This Is My Secret

My assignment was to memorize the names of the stars."

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:03 PST

"Which stars?"

"All of them."

"You mean all the stars, in all the galaxies?"

"Yes. If he calls for one of them, someone has to know which one he means. Anyhow, they like it; there aren't many who know them all by name, and if your name isn't known, then it's a very lonely feeling."

-A conversation between Meg and Proginoskes in A Wind in the Door, by Madeleine L'Engle

I wonder if my characters feel lonely until I've named them? How patient the characters must be whose names I keep changing! Sometimes I forget how much they depend on me, for everything.

Proginoskes and Meg are both Namers. Here's something else Proginoskes says: "When I was memorizing the names of the stars, part of the purpose was to help them each to be more particularly the particular star each one was supposed to be. That's basically a Namer's job."

Here's a FAQ about Fire. (In case you're completely spoiler-phobic: since I'm talking about the reasons for characters' names, I do refer to the general natures of some of my characters. Proceed at your own peril!)

How did you come up with the names in Fire?
Hm. Well, ever since rereading Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, I've wanted to name a tall, handsome man Archer. I think Archer may have grown from his name, actually; his name (which is a nickname) is how I realized he was so good at archery. My sister, secret codename: Cordelia, has always despised the name Nash for various reasons, but I've always kind of liked it, so I decided to reclaim it and prove to her that it was worthwhile. Nax seemed like the perfect variation for Nash's no good father. Cansrel... a dear aunt was dying of cancer around the time I started writing Fire. The similarity between the two words is not a coincidence.

Musa was a dancer on So You Think You Can Dance whose name I liked. Mila was my dear friends' dog. Larch converted well to the thing I needed it to convert to ;). Brocker, Roen, Tess, Gentian, Neel -- they just felt right. Mydogg and Murgda... well, don't they just sound unpleasant? The horses... again, the names just felt right.

Clara, Garan, Hanna, and Brigan. I loved the way these names sounded when extended to their full royal titles: Claradell, Garandell, Hannadell, Brigandell. I particularly liked the way Claradell sounded like Clarabelle, but wasn't, and the way Hannadell sounded like Annabel, but wasn't. And Brigan's name was always Brigan (just like Archer's was always Archer's), because it sounds like brigand, and that's how I thought of him in his early appearances in the book.

I don't remember thinking up Fire's name. I think I must have always known it.

Here's a question for YOU: Do you like your own name? What would you name yourself if you could choose?

(To hear me and other authors talking about our own names, go here. ^_^)

(Oh! And to see me, Suzanne Collins, Justine Larbalestier, Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, and Michael Grant, go to Books of Wonder tomorrow, November 10, from 6-8pm, at 18 West 18th Street in Manhattan!)

Reminder: I love Finland. (And SYTYCD, too!)

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:00:05 PST

It's been a while since I've shown you a brand new cover for Graceling. Behold!

This is the Finnish cover. What do you think? I love it to pieces, and nothing you say will stop me from loving it to pieces, so do your worst. In particular, I love finally seeing a short-haired Katsa, and -- the mountains and castles in the background -- *flops* -- ! Maria Lyytinen, who is the translator, tells me that the back cover shows a scene of mountains at sunset/sunrise. She also explained that the word "Syntymälahja" encapsulates the idea of a gift received at birth.

Reminder: I love Finland. Dear sister, secret codename: Apocalyptica the Flimflammer: I cannot wait to give you a copy of Syntymälahja!

In other news... who saw this week's So You Think You Can Dance? How about that Bollywood number? I almost cried at the end when Mollee gives Nathan back his sword. My favorite was the Stacey Tookey "fear" dance with Kathryn and Legacy. I also enjoyed the Wade Robson Van Gogh thing. (And didn't really understand why the judges thought it was controversial. Can anyone enlighten me? Did they mean it was tacky because of Van Gogh's history of mental illness?) Cat's "I'm crying but I'm going to smile anyway" expression is so endearing. The choreographed kisses between Jakob and Ashleigh were, IMO, Fox's deliberate and stoopid attempt to create drama, since Ashleigh is married to Ryan, another contestant. Fox, stop being stoopid! Finally, could you BELIEVE it when Ellenore danced practically that entire Argentine tango with her heel stuck in the hem of her dress? Wowza. She deserved that standing O from the judges!

One more thing: thank you, choreographers, for fewer "woman=victim/loser/nutcase" dances so far this season. (It doesn't usually bother me when I look at particular cases. Dancing mirrors life; bad crap happens in life; and a beautiful dance is a beautiful dance. The creepy addict dance last season, for example, was powerful and gorgeous. But... I've said before that when I look at SYTYCD as a whole, I feel like it's uneven sometimes. And when every dance is danced by one man and one woman, and when most of the dances are about the way the man and the woman relate, there have to be just as many representations of other situations, too, including the opposing situation [in which the man plays the part of the victim/loser/nutcase], or the show starts to put out an icky message. Ya know? Hey everyone, man=strong and woman=weak. Which is a message that does NOT mirror real life -- it distorts it. Anyway. *steps off soapbox* The dances this week made me happy. ^_^)

For a taste of Stacey Tookey's choreography, check out the video she posted on her facebook of Karla and Jonathan's beautiful dance last season. (The dance starts at 2:15.)

