Nina Berry

See Through a Dog's Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:20:00 +0000

In his book The Tiger, John Vaillant discusses the idea of umwelt, which is a German word meaning "environment," but is used by Jakob von Uexküll and Thomas A. Sebeok to mean an organism's view of the world.

So a tiger's umwelt wold be very different from a human's. The tiger would not only see things differently, but smell, hear, feel, taste, and on and on. How does walking on all fours affect one's viewpoint, for example? To enter the tiger's umwelt, one can only use one's imagination - imagine how the snow sounds to a tiger crunching under its paws, how the snow smells, what the breeze tells the tiger's whiskers.

How about the umwelt of a more common animal - a dog? The video below, from a camera attached to a dog's collar during a visit to a dog park, is a wonderful aid if you're wondering how a dog sees the world. The smells, sounds, tastes, and feel of it all is still up to your imagination...

Beautiful Day at the Dog Park from Kelsey Wynns on Vimeo.
It's also quite lovely and just fun to watch. Oh to be a dog at the dog park!

Tiger Attack!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:58:00 +0000

Holy flircking schnit. The video below was shot in India as a group of men on elephants attempted to tranquilize a tigress.

You must watch this. It's only 28 seconds, and don't worry, there's no gore:

The Moon! The Moon's to blame...

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Found this on Facebook and fell in love. Kudos to the "loonies" who made it.

Also, the moon plays in important part in the world of Otherkin, and this is kind of inspiring as I write book 2...

Kitten BBQ = BAD!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:35:00 +0000

Thanks to The Oatmeal, who invited one and all to pirate this .gif so that we may hilariously understand why SOPA and PIPA must be stopped.

Blog-O-Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:39:00 +0000

Just a quickie to note that I'm slowly changing my blog, and today I added buttons!

See, those things above that say "Blog," and then "About Me" and so on? I added those. I feel as proud as a toddler who's had her first bite of blended peas.

One of those buttons is my tumblr, which is called The Tulgey Wood. That's the old name for this blog, and I just couldn't bear to part with it completely.

Later on I'll be shaking things up more, but I want my pal and designing maven Elisa Nader to weigh in on fonts and photos and the like.

Stay tuned.

Almost a Character From My Book...

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:19:00 +0000

Saw this video of a polar bear cub named Siku ....

And thought - Holy Nub-Ears, that's cute! Then I thought - there's a character named Siku in my upcoming book, Otherkin!

Siku is an Inuit name, and my character isn't a polar bear (exactly), and he's a teenager, not a baby, but...

Well, let's just say this is startlingly appropriate. Almost a spoiler, really. You'll have to read the book to find out exactly how.

Yes, it's true. Everything in the world is about ME and MY BOOK. Mwah ha ha ha!

Widget Alert!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Just added a countdown widget to my site, which you'll see to the right here.It counts down the days till release of my book.

Because, I, at least, am counting the days. And I want everyone else to share in my obsession so that I don't feel so crazy.

Many thanks to my genius critique partner, Elisa Nader, for designing it.

Also, a big shout out to fellow KTeen author Brigid Kemmerer for showing me how easy it is to make these widgets over at Widgetbox. You can see Brigid's fabulous widget for the first book in her Elemental series, Storm, on her site here.

It's also Brigid's birthday. Happy Birthday, gorgeous, brainy, writer Mom woman!

OTHERKIN - Cover Reveal!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:00:00 +0000

How tiger-iffic is this? The colors! The eyes! The stripey stripes and the font! I love it!

Here's the back cover text and blurbs from my wonderful fellow authors:

I thought I knew myself. Then I met Caleb.

Dez is a good girl who does as she’s told and tries not to be noticed.

Then she rescues a boy from a cage, and he tells her secrets about herself.

Now inside her burns a darkness that will transform her.

Everything is about to change -- and neither Caleb, nor the Otherkin, nor those who hunt them are prepared for what Dez will unleash.

