tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74548962009-03-01T05:35:38.702-05:00Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.comBlogger949125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-55326297252285074722008-06-24T05:33:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:14.290-05:00

Rites of Spring (Break) is out today! I've already got one "wild spotting" from Patrick, and Trish Doller says she's read it, so it's out there!In honor of my release day, I'm guest blogging over at the Manuscript Mavens. Head on over there and read my post about the challenges of writing this book and more -- the challenge of releasing it while in the midst of writing the fourth!(Yes, comments

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-23176042475231293822008-06-23T07:27:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:14.604-05:00

Hey, guys! Brand shiny new modem here, which means I'm back on line. Thank goodness. I'm such an addict.I've heard from several people that Amazon, at least, has been shipping copies of RITES OF SPRING (BREAK), and it should be appearing on bookshelves everywhere tomorrow. (Or maybe today. Some places jump the gun.)I'm having a small contest (though it doesn't take much to win): Send me photos of

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-32611907899537140342008-06-19T11:18:00.003-04:002008-06-19T11:22:20.248-04:00

So my modem is fried. Which means I'm sitting in a coffee shop typing this. People! Outside world! Extraordinary.Question: "How do you pronounce your last name?(I've told some of my friends about your books, and I'm sure I messed up your name)"Answer: Thank you for telling friends about my book! I tend to say "Peter-froind" (like "Freud" but with an N), but "Peter-friend" is what most of my

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-24985769159867331202008-06-18T07:35:00.000-04:002008-06-18T13:16:31.700-04:00

Question: "What should I major in to become a writer?"Answer: Major in anything you want. I did Geology, and then, because I wound up taking classes that worked for the Literature major (which fell into every category from Film to American Studies) I wrote another paper and took a second major in that. I think it's better, actually, if you don't major in English, Literature, or Writing. It means

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-63655702203560488772008-06-17T07:39:00.002-04:002008-06-17T07:46:15.777-04:00

Question: "What time of day is best for writing?" Answer: For me? All times are the same. Sometimes i get good writing done in the morning, sometimes in the evening. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and go write until I can fall back to sleep. I probably shouldn't admit this.Question: "When writing a book do you already have an idea on the ending for some characters?"Answer:

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-1451896663312047992008-06-16T09:39:00.000-04:002008-11-13T18:49:16.374-05:00

Question: "Is it true that, like, 99% of our presidents were in secret societies?"Answer: I haven't the foggiest. I believe some of the founding fathers were Freemasons -- though according to Wikipedia, John Q. Adams, at least, was a vocal opponent. People love to point out the signs and symbols of Freemasonry in some of the emblems of our country, design of our money, etc. But saying you were in

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-60309105762064262512008-06-13T09:42:00.003-04:002008-06-13T10:07:35.025-04:00

So, as part of the redesign of my website, I'm putting up a new FAQ. I already have some of my biggest hits down (**cough**cough**wereyouinasecretsociety**cough**cough**) but I'm sure there's stuff I'm missing.One of my recent faves: Why would otherwise intelligent, Ivy-League educated students let themselves become slaves to the weird rituals in a secret society?Diana: Why would otherwise

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-47190886356097551622008-06-12T09:23:00.003-04:002008-11-13T18:49:17.125-05:00

Unicorn found in ItalyIn Italy, no less!And a big thank you to all the people who've sent me this news story. I am agog, truly. I have decided to take the entire episode as a good omen about Rampant. there are already uicorns in Italy. Woo hoo!It's especially fortuitous because the unicorns in Rampant are not the horse-like unicorns most people think of. There are unicorns in several ecological

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-82086455814544222462008-06-11T07:52:00.003-04:002008-06-11T08:05:21.799-04:00

J.K. Rowling's been busy as a beaver lately. First, there was her commencement speech at Harvard. Then there were all those late night visits to Maureen. And now, she's posted an 800-word excerpt of the "prequel I'm not working on" at Waterstone's.*To read the handwritten note:1) Go to http://www.waterstoneswys.com/2) Wait for the Flash-based portion of the site to load2) Click the "Read our

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-38649433430452490502008-06-10T08:37:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:17.566-05:00

Of interest to readers, writers, and those who are both:My friend Carla Capshaw, an extraordinary writer and a connoisseur of hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurants, tells about her road to publication on The Manuscript Mavens blog. I read Carla's wonderful "The Fox" many, many years ago, and was brokenhearted that it couldn't find a home. I specifically remember one dinner with C.L. Wilson, Carla,

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-56963672850267112222008-06-09T07:17:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:17.753-05:00

First up is Jess Riley's debut, DRIVING SIDEWAYS, which I first encountered, many, many moons ago as a contest entry called "Riding with Larry Resnick" that was much lauded and talked about by anyone lucky enough to get her hands on it. Funny and touching, it's the story of a road trip one woman takes with a teenage runaway and a borrowed kidney (yes, it belonged to the aforementioned Larry). I'm

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-88347130485950115502008-06-06T08:41:00.003-04:002008-06-06T09:42:40.685-04:00

The other day, I came across a blog post by my pal Colleen Gleason that had me scratching my head. In it, she posits that I run a writing blog:Some writers blog with an audience of other writers (published or not) in mind. They blog on topics of interest to people who are trying to get published or to find an agent, and about their own writing and publishing experiences. (Diana Peterfreund comes

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-63589407344996414512008-06-05T08:01:00.007-04:002008-11-13T18:49:19.268-05:00