Tu Publishing; Stuff and Things; and, Our Books Are Watching Us Jealously

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:00:06 PST

Via Deborah: Stacy Whitman, freelance editor and Simmons Center for the Study of Children's Literature grad, is trying to start a new publishing company. Tu Publishing will be "a small, independent multicultural SFF press for children and YA." A small press devoted to multicultural fantasy/SF -- good idea! But -- it will only get off the ground if it gets enough funding. Care to help? There are benefits to pledging, and you'll only pay your pledge amount if the project actually launches. Go here for more info. You can give as little as $5, and you can do it using your Amazon account, if you have one. If Tu Publishing can raise $10,000 by December 14th, they'll start accepting manuscripts in January.

******
I know that some of you will have fun trying to recognizing books without their dust jackets on the blog of Sarah Miller, author of the marvelous Miss Spitfire. (Who knew so many books had such cool undercover decorations?)

******
To those who've been wondering: the Kindle edition of Fire is now available.

******
Over the weekend, I found myself having a small freakout about my To Be Read pile. (Well, it used to be a pile; recently it's evolved into a series of shelves.) At first I thought it must be because the pile was full of books that I didn't actually want to read, pressuring me. "Read me, read me, even though I suck!" But then I went through all the books and realized that that wasn't it; they're all books I'm excited about; the problem is, very simply, volume. I counted them: 96. Now, everyone has different TBR methods, so I'm sure that's a perfectly normal number of unread books for some people to have sitting on their shelves, watching jealously with beady book-eyes as their humans wander around doing non-reading things like watch TV or water the plants... but for me, that's a LOT of unread books. These days, if I read one book a week, I'm doing fabulously well, and -- 96 books! HELP! That's enough books to last me until I'm 35!

*.....*

Hang on.

Guys? Suddenly I find myself seeing this from a different angle.

I have enough books to last me until I'm 35!

*is happy*

:o)

******
To those embarking on National Novel Writing Month: Godspeed. Breathe. And DON'T FREAK OUT!

Spike versus Beethoven: a Poll

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:17:55 PDT

This is a long post. Don't feel pressure to read everything. But at the very least, I encourage you to listen, watch, and vote!

My FAQ post the other day lent itself to some Buffy discussion in the comments -- Spike quote-sharing, favorite and least favorite characters, etc. -- if you've seen Buffy, feel free to contribute. And I've started Season 5 and couldn't be happier. I'm thinking way too much about it, really, and want to talk about this show more here someday. And maybe particularly about Spike, because while I continue to love his humor, his insight, his large yet despicable heart, his twisted approach to relationships, and his reliably terrible decisions... I KNOW there must be some Spike dissenters out there who'd like to express themselves. HOWEVER. Now isn't the time to get into it, because I'm only on Season 5, so I don't have all the data yet. So. Maybe we could talk about Buffy more sometime in the future? :)

(NOTE: please feel free to comment now as much as you like! I know the plot of Buffy in general and Spike in particular all the way through Season 7, and I don't mind Buffy spoilers. [It's the only thing I don't mind spoilers for, actually!] All I mean to say here is that I don't feel qualified to contribute to the discussion myself yet. Knowing what happens is different from watching how it plays out. For example, I know the facts of what happens with Buffy and Spike in Season 6, and let me tell you, I'm prepared for the possibility that it's going to be fabulous OR the most horrible, creepy thing ever. -- Feel free to tell me what you thought.)

Now, stand back, because I'm about to geek out about Beethoven. (Again.)

Behind this link is one of the most beautiful movements of a piano sonata ever written, IMO: the second movement of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 23, Opus 57 (the "Appassionata"). (If you want to hear the whole sonata, just click on the first movement and it will carry you all the way through.) What I love about the second movement is its simplicity. It presents a single melody, plays it through once, and then repeats it, faithfully, four more times, but in four beautiful variations. Listen for yourself. The melody is played through the first time in the first 1:40. You'll notice that it itself contains repetition: a simple melody; repeat; a second simple melody; repeat. Then, at 1:41, we start the whole thing over, with minor variations, and play it all the way through. The version that makes me want to die of happiness is the third go-through, which starts at 3:05. The fourth go-through starts at 4:18, and the final, which very much recalls the original, starts at 5:28.

Much of music is about repetition and variations on a theme... but, well, I guess I love how simply it's all played out in this lovely little movement. Plus, for me, with Beethoven, it isn't just the way he repeats and plays with his melodies and themes. I love the way he repeats notes within his melodies and themes. Have you ever hummed or whistled a melody and suddenly realized you've been humming/whistling the same note over and over again? This happens a lot with Beethoven; it's a thing you might notice now and then in the Appassionata. He is so good at repeating the same note over and over again and making it beautiful!

Oh my goodness. I just went off to find a youtube of the second movement of his Seventh Symphony, intending to try to explain what I mean in words -- so guess how excited I am that I found THIS?

Press play and watch along; it shows just what I mean about Beethoven repeating the same note over and over, while using other instruments to weave all around the repeating notes. It's characteristic of much of the movement, but the most glaring example is probably from 6:00 to 6:22 -- note the places where a single color remains stuck in a horizontal pattern, a straight or dotted line. Gorgeousness and gorgeosity made flesh! The Fifth Symphony has some other good examples. Especially go to 3:28 or 3:55 or 6:51 here.

