Foreign editions update

This popped up on Goodreads this week. It seems to be the Indonesian cover for Magic Under Glass! Yes, they're both blonde now... (Needless to say, not only do authors rarely have much to do with their domestic covers, international releases? It's not uncommon for us to find out our books have sold abroad because Google alerts, Goodreads, or fans reveal, oh hey, guess what, your book is out in another country!) Such was the case with Indonesia! I had no idea. You know what I DO love about this cover, though? As someone with a lifelong interest in historical fashion and fashion illustration...the dress is just perfect. And it looks like Erris even has red heels on his shoes...

Anyway, I don't know for SURE that is the cover or just a placeholder of some kind, and it LOOKS like the book releases in Jan '11 there. I'm ashamed to say I don't know much about Indonesia, except that I love your Ting Ting Jahe ginger candy... If any Indonesian readers come by my blog I'd love to hear a little about your country and what you like to read!

I'm also always poking around to see when the Spanish release of Magic Under Glass is coming out. I had a fabulous chat with some Spanish readers a few months ago and they were SO nice I'm eager to have more Spanish readers. =D I promised I would learn a little Spanish for the release, so if anyone happens to see a date for it, do let me know! (I'd love to learn a little of EVERY language it comes out in, but that's not really practical unless I am turned into a vampire or some other form of immortal...

There is also, supposedly, a Thai edition coming out someday. I know nothing about the publisher or date. But I'll let you know when I do, of course.

Favorite Museums?

This is so random, but the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine has come up in conversation several times this week, and I was thinking how the Lightner might just be my favorite museum I've ever been to, which then got me thinking about what my OTHER favorite museums I've ever been to are. I was in D.C. twice this year and I went to the American History museum, because I've always wanted to see things I've heard of like the flag and the First Ladies dresses and stuff, but it was kind of disappointing, honestly. Too crowded, too tourist-y, and as Dade said, "I think 10% of the people here actually want to be here." So the best museums are probably the ones I've never heard of.

Here are my favorites, although of course there are many many MANY more to see in the world, and some gems I don't remember because I was a kid when we went there and I have no idea what they were!


The Lightner Museum, St. Augustine, FL
This is housed in an old Flagler hotel, and just the building is impressive. It had an indoor pool, which has since been drained and is part of the museum, as well as a steam room, both of which you can easily imagine Gilded Age folk wandering in and out of. It has a bit of a "Titanic" air to it. There is such a random assortment of stuff--from art and glass, to a mummy and weird collections--that anyone would be hard pressed not to find SOMETHING interesting, but the best part is the mechanical musical instruments. It's worth it to catch the twice-daily (if they haven't changed it) demonstration. I particularly love the Violano-Virtuoso, which was electric, and starts up with this great slow thrum and lights coming on and then it plays and it sounds just horrid. In a wonderful way.

Pioneer Memorial Museum, Salt Lake City, UT
This museum is just a ton of old junk shoved together with a lot of information and it's kind of creepy. I say both "junk" and "creepy" in the best possible way imaginable. We went to this museum when I was like, 10, and we only had an hour to look before it closed, or maybe less, and I almost cried (or maybe I did cry, I was a weepy child) because I could have spent hours and hours in there. Yeah, I've been a total history geek as far back as my memory goes.

Carl Sandburg Home, Flat Rock, NC
I've toured a lot of houses in my day, and this was one of my favorites, although I don't remember it very well. It's been years! I just know there are goats. And I think this is the place where everything is just like Carl Sandburg left it, even the trash in the trash can. But don't quote me on that.

Ringling Museum, Sarasota, FL
This place is huh-yuge. it's like three museums. Plus grounds. There is the Ringling House (which unfortunately, you have to do with a tour group and it's a bigger tour group than I'd like, compressed into smaller space than I'd like, and they are very strict, but it's designed like a Venetian palace), a circus museum and an art museum. We were here all day and we barely made it through the art museum, but it's an impressive collection.

The Met, New York, NY
Well, this is one museum that absolutely lives up to the hype. It's a little overwhelming. But you can spend forever in there and find something new each time. I recommend reading Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, too, which gave me a new appreciation for the collection and all the work that goes into it!

What are your favorite museums? Any museums of historical interest I ought to add to my list of dream museums?

December Lights is a website Stephanie Burgis and Patrick Samphire set up for some fun, funny fantasy short stories, some of it holiday themed. I contributed a short story set in Arestin that I wrote some years back (and updated a bit). There's some great stuff there, and a fantastic contributor list:

Jacey Bedford
Marie Brennan
Stephanie Burgis
Deborah Coates
Leah Cypess
Jaclyn Dolamore
Eugie Foster
Pamela Freeman
Maurissa Guibord
Karen Healey
Tracy Lynn
Sarah Prineas
Jenn Reese
Patrick Samphire
Sherwood Smith
Tiffany Trent

So check it out! http://www.decemberlightsproject.com/

Holiday Book Recs!

