April 2010
Sarah Sundin's here!!! Contest Closed
1 April 2010
This contest has closed. Congratulations to our winner, Marjorie.
I’ve been super excited for today! In case you missed my review a couple weeks ago, Sarah Sundin has written an incredible debut novel called A Distant Melody. After I finished reading it, I sent her an e-mail shamelessly begging her to come on my blog for an interview. She also agreed to give away a signed copy of her book to one fabulous commenter. Details are at the end.
You told me it took a couple years to write A Distant Melody. Where did you get the idea, and how did you stay motivated?
The story came out of a “what if” question—what if a man and woman met at an event, truly clicked, and parted before exchanging contact info? Wouldn’t it be romantic if he went through great effort to track her down? It wouldn’t work in a contemporary setting—he’d “Google” her—but it made a sweet premise for a historical. My husband and I watched a History Channel special on the US Eighth Air Force based in England which flew over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II, and I was hooked.
What took so long was the research—everything from how to fly a B-17 to what songs were hot to what was rationed and when. It wasn’t hard to stay motivated—the story and characters drove me, and the research fascinated me. In fact, I often had to tell myself to stop researching and write!
What is it about the WWII era that captured your interest? Are there are other periods in history that we might see you write about in the future?
Besides the cute clothes and men in uniform?
First of all, there are so many dramatic stories and settings—a novelist’s dream. This was a time when ordinary men had to do extraordinary things, and when women first explored non-traditional roles—while remaining ladies. Plus, my great-uncle was a B-17 bomber pilot with the US Eighth Air Force, so I had access to family stories plus his personal letters.
The next series I’m planning is also set during World War II. I could see myself writing a contemporary story, but as for other time periods, not at this point. I’ve got a great basic body of research for WWII, and the thought of researching another era is exhausting. However, I’ll never say never. A super story idea could lead me anywhere!
One of my favorite parts of A Distant Melody was how neither Allie or Walt are considered attractive people, and how that’s affected them in their life. Is there a reason you chose to write them in such a way?
When I was growing up, every story I read, every movie I watched showed gorgeous heroes and heroines. I was a late-blooming, buck-toothed, freckled thing and thought I’d never find true love. And low self-esteem can make you do stupid things. But if you look at real people around you, there are achingly beautiful love stories between people who are plain, even unattractive. Why shouldn’t fiction celebrate that kind of love as well? Why shouldn’t the majority of us ordinary people have heroines we can relate to? So that’s what I wrote. Ironically, in the second book, both hero and heroine are gorgeous—but that’s not necessarily a good thing in their lives.
(Stephanie here – I’ve had the privilege of meeting Sarah Sundin in real life. While she may have been “late-blooming,” Sarah must have eventually bloomed, because she’s beautiful.)
What’s the best book you’ve read recently and why?
I recently finished The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. Not only is it a beautifully written story, but it really makes you think. It’s all about our human tendency to judge others—and the disastrous consequences that can cause.What’s your best/worst/most embarrassing/oddest memory from high school?
Oh, fine. Make me open that memory box, would you? So, so, so many embarrassing and odd memories. Here’s an odd one—a stupid thing low self-esteem made me do. My junior year I became convinced that if I broke my record of straight As, the boys would be more interested. So, nerd that I am, I chose the class that least mattered to me, and deliberately got a B. I knew the right answers, so I chose wrong answers on just over 10 percent of the questions. And I got a B for the semester! Boys flocked to my door!Um, no. The boys didn’t care. So I went back to my straight As. Odd and nerdy and stupid all in one!
Stephanie speaking again – I find it hilarious that you were smart enough to know exactly how many questions you needed to miss to get a B. Ah, the things we’ll do for boys…
Okay, so here’s the deal. To be entered to win A Distant Melody, leave a comment with the best book you’ve read recently and something that made it stand out. Or, if you have a question for Sarah, you can go that route too. And you don’t need to leave me your e-mail addresses since the site forces you to leave one anyway. Unless you need me to reach you at a different one.
