Movie Amnesia/Party stuff/Oh crap, am I a grown-up?

I memorize movie lines. Not intentionally exactly. It's just that I like them so much, they sort of stick with me. The problem with this is after a number of years, I start forgetting which lines belong to what movie. So some random bit of dialogue will pop up in my head, and then I drive myself crazy, trying to remember what movie or television show it came from. This week's useless bit of movie/tv conversation:

Speaker A (a guy, I'm pretty sure): "Do you ever think about death?"
Speaker B (not sure if this is a guy or girl): "Well, yeah--"
Speaker A (in a dismissive tone): "Sure, the occasional thought floating through the transom of your mind." (Voice intensifies): "But I spend hours, days, contemplating death."
Speaker A: "And I suppose you think that makes you deep."

I may not have the words exactly right (I can only do that with certain lines from most movies and only Star Wars and Ghostbusters in their entirety-- "Tell him about the twinkie.") But does anyone know what movie this from? After typing it all out, I now have a suspicion, but I'm not sure. I think I know who Speaker A is, but I'm not positive. So send me your thoughts -- put me out of amnesiac misery and tell me what movie this is from, please!!!!

Party stuff...
-Book Party news: Right now, we've got about 20 some people who will be attending, yea!!! Still more RSVPs likely to come in as we get closer to the date!

-Prizes for the party: Here's what I'm thinking on this...I'd like to have raffle prizes that in some way relate to the book or writing in general. So here are my ideas, let me know what you guys think:

• One or more of those really cool journals (the leather bound or fancy covered ones you buy at B&N.)
• Cool pens. You can never have too many cool pens (as Stacy G. and Heather, I would imagine, well know!)
• An alien emergency road trip kit: all the things that Zara wishes she would have had with her -- I've got some ideas of what this might include. Those of you who've read the book, do you have any suggestions about what else might have been helpful that would be fun (and not too expensive) to include?
• The Silver Spoon soundtrack: okay, not really (but wouldn't that be cool!?!). I did write most of the book while listening to particular cds, so I thought it might be fun to give a couple of those same cds away (not my copies, obviously, but new ones!) And certain songs do sort of belong to certain people or scenes, which is kind of fun.
• Perhaps a RuneStone t-shirt or baseball hat or something of the kind.
• A copy of The Silver Spoon, of course!

Any other suggestions? Please let me know, post a comment below or send me an email, sklemstein@msn.com

And finally...

Oh crap, am I a grown-up?

The biggest secret that adults have over children is that the adults never actually feel any older than they did at say, eighteen. I don't mean physically, obviously, because I swear my knees started cracking the moment I turned 26 and it's only gotten worse. I mean, adults never feel like they've reached a stage where they know everything they need to know (at least that's my perspective as I rapidly approach -- think Warp 8 -- age 30). The insecurity, the fears, the doubts, it's all still there, just over different stuff.

But I think children, watching the adults from the outside, get the impression that once you reach a certain age -- boom, all the knowledge to be a grown-up is implanted in your head and you wake up one day, a fully functioning adult. At least, that's how I thought it worked when I was a kid. And even now that I can rationally understand that it couldn't possibly work like that, I think subconsciously I've been waiting for that sudden burst of wisdom to suddenly appear in my brain. Like, I'll feel like a grown-up when I get married. Uh, nope. We're still having way too much fun and acting too immaturely to qualify as grown-ups. Well, then I'll feel like a grown-up when I have a house. Yeah, that would be "no" again. Most of the time, I feel like a kid with a large scale tree house that requires cleaning on a regular basis. How about, I'll feel like a grown-up when my book gets published? Ha! If anything, getting a book published is reverting me back to teenager-dom. I haven't been this nervous or worried about so many things since freshman year in college!

In fact, I can't even refer to myself as an adult without that sort of squeamish feeling on the inside that someone's going to call me on it, and say, "You're not an adult. Who are you trying to fool?"

But, what I'm starting to realize is that, the transformation doesn't happen in one giant burst or in one big life event. And more often than not, you don't even realize it's happening, which is scary!!!! Last night, my husband and I went to the grocery store, which I hate doing. Usually because we go when there's nothing left to eat in the house and we're starving -- the very worst time to go shopping (we came home with two boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts last night). And when I got up this morning to make my usual cup of tea, I saw all the groceries put neatly away in the pantry and felt a nice, warm, happy glow on the inside. I realized how satisfying it was to see all the food there in the new pantry. To know that I had the stuff to make dinner for a few nights in a row and that I wouldn't have to tear through three horribly unorganized cabinets to find it all (like in our old house) or give up in frustration and just order out. And then I thought...oh crap, did I just become a grown-up? I still don't feel like one! And then I thought, Maybe I never will. Maybe this is just me! And this is how it will always be. No sudden wisdom, no uncanny grown-up confidence. Just an ability to handle some things a little better and to hide the insecurities a little deeper.

