What I'm Reading Wednesday

Last night, I began THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson. At dear son's basketball practice no less. (Thanks, Mandy.) I'm only on page 82, but I may have made a few clicks online to see about enrolling in a study abroad program in England next semester. They allow children, correct? They'll be good and quiet. No trouble at all . . . *wink*.

I finished Erin Morgenstern's debut, THE NIGHT CIRCUS, at one o'clock yesterday morning. I enjoyed the story and its present tense. I loved being swept up in the circus--the sights, the sounds, the caramel scents. The curious magic and many mysteries surrounding her characters kept me turning pages. The author is a brilliant wordsmith and has a great imagination. That said, I wanted to love it more than I did. Honestly, I was a tad confused by the end (it was late). Regardless, I'm still amazed by her skill of weaving so many fantastical threads together, from differing points of view. I loved Bailey's character best. Worth a read.

And THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA is my car line read this week. I'm a bit behind on this because I have three elementary aged boys under my roof and we arm-wrestled for it we did. A witty and fun read, a compilation of several short stories make it an easy one to turn to when you only have a few moments at a time. Like me, right now.

Happy Wednesday.

Xoxo,

kristin

Unputdownable. (Or, Confessions of a Cupcake-a-holic)

un·put·down·a·ble/ˌənˌpo͝otˈdounəbəl/

Adjective:

(of a book) So engrossing that one cannot stop reading it.

I just returned from NYC with twelve ten cupcakes. (Hey, if your flight was delayed at LGA and you sat next to a dozen freshly baked cupcakes, let's see what you'd do.) Sigh. These cakes were so heavenly engrossing that one, meaning I, could not stop eating them. They were unputdownable.

Now. I visited three other cupcake shops in NYC. I bought one red velvet from Crumbs.

Apparently, it wasn't the Crumbs on 3rd, but my feet were tired. So, I took the cupcake back to the hotel and anticipated devouring it while my husband went on his eight. mile. run. through Central Park. (Heh. Do you see who's more disciplined?)

The cake was the teensiest bit dry but still full of flavor. The icing, however, was buttercream. People. Every good Southern girl knows you only put cream cheese frosting on red velvet cake.

The other bakery was jam-packed with tourists. I was tempted, even had wax paper in hand at the self-serve counter, but I decided the fuss was mostly hype from a certain TV show. (If I am wrong, I will live with the consequences.) I squeezed my way out the door.

The third bakery I wandered past, this one in SoHo, announced you could "build your own cupcake". Hello? Build my own? That's music to a bakery-snob's ears. A gaggle, and I mean gaggle, of teen girls were doing just that. But something still felt off. I didn't order.

Then, our last morning, I found Sprinkles.

Cue the angelic choir. Friends had told me about Sprinkles for years. I'd even tried their strawberry recipe myself. As soon as I walked through that door, I knew I was home. It smelled amazing. The staff was enthusiastic. The cupcakes were to-die-for at first bite. The perfect proportion of frosting to cake that's melt-in-your-mouth moist. And, they had real cream cheese frosting. They boxed my order, noted the flavors, then wrapped it all in a giant ziplock bag for me to carry home. Aw.

In short, I want my stories to be like those cupcakes. Unputdownable. Perfected. Crafted and wrapped with utmost care.

THE HUNGER GAMES was the last book I read like that. I neglected laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, sleeping, and um, maybe showering, until I reached The End. (Luckily, it did not take long.)

How do I do that? How do I make my writing that engrossing, that mesmerizing, that compelling? I'm pretty sure it boils down to making readers care. And if that takes a lot of sampling, a lot of tries, to find the one, I'm game. Just bring on the cake.

I'll have the salted caramel for starters, please.

Xoxo,

Kristin

What was the last unputdownable book you read?

PiBoIdMo 2011

I blame Tara Lazar for the fact I keep waking at 2 o'clock in the morning to scribble down ideas. A couple I cannot decipher. A couple are flat out horrible. But a few have me very. Very. Excited. (With all kinds of !!!! and chickens. Oh yes. Chickens.)

Now, does anyone know how to pitch a nearly-wordless picture book?

Are any of my readers in? If so, how is it going?

Guess what week it is.

SCBWI MO Conference Recap

(I promise, this picture relates.)

Insomnia has paid me a visit, so I'll pull up a chair and fill you in on last weekend. (And I'm not talking about the earthquake that I completely missed.)

Mandy and I braved uneven lanes and road tripped to Missouri's SCBWI Confluence Conference. We had five hours to talk unicorns, pets, recent (not so recent) reads, and when in a story to introduce (or kill) minor characters. Basically, she put up with my nervous babbling and phobia of six lane roads.

But! I did not break out in benadryl-demanding, pre-conference hives as someone in our Writer's party of two has done. I'm not naming any names. (But it wasn't me.)

So. The conference. Those Missouri people know how to treat you right when registration begins at eight a.m. on a Saturday. Coffee. Tea. Juice. Pastries galore. (I may have eaten a box of Whoppers instead. The perks of being a grown-up on vacation.)

Quinlan Lee with Adams Literary (Charlotte, NC) was the keynote agent. Upbeat and approachable, she stated Adams receives 7,000 submissions a year. She is looking for really great writing she can get lost in (in other words, make her forget to cook dinner). She talked about the power of words, dispelled fears regarding e-readers, and shared tidbits of her clients' works. Which reminds me, I need to ask my son about The Missing series he started yesterday. (We thumb wrestled for it. Guess who lost.) Adams is currently open to submissions and they request that you sub your completed, polished manuscript via their online form.

Heather Alexander at Dial Books for Young Readers was the editor in attendance. She, too, is looking for "exceptional writing" and said writers ask her how they can make their work stand out. (If only we could turn around three times and cross our eyes just so.) Heather encouraged us to think about what great writers do: They listen, imagine, focus, interpret, and leave their reader with a gift, a nugget of truth to walk away with. A few of the things Heather is looking for are "forever picture books", girl middle grade, and thriller YA. Note exceptional writing trumps all. Pick up her holiday book THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS by artist Laurel Long and count how many hidden gifts you find.

Illustrator Rich Davis taught us anyone can be a lifelong doodler and studies have shown there is an increased retention of facts when people draw. (Really, why do most grown-ups stop coloring? Life is more fun with with crayons!) He also conducted portfolio reviews for the illustrators. In disclosure, Rich visited my children's school a year ago and made such an impression, they still talk about him and draw his Doodlebug. His Pick and Draw game is a hit at our house and has survived many trips.

Author Suzanne Morgan Williams had me near tears talking about the making of her novel, BULL RIDER. It's worth a look. If you have a chance to attend one of her writing workshops, treat yourself. And never, ever give up.

Then, twenty minutes before the end of the day, I received a phone call from my saint of a spouse, who'd stayed behind with all the children so I could do writerly things. My dog (who no longer suffers from halitosis and is always delighted to see me) had escaped our yard and been taken to the POUND! (She's home now.) Let's just say, I needed that post-conference drink.

My eyes are growing heavy (finally).

Sweet dreams, Friends.

It's OK to Read YA (when you aren't)

From Orca Books, Olympia, WA.