back to reality

Soundtrack: Words by Kate Miller-Heidke (listen to it--it'll be stuck in your head for days. Plus, it's kind of appropriate for all you writers)
Words: +570 on my new WIP but NONE OF THEM ARE GOOD! Why are openings so hard?

It's been a while since I've posted. Or, at least, really posted--a legitimate, thoughtful, coherent post. But honestly, don't hold your breath.

I thought this week would be another relaxing, lazy, mmm-wouldn't-it-be-cool-to-be-a-writer-one-day kind of week. The kind where I don't accomplish much and feel guilty about it later, but at the time I feel okay. Man, that sounds like unhealthy psychology.

I'm enrolled in a photography camp this week and I'm going to be doing some hardcore babysitting (is there any other kind?) in the next few days so I should be thankful for any free moment I get for writing. But beginnings have always been hard for me and I'm currently attempting to start my newest WIP, a superhero story... kind of. The funny thing is, I know exactly where the story is going. I have quite a few of my scenes and most of my characters thought out--and I know most of the plot, for once. But I think that just makes it harder for me because anything I write pales in comparison to the story in my head.

So this is me, getting back to reality. I woke up at 8 AM today. 8 fucking AM.

Why the picture of the awkward boy with wolves on his sweater? Because that is my reality. Weird, not put together, foggy...?

We'll work on that :)

Love,
Erika

reverse

Video.

This is just fantastic.

being back

Guess who's back, back, back, back again-gain-gain.

Yes, it's a horrible song. And I have it stuck in my head.

I'm BACK! The Young Writers' Camp I attended was, in a word, spectacular! I met a lot of awesome people and learned a ton. A ton.

After a lengthy Ikea visit, we drove through the night and arrived early this morning. That's about all I have to say. Just wanted to check in. I didn't want to leave my blog alone for too long :)

And another thing, anyone who hasn't read The Darkest Powers series by Kelly Armstrong--do it now! I literally just finished the second book and while, yes, it is fairly mainstream so at first I didn't think I'd like them, they came highly recommended and I can't get enough of the books! I'll do a real review later, but since this post is seriously going nowhere, I might as well just throw in the fact that her books are awesome.

This Friday, I have a job interview at a local bookstore. I probably won't get the job, but I'm still totally stoked.

And that's enough late night rambling (and sentences beginning with the word "and") for one post. Yes, I do realize it's only 11 pm, but I'm tired. Enough whining! This post sucks.

I kind of hope you've stopped reading by now.

Have a great week, everyone.

Love,
Erika

heeeeeellllpppp!

So it may be a bit late for Teaser Tuesday, but I need your help. Bust out the red pens, throw on the reading glasses and prepare yourselves. I need a critique.

As I've said before, I've been anxiously scrambling to write and edit a passage that I can take with me to the young writers' camp I'm attending. I'm leaving on Friday and I still don't have anything.

Okay, actually I have almost a page about a girl named William. In theory, it's the opening to a story about a girl and a boy, each with names generally reserved for the other sex, who switch places over the summer. Yeah, haven't quite worked out the kinks, but here goes. Please be utterly merciless:

My parents picked the name William months before I was born. I think it’s about the only thing they’ve ever agreed on. Imagine their surprise when I finally showed up and the doctor announced, “It’s a girl.” It was one of those do or die moments that can determine the future or screw everything up. I can imagine my parents exchanging tense glances as if to say, what now?

They had two choices: embrace my future femininity or cling to the shreds of their tattered marriage. I, of course, was oblivious to all this drama as I was too busy screaming my head off—a skill I have since perfected for days like today.

“You want to send her where?” My dad has taken up his battle station on one side of the kitchen. He’s standing next to the phone, ready to call in reinforcements.

“She deserves a decent father figure!” Mom is the smarter of the pair, not because of her PhDs and countless awards, but because she’s standing next to the knife block.

Dad gasps like mom has just punched him in the stomach—and she might as well have. Even I think that’s a low blow. Finally he says, “She’s my daughter, too.”

“And a fine job you’ve done,” mom says "She clearly has self esteem issues—I never should’ve let you name her William.”

