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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Yes, I Am a History Nerd


I love history, but I realize not everyone does. (Gasp! Did I just say that?) However, there are a ton of wonderful historical fiction novels (and even some non-fiction book) and movies out there that really bring history to life. I mean, come on! These people were real- they loved and lost just like the rest of us. Here are some of my favorites:






Stephanie's Favorite Historical Fiction Novels

1. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
2. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
3. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (Who doesn't love bubonic plague?)
4. Daughter of Troy by Sarah Franklin
5. Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

Stephanie's Favorite Hollywood History Movies

1. Cleopatra (Yes, the Liz Taylor version)
2. Gone With the Wind (Swoon!)
3. Gladiator
4. The Tudors (Okay, the Showtime series isn't a movie and it's totally inaccurate in some areas, but I love it!)
5. Elizabeth (The one with Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes. Also swoon-worthy!)

What about you? What are your favorite historical novels or movies?

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Swarzenneger, Dead People. Awards, Mountains, & Death

Okay, so here's the big reveal for which of the seven "facts" about me yesterday was a bold-faced lie.

1. I've done Arnold Schwarzenegger's makeup. TRUE! He came up for the Special Olympics as MC quite a few years back and I had volunteered to do makeup for the performers. Arnold wanted some powder and brow tint to hide the grey in his five o'clock shadow.

2. I've played with dead people. TRUE! I did some work on bones (and some mummified remains) for the start of my first Master's. (Which I never finished.

3. I've climbed Mt. McKinley. (Or Denali, if you're from my neck of the woods.) Are you kidding me?! LIE! I'm impressed that so many of you think me capable of climbing the tallest mountain in North American though. That sucker is 20,320 feet tall!

4. I'm married to the most wonderful, patient man in the world. TRUE! Awww...

5. My daughter almost killed me once resulting in hospitalization and multiple blood transfusions. TRUE! The little monkey tried to take me out when she was born. I hemorrhaged. Bad.

6. I've traveled to the Czech Republic, Italy, England, Ireland, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, France, Costa Rica, Panama, Bermuda, and Aruba. TRUE! What can I say? I like to travel! In fact, I'm heading to Mexico next week. Yay!

7. I met First Lady Laura Bush after being nominated as Alaska's U.S. History Teacher of the Year. TRUE! It was cool- they even flew me to NYC for the conference and ceremony!

So there you have it! I hope everyone has a splendiferous weekend!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Monster Award Blow-Out! And Fact or Fiction!

I mentioned a while back that I'd been hoarding awards. We're talking like the old- ladies-you-see-on-Animal-Planet-with-200-cats hoarding. And I'm not going to follow many of the rules on these awards- I'm a rebel like that! These are no pressure, just for fun awards!

Take a deep breath because here goes!

Jemi at Just Jemi gifted me with the Circle of Friends Award. I love this because I definitely feel like I've found a great group of writer friends online that I never would have connected with in real life.

I'm going to pass this one on to the following:

Amalia at Good To Begin Well, Better To End Well because she and I are in the query trenches together. We've bounced a gazillion ideas off each other and I really hope both our books are stronger for it. Thanks, Amalia!



Next, Simone at the The Romantic Query Letter And Happily Ever After gave me the Creative Writer Award. I'd like to extend this one to a few bloggers I feel are uber-creative.

Sarah at The Wit & Wisdom of Another Sarah is pretty awesome. I mean, come on, her avatar is Rosie the Riveter. It doesn't get more awesome than that. Well, unless her picture was of Hatshepsut. That would pretty much rock.

Elspeth at It's A Mystery has done a couple posts on 10 Rules of Writing. They're pretty hilarious. She's always got something positive to say- I love that!

Bethany Mattingly at Aspirations is creative enough to combine agriculture and writing into one blog. And she's a student!



My next award was from Guinevere at This Is Not My Day Job. She gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. Pretty sleek, isn't it? Here are my picks for stylish blogs:

Roni at Fiction Groupie writes wonderful how-to posts. I love them because they have tons of examples on all sorts of great writing tips. And she posted a pic from The Office today. I love that show!

Suzette and Bethany at Shooting Stars have one of the first blogs I ever followed. They run great contests and offer some really great advice. Love them!

Shannon at Book Dreaming is one of the most positive people I've ever met on the blogosphere. And she has great, uplifting quotes!

