If you're a regular reader, you saw my quasi-review of undiscovered gyrl by Allison Burnett.  Don't forget to see the postcript in which I explain the Salinger comparison a little more, as well as a strange connection to author Saundra Mitchell.

undiscovered gyrl made me cringe, made me angry, made me confused, made me think.  I hate when reviews say that books "make you think."  It's as though being thought-provoking is the best you can say about it (as opposed to being witty, eloquent, well-paced, etc.)

I've vacillated from anger to awe, from being impatient to being impressed with Burnett.  I think I'd jump on any bandwagon that tried to convince me one way or another.

Well, Allison got to me first.

You can submit your review to the undiscovered gyrl site, which is what I did. About a week later, I received an email from Allison Burnett.

What can I say? I'm easy.  Authors receive more of my adoration than "celebrities," so to have one engage with me feeds my bookish narcissism. And Burnett's not only an author, but also a force in showbiz; his career includes screenwriting. (How much do I love that he wrote the script for this fall's FAME?!)

The end result, anyway, is that I am declaring myself a news-bringer, a non-neutral force in the viral marketing campaign for undiscovered gyrl. Behold, two videos made by famous people.

The first, directed by Zalman King (he co-directed 9 1/2 weeks), features Burnett talking to the camera about how much he loves Katie, the main character of undiscovered gyrl. The only part that bugs me is his claim that we've all felt like Katie, at some point in our lives. I have to beg out of that one, actually. And I think Holly would agree with me. The vid, however, shows Burnett at his charming writerly best, and it's definitely worth two minutes.



The second video was made by Jordan Alan, and stars his wife Amanda Righetti. I appreciate the attempt, but right away it's obvious that Righetti is too beautiful, too old, too poised, too old, too polished, too old to actually be Katie as she retells the first pages of the book. Still, Righetti is stunning, so watch anyway:



Well? What do you think?

Copies of undiscovered gyrl have gone out to Beth and to Lorna, so if you didn't get an ARC, at least reserve this book at your library. It's definitely something you should read before school starts again - awesome lunchroom discussion that makes you seem both smart and funny, sort of like Amy Poehler.

Dear Betty,

You win.  (Okay, Pete helped.)  Rather nasty trick, there, invoking the Boss's name.  You know I am powerless against the Co-Dictators of the Universe.

My entry to the current Clarity of Night contest is here.  Or you can read it in the postscript.  I keep hoping for one of those magical epiphanies that write themselves, 250 words of such depth and perfection that it reduces Parrish to tears.  Sadly, no such epiphany occurred for this contest.  I will jump cartwheels if only I can stay in the Forties Club (do not even dare to suggest that has anything to do with my age).

I've read but not commented on all the entries.  Some, like this one, are way too profound for my summertime brain.  Some (like Tessa's, and Sarah's are poetry: I stink at appreciating poetry.   

Quite a few of my peeps entered: Merry, Ello, Chris, Aniket, wolfie, Paul, Pete, Parrish, J.C., Precie, Angelique, Dottie, Sandra, Absolute Vanilla, Surly Writer, Whirlochre. Am I well-connected or what? (Yes, I hobnob.)

My current favorites are da Boss's and Sylvia's and Tre'von's.  I think.  At least right now.

Not only is my Clarity entry not to the level I'd hoped, my word counts on the WIPs are lagging.  McKoala's going to claw me soon, I'm afraid.  I know your own poetry and Rumpelstiltskin writing is going well, even if I haven't left comments.  I'm all-knowing that way.

I hope that your home ownership and kitchen remodelling are going well.  You will certainly need to get ahead of things in order to fill the Boss's shoes when he's on leave.  First thing you can do is raise my salary.  Royalty needs bling, you know.

Do give my best to Mrs. Betty and to Zora.

Cordially,
the Queen

PS - I haven't mailed your books yet, but I also haven't forgotten.

PPS - Here's my entry:

Presage
by Aerin Rose


Twenty-two hours from San Francisco to Kathmandu. Four hours until the layover in Hong Kong. Caelin will have finished grading papers by then. She arches her back, stretching, then wiggles her toes, and catches the eye of the flight attendant.

“More, please.” She indicates the travel-sized wineglass. The remaining ruby droplets glisten in the spotlight of her reading lamp. The attendant nods from the galley.

“You realize that’s basically grape juice?” Chloe peers around the headrest as her business class bed reverts to its upright position.

“It’s a second growth Bordeaux and you know it, O Queen Food Critic,” Caelin retorts. “How’d you sleep?”

“Not well. Looks like fourteen bottles of questionable Bordeaux didn’t help you sleep, either.”

“Excited?”

“And nervous. What if she hates us?”

