machines are thinking maybe they shouldn't wipe everyone out. Shades of BSG, if you ask me. A story is far more interesting when you cannot tell who the "good" guys are from the "bad" guys. Or, if they are really taking a page from BSG, everyone will turn out to be a little of both.

I am supremely happy that Cameron is turning out to be a central part of the equation rather than just a handy, nearly indestructible nursemaid/love interest for John. Gives her, as I've said before, more skin in the game, so to speak. And she is, due to some combination of writing and Summer Glau's amazing ability to convey freaky machineness with something other, completely un-pin-down-able. I cannot figure out what her end game is...and I love that.

I do hope they're going to be allowed to finish out the season, at least. I need to know how this is going to turn out. Was it a mistake for Derek to confess that he's John's uncle? Does he really trust her now? I know we're supposed to think he does (hence the whole toothbrush story--someone on the writing staff obviously really has issues with sharing toothbrushes because Derek got busted using Sarah's last year, remember?), but I SO get the sense that Derek would not be surprised by her betrayal. One of the things I like about that character (and I'm both shocked and pleased that BAG continually pulls it off) is that he's so damaged and cynical. Never imagined that the actor who played David Silver would have that capacity. Thank goodness my small mindedness in this respect was not shared by others in charge of the show. He's fantastic!

Such a girly thing...but I can't wait.

2008-11-21T13:41:00.001-08:00

I read Twilight back in 2005, I think, right when it first came out. Loaned it to my sister, who was, at the time, still in high school. We both agreed we loved it. My mom read it last summer at my sister's encouragement.

Here's a fun article from Time about why this book (and hopefully, the movie as well) works. I'm trying to organize a Twilight-movie outing over Thanksgiving break with my mom, my sister and me. And my sister-in-law as well, if she's interested--though I know she wants to read the book first. The guys can stay at home and watch football! :)

National Buy A Book Day (Credit to Barbara Vey)

2008-11-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's no big surprise to anyone that the economy sucks. Occasionally, I wish I could find a rock large enough to hide under so I wouldn't be quite so aware of this.

Publishing, once thought to be recession proof (ha, like the idiots who called Titanic unsinkable, most likely--if we learn nothing else, can we please acknowledge now that NOTHING is recession proof?), is struggling along with everyone else. October was a bad, bad month. Layoffs, publishers closing, horrible quarterly results, etc.

I bring this up because Linnea Sinclair sent me a link to a blog that not only explained why this is the case but also gave us a way to do something about it. How refreshing. Not just a rehashing of what exactly is screwed up and how terrible it is, but a way to feel like you're doing something to make it better.

And it's simple, really. If you love books, buy a book this week. I know we're all watching our budgets very closely. Myself included. I was a three or four book a week junkie, and right now, I'm hitting the library so hard I actually had to change libraries (long story) to get more selection. But I'm buying a book this week. (I'm so excited--it's been so long!) Doesn't even matter what kind, just buy a book.

If you find it hard to buy a book for yourself, buy a book for a holiday gift. Nothing says Happy Holidays like a hardcover! :)

I want publishers to be able to continue taking risks on new authors and not just for my own selfish purposes, either. I love nothing more than discovering a new voice, a new name to seek out on the shelves.

Also, check out Barbara Vey's blog, About Her Book, which focuses on this topic today as well.

From my rescue organization...but what's funny is I thought the same thing!

2008-11-07T13:07:00.001-08:00

Okay, if this works, you'll see an Obama poster with greyhounds above. If not, then you probably won't see it because I'll delete it and try again!

Watching the results, Sarah Connor Chronicles, random stuff...

2008-11-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

Am sick, but I'm laying (lying? Was never good at that one) here on the couch, laptop on my lap and watching the results come in. This is very cool, watching history happen no matter which way this turns out. This is officially the first time I've ever cared enough about an election to be multi-media about it. I'm watching on television and checking the live blog on Time.com. The entertainment blogger, James Poniewozik, is contributing to the blog, and I look forward to reading his blog, Tuned In, every day. He's cracking me up in the live blog as well!

In other news...did anybody think Sarah Connor Chronicles was kind of lame last night? I love this show with a fervor generally reserved for Battlestar Galactica, especially those with a Kara/Lee storyline, but last night just seemed...eh. And I swear, I'm not saying that just because Riley was in it. I don't like this Jessie storyline for Derek. It's irritating me because it's so clear that she's up to no good. I'm hoping Derek is just playing along or I'm going to lose faith in him. Also, virtually no Cameron/John scenes. I miss those. The Ellison story is finally getting a little interesting, I think.

Shirley Manson is doing quite well, I think, at portraying a machine. Even her motions are clipped and mechanical. Awesome!

Best line from Cameron: "Nobody likes a nag." Hee.

Other stuff...listening to my first audio book--The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin--from the library. It was frustrating at first because it was so SLOW, but then I put it in the CD player again on my way home and found you just have to adjust to being read to instead of reading to yourself (which happens much faster usually). Any books you all particularly recommend as audio books?

I'm also excited that one of my favorite YA authors and fellow Chicagoan, Simone Elkeles, has a new book, Perfect Chemistry, coming out next month!

Okay, done rambling for now...more later!

:) Stacey

Have to share a dog picture...

2008-11-02T20:03:00.001-08:00

Walker, chilling out in my writing room on a Sunday afternoon. His balance is remarkable, isn't it?

(Not sure if this will work as this is a photo from my phone, but we're giving it a try!)

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month)

2008-10-27T14:22:00.001-07:00

NaNoWriMo starts this Friday at 12:01 a.m., I believe. Technically, it's early Saturday, November 1. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, it's a bunch of writers who get together (online) and vow to write 50,000 words by the end of November. It works out to about 1,500 - 2,000 words per day. If you assume 300 words per page, it's about five or six pages (in standard manuscript formatting i.e. double space, one inch margins, etc.) per day.

I've never participated in NaNoWriMo before. I told myself it was because I didn't need to. I had the motivation to write. And I do. However, I also spend massive amounts of time wallowing in indecision, trying to work through road blocks, eight different ways to Sunday before finally landing on an approach. With NaNoWriMo, you don't have that luxury. I think that restriction might be helpful.

Generally speaking, my best experience has been the time I did not allow myself to get "stuck." For the Ghost and the Goth, when I ran into a scene where I didn't know what happened, I forced myself to jump ahead to the next scene I saw in my head.

NaNoWriMo works with my natural tendency to write a rough first draft, albeit the pace is a little faster than what I'm used to. When I'm into a book, I usually write at least a page every day and then three or four pages on Saturday and Sunday. But I can usually get a first draft done in three months, and if I push it, I can get it up to final draft state in another month. So, clearly some days I'm writing more than my goal.

So, why, Stacey, the reluctance I hear/read in your voice?

I don't know. I've never done this before, written to a specific deadline. However, I know that will be part of my future. I think one of the reasons Linnea is so darn prolific is she's used to writing under deadline, thanks to her years as a journalist. (And yes, I did spend the better part of a decade as a corporate copywriter, but it's way easier to churn out stuff when your name isn't going to be on it.)

I'm worried that trying to write so quickly will force me to churn out a pile of crap. And yet, that is the point of Anne Lamott's advice, "Write a sh*tty first draft." The point being that if you free yourself up, you'll discover things you might never have found otherwise and at least at the end you'll have something to work with rather than a blank screen. To paraphrase Edison, I'll have found at least one way NOT to write that particular story.

The obssessive compulsive side of me (oh, yes, shocking, I know...) is freaking out about not making the deadline. 50,000 words in 30 days. There is no prize or anything. It's just about reaching the goal. And I'm never that tough on myself about goals because they have to be flexible and realistic for life. But I DO not like failing. Period.

And yet, conversely, that very thing would be what motivates me to keep writing even when I really want to go watch a re-run of Family Guy.

Hmmm.

Still thinking about it. Anyone else out there participating in NaNoWriMo?

Oh, look! Shiny. :)

2008-10-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

This always happens to me. I'm supposed to be working on one thing, but the pristine condition of an untouched, untapped idea is calling to me.

I. Must. Resist.

The hardest part about writing is staying focused. And when you're faced with something you don't know how to get around--how to get started, how to write a particular scene, how to handle a character's issues--other stories start singing the siren's song.

It's not that I don't love the current story, the one I'm supposed to be working on. It's just...the other one is still in this vague, perfect-because-it-hasn't-been-proven-not-to-be-yet stage. When you're up close with an idea, dealing with its flaws, and you're elbows deep in the structure, all the other ideas waiting in the wings seem...easier. Better.

But alas, it is an illusion. For all stories need work, love and care. Some come easier than others, true. Some make you bleed for every word. But whether it's easy or difficult in the writing of it doesn't seem to affect the quality of the story in the end. What will affect the quality is whether I'm willing to put the requisite work in.

I am. After I'm done whining. *sigh*

: ) Stacey

Experimenting with settings...

2008-10-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Hey, just a heads up, I'm playing around with trying to get Twitter to show up on the sidebar here, so things may look different or go a bit wonky...

Feels Like Home To Me...

2008-10-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

As always, we had a great time at Valpo Homecoming. I never really thought about the meaning of the word "homecoming" until after I graduated from college. In high school, it was just an excuse to get dressed up and go to a dance. In college, it was a good excuse for a party! But now, 11 years, after graduating, I get it.

I still feel like I'm coming home when I get to campus. It's changed a lot since I was in school there. There are at least three new buildings and fewer old buildings (Goodbye, Baldwin Hall with your narrow stairways and musty air--I could easily imagine girls in poodle skirts and short neck scarves in those classrooms. Something about the design, shape and smell spoke to it being from a different era.)

In contrast, visiting my sister's dorm room was like stumbling into a miniature Best Buy. Televisions, DVD players, iPods, and THREE laptops. Not sound all old-school, but when I was at Valpo, laptops were near unheard of. You were lucky if you had a computer at all, and most of us spent our days camped out in the computer labs, praying that our 3.5" floppy disks wouldn't fail on us when we needed them most. (I once lost an entire paper because my boyfriend, now my husband, borrowed my disk and left it in the frigid car overnight). We printed out on dot matrix printers and then wasted another five minutes or so peeling the perforated strips off the side!

But we had so much fun. I loved being a part of a community like that, with friends who became family.

So...in honor of that:

Me, with flat hair and no make-up, at my favorite computer in the computer lab, scrambling to get yet another paper done. (Yeah, I know it's sideways--you know I have issues with this. :) )

Our dorm room, circa sophomore year, 1994.

This is what I miss--everyone hanging out together! (I'm guessing Deb took this photo, which is why she's not in it. I owe most of the photographic evidence of college to her diligence and skill with a camera.)

My baby sister with me on graduation day, 1997. She's now a sophomore at Valpo, and we walked in this same area this weekend to pick up the birthday cake my mom sent through the Guild.

Google--first in the fight to stop drunk emailing...

2008-10-08T10:39:00.001-07:00

I love this. Google Mail Goggles--stops the email equivalent of drunk dialing.

I personally have never succumbed to this temptation. Mainly because when I've been THAT drunk (which has been very rare in my life, indeed), I'm usually laying on a couch somewhere sleeping or...giggling. The very last thought on my alcohol-soaked mind would be to get up and turn the computer on. No, no, I prefer the more tried and true version of humiliating myself in person.

However, that being said, I'm intrigued by the story implications of this, if this practice became wide spread. True, you can shut Mail Goggles off, but that involves going into your account settings, etc. And when you need to send that urgent email (in a story) to let someone know who the murderer (evil alien/cult leader/etc.) is, you have to stop and solve math problems? That would be awesome! :)

Also, P.S. I'm not good at math when completely and utterly sober, so I'd probably never beat what appears to be a time limit on solving the Mail Goggles math problems. What about some word problems? You know, "An eight letter word for "'atmosphere'" or something. That could work, right?

: ) Stacey

Catching up, Allison from Palmdale and more...

2008-10-07T15:39:00.001-07:00

I haven't disappeared. Just having trouble keeping up! To show you exactly how busy I've been, I must tell you that I haven't even watched Sarah Connor Chronicles from last night! And as far as I'm concerned, that's the only reason to get out of bed on Monday. : )

Regarding Allison from Palmdale, last week's episode, I'm thinking that many of you guessed, as I did, that Cameron was based on a real person. However, this raises all kinds of interesting questions about Allison's relationship with John versus Cameron's relationship with John in the future. Who was he in love with? Because you kind of have to assume it's one (or both) of them. Also, how old would that make Allison? Sixteen years younger than John, right? That could be kind of oooky, depending on how old she is/was when we saw her in the interrogation room with Cameron.

Den of Geek noted that the necklace Jody wore and gave to Cameron is the one that Allison in the future is wearing. So...does that mean Cameron gives the necklace to John to give to Allison in the future? I haven't verified this for myself--did anyone else notice this? It sort of makes my brain hurt to think about the timeline on that.

I have two ideas for the sequel to G&G. And I've been working on writing up a synopsis for both. Hence my absence. One is done--yea! Needs minor revisions. The other I'm still struggling with, but I hope to have it finished soon. In the meantime, I can give you weird stories to read like this: "Reborn" babies. This has science fiction possibilities written all over it!

More later...

:) Stacey

P.S. If you're on Twitter, I do a much better job updating on a daily basis. Here's my page...

Designer babies

2008-09-30T15:45:00.001-07:00

Designer babies...Yep, we've been talking about it for ages, but it seems like we're getting closer everyday. The process itself doesn't freak me out as much as the people we might inadvertently weed out because of the potential for disease or bad eyesight or something. Bill Gates pops to mind--probably because of all those damn Windows/PC commercials they're running now--though I'm sure there are others that are far less debatable. Like him or not, you must admit the world would be a different place without the advances he made.

