castellucci is giving away 4 copies of the next JANES book!!



The rules are simple.

She has four copies to give away! There will be two over 18 winners and two under 18 winners. Make sure that you say which age category you are in when you enter.

OPTION #1: Email Cecil an embarrassing school dance story OR an embarrassing encounter with a crush story. Best story wins the book.

OPTION #2: Email Cecil a piece of PLAIN Janes fan art. Best drawing wins the book. (I'VE HEARD FROM A RELIABLE SOURCE THAT THERE ARE FEWER ENTRIES ON THIS ONE SO YOUR CHANCE TO WIN IS EVEN BETTER!!!)

Please make sure to mention if you are entering the over 18 or the under 18 category and email to misscecil (at) gmail (dot) com

Cecil will post the winning stories and the winning art on her blog. (She says to make sure with the art you include a © your name 2008)

Head on over to castellucci for more details about deadlines and stuff. Have fun! (And feel free to spread the word on your own blogs! ;-) )


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halseanderson Daily 15 Keeping Myself Honest Check-In: 549 words

We just finished playing cards with my BIL and his fiancee. I was going to write. But...ahem....I got distracted again. So, it's only fair that you should also be distracted. LOL. You've just got to check out azang  's blog post here where she's giving away a Pickled Pixel Toe. Don't know what a Pickled Pixel Toe is? Well...neither did I! It's fun. Go check it out!

A Happy Fourth of July for everyone here on LJ!


(posters compliments of Washington Irving Elementary)

Hey LJ friends!



It's been forever since I've posted! Weird huh? Especially since I've been out of school for, like, a month! Let's see, I had one week off, spent decompressing, and shopping. Yeah, lots of shopping. Looking for a dress for my daughter to wear on a cruise for formal night. Figures, after all that driving, she found the perfect dress for only $35 right here in "little town", Florida.

The following week should have been spent writing, since both my kids went to music camp at my alma mater, Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Go Mocs!!! Instead, I spent the week cleaning, packing, and etc. Truth? I needed to flesh out a 14 year old brother in my YA, write a bridge to set up the conflict to come in later chapters, and I just couldn't seem to do it. I did everything BUT write. I thought I'd lost my touch. I was afraid I just didn't have it in me any more. More on that later.

We left Thursday the 19th to watch the Chicago Cubs get swept by the Tampa Bay Rays. Yeah, fun. Four rows behind the Cubs dugout. Expensive seats. Hubby's a big cubs fan. I love my husband. Need I say more?

Saturday the 21st we boarded the Carnival Inspiration bound for Grand Cayman and Cozumel. This was in celebration of my parent's 50th anniversary! Wow! They are amazing. Here's a picture of them on the stairs of the grand atrium. I'll upload more pictures later. (And no, my mom doesn't color her hair! They're both in their 70's and look fabulous!)


Ok, so we get home. And waiting for me in the mail is an envelope containing my mg critique from Joyce Sweeney. You can read more about her here. I ripped open the envelope and read the first sentence. "The good news is, your writing is nearly flawless." I stuffed the two-page letter, along with my ms, back in the envelope and proceeded to unpack and sort laundry. I didn't want to read the rest. I knew I wouldn't like it. And I didn't.

An hour or so later, seated in a comfy chair, I read through her letter. Once again, I was being told my writing was nearly flawless, (indeed, she wrote on very few of the 78 pages), and once again, I was being told it wouldn't sell. It wasn't all bad. She said the story wouldn't work, (my crit group, after hearing the letter, agreed I had two books), but she also pointed out my strengths, character and relationships, (which my crit group agreed were right on.) Those are the parts of the books that she loved. But I needed to write much more. Make it longer. My reaction? Great. More work. Will I EVER be able to finish a book? Will I EVER be able to sell anything? I'm not sure I can keep doing this. Maybe I'll never find the "WOW" factor. I'll admit. I let it derail me even more.

Then I got an email from a crit buddy. She's a very talented writer with an amazing, humorous mg voice. I KNOW she's going to get published soon. But here's what her sparse email said. I don't think she'll mind me sharing it with you. "I talked with *super uber agent* about my revision. She wants more. A lot more. Practically an entire book in front of the one I wrote. Will this never be over?" I sensed that suddenly, she'd been dumped in the same place I was in. So, I sent the following email.