“I’m right here,” I say under my breath, knowing they won’t hear me. They’re in another universe now, where the only thing that matters is being right, and I’m invisible.

“You picked it out,” dad says. “You gave birth to her.”

“And it hurt like hell,” mom, never one to shy away from the gory details, says.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table right between them, and I feel like I’m about to explode. Of course I should’ve known that when they asked me to be a part of the discussion, a screaming match wasn’t far off. My parents have been divorced for eight years and sometimes I wonder if they could’ve made it work. But stick them in the same room for more than five minutes and this happens.

“The male reproductive organs determine the sex!” I scream, unable to hold it in any longer. I'm practically quoting from my science text book. Dad, a biology teacher, would be proud, if he wasn’t so busy looking at me like I’d just killed someone. I turn to mom who’s leaning against the counter, smiling victoriously, and add, “But you could’ve just named me Ashley.”

With that, I march past my dad, grab a jacket and walk out the door. I know it’s childish but I can’t help slamming it behind me. After a moment they start up again. I can hear muffled yells through the thick wood door, but neither comes after me. I can’t tell if I’m more relieved or disappointed—whatever it is, I cover it with a grin as I hear the keys to my dad’s beat up Volvo jingle in my pocket.

I cross the yard, careful to duck as I pass the kitchen window. I catch a glimpse of mom holding a ladle over her head before I turn away. She doesn’t cook much but she sure knows her way around a kitchen.

It takes three tries to start the car. Mom’s Mercedes is parked across the street, mocking me as the Volvo grudgingly sputters to life. My dad isn’t really big on car maintenance but for my mom, first impressions are important. And they’d better be good.

Ugh, she sounds bratty. She isn't supposed to be bratty! Anyways, let me know what you think. Spare no adverb or misused preposition.

Love,
Erika

interview: Steph Bowe

Soundtrack: Hello, I Love You (Glee Cast Version) by Glee Cast
Word Count: +584 today
Status: Oh my GOD, have you seen the Deathly Hallows trailer? Dying inside, waiting for November.

Steph Bowe is an Australian sixteen year old. No big deal, right? Well, not only is she the creator of the wildly popular and fantastic blog, Hey! Teenager of the Year, she's also a published author. Her debut novel, Girl Saves Boy, will be published in Australia and New Zealand in September 2010 by Text Publishing and in America in Summer 2011 by Egmont USA

The first time we met, Jewel Valentine saved my life.

Isn’t it enough having your very own terminal disease, without your mother dying? Or your father dating your Art teacher? No wonder Sacha Thomas ends up in the lake that Saturday evening… But the real question is: how does he end up in love with Jewel Valentine?

With the help of quirky teenage prodigies Little Al and True Grisham, Sacha and Jewel have a crazy adventure, with a little lobster emancipation along the way. But Sacha’s running out of time, and Jewel has secrets of her own.

Girl Saves Boy is a hugely talented debut novel, funny and sad, silly and wise. It’s a story of life, death, love… and garden gnomes.

Question: You have an extremely successful blog/website with loads of followers. Did you ever make a conscious decision to build an internet platform, or did you just jump in for the fun of it? Do you have any advice for other newbie bloggers?
Steph Bowe: I started my blog because I wanted to talk about reading and writing and connect with other readers and writers! So it was for fun. I think you're going to do a whole lot better if you do things because you want to rather than if you do things solely for self-promotion and don't really enjoy it. My advice to newbie bloggers would be to just do what you want to do with your blog, have fun with it, and don't worry too much about stats.

Q: Can you describe your novel, Girl Saves Boy, in three sentences?
SB: When Jewel saves Sacha from drowning, they're both forced to confront pasts they've so carefully concealed - a lost sibling, a space where a mother should be, a debilitating illness, fractured families and buried secrets.

Okay, so that was only one sentence, but I can either give you one sentence or the entire blurb, nothing in between!

Q: On your blog you mentioned how you like flawed love interests. How is Sacha, the main male character in your novel, flawed?
SB: Oh gosh, he is flawed in the extreme. He's the opposite of every male love interest in every YA book ever - quiet and awkward and funny and confused. I think the characters are flawed because I wanted them to seem real - I don't really like reading books about perfect characters, so I'm not going to write one.