“Sweetheart.” Caelin strokes her wife’s cheek as Chloe unfolds the passport she’s been clutching. A little girl with dark eyes and copper skin gazes at them, unsmiling and unafraid. “She liked us well enough before. Any kid will hate her parents at some point. Let’s just focus on getting her home.”

The flight attendant materializes with the bottle of Château Cos-d'Estournel 1989, which streams like scarlet silk into the stemware.

“Like the orphanage is going to let her come home when you show up drunk,” Chloe teases, leaning close. Caelin smiles into her spouse’s black curls. Points of light play on the surface of her wine, casting images against the back of the seat in a rosy haze.

* - Authors with Heart

Sean Beaudoin*
Geraldine Brooks

Kristin Cashore
Sandra Cormier

Kami Garcia

Louise Hawes*
Sarah Hina
Tonya Hurley

Diana Wynne Jones

Robin McKinley

Stuart Neville

Ellen Oh

Tamora Pierce
Cindy Pon

Carrie Ryan

Margaret Stohl

Brooke Taylor

Lynn Viehl

If you don't see your blog (or any favorite authors' blogs) linked and would like it to be, please feel free to email me at aerinblogs AT aol DOT com, subject line: Blog Roll.

I'm trying something a little different for my last post in AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT week.  I received an email from a blogging buddy who is also a librarian:

I think I checked out seven Pierce books today to patrons, plus put one back in the mail from Interlibrary Loan. Can you give me a rundown on why she's awesome and recommend first books? Not that I need any more to read, but I know you're a fan.

For anyone who doesn't know (and if you don't, I pity you), Tamora Pierce is a writer of books that are technically categorized in Young Adult fantasy (at least, that's where you'll find them at the bookstore or the library.)  Like the works of Robin McKinley, however, Pierce's stories are appealing not only to teenage audiences but to adults as well. 

I thought I would do a two-prong post to answer this friend (particularly because I want to secure my nomination for assistant dictator of the southern hemisphere.)  First, I've been making notes to analyze Tammy's "awesome quotient."  Then, I want to share my own personal journey from Tammy-novice to Tammy-worshipper.

I don't have an actual interview with Tamora Pierce.  However, the fantastic Malinda does, over at the Enchanted Inkpot.  Also, the Tamora Pierce website makes a good place to start.

Now, for the Awesome Quotient Analysis.

1. Pierce is Prolific:  Her first book, Alanna: The First Adventure was published in 1983, the year after McKinley's Blue Sword.  Both books feature strong, red-haired characters who wield swords and save kingdoms.  While Harry's tale ends in Blue Sword, however, Alanna and her children and friends go on to inhabit fourteen more books.  Add to the the Alanna stories the Circle Opens series (plural), and Pierce has published, at present, twenty-six novels, in addition to multiple short stories or anthology collaborations.  Just the numbers assure that Pierce will be a much-checked-out library author.

A long bibliography doesn't tell the whole story, of course.  Pierce is prolific in effective writing.  Her dialogue is snappy and well-executed; her descriptions are sensory but not overdrawn.  Pierce's plots are believable, and she includes roadblocks and how they're overcome: you'll find not even a whiff of deus ex machina.  And her imagination soars.  From the Jade Pavilion to Daine's Immortal parents, Pierce's books are fresh and deeply engaging.

2. Pierce and the Lake Wobegon Effect:  "All the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average." Somehow, Pierce writes characters that are real (see below) but still hugely attractive: strong, attractive, smart, clever, funny, wise, and all the while fallible.  Reading about these people makes me want to be a better person.  And to be Daine, just because of Numair.  But anyway. 

3. Pierce keeps it Real:

• Action Scenes Blood is blood, muscles hurt, breathing strains, waste smells, and we can feel the blisters of the sword on our fingers.  Pierce's visceral descriptions are particularly important for her female characters, since women in fairy tales (all right, princesses) usually don't sweat.
• Evil Pierce doesn't gloss over the costs of battle; refugees whose homes have been destroyed play prominently into her works.  Lack of crops or drinking water are realities in war-stricken Tortall.  But there's evil, too, that mirrors the worst of  human history. (For example, a wizard whose fighting machines are fueled by the souls of children - so, of course, he has to kill the children to capture their souls.)
• Romance & Sex Sometimes it's love (like my feelings for Numair) and sometimes it's hormones (Alanna explores sex & love), but Pierce never makes romance gushy or sappy, even when someone's in love with a crow.  ("I want to always have the taste of you on my lips," Nawat whispered...Trickster's Queen, page 345.)  Pierce also makes a point to have characters talk about birth control, if necessary.
  

