Articles in month: June, 2009

1. If you are in the Salt Lake area, come out to the King’s English tomorrow (Saturday), at 2 p.m., where a bunch of local SCBWI members with books out will be signing. Like Sydney Salter, Emily Wing Smith, Anne Bowen, and more! I’ll be there, too. And I (and my doctor) promise you I am not infectious. In fact, somewhat miraculously I feel nearly fully recovered. The only thing I haven’t tried yet is exercise, and I’ll be waiting until Monday for that. Anyway – tomorrow, TKE, 15th & 15th from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. There will be cookies.

2. Hustle on over to the Teen Fiction Cafe for Good News Friday, and read some good news about Story of a Girl and Once Was Lost, as well as good news from other TFCers.

3. Sweethearts/Truth month at Readergirlz continues, with a nonfiction companion recommendation of Cylin and John Busby’s The Year We Disappeared. Sounds fascinating!

4. I am so glad it’s So You Think You Can Dance season again. Man I love that show. There was some heartbreak last night, as there always is. I haven’t seen two brothers cry and say “I love you” so much since Biggest Loser 5′s Jay and Mark. (By the way, have you seen the trailer for the remake of Fame? Kherington from last season is totally in that. Check out her high kick.)

5. The one and only ARC I brought back from BEA was The Unnamed by Josh Ferris, which I read on the plane on the way home. It’s very compelling and super interesting—a good choice for a book club discussion, because there is lots to discuss (and argue about, which I think makes good book club fun). Marriage, the human body, the soul, sanity, salvation. It comes out in January. As you may recall, Ferris’s first novel, And Then We Came to the End was a National Book Award finalist in what I think of as my year. So me and Josh are practically, like, siblings. Even though I walked about 3 inches from him at BEA and didn’t realize it until it was past the correct moment to say hello without being totally awkward. Still. We’re tight. Tight!

Now go and have yourselves a great weekend, and congratulations to all you graduates! Be safe, okay? There is no rush to experience all of your adulthood in one night.

Sorry, Billy Joel.

There’s been a little dustup the last couple of days about lit and book bloggers, precipitated by a BEA panel of bloggers. I didn’t go to the panel, and I actually don’t read that many book/lit blogs because, as I’ve mentioned here before, I always feel like I need all the help I can get with work/life separation and don’t like to oversaturate my life with stuff that connects in some way to The Industry. So I’ve kind of been picking up bits and pieces of the discussion through blog posts, like this one at Chasing Ray, and this one, and this one at the The Book Publicity Blog, and various tweets. There’s been some getting-up-of-back, some bruised egos, and also some very thoughtful dialog.

Authors have a place in this dialog, too, of course. My philosophy is always to know enough about what’s going on to stay smart while at the same time not getting sucked into energy-draining controversies that ultimately have nothing to do with the work I have to do when it’s time to sit down and write a book. Many times I have opinions that I start furiously typing then decide, in the big scheme of things, I don’t have time and really it’s for other people to hash out. In this case I thought it might be helpful to book bloggers of all waves (especially to the new ones, I think) to throw in an author’s view.

Clearly, few authors have the luxury of turning down publicity. A mention of our books is a mention of our books, and we’re always grateful for the unique way that blogs, whatever their wave, can catalyze word-of-mouth that might break out a book or at least help it along to a steady build. I have directly reaped the rewards—I know that Story of a Girl would not have built the way it did were it not for lit blogs. In particular, an early article in Bookslut featuring the book among the “heirs to Judy Blume” helped get the ball rolling. Bloggers of all kinds have been incredibly supportive of my books and of me as a writer, and a person. I am incredibly grateful for the “big” blogs, little blogs, and everything in between that are a part of that.

