Draft Drama

Was there something big on TV last night? I heard there was a big wedding. Did I watch? Hell no. I only care about Princes and Princesses if they wield magic swords. I did hear that the Princess had a lot of knuckle fat when the Prince slipped the ring on her finger.

No, I'm not kidding. That's what they said on the radio this morning.

Last night I was busy flipping back and forth between the NFL Draft, and the Atlanta Hawks closing out the Orlando Magic in the NBA playoffs. Both were dramatic scenarios.

Yes. I am a D&D nerd who loves video games, fantasy novels, Star Wars, and all things dorky, but I also love sports and I'm not ashamed of any of it.

There is a great story behind the Hawks. A sports writer for the Orlando Sentinel, Mike Bianchi, lambasted the team for their alleged mental weakness, and basically said they would never be able to stand up to the Magic. The Hawks have traditionally struggled against Orlando in the playoffs in recent years. The story is that this writer, who is apparently about 4'10" was in the locker room last night before the game, and a fight nearly broke out.

I don't really care about that. I'm just glad the Hawks were able to motivate themselves to get past their nemesis. Now they're off to Chicago.

The NFL Draft is also interesting. I know most of my friends and readers are women writers, so I'll try not to bore you with all the details. I do think the draft makes for some great stories though. There are so many disparate characters involved, and so many cogs and wheels spinning, and it can be really interesting to see the last minute deals taking place.

This year was quite different because of the labor situation, but it was lots of fun watching NFL commissioner Roger Goodell get nearly booed off the stage.

Here's what happened with my three teams:

The Atlanta Falcons made an aggressive trade up to get Alabama Wide Receiver Julio Jones. I like Jones and think he will be a great player in the NFL, but my personal opinion is that we gave up too much to get him.

The Minnesota Vikings took Florida State Quarter Back Christian Ponder with the twelfth pick. They did not have to make any trades, as last year's dismal record earned us that pick. I get that we need a QB, but I was really hoping that Jake Locker would be there, and am disappointed we couldn't get a player I already knew and loved. I don't know much about Ponder.

The Seattle Seahawks drafted Alabama Guard James Carpenter with the twenty fifth pick. This one has me stumped. No one drafts guards in the first round.

Anyway, here endeth my sports rant. I've got to get to writing (for real). Please have a wonderful weekend!

Language

I've got to get some writing done, so I won't be reading many blogs today. I don't even have time to write my own post, so instead I'll leave you with a quote from a book I'm reading:

It was no sound they'd ever heard before. In the gray twilight those retchings seemed to echo like the calls of some rude provisional species loosed upon that waste. Something imperfect and malformed lodged in the heart of being. A thing smirking deep in the eyes of grace itself like a gorgon in an autumn pool.

What's he talking about? All the Pretty Horses, listening to their riders vomiting up their hangovers. Only McCarthy could make such a base thing sound so beautiful.

Jenny Rose's Current Query Critiqued

It's kind of strange, I think, having to summarize a 500 word book in a 250 word query, but I understand that's how things work, and it's kind of fun. Well, it's fun to read queries. I'm not sure it's very fun to write them.

Anyway, today's is Jenny's Picture Book query again, this time with my thoughts, in red.

Dear Editor

Meshach has been through the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath and lived to tell about it. Meshach and his buddies Shadrach and Abednego were taken from Jerusalem to be slaves to the king of Babylon. They trusted God and proved their worth to the king and became officials. How did Meshach feel about being taken as a slave? What will happen when they refuse to bow to the king’s gold statue?

This is difficult for me to critique, because I don't know the rules regarding PB queries, so I'm just going to treat it as a normal query.

If this were a normal query it would start out pretty well with that first line, it's a great image, and even though it's probably literal and metaphorical, it makes for a pretty good hook. However, after that first sentence, this query begins to descend into synopsis territory in a kind of "this happened, and then that happened" manner. Since it's a PB, that's probably not that bad. I would be very careful about rhetorical questions, though, and not only because Nathan Bransford says to be.

The reason rhetorical questions rarely work is that you never want an agent or editor to ask themselves a question that's been written in your query, and then not have the answer, or worse, not care what it is.

Meshach’s Story is a 500 word, illustrated story based on Daniel chapters one and three. Told from Meshach’s point of view, preschoolers and grade schoolers experience Meshach’s reaction to this familiar Bible story. Throughout the story, the importance of loving and trusting God and His care for us are emphasized.

This is fine. It's all telling, no showing, but I'm sure that's okay with a PB, and besides, this is kind of just the housekeeping section.

