Hangovers

Sorry to poof out of existence again. There were page proofs for the circus book to do (lovelove the little design elements!) and then a flurry of other work and tax stuff and various deadlines large and small. And I seem to be working on a new book that came out of nowhere, but is accumulating actual words and an outline in the form of emails to myself…so I guess I'll start a file for it and hope that doesn't spook it out of existence.

But I've collected quite a few links, so in the interest of closing ye olde tabs…

• The best news of today, obviously, is that Karen Joy Fowler won the PEN/Faulkner for her brilliant We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Day made. (!!!)
• Genevieve wrote a great essay about Silence of the Lambs.
• Young Russian daredevil.
• Teens innovating a public form of privacy protection.
• A love story and its dissolution chronicled in yelp reviews.
• I cannot WAIT for Game of Thrones to be back.
• Some writers on dealing with criticism.
• Fascinating piece on whether some VR/simulation tech affects men and women differently: Is the Oculus Rift sexist?
• Books made of people. (And another.)
• 538 takes a look at the "Dollars-and-Cents Case Against Hollywood's Exclusion of Women."
• My kingdom to be in Paris and go to this party.

• Some of the passel of links I've been collecting.
• Need to furnish your surrealist palace? Here's the cabinet made from a taxidermied sheep you've been looking for.
• The endangered art of the movie novelization.
• Recreation of a Roman gladiator school in Austria.
• Alexander Chee essays always something to read: his 100 Things About a Novel and his essay from MFA vs. NYC (or NYC vs. MFA, whichever it is!). Semi-related: I keep hoping someone will write a review of that book with the headline: Don't Bring An MFA To A Knife Fight. (And would it mean the degree or the degree holder? How about BOTH?)
• PW looks at some e-book trends in children's and YA book buying. Our kingdoms for more transparent data notes about what's in and what isn't, etc., but interesting nonetheless.
• "7 Habits of Incredibly Happy People." Sometimes these types of lists can seem like fluff, but this one strikes me as useful.
• Justine Musk on shame and beauty and Kim Novak. Loved this.
• Women's engagement on social media networks–higher on all but one.
• Ron Charles on the reviewer's conundrum, to spoil or not to spoil (note: article starts with spoilers for some recentish books–like Karen Joy Fowler's BRILLIANT and now Nebula *and* PEN/Faulkner nominated We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, so if you haven't read it yet and aren't spoiled yet Avert Your Eyes). Also, once more, kudos to WaPo for adding two new wonderfully smart women to its regular reviewing team, Sarah MacLean for romance and Nancy Hightower for SFF. YAY.
• At the Millions, a linguist discusses how "I'm all like" and the like (ahem) present a fascinating change toward nuance in how we relate stories and reflect our experiences in so doing. I can't help but wonder if the increase in present tense narration in fiction somehow ties in here.
• Want a little early taste of what to expect from the circus setting of Girl on a Wire? The one and only Beth Revis has been running a great blog series featuring three authors per post talking settings of their books for the past monthish. Check out mine alongside Leah Cypess's Death Sworn and Kami Garcia's Unbreakable.

• Brain was too tired to blog much this week, because copy edits take All The Focus. (But YAY copy edits = one step closer to BOOK. I bought shoes to celebrate.) Next week should be better. She said, from within the growing shadow of an approaching (but still one month out, so ages ahaha) deadline. At any rate, it's definitely time for a new I Heart post, because I have things to recommend. And I think we're ordering a lightbox, so that should be like magical happy-times. Winter, man. This year it is not fun. (But I content myself knowing that come summer, there will be a nice stretch of time in LISBON in a supercute apartment.)
• Leila makes a shocking discovery.
• On character morality and Maslow's heirarchy of needs. (Via Cyn.)
• Agent and wonderful human Barry Goldblatt created the Angela Johnson Scholarship for New Students of Color or Ethnic Minority at my MFA alma mater, the Vermont College of Fine Arts' program in writing for children and young adults. The deadline to apply is April 30; please spread the word to eligible writers you know who might be interested.
• My dear pal Laurel Snyder has a new middle grade novel out this week titled Seven Stories Up. I highly recommend it to all people of good taste, and also that you follow up with her Bigger Than a Breadbox afterward. She also wrote a great post about the book and how her own grandmother became part of it. Snippet: "I tell kids all the time: you only need one friend. And I believe this, deeply. In my own childhood this was absolutely true. As a kid I could handle any amount of bullying, aloneness, or family drama, because I had one real best friend. One person who thought I was the most awesome person in the world. Even if my jeans were cheap and I was no good at kickball."
• And speaking of fab books about to enter the world, Jeff VanderMeer's Annilation, the first in his Southern Reach trilogy (the entire thing will be out this year!), is out next week. You want this book. I have long been a fan of Jeff's work, and I can tell you, this is his best work yet. A great read.
• Hobo glossaries. Per this:

• A whole mad hobo twitter convo ensued. I love twitter. Have a great weekend, my Weary Willies, and try to stay out of boodle jail. Unless it's warmer there.