It's that time of year! Time to recommend some books I read and really enjoyed in 2010.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
Drea has Asperger's, and no friends, especially since she and her mom have just moved back in with Drea's judgmental grandmother. She's also a musician, and when she makes friends with hot musician boy Justin and neighbor Naomi, her life...you know, changes, because this is a book and that's what happens in books. It's terrific. Great writing, great romance, and it rings very true. I don't have Asperger's but I can still seriously identify with the struggles to make friends and fit in while being your (weird) self. Buy it for anyone who feels alienated, and anyone who likes great contemporary fiction.



Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
A girl in the present grieving her brother meets the past in the form of the French revolution in this emotional, rich novel that you won't soon forget. Buy it for: History fans, people who like epic-feeling novels, anyone who thinks catacombs are fascinating!










The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
When the identical and heretofore unknown twin to Lucy's mother shows up on their doorstep, a web of deception, mystery, and MURDER begins! This 19th century era novel definitely has that creepy "secrets in the house" Gothic feel. The prose is somewhat detached, but for the story it absolutely worked for me. Also I totally had a crush on the love interest, Kit... Buy it for: Fans of Gothic and Victorian novels. (Like Magic Under Glass!)



White Cat by Holly Black
Tired of the same old urban fantasy? I know I am, which is why this novel of magic and mobsters was one of my favorite UF in awhile. I was definitely surprised by some of the twists, the characters are very well-developed, and the world building is like nothing else out there. Buy it for any urban fantasy lover!










Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters by Natalie Standiford
I think the cover of this book is rather generic compared to the absolutely delightful and clever writing within. I liked How to Say Goodbye in Robot a lot, but this I adored! The Sullivan Sisters tell their stories in the form of letters of confession to their grandmother, who has threatened to cut them out of the will because of what one of them has done. This book had me laughing out loud in places, and adoring the characters. Buy it for: The coolest person you know and anyone who likes witty humor.

There you go. My top recs for the year. Enjoy!

MY FAVORITE YA NOVEL EVER

Sometimes a book comes along that you just love so much and you see people buzzing about it for awards and you get really excited and invested because OMG YOU LOVE THAT BOOK and then it doesn't get nominated for anything and now there are copies at Amazon for a penny and a sales rank over a million and you wish you could just buy three thousand copies yourself and send them to everyone you know or will ever know and tell to read it if they have ANY interest in a wonderful historical love story.

That book, for me, is A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant which came out in 2006 and now seems almost entirely forgotten. Let me tell you what I love about this book:

--Meg, the main character. She loves reading and writing, and her journey to becoming a writer is wonderful and rings very true. She's a strong girl that modern women can identify with, but at the same time she is most definitely a product of her age. Modern girls might like her, but she is NOT a modern girl plunked into the 17th century.
--Edward, the love interest, and his relationship with Meg. It's not simple. It's not quick. It keeps you guessing a bit. As a reader, I had time to fall in love with Edward myself. He's smart. He's a bit tortured (quite literally, he was physically tortured). But it's not too much. One of my favorite book love interests ever. If you like love stories between smart people, for goodness sake do yourself a favor and BUY THIS RIGHT NOW.
--There is a subplot about Muslims and Islam and the politics and relations of the time that are accurate to the past but also resonate to now, and they're very well thought out. Shades of grey on both sides. I love shades of grey.
--The language and historical feel. It feels like the time period, but it's not stilted...it feels fresh, like you're really there, and besides that some of the lines in this book are very lyrical and wonderful but not pretentiously so.

Reviewing books has never been my forte, so I hardly know how to say how much I love this book, but really, read it. I don't reread books that often but I've reread this one, and I'll reread it again more than once.

Ten Types of Reviews That Make Authors Sad

First, let me say that I love reviews in general. Some authors avoid reading their reviews ever. But I actually would not want to never read my reviews. I like knowing that some people loved my book, I love seeing thoughtful reactions, I like knowing what generally didn't go over well, and so while I might angst about those things, I enjoy them too. I praise those who are wise to avoid them to protect their sanity, but I will keep reading reviews. I've probably read 500 different opinions of Magic Under Glass already. After awhile, any one opinion means very little, but getting a feel for the collective opinion is nice.

So this is not a criticism against reviewers. This is just...a hopefully amusing list inspired by a Tenners/Elevensies chat the other day in which we Tenners warned the Elevensies what to expect and NOT TO STRESS over it. If possible. (Probably not possible.)

