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Hello! Here's the comic I made for the 24-Hour Comic Marathon at this weekend's Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal.
The challenge I set myself (besides making a whole book in 24 hours!) was to make a comic book that an adult could read aloud to a child. (Usually comics are rather difficult to read aloud.) So there are bits that might be slightly wordy, but I was doing that to try to make it read better. It was an experiment, so see if you think it works!
Ta-DAH! Thank you for reading! I'll blog more about the event and creating process soon, but big thanks to Scott McCloud, who set the original 24-Hour Comic challenge, and came all the way from the USA to give the festival a boost and pop his head into the room a couple times with his wife, Ivy, to cheer us on. Here we are in the Page 45 room with the six other creators who were working on their own books along with me through the night (from left): Jack Teagle (@jackteagle), Kristyna Baczynski (@kbaczynski), Warwick Johnson Cadwell (@WarwickJC), Scott ((@scottmccloud), awesome coordinator Dan Berry (@thingsbydan), Fumio Obata (@FumioObata), Joe Decie (@joedecie) and me. Dan was amazing and worked with a local Kendal printer, Absolute Digital Print, to roll out 50 copies of each book by that evening. (Wow!) I've sold out of my copies, but perhaps sometime I'll print some more.
Oh, and did you notice that big crowd scene, when Jamie the scribble is on display at the art museum? I got some help with drawing the crowd from the amazing team of Kendal College assistants who stuck with us through the night, in two shifts. A lot of the people were drawn by Janet (here with her sketchbook), who's ace.
And here are Phil Welch and Katie White, who stayed with us through the WHOLE 24 HOURS and created an AMAZING BLOG, tweeting as @24hcm and using the #24hcm hash tag. Also, a little look at my work desk, and a pose on the following Sunday with festival-mascot-creator Felt Mistress and the two top festival coordinators, Julie Tait and Sandra Wood. Thanks so much, everyone!
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Blog: Sarah McIntyre (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: comics, webcomic, festivals, Add a tag
Hello! Here's the comic I made for the 24-Hour Comic Marathon at this weekend's Lakes International Comic Art Festival in Kendal.
Blog: Jump Into A Book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Something To Do Book Review, book review, Book Review & Activities, Multicultural Books for Kids, The Diwali Gift, Add a tag
I’d like to thank authors Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta for sharing their book The Diwali Gift with me.
In the Diwali Gift , three curious monkeys, Suno, Dekho, and Jaano get together for a playdate when a mysterious box from their grandmother appears.
What could be inside ?
Sparklers ? Bracelets ? Small lights known as divas?
No none of the above.
Inside is something very special to use on the night of Diwali. A special something which grants the owner their wishes to come true. To find out what the special something is, you’ll have to read the book.
This book is a simple and lovely story that invites us to share in the Hindu festival of Diwali. The Diwali Gift is fun, entertaining, and wonderfully educational. One truly feels the spirit, anticipation and festive feeling of the holiday.
“Diwali also known as Deepavali and the “festival of lights”, is an ancient Hindu festival celebrated in autumn every year. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November.
Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate and decorate their homes. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity. After puja (prayers), fireworks follow, then a family feast including mithai (sweets), and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends. Diwali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.”
The illustrations by Anna Koan are fun and captivating. There is a glossary in the back of the book as well as an explanation of Diwali and how one celebrates it.
I advise reading the glossary before hand so you can clarify the story when reading it to children. I greatly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
Somethings To Do:
Kim Vij from The Educator’s Spin on it has some really wonderful Diwali Activities.
Have a look at how the Activity Village celebrated Diwali.
3 Curious Monkey’s has a wonderful Dress Up Party app on iTunes
Playing dress up is always fun. But its even more fun dressing up your favorite monkey in traditional Indian fabrics and accessories while learning to compliment in eight different languages. (for ages 4-8). Download the App HERE.
Need more gift ideas? Books are always a great choice! NOW AVAILABLE!
The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook by Donna Ashton.
The post The Diwali Gift by Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta Book Review & Activities appeared first on Jump Into A Book.Add a Comment
Blog: Beth Kephart Books (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Christopher Yasick, Mike Yasick, Shire plc, Add a tag
Remembering an extraordinary young man, lost too soon, a year ago today.
With deepest love and affection for his family.
Sometimes I'd be sitting in Mike Yasick's office at Shire, a client company, and he'd get to talking about his family.
The phone would ring, and he'd lift one finger, check the number, and discover his son, Chris, on the line.
"Hold on," Mike would say to me.
"Hey," he'd say to his son, his face lighting up two additional degrees of bright, which was really something for a man already so fully illuminated. Maybe Chris had some news. Maybe Chris was hoping Mike would pick up some ingredient on the way home to complete the meal Chris was cooking. Whatever it was, Mike glowed. Whatever it was, afterward, Mike would sit, talking about Chris and the rest of his family. It was a favorite topic for a famous raconteur, because Mike may have been a super star in the pharma world, but more to the point, and through and through, he was a purely devoted family man.
The world lost Mike Yasick eight months ago to a rare genetic condition. He was with us, laughing one day, parading his bright red pants, and then—suddenly—he was gone. Imagine the largest Catholic church you've ever seen. Then imagine it filled, wall to wall, with friends and family—mourners—most of them wearing Mike's trademark red. Imagine a small blog tribute—mine—read by 15,000 people. That's how loved Mike was.
Yesterday, Chris, just twenty-five years old, was taken by the same terrible disease that took his father. Another sudden passing. Another terrible loss in the world, an unimaginable heartbreak for a beautiful family. I got the news in the dark hours of the morning that Chris was in the hospital. I got the news several hours later that he was gone. In between, I prayed—so many of us prayed—for some kind of miracle.
Chris was a civil engineer, a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. He was a young man on his way up in a job with Skyline Steel. At his father's funeral he was dignified, one of those people you really hoped you'd get a chance to personally know—his face so much like his dad's, that Yasick sparkle in his eyes. So this is Chris, I kept thinking. This is Chris.
Miracles are so hard to come by. Miracles aren't every day. The disease took Chris. But here are two things that all of us who loved Mike, who mourn with and for his family, will always see as miraculous. On the day that Chris grew so suddenly and terribly ill, Mike's best friends were in town. They had come to town specifically to see Chris, to take him out to dinner, to tell him some stories about his dad. They were there when it happened. They were there for Chris—all night in that hospital, they were there for Chris. They were present.
Just as another friend just so happened to land in Chicago, on his way to somewhere else. He checked his phone. He saw a text from Chris's sister, Katy, he changed his plans, he hurried to the hospital, he was there, too. There.
"I haven't connected on a flight in years," this friend, Matt Pauls, wrote to me. "Why last night? In Chicago? Why were his buddies in town? Because Mike made sure Chris was covered."
Mike made sure his son was covered. As other family rushed to town, as Chris's mom got there as fast as the plane could fly, as the doctors did all they could do, Mike, through his friends, was there for his son. A beautiful thing in a most tragic time, and the thing we will hold onto as we honor Chris.
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Blog: Elizabeth O. Dulemba (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I'm exhausted but smiling after spending three days at the Auburn Writers Conference hosted by the amazing Chantel Acevedo and her supportive crew.
Thursday morning, I drove over early from Atlanta to spend time with two classes at Loachapoka Middle School (7th and 8th graders).
They made some sweet signs to welcome me:
The first class had received a group set of copies of A BIRD ON WATER STREET from Auburn University's University Outreach program - how cool! And their English teacher (I'm sorry, I forgot her name) had them all fired up for my visit - fun!
Here I am with LaDerrial, one of the students who wants to be a writer herself someday:
The teachers were so kind to present me with a certificate of appreciation - how nice! Having teacher support means SO much!
Here I am with the English teacher and the Principal, Mrs. Kitt, who I saw at the writers conference later.
Friday I awoke early and walked the Auburn campus - so pretty. Then Mark Wilson, my schools escort and PhD Coordinator of community and civic engagement in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, picked me up to head to Duke Middle School. I met with two classes there as well.
Mark's son was in one of them - HI! The kids asked fantastic questions and I wish I could have spent more time with them. Here I am with another budding writer.
Thanks to Mrs. Laura Hardy, the Librarian for making me feel so welcome.
And thanks to Michelle Hopf, their teacher who was actually at the conference (we caught up later after years of talking online). She has some great students and they obviously love her! Here I am with Michelle and Angela Jordan (we talked Appalachia and could have gone on for hours if everybody wasn't so tired from the great weekend!).
Saturday I once again walked around campus - what a nice way to start the day. Then I got ready for my workshop, "What to Do When the Story Finds You," this time with adults! I didn't get pictures this time, but several people thanked me afterwards saying how much they got out of my workshop. LOVE to hear that!
All said, it was a fabulous time. I caught up with writer friends and met several new ones. I also got to reconnect with the kind folks in Alabama. Along with conferences and festivals, I do quite a few school visits over there and I'm sure they have a lot to do with that. So, THANK YOU to all for a lovely time! I hope I can return soon!
Illustration from An Art Student's Reminiscences of Paris in the Eighties
|William Bouguereau, Biblis, to be auctioned in NYC at Sotheby's Nov. 6|
|Sir John Lavery, Miss Auras, The Red Book|
Debut Year Reflections, Tips for New Authors :: YA Highway
Novel Revision Charts: 2 Tools for Smart Re-Thinking of Your Story :: Darcy Pattison
Life Doesn’t Permit…and Other Wise Words On Making Time to Write :: Kate Messner
The Crushing Weight of Expectations :: Writer Unboxed
Redefining Expectations in Order to Stay Sane :: Read Write Thrive