Then again, I mean, if you believe that everything happens for a reason, then you would believe that we've arrived at this point in technology and there's a reason for it.

It's more interesting to me to think about what kind of society would be created if we could control the creation of the next generation. Then, not only would have teenagers moping about not having enough money or a car, but also that you didn't spend enough to give them the "good genes." Interesting, right? The gap between the rich and the poor would only be furthered by this process. You might be lucky and hit the genetic lotto naturally--intelligence, good eyesight, no major diseases, athletic ability, etc. But if everyone who has money is guaranteed those qualities, eeesh. The ability to climb up in the world, to get ahead, might only become that much harder. At the very least, the "natural" ones will face much stiffer competition for jobs, spouses, etc.

Or am I looking at this the wrong way? Is this just the next phase of "survival of the fittest"?

For those who are interested, Gattaca covers this ground pretty well. Children of Men kind of takes a different approach on a related path--our fertility as a species seems to be declining (which may have more to do with more news about the subject and people's willingness to talk about such things now than an actual scientific trend). Will our choices make us extinct? What if the desire to have a "perfect" baby leads to no babies? That's not really the plot of Children of Men, but it's an interesting kind of twist.

: ) Stacey, a redhead (a hair color that results from a genetic mutuation and will be virtually non-existent in the next 100 years, according to scientists) with pale skin, extremely poor eyesight and NO athletic ability. Thank God my parents weren't picky!

Chicago Area Writers--Plot class at College of Lake County

2008-09-29T11:12:00.001-07:00

I'm notoriously bad at posting to let people know when I'm teaching, so I'm trying to do this ahead of time. I'm teaching a Saturday class on plot at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, IL on October 18, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A description of the class is below, and here's a link to the CLC catalog. Class is listed on page 23.

PLOT IS A FOUR-LETTER WORD

It's a great story. You've developed it in

your mind from beginning to end. But

when your fingers hit the computer keys,

the plot just doesn't flow. It's difficult to get

the characters from one scene to another.

The dialogue seems stilted and the action appears

contrived. Never fear! Join author Stacey Klemstein as she demystifies

the concept of plot and breaks it down into more easily manageable

pieces. Writers will leave with tips, tricks and tools to help

create more interesting characters and a stronger storyline.

Cost: $59.00

4308 CWRT 18-001 0900A-0300 S GLC E124 10/18 10/18 KLEMSTEIN

My weekend project and other random musings...

2008-09-29T10:58:00.001-07:00

Okay, so somewhere in this post (I'm posting via email, so I'm not quite sure) there will be a picture of my writing room with the newly installed blinds I put in yesterday. By MYSELF. With only a few panicked phone calls to a friend who did not laugh when I asked about using a drill bit that was THREE times the size of the one mentioned in the instructions. Yeah.

I not only found the other drill bits but also remembered from sixth grade wood shop how to change them out. Dude. I am so proud.

(Tangent: the power drill has long been my nemesis. In sixth grade, when we lived in Hillsboro, IL, I was forced to take wood shop. I also had to take home ec and hated that almost as much, but nothing traumatic occurred there...other than being forced to, you know, cook. I was terrified of the jig saw, among other things. I just think power tools and 11 year olds are a bad combination.

Anyway, on some project, can't remember which one, I had to use a power drill. I picked one up that someone had been using and the bottom, where the cord attached, was super hot. Instinct took over--you let go of something that hot. But it had also been drilled--no pun intended--into our heads that if we broke a tool, we'd have to pay for it. So I grabbed for the falling drill. Brilliant, right?

Caught it by the drill bit, which cut into the vulnerable space between my ring and little finger--you know that little webbing area? Not a deep cut or anything, but enough that there was blood. I am NOT good with blood. Didn't really know that at the time, though.

Someone saw me and told the teacher. And this was the worst part. He sprayed my hand with this bright green antiseptic stuff. It made it hurt worse, and it smelled like a hospital.

Shortly after that I started seeing little white spots out of the corner of my eyes. Thought I had wood shavings in my safety glasses. Nope, I was in the first stage of fainting...or more likely, now that I know myself a bit better, the midst of a panic attack triggered first by the fear of dropping the drill, then the cut on my hand and the blood, and the embarrassment of everyone staring at me.

Yeah. The spots got worse and near fainting ensued. Two girls had to help carry me from class to the office. Uh-huh, that worked wonders for my reputation, let me tell you.

But now, twenty some years later, I have triumphed and used the power drill without incident!)

Other things...watched the fourth (?) episode of True Blood, this one not written by Alan Ball, and as predicted by various critics, I think I did like it better than the previous three. Bill seemed to have a bit more personality. Pam, one of my favorite characters in the books, was awesome. Hilarious, in fact. "In the vault" indeed.

As always, those who are acting vampire-y always seem a bit too campy (is that possible?). Long Shadow, an interesting character in the book, sort of seemed kind of laughable with his posturing and his fangs. And if they follow the book, he should seem to be at least a threat. But others, like the Taryn chick who took the tourist to the bathroom to, um, snack on, were scary. Can't figure out it if depends on the actor, the direction or just me at a particular moment.

Eric was fabulous. Younger than what I pictured in my head, but with the accent..um, yeah. Wow.

I've been reading this series of books for years now, and it's been kind of fun seeing the story in a different medium. I like Anna Paquin as Sookie. The actor playing her brother is perfect. Even Tara, whose role is VERY different from that in the book, I enjoy.

Yeah, I procrastinated a lot this weekend. But it was fun and relatively productive!

: ) Stacey

Recognizing the supreme awesomeness of this exact moment in time...

2008-09-26T13:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know this won't make sense to most you out there (except Stacy G. because she knows me all too well), but today I had one of those (incredibly rare) moments where I actually recognize the supreme awesomeness of what has happened in the last six months and get a bit giddy over it.

After five years of off and on again querying, I found a fabulous agent who loved and believed in my book enough to sign me!

Laura Bradford, said fabulous agent, sold my YA book to Hyperion to an editor who really seems to like it!

After ten or so years of off and on again trying, I will be New York published. Very cool.

And here's the best part: I get to write more YA...and likely get paid for it!

For those who think I might be glorying in this a bit too much, let me tell you...writers, in general, can be a rather morose and anxiety-driven bunch. I mean, there's a reason we're driven to create whole other worlds into which we can escape. I'm not just worst-case-scenario girl, I'm the awake-at-three-am-calculating-the-odds-that-my-weird-stomach-pain-is-the-Ebola-virus girl. My glass is not only half empty, but it has a serious and fatal leak somewhere (probably).

So, I'm celebrating this EXACT moment and the joy that it brings me in defiance of all that I am normally. (Trust me, it's only a momentary blip, and all too soon, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming of sweaty panic attacks and general gnashing of teeth.)

: )

Twitter

2008-09-25T14:52:00.001-07:00

For those of you who are Twitter-ing too, let me know. I'm StaceyKlemstein on Twitter.

It's so much fun! Kind of goofy and interesting how much information you can get and give in just those few sentences. I see why people do this.

Random thought for the day

2008-09-24T15:26:00.001-07:00

I was weird kid. Not that this should come as any shock to you. But it recently occurred to me that one of the many awesome things about iPods is that they provide you with that background soundtrack to your life that has been missing up this point. You know, I always wanted heroic music to play when I was attempting something difficult. Now I can make it happen. And because the iPod tucks into your pocket and the earbuds (though painful and not awesome) are so tiny and discreet, it's about as close as you can get to having John Williams following you around, you know?

ETA: I'm an idiot for posting without actually reading what I wrote. Sorry for the typos. Most of them have been captured safely and returned to the wild.

A post about something other than television...

2008-09-23T10:24:00.001-07:00

Believe it or not, I am actually working on something. I'm just at the "flail-around and make a big mess" stage of writing the sequel to Ghost and the Goth. I actually hate this part. I love writing first drafts, but only once I've got that hook. That "oh, yeah, I can't WAIT to see what happens with this" feeling in the pit of my stomach. Other writers have compared it to reaching the top of that first hill on a roller coaster ride, when all the fun is in front of you, and you're anticipating the thrill but also a little scared.

I'm not there yet. I'm still playing. Interviewing characters. Talking to people. My weekend at Linnea's really helped me find some mile markers, but it's all still mush in my head. Still simmering on the back burner. Dude, could I mix just one more metaphor in this post? Sheesh. I haven't gotten the "a-ha" yet, where everything snaps together and suddenly, you've got soup instead of random floating ingredients in some lukewarm water.

Ugh. I hate this part. I remember this with the start of Eye of The Beholder too. There are just so many ways to go, so many options to try. Some of them only a little different than the others, but enough so that it can shift the whole thing from "working" to "not working." And it was a little easier with EOB because I hadn't closed things off quite as much.

Now I've got to go back and look at things, peel back the layers, figure out how to open the story threads again without making the end of G&G seem false.

The only solution is to keep working at it, keep chipping away it (that's like, what, metaphor number six, seven?). It will eventually come together. It always does. It's just a matter of how crazy it will make me in the getting there, you know?

Oh, hey, fabulous book I read on the plane home from Ohio, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I'd been hearing about it on PW and I think even Stephen King wrote in praise of it. It's truly, truly excellent. Worth the hardcover prices, in my opinion. First chapter is up on Amazon at the link above.

: ) Stacey

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Mousetrap

2008-09-23T10:09:00.001-07:00

Don't really have much on this episode except a couple of questions. I'm confused a little about where the Connor/Reese household is, at the moment. John obviously started a new school in the previous episode, hence the meeting of Riley, right? So, are they just in a different part of the Los Angeles area? Must be.

Also, where did all the money come from? Up to this point, they've been living in kind of crappy houses, driving rather beat-up vehicles. Now they're living in a very nice (rental) home with some not cheap furnishings. (Damn, I'd hate to be the homeowners returning to live there after Sarah and Company leave. Blood is just so hard to get out of the upholstery. : ) ) And they're driving what appears to be a brand-new Dodge Ram (which I'm sure is a sponsorship thing) and loading up new computer equipment without even blinking at what that will do to their funds. Was there a sudden lotto win that I am not aware of?

One could assume that because they didn't have to pay Sarkissian (spelling?) for the Turk, they've got that money to spare. Or perhaps Derek has access to some additional funds and now that he's living there, they've combined their resources? For all I know, they stole the new truck, I guess. But I just wish there was a little bit of an explanation. It just seems too sudden a shift in socio-economic standards.

This leads me to my other point...where is Derek? I mean, seriously, they bump the guy up to being a regular and he only gets a couple of lines per episode? That's less of a role than when he was a guest star. Believe it or not, I actually like Brian Austin Green as Derek. In fact, one of my favorite moments last night, harsh though it was, was when Derek kind of whapped Charlie with his own phone, reminding him to make sure it was really Charlie's kidnapped wife on the phone and not a Terminator imitating her.

Moments like that, you remember that Derek doesn't have much softness, much give left in him, except, it seems, when it comes to John. He's seen and done way too much. I LIKE that. I want more. I hope that they're saving him for a big part of the storyline later. I just hope the show is on the air long enough to get there. Anybody know how it's doing?

One thing I did like last night was that we, the audience, figured it out just a few minutes before Sarah did. I mean, I knew the Terminator deliberately left Charlie's wife near her phone. He knew she'd call for help, but he didn't want to make it seem too obvious that it was a trap or she might have tried to warn them off. And I was following the logic of leaving John behind because the Cromartie would expect them to bring him so as not to leave him undefended.

But as soon as Charlie came back in, carrying the wires that Cromartie had torn from their car, I knew he'd led them there to get them out of the way. And I'm probably one of the last ones that caught on, but I like it when I figure it out just a second or two before the characters do. It's good writing, in my opinion, if/when that happens. Not so far in advance that I get bored, waiting for them to figure it out, but not so late that I'm a little lost as to how they reached a certain conclusion and it feels like the writers cheated to move the plot forward.

Other thoughts:

Figured Charlie's wife (can't remember her name) was toast. Interesting, though, that it was not the Terminator directly who killed her. More the whole situation, and her desire to show her husband that she was strong like Sarah, in my opinion. I suspect we'll be seeing more of Charlie, at least for a little while. Wonder if they're setting up a potential love triangle or at least a conflict of interest that involves Derek, Charlie and Sarah.

Cameron's still acting like she's got a screw or three loose. Don't mind the weirdness of her talking about the house moving. That was kind of funny and once again, I like the interaction of John and Cameron. Kind of worried about her wanting to kill the bird. Not sure where that comes from. Terminators, I thought, killed to accomplish their mission (and eliminate obstacles to the mission), but this potential for random bird violence is rather off-putting. I suspect it's supposed to be.

I also don't like that John had to remind Cameron that she needed to have "help" with the heavy computer boxes. I know it's supposed to be showing she's still broken. I get it, but I also don't like that she's seeming less efficient at pretending to be human. That signifies larger damage, I think. Not good. And I want to like Cameron, damaged or not.

On a related note, I liked Riley in last week's episode. She is the normalcy John thinks he needs/wants. Did NOT like her getting all bully-ish with John and claiming not to be afraid of his mother, like he so obviously was. Though, it did amuse me because I thought if there was ever a mom to be scared of, it would be Sarah Connor.