Hope everyone has a fabulous Easter!
This could be our year
4 April 2010
First, don’t forget to read Friday’s post. Sarah Sundin was sweet enough to stop by for an interview, and she’s giving away a signed copy of her fabulous book, A Distant Melody to one lucky commenter.
Today is the Royals’ home opener, and I somehow wound up with a ticket. (I have a very nice brother-in-law. And he has very nice friends. It’s working out well for me.)
This is the second time I’ve been to opening day. The last time was 6 years ago, and it was one of those incredible, against-all-odds kind of wins that seemed extra special at the start of the season. Made you think, “This could be our year.” (It was not. For those who don’t know, it hasn’t been “our year” since the early 80’s.)
I remember very clearly the first time I ever cared about the Royals’ home opener. It was 5th grade, and a school day. My parents had flat out said, “No, we’re not going to the game,” but I had myself half-convinced that they were just saying that so they could surprise me. After all, that’s what would happen in a book, right?
Well, I wasn’t going to be unprepared. I went to school that day in my Royals’ shirt, earrings, and hairbow. I kept my eye on the clock all morning long, and only gave up on being bailed out of school when I knew the opening pitch had been thrown.
While I no longer have my hairbow or earrings (they probably got discarded during the sad days of the baseball strike), and my Royals’ shirt doesn’t fit terribly well these days, I’m still very excited to go. Partially because I’ll be spending time with people I love and enjoy, partially because Zack Greinke will be pitching and I’ve never watched a Cy Young winner pitch, but mostly because I love the optimism that fills Kauffman Stadium on that first day. When everyone feels like, “This could be the year.”
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter. See you back here on Wednesday.
Pineapple Brats
6 April 2010
*Today’s the last day to enter to win Sarah Sundin’s debut novel, A Distant Melody. It’s amazing and you don’t want to miss it, so make sure to leave a comment on Friday’s post.*
The Royals’ game on Monday was awesome, despite the loss. Here’s 7 reasons why:
1. Never having to use a portapotty (or however you spell that) while we tailgated, despite being quite pregnant. And in that same vein, the incredibly short line at the women’s bathroom. Seriously. There were 30 or so guys lined up outside the men’s, yet I walked right into a stall.
2. Having a kid young enough that I never had to take her to the bathroom (go diapers), and also not having to explain to her what those guys were doing who were lined up along the limestone wall in the parking lot. Icky.
3. Pineapple brats = yummy
4. Amazing seats. I love having seats so good that the woman next to me says, “So, who do you guys know?”
5. The annoying guy behind me and his friends leaving sometime around the 7th inning. Not only had I grown quite tired of the F-word, which he had a talent for shoving into every sentence, but he’d been complaining for about 4 innings that his iPhone wasn’t getting a signal. Although I’m a little bummed that they left before I figured out what they were doing with all the one-dollar-bills they kept exchanging. My best guess is making bets on players.
6. McKenna behaving like an angel the whole time, despite getting gypped out of her afternoon nap. About 4:45 she conked out on Ben, which hasn’t happened since she was about 6 months old. Made for cute pictures, and a happier child that evening.
7. The very short walk to the car due to our special parking passes that went with the amazing seats. Have I mentioned I love my brother-in-law? And his very generous friends? Much better than last opening day where we paid $10 to park on a grassy slope about two miles away from the stadium.
Of course the problem with spending my Monday in such a fashion isn’t it hasn’t really motivated me to buckle down and get to work. Rather, I’m spending my brain power thinking of pineapple brats.
Off to write. Have a great day everyone!
Middle School Days
8 April 2010
The lucky winner of Sarah Sundin’s fabulous debut novel, A Distant Melody, is Marjorie. Congratulations!
So, I’m extremely nervous this morning because I’ve been invited to speak at my former middle school’s Career Day. Do you ever have that thing where you’re irrationally nervous about something? There are lots of reasons to not be nervous about this: I’ve spoken at Career Days and really enjoyed myself. I’m only speaking for 25 minutes at a time. If there’s anything I can prattle on about, it’s writing.