I know I can't be the only one thinking this way...right? Right?!?! Some of you, I know, are getting to some major stuff in life (moms and dads to be, especially), do you feel like grown-ups? Does anyone ever feel like they've reached that plateau of adulthood and it's smooth sailing from here on out (okay, ignore the mixed metaphor [plateau=land and sailing=water], you get the idea)? I feel like Neo realizing the restaurant where he's eaten hundreds of times before ("They have good noodles.") isn't real!

Okay, definitely babbled on long enough.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Invitations/The Village/Ice Weasels

I hate it when this happens. Last week on my way home from work, I thought of something cool to talk about here, and I didn't write it down. So, of course, I forgot what it was. Then this weekend, I remembered again but didn't write it down (you'd think I'd learn, right?). Oh, well, my only consolation is that when I remembered it this weekend, I distinctly recall saying to myself, that idea wasn't as cool as I remember. That's the way it always works for me. If I don't write it down, I forget. Then I torture myself about what a good idea it was, if only I could remember. Inevitably when I do remember, it's never as cool as I thought it should be for all the angst. Okay, yes, I am crazy : )

But on to the real topic(s):

-Invitations were sent out for the book party and I'm already getting responses of people saying they will come -- yea!!! Once I've got the list of attendees, then I have to start worrying about food and prizes. Oh, yes, there will be prizes.

-The Village: saw it this weekend though it wasn't really on my list to see, and I ended up thinking it was okay, which surprised me. It's nothing like the Sixth Sense or Signs, both of which I loved. But it had it's good points. Ron Howard's daughter did a great job! And I liked the romance that developed between Joaquin Phoenix's character and her (she? I suck at certain parts of grammar -- this is one of them)

-Meg Cabot has a great blog entry about ice weasels -- her term, not mine, though I totally understand what she means. You'll have to click on the diary link to read it because I'm at home and can't figure out quite how to open another window to get the exact link without losing this blog entry -- yes, I am a techno-loser. : )

But basically, the point of her entry is that writers never stop worrying. Which made me laugh, given Ed's comment on my entry last week. Yep, Ed, writers worry about every stage in the writing process. We agonize over everything. And, if anything, it seems to me only to get worse with the idea of publication. Because when it's a document on my computer, I can make changes. Once it's given over to the printer (as The Silver Spoon was this weekend), it's given a sort of permanence that totally freaks us out. Because nothing is ever perfect. It has taken me years to understand that, because as a reader, you don't ever see anything else but the version in the book you're holding. When the writer rereads his/her own story, they see the places where scenes were removed or added, characters changed or the occasional typo still persists. It's like looking at the inside of your clothes as you put them on -- you see all the seams. But the rest of the world only sees the smooth side out, the finished side. So can you blame us if we're a little crazy, the teensiest bit neurotic? We're afraid that you'll see our seams. Pull at the loose thread that we somehow missed. Or that you'll hate it all together. Aaaack!

But I like Meg's solution. Sleeping on a bed with several dogs curled up next to you (unless, of course, you are allergic!) She's right; they don't worry about much of anything except their next meal and who will pet them. So, they've definitely got something right!

Have a great night. Talk to you tomorrow!

Party news/32 Days!/VBT/Newsletter

-I got confirmation from Lakewood yesterday -- the clubhouse is now reserved under my name on Saturday, August 28. I fully intend to get invitations out this weekend. I was planning to send them by snail mail, but now I realize with less than a month to go, it's probably better (faster and cheaper) to do email invites.

-Total side note: I looked at the calendar today and realized that The Silver Spoon comes out in 32 days. How wild is that?!? I am both excited and scared to hold it, in book form, in my hands (duh, Stacey, how else would you hold it? Your feet?!? Actually...) I think it will feel different to see it that way instead of almost 300 manuscript pages, you know? Plus, actually seeing my name on the cover...wow. That will be like a dream, a really really good one!

But once it's in book form, then I have to worry a little about what people will think of it. You know, what you'll all say when you get approximately 2/3 of the way through (my first readers who have already read the book, though in an earlier form, know exactly what I'm referring to!) : ) I have issued an advisory to most family and friends, just so no one is caught unaware, that there are several "adult" scenes within the book. Like you couldn't have guessed that by looking at the cover! People may walk away with quite a different impression of me after reading this, but that's okay. You're never quite who people think you are, I think, except with a few family members and friends. Or perhaps that's just the introvert in me talking!

