tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21828289810015826092024-03-05T04:54:11.335-06:00Making Stuff Up And Writing It DownLynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-63892120527641338722016-12-08T07:00:00.000-06:002016-12-08T07:00:01.916-06:00A Whale Of An Announcement!Hi everyone!<br />
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I'm more active lately on <a href="https://twitter.com/LynneKelly" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorLynneKelly/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/lynnekellyh/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lynnekkelly/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> than I am here, but wanted to stop by to announce my new book news! Here's the announcement from <a href="https://twitter.com/LynneKelly" target="_blank">Publishers Weekly</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8zbZvB5QYCUMRxWhp2FsB6JpffvQa_rK9ab5B8wqZ9zSJaXKdKB5DW0Y1gjhAyY126SKAgf_0OvdyP7rc2ydBfyaC7gAm3wWrN321-7dXP4qaiEanxMIhapfV1jL_sm__SfjRXm3Zqs/s1600/15136015_1511209058894072_6395147402925308517_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO8zbZvB5QYCUMRxWhp2FsB6JpffvQa_rK9ab5B8wqZ9zSJaXKdKB5DW0Y1gjhAyY126SKAgf_0OvdyP7rc2ydBfyaC7gAm3wWrN321-7dXP4qaiEanxMIhapfV1jL_sm__SfjRXm3Zqs/s320/15136015_1511209058894072_6395147402925308517_n.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The writing of this book was quicker for me than most; I just got the idea for it last year when I saw this image fly by on Twitter:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOwg9olfwapF4w8d3dOzuhdSzOSELBpiwkDkdYkgoL_2_vlmXQ__az-moK6mFI94x39f2gBKHfE7L32IVPgr-JbPs6MZFJArQYIG2Z8j6rt2KOf_oQbTL46Yee-B4yO_9WP3UVapB5eo/s1600/52hz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOwg9olfwapF4w8d3dOzuhdSzOSELBpiwkDkdYkgoL_2_vlmXQ__az-moK6mFI94x39f2gBKHfE7L32IVPgr-JbPs6MZFJArQYIG2Z8j6rt2KOf_oQbTL46Yee-B4yO_9WP3UVapB5eo/s400/52hz.jpg" width="326" /></a></div>
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Thankfully I was online at the right moment, and that I scrolled back to read the description. After a little research I found that it's likely that the whale is a male since they're the singers, and that other whales can probably hear him, but don't understand what he's saying. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the 52 Hertz whale, and finally gave up trying to get back to sleep and got up to start writing about the kind of kid who would run away to try to track him down.<br />
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I found that character in 6th grade Iris, who's the only deaf student at her school. When she learns in her science class about this whale who can't talk to anyone else, she decides she has to find him. <br />
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I decided to fictionalize the whale for a couple of reasons. For one, there's a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7qRQacSJVc" target="_blank">documentary in the works</a> about "52 Blue," so there's no telling what we'll find out from that or future research. For now we don't know much, but writing about a fictitious "55 Hertz whale" gave me the freedom to write the story without worrying about the novel having inaccurate information about the real 52. Also there's some deaf poetry in the book, and the repeated "5" handshape worked out well with that. (The feeling of "rhyme" in <a href="http://www.deafjam.org/poetry.html" target="_blank">deaf poetry</a> is conveyed by similar handshapes instead of similar sounds like in spoken or written English).<br />
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About a year later, I had a manuscript that was revised and ready to submit. And now it will be a real book!<br />
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If you're as fascinated with the 52 Hertz whale like I am, here's more information:<br />
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<a href="https://www.thedailyresearch.com/loneliest-whale/" target="_blank">The Mystery of the Loneliest Whale in the World</a><br />
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<a href="http://earthsky.org/earth/52-hertz-song-of-worlds-loneliest-whale" target="_blank">52-Hertz Song of the World's Loneliest Whale</a> - includes a song recording!<br />
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<a href="https://www.thedodo.com/lonely-whale-kickstarter-1001481998.html" target="_blank">Article on The Dodo about the whale, the documentary, and ocean noise</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.lonelywhale.org/#intro" target="_blank">The Lonely Whale Foundation</a><br />
<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-18967159307940903942015-03-16T06:00:00.000-05:002015-03-16T14:39:53.240-05:00Author Visit Q&A<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7mAsq4Kjq9tKiN6StLkQI-WkCIw5_N0DQhWntgRYqJnZ5rlGyebVRvtD19G-q6Tl9qAV6S0i_K4sIZyGiI5co8bmM_xG_e7CEEwE_rCi-xH3S6-RExYk0NmP4GXfSjKpLAIO5coM4jE/s1600/ron-swanson-computer-throw-out-parks-and-rec.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7mAsq4Kjq9tKiN6StLkQI-WkCIw5_N0DQhWntgRYqJnZ5rlGyebVRvtD19G-q6Tl9qAV6S0i_K4sIZyGiI5co8bmM_xG_e7CEEwE_rCi-xH3S6-RExYk0NmP4GXfSjKpLAIO5coM4jE/s320/ron-swanson-computer-throw-out-parks-and-rec.gif" /></a>Last week I had an online school visit with a great group of students, but our time was cut short because of some <br />
tech issues. Our test visit the day before was fine, but on the day of the actual visit, either I could hear them or they could hear me, but not at the same time. We finally gave up on trying to connect via webcam and they instead put me on speakerphone. It was already kind of a short visit, one of the 20-ish minute Q&A sessions that I offer to classes that have read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12355856-chained" target="_blank">Chained</a>, so by the time we connected, there wasn't time to answer everyone's questions before the students had to leave for lunch. <br />
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I told them that if they'd email me the questions that were left I'd reply back, and I decided later that answering on a vlog would be more fun than an email reply; this offers more of a school visit-ish follow-up to the Q&A session that was cut short. Plus, other classes who've read the book can use the video also, and post questions to be answered in a later video. It's also on <a href="http://www.teachertube.com/video/author-qa-with-lynne-kelly-376199">TeacherTube</a>, for those of you who can't access YouTube at school.<br />
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So, if you like the vlog, the tech problems will have turned out to be a good thing!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-uoskm9f_PI?list=UUmCt-jJ0zqsF56W5__ZCa9A" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-60867486882985694792014-11-17T21:50:00.000-06:002014-11-17T21:50:19.508-06:00Giveaway: Indian Edition of CHAINED <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgJxIhdYWXkS4MvVa1N6w9cffxHIoiNcnK-hkG3PLSjfpoGpe5hdWumBrKVRLwe9CXZ_O_C-H_MGOR_FEQTKT8eFlMT2W5v60RVysWCdrj-Mb0cVrBb7rKPQZSW6DXXyFpTerP6Gs3_E/s1600/Chained+india+stack.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgJxIhdYWXkS4MvVa1N6w9cffxHIoiNcnK-hkG3PLSjfpoGpe5hdWumBrKVRLwe9CXZ_O_C-H_MGOR_FEQTKT8eFlMT2W5v60RVysWCdrj-Mb0cVrBb7rKPQZSW6DXXyFpTerP6Gs3_E/s320/Chained+india+stack.png" /></a></div>
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Hey, there's a pretty stack o' books! <br />
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<a href="http://www.lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-spicy-announcement.html">I got to announce last summer</a> that there would be an Indian edition of CHAINED, and it was published by <a href="http://www.penguinbooksindia.com/en/content/chained">Penguin India</a> in January. But now I have a few!<br />
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It turned out lovely--the cover is beautiful, and there's an adorable elephant footprint on the page numbers:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9gjcz0teVnNFgm1xVznZFcQupREetCqir7iMGgLEcZHyy9_JPArK9nZ1GW8CeZuXRuyxOM9fvTONba-uDPoXXiLovrre9RzRry21AaRLL1PP3nqXKmTLui2CtIiOVY3a_IzbKSS4_28/s1600/chainedindia_pages.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9gjcz0teVnNFgm1xVznZFcQupREetCqir7iMGgLEcZHyy9_JPArK9nZ1GW8CeZuXRuyxOM9fvTONba-uDPoXXiLovrre9RzRry21AaRLL1PP3nqXKmTLui2CtIiOVY3a_IzbKSS4_28/s320/chainedindia_pages.png" /></a></div>
Although India has approximately a kajillion languages, Penguin India publishes books in British English, which is commonly used in schools. So, aside from a handful of vocabulary changes and all those extra letter "u"s running around, it's pretty much the same as the U.S. edition. The biggest difference for me is that the editor didn't care for the epigraphs, so the quotes from the fictitious elephant care manual that precede each chapter aren't in this version. <br />
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Now, on to the giveaway! I'll keep it simple-- just leave a comment below, and a week from now (11/25/14), I'll pick three commenters at random to receive a signed copy of the book. (U.S. addresses only)<br />
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You don't have to tweet or share on Facebook, but if you do you'll get some free samosas or a baby elephant or an awkward hug when I see you in person. (Okay, it'll be the hug thing.) <br />
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Good luck!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdDX7PQprxjr5S6NvIB3-z4Lo4jYmlWhRPtLDWNH1nrzItuC-Qmt5n2dNFZI1LMA_k9dMdk2wRExjKc9ZQ1KPheGot8ltuGlutemAyQYv9R1ECuSiW4Y-TxhHE15eZs5u71SzdC9-2KU/s1600/ChainedIndiaFront.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdDX7PQprxjr5S6NvIB3-z4Lo4jYmlWhRPtLDWNH1nrzItuC-Qmt5n2dNFZI1LMA_k9dMdk2wRExjKc9ZQ1KPheGot8ltuGlutemAyQYv9R1ECuSiW4Y-TxhHE15eZs5u71SzdC9-2KU/s320/ChainedIndiaFront.png" /></a></div>
Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-9769556319105364132014-04-16T08:00:00.000-05:002014-04-17T16:52:55.469-05:00The Author's Wardrobe, For RealA couple weeks ago, there was a picture making the rounds on Twitter--a page from <i>Elle</i> magazine showing a wardrobe for "The Novelist." Here is is if you missed it:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYf0qzV-F323MIDNe3Sqom4CoC5wKI_eXeYUh4YGr57Wlzd1_tIXquychhnbZ9AXtm8PsWPlXsooAkvqA229aZpMiI5xsJd_KWjStER8synF_szQTlDYdMT5WLlravxKzkdJqQ08qSo0/s1600/novelistwardrobetweet.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYf0qzV-F323MIDNe3Sqom4CoC5wKI_eXeYUh4YGr57Wlzd1_tIXquychhnbZ9AXtm8PsWPlXsooAkvqA229aZpMiI5xsJd_KWjStER8synF_szQTlDYdMT5WLlravxKzkdJqQ08qSo0/s320/novelistwardrobetweet.PNG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the original tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/sharongracepjs/status/449883250446835713/photo/1" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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I couldn't stop laughing. <br />
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Here are some closer shots, in case you need to get your pen and shopping list:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0-tHZCjFxzhU2deo6iSAFZviATFQ2Bt62z87oaI79LaouMrY2_cbGrd2CUOqMWI8BB3v_VGUYMKXjq1PFCUGJiIt9OUpWBQ1hxvPZ6Q0TVDD4qp4ezwzr3V2qIcuQx7jkDZnNanPbWg/s1600/TheNovelistWardrobe1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0-tHZCjFxzhU2deo6iSAFZviATFQ2Bt62z87oaI79LaouMrY2_cbGrd2CUOqMWI8BB3v_VGUYMKXjq1PFCUGJiIt9OUpWBQ1hxvPZ6Q0TVDD4qp4ezwzr3V2qIcuQx7jkDZnNanPbWg/s320/TheNovelistWardrobe1.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g3wSDXOp5Ygb58HhXDGoItEO0-sZsuF_OBaEQivZnsjjSaH-uZASAIVNI-q00rPgHqclWNDatGG6tE3_rPKzVTB6nhcO6VtnvYWADG17ldG4mQJ53D4AW8PmGx5dsYJ_S3Xyy9bs2kA/s1600/TheNovelistWardrobe2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3g3wSDXOp5Ygb58HhXDGoItEO0-sZsuF_OBaEQivZnsjjSaH-uZASAIVNI-q00rPgHqclWNDatGG6tE3_rPKzVTB6nhcO6VtnvYWADG17ldG4mQJ53D4AW8PmGx5dsYJ_S3Xyy9bs2kA/s320/TheNovelistWardrobe2.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><br />
I just don't know how I get anything done without that key item, the long-sleeved silk blouse.<br />
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Just for fun, let's see what all this would cost...<br />
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$7,057. Not including the pants, since those are listed as "price on request" from Lacoste. So I'm sure they're reasonable. Sometimes I see items I want to buy and can't find the price, but then someone in a red shirt and khakis scans it for me. There, price on request.<br />
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And speaking of pants, since when are pants among the "Wardrobe Musts" for a writer?<br />
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Since I don't know any writer willing to hand over that big o' chunk of her advance for an outfit, I thought it would be fun to ask some author friends to show me what they actually wear when writing. (If you want to keep up the illusion that we all dress like the <i>Elle</i> model, you'll want to turn away now).<br />
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First up is <a href="http://www.kristinrae.com/" target="_blank">Kristin Rae</a>, modeling the timeless "Lumberjack Maternity Chic:"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7Df1i6OK71tfelMDvvQgDzyaxngkEYoWb20gL6IRdT24SpqZHpU3ceiPCw9iAiVb8plQnOXNbvi0G5ktj0IAs0jAkop-u80iM6vGTZZ49LHYqy1RS80wRoGzwp1jI4nSAC4tovFxC2o/s1600/novelistwardrobe_KRAE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7Df1i6OK71tfelMDvvQgDzyaxngkEYoWb20gL6IRdT24SpqZHpU3ceiPCw9iAiVb8plQnOXNbvi0G5ktj0IAs0jAkop-u80iM6vGTZZ49LHYqy1RS80wRoGzwp1jI4nSAC4tovFxC2o/s320/novelistwardrobe_KRAE.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Behind the silk shirts in <a href="http://jennifermathieu.com/">Jennifer Mathieu's</a> closet is a wide array of t-shirts:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb5tKc9-Txcht4sc-b2xFcLHT7ywD_Xqdrm9gTPl9gznv48wsvb-u8ZkHcoyodl9EhaKJ2V_1kLGQKjGk3rdeOPgbTV6X41i5LBuO2AwCM9PvYbpuKplohJNawEKxjhetBBc0nNGTcXA/s1600/novelistwardrobe_jenmathieu.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMb5tKc9-Txcht4sc-b2xFcLHT7ywD_Xqdrm9gTPl9gznv48wsvb-u8ZkHcoyodl9EhaKJ2V_1kLGQKjGk3rdeOPgbTV6X41i5LBuO2AwCM9PvYbpuKplohJNawEKxjhetBBc0nNGTcXA/s320/novelistwardrobe_jenmathieu.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not saying Jennifer isn't wearing pants, but I'm not saying she is, either</td></tr>
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Most of the replies to the original tweet were along the lines of "Where are the pajama pants?" Here they are, modeled by <a href="http://kaholt.com/" target="_blank">Kari Anne Holt</a> and <a href="http://samanthaclark.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Samantha Clark</a>:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKSvOFusHv7u9FFq7LEVtlK5gd6VcFeNxRh_0DHByXEvwDZWwfDsG4xIccH9p4DnJ3uUK8-t2156v0Fk9RydZSrt5PDa9a31KCr8zB79tynE0gOSnKKy6WxcH5eVpWkuk_YgldJqrYwk/s1600/novelistwardrobe_kari.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKSvOFusHv7u9FFq7LEVtlK5gd6VcFeNxRh_0DHByXEvwDZWwfDsG4xIccH9p4DnJ3uUK8-t2156v0Fk9RydZSrt5PDa9a31KCr8zB79tynE0gOSnKKy6WxcH5eVpWkuk_YgldJqrYwk/s320/novelistwardrobe_kari.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing a t-shirt from high school redefines "timeless."</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBUiY5U78czFn__F3vCBy1kfcZGYhgWhd1Zs4Fw_YFaZGXPdMey_yazO5B4XI9BEZ55qVfBERZMrGNxudt8Ms1MgYpCn-0jnPNaSEcXOhKaIMgMnOCJhYvK1l7hWgMbAl2f9GHEtSjH4/s1600/novelistwardrobe_sam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOBUiY5U78czFn__F3vCBy1kfcZGYhgWhd1Zs4Fw_YFaZGXPdMey_yazO5B4XI9BEZ55qVfBERZMrGNxudt8Ms1MgYpCn-0jnPNaSEcXOhKaIMgMnOCJhYvK1l7hWgMbAl2f9GHEtSjH4/s320/novelistwardrobe_sam.jpg" /></a><br />
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Deadlines call for a more formal look, so <a href="http://www.jowhittemore.com/">Jo Whittemore</a> adds a blanket to the pajamas:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZzZtiAL90CWZ0bykKQ5_OvPFcLcf1crVOEFS2N-caLkygfpGH3XshkkPyXWABdF6j9b49xN9XL9pPoXdwjhf-Zzq6Po4VaZmcbRfaoctjk1GIM_ExIoxRdPq9xzZKH7_ql3wZPKug9Y/s1600/novelistwardrobe_jo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeZzZtiAL90CWZ0bykKQ5_OvPFcLcf1crVOEFS2N-caLkygfpGH3XshkkPyXWABdF6j9b49xN9XL9pPoXdwjhf-Zzq6Po4VaZmcbRfaoctjk1GIM_ExIoxRdPq9xzZKH7_ql3wZPKug9Y/s320/novelistwardrobe_jo.jpeg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.shellicornelison.com/">Shelli Cornelison</a> reminds us not to forget the yoga pants. But if you forget to do laundry for a few weeks, feel free to raid your husband's closet for t-shirts.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-TblqZSx-Ql-vijthrL5ItUTQOQrYkQnbdAU8A4wS758uOZzSW3ZBNzYsr2TBXszTIuz8myrM-8aYnXtIYhTjvs4Ivv_1ns8eRvVMRdWee1bMCm8ilsO4mYABAIcDnNTYb_0VY7q1eI/s1600/novelistwardrobe_shelli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-TblqZSx-Ql-vijthrL5ItUTQOQrYkQnbdAU8A4wS758uOZzSW3ZBNzYsr2TBXszTIuz8myrM-8aYnXtIYhTjvs4Ivv_1ns8eRvVMRdWee1bMCm8ilsO4mYABAIcDnNTYb_0VY7q1eI/s320/novelistwardrobe_shelli.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Menswear offers a tailored look</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here we see a writer in her natural habitat, a coffee shop. <a href="http://www.corypoakes.com/" target="_blank">Cory Oakes</a> stays productive in the polar-vortex-like temperatures with her fingerless gloves. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin21YaBmS9G9zWtIxnnDxXBnsP2VW81GhJAGL0sVcjAKqBd3TOHrh1J5BOeAuW8kFBRZcdhP-6J9PscwgWVwRsfo425g9sCsbYH9LjDgxE1ySG0IfVSP-Gg0ZR2eg0dtgtuIP4-lDDzcY/s1600/novelistwardrobe_cory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin21YaBmS9G9zWtIxnnDxXBnsP2VW81GhJAGL0sVcjAKqBd3TOHrh1J5BOeAuW8kFBRZcdhP-6J9PscwgWVwRsfo425g9sCsbYH9LjDgxE1ySG0IfVSP-Gg0ZR2eg0dtgtuIP4-lDDzcY/s320/novelistwardrobe_cory.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://mccormicktempleman.com/">McCormick Templeman</a> asked that this photo of <a href="http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/05/15/susan-sontag-in-a-teddy-bear-suit/">Susan Sontag in a teddy bear suit</a> be her model stand-in, since she's pretty sure she could write the Great American Novel if only she had a teddy bear suit. I don't think any of us can argue with that logic.<br />