Okay. Some of you have been very patient today, humoring me and the Beethoven squee. Others have decided to drop me from your blog readers. Regardless, it's now time for a highly scientific poll. In the interest of fairness, since I've stuck so much Beethoven in your faces, I need to stick some Spike in your faces before asking you to vote, especially for those of you who've never met him. Context: Buffy has just found Spike lurking behind a tree outside her house, and has punched him in the face.

And if you care to see the next part of the conversation:

And now, please vote! (If you can't see the poll, click here!)

Have a nice weekend, everyone :o). Coming next week: short posts!

Thing 1 and Thing 2; or, Photos from the Tour

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:38:34 PST

At Sirens, in Vail, Colorado, I learned how to wear chain mail and intimidate people. AARRRR! I WILL CRUSH YOU!!!

Thanks to Artemis for the photo :o)

Moving on, at stop three in the tour -- Seattle -- my dear friend, secret codename: T. Lovely R., took me to meet the Troll Who Lives Under the Bridge.

A tip to anyone going on tour: It will boost your morale if around stop nine you can arrange to wake up to the following:

And then it helps to bring thousands of family members to your bookstore events. Here are secret codename: Cordelia, secret codename: Apocalyptica, me, our mother, our father, and Cordelia's daughters, secret codenames: Phoenix and Isis! Joe, sorry you couldn't be there, but hope you enjoyed the brief man-cation. This photo was taken at The Bookmark in Atlantic Beach, Florida -- thanks, Rona!

Here's one more photo. Just in case I haven't gotten my point across.

I'm trying to exercise restraint on the blog when it comes to photos of the twins. Really. Have you looked at this post recently?

:o)

So. Just a few images from my trip. It's lovely to be home.

What are you reading these days? I've embarked on a spate of rereading, starting with A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet. I might move on to The Princess Bride next, and Beauty by Robin McKinley. I've got my eye on Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (the Tiina Nunnally translation), but at 1400 pages, that's going to take some commitment. Anyone out there doing any good rereading?

Fill in the Blank, and a Promise

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:06:14 PDT

I don't _______________ enough anymore.

Fill in the blank. And here's a suggestion: whatever the thing is -- if it's possible -- make a plan to do it sometime soon.

My answer: I don't bake bread enough anymore, which makes me sad, because I love to bake bread from scratch, do all that kneading, and have the house smelling yummy all day. But I promise to try to make time for it sometime in the next few weeks.

You?

(A friendly reminder that I don't see comments on LiveJournal, Amazon, etc.... I only see comments made on my Blog Actual.)

Some FAQs for a Chilly Monday

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:21:47 PDT

Hi everyone! As I write this, it's Sunday night, it's snowing (yAt!), I'm curled up drinking hot cider, and I'm writing a dramatic scene in which two people are screaming at each other. (double yAt!)

Some answers to some questions.

1. I missed your signings. How can I get signed copies of your books?
Good timing -- I've just set up an arrangement with my local indie. To purchase signed/personalized books, please place an online order at Harvard Bookstore. Before you finish your order, a Comments box will appear. Please specify in the Comments box that you'd like the book signed, and to whom you'd like it personalized, if anyone. Kindly use the online ordering system rather than trying to order over the phone -- this will eliminate confusion at the store! All orders are pre-paid and non-returnable. These instructions are also available on my Contacts, Info, and Credits page.

(Note: Please DO NOT try to mail me books or bookplates to sign! I regret that I am unable to accommodate such requests, and I would hate for your books to get lost in the process!)

2. Will there be a Fire ebook?
The UK ebook is available at Waterstones. I suspect there'll be an American ebook too, and will update my Contacts, Info, and Credits page if I hear anything.

ETA 10/21/09: My publisher assures me that the Fire ebook is in production and will be distributed to ebook retailers shortly.

3. What is your favorite Fire-themed widget?
Okay, no one has actually asked me this. But I just wanted to show you this cute movie widget Penguin has created. In anticipation of the question, no, I do not have a movie deal for Fire -- this is just for fun. So, have fun with it! (And vote for Gael García Bernal! ^_^) Here it is:

4. How old are you?
33.

5. Are you afraid of heights?
Actually, I LOVE heights. If the sun comes out sometime this week, I'm climbing a nearby tower to check out the fall foliage from way up high. But it's funny you ask, because you know who is afraid of heights? Bitterblue.

6. What's the best book you've recently read?
Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli.

7. Who's your favorite character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Well, I'm just now wrapping up Season 4, and I love Willow in Season 4. However. Is it possible to love ANYONE more than I love Spike?

Have any answers of your own? Feel free to leave them in the comments!

In Which the Writer Returns Home

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 10:06:01 PDT

Yesterday morning I set out for the Mall in Washington DC, planning to walk the whole thing, end up at the Library of Congress or the Folger Shakespeare Library, and sit there soaking up the booky goodness. But then, just past the White House, I got distracted by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, which was intriguing not only because workpeople were laying a new coppery roof but because they had an exhibit running called "Sargent and the Sea." I happen to love John Singer Sargent. So I went inside and ended up spending the day looking at paintings and writing in the cafe.

