Meeting Rachael Herron

Yesterday was one of the most fun days I have had in a very long time. I met up with Rachael Herron in Hudson for part of her book signing.  We started at Hudson's restaurant in Hudson. We met up with a few of her other local friends and had a cuppa while she finished her breakfast. She then headed down to The Learned Owl Bookshop, a fabulous little bookstore in the First and Main shopping district of Hudson, Ohio.  (By the way this is a very dangerous bookstore as it is quite quaint and cozy and very welcoming to book purchasing and it is but a few doors down from Main Street Cupcakes and Cosmic Dave's in the opposite direction. The only thing that would make this even more dangerous would be a yarn shop within those boundaries.) After finishing our cuppas we wondered down to her signing.  To call it a book signing is actually somewhat of a misnomer. It was more of a spontaneous knitting group where she happened to sign a few books. We talked about writing, knitting, her books, knitting, other people's books, knitting, spinning, knitting, the "Knitting Olympics", and, of course, knitting. If this were my regular knitting group I would drive through a blizzard to meet up with them. Not that I don't love my current knitting group (I do). This lovely collection of people were was so fresh and funny that it made the time pass so quickly. (And I think they would meld in well with my current knitting group.)  I will definitely have to meet up with Jeremy again and I'm now stalking him on Ravelry. (You have been warned, Jeremy.)

Unfortunately, due to time constraints and publishing deadlines, Rachael was only able to spend a few hours with us. It was delightful just the same. If you get a chance to meet up with Rachael, do so. She is lovely, witty, and so knowledgeable. Mary Elayne (That would be Boo in previously posts) also enjoyed meeting Rachael and is renewed in her interest to keep writing. I, of course, love my daughter's stories, but it was nice to hear other people encourage her to continue with her stories.

OK, I promise that this is the last post about Rachael Herron and Pack up the Moon for a while. I have a few more topics I want to write on, so stay tuned this week. 

Happy Book Release Day, Rachael Herron!

Today's the day! Rachael Herron's new book, Pack up the Moon, is released! I got an e-mail at midnight that (one of) my copy/(ies) is available to pick up at work. If I weren't more restrained I would have gotten in the car at 7:45 and driven to the bookstore and picked up the copy. But, seeing as I do have to go to work today anyway, I decided it would be less economical and less ecological to do that. However, I am planning on going into work early to pick it up and start reading it.

Is it good? I can only guess at this point, but I love all of Rachael's other books and not just because she is my friend, but because she writes well and her stories touch my heart. She weaves a good story that catches your attention and makes you care about the characters. You want them to succeed and be happy. You want the happily ever after for them. You can't wait to get to the end to make sure she wrote it correctly and then you want to cry because it is all over. You want to meet her characters and be friends with them and be invited over for a cup of tea and (if you do so) some knitting.

What's the genre? "Regular fiction with a bit of romance." (My store's classification is Fiction while her other books are classified as Romance.) But if I know Rachael, there's just enough spice to make it good and not enough that you would be embarrassed to read it in public.

What's the plot? From the overview from Barnes & Noble:

A poignant novel about loss, lies, and the unbreakable bonds of family.

Three years after a horrible tragedy took her son and tore her family apart, artist Kate Monroe is beginning to pick up the pieces of her life and move on. At a gala showcasing her triumphant return to the art world, Kate’s world is rocked again when the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-two years ago introduces herself.

Pree is the child Kate never knew and never forgot. But Pree has questions that Kate isn’t sure she’s ready to answer. For one thing, she never told Pree’s father, her high school sweetheart and ex-husband, Nolan, that they had a daughter. For another, Kate hasn’t spoken to Nolan for three years, not since the accident which took their nine-year-old son from them. But to keep Pree from leaving forever, Kate will have to confront the secrets that have haunted her since her son died and discover if the love of her family is strong enough to survive even the most heartbreaking of betrayals….

I think I'm going to cry already! So run to your local bookstore and pick on up. If they don't have it, then order it (I believe in supporting local bookstores and if you have to wait a few days in order to get a copy then so be it, but support your local bookstore, please). If you don't have a local bookstore, then order it online or download it to a Nook or Nook-enabled device (same link as the physical book, but more immediate). 

