Poisonous Words

I've been lucky in that I've never had a problem with trolls on my blog, so please don't think I'm pointing fingers at any of you. However, the casual way that people use words to injure others in all forms of social media bothers me. A difference of opinion on religion or politics, sports, or even a book review on Goodreads makes it okay to attack someone, whether you know them or not.

I don't think so.

A story I read today made me wonder if part of the problem could simply be that people (other than the trolls) aren't aware of what they're doing. Being right or being funny (in that moment) takes precedence over the other person's feelings. In the story I read, Balpreet Kaur (the victim) responded with an explanation of her religious beliefs that garnered an apology. Understanding and goodwill prevailed. Kaur went on to state: "I do not think explaining myself and the way I am is a waste of energy because storytelling in itself is a way to fight the apathy in this world." Explaining leads to understanding. Both require more time and thought than it takes to mock or attack someone who is different than us, but fighting apathy and poison is worth the effort.

This isn't a problem that we can solve by turning off our computers. The poison spills over into our schools and our interactions with others. So, the next time you vehemently disagree with someone (whether you're interacting in person or over the internet), stop to ask yourself whether being right is more important than understanding where the other person is coming from.

I will make more of an effort. 

THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET Winner

Jenilyn Collings, I need your mailing address.

Thanks to everyone who entered. If you love fairy tales, you should read THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET. It's the best fairy tale related story that I've read all year (in several years). Happy reading! :o)

MMGM: THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET Giveaway

Long time readers of this blog won't be surprised that I've been looking forward to Shelley Moore Thomas's MG debut, THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET. I love her picture books. If you have little ones, I hope you've read her Good Knight books to them. In my opinion, they make the Top Three Easy Readers list (along with Mo Willems's Elephant and Piggie and Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge).

But you probably aren't here for my easy reader recommendations.

Isn't the cover gorgeous? It reminds me of this portrait that Peter Paul Rubens painted of Helene Fourment and her children.

After her mother dies, an eleven-year-old Trinket takes her father's map and her best friend on a journey to find out why her father, a wandering bard, disappeared when she was six. This larger story is made up of seven smaller ones that Trinket collects (because she wants to be a bard, like her father). They are all beautiful, but my favorite two stories are The Harp of Bone and Hair and The Old Burned Man and the Hound. I love the idea of a magical lullaby, and there was something about Trinket's interaction with the little selkie boy in The Harp of Bone and Hair that tugged at my heart strings. I can't say why I loved the other story without the worst kind of spoilers, so you'll have to discover the nature of that tale on your own.

The writing is flawless, lyrical, and I thought it an interesting parallel that a storyteller would write a story about a girl becoming a storyteller. I highly recommend this one.

The trailer:

I am giving away a copy of THE SEVEN TALES OF TRINKET  and a seal trinket box. The trinket box reminded me of the sealskins that are featured in The Harp of Bone and Hair, and besides, it's pretty. This giveaway is only for US residents, and it will end this Wednesday, September 19th, at midnight (PDT).

If you're looking for more Marvelous Middle Grades, Shannon Whitney Messenger has the links.

If you'd like to know more about Shelley Moore Thomas and her books, you can check out  her website (where she is otherwise known as the StoryQueen).



Have a Marvelous Monday!

Peaches

About four years ago, I bought a tiny peach tree at our local hardware store. The label referred to it as a Pixie Dwarf something or other, and an employee said that it would probably never reach my height. But I needed a small tree. That first year, it set over 150 peaches. I still don't know how it managed, but I picked them as soon as they appeared. A single ripe peach would have broken any one of its branches. I didn't let the tree keep any fruit the next year, either. Last year, I left six on the tree to ripen, but the birds and insects ate them before we could. I did taste the one peach that was only half eaten, and it was delicious. 

Not long after that, I read a blog post that described how to pick peaches before they ripened and then ripen them between linen napkins. Well, I thought, I have linen napkins. This year, we ended up with over 50 peaches that I picked early and ripened between my napkins, and they tasted every bit as good as if they'd been ripened on the tree. So I'm sharing.

I'm also sharing my peach custard pie recipe. The pie crust recipe was my mother's, and it has spoiled my enjoyment of the pasty, tasteless stuff that usually passes for pie crust. But if you wish to use your own pie crust or the frozen variety, just prick the bottom and cook it for about 10 minutes first.