Hmm. Thought this was going to be a short post...Thoughts, ruminations? Am I taking this way too seriously? : )

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Automatic for the People

2008-09-17T15:29:00.001-07:00

First, a disclaimer...I know that every episode cannot focus on the weird and changing dynamic between Cameron and John. It would get old really fast. That being said, I must confess those episodes are likely going to be my favorites and others will pale in comparison.

In this episode, I like that the trend of John making his own (probably foolish) decisions continues. Part of the fun of this is now trying to figure out which one is going to bite him/them all in the end. Is it saving Cameron? Trying to lead a normal life? There will be some fallout (no pun intended) from one of his decisions, and I like it because now I'm watching to see which one it's going to be.

I think stepping away from his mother and making his own decisions (and learning from his mistakes) is going to be a vital part of making him into a leader. And I think Sarah and Derek must know that. They can't shelter him forever, or he'll never learn to be the leader they need. This is not to say he is, in any way, shape or form, that leader yet. Sarah is walking that knife's edge of letting him make mistakes and trying to keep him from getting himself (and the rest of us) killed. That will keep me watching.

The whole story surrounding the nuclear power plant was a bit...meh. I understand it's vital for the resistance in the future, but this whole concept of sending various people back from the future with missions for Sarah and company that MUST be accomplished strikes me as forced. A barely disguised plot device. If you can send that many people back, why not send more help for John and Sarah? Of course, dying guy did seem to scrawl a whole bunch of stuff on the wall, so maybe he will be the only plot device visitor this season.

I hate watching Sarah worry about cancer, mainly because that's just a little too close to things that can happen in real life. Though, I did enjoy Cameron's response to her when she, Sarah, said something about being a time bomb, waiting to go off (or something like that). Essentially, Cameron said that's what we all are. We don't know what's going to happen or when. For someone like Sarah who lives her whole life based on knowledge from the future, that must have been incredibly frustrating and yet a good reminder.

I'm intrigued by Riley, the girl at school who approaches John. I keep thinking of this interview I read with Jeffrey Donovan, the guy who plays the spy Michael Westen on Burn Notice. He said that in doing research about spies, the hardest thing for him to to wrap his brain around was that you couldn't ever trust anyone who approached you. Anyone who ever made overtures of friendship, romantic interest, whatever. You could never be sure about their motives, so you couldn't be friends, lovers, even business associates. Think about how many people that would eliminate in your life.

I'm just not so sure about this girl. She is so blatantly normal. So very much want John wants right now. A normal girlfriend. A normal life. So...I see this going one of two ways. A) she's a set up of some kind, getting close to John to be able to hurt him--doubtful, given that's sort of the whole Cameron thing (an interested girl turns out to be a robot). Though, if you have one Terminator model that looks like a sixteen year old girl, why not others? It was kind of a weird moment when she built that robot out of Legos "to protect you while you sleep," but it also could have been nothing.

More likely, B) she's cannon fodder.

In writing, you have to hurt your characters and the best way to do that is to give them something they want desperately and then yank it away. I can easily see Cromartie (spelling?) finding her and trying to use her to get to John, to the point of killing her. Cold-blooded as it sounds, it will also serve the purpose of strengthening his resolve to win this war.

Now...as always, my favorites were the few Cameron and John moments. The first where she tells him she can't trust him anymore because he didn't destroy her. Okay, I can almost get that. Except is she not capable of destroying herself or requesting destruction if the situation warrants it? Isn't that how T2 ends? I'm not suggesting that she should be destroyed. It's far more interesting with her around. But I find it worth noting that she did NOT say anything like this when she was still in the car in the junkyard, covered with that flammable powder stuff. Theories?

And finally, when John asks her about what she said, about not being able to be trusted. I held my breath when he started that line, ("What you said before...") because I thought he was going to ask her about what she said when she was pinned between those trucks. Anybody else think that? I mean, wouldn't you ask about it? Yeah, I guess he could have written it off to the trick that it probably was, and maybe it would be humiliating to admit that you wondered, even for a second, if it might be real. Okay, yeah, I see that.

As for him telling her that he doesn't have to prove himself to her, that smacked way more of hurt and betrayal than anything else. I think she hurt him when she used his feelings against him. And yet that didn't stop him from saving her. Hmmm. I just don't know what to make of all this, but I can't wait to see more!

: ) Stacey

Sarah Connor Chronicles: Samson and Delilah :) Loooooong post…sorry.

2008-09-09T10:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, despite having the aforementioned splitting headache, I piled myself into bed, surrounded myself with lots of pillows, Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold, and all the remotes to watch Sarah Connor Chronicles.

Okay, so don't read on if you haven't watched yet…

So far, one episode into the second season, and it is BETTER than last year. As you know, I'm watching this not just to make sure the world stays safe from the machines, but also to find out what Derek Reese's secret(s) is/are, whether Sarah is going to fall for him in any way shape or manner (or is that too weird?), and what are they going to do with John and Cameron?

As a devotee of the forbidden love genre, I'm DYING for them to get to the "I have feelings but I can't do anything about it because it's wrong and possibly weird" stage.

I've been rewatching the first two Buffy seasons and figured out that was my favorite part, the back and forth with Angel and Buffy.

Of course, my beef with that show is they did not figure out a way to give them a happily ever after without destroying the show. Hence, no happily ever after, or HEA, as they say in the romance writing business. It is for that reason that I only own the first two seasons of the show. I loved the whole show (except for the last season), but the first two seasons just rock.

I'm trying to think of other shows that did this back and forth thing and managed to have a decent show and an HEA. Usually the show--and the network's desire to keep raking in the cash--outlives the romance. Only shows like BSG and Roswell--where they know they're in the final season--have that kind of closure, I think. Farscape, too, gave that kind of closure through the TV movie, if I remember correctly. Any other ones? Suggestions? I feel like I'm missing an obvious one…)

Anyway, back to SCC and last night's episode, it nearly killed me when Cameron turned on them, damaged chip and all. I was worried we were going to spend the entire season with "bad" Cameron and that would have annoyed the crap out of me.

But I like the damaged chip aspect in that it now adds even more unpredictability to her behavior. IMO, she was always unpredictable because you don't know what she knows and what her exact objective is, other than keeping John alive.

The scene in which they've trapped Cameron between the two trucks and she's pleading with John not to take her chip out, that she loves him and he loves her…oh, boy, this is what I've been waiting for. *claps hands together gleefully*

Sarah tells him that it was all fake, that they're machines. They can't *feel* anything. It was manipulation, plain and simple. And it works because John gives her a second chance.

Interesting, because I don't recall any other terminator using emotions to lie this way.

Yes, they imitate other human beings through voice or physical appearance, but never as themselves. They did not seem sophisticated enough to carry off that kind of task, or else why wouldn't they (meaning SkyNet) send one with the intention of befriending John and Sarah only to turn when he/she is finally trusted? (Maybe they have! Derek, what exactly happened to you in that weird abandoned house last season? Hmmm...)

It brings up all kinds of delightful questions about how advanced Cameron really is she told him in the beginning that she is a more advanced model), why John in the Future (JitF!) chose to send her specifically back, and whether a machine is capable of expressing some form of humanity.

Her interest in ballet, for example. They made a big point of showing her practice this even after the mission for which that knowledge was required was over. And yes, I know, Summer Glau is a ballerina and they're making use of her skill set for the role, but I also feel like they may be exploring the boundaries of humanity and how we define it.

It also brings up this great point about love…last year in preparation for a book that I'm still thinking about writing, I bought this book called Love and Sex with Robots. It's non-fiction and the author's premise is that with the advances in technology now, it would be possible to create companions who would fill the role of spouse and partner. Programming is sophisticated enough, or will be, to simulate a human. And where do you draw the line?

We feel a certain way because our brain has been programmed to respond to certain stimuli, not all that different than a CPU.

Also, the author included some research about love that indicates we fall in love because of how we feel when we're around the other person. Your feelings for someone have more to do with how he/she makes you feel about yourself or in general than anything in particular about them. Isn't that interesting?

Therefore, I would posit that it is very possible to fall in love with a machine that protects you, helps you, looks after you and strongly resembles an attractive female in your age bracket. The question is, can the machine love you back? And how can you tell, what's "real" and what's "programmed"? Does it matter?

There's also the self-sacrifice issue too. When Cameron tells Sarah,"If that ever happens again, don't let him save me." That would indicate that her programming regarding John (the mission to protect him) are more of a priority than her own survival. She recognizes that she could be a danger to him and puts that before anything else. Another definition of love, perhaps…

LOVE this kind of stuff. LOVE IT.

Also, it was way cool to see the TX1000 or whatever the melty metal robot models are called. : )

Updated to add: Fixed the screwy paragraph spacing. Sorry about that. Also, I'm reading online that some are putting forth the theory that Cameron herself is the one who overrode the termination order rather than any preset programming, which would indicate some form of self-awareness and independence. Intriguing!

Fall has kicked me to ground and trod upon my head

2008-09-08T11:36:00.001-07:00

I love fall. We're heading in to my favorite time of year. Crisp leaves, cool air, bright sunshine in an impossibly blue sky. Unfortunately, I seem to forget that, every few years, the season change kicks my a**.

Allergies and sinus issues run rampant in my family (A dentist, after reviewing my x-rays, said I had the largest sinuses she'd ever seen--gee, thanks?) and the second the weather changes and the barometric pressure shifts one way or another, I'm down and out for the count.

It's not every year, so it probably has something to do with the mold count or how fast the changes happen or something.

I've spent the last week with a splitting headache on the right side of my face, above and below my eye. Ugh. I laid around all weekend with tissues and over the counter medicine, hoping to knock this thing out. And I woke up this morning to find the pain gone…

Unfortunately, it had only relocated to the left side of my face.

*sigh*

I do not have time for this!

I'm teaching my first class at the College of Lake County this week on Thursday, and I'm still prepping my materials. I'm trying to make some forward progress on my very stubborn sequel to G&G. And I'm planning to spend the weekend at my friend and mentor, Linnea Sinclair's, house.

I cannot be on sinus medicine while I'm visiting Linnea--I will miss out on the Cosmos and that is simply not acceptable. : )

So come on, head, hurry up and STOP hurting already.

College Admissions? Research help!

2008-08-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

Anybody out there work in college admissions or know anything about it?

For a book, I need to know what would happen if someone didn't apply until April or May of his senior year.

I realize it probably depends on the school and the circumstances, but I'm just trying to get a vague idea whether it would be possible for a student with good grades, good ACT score, but no extra curriculars and some behavior issues to still get into a four-year school for fall semester if he applies so late. Would he be waitlisted? Considered for spring semester?

Also, while we're on this subject, what else do college admissions folks look for? I don't remember anymore! He'd have the grades and the scores, but there would be a lot of absences on his record. Notes about illnesses and incidents at his high school. Do colleges actually look at your "permanent record"? Would it be possible and/or ethical for the principal of said school to include a note about a student's difficulties when sending in the requested info to the college?

Thanks for any help you out there in cyber-land can give!

: )

Austenland by Shannon Hale

2008-08-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, Austenland is another fabulous book for Jane Austen fans, especially for those who are obsessed with Colin Firth's version of Mr. Darcy. I love the way it's written, and it's just a fun story. Basic premise is that there's a resort-type place that caters to the Austen-obsessed. If you can afford it, you spend two weeks at an English manor, following the customs of Austen's time with other participants and actors to play scripted roles. They even promise "romance." Our intrepid heroine, Jane Hayes (AKA Miss Erstwhile) has had less than ideal luck with men, some of which is due to her constant need to compare them to her ideal, Mr. Darcy. She longs to live during Jane Austen's time and find a man like Darcy.

A great-aunt bequeaths her this opportunity to visit Austenland, and the adventure begins. The situation is closely monitored [hence the Big Brother reference just below] by the actors, who are paid, and by a headmistress type person who insists on keeping everything as true to the time period as possible. No cell phones, no technology, no calling a woman by her first name...unless you're engaged. There are, thank goodness, certain allowances made for toilets and electric lights instead of kerosene lamps, but that's about it. And you can get kicked out for not following the "rules." It's like a reality show without the cameras.

My favorite line, and I don't think this is giving too much away, is the following, "In all the years Jane [our heroine] had fantasized about an Austenland, she never considered how, once inside its borders, she would feel like an outsider."

Also, when she says, "If you're listening Big Brother, I refuse to be Fanny Price." Ha! I love that.

This is a great book for all Austen fans, particularly if you've picked apart the characters and know exactly who you would be (or would not be) if given the chance. I'm with Jane Hayes--I refuse to be Fanny Price. : )

Writing about your exes

2008-08-15T14:48:00.001-07:00

I'm listening to the latest Alanis album (thanks, Stacy G.), which I believe she has all but said is all about her break up with Ryan Reynolds, and wondering if he feels bad when he hears these songs on the radio and realizes how badly he made her feel. I mean, it's one thing to break up with your significant other, but to have to hear about it on the radio as you're driving to work? Or to have millions of other people hear it and know that it's about you? Some of these songs are devastatingly sad...and pissed off. They're very personal, too. You feel like you want to give her a hug and kick him in the shins.

I wonder if people give him dirty looks now. Didn't he break up with her to go out with some younger, blonder starlet? Can't remember who. (Ah, Scarlett Johanssen. Looked it up. ) Just remember wincing and thinking, "Ouch," on Alanis's behalf when I heard.

I guess I'm partial to her side of things ever since "You Ought to Know," the advent, in my opinion, of angry girl rock, and the first time I'd ever heard anyone describe in a song what it felt like to be dumped and the things you really think about during that time. (Even if it was supposedly about Dave Coulier, which I have trouble imagining).