Michele at Southern City Mysteries has a really nifty blog. I'm not even into mysteries, but I love all the info and interviews on her blog.


I also received the Sunshine Award from Deb at Ranch Girl Ramblings. I love this one because I love Gerber daisies. Some blogs are like sunshine through the ether which I can really use now as Alaska emerges from the darkness of winter. I'm passing this one on to the following:

Tricia O'Brien at Talespinning. Her posts are lyrical and often accompanied by gorgeous photos (taken on her phone, no less!).

Guinevere at This is Not My Day Job often makes me laugh. And I want to steal her name.

Elana Johnson might have been the very first blog I followed. Her advice for query writing is stellar and really helped me hone my first query.

Lisa & Laura at Lisa And Laura Write are hilarious. May I repeat- hilarious. If you don't follow them you need to. You can even go meet them in NYC!

Paul Greci at Northwriter is from Alaska too! I love his posts because he offers writerly advice and situations with an Alaskan twist. And he runs outside when it's really, really cold. 17 degrees Fahrenheit is my limit for outdoor activities- he's got me by almost 50 degrees.


Finally, Bethany Mattingly has bestowed the Bold Faced Liar Creative Blogger Award on me. I now must come up with six truths and one crazy lie about myself. I'm gifting this award to all those who've won awards above or given me an award. It's a double award ceremony!

1. I've done Arnold Schwarzenegger's makeup.
2. I've played with dead people.
3. I've climbed Mt. McKinley. (Or Denali, if you're from my neck of the woods.)
4. I'm married to the most wonderful, patient man in the world.
5. My daughter almost killed me once resulting in hospitalization and multiple blood transfusions.
6. I've traveled to the Czech Republic, Italy, England, Ireland, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, Egypt, Jordan, France, Costa Rica, Panama, Bermuda, and Aruba.
7. I met First Lady Laura Bush after being nominated as Alaska's U.S. History Teacher of the Year.

So, which one is the lie? I play this with my students on the first day of school and they hardly ever get it right. Mwahahaha!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Pick an Agent's Brain! (Not Literally- That Would Be Kind of Gross)

I'm pretty excited because on Saturday I'm going to have a 15 minute chat with literary agent Mark McVeigh. Thank you so very much to everyone who joined his blog because of my little post- gracias, merci, danke!

I have a few questions I want to ask Mark myself, but I also wanted to see if there were any questions any of you would ask him. I've got 15 minutes and plan to use all of them!

So, if you have any agent-y questions you'd like me to add to the list, post them to the comments and I'll make sure to squeeze them into the conversation. I promise to report back with his answers!

Monday, February 22, 2010

The Incredible Journey

This weekend I watched The Time Traveler's Wife. I bawled. A lot. This, after I'd already read the book. For the love of Pete, I knew what was going to happen!

I remember the first movie I ever cried in. I must have been about six and my family rented The Incredible Journey. Thank heavens we weren't at a theatre. (Yes, I like the British spelling.)



You know why there's a waterfall in the picture? Because the cat falls over the waterfall.

This. Was. Bad.

I screamed and ran to my room, shedding tears the whole way. My mom had retrieve me, finally drawing out of me that I was a blubbering mess of tears because the cat was dead.

Dead!

Yes, in my six-year-old's world that poor little kitty was dead as a doornail. No cat has enough lives to survive that kind of plunge. It took a lot of convincing on my mom's part to convince me otherwise. Cat actors? This is all pretend? Really?

Granted, I was only six, but my reaction to The Incredible Journey and recent Kleenex-fest with The Time Traveler's Wife just goes to show that a good story can suspend reality. Characters really do marry, have kids, and die. Or go on long journeys with dog friends and fall over waterfalls.

What about you? Are there any books or movies that never fail to make you tear up? Do your stories suspend reality?

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Whoops!

Okay, I've missed several of the last blogfests, but I couldn't resist the Whoops! Blogfest, sponsored by the fabulous Laurel over at Laurel's Leaves. We all have those whoops moments- the ones we wish we could erase from our memories. Permanently. Like in Men in Black.

Here's one of Hatshepsut's moments...


Initially glad to hear the muted voice of her father, Hatshepsut was repulsed by the topic of conversation. At sixteen years old, most girls her age were married by now, some with several babes in arms, but Hatshepsut had never given much thought to her own marriage. It would happen one day, but the idea was always restricted to some hazy, far-off future.