The Hectic Life of a Multi-Published Author :: Jody Hedlund
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Blog: Manga Maniac Cafe (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Paranormal, Romance, Add a tag
This morning I have an exclusive teaser from Paige Tyler’s Her Lone Wolf, as well as a giveaway. Please check it out, and make sure to follow the other blogs on the tour!
Her Lone Wolf
Series: X-Ops Book 2
Author: Paige Tyler
Pubdate: November 4th, 2014
Leaving him was Impossible…
It took everything she had for FBI Special Agent Danica Beckett to walk away from the man she loved. But if she wants to save his life, she has to keep her distance. Now, with a killer on the loose and the stakes higher than ever before, the Department of Covert Ops is forcing these former lovers into an uneasy alliance…whether they like it or not.
Seeing her again is even worse
The last thing Clayne Buchanan wants is to be shackled to the woman who broke his heart. She gets under his skin in a way no one ever has and makes him want things he has no right to anymore. All he has to do is suffer through this case and he can be free of her for good. But when Clayne finds out why Danica left in the first place, everything he’s tried to bury comes roaring back—and there’s no way this wolf shifter is going to let her get away this time.
Paige Tyler is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. She and her very own military hero (also known as her husband) live on the beautiful Florida coast with their adorable fur baby (also known as their dog). Paige graduated with a degree in education, but decided to pursue her passion and write books about hunky alpha males and the kickbutt heroines who fall in love with them. Visit www.paigetylertheauthor.com.
“Now I’d like to introduce Danica Beckett, one of the lead agents on the case. She’ll brief us on what we know up to this point in the investigation.”
Clayne stiffened at the name, sure he must have heard wrong. But then he smelled a scent so familiar, so intoxicating that he knew he hadn’t. The air left his lungs and he suddenly couldn’t breathe. He gripped the folder in his hand in an effort to keep his claws from coming out. Danica-freaking-Beckett. He felt as if he’d just been kicked in the balls.
He didn’t dare look at her as she walked to the front of the room and took her place at the podium, afraid if he did he might completely lose it. Not that he needed to look. He knew every inch of her body from her full, luscious lips to the tiny beauty mark on her right hip, and everywhere in between. Her face had haunted him every moment of the day and night for the past two years until he thought he’d go insane.
But one memory seared hotter than all the others. When the woman he’d loved more than life itself had looked at him with cold, hard eyes and told him she never wanted to see him again.
“Thank you, Agent Carhart.”
Her voice might as well have been that of a siren’s call for all the power he had to resist it. Unable to help himself, Clayne lifted his head to look at her. She was dressed in a dark pantsuit with a blue blouse underneath, her silky brunette hair up in that twist thing she always did when she was working.
It had been two years since Danica had dumped his ass, and she looked even more beautiful than she had the last time he’d seen her. That only made it worse. It would have been easier if she’d let herself go to hell. It hurt to gaze at her. Getting away from him had clearly done wonders for her.
Make sure to follow all the blogs on Paige’s teaser tour so you can read all of the excerpts!
Manga Maniac Café
Teaser Excerpt 1
Bitten by Love
Teaser Excerpt 2
Long and Short Reviews
Teaser Excerpt 3
Teaser Excerpt 4
Love Romance Passion
Teaser Excerpt 5
Reading Between the Wines
Teaser Excerpt 6
Anna’s Book Blog
Teaser Excerpt 7
Teaser Excerpt 3
The Reading Café
Teaser Excerpt 9
Romancing the Dark Side
Teaser Excerpt 10Add a Comment
Blog: Kidlit Contest (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Scott Plumbe checking in again about his Kickstarter campaign to publish his illustrated novel, THE UNCLUKY FOX via digital installments. Really interesting stuff, I’m really enjoying seeing a glimpse from the other side of the crowd-funding curtain! Please check out his campaign if you’re interested. It promises to be a very cool project if the funding is successful.
My Kickstarter campaign has been equal doses exhausting and rewarding. So far The Unlucky Fox has nearly 100 backers. I am grateful for this solid base, but the campaign still has a long way to go to make the $30,000 goal. In fact, financially I’m only just over 10% of the way there. I’m now considering ways to tune up my campaign mid-stride.
Going on the assumption that my project isn’t completely undesirable, the first place to look is the rewards. Kickstarter allows you to edit and add new rewards once the campaign is underway. Some people have mentioned that they want the physical book as a reward. I understand that. I’m a bibliophile too. I’d love to be able to offer it, and it is tempting, but I’m not sure realistically how many people would be willing to pay up front and wait almost two years for a hard copy. That was one of the considerations for choosing the incremental release model. So I’ve decided to stick with my original offering, especially as so many people have already pledged on the current reward tier. It seems disrespectful to change that now.
Recently there have been articles surfacing from news sites like Gawker Media about how successful KS campaigns often have a hired ‘guru’ who is responsible for preparing and presenting the campaigns. I did find a few such individuals online during the pre-launch stage but confess I was skeptical. Essentially, they work as a PR company to position your project, devise rewards that will pique a backer’s interest, and spread the word through social media, blogs and various media outlets. Some such consultants even guarantee success! When I reviewed my rewards and calculated the time it would take me to fulfill what I’d promised, I didn’t see any room left for a consultant’s commission.
Some people have suggested I set my financial goal too high. Conversely, I have had people tell me I’m not ambitious enough with my project! They advise that I should aim for more and deliver my story in a variety of formats and through numerous channels. While I appreciate that kind of strategy and input, I don’t feel it squares with who I am. I want to guarantee that I fulfill my promises. I have a realistic understanding of what is achievable and can be delivered with quality and professionalism. I’m a firm believer in the practice of ‘bootstrapping’ for small businesses — and that is exactly how I think of The Unlucky Fox, as an emerging small business. Furthermore, doing it in steps allows it to happen on my terms. That may at first seem narcissistic, but what’s the point of following your passion if you’re not going to be true to yourself as a creator? I could have easily set a much lower goal in hopes it would be easier to reach. I have seen many projects on KS that have done so. But they’re not honoring their backers and are selling themselves and the crowdfunding platform short. Especially if they then struggle to fulfill their rewards in a timely manner — one of the #1 criticisms of crowdfunding.
So where does this leave me? I’m an independent creator who has spent countless hours getting this project underway and is now asking for an injection of support to bring it to fruition. So far, I’ve felt genuinely blessed to have so many backers that believe in my quirky project. The enthusiasm shown by absolute strangers is utterly humbling. More than ever, I feel a deep obligation to ensure The Unlucky Fox happens for those who have entrusted me with their hard-earned money!
Now that the campaign has launched, there is a limit to what I can do, yet I do still have a few avenues. Spread more press releases and woo various bloggers. Continue to engage on art and writing forums like DeviantArt, Wattpad and others. I’ll continue to post updates to my Kickstarter page and provide answers to the questions I receive daily. Social media, you ask. Yes — I can do that too, although not being ‘social’ by nature makes it particularly agonizing! Ironic, yes. As many other creators can understand, being less social is how I’ve found the time to hone my art! Now it’s time to flip the switch in the other direction.
In a few weeks time, I plan to submit my final report on my crowdfunding process. I look forward to reaching this to a conclusion.
Blog: Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: character transformational summary statement, end of a novel, how plot lines evolve throughout the beginning, how to pre-plot and write the beginning middle and end of a novel, middle, Add a tag
Begin pre-plotting your story for NaNoWriMo with the 1st exercise in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.
2) Imagine how your protagonist's traits change / transform over the course of your novel as a result of the dramatic action. Use that to create a transformation summary for the protagonist of your story
3) Jot your notes on a Plot Plannerfor a bird's eye view of your story
Strive for story ideas that keep the suspense and curiosity high with clearly defined goals and ticking clocks. Scenes linked by cause and effect. Provocative themes explored. Historical details / exotic locales and unusual lifestyles and breath-taking occupations.
Though the dramatic action plot stays true to the structure of the Universal story, the character emotional development plot is devoid of its most important element = no character transformation in the end. None. Not one character. All the characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they started out in the beginning.
Don't let this problem befall your story.
Begin pre-plotting for NaNoWriMo, with the ultimate character transformation in mind. Start there.
1) The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
2) The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.
Today I write! Rather, today I pre-plot for NaNo!
To continue writing and revising:
- PlotWriMo: Revise Your Novel in a Month ~~ View your story in an entirely new light. Recharge your energy and enthusiasm for your writing. 8 videos (5.5 hours)+ 30 exercises
- How to Write a Sell a Picture Book with a Plot ~~ Picture books are without subplots allowing the primary plot lines to shine through. 7 videos + 28 exercises
- Advanced Picture Book Workshop ~~ for writers watching the series and looking for support with their individual story
Blog: Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Alexa, analytical tools, content marketing, search engine ranking, social media marketing, Statcounter, web traffic analysis, Add a tag
I recently read an interesting blog post at Social Media Examiner. Its focus was on how to increase social media shares. If you’re a content marketer, this should be of interest to you. It sure is to me. Today’s marketing is about discoverability and shareability. This means you need to be involved with social media marketing. All the search engines ‘watch’ how you do on the social networks.Add a Comment
She wears glass slippers.
She sleeps in a tower.
She sings to birds.
She is the perfect princess.
And for a monster-fighting heroine, that is the perfect disguise.
Princess Magnolia is...
The Princess in Black
When she was four years old, my daughter Maggie (aka Magnolia) was examining her favorite article of clothing: a multicolored, butterfly-covered skort, the kind of thing that makes her feel pretty and princessy while still allowing her tumble about with ease.