Some Bible story books currently in bookstores are compilations such as My Everyday Bible Story Collection (Stephens Groups 2008) and Bible Heroes (Little Golden Books 2004) which provide a brief summary of several stories but cannot be expanded without a rewrite. Others highlight a particular story and can be part of a series of books but are written in third person such as Jonah and the Big Fish (Spirit Press 2006), Bible Classics: Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors (Bluewood Books 2000), Stories from the Bible: Noah’s Ark (Paragon Publishing 2004), and Arch Books: Baby Jesus Visits the Temple (Concordia Publishing 2001). However, Meshach’s Story is written as a first person account, making the story come more alive to young children and is one of several Bible stories that I have developed in first person.

Hmm. This is debatable, and I will probably have to defer to my more experienced friends, but I could see this getting you into trouble. On the one hand, it makes it clear that you know your market, which can't be a bad thing, but the problem here is that you're trying to talk an agent or editor into working with you. You don't want to sound like you're telling them how to do their job.

It's their job to be experts in the business and the market; your job is to write a great book.

I realize that in this day and age authors have to do more than just write, but I'm not sure you want to put this this way in a query.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and I am a former preschool teacher. Currently I write a variety of scripts for my church.

Would your publishing company be interested in publishing Meshach’s Story? I can have a copy ready for you by May 9, 2011.

For novels you don't query until the manuscript is finished, and hopefully has made it through several rounds of revisions with the assistance of a critique group. I know that non-fiction is different, and can be submitted before completion. I'm not sure about Picture Books.

Sincerely,

Jenny Rose

What do you all think? This was one of the hardest queries I've ever critiqued, and I'm not sure I'll be much help, but I know a few of you know more about this than I do, so hopefully together we can get this thing to shine!

Jenny Rose's Current Query

We're doing something a little different this week on the QQQE. Jenny has written a picture book, which she has a query for, that she would like help with.

Now I told her when she emailed me that I know nothing about picture books, and I asked her to take any advice I gave with a grain of salt, but I do have some friends, like Ishta Mercurio, and Shelley Moore Thomas, who are very knowledgeable about picture books. And I think of all my readers I have some people who will be able to lend an educated hand.

And really queries are all the same, to a certain degree. Hook, Character, Conflict, Choice, and Stakes. If you don't have all of that laid out clearly, you may want to take another look.

Anyway, today is just for introductions. Here is Jenny's query:

Dear Editor

Meshach has been through the fiery furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath and lived to tell about it. Meshach and his buddies Shadrach and Abednego were taken from Jerusalem to be slaves to the king of Babylon. They trusted God and proved their worth to the king and became officials. How did Meshach feel about being taken as a slave? What will happen when they refuse to bow to the king’s gold statue?

Meshach’s Story is a 500 word, illustrated story based on Daniel chapters one and three. Told from Meshach’s point of view, preschoolers and grade schoolers experience Meshach’s reaction to this familiar Bible story. Throughout the story, the importance of loving and trusting God and His care for us are emphasized.

Some Bible story books currently in bookstores are compilations such as My Everyday Bible Story Collection (Stephens Groups 2008) and Bible Heroes (Little Golden Books 2004) which provide a brief summary of several stories but cannot be expanded without a rewrite. Others highlight a particular story and can be part of a series of books but are written in third person such as Jonah and the Big Fish (Spirit Press 2006), Bible Classics: Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors (Bluewood Books 2000), Stories from the Bible: Noah’s Ark (Paragon Publishing 2004), and Arch Books: Baby Jesus Visits the Temple (Concordia Publishing 2001). However, Meshach’s Story is written as a first person account, making the story come more alive to young children and is one of several Bible stories that I have developed in first person.

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and I am a former preschool teacher. Currently I write a variety of scripts for my church.

Would your publishing company be interested in publishing Meshach’s Story? I can have a copy ready for you by May 9, 2011.

Sincerely,

Jenny Rose

Please come back tomorrow, for my feedback, and to provide your own. Jenny doesn't have a blog to link to, that I know of, but I'll make sure to ask her!

The King's STICK

I watched The King's Speech this weekend. It's a great film. I also finished reading the ARC of STICK, by Andrew Smith, on Thursday. It's a great book.

I couldn't help but notice some similarities. Okay, yes, sure, there are few plot related commonalities between King George VI struggling with his stammer in 1930s England and 13 year old Stark McClellan struggling with saints, angels and sinners in what I can only assume is the early 70s, all up and down the west coast of the United States.

There are no similar characters. No similar occurrences. Yet I can't help but think that these stories are about the same thing, underneath everything like plot and character and so forth. I guess they call that theme.

For me, both these stories are about the things we do to each other. The human condition. The way we treat our fellow man. Mostly they're about the abuses. The mistreatment of each other, the horrid things we do when we don't know how to deal with something, or someone.

In that way these are both sad, tragic tales, but they're also about something else. The little kindnesses, the caring gestures, the giving that is also human nature and that somehow finds a way to balance all the evil out.