Mom's Flakey Pie Crust

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup oil

1/4 to 1/2 cup cold water

Mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and combine, but don't overdo it; mixing for too long will make your crust tough. This should make two pie shells. 

The Finished Product

Peach* Custard Pie (makes two)

I usually peel and slice about eight cups of peaches. Don't ever make this with frozen or canned peaches (yes, I did); this pie is only as good as the peaches you use in it. Arrange your peaches in the two pie shells (that have been baked for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F) so that they fill most of the pan but don't exceed the top. You want them mostly submerged in custard.

Next, I beat four or five eggs (with a fork),

add a cup of sugar (and beat it in),

1/3 cup of flour (still beating),

2 teaspoons of vanilla (beating).

Then I sprinkle the mixture with nutmeg and cinnamon, 

stir in 2 cups of milk,

and pour the mixture over the peaches.

Bake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit, and cool thoroughly to let the custard set up. I like it best cold. But whether you eat yours warm or cold, make sure you store it in your refrigerator.

*You may substitute other fruits. I certainly have. Mixing fresh cherries with peaches is especially good. 

  

TBW Revision Finished!

Well, this draft is finished anyway. There will be more.

I've added over 20,000 words, so now TBW (which is a YA fantasy) has 80,108 words, 291 pages. And I've transferred it from the dinosaur (my old PC without internet) to Mount Doom (the MacBook I'm writing this post from).

"So, why is a raven like a writing desk?"

Do any of you know where this question comes from? Perhaps you have an answer. Mine would have something to do with dreams at the moment. That might have something to do with the story I've been working on, or it might be that I'm longing for my pillow.

Happy August! 

MMGM: THE FALSE PRINCE

THE FALSE PRINCE, by Jennifer Nielson, released on April 1, 2012, and I love it so much that I've given it as a birthday present twice. It reminds me of THE WHIPPING BOY, by Sid Fleischman, and of THE THIEF, by Megan Whalen Turner.

The blurb on Goodreads tells the stakes without giving away too much information about Sage and Conner:


"THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.


In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.


As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.


An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats."


I highly recommend this one (for about fourth grade on up) to anyone who enjoys adventure mixed with intrigue. I'd place it in the top three books I've read this year, along with THREE TIMES LUCKY (which is available now) and KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES.

If you're looking for more middle-grade, Shannon Messenger has the links. Have a Marvelous Monday!

Ironing Squirrels*

If you've seen Pixar's UP, you're already familiar with using squirrels as a metaphor for distraction. You could say I've been chasing squirrels in my manuscript more than usual this year, trying to find the right beginning. One of my CPs and I thought we'd figured out the perfect place to start. I still love that beginning. But it ended up being too far into the story. I couldn't figure out a way to incorporate the necessary backstory without adding a major info-dump or a lot of little distractions. I moved my beginning around until I actually came back to the first thing I'd written from the point-of-view of the character whose story I chose to tell. There were three characters I could have told the story through. And even though I've started in the same place, it has little in common with my first attempt.

Through all of these drafts, the story has evolved. This month, I've added around 20,000 words, and that doesn't include the thousands that I've deleted. I'd say that I'm about 50 pages away from finishing my current draft, but I already know I'll be adding more pages tonight. I'm catching squirrels, ironing wrinkles, and trying not to mix my metaphors. ;o)

Seriously, I've been moving plot points around, redefining who my characters are, and setting up the ending. I've also been removing the word "looked" a lot. I am so grateful for brilliant readers (CPs) who are willing to share their reactions and suggestions, especially Krista (whose sharp eyes caught every "looked" and "turned to look" in my manuscript) and Q (whose rants directed at the MC have inspired character revision, laughter, and a deep seated suspicion that she prefers the boy to my main character). Mwah! :D

If you're looking for feedback on your own writing, WriteOnCon (a free online conference for writers) is open for registration. This will be their third year. I participated in both of their previous conferences, and I highly recommend it. I loved their addition of Ninja Agents last year, and they've said they'll have them commenting in the forums again this year.

I realize that not all of you are writers. Thank you for bearing with my string of posts on revision and for my lack of posts in general. Whether you're a writer or not, what have you been up to this month? I'm SO not ready for summer to be over. Are you?

*No squirrels were harmed in the writing of this blog post or during the revision of my current draft.