-VBT stands for Virtual Book Tour. I read an article in Publisher's Lunch (a free email newsletter than lists all the book deals that have been made that week) about a new touring idea. Writers go on virtual tours to websites with blogs where they answer questions, act as a guest blogger for the day, or any number of other things. The idea is that people are relying more and more on blogs for entertainment, information and news (the Drudge Report, for example) instead of newspapers or magazines. So, by the authors "touring" select blogs, they get their books out there to new audiences and the competition for "face time" is less severe. Book reviews, etc. are getting less and less time/space in traditional news sources, so it's difficult for a first time, small press or self-published author to get any of that attention. This is a cool idea, but a little pricey. $500 for 7 - 10 "stops" on your blog tour. Still, there are a couple cheaper options I might look into. But I thought the concept was cool and wanted to share it with anyone else out there who might be looking for some cool publicity ideas, if you have the budget for it.

-Newsletter. It's been about a month since GalaxSHE first debuted. I will be upfront and say I have no hope of actually doing this every month -- just not enough time (unless Assistant EditHER, Stacy G., wants to become full EditHER and I'll contribute -- just an idea *grin*) . But I am starting to gather ideas for the next issue, whenever that will be. Does anyone have any suggestions of things they'd like to have included? Anything on my stuff or along the theme of kicka$$ heroines in general? Let me know and I'll do my best to include it. Anything you liked or didn't like about the first issue (other than the crappy line breaks, which I can't figure out how that happened!)? Send me an email, sklemstein@msn.com, or post a comment below.

Okay, I'm done. Have a great weekend everyone. We're going to see The Village tomorrow, so I fully plan on getting no sleep thereafter : ) I mean, our new neighborhood is very nice during the day, but at night, when you're surrounded by deserted construction sites and half completed houses where any number of evil beasty-things could be hanging out, it's kind of creepy. I have a digital camera (that I have yet to figure out how to use), but perhaps I'll try it this weekend and show you what I mean -- provided I can figure out how to get the pictures on here!

Talk to you on Monday!

P.S. Ed, I think I figure out how to make the link thing work, using your instructions! Thanks!

You guys are awesome!!!

Just a quick post to say thank you to Debbie, Heather and Ed. You all win major, major imaginary dollars -- let's say $100, $75 and $50. Don't spend it all in one imaginary place! Heather was the first to reply in the comment section. But Debbie got an email in to my home account just before that. And Ed, well, Ed sent me the history and some pictures of really wicked looking forks -- which also helped in another way, something that I can't discuss yet as it is for a future project! : )

Please, please, please send me an email or post a comment and let me know if you guys want bookmarks or a key chain. I should also have, I hope, some other cool merchandise coming. I want to have a coffee mug that says something like, The Silver Spoon Diner -- it's a blast!

Okay, I guess that's only funny if you've read the first couple of chapters of the book. At least I hope it's funny!

Thanks so much again! To risk repeating myself, you guys are awesome!!!!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Stop forkin' around

Okay, sorry about the headline -- I just couldn't resist : )

Check out this link for photos to really old forks -- they look dangerous! Can't you just see some medieval mother shouting, don't run around with a fork, you'll poke your eye out. I think would have believed her in this case. Thanks Ed for the link to the photos.

http://www.hospitalityguild.com/History/history_of_the_fork.htm

(Ed, I know I'm supposed to do it differently now, the link thing, but I can't figure it out with the new buttons. It doesn't show the code anymore!)

The buttons are back!/The History of The Fork Contest

Yea!!! All the buttons (bold, italic, etc.) are now back on blogger. I'd figured out how to do it by typing the tags, but it's a lot easier this way.

Let's see...what's going on?

-My current project was trundling merrily along...until I hit another snag today. But I have to keep reminding myself that it happens. I can only go about fifty to 100 pages without hitting something that throws me off guard. Really, I think that's what ends up making it more fun is that I don't always know what's going to happen.  But sometimes it's hard, especially when you just want to keep going!

-I'm looking for contests to enter The Silver Spoon into, to try to generate more "buzz" about it.

-Party preparations are coming along nicely -- I've confirmed with that the clubhouse is still available, at least as of Monday. So, when they receive my check (today, I hope), we should be set. I'm holding off on invitations until I get that confirmation from them.

-I really, really want to start submitting Bitter Pill. It was so much fun to write and the second one, Sleep Tight, was also fun. Not that writing The Silver Spoon wasn't fun -- just a different sort of fun. With sci-fi, it's always more like, what if? With the mystery, it's set on present-day Earth, life as we know it. So, writing the mystery was really different because I didn't have to think about things like, "Could he use his powers that way? What happens when they touch?"

When you're doing stuff like that you're building a world, creating a universe. And you darn well have to stick to those rules you created, no matter what. It's exhilarating, but a challenge. But because Bitter Pill is in this universe, all the rules were already made -- I just had to follow them. Which creates a different sort of challenge. Bitter Pill is populated entirely by human beings --  normal ones, relatively speaking. One dead, of course, because it's a murder myster. Okay, and maybe not so normal. Rennie's mother is a diagnosed hypochondriac (a real disease, ironically enough), someone is a murderer, and Rennie's in love with a married man, the sheriff, no less.