And to marry Thutmosis?

It made Hatshepsut glad she hadn’t eaten yet to think of all that would entail.

Hoping to avoid this particular discussion with her father now and for years to come, Hatshepsut stepped away from the hedge in full retreat. She made it three steps and her bare foot came into contact with something thin and furry atop the granite tile.

The screech of a cat rudely awakened from its slumber rent the morning silence. Hatshepsut jumped back to avoid the unsheathed claws of the angry feline she had just mauled. The ground she stepped on was unexpectedly lopsided- the lower lip of a fountain- and her balance faltered.

“Who’s there?” Hatshepsut heard the rumble of her father’s voice as her foot slipped out from under her. She plunged back into the fountain’s shallow waters with a violent splash.

Shimmering orange fish darted like underwater flames to avoid contact with their intruder. Drenched and mortified that she might be seen, Hatshepsut struggled to sit up, but she was too late. Her father and another man crashed through the hedge, stopping short to see Tutmose’s bedraggled daughter sputtering in the slight depths of the pool.

“Hatshepsut?” Seeing his daughter’s wilted expression, the Pharaoh threw back his head in great guffaws of laughter.

Hatshepsut felt her face flare crimson as she stepped out of the fountain. She was going to bolt for her chambers, but Tutmose gained control of himself in time to stop her.

“What in the name of Amun were you doing?”

Ma’at was having a good laugh at her expense right now. “Nothing, Father,” she mumbled, her cheeks on fire.

“Nothing?” Tutmose chuckled. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I went for a walk to clear my head and heard you talking.”

“And then you stopped to listen?”

“I didn’t mean any harm in it. I promise.”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Tutmose said. “And even if you did, you’ve learned your lesson, haven’t you?”

“I certainly have.” Hatshepsut looked down at her drenched sheath and the growing lake at her feet. Raising her eyes, her gaze was met by the scrutiny of the second man standing in the shadow of the hedge.

Hatshepsut had never seen this nameless man before. She was startled at his frank appraisal of her and flustered at the blatant laughter dancing in his eyes. He wore the golden armband branding him as her father’s servant, but possessed features so striking she couldn’t have forgotten him. Each part of his face was not especially noteworthy, but when combined the portrait forced a lasting imprint upon one’s mind. A single scar marred the flesh of his forehead- a thin white slash through an otherwise unspoiled copper canvas.

As her eyes swept over the rest of him, Hatshepsut realized that whoever this stranger was, he was no typical courtier with the soft belly and pale skin attesting to a life of ease safe from Re’s glare. He was accustomed to hard work out of doors, something the sinewy muscles roping his arms and legs could attest to.

She was staring. Scrambling to mask her flurry of emotions with the servant’s laughing eyes on her, Hatshepsut mustered her most imperious tone. “And who is this, Father?”

Friday, February 19, 2010

The New Blogger on the Block

I wanted to post a picture of New Kids on the Block, but thought that would date me. Yeah, I used to have high top sneaker-slippers with the band emblazoned on the side. And they were neon pink and green.

I might have been a nerd. But you already knew that!

So, back to the point of this post: there's a new agent blog in town! You've probably already heard about Mark McVeigh's new blog, but if you haven't head on over. I'm pretty excited- it's always nice to have another agent's opinion on everything publishing-worthy.

Plus, McVeigh is offering a nifty deal for new blog followers before the big unveiling. I'd love to win a 15 minute phone call with him so if you follow his blog because of this post please let me know. It's good karma!

Have a super fabulous weekend, everyone!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Hatshepsut Novel Re-Release

Yesterday I was perusing Pauline Gedge's Egyptian novels at Amazon when I discovered something totally cool. You see, Gedge has authored the only traditionally published, adult novel on Hatshepsut (there's a couple children's books out there). Child of the Morning was originally published in 1977, but my copy is from SoHo Press's release in 1993- it's been hard to find for a while now.



This cover will grab someone like me simply because I'll pick up anything that looks remotely Egyptian. But I think for a non-Egyptian fanatic it might be a little dry. Well, yesterday I saw a new cover. It appears that Chicago Review Press will be re-releasing Child of the Morning in April.