These acts might seem innocuous if they weren't pressed up against the face of so much evil, but when rendered in such a light, they gain an almost holy quality.

Anyway, I don't have time to analyze this any deeper, but what I can tell you is that you really ought to experience both these stories. The King's Speech is available now, on NetFlix, for purchase, and probably on demand on cable, I can only assume.

The bad news is that Stick will not be available until October 11th, later this year, but you can pre-order it from Amazon, here.

In the meantime, if you have time, please scroll down and take a look at Michael G-G's query. He's got an awesome idea going there, and could use our help to tighten up his query.

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin's Current Query Critiqued

Okay, so first of all I really want to say sorry to Mike. I hope my being sick this morning didn't cost you too many helpful comments on your query.

The good news is that I will be leaving this post up all weekend, and will be emailing some of my query master friends and asking them to drop in and share their thoughts. So hopefully it will all balance out.

Now let's get to it. Here is Mike's query (again) with my thoughts in red.

Dear (Name of Agent),

A ghost is on the loose. That’s twelve-year-old Jared Hearne’s explanation for the recent feeling that invisible eyes are boring into the back of his skull. But when he tries to snare the spook, he surprises a glamorous woman preening in front of the bathroom mirror. Even weirder, after Jared’s yells rouse his parents, the person who shuffles out of the bathroom isn’t some willowy red-head but his older sister, Athena. Now everyone thinks Jared’s delusional. He’s out to prove them wrong.

I think you've got a great idea and even a nice hook buried underneath this, but it's bogged down by a lot of words, and a lack of specificity. I'll admit I got a little confused, and had to read it twice. The bottom line here is what?

Jared thinks there's a ghost in his house, and he ends up trying to trap his older sister, thinking she's the ghost, and wakes up the entire family, right? That sounds like a hilarious scenario, and you've got the potential for an awesome hook surrounding this wonderful character. A young boy, who is obviously thoughtful, and curious about the paranormal, but perhaps has some feelings going on in his life that leave him a little ... baffled.

First, he has to solve the mystery of what Athena’s up to. Is there a connection between the mysterious disappearing woman and the golden orb he spotted tucked away in Athena’s pocket? Sneaking into her room, Jared steals the orb and discovers its secret: the power to allow people to shape-shift and travel through time, as well as pick up communications from the past. Such as the voice of a teenage Shakespeare, pleading to be rescued from execution.

And this is where things start to get good. You're much more specific in the paragraph, and you're starting to set up a few great conflicts. I love the idea of Jared having to make a choice about whether to invade the boundaries of his sibling's space, at the risk of not discovering what's really going on. I think that sounds like an excellent plot for a MG novel.

Jared and Athena zip to Elizabeth (should this not say Elizabethan? I'm no expert on that) England and spring Shakespeare from his cell. But talk about a comedy of errors. Shakespeare hijacks the orb and returns to modern times with Jared, leaving Athena stranded in the sixteenth century. Eager to experience his brave new world, the Bard-Dude goes on the lam. He “borrows” the high school quarterback’s Mustang and ends up in a tournament at Laser Tag World. Jared gives chase, desperate to herd the problematic poet back to 1582. Until, that is, the orb is stolen.

This query keeps getting better. This third paragraph is filled with voice and hilarity, and I love how you continue to raise the stakes. You might be including a bit too much information for a query, in the sense of so many subplots, but it's actually not so much that it isn't working for me.

Now Jared has a new mission: to hunt down the thief. Or else, Shakespeare’s enrolling in high school next semester. And Athena’s history.

Great summary.

SHAKESPEARE ON THE LAM, a middle-grade adventure, is complete at 35,000 words. I am a member of SCBWI and would be happy to send the complete manuscript at your request.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin
[Contact Details]

I think you're off to a great start here, Mike. My biggest concern is how you're hook is written. This query starts out a little slow, and then keeps building and building until it ends very well. If you can re-write the beginning to be as exciting as the end, you'd be in great shape.

It can be very tough to write a hook, but the good news is that I think you have the hook there. You just need to re-write it so that it is much more succinct, and has the punch that comes with a few short, but powerful sentences.

What do you guys think? Feel free to disagree with me, and if possible, maybe you can suggest a better opening hook for Mike.

Dear Michael G-G

Mike,

I'm not feeling well this morning, so I'm not going in to work, but I promise I will be critiquing your query today. Look for the post sometime after lunch, probably around 1PM EDT.

Thanks,

Matt

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin's Current Query

Today and tomorrow I'm going to be trying to help my buddy, Michael G-G, with his query. Today is just for introductions, so before we get started, please visit Michael's writing blog: The Year of Writing Dangerously, and his Middle Grade blog: Middle Grade Mafioso, follow them both, and then come back.

. . .

I'm serious. Go do it.

