Posts for category ‘news’

I first typed that as “Last post of 2012.” That’s how long and eventful this year has felt. I won’t recap it here. Just: Damn! And also: Thank You.

I’ll be whiling away the holidays doing my revision of The Lucy Variations. And probably tweeting. You know how I love to tweet.

Meanwhile, if you get lonely for this blog, you may want to revisit my 2010 Reading Report posts, as I’m sure all or most of those books are now in paperback. There are also inspiring author interviews, and a bunch of stuff on writing.

In 2012, here at sarazarr.com, there is going to be a podcast – conversations about creativity, not just with writers but also other kinds of artists and creative thinkers, as well. And who knows what all else.

A last reminder before I go: I’m teaching YA fiction at The Glen Workshop next summer. The whole experience would be a great gift to yourself if it sounds like your kind of thing.

All blessings to you this season, and I’ll see you back here in January.

So, yes, 2011 is the Year of Writing. (And man, is it flying by! Ash Wednesday already? Eek.) Part of the Year of Writing is the Year of Doing Stuff that Feeds My Creativity. I’ve been thinking about what I like to do, other than writing, and other than playing on the computer, things that energize me and make me excited about creating.

And you know what I love? Talking to other artists and hearing how they fit their creative work into their lives. To that end, you can expect a couple of things happening here at sarazarr.com and beyond starting soon:

- More interviews/Q&As with writers. And not just writers! With people, in general, who are swimming upstream a bit in order to Make Stuff. For example, one thing in the works is an interview with a young couple who are dedicating their time and passion to good old fashioned pen, ink, and paper, and keeping the art and joy of handwriting alive. Stuff like that. Coming soon: an interview with Sara Bennett Wealer, the author of Rival, which is a YA debut I adore and admire.

- On a related note: A podcast? Yes, I think so. After the strongly positive reaction to my SCBWI talk on Crafting a Creative Life, I am in the initial phase of putting together a podcast series based on the ideas in that talk. Only, instead of me yapping away, it will be brief conversations with writers, and, I hope, musicians, painters, crafters, poets, and dancers with a focus on process, craft, and the sort of lifestyle choices we make about time and energy in order to make room for creative work. And I would like to speak not only with people who are creative professionals, but also those who are still in the apprenticeship phase of their work, or who are not ultimately doing what they’re doing to make money or do it professionally, but simply because it is who they are. I’m not sure how long it will take to get this up and running – stay tuned.

- Also I’m writing a book. Yes, another one. I just can’t stop.

Unrelated question, since it’s Ash Wednesday. Do you observe Lent? If so, how?

I’m writing this post on Tuesday night, though I won’t be posting it until sometime Wednesday. At least writing this now feels a little bit like telling the secret. Keeping secrets, especially happy ones, is not my forte.

All day Monday I was down with one of the worst migraines I’ve had all year. Extreme pain, throwing up every twenty minutes, the kind of “I could die right now and that would be okay” misery. At some point in the morning the phone rang; there was no way I was getting up. My husband got home after work and came into the room to ask if I’d heard my message. No, I muttered. Who was it? Someone from the National Book Foundation. Oh. Then I went back into my little private world of pain and fantasized about someone coming over right away to give me a two-hour therapeutic massage, projecting myself into a painless future that might come Tuesday night or sooner if I was lucky. Later, annoyed at getting a phone call I’d have to return the next day even though I knew I wouldn’t be feeling nearly well by then, I started thinking, What does the National Book Foundation want from me, anyway? Well, whatever. It can wait. (This tells you just how much this was not on my radar. Kind of embarrassing.)

A couple of hours later I was lying on the couch with my head in my husband’s lap while he read, hoping that either the pain would end soon or my life would. Contemplating my neck pain, my ear pain, my jaw pain…pain all along the nerve that runs down the left side of my head. National Book Foundation. National Book Foundation. Wait a second. Wait. That’s the National Book Award people. I looked at G. “What if I get nominated for a National Book Award?” He said, “I’ll still love you.”

A few minutes after that, I was crouched in front of the toilet, again, because I couldn’t even keep a little juice down. And I thought it was probably a good thing that I was so sick on the day I found out I might possibly be nominated for a big award. It would keep me humble.