There's always so much to do when you get home from a vacation. Like, unpack, and then look around in dismay at all the stuff (mail, email, bills, work, laundry -- and seriously, there was more laundry, which makes me wonder what species of brownie or sprite was wearing my clothes when I was in the Caribbean) that somehow piled up while you were gone.So Sailor Boy* and I spent a little while

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-12084112591808756842008-06-04T10:40:00.004-04:002008-06-04T10:57:52.701-04:00

I know I've talked before about my rather amusing typos and errors and the valiant attempts made by my editors to justify them. You know, rather than just admit that I have a problem with typing to sound, or just forgetting my character's name mid-paragraph, or am actually writing a book about killer uniforms.Sigh.Amusing mistake of the day:I have a character in my latest book who is Austrian. In

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-72953389117028730402008-06-03T08:08:00.004-04:002008-11-13T18:49:20.121-05:00

Still in the Caribbean. But while we wait for our plane, and for the "go live" date of my brand-new website, I thought we might talk about some of my upcoming appearances for the release of Rites of Spring (Break).*Launch Party*MONDAY, JUNE 30, 7 PM Borders Books11301 Rockville Pike 11301 Rockville PikeKensington, MD 20895301-816-1067*Bookstore Anniversary with Nora Roberts*SATURDAY, JULY 12

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-77199553784435952862008-05-30T04:06:00.002-04:002008-05-30T04:17:48.910-04:00

That's me, today. Unfortunately, I am headed toward an island that's being hit by a tropical storm.Travel luck strikes again.Pray for a swift break-up or movement of Tropical Storm Alma. Kicking myself.In other news, I received my first trade review for Rites of Spring (Break) and boy is it spoilerific! So filled with spoilers, in fact, that this is all I can share:An ideal summer read, whether

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-57355124854805598872008-05-29T06:17:00.003-04:002008-11-13T18:49:20.650-05:00

(My pal Vicki is starting on a quest in the fabulous world of manuscript submissions -- head on over and wish her luck! Sailor Boy and I are heading on our own adventure this weekend. It's entirely possible that we're nuts, but here goes.)I've been meaning to post about this for a while (in the sense that I've had this jpg on my desktop forever), but I keep forgetting. Who here has read the

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-76731067041970491902008-05-28T00:59:00.002-04:002008-11-13T18:49:20.979-05:00

Lovely, lovely day.I may have mentioned that I was dog-sitting this weekend. I have serious dog envy, folks. Now, I've known Gracie for seven or eight years now (a fraction of the time I have known her human, who is my best friend) so we understand each other pretty well. Gracie is gorgeous (she's a random-breed that, back in Florida,would have been called a "Florida red dog" and we keep seeing "

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-32472343328160499282008-05-27T03:43:00.004-04:002008-05-27T03:49:27.178-04:00

One of the really nice things about WordPress* is that I can write blog posts in advance and them schedule them to appear, so on days when I can’t check in — not even to change something from “draft” to “published” — we can already have posts raring to go. Just think of it — there will be no more two-week long dry spells like in January, where you heard nothing as I sludged, enfeebled and sick

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-64495453474623481352008-05-22T08:27:00.003-04:002008-05-22T08:41:51.779-04:00

Get ready... (a hint)In other news, my friend Justine gave me a heads up as to a new review of Secret Society Girl on the Book Blog, Bookshelves of Doom. My favorite quote?This book almost got me hit by a car. Every writer likes to hear that one! Read the whole thing here!

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-56128517455263292372008-05-20T09:47:00.002-04:002008-05-20T09:59:48.717-04:00

I know I've been a bad blogger, but the last few days have been so busy. For instance:* I volunteered at the Smithsonian's annual Zoofari* I attended Sailor Boy's high school reunion* I watched Sailor Boy get yet another degree (our walls, they have no room for more diplomas... luckily, the Yale ones are both small and undiploma-y)* I designed some very cool promotional items for the release of

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-36077607557572918722008-05-15T10:37:00.002-04:002008-05-15T11:20:56.084-04:00

Cravenly stolen from Marianne Mancusi's blog:I could not stop laughing. This is every conversation I have with other writers every day on every writer list. What to do to promote your book that has nothing to do with writing books.And, like a flake, I keep forgetting to pick the winner for the Narnia drawing of Sarah Beth Durst's book. It's..... BARRATT MILLER. Barratt, email me your address, and

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-42593399646571605952008-05-14T09:47:00.003-04:002008-05-14T10:21:16.627-04:00

A few days back, Candy of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, posted an excellent rant about this post on Pharyngula about the preponderance of mass market vampire romance.Basically, PZ Meyers knows nothing about the topic, but is curious (though he pushes buttons instantly by writing it off as "formula fiction" from the word go). Things really go off the rails, however, in the comment thread, which I

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-46598901331083251682008-05-13T10:55:00.002-04:002008-05-13T11:15:06.821-04:00

So apparently I've been tagged by Allison Winn Scotch. These are the rules of the tag:1. Pick up the nearest book.2. Open to page 123.3. Find the fifth sentence.4. Post the next three sentences.5. Tag five no people and post a comment to the person who tagged you once you've posted your three sentences.Like Allison, the closest book to me at the moment is the manuscript for Rampant. No, seriously

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7454896.post-59880522068543860392008-05-12T04:07:00.002-04:002008-05-12T04:26:16.810-04:00

Finally got the chance to kick back with a few novels. I'd been in a bit of a dry spell, not just behind in my reading, but also failing to find a book that really set me off. I don't know about you, but I tend to read in spurts. If I get my hands on a really good book, it just makes me want to read more. If I read some novels I'm so-so about, I tend to put books aside and check out the Netflix

Diana Peterfreundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03681841474717604660noreply@blogger.com14