tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86449211550714186352024-03-19T05:52:29.835-05:00Reading Writing RachelRachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-58742651215465476122013-05-07T10:50:00.002-05:002013-05-07T11:00:52.886-05:00SCHOOL SPIRITS! A WEEK FROM TOOODAAAY!Sooooo, I think we can all agree that I'm the worst blogger ever, right? Right. In case you were afraid I died, I DID NOT (obvi), but I'm more often on <a href="http://hexybellerachel.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/LadyHawkins">Twitter</a> these days, so if you haven't found me there, go check it out!<br />
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There's actually a chance this blog may not last that much longer as I will be working on some New Fancy Internet Stuff in the near future, but for now, I wanted to be sure y'all knew that I have a BRAND NEW BOOK and it is coming out in SEVEN DAYS! Yes! Just one week!<br />
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Said book is School Spirits, a spin-off to Hex Hall featuring one Isolde Brannick. There is kissing and jokes and a seriously pissed off ghost and a dude who wears too much purple and pretty much all the things you've come to expect from my books. :)<br />
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<em>It is also very pretty.</em></div>
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I'll be touring for this book, and will be posting dates/times very, very soon now (here, and also on Twitter/Tumblr, so seriously, go find me.) As for where you can find the book, obviously your local bookstore is bestm but online, you can try <a href="http://www.amazon.com/School-Spirits-Hex-Hall-Novel/dp/1423148495">here</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/school-spirits-rachel-hawkins/1113785620">here</a>, and <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781423148494">here</a>! And if you'd like to read PW's lovely starred review of it, <a href="http://publishersweekly.com/978-1-4231-4849-4">you can do that, too!</a><br />
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XOXO!!<br />
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RRachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-62121440811305586822012-07-28T09:18:00.000-05:002012-07-28T09:18:38.138-05:00For Daddy, 15 Years LaterToday is the 15th anniversary of my dad's death. I've talked about that in a couple of other posts (namely <a href="http://readingwritingrachel.blogspot.com/2012/01/fault-in-our-stars-or-why-i-finally.html">here</a> and <a href="http://readingwritingrachel.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-memoriam-william-moore.html">here</a>), and I always try to mark it on the blog in some way. This year, I'm doing it with this, the song we had sung at his funeral.
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I really, really love it, and think this cover is especially beautiful.
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The song comes from a poem by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Szenes">Hannah Senesh </a>(who you should all go read about because honestly, what a bad-ass), and the lyrics roughly translate to:
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<b>My God, My God,
May these things never end:
</b><br />
<b>The sand and the sea
</b><br />
<b>The crash of the water
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<b>The lightning in the sky
</b><br />
<b>The prayers of Man</b>.
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I think that's as good a tribute as any.
XOXO.Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-17707595515395486942012-06-01T09:24:00.003-05:002012-06-01T09:24:30.353-05:00JUNE SPLOONI tried to do this here on my regular blog, but then it was being all DUMB and my pictures were ending up in the middle of text and everything was all SQUASHED TOGETHER and I hated it and had to go to my Ancient and Unused LJ to post this. SIGH.
But if you haven't heard me on Twitter, this month, were are SPLOONING, and <a href="http://rachel-hawkins.livejournal.com/2630.html">you can read all about it HERE!</a>
XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-24421529845292011752012-04-06T17:43:00.004-05:002012-04-06T18:10:04.550-05:00Links And Shizz!Mes Anges! It's been so long! I hope you are all well! I am well, and HOME after 3 weeks on the road. Tour was amaaaaazing this year. Like, it's been excellent every year, but this year was especially lovely. I think it's because Ally Carter was there, and if you've never met Ally, well let me just tell you: You know how her books are hilarious and charming and lovely? She is EQUALLY IF NOT MORE SO hilarious and charming and lovely. We had such a good time that eventually, Hyperion had to send her to Seattle and me to Miami, thus putting an entire CONTINENT between us. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SqRT2oowigQLSoxhmLJe0m36oGyGqk_t2KP5QNGXFOnZAXzEgHBidFUE1A5hr2OR9n6V485nSUcNrN-M_Q78hdP-TxL3PBsh58HzfNHKBIQOFrl4fpaosjta7V-U0GLjo84ror9eY52X/s1600/Allyrachel"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3SqRT2oowigQLSoxhmLJe0m36oGyGqk_t2KP5QNGXFOnZAXzEgHBidFUE1A5hr2OR9n6V485nSUcNrN-M_Q78hdP-TxL3PBsh58HzfNHKBIQOFrl4fpaosjta7V-U0GLjo84ror9eY52X/s320/Allyrachel" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728427646722894114" /></a><br /><em>Pictured: Too much fun. At least we're in the right state. If you came to see us, you know why this is a Major Accomplishment.</em><br /><br />But now is not the time to talk of tour, for that was but weeks ago, and I'm still recovering, Victorian Lady-Styles. So today, have a whole bunch of links!<br /><br />First off! One of my All Time Beffies, <a href="http://lindseyleavitt.blogspot.com/2012/04/whats-your-new-dream.html">Lindsey Leavitt wrote this amazing post</a> that made me Feel Feelings, and is full of The Smart and The Funny much in the way LL is herself. <br /><br />Secondly! There was this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/us/young-writers-find-a-devoted-publisher-thanks-mom-and-dad.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&src=tp&adxnnlx=1333753269-Rstojm8L+3PJj8berfj2Yg">article in the NYT </a>that ALSO made me Feel Feelings, but not in the good way. <a href="http://allycarter.com/2012/04/mini-blog-what-maureen-said/">And then my new Beffie Ally commented on it </a>very smartly while also linking to <a href="http://maureenjohnsonbooks.tumblr.com/post/20351564879/so-i-read-a-piece-in-the-new-york-times">Maureen Johnson who IN ADDITION said super smart things</a>, thus negating any need I had to write about said article. YA Ladies: Full of The Smart, Obvs.<br /><br />And for thigns full of THE SILLY, <a href="http://nonsenseiscoming.blogspot.com/">I have started blogging about Game of Thrones.</a> It's basically the same format as this blog (random pics, silly captions, CAPS LOCK ABUSE), but language may be slightly....saltier, and it IS dealing with a show on HBO. So...caution. Proceed with. (Although it's still more or less PG-13 because I am incapable of using the f-word on the Interwebz.)<br /><br />So there you have it! Happy reading, and have a fabulous Easter weekend, lovelies!<br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-35990420367969884792012-03-14T06:58:00.002-05:002012-03-14T07:02:39.115-05:00Redesign SPELL BOUND's cover!Bonjour, Mes Anges! I am frantically typing this from my hotel room in D.C., and I have a train to catch in about 30 minutes, so I must be SWIFT! (Although speaking of said train, tonight, Ally Carter and I will be at the Fairless Hills, PA B&N at 7PM! Come see us!)<br /><br />So yesterday was SPELL BOUND release day, and it was glorious and magical and the best release day I have ever had. Went to 2 awesome schools, had an AMAZING signing in Bethesda, and have enjoyed Ally's company EVER so much. And I hope all of YOU are enjoying SPELL BOUND!<br /><br />Which brings me to THIS! <a href="http://www.facebook.com/unREQUIREDREADING/app_189169181193923">Hyperion is doing a REALLY fun contest that lets you- yes, YOU!- make your own cover for SPELL BOUND!</a> And I get to judge the Ultimate Grand Supreme Winner! <br /><br />This is where I'd put a picture of a kid from Toddlers and Tiaras with a pithy caption, but I have NO TIME.<br /><br />There's lots of fun stuff to win, so go check it out!<br /><br />And hope to see some of you on the rode! <br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-12980964177405188852012-03-07T12:12:00.007-06:002012-03-07T12:38:52.939-06:00NEWS! And UPDATES!AHHHH LESS THAN A WEEEEEEEEK!! And then you can all read SPELL BOUND, and I can TALK about it! And THEN I can tell y'all more about UPCOMING BOOKS, and I will be SO HAPPY and hopefully SO WILL YOU. :)<br /><br />But for today, I have some "housekeeping" things to discuss. First off, there's been a change to some of my tour plans, so I wanted to update y'all RE: that. I'll also be changing the original blog post, but I wanted to make SURE the news got out, hence extra bloggage. <br /><br /><strong>1) BOSTON LOVELIES</strong>! I will now be doing a signing at Wellesley Books on THURSDAY, MARCH 29 from 4-6PM. Originally, I was only doing school visits that Friday, so this is actually a GOOD change! Now there will be a public event!<br /><br /><strong>2) MIAMI LOVELIES</strong>! You actually get the REVERSE news. I will NOT be doing a public event at Books and Books, just school visits. HOWEVER, I will be signing stock and pre-orders there, so if you want a signed copy, please call the store and they can hook you up!<br /><br /><strong>3) CINCINNATI LOVELIES</strong>! I am now doing an event for Y'ALL. MARCH 21st at 7PM, I'll be at the Groesbeck Library.<br /><br />WHEW. Okay, that's all the updates, but while we're talking about tour, lemme answer a few questions I've gotten about it.<br /><br /><strong>A) RACHEL! Will books be for sale at all the events?</strong><br /><br />Probably? Definitely at the bookstores. But I always recommend calling the venue and checking with them.<br /><strong><br /><br />B) RACHEL! Can I bring other books for you to sign? Like the 1st two in the series?</strong><br /><br />ABSOLUTELY! I will sign anything you got! I'm supposed to say stuff like, "But be respectful of other people in line and don't bring too much, etc." BUT WHO AM I KIDDING? You bring it, I'll sign it. And it's not like I'm Stephenie Meyer, so lines will probably not be that big of a deal.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZnvShKnYC4UvGZKXOHtGll3DbEZh9RoejrKNDEPVnpOiwfdb2LN0aiEkqz-KqdCmrm1qoKO2QGXQl3hNoV2MbTfTgDKDr0pCvVnGF81JG5YxVbfC6dExigabyMxWam9ijVcyGZtOZ-Fd/s1600/signingline.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGZnvShKnYC4UvGZKXOHtGll3DbEZh9RoejrKNDEPVnpOiwfdb2LN0aiEkqz-KqdCmrm1qoKO2QGXQl3hNoV2MbTfTgDKDr0pCvVnGF81JG5YxVbfC6dExigabyMxWam9ijVcyGZtOZ-Fd/s320/signingline.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717224046101293890" /></a><br /><em>Pictured: Not My Signing Line</em><br /><br /><strong>C) RACHEL! Do I have to buy my copy of SPELL BOUND at the place holding the event?</strong><br /><br />Not technically, but if you can, OMG YOU GUYS THAT IS SUCH A NICE THING TO DO. See, signings are EXPENSIVE for stores, so they wanna make some money off yours truly, and I want to keep getting to GO to fabulous stores, and if I don't sell that many books, stores will be like, "LOL THAT RACHEL HAWKINS,NO ONE BUYS HER BOOKS, NEVER AGAIN SHALL SHE DARKEN OUR DOOR." Or something like that. And it's always awesome to support your local bookstore.<br /><br /><strong>D) RACHEL! Will I need tickets for anything?</strong><br /><br />Again, call the place. Honestly, they just tell me where to go and when to be there, and occasionally they attach a note reminding me that I will be out in PUBLIC and therefore must wear ACTUAL PANTS. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmwkiG1w8D8TXE_AAGOfDJdPrLv6kRQdEe8F9CcX35yH_P68Om_ML9HcT5rGIxzFFMWMkKG_2Zhs1y1DF_kxZD05I3WARq5xOrfrTftqKLTh5aT8b1N0FXsUKM7C3DZyPPXdUMykl4VGw/s1600/yogapants.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmwkiG1w8D8TXE_AAGOfDJdPrLv6kRQdEe8F9CcX35yH_P68Om_ML9HcT5rGIxzFFMWMkKG_2Zhs1y1DF_kxZD05I3WARq5xOrfrTftqKLTh5aT8b1N0FXsUKM7C3DZyPPXdUMykl4VGw/s320/yogapants.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717224950123451106" /></a><br /><em>"Yes, Rachel, we know that they're comfy, but these are what we like to think of as 'Inside Pants.'"</em><br /><br /><br />And there we have it!<br /><br />Oh! But WAIT! I also promised NEWS! Some of you may have seen me talking about this on Twitter, but if you HAVEN'T, I am sooooooo excited to announce that I'm going to be in an ANTHOLOGY! Specifically, <a href="http://defythedark.com/">this one here</a>, coming out form Harper Teen in 2013. (2013 would ALSO be the year I have 2 books coming out in back to back seasons. IT WILL BE A VERY HAWKINS YEAR, IS WHAT I'M SAYING.)<br /><br />Saundra Mitchell first told me about this antho at a thing in Houston last year. We were down at the hotel bar, and she was like, "I wanna put together a book about the DARK, both literal and metaphorical, and there will be all TYPES of stories, and it will be AMAZEBALLS!" <br /><br />And I was all, "Huzzah! Can I write a story about [mythical creature redacted]?" And Saundra blinked, looked at my wine glass to see how much I'd already had to drink, and then, solidifying my love for her forever, said, "YES! DO THAT!"<br /><br />So I did. It's a story I've wanted to tell for a very long time. I actually came up with it on a drive through the woods with The Husband (back when he was The Boyfriend.) As I kept telling the story, his eyes got bigger and bigger, and when I was done, he said, "Rachel, that is MESSED UP. But you should write it down."<br /><br />And now, about twelve years later, I HAVE. :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMdG2ytSRWi5LVQbFDxFSCOJx2nB4y1j-L6mZ3tihn4p_91MJvp2qVz-4U78k-W1uaasfcGpvR9_YZF6Pbo_HiK3cAXVNwHZRYTP6ooldKaijerfdCEUiZ5cjAPG-A0Wo8MKWmPkvuEJ0/s1600/manticre.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMdG2ytSRWi5LVQbFDxFSCOJx2nB4y1j-L6mZ3tihn4p_91MJvp2qVz-4U78k-W1uaasfcGpvR9_YZF6Pbo_HiK3cAXVNwHZRYTP6ooldKaijerfdCEUiZ5cjAPG-A0Wo8MKWmPkvuEJ0/s320/manticre.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717224242558943826" /></a><br /><em>No, I didn't write about a manticore. YET.</em><br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-21247415055476786332012-02-24T07:51:00.005-06:002012-02-24T08:20:32.464-06:00TOUR DATES!Mes Anges! We are less than THREE WEEKS AWAY from SPELL BOUND coming out! I am EXCITED!! Are YOU excited? <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6NDsJdKgP498Q5IRcm2d1mv5tN7A7UbcoDYvvICOIM4e9jfzLns1TjJ0oki-DFC8aniw8h7Ak2Kjmv89p8B07sIAHdI4OgcwUias794dl27HPCA_kGL5qWw1OFZgloDFFvE01mWMMHF_/s1600/BooksNew"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6NDsJdKgP498Q5IRcm2d1mv5tN7A7UbcoDYvvICOIM4e9jfzLns1TjJ0oki-DFC8aniw8h7Ak2Kjmv89p8B07sIAHdI4OgcwUias794dl27HPCA_kGL5qWw1OFZgloDFFvE01mWMMHF_/s320/BooksNew" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712701346084629330" /></a><br /><em>EEEE NEW RELEASES! WHATEVER COULD BE IN THIS BOX?</em><br /><br /><br />As we get closer and closer, I'll have more goodies (sneak previews, some "behind the scenes" stuff, and of course, that Cal story I still owe y'all). There's also a SUPER fun contest coming up that you can read more about <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/50468-disney-publishing-launches-unrequired-reading-cover-contest.html">HERE</a>!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEherij-EwnpdJgxYDArxqvtuSi6ZykmdaPUucBSwWy_hXXkPtCxg6R_kQkK93WAlzgcQnMKhdW3gN9bVtX24xMFd8U1VJNyC1Qbc7wIsIuV9Kj8aAw8KL7sBO2skKUcATo1u_SpbXnFuhv3/s1600/SpellBounds"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEherij-EwnpdJgxYDArxqvtuSi6ZykmdaPUucBSwWy_hXXkPtCxg6R_kQkK93WAlzgcQnMKhdW3gN9bVtX24xMFd8U1VJNyC1Qbc7wIsIuV9Kj8aAw8KL7sBO2skKUcATo1u_SpbXnFuhv3/s320/SpellBounds" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712701641364045394" /></a><br /><em>It will be hard to improve upon this loveliness, but if anyone can, it's YOU, Mes Anges!</em><br /><br /><br />But for now, let's talk TOUR! I'm particularly excited for the SPELL BOUND tour, both because it's always so fun to get on the road and meet readers, and also because this is *gulp* the longest tour I've ever done. Nearly 3 weeks! That's a LOT of room service!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMirU-akYaf4dlnpc4sDkHM3_0rBOuOVesuVuG96xlc_NBPYy9UbXE0ZaTazdU4aOqOs7-kXIo-L8eZ01TLahCn7ELTmZI8K1XP4r4UPpeObh-oqoIqa-OfvSBTNBewxK9bdbAH2veaa5/s1600/room-service-sop.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMirU-akYaf4dlnpc4sDkHM3_0rBOuOVesuVuG96xlc_NBPYy9UbXE0ZaTazdU4aOqOs7-kXIo-L8eZ01TLahCn7ELTmZI8K1XP4r4UPpeObh-oqoIqa-OfvSBTNBewxK9bdbAH2veaa5/s320/room-service-sop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712701945585844050" /></a><br /><em>True Tour Story: I asked my friend <a href="http://beccafitzpatrick.com/">Becca</a> for advice on my first tour, and she was like, "Remember to eat." And I was all, "LOL SWEET BECCA LIKE I WOULD EVER FORGET TO DO THAT." And then, about 3 days into tour, I found myself nearly fainting in an elevator. "OMG WHY AM I ALL SWOONY AND VICTORIAN LADYISH?" I thought to myself. And then I remembered that I hadn't eaten in, like, hours and hours and hours. Becca Fitzpatrick= Wise Lady.</em><br /><br />So without further ado, here are the places I'll be starting March 12! You'll notice I don't have times, but those will come soon. I figured the days would be good enough for now. :) OH! And WAIT! There is a bit more ado: I say this every time, but just so it's super-duper clear, <em>I have no control over where I go on tour.</em> Seriously. My publisher and the company they work with for this kind of thing pick cities based on Business-y Things like "markets" and stuff. So while I would LOVE to go everywhere, it's just not feasible. If you WOULD like me to come to your town, the best thing you can do is talk to your local bookseller or librarian, and let THEM talk to Hyperion. <br /><br />And hey, if you don't see me on THIS tour, I have several more events coming up in the spring, AND four more books coming out over the next 3 years. I'll be all over the place until AT LEAST 2015. So there's that. ;)<br /><br />OKAY NOW FOR REAL NO MORE ADO.<br /><br />SPELL BOUND TOUR DATES:<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 13: WASHINGTON D.C., </strong>Bethesda Public Library (with Ally Carter!)<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 14: FAIRLESS HILLS, PA,</strong> Barnes and Noble (with Ally Carter SOME MORE!)<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 15-16 : HARLEYSVILLE, PA AND DOYLESTOWN, PA</strong>, Harleysville Books and Booktenders.