Snazzy cover, eh? I'm actually a little jealous- I love this one and I was surprised to find that this is the original 1977 cover. I'm thrilled for Gedge (and Hatshepsut, not that she'll know it) that this is coming out again. Although I will admit that my initial response was more along the lines of, "Oh no! How many Hatshepsut books can the market hold?"

Yeah, I might have panicked a little.

But then my wonderful husband pointed out that Hatshepsut isn't really a household name. A re-release of a book about her will probably whet people's appetites to learn more about her. After all, if the market can sustain the glut of books on Henry VIII, surely there's room for a couple novels on Hat, right?

So, if you can't wait for my novel, I highly recommend you check this one out. I've read it a couple times- it's pretty good!

What do you think? How many books on the same subject can the market bear? And how much do book covers matter to you if the book is in your favorite genre?

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The Mummy of Seqenenre Tao!

Seqenenre Tao II (I do not make these names up, I swear) was the almost-founder of ancient Egypt's New Kingdom. I don't want to bore you all with a run-down of Egypt's eras (we'll save that for another post), but essentially Tao wanted to take Egypt back from the Hyksos invaders who controlled the country during the Second Intermediate Period. He failed, but his son finally succeeded a few years later, ushering in the 18th Dynasty (Hatshepsut's dynasty!).

Why did Tao fail? Because he got hit in the head with an axe.



See that long blow at the top of his head? That's the spot. And the other arrows point to the spear that went through his skull.

Ow.

Based on the angle of wounds in his neck it is probable that Tao was lying down when the fatal blows were struck, possibly in battle or while he was asleep (but certainly not both). There are no wounds on his hands to indicate a struggle. However, because his mummification was fairly shoddy (the embalmers didn't even attempt to remove the brain), it has been hypothesized that he died in battle against the Hyksos and not at court.

If you're interested in reading more about Tao and his family, Pauline Gedge wrote a trilogy of books about the time period- The Hippopotamus Marsh, The Oasis, and The Horus Road.

I hope I didn't gross anyone out with the mummy pic!

Photo from About.com.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Boy King's Cause of Death


New findings were just released about the cause of death for King Tut. I used to play with mummies in grad school so I found this totally fascinating and wanted to share. I’ve paraphrased CNN’s article, but you can check out the full text here. I thought the walking stick part was super cool!

The legendary Egyptian King Tut died of conditions including malaria and complications from a leg fracture.

Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922, but his life remains shrouded in mystery, and not much is known about him. He ruled during the 18th Dynasty (same as Hatshepsut!) and is believed to have died young. Forensic analysis of his mummy has put his age of death at about 17 to 19 years.

Previously, based on historical records and earlier digs, Zahi Hawass, the lead investigator of the study, had said Tut could have been the son of Amenhotep IV, a king of the 18th Dynasty, who was later known as Akhenaten.

Through DNA, Hawass' researchers determined that was indeed the case, and that Tut was married to his sister. Scientists believe that genetics and inherited diseases played a role in Tut's health because of inbreeding within the family. "We know there were weaknesses in these mummies, perhaps even cardiovascular problems," Hawass said.

When researchers scanned Tut's mummy, they found he not only had severe kyphoscoliosis, or curvature of the spine, but also suffered from a toe malformation known as oligodactyly. The condition made his left foot swell, and it would have caused excruciating pain when he walked.

"In ancient drawings we see Tut shooting arrows, not standing, but sitting in a chariot. This was unusual," Hawass said. "In his tomb, we also found 100 walking sticks. Originally we thought they represented power. But they were ancient crutches that he obviously used. He could barely stand."

Hawass said by taking his prior research and combining it with his most recent findings, the cause of Tut's death became pretty clear to him.

"The purpose of the CT scan (in 2005) was to see if he was murdered, because earlier X-rays had found there was a hole in his skull," Hawass said. "But we found the hole was made during mummification. However, we did find a large fracture in his left femur that probably contributed to his death."

Hawass theorized a fall could have hastened Tut's death. But DNA testing also showed evidence of plasmodium falciparum, a protozoan parasite that causes malaria in humans. The parasite has been found in many other mummies, as well. Hawass said he believes the combination of the serious fracture and the deadly parasite killed the young king.


Pretty crazy, eh? I'm thinking of doing some more posts on random Egyptian mummies. Let me know in the comments if that's something that interests you- dead people can be pretty cool!

Monday, February 15, 2010

The Guess How Many Queries CONTEST!