Now that you're back, here's Mike's query:

Dear (Name of Agent),

A ghost is on the loose. That’s twelve-year-old Jared Hearne’s explanation for the recent feeling that invisible eyes are boring into the back of his skull. But when he tries to snare the spook, he surprises a glamorous woman preening in front of the bathroom mirror. Even weirder, after Jared’s yells rouse his parents, the person who shuffles out of the bathroom isn’t some willowy red-head but his older sister, Athena. Now everyone thinks Jared’s delusional. He’s out to prove them wrong.

First, he has to solve the mystery of what Athena’s up to. Is there a connection between the mysterious disappearing woman and the golden orb he spotted tucked away in Athena’s pocket? Sneaking into her room, Jared steals the orb and discovers its secret: the power to allow people to shape-shift and travel through time, as well as pick up communications from the past. Such as the voice of a teenage Shakespeare, pleading to be rescued from execution.

Jared and Athena zip to Elizabeth England and spring Shakespeare from his cell. But talk about a comedy of errors. Shakespeare hijacks the orb and returns to modern times with Jared, leaving Athena stranded in the sixteenth century. Eager to experience his brave new world, the Bard-Dude goes on the lam. He “borrows” the high school quarterback’s Mustang and ends up in a tournament at Laser Tag World. Jared gives chase, desperate to herd the problematic poet back to 1582. Until, that is, the orb is stolen.

Now Jared has a new mission: to hunt down the thief. Or else, Shakespeare’s enrolling in high school next semester. And Athena’s history.

SHAKESPEARE ON THE LAM, a middle-grade adventure, is complete at 35,000 words. I am a member of SCBWI and would be happy to send the complete manuscript at your request.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Michael Gettel-Gilmartin
[Contact Details]

Please save your thoughts for tomorrow, as I won't be giving Mike my feedback until then either, and I don't want any of you ruining it. But do say hi in the comments, and tell him how brave he is for putting himself out there. Thanks!

Q is for Quizzle

Man.

If you're here from Alex's blog, I don't know what to say.

That dude is so much cooler than me.

So much more giving.

He works way harder than me on his blog, and his blogging (yes, that's two different things).

He already has a book out.

He gives WAY more help and support to both friends and strangers than he ever receives.

I don't know what to say for myself.

I'm not saying I'm not cool. I am. But to stand next to Alex is a little different.

If you're new here, please have a look at my pages, and the archives, when you have time, but I don't have a real post for today.

Tomorrow I'll be helping my friend Michael G-G with his query. Friday too. You could just become a follower and then come back for that.

Actually, that would rule. Do that, please.

Gossip from the Girl's Room: A Blogtastic Novel blog tour.

Today is my stop on Rose Cooper's blog tour for her debut novel, Gossip from the Girl's Room: A Blogtastic Novel.

This blog is for writers, and is mainly about writing, and the road to publication, but Rose's book is an interesting mix of format and illustration, so I asked her to talk a little bit about what it's like to be the author and the illustrator for the same novel.

Take it away, Rose!

I am lucky enough to be the author as well as the illustrator of the MG Blogtastic! Novel series GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLS’ ROOM and RUMORS FROM THE BOYS’ ROOM. Writing the book and making the illustrations is a double process-two different deadlines and twice the work, but totally worth it!

I work with my editor on the revisions and copy edits of the actual text. For the illustrations, I work with a designer at Random House.

As I write the book, I insert notes as to what the images will be and where they will be placed. For example I’ll write [insert illus: Sofia yelling at Nona, saying “You have anger issues!”] These notes go through the same revisions and copy edits as the actual manuscript. I actually don’t start drawing the images until after copyedits.

Even though I can chose which illustrations to make, during revisions, my editor can request an image to be cut or changed. The last step in the process is doing corrections on the images I’ve submitted. They have a real eye for detail! Some of corrections are really simple, like thickening the stroke lines or making the eyes smaller, or even adding length to a characters hair so it matches with a previous image. It may not sound like much, but it’s about 200 images per book that I end up drawing, which can be really time consuming. I also have to scan each image in, set it at certain resolution and save in a specific format.

The cover is designed at the same time and it can take several attempts to get the image just right. With one book, it can seem like almost a year of deadlines with short breaks in-between. Having both my books released in the same year is fantastic though, and it doesn’t get any less exciting!

Here are some images that were cut from the first book, GOSSIP.

This was cut because the scene was changed and the word “Love” was removed from all the text in the book and replaced with the word “crush.”

Apparently, decapitation is not encouraged. The note from my editor said, “Ha! No way!”

The entire scene for this image was cut. Sofia’s mom assumed Sofia had a bladder infection since she always caught her in the girls’ room (she was only stalking!). Sofia was forced to go to the Dr. and, as you can see, peeing in a cup is frowned upon too!