<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 17: RALEIGH, NC, </strong>Quail Ridge Books (with Ally Carter again! YAY!)<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 19: CORAL GABLES, FL</strong>, Books&Books.<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 22: DAYTON, OH</strong>, Books&Co.<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 26: JACKSON, MS</strong>, Lemuria.<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 27: OXFORD, MS</strong>, Square Books Jr.<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 28: NASHVILLE, TN</strong>, Parnassus Books.<br /><br /><strong>MARCH 30: BOSTON, MA</strong>, Wellesley Books. <br /><br /><br />PHEW. You see what I mean! That's a lot of stops! I'm super excited for all of them! If any new events pop up, I'll be sure to post them, but for now, this is all I know. Can't wait to see y'all!<br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com193tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-43487303848397572142012-01-25T18:19:00.011-06:002012-01-25T19:38:32.384-06:00The Fault In Our Stars, Or Why I Finally Read a Book About Cancer (And Am So Glad I Did.)Bon nuit, Mes Anges! Ooh, mixing it UP! That's because for once, I am actually blogging at night. And there are few things that can make me open my computer for Things That Are Not Twitter And/Or Celebrity Gossip Related. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFbjyi9jGemtkmHZwM8QQbSX29M6f73a6vdqp7PPwQBHTDHssTaJfPqgfWxf2PS7GFO4FSInxY2WEjZGRL8ljnHUvHPz5jAg0dh5kcNWEArYINR0H9oXlwq9PDsw5Y97iGTZPPsNCobcY/s1600/britney.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFbjyi9jGemtkmHZwM8QQbSX29M6f73a6vdqp7PPwQBHTDHssTaJfPqgfWxf2PS7GFO4FSInxY2WEjZGRL8ljnHUvHPz5jAg0dh5kcNWEArYINR0H9oXlwq9PDsw5Y97iGTZPPsNCobcY/s320/britney.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701741967739687538" /></a><br /><em>Britney's conservatorship is up any day now, y'all. SHE COULD BE SHAVING HER HEAD AS WE SPEAK!</em><br /><br />But today I finished reading John Green's THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, and I wanted to talk about it, and hey, what is my blog if not a place to talk about anything that strikes my fancy? First off, let me say this: I do not read books about cancer. It's something of a rule of mine. No matter how brilliant said books may be, or how moving, I want nothing to do with them. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQ6hzL-9Jy11isVSCrR9fL9Z_stViprVeIJ4HqpIpuNrtQcUaUJ3kbFT3rf9LPIf-Os6GujEVzOrLX9l1Sx9_tOgbws5QfBzeWbaDA_6JL_MEvbAFSr1bh8Jz4r0O5h6pYfToPZvjGl05/s1600/nicholas-sparks-photo.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQ6hzL-9Jy11isVSCrR9fL9Z_stViprVeIJ4HqpIpuNrtQcUaUJ3kbFT3rf9LPIf-Os6GujEVzOrLX9l1Sx9_tOgbws5QfBzeWbaDA_6JL_MEvbAFSr1bh8Jz4r0O5h6pYfToPZvjGl05/s320/nicholas-sparks-photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701742596405525906" /></a><br /><em>I SAID "brilliant" and "moving." SIT DOWN, SPARKS.</em><br /><br />As I've talked about on the blog before, cancer killed my dad when I was 17. (Specifically, skin cancer so, for the love of Pete, kids, WEAR YOUR SUNBLOCK.) This, I think, makes cancer the Count Rugen to my Inigo Montoya.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz31VjLANk53VBOmlY0AlxUgubiCQ2k8DUNPL_9OxxqJ7bTS0YJeXpFR0B6pXsS2Hm-ifthQxpEtFG7b_cEiq_Wezh5GH5lyDH4PU2kBVPc9abb-zENKsYTU4ORQ1HyniasLCeJUSpPSxy/s1600/Inigo-Montoya.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz31VjLANk53VBOmlY0AlxUgubiCQ2k8DUNPL_9OxxqJ7bTS0YJeXpFR0B6pXsS2Hm-ifthQxpEtFG7b_cEiq_Wezh5GH5lyDH4PU2kBVPc9abb-zENKsYTU4ORQ1HyniasLCeJUSpPSxy/s320/Inigo-Montoya.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701743369715368450" /></a><br /><em>Does this even really NEED the caption?</em><br /><br />And as much as I'd love to slash cancer in the face and then stab it a whole bunch, it's a disease, not a person, so I can't. And when you live with cancer, have had it go off like a nuclear blast in the middle of your family, have had it steal someone you loved so very, very much, you have- I think understandably- Feelings RE: Cancer that are both strong and weird.<br /><br />And I think my aversion to Books About Cancer is all tied up in those strong, weird feelings. Part of that is because when my dad died, lovely, well-meaning people gave me journals, knowing that I loved to write. And time and time again, they said, "One day, you'll write about this." <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRW_fPz5ZfNfLDrZHoe5o7BbnZO5EGPfVUV6eWUgL1f1FUpvjtg1pflcuMPx1bgdFBDik87R9UwGuf_PnuPRQhPYlJWpqtqPAi4BnzqHpGctE7MF7b-DVFg-FgHvoftmkqyoNQ0uLtqCe/s1600/LisaFrank2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 246px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRW_fPz5ZfNfLDrZHoe5o7BbnZO5EGPfVUV6eWUgL1f1FUpvjtg1pflcuMPx1bgdFBDik87R9UwGuf_PnuPRQhPYlJWpqtqPAi4BnzqHpGctE7MF7b-DVFg-FgHvoftmkqyoNQ0uLtqCe/s320/LisaFrank2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701743820159896994" /></a><br /><em>Sadly, none of the journals looked like this. Because that would've cheered me right on up, lemme tell you.</em><br /><br />Even then, I flinched pretty hard at that. I knew what they meant, and I knew it was said with all the love in the world, but the idea of taking the experience of my dad's illness and death- something so devastating, but still weirdly joyous, something so complicated with every emotion under the sun- and then... I don't know, turning it into something for public consumption...it just wasn't something I could ever- or <em>will ever</em>- do. <br /><br />And, I mean, my dad got sick the summer before I started high school. He died the summer before my senior year of high school. The dates were 3 years and 2 weeks apart, which is why July remains something of a cursed month for my family. If I wrote that in a book, I'm sure an editor would be all, "UM, HEAVY-HANDED WITH THE SYMBOLISM MUCH, HAWKINS?" <br /><br />But that's the thing. It wasn't a book, it was my life. And unlike a book, there's no easy answer, no magical moment when I looked up and saw a rainbow and thought, "Oh yes, my dad died, and that is sad, but life goes on, and so shall I." It was, and remains, a strange, twisty thing too complicated to sort out. Would I have still become a writer if my dad were still around? is that what pushed me into this ten years down the line? I know it made me a different person, but <em>how? </em> <br /><br />I think, too, there's that weirdly possessive attitude we get when terrible things happen to us. Like, "How dare you write a book about cancer/a car accident/a national tragedy/a random bear attack/a Surprise!Mudslide if you didn't actually EXPERIENCE those things?" <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJnikMTMj4mT8H747ZzQbcgrRVcIxr6KN8zvDbk8mGZJOU5kL6q1mQ_b6ODPIu7oW4rU6J2SwLlL_NjmfTXk0xm9486W4MrYqeOQFx3dSSGk_uwUV4mpa7ll4F4xMME4CbhfBE8Xw29j4/s1600/nights-in-rodanthe-mid.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJnikMTMj4mT8H747ZzQbcgrRVcIxr6KN8zvDbk8mGZJOU5kL6q1mQ_b6ODPIu7oW4rU6J2SwLlL_NjmfTXk0xm9486W4MrYqeOQFx3dSSGk_uwUV4mpa7ll4F4xMME4CbhfBE8Xw29j4/s320/nights-in-rodanthe-mid.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701744340383600482" /></a><br /><em>Death By Surprise!Mudslide: An Actual Thing That Happens In This Movie.</em><br /><br />And so when I see a book about cancer that seems particularly exploitative, or manipulative or whatever, I get even more, "Grrrr, CANCER BOOKS SMASH!" about the whole thing. Anyway, that's where I'm coming from as far as Books About Cancer are concerned. A lot of the time, they strike me as kind of cynical, the way certain movies can seem "Oscar Bait-y." <br /><br />But even when I heard the premise of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, I still wanted to read it, canceriness aside, because I loved John Green's stuff, and I thought, "If ANYONE can make me read a book about f***ing CANCER and NOT make me want to throw/maim things, it is John Green."<br /><br />So this week, I bought it. I read it in a day. And I'm so, so glad I did.<br /><br />I think part of the reason I could do this particular book was because there was some distance for me. This wasn't about a kid dealing with a sick parent, but rather, two sick kids dealing with the truly sh*t hand fate had dealt them. And while I could go on and on about how much Augustus and Hazel touched me as characters (because they did. Seriously, I loved those kids so hard), the biggest thing that struck me was how much John Green got it. What it's really like to live with terminal illness every day. <br /><br />Sure, it's an unwanted house guest, and you wish it would hurry up and GTFO every single day, but that doesn't mean there aren't beautiful things hidden away in its suitcase. It doesn't mean you don't still laugh and find joy in stuff. <br /><br />That was the thing The Mama and I used to talk about with Daddy: it was like everyone thought we were living these sad, tragic lives in a House of Death or something, and yes, there were days when it was very hard to be us. But there were still jokes and memories that I wouldn't trade anything for. <br /><br />(Which actually brings me to another Cancer PSA/Aside: We had a lot of people who were more wonderful than I can ever express when Daddy was sick. And we also had people who stopped coming by because it was, "too sad." Mes Anges, if someone you love is living with someone dying of cancer...how can I put this delicately? Sack the eff up. I know it might make you sad. But let me guarantee you it is making THOSE PEOPLE DEALING WITH ACTUAL CANCER IN THEIR ACTUAL HOUSE a metric buttload sadder sometimes, and they might need you. Also, it'll be good for you. See below.)<br /><br /><br />The amazing thing is, there were still way more joyful days than sad ones. And I don't mean in the schmaltzy, Sparksian ways. We didn't, like, go on magical boat rides where we put wishes into bottles or whatever it is they do in those type of Cancer Books.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5lLi8Qr0Uip6uZqgsenyLrVHLLpVwkOVZWs9Z0CaIBaRKmWnMWL-hdVSyllqhIHpGHjVULLINuKYyBY0tH1U3Fjrm_5b9559ieAL_9JHroDIGAjX7NKqcbulMmpiLQvjVw5mcGXFAR5G/s1600/couple+rowing.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5lLi8Qr0Uip6uZqgsenyLrVHLLpVwkOVZWs9Z0CaIBaRKmWnMWL-hdVSyllqhIHpGHjVULLINuKYyBY0tH1U3Fjrm_5b9559ieAL_9JHroDIGAjX7NKqcbulMmpiLQvjVw5mcGXFAR5G/s320/couple+rowing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701745851901544610" /></a><br /><em>"What did you wish for, my love?"<br />"I...I...*sniff* I wished for more time."<br />"Seriously? Because I wished for a pony. But, um, a CANCER KILLING PONY."<br />"..."</em><br /><br />Just the regular kind of happy days. Days like when my dad, who was in a wheelchair and had very slurred speech due to an aneurysm, had to show a photo ID for something. When the clerk said, eyebrows raised, "You have a driver's license?" Daddy looked him square in the face and drawled, "Yup. Scary, isn't it?"<br /><br />Days when we made fun of The Waltons, which my dad watched obsessively. Days when we were just a regular family with a sadly not that irregular thing happening to us. <br /><br />All this rambling is just to say that TFiOS captured that, and still managed to get across how grossly <em>unfair</em> cancer is. When Steve Jobs died, I said on Twitter that when cancer has taken someone you loved, you feel like everyone it takes was someone you loved. And look, I'm sure cancer has killed some real a-holes in its day, but doesn't it ALWAYS seem like it takes the best and brightest, the most loving and amazing of us? <br /><br />And to take an experience that, for me, is something I'm still sorting out and processing 15 years later, and have <em>me</em>, the girl who will break out in hives at the THOUGHT of Cancer Books, tap the pages a think, "Yes. This is it. This is exactly what it's like"...well, that's something. <br /><br />Of course, it also helps that the book is hilarious, and I probably laughed more than I cried, and at one point actually laughed WHILE crying, which was gross, but 100% worth it. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fault-Our-Stars-John-Green/dp/0525478817">Which is why you should all read it.</a><br /><br />Meanwhile, I'm sure that John Green is SO PSYCHED about my endorsement.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpHje-0rthX91TB0FImEgHkylq-z7f5Hat5_7vZ1krzhyEXPYrs5kE2uE35pNPD4EEcB3iiDoEka4s6ISWhO7I_L83qaji8LdVX7iX_5s0BkNqkRvNxEDixNZ7xQXxNpGiD4I2lWaBmqq/s1600/john_green.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpHje-0rthX91TB0FImEgHkylq-z7f5Hat5_7vZ1krzhyEXPYrs5kE2uE35pNPD4EEcB3iiDoEka4s6ISWhO7I_L83qaji8LdVX7iX_5s0BkNqkRvNxEDixNZ7xQXxNpGiD4I2lWaBmqq/s320/john_green.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701739050508224322" /></a><br /><em>"Why, yes, I know that my book is popular. It just spent 2 weeks at #1 on the NYT list, but...who? Who said people should read it? Rachel Hawkins? I...do not know who that is. Oh wait, is that the girl who writes Bulgarian pornography?"</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_1jEnY8vAaefAkCXbSTcwO4Z4YiRh8df_eNZNIfczcYSQHrDg4xHKQU-quw_eqZVAmLczrguhXUg8zVBl7mIGkevPqOu1GkEwzhM9Ih2Ninfjs12dfcBVc4z4zWB7WrmzRTsBU1m430y/s1600/HH_Bulgarian.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_1jEnY8vAaefAkCXbSTcwO4Z4YiRh8df_eNZNIfczcYSQHrDg4xHKQU-quw_eqZVAmLczrguhXUg8zVBl7mIGkevPqOu1GkEwzhM9Ih2Ninfjs12dfcBVc4z4zWB7WrmzRTsBU1m430y/s320/HH_Bulgarian.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701739604428854802" /></a><br /><em>Yes. Yes it is, John Green.</em><br /><br />Until next time! XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com148tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-2827464519463253572012-01-20T09:45:00.006-06:002012-01-20T11:27:18.238-06:00In Which Our Heroine Finds Herself In a Compromising Position In The Cellar. Again.Bonjour, Mes Anges!<br /><br />So a few months back, the lovely <a href="http://ya-sisterhood.blogspot.com/">YA Sisterhood </a>had a HEROINE TOURNEY wherein people got to pick their favorite heroines from several YA books, and lo, an excellent time was had by all. What was especially lovely was how classy people kept things. I was a wee bit afraid it would turn into, "THIS GIRL IS BETTER THAN THAT GIRL BECAUSE THAT GIRL SUCKS AND HERE ARE ALL THE REASONS THAT IS SO!"<br /><br />And that would've made me sad, as I am a Big Fan of Girls and all the ways in which they are awesome, and the last thing we need is more Girl-On-Girl Hate.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-RsWDZxN-rhs31ya0d22ECkvvMV9kwo9rQeYki9evGxXKDSLpdW2sG_uuA3gPUFu4GTo4F9mtDyeftZGfMbdfZIfesvqDMQC_zdguqW3xN8k1wWo3zW4h086rqJEDeDXKvJavUN-9Wxr/s1600/TSwizzle.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-RsWDZxN-rhs31ya0d22ECkvvMV9kwo9rQeYki9evGxXKDSLpdW2sG_uuA3gPUFu4GTo4F9mtDyeftZGfMbdfZIfesvqDMQC_zdguqW3xN8k1wWo3zW4h086rqJEDeDXKvJavUN-9Wxr/s320/TSwizzle.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699764471824304178" /></a><br /><em>T-SWIZZLE, I LOVE YOU, BUT PLEASE STOP TALKING SMACK ABOUT FELLOW LADIES IN YOUR SONGS! ALSO, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD GET BETTER TASTE IN DUDES, BECAUSE DAMN. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CHOICES.</em><br /><br /><br />BUT. Everyone in the Heroine Tourney was THE BESTEST, and all the entries were about CELEBRATING the various fictional girls in the tourney as opposed to bashing them as the "competition."<br /><br />In all, it was a lovely experience, and I'm so glad Mah Gurl Sophie got as far as she did!<br /><br />Sophie was first up against LUNA LOVEGOOD who is only my FAVORITE LADY IN ALL OF HARRY POTTER, so I thought, "Well, that's it. I shall not get past the first round."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUu0ClZ74ZiHWHGLL8eaWol8uR2kIJpP3iy2miPK1X8Z87M8xR6bDBOdMbVdxttstI_QOoe1WFzuJXMMUig-7Q6RApkmRcCsvcGUTnZCSD7Mfedqwxyhe1IgJl7P102wuZg3gukPZ1PEr7/s1600/NevilleLunaFORLIFE.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUu0ClZ74ZiHWHGLL8eaWol8uR2kIJpP3iy2miPK1X8Z87M8xR6bDBOdMbVdxttstI_QOoe1WFzuJXMMUig-7Q6RApkmRcCsvcGUTnZCSD7Mfedqwxyhe1IgJl7P102wuZg3gukPZ1PEr7/s320/NevilleLunaFORLIFE.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699764834596712402" /></a><br /><em>Which I was okay with since these two? My OTP. I don't care what the books say, they TOTALLY got married, and then they opened LOVEGOOD AND LONGBOTTOM, MAGICAL DETECTIVES, and BE HONEST, YOU WOULD READ THE HELL OUTTA THAT, WOULDN'T YOU?</em><br /><br />So to keep it from being a total slaughter, I made PROMISES. Promises that I knew J.K. Rowling COULD NOT HERSELF MAKE.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1n8tajUCEm2M19v5SYAijhlLG3HfcgATL-6nT8yA93F4M8-xcGFkWsf0dxG4A_bbNDOUw2M_DB0oPdtTPd-PuGg6MianbhP8wMtiZLGvO_DESgERs5gzrYBy9esY6XlxD4KeDWZCSF9IU/s1600/JK.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1n8tajUCEm2M19v5SYAijhlLG3HfcgATL-6nT8yA93F4M8-xcGFkWsf0dxG4A_bbNDOUw2M_DB0oPdtTPd-PuGg6MianbhP8wMtiZLGvO_DESgERs5gzrYBy9esY6XlxD4KeDWZCSF9IU/s320/JK.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699765270307569938" /></a><br /><em>J.K. Rowling is not even the littlest bit bothered by this.</em><br /><br />Namely, I promised to write not one, but TWO extra scenes if Sophie won her round: One scene would be Sophie/Archer, and the other would be Sophie/Cal. I am Equal Opportunity in my shamelessness.<br /><br />So today, I'm VERY pleased to bring you the FIRST of those promised scenes. This is Sophie/Archer, but Cal Fangirls, do not fret! He gets his turn next week. <br /><br />Because I didn't want to give away any spoilers, this is a scene that takes place during HEX HALL. I figured those two had so much time in the cellar, there must be SOME extra story in there. And lo, there was. :)<br /><br />Please to enjoy! And if you want to share, please link to this post as opposed to copy/pasting. Thanks!!<br /><br /><strong>"In Which Our Heroine Finds Herself In a Compromising Position in the Cellar. Again."</strong><br /><br />“Well, this is...awkward.”<br /><br />I glared at Archer as I once again tried to yank my hand free from his. “ 'Hey, Mercer! Let's try on these enchanted rings! I'm sure putting pieces of magical jewelery on is nothing less than a totally stellar idea! After all,-'” I broke off to blow a hunk of hair out of my eyes, “it's <em>never</em> ended badly for anyone before!”<br /><br />Now it was Archer's turn to scowl. “Okay, I would like the record to show that that was a truly terrible impression of me. And secondly-,'” he made an attempt at wiggling his fingers, but they stayed laced in mine- “you didn't have to put one on. There was no peer pressure happening here.”<br /><br />Sighing, I braced my foot on one of the lower shelves and tried once again to untangle my fingers from Archer's. Our hands stayed fixed together, but Archer stumbled forward, practically falling on top of me. Flustered, I pushed him back with my other hand even as he grinned.