Slightly spoilerish information ahead (though not spoilers at all for those who have read The Silver Spoon and Bitter Pill) If you don't want to read this next part, just skip to the bottom for details on the history of the fork contest!

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It occurs to me as I describe Rennie's dilemma with love that I do gravitate toward the some of the same themes, regardless of genre. The romance in my stories, sci-fi or mystery or whatever, is never an easy thing and something not usually resolved or easily resolvable in the space of one book. When I was in college, I wrote a couple short stories, the first "real" stories I ever wrote. Both of them were about relationships and they ended in a rather depressing manner (the stories, not the relationships in them, although now that I think about it...) But the funny part is I actually like happy endings, honestly! I had a good laugh when I read RWA's (Romance Writers of America) guidelines for their book contests. Every single one specified a HEA (Happily Ever After). I'm not sure that quite exists for me. Maybe because I think things in real life are rarely so simple. You get lots of good stuff, true, but usually some amount of bad comes right along with it. But that's cool, because that's just the way life is. If everything in life was great and you got everything you wanted without any pain or sacrifice, then life would be...well, great, for about five minutes and then boring. That combination of good and bad in life is something I think fiction should try to represent -- as one of the instructors from Writer's Institute said, don't protect your characters. Let them be real and feel the pain, just like the rest of us. : )

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End of slightly spoilerish information.

Okay, I've rambled long enough : )

One last thing...Major, major imaginary dollars (or bookmarks, a key chain or bookplate or postcards) for someone who can find information about the history of the fork. Like when it was invented (I don't need an exact date, just the century) or started being used regularly. If not the fork (because that could be going back way too far, like prehistoric or something), how about the spoon? The invention of the fork is mentioned as a bit of dialogue (in a sarcasticky kind of way) and I need to know when the fork (or spoon) was invented to make sure it makes sense.  Or to provide an accurate rebuttal from the other party in the conversation. If anyone has time to kill and can find a site that has the info, that would be great. It's on my list of things to do, I just thought it might be interesting to see what everyone finds. It was so much fun when you guys responded to the ampersand trivia a few months ago. : )

Email me at sklemstein@msn.com or post comments here.

Talk to you tomorrow!

 

 

 

Party like it's...2004?

Doesn't really have the same ring to it, does it? Oh, well. That's okay. : )

Party preparations are underway!! My friend, Paula, who is genius at organizing, planning and throwing these things has agreed to help me figure this all out. As most of you know, we do have parties at our house a few times a year, but they are mostly low-key, eat chips right out of the bag type affairs. Not that there is anything wrong with that! But because this is a big deal (at least to me) I wanted to step up the scale of the party a little bit. Like serve warm appetizers, something I've never done before. So, Paula is guiding me through the wilderness on this one. My mom is helping too, though she's saying things like, all you have to do is mix this stuff together, cool it for couple of hours, then heat it for seven minutes, cut it up and serve it. And I'm like, Mom, you lost me at "mix this stuff up." It's interesting how some things are just not passed down. My sister is very good at cooking, baking etc. I contend that it is something that you either have a knack for or you don't. I am knack-less when it comes to stuff like this. I can read a recipe with the best of them, but I have no natural "sense" about any of it. Ask my husband -- I burned his grilled cheese sandwiches the other night. Don't ask me how...(Stargate was on, so I probably wasn't paying as close of attention as I should have been.)

I also found out that the book should be going to the printer next week, yea!!! So, we should be able to have some copies on hand for the party, which will be good.

Okay, I should probably start my day. My husband is out of town on business this weekend, so I've taken this opportunity to lounge in my "working" pajamas. Working pajamas are flannel pants, a tshirt and sweatshirt that are decent enough to go outside in to walk the dogs or pick up the mail. Pretty much how I dressed in college...all the time : )

Talk to you tomorrow!

Good news...

Linnea Sinclair, one of the authors that agreed to read my book, sent some amazing blurbs for The Silver Spoon. I thought I'd share a couple of them with you guys...

Original, gutsy, well-written, Klemstein's THE SILVER SPOON is a must-buy for fans of SF adventure/romance. I loved this book!

Fans of my 'Gabriel's Ghost' should definitely buy Klemstein's 'The Silver Spoon'--a terrific fast-paced SF read that will have readers screaming from more from this talented author.

Pretty darn cool, huh? I keep grinning every time I read them! If you haven't already, check out Linnea's site. Her books are awesome! My particular favorites are Finders Keepers, Gabriel's Ghost, and Command Performance

More good news...
The convenience store here at work has agreed to carry ten copies of The Silver Spoon! I'm a little nervous about that as not everyone who knows me knows about the book, but I guess they'll find out soon enough!

Have a great night. Talk to you tomorrow. : )

Save the date -- August 28th!

