Wednesday, October 26, 2005
New Links
(Warning: Shameless plugs ahead!) I've put up some new links, most importantly the one to www.mynewcompany.com where you will find out everything you need to know about starting your own business and www.postwritersgroup.com where you will find out everything you need to know, period.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Out of Catchy Titles For the Moment
As I go through the process of revising LIB, I can't help but ask myself if there is a place in today's women's fiction market for a wealthy heroine whose main romantic dilemma is that her dude doesn't like that she has so much $$$? So if you're one of today's women and you read fiction (along with this blog), by all means let me know if it's: A) more important to read about a heroine you can relate to, or B) more important to read a compelling story that allows you to lose yourself and forget your own woes/issues/b.s. for a few hours?
On a personal and totally non-book-related note, it is with great joy that I report my glorious, beautiful and amazing mother has come through her hip-replacement surgery (yesterday) well (or, as well as one can be after a hip-replacement surgery) and ready for recovery.
And for those of you considering a move to Las Vegas, here's some fine print when it comes to your apartment search (since on your paltry LV salary you'll not likely be buying a SoCal priced house!) They may advertise that the security deposit on your soon-to-be posh pad is only $200, but what they're forgetting to advertise is that they will also expect a non-refundable $40 just to fill out the application, and a non-refundable $200 (on top of that sweet, cheap security deposit that made you want to shout with "What a deal!" type happiness) that will be explained quite nonchalantly as a "redecorating" fee. Hey, way to find an all-new method of screwing the common man is all I have to say. Well done!
On a personal and totally non-book-related note, it is with great joy that I report my glorious, beautiful and amazing mother has come through her hip-replacement surgery (yesterday) well (or, as well as one can be after a hip-replacement surgery) and ready for recovery.
And for those of you considering a move to Las Vegas, here's some fine print when it comes to your apartment search (since on your paltry LV salary you'll not likely be buying a SoCal priced house!) They may advertise that the security deposit on your soon-to-be posh pad is only $200, but what they're forgetting to advertise is that they will also expect a non-refundable $40 just to fill out the application, and a non-refundable $200 (on top of that sweet, cheap security deposit that made you want to shout with "What a deal!" type happiness) that will be explained quite nonchalantly as a "redecorating" fee. Hey, way to find an all-new method of screwing the common man is all I have to say. Well done!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Marketing...or Lack Thereof
I'm starting to notice a disturbing national trend. It goes like this:
Los Angeles, CA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Washington, D.C.: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Reston, VA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Las Vegas, NV: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Seriously...I really think I could be onto something. And no, it's not that the "avid reader" claims are false.
I think I'm going to do an experiment. I will run an ad in every newspaper and magazine in America guaranteeing every man who buys Love Like That a lengthy look-see at my hottest friend's naked body. And though it may seem like a cheap gimmick for me to want to expose my hot friend like this, she will likely agree to pose because like me, will know that after this ad has gone public, sales of Love Like That will reach stratospheric heights and we'll both be living in large villas on the French Riviera with all the shoes and booze we've ever dreamed of forever and evermore.
Never mind that it's not a man's book or even a man's market. My point is, it's all about marketing.
Los Angeles, CA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Washington, D.C.: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Reston, VA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Las Vegas, NV: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Seriously...I really think I could be onto something. And no, it's not that the "avid reader" claims are false.
I think I'm going to do an experiment. I will run an ad in every newspaper and magazine in America guaranteeing every man who buys Love Like That a lengthy look-see at my hottest friend's naked body. And though it may seem like a cheap gimmick for me to want to expose my hot friend like this, she will likely agree to pose because like me, will know that after this ad has gone public, sales of Love Like That will reach stratospheric heights and we'll both be living in large villas on the French Riviera with all the shoes and booze we've ever dreamed of forever and evermore.
Never mind that it's not a man's book or even a man's market. My point is, it's all about marketing.
