Yeah, I'm a Twit

Okay, I know a bunch of you are tweeting out there. And much as I hate to acknowledge new technology, an email from Greg Pincus made me realize that I should at least reserve my name. After seeing his advice and the Shrinking Violets' experiment, I decided to jump in. I followed Greg's directions at The Happy Accident and became a Twit.

Now what?

The first thing I've discovered is that Twitter is not as friendly as Facebook. Facebook was easy to figure out. I make comments on a friend's wall and it shows up in relation to their original comment. Twitter doesn't work that way (at least I haven't found a way to make it work that way). All I have are these random replies showing up on my Twitter page that are in response to other people's comments on their Twitter page.

Confused yet? Try reading my Twitter page. Not only does it have my random responses, it has random comments from people I follow. But there's no thread. It makes no sense!

And is it useful? I already have a Facebook account (which I use primarily for finding old highschool and college friends) and this blog, and, oh, yeah, my web page. Sometimes I worry that I'm spending too much time on my computer, and a lot of it is NOT writing time.

So really, I guess the question is how is this helping my writing career and how much information is too much information?

A Poem from my Son & a Launch Party, Too

Sometimes I read things that my son has written and I'm blown away. I wasn't that good when I was his age. He's a gifted writer and I'm so lucky to get to watch him grow and improve.

I'd say this even if he wasn't my child. Really.

This was an assignment from school, a color poem. The descriptions were so vivid, and of course the illustration was perfect.


Red is like lava,
fire
rage
a bad feeling.

Red tastes like hot candies
and sounds like roaring wind.

Red looks like sulfuric ashes.
It feels like hot embers.

Red makes me angry.
Red is evil.

***********************************************************

Cynthea Liu is having a launch party for her new book, Paris Pan Takes the Dare. Wander on over to the site, take some dares, win some prizes. And while you're there, take some notes for launching your own book. Cynthea's online launches are brilliant!

Write a Review Wednesday: Savvy

I realize I should be doing push ups right now, but I thought I'd avoid them for a few minutes longer by doing a book review. Tara Lazar alerted me to Write a Review Wednesday so I'm going to try to remember to post a review of a children's book each week.

This week's review is of SAVVY, by Ingrid Law. If you take a look at my reading list, you'll see that most of the MG/YA I read is fantasy/adventure. What can I say. I like action. But every so often a simple coming-of-age story will capture my attention and make me want more. SAVVY is that kind of book.

Now some of you who have read the book might disagree with me about the genre of this book because it does have a lot of fantasy-like elements. As Editor Kate Harrison said, "It's fantasy lite." But really the book is about family, friendship, secrets and figuring out who you are in a given moment of time. The book is filled with memorable characters, a crazy adventure and funny situations. It's a great summer read.

Here's the publisher's blurb:
For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a “savvy”—a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity...and now it’s the eve of Mibs’s big day.

As if waiting weren’t hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs’s birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman’s bus...only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs is on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up—and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin. For ages 9 and up.

So what are you reading this summer? Any good recommendations?

Oh, and for all Blogger/Facebook/Twitter fans, you've got to read this article.

Up to the Challenge

I'm laying this all at the feet of Carrie Jones. Especially if I end up typing this from the Emergency Room...

Today was the start of the Push Up Challenge. Kidlit Kim actually got the ball rolling. Carrie added some momentum and recruited 18 more of us to join in. The goal is to do 100 consecutive push ups in six weeks.

I guess part of my motivation is the fact that it's June and the thought of putting on a swimsuit makes me want to curl up under the covers until Halloween. I'm much more of a winter person. I like seasons where jeans, sweaters and jackets are encouraged, things that cover my body rather than reveal it.

So the Push Up Challenge seemed like a good idea. Until I started doing the push ups this morning and heard every joint in my upper body creaking, popping and groaning for me to stop. Then the dog came to lick my face and decided to lay on my back, giving me an additional 9 pounds to lift. (Thank God he's a little dog!!)

I made it through day one and we only have to do it every other day. My goals are small: don't have a heart attack, don't give up. And in six weeks, who knows. I'll either be laying on the floor waiting for someone to discover my corpse, or I'll be sending Carrie a box of chocolates to celebrate our beautiful bathing suit bodies!

Wish me luck! Better yet, join in the misery :)

Poetry Friday

Nature keeps putting words in my head.

We had a rare rainstorm move through last night and today. (It never rains in Southern California, especially not in June!) The lovely sound inspired me to try another poem. I overshot the 15 word limit by three. Oh, well.

Have a great weekend everyone!


RAIN
It rouses me from sleep.
The drip, drip, dripping
Steady, unrelenting
Gentle bouncing
Slipping sliding
Whispers
Of renewal.

Hear my Voice

So now as you read this post, are you wondering what my voice sounds like? Yeah, I knew you were :)

That got me to thinking (dangerous as that can be). It also got me to playing with Garage Band and that fabulous Podcast feature and, well...

My son, Drew, is nine-and-a-half. Don't forget the half. It's very important. He's an avid reader who enjoyed The Last Olympian so much that he's reading it for a second time. And believe me, since I paid full price the day it came out, I'm thrilled to be getting my money's worth out of the book!

Anyway, I dragged him over to my computer and started asking him questions about the book and recorded it all. Forgive the one-word answers. He's nine. And a half. And never been interviewed before!

Assuming I can figure out how to upload the file to Blogger (!) maybe you'll have a better idea about the voice behind the blog :)

45 minutes later: *sigh* Making the podcast was easy. Embedding it is not. Maybe next time I'll just do a video...

UPDATE: Okay, since I can't seem to embed the file on this page, try clicking the link below to hear the podcast. Hope it works!!

Sherrie and Drew's Podcast Link

Voices in my Head

“Whose voice do you hear in your head when you read?”

My husband looked up from the book he was reading to ask me the question.

“It depends on what I’m reading,” I replied. "If it's the newspaper, I hear my voice. Or sometimes I guess I hear Charlie Gibson or Robin Roberts. If I'm reading a book, I usually hear a different voice for each character."

"Oh...so you hear multiple voices in your head." He laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"


Well...doesn't everyone? Not only do I have the voices, I've got the full visual of where they are, the weather, the home, the terrain...even when the author doesn't give me all those details. My brain fills it in and creates these vibrant scenes.

I distinctly remember reading Savvy and giving Mibs the voice of Cherry Jones. I've only heard her before on the audio book version of Because of Winn Dixie. But her lovely drawl seemed perfect for Mibs.

It's not often that a character in a book brings to mind a well known person or place. Usually I create my own voices, my own visuals. I guess that's why most movies based on books are sorely lacking for me. Hollywood can't match my settings or my special effects. Or my voices.

And it's not just when I read. I've got multiple voices going when I write, as well. I mean, if they were all my voice, wouldn't that be kind of boring? (Not to mention WEIRD since I write middle grade!)

What about you? Do you hear characters voices when you read and/or write? Or should I be telling this to my therapist?