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Here's a glimpse of the wardrobe of a gothic Victorian novelist, courtesy of <a href="http://www.leannareneehieber.com/" target="_blank">Leanna Renee Hieber</a>. Note that the middle shelf is full of corsets.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9hHFZz_hls2ndSCan15jdXXSBdcu8aDXzh32BuxmiPPvsMUkdJxKaQg8YTojCF7cLrO1ESRa27T1j8ICg7UzKyS3X6WVQHjJcaegyRnifhJUDMtaGvg3pZe7dy9IG-aca1zmq-mvk48/s1600/novelistwardrobe_leanna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9hHFZz_hls2ndSCan15jdXXSBdcu8aDXzh32BuxmiPPvsMUkdJxKaQg8YTojCF7cLrO1ESRa27T1j8ICg7UzKyS3X6WVQHjJcaegyRnifhJUDMtaGvg3pZe7dy9IG-aca1zmq-mvk48/s1600/novelistwardrobe_leanna.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few more corsets that the author average of zero.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a href="http://shannonmessenger.com/">Shannon Messenger</a> won't be caught writing without this season's must-have accessory, the house cat:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAb5VBjGVZ7nlfJy4iBJqMaLJmEZfImFoHpKuLkhLBRPWjOr1efd4pLQyy34WN1fISlsjFOYx5t1za9I9LuMBKPZ83Os09f2fJLF42P7A4kIKE5jZLqiqAzis6gnZ0ZIm6x1vqVK0I30/s1600/novelistwardrobe_shannoncat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAb5VBjGVZ7nlfJy4iBJqMaLJmEZfImFoHpKuLkhLBRPWjOr1efd4pLQyy34WN1fISlsjFOYx5t1za9I9LuMBKPZ83Os09f2fJLF42P7A4kIKE5jZLqiqAzis6gnZ0ZIm6x1vqVK0I30/s320/novelistwardrobe_shannoncat.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A large bathrobe and fuzzy slippers complete the ensemble</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Not to be outdone are Lenore <a href="http://lenoreappelhans.com/">Appelhans</a> and <a href="http://www.emilyhainsworth.com/">Emily Hainsworth</a>, effortlessly pulling off the "Covered by cat while writing" look:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrN4uK2G5Q9ciJmS_nghmsj-JO1et5-OJniuxRpC5XcqM0EVIrwiCMh_DQuMJYAHcHSxs9ErTeX7UfpHkf2Fo74-vmC2pImvuLX1qDLE5QtN8HcAXwm2ZoQ6MsYcBRQbk894giK6cQZhs/s1600/Novelistwardrobe_Lenore+Writing+Outfit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrN4uK2G5Q9ciJmS_nghmsj-JO1et5-OJniuxRpC5XcqM0EVIrwiCMh_DQuMJYAHcHSxs9ErTeX7UfpHkf2Fo74-vmC2pImvuLX1qDLE5QtN8HcAXwm2ZoQ6MsYcBRQbk894giK6cQZhs/s320/Novelistwardrobe_Lenore+Writing+Outfit.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typewriter shirt from <a href="http://www.modcloth.com/shop/graphic-tees/on-the-write-track-top" target="_blank">Modcloth</a>, priced less than one Guess sandal</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7wRfL_pM22tin2inW9evxFGxgZ_LesIAN3Xi27Zfd08pyiFvaqmguWksV-a_kAbBjHVLhcnSJrrSCWb-PV88aK7iPhpMprhLNgxooH6WvCJoWsnNtpTJjvn_wPvJRj8rcVJsBwJMSuQ/s1600/novelistwardrobe_emilyH.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7wRfL_pM22tin2inW9evxFGxgZ_LesIAN3Xi27Zfd08pyiFvaqmguWksV-a_kAbBjHVLhcnSJrrSCWb-PV88aK7iPhpMprhLNgxooH6WvCJoWsnNtpTJjvn_wPvJRj8rcVJsBwJMSuQ/s320/novelistwardrobe_emilyH.png" /></a></div><br />
And let's not forget the dogs. (Because teeth marks are never in style). <a href="http://www.abcdoris.com/">Doris Fisher</a> often writes while wearing Princess Puppy, pictured here in her wardrobe of yarn:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUc1kiVL7J3YhcnTYxMA8MMr2K0f0mGYfIuF6vbHwl0l-pi90K9431y5o7XqmSHTumjjmkTf_w-HHnxSEqa9A2an1ehHrwylWHv0O6lyndX-sRd2Mu7v5cPLCZhZoQBf18uwlGmoEaOoU/s1600/novelistswardrobe_doris.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUc1kiVL7J3YhcnTYxMA8MMr2K0f0mGYfIuF6vbHwl0l-pi90K9431y5o7XqmSHTumjjmkTf_w-HHnxSEqa9A2an1ehHrwylWHv0O6lyndX-sRd2Mu7v5cPLCZhZoQBf18uwlGmoEaOoU/s320/novelistswardrobe_doris.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Here's <a href="http://www.colleenconrad.com/" target="_blank">Colleen Conrad</a>, staying fashionably productive in a swimsuit coverup and a dog:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUWRDBC4usj3F7HcmlU999U8-yQES2czlPbFnu55v5v4XUpjuOWPKRYSf3QRxn7bvBQuU0bf5rE-ufxiBwhcyoUYqQ1-Jfs64yWTTn_aTATguX2dgvGxnB4qUg8lGiAN__-yeO6ajySM/s1600/Writer+Clothes_Conrad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxUWRDBC4usj3F7HcmlU999U8-yQES2czlPbFnu55v5v4XUpjuOWPKRYSf3QRxn7bvBQuU0bf5rE-ufxiBwhcyoUYqQ1-Jfs64yWTTn_aTATguX2dgvGxnB4qUg8lGiAN__-yeO6ajySM/s1600/Writer+Clothes_Conrad.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a></div><br />
This is usually what happens when I try to write from the comfort of my couch, because Holly knows that looking good is more important than being able to type:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjojSsq4CvNo1yGkD2enIc4C0EXzCQGN7Pv1vc9-XvDvUKtg1ga38boEIGBA69zMEYFPRLfoUHHuKoQJSrtXzBfmYAzeFWyLblTS6XFbJbpotlyvsCvLw_TNEgFOI2l7KaiLirQUdzGkc/s1600/novelistwardrobe_me&holly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjojSsq4CvNo1yGkD2enIc4C0EXzCQGN7Pv1vc9-XvDvUKtg1ga38boEIGBA69zMEYFPRLfoUHHuKoQJSrtXzBfmYAzeFWyLblTS6XFbJbpotlyvsCvLw_TNEgFOI2l7KaiLirQUdzGkc/s320/novelistwardrobe_me&holly.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Move, human, you're ruining my selfie</td></tr>
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I was so impressed by all the writerly wardrobe photos, but I am surprised at the lack of Snuggies. Now <i>that's</i> the long-sleeved must-have. You can even get the <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/ION-COZ-E-Heated-Blanket-with-Sleeves/15048452" target="_blank">electric version</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFJi4AWQwEDwCMdOy-JR8JEg4y5Xz0xpqzcgsHtoiHSy-bXCn1VyoBdLgposqKsl5LyzLKLDyg_PNfA1VffAruTZnb0mz8jWyTTmMfNhNnB-W6bjJfAdkjfjAGG2K2SGIDibeQB6xlrM/s1600/me_snuggie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFJi4AWQwEDwCMdOy-JR8JEg4y5Xz0xpqzcgsHtoiHSy-bXCn1VyoBdLgposqKsl5LyzLKLDyg_PNfA1VffAruTZnb0mz8jWyTTmMfNhNnB-W6bjJfAdkjfjAGG2K2SGIDibeQB6xlrM/s320/me_snuggie.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just one of the collection</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Not pictured are coffee, chocolate, and wine stains, but those accessories can be added easily. Prices upon request at the nearest gas station.<br />
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Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-24347333691908213322014-04-07T07:00:00.000-05:002014-04-07T07:00:03.147-05:00The Writing Process Blog Tour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PWzH_NegPoIhh-fWkhRGO7r_VFgP3Qhz6b4k6X8X1DhwO9ewVH41UVejc5KavKHqgAX_sPOEqoPr0-kEIL3mfeKtkkxvlqiMPlHJ-SH_K27Cz7z_ZjX4L6eS0zDjgEettqQh6SAmlbM/s1600/gaimanquote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7PWzH_NegPoIhh-fWkhRGO7r_VFgP3Qhz6b4k6X8X1DhwO9ewVH41UVejc5KavKHqgAX_sPOEqoPr0-kEIL3mfeKtkkxvlqiMPlHJ-SH_K27Cz7z_ZjX4L6eS0zDjgEettqQh6SAmlbM/s320/gaimanquote.jpg" height="200" width="178" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9kxSjdgn06klX6Ew9-fO4Dedfo7vGeOWdNqhvO5cWEjixWQO_H0EJ2AXt6FcjPMju4eWU9sWTXAd1ckyMXmMgSGT3DgWPjrdvf8vSDwr_4m2pKXR3RoY59VLsMoc4grl-bln6ngQye0/s1600/ginarosati.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9kxSjdgn06klX6Ew9-fO4Dedfo7vGeOWdNqhvO5cWEjixWQO_H0EJ2AXt6FcjPMju4eWU9sWTXAd1ckyMXmMgSGT3DgWPjrdvf8vSDwr_4m2pKXR3RoY59VLsMoc4grl-bln6ngQye0/s1600/ginarosati.png" /></a>Thanks to my Class of 2k12 sister <a href="http://www.ginarosati.com/index.html">Gina Rosati</a> for inviting me to be part of the Writing Process Blog Tour. Gina is a library volunteer and author of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11362198-auracle?ac=1">AURACLE</a>, an awesome YA paranormal romance from Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan. Visit Gina's <a href="http://www.ginarosati.com/index.html">website</a>, follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/ginarosati">Twitter</a>, and read about her writing process <a href="http://ginarosati.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/writing-process-blog-tour/">here</a>.<br />
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As part of the blog tour, I've been asked to answer these four questions about my writing process:<br />
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<b>What am I working on?</b><br />
Something totally different from anything I've written before--a young adult novel called Crashing Woodstock, about a modern-day high school senior who time travels to the Woodstock festival and faces horrors such as naked hippies, paper maps, and no cell phone service.<br />
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<b>How does my work differ from others of its genre?</b><br />
Hmmm. Well, I don't know of any Woodstock time travel books, so there's that. It will start and end as a work of contemporary fiction, but the bulk of the novel will read like historical fiction. Also I think in most time travel books, the character travels back in time on purpose, and this will be accidental.<br />
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<b>Why do I write what I do?</b><br />
In everything I write, there are characters I want to follow so I can find out what happens to them. I write for children and young adults because I love those ages of discovery, when we're still figuring out who we are, who we want to be, and who we don't want to be. We can really connect to characters who are going through the same things. Plus, I love middle grade and young adult novels myself--the stories have to be compelling from start to finish to keep choosy readers hooked.<br />
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<b>How does your writing process work?</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb7pumexsmE93KJrDWYcs9JuCtCSN5V4BUswtn8_XXDJR0vxO7q6glb7O9zSNcRnnHpCG6-qDPmI-mHcRWh3Cd_OTvyTDHGn1jHNO2DkYLzFWFPSjTEvZMV6RYJ-Sf0hpJV1Qt8l8alg/s1600/maughamquote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb7pumexsmE93KJrDWYcs9JuCtCSN5V4BUswtn8_XXDJR0vxO7q6glb7O9zSNcRnnHpCG6-qDPmI-mHcRWh3Cd_OTvyTDHGn1jHNO2DkYLzFWFPSjTEvZMV6RYJ-Sf0hpJV1Qt8l8alg/s1600/maughamquote.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>Well, this is somewhat messy. I'm not much of a plotter; I wrote <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12355856-chained">CHAINED</a> one chapter at a time, often<a href="http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm">The Hero's Journey</a> in mind along the way, though, so I'd refer to that when trying to coming up with what should happen to the characters. It worked out in the end, but I would've had a lot less revising to do if I'd done some planning. But I enjoy discovering the story as I go, so I don't think I'll ever be a heavy outliner. Now I do some rough plotting, with at least a few turning points that will come up throughout the story. I do my best drafting when I'm freewriting with a pen and paper, then I pull some of those ideas into a list of scenes for the chapter I'm working on. I talk more about organized brainstorming and plotting for non-plotters <a href="http://lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2011/08/plotting-for-non-plotter-organized.html">here</a>, and how I've met the plotting/pantsing needs in <a href="http://lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2014/02/6-writing-lessons-from-dogs.html">Writing Lessons From Dogs</a>. <br />
having no idea what was going to happen from one chapter to the next. I was keeping <br />
Also, I'm easily distracted, so I work best if I lock myself out of the Internet for an hour at a time. I use <a href="http://www.macfreedom.com/">MacFreedom</a> so I won't be tempted to check on all my friends who live in my computer.<br />
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Here's a little about the authors I've tagged for the blog tour. Look for their writing process posts next Monday, April 14th.<br />
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<a href="http://www.gretchenmcneil.com/index2.php?v=v1#!/HOME">Gretchen McNeil's</a> YA horror <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8673931-possess?from_search=true">POSSESS,</a> about a teen exorcist, debuted with Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins in 2011. Her follow up <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11958033-ten">TEN</a> was a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, a Romantic Times Top Pick, a Booklist Top Ten Horror Fiction for Youth, and was nominated for "Best Young Adult Contemporary Novel of 2012" by Romantic Times. Gretchen's 2013 release was <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15836516-3">3:59</a>, and this year, Gretchen debuts her first series, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15836516-3">Don't Get Mad</a>. Check out Gretchen's <a href="http://gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gretchen-McNeil/195705662028">Facebook page</a>, or follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/GretchenMcNeil">Twitter</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://annegreenwoodbrown.com/">Anne Greenwood Brown</a> is the author of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10479750-lies-beneath?from_search=true">Lies Beneath</a> trilogy - a series about love, forgiveness, and murderous mermaids on Lake Superior. She is terrified of high places, deep places, falling from high places into deep places, and fish of all kinds. But other than that, she's up for anything. Visit Anne on her <a href="http://annegreenwoodbrown.com/blog/">blog</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AnneGreenwoodBrown">Facebook page</a>, or on <a href="https://twitter.com/annegbrown">Twitter</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.leannareneehieber.com/">Leanna Renee Hieber</a> is the award-winning, bestselling author of Gothic Victorian Fantasy novels for adults and teens. Her Strangely Beautiful saga, beginning with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6571771-the-strangely-beautiful-tale-of-miss-percy-parker?from_search=true">The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker</a>, hit Barnes & Noble and Borders Bestseller lists and garnered numerous regional genre awards. Leanna's Magic Most Foul saga began with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10841336-darker-still?from_search=true">Darker Still</a>, an American Bookseller's Association "Indie Next List" pick and a Scholastic Book Club "Highly Reccomended" title. Read more about Leanna on her <a href="http://leannareneebooks.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LRHieber">Facebook page</a>, or on <a href="https://twitter.com/Leannarenee">Twitter</a>.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by!Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-21919000772255274252014-04-03T21:44:00.001-05:002014-04-03T21:57:46.424-05:00The Elephant In the Room, Literally<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0mwNpAqTHlCIAg83CAtgr0GiSfF0knDUjiS2zEF49tPxquzZvo2X5hXnrjiDLjLRAk-NtOV-9L3PjrHrJMbMZt6t3wP3ZQDP7jpQ6XeegG5jYUNCAbr1Jlz7avCXp9IadKcI57LAs_Y/s1600/babyafricanelephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0mwNpAqTHlCIAg83CAtgr0GiSfF0knDUjiS2zEF49tPxquzZvo2X5hXnrjiDLjLRAk-NtOV-9L3PjrHrJMbMZt6t3wP3ZQDP7jpQ6XeegG5jYUNCAbr1Jlz7avCXp9IadKcI57LAs_Y/s320/babyafricanelephant.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hey, guys, can I crash on your couch?</td></tr>
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Well, wouldn't this make for an interesting day? A lost baby elephant wandered into a ranch house living room. Only ten <br />
days old, she was hungry and dehydrated and had walked a long way--about thirty miles--before showing up in Francoise Malby-Anthony's home at the Thula Thula Private Game Reserve in Zululand, South Africa. See the full article and adorable photo in this article from <i><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/10736896/Baby-elephant-wanders-into-South-African-living-room.html">The Telegraph</a>.</i><br />
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After hanging around for a snack, the calf, called Tom by the ranch hand who found her, was reunited with her herd. Of course they were thrilled to see her, especially her mother, who'd been rescued by Francoise's husband Lawrence Anthony years ago.<br />
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That's not even the most interesting part--I knew I recognized Lawrence Anthony's name, so I did a search to find out why it was so familiar. There was a story I had in mind but had thought, "No way, that would be too weird." Yet there it was, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150653709309548&set=a.10150100786474548.285957.106135859547&type=1&theater" target="_blank">elephant "funeral procession"</a> after Anthony's death in 2009.<br />