"Get caught up in a dangerous world of shadow magic, shifters, and secrets."
- New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep

"Be prepared to lose some sleep. Otherkin is full of non-stop action and suspense, and you're not going to be able to put it down!"
-- Brigid Kemmerer, author the Elemental series

OTHERKIN Cover Reveal - Coming Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:53:00 +0000

I just had to tease you a bit, because I've got the cover for my book in my hot little paws - and it's gorgeous!

Stay tuned for the big reveal, right here - tomorrow!

Hello, New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:22:00 +0000

So in 2012, the idea is to:

1. Finish Book 2.

3. Try something new that scares me.

2. Do things in an unexpected fashion at times.

4. Finish short story for fabulous upcoming secret anthology!

6. Maybe visit friends currently living in Kyiv (Kiev) in Ukraine. (Along with day trip to Chernobyl!)

5. Rewrite pilot script until it's fabulous.

7. If I'm lucky, start and finish Book 3.

9. Bodysurf (This one happens every year, and lucky me.)

8. Read some wonderful books.

10. Publicize Otherkin as best I can with all the tools at my disposal.

11. Yes, I know the numbers are out of order. Please see #2 for the reason.

12. A couple of very personal wishes, which will not be expressed here, but rather will reside deep inside my gray matter.

I'm adverse to resolutions. But goals are good. They help you get to the place you're hoping for. That, and luck, and help from other wonderful people, and lots of hard work.

What are your ideas for 2012?

Farewell to the Old Year(s)

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:24:00 +0000

Today, the last day of 2011, I look back on the past and appreciate what was, in order to look forward to what will be in 2012.

That's me and Dad at Bellows when I was nine, the year I learned to bodysurf.

How lucky I am to have gone to such a place even once. But I spent that whole summer there, and I go back every year.

2011 was a real rollercoaster. I got an amazing agent, who then sold my book in a two-book deal to an editor I love. After years of effort, I finally achieved something I've always wanted.

But there were big losses and stresses too. I'm not going to dwell on them, but let's just say 2011 was a real rollercoaster.

How grateful I am to be on the ride in the first place.

I hope you can reflect back on 2011 with gratitude and compassion for yourself an others. And here's to a new year full of new adventures, old friends, discoveries, and laughs.

Bellows, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 03:28:00 +0000

Where I like to spend Christmas.

Top TV Picks 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:50:00 +0000

So many delicious, complex, well written goodies inhabited this so-called vast wasteland. Now that wasteland has a lot of fecund, jungly pockets.

Louie
The weirdest, funniest, truest half hour of art/comedy you'll ever watch.

Game of Thrones
Based on one of my all-time favorite book series, this ambitious show takes its time to set up place, characters, and plot. Then it pulls your guts out. I knew it was coming, and still it wrecked me. Sometimes its even better than the books.

Justified
Complex southern characters plus Elmore Leonard's humor and humanity. Some amazing performances last season lifted this series to one of the best out there, ever. Deserving of way more Emmy nominations than it got.

The Borgias
Historical soap opera at its sexiest, bloodiest, and most gorgeous. I'm usually a stickler for history, but this show made me put down the textbook and revel in Jeremy Irons as a conniving sinner Pope.

Friday Night Lights
One of the all time great series ever on television reached its perfect conclusion this year. I have friends who still haven't watched the final episode. They keep it on their dvr like a hidden stash of gold, pretending the show isn't really over. Only the best of the best could ever inspire devotion like that.

Parks and Recreation
This hilarious series also has one of the sweetest love stories on TV.

Homeland
The show that made me keep my Showtime subscription, featuring amazing performances by Claire Danes and Damien Lewis in a twisty 'Manchurian Candidate" type plot that features real people instead of thriller stereotypes.

The Good Wife
Even with a few missteps this season (Eli Gold overdose, not nearly enough of Will and Alicia's trysts, annoying teen daughter Grace) The Good Wife has the most compelling ensemble of characters on network television. Kalinda Sharma alone could catapult this show into my top picks.

Awkward
Hey look, teens who have sex, do drugs, make mistakes, and are hilarious. MTV makes the case for its continued existence with this series.

Fringe
Sure the storylines involve multiple worlds, but this show is really all about the relationships. Mix up mind boggling sci fi and thwarted true love and you'll get me every time.