<br /><br />“You know, Mercer-”<br /><br />“Shut up.”<br /><br />“You don't know what I was going to say.”<br /><br />“Something snarky that's also vaguely suggestive?”<br /><br />Archer mulled that over for a bit. “Actually...yeah. Nice one.”<br /><br />I rolled my eyes. “Awesome. Does your brain have other uses besides crafting the perfect comeback? Anything in there about these rings or how me might break the spell?”<br /><br />Rubbing his chin with his free hand, Archer said, “Nothing in my brain, but maybe something on the papers?”<br /><br />Ah, yes. The papers.<br /><br />We were supposed to be doing inventory in the cellar, so both of us had clipboards listing all the magical junk down here. Mine was on the shelf nearest the cellar steps, while Archer's was wedged between two glass jars on a shelf a few feet away. I was pretty sure I'd seen something about rings on my clipboard, so I moved toward the steps.<br /><br />Unfortunately, Archer chose the same moment to go for his clipboard in the totally opposite direction.<br /><br />Our magically joined hands pulled us up short, and once again, we stumbled into each other. <br /><br />As my cheek collided with Archer's surprisingly solid chest, I got a whiff of laundry detergent. It was the same soap I used to wash my uniforms- Mrs. Casnoff was big on us not using magic for menial stuff, so we all had to do laundry like regular people- but somehow, on him, it smelled....different. Better. <br /><br />“Whoa,” Archer said, catching my shoulder to steady me. For a moment, his hand lingered there and our eyes met. Archer's were so brown they could look black, and right now, his gaze seemed especially dark. <br /><br />Clearing my throat, I stepped back as far as our hands would let me and nodded toward my clipboard. “I think I saw something about rings on my list.”<br /><br />He was still watching me. “Hmm?”<br /><br />I knew my cheeks were red, and his hand felt very hot in mine as I lifted it, waving our clasped hands together. “Rings? The ones we need to get off right now?” I looked away, like I was studying the silver bands really intently as I added, “Not sure how your girlfriend would feel about us being joined together for all eternity.”<br /><br />I felt a little jolt go through Archer's arm. “Elodie,” he said, like he'd just remembered she existed. <br /><br />“That's her name,” I agreed. I held out my free hand. “About this tall? Red hair, gorgeous? Evil in human form?”<br /><br />Archer shot me a wry look and batted down my hand. “Okay, okay. So we'll go for your list.”<br /><br />Together, we walked over to the shelf and Archer held the clipboard while I flipped through pages, scanning the inventory. “Rings, rings, rings...Fangs, no. Necklaces, close but not quite...ooh, apparently there are some bracelets in here that will make you the owner's prisoner for life, so the next time you go on a jewelery trying-on kick, let's try to avoid <em>those</em>...aha! Wedding rings, Matthew and Isabella Foster, witch and warlock, early 17th century.”<br /><br />I looked up at Archer. We were wearing <em>wedding rings</em>. The thought filled me with a weird mix of conflicting emotions. Embarrassment, for sure. Somehow, the fact that these rings were wedding bands made this whole thing more awkward. But I also felt kind of...giddy. <br /><br /><em>They are rings, you moron</em>, I told myself. <em>Cold little pieces of metal that belonged to other people and have absolutely nothing to do with you and Archer. Please to get a grip. </em><br /><br />“What kind of freaks would wear wedding rings that permanently joined their hands?” I asked, trying one last time to free my left hand from his. “I mean, I get that marriage is a binding thing, but this is just stupid.”<br /><br />But Archer had his eyes closed, frowning in concentration. “No, I read something about those two. They're famous for...something.”<br /><br />“Maybe for being co-dependent freaks?”<br /><br />Archer didn't open his eyes, but his lips quirked. “That's probably part of it, but...right!” He snapped his fingers. “They were the ones who first introduced the whole betrothal thing.” <br /><br />All witches and warlocks were betrothed sometime in their teenage years. The person your family picked for you was usually based on things like complimentary powers, but you didn't necessarily have to go through with a betrothal. Or at least that's what I was hoping, seeing as how Archer was pretty sure I was betrothed to someone, and I wasn't all that sold on the idea of marrying a stranger.<br /><br />“So these rings...,” I said, raising my eyebrows.<br /><br />“Weren't <em>their </em>wedding rings. They were used to help the Fosters make matches.”<br /><br />I glanced down at our hands, still tangled up together, fingers laced. I had no idea what to say except, “Oh.”<br /><br />I thought I felt Archer's grip tighten a little. “Apparently, the rings think we would be a good match.”<br /><br />The words hung there in the air, joining us as surely as the little bands of silver. Finally, Archer made a sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh. “Which just goes to prove that these things have clearly broken.”<br /><br />I laughed, too, both out of nervousness and relief. “Right. Apparently sitting on a shelf for three hundred years screwed up their magical matching mojo.”<br /><br />Archer's fingers twitched in mine as he smiled at me. “God, can you imagine? Me and you, all...,” He waved his free hand, “coupled up?”<br /><br />“Totally ridiculous,” I muttered, shaking my head. <br /><br />“Insane,” he added, dropping his gaze to the rings. To our hands.<br /><br />“The worst idea in all of Bad Idea Town.”<br /><br />Archer's shoulders lifted a little, but he didn't laugh. Neither did I.<br /><br />Just when I thought the silence might actually break me, Archer kind of shook himself and said, “Anyway, now that we know what they are, they should probably be pretty easy to get off.” <br /><br />He raised our hands, pulling them close to his mouth. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss my hand, and I went a little dizzy. But instead, he spoke directly to the rings, his breath warm on my knuckles. “Um...hey, little guys? While we appreciate your efforts at matchmaking, this fair lady and I have no desire to be paired up. I <em>am </em>grateful you picked a girl who matches me in sarcasm,so nice job on that front. And I know <em>she</em> appreciates you finding her an incredibly hot stud such as my- ow!”<br /><br />Rubbing the spot on his chest where I'd shoved him, Archer scowled at me and continued, “Anyway, Rings, thanks but no thanks. So if you could un-stick us now, that would be great.”<br /><br />There was a barely audible hiss and the silver heated up. Archer's sucked in a breath through his teeth and I winced as the rings glowed hot. And then, just like that, our hands dropped free. <br /><br />Archer shook his wrist while I cradled my hand to my chest, flexing my fingers. <br /><br />“Well,” he said at last, flashing me a grin. “Yet another adventure to add to our long list of Weird Things That Have Happened To Us In The Cellar.”<br /><br />There was a loud click from above us as The Vandy unlocked the door, signaling the end of Cellar Duty for tonight. I grabbed my clipboard with my left hand, hoping that might erase the feeling of Archer's palm still pressed against mine. <br /><br />“That was the last one,” I told him as we headed up the stairs. “After that and the thing with the gloves, and that time you killed a pixie-,”<br /><br />“It was already dead!” he insisted, but I ignored him. <br /><br />“I am done having adventures in the cellar. The rest of the semester is going to be adventure-free.”<br /><br />We were at the top of the stairs now, pausing in the doorway. Archer turned to me. He was still grinning, but there was something different in it now. Something that made my knees feel a little watery. <br /><br />“Now that would be a disappointment,” he murmured. <br /><br />And with that, he was gone.Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-62463193499508365352012-01-13T07:50:00.015-06:002012-01-13T08:33:04.788-06:00TWO MONTHS!Bonjour, Mes Anges!<br /><br />As you can probably tell from the title, we are TWO MONTHS EXACTLY from SPELL BOUND coming out in stores! I am so excited! Are YOU excited? I hope so!<br /><br />And if you've been with me from the beginning, then you know January is when things tend to start firing up RE: Sophie and Co. Soon I'll have tour dates to announce, and there may be another few fun surprise here and there. And I'LL be around here a lot more often, especially now that I have turned in BOTH BOOKS THAT WERE HANGING OVER MY HEAD.<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tv4KQbDaCfM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><em>This was how that felt.</em><br /><br />As we get closer to Release Day, I'll be talking more about the book (and hey! If you get the DEMONGLASS paperback on February 7th, you can read the first chapter! Woo hoo!)<br /><br />Today, though, while we ARE getting closer, we're still a ways out, so I am going be a TEASE. Instead of talking about the book, I'm going to give you some pictures. All of these pics are saved in my "Spell Bound Inspiration Folder," and each and every one plays SOME part in the plot. Happy speculating! ;)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dz3YW-p0RSPvRdIbSnKvEmvgcrw3eZ9CvVjBEid8VG7cmczSqmNpOezMLUtHlmq-KvYFM5tYTQn5vjDSzQp7Jfxy0w3GCQU2kVSctQsaO-5lxRe4tlmXrCv-6wNpojncJ3d6fin7bvcz/s1600/RedHair.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2dz3YW-p0RSPvRdIbSnKvEmvgcrw3eZ9CvVjBEid8VG7cmczSqmNpOezMLUtHlmq-KvYFM5tYTQn5vjDSzQp7Jfxy0w3GCQU2kVSctQsaO-5lxRe4tlmXrCv-6wNpojncJ3d6fin7bvcz/s400/RedHair.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697121665194573426" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkobvwRcPrKDGw9uSC5-AI07XLf2faqEtI0ezUin_6BS-BDQz1R-OlH4Jw2RPeCXcSytgo6v20yIIpQ08V1F29UcTQV1OfhSGUavOWrgg2QwQgz628wGMxdffmyPLZp90TZUl5ZZIvmGWr/s1600/Mirror.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkobvwRcPrKDGw9uSC5-AI07XLf2faqEtI0ezUin_6BS-BDQz1R-OlH4Jw2RPeCXcSytgo6v20yIIpQ08V1F29UcTQV1OfhSGUavOWrgg2QwQgz628wGMxdffmyPLZp90TZUl5ZZIvmGWr/s400/Mirror.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697121823937630722" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0cFZIktcih1cIdaWJJ0qjUSlULRyNd2ZOyMk2BtHMiinFrGAArnLfPerm53aQSbYrSUscb0V3BHGhERKK7-oh7d0JuZz10IRTJprwL4rnygwuNnLOJeaDCL5jAbxlJNJWnFI9R-qiMJ9/s1600/Primitive+Cabin.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB0cFZIktcih1cIdaWJJ0qjUSlULRyNd2ZOyMk2BtHMiinFrGAArnLfPerm53aQSbYrSUscb0V3BHGhERKK7-oh7d0JuZz10IRTJprwL4rnygwuNnLOJeaDCL5jAbxlJNJWnFI9R-qiMJ9/s320/Primitive+Cabin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697122000198513650" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPevGnuYyTVW8GXjdfRvSEcNHQqM2EcJjLBGTCC5kZ6IO35jBEuYRi1dDibUAfx4euN2qAwkEiT8x9ld9lh2mhW2H3fdut2VkcqOPA0EAmdcA62gqmaw1Pn6BKaKwdkT_tGkF5i72lBGf/s1600/Torin.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPevGnuYyTVW8GXjdfRvSEcNHQqM2EcJjLBGTCC5kZ6IO35jBEuYRi1dDibUAfx4euN2qAwkEiT8x9ld9lh2mhW2H3fdut2VkcqOPA0EAmdcA62gqmaw1Pn6BKaKwdkT_tGkF5i72lBGf/s320/Torin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697122166513929874" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1l2tQ2TdJxXdxpFLf6rzg7kkGgwdKrNEHvqYEoh-utCRBhcjIg6MPJDj-UTpHaA25Q-RQJhLKy0Sqxp7QQf-M3T1VDMGcj4XYrEaFrwNcjfsJNL45QW5PYj0btDIacaJOXl-Kl_CpFY6/s1600/Necklace.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1l2tQ2TdJxXdxpFLf6rzg7kkGgwdKrNEHvqYEoh-utCRBhcjIg6MPJDj-UTpHaA25Q-RQJhLKy0Sqxp7QQf-M3T1VDMGcj4XYrEaFrwNcjfsJNL45QW5PYj0btDIacaJOXl-Kl_CpFY6/s320/Necklace.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697122309200442914" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-YOnpyHngNKAvhJUWgHLH53x7tqAkuy1Mawk7nIpcBuvKpmMsU0ednlHVY9r6FVueTf51HQ4W64Fy3cgVfR6-htOHuRGgcoqnu4O0i_dd4QTms8-G1uBGCf7agGM42unwPN87QvDWEqV/s1600/RuinedPlantation.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-YOnpyHngNKAvhJUWgHLH53x7tqAkuy1Mawk7nIpcBuvKpmMsU0ednlHVY9r6FVueTf51HQ4W64Fy3cgVfR6-htOHuRGgcoqnu4O0i_dd4QTms8-G1uBGCf7agGM42unwPN87QvDWEqV/s320/RuinedPlantation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697122452601933378" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXwsDl7Y_c6WYYxzv8XOm6HYhRdbh386guyIXcOzeu6oXozgpIjS2pmOAMo3eLD2Ki8Gi8_lzqZfN_huL1IgyqyQRCUDWFLPVqVtKVu5LvUcjRdvHojZuM4t9ROKmfbNctDnzg1tySKXo/s1600/tree-in-fog.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXwsDl7Y_c6WYYxzv8XOm6HYhRdbh386guyIXcOzeu6oXozgpIjS2pmOAMo3eLD2Ki8Gi8_lzqZfN_huL1IgyqyQRCUDWFLPVqVtKVu5LvUcjRdvHojZuM4t9ROKmfbNctDnzg1tySKXo/s320/tree-in-fog.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697122602396903570" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKR-PLZXA0WEv2NYumWDqfAXyKqJ1FIYoc49yLHjx1bsyHIUdVXt1BHMedNLetscZTS9cWjj7IMyAFTeO4RZf3VDnyonGCclYbZT0H4D9bVK0iYlhwHd5j5_5wBXcEaYEodxVgRjAK7Y6/s1600/Ruined-Mansion.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKR-PLZXA0WEv2NYumWDqfAXyKqJ1FIYoc49yLHjx1bsyHIUdVXt1BHMedNLetscZTS9cWjj7IMyAFTeO4RZf3VDnyonGCclYbZT0H4D9bVK0iYlhwHd5j5_5wBXcEaYEodxVgRjAK7Y6/s320/Ruined-Mansion.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697123406674162898" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHs2XfQMQJvDd4DrMuUj00PZMO-qriibqXwGI91mA3aboQEyl_L-K4uHxAbR-Fp80seYkvJImcjAr4aNHAUzn67lhj_D6RjDFMSP6haM2gjL_Jh4lo9D8o5DDTnkyLLko-ixkNSdpPCyQu/s1600/Lake.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHs2XfQMQJvDd4DrMuUj00PZMO-qriibqXwGI91mA3aboQEyl_L-K4uHxAbR-Fp80seYkvJImcjAr4aNHAUzn67lhj_D6RjDFMSP6haM2gjL_Jh4lo9D8o5DDTnkyLLko-ixkNSdpPCyQu/s320/Lake.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697122733015332386" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J7K-pSIo11TXQSpYRCeAktd4YhroS-stBim0WoOtfkkAqpbDyu3tmNjDvp_3ueuox6VW_b8U5b6tZFvDSs3sBMR1v6dzCA-ncY1SwQZSNMNq8htX3m-tnx_RwVLDeo72uK9moR5IJmAf/s1600/hands.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J7K-pSIo11TXQSpYRCeAktd4YhroS-stBim0WoOtfkkAqpbDyu3tmNjDvp_3ueuox6VW_b8U5b6tZFvDSs3sBMR1v6dzCA-ncY1SwQZSNMNq8htX3m-tnx_RwVLDeo72uK9moR5IJmAf/s320/hands.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697123646729166882" /></a>Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-74802117516732984152011-12-08T17:03:00.008-06:002011-12-21T10:37:21.778-06:00Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas TimeBonjour, mes Anges! And happy holidays! I am in Deadline Zone, which is why this blog has been kind of quiet here lately. however, I had a little free time tonight, and since I probably won't be back until my big Rachel Recaps 2011 Blog (spoiler: It'll go something like, "2011! HOW COULD YOU BE SO RAD AND SO AWFUL ALL AT THE SAME TIME? GTFO!), I thought I'd best blog NOW. And besides, I've been wanting to talk about Holiday Music foooorevvver.<br /><br />First off, let me say that I am a recent convert to The Awesome of the Holidays. I mean, loved it when I was a kid, OBVS, but as I got older, I was never really one for traditional Xmas stuff. Part of that was because, after my dad passed away, the holidays felt weird for me and The Mama. So my aunt and uncle, who are awesome, decided to help us combat The Weird by taking us to Paris that first year after Daddy was gone. And then THAT became something of a tradition, so we spent several Christmases in a row overseas. I KNOW, I HAD TO SPEND CHRISTMAS IN PARIS AND SALZBURG AND LONDON PLEASE WEEP FOR ME.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5Sn53d9Q2RkAV3cPVM4RLnOqbtWDjg4f6hX4BY6W-rWQDi03QzgKMISHTKWKSAfWj5GskYDgpJSY-L56_WYYZk6uvA2RV1mHDt81ekdrOCdnFCgFp6cbzGEO9Srq97BGAGz5CLHTOE5i/s1600/ParisXmas.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh5Sn53d9Q2RkAV3cPVM4RLnOqbtWDjg4f6hX4BY6W-rWQDi03QzgKMISHTKWKSAfWj5GskYDgpJSY-L56_WYYZk6uvA2RV1mHDt81ekdrOCdnFCgFp6cbzGEO9Srq97BGAGz5CLHTOE5i/s400/ParisXmas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688620534533496498" /></a><br /><em>Hardships, I suffered them.</em><br /><br />But the traveling, while super-duper fun, meant that I kind of got out of the Regular Holiday Stuff. We never put up a tree because we wouldn't be there to enjoy it, and there wasn't a lot of Present Exchanging because, duh, going to Europe, GIFT ENOUGH. <br /><br />And then I married The Husband, who comes from a family that is ALL ABOUT SOME CHRISTMAS. Seriously, come the day after Thanksgiving,he magically transforms into Buddy the Elf.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3plkKcFY-q9eniGAt441XcdC-vXJ8ErHzlXCv4DD_msmu90TDEe6yw5Aq4_i08WMDU1FPVzhYSs2qtw_A8iVNK7K72hrMjxeajsc1MM1mk5XO8pSJV0UUv_BAXldZSqVVqJuUH3-NINH/s1600/Rudolph-YukonCornelius-9.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 315px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3plkKcFY-q9eniGAt441XcdC-vXJ8ErHzlXCv4DD_msmu90TDEe6yw5Aq4_i08WMDU1FPVzhYSs2qtw_A8iVNK7K72hrMjxeajsc1MM1mk5XO8pSJV0UUv_BAXldZSqVVqJuUH3-NINH/s400/Rudolph-YukonCornelius-9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688620768865911842" /></a><br /><em>LOL J/K! He's always Yukon Cornelius.</em><br /><br />We're spending our 10th Christmas as married people this year, and while it's taken me awhile, I am now FULLY ABOARD THE HOLIDAY TRAIN. And one of my favorite things about the holidays is the music. <br /><br />I make a MOST excellent Holiday Playlist every year, and while it's grown to like 35 songs, I thought I'd share my 10 Favorite Holiday Songs with y'all! SO! In no particular order...<br /><br /><br /><strong>1) "Last Christmas"- Wham!</strong><br /><br />Fun Fact About Marriage: You know how when you're dating, you just want the other person to think you're awesome and you cook fancy dinners every night and you get up in the morning with make-up on and you never, ever go to the bathroom? Right, when you get married, that changes. Something flips once that ring is one your hand, and suddenly, you find yourself going OUT OF YOUR WAY to do things that slightly annoy your spouse. EXAMPLE: The Husband hates this song SO HARD. And so what did I do a few years ago? Made a mix that was NOTHING BUT COVERS OF IT. He didn't catch on until the 3rd one, and I will never forget his exasperated cry of, "RACHEL!" as he decorated the tree. Good times.<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E8gmARGvPlI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><em>I think we can all agree this is the greatest music video of all time.</em><br /><br /><strong>2) "Ave Maria"- The Carpenters</strong><br /><br />I guess technically this isn't a Christmas song, but I don't care. It makes it onto the playlist EVERY YEAR. Partially because, despite the whole Not Being Catholic Thing (The Mama was Baptist, my Daddy was Jewish, I decided to be Episcopalian...), any version of this song will make me Feel Feelings. But this one especially gets me because Karen Carpenter's voice is SO gorgeous and sad and resonant. Siiiiigh.