Here's the thing about John Singer Sargent: He did extensive sketches, even full oil paintings at times, in preparation for his larger works. So, you'll see a whole wall full of small paintings of individuals, and then you look at the next wall, and there's a large painting containing all the individuals together in a scene. When I first realized this, I thought to myself, gah, how boring and tedious for him -- he must have been the most patient man alive. But then I remembered that in my own writing, I'll write and rewrite the same scene over and over and over again, trying to get it to the right place, and no, it's not always fun, and yes, sometimes it's aggravating, but it's rarely boring. It's something I want to do, and need to do, and boring doesn't enter into it. Most of the time I'm writing something that is a path to the final product, rather than the final product itself.

Seeing his process was inspiring. May the gods grant me the patience, the uninterrupted time, and the focus I need to get to the place I'm trying to get to with Bitterblue. If you're working on something hard, may the gods grant you all those things, too.

Guess whose bed I'm sleeping in tonight? Before you get any funny ideas, it's my own ^_^. I'm home! And I know I announced recently that all news was going behind my News link, but I hope you'll excuse me for saying that Fire has hit the New York Times bestseller list for the week ending October 10. Graceling has also popped back on the lists. I wish I could thank everyone individually who helped make this happen. THANK YOU. You make me happy and proud!

(Finally, if you're interested in interviews, check out the five questions Roger Sutton asked me in this month's Notes from the Horn Book.)

Not Dead Yet

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:00:04 PDT

So, am I insane if after traveling from Vail to Denver to Seattle to Palo Alto to San Jose to Austin to Houston to Miami to Jacksonville all in one week and doing lots of events and not getting enough sleep, I'm ecstatic that today I'll be spending the day in a very small house with my sisters (secret codenames: Cordelia and Apocalyptica), my brother-in-law (scn: Joe), my newborn twin nieces (scn: Phoenix and Isis), my mother, my father, two cats, and one flying squirrel?

In other words, it is Monday; I am in Jacksonville; my parents are here from New Jersey; Apocalyptica is bringing her flying squirrel all the way from Massachusetts; and I remember my pride. And tonight everyone will (tentatively) be at my event! BEST DAY OF THE TOUR.

:o)

In other news: I love the way Jay Smooth thinks, and I love the way he talks. This time, his subject is Roman Polanski.

Singing My Way Across the Country

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:00:03 PDT

Here are some song lyrics a friend emailed me on the day my tour began:

I never wanted to be a star, I never wanted to travel far
I only wanted a little bit of love
So I could put a little love in my heart
I never wanted to be la-de-da, go to parties avec le bourgeois
I only wanted to sing my song well,
So I could ring a small bell in your heart.

- from "I Never Wanted" by Cat Stevens

I've been carrying that around in the copy of Fire I read from. I like being reminded of the little love and the small bells. :o)

All's going well! And I'm even getting to do some sightseeing. Monday I was in Denver; Tuesday, Seattle; Wednesday, Palo Alto; and today I fly to Austin. I have no idea what's going on in the news (Cordelia had to explain the David Letterman thing to me via text message) and my email is out of hand... but things are going well.

If you're going to be in the Houston, Miami, Jacksonville, or DC areas in the next few days, please check my Appearance Schedule, because I'm doing bookstore events in those places. (Jacksonville! That means I get to see the twins!)

Happy Thursday, all.

Happy Birthday to Fire

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PDT

Fire, welcome to the big wide world!

Sirens was a wonderful time with wonderful people. I took a self-defense class that perhaps got overly enthusiastic (it's fun to defend yourself from someone trying to choke you), tried on mail (I may have pictures to share of this at some point), and hung out with great folk. *waves to the folk*

I understand that Sirens will happen again next fall, and I highly recommend it -- and any conferences produced by Narrate Conferences! Those ladies are AWESOME.

The tour for Fire's release starts today. My stomach is in knots, but hopefully I'll ease into it. Because my brain is jangly nervous jelly, I'm going to post something funny rather than trying to say anything intelligent. (Thanks, Jess, for the link ^_^)

Roman Polanski and WTF

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:33:44 PDT

If my subject heading doesn't make it clear, this post and its link are potentially triggery.

So, I'm in Vail, and the Sirens conference is about to start, and I know I'm supposed to be writing a post about how beautiful it is here, but there's only one thing I find myself able to blog about today, because of how deeply it pisses me off. It pisses me off so deeply that... *speechlessness* ...I can barely type.

Since the news broke on Sunday of Roman Polanski's arrest for a rape he committed 32 years ago, I have grown more and more stupefied by the public's response. Yes, I agree it was a while ago. Yes, I agree it's strange that they apprehended him now, after all this time. But it's not strange because they shouldn't have apprehended him. It's strange because they should have apprehended him a long time ago.

The man made some fantastic movies and clearly he's loved by many people. Newsflash: lots of people who do criminal, awful things also happen to be talented, charming, likable, lovable. In what galaxy does anything about Roman Polanski's personal qualities remove his liability for raping someone? In what galaxy does the passage of time change what happened? The reason so much time has passed is because 32 years ago, after he pleaded guilty to rape, HE RAN AWAY, and no one followed. And to those who insist that he's served his time because he's suffered... the mind boggles. First, find me someone who hasn't suffered, and after that, I invite you to notice that he hasn't served any time. That's the whole point.