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Anthony was a conservationist was known as "The Elephant Whisperer" for his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4nvQbfQAUg">work with wild elephants</a> in South Africa. After he died, two herds of elephants he'd worked with made an estimated twelve-hour journey to his house. They stayed around there for a couple of days before heading back to the wild. Before this event, these elephants hadn't been to the property for at least a year and a half.<br />
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There are plenty of examples of <a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/elephant_african_mourning">elephants mourning</a> their dead, not only at the time the death occurs but when they come across bones of a former herd member. Making the long trek to pay respects after the passing of a human friend is even more fascinating. I mean, HOW IN THE WORLD DID THEY KNOW???<br />
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In answering that question, Rabbi Leila Gal Berner said, “A good man died suddenly, and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost ‘funereal’ procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man’s home. If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous ‘interconnectedness of all beings,’ it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man’s heart’s stops, and hundreds of elephants’ hearts are grieving. This man’s oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend.”<br />
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And somehow one of their babies knew where to go when she needed help.<br />
<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-77607057669323593422014-03-03T06:00:00.000-06:002014-03-03T06:00:04.848-06:00The Chained Site: Behind the Scenes of the StoryI was reading the first post of Darcy Pattison's month-long series on <a href="http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/author-website-toc/">author websites</a>, and when she mentioned that one thing readers like is access to exclusive content I thought, "Hey I have that. I should put it someplace people can actually find it."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjn6d5suSTa7ZSSfzQRAKfHodxtvlPIin0LH36ewfGjhp-a7pAD2gqR6HobKVAlNXeG0XTftkTb3-_ESpgeGmurEqUweJfDJaBgnyxOMJBa3CEahqWeZ1Mjh1YzuGxLqNCUOZ3dRDMBY/s1600/nandita+fence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjn6d5suSTa7ZSSfzQRAKfHodxtvlPIin0LH36ewfGjhp-a7pAD2gqR6HobKVAlNXeG0XTftkTb3-_ESpgeGmurEqUweJfDJaBgnyxOMJBa3CEahqWeZ1Mjh1YzuGxLqNCUOZ3dRDMBY/s320/nandita+fence.jpg" /></a>I'd added a subdomain for <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12355856-chained">Chained</a> a long time ago so I<br />
could add more content about the book without overwhelming my <a href="http://lynnekellybooks.com/wordpress/">author site</a>. (If you have a website already, it doesn't cost anything to add a subdomain, and it works like another website). I hadn't made it public yet because I wanted to work on it more, but I was reminded of it whenever I spoke to a class about revisions, because I'd been meaning to add a deleted scenes page for all the cool stuff that had to be cut from the final book. <br />
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When I took a gander at it again I realized it was closer to presentable than I thought. I opened an older draft of Chained, copied some deleted scenes, and pasted them to a new page on the subdomain site. In addition to the deleted scenes page, there's more in-depth information about the setting and why I chose it, a page for the foreign editions and covers, and the activities and curriculum guide that are on the author site too. <br />
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So, hop on over to <a href="http://chained.lynnekellybooks.com/">The Chained Site</a> if you'd like to check it out. It'll be a work-in-progress that I'll add to now and then when I think of more things readers might like to see on there. I'm hoping it'll be a good resource for classrooms and a fun place for readers to get some behind-the-scenes information.<br />
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I'd love to hear what else would be good to include on the site, if you have some ideas!<br />
<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-75997480571072642062014-02-27T07:00:00.000-06:002014-02-27T08:16:05.193-06:007 Fun Facts From That Time I Met Bigfoot<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiFjsAMrTk6JHQYNyCaLNCTwCJAjxXh3jmSrSW0KPhjES8vGtRzATzZn2P0lRlPWC8xa1z9MAOuJYwmdS3GSL9zOZCbnQW4ui4cvs4jKzIutdgU1UqXEcUIPKsvNzxwUwAKfZWxZHGtY/s1600/bigfootonboard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiFjsAMrTk6JHQYNyCaLNCTwCJAjxXh3jmSrSW0KPhjES8vGtRzATzZn2P0lRlPWC8xa1z9MAOuJYwmdS3GSL9zOZCbnQW4ui4cvs4jKzIutdgU1UqXEcUIPKsvNzxwUwAKfZWxZHGtY/s320/bigfootonboard.JPG" height="400" width="338" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my "I kind of hate myself, but had<br />
to see" look. Strangely enough, it's a little<br />
blurry, like most Bigfoot photos.</td></tr>
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Tuesday evening I went to the <a href="http://drafthouse.com/blog/entry/an-evening-with-bigfoot-the-event-the-illumiyeti-doesnt-want-you-to-see" target="_blank">Alamo Drafthouse</a> for the tour stop of Bigfoot hunter <a href="http://www.thebigfoottracker.com/">Rick Dyer's</a> alleged Bigfoot corpse. Dyer is not well-liked, to put it nicely, by most of the Bigfoot community, but since I have a middle grade novel manuscript about a girl with cryptozoologist parents, I pretty much had to go. You know, research. And one of the characters in the book, Jethro Muggins, wants to hunt down and kill the Lake Champlain monster, so attending a presentation by someone who claims to have killed Bigfoot (with no regrets) seemed especially appropriate.<br />
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(So, I was there as a curious writer; I'm not a bigfooter or any kind of expert on cryptids, and there are plenty of people who are knowledgeable about the field who've written about Rick Dyer and his antics, and those are easy to find through an online search if you want to learn more).<br />
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The Q&A session was quite entertaining, lively, and unintentionally funny. Here are just a few of my favorite moments from the night:<br />
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1. I knew we were in for a good night when an announcement on the screen advised us that the presentation was "...strickly for educational purpose's." [sic that to infinity]<br />
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2. The manager told us before the show that few members of Dyer's Team Tracker weren't able to attend this leg of the tour, since they're in Dallas protecting a woman's house from a Bigfoot attack. This is probably the greatest thing I've ever heard. <br />
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3. Dyer says he was wearing only boxer shorts when he shot the Bigfoot, which was running away from him after taking the rack of ribs that he'd bought as bait from Wal-Mart. <br />
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4. Dyer's new Porche and his $100,000 RV are proof that his Bigfoot is real, because why would people pay him to see something fake? I don't see how any of us can find anything wrong with that logic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEDIV1ZJtdKWHfZkji5Nr05LGe4hfaHPfnrHG_bU3i2_LnGTAeCREtwTfnzMDT7JP6kYgcNCu7rzYyyR60Sm8iVr_wv-oTb4qeHT3CRZFCmMmJ26UaWgb2pIJkJp9xlzGMTbc-4ZMaDk/s1600/Shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEDIV1ZJtdKWHfZkji5Nr05LGe4hfaHPfnrHG_bU3i2_LnGTAeCREtwTfnzMDT7JP6kYgcNCu7rzYyyR60Sm8iVr_wv-oTb4qeHT3CRZFCmMmJ26UaWgb2pIJkJp9xlzGMTbc-4ZMaDk/s1600/Shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg" height="200" width="320" /></a></div>
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5. When asked how he moved the 800-pound corpse after killing it, he says that he carried it to a rented freezer truck with the help of "several homeless people." Since he'd claimed an investor paid him $9 million for the body, the interviewer said that maybe it would've been nice to have used a little of that money to buy a house for those homeless people. Dyer thought that was pretty funny. On another note, those are the most ripped homeless people ever.<br />
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From there the corpse was hauled to a university for DNA testing. No word on what university or when he'll reveal the results of that DNA evidence.<br />
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6. An audience member asked Dyer why anyone should believe his claims, since he's been involved in hoaxes before, like <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/08/080820-bigfoot-body.html" target="_blank">this one in 2008</a> in which the Bigfoot he'd captured turned out to be a costume. He said that he really <i>did</i> have a Bigfoot body back then, but "the government" confiscated it. Then he got caught up in the hoax-y part, purchasing a Bigfoot suit so he'd have something to show people who'd been waiting to see the body.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCz3n27bYKhZEQMEh_h9fIqzOyft3VGh8bYZ67ywYRNMEwBHfZvH-QH16pvmXEWwjU8tzuTQ0HTW96uFsCy_XKyJWpuD_ar3z2zpz6nbO0xjh0wICBxdJVUC_YfNDyG3JnG2hvztDlmX0/s1600/how-convenient-church-lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCz3n27bYKhZEQMEh_h9fIqzOyft3VGh8bYZ67ywYRNMEwBHfZvH-QH16pvmXEWwjU8tzuTQ0HTW96uFsCy_XKyJWpuD_ar3z2zpz6nbO0xjh0wICBxdJVUC_YfNDyG3JnG2hvztDlmX0/s1600/how-convenient-church-lady.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Oh, and if you're wondering what branch of government shows up to take your Bigfoot corpse? "They arrived in black helicopters, and they wore black suits. So, The Men In Black."<br />
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Wait, does this mean Bigfoot is an alien? I'm confused.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5YunBoM471RA53HmJ1tZ2-gtreDt7ofZzWep37crED1YdEJoEIQvywIRrt_38YOhLMNmtJw87AP8c9y4kz7gbfYNyavI8enm37T8iMt0V6NvfqvT9oQkuBWxYWKjYKB1UKer9sTzF40/s1600/bigfoothand.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl5YunBoM471RA53HmJ1tZ2-gtreDt7ofZzWep37crED1YdEJoEIQvywIRrt_38YOhLMNmtJw87AP8c9y4kz7gbfYNyavI8enm37T8iMt0V6NvfqvT9oQkuBWxYWKjYKB1UKer9sTzF40/s1600/bigfoothand.png" height="164" width="200" /></a>7. After the presentation we got to view the body in its glass case. A man in front of me asked why the<br />
fingers of the hands seemed fused together, and the Team Tracker attendant said that it's because of the resin used in taxidermy. "You know, like when you get a deer stuffed." I admit I'm no taxidermist, and I'm no hunter, but, um, what? <br />
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I heard later that Dyer tells a different story about the unifinger: Bigfoot uses friction to start fire with his hands, and his hands are scarred from catching fire. I imagine that incident going something like this:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q-F7D8ogwZk" width="420"></iframe><br />
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So there you have it, just a few of the evening's highlights. Here's a parting shot from the big guy himself:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJhGqwrvo5QRlst01n1A4V1JFeUJ2Pu6-ySMNM1zjrewrLNx9yB37TnKxW6SE2lrV1fLjCfB8Zoc3jL1he0EkWCkSXX8Ess1jB8UKpP7WmaFeaJyMbzuDfQx7ISNGoKvfq6J66l5ybnU/s1600/bigfootcropped.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJhGqwrvo5QRlst01n1A4V1JFeUJ2Pu6-ySMNM1zjrewrLNx9yB37TnKxW6SE2lrV1fLjCfB8Zoc3jL1he0EkWCkSXX8Ess1jB8UKpP7WmaFeaJyMbzuDfQx7ISNGoKvfq6J66l5ybnU/s320/bigfootcropped.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darn you, honey BBQ sauce</td></tr>
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<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-88502258667772178912014-02-25T07:00:00.000-06:002017-06-06T11:21:13.683-05:006 Writing Lessons From Dogs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2DEoc0oFppoJkIIzJizO5HbyEIjLjJWnNjUuvyNWWCqyVg79__-ebf9SXNVQPvMjp7Ligfwiy_4D82p48iWinQmVs6NRwoyukZAPN-n3LPnBFTohBlOIbccgLRcCRZqCQ06SBLTI-10/s1600/dug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2DEoc0oFppoJkIIzJizO5HbyEIjLjJWnNjUuvyNWWCqyVg79__-ebf9SXNVQPvMjp7Ligfwiy_4D82p48iWinQmVs6NRwoyukZAPN-n3LPnBFTohBlOIbccgLRcCRZqCQ06SBLTI-10/s1600/dug.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Comparing the dogs I've had reminds me of how different we writers are. Our goal is the same—craft stories that readers love—but how we reach that goal varies wildly.<br />
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I think we all know how smart dogs are and what great examples they offer about how to live. So let's look at a few lessons we can learn from them about how to be better writers:<br />
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<b>1. Get out and play, but don't get lost</b> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDnFsioA2rh2h7O3z89DpdEEoB93eK7dm8nchZR4EBorn7yO9uriamNe-tivq97-CC-M-Ir8hn8GHZONRl9gL6BzAo-LuACd0n8XuQTU5HNNSlZEIaGL_1Sn2L8jQj3BU4hwnWCDLjVE/s1600/lacey.BMP" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDnFsioA2rh2h7O3z89DpdEEoB93eK7dm8nchZR4EBorn7yO9uriamNe-tivq97-CC-M-Ir8hn8GHZONRl9gL6BzAo-LuACd0n8XuQTU5HNNSlZEIaGL_1Sn2L8jQj3BU4hwnWCDLjVE/s320/lacey.BMP" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will not leave your sight, human.</td></tr>
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Some writers are like my last dog, Lacey. I could walk her without a leash, because she was never going to stray from the path. (She'd been a street dog, so maybe she was over the need to wander). But, she didn't know how to play. I tried introducing her to different toys, only to be met with blank stares. If Lacey were a writer, she'd outline every detail of a novel before starting the draft, and she'd stick to that outline until “The End.” She'd also miss out on some fun discoveries she might have come across if she allowed herself to explore new paths.<br />
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I'm a writer more like my current dog, Holly. She's the same breed as Lacey, but they couldn't be more different. Holly's an escape artist, always looking for a chance to take off and run free. If I let her off the leash, I have no idea where she'd end up, and neither does she. And she sure can play.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ywy_yin3VYg5kgruAmEWLZUe_bwas02BOGJz8RenHdkR_Iy3ydDK_VYfjmAxkYLiDb93WQW_Foh8Sce28gNl4-uAJsubezmXXgV4s0nkYTEuzDZ_3UOI8v2fmDJHeszwgBAR6g1bI2U/s1600/hollysquirrel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ywy_yin3VYg5kgruAmEWLZUe_bwas02BOGJz8RenHdkR_Iy3ydDK_VYfjmAxkYLiDb93WQW_Foh8Sce28gNl4-uAJsubezmXXgV4s0nkYTEuzDZ_3UOI8v2fmDJHeszwgBAR6g1bI2U/s1600/hollysquirrel.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squirrel!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc2TyHPo2Rvn2qT4OQsWYLopUwpEjzB1GqKjFwzhJcfHXKRLmKAjMcsXU_hqq7rwmV6jK8mbxE9rvCeTEGyRkLV6xLWV1McfQ1dMkNP9X9f2WlQ4r5WgkhNtd2sJiQZG825LvnOL-JYQ/s1600/hollytoys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc2TyHPo2Rvn2qT4OQsWYLopUwpEjzB1GqKjFwzhJcfHXKRLmKAjMcsXU_hqq7rwmV6jK8mbxE9rvCeTEGyRkLV6xLWV1McfQ1dMkNP9X9f2WlQ4r5WgkhNtd2sJiQZG825LvnOL-JYQ/s1600/hollytoys.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I do need all the toys out at once</td></tr>
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When I first took her to a dog park, I thought she'd take off like a greyhound as soon as she was off the leash. To my surprise, she wandered around the park, played in a mud puddle, then came back and sat next to me when she was ready to go. The fence provided just enough of a boundary that allowed her to explore and have fun without getting lost.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMHs8Tl7n_u2thWobE0XmEuC8HDxtaig3H1RmuLh38F6yQwH6xBAB_ZZMsehXXt9N9VueZJ54NRxQHlWTZEcWqR-tIvYvZDOdWiBEG3vAL2vK3HzxA06bBP3Bxp3hyphenhyphenNWge_93YCYgnuE/s1600/hollymud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcMHs8Tl7n_u2thWobE0XmEuC8HDxtaig3H1RmuLh38F6yQwH6xBAB_ZZMsehXXt9N9VueZJ54NRxQHlWTZEcWqR-tIvYvZDOdWiBEG3vAL2vK3HzxA06bBP3Bxp3hyphenhyphenNWge_93YCYgnuE/s1600/hollymud.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wait, I see a puddle I missed</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQG2P8fTn2j1Qu8KNkHgVYBVmzatUmcPtp0P2jKj5J9eD8qpL3vCWgEdLj4QkMfPyE1aFxMvSBaC14D3xExXEgIOlhHg2ZrUDYHDBxYwvseKco7cgOyM0QgI0Se1cBqcKUIsg_Ll0W6_E/s1600/hollydogpark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQG2P8fTn2j1Qu8KNkHgVYBVmzatUmcPtp0P2jKj5J9eD8qpL3vCWgEdLj4QkMfPyE1aFxMvSBaC14D3xExXEgIOlhHg2ZrUDYHDBxYwvseKco7cgOyM0QgI0Se1cBqcKUIsg_Ll0W6_E/s1600/hollydogpark.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCV3uGk5ZivFQ_fM4Jw8qD3RqjDCFEAVQgkyav9Y2DpiTvdLkV1bueagBqI_EluT7f0v9at-8yz2PP2GE-oSF8OHZnEiRUuBMi4XdbkkjW6D87Ff_qTNb5ZXmR0LntkpOxamVSfrvpeM/s1600/spike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCV3uGk5ZivFQ_fM4Jw8qD3RqjDCFEAVQgkyav9Y2DpiTvdLkV1bueagBqI_EluT7f0v9at-8yz2PP2GE-oSF8OHZnEiRUuBMi4XdbkkjW6D87Ff_qTNb5ZXmR0LntkpOxamVSfrvpeM/s200/spike.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also enjoy long walks<br />
on the beach, as long as<br />
I can see my people</td></tr>