Just a quick note to say that I've gotten the paperwork for renting the clubhouse and based on cost alone, I think that's what I'm going with. So...

Book Launch Party for THE SILVER SPOON on August 28th!!!!!
Free food, giveaways, lots of fun to be had, not to mention all the books -- you'll finally get to see what I've been going on about for all these years : )

If anyone (Ed, Deb, Heather, Stacy G., et al) has any time preferences, let me know right away because I'd like everyone who wants to be there to be able to come! I'm thinking right now it will probably be something like 2:00 to 4:00 or even 5:00, as a come-by-when-you-have-time sort of thing. We have to be out of there by 6:00 p.m.

More details soon...
Talk to you tomorrow!

I'm all alone here...

Everyone else has gone home. I'm here simply because I've been procrastinating on this new project. Sometimes I do that when I have a tight deadline and I don't know where to start -- see my complaint about lack of info from yesterday. Oh, well. My goal is to get a draft of some kind to the powers that be before I leave.

But enough about all that.

Other news...
-Blogger has taken away the italic, bold and link buttons so now I don't know how to do any of that stuff. I'll have to have Ed teach me. I'm sure he'll be thrilled. : )

-I sneaked into the as yet unopened clubhouse in my neighborhood last night (smiled very nicely at the workman and promised I wouldn't touch anything) and it looks pretty classy in there. I'm impressed. So, I think that will be the location of my book launch. That way I can spend more money on giveaways, food and drinks! If anyone in the Chicago area would like to attend the book launch (besides those of you I already know *grin* because I'm already inviting you), just send me an email: sklemstein@msn.com with your name and address.

-Corporate America may have an up side. I'm in discussions right now with the onsite convenience store to carry my book. It would be a captive audience situation where my book would be the only one in the store -- both good things. So, I'll keep you updated on what's happening there.

That's about it for now. Stacy G. pointed out to me today that my book comes out in little over six weeks, which floored me. I know it sounds stupid, but I've been so caught up in planning and getting things ready that I didn't realize how quickly September 1 is approaching. Yikes! But in a good way : )

Have a great weekend. Talk to you on Monday.

I don't know what this is about...

I haven't written since Tuesday, I know, but things at work have been kind of picking up. More on that in a few minutes. I'm still working on a location for my book launch event. I was trying to get a restaurant or something, but everyone wants huge amounts of money! So, now, I'm thinking that I'll probably just book the clubhouse (it's a nice new building right near the pool at our new house) and hold the event there. It will be mostly family and friends there anyway, so I don't think they'll care : )I just can't justify spending $500 to $1000, though it would be a really cool party, when that would probably take away up any money I might earn over the ENTIRE year on The Silver Spoon and then some. But still, there will be free food/drinks, giveaways/raffle, and fun to be had, no matter where we are!
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Day Job Rant...Please feel free to skip this. I know it's boring to hear someone constantly whine about their job. But I'm feeling the need for cheap therapy today, which, for me, is writing it down.

I have day job (I keep trying to remind myself that's all it is and sometimes that helps)that most of the time I don't mind. That's probably the strongest recommendation I can give it, but hey, that's good enough for me. I like all the people I work with (well, most of them!) and I don't mind the work. Most people can't probably even say that much about their jobs. Some people don't even have jobs and don't think I don't know that I should be grateful for employment and I am...mostly.

I used to be excited of what I did for my day job. I would proudly display samples. Now, I find it harder to care. I used to be afraid to get new projects, afraid I wouldn't be able to do them. Now, I dread getting them because I know it will be yet another ornate dance of unrealistic expectations and impossible deadlines set to the beat of "does this really matter? who cares?" in my head. (I got a new project today, can you tell?)

Of course, maybe this is just part of the transition. Just part of learning that what you do to earn money isn't as important as what you use that money to fund. Because it is just my day job. And I know, that should make it easier, right? But somehow it doesn't. Because I still want to do a good job, I still want people to like me and think highly of my work.

But why? Why stress over it? Why rant and rave that I only get three days to do a week of work and all without the information I need to do it? Why not just do the best I can and pass it on without anguishing over it? I guess I have a problem with anything associated with me being less than my best effort. Well, that's all good, except when it comes to Corporate America, where conditions rarely allow for your best work.

So, I'll just go suck it up and do it. Try not to care and churn out more boring corporate speak that pretends to be consumer friendly. Then I'll listen and smile politely as people, dying to make their own mark on this landmark piece of literature, try to change it from a moderately understandable piece to something that no one will understand or want to read. Or better yet, I'll sit in meetings where we'll agonize and "tweak" sentences, phrases, headlines and subheads that the consumer will glance at and then toss in the trash on top of last night's old spaghetti sauce.

All of this because, quite simply, it pays.

Chapter Two is now online!!!