The Vampire Diaries
Insane in the best possible way, the incredible pace of this show's relentless story plus its shamelessly hot batch of actors makes it the juiciest guilty pleasure out there. Doesn't hurt that Ian Somerhalder's the hottest vampire since Spike. Sorry, Sookie.

Coverage of The Breeder's Cup 2011
I was glued first to TVG, then to ESPN and ABC watching this series of races featuring the best horses in the world. Mighty European miler Goldikova made her last, valiant stand to no avail, and favorites Uncle Mo and Havre de Grace fell behind a last minute charge by Drosselmeyer, ridden by Mike Smith, who tried to make that same charge last year on (my favorite and one of the all-time greats) the amazing mare Zenyatta, and failed by a nose.

Also excellent: Doctor Who, Whitechapel, Boardwalk Empire (especially the last few eps of this season), Once Upon a Time, The Daily Show, Masterpiece Mystery.

The Good Old Days

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:29:00 +0000

My Dad just sent me this awesome photo of himself (center, brown trunks) and our family friends Lee (left) and Joe (right) on Bellows Beach the summer I turned nine.

What a flood of memories this brings back.

I can feel the warm breeze coming off the water and hear the soothing crash of the waves. We had a flood of wonderful visitors that summer, and we spent nearly every weekend with them at Bellows. I'd race into the water (careful where the bottom dips down!) and dive under the oncoming waves, tasting salt, my long, frizzy hair turning into a smooth flow behind me.

I grew up swimming. At age three I was diving 15 feet down in our school pool to fetch rocks off the bottom. But Bellows was different. The waves were friendly, sure, but unpredictable. You had to stay on your toes, keep an eye on the horizon, and be careful after you caught a wave because another one might be looming right behind you.

Every wave was a possible adventure. I learned to assess the steepness of its face, its speed, its glossy texture. If it all looked good, I'd run/wade through the waist-high water, resisting the tug of the wave's tow, to what seemed the right place, turn around, push off, and one-two crawl strokes - and you're off! If you've done it exactly right at the exact right time, the wave will pick you up like a swell of hot air picking up a balloon, and send you zooming toward the shore, water churning around your shoulders, body laid out like a surfboard.

My favorite sound in the world remains the hiss of the wave-foam buzzing around your ears at the end of a ride. My favorite place in the world remains Bellows Beach.

It was the summer this photo was taken that gave me all that. I look at my Dad in this photo and I weirdly see myself there. Sure, we've got the same nose, the same shoulders, but it's more than that. I don't think I took this photo, but I was in there somewhere. And I can still conjure the heavy heat of the sunshine and the powdery sand between my toes. I'm there now, and later too. And it's here with me.

Don't Buy Me These Things for Christmas...

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:50:00 +0000

...but I do love them.

Herewith a random list of things I've spotted during the holiday season that I might, in another life, want for myself. BUT DON'T BUY THEM FOR ME. I mean it. Many of them are way too expensive. Others I just don't have room or time for.

But they are pretty cool....

For example. The only way you should ever have an animal head on your wall:

Savannah Story Bust from anthropologie. Also available in rhino, gazelle, giraffe, and elephant.

My cat doesn't particularly like to be up high. She's weird like that, but if she did, I'd get her:

The Cat Clouds Cat Shelf from therefinedfeline.com.

Not to mention the world's most attractive cat tree:

The Lotus Cat Tower. From the same store.

Again, I don't have room for this, but if I did I'd be sorely tempted. It's a gorgeous poster of a painting of one of the all time great race horses, whom you all probably know I've seen race in person:

Available in Zenyatta's own online shop. Those Zenyatta Way Street Signs are also tempting. But I have enough Zenyatta stuff up already.

My next selection is so ridiculous that it's almost awesome. A slanket covered with... skulls!

It's a reversed blanket that will keep you cozy while you sit like a lump, but hey, it's got skulls on it, so it's BAD ASS, right? Wear this and you are one BAD ASS couch potato, bay-bee! Available at Thinkgeek.com here.