She pointed to each of the butterfly colors.
“Pink is a girl color,” she said. “And purple, and yellow. But not black.”
“Girls can wear black,” I said. "I wear black all the time."
She looked at me as if to say, you're not a girl, you're a mama.
“Well, what about Batgirl?” I said, sure I'd won the argument.
Maggie said, “Mama, princesses don’t wear black.”
It was like being struck by lightning.
All day I couldn't stop thinking about a princess who did wear black. I took inspiration from The Scarlet Pimpernel, Zorro, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She'd be a seemingly typical princess with a secret. She'd secretly be a superhero, working hard to keep her kingdom free of monsters. And like Superman needs Clark Kent, the Princess in Black would maintain a secret identity. To all the world, she is Princess Magnolia. But when trouble calls, she sheds her fluffy dresses and glass slippers, dons a black mask, leaps onto her valiant pony, and rides off to save the day!
I pulled my husband Dean into writing it with me, because he's awesome. And funny. And clever. And I like working with him. And there would be monsters, so he'd have insight to offer, being of their own kind. LeUyen Pham agreed to lend her bedazzling illustration sorcery to the project, Candlewick published it with aplomb, and the result is something I love dearly. Here are things that are important to me about this book.
1. The kind of book you can read to a four-year-old, because even though it's a longer chapter book (15 chapters, 80+ pages, over 2000 words), there are full-color illustrations every page that will keep their interest.
2. The kind of book a 6-7 year old might be able to read to you, and feel so proud doing it! Because the font is larger, a young reader will be capable of reading a big, thick book in one sitting and feel a surge of self-confidence afterward.
3. The kind of a book a mom like me can read to all my kids at the same time--10yo, 7yo, and 4yo--because the slightly more complicated plot interests older readers and high-concept story and ubiquitous illustrations keep the younger readers interested.
4. A book unashamedly about a girl (a princess even!) that any boy can enjoy too. She's a ninja! She fights monsters! There's an awesome goat boy! It's very important to me that from a young age, boys realize they can read and enjoy books about girls. If they start young, they're more likely to keep reading about girls and more likely to develop empathy for that other gender.
5. This is a girl who enjoys wearing the fluffy pink dresses and glass slippers and having tea parties. And this is also a girl who enjoys wearing black combat boots and galloping on horses and waging battle against huge monsters. She's not an either/or, just like my daughters. Girls are more complicated than some characters make us out to be.
6. This is not a traditional early reader. While the sentences are short and manageable and most words are short and manageable, and there's lots of repitition to aid in learning new things, there are also lots of wonderful, fun, big and crunchy words for new readers to sharpen their teeth on, like: "minced," "pranced," and "swished." Like "handkerchiefs," "snuffling," and "hog-tying." Why, there's even "hornswaggle."
7. As a parent, it's hard for me to find those transitional books that can carry a my kids from picture books and early readers to chapter books. This is longer and more complex than Fly Guy, Go, Dog, Go!, etc., but shorter and simpler than Junie B. Jones, Magic Treehouse, etc. I think the best comparison is Kate DiCamillo's Mercy Watson books.
8. There's a unicorn named Frimplepants. (at least, he seems to be a unicorn...but is he reallly?)
9. The Princess in Black's signature battle move is "Twinkle Twinkle Little SMASH!"
10. This is the first of a series. I've seen LeUyen's sketches for book 2, and you are going to die when you meet Princess Sneezewort. Those who have read all of them often love book 3 the most (so funny, Dean worked some magic). And book 4 is going to make fans of book 1 very, very happy. I hope for years to come, Princess Magnolia/the Princess in Black and her pals will be your pals too.Add a Comment
Blog: cynsations (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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David Zeltser is the first-time author of Lug, Dawn Of The Ice Age: How One Small Boy Saved Our Big, Dumb Species (Egmont, 2014). From the promotional copy:
In Lug’s Stone Age clan, a caveboy becomes a caveman by catching a jungle llama and riding it against the rival Boar Rider clan in the Big Game.
The thing is, Lug has a forbidden, secret art cave and would rather paint than smash skulls. Because Lug is different, his clan’s Big Man is out to get him, he’s got a pair of bullies on his case—oh, and the Ice Age is coming.
When Lug is banished from the clan for failing to catch a jungle llama, he’s forced to team up with Stony, a silent Neanderthal with a very expressive unibrow, and Echo (a Boar Rider girl!).
In a world experiencing some serious global cooling, these misfits must protect their feuding clans from the impending freeze and a particularly unpleasant pride of migrating saber-toothed tigers.
It's no help that the elders are cavemen who can't seem to get the concept of climate change through their thick skulls.
Could you tell us the story of "the call" or "the email" when you found out that your book had sold? How did you react? How did you celebrate?
On Friday, December 7, 2012, I got an international call. It was my agent, Catherine Drayton, in Sydney, Australia. She told me that Lug: Dawn of the Ice Age and a sequel was going to be published. I started sobbing--which felt strange, embarrassing, joyful and cathartic all at once.
We celebrated by going out for dinner. I have no idea where or what we ate, but I’m sure there was dessert involved and that it tasted especially sweet that night.
One of the best memories I do have--my mother-in-law emailed me to say: "Congratulations! Don't let it go to your head."
She’s from Scotland.
As a comedic writer, how do you decide what's funny?
I have a giant stuffed iguana named Pedro next to my computer. I’ve noticed that whenever I write something funny, Pedro winks at me and whispers “Bueno.”
What advice do you have for those interested in either writing comedies or books with a substantial amount of humor in them?
I wouldn’t advise setting out to write in any particular genre or style. I think the key thing is to find a story and characters you love, and then to try various approaches and see what reads best.
More importantly, I would make sure you love the process of creating stories more than anything else. If it’s not your true calling, do the thing you love more.
Be completely honest with yourself--are you doing this more for the love of storytelling, or to ‘become an author’ one day? Are you genuinely enjoying what you’re writing? If the answer is ‘kinda,’ chances are that’s how other people will feel too.
Finally, find writer/reader friends and show them your stories. Listen, learn, and rewrite. Put your story away for a while and look at it again fresh. Then, rinse and repeat. Since you usually only have one shot with a manuscript, only go out to agents after you’ve gone through this process a few times.
Having said all that, I think the funniest books aren’t too focused on the funny. They’re compelling stories with interesting characters who happen to be in comic situations. We’re not going to laugh much if we don’t care about the characters or the story.
Personally, my favorite kind of humor is situational. I like building scenes so that the humor comes from what’s happening to the characters, rather than from the author commenting on what’s happening.
If that’s not enough unwanted advice, I recommend The Complete Guide to the Care and Training of the Writer in Your Life.
David Zeltser emigrated from the Soviet Union as a child, graduated from Harvard, and has worked with all kinds of wild animals, including rhinos, owls, sharks, and ad executives. He has a forthcoming picture book, Ninja Baby, with Caldecott Honor illustrator Diane Goode (Chronicle Books). David lives with his wife and daughter in Santa Cruz, California. He performs improv comedy and loves meeting readers of all ages. His second book about Lug is scheduled to publish in Fall 2015. Follow David on Twitter: @davidzeltser
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Blog: Ginger Pixels (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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A BIG thank you to Patricia Keeler who tagged me for this blog tour. I know Patricia from our association CBIG-NYC or the Children's Book Illustrator Group based in New York City. Although we have never met, I feel an artistic bond with this talented artist. Her paintings depict the most delightful aspects of all children. You can see more of her work on Patricia Keeler's Blog andher Website, I LIKE BOOKS With PICTURES
This time it is my turn to tell you about a character in a picture book I am creating.
What is the name of your character?
Lenny is an especially lonely and hungry dragon, but the favorite food of this particular dragon has unexpectedly become something other than what you would expect. Even the dragon doesn’t understand why its tastes are so particular. Fine china, crystal goblets and the Queen's favorite Golden Bowl seem too tempting to resist. (I would suggest that the forest trickster has something to do with this.)
After gobbling up most of the china in the kitchen including the Queen’s favorite Golden Bowl, the dragon is chased throughout the castle by all the staff with swords, daggers and brooms. It can’t get away unless it makes its way into the deep caves below the castle. Hiding and hungry the dragon is lonely, afraid, and in danger.
What is the personal goal of your character?
This poor dragon desperately wants to be free of the caves, return to a normal life of eating what it really wants, and find one or two true friends.
I have the pleasure of passing the Meet My Character Blog Tour to two amazing children's book illustrators: Look for their introduction to their characters next Monday, Oct. 27.
Christine Mix Blog and Christine Mix Website
Her children's illustrations can be found in Stories for Children Magazine, Back- to- School- Issue, 2012, in SCBWI’s Bulletin in 2005, 2009, 2010 and so far, one children’s book, Write Out of the Oven! by Josephine M. Waltz & Illustrated by Christine Mix, published by Teacher Ideas Press / Greenwood Publishing, 2005. As a children’s author, Christine has one non-fiction short true story, Standing Up, that was published, in Chicken Soup for the Child’s Soul Character-Building Stories to Read with Kids, Ages 5-8, May 2007.
I have the pleasure of also passing this task to Amy Cullings Moreno. This will introduce Amy Cullings Moreno's Blog...And you can find her website and portfolio here.
When New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani described A Brief History of Seven Killings as “epic in every sense of that word,” I thought my reaction would be similar to Dr. Johnson’s response to another epic, Paradise Lost: “None could have wished it a word longer.” Coming in at just under seven hundred pages with a cast of at least seventy-six named characters from the laconic Josey Wales to the inscrutable Nina Burgess, A Brief History of Seven Killings spans three decades of Jamaican history during the post-independence era.