These songs, too, hold that raw emotion that captivates me. I think she's at her best, songwriting-wise, when she's really hurt and really pissed. But what a way to be successful. Eeesh.

My favorites are "Not as We," "Straitjacket" and "Torch."

An author by any other name...

2008-08-14T14:37:00.001-07:00

Thinking about changing my name for my YA novels. It will still lead back to one website and everything, so it won't be one of those deep cover author names where you discover I'm an entirely different person after years of research and digging around in public records or whatever.

Current options being bandied about include:

Stacey Allen (real first, with husband's middle name in a different spelling)

Stacey Kade (close to my first choice, which is Stacey Kaye, but the website is already taken)

Stacia Kade (oooh, exotic)

It should be something:

-close to my real name (so I'll remember to answer to it),

-memorable,

-easy to spell and

-decent location on the shelf (so no Zee or anything like that).

What do you think? Suggestions welcome!

Movie and Books

2008-08-06T09:50:00.001-07:00

Watched Stardust last night. I liked it better than I thought I would. I'm not much for the fantasy/magic/witches type stuff, but this was kind of fun. I'm intrigued enough to want to check out the book by Neil Gaiman. It was a fairy tale, essentially, and I love those! The dead princes/brothers as the peanut gallery cracked me up--I think that was my favorite part.

The young Dunstan at the beginning is Ben Barnes--he is cute!--and I realize now why he looked familiar. It's Prince Caspian. : ) I also see that they're making another of the Chronicles of Narnia movies. Dude...I so do not like those movies. *sigh* I know I should. They just...irritate me. What seems subtle and allegorical in the book just feels ham-handed and overplayed on the screen. Eeesh.

In my current quest to have enough books to build some large fortified structure with them (e.g., house, bridge, tower to outer space), I've added City of Bones and City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare to my shelves. Loved both of them and I'm waiting for the next one, of course.

I'm also reading Mystery Date, a collection of SF/F/Paranormal stories about dating. Some of them are romance and some of them are...not. So far, though, all of them are fun. What I like is that it harkens back to the day when maybe vampires, werewolves, Greek gods and such were not perhaps the best dating material. In fact, one might consider them possibly dangerous instead of, you know, all smoldering, intense and wounded beneath their tough Alpha male exterior. *snort* And yes, I know I'm just as guilty of that, too, though mine are aliens instead. : )

So...what did you all think?

2008-08-04T15:06:00.001-07:00

Anybody out there finish Breaking Dawn yet? I dusted off my Harry Potter routine--buy enormous book and read in one day, despite other things that should be done.

What did you think?

Breaking Dawn tonight

2008-08-01T14:33:00.001-07:00

Yep, I'm a sucker for a good midnight book release. Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in the Stephanie Meyer Twilight series, comes out tonight. And yeah, I'll be there. Typically, I like to give my money to the good folks at Barnes and Noble, especially in Vernon Hills, where I hang out at lunch. But my need for sleep and the distance between my favorite store and home are going to win out.

So, Borders in McHenry, it shall be.

I can't decide what I want to happen. I like Edward. I cried during New Moon when he was being all noble and self-sacrificing. But Bella has a much better chance at a "normal" life with Jacob. And I also think loving somebody so much, to the point where it's really sort of uneven, doesn't bode well for the future.

I know it's tantamount to heresy to say this about Bella and Edward, but I do think she'd be better off with Jacob, someone who makes her happy without demanding, even unintentionally, so much from her. But I also know that the heart wants what it wants (ever notice how people use that as an excuse to do some really questionable things?), and Bella and Edward are just one of those epic love stories.

Note, though, that we rarely see the people from those stories in ten or twenty years after they've gotten what they wanted beyond all else--each other. Does that passion still exist or does it become mundane? If it's the later, wouldn't it be better to be with the person who makes you happy rather than the one who makes you want to give up all else but him? Once you've got him, forever and ever, then what?

So, I just kind of wonder how the author is going to resolve this, and what message is really being sent. No matter what happens, some people are going to be disappointed, I think. Of course, that's true of just about every highly anticipated movie/book. I wonder why she introduced a secondary love interest when there never really seemed to be a moment in which she, Bella, would choose Jacob over Edward. Hmmm.

This musing brought to you by thirty-two year old Stacey, who, if she's honest with herself, knows she would picked Edward in a heartbeat (no pun intended) at eighteen.

Maybe I'm a cynic, but...

2008-08-01T13:49:00.001-07:00

Most of these twenty things are really sweet...and yet some of them verge on creepy/stalker-ish. I supposed it's not creepy/stalker-ish if you love the person, but dude...if I came out to find a note under my windshield at work, I'd be like, why didn't you just come in and say hi to me? And don't even get me started with the idea of loading something onto my computer without telling me...oh, no. Not going to be pretty.

New York, Day Three (part two) and Day Four

2008-07-31T14:44:00.001-07:00

After our long journey back from Central Park, we took a quick nap and then got cleaned up for the wedding. I must confess I actually used one of the hotel provided shower caps for the first time in my life as I knew my hair would still be sopping wet if I shampooed again. It was funny and weird. I felt like Lucille Ball or something.

There was a shuttle to the wedding location in Queens, which was fortunate because I did not feel brave enough to face the subway again, especially in heels. The wedding was held in The Foundry, which is exactly what it sounds like, an old industrial-type building revitalized into this very cool open concept building. Seeing the heavy beams, old brick and odd little alcoves where the equipment must have been was neat. The back patio on the building held nursery plants, so it was beautiful and green.

The ceremony was lovely, just perfect. I really enjoyed the two poetry readings in the ceremony, which I believe were written specifically for the bride and groom. I actually teared up during the wedding, and I don't remember the last wedding that made me cry. : )

After the ceremony, we had drinking and dancing and dinner. The photo above is at dinner. We clean up pretty well, no? : )

Once dinner was finished, we had celebrated with more champagne (don't know what it was, but it was fabulous) and more dancing. I really had fun this time. It helped, knowing so many of people there.

At one point, Greg and I were demonstrating various 90's cheesy dancing techniques, like "churning the butter" and "mowing the lawn" just to be silly. The champagne definitely helped with that. My favorite part was seeing my in-laws "raising the roof" during "Jump Around" by House of Pain. They were awesome!

The bride and groom also provided these really cute Chinese-type slippers for those of us who wanted to kick off our heels and dance, which heck yeah, I did.

After cake and more dancing, an ice cream truck pulled up outside. Mr. Softee for everyone who wanted it! How cool is that?

I declined the ice cream but had a very enjoyable discussion with several of the other wedding guests about ice cream sandwiches and the proper cookie to ice cream ratio that must exist. : )

One final spin around the dance floor and then it was time to go. The shuttle had arrived to take us back to the hotel.

One funny/scary moment, our bus actually stopped dead on the bridge between Queens and Manhattan. Of course, some of us were, um, still feeling just how much we'd celebrated and found this more amusing than scary. But the bus driver got us up and moving again very shortly and all was well.

Day Four

…is not very exciting, I'm afraid. We slept in. Brian and Susan were up and about and adventurous, but we were too tired. We did make it down to breakfast to talk to family a little more and say good-bye. But then it was all about getting packed and getting to the airport.

I was sad to leave. We don't get to see this part of the family very often. I only get to see my New York friends about once or twice a year. And I just had so much fun! : ) It was such an adventure, very different from chilling on the beach at Maui, but an altogether awesome experience. Thanks to everyone who offered advice and encouragement. You were right!

New York, Day Three (part one)

2008-07-31T14:06:00.001-07:00

Day three, late nights and early mornings, we were starting to get a little tired. But we rolled out of bed to head for Rockefeller Center (photo at the top) to see if we could catch The Today Show and then line up for our NBC Studio Tour. (Thanks to sister-in-law Susan who did much of the organizing and planning for this trip--you rock!)

We missed The Today Show as they stopped filming early because it was a Saturday, but that was okay. We had plenty of time then to shop at the NBC store, where you can buy things like a talking bobble-head of Michael Scott from The Office, a t-shirt for Psych that reads, "Psychics do it in the future" and a BSG mug that quite simply states, "FRAK."

I would have loved to buy all of the above but instead settled for a small keychain for my sister who collects such things. Not much suitcase room, even less money!

The studio tour was really neat. We saw where they film the nightly news with Brian Williams. And it was a working studio. Behind the glass a few feet away, a reporter/anchor named Alex something (somebody want to help me out with her last name?) was giving a report on MSNBC.

We also saw the Saturday Night Live set, which actually didn't look like much. They had equipment and boxes all over the places for the Olympics. The show, obviously, is on hiatus until fall.

My favorite was the Conan O'Brien set. It was SO tiny. I know television uses all kinds of illusions and tricks, but this was ridiculously small compared to the cavernous space you feel like you see on screen every night. For those who watch the show, let me say this…the distance between Conan and Max, the drummer, is like five feet, maybe even less. Like I would be worried that Conan, during an enthusiastic arm wave, might knock into the drum set. That's how close they are.

But because they use individual reaction shots, Conan by himself and then Max or vice versa, it makes them seem very far apart. Same thing with the distance from the point where Conan does his monologue to the desk. Maybe ten feet apart. Twenty might be pushing it. And yet if you watch the show, you know it seems to take him a long time to get over there. Just another illusion, folks.

The set furniture is also really small, to match the scale of the set. Our tour guides, the adorably named Margo and Carly, said standard living room furniture would look huge. So, beware of anyone who looks tall on the show! They're probably not. I also wonder if this is part of what's behind the running joke about Conan being freakishly tall, as he frequently mentions on the show. I'm sure he is tall. I'm even more sure he looks gigantic because of the set.

Also, the set itself is curved, no hard angles. That's so you won't have any depth perception and be able to tell exactly how small the studio is. Interesting, right?

After the tour, we headed to the Carnegie Deli, only to find a huge line and a menu that included too many mentions of "tongue" for us to be comfortable eating there. So, instead we went to Lindy's. It was horribly expensive, but I must admit that I liked my sandwich and Greg's soup was really good. For the money, though, Junior's was better. (Trump Tower, we would discover later, offered a three course meal--appetizer, main course and dessert--for $22. Donald, I have new respect for you, offering decently priced food in New York City.)

We decided then to brave the walk to Central Park (photo at the top). It was so cool. It make sense that you would have to have something like this for all the dogs, kids and frisbee players that must live in the area. Still, it was a bit odd to see so many people staking out little patches of ground with their blankets and accoutrements. It sort of looks like what you'd see before a fireworks display on the 4th, only no fireworks.

That was, I think, my favorite part, walking all the way to the park. Of course, then we had to walk alllllll the way back. Even in my comfy chucks, my feet were hurting aplenty by the time we made it, but it was worth it. After this, we had the wedding, but I'm going to save that for my next, and probably last NY trip-related post. :)

New York, Day Two

2008-07-31T13:34:00.001-07:00

Okay, so here's where things got a little nerve-wracking. On Friday, I went my own direction while everyone else went theirs.

Greg, his parents, and Brian and Susan all went on the Grayline Tour to see some of New York's most famous sites.

I left to meet my editor from Hyperion for the first time. I was SO nervous. I left the hotel at 9:07 for a 10:00 a.m. meeting based on the front desk's warning that there might be heavy traffic. I arrived at our meeting place at 9:22. Good grief. Fortunately, I noticed there was a Barnes and Noble on the corner, so I went in to shop and kill some time.

It was an interesting experience. The store reminded me of our college bookstore, all crowded shelves and things in odd places. It wasn't the sleek, stand-alone structure I'm used to seeing in the Chicago area. It was like a rabbit warren with all these little rooms kind of stuck on to each other and alcoves full of books. It was cool.

I headed back then to the City Bakery and read for a few minutes. My editor arrived, and we had a great time talking about everything from books to our favorite television shows. He is awesome and I can't wait to work with him! : )

After that, feeling quite confident in myself, I hailed a cab on my own and gave directions to the hotel (Madison and 21st, please). Of course, I immediately failed the next test when the cabbie asked me if I wanted him to take twenty-third all the way. I had no idea and was forced to confess so. But it was all good. I made it back eventually, probably in a more roundabout way than if I were a native, but oh, well.

After dropping off stuff at the hotel, I walked the block to Grand Central to meet my friend Stacey Agdern for lunch. She's a bookseller in Grand Central as well as a writer, so we just grabbed a quick bite to eat while she was on lunch break. We chatted about writing and books and about the possibility of RT next year.

When Stacey went back to work, I headed back to the hotel. I should have taken a nap, but I was way too keyed up. So I headed up to the rooftop garden bar on the hotel (picture at the top). It was beautiful and warm up there. I wrote for a bit. Then I went for a walk around the block and checked in with my folks on my cell phone.

At four, I went back over to Grand Central and met Stacey again. I was about to take my inaugural subway ride to see a mutual friend and she, thank goodness, agreed to come with me. The subway system, to me as an outsider, seems very confusing. Trains are identified by both letters and numbers, and I can't quite get a fix on how everything comes together. Chicago's color coded system seems much easier.

So, we found our way to Queens and our friend Isabo Kelly, to see her and her new baby, Jack. Both are doing well, and Jack is SO adorable. Lots of hair, and he's holding his head up like a champ after only two weeks.

We met up with another friend and author, Leanna Renee Hieber, at Isabo's house, and after a short visit with the new mom and baby, I had to head back to Manhattan for the rehearsal/welcome dinner. Thankfully both Stacey and Leanna agreed to chaperone me all the way back to Grand Central, even though it was out of their way. Thanks, you guys!