Yet I can’t seem to get rid of these stupid butterflies. Part of this is likely returning to a place that holds some – er – iffy memories for me. Nothing exceptionally horrible happened to me in middle school, it was just … you know, middle school. Not really days I like reliving.
Also troubling is that the schedule doesn’t seem bathroom-break-friendly. Which is important when you’re 26 weeks pregnant.
So say a little prayer for me this morning as I attempt to impart my meager wisdom on the 8th graders of Harmony Middle School.
How was middle school (or junior high) for you? Do you ever think, “If I knew then what I know now…” What advice do you wish you could give your pre-teen/early-teen self?
Still talking about Middle School...
11 April 2010
As mentioned last week, I spent Friday morning speaking at Career Day for my former middle school. The students were very polite – almost all said thank you as they walked out of the classroom – and they’d all dressed up, which I thought was a nice touch. I’d actually considered wearing jeans. I’m super glad I didn’t.
Being back there really hammered home that I’m thankful to not be in middle school anymore. And that’s not meant to dis the students or administration. It’s just that as I walked around the vaguely familiar halls, I was reminded of who I was at that time and why I’m glad to no longer be her. Plus I’m thankful to not have to do math homework, or sit at an assigned seat during lunch where I have to raise my hand if I need to go to the bathroom. Or slam down lunch in 23 minutes.
When I mentioned that to my husband, he asked, “Wow, how did you survive that?” I’m a notoriously slow eater. The only one who eats as slow as I do is my father-in-law. Even if he didn’t like me, I think he still would have been happy to have me in the family so he wasn’t always the last one eating.
Anyway. Middle school.
While I walked out to my car after Career Day feeling like maybe I’d rambled too much, maybe I’d sounded stupid when I said such-and-such, I enjoyed being with the students. It’d been awhile since I did a school function, and I really do like the time with them. I just wish it didn’t have to be so focused on me and what I do. If we could just talk about their favorite books and what’s going on in their lives, that would be perfect. However, none of the teachers seem interested in sacrificing class time for that.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Grr at 24
13 April 2010
So, as of last night, I officially became NOT HAPPY with the writers on 24. I mean, was it necessary? Was it really necessary? It’s the last season – can’t we leave Jack with something??? This is two weeks in a row where I’ve shut off the TV and gone to bed feeling super depressed. If we didn’t have just a few episodes left in the series, I probably would have declared myself “done” last night.
Not. Happy.
Anyway. Onto better things. Like the pure cuteness of my daughter. I blogged yesterday on Girls, God, and the Good Life about what I’ve learned from McKenna in regards to recovering from life’s boo-boos.
I haven’t watched this week’s Lost yet. (We always watch on Hulu on Wednesday nights.) They better not tick me off too…
Go Teen Writers
14 April 2010
Today on Go Teen Writers, I’m talking about why I love editing and how my perspective on it was changed over the weekend thanks to Sally Bradley of Bradley Writing and Editing Services.
See you back here tomorrow!
Weird Friday Five
15 April 2010
As you might guess from the blog title, here’s a list of five weird things that happened to me this week: (Warning : I’m an extremely normal person. What appears strange and out-of-the-ordinary to me might seem mundane to you.)
1. I barely touched the book I’m currently reading. Last night, I read for about 10 minutes, and that was the first time all week. Sad :( For the last couple weeks, I’ve been attempting to read The Uglies by Scott Westerfield. It’s a little more sci-fi (I guess?) than I usually read, so it’s going kind of slow. I don’t really think it’s the book’s fault. When I read, I enjoy it. But I’m not loving it so much that I think about it when I’m not reading.
2. Ben and I went for a walk on Sunday or Monday night and saw a cannon parked in front of a house in our neighborhood. Like a real cannon. The kind that actually shot cannon balls way back when. We don’t really live in an area where many reenactments take place, so…. Yeah, I don’t know.