Monday, October 17, 2005
What's Going On
I apologize for the lack of posts lately, I've been so caught up in trying to get a job that I haven't much felt like doing anything else except lie around and wonder why I couldn't get a job. Anyway, now I've got a job so I guess instead of lying around I'll go work there. The job is that I will be employed by an architecture and design firm (conveniently located just west of the Las Vegas Strip, behind the Bellagio and barely a hop-skip-and-jump from the Rio, ahem...) in an administrative position. True, I came to Las Vegas with the thought in mind that I would resurrect my PR career and get into something snazzy at one of the major hotel/casino chains...but true also that my PR career wouldn't leave much room for my writing career and it's your best guess which means more to me.
Speaking of my writing career, though, I've had a sort of epiphany about this whole impasse that's had me basically hating the alphabet for about a year and a half now. And that epiphany is that I was a better writer when I didn't allow the politics of the publishing industry to plague me. So now it's my geniune plan to say fuck whatever's going on in the publishing industry and just get back to writing because it's what I really, really love to do. That said, I have hopped back into revising the book of mine that I most adore and now do truly remember all the reasons I've always enjoyed being a writer. So what if I can't think of what genre it belongs to--I will let my agent worry about that when the time comes to shop it. So what if it contains themes and elements that have been squeezed to the brink of dry, brittle death in today's contemporary women's market--I will let whoever decides to publish it worry about that when the time comes to market it. And until then...won't concern myself about anything except what's actually going on in the story.
You may or may not be pleased to find out that what's not going on in the story is the lengthy repertoire of a single girl who hates her life and is desperate to find out what would make her feel satisfied. No, LIB (not the actual title but the title's monogram) is the story of an idyllic vacation in which a group of friends garner the wisdom to make life-changing decisions from observing each other and sharing their secrets.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!
Speaking of my writing career, though, I've had a sort of epiphany about this whole impasse that's had me basically hating the alphabet for about a year and a half now. And that epiphany is that I was a better writer when I didn't allow the politics of the publishing industry to plague me. So now it's my geniune plan to say fuck whatever's going on in the publishing industry and just get back to writing because it's what I really, really love to do. That said, I have hopped back into revising the book of mine that I most adore and now do truly remember all the reasons I've always enjoyed being a writer. So what if I can't think of what genre it belongs to--I will let my agent worry about that when the time comes to shop it. So what if it contains themes and elements that have been squeezed to the brink of dry, brittle death in today's contemporary women's market--I will let whoever decides to publish it worry about that when the time comes to market it. And until then...won't concern myself about anything except what's actually going on in the story.
You may or may not be pleased to find out that what's not going on in the story is the lengthy repertoire of a single girl who hates her life and is desperate to find out what would make her feel satisfied. No, LIB (not the actual title but the title's monogram) is the story of an idyllic vacation in which a group of friends garner the wisdom to make life-changing decisions from observing each other and sharing their secrets.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Amanda's Blog
I changed the name of my blog to reflect my current mode of creativity. I didn't like my other blog name, anyway, I only chose it because it was the first thing that popped into my head the day I signed up on Blogger. So there you have it. Just the basics. Amanda's Blog.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Even More Humbled
So this morning I was sent by one recruiter to meet with one of her colleagues at another branch of their company. At which point a good discussion ensued about: why any employer should trust me when I left my last job after only seven months, why any employer should trust me to stay in Las Vegas when I've "moved around so much" (i.e., to D.C. 2 years ago and then to here 2 weeks ago, Christ that's a lot!), and finally, my favorite...
Recruiter: "Oh, what kind of books do you write?"
Me: "Chick-lit."
Recruiter: (Laughs) "Oh, one of my friends reads that stuff. I call it trash. Personally I never read anything unless it's going to better me intellectually."
Me: "A-ha-ha-ha...well, er...you see, sometimes people just like to have something light to read at the gym or you know, to take their mind off of the stress of their day-to-day lives...er, uh, but, uh, I also write science fiction?"