(In part...)

REMEMBER: YOU are an AMAZING, TALENTED WRITER!!!!

Do NOT give up! You are waaaaayyyyy too close! This is where the weaker, AVERAGE writers quit and give up!

YOU ARE NOT AVERAGE!!!

YOU WILL NOT QUIT!!!

YOU WILL NOT GIVE UP!!!

YOU.....CAN....DO...THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She sent the email back as requested. Buoyed, I opened up my YA and made myself write. It worked! (My muse had been contemplating the "bridge" problem all along and had it figured out. Never ignore your muse!) I figured out how to develop Bryan's character, (a new 14 yo brother to Nicki, my protagonist) and even better, how to set up the conflict that needs to come later in the book. And get this, a new character showed up out of nowhere. (He's really hot! Don't know yet what Nicki is going to do with/about him. LOL.) But it's working! I'VE STILL GOT IT!!!!!! What a GREAT feeling!

Thank you, Joyce, for pointing out my strengths, and for being straightforward in your critique. As I told you, I'll let the mg fester, I mean, jell, a bit first, then dive back in. But first, I'm going to finish BUZZED, a definite character/relationship novel if there ever was one. (My strength. Grin.)

The other good news, I'm writing this from my NEW laptop! Yeah, we're a two computer household again, which means I can write again, even on the weekends, without my teens and hubby waiting to use the computer. That's huge! Look out publishing world. Cana's back on track!

So, if I don't often log in to LJ, or comment, it's because I'm going to stay focused and write this summer. I will finish this YA. And I have another one to start that I'm VERY excited about. So much so, that, I know that once I start on it, my other WIP's will stay in the drawer. It's going to be big. I have the story. And my writing is "nearly flawless." *VBG/Wink.*

Plus, if I spend too much time here, I'll get caught up in stuff like
Take care of your muse. Believe in yourself. Lean on your crit buddies. Remember this:

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. ~ Thomas Edison

Happy writing, and Happy 4th! 

May there be strawberries and homemade whipped cream and homemade biscuits and parades and stilt walkers???? and ice cream and food off the grill and potato salad and potato chips and sparklers and glow sticks (no, not glow sticks, those must be deadly bad for the environment, right?) and laughing and staying up late with good friends and fireworks and sweet dreams for a better tomorrow for this troubled country, dreams that come true.

xo


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halseanderson Daily 15 Keeping Myself Honest Check-In: 357 words

DREAM: My husband and I go on vacation and end up in this terrible spot called the realm of the Red King. It is ruled by this king and he is crazy. At our motel we watch a channel that advertises local things to do and all we see is the same commercial over and over where somebody has created a fighting pit for weird bugs. I tell T I have no interest in watching scorpions and beetles and other weird unidentifiable bugs duke it out. It seems this is the only entertainment.

T and I want to leave so we try to sneak out in the middle of the night. There is some kind of gateway office that leads into this realm and I guess it's the only way out. When we go inside the Red King is already waiting there. (And he is literally red, like the people in the Blue Man Group are blue, wearing all-red clothing too.) I think he is going to be angry that we want to leave and will hurt or possibly kill us. To my surprise, he has two crowns and he wants to make us the prince and princess of the realm. Somehow I perceive that this is the worst, craziest thing of all and that if we accept the crowns we will never be able to leave. I refuse and try to be polite--we can't accept this honor, etc. The king gets angry. Someone shoots and kills him before he can kill us. I am relieved and surprised it was so easy--but then his wife comes in the room. (She is the red queen but she is not painted red.) She is holding some kind of painting and she begins trying to attack us and kill us. I fend her off with my bare hands and end up pinning her against the wall with the edge of the painting's frame pressed against her windpipe, trying to choke her until she passes out or dies.

The lost footage to the silent movie Metropolis has been found!

I adore that movie. I hope this means I can see the entire film someday once they get it all restored and reassembled.