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Spike, the bulldog I grew up with, struck the right balance. He'd play soccer with us in the front yard, but he wasn't going to stray from home.<br />
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I'm not at all an outliner; I love seeing the story unfold as I write it. When writing <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12355856-chained" target="_blank">CHAINED</a>, I stumbled across some of my favorite plot points while researching or brainstorming new scenes. But, I can get lost if I have no structure. One reason the book took me so long to write is that I had no idea what was going to happen from one chapter to the next (and I'm easily distracted). Now when I write, I plan a few turning points. I still have the freedom to explore and discover the story as I go, but the stepping stones keep me from ending up lost in the wilderness.<br />
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<b>2. Treat yourself</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxTHUBWCG6_wZ1pe3TPP_SkJfxgtEYqXh85dmD1Sq9EeSwUK1R4sla5-jl9xedrNvK8vDEvBjj9xB-bSkp4SmQRkusHJaOZC_rJXNF1aHfXbwdmsyWRZValRqinxUmr0NoAG-63MkzgI/s1600/hollybacon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxTHUBWCG6_wZ1pe3TPP_SkJfxgtEYqXh85dmD1Sq9EeSwUK1R4sla5-jl9xedrNvK8vDEvBjj9xB-bSkp4SmQRkusHJaOZC_rJXNF1aHfXbwdmsyWRZValRqinxUmr0NoAG-63MkzgI/s1600/hollybacon.JPG" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find your own bacon bone</td></tr>
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This is pretty self-explanatory, right? Anyone with a dog knows how much they enjoy their treats. It's a lot of work to get a book written, and finding ways to celebrate the small successes along the way can help us stay motivated. When you finish an especially difficult chapter, knock out a first draft, or finally hit "send" on a manuscript, treat yourself to a cupcake, a movie, or even a bone made of bacon if that's what you're into.<br />
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<b>3. Form a pack</b><br />
Dogs know the importance of traveling in packs. The wisest thing I did as a new writer was acknowledge that I couldn't succeed alone. My extended group of writer friends celebrates the successes of each member and offers support through the tough times.<br />
As authors, we have the unique opportunity to let our readers know that they, too, are not alone. Reading is a solitary activity, yet stories make us feel less isolated. In the right story, we find our pack.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBXGAv33KHXEVZ4rblFILtoJAvf6UCXFnNUz2jmJkcdPCtjY1njZZAujxeHXSpVWU_MatZ1WFyADC-Yx-IE0dq2tWel8INl_JHzF2l_Z6BcFWMwP8jwMAHkEPz8qPVlN9M__QuCGrRXk/s1600/sarge&groucho.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBXGAv33KHXEVZ4rblFILtoJAvf6UCXFnNUz2jmJkcdPCtjY1njZZAujxeHXSpVWU_MatZ1WFyADC-Yx-IE0dq2tWel8INl_JHzF2l_Z6BcFWMwP8jwMAHkEPz8qPVlN9M__QuCGrRXk/s1600/sarge&groucho.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<b>4. Do a little dance when your family comes home</b><br />
Okay, maybe you don't have to dance, but at least look up from your work and say hi. I don't know what dogs are doing while we're out. For some reason Holly likes to Houdini her way into the garage as soon as I step out. For all I know she's building a flying car out there, but whether I've been at work all day or I've just stepped out to check the mail, she runs to the door to greet me and then does a few victory laps around the house when I get back. We won't be around forever, so it's nice to let our people know we're happy we're together for now.<br />
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<b>5. Enjoy the moment</b><br />
There's a lot about writing and publishing that we can't control. The story we're working on might not sell, and even if it does, some people won't like it. The only thing we can do is write the best book possible. And let's remember to enjoy the process along the way. There's a reason you started writing. Even though we have our struggles, we get some joy out of it too.<br />
Dogs are great at living in the moment. Throw them a stick and they're not worried about what happened yesterday or what they're going to do tomorrow. They're just going to chase the stick for now. Holly had been neglected and was in pretty bad shape when she was turned in to a shelter last year, but as far as I can tell she's put that all behind her and seizes every opportunity to run around with a squeaky football.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wLkPt2zRBvx6LaJZbmGQjx0tECOKzjE0D8F_zzfqiUZQgHboE0hiyQZfYvsq9ms8ujCBfdxR-QjHbyGfkORvjhtFEpQ7dKhHHa7o621pRC82yztIm4NZ-A2KNzEq9tbEtuuHLIq1CfY/s1600/spikenapping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6wLkPt2zRBvx6LaJZbmGQjx0tECOKzjE0D8F_zzfqiUZQgHboE0hiyQZfYvsq9ms8ujCBfdxR-QjHbyGfkORvjhtFEpQ7dKhHHa7o621pRC82yztIm4NZ-A2KNzEq9tbEtuuHLIq1CfY/s1600/spikenapping.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>6. After your hard work, get some rest</b><br />
I know, you have more words to write today, but remember to take care of yourself. Your brain won't work as well if you're exhausted.<br />
Stop and take breaks, and get plenty of sleep. Those squirrels aren't going to chase themselves, and you'll need your energy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft1GzBaj7VdVBq4OBzt4cvDw-yibCMam9gneget2AAk7MoYvGUGcoTXtn63R2bsRutDIMHL6jqKHPDFpVq3KZSaobwqXDEFs5uMjPzGp1ZQpKM485C_cSl6X3Qeuq_D7wBpsJN37WWW0/s1600/hollyelephant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhft1GzBaj7VdVBq4OBzt4cvDw-yibCMam9gneget2AAk7MoYvGUGcoTXtn63R2bsRutDIMHL6jqKHPDFpVq3KZSaobwqXDEFs5uMjPzGp1ZQpKM485C_cSl6X3Qeuq_D7wBpsJN37WWW0/s1600/hollyelephant.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, this is an acceptable mentor</td></tr>
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Any other ideas, dog people? What else can writers learn from dogs?</div>
Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-62563178671554601452013-11-21T06:00:00.000-06:002013-11-21T06:00:08.378-06:00Cover Reveal: India EditionHi everyone! <br />
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Excited to share a new cover reveal today--still for CHAINED, but for the Indian edition. I announced a few months ago that <a href="http://www.lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-spicy-announcement.html">Penguin India would be publishing the book</a> in January 2014, and now there's a final cover. <br />
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I'd talked a little with the editors about the new cover design, and we wanted the new cover to feature both characters, Hastin and his elephant Nandita, like the original cover does. They mentioned too that they planned to do something with brighter colors for their market. I love the work that illustrator <a href="http://www.joygosney.co.uk/">Joy Gosney</a> and the design department at Penguin India did. Here's how the cover turned out:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpCnktzrYC3xQCqUkqW_DQoYiflaQOJP1_1Ui8rurHszOOeRwp3LL_sq7ijcscSe04x1WPzc3__YqUUQ4mScRJWDWhPxGf65YB7YaHHMA-SIk0kBMvRG4LpN1sMiTNasgyivigQrkbq8/s1600/chained_india_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpCnktzrYC3xQCqUkqW_DQoYiflaQOJP1_1Ui8rurHszOOeRwp3LL_sq7ijcscSe04x1WPzc3__YqUUQ4mScRJWDWhPxGf65YB7YaHHMA-SIk0kBMvRG4LpN1sMiTNasgyivigQrkbq8/s400/chained_india_cover.png" /></a></div><br />
Isn't it lovely? <br />
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And take a look inside--how adorable is that elephant footprint on the page numbers?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48Rae4De90wIWuieM7H7eMznbrUZx_CJcUOzH9oZnLM4nIBvglNP_nRqCY2uZHGW3Pe9dpa9rwz8V9pRnsKLfA0dIiTiEVu7yoiagTUbMmzsXblGWYxhg_spjX7YqQ57HQKoMikMw6Fs/s1600/chainedindia_pages.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48Rae4De90wIWuieM7H7eMznbrUZx_CJcUOzH9oZnLM4nIBvglNP_nRqCY2uZHGW3Pe9dpa9rwz8V9pRnsKLfA0dIiTiEVu7yoiagTUbMmzsXblGWYxhg_spjX7YqQ57HQKoMikMw6Fs/s400/chainedindia_pages.png" /></a></div><br />
Looking forward to seeing the real live book!<br />
Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-29147877106446064822013-09-30T06:00:00.000-05:002013-09-30T08:37:56.557-05:00Writing Lessons from Breaking Bad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisskwNZL5puldUg-8mW_KBEYes_EB0oF9eGStqHeXlVlV3msHbcdQhKJ-j4d3S6C8qZzUwNev92Z7kHNM6qf9j7CxXIBU_Q82iKxBhuMipfWRh90JBRrGd2xwOiocTWASjNVMve1LavT0/s1600/breakingbadgoodbye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisskwNZL5puldUg-8mW_KBEYes_EB0oF9eGStqHeXlVlV3msHbcdQhKJ-j4d3S6C8qZzUwNev92Z7kHNM6qf9j7CxXIBU_Q82iKxBhuMipfWRh90JBRrGd2xwOiocTWASjNVMve1LavT0/s320/breakingbadgoodbye.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Sigh. It's over. I'm sad to see <i>Breaking Bad</i> go, but I couldn't be happier with the ending. As always, everything makes perfect sense, although I didn't see any of it coming. Just one of the accomplishments of the show's writers: we know the characters so well, but the story surprises us at every turn, without getting ridiculous or forcing anyone do to something out of character.<br />
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A couple weeks ago I put out a <a href="http://lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2013/09/calling-all-breaking-bad-fans.html">call to Breaking Bad fans</a> to share their favorite writing lessons from the show. Doing the post on my own was overwhelming since the list could go on and on, but a compilation of highlights from writers and other book people was far more feasible and fun. <br />
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So, on with the list. (Most of this is spoiler-free, but I'll let you know where to stop reading if you haven't watched the series).<br />
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From <a href="http://www.pitch-university.com/">Diane Holmes:</a> Here are some things I think <i>Breaking Bad</i> did very well: have your characters absolutely commit to their goals; make the next line of dialogue, the next action totally unexpected and within character; every win comes with an enormous downside; allow your characters to have huge memories about their own pasts that inform every moment of now; allow your characters to fail; and on and on!<br />
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<a href="http://bethfehlbaumbooks.com/">Beth Fehlbaum</a>: The characters use silence as an effective statement.<br />
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<a href="http://helenjameson.wordpress.com/">Helen Jameson</a>: <i>Breaking Bad</i> is one of the best written TV shows. I have a few meth addicts in my family and was hesitant to watch anything that glorifies the life, but Breaking Bad does not do that. It's the gritty, bloody, sad, and addicted truth.<br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/112837388394064588233/about">Jean Giardina</a>: <br />
- It's interesting when one character lies to another. But it's more interesting when a character lies to themselves. <br />
- Terrible decisions make great story.<br />
- A well-told truth can be as effective as a lie.<br />
- Gus on Motivation: "I don't believe fear to be an effective motivator. I want investment."<br />
- A character's greatest fear is often not death. Living is harder than dying.<br />
- Sometimes, the worst thing you can do to your character is give them exactly what they want.<br />
- The solution to today's problem becomes tomorrow's problem.<br />
- Make it worse than your reader expects.<br />
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<a href="http://presentinglenore.blogspot.com/">Lenore Appelhans</a>: Watching Breaking Bad is a master class in subtext. You can see excellent examples of it in almost every conversation between Walt and Hank.<br />
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Author <a href="http://www.ginarosati.com/">Gina Rosati</a> hasn't watched the show (And why not? Get on that, Gina!), but asked her son what made it so compelling. He articulated how the writers cause our inner conflict about who to cheer for: "Walt is pretty much an anti-hero because he spends a lot of the show trying to build up a meth empire, and actually ruins other peoples' lives. Jesse is more the protagonist, even though it doesn't seem like he is. Even though he's a drug addict, he has a crap ton of morals and doesn't agree with what Walt is doing." <br />
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<a href="http://claire-legrand.com/">Claire Legrand</a> admires the efficiency of the writing: No storyline, character, or set design element is wasted. Everything you see on the screen has a purpose, even if you don't understand what that purpose is at first. No time is spent exploring unnecessary side characters, plot threads, or details that exist "just because." Fantastic storytelling economy.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/nancyrosep">Nancy Paulsen</a> mentioned the tight storytelling too: Everything on screen's got a purpose.<br />
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<a href="http://tracyabell.com/">Tracy Abell</a>: I watched the pilot episode before the finale and was (again) struck by how Walter White was set up as a sympathetic character. When that asshat kid in the chem class drags his chair across the floor, disrupting Walt's lesson, I'm 100% in Walt's corner. And that 100% backing of Walt continued for a while (even to the point of my cheering on meth sales! I mean, REALLY?!) I've never "supported" a character who did so much bad, for so long. That's a testament to creating sympathy. A powerful lesson for a writer. As for the female characters, I'm not so sure they were so fully drawn...<br />
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SPOILERS AHEAD, so come back to this part later if you haven't seen all the episodes!<br />
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<a href="http://jessicacapelle.blogspot.com/2013/09/writing-bad-lessons-learned-from.html">Jessica Capelle</a>:<br />
- You can still have a satisfying ending even if it's not "happy" as long as you wrap up the loose ends and keep it true to the characters and the storyline.<br />
- When a character is wronged, it's extremely satisfying to see him/her given the opportunity to choose whether to right the wrong or not, i.e. Jesse getting to go after Todd and having the option to take out Walt.<br />
- A central image or motif can really connect aspects of a story, especially if you're writing a series. The recurring connection to chemistry with references to elements of it ran through the story and reminded us that elements are volatile when combined incorrectly and put under pressure. The recurring theme of surveillance and being watched added to the tension and excitement, and its role became more and more sinister as the story went on.<br />
- Ask yourself "what if" but take it to the next level. BB constantly took things to places we didn't expect because the writers would continue to ask "what if" and pick something that still made sense in the story but was surprising to us.<br />
There's more on <a href="http://jessicacapelle.blogspot.com/2013/09/writing-bad-lessons-learned-from.html">Jessica's own post</a>, so be sure to check that out too.<br />
---<br />
<a href="http://jeffdecoursey.com/">Jeff Coursey</a> summed up the brilliance of the writing: One of my favorite things about the show is the way in which the characters are fused to the spine of the plot. Nearly every twist and turn comes from character choices. TOUGH character choices. <br />
<br />
The writers are never afraid to put their characters into insanely difficult situations and then let them find their way out. Even the subtler moments have huge implications for the story. <br />
<br />
I keep thinking of a scene in season four, when the Whites are at Hank and Marie's for dinner, and Walt has a little too much to drink. The camera zooms in slowly, focused on Walt's reaction, as Hank describes Gale as the supposed mastermind behind the blue meth. A genius, says Hank, not a meth cook. Gale was a five-star chef. <br />
<br />
As we see, this is too much for Walt to take. Deep down, he wants recognition even more than he wants his freedom. In his stupor, he tells Hank that this was no genius, that from what he read in the lab notes, Gale's work amounted to no more than rote copying by a student. Maybe, Walt says, your Heisenberg is still out there. <br />
<br />
As a result, Hank's interest in the case is revitalized. The trail leads him to Los Pollos Hermanos and Gus, putting Hank closer than he's ever been to exposing Walt as Heisenberg, and threatening Walt's family, the very thing Walt claims is his number one priority. <br />
<br />
Walt's pride and need for recognition (his deeper desire) win out in the battle to provide for his family (his surface level desire). Throughout the show, his choices arc back and forth between the two motivations, creating rich storylines that are totally unexpected, but still totally satisfying. <br />
<br />
At its core, this is what really drives the entire plot. A subtle conversation at dinner is enough to change the trajectory of the season, and along the way, the entire show. <br />
<br />
I could go on and on about the intersection of character and plot, but I have to give a shout out to the props: <br />