Recruiter: (Raises Eyebrows) "So anyway, how would you feel about an entry-level receptionist position?"
Recruiter: "Oh, what kind of books do you write?"
Me: "Chick-lit."
Recruiter: (Laughs) "Oh, one of my friends reads that stuff. I call it trash. Personally I never read anything unless it's going to better me intellectually."
Me: "A-ha-ha-ha...well, er...you see, sometimes people just like to have something light to read at the gym or you know, to take their mind off of the stress of their day-to-day lives...er, uh, but, uh, I also write science fiction?"
Recruiter: (Raises Eyebrows) "So anyway, how would you feel about an entry-level receptionist position?"
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Gainfully Unemployed
Is it normal to become irritated of looking for a job only two days into one's search, or does that just mean you're impatient? Is it possible to find a job that's fun, exciting, unique, fulfilling and that pays top $$$--or in even hoping so, does that just make you a hopeless dreamer?
I'm betting on my own conclusions.
So today I was called to the Bellagio to visit their employment center on the belief that I was to be interviewed re: my online application for a job in their PR department. I was, most unfortunately, wrong. And even more unfortunately, the only person there wearing a suit. What you actually do at the Bellagio employment center is flash your I.D. and confirm that you did, indeed, submit an online application. Then you leave. And then, drive to the mall to find something that doesn't make you look as fat as you think you are. Which is actually pretty difficult since it appears that you are, actually, as fat as you think you are.
But enough about me. I know you're really reading this blog because you're dying for updates about Love Like That. So here's an update. Love Like That has not been optioned by a major studio.
I'm betting on my own conclusions.
So today I was called to the Bellagio to visit their employment center on the belief that I was to be interviewed re: my online application for a job in their PR department. I was, most unfortunately, wrong. And even more unfortunately, the only person there wearing a suit. What you actually do at the Bellagio employment center is flash your I.D. and confirm that you did, indeed, submit an online application. Then you leave. And then, drive to the mall to find something that doesn't make you look as fat as you think you are. Which is actually pretty difficult since it appears that you are, actually, as fat as you think you are.
But enough about me. I know you're really reading this blog because you're dying for updates about Love Like That. So here's an update. Love Like That has not been optioned by a major studio.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Nothing in Particular
In my quest to write meaningful, in-depth stuff instead of my own dopey thoughts about nothing important, I will say this: I had forgotten how fabulous this dry desert air is for my hair!
Now I have to go look for a job so I'll have less time to formulate my own dopey thoughts about nothing important. And less time to wonder about the status/fate of my 2006 RDI. Oh, and less time to read up on industry happenings that a) make me feel crazy because I never seem to know as much as my peers, and b) make me feel crazy because the more I know the less I want to know. Oh, and less time to worry about not having any income. Yeah, I think that's the most important one.
Now I have to go look for a job so I'll have less time to formulate my own dopey thoughts about nothing important. And less time to wonder about the status/fate of my 2006 RDI. Oh, and less time to read up on industry happenings that a) make me feel crazy because I never seem to know as much as my peers, and b) make me feel crazy because the more I know the less I want to know. Oh, and less time to worry about not having any income. Yeah, I think that's the most important one.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Bright Light City Gonna Set My Soul...Gonna Set My Soul On Fire
This will be my last post for who knows how long, because tomorrow I am setting out for the great westward yonder and after that, setting out for something even more frightening--a full-time, permanent job. Huh, so what's so frightening about that, you ask? Well...it's been more than a year since I've had one and all that leisure time (ahem, sloth) has made me forget what it's really like to get up every day and go somewhere, and actually have to put a little effort into something other than deciding what to eat for lunch and if I'd rather watch reruns of The Nanny or The X-Files, and actually have to pay to keep living in my living environment. Woe is me, I know. And at the age of 30 it's high time that I "remember" these things.