I’m seeing a theme here. Missing body parts are serious, people!

Thanks, Rose!

I find this fascinating. I mean, of course, Rose's drawings are awesome, so adorable and look like they fit very well with this fun idea for a story, but I find it really interesting to hear about the process and how much work goes into something that looks so simple. Clearly it isn't as easy as she makes it look.

What do you guys think? Can any of you draw (besides Vic)? Would you ever want to illustrate your own book?

Don't forget to visit Rose's blog, and become a follower.

And, if you really want to get into the Girl's Room, you can pre-order it online:
Amazon / Borders / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound / Powell's Books

Thanks so much for sharing all this with us, Rose!

Follow Rose Cooper on her blog tour to promote GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLS’ ROOM:

Monday, April 18th The Misadventures in Candyland
Tuesday, April 19th The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment
Wednesday, April 20th Rambles & Randomness
Thursday, April 21st Unedited
Friday, April 22nd Talli Roland
Saturday, April 23rd Booking Mama
Monday, 25th Random Acts of Reading
Tuesday, April 26th Amie Borst

Random House Kids’ll be tweeting about Rose’s blog tour on @RandomHouseKids!
(Follow the author: @RoseCooper)

ALSO: Contest announcement! Rose has been kind enough to offer a giveaway. How cool is that? One lucky winner will receive an original drawing, to be determined by Rose and the lucky winner!

All you have to do is either already be a follower of Rose's blog, or go follow her today, and then comment on this post. One comment per person will earn you one entry into a randomizer.org drawing for a drawing. Pun intended.

Game of Thrones Premier

Last night was the HBO premier of the series Game of Thrones, based on the George R. R. Martin novel of almost the same name, from his series A Song of Ice and Fire.

I was about 80% satisfied with the production. They kept it very close to the plot of the book, which is always something I appreciate. I also thought that nearly all the actors were very well cast, especially the Stark children.

I did have a few complaints, but I won't go into them here, as I don't have time. Tomorrow is going to be my stop on the Rose Cooper, Gossip from the Girls Room, a Blogtastic Novel blog tour, so make sure to come back for that. Today's stop is at Candyland, so go there, now.

UPDATE: Shain Brown hooked me up with this Game of Thrones viewer's guide.

Things I Love: Part Five

I couldn't decide if I wanted to do books or friends today, but I'm swamped for time again, so I'm going to go with friends who like books.

Since I started blogging a little over a year ago, I've made a lot of friends. Most of you are writers, readers, or publishing professionals. Almost all of you love books as much as I do.

There is nothing better than being able to discuss books with people you respect, who care about books and stories as much as you do.

Leigh T. Moore and I don't always agree on whether or not we like the books we read, but we always have the best discussions about them, and we always have a ton of fun debating books.

Steve Abernathy is one of those guys who has read so many great books that I haven't really been alive long enough to be familiar with. I love learning about modern classics from him that I probably wouldn't have discovered otherwise.

Bryan Russell is a bit like Steve, in that he's read so well and so widely that I could probably never keep up. He breaks down books on his blog in interesting ways that I have never seen before. Being a former bookstore owner, he also knows about a lot of books.

Nathan Bransford is obviously a publishing superstar, but he's also a friend of mine, as far as online friendships go, and he has some very interesting tastes in books, and reads a lot of things that I haven't. I remember well the day he brought it up that he had never read The Lord of the Rings, and then a wonderful discussion ensued in the forums, in which he shared his experience with all of us.

What do you like better, books? Or people?

Things I Love: Part Four

This is the best turntable money can buy, in my humble opinion.

Today's post is going to have to be quick, because I was late to work this morning, but this is a Technics SL1200 Mk3 direct drive turntable, and it is the best way to listen to music, other than live, in the world, hands down.

There is just something about analog, and the warm sound it produces, that can't be matched by mp3, compact disc, or even audio DVD with Dolby 5.1 surround.

I love the hisses, pops and clicks that come from vinyl records, even with a brand new diamond elliptical needle. The sound of a record just can't be matched.

There are a lot of other things about this turntable that are awesome, but I don't have time to go into it. I'm training some new people today.

What's you favorite way to listen to music?

Things I Love: Part Three

42 Below is a premium vodka produced in New Zealand Middle Earth.

The company that produces it, 42 BELOW Limited, is a drink manufacturing company based in Auckland. They produce the premium vodka 42 Below, and the gin, South Gin, as well as 420 spring water, which is used to create the vodka.

The 42nd parallel, which is a line of latitude, runs through the middle of New Zealand, and inspires this vodka's name. The water used to make the vodka comes from under an extinct volcano and gets the highest purity rating available.