I will never be able to justify buying this, given the expense. But oooh, yum:

Laphroaig's 21-year-old single malt scotch. Finally, a whisky old enough to drink.

You should never buy a pet as a surprise gift for anyone. And you should always adopt your pet from a shelter or rescue organization. That said, since this is a fantasy post about gifts NOT to get me...

I ran into a gorgeous, sweetheart of a Newfoundland at the pet store the other day, and she won my heart. I've always loved bigger dogs, and this one was all huge webbed paws and "rub my belly please." Newfies are smart, family friendly, and protective without being scary. I'd never get a pet from a breeder since there are so many rescues out there. But I do love me a big sweet dog. German Shephards and other shephard breeds are also very high on my favorite list. But I haven't met a dog I didn't like.

Not sure how often I'd wear this, but it sure is lovely.

The Egyptian Lotus Necklace from the Met Museum Store. They have plenty of less expensive and still quite lovely things there, if you know someone who's a history/archaeology buff like me.

I'm not the type to ever own a bar or restaurant. But over the weekend I attended an event here:

The Wellsbourne on Pico in West Los Angeles. All old dark wood, shelves with books, shiny bar, and big comfy booths. I had a Pimm's Cup there (the cocktails are all old fashioned) which was delicious, and the tab came to me inside a hollowed out book. So if I ever were to own a bar, it'd be a place like this.

An Easy Way to Help Save the Tiger

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:17:00 +0000

The main character in my book, Otherkin, is a teen girl who discovers she can shapeshift... into a tiger.

Why?

'Cause tigers are so damned cool.

(Plus it helped me address themes of environmentalism, body image... oh who cares? The main thing is that tigers are the awesomest animal ever!)

But in the wild, tigers are critically endangered, along with many other big cats. Which is why you see a link to a conservation organization called Panthera on this blog. They are doing a lot to help save big cats in the wild.

And now there's a petition from UK organization Tiger Time, asking the Chinese government to stop legal tiger farming in that country. It's a critical step in helping wild tigers for many reasons - like the farms are used as a smokescreen for selling wild tiger skins and parts.

You can find out more and sign the petition in a super fast, easy interface here.

It could really make a difference.

Thankfulness

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:07:00 +0000

This day before Thanksgiving I find myself very thankful for:

Fingers to type Book 2 (and another secret project) with
A steady job to pay the bills and stimulate my mind
My agent
My editor
That my book will go on sale next year (!)
Parents who love to read, and love me too
Friends who make me laugh and grow
Fellow writers who give me great notes and ideas and support
Bags of trail mix to keep me going between meals
Roasted brussell sprouts (yes, really)
The color forest green
A world that still has wild tigers in it
Writers like EB White, Charles Dickens, CS Lewis, and Jane Austen to inspire

Words, words, words

The Cutest Darned Birds of Prey aka...

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:08:00 +0000

Owlses!

My book Otherkin features a bird of prey, but it never occurred to me to have someone stroke his head and send him into a state of utter bliss. Hmm. I am writing book 2 right now...

The Week in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:56:00 +0000

This week was a roller coaster.

1. My kitchen got rained on by busted pipes from my upstairs neighbor, who was out of town. My slumlord landlady could not be reached (the number she gave was a fax machine) and every building manager and repairman I'd ever been in touch with over the years had quit working for her. It took me three days of dogged detective work, pleading, and threatening to get her to agree to fix the pipes, get a repairman, and arrange for the upstairs neighbor (a great guy) to get his keys to the repairman.

It took the repairman (Gregory, also a nice guy) ten minutes to fix the problem.

Now I'm just grateful that my kitchen is dry. Simple pleasures.

2. I didn't sleep for two nights straight because of the very loud leaking pipes, my hatred for having something go wrong in my nest (er, apartment), and my lack of control over getting anything fixed because all power lay in the hands of my evil landlady. Other things I can't discuss were going on too. So I walked around like Queen Zombie until the leak was fixed and sleep konked me on the head.

3. I didn't get nearly enough writing done (see above), but I did come up with some great stuff in my head that I can't wait to get down on paper. Hello, weekend!