I have two major concerns about settling down in Las Vegas and no--one isn't that I'm going to have to take a second job to pay for my gambling expenses. But one is that I might have to take a second job to pay for the weekends I'll surely spend with friends who are entertaining the ruse of visiting me when they're actually visiting Las Vegas. And the other is that after a while, I'll start to dislike all the things I like about Vegas because it will become mainplace. Just like Hollywood became mainplace when I lived there, and suddenly everything that had attracted me to it made me want to get away from it fast. Those concerns aside, I've always wanted to live there...so why worry about it. What made living in Hollywood spectacular was that I'd always wanted to live there, too--and just because I couldn't find anywhere to park for 4 years didn't diminish everything that was filthy-lovely about it. There will never be another view to replace the one that was seen from my balcony four stories above Sunset Boulevard, either.
In writing-related news, I was a little thrown to find out my grandmother has mistaken the title of my science fiction epic for Deliverance and been lauding it under this title accordingly to all my relatives. Its title is not, actually, Deliverance. Ahem.
In reading-related news, I'm this close to being done with Hand-Me-Down and when I'm done, probably won't be reading much of anything because I neglected to separate the books I wanted to start reading from the books I've already read when I packed. I'm very much enjoying Hand-Me-Down but have been a little surprised to find that the story is less about Anne getting together with Ian and more about Anne herself. Which is sweet, but which makes me realize that back cover descriptions aren't always telling the whole story. So now I kind of get it.
Anyway, I guess that's enough talking about me for now, or, er, I'm hungry and want to watch TV?
Until Nevada, then. :)
I have two major concerns about settling down in Las Vegas and no--one isn't that I'm going to have to take a second job to pay for my gambling expenses. But one is that I might have to take a second job to pay for the weekends I'll surely spend with friends who are entertaining the ruse of visiting me when they're actually visiting Las Vegas. And the other is that after a while, I'll start to dislike all the things I like about Vegas because it will become mainplace. Just like Hollywood became mainplace when I lived there, and suddenly everything that had attracted me to it made me want to get away from it fast. Those concerns aside, I've always wanted to live there...so why worry about it. What made living in Hollywood spectacular was that I'd always wanted to live there, too--and just because I couldn't find anywhere to park for 4 years didn't diminish everything that was filthy-lovely about it. There will never be another view to replace the one that was seen from my balcony four stories above Sunset Boulevard, either.
In writing-related news, I was a little thrown to find out my grandmother has mistaken the title of my science fiction epic for Deliverance and been lauding it under this title accordingly to all my relatives. Its title is not, actually, Deliverance. Ahem.
In reading-related news, I'm this close to being done with Hand-Me-Down and when I'm done, probably won't be reading much of anything because I neglected to separate the books I wanted to start reading from the books I've already read when I packed. I'm very much enjoying Hand-Me-Down but have been a little surprised to find that the story is less about Anne getting together with Ian and more about Anne herself. Which is sweet, but which makes me realize that back cover descriptions aren't always telling the whole story. So now I kind of get it.
Anyway, I guess that's enough talking about me for now, or, er, I'm hungry and want to watch TV?
Until Nevada, then. :)
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Yesterday I drove across the Potomac from D.C. for the last time as a local. It made me a little sad and more than a little appreciative of the view I've often taken for granted--the river glinting in the afternoon sun, such landmarks as the Watergate and the rooftops of Georgetown to one side, planes touching down at National Airport on the other, greenery abundant from all directions. Washington is a beautiful city, and one I used to criticize as having no soul. But that was before I knew it. So, in retrospect, I am truly sorry to leave it, and shall always be a little wistful to say it just wasn't the life for me. Or maybe just not the life I wanted to live forever at this very moment, the same as I felt when I drove away from Los Angeles for the last time as one of its own.