Thank you to Kate Harding for this reminder that Roman Polanski raped a girl. She was 13 years old, below the age of consent, and by the way, SHE DIDN'T CONSENT. She repeatedly asked him to stop. He didn't stop. And nothing changes that.
******

ETA 10/2 11:32am: I have been informed that Roman Polanski did serve some small time before he fled. I apologize for the misinformation. My point still holds. He did not serve hard time, and at the heart of my anger is how lightly everyone seems to be treating rape.

Authors, Appearances, Anxiety, and Dropping One's Pants

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:00:02 PDT

I'm annoyed that my voice recognition software recognizes Ludwig Wittgenstein on the first try but doesn't recognize Miss Marple. Humph. (To be fair, it doesn't recognize Lord Peter Wimsey, either. But nor does it recognize Luce Irigaray. But it recognizes Jo March. But not Gilbert Blythe. AARGHHH!)

(Incidentally, my favorite VRS kerfuffle recently was when I dictated, "He dropped his pen suddenly and stood with eyes closed, massaging his hand," and my computer wrote, "He dropped his pants suddenly and stood with eyes closed, massaging his hand.")

So, I leave for Vail on Wednesday, followed by many cities in a short amount of time, and since I've never done a tour before, I'm not sure how much blogging time I'll have. Don't be surprised if you don't hear from me regularly for the next few weeks. (The tour ends October 15.)

There's an FAQ about being an introvert and dealing with appearance anxiety that I've been wanting to answer for some time. The thing is, I understand the question completely. I'm a tried and true scaredy-cat. But... I don't think I have anything profound to say. I have adjusted -- like crazy -- to a new way of living. This time last year I could not have done this conference followed by this tour. I simply couldn't have done it; I was too overwhelmed and frightened. Now, here I am, I leave in two days, and sure, I'm stressed out (I have a lot of laundry to do and I can't decide how many pairs of shoes to bring and I can't decide if one of my orchids needs a south-facing window while I'm gone and I think one of my speeches might be dumb), but I feel okay. I mean, what can I do? I'm prepared; I'll do my best; it'll be fine.

I think my answer to the "how does one deal with appearance anxiety" question is this: (1) When appropriate, prepare, prepare, PREPARE. (2) Do things, even though they're terrifying, and over time, you'll probably find that they get a lot less terrifying. And in the process, you'll learn which things you like to do and which things you don't; you'll learn how to say, No, I don't want to do that particular thing; and you'll decide what kind of author you want to be. You'll get to know yourself as an author, and even better, you'll come to trust yourself... and (*cue violin*) you'll learn that it's okay to just be yourself. :o) Roll your eyes, but it's true. And really, truly, it'll be okay. You can do this.

Here is a wise thing my editor said to me once: "Don't let fear make your decisions."

Here is a wise thing a dear friend wrote to me once: "Throw pleasing everyone out the window. Throw pleasing anyone out the window. Just do things for yourself. Just be you. There is no way on earth that just being you is not enough -- just being you is galaxies more than enough."

And here are a few lines I love from the movie Three Kings:

Archie: You're scared, right?
Conrad: Maybe.
Archie: The way it works is, you do the thing you're scared shitless of, and you get the courage after you do it, not before you do it.
Conrad: That's a dumbass way to work. It should be the other way around.
Archie: I know. That's the way it works.

:o)

Be well, everyone. Have a good few weeks -- I'll write when I can. And we'll see just how adjusted and courageous I'm feeling on Friday at noon, when I'm about to give a keynote speech ^_^. Wish me luck!

Rethinking the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:00:01 PDT

So, the blog posts I like to write are the ones that don't have anything to do with news. They're the posts about random thoughts, the poetry or poll posts, the posts in which I answer FAQs or talk about writing and life. They are NOT the posts in which I say, guys, here's what's happening to my books in the world. And recently I've felt overwhelmed by news in my own posts.... and that's why I've decided to make a link on the left for news, and put all news there. If anything spectacular happens, of course I'll mention it in a blog post (I'll let you know if I win the Nobel Prize in physics, make the Olympic figure skating team, or sprout an extra head, all of which are equally likely), but from now on, any news will be recorded behind my News link, and not here. Make sense? We'll see how it works.

This leaves me free to talk about the three most recent books I've read and loved!

So, I'm really terrible at writing book reviews, and I also happen to find it torturous, so instead I'm just going to blather.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (YA fantasy)
Crown Duel takes place in a medieval fantasy world of relative gender equality! *flops* It's a damn good read and it did the thing I love fantasy novels to do most, which is to help me rethink, and get re-excited about, the book I'm writing. My copy of Crown Duel is now packed with post-it flags and notes to myself about things to think about regarding Bitterblue -- things like how castles and governments work, how to convey emotion, and how to write a beautiful sentence.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (YA realism)
At the beginning of this book, I wanted one thing for Marcelo, but by the end, what I wanted for him had changed completely -- because Marcelo grew SO MUCH. What a beautiful coming of age story this is, and how I came to love Marcelo. I also felt like he was teaching me how to process my own stuff in my own life; this book was therapeutic for me ^_^. And beautifully written, and gentle, and the title and the cover are also perfect. One of my favorite 2009 books so far, if not my favorite.

Black Stars in a White Night Sky by JonArno Lawson (poetry)
Some of these poems are silly, some are just plain beautiful, and all of them play games with language. Why don't I just share a couple to give you an idea?

Bigger and Better

I'm going to do something bigger and better,
bigger and better
and bolder, but first,
I'm going to do something
smaller and worse.