I raced the block back to the hotel, and I do mean raced. The family was supposed to meet at 7:30 in the lobby for a shuttle (or so I thought) and it was 7:22 by the time I walked out the door of Grand Central.

I got to the hotel, out of breath and sweaty (ew!), but no one was down in the lobby. I made it up to our room and found Greg just getting dressed. Apparently, I'd gotten my days mixed up for the shuttle, which was actually going to be Saturday, and they'd all just gotten finished with the wine and cheese hour.

Whew. So, I freshened up and then we took a cab over to the dinner location. In the cab, we had our first what I would call stereotypical NY experience. A woman started to walk in front of the moving cab. Our cabbie honked at her. She gave him the finger. He gave it back. She kicked the cab as we pulled away. Yeah. : )

Dinner was fabulous and so much fun! Even though most of us were staying the same hotel, we hadn't all seen each other yet. So it was great to be able to catch up, laugh and share stories. Greg's uncle, father of the groom, had put together this great presentation about the family, traditions, history, fun stuff. It was cool to see the old pictures and nice to be included in some of the more recent ones as well!

After dinner, we relocated back to the hotel and headed up to the rooftop bar again. It was really beautiful at night. Full of scammers, too. : ) Older business-type gentlemen hitting on girls young enough to be their daughters. Yeah, we had fun watching that. The girls kept pumping them for drinks and then…went home for the evening. Ha.

Feeling full from good food and drink and fabulous company, we finally dragged ourselves off to bed at about 12:30.

New York, Day One

2008-07-31T09:59:00.001-07:00

Where to begin? New York was wonderful! I had such a good time. It wasn't exactly a vacation, but more of an adventure, and it was great!

We left our house at like 4:30 in the morning to meet up with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Brian and Susan. We realized we haven't traveled with them since our trip to California back in 2001, and we'd all forgotten how much fun it is to vacation together. : )

Anyway, plane ride was without incident and we got to NY on time. Our shuttle driver was a bit quirky, searching the airport for us by calling my brother-in-law's first name instead of our collective last name. Who pages someone by their first name? Seriously?

Anyway, after we piled into the shuttle for a long and bumpy trip (we suspect the driver was trying to avoid tolls *grin*, but I think he managed to hit every single pot hole in the NY area), we finally made our way into Manhattan. How cool! It is not, on the surface, that much different than Chicago. Except there is a different feel to the air, a different vibrancy. I liked it.

The traffic is worse because there are more people and the streets are MUCH narrower. But I can see why people live in New York. You can get just about anything you need within walking distance and you've got reliable public transport to get just about anywhere else. But there's a lot of walking, and I liked that too.

Our rooms were ready early at the Library Hotel, thank goodness, so we could drop off our stuff and head back out for lunch. Another instance in which I was grateful to be traveling with Brian and Susan…Greg and I would have wimped out and probably stayed in our room. But with them, we decided to explore a little, get lunch etc. Awesome!

We walked past the New York Public Library, which looks exactly like it does in the film Ghostbusters. I immediately took a picture and texted it to my sister Susan (not to be confused with my sister-in-law, Susan, or my mother-in-law, Sue) and my friend Ed with a silly quote from the movie.

Then we headed down to find the TCKTS booth, where one can supposedly obtain half-price tickets for Broadway shows on the day of the performance. We were hoping to see Spamalot, which Greg and I had already seen in Chicago but wanted to see again. We thought we were early for the booth, which opened at three, but it turned out the line wrapped around behind the building and in several loops. Ugh.

We found the back of the line and waited. During this time, a guy walked by with his friend or girlfriend, openly mocking us, but in a funny way, about waiting in line for tickets when they could be purchased at the box office for half-price. At first, we dismissed him, but when he walked by again with the same girl and she had her tickets and he said the same thing, we decided to check it out.

The Spamalot box office was within sight of the line, so Susan and I went and asked about tickets. Sure enough, we could get four in the mezzanine for five bucks more than what we would have paid at TCKTS and we didn't even have to wait in line!

We celebrated our success with a meal at Junior's. I highly recommend the egg salad sandwich and the Devil's Food Cheescake. Yum.

After lunch, which was really an early dinner, we explored a little more, finding Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, which I really wanted to see, but I couldn't deal with the $35 per ticket. Ouch!

Eventually, we headed back to the hotel to enjoy the complimentary wine and cheese hour and clean up. I, unfortunately, forgot to bring sandals that went with my brown shirt and khakis, so I wore the pink chucks. I blended in just fine and besides, no one could see my feet once we sat down at the theater. ; )

Spamalot was awesome. It was fun seeing Stephen Collins, the father from 7th Heaven, playing King Arthur. And Drew Lachey, Nick Lachey's brother, played Patsy. They were both very good.

I think the show got out at about ten-thirty, and we wandered back in the direction of the hotel in search of some small meal. We checked out Grand Central, where I would be meeting my friend Stacey Agdern, the following day. Eventually, we found a Friday's where we indulged in some appetizers and slushies.

Then back to the hotel and to bed!

I'm going to try to attach a photo of the New York Public Library. We'll see if it works. Thanks, Susan, for sharing your photos. I can't figure out how to get mine off my phone! : )

Even Danielle Steel, the grande dame of romance novels, is not immune...

2008-07-23T15:04:00.001-07:00

From an article about Danielle Steel on CNN.com...

Atop such lists is a familiar Steel perch. Between 1996 and 2003, Publishers Weekly reports that 16 of her novels were best-sellers, and the Guinness World Records once cited her for having at least one book on the Times list for 390 consecutive weeks.

All that strangely doesn't calm her. She may have been writing novels since she was 19, but there's an insecurity that remains untouched, no matter the plaudits.

"I still never finish a book without being terrified I can't write another one. I never start one without being terrified I can't finish it," she says. "It's sort of a torturous process."

Whew, that makes me feel a lot better! I may well print this quote out and wallpaper my office walls with it. : )

New York and other updates

2008-07-22T14:49:00.001-07:00

Sorry, life has just been hectic. : ) We had a fence installed for the puppies and Joseph, the older of our two "boys," celebrated by racing around in the backyard and losing several toe nails. He's forever losing nails, has been ever since we got him seven years ago. But this time, his toe injuries have required much maintenance and looking after. Seriously, I'm beginning to think we should have stock in whatever company makes Neosporin.

Also, we had a celebratory dinner with a few friends a couple of weekends ago and I have some very fun pictures I want to share, but that will have to wait until I've got a few more minutes. Just squeezing a quick post in here. : )

Later this week, we'll be heading out to New York City. It's the first time I've ever been there. I'm prepared to feel cowed and intimidated by the entire setting--big cities make me nervous initially--but I'm also hoping I can adapt relatively quickly. : ) Friends who live there say I should be fine. It's not that different from Chicago.

But you have to consider: a) I live in the 'burbs. And the far northern ones at that. I'm closer to Milwaukee (and more comfortable driving there) than I am Chicago, and b) my only experience with New York is what I see on television, either in movies or commercials for reruns of Sex and the City (someday I'll get around to watching that show, I swear).

I own nothing in my wardrobe that even vaguely resembles the stuff I've seen Carrie and the girls wearing. I'm almost strictly a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I have high heels but will do just about anything, including letting too long pants drag the ground, in order to avoid wearing them. I was excited last week because I found a cute pair of jeans at Target on sale for seven bucks.

Oh! Total tangent, but when I was in high school, my mother refused to buy me expensive jeans that were already worn-looking or torn and rightly so. However, I was thrilled to discover that my bargain jeans from Target were not only cute but came with a manufactured rip. Ha! I love it!

I've asked my friend Stacey A. (not to be confused with Stacy G., who also often gives me very good advice) who lives in NY about what I should bring to wear. I think she was a bit baffled about why I was asking this question. So, I'm wondering, perhaps, if television has once more given me a slightly off-kilter view of things. But we shall see.

I'm also nervous and excited because I'll be meeting my editor at Hyperion for the first time. Very cool!

Just finished reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Weird story, incredibly well-written, but strange...in a good way, though. Her insights about reading and writing and why people do both were dead on and downright fascinating.

Watched Christian Bale in Equilibrium, an older sci-fi movie. Very Farenheit 451-esque, but I liked it. Turned out differently than I thought it would.

More later...

Burn Notice is back!

2008-07-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

Burn Notice returns tonight! I love this show. It does not receive the recognition it should. The voiceovers alone are pitch-perfect. A few of my favorites (thanks to IMDb):

Michael Westen: [voice-over] Covert intelligence involves a lot of waiting around. Know what it's like being a spy? Like sitting in your dentist's reception area twenty-four hours a day. You read magazines, sip coffee, and every so often, someone tries to kill you.

Michael Westen: [voice-over] Southern Nigeria isn't my favorite place in the world. It's unstable, it's corrupt, and the people there eat a lot of terrible-smelling preserved fish. I will say this for Nigeria, though: it's the gun-running capital of Africa. And that makes it a bad place to drive a passenger sedan into a crowded market.

Michael Westen: [voice-over] If you're gonna collapse on a plane, I recommend business class. The seats are bigger if you start convulsing. Although once you pass out, it really doesn't matter.

Michael Westen: [voice-over] When you're being watched, what you need is contrast. A background that will make the surveillance stand out. An FBI field office is full of guys in their forties. At most South Beach business hotels, it would be tough to tell which middle-aged white guy was watching you. So you stay in the place where everyone is a Jell-O shot away from alcohol poisoning. If you see someone who can walk a straight line, that's the Fed.

The first two examples, of course, demonstrate the rule of three in screenwriting--the funny is always on three. The third item in the list is unexpected and still true. Love that.

You can read more Burn Notice quotes at IMDb. Or check out the show on USA tonight at 9:00. I think they'll be running last season's finale just prior to that as well. : )

And for those BSG fans who are desperate for their next fix of Number Six (hey, that rhymes!), Tricia Helfer is joining the cast as Michael Westen's "handler." Wow, there are all kinds of inappropriate jokes I could make there, but I won't (Jeffrey Donovan--the actor who plays Michael Westen--is very cute). Tricia Helfer rocks as Number Six (beauty, evil, temptation, sin and redemption all rolled up into one character somehow), and I can't wait to what she's like in this role.

News!

2008-07-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've been a little quiet here lately, as is my natural tendency when there's something really exciting going on but I'm not allowed to share...at least yet.

Now, it seems everything is out in the open, so here goes...

My fabulous agent, Laura Bradford, sold my first young adult novel, The Ghost and the Goth, to Hyperion!!! Hardcover will be out in winter 2010 and trade paperback in spring 2011, I believe.

I love this book, you guys, and had so much fun writing it. I'm unbelievably happy it was so well received.

Here's the blurb that's circulating about it:

Stacey Klemstein’s THE GHOST AND THE GOTH, in which a high school outcast who can see, hear and talk to the dead reluctantly agrees to help the ghost of a spoiled and shallow homecoming queen who just got run over by a bus of band geeks find her way to the “other side,” to Christian Trimmer at Hyperion, in a nice deal, by Laura Bradford at Bradford Literary Agency.

Woohoo! I'm thrilled beyond words. : ) My website here will be updated to show G&G, as I've dubbed it for ease of use, hopefully by this weekend.

In the meantime, though, here's what I wrote for a short description from my synopsis:

Alona Dare—Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star…and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all—good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian—Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

Bitter Pill is available on Amazon.com!

2008-07-01T10:29:00.001-07:00

Celebrate with me! Bitter Pill is out there and available for ordering!!!! :happy dance, which makes me look like a big dork because I can't dance:

Awesome. Remember, the first three chapters are posted on my site as a free excerpt. Then I hope you'll find yourself drawn to Amazon.com to order and find out who killed poor Doc Hallacy and what exactly, if anything, is going to happen between our amateur sleuth Rennie Harlow and the gorgeous, but married Sheriff Bristol. : ) The pre-order link at the bottom of the excerpt will take you to the right spot--I just need to update the language.

Vacation brain

2008-07-01T10:24:00.001-07:00

Sorry! I was out of town for most of last week. : ) We went up north to White Birch Village, a resort owned by family friends. Woke up every morning to the sound of the water burbling over the rocks and loons in the distance on the lake. Love the loons! I used the lodge there as the basis for Zara and Caelan's hideout in the northwoods in The Silver Spoon. It's been beautifully redone over the last couple of years and it was quite luxurious to stay there. Though, it does not much resemble the lodge in the story anymore! : )

Hung out with the fam for a few days, played chicken foot, went shopping in Minocqua, bought fudge at Dan's Fudge shop (mmmm) and bought a fantastic book (The Society of S) when I couldn't get into the library books I'd brought along for the trip. Actually, I nearly passed on the book, but the quote from Charlaine Harris on the front made me think twice. And my sister, who was with me, said it looked good enough to borrow from me. So, I bought it. : ) (No, I'm not capable of thinking for myself, just to clear that up right away.)

Fun stuff to read:

Because I was such an absentee author last week, I'll make up for it by pointing you to other cool places to read stuff. : )

Ten authors who are also represented by my AWESOME agent, Laura Bradford, have a blog called The Bradford Bunch. They all take turns posting about various topics related to writing, books, life, etc. Last Saturday was my turn to guest-blog. So, I chose to write about how I got "the call."

Lisa Shearin's post about cover blurbs (which directly relates to the whole "I bought a book because of the cover blurb" thing above).

Barbara Vey's post with the hilarious article from The Onion about a hero caught unaware and forced to be a cover model.

Some Roswell Goodness...