As is always the case when I’m migraining, I was in and out of sleep all night, listening to Coast to Coast (twice) and any other voice on the radio that could distract me from my misery. At four in the morning I wondered if it would be too early to call the NBF back. I waited until 7:45 my time. And Harold Augenbraum told me that Story of a Girl is a finalist for the National Book Award. I tried to relate my little, “I was sick, missed your call, wasn’t connecting the dots about what was happening…” story but nothing I could say felt like enough, and everything I could say felt like too much, because in a way it’s a very private moment to be processing.

Mr. Augenbraum told me that this was confidential. Until Wednesday morning at 9:30 Eastern. Like, my editor didn’t even know. Nor my agent. I had to keep this huge secret for an entire day!? It’s killing me, right up to this minute. He also gave me a bunch of details about how it all works, this being a finalist thing. Which is good because “how” is a big question for me right now.

I don’t like to make too too much of it. There are lots of books, movies, albums that I love that have never been recognized. So much awards stuff is at least half luck when it comes to who is judging what when, and just happening to connect with a particular group of people. And I know by now for sure that even the best news does not magically make me a more confident writer, does not erase all the fear and insecurity, doesn’t make me fundamentally different. I still think the best thing in the world is hearing from individual readers. But one does like to entertain fantasies about awards and speeches and having a shiny medallion on one’s book cover. This came out of the blue…somehow not on my radar at all that it was even that time of year. Which is probably the best way to experience it because it would suck to be super aware and spend all day hearing the phone not ring. Right now, coming off the migraine and focusing on getting rehydrated and doing a little straightening up than anything else feels like the right place to be.

- – - – -

Now it’s Wednesday morning and I know who the other finalists are, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to hear that Sherman Alexie’s wonderful The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a finalist, too. Here we are at ALA with our editor, Jennifer Hunt, who is quite obviously brilliant in her taste and skill! It’s going to be terrific to be sharing this experience with them. And congrats to the other three finalists in the young people’s literature category as well: Kathleen Duey, M. Sindy Felin, and Brian Selznick, and of course the finalists in every category. I can’t wait for November 14!

Randomly related:

I really want to hear Camille Paglia saying my name. I’ll be looking for a podcast of that, but if anyone finds it before me, let me know!

I splurged and bought myself a piece of chocolate hazelnut coffee cake this morning.

As luck would have it, weeks ago I scheduled an appointment with my therapist for today. Handy!

I’m kind of having a normal in-office day, and even hope to work. I think that’s the best way to celebrate.

Awwww yeah! 31 days. 31 authors. 31 live chats. Cecil Castellucci, Stephanie Meyer, Lisa Yee, Cynthia Leitich Smith…and that’s just a few of the ladies! There are also dudes: John Green, Brent Hartinger, Chris Crutcher. I mean, come on! Don’t make any plans for October because you can chat with one of these fabulous authors every single night of the month! The 31 Flavorite Authors, the super cool poster, the MySpace community are all brought to you by Readergirlz in celebration of YALSA Teen Read Week. Because obviously, a week is just not long enough.

Oh yeah, I’ll be doing a chat, too! On October 16th, 5 p.m. Pacific / 8 Eastern. That’s 6 p.m. if you’re in Utah, by the way. It’s all going to happen through MySpace and I’ll give you more instructions as it gets closer. If you just can’t wait, you should check out the MySpace community and read the archived chats with Holly Black and Patricia McCormick. See you on the 16th!

In the seven years we have lived here, G’s school has never called for a snow day. Lots of late starts in the winter, but no snow days. Until today. Yay! Of course, it means nothing to me since I can call a snow day any damn time I want, including summer, but it’s definitely fun to get some surprise extra hours with the hub. And, even better, I don’t have to worry about him dying on the way to work.

I do have a busy day, though. Later this morning, I’m taking the donated books from Saturday’s event over to the Family Support Center, and I have to go by the library to pick up the copy of Story of a Girl I requested! I won’t check it out or anything, but I want to look at the library binding, tell them I wrote it, and take a picture of it. I’m a dork. There’s just something about knowing it’s right at my local library that gives me a thrill.

Also, I am wrapping up my revisions to the Growing Up Churched essay. I’m loving creative nonfiction and also finding it very challenging. When I get stuck on a novel, I can always make something up to move things along or increase the conflict or delve into the character. With nonfiction, I have to dig deeper for the actual truth and how I felt about it, which requires a rigorous sort of honesty that, at its ultimate root, is not that different from how one should approach fiction but I’m putting this out there as something true and real and there are other people’s stories involved, so it just feels much more weighty.

Everyone have a great day and be careful out there!