Right now I can't get enough of this "More, More, More" song by the Andrea True Connection. I keep playing it and disco-dancing all around my parents' house like some freak. I knew I should have bought that jumpsuit at Rampage the other day! Then I could have thrown on some cork sandals, feathered my hair and done up teal green shadow and coral gloss and really had a good time. I know, I'm weird. But in all honesty, I think this look could really work for my 2006 RDI photo. I'm debating whether to have that taken today or wait until it's called for. Seems like having it done today could be me getting a little ahead of myself and just wanting to have my picture taken, but then again, the last time my photo was called for I literally had to have it done that day. (By a photographer who obviously specialized in Senior Yearbook Portraits...)
Off to find something to eat and watch TV. And yes...I do lead a very exciting life.
Right now I can't get enough of this "More, More, More" song by the Andrea True Connection. I keep playing it and disco-dancing all around my parents' house like some freak. I knew I should have bought that jumpsuit at Rampage the other day! Then I could have thrown on some cork sandals, feathered my hair and done up teal green shadow and coral gloss and really had a good time. I know, I'm weird. But in all honesty, I think this look could really work for my 2006 RDI photo. I'm debating whether to have that taken today or wait until it's called for. Seems like having it done today could be me getting a little ahead of myself and just wanting to have my picture taken, but then again, the last time my photo was called for I literally had to have it done that day. (By a photographer who obviously specialized in Senior Yearbook Portraits...)
Off to find something to eat and watch TV. And yes...I do lead a very exciting life.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
| Your Brain's Pattern |
 |
What Pattern Is Your Brain?
| You Are a Martini |
 |
What Mixed Drink Are You?
Monday, September 12, 2005
Breakthrough Discovery: Hurricane Katrina Was MAN-MADE!!!
He (Michael Moore) tells the New York Daily News, "There is much to be said and done about the man-made annihilation of New Orleans, caused not by a hurricane but by the very specific decisions made by the Bush administration in the past four and a half years..."
He (Michael Moore) tells the New York Daily News, "There is much to be said and done about the man-made annihilation of New Orleans, caused not by a hurricane but by the very specific decisions made by the Bush administration in the past four and a half years..."
Friday, September 09, 2005
I find something charming about this big, beautiful shoe. I think I might have to buy it. And maybe the one that goes with it.
It might help if I had a job.
But at least I know people are still buying Love Like That because they are writing negative responses to it on one of the more popular chick-lit discussion boards.
Shit. I just realized it's actually going out as one of the Red Dress Ink freebies right now.
Excuse me while I go throw a penny into a fountain.
Anyway, back to the negative responses to Love Like That. Hey, it happens. I'm well aware that one woman's trash is another woman's treasure. But would like to say...
It is written in glaringly obvious detail, right on the back cover, that Dalton Moss has it going on with two men.
So when readers gripe in offense to discover that the main character is (GASP!!!) cheating on her would-be main squeeze, all I really want to know is did they even read the back cover? I mean, isn't it basically outlined there that despite being engaged, Dalton's carrying on with a whole 'nother dude?
Meet Dalton's boyfriend, Roman: charming, intellectual, worldly; he lands in L.A. just long enough to slip a two-carat diamond on her finger before flying right off again.
Now meet Dalton's other boyfriend, Jeremy: perfect in his imperfection, surly in his attraction to her and can match her beer for beer; she doesn't want to love him, but can't help herself, despite Roman...
I guess it's kind of like when I ate that Mexican Pizza today. No disclaimer on the box, but I was still fully aware that its ingredients were fatty.
The difference being, I thought the Mexican Pizza was delicious!!!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
According to my scale, I've gained 7 lbs. since Saturday. Which seems, you know, impossible. Especially when you consider that since Saturday, I've been visiting the gym with a dedication that surprises me. Especially when you consider that I haven't entered any eating contests in the past few days. To gain 7 lbs., doesn't that kind of mean I would have had to consume around 25,000 calories over the weekend? And to do that, wouldn't I have had to eat at least 10 large pizzas or something comparable? I didn't. I swear I didn't. At any rate (weight?) I don't think I'll be taking that scale to Las Vegas with me.