There are several things which make this vodka awesome. One, it's a little stronger than your average liquor. Coming in at 84 proof, which of course is equal to 42% alcohol, it packs a slightly harder punch. Two, it's made with genetic engineering free wheat, so if you care about that kind of thing, you're safe with 42 Below vodka.

But the very best thing about 42 Below? This vodka is produced using methods of purity and quality that rank it as a premium vodka, very nearly super-premium. If you know your vodkas as well as my friend Simon C. Larter, you'd know that places it slightly below vodkas like Chopin, Belvedere or Stolichnaya, but above mass market brands like Absolut and Skyy. Why is this important? Because with a recent buyout by Bacardi Ltd. 42 Below is now being remarketed in the United States. It wasn't selling well at $40.00/liter so they marked it down.

I don't know how long this is going to last, but you can currently get a 1.75 liter bottle of 42 Below, the Vodka of the Valar, for $21.99 at my local liquor store. That means you're getting Grey Goose quality for Smirnoff prices. Quite a deal if you ask me.

So what about you guys? Do you drink? Can you stand vodka?

Have you ever been to Middle Earth?

Things I Love: Part Two

Grolsch is my favorite beer. Probably my very favorite beverage.

Technically, my favorite beer is Grolsch Premium Lager, which strangely enough, is actually a Pilsner, but is marketed as a Lager in the United States, probably because most Americans know shite about beer. Grolsch is a Dutch brewery which crafts several other types of beer, but the one that comes in the big green beugel is my favorite.

Bottles of this type use a swing-top cap, eliminating the need for an opener. It can also be resealed, for times when you're busy playing Wii, driving a tractor, breakdancing, or floating down the lazy river in an inner tube.

Grolsch is the second largest brewery in the Netherlands, after Heineken, and annually produces over 3.2 million hectoliters, which is a lot of beer. Apparently the Vegetarian Society named Grolsch Blond, Grolsch Premium Lager and Grolsch Premium Weizen as suitable for vegetarians. Grolsch won in the "Best Vegetarian Wine or Beer" category in the 2003 Vegetarian Society Awards.

I had no idea that other beers used meat, or other animal byproducts, and I just learned that this morning, which really grosses me out, and makes me like Grolsch even more.

What do you guys think? Do you like meat in your beer? Or just with it? I happen to love chicken wings with a beer, but I don't dip the meat in the beer.

Otherwise, what's your favorite beverage?

Things I Love: Part One

Tuong ot Siracha hot chili sauce is the best hot sauce in the world.

Some people like Tabasco, some people like Texas Pete's, some people like Cholula, but I love Siracha sauce! Most hot sauces are 90% vinegar, or more. There is nothing wrong with vinegar, it has its uses, but I prefer a sauce whose ingredients are full of flavor, and work less as filler. Siracha sauce does still have vinegar, but the majority of it is made up of chili paste, garlic, sugar and salt.

The name comes from Si Racha, a town in Chonburi Province, Thailand. That makes sense since I love Thai food, too. Apparently, the version you can buy in Thailand is thicker, tangier, and sweeter. I would love to try it, but I also like the American version just fine.

I have no idea what the significance of the Rooster is, but the Huy Fong Foods version featuring it on the label is often known as Rooster Sauce, or Cock Sauce, which are both kind of gross.

Bon Appetit featured Siracha Sauce as on of the best ingredients of the year in 2010.

Do you have a favorite condiment?

Stick Cover Reveal

I'm a little frustrated, because the image Andrew sent me was huge, very hi-res, and beautifully detailed. Blogger won't let me post it at the full resolution, so this is the best we can get. I still think it looks amazing. In case you can't read it, this is what the blurb says:

"Andrew Smith is one of the most courageous and compelling authors I've read. Stick moved me deeply." - Sara Zarr, author of Once Was Lost

I would agree with that, completely. I've only read one of Andrew's books, but I already know he's one of the most honest writers out there, and that certainly does take courage.

I told him that I love this cover. I think the gritty, sort of film grain quality of the image matches his deep and brutal method of telling the truth through fiction. I also love how it contrasts with the birds, and the boy's upraised arms.

Here is the "catalog copy" -

Stark McClellan (“Stick”) hears the world in a different way. He is surrounded by cruelty and ugliness, but holds on to a powerful sense of wonder, faith, and love for his best friend, Emily, and the most important person in Stick’s world -- his older brother, Bosten, who happens to be gay. When the boys’ father throws Bosten out of their home, Stick steals a car and takes off on a three-state odyssey to find and rescue him.

I could go on for a while about Andrew and his books, and there are a lot of other exciting things coming up, like a live action trailer for Stick, but if you just visit Andrew's blog, and follow him, you'll be just in the know as I am.

UPDATE: There are four other blogs hosting Andrew's cover reveal today. You should visit them as well:

The Naughty Book Kitties

Lady Reader's Bookstuff

I Read Banned Books

A Simple Love of Reading

F is for Fizzle

Remember when I said I only had two important posts this week? Yeah. One was yesterday's and the other will be tomorrow.