While A Brief History of Seven Killings could be reduced to the chronicle of Rolling Stone journalist, Alex Pierce, who stumbles on to information about the assassination of Bob Marley, which puts his own life in danger, that would be only one of the plots. And such a reductionist view would be a grave injustice to this monumental work. For Marlon James is updating many of the questions raised in Jamaican classics such as Brother Man, an exploration of the influence of Rastafari; Voices Under the Window, which captured the race, class, and colour conflicts of Jamaican culture, and The Children of Sisyphus, a Dantesque vision of a Jamaican ghetto.
James is also asking questions that affect the life of every Jamaican at home and abroad: Why was the CIA involved in the destabilization of the Jamaican government from 1972-79? Why did the peace movement fall apart? Why would anyone try to kill the famed prophet of reggae and Rastafari? Only a writer with the prodigious talent and assiduous attention to the craft of storytelling that Mr. James possesses could have attempted such an ambitious project and created this spellbinding narrative. As someone who lived through those turbulent times and who is knowledgeable about many of the facts, rumors, and half-truths about the attempted assassination, I was impressed not only by James’s approach, but also with his treatment of the events surrounding December 3, 1976.
Perhaps, the most intriguing aspect of this novel is the shift in perspectives. Just when I thought I knew a character such as Josey Wales, the brutal leader of the Storm posse, I found myself in the middle of a tender scene between him and his son: “I smile with the boy so that he don’t feel like I threatening him too much, but he is sixteen now, and I still remember sixteen, so I know the hunger growing in him. All this talking back is moving from a little cute to a little threat. Part of it sweet me, seeing this little shit puff him chest out.” Or another killer, Weeper, who reads books such as Bertrand Russell’s The Problems of Philosophy and will not hesitate to murder and maim, yet still finds time to enjoy moments with his lover: “He thinking I going to be the one to look away first, but I not going look away and I not going to even blink.”
A Brief History of Seven Killings, which was dubbed the “Great Jamaican Novel” by Fader, has rightly earned this title. For even after six hundred and eighty eight pages, I was still concerned about the fates of Alex Pierce and the enigmatic changeling, Nina Burgess. Or whatever she calls herself these days.
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Blog: James Preller's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Family, Best scarecrows, Halloween Traditions, James Preller, Preller Family, Add a tag
UPDATE: I originally posted this three years ago.
I’ve previously documented our Halloween scarecrow tradition. It’s something we enjoy, keeping it alive for at least 60 years now.
Well, this year, I don’t know what to say . . .
Here’s the view from the other side (and yes, he’s doughy) . . .
And now the backside again, the view from the street . . .
It’s either the most awesome Preller scarecrow ever, or a serious lapse in taste.
As for the old days, here’s a snap from 1953. My father built these every year . . .
This is about 20 years later, from the 70′s. It’s amazing, but most of our family photos are cropped this way. It’s hard to imagine why, or what was so difficult about keeping everybody in the frame, but there it is . . .
This is a more recent example, 35 years after that, from my own front yard, thanks to a little (and I mean, a very little) help from my kids . . .
Last year we experimented with the pillowcase head and gratuitous gore . . .
But this year, 2011, I’m afraid we’ve finally cracked. Wait, wrong word. Butt . . . you know what I mean. I guess you could say it’s a living tradition, we’re not slaves to the old ways of doing things. Or maybe, in my mother’s old expression, “We’re all going to hell in a hand basket!”
HEY, I JUST REALIZED . . . THIS IS MY 700th POST!
Blog: Shannon Whitney Messenger (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Links, Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, Middle Grade, Updates, Add a tag
Since we are so incredibly close to the release of EVERBLAZE, plan on me (shamelessly) starting these posts with a few updates.
First: the EVERBLAZE pre-order giveaway is in full swing, so if you missed the post--and you want to get your free swaggish goodies--make sure you go HERE.
I've also announced another of my EVERBLAZE tour stops (Salt Lake City--WOOOO!). You can find details about all my upcoming events HERE.
Phew--okay, that wasn't so bad, right? And now, onto the MMGM links:
- Suzanne Warr is highlighting LUG: Dawn of the IceAge. Click HERE to see why.
- Rcubed is gushing about TURTLE IN PARADISE. Click HERE to read her review.
- Michelle Mason has a special series recommendation on THE BOOKS OF ELSEWHERE. Click HERE to see why
- Sue Heavenrich is convinced that THERE WILL BE BEARS. Click HERE to see what she thought.
- Amara Jabber has chills for THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Click HERE to see her review.
- Dorine White is GIVING AWAY books 1-4 of The Code Buster's Club. Click HERE for details.
- Greg Pattridge thinks SMASHER is simply smashing. Click HERE to read his review.
- Susan Uhlig has two middle grade recommendations for you, A SNICKER OF MAGIC, and THREE TIMES LUCKY. Click HERE to see what she thought.
- Andrea Mack is dishing about WHO WHAT WEAR: The Allegra Biscotti Collection #2. Click HERE to see her feature.
- Susan Olson is cheering TUT, TUT. Click HERE to see what she thought.
- The Mundie Moms are always part of the MMGM fun (YAY!). Click HERE to see their newest recommendations. And if you aren't also following their Mundie Kids site, get thee over THERE and check out all the awesome!
- The lovely Shannon O'Donnell always has an MMGM ready for you! Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week.
- Karen Yingling also always has some awesome MMGM recommendations for you. Click HERE to which ones she picked this time!
- Jennifer Rumberger always has an awesome MMGM feature on her blog. Click HERE to see what she's talking about this week.
- Pam Torres always has an MMGM up on her blog. Click HERE to see what she's spotlighting this week.
- Deb Marshall is a MMGM regular. Click HERE to see what she's featuring this week.
- Joanne Fritz always has an MMGM for you. Click HERE to see what she's talking about this week.
If you miss the cutoff, you are welcome to add your link in the comments on this post so people can find you, but I will not have time to update the post. Same goes for typos/errors on my part. I do my best to build the links correctly, but sometimes deadline-brain gets the best of me, and I'm sorry if it does. For those wondering why I don't use a Linky-widget instead, it's a simple matter of internet safety. The only way I can ensure that all the links lead to safe, appropriate places for someone of any age is if I build them myself. It's not a perfect system, but it allows me to keep better control.
Thank you so much for being a part of this awesome meme, and spreading the middle grade love!
Question: I've written many published non-fiction narratives with a character turning point but I'm having trouble figuring out the t.pt. for my protagonist.Add a Comment
Blog: Miss Marple's Musings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Book recommendation, poetry, Donna Marie Merritt, Her House and Other Poems, Add a tag
Title: Her House and Other Poems Written by: Donna Marie Merritt Cover art by: Wendell Minor Published by: Stairwell Books, 2013 Themes/Topics: family, nature, gratitude, fragility Suitable for ages: 15+ Adult poetry, 64 pages Snippet: NOW … Continue readingAdd a Comment
Question: Just like I said in my previous question, I'm writing a book that takes place in an apocalyptic era. I have a character question though. HowAdd a Comment
Happy 15th Birthday, Lenny Lee! I really miss you and all your helpful and sunshiny posts! Here's a sunny picture just for you. It's from Lake Geneva, Switzerland. I always think of you when I see sunshine. And I always smile when I think of you. I hope you will get back to blogging soon.
Wishing you plenty of sunshine and smiles and lots of cards and presents on your 15th birthday.
Readers, if you're not familiar with Lenny's blog, Lenny's World, zip on over there and check it out. He writes about holidays and sunshine and animals and all kinds of good things.
He has lots of helpful stuff on there for writers, too, like how to write a good ending for your novel, and how to get ideas, and what to do about rejections. He writes with great insight and enthusiasm.
|Lenny Lee's avatar!|
For other Lenny Lee posts today, see Sharon K. Mayhew's blog.
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Blog: Darcy Pattison's Revision Notes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Novel Revision, cliche, first draft, how to plot, place holder, Plot, trope, Add a tag
30 Days to a Stronger Novel Online Video Course
I confess: I love a good cliche or trope.
A cliche is a phrase or expression that has been used so often that it is no longer original or interesting.
A trope is a common or overused theme or device, as in the usual horror movie tropes.
I’m in the middle of plotting a massive 3-book story and I need all the help I can get. Here’s the problem: what happens next?
No, let me rephrase: what could possibly happen next?
Sometimes, I just need to know possibilities, or what a story typically does at a particular stage. What are the possibilities? Is this a place for a murder, a confession, a love scene, or a time to gather information?
Literary folk say that there are only a limited number of stories in the world. Depending on who you talk with, there might be just two stories: a character leaves town, or a stranger comes to town. Others say there are up to 32 plots. I’ve written about 29 plot templates before. And it helps immensely to narrow down the choices.
But that’s on the level of an outline. Now that I’m deep into deciding on scenes, my imagination comes up short.
Enter tropes. A trope is a common theme, something that’s been done before. That doesn’t scare me away, because it’s the same as the variety of themes. Every story is a cliche, trope or template in many ways. It’s all in how you TELL that story. The beauty is in the particulars.
But what else? What is possible at each stage?
I turned to TVTROPES.org for help. Their site is a wiki that list all sorts of tropes. The Romantic Arc Tropes list was helpful because it listed typical things that happen at every stage of a romantic relationship.
For example, a story might start with this trope/subtropes:
Love Before First Sight
- Because Destiny Says So
- Childhood Marriage Promise
- Red String of Fate
- Girl of My Dreams
- New Old Flame
Each of the tropes listed has its own wiki page, which explains the trope in detail. Particularly valuable are the examples drawn from traditional literature, manga, comic books, fanfics, films, live-action TV, professional wrestling, table top games, theater, video games, webcomics, western animation, real life and more. It’s a treasure trove of examples of the POSSIBILITIES of a particular stage of a relationship.
In fact, I used this romance arc by choosing one trope from each stage of a relationship and slotting that into my story.