<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/puzU0T7aGJ8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>3) "River"- Joni Mitchell</strong><br /><br />As you will soon see, I have a MAJOR thing for melancholy holiday songs, and I don't think ANYTHING is more melancholy than, "I wish I had a river I could skate away on." As I recently said on Twitter, if you can listen to this song and not feel like weeping, you've never been homesick in the winter. <br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QPCJxVCcWtk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>4) "Song For A Winter's Night"- Sarah MacLachlan</strong><br /><br />The last year before me and The Husband got married, I spent Christmas in Vermont with The Mama and the rest of my fam.<br /><br />I'd wanted The Husband (then The Fiance) to come with us, but he couldn't, and because this was BEFORE we'd reached the I Will Spend An Hour Burning A CD Just To Irritate You Stage, I missed him soooooo muuuuuuch. This song always makes me think of that time, watching the snow fall and wishing he were there.<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UV4F2yfEt9o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>5) "All I Want For Christmas Is You"- Mariah Carey</strong><br /><br />Finally, a happy one! We won't even TALK about that horrible new version she has with The Biebs. Give me Original!Flavor Mariah every time! This song is so happy, and bouncy, and sweet, AND it always makes me think of my Favorite Christmas Movie EVER, "Love, Actually." <br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yXQViqx6GMY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>6) "Patrick Swayze Christmas"- MST3K</strong><br /><br />I... I really, think this one is self-explanatory. <br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2ZyJCV_dyug" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>7)"Fairytale of New York"- The Pogues</strong><br /><br />Easily my favorite Christmas song to crank up in the car. Now, admittedly, it is not, um, particularly SFW or PC (although, one of the insults the girl singer uses does not mean the same thing it means here.) Still, this song manages to be sad and funny and joyous and bitter all at the same time. And really, that's what the holidays are all about. ;-)<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Jq9hdMIVpac" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>8)"Hard Candy Christmas"- Dolly Parton</strong><br /><br />This song isn't really that much about Christmas, but IT'S DOLLY PARTON SO I DON'T CARE. Speaking of, if you haven't seen Dolly's "Smoky Mountain Christmas" featuring a mountain man, a witch, and like a billion orphans, I FEEL VERY SORRY FOR YOU.<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DaRp9j4Faec" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>9) "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"- Enya</strong><br /><br />In addition to liking Christmas Songs That Make You Feel Sad, I also like Christmas Songs That Are From the Middle Ages (Or At Least Sound That Way.) Stuff like Greensleeves, The Angel Gabriel, and this. I especially like Enya's take on this song because it sounds like it should be used in a video game commercial. Seriously, listen to that and tell me you DON'T see a soldier trudging through the snow and picking up, like, a kid's doll or something. <br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DPHh3nMMu-I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><strong>10) "Winter Song"- Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles</strong><br /><br />Not TECHNICALLY a Christmas song, but still. So sweet, so pretty, and the video makes me happy every single time I watch it.<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UkOKCWDJ4iA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />And there you have it! Ten of my favorites! However you spend the holidays, I hope they're filled with food and love and happy times and, yes, ALL THE VERSIONS OF LAST CHRISTMAS. ;-)<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/decmDncfcSM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><em>The newest addition to my Torture The Husband Playlist.</em><br /><br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-87508880355162309442011-11-01T17:28:00.001-05:002011-11-01T08:51:04.098-05:00For Those Of You About To NaNoWriMo, I SALUTE YOU!Oh, Mes Anges, today is an EXCITING day! For it is the day that some of you may start NANOWRIO, aka That Time In November When A Whole Bunch Of People Attempt to Write a 50K Word Novel in a Month, and Lo, It Is Awesome.<br /><br />I LOVE NaNoWriMo. Like, Pink Puffy Heart Love. Love ALMOST as much as I love Jon Snow. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGhZTAJpPlr2wNcIDXXjTYMfcqOdr6fPkJHEq7sOOOaoms974_axt6mlejoIbBh_8jQqTlGlGwT5TJh83rii8xXgu6QxnXbU9zsTVhx-StpzP3hjxbXSOSpH6_awmkX5cL6zJUyzuY39s/s1600/JonSnowPickUpLines.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXGhZTAJpPlr2wNcIDXXjTYMfcqOdr6fPkJHEq7sOOOaoms974_axt6mlejoIbBh_8jQqTlGlGwT5TJh83rii8xXgu6QxnXbU9zsTVhx-StpzP3hjxbXSOSpH6_awmkX5cL6zJUyzuY39s/s400/JonSnowPickUpLines.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670019763003629090" /></a><br /><em>Oh, that Jon Snow. Always saying the sweetest things...</em><br /><br />Now saying that, I should add that, much <em>like </em>Jon Snow, NaNoWriMo remains undone by moi. (Bah-dum-BUMP!)<br /><br />Mostly because my deadlines for the past few years have been November 1, so I've always spent the month of Thanksgiving (and my birthday and my anniversary...)frantically FINISHING a book, not starting one. <br /><br />But I love it nonetheless! There's something about the spirit of NaNoWriMo I find really appealing. People are SO EXCITED! About WRITING! And for one whole month, so many more people are learning that secret that all of us who take pen to paper or fingers to keyboards know: That writing, even when it's hard, even when it sucks, even when it HURTS LIKE SOMEONE IS PULLING YOUR SOUL TEETH is the Greatest Thing In The World.<br /><br />I mean, how many people get to live in TWO WORLDS ALL THE TIME? And not wear straight jackets and only be allowed to eat with spoons?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5stUcfY9celrZAQCJh1G6xOZ8qTgPQAxLzUV9s5FtzNAj39cs7E0N2c0nrfMe4LAkUgb76pho0CXpvJGf3LZDw4As_3pkNaqUUwkJZepJW2MPYlxtvn3VQkJS443l9tfiQjkOVLHb2aY/s1600/Mental_disorder_image.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 192px; height: 350px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5stUcfY9celrZAQCJh1G6xOZ8qTgPQAxLzUV9s5FtzNAj39cs7E0N2c0nrfMe4LAkUgb76pho0CXpvJGf3LZDw4As_3pkNaqUUwkJZepJW2MPYlxtvn3VQkJS443l9tfiQjkOVLHb2aY/s400/Mental_disorder_image.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670020162546667554" /></a><br /><em>This dude cannot be trusted with forks, OBVS.</em><br /><br /><br />I also love that people do NaNoWriMo for all kind of different reasons. Some of you really want to become authors, and are using this month as the time to finally, finally, FINALLY write that book you've always dreamed about. And that, my lovelies, it BAD ASS. GO FORTH!<br /><br />And then some of you are already published authors, using this month as a kind of "Writing Vacation," giving yourselves permission to write that book you NEVER thought you'd write. Maybe because it's not in the genre you usually work in, maybe because the idea seems too big, too crazy, whatever. This, incidentally, is what happened to my friend Chantel. <a href="http://yucababy.blogspot.com/2011/10/is-that-allowed-writing-across-genres.html">She talks about it here</a>, and guess what? That book she wrote for NaNo 2 years ago? You can buy it <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Song-Red-Cloak-Chantel-Acevedo/dp/1463719310">HERE</a>. (And you should, because it's SO GOOD, and I want everyone to read it so that we can fight over Team Galen vs. Team Nikolas, and talk about how we love/hate Zoi. GET ON THAT.)<br /><br />This? Using NaNoWriMo as a time to go crazy and write The Impossible Book? ALSO SUPER RAD. DO IT TO IT!<br /><br />Maybe some of you attempting NaNo have absolutely no interest in being published. You just want to do something fun during November, something that will give you a good excuse to hide from obnoxious relatives on Thanksgiving.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHZyzDs8CsUhM3OD4d6MobQYxA1Hi-t3CC9gz0oRdEZe0YdupcY1vt0Svs_WDwoPDlbgHNQhBTpH8_8EcTgOLuPnCurOc_bZKjat1WNnoSpp_vF7V3tXWKVSrFILfdhYXnXaZNQngRXPp/s1600/Baby-on-Laptop-Computer.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHZyzDs8CsUhM3OD4d6MobQYxA1Hi-t3CC9gz0oRdEZe0YdupcY1vt0Svs_WDwoPDlbgHNQhBTpH8_8EcTgOLuPnCurOc_bZKjat1WNnoSpp_vF7V3tXWKVSrFILfdhYXnXaZNQngRXPp/s400/Baby-on-Laptop-Computer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670021304924899554" /></a><br /><em>"Eff OFF, Nana, I'm writing my NOVEL!" </em><br /><br />You wanna play around with words, with ideas, with stories, and do so at a time when thousands of other people are doing the same thing. Guess what, you guys? THAT IS AMAZEBALLS! GO GO GO!<br /><br />And then, of course, there are those of you who are like, "NaNo is dumb, and in no way fits the way I write. 50K words in a month would kill me dead, and all my words would be crap." And to that I say...wait for it... AWESOME! No, really! Because knowing what does and doesn't work for you as a writer is an important part of the process. And NaNo is supposed to be FUN. If it won't work for you, DON'T DO IT! And don't let anyone make you feel bad about that! Just don't poop on everyone else's fun, either, okay? Because when you're all excited about doing something, nothing makes you feel worse than having someone go, "Oh, that? It is Made of Stupid and you are Doomed to Fail."<br /><br />So now that we have established that Whatever You Choose To Do During NaNoWriMo (Even If It Is Not To Do NaNoWriMo) is Super Mega Ultra Valid, let's get on to some of the finer points. <br /><br /><strong>1) RACHEL! I have heard that you cannot write a good novel in one month? So, forsooth, whateth be the point?</strong><br /><br />Okay, first of all, stop yelling at me. Secondly, when a writer uses the collective "you" to talk about any part of writing or publishing, what they should really write is "I." So when someone says, "You cannot write a good book in a month," they mean, "<strong><em>I</em></strong> cannot write a good book in one month." Which is fair enough! It all depends on what kind of writer you are, what kind of book you're writing, etc. I tend to draft relatively fast because my books are more plotty and dialogue-y, and that goes more quickly. But I totally believe a good book CAN be written in a month.<br /><br /><strong>2) RACHEL! This is excellent! I cannot wait to start querying agents with my 50K word draft on December 1!</strong><br /><br />I said stop yelling! And as The Husband would say, "SLOW DOWN, BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO." (I don't know why he says this, BTW. He just does. He often refers to Small Son as "Buckwheat," too, but Small Son, in his Small Son way, has misunderstood this to be "Butt Wink," and he now calls people this and gets in trouble because that is both a nonsensical AND horribly graphic insult. I digress.)<br /><br />First off, most novels are longer than 50K. 50K is really closer to novella size. Yes, there are some YA books that length, and lots of MG books come in around 50K, but still. It is SHORT. For example, HEX HALL is around 63K, DEMONGLASS is like 66K, and SPELL BOUND came in near 70K. The standard length for adult novels is close to 100K. <br /><br />Also, THINK about how many people dash their books out on December 1! Do you want to be part of that wave, inundating agents with books that the agents KNOW ARE NANOWRIMO BOOKS? Or do you want to spend Christmas editing your 50K words under the tree, knowing that in January or February, you'll have a much shinier, tighter, LONGER book to send out into the world?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui0wse-AVV0-FwWsb1JteuUKhPaHwDabCJKwZkwOtevPotidPdNxeZ4I9oMoAGvHI6v8LUhqnHc_eLF-o7TidCa1CVxepF_aatF7MZd8Lcyz-PfiIQ_qX08ECjRAtqo62cBIWvtllNu-b/s1600/baby_santa_laptop-200x300.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui0wse-AVV0-FwWsb1JteuUKhPaHwDabCJKwZkwOtevPotidPdNxeZ4I9oMoAGvHI6v8LUhqnHc_eLF-o7TidCa1CVxepF_aatF7MZd8Lcyz-PfiIQ_qX08ECjRAtqo62cBIWvtllNu-b/s400/baby_santa_laptop-200x300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670022286398377698" /></a><br /><em>"YES, Nana, I am STILL WORKING ON MY NOVEL! Jeez! And bring me some cocoa!"</em><br /><br /><strong>3) RACHEL! I have done NaNoWriMo before, but when I get to around 20-30K, the book suddenly gets REALLY HARD. This means I should quit because my idea is bad, right?</strong><br /><br />Mes Anges, let me tell you something. That 20-30K stretch? It is hard FOR EVERYONE. Seriously. I'm working on my 5th book right now (FIFTH! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!), and I'm there, and it is only the knowledge that I have pulled <em>four other books </em>out of this stage that keeps me going. Otherwise, I would listen to that voice in my head that tells me, "HOLY SHIZZ, YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW TO WRITE A BOOK." I hear that voice every. time, Mes Anges. You'll hear it every time, too. Soldier on!<br /><br /><strong>4) RACHEL! What if I don't get to 50K words, and lo, am marked as a FAILURE?</strong><br /><br />Did you try? Did you get words onto paper, and spend several consecutive days working on one idea? Then you know what? You've already done what SO MANY PEOPLE have not. Do you know how many people talk about writing a book, but never actually WRITE? So many! But you made an attempt! you put butt in chair, and hands on keyboard or pen or iPad or whatever, and WORDS ON PAPER. You win, my friend!<br /><br />So, for those of you doing NaNoWriMo this year, I hope you kick ass! I hope you write books so good that I stay up at night worrying about them. I hope you have fun. I hope you get a peek into why this is the best job in the world. I hope you don't let anyone tell you you can't do it. I hope you dance. No, wait, that's that lame country song, isn't it? Yeah, I don't hope you dance.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu97XUgAXsQ2n3l7dn0Bzgz3hoEkQ2C-fDHG2eaxDv57cqqtPUTlJrPwwbuFWDgJKz98651NMtEWixftIzm7kZ8Ahk63orXsqdlyCXZAuYbgURKJdJ-77Gs3ozK3FfaVlOBi3tffqP3IIU/s1600/Womackdance.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu97XUgAXsQ2n3l7dn0Bzgz3hoEkQ2C-fDHG2eaxDv57cqqtPUTlJrPwwbuFWDgJKz98651NMtEWixftIzm7kZ8Ahk63orXsqdlyCXZAuYbgURKJdJ-77Gs3ozK3FfaVlOBi3tffqP3IIU/s400/Womackdance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670022805822057122" /></a><br /><em>Shut yer face, Womack! I will dance when and if I see fit, damn it!</em><br /><br /><br />And without getting sappy or earnest (two things I am allergic to), know that I believe you can do it, that I love you for trying. Or for not trying! I AM VERY FREE WITH MY LOVE!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_s3VSkDFnveYUSHkmgOpFjnoR5jp1aNG6SMYyB_LFGSb6qaZmt5CkAcXKqTXm056tIyJOck_YApoy2WeFu3B4wC5UGG_uJQ-vT_w-8awC2sPRE00iRA0gXtMq0GfUnuWE4aId9XL2Bav/s1600/amber-tiles.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 341px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO_s3VSkDFnveYUSHkmgOpFjnoR5jp1aNG6SMYyB_LFGSb6qaZmt5CkAcXKqTXm056tIyJOck_YApoy2WeFu3B4wC5UGG_uJQ-vT_w-8awC2sPRE00iRA0gXtMq0GfUnuWE4aId9XL2Bav/s400/amber-tiles.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670023377069528578" /></a><br /><em>But not in the, shall we say, Amber Way.</em><br /><br />NOW GO WRITE ME SOME BOOKS! XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-48596324889623498302011-10-31T11:19:00.005-05:002011-10-31T11:29:34.090-05:00Happy Halloween!Huzzah! It's Candy and Costume Day! I'm sure the kids at Hecate Hall are putting the finishing touches on their outfits for the annual All Hallows Eve Ball. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldcTy8jE_yZyOsA6hl1-rB_bz8qIsU9KtiqOCIsdlSteBU79yD8zAV_5RthAe-MPp36YbpPNvbbQstBqu_nbxlKvcCOxOwFLuN9L6-wB5hnBxoiY9uxnq17D5p_3mjUVg1g67XY8iRvTw/s1600/Peacockdress2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjldcTy8jE_yZyOsA6hl1-rB_bz8qIsU9KtiqOCIsdlSteBU79yD8zAV_5RthAe-MPp36YbpPNvbbQstBqu_nbxlKvcCOxOwFLuN9L6-wB5hnBxoiY9uxnq17D5p_3mjUVg1g67XY8iRvTw/s400/Peacockdress2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5669692821255003138" /></a><br /><em>I hear Sophie's peacock dress actually started a trend in ballgowns at Hex Hall! </em><br /><br /><br />Next year, once y'all have read SPELL BOUND, I MIGHT have a short All Hallows Eve Ball story to put up. ;-)<br /><br />But that's for NEXT year. This year, here's a spooky story I wrote LAST Halloween. It's a little different from my usual stuff (no kissing! No jokes!), but it's set in the Hex Hall universe, and now that you've read DEMONGLASS, maybe you can see how it's kind of connected to Sophie and Co.! <a href="http://thesedarkthings.blogspot.com/2010/10/rachel-hawkins-witches.html">Please to enjoy!</a> And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7vfg6iXgpeI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><em>ALSO please to enjoy the MOST TERRIFYING PART of my favorite Halloween cartoon, Garfield's Halloween Adventure. PIRATE GHOSTS GAH!!</em>Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-89968050772326738272011-10-27T08:17:00.013-05:002011-10-27T08:53:44.577-05:00Now He Is SixToday is Small Son's birthday! It is so hard to believe that six- SIX!!