• Circus daredevil book copy edits to do and second half of secret project to write and etcetera, oh my! A busy week here, so some links, and hopefully a real entry later on this week–probably about how our first couple weeks of VB6 have been going. 
• First up is a cool promotion that Angry Robot/Strange Chemistry is doing with Total Film magazine this month, highlighting some of their books that were optioned for TV and movies. Snag a copy of the print magazine or pick up an electronic copy and find out how to download free e-books of mine own Blackwood, Ramez Naam's Nexus, and Richard Parker's Scare Me. Details at the SC blog or just go buy the magazine here.
• Courtney Milan writing smartly as usual about the book business, this time taking on print sales for historical romances. Lots here applicable to other genres as well.
• Merrill Markoe's "How I Stopped Procrastinating" in the NYT: "Here’s what I learned: First thing in the morning, before I have drowned myself in coffee, while I still have that sleepy brain I used to believe was useless — that is the best brain for creative writing. Words come pouring out easily while my head still feels as if it is full of ground fog, wrapped in flannel and gauze, and surrounded by a hive of humming, velvety sleep bees." I have found this to be a surefire cure if I'm having trouble, and my best first draft groove.
• The expanded universe as gateway at io9.
• I love it when Austin Kleon posts a good old-fashioned blog entry: "A good spaceship for time travel."
• Kevin Brockmeier's "Dead Last Is a Kind of Second Place" at the Georgia Review.
• The classic paintings come alive thing is utterly. magical.
• Chuck Wendig guest posts on why he doesn't guest post much. Sensible! Because, if you have to do a lot, as is frequently asked of authors: It. Is. So. Time. Consuming. I think my new policy is going to be that I'll only do interviews and actual essays that I feel would be worth people's time to read, in places that make sense. Most of the blogs I read regularly–with the exception of Chuck's, Scalzi's, and a couple of others–aren't that heavy on guest posts either, and it's mainly for the reason he says. I read most of the blogs I read for the voice of the owner/author/operator (a recent case in point: Leila Roy blogs her read of V.C. Andrews' Petals on the Wind; you will to laugh). With exceptions, of course. And I do have a soft spot for the ugly word blog. So antiquated you kind of have to love it. Like one of those crazy ugly dogs that somehow goes full circle and becomes adorable.
• Colleen Mondor just totally sold me on this book, Miss Me When I'm Gone.
• The hazards of sitting. Something I wish I wasn't thinking about, but after looking at this illustration can't stop thinking about. Must be better about yoga.

• Just a quick links post for today–heading into three-day working weekend on Secret Project.
• Still overwhelmed by everyone’s reaction to the sexism and self-promo piece. An author who doesn’t know where to get started on this whole promotion thing? The wonderful Saundra Mitchell has re-posted a series of incredibly helpful links on just that.
• There’s another great Jennifer Weiner interview at the Huffington Post, by the way.
• The New York Times rounds up the latest sleep research in fascinating fashion. Get your winks, or have a dirty brain.
• Really interesting, smart piece from Ruthie Knox at Wonk-o-mance on “Writing Reality” in romance: “Also, and more to the point, there is a way in which we tell ourselves — we, as romance readers and writers and editors, pretend among ourselves — that this kind of policing is not harmful, when it is, actually. It’s harmful to our culture, our social fabric, to perpetuate a narrow idea of who is and isn’t allowed to be sexy, what is and is not sexually okay, what can and cannot be permitted romantically.”
• Yael Goldstein Love asks Should ‘Women’s Fiction’ Have Its Own Category at the WSJ in a thoughtful piece: “To the extent that we care about good fiction getting written and provoking the pleasure it warrants, the consequences of viewing literature as male by default are getting in our way. For a writer to travel as far as her talent can take her, she must have the sense that she owns her art. And for a reader to be able to travel that full length along with her, he, too, must not doubt her right of full ownership.”
• Tess Monaghan writes about disappearing older women at Open Ticket: “Marie Weinberg, C’est Moi.”
• New Meghan McCarron story! “Terrible Lizards” at The Collagist. Get it into your brain.
• Genevieve watches the new Flowers In The Attic movie for the AV Club: “The 1987 feature film was a diluted fumble—incest is replaced by a few chaste clinches—but it doubled down on camp, letting the Dollanganger kids publicly punish mom and giving Cathy two separate opportunities to look to the sky and scream, “Noooo!” Lifetime refrains from either of those over-the-top flourishes. But restraint is probably this new production’s biggest problem.”
• Christopher put his one and only published poem up online. You should go read it.
• And, lastly, a couple of nice new blog reviews of The Woken Gods this week, at the Summer Reading Project and from Beth Kemp at Thoughts from the Hearthfire. Kemp writes: “Fabulous use of mythologies to create a world where the gods of various pantheons are alive and well and seriously dangerous. I found Kyra’s quest gripping and was quickly invested emotionally.” And I beam madly.
• Have a nice weekend, everyone!