Are you afraid that my story will be trite and boring? I’m not. I know that this is a trope and therefore, I must transform it in the storytelling phase of the project. Right now, though, this trope acts as a place holder, something that indicates approximately what will happen in this spot of the story, but not exactly. The nuances that make it fresh await the actual writing.
Using tropes to hold a place with something reasonable makes the plotting easier. I’m loving this help in plotting.
Here are some Arcs to get you started. Be warned: this is a massive wiki and it’s easy to get lost in it. Know what you are looking for and get it/get out.Add a Comment
Blog: Carrie Jones (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: twitter, Add a tag
- Sun, 21:46: The ghosts are here. #halloween #maine http://t.co/BIddf0ixs6
- Mon, 01:05: It would be so cool if #peytonmanning could somehow break his touchdown record on #walkingdead - with zombie-head footballs.
Blog: Write What Inspires You (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: 19th Annual Rockland Literacy Extravaganza, common core standards conference, Deborah Studnitzer, Donna McDine, Michael Shaw, Add a tag
For the past year or so it has been my quest to get out of my comfort zone, both personally and professionally. I took baby steps at first, one to never where dresses (except for special events and when I worked in corporate America, which feels like a hundred years ago) I started wearing sundresses on vacations and then it expanded to wearing sundresses for no special reason. For those that know me, I have always been a jeans and capri girl, so yep I've stepped a wee bit out of my comfort zone. Then on vacation in the Dominican Republic I went zip lining. It was exhilarating to say the least.
With my blood pumping and the desire to keep stepping out of my comfort zone. I focused professionally and jumped into researching book fairs and teacher conferences and applied for participating to several area events. Recently I participated in the Collingswood Book Festival and the 19th Annual Rockland Literacy Extravaganza. Both events targeted a different audience and to compare the two, would be liking comparing apples to oranges. The Collingswood Book Festival focused on families in attendance and the 19th Annual Rockland Literacy Extravaganza focused on teachers.
Connections were made at both… At the Collingswood Book Festival I had the opportunity to meet several authors I have never met before and we have made a delightful connection which we continue to expand on. Great big waves to (in no particular order)… Christina Paul, Brad Hecht, Lynmarie McCullough, Louis Romano, Mark C. Collins, Scott Alboum, Karen Scheuer and Dianne Salerni.
At the 19th Annual Literacy Extravaganza a special thank you goes out to Dr. Michael Shaw and Deborah Studnitzer for their coordination of this amazing literacy event focused on the common core standards and beyond… I met over 60 teachers and had the opportunity to engage with them at my book signing table. I'm honored to meet each and every one of you! A special shout out to Jennifer Rankin of Barefoot Books, I look forward to staying in touch for the grand opening of your new store in Pearl River, NY and Marcy Schickler of PS 307, whom I met in 2010 at the very same literacy conference. Lovely to see you again, Marcy!
Wishing you an inspirational day and to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone.
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author
Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!
Connect with Donna McDine on Google+
A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Farvorite Five Star Review
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist Add a Comment
Blog: Sharon Ledwith: I came. I saw. I wrote. (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Author Giveaway, Double Decker Books, Krysten Hager, Modeling Competition, Reality TV, True Colors, YA Author, Young Adult Book, Add a tag
2. The older actor Devon has a crush on that the other girls make fun of her for is based on my crush on Liam Neeson.
3. People ask if I had best friend necklaces/bracelets/earrings/etc. when I was growing up. Yup, with several friends. Some I’m still close with, too. The day I told my writing group about my book contract I noticed I was wearing a silver bracelet with a heart charm and it never occurred to me before how much this was like the bff bracelet in the story—or the bracelet Landry’s dad gives her. I took that as a sign and that’s why you see the broken bff heart on the cover dangling off the, “s,” in “Colors.” BTW, one of my favorite gifts is still a thoughtful bracelet from a friend.
4. Landry’s last name, “Albright,” comes from Madeleine Albright. As a kid I was very aware there weren’t a lot of female role models in my social studies books. I distinctly remember being amazed as a kid seeing Benazir Bhutto in my Weekly Reader at school. So I used the name to pay tribute to a woman who broke through the glass ceiling—the first female U.S. Secretary of State.
5. The designer, Franciszka T, all the girls are obsessed with got the name because my great-grandmother, two of my great-great-grandmothers, and my great-great-aunt, were all named Franciszka. I picked “T,” because the great-great-aunt used to design and make clothes (she made her sister’s wedding dress and her own bridesmaid’s dress). Her last name started with a, “T.” I also look a little bit like her—we have the same big alien eyes.
6. When I first saw the possible cover models, I thought the one who ended up on the cover looked like a couple cousins of mine. I knew she was the perfect choice. Months later, the cover model found out about being on the book and contacted me. Turns out she lives in Poland and is from a town next to the city my great-grandpa was from! Crazy coincidence.
7. I’m not from the city the story is set in (Grand Rapids, MI), but my parents were, so I decided to have Landry and her mom live there. I’m actually from the other side of the state—an hour north of Detroit.
8. Landry’s name was originally, Sydney, but I changed it because the name was getting overused. My mom suggested the name Landry because she had a little girl in her class years ago with that name. I loved it and what’s funny is she had a student named, “Krysten,” too, and she told me that Landry and Krysten were best friends.
9. I named the ice cream parlor everyone hangs out at in the story after my great-grandfather. I picture the ice cream place being in Grand Rapids, MI (where the story is set)right near where he lived when he first moved to this country. In case you’re from the area and curious, I picture it being on Diamond Avenue.
10. Like Landry and Ashanti, I was a big soap opera fan. My favorite was, One Life to Live. I pictured two of the characters, Colin and Lanie, as being Landry’s parents. If you look at the cover model, she really resembles them both.
Krysten Lindsay Hager is an author and book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like.
Author Giveaway Krysten Hager Add a Comment
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text:
Qabili palau is one of those legendary dishes that have made Afghan cuisine famous (or what passes for famous). Taste wise, it is in the same family of other forms of Central Asian plov, and can take a similarly wide variety of meats, spices, and flavors. Again much like Central Asia plov, one’s qabili palau recipe is a very personal thing, and I anticipate much hemming and hawing over how badly I screwed this one up. Here’s the thing, though: it tasted damned good… and what’s more, I made it using only a few bowls, a big pot, and wooden spoon. It can be made everywhere, and judging by the amount of leftovers I had after serving three very hungry people, costs less than four dollars a person to make. Also, since this happened at my friend C’s house, we had to dress up his puggle in a shemagh.
Needless to say, it was an enjoyable way to pass a Saturday evening.
This recipe comes from Afghan Cuisine: Cooking for Life : A Collection of Afghan Recipes (And Other Favorites) for the Novice Afghan and Non-Afghan Cook by Nafisa Sekandari (purchase here). As far as the spices go, believe me it’s worth the work to buy them whole and grind them as you need them—you will never have better tasting spices, and they last longer, too. The recipe itself is actually surprisingly simple:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
- 1 medium white onion
- 3 cups of basmati rice (pick over it to remove any rocks or other detritus)
- 1/2 cup oil (I used regular old vegetable oil, but canola would do as well)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom (buy the pods, break them apart, and grind the little black nodules inside)
- 3-4 quarts of water to cook the rice in
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 carrotes, julienned (I just used a cup and a half of the bagged julienned carrots and it worked just fine)
- 1/2 cup of black raisins
Wash rice until the water runs clear and soak, covered in water. Sprinkle in at least 2 tablespoons of salt. Grind the spices, and mix in a bowl. Slice the onion into thin half-moons, and caramelize in the bottom of a bit pot until caramelized (i.e. brown a slightly crispy).
Drain the oil out into a separate bowl, then mash the onions in the pot until they are pulpy. Add the oil back to the pot, squeeze in the tomato paste, and add the water. While that’s coming to a boil, wash and trim the chicken breasts of any remaining fat.
Yes, we set up the hookah as well. I highly recommend Fumari tobacco, especially Citrus Mint and the Fumari Apple blend. Add half a squeezed lime (slice the lime and place it in the vase as well if you want to extract the extra lime-ness from the rind) to vase if you’re smoking the citrus mint, or a cup of apple juice and a cup of bourbon to vase if you prefer the apple.
Add the chicken to the mixture and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture along with 1/4 teaspoon of salt (preferably rock salt, though sea salt would do well too; I would avoid kosher salt here). Make sure the chicken is covered by the liquid, and cook for fifteen minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and set aside; drain the pot through a seive—keep the liquid but discard all the solids.
Wash the raisins until the water runs clear, then set them aside. In a small pan, glug some oil and fry the carrots until they just turn warm and a tiny bit soft. Remove and set aside. In a new pot (you can just clean out the other one while the carrots heat up), add the 3-4 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Drain the rice and dump into the pot. Cook until the rice is slightly al dente.
Drain the rice through a colander. Put the rice back into the pot, add the onion liquid and stir until it’s well-incorporated. Sprinkle the remainder of the spice mix over the top and mix. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as needed (especially the salt). Add the chicken to the center of the rice, and pile some over top, forming a mound. Use the back of a wooden spoon to poke several holes through the mound so liquid can escape.
Toss the carrots and raisins on top of the mound, then cover the pot’s lid with a towel and cover. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for a good 30 minutes, maybe more if the rice needs the time to cook. When ready, Scoop the rice onto a big serving platter, place the chicken in the center, and scoop some rice on top again to form a mound. Scoop the carrots and raisins out and scatter around the platter. Serve family style.
I highly recommend serving with naan of some sort. I’ll cover some of those recipes in the future. And don’t forget to tire your puppy through constant fetching and tug of war!