The GPS tracking device, the hat, the windshield with the blue tape (again and again), the eyeball from the burnt doll, the ricin, Walt's watch, even Jesse's wooden box in the final episode. The writers collapse storylines and infuse them into these objects as an ongoing image system. When they appear, we know where they came from and what they mean, both literally and figuratively. It's a simple and economical way to bring more emotion to the scene and more life to the characters.<br />
---<br />
Yes to everything. One thing I noticed from the start was the complexity of the characters. Like with my favorite character, Hank--at first he just seemed like an obnoxious jerk of a brother-in-law, but he was so much more than that. When he was alone, we saw that he was nervous and scared and trying hard to save face and act tough in front of everyone. For all the characters, there were times I loved them and times I hated them (or probably more accurately, loved them but hated what they were doing). Some stories are character-driven, others are plot-driven, and I think <i>Breaking Bad</i> is both. The characters' goals and faults drove their actions, which determined every twist and turn of the plot. I'd love to be able to write in a way that would put readers through such an emotional wringer as the <i>Breaking Bad</i> writers did to us.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to read more about the show's writing, here are a couple of other articles I came across: one about <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-breaking-bad-new-novel-20130919,0,310163.story">why <i>Breaking Bad</i> is the new novel, </a> and <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/1n1fmh/writing_lessons_to_take_away_from_breaking_bad/">this Reddit post</a> that Dotti Enderle pointed out to me.<br />
<br />
Thanks so much to everyone who contributed. If you have more tips we didn't mention here, please share them in the comments! Also let us know how you're coping with the loss and what you'll be watching next. (<i>Dexter</i> for me, and I also have to catch up on <i>Scandal</i>).Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-91653029890293363852013-09-16T19:08:00.002-05:002013-09-17T07:54:13.124-05:00Calling All Breaking Bad Fans!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rd__8-z5k1shVUEhPHXa6NzMutQSbtEZZ4U9g5eGeRpaQu4XQqG69Aw7xX9GKBr2bGNKVnuDWPrJfucfkj0v9OtW6XmaG8FOHRBxPbBlIKPvomtbn2lkhTBV4J03itvu_RoGQ3NSjtU/s1600/breaking_bad_theonewhoknocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rd__8-z5k1shVUEhPHXa6NzMutQSbtEZZ4U9g5eGeRpaQu4XQqG69Aw7xX9GKBr2bGNKVnuDWPrJfucfkj0v9OtW6XmaG8FOHRBxPbBlIKPvomtbn2lkhTBV4J03itvu_RoGQ3NSjtU/s320/breaking_bad_theonewhoknocks.jpg" /></a></div>If you're a writer and you watch <i>Breaking Bad,</i> you've certainly noticed that every episode, and the whole series itself, is a study in great writing. (And if you haven't been watching, get on it, people! You'll want to start with Season 1, Episode 1 and binge-watch the entire five seasons from there. Go ahead, I'll wait).<br />
<br />
I've been wanting do a post on "Writing Lessons from <i>Breaking Bad</i>," but the task seemed daunting. Where to start? And where to end? The list could go on for days. There's no other show that's made me literally jump up and yell at the TV, then flop onto the couch in despair (usually right after they've made me think everything's going to be okay). <br />
<br />
Then I thought about how many writers and other book people I know who are fans of the show, and every week we're talking about how amazing the writing is. So how about we compile a list of our favorites?<br />
<br />
If you're a writer, author, or other book person, share with me a writing lesson from <i>Breaking Bad</i>, either here in the comments or by emailing me at lynne01[at]gmail[dot]com. Be as brief or as lengthy as you want. Throw in an example from a favorite scene, if you'd like. Include your website or blog address and I'll link to it in the final post.<br />
<br />
The Monday after the last episode, I'll post the full list. And we shall support each other through the withdrawals.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qEjcU7NQs-hyRWPgMWLrT6CrM2jWK_crc56REcejCjPAMqkirswwsk6drnFsKHwL7MOkVwKwMhhVbdj2uBwj9A9NWzK5P8-xRWLcyMGM0KF-z-LshreGfhHzuK5KIa0CBMU7qAeduAk/s1600/jessepinkman.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qEjcU7NQs-hyRWPgMWLrT6CrM2jWK_crc56REcejCjPAMqkirswwsk6drnFsKHwL7MOkVwKwMhhVbdj2uBwj9A9NWzK5P8-xRWLcyMGM0KF-z-LshreGfhHzuK5KIa0CBMU7qAeduAk/s320/jessepinkman.png" /></a></div><br />
Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-82454027878654730642013-09-03T13:36:00.000-05:002013-09-03T13:36:50.601-05:00The Author Video, Or Me Trying Not to Be Awkward For Almost a MinuteHey, I made an author video! If you'd like to skip right to it, you can view the video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he7zhhLNnoE">here</a>. <br />
<br />
Or, read on if you want to find out more about how and why I made it.<br />
<br />
You might know I've had a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK166gsik98">book trailer</a> for a long time, but my editor for the <a href="http://www.lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-spicy-announcement.html">Indian version</a> of <i>Chained</i> wanted something in addition to that to show her co-workers--something that gave more of a hint about the adventure in the story. Making a new trailer in a short time wouldn't be feasible, but an author video can be pretty quickly, and at no cost. Plus, I'd just had a great suggestion from a school librarian about having a "book talk" on my website that teachers and librarians can use to introduce the novel to readers. (Those librarians, they always know what's up). As I was making the video I realized that what I was saying seemed book-blurbish, so I've added the video to my <a href="http://lynnekellybooks.com/wordpress/books">website</a> as a video book talk.<br />
<br />
I'd already had a writing retreat planned at <a href="http://www.thewritingbarn.com/">The Writing Barn</a>, so I decided to record the video while I was there because the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves offered an awesomer background than anything in my house. (One book you'll see in the background is the upcoming <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14999726-grandfather-gandhi?from_search=true">Grandfather Gandhi</a>,</i> a gorgeous picture book biography by friend and Writing Barn owner Bethany Hegedus).<br />
<br />
Like with the book trailer, I put the video together using iMovie, which is similar to Windows MovieMaker. Nothing fancy, just the software that comes with the computer. (If you'd like to read more about how I made the trailer, I go into more depth <a href="http://www.lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2012/03/trailer-makin-post.html">here</a>).<br />
<br />
I started off (after hair, makeup, and putting on actual clothes) by recording myself on the webcam reading the script I'd come up with. And since it didn't want the whole thing to be just me on camera, I incorporated some images from the book trailer. During those parts of the video, I recorded a voice-over to continue the narration of the script. The most challenging part of the whole process was getting the audio to transition smoothly from one clip to another, like when it switches from me to a picture. I set the fade in/fade out to zero for each clip, but it's still doing a smidge of fading here and there. (If you know some trick to fix that, I'd love to hear about it!)<br />
<br />
Here's the version I sent to my agent first:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qCygp1-5i8Q?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.newleafliterary.tumblr.com/">Joanna</a> had advised me to keep it at under a minute, but I couldn't think of anything to cut. As always, she had some great editing advice, and after some rearranging, cutting, and adding a bit at the end, here's the final product:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/he7zhhLNnoE?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
I'll probably do more author videos in the future, like some less formal ones about how I write or some fun behind-the scenes stuff about my books. Blog posts take me a long time to write, but I could do an author video or vlog pretty quickly (after hair, makeup, actual clothes, etc.). Most won't have the fabulous background though. I really should've taken pictures of those bookshelves to make into posters so I could pretend they're in my own house. <br />
<br />
Have you made your own author videos, or do you know someone who does them well? Share 'em in the comments!Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-106879553088630192013-07-30T07:00:00.000-05:002013-07-30T20:16:28.363-05:00Writing at The Lodge O' DeathLast month I attended a fabulous writing retreat in La Grange, Texas, with a group of Austin friends. Lots of fun yet productive, in a beautiful setting. The cabin, though, is affectionately known as "The Lodge of Death." <a href="http://www.pjhoover.com/author.php" target="_blank">P.J. Hoover</a> had been before and has posted some <a href="http://pjhoover.blogspot.com/2013/01/getting-our-write-on.html" target="_blank">great write-ups</a> of the retreat.<br />
<br />
Allow me to share some samples of the decor that give the cabin its nickname:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4k06g2zOrdgncglg3p2Ignd4tvdnA9550j6TnwznPylTIJvETDhT94_cdt6kwiMt8uz9A5C36vj2jmZdKYpRmDqm_fFn6ILhDjT0Apgb2m_E_BqXsGlgH_nB-rqZ3G3qIvvFVhM2FE3g/s1600/lodgefawn1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4k06g2zOrdgncglg3p2Ignd4tvdnA9550j6TnwznPylTIJvETDhT94_cdt6kwiMt8uz9A5C36vj2jmZdKYpRmDqm_fFn6ILhDjT0Apgb2m_E_BqXsGlgH_nB-rqZ3G3qIvvFVhM2FE3g/s320/lodgefawn1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, it's a fawn in it's natural habitat, a flower-filled rowboat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQcNyIxP18DM0K5QozfyB74a8W8WjAwLOmE9BRiXatQib9LGL0gnytkKiFJD54_cAFgm-H8PWRhChM6D3pCxT8R594lMfAIKxQA4yIVD2zxP6xTdlhfR3oiCiXDHd8zsk4FqjknwqiIE/s1600/lodgefawncloseup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQcNyIxP18DM0K5QozfyB74a8W8WjAwLOmE9BRiXatQib9LGL0gnytkKiFJD54_cAFgm-H8PWRhChM6D3pCxT8R594lMfAIKxQA4yIVD2zxP6xTdlhfR3oiCiXDHd8zsk4FqjknwqiIE/s320/lodgefawncloseup.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...it's even better close up. Pretty sure it's smiling.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH08s-4mhdl-MeWty_8jh_AYlvDshGUFxeZ_mhjkJLybrYVrDE4qNSLRDgTgOzgPv-P3nwybVcTe4lU3-A2Cn-tzUM5WR25SY3_AsqazwAmYZq3FOZkig_VoQDGpq7VKJdHSzFF3OKLyU/s1600/lodgeteepee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH08s-4mhdl-MeWty_8jh_AYlvDshGUFxeZ_mhjkJLybrYVrDE4qNSLRDgTgOzgPv-P3nwybVcTe4lU3-A2Cn-tzUM5WR25SY3_AsqazwAmYZq3FOZkig_VoQDGpq7VKJdHSzFF3OKLyU/s320/lodgeteepee.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every bathroom should have a baby doll in a teepee</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGsgMP8zLM6K9xLXMDMC8cl2I9U1Z4R5tQjbOoSv6l0rGb7OMyaNbvP0LIsbVRy042OyqEHaXdMuDlXcuor2gpbqhrpfqChem86Ytm6ZQAEMPj-aRRvbce_uvIdpLP9b-y1yBHiQTS30/s1600/lodgecamo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYGsgMP8zLM6K9xLXMDMC8cl2I9U1Z4R5tQjbOoSv6l0rGb7OMyaNbvP0LIsbVRy042OyqEHaXdMuDlXcuor2gpbqhrpfqChem86Ytm6ZQAEMPj-aRRvbce_uvIdpLP9b-y1yBHiQTS30/s320/lodgecamo.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...unless it's a bathroom decorated with camouflage paint and antlers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KvzIVhuavcUiKF5lavK-nZymtu4ChHms90rqDmaETJhkVkolxG2okkrSAYLcE1QSQda4rjjTD_nndtRMSJPnMyJTJY19iTLQcrfxdF-QL6fn0caqgxi4B1UTASMmIF3x-iQIaKBf-n0/s1600/lodgerobe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KvzIVhuavcUiKF5lavK-nZymtu4ChHms90rqDmaETJhkVkolxG2okkrSAYLcE1QSQda4rjjTD_nndtRMSJPnMyJTJY19iTLQcrfxdF-QL6fn0caqgxi4B1UTASMmIF3x-iQIaKBf-n0/s320/lodgerobe.JPG" width="139" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We even had fancy robes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMjQ5sB_2FhDZ-4pvC-hzD900lk4glBsppOMhpMPgNLDLbfJmRtmK4giYNrrIvGRZn7wprm2bS3N_rhDwJikigo28dCfuHBQXj3ku4LLI8le52WflHzvnSmdoqhyphenhyphen5I8hstoGpVFcMUME/s1600/lodgelights.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMjQ5sB_2FhDZ-4pvC-hzD900lk4glBsppOMhpMPgNLDLbfJmRtmK4giYNrrIvGRZn7wprm2bS3N_rhDwJikigo28dCfuHBQXj3ku4LLI8le52WflHzvnSmdoqhyphenhyphen5I8hstoGpVFcMUME/s320/lodgelights.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light fixture too plain? Add more antlers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo0C8iVPgknTZcHR1UEZjJ_D5KZVwbsOXCv64kcJGefES7eedDs6UG_EcP0LutQ1BqhaGJVqI1fDP4X85E5JoQoQhefHkDijRIdKF5AuLn-BCuNmZaEnDDD_U71Pnk0o-bqOrEiZeR0M/s1600/lodgeflowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo0C8iVPgknTZcHR1UEZjJ_D5KZVwbsOXCv64kcJGefES7eedDs6UG_EcP0LutQ1BqhaGJVqI1fDP4X85E5JoQoQhefHkDijRIdKF5AuLn-BCuNmZaEnDDD_U71Pnk0o-bqOrEiZeR0M/s320/lodgeflowers.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And that's what's been missing from my flower arrangements too.<br />
Antlers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTQcaJtu7NzgBPd11yFIIsTpbtXo_MYDNQuebvyrPqUORVsUTxd0FMY8Qlru3SQvLD7wF32CPDWPUfI3Nwl9MM7-aymMMHW1Kq1TVxj5spJiyqOK7JVL2bnR_bc8BCjYn5zSBv0M2Hs0/s1600/lodgeelk.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTQcaJtu7NzgBPd11yFIIsTpbtXo_MYDNQuebvyrPqUORVsUTxd0FMY8Qlru3SQvLD7wF32CPDWPUfI3Nwl9MM7-aymMMHW1Kq1TVxj5spJiyqOK7JVL2bnR_bc8BCjYn5zSBv0M2Hs0/s320/lodgeelk.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know that expression doesn't look natural, but this is how they look when they're giving a bleat-out to the ladies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmJdX-KIA5omn-xS1Cvf8ExzY4i-QWKGcQQGVexd1a9eyrkMZ9h_i9XF8KB8Ig-LajsKEXwolaLrWKDMiGsDLQANCKCWP9YlCLVhysDYvx6GRa8trW4IWHOHpRjQjKECvxKp9J2n9CFI/s1600/lodgeraccoon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmJdX-KIA5omn-xS1Cvf8ExzY4i-QWKGcQQGVexd1a9eyrkMZ9h_i9XF8KB8Ig-LajsKEXwolaLrWKDMiGsDLQANCKCWP9YlCLVhysDYvx6GRa8trW4IWHOHpRjQjKECvxKp9J2n9CFI/s320/lodgeraccoon.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kind of wanted to pull the glue off the raccoon's leg, but also kind of worried that was the only thing holding him together.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVg01bQXaTQIc_WUdsRK96BMdK2ajk-0aWdmrfmR1KTZcQh7L3F2fKGyPKIJ-xsD9WMcwk0yEbWhSEDYsyqzgQjU_vdas54fDjlw3qOVqE-YxHUBKiNwtwKkOWI7aDuCMedegI0B-LUc/s1600/lodgepig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQVg01bQXaTQIc_WUdsRK96BMdK2ajk-0aWdmrfmR1KTZcQh7L3F2fKGyPKIJ-xsD9WMcwk0yEbWhSEDYsyqzgQjU_vdas54fDjlw3qOVqE-YxHUBKiNwtwKkOWI7aDuCMedegI0B-LUc/s320/lodgepig.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This makes the bedroom more cozy.<br />
Who wouldn't want this staring at you while you try to sleep?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW9V0Nc0ad8heNZFp3djsSefFHiHH8LTpDSw_ReSBj-MPXxa4MrBjMFVTwfvjM9vaZ7xQa_L5vzDvsuYczRG3zR_JLvxkfK2vTxfQN3uLanLxcc1XOXg3QEoPmMFJkVBew_FsVRe7FFE/s1600/lodgepig2books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHW9V0Nc0ad8heNZFp3djsSefFHiHH8LTpDSw_ReSBj-MPXxa4MrBjMFVTwfvjM9vaZ7xQa_L5vzDvsuYczRG3zR_JLvxkfK2vTxfQN3uLanLxcc1XOXg3QEoPmMFJkVBew_FsVRe7FFE/s320/lodgepig2books.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh I see, it's a book rack. A really inefficient book rack.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ5TDT0nbOBEesaqf1sBsjRqFNx5iI57KXlxhKIlef8cuVw2EVE_Pg-fVL0KkrbLHz86pKpjETyHZiqQ5pqUYczFaeaHcK320bDLitSML63GR9wiClkhoY07PmIwmpwIkZtBP0rkyvoE/s1600/lodgepig3books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ5TDT0nbOBEesaqf1sBsjRqFNx5iI57KXlxhKIlef8cuVw2EVE_Pg-fVL0KkrbLHz86pKpjETyHZiqQ5pqUYczFaeaHcK320bDLitSML63GR9wiClkhoY07PmIwmpwIkZtBP0rkyvoE/s320/lodgepig3books.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wait, that's better.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3YieqVT8RkWPtso56fSl9-yY7CznJdwdt6oNVgMPh36_lHoY4AVqN6d8rQSfQLkgdtjeqFVGe_wDq2nnNyhcTkIDzdTOmAUGxeIcYls5auSN9qaPEjjXq6kBS2dcZMm2DwoZL8ZPQyM/s1600/lodgedeer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3YieqVT8RkWPtso56fSl9-yY7CznJdwdt6oNVgMPh36_lHoY4AVqN6d8rQSfQLkgdtjeqFVGe_wDq2nnNyhcTkIDzdTOmAUGxeIcYls5auSN9qaPEjjXq6kBS2dcZMm2DwoZL8ZPQyM/s320/lodgedeer.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This guy has not seen the inside of the cabin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKswPTR7K5-JHsnq0iBeiwXwtuVFKxp6OxyoJ5aNS-nSwfXSYUHyhFiYjg8HuAxeo2QD7_MJaQ3mRD5XlJP-TwoNuuBb7hyphenhyphenBqOiyYzg9Lq2UaXNnkoWM4ZQvy6F6Bz4nRavHWkXjvGJHs/s1600/lodgedog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKswPTR7K5-JHsnq0iBeiwXwtuVFKxp6OxyoJ5aNS-nSwfXSYUHyhFiYjg8HuAxeo2QD7_MJaQ3mRD5XlJP-TwoNuuBb7hyphenhyphenBqOiyYzg9Lq2UaXNnkoWM4ZQvy6F6Bz4nRavHWkXjvGJHs/s320/lodgedog.JPG" width="269" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And yes, there was even a framed print of a dog smoking a pipe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_4k7IOY2T1nOwvFIy1iGUAY8qtndexo51NTEe7JVWrdBCyx58_uUHIb7IBqit00WQs8ka0DIRS71b1jGkl4x6mMvjy-fttkakgafnfno4mv08wlSviAtV1kQwhyKMUbDyuiiz4zF2bM/s1600/lodgeview.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_4k7IOY2T1nOwvFIy1iGUAY8qtndexo51NTEe7JVWrdBCyx58_uUHIb7IBqit00WQs8ka0DIRS71b1jGkl4x6mMvjy-fttkakgafnfno4mv08wlSviAtV1kQwhyKMUbDyuiiz4zF2bM/s320/lodgeview.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But this was my view where I wrote from the screened-in porch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3pmCSKyT6I5SZQEWfJXedzUtjnkNOLlgW9ynfs9a5BwTPHrBdINn0oerB_DkDF8xO5ObAvivFqVmDmuR8ezUUdArfhtsIFgsCytMXEbL6rpe_PL8ZBcPe6QaXUAgu6H6Gl5rePh1vtA/s1600/lodgewasp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz3pmCSKyT6I5SZQEWfJXedzUtjnkNOLlgW9ynfs9a5BwTPHrBdINn0oerB_DkDF8xO5ObAvivFqVmDmuR8ezUUdArfhtsIFgsCytMXEbL6rpe_PL8ZBcPe6QaXUAgu6H6Gl5rePh1vtA/s320/lodgewasp.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My own contribution, the taxidermied wasp.<br />
