Your Weekend Zen - Pug Edition

Our pug, Rocco, knows what weekends are for: napping (actually for Rocco, that's pretty much what every day is for).

But he's found a new favorite spot.
And made the most of a sunny afternoon.
And did not like being interrupted by me snapping his photo. Wishing you a restful weekend.

The Box

It's here!!!

The box.And I have in my possession beautiful, beautiful ARCs about which I have bad and good news.

First, the bad:

I cannot show them to you.

Why?

Okay, this is part of the good.

Penguin is so excited about the cover (it really is beautiful) that they are doing a special 'Reveal' in March. I'm thrilled about this plan, but it also means that I have to keep the ARCs and the cover hidden until the Reveal takes place. (Yes I've decided that in this case Reveal should be a proper noun.)

More good:

In answer to Eric's question: What do you do with ARCs?A few things.
1) First I will be crouched over them, staring at and cuddling them, crooning "Yes, my preciousssssssss." I expect this to last about a day. Maybe two.Anyone attempting to interrupt said behavior risks dragon attack.

2) They will be bestowed upon my family and close friends whose labors of love made the ARCs' existence possible in the first place.
3) I will be holding Contests on the blog to give them away (these will begin AFTER the Reveal). So watch for future giveaways of signed Nightshade ARCs!!!
I still have fuzzy brain resulting from a lingering cold, but I think the mood boost created by the ARCs appearance will help me recover more quickly!

Please, Mr. Postman

They're out there.

Nightshade ARCs.

Real ones.

Books with full cover art and shiny paper.

Somewhere between New York City and Minneapolis my ARCs are trucking along, heading to my doorstep.

And I'm waiting for them.

Have I mentioned before how bad I am at waiting?

In the mean time, I just got an email from the awesome Anna Jarzab telling me that Florence and the Machine's "Howl," is the perfect Nightshade song.



She is sooooo right. How did I not know this song before?

Web Therapy

I've spent a lot of time ranting about how much I don't like February. Lo and behold, we've reached the final countdown. Only one week left.

March can't come fast enough.
If, like me, You've had just about enough of no daylight, endless snow, and ice death trap sidewalks I have a bit of relief.

Since this horrid month leaves so many of us snowbound and suffering cabin fever, what else can we do but turn to our only hope: THE INTERNET.
Oh internet, which lulls us into the hope that we might not be stuck in sub-zero weather but can instead find solace in digital form.

It's an illusion, of course, but since spring is still at least a few weeks away I've found some sites to help make the time go by faster...I hope.

You've heard of primal scream therapy? Well if you need to let it out, but don't want to scare your pets. Try this on for size.

Feel better? No? Not so much feeling the winter rage, but wish you were in paradise? This one might help. Or it might just make you cry.

Escapism not your cup of tea, but good old fashioned warm fuzzies? Okay, here you go:


Cuteness not working? Maybe abuse of authority would help?

Or you could explore your creative potential.

More of an engineer than an artist? We've got something for you too.

Happy Monday! (Oxymoron? Maybe.)

Edge of Joy

Crash and burn.

The world winces, knowing it hurts, realizing it's a dream slipping through fingers.

Watching the Olympics and seeing so many athletes hit a gate, lose their balance, catch an edge - all leading to an irrecoverable run or routine, I wondered how they could get up and keep going.

In the case of Anja Paerson of Sweden, the horrific downhill crash on a course that sent five competitors tumbling, commentators considered her questionable for the rest of the Olympics. But Paerson was back in the starting gate, facing the same hill she'd crashed down and this time she took the bronze medal despite the lingering pains and contusions Whistler had left on her body.

Fall, recover, keep going. Repeat. It's the way of these games.Crazy? Maybe. But I really think it's about love. When I watched skiiers and skaters crash only to return to the very site of the disaster, asking myself: How can they go on? I decided it's not because of duty or obligation, it's because their sport is what they truly love. They have to do it, not for any of us who are watching, but for themselves.

Any challenge worth the blood, the sweat, the tears requires passion for the work at hand. It's why we'll do anything to pursue our dreams. And it's why when we're beaten and bruised, holding only hope in our hands, we'll stand at the gates of fate and beg for more.

Death Spiral

Last night I had the pleasure of watching several hours of Olympics with a friend who is a figure skating enthusiast. Okay that's an understatement. She's a giddy, giggling, stars in her eyes fangirl. As someone who only occasionally watches skating, I had to say I was surprised and taken in by all the drama. The world of men's competitive skating resembles a nest of snakes. Of course the media is playing it up - even so, from snarky challenges to extreme costumes ranging from corsetsto overalls
(sidenote: Cinna would put them ALL to shame - if you don't know who Cinna is for goodness sake get to your library/bookstore and read Hunger Games!) this icy arena is not for the timid.

It got me to thinking about the nature of fandom. Our favorite books, music, art reflect something about our personalities. We enthuse not only because of our deep love for say BUFFY, but also because the relationship of fan to art creates a sense of ownership and participation.

The Olympics is spectatorship on a global scale. I wonder if our favorite Olympic events are a little like those personality quizzes (What Gossip Girl are you? What color is your aura?) My skatefan friend is a fashionista and film scholar and as we watched the drama unfolding on the Olympic ice her enthusiasm for the event made a lot of sense.
My favorite winter Olympic event is pairs skating.



I love the beauty of the symmetry in their skating, the cooperation, the lifts, the throws - but my favorite moment lasts less than a minute. It's the death spiral.I wait through every program for this brief component, which to me is the perfect balance of strength and surrender. And the name? Brilliant!

Loving the death spiral as I do seems a perfect encapsulation of my writing style - I write characters who struggle with power and relationships. I love romancy angsty rollercoaster rides of relationships and the pairs skating programs evoke a similar tension.

What do you think? Do our Olympic event allegiances say something about who we are?

Crouching Tiger

It's the Chinese New Year and 2010 is the Year of the Tiger. Browsing through descriptions of tiger years one encounters words and phrases like "tumultuous," "turbulent," "big changes ahead," and "rough waters."

I've always liked the Chinese calendar because of its association with animals. I always thought it fortuitous that I was born in the Year of the Horse. I was a horse-obsessed girl who still kind of thinks it was significant that the last Triple Crown win took place in my birth year.

Whether or not you find astrological chatter informative or entertaining, it's interesting to think about the implications what might be an upcoming roller coaster of a year. For me that's a given. It's the year my book debuts. Before the year even turned I was eyeing 2010 with excitement and trepidation. I'm not surprised that a jungle cat is perched in the trees above, waiting to spring on the unwary passerby. It's February and I'm already well into the wild ride though my book isn't out until October. But the advice associated with the tiger is to have patience and meet obstacles with strength and steadiness - to remember that rather than subduing us, challenging can bring out our best qualities. Good advice in any circumstance.

So if a tiger is lurking in the darkness, I'll be ready to take it on but I hope to find it more friend than foe.