I'm currently reading Hand-Me-Down by Lee Nichols. I like it. It's cute. I'm thrilled to find that all the good word-of-mouth about this book is actually true.
Must get back to packing now. Or at least, looking at all my crap and thinking, "You know...I should really start packing that."
I'm currently reading Hand-Me-Down by Lee Nichols. I like it. It's cute. I'm thrilled to find that all the good word-of-mouth about this book is actually true.
Must get back to packing now. Or at least, looking at all my crap and thinking, "You know...I should really start packing that."
Friday, September 02, 2005
Mum's the Word
I likely won't be posting for a few days because I'm irritated, I'm disgusted, I actually support the President, I can't stand ignorance, I'm most definitely of a feisty take on anti-American sentiments both international and domestic and for this I'm afraid I might say way too much about the political fallout from Hurricane Katrina.
I'm as disappointed as the next person that we can scramble to aid other nations and let our own fall to neglect. I'm as horrified as all the other people out there to learn of the civil unrest that's currently raging in what is supposed to be a civilized American city. I'm as amazed as anybody that reporters can get right in there, but somehow relief operations have been waylaid.
But like the saying that Rome wasn't built in a day...well...you get my point.
I think.
I likely won't be posting for a few days because I'm irritated, I'm disgusted, I actually support the President, I can't stand ignorance, I'm most definitely of a feisty take on anti-American sentiments both international and domestic and for this I'm afraid I might say way too much about the political fallout from Hurricane Katrina.
I'm as disappointed as the next person that we can scramble to aid other nations and let our own fall to neglect. I'm as horrified as all the other people out there to learn of the civil unrest that's currently raging in what is supposed to be a civilized American city. I'm as amazed as anybody that reporters can get right in there, but somehow relief operations have been waylaid.
But like the saying that Rome wasn't built in a day...well...you get my point.
I think.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
(Not) Just a City
What is happening to New Orleans is unfathomable.
To it, I dedicate this precious song of my youth. It's called "Just a City" and to me, has always perfectly described (especially if you hear it vocalized to the music) one's inexplicable love of a place, for the reason that places, unlike people, are nearly always guaranteed to be there.
it's so near to me
it's so dear to me
i see it in my sleep
and i always know if i've nowhere to go
it's somewhere i could be
and i see you at night in the city lights
but it could change so easily
it's just a city
and on nights like this i feel small in this world
it's just a city
i am just a girl
it seems to me that once you stop walking
you don't want to know, you stop wanting to see
your eyes get used to the same old story
once you stop talking to strangers
it's just a city
and on nights like this i feel small in this world
it's just a city
i am just a girl
out of place, out of time
nothing to hold me, nothing mine
but i'm always told "there's no hurry don't go
there's nothing but time"
how do they know?
it's so near to me
it's so dear to me
i see it in my sleep
and i always know if i've nowhere to go
it's somewhere i could be
it's just a city
and on nights like this i feel small in this world
it's just a city
and i am just a girl
What is happening to New Orleans is unfathomable.
To it, I dedicate this precious song of my youth. It's called "Just a City" and to me, has always perfectly described (especially if you hear it vocalized to the music) one's inexplicable love of a place, for the reason that places, unlike people, are nearly always guaranteed to be there.
it's so near to me
it's so dear to me
i see it in my sleep
and i always know if i've nowhere to go
it's somewhere i could be
and i see you at night in the city lights
but it could change so easily
it's just a city
and on nights like this i feel small in this world
it's just a city
i am just a girl
it seems to me that once you stop walking
you don't want to know, you stop wanting to see
your eyes get used to the same old story
once you stop talking to strangers
it's just a city
and on nights like this i feel small in this world
it's just a city
i am just a girl
out of place, out of time
nothing to hold me, nothing mine
but i'm always told "there's no hurry don't go
there's nothing but time"
how do they know?
it's so near to me
it's so dear to me
i see it in my sleep
and i always know if i've nowhere to go
it's somewhere i could be
it's just a city
and on nights like this i feel small in this world
it's just a city
and i am just a girl
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
One of my little sorority sisters e-mailed me last night to report that while traveling on a Honolulu-Los Angeles flight, she sat in the same row as a woman who was reading Love Like That. It is said that the woman had red hair, looked like she was in her 20's and didn't appear to put the book down once. Isn't that darling? And by that, I mostly mean how Marissa included a description of the passenger.