In Part 2 of AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Tamora Pierce, I'll share my own experiences with her books, and give more in-depth examples. 

In the meantime, I'd love to hear what any of you think about Tammy's Awesome Quotient.   Do share!

I first made acquaintance with Stuart Neville through the blogosphere community that frequents Jason Evans's Clarity of Night flash fiction contests, before he even landed his agent.  I've enjoyed being one of the groupies, cheering as Stuart humbly recounted tales about landing Nat Sobel as an agent, finalizing the publishing deals, getting celebrity (and non) feedback for his debut novel The Twelve, and caving to peer pressure to join Facebook.   


(Okay, okay, and I admit: I totally have a crush on him.  Fear not.  My thinking he's a dreamy Irish hunk had no impact on my journalistic integrity - these 7SS being so serious and all.)

Step #1

LIGHTNING ROUND

• stout or lager? Lager - can't stand stout.
• Bransford or Moonrat? Oh, don't make me choose! Um, Moonrat, but only because I've met her in person and she took me to a karaoke party.
• David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar? Roth, of course.
• coffee or tea? Tea - can't stand coffee.
• celebrity crush: Just one? Any female news reader - Fiona Bruce from the BBC News, for instance. Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls. Jenna Fischer from The Office. Oh, and Cindy Pon, now that she's all famous.
• a phrase you use often: "Sorry I'm so late," usually followed by a poorly thought-out excuse.
• music you write by: All sorts, but recently it's been Mutter, and album by German industrial metal band Rammstein.

Step #2
TELL US about any of your weird writing habits or idiosyncracies. (ie, What’s one “thing” you need to write, the thing without which the creative juices would cease to flow?)
I need a guitar to hand at all times so I can noodle on it while I think. It's kind of like how people will doodle with a pen and paper.

Step #3
TEACH US one or two of your favorite vocabulary words.
Pishmire, which is a local expression for someone grumpy or miserable. It's come from an old word for piss ant. That's about as clean a word as I can think of for now...

Step #4
BOOK BLANKS

• The last book I finished reading was BLOOD'S A ROVER by James Ellroy.
• I gave it 5 stars.
• One word to describe it is surprising.

(in fact, dear readers, you can find Stuart's review of that book here.)

Step #5
QUESTION: What was the most difficult part of The Twelve’s journey to publication?
Being on tenterhooks for what seemed like forever as it was doing the rounds at the UK publishers. You hear of book deals being struck in minutes, but my auction seemed to go on for weeks.

Step #6
QUESTION: What has surprised you most about the publishing process itself?
How eagle-eyed my editor at Harvill Secker, Briony Everroad, is. Her eye for detail is staggering. And also how generous people in the writing community are, from struggling hopefuls to big-name best selling authors.

Step #7
GIVE US THE SCOOP. Tell us something about yourself that’s exclusive to In Search of Giants (ie, has never been publicized in print or podcast interviews.)
I, a fully grown man, can't ride a bike. And I don't mean a motorcycle, I mean a bicycle with pedals.


Obviously I was hoping that Stuart's "scoop" was that he was naming a character in his next book after me, but, whatever.  Thanks for letting me interview you, Stuart!

Step #1
LIGHTNING ROUND

• keep or toss? TOSS
• Bing Crosby or Fred Astaire? FRED
• Mac or PC? MAC
• pool or hot tub? HOT TUB
• pen or pencil? PEN
• salty or sweet? SALTY
• Jacob or Edward? EDWARD

Step #2
DESCRIBE a favorite scene or event from your childhood memory.

summer. pretending to be mermaids with my best friend cheryl at above ground pool in the backyard. i was a crap swimmer.

Step #3
TEACH US one or two of your favorite 4-star vocabulary words.

surreptitious : all secret and sly like.
bamboozled : totally conned and fooled.

Step #4
BOOK BLANKS
The last book I finished reading was _________________ by ____________.

• EYES LIKE STARS by lisa mantchev.

I gave it ______ stars.

• five stars. one of my favorite reads this year.

One word to describe it is_______________.

• delicious.

Step #5
QUESTION: Your writing has been compared to Kristin Cashore and Tamora Pierce. What are some of the authors who have influenced your style?

tough. i enjoyed GRACELING immensely and am utterly ashamed to say
i've not read pierce. tho she is on my TBR list! i tend to like more spare and
direct prose. ursula le guin is a favorite prose writer or mine. i love neil gaiman and
his observations and the way he sees the world. it's reflected in his writing.
but i don't think i'm that astute?

Step #6
QUESTION: Was “Silver Phoenix” always the title you wanted for this novel?

no. i had originally named it SPIRIT BOUND. but my editor
didn't feel it conveyed the story enough. we brain stormed A LOT
before settling on SILVER PHOENIX.