My daughter and I both got aisle seats on our direct flight to L.A. Em did well playing trivia on Delta’s computer screen, coming in second to three people who formed a team, and who merrily congratulated her at the flight’s end. I sat next to a boy about eight who amused himself with a Ziploc bag of Sculpey and Fimo clay, making tiny serpents, dragons, and many-legged beasts. He spent thirty minutes shaping a row of eyeballs or eggs. I went back to my Chronicles of Narnia or Meg Wolitzer’s The Ten-Year Nap, with its lovely similes and satire and touching moments, when I felt a shadow over me. The barefooted boy was crouched in his seat and spreading his arms, about to pounce over me and into the aisle. I swiftly got up while his mom, sitting behind us with other children, alerted him to the protocol of a tap on the shoulder and “excuse me.”

We were lucky to have a direct flight, but not so lucky to be in the back, so that the only supper-ish food left was cheese and crackers. Our hotel doesn’t have room service, but there is a 24 hour grocery store next door, so we got some midnight vegetables and hummus and bottled water. I went back this morning to buy cereal, milk, and coffee, and the sweet clerk gave me the Ralph’s discount while telling the bagger to stop complaining, and telling me, “He’s young, he’ll grow out of it.”

Then Em and I were off with heavy suitcases for her to move in. One roommate is missing, through there’s a dressmaker’s mannequin and stuff, but we met the other two who are friendly, chatty, stylish, and just a bit nervous, with another making the move from Massachusetts and one from Kentucky. I’m the mom with the rental car so maybe I’ll get to do the kind of eavesdropping I used to enjoy before Em got her license as they make rounds to Target and Best Buy, to set up wireless and their kitchen – one’s girl grandma already supplied her with probably as much kitchenware as they’ll ever need.

Thanks for the supportive words! I feel calmer seeing the new home starting to take shape and look like a happy one. And, you know, I could get used to this, too – writing under an umbrella on the patio of a café with palm trees and wireless, eating frozen yogurt with blueberries in that perfect L.A. weather.

My dad just called from the hospital and he's doing pretty well! The surgery went fine and they're actually going to get him to try to walk this afternoon. What a happy relief. Thanks for all the well-wishes. :-)

Yesterday I finished my first freelance job three days early, which is a nice relief as well, since the next one was going to overlap and I was a little nervous. Also, working with the boy at home is... challenging. Basically, it involves taking a break at least every hour or less to read a chapter from The Titan's Curse, play a MiniClip game (or 5) together, or hold the cats and chat about myths and what god we would be if we had a choice. All good stuff, but it does slow things down a bit. :-)

Today I need to make stilt pants for the 4th of July Parade. (Is that really tomorrow?? Dang, where is the summer going???) I hope we don't look too dorky. But, you know, when you're talking stilt pants... ah well.


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halseanderson Daily 15 Keeping Myself Honest Check-In: 538 words

How's everyone else doing so far??

For one thing, it is important to LIKE veggies. If you don't like them, there isn't much I can do, except suggest that you keep trying little bites of things served different ways. I didn't used to like all fruits and vegetables but I kept trying different preparations and I eventually learned to like everything to a degree. I even got over my banana aversion! That was a major dislike. So try stuff!

BUT, with that said, this is for people who like a lot of vegetables already.

I found that the easiest way to eat a lot of veggies is to roast them. Roast like crazy. It's so easy. Pretty much any vegetable tastes good chopped or trimmed (if applicable) tossed in olive oil and salt and baked. (Even the temperature is not a huge deal. 400, 450? Whatever strikes your fancy!)

Also, some veggies I prefer wrapped in parchment paper (staple or clip shut) so they get more soft than charred. Here are some things I do:

Kale: Tossed in dark sesame oil instead of olive oil...this would probably be good with green beans also!
Zucchini and tomatoes: Bake together, top with cheese near the end
Sweet potatoes and potatoes OR winter squash: Season with salt, pepper, paprika and rosemary
Broccoli: Baked in parchment with the juice of one lemon, chopped garlic, about 1/2 t. sugar and a sprinkling of salt
Cauliflower: Cover with foil for half the roasting time to partially steam
Asparagus: Add a little balsamic vinegar
Carrots: I prefer these in parchment paper also; I like them to soften

Other veggies I've roasted include parsnips, beets, frozen corn kernels, eggplant, and portabella mushrooms.