2008-06-20T15:04:00.001-07:00

Through the course of going through my regular day, I had the delight of speaking with someone who turned out to live in Covina, CA. So what, you say? That's only where they filmed Roswell, my favorite show of all time!

I know there are lots of fans out there who've made trips out there to Covina, both when the show was filming and afterward, but I, alas, in Illinois, do not have the funds for such travel. At least, I can't convince my husband that it's necessary or better than a trip to, say, Hawaii.

So, it was very cool to speak to this woman and live vicarously through her memories of the show. The bank was the UFO museum. The Christmas episode was filmed in Covina park. A couple of the stars, she didn't say which, walked in the Covina parade one year.

I told her of my HUGE Roswell poster, three sets of DVDs, and my framed Life magazine cover--two out of three are hanging on the walls of my home office. She seemed suitably impressed and a little surprised by my devotion to a show that was cancelled over five years ago. I told her, though, that there are lots of us still out here, as devoted as ever. : )

Just thought I'd share...It's as close to a brush with Roswell fame that I'm going to get, I'm guessing! : )

BSG--2009, really? Random thoughts and exclamations on the half-season finale.

2008-06-18T14:07:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to watching the half-season finale of Battlestar Galactica on Monday night. I put it off because I knew it would be the last new one for a LONG time. It just about killed me, though, because that meant I had to skip all the online reviews and discussions (of which there were many) of said episode until I could watch it. I knew, though, from the sheer number of discussions that it was either really good or really bad.

Okay, so here's your warning...stop reading now if you don't want to know what happens. Also, this entry is really long. : )

So...wow. Holy crap. They made it to Earth. And we still have TEN episodes (in 2009--thanks a lot, Sci Fi Channel) left. I'm so glad the writers/producers did not do the thing where it's the last two minutes of the final, final episode and we see Earth gleaming in the distance. Ugh. That would have been sucky. Instead, the last, what, ten minutes of this episode blew my mind.

The end.

When the entire fleet jumped into orbit around Earth, I got chills. Though, a little voice in the back of my head whispered, "If we were there, we'd be firing on them already." I mean, seriously, thirty or forty alien ships suddenly appear in orbit? Um, yeah, talk about reaching for the panic button.

It was not, then, such a great shock that Earth, or what might be Earth or what might be Earth but not our Earth, was destroyed and seemingly abandoned. Have I mentioned that the scene at the end of Planet of the Apes with the Statue of Liberty is one of my favorites? This scene in BSG did not just ring a familiar bell, it shook the entire freaking bell tower. I LOVED that. Of course, as you know, I do enjoy the post-apocolyptic stuff. I also think it was interesting in that it drew us, the viewers in deeper. We are now part of the mystery. What happened to "us"? Assuming that is our Earth.

Some people had a beef with them going to the planet's surface when they clearly could have seen the devastation (and taken readings of the radiation) from their ships.

But here's the thing:

You've been on the run for three long years, on the trail of the perhaps mythical thirteenth colony and their planet Earth, and, more importantly, being manipulated into reaching said destination by some unknown Force(s)...hell, yes, I'm going down there and getting out of my Raptor to find out what HAPPENED. Some clue as to why this empty and now lifeless planet is so important. Some reason why we've been so horribly mislead and deceived by a thousand different clues and a few prophetic leaders. And...maybe a giant sign with an arrow pointing toward Mars and the Earth colony there? Just kidding...I think.

I would imagine they would begin to wonder if they were following old clues. Things put in place thousands of years before when people still lived there. There are some who believe Starbuck is somehow responsible for the destruction of Earth given that she saw it as it was supposed to be back when she disappeared for, oh, four months. She even claimed to have been on the planet's surface, I believe.

But she wouldn't have destroyed Earth intentionally--at least not the Starbuck we know. Which means either an accident or some other party involved. Or, as some people have mentioned, time travel.

I don't actually care to speculate. I know it will be explained. That is one thing that BSG does fairly well is answer the questions they bring up or at least acknowledge that they haven't answered them. Which brings me to another favorite moment in this episode...

Tigh "comes out" as a Cylon to Adama.

The whole time this was happening, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for them to pull back, to fake us out, but nope. I loved it. It was as perfect for the situation (the plot) as it was for the character. Tigh is okay with being killed for being a Cylon. He probably thinks he deserves it even though he's never done anything (as far as I can remember) to ally himself with that side of things. Other than sleeping with Caprica-6, obviously.

The best part, though, was Adama asking the questions we've been asking ourselves. Tigh has aged. Cylons don't age. Adama remembers him from years before skinjobs even existed. How is that even possible?

I'd like to know these things too. Did they make a copy of the real Tigh and replace him? That's the only logical explanation I can think of. (Which surely means that is not the right answer). They've persisted in the theme of the final five Cylons being special, revered. That, plus the numbering system they have going on implies that the five were created at the same time as the other seven. Or at least, not much earlier. So, Tigh the Cylon couldn't have existed forty some years ago during the original Cylon war...right?

The writers/producers brought up the right questions, which I think help renews faith and the willingness to follow them just a bit further, even if they didn't answer the questions. This technique, I learned, is called hanging a lantern on it. "You address the plausibility problem by highlighting it" is how John August explains it in his blog.

In this case, though, I'm assuming, they're actually going to come through with an answer at some point rather than just shrug it off to "Who knows? You never know how those crazy Cylons work."

Making it worse.

There's an axiom about writing as it pertains to story--"Always make it worse." Back the character into a corner, take away all of his options, and then make it even worse. The BSG writers/producers do that, but they've refined the concept.

Because it's not always JUST about making it worse. It's a fine and delicate art of give and take. You can't keep taking and taking and taking or else people stop caring. They know it's never going to get better. They give up. Readers and viewers alike, in real life and fiction. But this...this is exquisite torture. Hope makes you vulnerable, makes you care what's going to happen. And they give you hope for a solution on one problem (Earth dangling out there like the proverbial oasis in the desert and the tentative Cylon/human truce) right before they yank it away on another front (the prize you've all been killing for is one big burned out wasteland, ha, ha, still want to fight over it?).

That balance between hope and despair, that's what I want to study and learn from.

Random Stuff.

Much has been made about Chief Tyrol not having a lot to do after going crazy with finding out he's a Cylon and Callie dying. And he didn't even have many lines in this episode, but you know what, the expressions on his face when they came to get him and Sam and on the planet's surface...they said it all. The man, Aaron Douglas, can communicate more with a look than others could with ten pages of dialogue. In particular, his face while they're on the planet...that sort of "of course, it's a dead planet, a dead end, after all of this" grim amusement, gallows humor. I think he actually laughs, though you don't hear it. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Actually, for that matter, all of them on the planet's surface deserve Emmys for those ten minutes, if nothing else. You could watch just that part of this episode and be impressed and moved, for that matter.

And finally...much as I hate myself for it and know that I'll regret it, I'm starting to believe in Baltar's transformation. I know he'll revert. I know it. And yet, I can't help but think he's sincere on some of this even if he doesn't completely understand it.

Anyway...anybody else have any thoughts on this?

Ask and ye shall receive--this is so cool!

2008-06-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

Laurie Viera Rigler, author of Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, a book that I absolutely LOVED, read my post last week about Regency bathroom etiquette and emailed me some answers. How cool! : )

Here's what she had to say:

"I do know that dining rooms often had chamberpots concealed in sideboards or, as in One Royal Crescent, Bath, which is a fascinating house-museum open to the public and furnished as it would have been in Georgian times, there is a chamberpot concealed behind a folding screen. One imagines that when the ladies withdrew to the drawing room after dinner, the men would take that opportunity to relieve themselves. Perhaps the drawing room had similar accomodations for the ladies. Or perhaps the ladies might also have had access to the dressing closet (dressing room) belonging to the mistress of the house. There was also a house-museum from that era that I visited in London, which had a ground-floor water closet. Although an early form of water closet existed then, the chamberpot was still very much in use."

Chamberpots in the dining room! How fascinating...and kind of icky!!! But I love that the decorum of the era is preserved in that men most likely waited until women left the room to use the "facilities." : ) Very hard to be charmed by someone at dinner if all that is going on while you're still in the room, I would imagine.

Thank you, Laurie, for sending me the info and letting me share it here! You rock!!! : )

If you haven't read Laurie's book yet, you're missing out on a rare treat. (Beck, I know you'll love it, my fellow Jane Austen addict). You can read what I wrote about it here.

Antiques Roadshow and Regency Bathroom Etiquette

2008-06-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

The other day I flipped on the television (actually, I pressed a button, "flipping" is an anachronism, isn't that sad?) and found myself drawn to Antiques Roadshow. I love that show, especially when it's furniture, books, creepy dolls, etc. I usually place things in history using two factors: Is it before or after the Civil War and/or was Jane Austen alive when said item was in use?

This particular episode contained what one of the curator-type guys said was the top of the line in bathrooms in about 1815 or 1820. Jane died in 1817, so I paid attention. It was basically a cabinet with a marble top for the washing basin and then two spaces beneath: one for the chamberpot and one for the bidet. Ew and eeeew. He also mentioned something that I already knew, thanks to historical romance novels, but never really thought much about: they didn't have a separate room for bathrooms back in those days. They just had chamberpots, and whatever else was needed, in the bedrooms.

So, then I started thinking about it...what did you do when you were over at someone else's house and the need arose? I mean, in Jane Austen's books, they are forever going somewhere for tea or to balls that seem to last most of the night. Surely, owners don't have people tramping up to the bedrooms to use the chamberpots, right? Are there guest chamberpots? Is it like china--do you bring out the good ones for company? And I'm fascinated by this whole question, mainly because that era seems so decorous and civilized. Asking for a chamberpot as a day guest (not someone spending the night because then, presumably, you'd have your own room and all its accommodations), that seems so...uncouth.

Believe it or not, I just googled "bathroom etiquette regency period." Didn't find out anything. Does anyone know how this would have worked? Just morbidly curious, not planning on writing a historical novel of any kind.

No A/C

2008-06-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

We're now at Day 4 of no air conditioning and for those keeping score at home, it was a blistering 90 degrees today. Fun. I just finished a very intense debate with myself about which sleeping outfit would keep me the coolest without scandalizing the neighbors who are sure to glimpse me through an open window (all of them are open now) at some point tonight. Ugh. I hate trying to sleep when it's hot.

When I lived in Hillsboro, Illinois, grades 4-8, I had the coolest room. It was in the attic, all the walls were slanted at sharp angles and there essentially was no ceiling, just a peak. It was like living in the center of a bunch of triangles. Anyway, in addition to having to walk very carefully over part of the floor--it wasn't reinforced and I was basically striding on the dining room ceiling--there was no air conditioning. You'd think that just one room without a/c in a whole house with a/c wouldn't be that bad. Trust me. It was bad.

However, after years of living air conditioned refinery, I've found I forgotten how nice it is to hear the crickets and frogs chirping outside, feel a slightly cooler breeze bringing welcome relief...and to wake up with a completely stuffy nose and sinus headache, thanks to allergies. Well, okay, the last part is not so great. : )

The a/c repair person is coming tomorrow. At 7:00 a.m. Seriously. Talk about adding insult to injury. Right about that time, it will finally be getting cool enough to start sleeping.

Miss you, Snowy. Every day.

2008-06-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

Bitter Pill and Printers Row

2008-06-04T14:11:00.001-07:00

I should have copies of Bitter Pill this weekend. I'm so excited! For those of you in the Chicago area, I will be at Printers Row this weekend, signing copies of Eye of the Beholder and Bitter Pill. Printers Row is the big book festival held in the city at Dearborn and Polk on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8. Come and see me! Please? : )

Thank you!

2008-06-04T14:08:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who posted on Barbara's blog about The Silver Spoon!

You are awesome!!! : )

The Silver Spoon on Beyond Her Book blog

2008-05-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-05-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-27T14:40:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-05-16T10:14:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-16T10:07:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-05-13T10:02:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-05-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-05-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

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

the people in my head

2008-05-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-05-07T14:55:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-05-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

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?

What he said...

2008-04-30T15:56:00.001-07:00

I've been writing long enough now to recognize that in every book there will be scenes that nearly kill you in the writing of them. It may not even be an emotional, climactic scene. I don't know why it is that some scenes do this--refuse to die, as I call it--and others don't. I can't even predict which ones are going to make me wrestle them to the ground and which ones will go quietly. I was intrigued, then, to discover that this happens to screenwriters as well and John August, whose blog I LOVE, talks about what he does to work through the scene. What I found most interesting is that the questions he asks himself are some of the same I use when I'm wrestling with a difficult scene. (And it is wrestling--sweaty, backbreaking, frustrating, so close to pinning it down and yet so far.) ETA: Not that it would be surprising for a novelist and a screenwriter to use similar questions, but I was surprised to find that many of the questions I sort of discovered on my own, after hours or days of head pounding against the wall struggling, are ones he has and uses as well. So...cool! I must be doing something right! : )

The following is from his blog entry called the Six Hour Scene:

After writing three comparatively easy scenes, I took another stab at it. I asked some obvious-but-necessary questions:
Was I starting at the right place?
Was I ending at the right place?
Could another character drive the scene?
Would changing the location help?
Did it need to be two scenes, rather than one?
Did the scene even need to exist?
The answers confirmed my frustration: it was the right scene. It was just a bitch to write.

Jump over to his site and read the whole entry. It's both interesting and helpful, a rare combination in the world of writing advice, IMO.

: )

Did I mention I met Fabio at RT?