- years ago today, that he came into our lives and changed us forever. Last night, I was telling him my favorite memory of that day. Right after he was born, after he'd been cleaned up, and wrapped up, they handed him to me. He was crying and red and pissed off, as newborn babies usually are. As I held him, I looked at him, and said, "There you are, [Small Son!]" And he immediately turned to the sound of my voice, like he was thinking, "Hey! I KNOW that person!" His tiny eyes looked into mine, and man, that was it. I knew that I'd never love anyone as fiercely, as all-consumingly as I did this little dude. <br /><br />But one of the coolest things about watching him grow is how that love has changed over the years. He's still my baby (or my Beh-Beh, as I call him), but now, I don't just love him because he's mine. I love him for the loving, funny, frustrating, weird, totally unique person he is. <br /><br />I still see traces of me and The Husband in him, but there are new parts emerging now, quirks of his personality that are all his. He's had an adventurous spirit ever since he was very little. When he was three, we drove from Alabama to Maine. At one stop, we had to get up at 4:30 AM to get on the road. The Husband and I were blurry eyed and half asleep as we got in the car, but Small Son hopped up into his car seat, grinned, and yelled, "LET'S DO THIS!" <br /><br />He is fearless about so many scary things (the ocean, airplanes, heights), but still timid when faced with crowds, or people he doesn't know. When he's mad at you, he tells you that he is, "not in your heart right now!" He is hilariously funny, both intentionally and unintentionally. For example, I was bemoaning the lack of a parking space last week, and from the backseat, complete with a world weary sigh, comes, "Welcome to my life." He will do anything for a laugh, including a routine as "Robot Justin Beaver (his term for Justin Bieber)that literally made me cry, it was so funny. <br /><br />When he's excited, he hugs SO HARD that he grits his teeth and shakes. It's like he's having a Love Seizure, and it cracks me up every time. He feels things very deeply, which makes me wish I could put bubble wrap around his heart. <br /><br />He loves music, and stories, and the water, and every night, he asks us what our favorite part of the day is. And even though we always tell him it was some event, or some activity, the truth is, he's my favorite part of the day. Every day. <br /><br />Happy Birthday, Small Son! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkvIXS1oZA2VRiTsdQDoVKuKMIUNdGZxdzgVWmItoFkrFBnTGgnWD8oWlWT-BoQQemMFAxgrhNyDNWUnDJPpLIrLm9CSJXj0uEhl3bmEIFRQgF1gCvRLEMwHFZAVsSJymYH9I6Cyebrh9/s1600/SmallSonBehBeh.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkvIXS1oZA2VRiTsdQDoVKuKMIUNdGZxdzgVWmItoFkrFBnTGgnWD8oWlWT-BoQQemMFAxgrhNyDNWUnDJPpLIrLm9CSJXj0uEhl3bmEIFRQgF1gCvRLEMwHFZAVsSJymYH9I6Cyebrh9/s400/SmallSonBehBeh.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668167109520289810" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWR1iOwwIDkFu0FJvew5TxYGVUVk8JqOJu8GJ7butvijWxIfHLsiSeLnfRP8z68OD7FcGSqqcTsGPntkm8__iroNcppkP7t9yT9IQrtRQ2-0ZpWvTWexqa2KQPWvEnBnuyGi1eiCnC8xnW/s1600/SmallSonSideEye.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWR1iOwwIDkFu0FJvew5TxYGVUVk8JqOJu8GJ7butvijWxIfHLsiSeLnfRP8z68OD7FcGSqqcTsGPntkm8__iroNcppkP7t9yT9IQrtRQ2-0ZpWvTWexqa2KQPWvEnBnuyGi1eiCnC8xnW/s400/SmallSonSideEye.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668167355536415970" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsaZKN8Hq2q1dAiXhRyBQSLJSgAH82Lid5AQYUA4_XlyyzIS85crVIsLpfIFnJzQAUEMJdLSOfiVcaR6tkRhMSydOcjP-_zNYdm2LIcHKl3QjHsS6bRwneqOVEmpdZ4vsYmTytK7GOrYK/s1600/SmallSonCheeks.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsaZKN8Hq2q1dAiXhRyBQSLJSgAH82Lid5AQYUA4_XlyyzIS85crVIsLpfIFnJzQAUEMJdLSOfiVcaR6tkRhMSydOcjP-_zNYdm2LIcHKl3QjHsS6bRwneqOVEmpdZ4vsYmTytK7GOrYK/s400/SmallSonCheeks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668168529602234498" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9FjhkJyECMpgbkr5RysqOMhZq8_7soX2NyomDaIZQ9ktZ0Ylm0MaIgzdX9arrZmcOzbRkx-bEl3u3PKISSDXDDTB_pdb2wBtxA8YV8WW8hwEvIA_5QIrbFJVmEOkpMN35PIqGIt0QuM_/s1600/SmallSonHef.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9FjhkJyECMpgbkr5RysqOMhZq8_7soX2NyomDaIZQ9ktZ0Ylm0MaIgzdX9arrZmcOzbRkx-bEl3u3PKISSDXDDTB_pdb2wBtxA8YV8WW8hwEvIA_5QIrbFJVmEOkpMN35PIqGIt0QuM_/s400/SmallSonHef.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668168720547271154" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp81oCn72q-hG2jw6MLmllT2y-a8iXcI8aEAtGaP7G3hCdoNiz_i2OkZear9tGtjBdlPnwNLXnA_VY4jVivvw_q2v6s_F1333Pzj8__rNOst6kMJs77v6yc5QqhpIB5zLGri2Hd-g1sp0T/s1600/SmallSonSyrup.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp81oCn72q-hG2jw6MLmllT2y-a8iXcI8aEAtGaP7G3hCdoNiz_i2OkZear9tGtjBdlPnwNLXnA_VY4jVivvw_q2v6s_F1333Pzj8__rNOst6kMJs77v6yc5QqhpIB5zLGri2Hd-g1sp0T/s400/SmallSonSyrup.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668168836818040114" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1GpzWyPMT8WeX_sWM2ZkeT7BhL5MO0kNU4vDVCXWp0RqynJ727orcuMOQbPQAz1wxcYPYm8sgMtZAqsqg7PP9MkOvg2b1gCjnf89TVfUNJsdd_LFDDLcYGuRj5AXb9OuaolDvskbLCon/s1600/SmallSonBox.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj1GpzWyPMT8WeX_sWM2ZkeT7BhL5MO0kNU4vDVCXWp0RqynJ727orcuMOQbPQAz1wxcYPYm8sgMtZAqsqg7PP9MkOvg2b1gCjnf89TVfUNJsdd_LFDDLcYGuRj5AXb9OuaolDvskbLCon/s400/SmallSonBox.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668168969430277746" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkJ0ubHYKFHAeEq4XCb122fJGOpi767Wv3dMhUnDDdWYjxYbIK_E3K6O9JrJQglnyyrPhEEF26z5JFJx32HbB5fAH2OwGkrbkJvvdtDp5IvjSZZVVoCBkHPttq2-ylqYa_5xDPkrgFdCD/s1600/SmallSonSolider.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkJ0ubHYKFHAeEq4XCb122fJGOpi767Wv3dMhUnDDdWYjxYbIK_E3K6O9JrJQglnyyrPhEEF26z5JFJx32HbB5fAH2OwGkrbkJvvdtDp5IvjSZZVVoCBkHPttq2-ylqYa_5xDPkrgFdCD/s400/SmallSonSolider.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668169101048441234" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRhEp_GfXyTiLsz0aAViWhtsg9YPkNob0jrhCErvZkPHHyypr_LlkyRakCeZoCRdEPwqRwYkNZtrARRcMFuBjHZsz0L-_L3DN_Lp6bAqK1k281xsXK0XORF8VLJLvkLDVdX755mHK3HUU/s1600/SmallSonBulgaria.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRhEp_GfXyTiLsz0aAViWhtsg9YPkNob0jrhCErvZkPHHyypr_LlkyRakCeZoCRdEPwqRwYkNZtrARRcMFuBjHZsz0L-_L3DN_Lp6bAqK1k281xsXK0XORF8VLJLvkLDVdX755mHK3HUU/s400/SmallSonBulgaria.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668169246956935730" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5xwADySMzToHS9PW8hY2LlpnKzcSmZuT0R_XINNZGkfMI4-EVjCA9gCPgc9hg0X9ZfC4kwHj02LrEyWew2OJiuCwWzCYVz_yMw072F8tBqehq52Tx5DO32zac-Vd-0-dumgIjTBXj66l/s1600/SmallSonPpse.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5xwADySMzToHS9PW8hY2LlpnKzcSmZuT0R_XINNZGkfMI4-EVjCA9gCPgc9hg0X9ZfC4kwHj02LrEyWew2OJiuCwWzCYVz_yMw072F8tBqehq52Tx5DO32zac-Vd-0-dumgIjTBXj66l/s400/SmallSonPpse.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668169359053189266" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nNpCZZUGVU9k_hqgbzSnf_zK3HjALCHpb6zD_ypC0Ds9ovvSFD172P0fbObiU2zmp7MQkJSYtfG7CRDq2mOrV61GgLWxwul21lZ3Xd9dEgXv2GaVg9TcyqzF8oCHnZNa7XOi_GFuZdy-/s1600/SmallSonSea.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nNpCZZUGVU9k_hqgbzSnf_zK3HjALCHpb6zD_ypC0Ds9ovvSFD172P0fbObiU2zmp7MQkJSYtfG7CRDq2mOrV61GgLWxwul21lZ3Xd9dEgXv2GaVg9TcyqzF8oCHnZNa7XOi_GFuZdy-/s400/SmallSonSea.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5668169606901279106" /></a>Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-10045381722001133792011-10-13T09:49:00.011-05:002011-10-13T10:43:11.497-05:00In Which I Make A Tortured Metaphor (And Show Off My Horrible Knitting)Bonjour, Mes Anges! Long time, no blog, but I have been EVER so busy! There's that whole "Writing a bunch of books" thing, then I also did a trip to NYC (which was SO FUN, and hopefully more on that in another blog). I also had the Auburn Writer's Conference last week, and that was SUPER AMAZEBALLS. The AWC always makes me feel so proud of my hometown and all the glorious creative people I'm lucky enough to call friends. <br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XMSMMrXJVz0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><em>This is the trailer for this year's conference. Watch it, and I DARE you not to Feel Feelings at the end. Also, yes, I am in it. And yes, that is my real bedroom/office. My bedroffice.</em><br /><br />Anyway, all of this means not much time for blogging! But then, if you've been hanging around here for awhile, you already know how that goes. ;-)<br /><br />The other day, someone on Twitter mentioned knitting, and how she wished she could do it, and I was like, "Hey! I knit! REALLY, REALLY HORRIBLY, but I do" And for some reason, that got me thinking about creating and writing, and how we should approach such Scary Things. So please, enjoy this tortured metaphor I'm about to make!<br /><br />Some background: I am freaking terrible at anything remotely resembling crafts. I mean, it's EMBARRASSING how little artistic talent I have, especially since The Mama is CRAZY talented at craftiness and actually used to TEACH ART.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXy-8Tvt0VGu3Kt7p5fizMwIH0RNzt2zq_vS954jaQcFbLdQ16PSubX7P63E7z-SpN9UDH3TGWpl_iK2fIxqJZcxe7lxWocQ83vayCSXkPrtHnlvGWZiCZTnG2JNHSOhV3Ek648R3e_fhx/s1600/marthastewartcrafts.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXy-8Tvt0VGu3Kt7p5fizMwIH0RNzt2zq_vS954jaQcFbLdQ16PSubX7P63E7z-SpN9UDH3TGWpl_iK2fIxqJZcxe7lxWocQ83vayCSXkPrtHnlvGWZiCZTnG2JNHSOhV3Ek648R3e_fhx/s400/marthastewartcrafts.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662991080206433234" /></a><br /><em>Just looking at this makes me break out in hives. Hives that, oddly enough, resemble that paper flower thingie Martha is holding while she judges me.</em><br /><br />So when my friend <a href="http://yucababy.blogspot.com/">Chantel</a> was like, "Hey! Have you ever knitted?" I was all, "UM, NO, I CANNOT EVEN SEW BUTTONS BACK ON THINGS." (Which is true. Whenever I lose a button, I have to get The Husband to deal with it. Yes, ladies, my man fixes cars, chases reindeer, digs for rocks, and SEWS. And no, you still can't have him.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6s-ZIOeokSiqxe81Ppsv2j-CtkCm2Z2ozB1_kss0p_xqHRnK_cdahMIO3D_iLoJc0jo4aIHDNn3BvY0gswmvgl1MpejwfAaZXdK6WI9lDAlNWLyL0t9SFHkLW-_rFKjZRG_ArAP4AlrNU/s1600/BEARD.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6s-ZIOeokSiqxe81Ppsv2j-CtkCm2Z2ozB1_kss0p_xqHRnK_cdahMIO3D_iLoJc0jo4aIHDNn3BvY0gswmvgl1MpejwfAaZXdK6WI9lDAlNWLyL0t9SFHkLW-_rFKjZRG_ArAP4AlrNU/s400/BEARD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662991794919638354" /></a><br /><em>HANDS OF MY YUKON CORNELIUS!</em><br /><br />But Chantel was not daunted by the panic in my eyes! Chantel was BRAVE, and said, "Come! Let us go to Michael's, buy supplies, and I shall teach you to knit!" Chantel, it turned out, had learned to knit several years before when she was doing her Fulbright in New Zealand. Which, I mean, can we take a minute an appreciate how that is like The Most Bad-Ass Learning To Knit Story EVER? Most people are like, "Oh, my grandma taught me," but Chantel gets to say, "Oh, I was in Middle Earth because I'm terrifyingly smart, and there's lots of wool there so...knitting."<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9e8XxjoaQ8iJ_IH3XcEu4qygh4xzWbXQt0li0KaAUc8mfdo49a9AqgL2EGt_KkCdC4XfK4iYEkb8OLVs6Ac57cSn6YAyAFcOGVNzEuWL_lBsg7bmrzZv5Sszj5QzHxjG0B3d5T0fmv56/s1600/Lord-of-the-rings-orcs.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9e8XxjoaQ8iJ_IH3XcEu4qygh4xzWbXQt0li0KaAUc8mfdo49a9AqgL2EGt_KkCdC4XfK4iYEkb8OLVs6Ac57cSn6YAyAFcOGVNzEuWL_lBsg7bmrzZv5Sszj5QzHxjG0B3d5T0fmv56/s400/Lord-of-the-rings-orcs.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662992763968858482" /></a><br /><em>It is also possible she battled Orcs there. I do not know.</em><br /><br />I picked out some yarn I liked, and I got some reasonably priced needles, and Chantel taught me to knit, despite the fact that I did, like, EVERYTHING wrong at first. Y'all should have heard how nice she tried to be saying things like, "Oh, I...yeah, I don't even know how you did that. How are you ADDING more stitches?"<br /><br />Seriously, you guys.<br /><br />How bad am I at craftiness? So bad that when I texted The Mama to tell her Chantel was learnin' me some knitting, The Mama text back, "Does she KNOW you?" And when The Mama, who basically follows me around all day playing THIS SONG:<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3jYcW1nEsGk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />is like, "LOL U SUCK AT TEH KNITTING!!1" you know I really, really suck.<br /><br />But here's the thing. I really ENJOYED knitting. Even as I was adding stitches, and then dropping stitches, and creating Inexplicable Holes, I was having a good time. And I wasn't trying to make a coat, or a hat, or even a scarf. I was just playing around with the yarn until I felt more comfortable with it. <br /><br />I went back to Michael's. I had plastic needles, but I wasn't crazy about those, so I bought some metal ones and some pricier bamboo needles (which ended up being my preferred needle, BTW.) I got several different skeins of yarn, picking all of them just because I thought they were pretty. I knitted watching TV, and I knitted while I thought Plotty Thoughts- BOOK Plotty Thoughts, not World Domination Plotty Thoughts-, and I knitted just for the fun of knitting. And I STILL sucked at it, but I started to suck a little bit less. Here are a few examples:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEMd2s9W7K9PnZ9Eno-OCrjLtvSP-KZDEiP5HZkrwD8b1TZEa9m67m6JDDdLs3nmr4aGs5JMTDnQxvfZcFg3fPEftQQz-dfw97-apm3RRBq7AAKRtIgjkB7eg-EUPIQemZWKR8VHw-q7I/s1600/knitting"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDEMd2s9W7K9PnZ9Eno-OCrjLtvSP-KZDEiP5HZkrwD8b1TZEa9m67m6JDDdLs3nmr4aGs5JMTDnQxvfZcFg3fPEftQQz-dfw97-apm3RRBq7AAKRtIgjkB7eg-EUPIQemZWKR8VHw-q7I/s400/knitting" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663002026943951122" /></a><br /><br /><br />Now, as you can see, I am still not what ANYONE would call "good." But that's to be expected. I've only been knitting for a few months, and before Chantel got that knitty gleam in her eye, I'd never so much as held a pair of knitting needles before. The main thing is, I'm learning, and I'm practicing, and I'm ENJOYING it.<br /><br />And now, for the Tortured Metaphor portion of the blog, it strikes me that this is what Beginning Writers need to do. So often, when we want to write, we sit down and go, "I wanna write a BOOK! A big one! Maybe even a SERIES of books with, like, SEVEN SEQUELS and ELEVENTY BILLION characters!" <br /><br />But if you've never written anything before, that's a SERIOUSLY tall order! It would be like me buying all that yarn and a pattern book and going, "IMMA KNIT A COAT AND MATCHING SCARF AND BOOTIES FOR SMALL SON! So we can MATCH, CREEPY-STYLES!"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJH4EiAtST0zJpwjlATYPXtG5IOoXKyNPapHR-QyyeV_5FAKuzBN5C_9hEj9pHxuTUxRtlqp290r1TjXA2bdD8oJKK2TyKkBhzCWV-FyL1NHD4SnR3QDzYEoydPD-ROADTmONGv9x_YWMs/s1600/Matching.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJH4EiAtST0zJpwjlATYPXtG5IOoXKyNPapHR-QyyeV_5FAKuzBN5C_9hEj9pHxuTUxRtlqp290r1TjXA2bdD8oJKK2TyKkBhzCWV-FyL1NHD4SnR3QDzYEoydPD-ROADTmONGv9x_YWMs/s400/Matching.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662997390907774946" /></a><br /><em>YAY THERAPY!</em><br /><br />And would I have ended up with matching coats and hats and scarves and booties? No. I would have ended up with a pattern book shoved in a corner, and several balls of yarn, and maybe like one half of one sleeve or something. And I would've felt frustrated, and vaguely pissed off, and very, "BAH KNITTING I HATE YOU YOU ARE TOO HARD."<br /><br />Instead, I didn't put any expectations on myself. I bought yarn just because it was pretty. I tried lots of different needles until I found the ones that felt best for me. I didn't sit down with any other goal besides, "Knit." Not knit a SCARF, not knit something to GIVE SOMEONE, just...knit. <br /><br />And I hope that all of you starting out in writing will give yourself the same freedom. Just WRITE. Don't worry about making it a BOOK, or getting an AGENT. At least not right away. Play with ideas or characters or themes that are "pretty" to you (this is why I'm very Pro Fanfic. I feel like Fanfic can be a great way of writing with training wheels, as it were.)<br /><br /><br />Write in a notebook, on a laptop, a regular computer,an iPad, whatever until you discover what feels best. Try out different writing software. For example, I know now that I can only write books from beginning to end, and I have to write them in Word on a laptop. I have friends who ADORE Scrivener, but it makes me wanna punch baby kitties. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClPYFZM5gkNmDAd9oEDh6IMHz3N8HI2vAsxuELzjko3CbgLmjY2VIuY2GH9iRlnrNIKzxG35_hA1aptaF5SRjO6sp2U9hQ2RBoqh3_-89wf0wdWJOx41KOHuwKzQG8TgPpkyV_UrHM7To/s1600/sad_kitten.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiClPYFZM5gkNmDAd9oEDh6IMHz3N8HI2vAsxuELzjko3CbgLmjY2VIuY2GH9iRlnrNIKzxG35_hA1aptaF5SRjO6sp2U9hQ2RBoqh3_-89wf0wdWJOx41KOHuwKzQG8TgPpkyV_UrHM7To/s400/sad_kitten.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662999373216714818" /></a><br /><em>Yup, even you, Adorable Sad Kitten. That is how much I loathe Scrivener.</em><br /><br />Have fun. Play. Don't worry if you drop plots, or add plots, or have Inexplicable Holes in your story. Just keep trying new stuff. And if writing is ONLY ever play for you, that's fine, too. I mean, let's me honest, I will never have my own knitting show on the DIY network. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPZaclE72G51kVWIIdcO-z8K-5JHxArdDRNHXcd2S7gfsO3iNsA3Ro343Ox5GoHtmGXz_WxpeFpLcF_0nik1i1H62AcWQAY5WuRVDoKWl3Zfa_isXvG_PLM4jjsMNyXERTiN13tWgZacG/s1600/knittygritty.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 184px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPZaclE72G51kVWIIdcO-z8K-5JHxArdDRNHXcd2S7gfsO3iNsA3Ro343Ox5GoHtmGXz_WxpeFpLcF_0nik1i1H62AcWQAY5WuRVDoKWl3Zfa_isXvG_PLM4jjsMNyXERTiN13tWgZacG/s400/knittygritty.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663000463000678530" /></a><br /><em>And even if I did, it wouldn't matter, because the GREATEST NAME EVER for a knitting show has already been taken.</em><br /><br />But until you try, until you get in there and give yourself permission to be BAD at something while you're learning, you'll never really know. So go! WRITE!<br /><br />And don't expect a scarf from me for Christmas. ;-)<br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-23376672010741550622011-08-05T12:48:00.013-05:002011-08-05T14:13:41.334-05:00Behind The CurtainHappy Friday, all! First things first, before I forget, if you are in the Nashville area, I will BE THERE THIS MONDAY NIGHT! Yes! August 8, from 6:30 until 8:30, me and some of my Author Buddies will be at the Brentwood Barnes and Noble. Come see us! <a href="http://ash2nash.blogspot.com/2011/03/nashville-tour-stop-information.html">Details here!</a><br /><br />Okay, so I had ALL THIS STUFF I wanted to talk about today as we near the end of the summer. This summer has been a weird one for me, although far, far better than last summer, AKA That Time The Husband Had To Live In Norway For 2 Months and a Reindeer Nearly Killed Him And Oh Yeah, He Also Grew This Beard:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsrK6cqil4Znik3ZiBYMbX686LLjhp-0lkLlnCLS5sELkXyQ-MD_OmtplFovufnS0Hgy9RfSgach9i3WRCJ1VuKMOYC1zqEA9qWr2cvjNHCm4TtyXOcB19qKiJtMLtWf1Nf3b9eEUnV-9/s1600/BEARD.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsrK6cqil4Znik3ZiBYMbX686LLjhp-0lkLlnCLS5sELkXyQ-MD_OmtplFovufnS0Hgy9RfSgach9i3WRCJ1VuKMOYC1zqEA9qWr2cvjNHCm4TtyXOcB19qKiJtMLtWf1Nf3b9eEUnV-9/s400/BEARD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637430730618578786" /></a><br /><em>And did he purposely save this beard until he could get a new driver's license photo, thus preserving it for all time or at least the next four years? Yes. Yes, he did.