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“Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading” Release

July 14, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve got to give a shout-out to a member of my critique group who had his first book signing last night. Congrats to Tommy Greenwald on the release of his MG novel Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading.

This book has a great hook for reluctant readers with a main character who may possibly be the most reluctant reader ever (and he gives tips on how to get out of reading), but it is also full of great characters, hilarious moments, and a fun plot that enthusiastic readers will enjoy. (And really, even though Tommy is in my critique group, I’m not the least bit biased.)

At the book event, Tommy shared a few of his favorite tips that Charlie Joe gives the readers. Here’s a few of my favorites:

Tip #2: “Never read a book by someone whose name you can’t pronounce.” (I must confess that I don’t adhere to this particular rule. Otherwise I never would have picked up Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.)

Tip #4: “If you want girls to like you, don’t read.” (Not a particular concern for me, but I could see how the target audience might be interested in this tip.)

Tip #9: “Reading can make you fat.” (And I thought I was getting fat because of the whole pregnancy thing…I guess I’ll have to cut back on my reading.)

Tip #20: “When you’re more than halfway through a book, pick up the pace, skim a bit, and get it over with as quickly as possible.” (I have done this one before…not often, but there are some books that I’ve had to read and just couldn’t connect with.)

Tip #25: “When finishing a book, never look at it again.” (With this tip, Charlie Joe makes ten suggestions on what to do with the book…my favorite, “Wrap bacon around it and give it to the dogs.” Proof positive that everything is better with bacon!)

I’m afraid you’ll have to read the book to find out what the others are. Next up, I’ve got some more good reading when I share the latest round of magnetic poetry!

Random Thoughts: Quasars, Artists, Storytelling, Soccer

July 2, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve had lots of disparate thoughts going through my brain lately and it seems this post is a reflection of that.

First off, astrologists recently found a giant quasar that appears to be not only the brightest object ever found, but also the most distant and earliest quasar ever detected. Quasars are of particular interest to me because they are found the center of young galaxies and surround black holes (you all should know by now how much black holes fascinate me). Who doesn’t want to learn more about a super-bright object that is massively powerful and full of energy?

On an artistic discoveries, check out this cartoon called “Born Like an Artist.” I wonder what the anthropomorphic personification of my artistic soul looks like? I’m not sure it would be an animal. I think it might be something more abstract…maybe some kind of squiggle or a bouncy, round face.

And to combine two of my intellectual loves, here’s a periodic table of storytelling. A couple of “elements” that caught my eye are Jhg, 1wa, Mpb, and Gtb.

Over at Diversity in YA Fiction, the authors are challenging readers to diversity their reading choices. Publicly post an essay about your diverse reading experience and you have a chance at winning “a giant collections of fabulous MG and YA books.”

Finally, a third love of mine (soccer) is being showcased on a worldwide stage this summer. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 earlier this week. I was pleased to see that the women’s games are getting just as much TV coverage as the men did last summer.

Where have your thoughts been taking you lately?

Taking It to Breath

June 24, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

“Take it to breath” is something my yoga (one of the few sanctioned exercises for pregnant ladies!) instructor says during her classes. Now admittedly, yoga can be a little touchy-feely at times, but this phrase has resonated with me lately.

I interpret “take it to breath” to be a sort of mantra you can use when feeling stressed. For those things you don’t have control over or the things that stress you that can’t be changed, stop worrying about it, and “take it breath.” Breathe in and understand that this thing is stressing you out but there’s nothing you can do about it; breathe out and let it go.

Not that I really believe that you can just breathe away all your stresses, but I think having a way to identify the source of the stress and trying to rid your mind of it is helpful. And beyond visualizing this happening to have an action to go along with it (if you can even call breathing an action) solidifies the technique.

So to all my stress sources (worrying about being healthy for The Boy, getting ready for The Boy’s arrival, my hubby’s health and well-being, work, frustration over my writing, and all the million other little things that pile up over the course of days, weeks, and months), I am taking a deep breath in and now I am exhaling you all out Big Bad Wolf style (I don’t even think the third pig’s brick house would stand a chance with me!).

If that doesn’t work, surely a weekend away with the girls in Newport, RI should help. What do you do to relieve the stress?

Putting Good In and Getting Good Out

June 13, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

The hubby and I tried kale for the first time today. It was scary not only because I was trying something new (I’ve never been an adventurous foodie) but also because I also had to clean and cook it myself. Turns out, kale is actually pretty good. I think we may even eat it again.

A bunch of it came in our first farm share basket of the year. We signed up for the farm share in part to support our local farm, in part to have access to fresh veggies every Friday without having to go to the grocery store, and in part to try new healthy things.

I love this time of year for all the fresh produce that is available…I’m talking hyper-local produce, like the kind you can pick yourself and enjoy right in the field (I’m looking forward to the fresh strawberries I’ll be picking this weekend at another local farm).

I even have my own veggie garden, which is not nearly as big as my father’s, but it works for the hubby and I. This year I’m growing peas (I picked the first ones today and added them to the salad we had with dinner), bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and probably green beans.

It’s not that I’m a super healthy, granola-eating, tree-hugging person. I do care about the environment and try to make an effort to be green, but I really like the way fresh food tastes. And I’ve been trying to subscribe to the idea that when you put good things in (whether that be into your body or mind), good things come out (and yes, I see the obvious poop reference here, but that’s not what I’m talking about).

So I’m working on putting good thoughts into my writing, and hopefully getting good writing out of it. And putting good food into my body, and hopefully getting good energy out of it. And putting good green vibes out to the earth, and hopefully making the world a little better place in which to live. Okay, now I am starting to sound a little granolaey.

What do you put in and hope to get out of it?

The Insanity of Being a Writer

June 5, 2011 / Katie L. Carroll

I come across a lot of quotes in my day job as puzzle master (i.e. puzzle magazine editor). After a while, it seems I’ve seen them all. One in particular, though, always makes me think of my pursuit to be a published author.

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”

I’ve seen this quote attributed to Albert Einstein, Rita Mae Brown, and an Alcoholics Anonymous publication. Where ever it came from, I think it’s interesting that this definition of insanity could actually apply to many writers.

As writers, we are constantly sending out work and getting rejections. Then we turn right back around and send that work out again and hope for a different response. Does that make us optimistic? Persistent? Confident in our work? Well, according to the above quote, it could actually make us insane.

True, because we don’t keep sending our work to the same person over and over again that might not make us insane. Yet I still can’t help but feel like the whole submission process, even when there is hope of an agent or editor who has never seen your work connecting with it, is insane (and masochistic!).

It’s like saying, “Here is my manuscript, a snapshot of my heart and soul in words. I’ve been working on it for months, years, maybe even decades. Please take a look at it. I know you’ll probably say it isn’t ‘right’ for you. Maybe you’ll even hate it. Maybe you won’t even read it before rejecting it. No matter, when you reject me, I’ll take it personally, even though I know I shouldn’t, and I’ll feel like my work isn’t good enough…that I’m not good enough.”

And we do this over and over again. INSANE!!!

Then again, anyone who has a big dream probably has to be a little insane. When it comes to big dreams, success is almost always a long shot. And where would the world be without big dreamers? So maybe a little insanity in the right places is a good thing. I’ll just keep telling myself that anyway!