3. McKenna and I went to the grocery store on Monday, where I had a really spacy guy help me at the deli, but a bright, chatty cashier. Usually it’s flipped. Here was my conversation at the deli:
Me: Hi, I’d like a pound of the oven-roasted chicken. (Pointing at the sign saying it’s on sale.)
Dude: Half-pound?
Me: No, one pound.Dude grabs something off the shelf and carries it to the slicer thingy.
Dude: You said a half-pound?
Me: Um, no. One pound.Rings me up, and I walk away.
When I got home, I discovered he’d given me one pound of oven roasted turkey. Which was not on sale, FYI.
4. No bad dreams this week. So far, this has been the “bad dream” pregnancy. Originally, I was having a couple a week. Then it tapered off to one a week. But this week, I haven’t had a single one. Soooo happy about this. Nothing makes me feel more like a 6-year-old than waking up terrified that bad guys are coming to get me. Then I have to do the whole, “Just a dream, Stephanie… Just a dream,” pep talk until my heartrate returns to normal.
5. Can you give yourself allergies the same as you can worry yourself into a stomach ache? Everything is in bloom around here, and it’s gorgeous. I hadn’t had a single sniffle until Tuesday, when my husband pointed out that our front porch was coated in pollen. Sure enough. It was thick enough to see McKenna’s little foot prints in it. Since then I’ve been sneezing like crazy whenever I go outside. Is it possible I brought this on myself?
Hopefully the rain will clear it all out so I can be a good mommy and play outside with my daughter.
Have a great weekend everybody!
A museum hijacking
18 April 2010
Saturday afternoon found me being forced into a tour of a small town museum. I didn’t mind going into the museum, I didn’t even mind perusing it. I did not, however, need one of the employees there to take it upon herself to enlighten me on what she perceived to be the wonders of the museum. For whatever reason, this very nice woman latched on to me while my husband wandered off with our 2-year-old daughter. So unfair.
The woman proceeded to walk around with me and show me the various gems the museum boasted. Like the room that the town grocer had sponsored, which featured things from their stores from the last five generations of ownership. Probably very interesting to someone—just not me. Or photos and memorabilia from the town’s high school. If it’s not my high school, I really don’t care. And even it is was my high school, my attention span would still be pretty short.
But at least those were old objects with an actual history. The hardest ones to behave respectfully interested in were the ones where she said something like, “Someone found this in their barn. We don’t really know what its history is, but it’s really old.”
Riveting.
Same with the old wedding dress that someone had found in a thrift shop and bought for a dollar. I’m looking at that thinking, “Yeah, it’s a pretty dress, but… Why is it here?”
The highlight, however, came at the end. Staring into a glass case, she said to me, “And this is a buffalo hairball.”
I thought I must not understand correctly and said, “It’s a what?”
“A buffalo hairball. They cough them up, and those stones are in the middle. Isn’t that interesting?”
I searched wildly for something to say. “Yeah, I… I thought only cats had hairballs.”
“No, lots of animals do. Even dogs.”
“Wow, that’s… That’s really something.”
Fortunately we were near the exit, and my husband had just returned. He said it was time to go, I thanked the woman for her time, and we escaped.
Short of faking early labor, I really had no idea how to get out of that situation. Ben had already stolen McKenna, who’s my normal excuse.
Have you ever been totally hijacked like that? Do you go through the effort of finding a respectful way to excuse yourself, or do you suck it up and allow 20 minutes of your time to get sucked away looking at weird old stuff with little to no interesting history?
Writing Characters who are Older Than You
19 April 2010
On Go Teen Writers today, I’m answering a writer’s question about how to handle writing characters who are older than you. As usual, I’ll be back here tomorrow. See you then!
Thank You Notes
20 April 2010
Yesterday afternoon, I received a package in the mail from Harmony Middle School, where I spoke at Career Day two Fridays ago. It was so thick that at first I thought, “Did they not want the bookmarks I left? The librarian said it would be okay…”
Nope. Instead, it was 32 very sweet, very well-written thank you notes. What a classy move on the part of the administration.