And check out Rachael's blog to find out when she is going to be in a town near you and go see her. She's a fabulous person to know. 

Congratulations, Rachael! I hope it sells millions. You deserve it.

This week's 10 on Tuesday is to list your ten favorite things about Harry Potter whether it is the books or the movies. I'm doing a mix of the two as I love them both. This list will contain spoilers, so if you haven't read the books and don't want to read spoilers, quit now and come back after you've seen the movies or read all seven books.
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was J.K. Rowling's break out novel. That such genius could come out of her first book was a miracle. To follow it up with six more books that became even better with each book is pure talent.

2. Neville Longbottom. Neville is one of my favorite characters. I loved him when he was a bumbling chubby eleven-year old in the first book. I loved him when he was the last boy home from the Yule ball. I loved him when he was at the Ministry of Magic facing his own fears. I loved him when he was an "of age" wizard at Hogwart's protecting his fellow students in the Room of Requirement. I cheered when Neville killed Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor!

3. I watched my children grow up with Harry Potter and our entire family had something to talk about at the dinner table, even if it was arguing which Weasley twin was the best (and why).

4. Molly Weasley. I understand and love Molly. She wants to care for people and love people. She's a Scorpio (according to the Harry Potter Lexicon) and fierce when backed in a corner. I like to think (as a knitter) that her wand is a Brittany Birch crochet hook that she uses to pick up stitches (it could never be a knitting needle because she'd need two and would probably have something on the needles in a time of need whereas a crochet hook can much more easily be accessed in an emergency. (See? Don't they look like they could be wands?)

5. That millions of children (and adults) have been brought to reading because of these wonderful stories and they didn't quit reading after the seventh book was over. They came back to the bookstores to read more.

6. The movies. I have always considered the movies as a visual representation for the book readers. I've heard so many people who never read the books remark how they were confused in the movie. Of course you were because the movies weren't for you. They were for the readers. We understand what is going on. We aren't lost. We get eye candy for all the hours we have delightedly toiled (can you toil delightfully?) over the books. We get to see Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, Hagrid's hut, The Burrough, and Gringott's. We get to see Quidditch! We get to see the magic we've read about.

7. Words. Yes; there are words in the Harry Potter books, but they are used so delightfully. I love Rowling's use of Greek and Latin. I love how she has named her characters with so much thought. Each word seems carefully chiseled from many resources in order to create a perfect sentence. My favorite use of this kind of word play? Umbridge. From Umbrage: 1. Shade or shadow; 2. shady branches; 3. an indistinct indication or reason for doubt; 4. a feeling of pique or resentment at some often fancied slight or insult. Whenever I run across a name or word that intrigues me, I have to go look it up. Xenophilius is another fantastic name.

8. The world of Harry Potter is timeless. It could be set in modern times (even though Rowling has said that it is set in the late 80's and early 90's). My grandchildren can (and will) read these books and be able to relate to them. This is so rare in today's juvenile literature. The last person who did this so flawlessly was Madeliene L'engle.

9. Magic. Magic just intrigues me. I love the idea of lighting a room with a single word. How thrilling it would be to have knitting aided by magic. I would love to ride on a broom or travel by Floo powder. I would adore going to school to learn magic to turn a whistle into a pocket watch and have it sing you the time. I would faithfully go to each class and do my homework just so I could do magic. It would be so awesome to go to Ollivander's to have my wand choose me. I would love to receive an owl post (or send one for that matter).

10. The "I love magic" scene in the movies. There's one in each movie. It's that moment that Harry realizes or remembers that he is a wizard and how wonderful that is. The look on his face the first time he sees Diagon Alley probably mirrored my own. I love when he walked into the tent in Goblet of Fire to find that it wasn't a drab old ten foot by ten foot box but a multi-room house with rugs and carpets and a kitchen. It's OK, Harry. Because I love magic, too!

Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

I read this book a couple of months ago, but never reviewed it.  Since I am still reading the book I was last week (got distracted by a couple of projects) I thought I'd take the time to review this one. 