So instead of posting myself, which is kind of foolish during the A to Z challenge anyway, I'm highlighting someone else's post. Actually, it's two people today. My friends Jessica Bell and Nicole Ducleroir have been joining their A to Z posts since the beginning. It's a rather fun little game they have going, in fact. Just go visit their blogs and you'll see what I mean.

When it comes to tomorrow, please do come back. I'll be one of only five bloggers involved in the cover reveal for Andrew Smith's new novel Stick. You can find out more about Andrew, and the plans for the reveal, here.

That's three links for you to look at that are more important than this post. Now get out of here.

Earthling Hero Blog Tour

Today I'm featuring the release of Earthling Hero, by Anita Laydon Miller. My friend Jonathon Arntson introduced me to her, so you should check out both their blogs.

Anita has decided to e-publish her novel, even after having an agent, and getting very close to selling her story to traditional publishers. I thought this was an incredibly interesting scenario, so I asked her to share with us what made her come to this decision.

Please, take it away, Anita:

I had it all—a great agent (Sara Megibow) at a great agency (Nelson Literary). Sara declared my book “very close” to being publishable, and editors were actually reading the thing. So why did I give it all up to e-publish? Lots of reasons, but here are a few:

1. I’ve read a scary number of real-life stories about authors who cleared the agent, publisher and editing hurdles only to have the publishing house close a few months before the book was to be published. That stinks. Contracts are tied up, tears are flowing, books are in limbo. I didn’t even want to THINK about that happening to me. It’s like worrying about a miscarriage the entire nine months of pregnancy. Where’s the joy in that?

While the industry figures out where it’s going to land, I want to put my book in the hands of readers. The fastest way for me to do that is through e-publishing.

2. I think e-publishing is where it’s at. I don’t know what sales are of Kindles, Nooks and the like (I imagine they’re in the gazillions), but I’ve got two e-readers at my house, and not long ago I swore I’d NEVER! read from one. About the same time I was saying that, my husband wasn’t reading ANYTHING other than a newspaper. Now I’d rather buy an e-book than a paper book. And my husband reads an e-book per week, just because he doesn’t have to drive anywhere to buy it.

But here’s the thing: my husband and I are adults (usually) and so are most of the people who own e-readers. The huge risk for me is e-publishing a MIDDLE GRADE novel. Do kids want e-books?

Well, I keep having to pry my e-reader out of the hands of my four children, and I consider those fingers as sticky little signs that, yes, kids do want e-books. And what a kid really wants, they usually get. NOTE TO MATT: Please do not let my children read this.

NOTED. Anita's kids: step away from the browser.

3. E-publishing gives me complete control of my book…creative and financial. For some people that’s daunting, but for me, it’s fun. If I succeed or fail [insert Frank Sinatra’s voice here, because I can’t sing] I DID IT MY WAAAY!

For me, success means having a lot of people read my book now. I’m not going to get rich on a $.99 children’s e-book. But my heart will be richer knowing that kids (and adults, too) read my friggin’ book. I didn’t have to put it in a figurative shoebox and shove it in a figurative drawer just because editors think aliens are currently not in style or some other silliness.

Success will largely depend on 1. Getting people to read the book. 2. People liking the book. 3. People spreading the news that they like the book. Did I mention EARTHLING HERO is only $.99 and is available through Smashwords and Amazon?

Anita Laydon Miller began daydreaming before she could write her name. Now she turns her daydreams into stories and writes them (and her name) just fine. Anita lives in Colorado with her husband and four children. She enjoys making homemade tortillas and running from bears.

I think Anita makes some incredibly valid points. Personally I don't much care about getting rich, but I do care A LOT about reaching readers. This is something to consider. Oh, and homemade tortillas sound delectable.

If you are interested in finding out more about Anita, or Earthling Hero, please visit these links:

Anita's Blog.
Earthling Hero at Smashwords.
Earthling Hero at Amazon.com.
Earthling Hero at Barnes & Noble.
Anita's Website.
Anita's Middle Grade Blog.

She will also be continuing on her blog tour for the next week and a half. Please visit all these stops along the way:

Friday 4/8 Elana Johnson
Monday 4/11 Darby Karchut
Wednesday 4/13 Kelly Polark
Friday 4/15 Heather Kelly
Monday 4/18 Carol Miller
Wednesday 4/20 Natalie Aguirre

Music to Make Write to.

I'm sure you guys know this guy, Chris Philips, right? If not, you've got to go follow his blog. Okay, yes, full disclosure, I'm being featured there today, in his series Music to Make Write to, but he's hilarious anyway, so you should read his blog every day.