Step #7
GIVE US THE SCOOP. Tell us something about yourself that’s exclusive to In Search of Giants (ie, has never been publicized in print or podcast interviews.)

you want all the dirt, don't you, aerin?
i've been around online for so long i'm pretty sure
i've said it all. ha. let me think ...

i got a progress report for having a "D" in algebra
in 8th grade. (those word problems killed me.) i was
so mortified that i forged my mom's signature. to this day,
it's probably one of the worst things i've ever done, in my mind.
thankfully, i raised my grade by the end of term.

I'm delighted to kick off Author Spotlight Week with an author I truly admire.  I've read one of her books and currently have three on order from B&N.

Louise Hawes was the person who inspired Authors with Heart.  When I started reviewing books, I sent the reviews via email to authors.  When I didn't ever receive responses, I quit sending them.  Then I posted my review of Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand.  A few days letter I received a lovely email from Louise.

This communication not only endeared Louise to me, but gave me the confidence to seek out interviews with other authors.  Granted, Cindy Pon and Stuart Neville, whom you'll also meet this week, agreed to do interviews so I would quit stalking them.  But others, like Julie Berry and John Marco, are direct results of my newfound faith in Authors with Heart.

While I'm pleased to offer you this interview with Louise, I also encourage you to check out her writing.  It's sensorial, intelligent, graceful....much like Louise herself.

Step #1
LIGHTNING ROUND

• Mac or PC? PC
• keep or toss?  I don't speak toss. I still have clothes I wore in high school!
• aisle or window? Aisle
• LA or New York?  Sorry, I'm not a city girl, not any city. I like my air without smog and my mornings filled with bird songs, not honking horns and squeaking brakes.
• pen or pencil? Pencil for free writes, pen for contracts. The first need to flow, the second need to last!
• Bronte sisters or Louisa May Alcott?  I read Jane Eyre every year. It's among my all-time faves; I even wrote a novel, Waiting for Christopher, about it!
• cake or ice cream? I thought they were a set :-)

Step #2
TELL US about any of your weird writing habits or idiosyncracies. (ie, What’s one “thing” you need to write, the thing without which the creative juices would cease to flow?)
I like to work on more than one kind of project at a time. If I'm working on a novel, it's like R and R to take a "break" and develop a picture book. If I'm writing a short story, building a poem is a fun "vacation" and helps tighten my language at the same time. Each piece feeds and is nourished by the others. So if I get stuck on one project, I often find the solution by working on something else.

Step #3
TEACH US one or two of your favorite vocabulary words.
You're talking to someone who reads the dictionary for fun! I love the history of words as well as the music they make. One of my favorites I've worked it into several books is OTIOSE. It sounds just like what it means -- lazy, slow, useless. It can describe a river, a person, a mood. It comes from the Latin word, otisosus, meaning idle.

Step #4
BOOK BLANKS

• The last book I finished reading was Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham.
• I gave it unlimited stars.
• One word to describe it is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. (You said one word, right? But you didn't limit how many times I could use it :-)).

Step #5
Describe what you’re doing/where you are as you’re taking this interview. What project are you working on while you’re there?
I'm a Writer in Residence at an Arts Center in southern North Carolina. It's an elegant, historically preserved mansion with beautiful gardens, lovely writers' quarters named after NC writers (I'm sleeping in the Thomas Wolfe room, which comes complete with ghost :-)), a gorgeous sun porch (with WiFi, of course!), and blissful quiet everywhere. I'm working on a new novel and putting together a lecture for the July residency at the Vermont College MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. Can't think of a nicer setting in which to work my buns off!!


Step #6
From the beginning of your writing career through now, what are one or two lessons you’ve learned – about the writing/publishing process, marketing, or, you know, just life in general?
We're in this together. No one can be objective about her own work; we all need readers (preferably other writers) whose eyes and hearts we trust to give us honest responses to our writing. A good writers' group is priceless!

I've learned over time that some of the roughest patches in my life have made me a better writer. I hope they've made me a better person, too. Hard times have a way of tenderizing us.

Step #7
GIVE US THE SCOOP. Tell us something about yourself that’s exclusive to In Search of Giants (ie, has never been publicized in print or podcast interviews.)
You mean besides the fact that I'm allergic to chocolate? (Weep for me...) Okay, here's a real scoop: I've just finished a story for a new graphic novel being put together with four other writers. Fallen Angels comes out with DC/Vertigo next year, and includes Holly Black on the writing team and the gifted fantasy illustrator Rebecca Guay, who did the gorgeous illustrations for my last book, Black Pearls, a Faerie Strand. I can't wait for everyone to see this project--it is amazing!!