Hollow-headed Headrush

My brain is scrambled, so you’ll have to excuse this post – it’s kind of all over the board.
This is my brain on revision.
Sometimes the creative process seems like it saps instead of energizes, and those are the days I know I’m working on something stupid… like a title. Yes, Virginia, something that matters less than not at all has kept me up literally blinking sleepless. My editor said the working title The Time of Her Life reminded her of a bad 80’s movie (not that any of the YA readers have even seen it, but…), and so now we’re on the hunt for a title. My favorite at the moment is A. Fortis’ suggestion Along for the Ride. I think that describes my sanity. My latest favorites (in the category of Very, VERY Bad) are Notes from the Middle of the Road and Postcards from a Road Trip Hostage. Hee.

(You have to understand that part of the book is a road trip… Never mind. This is only funny if you’re as tired as I am. It’s one of those “you had to be there” kinds of things.)

On the up-side, my editor has enough faith in me to have made an offer today, so that’s Book #2 sold, my first for 2008! Yahoo! Of course, there’s a lot of work between now and contract signing, so I should hush and get busy. But first, some observations…

People are posting Take II of their TBR lists. I call dibs on including EVERY SINGLE ONE of Bookshelves O’ Doom’s books (with the exception of my own) for my follow-up list. More Skulduggery! More Hilary McKay!! More Bad Kitty!!! More MELISSA MARR!!!! Diana Wynne Jones, Celia Rees — people, it can’t help but be a happy new year!!! It’s certainly going to be awesomisity in terms of books. And if the sequel to Skin Hunger and Octavian Nothing come out — I may have to lie down.
Whew.

(And speaking of really cool book things, via Bookshelves of Doom, this dictionary wallpaper? I would TOTALLY do. I need to move back to my house and redo the living room immediately.)

Meanwhile, writers have been talking notesbooks, and now the Guardian is stroking that pen fetish. Apparently all writers worth their salt ought to write longhand, with gloriously beautiful pens. At least, that’s the theory. I adore fountain pens as much as anyone. Too bad I can’t really write with them without making a mess.

The 7-Imps interview Book Moot‘s Camille! Drop by and say howdy and thanks for all the Entling-entertainment. Someday I will have cool book-themed names for my entire family like that.

Cybil Sister and über-librarian Sara has been posting lately about great library tech — well, YALSA is inviting teens to make up songs about the library for a contest. THIS should be… unique…

Speaking of library tech cool, Simon & Schuster Children’s
Publishing and Ball State University announced that they’re going into partnership
to take Simon & Schuster authors and illustrators into more than 30,000
schools nationwide through live, interactive Web broadcasts. (Via Ypulse.) While this sounds really cool — why a University? Why not take authors into the classroom this way? The answer: “Simon & Schuster and BSU provide the author’s books to a select group of teachers who then develop grade-appropriate activities for other teachers to use before the live broadcast. Booksource has signed on to be the sponsoring book supplier. To facilitate preparation for the EAV [Electronic Author Visit], Booksource will assist participating teachers with book orders through a convenient link to their site and ordering information.”

Ah. SO it does involve actual children at some point. And then book orders. I guess it’s a win-win?

WOW. What a shot in the arm for children’s nonfiction. Tricia’s blog Open Wide, Look Inside has only been up for about three and a half minutes, and already there are tons of books listed. Way to go Dr. Stohr-Hunt!

Minh’s talking Tolstoy, doing a double-take on the Jon L. Muth adaptation of The Three Questions which has got to be the most unique children’s book yet. Minh, like Nikolai in the book, is seeking answers to these three hugely philosophical and disturbingly open-ended questions:
* When is the best time to do things?
* Who is the most important one?
* What is the right thing to do?

The picture book’s watercolor illustrations are gorgeously dreamy, but I’m still not sure about the “after eating a hot dog” answer to question one. Unless the question is “when is the best time to fall down in a unidentifiable-meat induced panic, choking.”

Oh, all right, all right, peoples, just get OFF Christopher Paolini’s back! The release of “Brisingr” (say that three times fast) on Saturday, Sept. 20, at 12:01 a.m., EDT, is only happening at midnight, says his editor, because bookstores wanted it that way, so they could host midnight launch parties. It has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the world’s frantic search for the next J.K. Rowling clone. Nothing whatsoever.

Sheesh.