I promised more posting, so here I am. And while I have an actual suggested topic or two, I'm going to save them for next week…because I stayed up way too late last night hanging out with bad influence friends:

I regret nothing. But you get hangovers, some of which are very old. But maybe you didn't see them the first time around.

• That fascinating Atlantic piece on how Netflix's weird category system works. Don't miss it. A favorite quote: "Let me get philosophical for a minute. In a human world, life is made interesting by serendipity," Yellin told me. "The more complexity you add to a machine world, you're adding serendipity that you couldn't imagine. Perry Mason is going to happen. These ghosts in the machine are always going to be a by-product of the complexity. And sometimes we call it a bug and sometimes we call it a feature."
• Salon's most underrated albums of 2013.
• I forgot to show this one to Christopher: Sesame Street parodies LOTR.
• Bad client criticism as posters. Cringe-worthy anti-brilliance.
• Why we need more than three genders, at NPR.
• I'm obsessed with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. (Give to me season two! Never let it end!) If you haven't tried it yet, get streaming (on Netflix currently).
• Alice Kim's fabu Buzzfeed piece, about Philip K. Dick and so many other things.
• Welcome news for the writers in the bar.
• I know this is full of Salon stuff, but hey, I couldn't leave out Michele Filgate's excellent piece on how to avoid literary self-loathing.
• The PEN 10 featuring Alexander Chee: "I still like a train best for this kind of thing. I wish Amtrak had residencies for writers. And after trains, libraries at night, especially empty ones." World's best idea.
• An essay about why you should be watching The Good Wife and Scandal, two of my never-miss shows.
• Ramez Naam brings some welcome optimism about the future.
• The most incredible historical discoveries of 2013.
• Got Ted?
• And hey, one more gratuitous time (for now!): GIRL ON A WIRE has a pre-order page. (More info and/or add it on goodreads here.)

• How about some little pointers to interesting things for a Monday, since I need to close some tabs? I took the weekend off (gasp) (bliss), and we finally went to see Thor: The Dark World. I loved it. If you like beautiful men, well-written women, and superhero movies that aren't afraid to be funny, go see it.
• Justine Musk did a TedxWomen's talk that is a must read, about women owning their confidence and the art of the deep yes.
• Rick Riordan has an incredibly smart post about publishing and why connections matter little, ultimately.
• The Someday My Printz Will Come blog over at SLJ is heating up as we approach ALA Midwinter and the awards announcements. While I don't always agree with the assessments of this book or that book, the posts and discussion are always thoughtful and well worth checking out. The Eleanor & Park post is a good place to start. (Love that book. Looove it–and I am in the Yes, this is definitely award-worthy camp.)
• The Story of the Lost Paleozoic Museum.
• A look at the daily routines of various creatives and the commonalities therein.
• Men and women's brains inherently different? Not so fast; individual differences are greater.
• Heather Havrilevsky writes about Nora Ephron as influential writer of new journalism, constrasting her with Joan Didion: "When life gave Ephron lemons, in other words, she made a giant vat of really good vodka-spiked lemonade and invited all of her friends and her friends’ friends over to share it, and gossip, and play charades."
• Over on twitter, Laura Miller linked to this fabulous interview she did in 2011 with editor Robert Gottlieb, which is funny and filled with great stuff.
• And, finally, Jenny Crusie being crazytastic smart as usual, this time on when character deaths work and when they don't. Yes, yes, yes. When I first read this post, I got it completely, and also understood immediately why so many animal deaths in books just make readers angry (including this one)–because they are only emotionally resonant, but don't matter to the story. Yes.