Room by Emma Donoghue is a contemporary novel written in a very unconventional way.  They story is a sadly familiar one.  A young girl is kidnapped and held as a sex slave to a heartless and ruthless man.  We've seen this story in the headlines over the years and it is very sad.  What is sadder is that this story includes another victim.  A five-year old boy named Jack.  This is his story, not his Ma's story.  The narrator of this book is Jack and I found him to be a sweet endearing boy who only understands that his entire world is a room the size of an average child's bedroom (about 144 square feet).  This is all Jack knows of the world. 

There are parts of him that remind me of Samson.  He's never cut his hair, so this young boy has very long hair. And he believes he has the strength of a thousand men even though he clearly understands fear, he is willing to put it aside for his Ma.  However, I don't believe he truly gains or understands his strength until he cuts his hair.

And then there's Ma to consider.  Ma has spent the past seven years as a prisoner to Old Nick.  She has done everything she can think of to protect Jack from Old Nick and to protect Jack from the small world in which he was born.  She uses all her energy and all her strength until it gets to be too much.  She suffers from toothaches and headaches and clearly depression.  She's at the mercy of Old Nick to give her the things she needs, knowing what it will cost her.

As depressing as this book seems, there is hope in it.  There is perseverance.  There is love.  It is such a well-written book, that I almost believed at times that the book was really written by a five-year old little boy who had always been kept in a small locked cell for his entire life.  I enjoyed watching Jack explore his world and describe it.  There were times that I was angry with Ma because of the lies that she told Jack, but I questioned what I might do in the same situation and realized it would be much the same.  I would tell lies to my child in order to make sure he felt safe and loved. 

This book has been out for a while and I'm glad to see that it is still a popular read.

Currently reading:  The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

10 Books Recommendations to a Friend

This week's 10 on Tuesday is 10 books you would recommend to a friend.  Just 10?  OK, I'll try this, but 10 is going to be a hard number to stop at.  (All links are to Goodreads.)

1. Little Women (only because it is my comfort book that I always end up going back to)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird (love it love it love it)
3. The Red Tent
4. Tuck Everlasting
5. The Time Traveller's Wife (I hated it, I loved it, I hated it, I really loved it)
6. The Harry Potter Series (only because it is the best children's literature written and I don't want to waste seven of my spaces)
7. The Very Quiet Cricket (Because every reading list needs a good bedtime story)
8. The Hunger Games Trilogy (they should be read together)
9. The Handmaid's Tale
10. Knitting a Boyfriend Sweater (OK, you can't buy this yet.  I wrote it and it isn't published, but I'm working on it.  I smile when I read it because I enjoyed writing it so much.)

What's on your list?

Book Review: Shades of Grey

Shades of Gray by Jasper Fforde Genre: Dystopian (Young Adult Appropriate)

I enjoy dystopian novels.  I believe part of it is because they play into my biggest fears. What would happen if there was a nuclear war?  What if the religious right were to take over the world?  What if our government collapsed?  In Jasper Fforde's novel Shades of Grey, the question is: What happens when people are subjugated to a certain lifestyle because of the colors they can perceive? 

I found this theme quite unnerving.  We already deal with discrimination based on what color a person's skin is, but what about when we further discriminate because of what colors a person can actually see.  The idea that one could only see shades of blue, or green, or yellow, or purple, or, Munsell save us, grey was eerie.  I can't imagine my world being limited to seeing 72% blue.  Not even the full blue spectrum, just 72%.  And what makes someone who can see 29% purple better than my 72% blue? 

I enjoyed following the changes that Edward Russett (even your name is delegated to your color perception) as he begins his journey as a compliant follower of the Great Munsell.  He is poised to marry up-color and is on a pointless task to make up for a practical joke at school.  He follows his father, a healer, to a town on the outer-edges of their world where he starts to see things differently out here further away from the big city.  And lo and behold he has to go and fall in love with a Grey!  Oh the shame!  But Jane Gray (love the name) doesn't just steal his heart.  She infects his mind with new thoughts and challenges his way of thinking.  Soon young Edward finds that life isn't so black and white.

Tinted with fabulous double entendre using color words to not only describe people, but also to help the reader see what life would be like with a limited color spectrum, Shades of Gray is a fabulous read, even for people who don't normally pick up dystopian books.  About the only thing that I can say that bugged me about this book's writing was the use of "artificial color."  I am still having a hard time understanding how if someone has a limited color spectrum how they can see "artificial colors" but not real colors.  But then my world is surrounded by color and my eyes function as they should (provided I am wearing my glasses!)