It's good to line the pan with parchment paper even if you aren't covering the veggies in it--they won't stick and will get a nice browned bottom. But it's not crucial. Just make sure you have a good coating of oil on the bottom to minimize stickage.
It's also not really necessary to turn or shake the pan halfway through the cooking time, although most recipes will suggest it. It will make everything more even, but if you're a lazy chef...they'll still be good.
When are they done? Generally, check them when they start to smell in the next room over and eat them when they're browned but not burned. But smaller veggies cook FAST--like kale or asparagus. So I would keep close to your oven for those until you have it down.

ALSO, they make good leftovers. Sometimes you might not want to wait 35 minutes to roast a sweet potato or beet. Make a larger batch and toss leftovers into salads, stir-fries, or just warm (or not) and eat with anything. You can also make extra whole baked sweet potatoes or halved baked squashes. I've found those flavors pair very nicely with all kinds of meat dishes. I eat sweet potatoes with my spaghetti in meat sauce in lieu of noodles and the other day I threw the flesh of a leftover baked butternut squash in with leftover Cuban lamb shank and yellow rice from Rolando's. It's so easy to roast veggies that even if you're cooking for OTHER people who hate veggies, it takes mere moments to cook a pan of them just for yourself.

So, even if you already sometimes roast veggies, if you're looking for an easy way to get your 5-9 veggie servings a day I bet there is still room to expand the possibilities...

Okay, cowpokes.

Back in March, the Katy Visual & Performing Arts Center in Katy, Texas, put on COWBOY CAMP, THE MUSICAL. It was sweet and funny and full of awesome.

Take a gander at these photos.

First up, Avery doesn't like cowboy grub.


Avery is allergic to horses and has to ride the cow instead.


Avery gets rope burn.


The Cowboy Camp Super Stars: Cowboy Dan, Avery, and Black Bart


Avery and me after the show.


Seeing my words come to life on stage? It was one of my greatest thrills as a writer.

YEEHAW!

Back in Massachusetts, I was working on my laptop while my husband ate breakfast this morning. He said, “That click-clatter reminds me of the sound of beach stones being sucked back into the sea.”

I’ll take that sound with me as I finish doing laundry and yelling, trying for a nice yell, at my daughter to pack, since I’ll be escorting her via plane to L.A. this afternoon. Yikes yikes yikes. She’s going to study visual design at FIDM and I’m going to try not to panic about having her all across the continent. I’ll help her get set up, meet the new roommates, do some orientation, try to look somewhat presentable among the fashionable, and put in an hour or two a day on revision work. Some of us love L.A., and there’s much to love, but some of us have one foot in ancient Sumer and love that, too. History feels like home to me, and I’m glad I can carry that, tucked in my laptop, with me. I packed the Chronicles of Narnia, the whole thick volume, and Em gave me a pair of her old flip-flops with fleur-de-lies, too, so I’ll have something to wear in California and bring back home, making my dear one feel close.

And what was she doing last night, when I thought she should be packing? Watching the Little Mermaid. No way would I stick around for the scene when Ariel waves good-bye to her father.

I just served oranges, mac and cheese, and carrots for lunch.

Anyone notice a theme?

My freshman year home ec teacher would be HORRIFIED.

 
Great Bowdoin Mill, Topsham, Maine

Like many areas, we have old mills that are being converted to attract new businesses. Built in 1868, this mill's original function was turning wood pulp into paper, but now it has offices and a brewery and restaurant.  

There's a dam off to the left. When it's open, cormorants gather on those rocks to pick off the fish swimming by.

For the first time ever, I ended up not reading a single book on my vacation. (Well, I read to E but that doesn't count as books for ME.) Usually I read 3-4 at least. I'm not sure what's up with that.

Also, it's taking me forever to get through the 2nd Octavian Nothing book because it is LONG (and brilliant, as expected). And? Confession: I am extremely embarrassed by how many words I've come across that I should look up in the dictionary because I have never heard of them. Sadly, unlike my embarrassing encounter with Tobin Anderson in which I believe I made UP a word, I do not think he made up any of these. *hangs head in shame*

Today my dad is having back surgery. If you all could send a quick well-wish toward Concord, NH at noon eastern time, I'd really appreciate it. :-)

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halseanderson Daily 15 Keeping Myself Honest Check-In: 471 words

Good luck all you other 15-ers!!!

Just stating it here to keep myself honest.
If I comment on anyone's LJ between 7:00-7:15, you have permission to kick me.
:-)