Are You Worried?

Are you worried you're not
like everyone else?
Your worries will only worsen
when you find
that the path to conformity
is different for each person.

What are you reading these days?

In Which Schmetterling Is My New Favorite Word

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:00:01 PDT

The discussion of favorite and least favorite words has been delightful. I've learned that Schmetterling is the German word for butterfly -- isn't it beautiful?

So, do you ever feel like you need a good cry -- not necessarily because anything terrible has happened, but just because you need to clear out your system and process things? What do you do in times like that? I do things like listen to sad music (like Barber's Adagio for Strings -- here's a gorgeous choral version), or meditate, or watch the My So-Called Life episode where Sharon's dad is in the hospital (that one gets me weeping every time!). My sister, secret codename: Cordelia, used to be very accommodating when I needed a cry and couldn't seem to get started -- she would offer to give me a good kick or something. (Cordelia is a therapist. Real good with that emotions stuff. ^_^.)

I've been a little overwhelmed lately, and I haven't had time to arrange for a good cry. But in the meantime, here's one thing I've been able to process: one of my orchids is white, but the backs of the petals have some pink in them, so when sunlight shines through the petals, the petals glow pink. Oh my goodness, I love it. Here's something else I can process: I will get to see the babies for a day on my tour!

What little things do you love?

Happy (late) Rosh Hashanah to any of my readers celebrating the New Year :o)

In Which the Author Is So Grateful She Falls Over. Also, Here's What to Do if You Have a Few Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:13:27 PDT

Today I'm starting with a thank you to my readers. THANK YOU for making Graceling a bestseller in Germany, and THANK YOU for putting the American paperback of Graceling on next week's (Sep 27) New York Times bestseller list! I am overwhelmed. I am staring blankly like a slow loris. And giggling.

*flops*

So, how much time do you have?

If you have 12 minutes today, listen to the story "In Search Of," which was chosen as the very first podcast for the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and which was written by my buddy Will Ludwigsen. It's read by actor and playwright Daniel John Kelley, and it's super.

If you have an hour today, listen to last week's This American Life, on the subject of frenemies. Here's the description from the website: "This week we bring you stories about friends. Or wait, enemies? How about both? Tales of estranged sisters, BFFs breaking up and making up and breaking up, and how reality stars walk the fine line between making friends and making a name for themselves." I LOVED this episode. Why do we continue relationships with frenemies? David Rakoff's poem, just past the halfway point, pretty much summed it up for me.

If you have 20 seconds today, watch the beautiful and lovely Roger Federer make a SICK shot in the semi-finals of the US Open. If you have 2 minutes, watch it in replay a couple times. (h/t, colorwheel, for the link ^_^)

If you don't have time (or the connectivity) for any of that, check this out: the cover for Volume 2 of the Danish Graceling. Click to make it bigger; I used the Volume 1 cover above in case you want to compare. (I also posted about the Volume 1 cover back in April.) My lovely editor at Tellerup says that "Bedrageren" means "the imposter." Thanks to artist Bent Holm for another beautiful cover! What do you all think?

Thanks again, everyone. Happy Thursday :o)

Two Reminders and a Question

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:01:38 PDT

Hi everyone! I'm sneaking in a Wednesday post just to remind y'all about my live chat at readergirlz this evening at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific. The chat will take place here and last an hour; feel free to stop by!

Also, the blog tour has begun; the schedule is here if you're interested in following along.

And now, the question. First, some context: I'm preparing for the Sirens conference in Vail in October, and am thinking a lot about language and identity. Do you have a favorite word or words? If so, will you share it/them with me in the comments, and explain why you love that word or words? And if it's appropriate, may I incorporate your comment into the speech I'm writing? I will, of course, cite you. ^_^

ETA: What about least favorite words? Please feel free to share/explain them, too!

Please remember that I only see comments posted at my Blog Actual. (Although I'm not sure this even matters at the moment, because livejournal feed syndication seems to be broken, so no one on lj is getting my posts this week anyway! AAARGH!)

*ahem*

Thanks! Tomorrow I'll return to my normal M/Th blogging schedule.

A Poll About True Love. (And Slow Lorises ^_^)

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:24:26 PDT

Everyone, please feel free to vote in today's important poll of importance! (If you're reading this post somewhere other than my Blog Actual and cannot see the poll, please click here.)

With whom would you prefer to be stranded on a desert island?(trends)

Never seen a slow loris being tickled? Well, here you go:

Happy Monday, everyone.

Blog Tour News

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:24:11 PDT

Hi everyone!

So, next week I start a three-week blog tour. The theme of the tour is "Getting to Know the Characters of Fire," which means that at each stop on the tour, I'll introduce a character (or characters) from Fire. My character intros have been carefully screened by a team of experts (read: my patient and generous friends Deborah, Sam, and JD -- thanks, guys) to ensure that they're accurate (*ahem* for example, Sam pointed out that I was calling a character by the wrong name) AND not too spoilery. Each of my host bloggers will be giving away a signed finished copy. So -- if you're curious about Fire -- or interested in checking out a bunch of cool book blogs -- or if you'd like 15 chances to win a signed copy -- check it out. The schedule is below.

I'll close by sending a big thank you to my host bloggers. Thanks to each of you for letting me visit! I'd also like to thank Jillian Laks, the wizard at Penguin who organized the tour!