What I'm currently reading:  Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Starting Off

It's a new year. 2011. According to my daughter we have less than two years before the world explodes and the Mayan calendar proves true. Well, in that case I think we should live it up and go reckless. The logical side of my brain says that's not such a good idea and we should be a bit more practical. Of course it is my theory that the Mayan calendar ended on the Winter Solstice in the year 2012 because the person making the calendar got tired and decided to quit and besides, no one he knew was going to be living then anyway.

Many people make New Year Resolutions this time of year. You know like, "I'm going to lose thirty pounds, get my book published and post on my blog every day." Yeah, so as you can see if those were my goals I've already failed seeing as it is the third and I am just now getting around to posting for the first time this year. That's why I don't make New Year Resolutions. I do have goals. For instance I want to knit mostly from my stash. That's a good and attainable goal. And I want to make Mr. KCW that fisherman's sweater he's been asking for over the years. I want to finish organizing my kitchen and pare down the duplicity and unused items (like the twenty year old Kenmore mixer that doesn't work). I want to spend more time writing and less time fretting about writing.

I did begin Project 333 Saturday. I'll post weekly pictures rather than daily ones. It's nice to look in my closet and see everything hanging neatly. Although this morning I hung up the clothes I had washed last night and had a panic attack because I had an extra hanger and couldn't figure out what was missing. I then realized that I hadn't washed whites yet this week and so my white and silver striped shirt was not in the closet. I was about to blame Mr. KCW for putting extra hangers in my closet just to mess with me. (He'd do that, too if he thought of it.)

My current knitting endeavour is to finish my Triangle Lace Shawl (Ravelry Link). I've got six more daisy repeats to do and then the border lace. I'm using variegated yellow and gold beads and it is looking very pretty. All the other knitters who have made this shawl have expressed that it has blocked bigger than they would have thought. I hope so because I'm wanting a larger shawl. I'm planning how I want to incorporate this shawl into my spring Project 333 wardrobe. I'm thinking it will pair well with blues and tangerines, which is good because that's what I have a lot of in my summery wardrobe.

My current cooking endeavour is learning what Mr. KCW can eat and what with his new insulin pump. It's sort of putting a cramp on our regular meals which are generally rice or pasta based meals. Coming up with new meals that work with his needs has been challenging and we've had tried very interesting recipes that won't be revisited. We all seem to like the mustard encrusted steak (except for the vegetarian in the family).

And my current writing endeavour is revisiting a book that I lost and wanted to rewrite. It's actually coming along nicely. When I finish this project I am going to edit my NaNoWriMo novel from this year. And I'm reading about a billion books all at once. Room by Emma Donoghue is what entertained me for two hours last night when I couldn't sleep. I'm also reading Jane Eyre (I don't remember that book being 1600 pages), Portal by Imogen Rose and Interred with their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell. This is why it takes me forever to "read a book" because I keep switching from one book to another. I'd change this, but I've done this since I was a young child and somehow I've managed to keep all the plots organized. Apparently that is how I write as well.

So Happy New Year and may this be a good year for all of us. Keep up the writing, knitting and cooking. I know I am.

New (and surprising) Electronics

I eluded to the acquisition of a laptop in a previous post. Yes; I finally entered the "go to the coffee shop and write without pen and paper age." She's a lovely little laptop that came preinstalled with Microsoft Office 2007. Can I say that Word '07 is the least intuitive writing program ever? It took me over ten minutes to figure out how to "Save As" last week. So I'm looking for a better writing software.

I must say, though, that I am thoroughly enjoying the writing process even more now. I have taken Charlotte (that's her name - and yes; she's named for a Bronte sister) with me to cafe's, bookstores, coffee shops and (ready for this?) the living room! And Mr. KCW was kind enough to finally get the wi-fi going in the house properly so that I could (if I so desired, which I don't have any desire whatsoever to do) carry my laptop with me while I do the laundry. Amazing. Right? I'm married to a freaking network engineer and I think I'm the last gal in the world to have wi-fi in her house.