Okay, it's dead wasp on an index card, but I'm pretty proud.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
As you see, lots of character in the place. Sure, most of the characters were stuffed and mounted, but I can't wait to go back!Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-18394612165415884782013-07-23T10:58:00.000-05:002013-07-23T11:41:53.730-05:00A Spicy AnnouncementIt's a new foreign rights sale for CHAINED!<br />
<br />
And thanks to <a href="http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/unique-book-marketing-for-only-5/">this post</a> by Darcy Pattison, I found a fun way to announce it. If you're not familiar with <a href="http://fiverr.com/">Fiverr.com</a>, it's a site where you can find all kinds of random things people will do for $5. It's kind of addictive to scroll through. When I heard about my next foreign rights sale, I had a video made by <a href="http://fiverr.com/getvinay/write-your-message-with-exotic-indian-spices-and-also-a-stop-motion-video">this user</a>, who spells out messages using Indian spices. Then I had to hang on to it for a couple of weeks until I could officially announce the news. Which is now!<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/E_UuyTKwoCI?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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I've been thrilled about each of the <a href="http://www.lynnekelly.blogspot.com/search/label/foreign%20sales">foreign rights sales</a> before, but I'm especially honored about a publisher in India acquiring the novel, since that's where CHAINED is set. <br />
<br />
The Indian edition will be published by Penguin/Puffin India in 2014.<br />
<br />
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Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-17547841749262993112013-05-28T07:00:00.000-05:002013-05-28T07:17:12.696-05:00Field Trip: The Museum of Bad ArtFor spring break this year, my daughter asked if we could take a mother-daughter trip to Boston. Last year we did a road trip around New England, so we were in many places for a short time. Since I loved what little of the city I got to see, and there are far worse things a 21-year-old can be doing for spring break, I said okay.<br />
<br />
Despite being dressed like Houstonians in the surprise snowstorm, we had a fabulous time and visited a different part of the city each day. One of our favorite things was something we didn't even know about until we stumbled upon it--<a href="http://www.museumofbadart.org/" target="_blank">The Museum of Bad Art</a>. We decided to see a movie at the theater in Somerville, and since we had some time to kill, we headed to the basement to see what the MOBA was all about. We were not disappointed.<br />
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It's exactly what it sounds like. Ever been to a garage sale and seen a hideous and/or unintentionally funny painting? Or perhaps made something like that yourself? There's a home for such artwork. The museum is "dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms and in all its glory."<br />
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Here are a few highlights from our visit:<br />
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There were history lessons. Like this rendition of the Tiananmen Square protest:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pEC7hbmPFnxdhxNhRAuZczYt6zMRayzNjkeiioBL8-rHmkOUfB8AU4W34PHISjqwcF5WNbjRgtETmfFtJJybMnFVu8Isco53lMcmizH-9bCG-KDTQ2vwnasr-ufl7G7xLx58I4kLFyE/s1600/badartmariachi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7pEC7hbmPFnxdhxNhRAuZczYt6zMRayzNjkeiioBL8-rHmkOUfB8AU4W34PHISjqwcF5WNbjRgtETmfFtJJybMnFVu8Isco53lMcmizH-9bCG-KDTQ2vwnasr-ufl7G7xLx58I4kLFyE/s320/badartmariachi.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd totally forgotten about the mariachi</td></tr>
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<br />
And a tribute to our country's African-American presidents:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHL-g_HdxC_cCoSD64jo4HBd3h3d0B6Ek0t47xLvoaG-jHoQkzbUM4gymE3YwF8poA3ekXkZSu8LabqcE-mUzx-PZoeDNMZJSniEhNUuLtK-ptLYzXBf95zM9JDbQoPYZhptumTtXMRE/s1600/badartpresidents.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHL-g_HdxC_cCoSD64jo4HBd3h3d0B6Ek0t47xLvoaG-jHoQkzbUM4gymE3YwF8poA3ekXkZSu8LabqcE-mUzx-PZoeDNMZJSniEhNUuLtK-ptLYzXBf95zM9JDbQoPYZhptumTtXMRE/s320/badartpresidents.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presidents Obama, Beck, and Palmer</td></tr>
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There were a couple of paintings inspired by famous works of art. The Mana Lisa, for example:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWUucU3id52rY76S0cititXZ72WV728LffWbpDbcmQp9cz-H88qaL2BvY4u-3aRzjt9YCyLOgTau-o-yJeQGPuK7C4yyvsOiq8oPyXkj3Dpt4jXE4o2na8yn76AnETvxuj6ab7D4M5sY/s1600/manalisa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWUucU3id52rY76S0cititXZ72WV728LffWbpDbcmQp9cz-H88qaL2BvY4u-3aRzjt9YCyLOgTau-o-yJeQGPuK7C4yyvsOiq8oPyXkj3Dpt4jXE4o2na8yn76AnETvxuj6ab7D4M5sY/s320/manalisa.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />
...and, uh, this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLTq_C5b8AH4l_GjHIHOD5J4kDu13kCwQ0zJAf84fZ-6tCo9HvMYKNmbzBVtDiEVZwJvTk3rzYYPPB7d_k-kwHbJCVhR4GFkTZG_zDG_wZvzcL_Xnb8cOFr8rN0njrUWdI2Hqv3Xe-Nw/s1600/badartvangogh.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfLTq_C5b8AH4l_GjHIHOD5J4kDu13kCwQ0zJAf84fZ-6tCo9HvMYKNmbzBVtDiEVZwJvTk3rzYYPPB7d_k-kwHbJCVhR4GFkTZG_zDG_wZvzcL_Xnb8cOFr8rN0njrUWdI2Hqv3Xe-Nw/s320/badartvangogh.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't remember the name of this one, but let's call it "Girl With a Sunburn Crashing Van Gogh."</td></tr>
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It's hard to pick a favorite, but I'm pretty sure mine is the ferret prostitute in a brothel:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJlTFw-yHFagj0ZRgd8CutsyJTBndgwBSoJpFbHZDIhNxZfQ9BRnsP4kKfE5zake5zbkOWsZVnpmbWh9-hYiN7BxZzaSi0_tov2nPTf58GnymabhQtnKbX9c1azpZ20CTubpQIStC-3s/s1600/badartferret2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzJlTFw-yHFagj0ZRgd8CutsyJTBndgwBSoJpFbHZDIhNxZfQ9BRnsP4kKfE5zake5zbkOWsZVnpmbWh9-hYiN7BxZzaSi0_tov2nPTf58GnymabhQtnKbX9c1azpZ20CTubpQIStC-3s/s320/badartferret2.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was a kit, I needed the money</td></tr>
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So what's your favorite? There are many more paintings for your viewing pleasure at MOBA's <a href="http://www.museumofbadart.org/collection/" target="_blank">website</a>. It's a good reminder that art is pain.Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-70695265996685469642013-05-24T07:00:00.000-05:002013-05-24T07:00:05.726-05:00Real-Life Writing Prompt: Carpool to RoswellI mentioned in my last two posts that I attended the <a href="http://www.kindlingwords.org/kwwest.htm">Kindling Words West</a> retreat in Taos, New Mexico last week. I flew into Albuquerque with my buddy <a href="http://www.crystalallenbooks.com/">Crystal Allen</a>, and we carpooled from there with <a href="http://www.pambachorz.com/">Pam Bachorz</a> since that would be more fun than the shuttle and it would allow us to stop at Trader Joe's for chocolate almonds and beverages. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoykwg8apor7wc45Gnkxk9uTqcfNsSXl-FTzcB9cw1VqfZblZx5iAWVTAFiTgtodqc98R2sClWpjGC8fx2XvgRZGQkvjSQhcokLc0TMC26mh4NeGl19pvRyEO1v4Dj6rMv-j-kM3cpYKA/s1600/roswell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoykwg8apor7wc45Gnkxk9uTqcfNsSXl-FTzcB9cw1VqfZblZx5iAWVTAFiTgtodqc98R2sClWpjGC8fx2XvgRZGQkvjSQhcokLc0TMC26mh4NeGl19pvRyEO1v4Dj6rMv-j-kM3cpYKA/s200/roswell.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
While Crystal and I were waiting for Pam in the lobby of the car rental place, a woman approached us and asked if we were on our way to Roswell. If we were, she'd pay for half the car rental fee in exchange for a ride. She was visibly upset, like a chest-clutching, fighting back tears upset. Although that isn't where we were headed, of course we were intrigued. How does one just show up at a car rental lobby, suitcase in hand, looking to hitch a ride to Roswell? Apparently there's some giant new car rental tax the woman didn't know about, and her car for the week would cost more than her plane ticket had, and she was on her way to visit her mom. (No one else was flipping out about this tax, and ours wasn't that bad, so maybe it's something assessed if you don't reserve the car ahead of time. I'm not sure what the deal was with that).<br />
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Anyway, we started thinking about how this could be a fun story beginning. I know if we told thirty writers, "Strangers meet at a car rental desk and carpool to Roswell--go!" we'd get thirty completely different novels. Mine would a contemporary young adult novel with five different characters, each with a different reason they just <i>had</i> to get to Roswell, and their subplots would all become entwined somehow. Crystal was thinking of something more paranormal, in which the nice elderly couple offering a teenager a ride actually turns out to be aliens going to a reunion. <br />
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So, who would be in your carpool to Roswell, and why are they all going there? Why'd they show up at the same place without much of a plan?<br />
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Who knows, we might start a trend here. And in a few years we'll hear editors saying, "The market is saturated with novels in the Roswell sub-genre...".<br />
Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-83441363196487438332013-05-22T23:00:00.000-05:002013-05-22T23:00:49.998-05:00Found PoemsI mentioned in yesterday's <a href="http://www.lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2013/05/catching-up.html">Catching Up</a> post that I'd write a little more about our poetry lessons from <br />
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<a href="http://www.nikkigrimes.com/" target="_blank">Nikki Grimes</a> at Kindling Words West, so here's some of what we learned in just one of our five workshops last week.<br />
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I had a hard time thinking poetically, so it's obviously something I need to work on more. "Found poems" were a little easier for me because I felt like I had something to work with--in the confines of an article instead of the whole English language.<br />
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To do a found poem, take an article, a book page, even a recipe or a product label, and select words and/or short phrases from it to make a poem. You won't add any other words, so all the words in your poem come from the original text. And use the words in the order they appear rather than going back and forth in an article.<br />
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Here's an example, to give you a better idea of what it looks like. The first text I worked with was an article about a girl who developed an app that prevents texting while driving, since she was worried about her own mom's habits. Doesn't sound very poetic, right? <br />
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First, some excerpts from the article, "Puppy Love:"<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The way 11-year-old Victoria Walker describes how she worries about her mom, you'd think their roles were reversed. "She's really bad with texting and driving," Victoria says. "I tell her to stop when I'm with her...I just needed some peace of mind." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The sixth-grader...came up with an idea for an app that would literally hound distracted drivers to putting down their phones. ... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Victoria's app, called Rode Dog, basically allows friends and family to form a pack to protect one another. A GPS tracks pack members, alerting the group when one of them is using their phone while driving--and then unleashes a barrage of barks on the phone of the offending driver. Walker says she was inspired by her own dogs...that "bark their heads off whenever they sense danger."...</span><br />
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And here's my found poem, made from words in that article:<br />
<br />
Worried reversed<br />
Tell her to stop<br />
Peace distracted<br />
Putting down friends and family.<br />
A pack,<br />
Alerting the group,<br />
Unleashes,<br />
Inspired by danger.<br />
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Here's another article, one that many of the workshop participants used, and it was interesting to hear such variety in our poems when the words all came from the same source. This is from a January 22, 2012 <i>New York Times</i> article, "Ready For the Worst, New York Gets First Major Snowfall:"<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A powdery section of snow slid across the mid-Atlantic region and out toward sea on Saturday, making the season's first significant storm a less ferocious affair...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yet memories of the crippling snowstorm in New York a year ago--followed by a blistering round of blame and recrimination--were fresh in the psyche of...residents of the region who readied themselves for the worst of winter's wrath. ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Some New Yorkers saw the snow as a blessing, saying it had brightened winter's otherwise dry landscape. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"Finally, we're feeling winter,"...</span><br />
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I think so many people selected this article because it was so rich with strong words to mine for a poem. Here's the poem I made from the article:<br />
<br />
Snow slid<br />
Out toward sea<br />
A ferocious affair<br />
Memories, crippling, blistering<br />
Fresh winter's wrath.<br />
<br />
Or, a blessing<br />
Brightened winter's <br />
Dry landscape,<br />
Finally.<br />
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Some people call these "blackout poems," because one way to do these is to cross out most of the words of the original text with a black marker, leaving only the words that make up your poem.<br />
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I think it would be a fun activity for students to do, like with an article they've used for research or a photocopied page of a book they've been reading.<br />
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Or try found poems yourself if you've been wanting to write some poetry but have trouble getting started. Let me know how it works out for you!Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-58640684208029489262013-05-21T23:34:00.000-05:002013-06-02T18:13:01.223-05:00Catching UpIt's been a long time since I've done a post, so let's catch up! Where in the world have I been and what have I been up to?<br />
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One reason I've been online less is that at the beginning of April I woke up with pain from my upper back to my hand that was so bad, the only comfortable position I could find was flat on my back with my arm raised. Not super-conducive to productivity. I'd had similar pain in the fall, but it came on more gradually then. Each time, it's happened after extended periods of writing, like if I'm really trying to get a project done. Which backfires, of course, if I'm then sidelined for weeks at a time with the nerd's version of a sports injury. <br />
<br />
Thankfully it's gotten better, a little at a time, with rest, muscle relaxers, massage therapy, stretching, and seeing the chiropractor more often than my family. I have to remember now when I'm writing to take breaks more often, and it helps a lot to keep the computer at eye level. I think the worst thing I did was sit on the couch while looking down at the laptop for hours on end. So now I elevate it with a lap desk, and for times I'm working at my actual desk, I got <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/128985976800621452/" target="_blank">this fancypants chair</a> that has adjustable everything and costs a lot less than other ergonomic chairs. Also I'm using the dictation feature on the iPhone and the laptop when I can, especially for composing emails and texting. I'd love to be able to use it for drafting a story, but it's hard for me to dictate a story instead of typing or writing it by hand. I hope to get used to it with some practice so I can use it more often and give the arm a rest. <br />
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But the good news is I've finally finished drafting the <a href="http://lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-next-big-thing-blog-hop.html">next midgrade novel</a>! It needs revising before it's editor-ready, but it feels great to have a good draft from beginning to end. <br />
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On to more happy news...<br />