• Yes, yes, I still owe you an extra; tomorrow, my pretties. Today, let's clean out some hangovers. I'll try to get back on a regular schedule of posting at least a couple of times a week, but it's busy times so that may not always happen. I definitely owe an I Heart post soon as well.
• Foz Meadows' brilliant Mainstream YA Article Bingo Card.
• Daniel Menaker's hilarious insider account of the loopy nature of the biz we call pub. Snippet: "Publishing is an often incredibly frustrating culture. If you want to buy a project—let’s say a nonfiction proposal for a book about the history of Sicily—some of your colleagues will say, “The proposal is too dry” or “Cletis Trebuchet did a book for Grendel Books five years ago about Sardinia and it sold, like, eight copies,” or, airily, “I don’t think many people want to read about little islands.” When Seabiscuit first came up for discussion at an editorial meeting at Random House, some skeptic muttered, “Talk about beating a dead horse!” "
• Speaking of which, Alison Cherry has a post worth your time "Nine Things I Wish I'd Known About Publishing." I managed to avoid the depression, but certainly there are the pre- and release-month (and other sporadic) publishing crazies nonetheless, and it's impossible to avoid those. (It probably did not hurt that I had watched so many people go through it, and there's also my patented philosophy of always expecting the worst. Because: Usually reality is better. Plus, writing really is the best. Hard, but so worth it.)
• A great piece about Terri Windling, where she says lots of smart things about fairy tales: “The original fairy tales were far more violent than the ones we know today, and the bits of darkness that still linger in them comes from that time,” Windling said. “But I think kids like the darkness — I know I did. Particularly if you are a child that comes in any way from a battled household, or are being bullied at school, to read about the fact that there is hardship in the world but that if you’re plucky and brave, you can overcome it, I think that’s an important thing for kids to read about.”
• Jennifer Lawrence: Kick-ass Kentuckian, and Class Act.
• A great interview with Patrick Ness: "My advice about writing is always, Write with joy. People might not be able to tell that that's the thing they're responding to, but I believe that if you write with joy every day, that rubs off. It's an intangible thing, but if you do something joyously, it's going to attract other people like mad."
• Nicola Griffith at Tor.com on whether Hild is fantasy, but really on the overlap between historical fiction and fantasy. Fascinating stuff.
• R.I.P. Charlotte Zolotow. Loved this brief remembrance by Roger Sutton at the Horn Book. And Laurel's.
• Lev Grossman talks to Suzanne Collins and the director Catching Fire for Time, in installments.
• Also, always necessary: pygmy hippo baby.

• Just a reminder, I'm in Asheville at Malaprop's tonight at 7 p.m. with Megan Shepherd (The Madman's Daughter), Meagan Spooner (Shadowlark), April Tucholke (Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea). I'm sure the store would be glad to get you a signed book, even if you can't make it. Annnd now for all those many hangovers I promised you.
• Anne Ursu speaking eloquently about middle grade and getting heavy.
• Laurie Anderson on her relationship with Lou Reed in Rolling Stone. See also: Patti Smith in the New Yorker.
• Another wonderful column from the divine Lauren Cerand.
• The Atlantic talks to several YA authors about how they approach their work.
• Also at The Atlantic, Robin Wasserman talks about the impact of Stephen King's work on her.
• Mette Harrison with some typically smart observations about writing and publishing.
• Why Are Thousands Of People Dreaming About This Man?
• Two of my favoritest people in the world, Kelly Link and Meghan McCarron, talking about the Vampire Diaries and narrative.
• Eliot Schrefer's fabulous New York Times piece about writing for kids and teens, in case you missed it: "When I turned in my first officially young adult novel, my editor didn’t cut for content. He didn’t strike a single moment of sexual desire or brooding or bad language. What he did was set a pretension barometer twice as strict as adult fiction’s and started deleting every time the arrow ticked over."
• Justine Larbalestier talks about romance and YA, including many smart thoughts from some of my favorite adult romance authors.
• Why I have to get back to yoga.
• Maud Newton's introduction to her conversation with Donna Tartt.
• The most important YA posts you'll read this week: Kelly Jensen at Stacked on gender and the New York Times' bestseller list: part one and part two.
• Bejeweled skeletons.
• And, last but never least, Genevieve Valentine reveals the madcap awesomeness of this year's Miss Universe national costume competition. My kingdom for them to put this back in the televised program.