In honor of my initiation into the world of querying (and the fact that I always liked those guess-how-many-jellybeans-are-in-the-jar competitions), I'm having my first-ever contest!

What do you need to do? Simply guess how many queries I'll have to send out before I land my dream agent. This will be the one and only post about my querying even once I've found my agent- no updates! Here's the rule run-down:

1. Be a follower of this blog. (Yes, this is shameless self-promotion.)

2. Guess a number in the comments of this post.

3. Want a second guess? Advertise on your blog or Twitter about the contest and enter a second guess in the comments of this post.

4. The fine print! In the event of duplicate guesses, the first guess will given priority. If no one guesses the exact number I will take the closest guess without going over (in homage to The Price is Right). The winner will be emailed to let them know they had the closest guess- I promise to be honest, but I'm not going to post the actual number it took.


Now the fun stuff! What do you win? I decided I couldn't decide on a prize so I'm going to offer the winner a choice of the following:

1. A $20 Amazon gift card
2. A stack of books. On the list right now are Evermore and Blue Moon by Alyson Noel and Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell.
3. A query critique
4. A partial MS critique (50 pages or so)

Heck, when I get that call I'll probably be so excited I'll give away all four to the winner! So pick a number, any number! And don't worry about hurting my feelings with the high numbers- this is a tough market. But I intend to crack it!

Good luck!

And for another couple of cool contests check out Elana Johnson and Shelli Johannes-Wells. More contests- ohdalolly!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Presidential Stuff- I Promise It's Fun!

Happy President's Day!

I'm finishing the last few chapters of my final edit (YAY!) and leave you with a squirrelly Presidential pic and some fun trivia about America's presidents.



1. Abraham Lincoln was the last president to visit his troops on a battlefield.

2. William Howard Taft weighed over 300 pounds and got stuck in his White House bathtub. It had to be replaced with a bigger one.

3. James A. Garfield was the first ambidextrous president. It was said that one could ask him a question in English and he could simultaneously write the answer in Latin with one hand, and Ancient Greek with the other.

4. Theodore Roosevelt boxed several times a week, a practice he regularly continued as President until one blow detached his left retina, leaving him blind in that eye. Thereafter, he practiced judo attaining a third degree brown belt and continued his habit of skinny-dipping in the Potomac River during winter.

5. George Washington did not have wooden teeth. He did have many sets of dentures, including ones made of gold, lead, hippo ivory, human and donkey teeth. He started losing his teeth in his 20's.

Finally, if you want to read some funny stuff (not in front of kids) check out Cracked.Com for an article on 5 of the coolest U.S. presidents of all time. I'll give you one guess as to who #1 is!

Love at First Sight Blogfest!

Today's the Love at First Sight Blogfest! I searched through my manuscripts for a love at first sight scene and realized that I don't write love at first sight (probably because I don't believe in it!). Instead, I excel at hate at first sight. And lust at first sight.

So I guess I'm cheating here when I recommend two recently read books for love at first sight scenes.



Roses by Leila Meacham is fabulous. Granted, I'm not done yet, but I love the main characters and there's a definite love triangle. The dust jacket said that it was written in the style of Gone With the Wind and The Thorn Birds. It was right!



I know I've already gushed about this series, but I'm a total sucker for the Katniss/Peeta/Gale love triangle in The Hunger Games. And there is a love at first sight scene in the first book- you just don't realize it when you read it. It's soooo sweet!

Are there any other love triangle books you'd recommend? Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Check Your Facts!

Okay, I'm venting here a little. This past week I entered a critique contest which is cool- I'm all about unbiased feedback. That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger, right?

But one critiquer made a comment that the first 250 words of my novel was set in a tree that never would have been in ancient Egypt.

It's a sycamore. And yes, I fact checked long ago (almost two years ago when I wrote the scene) to make sure that sycamores were in ancient Egypt. They were. In fact, they're the only tree present in ancient Egypt that could be used for much of anything, including a statue going back to the 4th Dynasty. That's 4,500 years ago.

I'm sure this person meant well, but when I'm critiquing something I make sure I know what I'm talking about. If I think someone has broken a major grammar rule, I make sure they're not just breaking a law I made up in my head.

I think the reason I'm so irked about this is because I have meticulously researched this book. I need to let it go and have a piece of flourless chocolate torte. Yes, it's for Valentine's Day, but that's in four hours so I think it counts.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

One Hit Wonder?