2008-04-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, technically, I didn't meet him so much as pass him in a little narrow hotel hallway. Only Lisa Shearin was brave enough to say hello! (Yea, Lisa!!!) He's better looking in person and SUPER tall. Or so it seemed to me. : )

On that topic, here's a link to a video about how they make romance novel covers (Thanks to Colby Hodge for the link! Watch for her book, Star Shadows, in the video.):
http://better.tv/bettertv/?cid=507869917&tid=1493152359

Stephenie Meyer

2008-04-25T14:50:00.001-07:00

I loved Twilight. If you haven't read it, you must! It's romantic, beautiful and sexy...without being sexual. Not sure how to describe it. It's a novel about resisting, I guess, and there's much deliciousness in that. I loaned it to my sister a couple of summers ago, along with a few other books, and it was the only one that I put a post-it on the inside of the front cover (I do NOT write in books) that said, "Return Me to Stacey." She also has a really cool "adult" novel coming out in a couple of weeks called The Host. At RT, one of the booksellers had an advance (or is it advanced? I'm never sure) copy, and I was embarrassingly close to salivating over it. : )

Anyway, I was reading a very interesting article comparing her to J.K. Rowling on Time.com and found this quote, which I loved:

" And people do not want to just read Meyer's books; they want to climb inside them and live there...There's no literary term for the quality Twilight and Harry Potter (and The Lord of the Rings) share, but you know it when you see it: their worlds have a freestanding internal integrity that makes you feel as if you should be able to buy real estate there."

I love that quality about certain books and what I've read of Stephenie Meyers definitely has it. That is what I want for the books that I write. I want readers to care about the people that inhabit the pages and wish to visit them again and again...or possibly become neighbors. : )

RT in photos

2008-04-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, here are photos from RT. Start from the bottom and scroll up. Yes, I know that's backward but it's late and I'm too tired to fix it! : )

Also, take a look at the Rebels of Romance videos on the RT home page. Days three and four are now up. They show snippets of the Mr. Romance competition and the giant book fair! They did a great job!!!

Walker on the floor in my writing room, relieved that Mommy is home after a week of being gone. : )

My favorite piece of SWAG from the RT registration bag--new mouse pad! : )

The gorgeous Chris Winters, Mr. Romance 2008, posing as one of Colby Hodge's heroes in the pose-down portion of the competition.

Aack, sorry this one is out of order. This is more from Isabo's baby shower! Authors Jade Lee, Lisa Shearin and Linnea Sinclair. Did I mention how much fun this baby shower was? : )

Authors J.C. Wilder and Isabo Kelly!

Isabo and me at the book fair. Doesn't her hat look absolutely fabulous? It is SO her! : )

Louise and yours truly at the book fair. (Thanks for the photo, Louise!)

Me, at the huge book fair on Saturday.

Isabo did her best Cousin Itt imitation! Had us in stitches. : )

Baby presents!

Author Isabo Kelly's baby shower. We had so much fun!

Another sideways one! Authors Leanna Renee Hieber and Marianne Mancusi dressed for the vampire ball. : )

Authors Isabo Kelly and Carolan Ivey having a chat in the bar.

One of the advantages of coming to RT early--prime positioning in Promo Alley. Linnea's materials are on the left and mine are on the right.

Sorry, this one is sideways and I don't know how to fix it! The hotel was under construction and this was a door they evidently didn't need anymore. I found it kind of creepy and

very Stephen King like!

Day 2 of RT: Author Colby Hodge is catching a ride down to the lobby on a luggage cart! : )

Want to see what RT is really like?

2008-04-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

Check out these awesome videos made by authors Marianne Mancusi and Liz Maverick. Leanna Hieber, another fabulous strawberry blonde author and a new friend, also worked on these.

These videos give you a pretty good taste of the costumes, the chaos, and the crazy fun. In fact, you'll see me, for a very quick second, in the first video when they show a snippet of the Intergalactic Bar and Grille. I think Linnea is on stage, but I'm not sure. It goes by very quickly! Isabo Kelly, dear friend and fellow SFR author is interviewed, too! She looked fabulous. She was dressed as a (pregnant) ninja with a huge (plastic) sword across her back. Kick ass!

Greetings from Pittsburgh!

2008-04-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

I'm here! I've been teaching at the pre-con workshops and catching up with my friends Linnea Sinclair, Colby Hodge, Isabo Kelly and meeting new people like Jennifer St. Giles.

Have I mentioned how much I love RT? Seriously. I was trying to explain it to my husband, but the feeling of community I experience here kind of defies my ability to adequately express it. Here, it's like I don't even have to explain what I'm going through or trying to figure out. Everyone here has either been through it, is currently experiencing it or has found a way around it. I LOVE that. I learn so much, even, or perhaps especially, when I'm teaching and listening to other authors on the panels. The closest thing I've experienced to this before was when I was in college and we were all going through many similar experiences at the same time and helping each other out. I just love feeling a part of this larger community. : ) Writing, as much as I love it, is sort of lonely sometimes.

Anyway, I arrived on Sunday afternoon and found both Linnea and Isabo at the airport. Cool beans! Never had that happen before. Of course, finding someone at O'Hare would be quite a different thing than at Pittsburgh's airport. : ) Colby picked us up at the airport and brought us to the hotel. Linnea heard about this fabulous restaurant, Palomino, so we all went Sunday night. I had one of the best meals I've had in a really long time there. Chicken Parmesan and garlic herb linguini, plus a vanilla apple como, of course. SO GOOD. Of course, we're working with hotel bar, trying to help them replicate this most fabulous drink, but no luck yet!

Yesterday, Linnea and I did a panel on Plotting and, as usual, enjoyed the hell out of it. We work so differently from one another and yet I think that only makes her feedback to me that much more valuable. We think differently, but we end up in the same place. I also spoke on a panel about Sensuality, which was interesting to see the range and scope of what that means these days from YA to erotica. Then another dinner at Palomino. Flatbread pizza and another vanilla apple cosmo.

Today was a panel on submitting and querying agents. After which, Isabo, Linnea, Colby and I headed out to do a little shopping. Had to stock up for the little mini-party we're having in Linnea's room tonight. We're assembling the goody bags for our Intergalactic Bar and Grille reader party tomorrow from 3:30-5:00. We had so much fun last year and there are so many cool giveaways this year, I wish I was eligible!

Okay, so that it's for now. I'm going to try to attach a picture of Colby and Linnea. We'll see if it works!

More later...

Quick update

2008-04-15T12:37:00.001-07:00

Eye of the Beholder is now available on Fictionwise!

Yea! : )

http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook66279.htm?cache

Will be updating my site as soon as I'm back in town.

Woo me with paper products...

2008-04-10T14:28:00.001-07:00

As almost all of you know, I LOVE office supplies, journals, pens, all that kind of stuff. One of my favorite notebook purchases in the last year or so was a side flip notebook with different colored sections of graph paper instead of lined paper. After deciding to splurge on a new notebook earlier this week (and it is splurging when they're almost ten bucks a piece), I found one in a faux-leather that is full to the brim of graph paper. Love it. Like, my heart actually skipped a beat when I found it on the shelves at Barnes and Noble. I realized then that I'm obsessed with graph paper notebooks. Lined paper implies a right or wrong way of use. Graph paper says, "Look out, I might start going in circles, and it's okay."

Yes, I am a complete weirdo. I've come to grips with this fact.

Despite the fact that I love my new notebook, I'm almost afraid to write it in. Which is typically why I don't buy the kind that are more like books (faux-leather and perfect-bound rather than plastic and spiral) than notebooks. I feel guilty tearing pages out. But you know what, screw it. I don't want it to look perfect. I want it to be a useful tool, a place to gather all the thoughts that are running circles in my head, and it should have post it notes and scribbles and pages missing. It should look well-loved.

Ha, take that perfectionistic tendencies!

(Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts.)

The latest

2008-04-07T10:03:00.001-07:00

All right, I know I'm WAY behind on blogging. For example, we had a book launch party/community mixer event on March 29 for Eye of The Beholder. Stacy G. took fun pictures for me, but they are not posted yet. Eek. I'm just very, very behind on everything. (And they're on the other computer, which I can't get at right now, so I can't post them now!)

I always forget how busy this time of year is. From about January through July or so, things are a little crazy with conferences and events, family stuff, etc. Right now, I'm in the midst of RT prep. Can't wait. Next week at this time, I'll be there in Pittsburgh. That seems so hard to believe! But I've got the plane tickets (rather, the email confirming them) and the hotel confirmation number (ditto), so I'm all set...sort of. I need to get my promo items to Pittsburgh. 200 earth-shaped stress balls. : ) Fellow SFR author and panelist, Colby Hodge, has generously offered to take them with her in her car, but I've got to get them boxed up in something other than the ratty and somewhat broken-down box they arrived in or else they'll never make the trip! I don't have my promo alley stuff ready yet either. Promo alley is an area at the convention where all the authors put out their displays and people can come by and take bookmarks, postcards, etc. Some of these displays are quite elaborate. Yeah. Mine needs work.

Finished edits for Bitter Pill last week. Yea! It will be available for the first time at Printers Row in Chicago. : )

I'm wearing my glasses all day long for the first time in, literally, years. For those who missed this bit of drama, I managed to scratch my corneas with my lenses. Both eyes, though the left is worse than the right. I got a good scolding from the eye doctor and was told not to wear contacts for a week. Well, that was almost two weeks ago but it still bothers my left eye when I put a contact lens in. So, I'm wondering if I'm done with contacts for good. That would SUCK! I'm just so aware of the glasses on my face. I miss having corrected peripheral vision! But I'm being careful because I'd rather wear glasses than lose my already rather poor eyesight.

Anyway, what else?

Eye of the Beholder was available on Amazon for a brief and glowing moment...before it sold out. : ) More will be coming into stock, though, I know. I apologize to everyone who received the repeated emails from Amazon about its lack of availability. More books will be coming soon. Please continue to let me know, though, if you have trouble. I make sure my publisher is in the loop.

Okay, more later...

: )

Yes, I am a freak.

2008-03-26T12:32:00.001-07:00

I have this weird thing about diseases. It's a combination of overactive imagination and anxious tendencies. Whatever disease read about, hear about, whatever, I inevitably begin to see said symptoms in me. It's a pain in the ass, but most of the time, I can manage it by just avoiding books, movies, tv shows, where a character is suffering from a specific fatal disease that I could conceivably contract. They're usually depressing anyway, so I don't feel like I'm missing too much. Life is real enough. I like my fiction, whether on screen or on the page, to be an escape.

But, alas, this week I was ambushed! I picked up a book that looked interesting and remembered, vaguely, that I'd decided against reading it before for some unknown reason. Well, this time, I decided to just go for it. Yep, major character, approximately my age, dead from an undiagnosed brain tumor. Fab. u. lous.

Can I tell you that it took me approximately 10 seconds after discovering this to start seeing mysterious spots and convince myself that my regular old migraine headache (which I've been getting for years) had to be "symptoms"?" Arggh.

I want warning labels, people.

My interview is up!

2008-03-24T10:06:00.001-07:00

I did a promotional interview through Nikki Leigh and it's now posted.

: )

http://inspiredauthor.com/v3/blogs/litekepr/stacey-klemstein-promotional-interview

Books!

2008-03-24T10:02:00.001-07:00

I received my copies of Eye of the Beholder from my publisher this weekend. I'm thinking it should be up and available on Amazon soon. I'm not quite sure what the hold up is. My thanks to all of you who pre-ordered. I promise, it is done and it will be coming to you soon!

So, what's new?

2008-03-12T10:16:00.001-07:00

I feel strangely out of practice, sitting down to write a blog entry. Let's see what I can ramble about...

First, a quick reminder...

Tomorrow night at the Schaumburg Library at 7:00 p.m., I'm teaching "The Secret to a Good Query Letter." I'll be giving the same presentation at the Des Plaines Library on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Come on over and see me! Learn a lot about query letters and improving (hopefully) your response rate.

I miss SCC.

It's only been a week or so, but I miss the Sarah Conner Chronicles already. It's the only show I made time for during my self-imposed hermit-dom. I realize that we're still suffering the effects of the strike and new episodes of some shows will be returning soon. But I'm going to have to wait until fall for more SCC, and that's if they renew it. There were some iffy episodes (the one where John gets locked in the warehouse with the Terminator who is in standby mode? Ugh.), but most of them were, in my opinion, pretty good. And actually as reluctant as I am to admit it, once I got past thinking "David Silver" every time Brian Austin Green showed up on screen, I kinda liked his portrayal of Derek Reese. The, um, shower scene may have helped.

The season finale--two eps run together--were actually two of my favorite. I loved Derek's birthday gift to John. John was not too horribly whiny. And the interaction between Cameron and John was intriguing and endearing at moments. Bring on more, please!

Of course, I've got less than a month now until BSG returns on April 4, and I'm beyond excited for that. Does anyone know if they will be running all the remaining episodes during this "season" or are they going to make us wait until '09 to get the last eight or ten or so? I know some of the eps weren't finished by the time the strike rolled around.

Books you must read!

Grimspace by Ann Aguirre: Fantastic SFR novel in my opinion. Interesting concept and well written. Can't wait for the sequel!

The Other Boelyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory: I don't typically read historical novels, but I got completely sucked into this one and couldn't stop. It was flat-out fascinating.