</em><br /><br />Hmmm... Looking at that picture, I now realize that The Husband bore a striking resemblance to Yukon Cornelius from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tYqB5lBCQVgjXi73i3HxNbiX_XE-U_biChlXnSeC2EWr6EmLyuv-3Ss00pB1ZzieqMmNPSFCRD0X3xI-QEupHWXrwWurfrQF5_vTQZJhn2btAJSJ5Bi0aWx1FOSude7LTnvQkE91w9RE/s1600/Rudolph-YukonCornelius-9.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 315px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2tYqB5lBCQVgjXi73i3HxNbiX_XE-U_biChlXnSeC2EWr6EmLyuv-3Ss00pB1ZzieqMmNPSFCRD0X3xI-QEupHWXrwWurfrQF5_vTQZJhn2btAJSJ5Bi0aWx1FOSude7LTnvQkE91w9RE/s400/Rudolph-YukonCornelius-9.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637431564049327586" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, last summer was sad because The Husband was far, far away and I like having him around and stuff. THIS summer was weird because I was coming off an INTENSELY weird spring, wherein several AMAZING things happened. DEMONGLASS came out! And you guys got to READ IT! And then I got to travel 'round the country with my New BFF, Sarwat! And then DEMONGLASS spent 2 weeks on the NYT list, and made me feel a combination of :D and 0_o for nearly a month!<br /><br />But, as is the way with life sometimes, all this amazingness had to be balanced by some sucktasticness. In this case, the sucktasticness was every drop of my Writing Mojo going, "PEACE OUT, HAWKINS!"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgVeWuc0Fz8Y4HQEBSHLsyWVU7jrfxSwAInKQctTyQHL8AL5AUyrDk0wI92fgWSvOQBBBLD5VxgKWkJqlHiPHdXSFIP7bSc4cQxVD1i8g6f-Xt_Sop9R7tVMRiyc9disluDAHIatFgOFg/s1600/babyup.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbgVeWuc0Fz8Y4HQEBSHLsyWVU7jrfxSwAInKQctTyQHL8AL5AUyrDk0wI92fgWSvOQBBBLD5VxgKWkJqlHiPHdXSFIP7bSc4cQxVD1i8g6f-Xt_Sop9R7tVMRiyc9disluDAHIatFgOFg/s400/babyup.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637433233070068850" /></a><br /><em>"Where the f*** are you going, Writing Mojo? I NEED TO WRITE BOOKS, YOU KNOW."</em><br /><br />I've said before that I don't believe in writer's block, and I hold to that. In this case, I wasn't BLOCKED so much as every word I typed felt like someone was pulling teeth in my soul. My soul-teeth as it were.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gnhncTVP1ItosAhbur1bFU_sviOeNuRHPE5LgLzZn8VFN3qkla8YvymqvsObQE2Z1EYEVX94Hpomqx0TmwV-R0qSx4xOQ3wMz1Y35XK2-e2_2lhJJ5K2Bg-5jiLmgJLIcXRnBS8mRvY7/s1600/soulteeth.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 144px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2gnhncTVP1ItosAhbur1bFU_sviOeNuRHPE5LgLzZn8VFN3qkla8YvymqvsObQE2Z1EYEVX94Hpomqx0TmwV-R0qSx4xOQ3wMz1Y35XK2-e2_2lhJJ5K2Bg-5jiLmgJLIcXRnBS8mRvY7/s400/soulteeth.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637447607690006050" /></a><br /><em>This is what happens when you do a Google Image search for "soul teeth."</em><br /><br />There are lots of reasons for that, and it the first two drafts of this post, I went into them at length. But then I was all, "Eh, this feels slightly self-indulgent, and also I am Southern, and therefore anything that feels like Revealing My Bizness makes me break out in hives." So I'll give you the condensed version and say that I suspect my Writing Mojo deserted me for the following reasons.<br /><br />1)The past few years have been full of Change, and while 99.9% of that change was RAD, it was still Change, and Change=Stress, and Stress Is The Word Killer. Or something like that.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYy8wBaXV5-oQG-FyBCMr5ii3NBvTkQfX3NkjG8oWZWh6DIJmq2siHRQmHrZJ6mEjC1p0H0CtX0yQLvwap2uPANHF-Pjh6FjRayVhPheiAu0p5LzOWwHxasMRCqS2qBOfMoB24PWkbwAy/s1600/bebe.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYy8wBaXV5-oQG-FyBCMr5ii3NBvTkQfX3NkjG8oWZWh6DIJmq2siHRQmHrZJ6mEjC1p0H0CtX0yQLvwap2uPANHF-Pjh6FjRayVhPheiAu0p5LzOWwHxasMRCqS2qBOfMoB24PWkbwAy/s400/bebe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637445344979390130" /></a><br /><em>"It's actually 'Fear Is the Mind Killer.' We are so kicking you out of the Bene Gesserit now, Rachel."</em><br /><br /><br />2)I am still new at this and it's taken me this long to figure out how to balance the author/writer parts of myself, as I've discussed before. Also, the way I wrote books before I was a Published Author Type Person was not a particularly sustainable process, and that eventually bit me in the gluteus maximus. <br /><br />This was basically my schedule for HEX HALL:<br /><br />Monday: Write 4K words<br />Tuesday: Futz with those words<br />Wednesday: Pretend to be working by making a playlist/reading a baby name book/researching various kinds of supernatural beasties/translating random words into Latin (Fun Fact: That's actually how I came up with the term "Prodigium.")<br />Thursday: Write 5K words<br />Friday-Tuesday: Sit on the couch and rest because brain is leaking out of ears.<br />Wednesday: Write 6K words.<br />Thursday: Scrap those 6K words, write 6K MORE BETTER words.<br /><br />And so on. <br /><br />Now just repeat that schedule for three months, add an extra month where I abandoned the book altogether, then throw in the last day where I wrote 10K words in under 24 hours, and you have what writing HEX HALL looked like. Do you see where that might not be the BEST way to write a book when you ALSO have to edit a 2nd book, and promote a third, and also try to maintain some degree of sanity?<br /><br />3)I carried a lot of fears/beliefs over from my Pre-Published days without taking into account that now writing was FER SERIOUS MY JOB AND STUFF. Namely that you can NEVER EVER EVER work on something else except your current WIP because then you will ABANDON your WIP, and NEVER FINISH and then you will NEVER BE A WRITER OMG. But the thing is, once writing is your actual career, I think those little side projects and fancies are actually a really necessary thing. I love writing. It is the best job in the world. But you know what? It's still a job. And that means some days it isn't fun. I think that if I'd sat down at my computer and said, "Okay, you can have 30 minutes/500 words/whatever you deem appropriate to write WHATEVER you want," I probably could have gone into the writing I had to do that day a lot happier. When you don't let yourself be free sometimes, your WIP becomes less that fun world you get to create and more like that lame friend your mom MAKES you hang out with because she and the Lame Friend's mom are in Sunday School together, even though you'd MUCH RATHER go play with your AWESOME NEW FRIENDS who have COOL HAIR and smoke CLOVE CIGARETTES and are just generally MORE WINNING AT LIFE.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtk_k36AWpJxHx2cv-rB4YLVT5amGRqRtGdLEqAlw9OgYvmxwFDzKzddCT6XqTxNXpNyN6cbn4P8JYHkK8RsXk_HQzfojxzs_gwdv7_C-xXOILLqFX_7OuGSOz-HSH8nSgnjR6oCyOO4Vk/s1600/clove_cigarettes_by_raeuve.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 343px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtk_k36AWpJxHx2cv-rB4YLVT5amGRqRtGdLEqAlw9OgYvmxwFDzKzddCT6XqTxNXpNyN6cbn4P8JYHkK8RsXk_HQzfojxzs_gwdv7_C-xXOILLqFX_7OuGSOz-HSH8nSgnjR6oCyOO4Vk/s400/clove_cigarettes_by_raeuve.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637438273296177250" /></a><br /><em>The Fun WIP. Also, Responsible Adult Note: Do not smoke clove cigarettes. They're kind of gross and they will make you smell like you just celebrated Christmas in Hell.</em><br /><br />4)SPELL BOUND was really hard to write. Like, harder than I ever thought it would be. It was the first book I wrote as a Published Author Type Person (DEMONGLASS was turned in before HEX HALL ever came out), and it was the end of the series, and I wanted to be SURE I was leaving all of you with a fabulous ending, and because I STILL hadn't developed an especially sustainable writing process, I struggled with it a lot. In the end, everything worked out and I actually think this book may be the best of the series. But at the time, fighting with it so hard really, really rattled my confidence. And it meant that when I turned around to work on my NEXT book, I was nearly having panic attacks just opening the Word document. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcmVMRaHf-68cDmo1-HD0-ydKNG2yeQ-Np97K6f94EIsn_JK8sRuyLBEC7TmIa0ReLqRRE1__Sk1XZndE3TKIcxzKjODD1LIADBH6fSLSW9RIttXQ4lpvNrT6yBQ5Ykow6TanBHLPiSMx/s1600/scarycomputer.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYcmVMRaHf-68cDmo1-HD0-ydKNG2yeQ-Np97K6f94EIsn_JK8sRuyLBEC7TmIa0ReLqRRE1__Sk1XZndE3TKIcxzKjODD1LIADBH6fSLSW9RIttXQ4lpvNrT6yBQ5Ykow6TanBHLPiSMx/s400/scarycomputer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637442640311844098" /></a><br /><em>RWAR I'M YOUR NEXT BOOK AND IMMA EAT YOU, RACHEL!</em><br /><br />Anyway, all of this is to say that while I've been a FT writer for nearly 4 years, I've only been a Published Author Type Person since March 2010, and it's taken me this long to finally start figuring some stuff out. That's what this summer was about for me: getting my feet back under me as a writer. Learning to have fun again and to shut out the voices in my head that were screaming, "YOU ARE A LOSERY LOSER! PEOPLE WOULD KILL TO HAVE THIS JOB SO WHY IS IT MAKING YOU SO FULL OF THE SADS? OH, RIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE A LOSERY LOSER." <br /><br />I also had to accept that the days of 5K words/day were probably gone forever. Heck, the days of 2K words/day are gone. From now on, it's 500-1000 words a day, five days a week. It's slower, and it's a weirder way for me to work because I think my natural inclination will always be towards the Furious Flurries of Words, but that was clearly <em>not working.</em> Honestly, it took me nearly 2 years and four books to realize that my writing process had to change, but there you go. <br /><br />And I'm also ridiculously grateful to work with such amazing people who, when I said, "Okay, this train is moving a WEE BIT FAST, can we perhaps slow down a touch?" all said, "Alrighty then!" Okay, they didn't actually say "Alrighty, then!" because that is a lame thing to say, and all the people on Team Hex/Team Belle are, as previously implied, Amazeballs. And I'm super-glad that if I had to have a mini-burnout, it came now when there was a little wiggle room, and that SPELL BOUND was already turned in! It DOES mean that REBEL BELLE probably won't come out until 2013 now, but at least there's not a 2 year gap between books in a series. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM57LHJWRYeYCSgQH5gcJ_vydOg6Gxau5DdGBHqUEkOfMFC5I51T2roaoQir5U8xhqNSlJzSdOpG627E0WP4qLue080qpFoW3IZpkz3_hXu84-ZVuMdeeDa0omfuZjZUi0JSA7kuaM5uQ/s1600/grrmartin.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLM57LHJWRYeYCSgQH5gcJ_vydOg6Gxau5DdGBHqUEkOfMFC5I51T2roaoQir5U8xhqNSlJzSdOpG627E0WP4qLue080qpFoW3IZpkz3_hXu84-ZVuMdeeDa0omfuZjZUi0JSA7kuaM5uQ/s400/grrmartin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637447241328257202" /></a><br /><em>Or a FIVE YEAR GAP. Don't think I've forgotten, George R.R. Martin. </em><br /><br />So there you have it! I kind of feel like I just showed y'all my Writing Panties (I will not even ATTEMPT a Google Image search for that one), but I wanted to let y'all know what's been going on with me and, if any of you are Published Author Type Persons or Aspiring Author Type Persons, to let you see a little peek behind the curtain. I think we talk so much about the struggle TO get published that we don't always realize there are struggles ONCE we're published. Or if we DO talk about things that are rough post-publication, it tends to be about the Author Side Struggles (bad covers, bad sales, bad reviews, no new sales, etc.), and less about the Writer Side Struggles. <br /><br />But this story does have a happy ending! Yes, it took tears, and hair pulling, and the most emo journal entries this side of 7th grade, and more cookies than I'm comfortable talking about, but over the course of this summer, I've found my way back to having fun with writing, so much so that the other day, The Husband noticed I was staring into space and asked, "What are you smiling about?" And I realized I was sitting there, day dreaming about the book I was working on, grinning like an idiot. So if anyone else is out there in the Dark No Man's Land of No Words, they'll come back. And lo, life can be all flowers and sausages once again. <br /><br /><br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_Aba8n2vkIk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><em>Yup.</em><br /><br />Until next time! XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-11559355447935411252011-07-28T11:02:00.003-05:002011-07-28T11:08:39.472-05:00In MemoriamHey, Mes Anges. So today is kind of a sad day for me since it marks the 14th anniversary of my Dad passing away. It's nearly impossible to believe it's been 14 whole years. I was 14 when he was first diagnosed with melanoma, and 17 when he lost that fight. (And I always feel like I should add that when he was diagnosed, he was given around 6 weeks to live. He made it 3 years. I will always be so, so thankful for those 3 years.) <br /><br />Anyway, I wrote a blog post about Daddy a few years ago, and I think it still says all I'd like to say. <a href="http://readingwritingrachel.blogspot.com/2009/07/in-memoriam-william-moore.html">You can read it here.</a> <br /><br />And if you're lucky enough to still have both your parents, give them an extra hug today. :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfopm0cXAZWRnwJLr5te4AjxEtAoLVEOBCL8kgEzR8dIvuBGNcgSPMGK-y1aB0cjZerTcfYqd8X2iLdn4FxqpYEl5hBdxgwKJ5FvuLAFn9z9MK57BEeAfoIqyzKIjn9wWlZp6r3_k3h-6s/s1600/Daddybeach.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfopm0cXAZWRnwJLr5te4AjxEtAoLVEOBCL8kgEzR8dIvuBGNcgSPMGK-y1aB0cjZerTcfYqd8X2iLdn4FxqpYEl5hBdxgwKJ5FvuLAFn9z9MK57BEeAfoIqyzKIjn9wWlZp6r3_k3h-6s/s400/Daddybeach.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634435192030815986" /></a><br /><em>Me and Daddy, circa 1983. I stand by that choice of floatie. </em>Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-16616893379289865162011-07-20T10:30:00.004-05:002011-07-20T10:41:22.912-05:00SPELL BOUND has a cover!!And lo, it is BEAUTIFUL!! Seriously, feast your eyes upon THIS:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG81kYc6kJuLBGCTSwmVxDzcCibtClEHSiKinXpIx4VwGhEKITSfo-rZqKqxFOVaiBkAsBL_WhqqFklJ4B1y-77-4lf9IsX4qrh_m4eIWO-l4cfeqxl3tvUN_3KkgsK-4KaTr_k8k65Rb/s1600/SpellBound_COVs-1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpG81kYc6kJuLBGCTSwmVxDzcCibtClEHSiKinXpIx4VwGhEKITSfo-rZqKqxFOVaiBkAsBL_WhqqFklJ4B1y-77-4lf9IsX4qrh_m4eIWO-l4cfeqxl3tvUN_3KkgsK-4KaTr_k8k65Rb/s400/SpellBound_COVs-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5631457399856561330" /></a><br /><br />Once again, the amazing people at Hyperion have hit it out of the PARK, if you ask me. I cannot WAIT to see this one next to the other two, even though the thought of that makes me kind of sad because once I have the final copy, it will mean the trilogy is *sniff* OVER. Yes, there are more adventures to come in the HEX HALL universe, but Sophie's story wraps up in SPELL BOUND. That meant that this book was probably the toughest book I've ever had to write. I wanted to give my beh-behs a fitting send-off, and while y'all can decided whether or not I've done that in March, for now I CAN say that the art department at Hyperion has DEFINITELY delivered on a gorgeous going away present. :)<br /><br />As for the actual stuff happening on the cover...hmmmm....is that a SWORD Sophie is holding? Whoever could THAT belong to? And there in the bottom is that...is she...why, YES, I DO believe she's wearing a rather rumpled looking Hecate Hall uniform. What is THAT all about? Here are a FEW clues in the description from Amazon:<br /><br /><strong><em>Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.<br /><br />Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.<br /><br />Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?</em></strong><br /><br /><br />LET THE SPECULATING BEGIN. ;-)<br /><br />Also, let's give one last final farewell to the cat who, as you can see, is taking a little break this go round. I like to think he's all, "Guuuurl, I am TIRED! And in this book you go to [redacted], and you meet [redacted], and you find out that [redacted] is [redacted], and [redacted] DIES. Aw, hell no! Sitting this one OUT!"<br /><br />So cat or no, I hope y'all love this one as much as I do! Now come on March!! <br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com103tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-84472022489747525412011-06-24T10:05:00.005-05:002011-06-24T10:19:12.084-05:00HEAR YE, HEAR YE!This is a quick post today, Mes Anges, because I have to go to the doctor this morning. Apparently, all the pool time I've been logging with Small Son has resulted in an ear infection for yours truly. Blah.<br /><br />BUT LESS BLAH! Announcement-y things!<br /><br />First, HEX HALL 3: TRIPLE HEXXX, THIS TIME IT'S HEXUAL has an actual title! And it is....<br /><br /><br />SPELL BOUND.<br /><br />I hope you love! I love. And I can say I love because, as has been WELL EVIDENCED, I suck at coming up with titles, so I didn't come up with that one. :) Also, I've seen the cover, and it is GORGEOUS!! Will probably be sharing around August!<br /><br />SECONDLY: If you've ever wanted to come hear me ramble in person, you will have your chance tomorrow, Saturday, June 25 at 1:30PM. I'll be at the Homewood Public Library in Birmingham, AL with Rosemary Clement Moore, Jennifer Echols, Chandra Sparks Taylor, and R.A. Nelson. We'll be talking book-y things, and YA things, and I will try not to say amazeballs. NO PROMISES. ;-)<br /><br />THIRDLY: If you are sad because you don't live close to Birmingham, AL and you wanted to see me, FEAR NOT. I have MUCH travel planned this year. I'll be at the <a href="http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2011/index.php">Decatur Book Festival</a>, which I'm SO EXCITED ABOUT I MIGHT DIE. And then, just a few weeks later, I'll be at the <a href="http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org/BBF/Home">Brooklyn Book Festival!</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDpvC5GJPKBs3jD1Qe1TZU1qSrMWHYmcDBlK7YKPG8anwqVoSjpBqJb4-ggNjIcdixeiAxJFQqgJ_PCQRfOtXjwx2swagJzcKP7cwS8NHe0ukA5ju5QNB2E0tjRgXuQIMtR92vmQ_qhhX/s1600/Joyce-Carol-Oates-001.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDpvC5GJPKBs3jD1Qe1TZU1qSrMWHYmcDBlK7YKPG8anwqVoSjpBqJb4-ggNjIcdixeiAxJFQqgJ_PCQRfOtXjwx2swagJzcKP7cwS8NHe0ukA5ju5QNB2E0tjRgXuQIMtR92vmQ_qhhX/s400/Joyce-Carol-Oates-001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621805019769547714" /></a><br /><em>Joyce Carol Oates will also be there. I'm going to attempt to make her my Beffie. I'm sure that will go super-well.