domain: food


text:
A follow-up to an article describing how a routine procedure for early treatment of breast cancer has been found unnecessary for many patients.
An article on Wednesday described how a routine procedure for the treatment of early breast cancer — the surgical removal of cancerous lymph nodes from the armpit — has been found unnecessary for many patients. The finding turns 100 years of standard medical practice on its head. The author of the article, Denise Grady, answered questions online from readers about the finding and its implications. More at nytimes.com/science.
Q The study findings apply to 20 percent of breast cancer patients. What about the other 80 percent?
A The figure refers to 20 percent of all the newly diagnosed cases of invasive breast cancer each year in the United States — it does not include noninvasive breast cancer, or D.C.I.S., ductal carcinoma in situ. The total is about 207,000, so 20 percent is roughly 40,000 women. That is about how many women would match those in the study, in terms of tumor status, affected lymph nodes and course of treatment.
As for the other 80 percent, we need to look at how many women get a breast cancer diagnosis at various stages. The figures from the American Cancer Society indicate that 60 percent of all patients have “localized” breast cancer. That means they do not have affected lymph nodes. They do not need extensive axillary dissection, as lymph node removal is known.
An additional 33 percent of women have “regional” disease, meaning that the cancer has reached lymph nodes. These are the patients who might match those in the study.
By the estimate of Dr. Armando E. Giuliano, the lead author of the study and the chief of surgical oncology at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at St. John’s Health center in Santa Monica, Calif., about two-thirds of these women will match the study criteria and one-third will not. So for that one-third — about 10 percent of breast cancer patients over all — node dissection might be needed. An additional 5 percent of all patients have “distant” disease at the time of diagnosis, meaning the cancer has already spread to organs or bones. I don’t know if lymph node surgery is of use or benefit to women whose disease is already advanced. In the remaining 2 percent of cases, the stage of the disease at diagnosis is not known.
Q Why are the study findings said to apply only to women who have whole-breast irradiation, and not partial breast irradiation?
A Only whole-breast irradiation hits part of the armpit, and therefore some of the lymph nodes. This is what the women in the study received, and researchers think it may have wiped out any cancer in the nodes that were left behind. They say they are also unsure about whether the findings would apply to women who have irradiation while lying prone, on their stomachs. In that position, the radiation may not reach the armpit.
Q Which women still must have their lymph nodes dissected?
A Surgeons say that the lymph nodes must come out if they are big enough to feel or show up as cancerous on imaging. Surgeons will also remove nodes if there are three or more positive sentinel lymph nodes (sentinel lymph node biopsy is described in the article).
Surprises can also turn up in the operating room, doctors say. Occasionally, the sentinel node biopsy will give a false-negative result, which means failing to find cancer even though it is present. That can happen if, for instance, the sentinel node is very cancerous and the lymphatic vessels that feed it are choked off and do not pick up the dye. Then, the dye may go to a different node, one that does not have cancer. Knowing this is possible — and knowing that the sentinel node biopsy, though highly reliable, is not infallible — surgeons look and feel around in the armpit carefully during the operation and make judgment calls about what to remove and what to leave alone.
Q How do these findings apply to women who have a genetic predisposition to breast cancer?
A Dr. Monica Morrow, an author of the study and chief of the breast service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, replied: “Genetic breast cancer doesn’t influence how we treat the nodes. Due to the increased risk of second breast cancers, many of these women chose mastectomy. Women with mastectomy require axillary dissection if the nodes are involved.”
Q From what I understand, removing even only one or two lymph nodes can result in chronic swelling of the arm. How certain is it that taking fewer nodes will result in a measurable reduction in the risk of developing lymphedema?
A There is still a risk of lymphedema even after only a few nodes are taken for sentinel biopsy, but the risk is much lower than when many nodes are removed.

domain: news


On 19 April 2013, the Federation of small farmers of Madre de Dios in Peru (Federación Agraria Departmental de Madre de Dios – FADEMAD) produced a statement titled “The threats over us continue”. The statement raises serious concerns about REDD and related initiatives that are developing in the region.
The lowland Amazon forests of Madre de Dios in south-east Peru are amongst the most biodiverse in the world. But REDD schemes to preserve the forests of Madre de Dios and Peru are coming under increasing criticism. In February 2013, AIDESEP (Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon) wrote to the Forest Investment Programme warning that REDD in Peru “will lead to an increase in emissions from deforestation”.
Also in February 2013, the Federation for Native Communities of Madre de Dios (FENAMAD) released a statement demanding greater accountability in forest and climate projects in Peru, including the Forest Investment Programme.
A draft copy of the Forest Investment Programme (FIP) Plan for Peru, dated 15 March 2013, is available here in Spanish (pdf file, 2.5 MB). The FIP in Peru is funded by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. The draft of the FIP Plan focusses on the Peruvian Amazon and aims to address the causes of deforestation, improving forest governance and involving civil society and the private sector. The draft describes REDD as “a very promising tool to support the efforts of the country in this process of change, fundamental to face deforestation and forest degradation”.
While the plan is supposed to improve the living conditions of local communities, it puts the blame for 75% of deforestation on small-scale agriculture, stating that it is “the peasants that deforest and burn the forests”. The “thematic areas” of the FIP Plan reveal that FIP plans to promote “sustainable business” by “putting a value on environmental assets” and “institutional innovation and development of markets”.
FADEMAD’s statement is available here in Spanish (pdf file, 3.1 MB). It ends with a rejection of REDD: “No REDD projects! No carbon trading!” The following account, based on FADEMAD’s statement, was produced by the World Rainforest Movement:
On 19 April, the Peruvian Departmental Agrarian Federation of Madre de Dios (FADEMAD) presented a document to its federation members titled “The threats over us continue”. The document raises serious concerns about how REDD and related initiatives are advancing in the region.
The document recalls that in 2011 the federation opposed several attempts for REDD projects to be set up in the region. These included a project funded by BAM (Bosques Amazonicos), with an organization called FEFOREMAD, where those involved had to give up fundamental rights. During the same time, an organisation by the name of ACCA approached FADEMAD with a REDD project, which FADEMAD also rejected. In that same year, NGOs were also going straight to communities trying to sign forest carbon agreements.
Recently, in February 2013, FADEMAD was visited by people from Nature Services Peru, an organisation working to promote “the competitiveness of the sustainable economy in Madre de Dios”. They asked many questions and made FADEMAD representatives fill in many papers, but tried to hide that in fact the whole proposal they were presenting to FADEMAD was about commodifying nature. FADEMAD made clear that they were not interested.
In March 2013, another NGO, AIDER, invited FADEMAD to a meeting where a French businessmen from an organization called ‘LIVELIHOODS friendly’ told them that they were interested in supporting reforestation of 5,000 hectares with tree species that people could choose themselves. By the end of the conversation, the people from LIVELIHOODS mentioned that they already had “customers” in the “first world” interested in compensating their emissions through supporting reforestation of the 5,000 hectares in an agroforestry scheme. The FADEMAD representatives responded then that they were delighted to be involved in an agroforestry project on 5,000 hectares but that they were not interested in doing carbon business, based on the bad experience before with the project of BAM with FEFORAMAD.
One week later, AIDER requested a second meeting, at the FADEMAD office, also asking FADEMAD to help with inviting local people from some territories within the National Reserve area Tambopata and its buffer zone. This meeting was conducted by AIDER and the Peruvian representative of LIVELIHOODS, presenting the proposal (for the 5,000 hectare agroforestry project) as a “competition” and that the people had the chance to win(!). The LIVELIHOODS representative again mentioned that this project was focused on the carbon market. Again, the FADEMAD leaders warned community people present about the dangers of such projects, but in vain. Community people filled in the forms “expressing their intention to be considered to participate actively in the agroforestry project”.
Afterwards, on 18 April, FADEMAD was called to another meeting, this time of the FIP (the Forest Investment Program), with all the actors they already knew but now they saw them all together in the same meeting. FADEMAD comments in the statement to its members that then they understood that it was all these actors together that are behind this whole “green economy” idea, pursuing a common idea “to contribute to net zero greenhouse gas emissions from land use change and forests”. According to the FIP spokesperson, in Peru FIP decided to give priority to the Amazon where, according to him, logging and burning of forest for conversion to other land uses are the main causes of deforestation. But according to FADEMAD, the FIP spokesman forgot to mention that most of the global emissions that cause climate change come from burning of fossil fuels and that the carbon cycle in the Peruvian forests is part of a normal and infinite biomass cycle.
At the end of the statement, FADEMAD shows how legislative proposals, Free Trade Agreements and other market-oriented neoliberal tools are linked to this process of ‘green economy’. Using the present Forest Law as an example they state that “a quick analysis … shows us the inconsistencies of the proposal of economic growth and environmental sustainability (under which name they are plundering our natural resources) in more than 30 articles of the law, in addition to mentioning ecosystem services, they also mention tree plantations and even agroforestry.”
FADEMAD concludes that some governments and businesses, including the World Bank and regional banks, are using the crises that affect the survival of human societies as we know them today and the territories they depend on as an opportunity to make profits. The organization also accuses “scientists and specialists” dedicated to making a living with carbon money of appropriating concepts like ‘agroforestry’, something the communities in the Peruvian Amazon themselves have been practising for many years.
The FADEMAD letter concludes with some points that highlight the challenge they face: how their weaknesses, such as the lack of secured land rights of their members, as well as difficulties as organizations, are being used as an “opportunity” for those who want to come and implement the aforementioned projects and plans. Even more division in and among communities can be the result. Another point mentioned is their evaluation that the national REDD and Payment for Environmental Services initiatives in Peru do not address the real causes of deforestation or exaggerate certain causes, like the agricultural activity, while not exposing others, like the big logging concessions.
And finally, FADEMAD affirms that the rural organizations are not only divided and weakened, they are now also seriously threatened by all these new initiatives. They make an urgent appeal to defend the communities from the invasions they are exposed to, today, more than ever.