All book examples are made up and resemblance to real books is purely coincidental. In no particular order:

1. The Sloppy Slam. The reviewer didn't like your book. Or maybe they kind of liked it, but damned it with faint praise. More importantly, they called your fairy character a pixie and spelled Rutherford's name wrong, so clearly they weren't even PAYING ATTENTION REALLY so how dare they say the whole thing was just dumb? Also they added an apostrophe in an ungrammatical place.

2. The Turnaround. This reviewer was so excited to read your book. They drove 60 miles from their small town to the only bookstore in their entire county, pawning jewelry they inherited from their grandmother so they could buy your book in hardcover. And they are SOOO disappointed because this book SUCKS. I always feel so, so bad, so much so that when people tell me they just bought my book and can't wait to read it I'm just like, "I'M SORRY IF YOU HATE IT!!!"

3. The Unfair Criticism. This reviewer maybe even liked your book but they think the cover is sooo ugly, why did the author let them use that cover, or the font size is too big or too small and it's not available on Kindle and why did the sequel get pushed back a season?

4. The Mind-Reader. So, the other day you were thinking about some tiny little flaw in your book or work in general that luckily no one has never really commented on or noticed, and...the very next day, someone DOES notice.

5. The Reviewer With a Vengeance. All right. They didn't like your book. Fair enough. But did they have to go comment on every good review of it all over the web and point out how they didn't like it? Did they have to say something like "every other review of this on Amazon is so glowing but that just shows the dumbing down of the American taste" or "I can't BELIEVE Kirkus gave this a starred review"? It's a little much. Dear writer, have some chocolates.

6. The Assumption. Some reviewers see context in your work you never intended or realized, which is entirely fair and a part of literary criticism. Once it's published, interpretations are out of your hands. But it does get painful when readers assume you had an agenda that you didn't actually have, or when they seem to miss the point entirely, like say you make sure to handle teen sex in a sensitive, responsible way and show birth control and everything and the review makes it out like your characters are a bunch of irresponsible whores. Or they assume the characters' thoughts and beliefs are exactly like yours. Maybe they weren't reading carefully. Maybe you could have done better. You keep thinking about it. DID you put that in there? Ugh, maybe you did. Or maybe they're just stupid. Or maybe you did. Dude. Stop thinking about it, and whatever you do, do not comment on the review for goodness sake.

7. The Wrong Reader. So, say you adore writing about sensitive musician boys, maybe you are even married to a sensitive musician boy, and the reviewer is just like "OMG I HATE SENSITIVE MUSICIAN BOYS!" Well, they were not the reader for your book. The sensitive musician boy is what kept you going when you almost gave up on this book. There is no way you can please this reader and yourself at the same time. Why does it still hurt!?

8. The Reviewer That is Obviously Wrong. Obviously Wrong, Damnit! You've gotten fifty reviews that said your ideas were so original, and then you get the one who says that your book is the most typical unimaginative piece of tripe that they've ever read. What book were they reading? Maybe one of your books was somehow printed with a different book inside? Yes. Yes, that is it.

9. The Salt in the Wound. So, every book can always be better. From the moment your book leaves your hands, you will probably already be thinking about its weak points. This reviewer gives you a critical review that you totally agree with. And it makes you cringe. Augh, you could have pleased this person! If only you could take the book back and fix things! Please will they give your next book a chance? You have realized the error of your ways!

10. The Blog You Once Loved. So, you love a certain bloggers reviews. They have great taste! They like all the books you like! Their good reviews make you want to rush out and buy the book, and their bad reviews are so witty and astute and fun to read...oh. Until they hate yours. Oh. How...how could they?

So, there you go. Collect them all! It's a rite of passage. Just like rejections.

Contest winner, etc.

I got back from my trip Saturday night and today I am finally sort of gathering myself and getting things done. It was an exhausting but wonderful voyage!

AND, I actually turned in Magic Under Stone before I departed. Yes! It has an ending! There are some parts of it, ending included, that I fear are still rather rough and I'm still cringing a bit...I wrote it so much faster than anything else I've ever written. But, still, for it being my first sequel and quite a bit longer than Magic Under Glass I am very happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to see what my editor will suggest for making it even better.

(Well, actually I can wait. I can totally wait. I don't want to see that thing again for a little bit.)

Between the Sea and Sky already has been added to over 600 to-read lists on Goodreads! Guys, that is a lot!! Thank you!! And the winner of the book package is Nicole (at Ink and Prose)! Nicole, I'll email you later today with a list of books to choose from.