Wordy Wednesday: WRITE ON CON IS COMING

The virtual world has helped many once-lonely writers find camaraderie and support while still sitting at their keyboards. We've become well-versed in blog following, Facebook friending, tweeting and retweeting. Sometimes we lament the amount of time it takes to travel and participate in the bloggerverse (time we could be writing our fiction). Should we turn off the internet connection? Add a word to the classic writing adage: butt-in-seat-OFFLINE?

While moderation is good in all things, the fact remains that I queried my agent because of good information I read about her online. I read many books because they are well-reviewed by bloggers I admire. Perhaps most important of all, when I feel myself sinking into despair, groaning with frustration or otherwise wanting to give up, there are a few bloggers who always lift my spirits or help me realize my troubles are shared with fellow writers -- I mean you, Tahereh and Elana! -- and enable me to get back to writing my fiction feeling a little less blue.

So, when I discovered that some of my bloggy favorites, including the dynamic duo of Lisa & Laura, were putting together an AMAZING, FREE, ONLINE writing conference so that ANY childrens/YA writer could look forward three great days in August learning about the craft and meeting kindred spirits, I just had to join them in helping to pay it forward by sharing the news with you.

Visit WRITE ON CON right now, read about the amazing conference faculty, and register for the fun!

Back-to-Business Monday: AUTHOR, ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP?

As writers and illustrators, the self we want to share with the public is our words or artwork on the page and not necessarily our physical image. So, the author photo is something to which many of us pay limited heed. In my years working in education and library marketing, I have run into a surprising number of challenging situations resulting from this situation. Here are a few fun ones (names omitted of course):

• Author with two head shots which barely seem to be of the same person (in one, he has long hair, in the other a bean shave) and no way to tell which is more current

• Author of children's books who sent me a lovely snap of herself surrounded by books--only problem is the book right in front of her has the word "sex" in big letters on the cover (not so hot for the children's library crowd)
• Author has obviously cropped a photo of herself with another person whose disembodied hand sits clearly on her shoulder
• No author photo can be found anywhere and author is reluctant to provide one (!)

Not to mention the myriad tousled hair, rumpled shirt, and laundry/household stuff in the background shots.

Here's my personal photo tale (it really wouldn't be fair to tell you about those others if I didn't have an embarassing story of my own): When my agent recently asked me to send my author photo along, the best I could do was to have my thirteen-year-old snap a picture of my in front of a bookshelf. In her inimitable, polite way, she said "it's a nice picture but the light is a little strong." (Okay, I'm at an age where pretty much all light is a little strong!) But, her comment immediately made me think back to the stories above and I realized this amazing truth:

It's GREAT to have a decent author photo.

The fact is, when I schedule an appearance for an author, the first thing I want to do is help the host publicize this event in the best possible way. I send along links to the author's page at the publisher website, the author's own website/blog/etc., high-resolution images of their book jackets and, if possible, an author photo. In sum, when you promote your work, despite our great literary aspirations, there are times when a picture can be worth a thousand words.

So, I set forth to learn more about getting a good author photo and I HAD ONE TAKEN.  In my next few Book Biz posts, I'll share some tips from folks I consulted, tell you about my photo shoot, and then... The BIG REVEAL (aka a picture of me not taken by one of my kids).

IN WHICH I CONFESS TO A TROUBLING COMPULSION (OR SEVERAL)

Last night, in a frenzy of writing procrastination, I was traveling the blogosphere.  My first great discovery was that the delightful Presenting Lenore had joined the Bloggiesta at Maw Books.  Such a cool idea!

Given my myriad reading and writing deadlines this week, I resisted the INTENSE urge to join the Bloggiesta myself.  I continued my cyber journey, noticing that a few folks had changed up their layouts.  So, of course, despite my attempt to resist the Bloggiesta (which involves upgrading and enhancing your blog), I went back and tried Blogger's new design options.  An hour later (and now purple instead of pink and grey), I noted my compulsion for blog tweaking on my Facebook status and received these fun replies:

"Revision is an addiction."  This from Molly.

"Ours is not to reason why..."  This from Sylvie who doesn't have a blog but should. Her reviews on Goodreads are very smart.

Now, as mentioned earlier, I am swamped with reading and writing deadlines, so really I should be reprimanded for this post.  But, alas, it is cleansing to confess one's compulsions so perhaps it will free me up for some good work today. 

Hope your weekend is happy and productive!

Fiction Friday: FAIRY TALES RE-ENVISIONED

Lauren Baratz-Logsted's Crazy Beautiful is a bold reinterpretation of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Like all stories of enchantment, this novel's two protagonists are extreme. Lucius (crazy) has blown off his own hands in an explosion, becoming a double-amputee and outsider both physically and emotionally. Aurora (beautiful), still grieving the death of her mother, has a nature so sweet, thoughtful and other-oriented that she has a chance to save a "beast." The narrative alternates between Lucius's and Aurora's point-of-view while being linked by certain images and ideas.  For example, at the start of the story, both main characters find themselves in new houses that reflect elements of the emotional losses they have suffered.  The clothing each character wears also reveals their senses of self and family relationships. Against a high school backdrop complete with the classic elements of a school play and a party, Baratz-Logsted embraces the intensity of the fairy tale form while heeding her characters--not forcing the story to follow the plot of the classic tale but staying true, instead, to its universal themes.  The result is a powerful and fascinating novel.

Of course, in my compulsion for book pairings, here are some worthy reworkings of Rumplestiltskin, Cinderella, and the Pied Piper for your consideration. Interesting to see the setting into which each author introduces a classic scenario, and the way in which they incorporated original plot elements and themes into their work.