text:
Even if the Dead Heads have largely given up their school buses for mini vans, the psychedelic noodlings of their patron saint Jerry Garcia will be heard once again when the Grateful Dead tribute band No Simple Highway performs at the Alcazar Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m.
No Simple Highway’s goal is to stand out among the other tribute bands “by bringing a fresh energy to the beloved repertoire, from jumpy cowboy ballads to deep-space jams and everything in between,” according to their website. The band formed in 2014 after the group of Santa Barbara natives had been playing Grateful Dead covers together at parties and gatherings for years. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and presale tickets cost $20 at thealcazar.org. For more information, email firstname.lastname@example.org, or call (805) 684-6380.

domain: entertainment


text:
Young AS (Greater Los Angeles VA & UCLA), Niv N
(Greater Los Angeles VA & UCLA), Cohen AN
(Greater Los Angeles VA), Mintz J
(University of Texas at San Antonio), Ventura J
Organizational efforts to improve healthcare quality rely on accurate and routinely available data regarding patients' clinical needs. Obtaining these data has been a particular problem in specialty mental health. In schizophrenia, it has been shown that medical records contain little valid and reliable data on patients' clinical status. Efforts to have providers routinely enter these data into the medical record have had only limited success. Using patient self-report is a promising alternative. Patient self-report has been shown to be feasible at VA clinics in patients with schizophrenia. While self-report is valid for mood symptoms, it has been unclear if self-report is accurate for the assessment of psychotic symptoms. We examined the concurrent validity and receiver operating characteristics of the psychosis scale of an established self-report scale, the Revised Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-R).
We randomly sampled patients with schizophrenia from a large VA mental health clinic (n=71). Participants were assessed using a self-report measure (the BASIS-R), and a validated, clinician-rated measure administered by highly trained research staff (the UCLA Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale [BPRS]).
Correlations between psychosis items on the BASIS-R and BPRS were all in the moderate range (range of r=.44 to r=.62). Using the BPRS as the gold standard for measuring psychosis, receiver operating characteristics indicate that the BASIS-R psychosis scale adequately identifies psychosis of moderate or greater severity. A cutoff score of 0.5 best detects moderate or greater psychosis, and a cutoff score of 1.0 best detects severe psychosis. The performance of the weighted and unweighted versions of the BASIS-R were similar.
Assessment of psychosis by self-report produces valid data, though they are somewhat different from expert clinical assessment. Self-report does not need to be performed by clinicians, can be performed by computerized assessment, and can be entered electronically into the medical record using existing software.
In specialty mental health, self-report and the BASIS-R have the potential to be useful for clinical monitoring, performance indicators, and quality improvement. Also, self-report provides assessment from the patient’s perspective, which is an inherently valuable addition to clinician assessment.

domain: psychology


Using GIS satellite data and aerial scans I created a digital version of Vejle, Denmark accurate to +/-1.5M.
The application allowed planning officers to visualise and discuss new developments in the city and present these designs to the public.
The digital city was created to run on Epiito's VRStudio, a cave system that gives multiple users a VR-like experience with full passive stereoscopic functionality. The system uses 4 projectors that put out a total of 8 images from a single high-powered computer.
The digital city was also converted to desktop and VR versions.


text:
The selvage information on the beautiful butterfly fabric shown above says " Creature comforts butterflies" Isn't it beautiful! I especially like the swallowtail butterflies illustrated on it. Shown above is a butterfly pillowcase I made for my little granddaughter. I hope she likes butterflies! Above , a swallowtail butterfly feeds upon our lilac blossoms, just outside my window.
Its bigger than a coaster, but smaller than a place mat. Its a mug rug, similiar to a small quilt. Its my husband birthday today so I made him this mug rug this morning. As a result of an interest in nature I buy fabric with nature themes as often as I can. These scraps which I used in the mug rug.really fit the purpose well.

domain: hobby


text:
As part of a new initiative, the International Goat Association wishes to officially recognize the most active Country Representatives (CR) and Regional Directors (RD). RDs and CRs are a very important part of IGA, and we greatly appreciate all that they do: promoting IGA and our International Conference on Goats, organizing in-country and regional conferences, soliciting new members, preparing country reports for IGA’s Newsletter, etc.
The Regional Director & Country Representative Committee recently selected the individuals who have done an outstanding job representing IGA in their region or country during the past year, and we wish to congratulate them for their involvement and successes.
The 2018 IGA Achievement Award recipients are Emilia Bagnicka (RD for Eastern Europe) and Clara Viviana Rúa Bustamante (CR for Colombia).
Additionally, we would like to thank the other Country Representatives, Regional Directors, and members who helped make 2018 such a wonderful success.

domain: geography


text:
Brought by: Joburg's Darling
Winter is officially here! With the cold breezes rolling in, you’re going to need extra nutrients to keep you going.... Read More
Digestive health is vital to overall well-being. Now, while we might all know to eat our daily fruit and veg, not many... Read More
We all know that kids love their sugary and fatty treats. In fact, we all do. But giving kids too much sugar and fat... Read More
We are a few weeks into the new year and most of us are still desperately trying to hold onto our New Year’s... Read More
Alpha Craft Cider is made from fresh pressed apples with a hit of ginger. We’re crushing it.
As the craft beer and cider phenomenon continues to take hold around the world a new local player, Alpha True Craft, is looking to mix things up.
Please tell us why do you think this post is inappropriate / inaccurate and how we should amend it:


The Izabel Goulart Pile Winter 2010 ad campaign has the Brazilian model posing in sport gear and bikinis. Even after having kids, this Victoria's Secret model proves that she has longevity in the modeling business (and has the body to prove it).
In the ad campaign, Goulart is also seen with a shirt that says "Brazil" on top. I guess that means she is cheering on for Brazil at the FIFA World Cup! From polo shirts to sportswear and even swimsuits, the Izabel Goulart Pile Winter 2010 ad campaign will surely be in her modeling portfolio!
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The Izabel Goulart Pile Winter 2010 Shoot has a Sporty Feeling
- By: Annie HoJun 23, 2010