Just wanted to let you guys know that Chapter Two is now online. Yea!!! Thanks to Ed for helping me on this!

Here's a link to the page. Again, it will probably look weird because it will be a frame within a frame, but you should still be able to read it. Incidentally, last night, I learned all about anchors and linking to them (Ed, you would be so proud! It only took me about three tries to get it right : ) ) Chapter One is above Chapter Two, so you can read them one right after the other, if you want to refresh your memory : )

Chapter Three, the final chapter posted online, will be available August 15.

A whistling nose...

Okay, this may or may not be of interest to you -- it's actually kind of gross, if you think about it too much, so don't do that --but I wanted to write about it because it triggered a very funny memory for me from childhood.

Today, because I'm getting a cold or my sinuses are bothering me, my nose is totally whistling, despite all efforts with mass amounts of decongestant to stop it! And I hate nose whistling. My husband will tell you that I've actually woken him up from a sound sleep (usually when he's sick) to tell him that his nose whistling is keeping me awake.

Sometimes you can even hear it on music tracks on the radio. There's one Matchbox Twenty song out now where if you're quiet, you can hear Rob Thomas's nose whistle when he inhales before he starts to sing each verse. It drives me crazy!!! My husband, by the way, thinks I'm nuts for noticing this. I can't think of the name of the song, but if I remember, I'll post it here and see if you guys can hear it too!

Harrison Ford, one of the most gorgeous older men I can think of, is a chronic nose whistler, especially as he's gotten older. I'm serious. Listen to him breathe on movies like Six Days and Seven Nights or What Lies Beneath. Not so much on the Indiana Jones movies and not at all in Star Wars. So, I'm thinking it has something to do with age. Like an increased amount of nose hairs could be a factor in this -- Okay, now you know I'm crazy that I think about all these things?!?

But this leads me to a funny memory of my grandpa, my dad's dad. When I was little, I don't know exactly how old, I once looked up at my grandpa and asked him,"Why do you have hair in your nose?"

My mother promptly emitted a horrified, "Stacey!"

But my grandpa took it all in stride. He laughed, then said, "To keep the flies out."

That still totally cracks me up even today. But it made sense to me at the time. It was kind of a funny answer, but as a kid you're like, *shrug* "Okay, if you say so, I'll believe it."

Maybe you have to have known my grandpa to think it was funny, but maybe not. Just thought I'd share that funny/bizarre memory today! Part of writing is putting things down on the page so you don't forget. This is one I don't want to forget : )

I'm actually thinking about chickening out now and not publishing this, because people will think I'm too weird or gross or whatever. So, if you're reading this, I must have gathered up enough courage to post it!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Conference Update/Chapter Two News

Well, I'm back from Madison and as usual, it was a wonderful experience. If you're a writer and you haven't found a good writer's conference (heavy emphasis on the word "good"), make every effort to find one. You won't believe how much it helps motivate and reenergize you. Writing can be lonely work, until the end when you get to share what you've been working on. Otherwise, it's months, or even years, of you in front of the computer...alone.

One of the things I love about the Writer's Institute is location. It's in Madison, on the campus of University of Wisconsin-Madison. Okay, is there any other place in the world that buzzes with energy like a college campus? When I stay there, if I'm lucky, I stay in one of the hotels that's actually a reconverted dorm. I love that. It still smells like a dorm. That sort of institution smell combined with old socks or something. : ) I know that sounds gross but I don't know how else to describe it. It's a good smell because it smells like college and college to me was always about exciting possibilities -- you never knew what was going to happen next. So, the second I walked into the Lowell Center (formerly Lowell Hall) I was immediately swept back to my freshman year in college at Lankenau Hall at Valpo. (This former dorm still had a big lounge with a little television in it, as some of you will recall this was a favorite hang out spot).

This conference is also great just for the opportunities. There are plenty of people to meet but not so many that you feel overwhelmed. I got to have lunch with the first place contest winner (no win for me this year, unfortunately, but that's okay.)I had dinner with a prolific romance novelist (11 books in four years!) and an East Coast agent. And I chatted "Stargate" with more people than you would have believed. Plus, I handed out bookmarks and postcards to anyone who would take them!

It was interesting, being there this year with a book coming out in a few months. People were so kind and genuinely enthusiastic about my book being accepted and published -- something that other writers meet with an excitement just about equal to your own, if that makes sense. In fact, being a naturally shy person (I am, if you can believe it), it was kind of overwhelming talking to so many new people all at once. I hope none them mistook my quiet for anything other than what it was -- shyness and a fear of babbling too much! Thank you so much to everyone who stopped me to say congratulations, ask a question or request a bookmark! You wouldn't believe how wonderful that made my day (and the conference) : )

I learned so much while I was there. I always come home not only with renewed energy but with stronger, better techniques to improve my writing. I've never loved doing anything more than I love writing, and I feel really privileged to have opportunities like the Writer's Institute where I can learn from other writers. We are a community (or should be) and it helps so much to share little tricks of the trade to make the difficult task of writing any bit easier on ourselves.