The schedule:

1. Monday, 9/14 - The Compulsive Reader

2. Tuesday, 9/15 - Pop Culture Junkie

3. Wednesday, 9/16 - Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

4. Thursday, 9/17 - The Page Flipper

5. Friday, 9/18 - Reading Keeps You Sane

6. Monday, 9/21 - Presenting Lenore

7. Tuesday, 9/22 - In Bed With Books

8. Wednesday, 9/23 - Melissa's Bookshelf

9. Thursday, 9/24 - Shaken & Stirred

10. Friday, 9/25 - The Frenetic Reader

11. Monday, 9/28 - SciFiGuy.ca

12. Tuesday, 9/29 - The Book Smugglers

13. Wednesday, 9/30 - Fantasy Book Critic

14. Thursday, 10/1 - Hope's Bookshelf

15. Friday, 10/2 - The Story Siren

I'll be blogging here, as usual, during the blog tour. I'm hoping to cover a few more FAQs... plus, I have a poll taking form in my mind. It's about desert islands and slow lorises. (And true love. ^_^)

Welcome, September

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:00:03 PDT

It's been a while since I've lived in a place where September marks a true change in season, so the weather in Massachusetts lately has been making me beside myself with happiness. In Florida, the weather didn't dip below the 80s (I mean, even at night) until maybe November. In my excitement, I've been dressing too warmly. Autumn, you are welcome!

Those of you who've been reading my blog for a while know I used to walk along the St. Johns River almost every day. Well, now I walk along the Charles River... no pelicans, but there are geese, and crew teams in long, graceful boats. It's lovely. And one of the windows in my new home faces the rising moon :o).

Anyway... September. So, Bitterblue is, by nature, a slow write.... and the last few months have been full of distractions (moving, beautiful babies, you name it).... and the next few months are going to be even more distracting (the tour, other work-related travel). But right now I have September. September is going to be a month free of travel and relatively free of distractions, and I am going to write a whole lot. TRY TO STOP ME AT YOUR OWN PERIL.

So far, it's going well. ^_^

A teeny bit of business:

I now have an Indonesian publisher, Gramedia, and a Swedish publisher, Semic. yAt! Thanks to my new publishers for taking on my books.

Have you checked out readergirlz this month? Among other things, you can listen to the playlist I assembled for Graceling, which, I admit, was not an easy thing to do. Graceling will be discussed at the readergirlz blog all month -- I'll be there commenting -- and feel free to join the live chat with me on September 16th, at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific... where I assume everyone will learn what a terrible typist I am?

Go vote for your favorite fantasies at 101 of the Best Fantasy Books. Graceling is on the ballot, as are hundreds of other books. Voting closes on September 14. Note that there's a box at the bottom for write-ins.

Happy September, everyone.

A Letter to My Readers

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:08:56 PDT

Dear Readers,

Last week, I flew to Florida to meet two new friends.

We had lots of fun! We did some eating....

We did some writing....

We hung out.

We also had dance parties.

Do you realize how many songs lyrics are secretly about babies? For example, "I want a girl with a short diaper and a LOOOOOOOOOONG blanket." Or, "If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean, and if I had a baby, I'd bring her on my boat."

Also, sometimes we howled.

And then, maybe later, we felt a little better.

Despite appearances...

...my new friends don't sleep that much. Frankly, the rest of us are a bit boggled by their stamina.

Seriously. Everyone is boggled.

Now I'm back in Massachusetts. It's quiet here, far away from my new friends.

Quiet and lonely.

*sniff*

How was your week?

Fondly,
Kristin

Some FAQs!

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:54:47 PDT

Before I get to the FAQs: Check out readergirlz tomorrow; Graceling is the featured book in September.

Okay, here goes.

1. Does Katsa loiter? Does she lurk in the corner of your mind and say things like, "That is so not how I would do it!" (for example)?
*smile* No, she really doesn't. None of my characters do. There is a very clear line between me/my life and my characters/their lives, and when I think about my characters, they're always in their own world, not mine. I wish this did happen now and then, though. There are plenty of times when my characters would make better decisions about how to handle certain situations than I would. I could really use some tips from them :o)

2. I'm writing a book. It's slow going at times to try to keep my focus. I feel like I can see ahead to more exciting parts of the story, while right now I'm trying to set up the setting, which can be tedious. Do you have any suggestions for this? Should I skip ahead and write the exciting parts, then go back and fill in the build-up?
This is a really good question, and it's something that happens constantly, over and over, in the course of writing a novel. There are so many parts of a novel that are the parts without a major tension or emotion or climax or revelation.

Some people skip ahead and that works for them. I can't tell you what to do. But I can tell you what I do. I do NOT skip ahead. (The only time I skip ahead while novel-writing -- and I never skip more than a few lines/paragraphs -- is when I absolutely cannot know what's supposed to happen now until I've written something that won't happen until later. I leave a gap with a small outline or notes, and make myself move on, even though I hate to leave blank places and it makes me worried and nervous.)