4. The cd player in my car broke, and I haven't had time to get a new one. So I've been listening to these things once known as "cassette tapes." Via these old compilations I rediscovered my love for "old" songs like 1979 by the Smashing Pumpkins, Big Bang Baby by Stone Temple Pilots, and She Will Have Her Way by Neil Finn.

But I'm itching to play some stuff I just downloaded (The Decemberists latest, for starters) and can't listen in the car! So a new stereo beckons. This one will have the capability to play mp3 files too. Though I still prefer the less compressed full sound you get from cds.

5. My friends kept me sane this week. Keep your friends close.

6. I've seen the cover for my novel. Can't share yet. But let's just say... tiger.

There is no cooler word.

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:47:00 +0000

"He's the kind of man a woman would have to marry to get rid of." - Mae West in She Done Him Wrong.

Be Like the Bird

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:44:00 +0000

"Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings." -- Victor Hugo

Save the Snow Leopard!

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:15:00 +0000

If you go to SnowLeopard.Org and vote, you could help save not only snow leopards, but help people in nearby communities, and the ecosystems that support this top predator.

Check out the video below if you're wondering how that works, plus revel in some amazing footage of these elusive, magnficent creatures:

Joss is boss

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:29:00 +0000

Duh.

Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:59:00 +0000

Last night, the Saturday before Halloween, I went to a concert at the El Rey Theater here in LA to see Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley perform.

The crowd alone would have made it worth the $25. I saw everything from a Victorian chorus girl to a lady sperm, with an emphasis on lots of black, fedoras, and tulle skirts, on both sexes.

Then Jason Webley came out and made playing an accordian sexy. Later, to the strains of Thriller he climbed into and out of a giant red balloon.

I'm getting too old to stand in a dark room with strangers for over three hours, but then Amanda came on and showed us what passion is with gut wrenching renditions of songs like Astronaut and Ampersand. And I was very glad to be there.

Particularly moving to me was a new song she said was about one of her major influences, writer Judy Blume. When she puts it on the web I'll post a link because it really shows why writing for kids is so important. It reminded me of how I felt when I first read Deanie, and why I write what I write.

Top Five Hawaiian Recordings

noreply@blogger.com (Nina Berry) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:46:00 +0000

You'd never know it by looking at me, but I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was truly a wonderful place to grow up, and part of the fun there was Hawaii's unique melting pot culture.

So, to introduce you to some of the Hawaii I grew up in, below are my top five Hawaiian recordings . I say "recordings" instead of songs, because one is a comedy routine by the brilliant Rap Reiplinger. I'm curious as to whether the local humor translates to those who don't know the islands very well. But let me tell you, when we were kids, he was our comedy idol, and to kama'ainas (locals) he's both legendary and hilarious.

1. "Ulili E" - Gabby Pahinui
There's no video of the late great Gabby Pahinui currently available doing this classic Hawaiian song. But just listen to what the man can do with a ukelele. It's in Hawaiian, but all you need to know is that it's about a bird, named in the title. Gabby's fingers on the strings and his voice do all the translating you need.

2. "Ku'u Home O Kahalu'u - Olomana
This is probably my favorite local song of all time. When I listen to it, I see the windward side of Oahu (where the town of Kahalu'u is), and I remember all the times I spent with my friends on the beach in Kailua, hiking Mount Olomana, driving the Old Dump Road at high speeds way past somebody's curfew, grabbing a shave ice, or bodysurfing at my favorite place on Earth - Bellows Beach. But this song perfectly captures the bittersweetness of memory, even if you've never been to Hawaii.

3. "Honolulu City Lights" - Keolo & Kapono Beamer

A prom theme many years running, a song we sung in choir, sappy and strong and sweet. I love Honolulu.

4. "Far Too Wide For Me" - The Peter Moon Band
I would listen to this when I was horribly homesick for the islands, far across one sea or another. The "Cane Fire" album by The Peter Moon Band is one of my all time favorites.

5. "Room Service" - Rap Reiplinger

Just a classic. If you understand this, you understand the islands.