Q: Were you attending regular high school classes when you wrote Girl Saves Boy? How did you balance school work with your WIP?
SB: I was doing school by correspondence when I was writing Girl Saves Boy, and that was all from home. That allowed me the flexibility to pursue both a writing career and finish high school. How do I balance it? I'm not sure. It can be very overwhelming trying to manage both, and writing tends to be my relaxing thing (rather than watching TV or going on Facebook).

Q: Had you written any other novels before Girl Saves Boy? How did you know this one was "the one"--the novel that was good enough to query for publication.
SB: I'd written two other novels. I didn't know this was 'the one' - it just seemed like the next step would be submitting it for publication, since that's something I've aspired to for so long.

Q: What was your experience with the world of querying and publishing? How long did it take for you to see your name in print?
SB: It was very quick and I was very lucky - I sent out queries at the start of September (three, plus entering in a first page contest on a blog) and three weeks later had three offers of representation. Then took about a month for my agent to sell the Aus & New Zealand rights to my book.

Q: Do you write long hand or one a computer?
SB: On a computer!

Q: If you could be any fictional character, who would you be and why?
SB: In the past I've probably named some character I'd like to be, but to be entirely honest, I don't think I'd want to be a fictional character. There's always so much drama and action and lives at stake. Books are a bit too exciting for me.

Q: What five YA books would you recommend every teen read?
SB: Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell. Town by James Roy. Looking for Alaska by John Green. On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson.

Q: Would you rather be a super hero or super villain--and what would your name/super power be?
SB: I'm going to be really boring and say super hero, who can turn invisible. And since I'm invisible most of the time, and don't save lives for the glory of it, I don't have a superhero name, because nobody is really aware that I exist.

Hope you enjoyed the interview, and thank you so much to Steph who put up with my sucky questions! What about you, how would you answer these questions?

Love,
Erika

lilith fair 2010

Soundtrack: Don't Let Your Feet Touch the Ground by Ash Koley, probably my new favorite song.
Word Count: Starting something new!

So I know it's supposed to be Teaser Tuesday today, but I just had to bend the rules. Lilith Fair is an event that showcases female musicians and feminism. It was was started by Sarah McLachlan and became a huge phenomenon from 1997-1999 and now it's back for the first time in a cross North America tour that kicked off in Calgary.

Many of the artists hitting the main stage for the 2010 revival were also a part of the original Lilith Fair. These include Sarah McLachlan, Emmylou Harris, Indigo Girls, Erykah Badu, Sheryl Crow and Queen Latifah.

I think it's pretty awesome that there's an event like this with an all-female line up--and it doesn't hurt that McLachlan, the co-founder, is Canadian. The next generation of performers includes such big names as Rihanna, Sarah Bareilles, Tegan and Sara, Ingrid Michaelson and Cat Power. I wish I could go!!!

For more information, check out lilithfair.com. I spent a few minutes looking over the lesser known acts playing the second stage and about half an hour on youtube being wowed by some of their amazing voices. Ugh, my poor iPod will have a hard time trying to fit all these new songs.

Love,
Erika

saving the world, one dream at a time

Sorry I've been going kind of post-crazy recently. I've discovered that there's a direct link between me having problems with my writing and a lot of new blog posts (there's probably also some kind of link to consuming massive amounts of chocolate...).

I just thought I'd mention that I'm going to be away for a few weeks starting this Friday, attending this. It's a camp for young writers in my province (and yes, I have talked about it extensively), and I'm totally psyched!

In the mean time, I interviewed Steph Bowe, YA author and creator of the fabulous blog, Hey! Teenager of the Year. I'll be posting the interview as soon as my stupid computer let's me stay connected to the internet for more than twenty minutes at a time--speaking of which, don't be surprised it I randomly cut o--

Just kidding :)

So, you may be asking your inquisitive self, why is there a picture of Matt Smith at the top of this post? Last night I had a wonderful dream about Doctor Who. It was wonderful. I helped save the world from the daleks.

I think it's going to be a good week.

Love,
Erika