What I do try to do is figure out a way to write the establishing-the-setting type things, the establishing-who-the-characters-are things, in scenes that are emotionally interesting and do have some sort of small excitement. I don't mean that every single scene needs to have high drama; I only mean that... well, for example, right now in my writing, I'm building up to some fun, exciting stuff that will be happening soon. But the parts I'm writing right now are distinctly unexciting, and it's hard to make myself keep writing. I kind of need to show the passage of time and do some exposition that feels pretty boring to me. So, I'm trying to use these passage-of-time sections to build the relationships between characters I've neglected so far. For example, if there's some information I need to convey to the reader during this slightly unexciting section of the novel, I might try to find a way to reveal the information using an unexpected conversation between two characters who haven't interacted much before. Put them in an interesting place, maybe give them a few props to work with (something to do with their hands or look at with their eyes), and also give them a few things to talk about at once -- some important topics, some less important topics, and maybe even something frivolous or funny, all mixed in together. (Don't make your conversations too linear!) If you get your characters moving around their setting and talking, revealing the way they interact with each other, your setting/characters/exposition will come to life, and the conversation/action will engage the reader at the same time as you convey the possibly unexciting stuff you need to convey. And you might learn something from their conversation that you hadn't realized before.

Does that make sense? It's only one example of a way you can use laying-the-scene to also further-the-plot and increase-inter-character-tension. ^_^ If you feel like you're bungling, don't worry too much. I don't think it's possible to write a novel without feeling that way.

3. Do I need to read Graceling before reading Fire?
This is hard for me to answer objectively, because, of course, as the purist author, I would prefer everyone to read them in the order in which they were published, and I also think that reading Fire first gives away one big Graceling spoiler. BUT, I have heard from plenty of people who read Fire first and then Graceling and say that reading them in that order totally works. Both books stand alone -- technically, you don't need to read one in order to understand the other. So I think you're safe either way! (Blog readers who've read both -- if you have a [SPOILER-FREE] opinion about this, please feel free to leave it in the comments!)

ETA: There are some strong (spoiler-free) opinions about question #3 in the comments, so do check them out if you need advice!

*****
There are so many other questions I want to answer, including questions about dealing with anxiety about publicity/appearances/etc., and I hope to have time for more FAQs soon. Happy Monday, everyone!

Fill in the Blank

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:00:03 PDT

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is ______________.

My answer: go into the room where all the plants are and adjust the curtains so that they'll be happy with the light.

Your answer? (Don't forget, I only see comments made at my Blog Actual.)

On Monday, I hope to answer a few FAQs!

This Being Human Is a Guest House

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:00:02 PDT

Sarah Miller posted this poem on her lovely blog last January and it wowed me so much that I printed it out and stuck it on my wall. Sarah, thanks for introducing me to a poem that I love every single day.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door, laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

- Rumi

****
Feel free to leave a favorite poem in the comments. :)

They actually did! They had stars upon thars!

noreply@blogger.com (kristin cashore) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:00:02 PDT

Extra points if you recognize today's title.

WARNING: Today's post is all business, so if you don't want to read about release dates, my blog tour, my regular tour, reviews (with stars upon thars), interviews, how to read the first 3 chapters of Fire online, etc., etc., please just skip this BORING post and scroll down to read about cool stuff like babies and translations or to vote in my extremely relevant birthday poll.

Okay, here goes! Firstly, I am proud to report that Fire has received starred reviews from The Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, and a gold star from the Romantic Times. *blushes* I've finally gotten around to creating a page of Fire review excerpts; see the link on the left or just click here. (BTW. If you notice that it or any of my other Quick Links are dated 2/28/08... that's just the date I randomly give Quick Link posts, so that they don't pop up as new posts and clog people's readers. Make sense?)

Secondly: The US/Canada Graceling paperback is now in stock at Amazon and bn.com, and will, I assume, be in bookstores soon if it's not already. The mass market paperback in the UK/Australia/NZ will be released in September 2009. Fire will be released in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and NZ in fall 2009 (September for the UK edition, October 5 for the US edition). Everything I ever know about release dates is on my Contacts, Info, and Credits page, so please check there for updates.

Thirdly, I'll be doing a blog tour for a few weeks in late August/early September; this will involve Fire giveaways and other shenanigans; more info will be forthcoming.

Fourthly, I am doing a domestic tour for Fire in October and will be hitting a lot of different spots, but most of my appearances will be school visits, not open to the public. I'll let y'all know when the schedule is finalized, and I'll be sure to indicate which events are open to the public.

Fifthly, a recent interview with the Chicago Public Library has gone live; read it here. Thanks, Sarah, for asking some great questions!

Sixthly, you can read the prologue and first two chapters of Fire at Scribd.

Seventhly (I think I have begun to make adverbs up), there is still time to register for Sirens, a conference about women in fantasy, taking place in Vail, Colorado in October. Tamora Pierce, Sherwood Smith, and I are the guests of honor. More info here!

Eighthly, Graceling will be the featured read at readergirlz in September. I'll give a heads up when that happens.

Ninthly, once upon a time I was making a flow chart; now I'm only falling apart. (with thanks to colorwheel ^_^)

Tenthly.... that's it! I'm done! (And done in.)

Gah. Posts like this always feel very narcissistic to me. So why not close with a PHOTO OF ME? :D?

Really, it's a photo for the Gallery of My Favorite Objects. Orchids are among my favorite things in the whole wide world, and here are two. Incidentally, another of my favorite objects is (sort of) in this photo -- my fireproof, waterproof safe, which is on the floor at the bottom left. That's where I keep notebooks/manuscripts.

Thanks for your patience with this post, everyone.