To add to this wonderful step into writing freedom I have also been gifted a nook. I have resisted having an e-reader for years. Despite my voracious appetite for reading, I never could bring myself to pay a whole lot of money for a "book substitute." As a former librarian and a struggling author, I love books. I love the feel of them, the look of them, the way the letters dance across the page teasing you to read the next sentence. There is nothing like the weight of a book, especially when you fall asleep reading and wake to find it smashed against your face. I even dream about the smell of books - the musty smell of paper and the stringent scent of ink, glue and bindings. There is just something about a book that is so amazing and wonderful. Why would I want to purchase an e-reader if I have bookstores and libraries.

And yet here I sit with a nook at my side. How did this happen you ask? Well, I came to realize that there are just some authors (Stephen King I'm talking about you) who write very large books. Even in paper back they are enormous. And heavy. So having an e-reader that weighs less than twelve ounces is better than a book that weighs three pounds. My second point of justification is that there are tons of free books out there to download. Some of them are even pretty good or are old friends. I was secretly thrilled to find that Little Women was included in the initial free books that came with my nook seeing as it is my most favorite book ever since I first read it at ten years old.

The most wonderful thing about the nook is that I can download knitting patterns onto it and take them with me. Isn't that amazing? I am thrilled beyond belief. Books and knitting patterns all there contained in twelve ounces of plastic and electronics. I think that Louisa is about to become one of my best friends. (Yes; her name is Louisa. Doesn't everyone name their electronic friends?)

Eeep! It's been that long?

This past few weeks have felt like they have flown past. Sadly, I can't really tell you what has happened. Part of me was at a loss for two weeks as my computer wouldn't boot, so I was stuck with only Internet and basic word processing. I didn't want to edit on just my memory stick (I insist on two back ups of everything) so I did no writing at all during that time (as long as you don't count writing out knitting patterns as writing and recreating my knitting class notes so I didn't stand around bumbling my way through a class trying to remember everything I am supposed to teach).

The good news is that my hard drive was recoverable, but now it sits as an external hard drive on my desk and squeals at me very loudly. It makes it hard to write when there is this high pitched buzzy squeak that sort of reminds one of a huge swarm of mosquitoes chasing after you as though you were an animated character running for your life. That means that I don't want to write much at the computer and my hand writing skills are slow ... slow ... slow. (And then I get bored when I transfer handwriting into word documents because I've already written that and I want to write something neeeeeewwwwww!) (I promise no more whining.)

The other good news is that in this time I have also had the ability to catch up on some reading that I have wanted to do. I finally got around to reading The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger This is one of the most amazing pieces of literature that I have read in a long time. Not because it was "the story of the century" or even because the actual writing was so dynamic (although it is a wonderful story and the writing was pretty dynamic). No, the thing that caught me about this book was the author and editor's (I'm presuming here that Niffenegger's editor had to help in some capacity) abilities in keeping the story straight and remembering how old Henry and Clare were at various times of his time travelling and remembering when he'd seen her when and what he told her. It was electrifying to think about what she went through just to be able to keep her story in order. I've written books that span decades. After reading this book I will tell you it is a piece of cake. I mean I'm at least keeping things in order in a linear fashion whereas Niffeneger's time line looked like she was following silly string sprayed by a group of adolescent boys at an unsupervised party! I am in awe.

Aside from that I also read a few knitting books (nothing much to note on that front) and re-read the J.R. Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood series (just for some mindless reading). (Yes, again. You got a problem with that?) Sometimes it is good just to relax into a familiar book that is comfortable and has a decent plot to keep you interested. Interesting is good. If something isn't interesting it isn't worth reading. I refuse to try to continue to drudge through books that are droll just because they are on a bestseller list.

My next read is The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. I seem to be reading quite a few "author's firsts." So far I'm enjoying it. Of course I need to get past the acknowledgements, but hey, it's a start.

I'm also gearing up for NaNoWriMo. I'm going to attempt to win again. Might be a tad challenging considering I've got a Disney vacation planned right in the middle. However, if I can pull off the eighty-three thousand I did last year and didn't start until the 7th (had to wait for the elections to be over) and write over fifty thousand earlier this year in 10 days, I think I should be able to handle it. I'll be sure to keep you posted.