A while ago, Voidwalker asked what I was going to name my blog when I started writing another book.

I have no idea.

When I started writing Hatshepsut, it was with the intention of writing this one fabulous novel. I would be Arthur Golden and Hatshepsut would be my Memoirs of a Geisha. And then I realized I had another story to tell, this one about another, more obscure Egyptian Pharaoh. The story has been simmering on the back burner for the past months while I got Hatshepsut query-ready, but in a few weeks I'll be writing again.

As far as the blog name goes, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now I like having Hatshepsut in the title as she's my main focus. Plus, occasionally someone who knows about her will stumble upon the site and tell me how much they love her. That always makes me happy.

How many novels to you think you have in you? Will you be Arthur Golden or Stephen King?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

X Squared Divided By Y...

I hate math.

No, hate isn't a strong enough word. I detest anything having to do with numbers. The only thing worse than numbers is some sort of equation that uses letters too. That's just wrong. But you know what's great about math? There's only one answer.

There's no right answer with writing. I've been devouring books lately and I'll be honest- there are some out there that are not so good. But some I've recently tried to read and have barely muddled through are amazingly popular. A few are on the New York Times Bestseller List and others have won awards- one even garnered the Pulitzer. So what if Oprah loves a book? That doesn't mean I will.

Sometimes I wish writing a novel was more like math. Then someone smarter than me would be able to say, "Nope, you've so got this wrong. How many times can you drop a negative?" (I hate negatives. When will you use those in real life? NEVER!)

But it's not.

You know the great thing about that? Writing is a numbers game. I might not have the right answer for everyone, but for someone out there (or a few someones- an agent and editor at least) I've got the right answer.

It's just a matter of finding those people. And that's what I intend to do.

Monday, February 8, 2010

The Countdown Begins

I will start querying Hatshepsut in exactly one week.

Eep!

This is exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. I was one of those kids in school whose mediocre efforts were always good enough. My senior year in AP Literature I wrote an essay on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I aced it.

And never read the book. Nope, I didn't rip the essay from the internet either- this was just before the dawn of the world wide web. And I didn't cheat. I kept one ear open for a couple weeks in class and winged it. Viola!

Now, I'm not saying I'm an expert at anything. I'm pretty good at a lot of things- cooking, teaching, yoga, photography, painting- but I'm no Wolfgang Puck, Socrates, Rodney Yee, Ansel Adams, or Van Gogh.

When I finished the first draft of Hatshepsut there was this immediate idea that I needed to edit and send it off. But it wasn't ready. Each time I thought it was almost done, I was wrong.

Now I'm 99% done. I've tied up all the plot holes, cleaned up adverbs and dialogue, enriched the setting, checked chapter endings, and done more word searches than I can count (curse you, just!). This weekend is the final sweep and then it will be ready.

This is the first thing I can remember actually trying to make perfect. To make something as perfect as I can and then willingly face scores of rejections is daunting. Downright scary.

What about you? How did you know your MS was ready to query? Or how do you think you'll know? Is there anything else in life you can remember trying to make perfect?

Oh, and there's going to be a contest next week to celebrate my plunge into the word of querying. Stay tuned!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

My Name is Stephanie and I Suffer From...


I suffer from PHGS. This disorder- Post Hunger Games Syndrome- was discovered by Lisa and Laura, who are not only super cool, but apparently have joint psychology degrees as well.

I can count on my fingers how many books I've reread in my life. You want to know why I missed two blog posts last week, something I never do? Because I was editing (yes, that's 8, or 9, or 10) and rereading both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

Curse Suzanne Collins for not writing the third one faster. I'm dying over here!

About halfway through The Hunger Games this time it occurred to me to wonder why the heck these books are so good. Then I realized- the action never stops. I love the characters (Katniss, Peeta, and Gale could compete with Scarlett, Rhett, and Ashley for best love triangle ever), but I have a heck of a time putting the book down, even now that I know what's going to happen.

So amidst my frantic page turning, I discovered two things.

1. The books are in present tense. Collins does such a great job making this effortless that I didn't even notice that until I was almost at the end of the first book the second time around. It totally works for her.

2. The chapter endings are all cliff-hangers. I couldn't possibly put the book down at any of the normal spots a reader looks to stop. I had to know what was going to happen next. And who puts a good book down in the middle of a chapter? The dark circles under my eyes can attest to the fact that I don't.