</em><br /><br />And then there MAY be something out west in November, and there will be more places in the Spring once SPELL BOUND comes out, so...yeah, many chances to hang with me!<br /><br />FOURTHLY: I...actually don't have a fourthly. OH! Except that I am DEVASTATED because Game of Thrones is off the air for a YEAR. A YEAR MES ANGES. I love that show so hard. Probably because I loved the BOOKS so hard, and the show is a downright perfect adaptation of them, IMO. Sure, some things are left out or condensed, but the overall tone is spot-on, and I'm going to miss it TERRIBLY until it returns in 2012. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHByfHVXpW_Lv9GvB_ENztyUV7YIIv2aepOkOrbYMrtwq7-6yRf4uuX4N28SpLj03BL8sxoXeH2qTWawFfryGoIm-AxqN1RR5dgONQt1E50yFbJ13ETXdABLgrDHTBLQ1_FTb1pnb3bAk/s1600/JonSnow2.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHByfHVXpW_Lv9GvB_ENztyUV7YIIv2aepOkOrbYMrtwq7-6yRf4uuX4N28SpLj03BL8sxoXeH2qTWawFfryGoIm-AxqN1RR5dgONQt1E50yFbJ13ETXdABLgrDHTBLQ1_FTb1pnb3bAk/s400/JonSnow2.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621805248650006050" /></a><br /><em>The show ALSO reminded me that Jon Snow is one of my Literary Boyfriends. Shut up, his shirtlessness has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. It's because he's sensitive, yet badass, and he's loyal and quite muscular and looks like he would hold me tenderly-okay, perhaps the shirtlessness has a WEE BIT to do with it.</em><br /><br />Hope to see some of you soon!<br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-76664924288103254712011-06-17T14:23:00.012-05:002011-06-17T15:18:29.539-05:00WTF? Friday, Part IVI think the REAL WTF? Friday is that I have blogged THREE TIMES THIS WEEK ZOMG. I feel all proud and accomplished! <br /><br />Okay, so this installment of WTF? Friday comes to you from The Husband. Now, first off, a bit about The Husband. Actually, about the spouses of writers in general. they are the true unsung heroes of the publishing industry. Whenever people ask me for writing advice, I usually tell them, "Marry Well," and then they're like, "LOL BECAUSE WRITERS ARE POOR!"<br /><br />But that's not actually what I mean. (Although hey, it WOULD NOT HURT. Rich people need love, too, yo.) <br /><br /><br />What I mean is to marry someone who gets you. Gets that being a writer is not just your job, but actually part of your chemical make up. Understands that sometimes you will forget to pay the water bill because you used up too much hard drive space in your brain. Knows and doesn't mind- too much- that you will probably cry and have a mini-breakdown (heck, sometimes a MEGA-breakdown) at least once during every book you write. Someone who when you pout about a bad review immediately goes, "That person can SUCK IT," and not, "Well, he DOES have a point about Chapter 3."<br /><br /><br /><strong>(Side Note: I just text The Husband and asked him what it was like being married to a writer. His response: "It's like being a human white board, but one who also has to go buy beer on his way home." SO NOW YOU KNOW.)</strong><br /><br /><br />All of this is to say that The Husband is basically the perfect Writer Spouse (and NO, NONE OF YOU CAN HAVE HIM.) But even HE is sometimes dismayed in the extreme by some of my more...um...eccentric behavior. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEHcdSg2kMNf0ZwDJecZGp2kzn9ZpEphMQ5lM2rXwRoSPsPmuWqnoRHm5QW2CmpJx2F0zO08apFzGswK7_32ARbAwgSd9bB2JfquSqA9K0K0QsaCm8M_veJXM7lpo97wfBSo3XwdCpUAd/s1600/monkey.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 359px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEHcdSg2kMNf0ZwDJecZGp2kzn9ZpEphMQ5lM2rXwRoSPsPmuWqnoRHm5QW2CmpJx2F0zO08apFzGswK7_32ARbAwgSd9bB2JfquSqA9K0K0QsaCm8M_veJXM7lpo97wfBSo3XwdCpUAd/s400/monkey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619281564912860818" /></a><br /><em>The term, "Cracked Out Monkey" has been bandied about.</em><br /><br />So here's the setting: It's a Friday night. Small Son is in bed, The Husband and I are watching TV, all is quiet and peaceful in Chez Hawkins. The Husband, as his his wont, gets up to make himself a PB&J sandwich. Now, as soon as The Husband goes into the kitchen, something flips inside my admittedly strange brain. <br /><br />"Hey!" I think. "I didn't tell the Husband about that sweet ceramic knife I got at Publix the other day!"<br /><br />For yes, Mes Anges, I had fallen victim to one of those As Seen On TV end caps and purchased a $20 ceramic knife. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUoWxUcZUcbEYv5MKFhVPh963zT-n20Lhfdd90-1Qw8Vqqw4Vjlp_qnWWR-A-rR96EcnflCl6tkZhFlUTGbWDvysXpuVNI1v8TIXQoUd3DZD5PCDiXWRmCksIeDItmgzTl8XPt0giSd49/s1600/knife.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUoWxUcZUcbEYv5MKFhVPh963zT-n20Lhfdd90-1Qw8Vqqw4Vjlp_qnWWR-A-rR96EcnflCl6tkZhFlUTGbWDvysXpuVNI1v8TIXQoUd3DZD5PCDiXWRmCksIeDItmgzTl8XPt0giSd49/s400/knife.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619281846288422338" /></a><br /><em>Specifically, one of these. It's pretty amazeballs.</em><br /><br />And it was indeed as awesome as TV had made it appear to be! So of course The Husband must see it RIGHT NOW! And OFF I leaped!<br /><br />Let us take a minute to envision The Husband again. There he was, in his nice quiet house, contentedly fixing himself a sandwich. Much like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB22Vg4iAy-RMfuuVMb1rCqbFrhoZqnxQIUOpGMbZzEu2LljiR8-TyYBjHVNrqoGDsnsryQLR8gM0eHOJYCmAC6FmsyYGFmHwtxrxvsto91s-RiV6-msTpUw0o8Ryzg9Z_xlN26E7Fxdvx/s1600/sandwichboy.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB22Vg4iAy-RMfuuVMb1rCqbFrhoZqnxQIUOpGMbZzEu2LljiR8-TyYBjHVNrqoGDsnsryQLR8gM0eHOJYCmAC6FmsyYGFmHwtxrxvsto91s-RiV6-msTpUw0o8Ryzg9Z_xlN26E7Fxdvx/s400/sandwichboy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619282112480168498" /></a><br /><em>For the purpose of this story, the role of The Husband is being played by a 6 year old boy.</em><br /><br /><br />I imagine his thoughts were happy, peaceful ones as he stood there, lovingly slathering his bread with that weird expensive jam he likes ever since he got back from Norway and declared that all American jelly is horrible. Little did he know of the chaos and bloodshed about to rain down on him.<br /><br /><br />Bounding into the kitchen, shouting things like, "As Seen On TV!" and "I cut like a bajillion squashes!" and "$20 is actually kind of reasonable when you think about it!" I whipped my knife out of the drawer with one hand, while the other grabbed a lime. Exulting, "CHECK THIS OUT!", I put the lime on the cutting board and brought my new knife down on it with a flourish. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi2L0PnWEH7RLsYNp-XqAY_24IzSlqWb9fc33oLTeEkEC9xx5ZiM77nqvDhqRgC9lVCj3k0_SGNpJ5OSIx_bkvA8s7SpC_j_MREZXUwr7JJcC_44nSAQ2zEh7MdZwSLoMUNRryAKP8vm4/s1600/Crazy-lady-with-a-knife.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi2L0PnWEH7RLsYNp-XqAY_24IzSlqWb9fc33oLTeEkEC9xx5ZiM77nqvDhqRgC9lVCj3k0_SGNpJ5OSIx_bkvA8s7SpC_j_MREZXUwr7JJcC_44nSAQ2zEh7MdZwSLoMUNRryAKP8vm4/s400/Crazy-lady-with-a-knife.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619284532906749810" /></a><br /><em>According to The Husband, I looked something like this. </em><br /><br />And.... promptly cut off the very tippiest tip of my thumb.<br /><br />The Husband, who mere moments ago had been like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsfcyKwsyAl6q1CQS9WDKX7Y4YyBoy1XI2EcUdx-Rej2uoeu0hQXY9DsRpezTmWAXg7Y-8t2vFyZ-JX4faI_781voaY_EzApiWJIN8QFKLbSOQ8lyymRp3iiapBOqLgTH_xanNXhWGvO6/s1600/sandwichboy.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsfcyKwsyAl6q1CQS9WDKX7Y4YyBoy1XI2EcUdx-Rej2uoeu0hQXY9DsRpezTmWAXg7Y-8t2vFyZ-JX4faI_781voaY_EzApiWJIN8QFKLbSOQ8lyymRp3iiapBOqLgTH_xanNXhWGvO6/s400/sandwichboy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619282761951842226" /></a><br /><br /><br />Was now more like this:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOG3eiE5BCwmCc0VBsKkoMvAO_keZG0VR2I1lB4xV5nJYt8VNUZi4595ZLduF6yBR2nlu3l0la0hY9TAMhrHMVOcNgOEBKsOQQhixW3MsTibotEAnyRfLtawBmWrFembMLb9CRFrl9AJt/s1600/scared-boy.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 201px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidOG3eiE5BCwmCc0VBsKkoMvAO_keZG0VR2I1lB4xV5nJYt8VNUZi4595ZLduF6yBR2nlu3l0la0hY9TAMhrHMVOcNgOEBKsOQQhixW3MsTibotEAnyRfLtawBmWrFembMLb9CRFrl9AJt/s400/scared-boy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619282912893686770" /></a><br /><br />And while I'm pretty sure I was, as usual, all classy and pretty and stuff like THIS:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs447wgHQZ_euaXrLv1T_eT4G6Qb-1p9GhnC2TCzIGzyT4slkwEplHEy_ztiGCVnDM8YZcb0OwRGyonbtooK9KkVp6x_eOrJI-t2tSE77C_0NlsaE4DIuVb_GIhLpmcp9doIaUyzSLuNId/s1600/AuthorPhoto.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs447wgHQZ_euaXrLv1T_eT4G6Qb-1p9GhnC2TCzIGzyT4slkwEplHEy_ztiGCVnDM8YZcb0OwRGyonbtooK9KkVp6x_eOrJI-t2tSE77C_0NlsaE4DIuVb_GIhLpmcp9doIaUyzSLuNId/s400/AuthorPhoto.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619283107128354114" /></a><br /><br />The Husband insists that to him, it was more like THIS:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcIj6mwN2oenoJ0JWPWLqCcEtlHRJ6J3eSQ3r6DdZ4L03yNP-z6cJmipR7-emUQKO0sLHuA6alKxkIEi3TN4UOdTj_9ZDU66M4JBRd4HubKFzS3XLCZc6v-LSQx-Fm0_qGrt5G1qmtwvW/s1600/knifelady.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcIj6mwN2oenoJ0JWPWLqCcEtlHRJ6J3eSQ3r6DdZ4L03yNP-z6cJmipR7-emUQKO0sLHuA6alKxkIEi3TN4UOdTj_9ZDU66M4JBRd4HubKFzS3XLCZc6v-LSQx-Fm0_qGrt5G1qmtwvW/s400/knifelady.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619282444667033826" /></a><br /><br /><br />All of insanity had happened in maybe 10 seconds. As as I stood there, blood and lime juice dripping on the floor, The Husband simply cried, "WTF???" (Only, you know, he said the words.)<br /><br />Later, after I'd bandaged my wound (which, I must confess DIDN'T EVEN HURT A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE MY KNIFE IS SO AWESOME), The Husband turned to me and said, "You should tell that story on your blog so that people will know what it's like being married to you sometimes."<br /><br />And so I have. ;-)<br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-88895761379061431562011-06-14T08:34:00.007-05:002011-06-14T09:08:17.800-05:00Happy Book Birthday, HOURGLASS!!Oh, what a fabulous day this is, Mes Anges! For today, you can go out and buy one of my FAVORITE books I read this year, Myra McEntire's HOURGLASS! <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjT7sQ8rXfikDEGlWl3joBPc4bxkg2QQ4Y0Ty4gIYIA6oUYEsov51TuUya6QZ9qappkzKZ76liUkuuoG2-72kxL-IYtQCghDFYAwfrBFGVzP0M9y1r881avziL-E_-52C6-zVF-xypZq_T/s1600/hourglass.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjT7sQ8rXfikDEGlWl3joBPc4bxkg2QQ4Y0Ty4gIYIA6oUYEsov51TuUya6QZ9qappkzKZ76liUkuuoG2-72kxL-IYtQCghDFYAwfrBFGVzP0M9y1r881avziL-E_-52C6-zVF-xypZq_T/s400/hourglass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618075955314996546" /></a><br /><br />Now, first off, I have to say, yes, yes, Myra is one of my Beffies. And trust me, if you met her, she'd be one of your Beffies, too because she's HILARIOUS and so much fun. Something tells me they are STILL telling tales of the girl's weekend....er....WRITER'S RETREAT Myra, <a href="http://veschwab.wordpress.com/">Victoria Schwab</a>, and I spent in Huntsville, AL back in December. <br /><br />BUT. I am very serious about never, ever pimping books that I did not love, even if I love the author. Mostly because that makes me feel gross. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AQbnJAIl8VhcGNANZ-6lVgRNZVlClpzFI9MEf7NnamVT71BYg22kVUUKE6FUYSNYkPDnHbTqxxm_FjClhaFAzKO7kmJz14hZohiO_BPGPBR5f4fZnP2tjR0Q-F3FVhyphenhyphenPCTZgjaCIvgcN/s1600/asian_girl_with_thermometer.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 284px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5AQbnJAIl8VhcGNANZ-6lVgRNZVlClpzFI9MEf7NnamVT71BYg22kVUUKE6FUYSNYkPDnHbTqxxm_FjClhaFAzKO7kmJz14hZohiO_BPGPBR5f4fZnP2tjR0Q-F3FVhyphenhyphenPCTZgjaCIvgcN/s400/asian_girl_with_thermometer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618075762944719106" /></a><br /><em>Like this, but in my soul-region.</em><br /><br />So Beffies or no, when I say I love Myra's HOURGLASS, it's because HOLY SHIZZ I LOVED THIS BOOK. Now, I can never do something as amazing as <a href="http://myramcentire.blogspot.com/2011/03/demonglass-by-rachel-hawkins.html">what Myra did for ME when DEMONGLASS came out </a>(....and now I just lost like half an hour to rewatching all those Doctor Who videos. Siiiiigh.) <br /><br />But what I CAN do is tell you all about HOURGLASS and why you will lurve it like burning.<br /><br />1) The heroine, Emerson Cole, like Mah Gurl Sophie, has been through a LOT in her 16 years. But whereas Sophie's main issue is doing magic that gets, um, out of hand ("Eyes of my heart" anyone?), Emerson sees things that aren't there. Or are they? Em is tough without being bitchy, vulnerably without being weak, and snarky without being mean. In short, she is totally, heartbreakingly real and I ADORED her.<br /><br />2)As she learns more about her gifts, she meets not one but TWO hot boys (although only one has a shot at her heart, which is a refreshing change!) I actually don't want to say too much about Michael because you all need to meet him for yourselves. I will say that he is SMOKING HOT, but also thoughtful and kind. I enjoy these qualities in all boys, fictional or not. :)<br /><br /><br />3)Emerson gets involved with a super cool secret society for other people with "gifts." IT'S LIKE X-MEN, PEOPLE. That is a way STRAIGHT to my heart!<br /><br />4)Michael and Emerson have to stop a murder...that's already happened. Oh yeah. TIME TRAVEL, BABY. You should already know how I feel about time travel (See above, RE: Doctor Who.)<br /><br />5)And last but not least, the book has a FABULOUS Southern setting. Now, here's the deal. I'm from the South, so needless to say, I feel some attachment to the region. And sometimes when I read books set here, they feel less like the South as I know it and more like an attraction at Disneyworld. ("Iiiiiiittttt's...DIXIELAND! Everyone lives in an antebellum mansion and eats cornbread and speaks in sassy epigrams! YAAAAY!") But Myra is also from the South, and as a result, the town of Ivy Springs feels so familiar and authentic that I could practically feel the humidity. LOVE.<br /><br /><br /><br />That's HOURGLASS. Come on. You wanna read that, don't you? You want it in your face RIGHT NOW. <br /><br /><br />So run out today and buy it, because trust: the only thing bigger than Myra's enormous heart is her imagination. And you wanna get all up in that. :)<br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-74778864668831600832011-06-13T10:37:00.003-05:002011-06-13T11:22:38.246-05:00Kathryn Tucker WindhamSad news in Alabama, Mes Anges. <a href="http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20110613/NEWS02/106130315/Legendary-storyteller-Kathryn-Tucker-Windham-dies?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage">Kathryn Tucker Windham passed away yesterday</a>. Now, some of you may not know who she is, but if you like the HEX HALL books, then you owe her a bunch. I can honestly say I don't think I would've become a writer without her. <br /><br />The first time I ever heard of Mrs. Windham was in my elementary school library. It was Halloween, and I was in the 1st or 2nd grade. Our librarian, being awesome, held up a book called <em>Thirteen Alabama Ghosts And Jeffrey</em>.(Jeffrey was the ghost who allegedly lived in Mrs. Windham's house in Selma.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkhoCm0NzpNPQgULHiTqPkzdLSRf-RR9fDAAOJZiDjHJXUKmUsQbvEsDj6ulfKQsI5YR9nh3I9CoHxcY_HxzYB71IQj6MtY7T58LBkyUNqtdBu-xaAjMcZgSjEGZjNmcIYFM8iU0zUp0D/s1600/thirteen.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 387px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkhoCm0NzpNPQgULHiTqPkzdLSRf-RR9fDAAOJZiDjHJXUKmUsQbvEsDj6ulfKQsI5YR9nh3I9CoHxcY_HxzYB71IQj6MtY7T58LBkyUNqtdBu-xaAjMcZgSjEGZjNmcIYFM8iU0zUp0D/s400/thirteen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617739785121299330" /></a><br /><br /><br />I can remember being like, "HOLY CRAP THERE ARE GHOSTS IN ALABAMA? I LIVE IN ALABAMA OMGWTFBBQ!" Our librarian read us a story from the book- a TRUE story- about a place in Newton, Alabama, which was only like TWENTY MINUTES AWAY FROM WHERE I LIVED. It involved a Confederate soldier (most ghost stories in the South do), and when he was hanged for desertion, he was too tall and his feet touched the ground. This was, as you can probably imagine, somewhat problematic when trying to hang someone.<br /><br />So the Bad Dudes Who Were Hanging Him dug a little hole under his feet so that he would slowly strangle to death.<br /><br />Yeah, my librarian was kind of bad-ass.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7-Nz4u0bszlG5ccz57zqvEwma3LVO79X91X9plg6YdsPIx7zHgADjMSnWRZD25SzTKZhkmENNNCsqAQ72y_f8rz72dtWUwDTKEBE6l0iqEjEboQevnw8Aa0qR9NiMKy58p-qWdCDWodi/s1600/badasslibrarian.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7-Nz4u0bszlG5ccz57zqvEwma3LVO79X91X9plg6YdsPIx7zHgADjMSnWRZD25SzTKZhkmENNNCsqAQ72y_f8rz72dtWUwDTKEBE6l0iqEjEboQevnw8Aa0qR9NiMKy58p-qWdCDWodi/s400/badasslibrarian.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617739947913647010" /></a><br /><em>Although not as bad ass as THIS librarian who has a Dewey Decimal code tattooed on her body. That is one hardcore librarian.</em><br /><br /><br />And, legend has it that even to this day, that hole is still there, and if you ever put anything in it, it will MYSTERIOUSLY VANISH OVERNIGHT. *cue spooky music*<br /><br /><br />So while most of my classmates were all 0_0, I was more :D because scary stories set in my home state? That was, as far as Wee Rachel was concerned, AMAZEBALLS. <br /><br />Okay, I didn't really think it was amazeballs because I didn't know that word yet. But it was 7 year old me's version of amazeballs, so probably "Unicornglitter" or something.<br /><br /><br />And then! Even more amazeb- er, unicornglitter, I got to go to this cool thing called a Young Author's Conference (shut up, it was totally cool), and Kathryn Tucker Windham was there! And I got to buy my VERY OWN COPY of <em>Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey!</em> AND I GOT HER TO SIGN IT! And not only did SHE sign it, but Jeffrey did, too! Okay, so maybe it was just her using funny handwriting to scrawl his name, but WHATEVER. To a 7 year old, that was MAGIC.