I was talking to one of the conference organizers, thanking her for her session in which I got a little more clarity on plot layers. That's always the most difficult part for me -- layers. I keep telling myself that it has to be done piece by piece, but some little voice in my head says that I should get it all down in the first draft. So, I keep making myself doubt, talking myself out of it. When I told her that, the organizer laughed (in a nice way) and said, "Don't we all?" She also told me that writing in layers is like painting a water color. One layer at a time. Now, I don't paint watercolors, but I will take her word for it. And it made me feel much better!

If you'd like to learn more about the conference, feel free to email me, sklemstein@msn.com or check out the Writer's Institute's web site.

Now, on to Chapter Two News...
As most of you probably know, the second chapter of The Silver Spoon is due to be posted this week on Thursday. However, my very dear friend and much-pestered-by-me tech person, Ed, has a family event to attend on Thursday, so the second chapter will be posted early! Ed has agreed to help me get the chapter online before he heads out of town, which is very kind of him, considering all the prep work that goes on to leave home for a few days. So, my plan is to try to get it ready to be posted tonight. Which means you should be able to access it some time tomorrow, I hope! Provided that I can remember how I got it to work last time -- something about a txt file. (Right now, Ed is rolling his eyes at me. I'm so not a tech person -- computers are just one short step away from magic to me. There's some great quote by somebody about how all advanced science looks like magic to those who don't understand it.)But I will post here and let you know for sure when the chapter is up and ready to read!

Have a great day and talk to you tomorrow!

More promotional items/Spiderman 2/AAAUUUGGGH! I'm stuck

Well, I just got the email that I should be getting my bookplates and key chains this week -- would be awesome if I could get them today, but I don't think the mail works quite that fast. : ) Keep your eyes peeled (ick, what a disgusting saying) for contests to win some of this stuff! Bookmarks and postcards are, of course, yours for the asking. : )

We saw Spiderman 2 on Friday, and I really liked it. Kirsten Dunst's character did a little more than scream -- she did actually attempt to defend herself once, which was a pleasing change! But I just love Peter Parker, the tortured hero! It's worth the money to see it in the theater if you like that kind of thing.

And finally, I'm leaving tomorrow for my writer's conference. I'm nervous and excited. I find myself worried about stuff like eating alone, when really I should be worried about making contacts with editors/agents/lawyers/writers and learning new things. I still have a mystery series (the first two books anyway) that I'd love to see in print somewhere -- that's something I'd like to work on.

And of course, now that I'm leaving to go somewhere, something that makes it notoriously hard to write, I'm stuck on my current project. I have a scene that's just being...sticky. I can't get past it. That usually means I've got something wrong. Sometimes, I just need to write what I think happens in a sentence or two and move on, but somehow I can't seem to quite do that yet. So, I'll keep mulling it over for now. This is just part of the process, I know that now. But every time it happens, it's scary and frustrating!!! Still, I love writing : ) Isn't that crazy?

I'll try to post tomorrow before the conference, but if not, I'll give a post-conference update when I get back.

Talk to you soon!

A safe and happy 4th of July...

I'm still at work. Everyone seems to be taking off early...I think I'll join them. : )

We're seeing Spiderman 2 tonight. I'm looking forward to it, though I know that all Kirsten Dunst does throughout the entire movie is look pretty and scream her lungs out. *sigh* Not a kicka$$ bone in her body -- at least as the character MJ. Oh well, even though I traditionally prefer movies where the female actually gets to do something besides "be rescued," I liked the first Spiderman so I'm hoping to like this one just as well. A guilty pleasure, if you will.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July. Remember, email me (sklemstein@msn.com) if you want bookmarks -- they're so cool and they're free. : )

Talk to you on Monday!

A slight hiccup...

Just some news for those of you out there who've been following along on my publishing journey.

My publisher has been working with Amazon.com and other such .coms in getting my book listed on their sites. It turns out these places want a GINORMOUS (combination of gigantic and enormous, which is the only way I can describe a discount of more than 50%!!!) discount in order to carry the book. Which sucks because that affects the price of the book for customers, unfortunately.

So here's the deal. If you order The Silver Spoon from Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com or through your local bookstore, it will cost $16.50. A lot, I know. But here's the good news...if you order from RuneStone, you'll save $2.00 -- the book will be available for $14.50.

RuneStone can do that because they don't have to pay the middleman (actually, middle men in this case) when the purchase comes through their site. That's a higher price than what we originally discussed, but unfortunately, to make the numbers work with the other online ordering sites, that's what had to happen.