Good Girls by Laura Ruby: I read her collection of adult short stories and they didn't really speak to me, but I LOVED this YA book. Above all things, I liked how it took a different approach to the topic of teen sex and, in particular, the female view of it. Also shows how sex scenes can be emotional, moving, surprisingly detailed and NOT sleazy. Above all else, it is not overtly lesson-y. I SO appreciate that. : )

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson: To be fair, I just started this one, but I love her books (I think they're technically considered either mainstream fiction or women's fiction, not sure. I consider them "good fiction" and that's enough for me!) If you haven't read Gods in Alabama, drop what you're doing and go out and buy it right now! Seriously. Any aspiring writers out there want to learn about the much-talked-about-but-difficult-to-describe concept of voice? That is the book to read.

Just one month away! Anybody in the Pittsburgh area, please come out and see us!!!

I'm back!

2008-03-10T18:37:00.001-07:00

Revising is done. Hermit phase is, temporarily, over. : ) Hope to be able to share details on this project with you soon. I had so much fun writing it, and I'm really proud of it. Right now, I'm in that weird disconnected period that always happens when I finish working on something. The pressure is off, for the moment, and all the stuff I want to write has equal appeal. Sooner or later, as I keep mulling over my options, one of them will jump out at me. I just hate this in-between, not attached feeling. *shudder*

More later!

Random stuff to entertain you...

2008-02-20T10:09:00.001-08:00

Still working away on revisions, so limited blog time again. : )

But here are a few things I found interesting and wanted to share...

First, my friend Becky, an avid traveler, read about my experience with de-icing and wrote the following:

Stac, I had to email you about your latest blog and de-icing. As a traveler (especially from northern MI), de-icing is a ritual that we live with on every flight. So I chuckled at your comments. It never occurred to me that people who don't fly may be off put a bit by being de-iced, and not realize it's a COMMON happening during the winter months. Did you know that the de-icing liquid (which comes in pink and orange varieties) is actually the same thing as inexpensive shampoo? Basically you are making the wings too slippery for water to build up on and freeze. Also, because de-icing is only good for 13 minutes, you want to be on the plane when it happens. That's also why planes generally are delayed in the winter. It takes time to de-ice a plane, and you don't want to do it until the plane itself is within 13 minutes of taxiing down the runway. It causes a backup, especially at large places like O'Hare. See, I'm a plethora of de-icing information. :) So, next time you are on a plane being de-iced, breathe easy dear friend...it's good. (Actually, if you are on a small prop-job plane like we get up here, don't breathe easy, breathe shallow - that stuff stinks!)

Thanks for the info, Beck. Fascinating stuff. I LOVE random bits of fact like this. : ) Never know when the smallest detail (like the de-icing stuff being pink or orange) can be used in a scene to add that touch of veracity.

Second, check out Barbara Vey's blog entry with Margie Lawson, a kinesics specialist, on body language. This is incredibly useful information for writers when you're trying to convey emotion without being direct or obvious. Or, when you're trying to convey an emotion that the character doesn't want to acknowledge he or she is feeling...if that makes sense! So, check it out. There's even a quiz!!!

Finally, Barbara also has an excerpt from Diana Holquist's blog on the issue of posting e-books for the world to read (ala Napster) without the author or publisher's permission. Diana, in the excerpt, explains it beautifully. It's not just about the money. It's about sales. Publishers LIVE by the numbers, therefore writers must as well. If a writer does not sell enough copies, he/she may not be offered another contract, regardless of quality of writing, story originality, fan response, etc. That means, every copy counts. E-books are an especially tricky thing because, unlike paperbacks, when you "loan" copy of an ebook, you're actually duplicating it. You get a copy and the person you're sending it to gets a copy. I thought it was good information and a passionate plea for understanding from Diana.

Also, just a note, this same idea doesn't really apply to paperbacks, obviously. Most of us use libraries, borrow from friends and even visit used bookstores. But in each case, the author has been paid for that copy of the work. Multiple people are reading that copy, but that's okay because it's not duplication. I, for one, think it's great to borrow, lend or buy used. People are far more likely to take a chance on a new author at a library or a used bookstore. : )

Okay, back to work now!

Florida Trip, Part One

2008-02-11T08:52:00.001-08:00

Sad to say, but I'm back in Illinois now. It's good to be home, safe and sound, but I had SUCH a good time at Linnea's house. I didn't want to leave. Seriously. I wanted to just hole up in a closet somewhere, emerging only to write by the pool and drink watermelon Cosmos (Linnea's husband, Rob, makes the most DELICIOUS Cosmos ever--strong ones, too!) Somehow, though, I think they would have noticed. : ) Especially if Rob had to keep making watermelon Cosmos!

I know I'm a midwestern girl and have been for the vast majority of my life. But when I was really little, there were those few years there on the Carolina coast that must have made quite the impact on me. I love sunshine, palm trees and warm, sunny beaches--and Florida has all of that in spades!

We got into town late on Wednesday night, weary and salt covered. Literally. It was snowy and slushy when we left Chicago, so the back of my jeans were stiff with salt about 4 inches up my leg. Also, we were late by about two hours. Our plane was delayed for de-icing, which is a uniquely terrifying thing to have announced when you're already on the plane feeling rather vulnerable and trapped. Greg and I joked about watching for the guy to come clean off our window with a car scraper. It wasn't anything that funny or scary for those who have never been "de-iced." It's just a bunch of orange liquid they squirt all over the plane. But me being the disaster-freak that I am, I'd just watched a special on how some airline trained employees in de-icing by giving them the answers to the required multiple choice test...while said employees were actually taking the test! Yeah.

Linnea and Rob were waiting at the airport to meet us, which was awesome! It was so good to see her again. I don't get much opportunity to gab about books and writing here in my regular life, and I just knew we'd have a blast catching up and sharing news. We left the airport and I drank in my first gulp of air that was not frigid but humid. My hair immediately frizzed, but I didn't care. I was warm!

They have a fabulous house--of course--with the coolest swimming pool area I've ever seen. It's completely screened in and it's HUGE. So you can sit out there at the table, working on the laptop with no bugs or birds (*shudder*) flying by your head. It's awesome.

We hung out poolside (yeah, I know, don't bother hating me though because I'm back here with the rest of the people-sicles) on Wednesday night, drinking and talking and eating. Rob introduced us to Lemoncello, an Italian liqueur that he'd made at home. Very powerful stuff. Tastes like liquid lemons but sweet, not sour.

I also met Daquiri that night. He has the biggest tail I've ever seen and the clearest green eyes. He's a cat, by the way, not a drink. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's a person, masquerading as a cat. : ) As I was not someone he knew, he did not deign to pay me any attention that night. But by the end of my visit, he was taking treats from my hand. Though, I apparently committed a grave offense by only giving him two treats--I was thinking like a dog owner--and after that, I'm pretty sure he thought less of me. Though, he did let me scratch behind his ears.

The four of us stayed up incredibly late on Wednesday night--2:45 a.m., I think--talking about books, career plans, writing, everything. At least, that's what Linnea and I were talking about. We left Rob and Greg to their own devices by the pool!

Thursday was a work day, but it was great. I set myself up in Linnea's kitchen to work on EOB edits. Greg was out by the pool, wheeling and dealing as he is wont to do in the course of his real estate day. Linnea went to her office to get some work done, and Rob went to the golf course. (He's a professional golfer--isn't that so cool?) I seriously cranked on the edits, and Linnea was standing by when I had questions or was dithering between two word options--that was incredibly helpful to be able to get a second opinion. So many times, I'm too close to what I'm working on to see it clearly. Also, I'm apparently in love with the word "but," especially putting it at the beginning of the sentence.

After a quick break for lunch at the club house--no, seriously, they have a clubhouse in their subdivision where you can go for lunch and dinner everyday, I'd never cook again and I'd weigh like 5,000 pounds--we took a tour of the neighborhood, enjoying the sunshine and the palm trees. Oh, and I forgot, we met the Muscovie ducks that live in Linnea's back yard! Also, she has an egg she rescued and is incubating--duh--in an incubator in her office. It was so cool to be able to see the duckling moving around inside the shell. It's not a Muscovie duckling, though. I think it's Mallard.

A few more hours of work and then we were off to downtown Naples and dinner at Tommy Bahamas. I had the Sanibel Chicken, and it was the best chicken I've ever tasted. It had a parmesan cheese crust and it was filled with more cheese and red peppers. I kid you not, my mouth is watering at the memory. And you know I'm not much of a meat-eating person. We also had fun watching tourists get embarrassingly drunk and dance to this sort of awful one-guy band (he had a keyboard that created the sounds of many different instruments).

Back at home, more Cosmos and Orangecello this time! So good.

Friday, we hit the beach! Something about being that close to the water--salt water, lakes don't count--just makes me feel peaceful inside. First, though, we took a little tour around Naples so we could check out the amazing houses there. The part that kills me is that most of these are "part-time" residences. Meaning the owners are probably there only a few months or even weeks out of the year. Sheesh.

If I lived in Florida, I'd get myself all bonded and insured to be a house-sitter. That would be awesome! I'm sure it's not nearly as much fun as I imagine it to be. Nor do you probably get to live at these fabulous houses for weeks at time "sitting" them. It's probably just dropping by every few days. Still, very cool.

More on my Florida trip, specifically on the hockey game (go Blades!) and the Donald Maass seminar, to follow....

under deadline again

2008-02-11T08:39:00.001-08:00

I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth or abandoned Illinois for Florida again...though that last one is tempting! I'm working on revisions to another project, and I need every second I've got to pull everything together in proper fashion. I know...perfectionist, much? Can't help it. It's me! So, I expect to be a bit scarce over the next couple of weeks while I finish up.

Meanwhile, first part of my Florida trip should be up later today, sans pictures. Haven't had time to get that part organized yet!

: )

Weird

2008-02-04T15:33:00.001-08:00

I did something last night I haven't done since college: I fell asleep while writing.

Not typing, mind you. Oh, no, I've done the head bobbing downward toward sleep at the keyboard plenty of times over the years since then. But last night, I was writing with a pen and notebook--yeah, I'm old fashioned that way sometimes.

I was sitting in the big comfy chair in my office (mistake one) with my feet up (mistake two), taking notes on some revisions I'm going to make. I'd been at a conference all weekend, getting up early and staying up late (not a mistake, but a contributing factor for sure). And it was 11:30 at night and I was in my new flannel pajama pants and fleece shirt (exactly how was I planning to stay awake is now my question).

Anyway, I was doing the head bob thing and feeling that momentary blast of adrenaline that comes when you wake yourself up after those little micro naps, so I convinced myself I was still awake enough to keep going. Until, during one lucid moment, I looked down and saw that I'd written words that made no sense in the context of what I was doing. I was dream writing or something.

In my notes on a story, I'd written "Creating RWA..." without any recollection of doing so. Unlike college, however, where notes I took in an 8 a.m. history class often resembled a failing EKG readout, these were perfectly legible and normal words. RWA was even all caps as it's supposed to be.

RWA is Romance Writers of America, an organization I belong to. I'd spent some time talking with various other members over the course of the weekend. No idea what the "creating" was all about. The weirdest part was, like I said, I had no memory of writing the words or even what bizarre dream thoughts triggered such words.

Anybody else ever dream write? Is that even a real thing? I'm just making up terms now. : )

Should have Florida post(s) and pictures up soon. This weekend at the latest. I really want to go over my Donald Maass notes and post the relevant thoughts/points. Not just because it might be helpful to someone else out there, but also because it'll make it easier for me to find them later when I inevitably misplace the notebook I wrote them in. : )

Hope you all are surviving your February so far. We've got about eight inches of snow on the ground. Actually, it's less now that it's started to rain, thunder and lightning. My mom says their forecaster called this "thundersnow." I told her I felt pretty certain "thundersnow" was a sign of the coming apocalypse. But we're under a winter storm watch tomorrow evening for another 6 inches or more of snow. I'm awfully darn sick of this.

It's crazy this week...

2008-02-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, just a quick note to let you know we're back safe and sound from Florida. I personally would have preferred to be marooned there for several years, but alas, that was not the case. : )

I'm working on a full trip report. We had so much fun! I've got about half of it written, but I want to include pictures and I haven't even written yet about the Donald Maass seminar. We did a lot last week!

Anyway, at the moment, I'm attending Love Is Murder, having a blast and meeting lots of new people. Tonight I met a bunch of members from RWA (Romance Writers of America) Chicago North chapter. Thanks everyone, Deb Gross in particular, for being so friendly and welcoming and just plain great.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Barbara Vey who writes a great blog over at Publishers Weekly. Be sure to watch this weekend as she'll be posting pictures of the conference, and there are some terrific ones, particularly from the crime scene panel tonight. I'm also in one with two other authors, so keep an eye out! : ) Barbara also had a very interesting entry on reviews, which turned out to be a very hot topic with a lot of people. I've only recently come to the notion of not reading reviews before going to see a movie. I suspect, otherwise, I might not have enjoyed 27 Dresses as much as I did. I thought it was cute, fun and funny, but boy, the critics did not agree. And you know what? I respect their right to have an opinion, as much as I respect my right to make up my mind for myself without first being tainted. So, no more pre-movie reviews for me.

Anyway, check out Barbara's blog and contribute to the conversation, if you like. : )

More later...I met Tess Gerritsen and Lee Child this weekend as well. It's a star-studded conference all around!

Checking in...

2008-01-25T19:41:00.001-08:00

Don't hate me because I'm warm. I'll be back there in there in negative sixteen degree weather soon enough, right? : ) Donald Maass seminar is tomorrow. Today was the beach : )

Water was too cold to do more than stick my toes in,

but it was warm enough to enjoy the walk and the sand!

Our new house...ha!