That said, there is a vast range of quality of writing and level of thoughtfulness represented across blogs. Every author I know appreciates so much when a blogger has clearly put time and thought into a review. We love it when an interviewer has done a little research in order to come up with the un-asked question or the deeper-level insight. Not just because it’s good for our egos (though it totally is, let’s be honest!), but also because as writers we love good writing, of course, and it makes us happy to get a well-crafted question that makes us think more deeply about our work, or read an insight in a review that enriches the dialog about our books and about books in general. Unsurprisingly (I hope), writers are pro-literacy. The level of thoughtfulness and craft put into a blog definitely affects my enthusiasm for interacting with that blog when it’s time to publicize a book.

The democratizing effect of the Internet is a great thing, in so many ways, but standards can suffer, too. This isn’t just a book blogging issue, this is a journalism issue and we’re seeing it as papers fold left and right, and anyone with an email address can write a book for the Kindle and have it listed right next to War and Peace. I try to roll with the changes and embrace technology and celebrate the good things it has brought us. All I’m saying is whatever “wave” you’re in, or even if you don’t accept the definition of the “waves” in the first place, if you’re going to be a book/lit blogger, make it the best you possibly can. Set high standards for yourself, go to the center ring of the circus, whatever circus you’re in. If you’re a proud “crazy cat lady” blogger, be the best crazy cat lady there is! Like I said, most smart authors are never going to turn down publicity—we adore the bloggers of all stripes who support us (or criticize us thoughtfully). Bloggers may be fans of authors and their books, but you also have the power to turn authors into fans of you and your blog, and make us clamor to be featured on your site.

I’d love it if you took this wee poll…

Indeed I tested positive for Flu A, the umbrella organization under which N1H1 resides. My sample was rushed off to the Centers for Disease Control, and I won’t know the results for about a week. But, I want to assure a nervous nation that if my experience is typical, though this flu definitely sucks, it’s nothing to fear more than fear itself. It started on the flight home with a runny nose, and soon after I had a fever (around 101) and some aches. Since I’d had a headache 3 out of 4 BEA days anyway, and because I always ache after 2 hours of bowling followed by 5 hours on a plane, it was hard to pick all the symptoms apart.

Anyway, as soon as the fever entered the picture, I made a doctor’s appointment. When you have diabetes*, infections can be harder to shake, so you want to get on treatment ASAP. Started Tamiflu yesterday and already I feel 100 times better. The timeline once again: Sunday night runny nose, Monday morning more cold/flu-like symptoms and fever (treated symptoms with OTC stuff), Tuesday really felt like crap and was diagnosed. Started Tamiflu. Wednesday, fever broke and I have enough energy to unpack, do some laundry, and sit upright for whole hours at a time. I’m still a little congested and have a cough, but all in all recovering quickly.

Judging by Twitter and Facebook, a lot of BEAers came home with something…colds, sinus infections, and symptoms like mine. I would like to know how to be in a giant convention center for three days and not get sick. Is it possible? Do any of you swear by vitamin C and eccinachea dosing? Any Airborne believers? Apparently OCD hand-washing and Purelling is not sufficient for me, because I came home with a horrible cold after TLA, too. My doctor said that the adrenaline and cortisol that come with the kind of “being on” that I have to do on these trips also compromise immunity.

*Most of the people who have died from N1H1 have underlying conditions, including diabetes. But, that is uncontrolled diabetes. When you’re in good control and otherwise healthy, as I am, it shouldn’t be an issue (though like I said, you don’t want to wait around before getting treatment). All the more reason to take good care of yourself.

The Salt Lake County Library asked me to start a story for their teen summer reading/writing program. So I did, and now it’s online awaiting continuation! You have to be between the ages of 13 and 18 to contribute, and I think you have to be from Salt Lake County. So that kind of narrows it down. The whole scoop is here: http://www.saltlakesummerreading.com/cfml/teenStory.cfm

Pass it on!

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Yesterday I forgot to add one of the most important links of all for the Sweethearts/Readergirlz June – the Readergirlz blog. That’s where everything happens, and where the discussion questions will be posted. Today’s question is:

One of the major themes of Cam and Jenna’s friendship in Sweethearts is loyalty, even in the face of change. What do you think makes a loyal friend? Should loyalty have limits?

Head over to the blog to answer.