A to the Cizzle

What are you doing here? Don't you know the A to Z blogfest is going on right now? I've got too many things going on, so I couldn't take part, but it is awesome, and many of my best blogging friends are hosting it. I only have two important posts this week, so the rest of the days I will be pointing you to a post you should be reading instead of mine.

Today you should go to Misadventures in Candyland, and read about some crap.

Chelsey Blair's Current Query Critiqued

Okay, so today I'm breaking down Chelsey's query, as best I can. I'm only going to be dealing with the story/meat/plot part, as the rest is going to be (hopefully) tailored to each agent. My thoughts will be in red.

First of all, this query, without personalization, or housekeeeping, is 298 words long. That might be a bit long, but you can probably get away with it, as long as everything is needed and nothing can be trimmed or made shorter. I'm critiquing as I go here, so I'll let you know if I see anything that can go.

Full Disclosure: my own query is 309. Long queries can work but shorter is almost always better. I want and need to trim my own.

Seventeen-year-old guitarist Meridian is sick of being mocked by her classmates at Fernsgrove High School, where her tendency to lapse into French when she’s pissed off has earned her the nickname Madame le Freak. I would go for a new paragraph here. This is a rather strong opening hook, and I would like to see it stand out. They don’t care that she grew up in Paris, or that they’ll regret taunting her once she’s a star, and she plans to make that a reality sooner than anyone expects. She’s packed to leave when her cousin Natalie’s gymnastics accident changes her plan. Fourteen-year-old Natalie is the only one in Fernsgrove who understands Meridian’s rock-star aspirations. Natalie needs support to deal with the lifestyle changes that come with a prosthetic leg. Meridian has no choice but to damn herself to suburban hell for the foreseeable future.

I think the rest of this second paragraph has some very strong points, but could probably be trimmed and improved. First off, it does a great job of slipping in just enough backstory, without making it feel like backstory. It also sets up a great conflict, and gives a pretty good sense of what the stakes will be.

The one problem I have is that you essentially lose all the great voice you had set up in your hook. It all depends on what kind of novel this is, but your opening sentence makes it sound funny, angsty, and very smart. The rest of this paragraph feels a bit like a book report. That's okay--if the books is incredibly sad, or comes across as kind of clinical--but I would try to make the voice match throughout.

The one other thing about the rest of this paragraph is that I think you should try to trim it. The information is all good, and I think it's all necessary, but you use too many words to say it. I like the first two sentences, and the last two are pretty good as well, but I think the middle one can go, or at least be trimmed.

Update: coming back after reaching the end, you may also want to consider re-writing this beginning. It makes it sound like the book is going to be about high school, but it turns out that's actually backstory too, right?

For the summer, the girls retreat to Harvard Square in Cambridge, where it’s easy to hide from their nightmares amongst the living statues. They’re safe there, away from the divorce war-zone of their house, and the neighborhood bullies. While Natalie searches for a new passion, Meridian finds a place in the music scene. For the first time she experiences the safety that comes with letting people in. Maybe she can wait to run after her dream of stardom.

Here's where I get a little confused. Cambridge is not suburbia. Where do they live? Wayland? Framingham? The T doesn't go out that far so how do they get to Harvard Square everyday? I'm sure it works perfectly in the novel, but be careful about details in the query, because they can sometimes contradict.

I would also consider cutting the last two sentences here. They're vague and not crucial to your plot. I understand the part about Meridian letting people in may be crucial to your internal plot, but it's not made clear here, and we can somewhat infer it from the backstory you've provided.

Or maybe not. She’s busking is this a word? I looked it up and it means street performing. That doesn't make sense here. Maybe "busking for the line?" the line of a late-night gig and an intoxicated concert-goer pulls a knife on them. Why? He's drunk? Wants their guitar case full of money? She and Natalie make a narrow escape, and she blames the incident on her desire to showcase them on the streets, where people aren’t as accepting of their differences as she thought. Determined to find somewhere she can fit in without consequence, she demolishes the life she’s made for herself in Massachusetts and takes off for New York. But playing solo isn’t as easy when you’re used to having back-up, and she may have alienated all of hers.

Did she leave without Natalie? This whole last paragraph is a little confusing to me. The knife attack kind of comes out of nowhere, and flips my expectations of the story on its head. It can work, but you have to build to it. And if she "blames the incident on her desire to showcase them on the streets" why would she go to New York to perform on the street? Cambridge is much safer than any part of New York.

All in all I think you're off to a great start. This sounds like a compelling story, and you clearly have a way with words. I think with a little trimming, and some re-wording of parts, you could have a great query going here.

So what do you all think? Please feel free to disagree with me, because that's the best kind of feedback a person can get. Leave your thoughts in the comments, or feel free to reach Chelsey through her blog, but please at least let us know what, if anything, you would change.