On October 10, 2023 the Harford County Council passed the Warehouse Zoning Bill 23-026 as amended with a 5-2 vote. The bill limits warehouse buildings to 250,000 square feet per building with additional requirements to lessen impact on communities. However, non-resident business interests poisoned the guts of the bill by lobbying the Council for destructive amendments.
Warehouse zoning bill summary
The Warehouse Zoning Bill updated use classification “warehousing and wholesaling, processing, distribution and local delivery” to be restricted based on square footage and placed them into 2 new classifications:
- Warehousing, distribution and local delivery less than or equal to 150,000 square feet: Permitted in VB, B3, CI, LI and GI
- Warehousing, distribution and local delivery greater than 150,000 square feet and less than or equal to 250,000 square feet: Permitted only in CI, LI and GI.
What was gained? Notable improvements included in the bill
- Must have a 100 foot buffer yard on all road sides and sides with residential. Buffer must have an extensive landscape.
- For warehouses 150k-250k the access points into the property must have a minimum setback of 250 feet from any dwelling.
- A 14′ minimum berm along any street and agricultural or residential use zone that borders the warehouse. Additional 14’ tree height line in 3 years.
- No parking or staging areas permitted within water source protection area.
- No grading permit shall be issued until all land right of ways has been acquired, a contract for construction of road called for in the transportation element of the County’s Master Plan has been awarded, and construction has been substantially completed and open to traffic.
- No certificate of occupancy until roads are complete.
- Reduced the ability to increase building height based on increase in setbacks. This limits the height override loophole so that the side and rear yard setback need to increase 2 feet for each 1 foot of height increase. The current zoning loophole allowed 1 foot height for each 1 foot of increased side/rear yard setback.
- Greater than 249 trip rates per day will require a Traffic Input Study conducted by HARFORD COUNTY, but paid for by developer.
- During Development Advisory Committee meeting the developer must provide more details on operations and proposed use.
What was lost? Council amendments poisoned Cassilly’s bill
On the same night the bill was passed, 112 amendments were introduced and voted on without public viewing or comment. In fact, the County Council members had only hours to go through the final amendments to understand the impact before their vote. The bill introduced by the Cassilly administration provided many more restrictions that would have further reduced harmful effects of intense development on the citizens of Harford County. 3P has identified the wreaking amendments which weakened the integrity of the bill first introduced by the Council from the Cassilly administration.
1. Removed the reduction of total building coverage in LI and GI. And increased total building coverage for CI.
The introduced bill reduced the total maximum building coverage per lot from 55% to 40% in LI. Amendment 10 returned it to the existing code of 55% for LI BUT increased it from 50% to 55% in CI. This change significantly changed the intent of the bill to lower intensity of development by allowing greater density of 250K warehouses on CI, LI and GI property.
2. Removed reduction of impervious surface coverage.
The introduced bill reduced the impervious coverage per lot in LI from 85% to 60%. Amendment 11 returned it to the existing code of 85%. This change significantly changed the intent of the bill to lower intensity of development by allowing greater density of 250K warehouses on CI, LI and GI property.
3. Added grandfathering clauses to allow some existing and future warehouses to be exempt.
The grandfather clauses which ensure existing warehouses do not become noncompliant also includes language to exempt future developments or redevelopments located within existing industrial parks. An industrial park is vaguely defined as 4 contiguous commercial lots. This is a large loophole which contradicts the bill itself for commercial lots that have not been developed. The result of this amendment leaves one question if undeveloped commercial lots will all be exempt in the Perryman and Aberdeen’s Technology Drive industrial areas.
4. Removed the restriction of 50% maximum floor area per building.
The introduced bill restricted the maximum gross floor area used for warehousing and distribution at 50%. An amendment removed this restriction.
5. Removed minimum lot size for warehouses 150-250K square feet.
The introduced bill set a minimum lot size of 15 acres for warehouses that are between 150,000 to 250,000 square feet. This restriction was removed.
6. Removed the deletion of freight terminals in B3 and CI.
An amendment removed the deletion of Freight Terminals from B3 and CI use districts in the use charts 19:20.
7. Failed to pass amendment to limit intensity of warehouse projects.
An amendment failed to pass which would have limited the intensity of use by capping the daily trip rates to 1.46 per 1K sq ft of building.


text:
By Sally Rooney
There is something about Sally Rooney’s novels that makes people embrace (and occasionally reject) them like a long-sought romantic partner. Though both her 2017 debut, “Conversations With Friends,” and her new novel, “Normal People,” are set in an exactingly depicted Dublin and West Ireland in the 2010s, her books describe the kinds of all-consuming romantic attachments that have bolstered narratives since Dido and Aeneas, or, O.K., Emma and Mr. Knightley. (There’s as wide a streak of affinity with the 19th-century novel in these books as there is with Sheila Heti.) Her characters are drawn irresistibly to one another (consistently consummating their attractions with phenomenal, heart-stopping sex), and come apart over petty misunderstandings, after which they tend to have “anxious, upsetting sex” with other people before reconnecting. Her prose, much like Salinger’s — her predecessor in philosophical post-adolescent neurosis — is sharp, dialogue-heavy and unadorned, written to be absorbed into the bloodstream quickly.
Part of the excitement of reading Rooney is seeing this old-school sensibility applied to what feel like acutely modern problems. In “Conversations,” Frances moves between an affair with a married older man and an on-again-off-again relationship with her female best friend. All four involved are self-consciously cool, progressive individuals who find themselves overwhelmed (in Frances’ case, to the point of self-harm) when pressed into action by brute desire. Rooney’s novels have the unusual power to do what realist fiction was designed to do: bring to light how our contemporaries think and act in private (which these days mostly means off the internet), and allow us to see ourselves reflected in their predicaments.
“Normal People,” even as it is almost physically impossible to stop reading once begun, feels in some ways like the slightly less impressive follow-up album by a beloved band, the “Contra” to Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut, if you will. (There’s an extremely generationally accurate scene in which the central couple listen to Vampire Weekend while drinking gin and arguing, in 2012, about the Reagan administration.) It’s wonderful to hear the sound of Rooney’s voice on the page again, and the pleasures of her storytelling are even more immediate than in the first novel. But the book can also seem rushed and conventional in ways her debut did not, particularly in its final third. Much more so than in her first novel, the clarity of Rooney’s language gives way to clichés and not terribly convincing similes (“Marianne’s face looked bright like a light bulb”; “the heat beats down on the back of Connell’s neck like the feeling of human eyes staring”), as though the urgency of writing the story were so great that she was reluctant to pause to find the more perfect phrase.
[ This book was one of our most anticipated titles of April. See the full list. ]
But that urgency is also thrilling, and there are very few contemporary writers who can pull off what Rooney accomplishes with narrative and character in this book. In chapters that alternate between two perspectives, she dramatizes, with excruciating emotional insight, the intertwined lives of Connell and Marianne, beginning with their final year of high school in the West Ireland town of Carricklea, and ending with their final year at Trinity College, Dublin. When we first meet them, Connell’s mother is working as a housekeeper for Marianne’s family, and their full set of dichotomies is quickly established: Marianne is openly brilliant, wealthy and friendless, while Connell is secretly brilliant, poor and popular. They can’t be seen together at school for fear of social opprobrium, so they begin meeting secretly to talk and have sex, discovering parts of themselves that have previously lain dormant. Though the plot devices couldn’t be more familiar — the first major rift between the couple occurs when Connell invites a popular girl to the formal dance instead of Marianne — Rooney expertly imbues this time of life with the gravity one feels in the midst of it. (In this respect her book shares a kinship with, among others, Edna O’Brien’s classic first novel, “The Country Girls,” and Elif Batuman’s recent undergraduate epic, “The Idiot.”)
The author is just as perceptive in the sections at Trinity, where most of the novel takes place. Marianne arrives at university with a new persona, transformed by the status afforded to the wry, bookish and rich, while Connell, despite the superior test scores that got him into the school, feels out of place among the would-be intellectuals. (Sample interior monologue: “It was culture as class performance, literature fetishized for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys, so that they might afterward feel superior to the uneducated people whose emotional journeys they liked to read about.”)
Marianne is dating someone else, but it’s only a matter of time before she and Connell progress from flirting at parties to kissing at parties to sleeping together again in some nebulous space between dating and friendship. They break off their arrangement over trivial misunderstandings, see other people (Connell a prototypical nice girl, Marianne a series of monstrous sadists), and then get back together. There’s something cinematic, even self-consciously hokey, about the paces they are put through, with Connell sweeping in repeatedly to rescue Marianne from awful men, most memorably her brother, Alan, a figure of such one-dimensionally motiveless malignity that he seems transported from another book entirely.
But even when — perhaps especially when — things tip over into melodrama, it feels true to the way life is experienced by the young. Connell and Marianne are self-dramatizing and prone to putting themselves in terrible situations. Connell struggles with depression, while Marianne has a masochistic streak that verges on a desire for annihilation. (The novel’s tendency to pathologize Marianne’s sexual orientation seems somewhat regressive — at one point Connell more or less throws her out of bed for asking him to hit her.) Though we are told repeatedly how brilliant both are, their genius remains off the page. Their “normalcy” allows the reader to project onto the characters to an unusual degree; I remember their tense dinner at Marianne’s vacation home in Trieste, Italy as though I had been there, and even though it goes quite badly, I still wouldn’t have minded an invitation.
There has been an abundance of great work in recent years by millennial-adjacent (are we supposed to check their I.D.’s?) fiction writers: My shortlist of current favorites includes Jen George, Claire-Louise Bennett, Alexandra Kleeman, Halle Butler and Jade Sharma, all of whom are more caustic in their outlooks than Rooney. (I almost forgot my contractual obligation to mention that Rooney was born in 1991.) Though class difference is a major theme running throughout Rooney’s work, she is less interested than most of the writers above in the lived day-to-day experience of the era’s economy, the enervation and unrelieved dread about one’s ability to pay the bills while still doing intellectually rewarding work. It’s worth noting that both of Rooney’s novels end before their protagonists graduate from college. It makes sense: As a writer she is adept, on the level of both plot and subject matter, at deferring the reckoning until just the right moment. As one of her many dedicated readers, I’m eager to see what her characters do once they emerge fully into the world, but I’m also happy to wait. She’s got time.

domain: literature


text:
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Microsoft has unveiled the latest version of its customer relationship management (CRM) software, Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011.
The announcement came at Microsoft's ongoing Worldwide Partner Conference. The software, previously referred to as 'CRM 5', is expected to offer enhanced integration with Outlook and Sharepoint, and better interoperability with Microsoft Office.
Microsoft says that the CRM will be launched as a public beta in September.
In a statement, Brad Wilson, Microsoft CRM general manager, said: “What that really does is it lets you take full advantage of Outlook features, conditional formatting and the other things we do in Outlook. We're treating CRM data the same way we treat email data, making it a more Outlook-native experience.”
The company also announced plans to release the Microsoft Dynamics Marketplace in September.
The marketplace will contain applications developed by Microsoft partners that can be downloaded and installed on both online and on-premise version of Microsoft Dynamics.


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