I'm so depressed about the hurricane making such a mess of the Gulf Coast. I'm especially saddened to see images of New Orleans choking in floodwaters. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities to visit, and one of my favorite cities to have my characters visit. I think it could actually be one of my author trademarks because it is somehow mentioned in every book I write, even if the characters don't ever go there in the story.
Lately I've been suffering a seriously horrendous bout of writer's block. I keep thinking and thinking about what I want to give my agent to shop around next instead of writing and writing it. I feel that this could be due to several circumstances. One being that I don't feel it's in me just now to write another book that's in the same vein as Love Like That and Only the Lucky, which is the book I just finished for RDI. Two being that so many topics have now been covered so extensively in the chick-lit genre that I feel if I were to write another book in that same vein, I would have to give it an alien twist to make it even slightly interesting (which, as it would seem, actually might not be interesting at all. To me, at least. To each, their own, if you happen to currently be writing a chick-lit novel with an alien love interest!) Three being that if I try to navigate away from chick-lit, does that mean I have to write something "literate" and if so, does that mean the heroine has to be a brooding (but not self-absorbed!), man-hating, nonconformist genius-woman who never refers to herself as a girl, had her ovaries removed at the age of 16 (by choice) and is still wearing her kindergarten clothing because she does not believe that shopping can be a legitimate pastime of an intelligent female?
All kidding aside, these are serious creativity stilters. And despite the logical advice that I should stop worrying about all this gobbledygook and just write, for some reason I just can't bring myself to do it.
Maybe I just need some inspiration.
Maybe I just need a drink.
I'm so depressed about the hurricane making such a mess of the Gulf Coast. I'm especially saddened to see images of New Orleans choking in floodwaters. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities to visit, and one of my favorite cities to have my characters visit. I think it could actually be one of my author trademarks because it is somehow mentioned in every book I write, even if the characters don't ever go there in the story.
Lately I've been suffering a seriously horrendous bout of writer's block. I keep thinking and thinking about what I want to give my agent to shop around next instead of writing and writing it. I feel that this could be due to several circumstances. One being that I don't feel it's in me just now to write another book that's in the same vein as Love Like That and Only the Lucky, which is the book I just finished for RDI. Two being that so many topics have now been covered so extensively in the chick-lit genre that I feel if I were to write another book in that same vein, I would have to give it an alien twist to make it even slightly interesting (which, as it would seem, actually might not be interesting at all. To me, at least. To each, their own, if you happen to currently be writing a chick-lit novel with an alien love interest!) Three being that if I try to navigate away from chick-lit, does that mean I have to write something "literate" and if so, does that mean the heroine has to be a brooding (but not self-absorbed!), man-hating, nonconformist genius-woman who never refers to herself as a girl, had her ovaries removed at the age of 16 (by choice) and is still wearing her kindergarten clothing because she does not believe that shopping can be a legitimate pastime of an intelligent female?
All kidding aside, these are serious creativity stilters. And despite the logical advice that I should stop worrying about all this gobbledygook and just write, for some reason I just can't bring myself to do it.
Maybe I just need some inspiration.
Maybe I just need a drink.
Monday, August 29, 2005
Katrina makes landfall and threatens New Orleans. It is predicted that the ensuing disaster will be of Biblical proportions. Many may be made homeless, historical structures may be swept away. It is said New Orleans may never be the same. Now what saddens me most about nature's savage attack on The Big Easy? Reading an escapee's blog this a.m., only to find out she had left some of her cats behind.
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