I also have it on good authority that the ordering system on RuneStone will be as easy to use and secure as any of the "big" sites that you may be used to using. : ) I encourage those of you who are thinking about buying The Silver Spoon and are comfortable with ordering online to use RuneStone -- save yourself the couple of dollars!

Ordering is not set up yet at any of the sites, but they're working on it. I'll let you know when I get the word : )

Talk to you tomorrow!

Bookmarks and postcards are here!!!

Earthly Charms did a great job on my postcards and bookmarks. Now I have lots of them to hand out. Want an official The Silver Spoon bookmark or postcard or both? Send me an email! sklemstein@msn.com

If you know other people who might be interested in the book (or just a really nice bookmark), just tell me how many you need and I'd be happy to send them to you. Or, hey, if you can talk the neighborhood bookstore into handing them out in their plastic shopping bags, all the better! : )

The bookmark is great for those who aren't familiar with the book, as it gives the back cover blurb as well as the ISBNs, which you'll need if you order it through a bookstore.

Let's see what else...
-Meg Cabot has a very funny blog today about giving her cat medicine and she brings up something that I thought only I did. She's working on a novel and not telling anyone about it!

-I'm working on coming up with locations for a book launch event, which will probably be taking place the last weekend in August, I think, most likely Saturday, August 28.

So, I'm looking for "place" suggestions in the Chicago area. I was thinking Schaumburg, as that's pretty centrally located, fairly well-known and close to the interstate and 53/290. Does anybody have any suggestions for restaurants? It needs to be someplace that will sort of let us take it over or have a room to rent for a couple of hours. I'm thinking 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Probably appetizers and some kind of drinks. Right now, I'm contemplating Maggiano's, if it's not too expensive. Or, I might move the party to Bloomingdale to Amore Ristorante. It's a small Italian restaurant that does private parties occasionally. I'm also open to any locations (town-wise) you might suggest -- I'm not tied to Bloomingdale or Schaumburg. Send me an email or leave a comment, if you have any ideas. Budget is an issue, so it'll have to be some place relatively reasonable.

That's it for now. Sorry about my gloomy musings the other day. It was a Monday and everyone's entitled to one of those every once in awhile, right?

Talk to you tomorrow!

Another Monday...

Last week at this time, I was on vacation. I think I liked that much better than being at work : )

My thanks to everyone who sent emails to me after reading the first chapter of The Silver Spoon. Anytime I put something out there, whether it's on this site or sending something for publication, I'm always nervous about whether people will like it or not. So those emails you sent really made me feel better!

My postcards and bookmarks should be here sometime this week, just in time for my conference next week. I'm so excited! I saw the bookplate and key chain layout today and they look great too. So, very soon, we'll have some stuff for giveaways/contests. Plus, my publisher is planning to create some Silver Spoon specific merchandise -- tshirts, mugs, that sort of thing.

A question...
Do you think things are meant to be? That if something is destined to happen, it will? Sometimes I get so tired of worrying about screwing things up. I can only do my best, right? Yet, sometimes it really feels like your best isn't good enough, 20/20 hindsight and all that. Course, I do believe that God is watching out for us and keeping a hand in things, so maybe that's my answer.

Just some deep, self-involved pondering for a Monday afternoon...: ) I promise to keep it to a minimum from now on!
Talk to you tomorrow!

Greetings from WI

Actually, we're just back from a week in Wisconsin. Boulder Junction to be exact. It was very relaxing, but a little on the cool side. Jeans weather the entire time we were up there. It was nice to spend time with my whole family and the place where we stay, White Birch Village, is beautiful.

Course, I was still working while on vacation : ) One of the reasons I was busy before leaving -- I bought a new computer, a laptop! An act of desperation and impulse buy before vacation so I could keep working. I was a little nervous about the laptop part of it, having used a desktop for so long. But now I love it!!! I love being able to write anywhere at anytime.

What else?
Let's see. I garnered the opportunity for few more book reviews. I will give you the links as soon as they are posted. I also talked to an independent bookseller in Minnequa, WI about carrying my book. That would be especially cool as part of The Silver Spoon takes place up there. In fact, it was a little surreal to be up there (I haven't been in almost ten years), seeing some of the places where Caelan, Zara, Asha, Thane and Namere were. Kind of like expecting to see them walk around the corner -- yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but you guys are used to that from me by now, right?

I just finished Janet Evanovich's Ten Big Ones, which I found to be even better than the last book in her series. Course, I'm a Ranger fan (Joe's a nice guy, but who could pass Ranger over?) and this book is filled with details about him and his life -- still not enough for my taste but what are you going to do? : ) She has to save some for the next book right? I'm sad that it's finished now -- I devoured it in a couple of hours. Now, I have a whole year to wait for another one.

I'm working preparing materials for my online class. I know I still owe you guys a newsletter and I promise, I'm trying to get there.

That's about it for now. Talk to you on Monday!