I’m not a fan of being the center of attention, so public speaking isn’t exactly my thing. I’m not eloquent or articulate, nor do I feel particularly interesting. And the students were, in general, super quiet during question time, so I really wasn’t sure how I’d come across at Career Day or if they got anything out of my talk.
Here are a few snippets from their notes:
“Dear Mrs. Morrill, Thank you so much for taking time to come to Harmony and interest us about the thrill of becoming an author! I never knew how long the process was in writing a book…”
“…I’m so glad I got the opportunity to hear a hard-working novelist like you share your story. I admire your determination and have a strong interest in writing. I learned that a lot of effort is needed to be in your profession. I’m looking forward to reading your books!…”
“…You really encouraged me that if I’m dedicated and work hard, anything’s possible…”
“…I have always loved writing and hearing about your journey to get where you are now helped me a lot!…”
“…First, I want to say congratulations on your baby on the way! Writing is one thing I have always loved to do. When I heard you talking about your ideas and how you came to writing, it reminded me of myself…”
I didn’t have to leaf through the whole pile to find these gems. These are five pulled from the first ten I looked through. They are all excellent thank you notes. Most remembered that I’m married and addressed me as Mrs. Morrill, one obviously remembered that I was pregnant, and almost all of them spoke specifically about my presentation.
You think I’m more likely to go back next year if invited? Absolutely.
Happy Wednesday and go Thunderbirds!
A Bookish Friday – Goodreads.com
22 April 2010
Awhile back, my friend, Kelli, suggested I join Goodreads. And the obsession began.
Goodreads is basically a social networking site for readers. I actually hate the social networking aspect and mostly ignore it. (Especially authors sending me messages recommending their own books. Ugh.)
But the list person in me adores Goodreads. My entire life, someone would say to me, “Hey, you should read such-and-such,” and I’d be like, “Okay.” Then I’d totally forget. I had no method for tracking books I wanted to read. A few years ago, I started keeping a list on Amazon, but it was annoying because I didn’t necessarily want to own the books, I just wanted to read them.
I’m in the process now of uploading all the books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read. Thus far I’ve done one—_Rekindled_ by Tamera Alexander. I don’t lack interest in the project, just free time.
If you’re a reader and a list person, you should definitely check out Goodreads. There’s also Shelfari, but there was some pretty negative talk on my writers loops about how Shelfari raped their address book, so I never checked it out. So far Goodreads hasn’t minded me being anti-social.
Also, if you write young adult fiction, I wrote a “how to” sort of article for a blog featuring various genres. Some people apparently view me as knowing what I’m doing. Shh, don’t tell them I don’t.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
You know you’re a parent of a toddler…
25 April 2010
When the highlight of your weekend is your 2-year-old looking up at you from the bathtub and saying, “Mommy, I need to go pee.” Then actually sitting on the potty and peeing. She received lots of applause and a piece of Pez from her Santa Claus Pez dispenser.
Alternately, the low point of the weekend came around 9:30—well past bedtime—when she asked to sit on the potty, then did nothing for five minutes but chat with me about her Santa Claus Pez dispenser. Until I took her off the potty, and then she began to scream, “I need to go potty!”
“No, honey,” I said in my calmest Mommy voice. “You just tried and didn’t need to go. Now it’s time to go to sleep.”
“No! I need to go potty!”
“Then you can go in your diaper.”
“No! I need candy!”
So while it’s possible we’ll get this child potty trained, it’s also possible that we’ve created a monster.
Living la vida Athleta
26 April 2010
I’ve been a little obsessed with my Athleta catalog recently.
Like I dog-eared pages and bored my husband with everything in there that I think is remotely cute. Later that night, I found my catalog in the to-be-recycled catalog. I’m sure Ben put it in there out of self-preservation. No worries – I rescued it.