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This little girl now lives at my house.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4bQniMPsDmBEWOmG0emnwZG7cNmtk2oMQJdpvhhwT3lh4L45Ir-8BQzu-_IsPztvLMj2doFnYOOHDYoSijAgdKNCYQ1UQayXkSw-l0v2UiDCYQxECFyvr73OgSa7N1aBJCmn85tQy-k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+10.41.11+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4bQniMPsDmBEWOmG0emnwZG7cNmtk2oMQJdpvhhwT3lh4L45Ir-8BQzu-_IsPztvLMj2doFnYOOHDYoSijAgdKNCYQ1UQayXkSw-l0v2UiDCYQxECFyvr73OgSa7N1aBJCmn85tQy-k/s320/Screen+Shot+2013-05-21+at+10.41.11+PM.png" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure about these new people yet, but they seem nice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Her name is Holly and she's from <a href="http://houstoncockerspanielrescue.com/">Houston Cocker Spaniel Rescue</a>. We took her in to foster her at first, but last time we said we'd "foster" a dog we kept her for the rest of her life, so I was pretty sure she was here to stay.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I mean, just look how she sleeps.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkMD968mZLrYkAQTOsd2l-FWuMWhj12x3pQ0e5bSWengiQz3Q58FTbG9cIfZyYTYVr_NLF_zzx0y4vJrJIsxgFCD3a_-ex9yS0KFgGgE64W93GPogMy8BXKPGHLgyf7rezXTpSgKfUgY/s1600/hollynapping.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkMD968mZLrYkAQTOsd2l-FWuMWhj12x3pQ0e5bSWengiQz3Q58FTbG9cIfZyYTYVr_NLF_zzx0y4vJrJIsxgFCD3a_-ex9yS0KFgGgE64W93GPogMy8BXKPGHLgyf7rezXTpSgKfUgY/s320/hollynapping.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
I even finalized the adoption after she chewed my MacBook cord in two. I'd say that's love.<br />
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She's very sweet, but quite the escape artist, so we do have to keep an eye on her. She got from our fenced-in back yard to the neighbors', squeezes through the cat door to get to the garage, and got from the enclosed play yard at doggie day care into the staff office. What could possibly be of interest in the office? I would love to know.<br />
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And in CHAINED news, I have some shiny new awards! The book received a <a href="http://southasiabookaward.org/2012-award-books/">South Asia Book Award</a> honor, and the SCBWI <a href="http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/2013-Crystal-Kite-Award-Winners">Crystal Kite Award</a> for the Texas/Oklahoma region. I'm so honored about the recognition and to be in such amazing company with the other recipients.<br />
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Also, I have a new <a href="http://lynnekellybooks.com/wordpress/curriculum-guide">curriculum guide</a>! Something I'd always thought I would get around to doing myself, but never did, so I decided to get the fabulous <a href="http://www.debbiegonzales.com/simple-saturday/2013/4/29/a-guide-for-chained-by-lynne-kelly.html">Debbie Gonzales</a> to make one for me, and I'm so happy with the results.<br />
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Finally, I did some traveling recently, to the <a href="http://www.kindlingwords.org/kwwest.htm">Kindling Words West</a> retreat in Taos, New Mexico. It's a magical place where authors get a week to just focus on their work and talk to other authors about books and such. (And maybe a little shopping). We did have short workshops in the mornings, led by the awesome <a href="http://www.nikkigrimes.com/">Nikki Grimes</a>, but had the rest of the days to ourselves. Nikki's workshops were about poetry, which I've never really ventured into, but I know that what we learned from her will help my novel writing. I'd like to write a separate post about some of what I learned, so I'll save more of that for later this week.<br />
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Holly was really happy to see me when I got back, but she might have been happier about this bone o' bacon I gave her.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI8z_rx6hp1_PnjXT5x2xZwVfFJmmXvqxFF2IfjTSdcjfRxZtrth3MmVbUiJKNARSUfgPHv2hW7tHxyezOyeFmnuMYweJK9r0FPCKvurdAt30MoXLPlMKZlvuWLuxejFuIEed6eueEyg/s1600/hollybacon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI8z_rx6hp1_PnjXT5x2xZwVfFJmmXvqxFF2IfjTSdcjfRxZtrth3MmVbUiJKNARSUfgPHv2hW7tHxyezOyeFmnuMYweJK9r0FPCKvurdAt30MoXLPlMKZlvuWLuxejFuIEed6eueEyg/s320/hollybacon.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bacon smile. I think a lot of us can relate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-33686760522740975052013-03-25T05:00:00.000-05:002013-05-23T21:40:45.887-05:00Celebrating POISON by Bridget Zinn<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEvSzMR3XiKWcZ8hDwPQPkIiUqtGrFeVEazXupj8oKXq_6Np2Lk8OH9jQD9xUDP1wuUdPITh1tvMfTmr6Z601HucDA6NF7ExjI__xUG0p9nkfNfdwtXrt_D4Ic2xHEpQB7705Yr5kUw0/s1600/poison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEvSzMR3XiKWcZ8hDwPQPkIiUqtGrFeVEazXupj8oKXq_6Np2Lk8OH9jQD9xUDP1wuUdPITh1tvMfTmr6Z601HucDA6NF7ExjI__xUG0p9nkfNfdwtXrt_D4Ic2xHEpQB7705Yr5kUw0/s320/poison.jpg" /></a>Probably the most exciting time for authors is the day their debut novel launches. You might have heard of Bridget Zinn, whose debut novel <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8113512-poison?ac=1">POISON</a> was released this month, but if you haven't, you can read more about her on her <a href="http://www.bridgetzinn.com/about_bridget/index.php" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
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2009 was an eventful year for Bridget--she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, found a fabulous literary agent after years of writing, and got married. Sadly, she lost her cancer battle in 2011 and isn't here to celebrate her book's publication. <br />
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But she has tons of friends and fans who are spreading the word about POISON. <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/56328-promoting-a-late-author-s-debut-novel-poison-by-bridget-zinn.html"><i>Publishers Weekly</i></a> has a great article about Bridget and how people are helping to launch the book, and <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-23/features/ct-prj-0324-bridget-zinn-20130323_1_debut-novel-printers-row-author-of-young-adult"><i>The Chicago Tribune</i></a> just ran an article about her yesterday.<br />
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Since POISON was originally planned to be a 2012 release and Bridget was a member of The Apocalypsies, we had a recent post on the blog for her release date, <a href="http://www.apocalypsies.blogspot.com/2013/03/one-last-apocalypsies-debut.html">"One Last Apocalypsies Debut,"</a> written by her friend <a href="http://www.emkokie.com/">E.M. Kokie</a>.<br />
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Here's a description of the novel from Goodreads:<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.</span><br />
<span style="color: #783f04;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #783f04;">But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.</span><br />
<span style="color: #783f04;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #783f04;">Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?</span><br />
<span style="color: #783f04;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #783f04;">Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.</span><br />
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I got my copy of POISON as soon as it was released and wasn't sure I'd have time to read the whole thing before doing this post, but I couldn't put it down. I like to sleep in whenever I can, but one morning I woke up at 5:30 and after a few minutes of trying to get back to sleep I thought, "Ooh, I can read more!" and read in bed until I got to the end of the book. And then I might have hugged it. It must be really difficult to write a book that's funny and suspenseful at the same time, but Bridget pulled it off. I adored the characters and had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen to them. (I kept doing that "just one more chapter...ok, I'll read one more chapter" thing).<br />
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Young adult novels are often considered either "upper YA" or "lower YA," since what's age-appropriate for a 17-year-old might not be age-appropriate for a 13-year-old, and the book that a 13-year-old loves might not be of interest to an older teen. But POISON is a book I'd give to a young adult fan of any age. Kyra's a strong and clever heroine, and the storyline is exciting enough to keep readers turning the pages. There's some pining but no wallowing for the love interest, Fred (and some admiring of his abs). <br />
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One sign of a great story is that you still think about the characters after you've closed the book. Days after reading, I'm wondering how Kyra, Fred, and even Rosie the pig are doing, and I'm sure I'll be thinking about them for a long time. I wish we could look forward to more books from Bridget, but I'm thankful that this one made it out into the world. Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-43086486262432182902013-03-04T06:00:00.000-06:002013-09-10T12:02:10.802-05:00Guest Post: How You Can Help Elephants<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1X4KftQwJ4u_keUBkEOLnwwGwMMKPUVBI419sfw89jfLW6bBXTwhb6kwuWPkCkvmK9HmubTUc3yDJV6UZxzQJxLtq_fgceqenLMMfRZdafyj6k4mSWi6z58vvhnkpmN8MxjaA0xP8Cs/s1600/elephant_day1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu1X4KftQwJ4u_keUBkEOLnwwGwMMKPUVBI419sfw89jfLW6bBXTwhb6kwuWPkCkvmK9HmubTUc3yDJV6UZxzQJxLtq_fgceqenLMMfRZdafyj6k4mSWi6z58vvhnkpmN8MxjaA0xP8Cs/s320/elephant_day1.jpg" /></a><br />
Today we have a special treat--a guest post from the folks at <a href="http://worldelephantday.org/" target="_blank">World Elephant Day</a>, who last year brought us the documentary <i><a href="http://worldelephantday.org/about/return-to-the-forest" target="_blank">Return to the Forest</a>.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> Now they're at work on a new documentary, <i><a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/elephantsneverforget" target="_blank">Elephants Never Forget</a>, </i>which explores the lives of working elephants (like Nandita in <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12355856-chained" target="_blank">CHAINED</a>), along with other issues like poaching and habitat loss that threaten the elephant population.<br />
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So now I'll turn things over to the World Elephant Day organization, with some ways to help elephants and more information about their current project:<br />
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Elephants are becoming extinct. Each region has its own elephant issues, ranging from the escalation of poaching and illegal trade, to habitat loss, to human-elephant conflict and captivity issues. In order to conserve these magnificent animals we need to come together and raise awareness of these issues with a powerful global voice. If you are eager to help but don’t know how, here are several ideas: <br />
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<b>Become Elephant Educated </b><br />
Learn about the deeper issues behind the threats facing elephants. In order to find a solution, we need to create alternative, sustainable livelihoods for people who have traditionally relied on elephants. <br />
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<b>Support Elephant Organizations</b><br />
<a href="http://worldelephantday.org/associates">Support organizations</a> who are working to protect habitat for wild elephants, finding solutions for human-elephant conflict, and preventing poaching. <br />
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<b>Only Visit Eco-Tourism Operations</b><br />
If you wish to experience elephants in their natural environment choose eco-tourism operators who support local elephant conservation projects and who treat elephants with respect and dignity. <br />
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<b>Support Awareness Projects </b><br />
Donate and share about projects that are working to raise awareness of the elephant’s critical plight. An advocacy film is currently doing just that and raising money through <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/elephantsneverforget">Indiegogo</a> to complete their project. <br />
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The issues facing elephants are complex and involve many different stakeholders. In order to ensure their survival we need the masses to unite and each do their part. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/adL-uS5viKY?list=UUI4nRKLR11FxxuadufqP5Dw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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NAQ4U2QPRJFHLynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-54870763638118612112013-02-14T06:00:00.000-06:002013-02-15T21:34:15.839-06:00Sushi For Everyone!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/coolmikeol/4692058016/sizes/l/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4kBUBqGXQ_6nYRjjWkoE5YgczOxw93KzVKtpyDxsmlRyrHE0geA_DzP_C6w7hQUSHP9aTIZ1j2UHvOd9zzZJQk9b17h4zhmdFQ_Q-1BUETdjiH4iqoWpUVp8Wtkl3nuqEb_eBmf_GVn8/s200/4692058016_674ec6a248_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>...I mean, not that I'm buying or anything, just uh, feel free to have sushi for lunch today if you'd like. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2k0jd8OkGn5PumBug6ZKIcWw7oMNFku5u3n49YT0b-JmIM-jm23Mt5dsP98ZeKWd3wdGrJpoFBXMyDSr33Vdnx5rEXGZXYS95gTD5TBY4T3phZOhge_k-xZpI7mDMLV3Ih_7GrxdMP2M/s1600/Flag_of_Japan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2k0jd8OkGn5PumBug6ZKIcWw7oMNFku5u3n49YT0b-JmIM-jm23Mt5dsP98ZeKWd3wdGrJpoFBXMyDSr33Vdnx5rEXGZXYS95gTD5TBY4T3phZOhge_k-xZpI7mDMLV3Ih_7GrxdMP2M/s200/Flag_of_Japan.png" width="200" /></a>Because CHAINED is headed to Japan! Japanese rights for the novel sold to <a href="http://www.suzuki-syuppan.co.jp/english/index.html">Suzuki Publishing</a> this week. <br />
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You might remember from the <a href="http://lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2012/07/le-squeee.html">sale to France</a> a few months ago that I celebrated with a traditional French toast dinner. I'm actually not a sushi fan, but this would be a good time to cook those shirataki noodles I've been meaning to try.<br />
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I don't know much about how foreign sales happen, so it's a nice surprise when I hear that CHAINED will be available in a new market, in another language. And it'll be fun to see how it turns out.<br />
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Meanwhile, I think I need to get this shirt...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.offendall.com/product/im-big-in-japan-116/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz9kI90m31LZ4Cul8n2hEKX93gXffw-ti_2awe2vfy4wUdncfwp0tKIV6JUOG07ngYQsx9kTCwxpJofss46Kb3tnEUvdXZlsVNjNiCL4e-vTdSBYEdkB6cfqVwahMwwcXFfdgzCG1dWEU/s200/im-big-in-japan-d452.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-83317991302812846882013-01-24T00:31:00.001-06:002013-01-24T08:35:02.577-06:0010 Ways The Taste Is Like the Publication World<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJtFv7E9KcldPEqS_NBhFKMQwawxp-sEi-wSyj0tp3mbBRicZhDc2K1yQyPjftW7hGjbjlBYXUu3gUk1GyD2xXATsxD55RhW1KbCtOMO_a6zQVnX_BnlE3zLb4zl4maquXulA3BkgNsE/s1600/the-taste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJtFv7E9KcldPEqS_NBhFKMQwawxp-sEi-wSyj0tp3mbBRicZhDc2K1yQyPjftW7hGjbjlBYXUu3gUk1GyD2xXATsxD55RhW1KbCtOMO_a6zQVnX_BnlE3zLb4zl4maquXulA3BkgNsE/s320/the-taste.jpg" width="320" /></a>This week I watched the new cooking competition show <a href="http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-taste" target="_blank"><i>The Taste</i></a>, which is a lot like <i>The Voice,</i> but with a bite of food instead of a song.<br />
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A quick description if you're not familiar with it: contestants, who are either professional chefs or really good home cooks, have one chance--literally one bite--to impress the panel of superstar food people. If one or more of the judges falls in love with that one bite, they'll offer the chef a spot on their team. (From there I guess they'll compete against one another and have elimination rounds until there's one chef left standing who'll be crowned The Bite or something like that).<br />
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On the surface it probably seems to have nothing to do with writing, but it so much of what was happening reminded me of the struggle to become a published author. <br />
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Here are some things I noticed, and a few quotes, that especially hit home: (no quotes from Ludo, since I can't understand the guy. Seriously, I'd be in trouble if I were on the show and ended up on his team).<br />
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- <b>Almost everyone made seafood.</b> I found this surprising, since seafood is easy to screw up. Maybe if you're a good cook it makes for an impressive dish. But if everyone's serving up seafood, yours had better really stand out if you want to get attention.<br />
And if you're trying to get published, write that vampire novel if you must, but it has to be <i>especially awesome</i> and offer something your reader hasn't seen before in all the other vampire novels out there. <br />