<br /><br />I still have that copy of <em>Thirteen Alabama Ghosts</em>, although it is pretty worn out these days. I can't even tell you how many times I read it. How I practically memorized the stories. How I annoyed my parents on car trips by reading the stories to them and then wanting to DISCUSS the stories. How I wanted to visit every place she talked about in that book. <br /><br />It wasn't until many years later that I realized just how formative both meeting Mrs. Windham and reading her books was for me. She was the first author I ever met, and even though I probably couldn't have thought this at the time, I'm sure that meeting her helped make authordom seem like an attainable goal. There she was, just a lady from Alabama, just like me, writing books. <br /><br />And not only that, her books were about Alabama, and though her, I learned that every place has stories and myths and legends. Any place can be magic if you know where to look.<br /><br />So I wanted to take a minute and pay tribute to that. I never got to meet Mrs. Windham again, and I wish that I could have told her all of this. But since I can't I encourage you to go out and find her books (she did a number of them, all on ghost stories/folklore set in the South.) And don't just read her books. Find the stories in your <em>own</em> places. The legends and the myths. I think she'd like that. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-10o9_Iy1FZSn1R48FuJ2eseWbWhv95xiTrtcxqbpAJYA_joUejZuGdqHEN3UFAN0TniHTR7g9TGlUFrtHgWUzbQ49Zu-f0LGUnzhseVdlXxg4R6pvlSg0oaBlSPL7soBxtdkwoqHzNo/s1600/kathrynwindham.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 261px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-10o9_Iy1FZSn1R48FuJ2eseWbWhv95xiTrtcxqbpAJYA_joUejZuGdqHEN3UFAN0TniHTR7g9TGlUFrtHgWUzbQ49Zu-f0LGUnzhseVdlXxg4R6pvlSg0oaBlSPL7soBxtdkwoqHzNo/s400/kathrynwindham.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617740245300741586" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Until next time! XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-22797874870612624692011-05-27T18:55:00.006-05:002011-05-27T19:20:39.833-05:00WTF Friday, Part IIIA month or so ago, I was hanging out with my friend <a href="http://www.words-of-a-feather.blogspot.com/">Ashley</a>, and she casually asked me, "Soooo...you wanna go see the creepiest house in Opelika?" (Opelika being the small town next to Auburn.) And since I love creepy things, I was all, "SURE!" And then she took me HERE: <br /><br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6a85XgyJ-GMMtzsRyPa1VPnANrs2zfDL-icu9X5DenGNPedBrBwAOu_69kdmfD_Kxtad5_HNEaf9m-Et80NlL9uJMaJ7hg6ggkfSShS6IAGXwKXBN_OHsli_MHWBOUADl2b44k3LukS39/s1600/CreepyHouseZOMG.jpg"><IMG style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611550401176961234 border=0 alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6a85XgyJ-GMMtzsRyPa1VPnANrs2zfDL-icu9X5DenGNPedBrBwAOu_69kdmfD_Kxtad5_HNEaf9m-Et80NlL9uJMaJ7hg6ggkfSShS6IAGXwKXBN_OHsli_MHWBOUADl2b44k3LukS39/s400/CreepyHouseZOMG.jpg"></A> <br /><EM>To quote Velma, JINKIES!!!</EM> <br /><br />Now, already, you're probably thinking, "Wow. That is one scary house! I cannot IMAGINE what would make it ANY CREEPIER!" Well, Mes Anges, what if I told you it wasn't JUST a creepy abandoned house, but in fact a creepy, abandoned FUNERAL HOME. Because it is. There are coffins still inside. See?<br /><br /><A href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0o3pjScf1RtvvJUl0-5r-Yz-Hl8bSceJllEOwDbm52jFENPiUng6QaxS5qO24-8bLgHH2KNhu7KwysZexLHg9FUokideEBtmX91G3eepQ0P5YcZi6daTMtxt0AbfDRjQJ9MCE9yGlz8p/s1600/caskets"><IMG style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id=BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611552550645884994 border=0 alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0o3pjScf1RtvvJUl0-5r-Yz-Hl8bSceJllEOwDbm52jFENPiUng6QaxS5qO24-8bLgHH2KNhu7KwysZexLHg9FUokideEBtmX91G3eepQ0P5YcZi6daTMtxt0AbfDRjQJ9MCE9yGlz8p/s400/caskets"></A> <br /><EM>SERIOUSLY Y'ALL I CAN'T JOKE BECAUSE I DO NOT EVEN...</EM> <br /><br />Oh, and a hearse in the garage. That's right. When whoever owned this house fled into the night as I assume they did, they did so leaving a VERY EXPENSIVE CAR behind. <br /><br />Say it with me, Mes Anges: W. T. F???? <br /><br />Just in case you doubt the terror that is this place- THIS PLACE THAT IS LIKE 15 MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE- here's a video of me, Ashley, and <a href="http://yucababy.blogspot.com/">Chantel</a> creeping around this creepy house like a bunch of creepers. Creepily.<br /><br />Happy weekend, and sweet nightmares! XOXO!<br /><br /><OBJECT id=BLOG_video-234840697a9b6fae class=BLOG_video_class width=320 height=266 contentId="234840697a9b6fae"></OBJECT>Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-23123999493216729352011-05-23T12:53:00.009-05:002011-05-23T13:15:41.621-05:00I LIIIIIIIVE!OMG, I haven't blogged in nearly 2 months?? That is ESCANDALO, and I apologize, Mes Anges! (Did you see how I used two different languages there? That's because I'm super-cultured and sophisticated and stuff.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzMHtzYOHmlm4o8xS_-xqeRp_bBhA0NHwPMjy5bkBHiZPkxYZI8oW-5rx-jFXECj1e8np4jOHrPVoGwKiNrKvWLJfI8cmfhDbb9156g2QE8YYG232C1ROkEkj_A9H8ooA-LuN_8Swiosk/s1600/MeVideoGamesWTF.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzMHtzYOHmlm4o8xS_-xqeRp_bBhA0NHwPMjy5bkBHiZPkxYZI8oW-5rx-jFXECj1e8np4jOHrPVoGwKiNrKvWLJfI8cmfhDbb9156g2QE8YYG232C1ROkEkj_A9H8ooA-LuN_8Swiosk/s400/MeVideoGamesWTF.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609971650328112402" /></a><br /><em>What do you mean this picture Small Son took of me while I was playing video games begs to differ?</em><br /><br />There are several reasons for my slackassedness, however. One is the carpal tunnel, which makes typing for extended periods hurt like the fires of hell are licking my general wrist-region, Futuro or no. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAGbV47fKae4p3AUL2pkjUpFI_i2W7IAJdvWaxmrQ2lrxtU0a_YHNdD5LjUVeG3wcvIuD6tlh5o_JotSPArax3HspAuw1Viz_0V6n6-gSe2cUKfCxB7ji-aG1a7RFVZmR-q204U0TDgKW/s1600/FUTURO2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAGbV47fKae4p3AUL2pkjUpFI_i2W7IAJdvWaxmrQ2lrxtU0a_YHNdD5LjUVeG3wcvIuD6tlh5o_JotSPArax3HspAuw1Viz_0V6n6-gSe2cUKfCxB7ji-aG1a7RFVZmR-q204U0TDgKW/s400/FUTURO2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609972360370586002" /></a><br /><em>Never forget.</em><br /><br />And since I have a WHOLE BUNCH O'BOOKS TO WRITE, I have no time for pain, and as such, must be sparing with my typing. Hence lack of bloggage. <br /><br />Other things blog-blocking me this month included Small Son getting very sick with The Strep. How sick? This is the pic I took of him on the way to the doctor:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUjTFE2lXaaaL-7YIO2usPrCBsiyiR9JgxmOvjQVBFQ5YNmbvA9KVXprM81R1WB55QSIlcKpds4idnb1THNMehZMMgGhcs2RVFcva4PtZ_5OD-Txc4pXAYaS_hch4tVhMkRSvbw1m7YRk/s1600/SmallSonSick.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUjTFE2lXaaaL-7YIO2usPrCBsiyiR9JgxmOvjQVBFQ5YNmbvA9KVXprM81R1WB55QSIlcKpds4idnb1THNMehZMMgGhcs2RVFcva4PtZ_5OD-Txc4pXAYaS_hch4tVhMkRSvbw1m7YRk/s400/SmallSonSick.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609973554709354194" /></a><br /><em>Is that not the most pitiful face you have ever seen? I only look this wretched the day after a deadline. Or when Starbucks is out of frappucinos.</em><br /><br />Luckily, Small Son is, well, Small and therefore ridiculously resilient. 3 hours after this picture was taken (and once he'd been pumped full of antibiotics), he was asking to go to the pool. Oh, to be five! <br /><br />And then, once Small Son was healed, we went to MAINE! If you've been hanging around this blog for long, then you know we go to Maine every May, and every year, I return happy and more centered and slightly fatter due to all the lobster. It's funny how quickly all of us here at Chez Hawkins became attached to Maine, especially since the first time we went, it felt very....well, foreign to us. The Husband and I are born-and-bred Southerners, and we love our hot weather, and our giant oaks, and the aggressive greenness of May in the South. In Maine, spring has barely sprung in May, so it's very strange to go from our flip flops and shorts to wellies and jeans. But now, I honestly think my year would feel off without that trip. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTG84PyZ0e_87vXl_pezyaxGs8fe6t5Hv4Ts6cOpAuYiEA4zTPJrKFYaALxEn4WF-nvhzXOcbvwEGr2wTZQNG_N8ZftwEcWIl-N-CtaclC8CPSW6OAu27ALTQRKuc7Dl25Rxe_KMO31Yf9/s1600/SmallSonLighthouse.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTG84PyZ0e_87vXl_pezyaxGs8fe6t5Hv4Ts6cOpAuYiEA4zTPJrKFYaALxEn4WF-nvhzXOcbvwEGr2wTZQNG_N8ZftwEcWIl-N-CtaclC8CPSW6OAu27ALTQRKuc7Dl25Rxe_KMO31Yf9/s400/SmallSonLighthouse.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609975075022796498" /></a><br /><em>If he'd only been holding a lobster, this pic would basically sum up Maine.</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SPhSp8wTuevwCoGWW0tW7KXPFJTBZOdLu_yoIkd2aD9h95-eRmnN1sazZD7iO8c9skjvbv2QBSOopUnum5FQTXbm2Yemc-oHs79tasu0bVDYAQZ_gZ1ezwfTl7dDa7kcvgueEMELETS0/s1600/SmallSonPOrch.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-SPhSp8wTuevwCoGWW0tW7KXPFJTBZOdLu_yoIkd2aD9h95-eRmnN1sazZD7iO8c9skjvbv2QBSOopUnum5FQTXbm2Yemc-oHs79tasu0bVDYAQZ_gZ1ezwfTl7dDa7kcvgueEMELETS0/s400/SmallSonPOrch.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609975236241531074" /></a><br /><em>Chilling on the front porch, eating Oreos for breakfast. As you do.</em><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPO34toLJ24COEWPCFJ7BSXIRCzJMypQzoP6qJ0IzRfRpjC9Wo1IepJ4ifsJzmyddNkRe_NIOkePLEMnm3IfsdzqnualF8UPzWxfliZ_4rNCBA1Y6mEH-gdIBRcTR-mnVoJqPol24fc3T/s1600/SmallSonSea.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPO34toLJ24COEWPCFJ7BSXIRCzJMypQzoP6qJ0IzRfRpjC9Wo1IepJ4ifsJzmyddNkRe_NIOkePLEMnm3IfsdzqnualF8UPzWxfliZ_4rNCBA1Y6mEH-gdIBRcTR-mnVoJqPol24fc3T/s400/SmallSonSea.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5609975578259338338" /></a><br /><em>In roughly 13 years, this picture will probably be blown up and displayed at Small Son's high school graduation party, and I will cry and cry. Trufax</em>.<br /><br />So that was my May! Oh, I also went to the Rochester Teen Book Festival, but that experience was so amazing that it requires it's own blog post...<br /><br />Until next time! Which will hopefully not be in effing July! :)<br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8644921155071418635.post-6389050969260235472011-04-04T09:20:00.007-05:002011-04-04T10:20:05.461-05:00Random Blog of RandomosityUgggggggh. So I got all psyched this morning to finally, FINALLY do my big "HAWKADDA TOUR 2011" post, only to discover that my phone ate the majority of my tour pics. LE SIGH. So until I see if The Husband has the pics (since I was constantly texting him shizz from tour, like, "HEY LOOK THIS HOTEL BRINGS A GOLDFISH TO YOUR ROOM IF YOU GET LONELY!" Seriously. There are hotels that do that. It's MAGIC), I'll just do some OTHER kind of blog. Perhaps one consisting of Random List of Stuff That Is Going On? Yes, let's do that. <br /><br />1) I've been up to my eyeballs in Writerly Work here lately. Putting the finishing touches on HEX HALL 3: PROMISE TO ANNOUNCE THE TITLE SOON, which is both fun and sad. It's hard to believe that I'm more or less done writing about Sophie and Co. *sniff* Oh! And in further Exciting Hexy News, DEMONGLASS spent not one but TWO weeks on the NYT list, and for that, I thank you muchly!!<br /><br />2)Speaking of TRIPLE HEXXX, I've gotten a lot of questions about is it done, and if it IS done, why is not in your various faces, like, YESTERDAY WTF HAWKINS?? To which I say, YES, the book IS DONE. And by done, I mean I have written the first draft and done the first round of edits on it. We're still polishing it, and then it has to go to copy edits, and pass pages, and what have you. Publishing it a slow bizness. Also, release dates are set YEARS in advance, so even if I had managed to turn the book in, like, SIX MONTHS ahead of deadline (which- Ha. Haha. HAHAHAHAHAHA!), it STILL wouldn't come out any earlier than March 2012. And I feel your pain, Mes Anges, I do! I've been waiting FIVE YEARS for the new George R.R. Martin book to come out, and his last book ended on an EVEN BIGGER CLIFFHANGER than DEMONGLASS did. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMz_FwrPsPLigY1mfox16U4Q3bpC8IjP-g-NDeiFUaEgdsRhTdAW3fNLrksXtJLpekvaCJceHaz_lDLVSJGz9fKO7Rk54DvAcAE6be3fLdiIcHUTrIFc_YEfbAR8f1aMWwx1jc8AJ6S3I/s1600/martin.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXMz_FwrPsPLigY1mfox16U4Q3bpC8IjP-g-NDeiFUaEgdsRhTdAW3fNLrksXtJLpekvaCJceHaz_lDLVSJGz9fKO7Rk54DvAcAE6be3fLdiIcHUTrIFc_YEfbAR8f1aMWwx1jc8AJ6S3I/s400/martin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591736762246914002" /></a><br /><em>He may LOOK kinda like Santa, but George R.R. Martin makes me cry in my soul. Y U NO GIVE ME FIFTH BOOK, GEORGE? (Sorry. The "Y U No" meme is my New Favorite Thing.)</em><br /><br />3)In addition to working on HH3, I've been working on REBEL BELLE, the start of a new trilogy coming out in Summer 2012. (That's right! Mere months after the HEX HALL series wraps up, you'll have a whole new series filled with kissing and sword fights and wackiness!) <br /><br />4) Oh, and have I mentioned that this summer, I'll be writing a spin-off to the HEX HALL series? Because THAT IS HAPPENING! And I am VERY EXCITED! So even though Sophie's story wraps up in Book 3, she might make a few cameos in the new book. We shall see! As for who the spin-off will be about, it's a character we don't meet until Book 3. I think you'll like her a lot, though. Sophie certainly does! <br /><br />5) This Saturday, I'll be in Houston, Texas for the Teen Book Con! I'm VERY excited about this as A) Houston was AMAZING to me and Sarwat on tour, and B) Houston is filled with extremely delicious Tex Mex food, and as I could eat Mexican foo EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE- which, if I ate Mexican food every day, would probably be something of a short life- Texas makes me especially happy. I'm also happy because I'll get to see <a href="http://lindseyleavitt.com/">Lindsey</a>, who as you all know, if one of my Writer BFFs. Also exciting? The sweet panel I'm doing with <a href="http://saundramitchell.com/">Saundra Mitchell</a>, <a href="http://www.andreacremer.com/">Andrea Cremer</a>, <a href="http://www.joypreble.com/">Joy Preble</a>, and <a href="http://www.staceykade.com/">Stacey Kade</a>. We'll be talking about the geopolitical ramifications of YA lierature throughout the 20th century. HAHA! Psyche your mind! We're actually talking about Scary Supernatural Creatures (and we'll probably mention Hot Boys in there, too.)<br /><br />6) Yes, I said "psyche your mind." When I was in middle school, we never just said, "PSYCHE!" when we were kidding. It was always, "PSYCHE YOUR MIND!" which I enjoy since it sounds more aggressive than your run-of-the-mill, "Psyche!" It's like, not only have I lied to you, I have effed with YOUR MIND.<br /><br />7)The BFF went to this super-rural high school, and according to her, out there, they said "Neck bone!" instead of "psyche." Which just made no sense to me AT ALL. It DOES make me laugh and laugh to think about though. Neck bone. WTF? Probably had something to do with... I don't know, farming or something. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQF4uGkMM8Tr72KDAMdeTOGcJyRKJk9w61Fk2BoKz90bAk0tc70b3ZzGLnDBRo_ZxI0nuyWpDAEyQBUmMbfdv2rzc5mJh0_qlG6bRYTjjWRcOF_CXKoIpMO9iHhYXQbNpEOmYyYx0916v/s1600/farmers.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 311px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQF4uGkMM8Tr72KDAMdeTOGcJyRKJk9w61Fk2BoKz90bAk0tc70b3ZzGLnDBRo_ZxI0nuyWpDAEyQBUmMbfdv2rzc5mJh0_qlG6bRYTjjWRcOF_CXKoIpMO9iHhYXQbNpEOmYyYx0916v/s400/farmers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591740199629428306" /></a><br /><em>"Hey, Ma, did you plant the tobacco?" "No, Pa! I planted mango trees instead!" "WHAT?" "HAHA NECK BONE!" "Oh, Ma! You got me good!"</em><br /><br />8)With all of this writing+signing books for three weeks+stupidly attempting to write on tiny planes, which resulted in bizarre arm/hand/wrist contortions (and the fact that I STILL only write on a laptop instead of something sensible with an ergonomic keyboard), I seem to have developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my right hand. This is vaguely sucktastic and more than a little painful. So to battle the painful sucktasticness, I went out and bought a wrist brace. This is it:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfC3AG02w400IJ2pHcVpNWRSirGF4FettdCoB8SJQDC3LVM1X8ZBabyzfYFv9VT4tgirvXU3WIegMrgc5sts58QdaMkiWw7zSoOgV2FI_Y7w8YNqvsrd0oD4A_pN0xWcNDSvaiosq01g1n/s1600/FUTURO.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfC3AG02w400IJ2pHcVpNWRSirGF4FettdCoB8SJQDC3LVM1X8ZBabyzfYFv9VT4tgirvXU3WIegMrgc5sts58QdaMkiWw7zSoOgV2FI_Y7w8YNqvsrd0oD4A_pN0xWcNDSvaiosq01g1n/s400/FUTURO.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591742325776317170" /></a><br /><br />Yeah. FUTURO. So I've started saying it's NOT a Wrist Brace For Carpal Tunnel (Because I Am Old And Lame), but is instead a GLOVE OF POWER that CONTROLS THE FUTURE. Support me in this delusion, Mes Anges.<br /><br />9) TV is going to be very good to me in April. In addition to HBO's Game of Thrones (see above RE: my love/hate for George R.R. Martin), Doctor Who comes back on the 23rd! I <3 that show so hard, even though it is at times campy and silly. Heck, maybe that's WHY I love it. One of these days, I'll do a whole post on how I fell in love with Doctor Who, and how it taught me a lot about what resonates for me as a writer. But my wrist is hurting again, so today is not that day.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvOTCo41u1oO1Q-Yji7SRNOaAQAZiS-Lw5T10-uRR7QWeUt-8yV4rg4LM3dRvdU_t4c4RQa5o5NN0DnSdg4aXN-zTc9gqPN_lXgEIyLRfHe8oD7AZMH4t36LI0SjLarY4jFKxrARWs37G/s1600/ElevenAmyFierce.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmvOTCo41u1oO1Q-Yji7SRNOaAQAZiS-Lw5T10-uRR7QWeUt-8yV4rg4LM3dRvdU_t4c4RQa5o5NN0DnSdg4aXN-zTc9gqPN_lXgEIyLRfHe8oD7AZMH4t36LI0SjLarY4jFKxrARWs37G/s400/ElevenAmyFierce.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591747158882361922" /></a><br /><em>Look at these fierce Mother Truckers, travelin' through space and time, saving the universe and being awesome.</em><br /><br />10) Speaking of Fierce Time Travel Sexiness, a few months ago, I was lucky enough to read an ARC of Myra McEntire's HOURGLASS. Y'all. Y'ALL. I looooooved it! How much? Well, when you buy the book, you can read my gushy blurb all over the back of it. It's soooo swoony and romantic, but it's also science-y and action-y, and I ADORED IT. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hourglass-Myra-McEntire/dp/1606841440/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301930163&sr=8-1">So go pre-order it</a>. You will thank me. Oh, but Kaleb is MINE AND I WILL FIGHT YOU IN THE STREET FOR HIM. And you don't want that. I'm a kicker. <br /><br />XOXO!Rachel Hawkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08300901482067487803noreply@blogger.com26