Everything Athleta sells is incredibly expensive because the descriptions include things like, “moisture-wicking fabric” and “rated UPF50+.” Are these things I actually need? Of course not. My daily work out is following my 2-year-old around outside, looking for worms.
And yet I look at these pictures of girls my age doing yoga on the beach in their “Chaturanga” yoga shorts or hitting the trails in their skorts, and I think, “You know, I don’t think any of my pants are ‘optimal for coverage, durability, and packability.’ I need these for my camelback adventures in the Sahara.”
In short, if I was a little looser with my credit card, I’d be a marketing department’s dream shopper.
Stephanie Morrill: Delinquent
27 April 2010
I used to be an extremely organized person. Largely because I didn’t have a whole lot to do.
Now I’m a decently organized person who occasionally has a messy office and forgets doctor appointments. And, apparently, to pay her wastewater bill.
The bill arrived on Saturday on pre-printed letterhead declaring me a “Delinquent!” Below that it said, “Due upon receipt,” but in a way that was made to look like someone had stamped it on there. Is the fake-stamp supposed to drive home what an inconvenience I’ve been? Like because I failed to pay my wastewater bill, someone was forced to sit at a desk and stamp my second notice? It’s insulting, really.Yet effective. I immediately wrote the check and popped my overdue bill in the mail.
I haven’t properly educated myself on what all our wastewater company does, but I’m pretty darn sure I don’t want them turning it off.
Marriage and Backpacking
28 April 2010
About 3 years ago, Ben said to me, “I’m thinking about taking up backpacking.”
To which I was like, “Uh, okay. Knock yourself out.”
I had no idea how much this seemingly casual comment was going to impact my life.
I’ve now been hiking more times in the last couple years than I had in my entire life. The people at our local Backwoods recognize me when I walk in. (Apparently I made quite an impression when I walked in with a sticky note with the brand, size, and color of the backpack my husband wanted and said, “I need one of these, please.”) I not only know the backpacking brands, many of them are starting to fill my side of the closet too.
When people argue against marriage, I often hear them say things like, “People change. You can’t possibly know who you’ll be in 25 years. Or who they’ll be.” I don’t know what it’s like in other marriages, but in the last 6 years, Ben and I have only grown to be more similar. Would I have ever thought that I’d need my own account at www.SteepandCheap.com? And yet, as of today, I have one.
The crazy things we do for love.
Book Friday – Uglies … Finally
29 April 2010
It’s been a good long time since we’ve had a traditional Book Friday on here. That’s because I’ve been reading Uglies for the last month. Crazy.
There were two reasons why it took so long.
1. So much to do, and so little energy these days.
2. I wasn’t super into it.I don’t know that it’s the book’s fault because I was reading in ten to fifteen minute chunks, and that’s never good for getting into a story. But regardless of the reason, I was about halfway through Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies before I became engrossed.
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In Tally’s world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent “ugly” into a stunningly attractive “pretty.” You get moved to a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks, Tally will be there with all her other friends who have already turned.
In the meantime, Tally makes a new friend—Shay. Shay isn’t sure she wants to be pretty. She’d rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: hunt down her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all.
Here’s five things I loved about this book:
1. The sheer creativity. This is a brilliant idea with a fabulous message to go along with it.
2. How challenging Tally’s world was. I often felt just as clueless as she did about what she should choose to do.
3. The unexpected love story. It seriously came out of nowhere. (And, oddly, that’s around the time I started really digging this book. Hmm … wonder what kind of writer I am?)
4. The symbolism. Westerfeld masterfully uses a beautiful weed to symbolize the “Pretty” world. (Or at least I think that’s what it symbolized…)
5. The ending. Fabulous stuff. I didn’t see it coming at all, and about ten minutes after closing the book, I was on my computer placing a hold on a copy of Pretties at the library.
And a bonus one—this book is incredibly clean. Clean as in, whenever McKenna’s interested, she’ll be allowed to read it.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! See you back here on Monday.