Only one contestant made a dessert--a home chef, and she did get selected. The panelists were impressed, and Nigella is confident that she has the talent to make all kinds of dishes, not just desserts. Part of what made her stand out might have been that she gave them something different. <br />
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- <b>"I liked it, but it's not for me."</b> If you've been submitting to editors or agents for any amount of time, you've likely heard something like this. And it's not a bad thing at all. It means you're a good writer, but your manuscript hasn't landed on the right desk yet. You're giving scallops to someone who doesn't care for scallops.<br />
Several of the contestants impressed the judges with their cooking skills, but the dish just wasn't the kind of food they love, or maybe it was too fancy-chefy when they're more of a comfort food fan. <br />
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- On the other hand, <b>"I hate butterscotch. I have no idea where you pulled these ingredients from, but it strangely worked for me."</b> This was Anthony Bourdain's response to the Chilean sea bass with butterscotch and cilantro dressing. Not usually his thing, but it was so good he had to take it on. <br />
This reminded me of agent <a href="http://www.fbliterary.com/">Faye Bender</a> taking on <a href="http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/">Kristen Cashore's</a> <i>Graceling</i>, even though she doesn't usually represent fantasy. Or the "rules" like "No rhyming picture books." You still see rhyming picture books getting published, right? So publishers do accept them, but they have to be stellar. It's hard to do well and not many people have the talent to do it, but when it does come together, it's beautiful.<br />
Of course, do your research and submit to agents who you think will like your work, but if your book is amazing, they'll want to see more, even if it's something they don't generally gravitate to. <br />
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- <b>"Were you stoned at 3:00 in the morning when you did this?"</b> Another Anthony quote, one you don't want to hear about yourself. Agents get a lot of crazypants submissions. Don't be one of those people.<br />
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- <b>Feel the fear and do it anyway.</b> The contestants stood in a kind of elevator-thing, where they could hear the panelists' comments about their dishes. Sometimes the comments were great, sometimes they were terrible. It's a necessary step in moving on, but I can't imagine how intimidating that must have been. At least when we writers get rejected it's not in front of a national audience. <br />
It's scary to send your work out there, but you won't get anywhere if you don't.<br />
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- <b>But don't quit your day job.</b> A few of the people mentioned they'd quit their jobs in order to try out for the show. A risky move, but a necessary one if they wanted to seize this opportunity and didn't have bosses willing to hold their jobs for them. Hopefully the ones who didn't make it will find new jobs soon.<br />
I'm thrilled for authors who earn enough from their books to become full-time writers. But they're the exceptions to the rule; most of us won't be able to live the pantless life of a stay-at-home writer. It takes years to get published, and even after you sell a book, it might be a few months before you see the money. And most of the time, the money is a nice <i>supplement</i> to your income, but you'll need to continue doing something that brings in a regular paycheck. <br />
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- <b>"There's too much going on here."</b> This was a sentiment expressed several times, in one way or another, like with "This was a mishmash of flavor" or "My taste buds are still trying to figure out what happened."<br />
Yes, you want to be original, but in a good way. Does your novel really need vampires, unicorns, wizards, ninjas, zombies, <i>and</i> mermaids? That's the literary version of pineapple maitake ground turkey sun-dried tomato mac-and-cheese stir-fry. (I did not make that up). <br />
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- <b>Your kids love your cooking, but maybe no one else will.</b> Like I mentioned in <a href="http://www.lynnekelly.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-query-letter-post-hints-for-writing.html">this post about query letters</a>, of course your children like it when you write a story and read it to them, but mentioning that isn't going to impress an editor or agent. Every contestant on the show has family members, friends, even restaurant patrons who love their food. But like editors and agents, the panel of food experts had to be super-picky. They had room on their teams not just the great chefs, but the exceptional ones. <br />
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- <b>Don't be a jerk.</b> A good rule for life, really, not just for writing. Some of the chefs who weren't selected made comments like, "The people I've seen make it through are hacks" and "Nigella picked a woman who made mashed potatoes. I think my dish was a bit more complex than that." Well, you know what? Everyone likes mashed potatoes. "Complex" doesn't automatically mean "fabulous." <br />
And are we sorry these people didn't succeed? Maybe it's shallow, but no. We cheer for nice people. People have long memories, and the Internet is forever. If you enjoy insulting reviewers and putting down other writers, expect to travel the road to publication alone.<br />
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- <b>Not everyone chosen was a pro.</b> Many of the contestants who made it through weren't professional chefs; they're just people who love to cook, and if we have a passion for something, we often do it well. <br />
If you're unpublished so far, don't make any apologies for it when you submit your manuscript. You're a writer, and debut novels get published every month. If you love the work, keep doing it till someone takes a bite.<br />
<br />
And am I the only one who wants to see more of <a href="http://f.cl.ly/items/311f1e3U1h3i3J3Z1Y22/the%20taste.mov" target="_blank">Jeanette Friedman</a>? Somebody give this woman her own show!<br />
<br />Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-66984754102748679382013-01-10T11:16:00.000-06:002013-01-10T12:36:16.893-06:00The Query Letter Post: Hints For Writing Them, and the One That Got Me RepresentedThis week at the <a href="http://houstonscbwi.org/index.php/en/">Houston SCBWI</a> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2012/06/05/jean-vest-weddin-3/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfeel1KYjGfiPxpHs0JgYP5mTb7vWTagZ1_0PsEv_M2muLVni9Ue8Oc_5BZ_1eXEriyWBoY9V1fRhrA1Vn-zrAVvAAJL79jemChWMbDY945um5azE2tTGay2WYnA8VzKXFBhNF3DRpJA8/s200/awkwardwedding1.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/2012/06/05/jean-vest-weddin-3/" target="_blank">It feels exactly this awkward to ask. <br />
But if they like it, they'll put a ring on it</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
meeting I did a brief presentation about writing query letters, and was asked afterward if I'd send my own query letter from CHAINED to the group's listserv so members could have it as an example.<br />
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It occurred to me on the way home that it'd be better to include it in a blog post so I could share it with whoever would like to see it, and <a href="http://newleafliterary.com/agents.cfm?id=27">SuperAgent Joanna</a> kindly agreed to add her own comments about what she thought when she first read the letter! <br />
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First, a quick definition of a query letter and a few do's and don'ts of writing them:<br />
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A query letter is a one-page letter that a writer sends to an editor or agent, asking to submit a completed manuscript. The goal is to concisely describe the manuscript in a way that will entice them to request it.<br />
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What to include in your query:<br />
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- <b>A hook</b>: one-sentence tagline to spark the reader's interest<br />
- <b>Genre</b> and <b>age group</b> of the book: middle-grade fantasy or young adult contemporary fiction, for example. (But don't say "fiction novel" or you will get a punch in the throat) <br />
- <b>A mini-synopsis</b>: a paragraph or two about the book, including the main characters and their problem<br />
- <b>A little about yourself</b>: This is hard to write if you're unpublished, but mention if your line of work somehow has to do with your subject matter, or with writing or literature in general. Or just let them know you're in a writers' organization like SCBWI, for example.<br />
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What not to do:<br />
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x <b>Mass emails</b>. Of course you should be querying more than one person at a time; agents and editors often take a long time to respond, and you're not expected to wait two months or more to for a response before you send your query to someone else. Just don't fill the "To:" field of your email with every agent you've ever heard of. Select a few appropriate agents for your work, and if they accept email submissions, send them one at a time, personalizing the email to avoid a generic "Dear Agent" letter. (And check before clicking "send" to make sure the name in the "To:" field matches the name in the greeting).<br />
x <b>Mention that your kids loved your story.</b> Of course they did. They depend on you for food. Telling the editor or agent that your children, grandchildren, the neighborhood kids, or your horde of cats love your book will not impress anyone and will mark you as an amateur. <br />
x <b>Fancy fonts or paper</b>. You're probably emailing your query, but if you're submitting to someone who accepts snail mail, use plain white paper that you have not sprayed with perfume. However you send your letter, use a readable font like Times New Roman. I know, your letter written in Curlz font on purple glitter paper is adorable, but there'll be plenty of time for annoying your agent once you're represented.<br />
x <b>Compare yourself to J.K. Rowling</b>. Another thing that will scream "I have no idea what I'm doing and I've done zero research." Let your work stand on its own and let the agent/editor judge the writing. You're not J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer; you're you. Also, don't insult other writers and everyone in the industry by trashing existing books.<br />
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I think I can sum up what you <i>should</i> do by saying "Do a little research and follow submission guidelines." Submit to editors and agents who are a good fit for the kind of work you're doing, and always check the agency's or publisher's websites to see if they're accepting submissions and how they want you to send your query. Most accept queries by email now, but some do not. Some want the query letter only, while others ask that you include some manuscript pages. <br />
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Here are a few resources to check out for more information, though a Google search for "query letters" will give you approximately a kajillion thousand eleventy-pants more results, so there's plenty of information out there:<br />
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- <a href="http://www.agentquery.com/">Agentquery.com</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.queryshark.blogspot.com/">Query Shark</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.querytracker.net/">Querytracker</a><br />
- <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/successful-query-letters">Writer's Digest</a> (examples of query letters with agent comments)<br />
- Harold Underdown's <a href="http://www.underdown.org/mf_query_letters.htm">The Purple Crayon</a><br />
- The <a href="http://www.scbwi.org/">SCBWI</a><br />
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And now, the query letter for CHAINED! I sent this to about thirty agents in all, and had several requests and eventually two offers of representation. Agent Joanna Volpe's comments are in blue:<br />
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Dear Ms. Stampfel-Volpe,<br />
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I have written a mid-grade novel of about 50,000 words that I'd like to submit to you if it sounds like something you'd be interested in reading. CHAINED is the story of two captives-- one a boy, one an elephant.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">[This line already had captured my attention. I've been a long time animal lover (I had a subscription to Ranger Rick's well into my teen years. Don't make fun!) I don't typically see stories starring elephants, and I really liked the title.]</span><br />
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To work off a family debt, 10-year-old Hastin leaves his desert home in Northern India <span style="color: blue;">[Something else that piqued my interest. India! A fascinating and different setting than I'm used to seeing. My heart also went out to this kid immediately at having to work off a family debt.]</span> to work as an elephant keeper. His new boss, Timir, plans to revive his old circus, starting with the elephant act. Hastin's new workplace is as strange to him as the green and humidity of the nearby rain forest. Why was this circus, which used to be the best around, forced to close down years before, only to be abandoned until now? How does the cook know everything there is to know about elephants? How does a person free an elephant from a trap, and how in the name of Ganesh does he take care of her when he does?<br />
<span style="color: blue;">[I don't typically love when questions are posed in queries. More often than not, it feels like a forced way to catch an agent's interest. But in this case, there was something so innocent and naïve about the way the questions were asked. I just had this quick thought of "Hello, Hastin." I knew it was him.]</span><br />
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Surviving failed escape attempts, stolen money, an elephant hook, heat stroke, and a shared stable, the friendship between Hastin and Nandita the elephant grows stronger with each passing year, until they discover that the bond that links them together is stronger than any shackle, lock, or chain.<br />
<span style="color: blue;">[This whole paragraph is great because it gives me a taste of what's to come, but that final line…I think we've used that in one way or another straight through to publication. I know I added it to my pitch! It's SO good. This might be the line that really captured me 100% because it really cuts to the heart of what this story is about.] </span><br />
<br />
Author Uma Krishnaswami critiqued the manuscript and has been kind enough to offer to answer more questions about Indian culture if needed, and to read the story again to vet it before publication. <br />
<span style="color: blue;">[This was just the icing on the cake to show me that she did her research—it certainly would have been one of my first questions when we talked.] </span> <br />
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A few editors have requested the manuscript, and I have listed them here, along with where I met them. :<br />
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· [Awesome Editor A] - First pages workshop <br />
· [Fabulous Editor B] - Highlights conference at Chautauqua <br />
· [Rock Star Editor C] - Houston SCBWI conference <br />
[Since I had no writing credits or anything, this was sort of my "bio" and a way to show that I was actively participating in SCBWI events, for example, and getting my writing critiqued by editors, and to let them know there was some interest in the manuscript. ~Lynne]<br />
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Thank you so much for your time.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Lynne Kelly<br />
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Hope these tips and the example help those of you who are working on your queries. Have any other helpful hints? Please share in the comments. Thanks so much to Joanna for taking the time to look over the letter again and adding her feedback!Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2182828981001582609.post-85765246811940691352012-12-03T23:40:00.002-06:002012-12-03T23:40:33.780-06:00How to Annoy a Writer This Holiday SeasonHi everyone! <br />
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Here's a little video I made for the <a href="http://classof2k12.com/">Class of 2k12</a> blog recently, so I'm reposting here for your amusement. It has just a few of the funny questions writers often get, plus a message about what we're thankful for. <br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JUWEMy59yt8?list=UUmCt-jJ0zqsF56W5__ZCa9A&hl=en_US" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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Writers, what other questions do you dread answering? And aren't you done with that book yet?Lynne Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18221452684484215980noreply@blogger.com2