Thanks to Collins, I went back into HATSHEPSUT to check my chapter endings. It's a little hard to have white-knuckle cliffhangers as I'm covering roughly 30 years in the novel and the chapters typically close at the end of a scene before a time jump. However, most of them end leaving something to tantalize the reader. It's not as immediate as The Hunger Games, but it's still there. However, two of my chapters had a great ending point, but I kept rambling for another couple paragraphs.

I deleted those paragraphs.

I've also gone back in and racheted up the drama in a few spots. I used to treat Hatshepsut with kid gloves (because she's like a god), but now I'm not afraid to throw her (or any of the other characters) in front of the bus.

What about you? How do your chapters end? Have you read The Hunger Games? If not, you need to jump on this bandwagon ASAP!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Over The Top!



I've been hoarding awards. It's bad, I know, but for some reason life is chaotic right now. I'm going to pass a few along in the coming weeks and today's is the Over the Top Award which I received from a wonderful lady- Guinevere at This is Not My Day Job. If you don't already follow her blog, you should! So for this award I have to answer all these questions using one word. If I was a gambling girl I'd bet that's not going to happen.

Where is your cell phone? Purse
Your hair? Blondish
Your mother? Gone
Your father? Crazy
Your favorite food? Tiramisu
Your dream last night? Weird
Your favorite drink? Wine (Red)
Your dream/goal? Published
What room are you in? Library
Your hobby? Traveling
Your fear? Knives
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Published
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren’t? I said nice. My husband said diplomatic.
Muffins? Blueberry
Wish list item? Books
Where did you grow up? Alaska
Last thing you did? Worked
What are you wearing? Jeans
Your TV? Nope.
Your pets? Evil, Satan-spawn cat
Friends? Some
Your life? Awesome
Your mood? Happy
Missing someone? Mom
Vehicle? Volvo
Something you’re not wearing? Necklace
Your favorite store? Anthropologie
Your favorite color? Blue
When was the last time you laughed? Today
Last time you cried? Dunno.
Your best friend? Husband
One place that I go to over and over? Italy
One person who emails me regularly? Co-workers
Favorite place to eat? Cheesecake Factory

Okay, so I managed one word on most of them. And I'm going to pass this award on to some recently discovered blogs.

Ann Foxlee because she loves art!
Courtney Reese is host the Love at First Sight blog fest on February 14th!
Dominique at En Violet had a great post on repetition. We all know I'm totally guilty of this in early drafts.

There you have it, folks- a guilt free, responsibility free round of awards. Yahoo!

Monday, February 1, 2010

Bobble Heads in Ancient Egypt


On my last edit I combed through HATSHEPSUT looking for modern expressions. I pay attention to this when I write (there was one scene where I really wanted to describe a servant nodding like a Dwight Schrute bobble head), but oftentimes those suckers slip right past me.

With the help of an intrepid beta, I think I've caught every last one of the slippery guys. Here's a list of the ones that got axed:

1. Down to the last second. Yeah, the Egyptians didn't measure time in seconds.
2. His head bouncing like a spring. This was a replacement for the bobble head. Did you know springs weren't invented until the 1800's? Now you know.
3. The day was one for the history books. No books in ancient Egyptians. Stick to scrolls.
4. Total ignoramus. Sounds almost Latin, right? Wrong. Ignoramus was a word popularized in 1616 from the play "Ignoramus, or the Academical Lawyer" by George Ruggle. The word does have earlier origins, but not back to 1480 B.C.
5. Leap the hurdle. Not only is it cliche, but the Egyptians weren't running track and field.
6. Stacked the deck. Also not playing cards. Although they did have board games.
7. Squished a clove of garlic with her fork. They might have been civilized, but there are no forks in the archaeological record. Forks show up in the 11th century when the daughter of Byzantine emperor Constantine Ducas used a little golden one.
8. Encyclopedic knowledge. This one hurt to cut because is was such an apt description, but the Egyptians weren't using Encyclopedia Brittanica to write research reports.
9. Kowtowing to foreign ambassadors. My wonderful beta caught this one. I suppose the ancient Egyptians weren't hanging out with the Japanese. Too bad for them!

Is there anything weird you have to watch out for in your genre? Or anything that was especially painful to cut?